Xerion’s arms made their way under what was left of the beast. Dissection, in normal cases, tended to be a brutal affair. This? The remains of the subject of his studies ended up as little more than a sack of skin, meat, and other loosely connected tissues.

He hoisted it all up, tiny pieces of flesh falling off as he did so. Red was the theme of the day, the color present on just about everything, even the insides of his pants. Who would’ve guessed the pursuit of the truth to be so bloody a thing?

As he moved, sweat flowed down his head and back in thick droplets. A Mature Darkfiend Wolf’s weight averaged at around half a ton. The strength of Practitioners could far surpass the mortal limits, but to get to that stage, time was needed. Barely a week passed since Xerion’s initiation, and so his gains in the body department were few as of yet.

Not that he’d complain, as the focus of his growth lay elsewhere, and despite that, he was able to lift and relocate this behemoth. Half a ton. A mundane’s tendons would’ve torn and snapped like cloth under such a strain. He was fine, if a bit tired and stinky.

To occupy his mind as his knees did their best not to buckle and give out, he summoned his Sui Scroll.

Cultivation:

Rank – Ignition

Sub-Rank – Level 3

Progress – 17 of 39 Sparks

Methods:

Primary – Heart – [Empyrean Heartfire] (Mythic)

Auxiliary – Mind – [All-Devouring Disposition] (Legendary+)

Auxiliary – Body – [Nineseal Physique] (Expert+)

Abilities:

1. [Sentinel’s Embrace] (Half-Step Expert) (Rank 1)

2. [Penetrating Gaze of the Sorrowful] (Adept) (Rank 1)

3. [Banishment of Darkness] (Adept+) (Rank 1)

Heart Attributes:

Potency – 43

Adroitness – 22

Integrity – 37

Mind Attributes:

Focus – 13

Acumen – 13

Will – 13

Body Attributes:

Power – 13

Finesse – 13

Constitution – 13

A grimace appeared on his face as he looked at his Attributes. His progress had been tremendous, but putting all his concentration into the improvement of his heart left little room for other subjects. If he didn’t start on his auxiliary methods soon, things were going to get ugly.

Xerion heard stories of hearts so mighty, flesh itself crumbled under their weight. It sounded so cool at the time. Now he knew better. Those were warnings.

A constant pain accompanied him now, this tiny stinging sensation near the center of his chest. Unimportant and barely even noticeable.

But what if he decided to go for another perfect breakthrough, the third one? He’d advance to the middle stages of the First Rank. Would that tiny sting transform into a thorough stab? Or, would he die outright?

A shudder ran through him. Yes, he’d focus on his body and mind from now on. And on more abilities, of course. More of those couldn’t hurt.

Black spots started to emerge in his vision as he finally dropped the beast’s corpse. A bunch of mortals rapidly took charge of it, using their specialized equipment to take various measurements. All would be taken into account, to quote the fairest price for the carcass.

“You know, this would’ve gone much faster if you’d have let me do this.”

“Yeah, I know, but it’s been a while since I worked out and I wanted to test a few things. Thanks for giving me a chance to play around, and sorry for wasting more of your time.”

“Eh, I’m not in a hurry. C’mon, let’s get to the next one.”

The Practitioner assigned to help him out with his research had a build quite unlike anything Xerion had seen previously. Whereas Duene’s form consisted of small, wiry muscles, Jacob took the approach of increasing his mass to the extreme.

Standing close to three paces tall, the man looked like the personification of the word “big.” With thighs the size of tree trunks and biceps as if sculpted with a Titan’s image in mind, not a soul existed who’d not feel trepidation when in need of facing someone with such a frame.

And yet Jacob’s biggest strength was his personality.

With a pig-like nose, a face so squished one might think him a brick, and a bunch of Totems tattooed on his smooth head, he made for a ferocious sight. And then he started talking.

“Come closer. Tell me when to stop, yeah? I want you to get everything you need.”

