Kal and Ilgathar continued for some time and each time Kal was able to at least take a guess on what the affinity was. Some of them were not as simple as water or nature but the sensation he got when he looked at them was normally enough for him to get a sense of what they were.
After nature was a white gold sphere that made Kal feel like he was staring into the sun but it didn’t burn his eyes. It instead felt cleansing, pure but dangerous at the same time like anything it deemed impure would be annihilated, “Light.”
Next was an orb of darkness that seemed to draw his eyes into it, and to enter was to be lessened, made weaker by an oppressive darkness. It made Kal think of times when was a child drawing pictures of the sunset and all the effort he put into using as many colors as he could was made pointless as the colors faded with the light, “Darkness.”
The next one was obvious, it literally looked like a flame licking at the air. Kal didn’t need to try and sense it to get a grasp of what it was but he did anyway. Surprisingly the feeling he got was more involved than he expected, it was all-consuming, it was to destroy something from its foundations, “Fire.”
A brown orb of dull energy appeared next, it was the rocks beneath the bones and the foundation of worlds, it was to conceal and contain, “Earth.”
Next was the strangest of all of them, it was invisible to his mana sight but even so it was as clear to him as if it was him, it was everywhere and nowhere. Looking at the space above the stone felt as if he was looking upon himself and the world around him all at once, it made his head ache to look but it was hard not to, “Perception? No, location?”
Ilgathar grunted and Kal saw its eyes flicker slightly before it downed another strange vial and hit the next symbol.
A gold orb appeared, this one was completely still. It had no movement that Kal could see but looking at it made him feel as if everything around him was moving far too fast, the time he had spent in the abyss felt insignificant, like the tiniest sliver of something infinite. What was this one? It was even harder to grasp than the previous one, it felt inescapable, inevitable, constant. Memories of happy times passing too quickly and sad ones dragging on came to mind, “Time.”
Ilgathar paused for a long time with Kal’s response, its eyes fluttered and its face twitched strangely. After well over a minute it moved on to the last symbol Kal could see.
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The flesh plains of the 392nd layer pulsated as Slazak stirred the soup of unshaped minds. The mortal on the 1st layer had slain many shaped ones and as always their twisted and malnourished minds returned to his synomium to be reshaped. As he stirred the minds cried out to join with new flesh, little did these ones know that they would be used for a greater purpose. Slazak brought up the thoughts of his chosen apprentice, Ilgathar had been calling him for some time but the system’s interference had prevented him from responding until the quest progressed.
Sanctioned Trial [Restricted]
Your tier has been restricted from intervening in a system-sanctioned trial. Contact can be reinstated once your conduit’s anchor has been challenged by the primary participant.
It was inconvenient but ultimately unavoidable. Despite The Great Lord’s mastery over the abyssal horizon, the system could still have its way.
Slazak’s thoughts consolidated into the image of his apprentice and he felt the chains of the system’s restriction slacken as he was finally allowed to view what happened within the trial.
Slazak willed his thoughts into the mind of his apprentice and grinned as he saw that his apprentice had not disappointed him, the mortal sat between two stones of mana acuity.
“Excellent Ilgathar, I see that you have done what I commanded.”
“Master! You must witness this, I believe I am mistaken.”
What Slazak heard in reply was interesting, it was not like his apprentice to be so excitable unless his shell-to-mind cohesion was failing, “What is it?”
“He can sense them all!”
Slazak saw that the stones were active but he couldn’t detect what affinity was projected, “What affinities have you projected so far?”
It was not unusual for mortals to be able to detect many of the simplest primal affinities such as water, earth, and fire.
Slazak could practically feel Ilgathar’s cohesion shuddering as it prepared to speak, “All of them but the last.”
Slazak froze, and the synomium’s waters slowed, “Impossible. He must be lying, were you foolish enough to allow him to read the symbols on the stones?”
“No Master, the mortal does not know the first’s script, it did not even know what primal affinities are!”
“It is mortal, their kind has always held a fascination with the beings of the first. It lies. Activate the final symbol, I will discern the truth.”
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Slazak activated Soul Seer and concentrated through the mind of his apprentice.
“Yes, master.”
Ilgathar reached out with fault-ridden flesh and activated the last symbol. Slazak could detect nothing as expected his affinities were not closely attuned with the final primal affinity and neither were Ilgathar’s so he concentrated on the human mortal whose eyes were locked open as it stared at the top of the stone.
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The final affinity shined like polished silver and Kal found himself struggling to keep his eyes on it as if he wasn’t supposed to see what floated above the stone. Unlike the other affinities, Kal felt something change within him and the sudden sensation made him search his core.
