A couple of minutes later, Aella finally managed to shake the two children off of her, forcing them to sit and reflect on their wrongdoings.
“Touching my tail without consent. Just because I can’t discipline you, Seraphina, doesn’t make you safe, you understand?” Aella stated sternly.
“Yes Aella…” Seraphina pouted lightly, a contrite expression present on her face.
Aella let out a small sigh before shaking her head. “As long as you understand. You can get up, Cid.”
Nodding, Cid stood up and moved to the side, curiously wondering about why he was told to get up but not Seraphina.
Seraphina had the same question, but she was far more vocal about it. “Why does he get to be free!? That’s not fair!”
“Seraphina, what’s your Strength stat right now? And, for that matter, what level are you?” Aella answered, pacing around her while ignoring her question.
“Uhm…” Seraphina hummed lowly, opening her status panel. This time, however, Aella could see the panel.
She couldn’t see much information from her angle, but the status panel of another person was clearly visible to her.
“I’m level 26, and my strength stat is 353!”
‘HUH???’ Aella screamed inwardly.
Nearly visibly losing her shit, Aella coughed while regaining her composure. “Lying about such things is a good habit to have, but I need you to answer honestly, okay?”
Seraphina’s pout only grew when Aella called her a liar. “Liars are bad people! Seraphina isn’t a bad person OR a liar! Look! Look!” She swiped her panel away, pushing it toward Aella to see.
=
Seraphina Davis | Fallen Angel | Young Dragon
Level 26 | Stat Points: 0 | Skill Points 0
Dragon Slots: 1 used, 0 remaining
Dragon Core: Divine Tetraflux Core | Rank: 2
Health: 100% | Mana: 100% | Stamina 99%
Traits: Angel’s Grace | Divine Descendant
Dragon Skills: [Dragon’s Breath] | [Gravity Manipulation] | [Electromagnetism] | [Ascension to Heaven] | [Great King of Demise]
Personal Skills: [Black Flames LV 2] | [Light Manipulation LV 2] | [Judgement LV 1] | [Appraisal LV 2] | [Bunny Rabbit’s Courage LV 3] | Bunny Rabbit’s Love LV 1]
STR: 353 | DEX: 210 | SPI: 99 | AGI: 45 | MND: 111 | CHA: 830
=
Seeing her status, Aella nearly fell to the ground. So many thoughts passed through her head at speeds even she couldn’t fully comprehend.
Why is her Charisma stat so obscenely high, why does Aetherion have a skill called [Great King of Demise] when she has skills related to bunny rabbits, what does [Divine Descendant] even mean?
‘AND HOW THE HELL IS HER STRENGTH DOUBLE MINE? Would it even be possible to beat her? Now while she doesn’t have any experience fighting, it’d be easy but what about in 3, no 1 year? Would I still be able to beat her? Am I really going to risk making such a monster even stronger?’
The answer, unsurprisingly, was yes. Unfortunately, Aella was unable to check the specifics of Seraphina’s, but she could make some guesses. [Ascension to Heaven] should be the skill she mentioned about changing her Aetherion's affinities, and whatever that [Great King of Demise] skill is, is most likely what caused Aetherion to act out.
Much like her [Wrath] skill, it worried her. She’d need to keep an eye on it.
‘I’ll mention it to Blair when I get a chance.’
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Ah. I’m sorry. I should have never doubted you.” Aella chuckled nervously. “As an apology, how about I grant your wish? You wanted to learn how I moved so fast, right?” She continued, pushing the status panel back toward Seraphina, not really taking note of the fact that the display was slightly different from hers.
Immediately, Seraphina stopped pouting, her eyes lighting up. “Really?! You mean it?!”
‘She’s so easy to manipulate… She’s a ticking time bomb. Let’s hope I’m good at defusing bombs…’ Aella sighed inwardly, looking at Blair for confirmation.
“Will it be dangerous?” Blair asked bluntly, Aella shaking her head in response.
“My technique is stronger than the one I’m giving to her, and I learned it when my strength stat was… 5, I think? Maybe 10? Even if it was dangerous, nothing would happen to her as long as I guide her.” She responded.
“Eh? Weaker!? No fair! I wanna be just as strong as you!” Seraphina went back to pouting.