“You really don’t have to. You’ve already—”

“Nonsense. I won’t lose much if I spend an extra hour here, but it might just make the difference for you, yeah? And if you value my time so much, then stop dillydallying.”

“…Okay. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

If he didn’t know their clan’s primary method revolved around fire, he’d thought the man to have a heart of gold. And, in opposition to what his size suggested, he used his blade as if a scalpel. Xerion couldn’t have asked for a better assistant.

He’s not actually my assistant, he reminded himself, then focused on the dissection of the next carcass.

It’s been almost a week since his initial session with Nadia, during which he achieved his first perfect breakthrough. Since then, another one followed, to his teacher’s displeasure.

After he returned from dreamland to his battered and bruised body, his mentor took the time to explain to him all the ins and outs of going for perfection, with a particular emphasis on why it was a bad idea to do so.

She started by telling him how such breakthroughs should be performed, in spite of her misgivings. To his surprise, the process was a simple one.

“Condense the strongest Sparks you can, fill yourself with essence to the limit, push at the boundary until you hear a crack, and continue to do so till you run absolutely dry,” she said.

No grand secrets, no special ways, just… gather resources and use them like a battering ram, breaking down the barrier blocking his path. Quite disappointing, really. But he couldn’t exactly complain about things being too easy, right? Plus, they actually weren’t. Xerion still remembered her words and the grim tone with which she said them.

“Listen to me clear, boy. Here’s why going for perfection is the height of folly: each time you do so, the subsequent advancement becomes that much harder. Think of the wall currently barring your progress as one made of wood. If you choose to stay sublime, by the time you reach the peak, it’ll be made of hardened and enchanted obsidian.”

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Naturally, he asked her why that’d be so, and the answer was: space.

To break through from one level to the next, a Practitioner only needed to destroy the obstacle halting them from achieving it. But doing just that was a terrible waste of potential.

According to Nadia, following the destruction would come the era of malleability. A mere moment in which the breadth of one’s Heartspace could be increased. Those aiming for excellence used it well, hammering at the space’s edges with all of their remaining essence.

The benefits of such expansion were many and obvious, though not completely so. It didn’t result in being able to store a greater quantity of mist – as that was connected to ECL and the heart’s depth – but it did improve its quality/density.

Each bit of essence of a Practitioner who underwent a perfect breakthrough was worth more than that of one who didn’t. Sparks condensed with it carried more and better energy, which granted a substantial power and endurance boost to the abilities which used them as fuel.

Using the sublime advancement path also granted extra Attributes. Just a couple of points at each juncture, but those would add up and make a big difference down the road.

Despite the numerous advantages, Nadia still insisted on perfection being foolish. Why? Because the Heartspace hated being expanded.

A Practitioner thinking themselves clever, using the heart’s temporary moment of weakness to bring change, would find their next attempt to do so exponentially harder. By the middle stages of Rank 1, one’s progress would be barred without well-developed auxiliary methods. And by higher stages? Special, rare, and pricy treasures might be needed. For some.

Xerion’s exceptional Essence Capacity Limit resulted in him having a bit more wiggle room. If everything went well, he’d only require mountains of coins and contribution points for his breakthrough to Rank 2 – Coalescence.

There was one little problem: things around him had the unfortunate tendency of going tits up. Something would happen, he was sure, and it’d screw up all his plans. All he could do was prepare himself for that inevitable calamity.

Or nothing might happen. Maybe he’d be lucky this once.

Xerion snorted. Unlikely. I’d sooner believe the void to be a friend.

“Are you okay?” Jacob asked in concern. “I think I heard you choke.”

“N- no, I’m fine,” he said quickly, heat creeping onto his neck and face. “I was… distracted. Sorry.”

The giant patted him on the shoulder, leaving bloody smears on the already-dirty outfit. “Don’t worry about it. Happens to everyone. This is hard work, but let’s get back to it, yeah? You don’t want to miss something.”

“…Yeah,” he murmured, then added: “I really appreciate your help, Jacob.”

