Ewan took his time and read through all the details in the book, and it was fascinating to say the least. It pictured a different state of a Severynth, where the conductor became the vanguard and the Astylinds became the support. An ‘Elementalist’, as the book named it, was a subtype unique to the Ayres family. It took the path of Anima and pushed it to the extreme—it was the peak form of an elemental type spellcaster.

And it all began with the modifications, inside and out.

There were two main layers for the modification part that he had to repeat for each major step. First was the ‘Heart of Anima’, and what followed was the ‘Body of Anima’.

After completing the first layer, the ‘Heart of Anima’ would reduce the friction between the Anima of different elements. It would act as the foundation and would allow him to practice the second layer, ‘Body of Anima’. With the friction between the elements gone, the second layer would adjust his body to all the elements and reduce the resistance for each of them.

The completion of each cycle for each step would open the path to the parallel level of the ‘Elementalist’.

Once Ewan skimmed through all these details a few times—the modification part, the circuit setup, the choice of the mainstay element, the limitation of only one Astylind per element, etc., he closed the book and digested it all with his eyes shut. If he had to explain the book in simple words, it would be ‘money burner’. The resources needed to complete even one layer of modification was beyond the reach of a normal Obria citizen; the general market couldn’t even list most of them on a good day.

He took a deep breath with a heavy heart—it was better to put this aside for now, he could think about practicing it once he could buy those items. Thus, he kept it back in the claw-ring and brought out the other thick black-hardcover book; the sentence written on top of it had piqued his interest.

‘Eterien Sien Trian.’

Once he flipped the first page, the tiny lines of information contained inside overwhelmed him. This book was actually an amalgamation of his family’s experiences; it was a journal bundled with Potioneering details, including several recipes scattered through the steps. Even his Pa’s words were in it, Ewan recognized his curvy strokes and those lingering tails.

The first few pages detailed all the vital and minor information he needed to know about the starting line—the Step-0.

Nine awakenings, five innates.

‘Dekoth/Aokoth | Ryvia | Sindra/Grein | Bralek | Varos’

He read through them all.

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Once he finished the first part, all that escaped him was a sigh of comfort. He was all on his own in this world, yet he didn’t feel alone anymore. Even in death, his family, his Pa, they were supporting their next generation. Bit by bit, a hint of pride for his name took root in his heart. His name was Ayres, that alone gave him a huge advantage.

He continued reading and skimmed the second part. Many details were beyond him, so he had no choice but to skip them.

Leaning on the table, he browsed what he could and gained some perception of the levels. Eight steps to permanence, the sentence stood true to its core. There were eight steps for Ashevas with the final step leading to perpetuity.

The increased lifespan per level, Ewan yearned to confirm that. Most of his will to live and survive came from his dream of a longer life. And the information in the book cemented that.

As a Severynth of the Soul-Awakening step, he was no different from the Kyrons—the mortals; his soul couldn’t tolerate the life-extending rite. But once he broke through to the next step, once he treaded the steps of the rite, his soul and body would strengthen enough to bear the burden of the last extension. And with the completion of the Step-1 rite, depending on his choice for the final section, his lifespan could soar up to over two hundred years…

….

Once he finished the book, he stretched his arms and legs, his joints popped, and lounged back on the chair. His eyes closed and a smile on his face, he took his time and savored the delight that came from knowing his dream could succeed.

He remained still for minutes; Orange sprawled on the table and Ewan also didn’t feel like moving right now. But there were two books he hadn’t read yet. So, he put the black book in his claw-ring and picked the red-hardcover book.

The spell was as its name suggested. It was of the blood element and used Blood-Anima. It worked by accumulating the aura of blood, or as some called it—aura of death. The more he killed, the more that aura would taint him. It was invisible and useless, it neither helped nor hindered; only those with special spells or skills could notice it. But this spell could make use of that idle resource.

Its use was in amplifying the overall physical prowess of the target. The more aura of blood the caster had, the stronger the effect of the spell would be. The only side effect was the target would fall into a frenzy, lusting after blood and death—they had to kill.

Ewan found his Pa’s note on the page that detailed the side effect. ‘Don’t stop your Astylinds,’ he wrote. ‘They will obey you, but you’ll hurt them.’

The words threw him into a chaos of emotions. He thought about many things related to his awakening before, but killing someone wasn’t on his list. He’d suffered these last few years, but overall, he lived a sheltered and peaceful life. The sky-high walls protected them all, the laws kept the peace alive, and most acted civil.

Yet, the outside world followed the concept of survival of the fittest. Beyond the walls, there was no law, and once he stepped out, he would be on his own. No fairness, no sympathy—inside, the laws protected the weak; outside, they died a gruesome death.

The presence of such protection never dawned on him, but the spell showed him the reality. And if he wanted to advance on his journey, he had to go out; there was no other way.

When faced with such a situation though, could he kill or would he hesitate… He hoped he had the mental fortitude to do whatever necessary to survive. But regardless of what he thought or hoped, only time could give him his answer. And besides, the spell needed Blood-Anima, he had to contract an Astylind of the blood-element first to cast it. For now, he could only let the book collect dust.

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