He found what was different immediately, it was Soul Forge. The thread containing the most complicated skill he possessed had activated and now glowed with silver light just like the sphere above the stone. Why had it activated with this mana affinity and not the rest? Is this what the butcher was talking about? That didn’t sound right to Kal so he exited his core and continued to watch the silver sphere.
Kal continued to try and keep his gaze on the sphere but still, it continued to roll off of it before he could get a good sense of what it was. Something about this one was clearly different, the other affinities all represented things he partially understood already. The basic elements of nature or concepts like time and space. This one was something more, something potent yet tiny, indistinct yet held more meaning than he would ever know.
Just as he felt like he was getting a grasp-
*thud* *thud*
His eyes slid from it again. Perhaps it was an attribute problem, his perception had been lowered due to Soul Maw but he felt that he was close. Kal thought about activating Wrath Incarnate for the attribute bonuses but he would likely try and kill the butcher if he did that.
*thud* *thud*
His birthright had started to flare as he focused again on the sphere, it revolted against that core that contained it. Why? What was it about this affinity that called to his birthright?
*thud*
They were so different, the serenity of the sphere compared to the fury of his birthright. One bright yet indistinct, the other bright but brimming with dark purpose.
*thud*
Kal’s eyes continued to slip away but he used every ounce of his will and perception to force himself to look at the sphere as his birthright continued to rage against its restraints. What is it?
*thud*
His head ached, and he felt pressure on his core unlike anything he had felt since his core shattered, Kal was about to turn away as he felt the pressure grow unbearable but then something changed. The pressure vanished and Kal’s eyes focused fully on the sphere of silver light.
Time seemed to stop as Kal gazed into the unknown depths of the silver glow, the light in the eyes of a child discovering a rainbow, the dimming of it in the eyes of a mourning widow. The innocent cries of a newborn child, the curiosity of a scholar reading their next book. All were different but each held meaning. Joy, sorrow, need, curiosity. What the sphere contained was not what was important, what was important was what was missing, purpose, goals, and emotions.
Kal’s birthright raged once more as he began to understand what he was perceiving and why his birthright raged, seeking death, seeking destruction, and from the memories he had ignored since his dreams by the remembrance stone, to make it all end…
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“It did not take this long for the other affinities Master. Should I interrupt h-”
Something changed, where before the mortal simply gazed at the place atop the stone, now a pressure-filled the room potent enough that even Slazak could sense it through his apprentice, and was that fear? Ilgathar reeked of it. Then Slazak saw what his apprentice was looking at.
The mortal’s expression had changed, at first, it was of neutral concentration but now it had become a blank expression that made it appear alien. Even more strangely, its eyes were changing, darkening as if it were staring at a hated enemy. Its irises seemed to crack and a crimson glow began to leech through the gaps into the sclera.
Ilgathar’s shell cohesion was suffering as its mind was under assault just by being in the room and even Slazak felt a strange apprehension as he watched the mortal. Slazak could do nothing to assist his apprentice's cohesion why he was still restricted by the system, whatever was happening was even affecting the communication between them as the Ilgathar’s thoughts began to break up so Slazak’s view of the mortal became distorted.
The mortal turned its gaze to Ilgathar and suddenly every sensation Slazak could feel through his apprentice’s thoughts was amplified and something deep in his core fluttered at the mortal gaze, it was over nearly instantly but he could not deny the feeling of dread. Ilgathar’s mind shook, only the potent effects of his stabilization potions kept his shell and mind together but Slazak could sense it too was also beginning to fail.
The mortal’s gaze was locked onto Ilgathar’s chest but Slazak got the sense it was looking elsewhere. Then it spoke.
“The first spark. The seed that contains the wants, needs, and potential of all. It's potential unlimited, it's meaning infinite, the first spark lies at the core of all who live and die,” The mortal’s voice seemed to ignore the boundaries between the layers and Slazak could hear it as if someone whispered in his ear, “The final affinity is souls.”
Then it was over, Ilgathar relaxed as the pressure vanished and the mortal’s eyes returned to normal before its eyes rolled to the back of its head and it fell to the floor.
It was impossible, none could perceive all primal affinities. No one, It could not be done and to think this mortal could sense the soul affinity was ridiculous, none in the millennia of Slazak’s existence had ever perceived soul mana. Slazak had wished to learn of this mortal’s resource, one that so intrigued the Lady of Blood but now there were more secrets than answers. He needed this mortal, the evolution was nothing to what he believed this mortal may teach him.
“Ilgathar, you will learn everything you can about this mortal. You have earned your evolution. But I must know everything, convince him to come to my domain. Grant him anything he wishes. I will replace whatever he takes.”
Ilgathar was still recovering but he scrambled to reply, “Yes of course master, but what is he?”
“You must use your skill on his resource,” Slazak paused his mind racing, ”I believe this is the one The Great Lady of Blood seeks.”