Arson woke up in the room he’d taken as his own within BlackHole Coliseum to a unfamiliar sound. He sat upright in his bed looking for a potential intruder as the sound was like that of glass being broken. However, when he blinked sleep from his eyes and looked around, he saw nothing that would indicate that he was being robbed or attacked in any way, shape or form.
Then he realized the sound was coming from directly next to him in the bed, and Arson’s eyes widened as he looked down and saw a puppy eating an egg. He then smiled at the puppy, wondering who’d lost their dog, before he immediately freaked out when he noticed the dog was eating the egg he’d strapped to himself so that it would remain pressed against his body.
“What the sparks are you doing!”
The egg was absolutely destroyed, leaving a sinking feeling in his stomach that whatever had been inside had been scarfed down relentlessly by the animal. Arson screamed in panic, and the puppy looked up at him, barked, and then went back to eating the egg.
Horrified Arson reached out to stop the puppy, but then noticed how much larger the egg was than it had been even just the night prior. More and more details filled Arson’s mind as the puppy continued to eat, and he noticed how the puppy was growing slightly larger with every bite it took.
“No… way…”
Arson looked at the animal, and began to notice more and more attributes about the animal that didn’t make any sense at all. First was the breed of dog. It was obviously a Husky, a breed of dog foreign to their realm that Arson had only seen once in a book called Man’s Best Friend. A book that his mother had from the dead realm known as the Earthen realms from her time during her DeadYear.
Then was its coat. The puppy's fur seemed to be such a dark crimson that from some angles it seemed to be black and from other angles or maybe from the light within the room the rich red shown through. Its ears and a single stripe that led from its head to the tip of its tail were that of a white gold color, and as Arson stared he also noticed that to either side of its body seemed to be a patch of fur of the same color that looked like a wing that stretched from its shoulder to its hind quarter.
Finally were its eyes. Eyes that he’d only ever seen one place before. The same star filled irises that greeted him every time he looked into a mirror or reflective surface. The same eyes that blinked up at him now after it finished eating the egg, before the puppy crawled into his lap, curled up after walking a small circle like a cat, flopped down and closed its eyes and went to sleep.
Arson thought he’d seen a small crown made of light floating above the animals’ head when he’d looked into its eyes, but looking at it now, he saw nothing. Believing the crown must have been a figment of his imagination.
“Now I know for certain I absolutely hate you,” Anastasia said from his wrist. Arson lifted his wrist and looked at the pouting AI.
“What are you—“
“No, no no no, don’t even try it. That is the cutest sparking thing I have ever seen in my life. I want one, don’t know what the bloody embers that thing is. Let me tell you now, what came out of that egg while you were still sleeping was obviously made from the underside of a demon's backside, but what it changed into is well worth the gruesome sight I witnessed,” cursed Anastasia.
“Can you show me with a holo—“
“Listen to me when I say this Arson, I wouldn’t show you that even at the threat of you throwing me in the garbage, I had to mute myself my screams of horror got so bad watching that thing emerge from its egg,” Anastasia said cutting in again. Arson took his AI’s word for it and dismissed it from his mind.
“Well what am I supposed to do now? I have to be on stage in a little while and it's not like I can carry this little guy around with me. He’s cute, but not so cute that my competitors won’t slice him to bits,” said Arson.
“Oh well, that won’t be an issue. Scanned the little guy once the transformation was complete, and if Sky is indestructible, he’s invulnerable to a whole different magnitude of degrees. He has many of your own traits, and his regeneration seems to be off the charts, bet you’d have to throw the little bugger into the core of a sun to even start to hurt 'im. I suggest you name him first,” Anastasia explained with an invisible shrug.
This process took Arson longer than he would have liked. The first name the puppy didn’t like, which resulted in the dog lifting its head and snapping at the closest piece of Arson it could get a hold of.
“Ow, that hurts. Weren’t you just sleeping?” The dog barked and laid its head back down. This process continued.
Arson bled from numerous places, something about the dogs bite slowing down Arson's own healing. Terror, Noble, Vex, Titan which Arson realized was his sister’s tree's name, all made him feel stupid for trying with each time he was bitten until finally Arson was licked.