A wry smile appeared on Aella’s face. “Hey, hey now. I’ll give you a stronger one eventually, but it’s all about compatibility! You won’t be compatible with my wind, so I’m gonna have to study some more to see what you're most compatible with!” She answered honestly.
She wanted to use this chance to awaken and sneak into Seraphina’s inner world and get a glimpse of her soul. Without mastery over souls, such a task should be impossible, but Aella was about 50% sure she could force her way in if it was right as Seraphina unlocked her Inner World.
“Mmh… It’s a promise!” Seraphina giggled.
‘Ugh… If I wasn’t an old hag, that high charisma would have certainly got to me. That might be her most dangerous weapon… Perhaps she’ll make a great commander in the future.’
On the thought of being a commander, Aella finally decided on what type of Aetherstream to give her. She was on the fence between [Earth Manipulation], not the be confused with what Aetherion has, or [Fire manipulation].
Considering that she already has the ability to manipulate fire with her [Black Flames] skill, Earth was the obvious choice but now she had an idea for a unique ability for her.
In a way, the technique she created for Seraphina could be considered a Pseudo-peak-grade Aetherstream.
“Alright, sit upright, criss-cross apple sauce, double time Seraphina!” Aella raised her energy to match Seraphina’s.
“Yes!”
Without hesitating, Aella placed her open palm on Seraphina’s neck. Direct contact with the skin had to be made for her to transfer her Mana into the young girl’s body. The spot was a little awkward, but it was the best she could manage right now.
Her Mana was like thick syrup, wrapping around Seraphina in a protective cocoon.
“Listen to my words well and pay attention to how my Mana guides yours. I’ll only do this once for you.”
With a nod from Seraphina, Aella’s mana began to guide her own, moving straight to her upper dantian and filling it, only for it to disperse downward into her body. Her arms and legs were filled with magical power before it recombined near her center dantian, right next to Aehterion’s Dragon Core which resided in her soul.
“Earth. The land beneath your feat. That which holds the foundations of all that breathes and withers. Like the steadfastness of a mountain against the raging storm, let it ground you like the ancient roots, understand its resilience, and forge it into your unyielding fortress. Be it the gods above or the unspeaking creatures from beyond, once one is anchored in the earth, even the mightiest of blows shall not make you falter.”
Her words resonated through Seraphina. It was like each word Aella had said increased her understanding of this technique she was imparting to her by a small amount.
Aella’s Mana wasn’t done with her words, though. Her Mana skillfully traversed Seraphina’s body like her very own blood vessels until reaching her lower dantian and feet. “Focus, Seraphina. You will become the sturdy and unbreakable rampart who guides everyone into the future!” She said, noticing that Seraphina was beginning to sweat profusely.
The beginning signs of deviation from the path. It didn’t matter, though. Aella would never let it happen, not in a million years.
It took several minutes before the sweating had completely stopped and only then did Aella retract her Mana from Seraphina before backing away.
The young girl’s muscles tensed up rapidly but quickly loosened as she felt power surge through her. The power was more intense than anything she had ever felt while playing with Aetherion, yet it was like she could control it with just a thought, Aella’s words continuing to guide her.
“Envision your energy as grains of earth. Compact these grains. Layer them together, creating a solid formation. A lattice that accumulates surrounding forces, absorbing them into your core like the soil embracing the rain’s nourishment.”
Seraphina’s focus narrowed on the task at hand. She felt the ebb and flow of Mana, drawing it towards her like a magnet. The air lit up as the Mana became visible for moments. Everyone present an unexpected and beautiful sight.
‘That’s my chance!’ Aella thought in her mind.
Time passed, and Seraphina’s control slowly grew as she took a deep breath, finally opening her eyes as her body tingled with newfound energy and understanding. Tentatively, she extended her hand, causing the dirt and rock that were revealed during Aella’s battle with Aetherion to change, break down, and reform together to make a small humanoid creature.
The creature was a crude mimicry of the human form, lacking fingers, toes, or even any facial features, but despite its impurities, it walked confidently toward its creator.
This small golem moved its head around aimlessly as if trying to figure out the surroundings. At the same time, a single notification from the system appeared in Seraphina’s vision.
|
Blair, Cid, and even the dragons could only look with awe at the feat. There was no way Seraphina could have such precise control over creation like that, not even a moment after obtaining the ability.