“I said it already, didn’t I? Don’t mention it. I’m happy to be here.”

He refocused on the dissection, noting every bit of info about the corpse, be it the hardness of its hide, or the taste of its blood. The pair performed tests so varied and nonsensical, not a person of a stable mind would think them to be useful.

But all was important. The knowledge of the creature’s biological structure was paramount, yes, but so was the feeling it evoked in Xerion. In a way, for what he intended to do, the mere impression the monster left on him could turn out to be more essential than hard truths.

As he returned to the groove of the monotone nature of his research, a tiny part of his mind wandered, recalling the previous topic of his thoughts.

Ah, the wonders of Attributes. Multitasking and mind-splitting wouldn’t be available to him for a while longer, but the embryo of those abilities already existed, and he’d use it for all it was worth.

Where was he… ah, yes. The perfect breakthrough.

Throughout Nadia’s entire explanation of its advantages and drawbacks, the most humorous moment came from her best shot at dissuading him from following the sublime route.

“Only the foolish and foolhardy would choose this path,” she said animatedly, “because you won’t even get to witness the fruits of your labor! See, the biggest benefit of pursuing perfection is the space expansion itself. This fact is rarely mentioned as for us, the members of the Empyrean Clan, it means – and pardon my language – less than human excrement.”

“Why human?” he chimed in.

“…What?”

“Why ‘human excrement’? So, like, would wolf shit be of higher importance?”

Nadia looked at him as if the void ate away his brain, disregarded his words, and continued. “Its significance is next to nonexistent for a very simple reason: before a Practitioner ascends to the Third Rank, the dimensions of their Heartspace play no real import – aside from the coincidental effect of improving the density of their essence. It is only then that the profoundness of sublime foundations can be felt.”

“So, if I understand correctly, you’re saying I shouldn’t go for the perfect breakthroughs because they are, in fact, fantastic, but from the Third Rank upwards?”

“Yes!”

“But that’s the plan?” he asked, confused. “To get to that Rank.”

“…We can’t?” she answered, equally bewildered but for entirely different reasons. “We can’t. It’s barred from us, the Empyrean’s descendants. You know this.”

“Yeah, I do, but… I’m still going to try? I don’t see why I shouldn’t. Of course, I likely won’t manage, but I have to try. I thought everybody did that!”

“Oh, you silly, silly boy.”

His teacher was undeterred by that minor defeat, attacking his resolve from another angle. “How’ll you deal with the injuries?” she asked, for the hardening of the wall wasn’t the only danger of perfection. Even if a Practitioner succeeded in battering it down, the consequences of such action weren’t to be overlooked.

“I don’t know,” he answered her truly. “But there must be greater treasures of healing. Stronger potions. People proficient in the mending arts. I’ll find a way.”

This also contributed to his want of focusing on the auxiliary methods. A sufficiently refined body and mind could stand up to blows of legend and come away unscathed. If he cultivated them enough, even a sublime breakthrough would be of little trouble.

Xerion wasn’t one to stay on the defensive, so he shot back at Nadia, “If they’re so dangerous, so bad for me, why did you make me go through one? I wouldn’t know they existed if not for you!”

His mentor rubbed at her head. “So you could see and feel for yourself how idiotic of an idea going through them is. Look at Daniel here.”

The man in question gave his best attempt to turn invisible as his teacher gestured at him.

“That’s a boy with a level head. He tried, almost died, and decided to forgo further silliness. Like a normal person.”

“There must’ve been people who went this route and made it work. I’m sure of it.”

“Yes, but it isn’t worth it for the clan. We – all of us – need more Practitioners, not a single particularly strong one.”

“What?” he asked, flabbergasted. “What about [Empyrean Revivification]? Isn’t the clan’s most important goal to improve it?”

Nadia looked at him as if utter rubbish started spouting from his mouth. “No, it isn’t. You may’ve overlooked this from the comforts of your mansion, but the number one goal is, always has been, to survive the void’s onslaught.”

