Kaara pulled Deka into bed, “I wonder where Vilka is…” She muttered. Normally the girl was somewhere close to her master, but she was nowhere to be seen today.
“Deka is likely not the only one humiliated by his horns being cut. Even if his side won in the end.” Shiira said, “The boy should have already known that sleep deprivation puts you at a higher risk for insanity when using Ux scrolls.”
“I remember Deka telling us they were completely safe.”
“Then he either thought he was invincible, or no one told him.” Shiira turned to leave the tent, motioning for Kaara to follow, “Tell me, child, how much do you know of Ux?”
“I know that it’s some kinda invisible force that makes my magic stronger among other things.”
Shiira nodded, “That’s part of it. Ux is far more than that, though. Have you ever wondered how mere mortals such as ourselves can become god slayers?”
Kaara put her hands behind her back, tilting her head in thought, “You get real strong until you’re able to fight them?”
Shiira laughed, “Sure, that is part of it, but some gods can snap their fingers and remove you from existence. Others have abilities which could destroy entire planets, stars, and more with a flick of the wrist! Some can even decide to make it a law of the universe that they cannot lose a fight.”
“That sounds like cheating.”
“It very much is. When you allow the gods to make the rules, they don’t play fair.”
“So then how do you win?”
“We deny their rules, and make them mortal. Ux is the great equalizer, not just for xiozians, but for gods too. Of course, gods are still formidable opponents even when they are not allowed to use their infinite power, but us Godslayers would not have it any other way.”
“But what if, like, they just destroy the planet you’re standing on instead?”
“So long as a xiozian who has awakened their Ux remains within their domain, they cannot wield their unrestricted power. They can still grant power to champions, and create avatars, but mortal bodies have a limit to the power they can be granted.”
“Why do we fight gods anyway?” Kaara said, “I never understood that.”
“Even gods are not above corruption. Nor are they above boredom or cruelty. Sure, sometimes a god will proclaim themselves to be the one above all for which there is no other. They will loudly proclaim to their creations that they are the most merciful of parents, and that all of the horrors they inflict upon them are the result of sin. That is the sign of a mad god. And mad gods are the favored food of Malaki and Dragons alike.”
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“So when they turn bad, we kill ‘em?”
“Not always, but yes. We remind them that even they are not beyond death. Their infinite power can be bound. Not by those who are more powerful than them, but by those who understand their mortality and accept their finite lives as they are. For those with infinite power we god slayers show them true humility.”
“Why tell me all of this now?”
“Because you’ve fully awakened your Ux.”
“Really? How can you tell? I don’t feel any different.”
“When I was tending to you, I noticed it. Ux is difficult to detect, but not impossible. Most can tell someone is using Ux based on the effects it has. Heightened senses, powerful magic, et cetera. The difference between fully awakened Ux and partially awakened Ux is marginal at first, but the difference is something you feel.”
“Something you feel?”
“It’s the same intuition you get when you know an arrow will hit its mark, or when you feel like you’re being watched. There is a part of you which knows and understands the difference, but explaining why you know is difficult.”
“But what’s the real difference?”
“Quite a few to list, but almost none of which are relevant to you at the moment. The main difference is that awakened Ux allows you to utilize all of your techniques at once whereas partial awakening will naturally switch between active techniques.”
“What about the Siren Ceremony? That’s connected right? What does that have to do with anything?”
“I think I’ll answer that when we get back to the tent. I think it’s time the rest of you know the ceremony’s true purpose.”
Kaara fell silent. What did she mean by that? Ever since she was little the true nature of the Siren Ceremony was foggy. She always knew it was a rite of passage. She knew those who had come of age could opt out and instead live their lives as normal people. She knew passing the ceremony was only the first step to becoming a fully fledged Malaki hunter.
What Kaara never understood, however, was why. Why allow children to die? Even if they opted in, surely that was not enough to stand aside and watch them be slaughtered by true monsters they had no hope of defeating. If the ceremony’s only function was to awaken Ux, what about those who had already awakened it? People like Deka, Tadios, and Argo were still planning to partake in the ceremony. Now Kaara was apparently among the ones who had awakened it, but she could not remember doing anything special.
As they once again arrived at Shiira’s tent, Kaara had more questions than answers. Shiira took her usual seat in the corner of the tent, “I think I’ll start with the obvious,” She said, “We don’t make it very clear exactly why we do the Siren Ceremony. Even if you’ve grown up in camp like Kaara or Arik, you would know quite about the ‘what’, but not the why.”
“It’s to awaken our Ux isn’t it?” Argo said, “If not strengthen it.”
“That’s part of it, yes. And a part which not many know before they go into the ceremony. Do you wonder why Savekio would have you go through this ceremony despite how you’ve clearly awakened your Ux, though?”
“To strengthen it?”
“Again, part of it, but not all of it.” She leaned on the hind legs of her chair, using her tail to rock back and forth, “The Siren Cermony’s true purpose is to create the next generation of Godslayers.”