All secrets and knowledge had a price. Some being more expensive than others. Thener quickly came to terms with that fact, and to learn the greatest secrets, all it cost him was his freedom. A high price. He did the trade without a second though.
And then, his mind was blown.
After returning from the Lower Plane and accepting the knowledge, he realized he had not one new Master, but six. Six individuals, sharing between them the power to lord over Souls. To shape, to change them, to give life, and to devour. To become one with the Divine.
Oh, he was aware that reaching godhood was considered impossible even for the mightiest of men, but if anyone could reach the rank of the Divine, it was them. He had no doubt in his mind.
Five future gods, trapped in mortal flesh, and one of them in metal. The last one a prized creation of the highest one, the Fireborn. A shapeshifting immortal warrior, capable of extraordinary feats, and no doubt destined for greatness.
Thener’s mind struggled to assimilate the knowledge he was granted. His expertise was exclusively in the material world, yet now a whole new reality was revealed to him. A reality where centuries of Cultivation meant nothing. Where life and power could be given just as easily as they could be taken away. Where, upon a whim, the Talent of a person could be uplifted, giving them near-infinite potential.
His first Master had barely Cultivated for a decade, yet he was already well into the Spirit Realm. The others, though slightly weaker, reached the same height in less than three decades!
It was unheard of. Thener had been walking the Path for longer than he could remember. More than entire centuries!
His Talent was good, but there were many better than him. His progress was steady, but there were those faster than him. And that was fine. He had long accepted the trade-offs in his life. He traded his combat potential for knowledge and ability to study. He traded wealth for the simplicity of life. With that, he had achieved so much! And yet…
Thinking back to the creation of the Eclipse, the greatest human-made weapon in history, created in large part, by his effort, was the hardest yet at the same time most rewarding few years of his life.
And now he could do it all over again. With the immense powers of new, budding divinity by his side.
Of that, he had no doubt. The six were going to become the new gods of the upcoming era. Just the ability to consume Souls was already beyond godlike, much less everything else that came with it. And he would be there when they conquered the world, standing by their side, to see it all happen. What greater honor could there be, than to be part of history?
He choked down tears that welled up in his eyes, and bowed. He bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
“Thank you, for giving this old man the opportunity to see the truth. My life is now yours, body and Soul. I will serve you to the best of my ability until the end of my days.” He swore.
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Gerald placed a hand on his shoulder and lifted him up, looking into his eyes.
“Why is this old fart getting so emotional?” He heard the voice of Onyx, the living metal man, echo in his mind, shattering the sanctity of the moment. “You are part of the team now, so act with dignity!”
“Leave him alone, Onyx. That was a lot to take in at once, give the man some space.” Master John said with a voice that sounded much too mature for his age. By all measures, the group was still just children in Thener’s mind, none of them even reaching fifty, yet all of them carried powers even the ancient Sect Masters could only dream of.
“He is a smart man, sticking with you.” Thener heard the tall ash-skinned woman speak to Gerald. As he understood it, she once used to be a human, but then she was captured by the Drow and merged with… a Demon? He still wasn’t quite sure what that was, even though he was told much about the creatures.
Master Gerald was the expert in bloodline manipulation, so whatever he said was law. As a shapeshifter, he was intimately familiar with the process of mixing and merging bloodlines, and if he said she was fine, then that was that.
Previously she was dying, but after receiving his help, she recovered, growing even stronger than before. That’s how she owed him her life, just as many others. Just like the metal man. Just like him. Without his help, he would still be stuck in the Lower Plane working for Lee, messing around with garbage materials, studying rifts, trying to create a miracle out of trash.
He sighed. The steps he took to get stuck in such a horrid place still weighed heavily on his mind despite the decades that had passed since. He preferred not to remember because, in truth, he mostly couldn’t. Things from back then were blurry in his mind, clouded by strong emotions and grief.
Fortunately for him, he was offered a chance to begin anew in a different place. And he accepted it. He accepted it so fast that he scared himself. His usual slow and calculated mind was so desperate for a change that he readily agreed to the first thing that came his way. And he couldn’t be happier.
He smiled as his new Masters argued and discussed among themselves, using expressions and references he did not understand. Their names too, were odd and unfamiliar to his ears. Just like the monsters they slayed, they did not appear to belong in this world.
[Hey.] Gerald called, shattering his musings. A chest of Void Stone appeared on the ground between them, and as he kicked it open, the Qi in the air shifted course. It began slowly drifting towards the dark, nearly black ingots of pure Dreadstone inside.
All eyes turned to Gerald who carried a confident grin on his young, human-looking face. While he supposedly used to be one, that was a long time ago. That left just three of them remaining, only three Purebloods among the group. Thener wondered if they too, would change with time.
[Now that we are back out here, with all the energy in the world, how about we see how far we can push it, huh?] Gerald spoke, pointing at the box.
“Yes!” Thener smiled, happy and excited as he was as a child, the first time he touched upon the magic of the world. That was his job, his assignment. To research. To experiment. To discover the deepest secrets of the natural world.
It was his duty to serve his new Masters, to make their wildest ideas come true. He already helped to create one. The Eclipse. No doubt, there would be many more.
“I’ll do it. I’ll do it… for the Black Onyx Brotherhood!” He elatedly promised.
Apparently happy with his statement, Gerald’s smile grew even wider. [Yes… For the Brotherhood.] He extended his hand. Onyx placed his palm on top of his.
“For the Brotherhood.”
“For the Brotherhood.” Adam and Alexandra added.
“Fine, fine…” John sighed and placed his hand, followed by Olivia, the Demon mix blood. “For the Brotherhood!”
All eyes turned towards him, making Thener blush in excitement. He outstretched his shaky hand, eyes wide.
“For…” He licked his lips and gathered his courage, adding his hand to the six. “For the Brotherhood!”