“I…” Xerion said and stopped, sighing. “Look, I get it. What I plan on doing, it’s stupid. Moronic, even. But… teacher. I want to try. Let me do so, please.”

Nadia gazed at him for a long moment, and he could feel goosebumps appearing on his skin as she did so. Finally, after over a minute, she slumped, but with acceptance on her face.

“Fine. But you’ll do it right, and I’ll be there every step of the way, making sure you’re not being suicidal. You advance when I say you’re ready.”

“Thank you, mentor,” he said, bowing from his seated position to show his gratitude.

“But of course. You would’ve followed through regardless, and the death of my mentee might lead to the reduction of resources allocated to me. Can’t have that.”

“What?”

Back in the present, Xerion gave a good lick to the wolf liver in his palm and shook his head in amusement. Amusement directed at the memories of his teacher, but Jacob obviously couldn’t have known that, and so the large man’s eyebrows rose higher and higher as the boy beside him continued acting in a deranged manner.

The extra hour of help promised by the giant passed in silence, with not a word of protest coming from him as Xerion – too engrossed in the work – lost track of time and went on with his research.

When they finally finished, it was two hours after the original moment Jacob should’ve departed. Bless his golden heart.

“Thank you for everything, and again, I’m really sorry for prolonging this so much. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

The man flashed him a big, toothy smile. “Stop apologizing. If I didn’t want to be here, I would’ve left.” He clapped him on the back, enough strength in the simple movement to make him rocket forward. “And start trusting people at their word. There’s a lot of duplicity in this world, but if you open yourself to the possibility of a pure heart, you might find more of them than you’d expect.”

“Yeah, that’s… yeah,” he said articulately. Then his eyes lit up. “Hey, are you planning on purifying those corpses?”

“Not really. Too much hassle for too little gain.”

“Want me to do it? For free, obviously.”

“You can do that?” Jacob asked in astonishment.

“Yup. Though the mature ones may take a while. Bring ‘em to a piece of fairly flat ground and I’ll do my magic. What do you say?”

“Sure. That’s really nice of you.”

“You must be joking,” Xerion said and looked at the completely serious man. “Of course you’re not. Jacob, please, never change.”

The giant didn’t waste any time, promptly grabbing all the carcasses and tying them together, much to the dismay of the employees of this establishment. They’d lose a bit of coin today.

Quick steps brought the duo to a rare patch of unutilized earth – quite the unusual thing in Virsha, a city packed full to bursting.

Xerion pulled out a bunch of sigiled stakes from the depths of his robe – which made him wonder why no one was reacting to his appearance, given that he was positively covered in blood and guts – and started etching out a diagram in the dirt. As he did so, he asked existence to unfold the Sui Scroll of the ability he was about to perform.

[Banishment of Darkness] (Adept+) (Rank 1)

An essence ability created by Uter Maxibius.

Its roots stem from the Ceremonial Rituals system. Formed by the engravement of sun sigils onto wooden stakes, realized through the use of an enclosed-star circle, and powered by an essence with a Positive attunement.

Banishment of Darkness summons a ray of holy light, from a mystic realm of pureness. The beam shall become trapped within the confines of the circle, purifying all vile things within it.

The ability’s duration, as well as the strength of the cleansing, is largely dependent on its grade and the user’s power.

He wouldn’t call it exceptional, but it was more than enough for the current job. That, plus he had a lot of ideas for its usages in combat. Jacob may not be aware of this, but he was helping him right now, as he needed plenty of practice with this power to make it work on the battlefield later.

After completing the diagram – a simple pentagram within a circle – and putting the first beast inside of it, he drove a stake into each of its points and held his palms together, as if in prayer.

“A bit of light, a tiny spark. Please descend, oh holy might, and Banish the Dark.”

Xerion smiled as the most beautiful brilliance he’d ever seen blossomed before him. Were the lands untainted by void forever basking in such radiance?

He hoped to find out, one day.