“Ego, really?” A noticeably happier toned bark came from the puppy, just as the edges of dawn could be seen coming through his open windows. Arson scratched the dogs head, and strangely enough a purr came from the animal. The incorrect sound for the species emanating from the puppy with an accompanied vibration powerful enough to make Arson’s bed shake made Arson's brow furrow even as he smiled down at his new companion. A new notification popping into his view in that moment.
*Welcome to the world of Cultivation, Ego the SunSpire hatchling.
Forms unlocked:
Husky pup: In this form Ego has the ability to track using its powerful senses. Has a bite more deadly than rabies through the infusion of volatile mana into its saliva. As well as the ability to draw in ambient mana through its eyes.
Dragonet: In this form Ego has the ability to spread his wings and fly. Has the equivalent of your own Mana Lightning, instead of a basic flame breath common to dragon babies. A bite that can drain both mana and life-force. As well as the ability to sense his environment through the flows of ambient mana through the power of its blood.
Infant: In this form Ego has the ability to sense emotions. Learn through the power of Theta waves to gain new abilities, skills, and techniques. As well as influence the emotions felt by those around him. In this form, his regeneration rate is at its peak and his mana pool is the largest. Beware, in this form, Ego when enraged can transform into a minor Sun Elemental.
Hatchling: In this form Ego has the ability to spread out a healing aura generated through the aspects of a Phoenix, increasing the healing capabilities of any being he is connected to within a short range. This form is one of his most powerful, and takes an incredible amount of energy for him to sustain. Additionally he is more frail in this form than in any other. This is the only form in which Ego can recover from a deadly blow, however, and will be returned to his original state as an egg until a full recovery is made.
Minor Sun Elemental: ???
Welcome to fatherhood Sovereign Arson Omni. You are now eternally a parent*
Anastasia bursted into laughter at Arson's face, his jaw dropping slowly the more he read. The AI was able to see the pop up, and held back nothing, gasping for breath she didn’t need, laughing so hard that Arson mentally turned down the volume on his watch until she was done.
“Ha ha ha, very sparking funny,” Arson said, reading the notification almost a dozen more times. He idly pet his new puppy, and as the dog looked up at him and barked, he couldn’t help but smile back at Ego, honestly excited to see all of his various forms and abilities. No longer afraid that the small animal could not defend himself.
“You think I should be worried about that Minor Sun Elemental form?”
“I’d be worried about him turning into a baby in front of your best friend when she comes back,” Anastasia said, snickering, barely able to keep the laughter down, before Arson was forced to once more turn down her volume until she finished.
“You done,” Arson asked the smiling Anastasia, who nodded, and was lying. Another round of laughter silenced by a mental command, until Arson rose to his feet and let the AI speak, knowing that Anastasia would either get the last word, or hack her own systems to take it forcefully.
“Man I can’t wait to see this!”
…
Arson ran into the Builders of Godhood's viewing room to see all his friends talking and eating breakfast. Many tried to greet him, but as he was in a rush, he merely gave the group a nod, picked up a plate, and began stacking food in large quantities onto it.
The room went silent in the next moment when Ego followed Arson's lead, jumped onto the table and begun to pick up food in his mouth, drop it onto a free plate half eaten, before dragging his own plate down the table to acquire more food.
Questioning gazes followed the puppy's actions. Micro even trying to pet the dog as its haphazard grip on the plate it tried to hold upright in its mouth caused food to drop everywhere, only for Ego to bat her hand away with a paw as it ran by her.
“Holy embers that puppy is cute,” said Lane, pulling her flatscreen free of her pocket, and taking photos. Ego noticing this, set down his plate, and began to Lane's surprise pose for the camera. Lifting a paw, and looking away, crouching as if to pounce while bearing his teeth, and even rolling onto his back and kicking his legs while staring right into the camera momentarily. An entire photo shoot accomplished in a matter of moments.
“Yo, what’s happening right now,” asked Jasmine. Ego jumped to his feet when he realized Arson was just about done piling food to a near mountainous level, picked up his own plate, and darted off after the young man. A trail of dropped food following the puppy the entire way.
“Is anyone else seeing this dog right now, or am I hallucinating,” Oscar asked with a mouth full of food. The rest in the room all shared looks, but as Arson and Ego had already left, the group silently decided to move on, feeling far stranger things had happened whilst following their leader.
Arson quickly made his way to the stage. The next round of the tournament was about to start, and he knew if he went in without eating first, he’d regret it.
He once again found himself at the back of a massive group of people. He’d eaten on the run, finishing his meal as the rest of the competitors gathered in the teleportation zone around him. Ego at his side, happily eating the rest of the food he’d managed not to drop on the way.
It wasn’t until Arson finished that he started to notice the gazes that flickered between him and the puppy at his side. A few people tried to approach, but the puppy's growl though small still vibrated the air and mana visibly, stopping the obvious animal lovers in their tracks.
“Chill Ego, they just want to say hello,” said Arson bending down to pet his puppy. It wasn’t even until he brought a companion of his own that he realized that he wasn’t the only Cultivator with a pet. Many others had various animals, but none as notable as his own.
“Hey, does that dog have a crown or am I tripping,” Arson heard a nearby stranger whisper. Arson's brow furrowed and he looked back down at Ego, a glimmer of light rippling through the air above his head for the briefest moment once more. A crown visible for a flash before it disappeared again.
“Hmm,” said Arson, smiling down at the dog he had to admit brightened his mood with its presence alone. The sun finally rose fully, and the second round began. Flashes of light were the only signal Arson was given as his competitors were teleported away one by one.
“You ready, buddy?” Ego barked up at Arson and he smiled in his puppy's direction, only for a series of notifications to wipe the smile from his face the moment after he found himself also teleported.
*Title triggered: Fearless Godling of Potential
With mana, you are seemingly unstoppable. Without mana, your frailty is apparent. Show your potential through your bravery.
Life force Regeneration: 0%=100% restricted. Mana regeneration: 200%=-100% restricted. Stamina Regeneration: 100%=0% restricted.*
Arson wasn’t sure of what he was reading, but it seemed that his body's ability to heal had been reduced below that of a mortal, while his mana regeneration had been increased to two times the normal rate, and his natural stamina or internal energy had been left alone. He’d thought after the first day nothing like this would occur, and didn’t truly mind as he’d assumed that something like this may happen, and didn’t see why the restrictions would even be a hindrance until he read the next notification.
*Trial of the Ancients:
Before Cultivators knew what it was to breathe mana and ascend to the heavens, The Tournament of Scions was a deadly incident. To partake was to risk one's life. You and the rest of the participants will now embody this same ideal and grow beyond the limits of this sullied event by risking what those before your time did to grow and put everything on the line.
All safety parameters have been removed. The ability to be teleported from the stage and confines of the competition are now locked. Until the Regal Ten is found through battle and bloodshed, none may leave nor enter.
Good luck, Scions, may you find yourselves to be noble, as even the heavens can be harsh, and true grit will be necessary to grow beyond your limits!*
Arson finished reading and knew that something had gone terribly wrong. He looked around and found himself standing on top of a building. The sounds of battle filling his ears.
His gaze was drawn upward, and in the next moment he saw a figure plummeting off the side of one of the many floating platforms above. A spear was pierced through the person's body, and even before Arson could blink their crash landing resulted in a gore filled explosion that Arson couldn’t tear his eyes from. Blood and guts splattering across his front.
Ego barked and strode up to the now corpse, sniffing the mutilated figure curiously. Arson couldn’t believe his eyes. And as his mind flashed to similar scenes from his time in Endless, he tried to reach for the puppy. Another body splattered nearby completely headless, this sight even more gruesome than the first.
Alarm bells went off in his mind, and he tried to pull up his Overlay to message Xani, not knowing what else to do in that moment as more and more cries of agony could be heard all around him. Yet in that moment when nothing appeared before his eyes, he knew he was truly in trouble.
“Oh no…”