Chapter 24 Two Years Later

“Your qualities have been assessed and found… lacking.”

I watched as Ryna’s ability Genesis Adjudication took effect and something deep in me came out. The time’s me and my older brother Talin would play fight and say stupid lines either as the hero or villain. The same type of environment I tried to cultivate with my new siblings. A reddish white smoke was pulled from the lungs of the beast we fought and into Ryna.

“For my Goddess, I offer a token of my appreciation.”

Devotes Bounty from her second aspect. It offered a piece of the power to the Goddess Arva every time. She couldn’t tell the goddess what I gave her exactly, but she was trying her best to find ways around it. The only way for Arva to find out exactly what I gave her follower would be to rip through her soul and search her memories, but the system said it had safeguards in case of such a thing occurring.

I looked over the heated wasteland and towards the massive active volcano surrounded by a city. Redcoomshi where the brave or foolish go looking for blessings. My aura spread out searching for any more threats. While my thoughts flew back to what had occurred the past two years.

***

“These powers are amazing!”

Ryna said as she practiced against the creature I tied up. It had been months since we began to quickly descend which was quite easy as the entire forest sloped downwards. That’s how we knew we were headed deeper into the earth. Unfortunately, Ryna had no idea where we were. Parts of the Catacombs were sealed off for a reason and if she hadn’t heard of this forest, I imagined it was one of those sealed off areas. A bellow echoed out and we both dropped low moving fast as trees toppled over.

When the danger passed, we stared at one another in amazement.

“That was at least an 8th tier beast,” Ryna said while staring at me her eyes widen in surprise and fear.

I just held a finger to my lips straining to pick up sounds of any creatures that might have been following in its wake. At least I knew why this area was sealed off. This forest was dangerous. Not only where we attacked daily, but it was constantly a struggle to sleep at night as we would have to fend of several attacks. The deeper we went the more frequent the attacks became as well. Thankfully as we progressed in the tiers, we required less sleep and even could last longer off of a single meal. I would not be stopping however one way or another I would be getting into Redcoomshi.

***

This jungle was beautiful, rich in vibrant greens, golds, reds, and yellows. Over a year had passed since we were teleported here, and I was growing into a fine-looking young man. My eyes still the same as the night sky but my height had grown to 6ft, and my weight had increased but I still kept my slim build. A few hairs even popped out from my chin taking on the same color scene as my hair. Black with the tips being a fierce fiery red. I was fanboying every time I caught a glimpse of my reflection. I felt the heat in my chest and concentrated on breaking through to the 5th tier. Surprisingly my cultivation had slowed even with the amount of battle we went through daily.

Ryna had broken through around 4 months back and since then I’d been pushing myself to break through as well. The use of an aura was to tempting. The projection of your soul is what Ryna described it to me as. I had not been taught this just yet and Ryna would practice manipulating her aura in various ways against me in mock combat. Throwing me off when she battered against my own soul with her aura. Battering that seemed to fail time and time again as she was the one who would usually be knocked back.

It was here that the memories of Earth returned. In the early morning when the System first activated for me. I remembered [Beyond] mentioning something about suppressed souls yet my skill [Perfect Recall] did not activate to assist me.

The creatures of the Wild Jungle as I began calling it were unique in the sense that they came in guns blazing with their bloodline fully activated. Whether it was the Shadow Jaguars or Red Squirrels, names I gave to both beast as I did not know their official names. Both who attacked and actively hunted after me and Ryna several times. The Shadow Jaguars could pop out of any shadow within a radius of 50ft when activating the ability. However, the good thing for us is that they were anchored to that radius allowing us to escape their range. Even using my bloodline could not force them out of their ability and he became more dangerous as they could pop out of the shadow, I cast using it.

The Red Squirrels were by far the most dangerous creature we encountered able to go berserk and increase their size from about a foot big to 3ft in length. All while having a massive increase in their strength but at the cost of all rational thinking. The moment we were spotted the ability would activate and the creature would pursue us until killed. It was dangerous but it was wonderful. I came to appreciate the story of Apollo Kan as I knew he face the same sort of dangers I was facing without the power of the bloodline as he had yet to receive it as an award from Redcoomshi. The only good thing that came out of all of this was the battle experience for cultivation and the beast cores.

My bloodline ability itself had grown and I was able to better control its power and direction. Instead of blasting it out in a radius around me I could now concentrate it in a direction. I imagined what my aura training would be like once I tiered up and was able to access my soul.

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I had more aspects to choose from as I gained the aspect space allowing me to use a second of the three aspects we could have in total. I held off, however. I was no longer afraid of the power and having the system in my body or soul. Probably soul if it could hitch a ride to a new world. I was waiting for something rarer to appear. The Aspect: The Heir wasn’t useful to me nor was Aspect: [Beyond].

Aspect: The Heir (Rare)

Requirements: Aspect space, governing domain.

Effect: Increase in all Ruler skills including judgment, governing, domain defense, domain offence, major increase mental resistance, major increase endurance.

Unlocks perk: Young Master (Legendary).

You meet the requirements of this aspect. Equip?

Aspect: [Beyond] (???)

Requirements: Aspect space, qualified soul, ???, ???.

Effect:???.

Unlocks perk: ???.

You meet the requirements of this aspect. Equip?

Right now, I had no subjects I was ruling over. My time would come but this journey would need to be completed first. These days my head felt clearer, and my actions became more thought out. I felt as if I was coming down from some sugar high, I didn’t even know I was on. For the first time in years my thoughts and body truly felt like they were my own. I wasn’t sure if something had been constantly affecting me or if some sort of magic had been lifted from my body, but Terrence Brown was still here maybe in a new body a new face and name, but I remembered who I was at core.

Not that it matters much anymore. I wasn’t an indecisive individual anymore. My parents made sure of that by sending me hundreds of miles into the ground without supervision. The only new aspect to appear out of the list I had, Aspect: Strength, Speed, The Fighter, Vitality was Aspect: The Castle

(NEW!) Aspect: The Castle

Requirements: Aspect space, Self-Sacrifice at no benefit, qualified soul.

Effect: Major increase in all defensive related stats including constitution, vitality, and will. Effects doubled when defending a minimum of 5 people.

Unlocks Perk: Aegis of Valor (Rare).

You meet the requirements of this aspect. Equip?

The only situation that could make me qualify for this aspect was the blood ritual of that crazy necromancer. I didn’t know his name, but I remembered his face and the powerlessness I felt that day. In the palm of his hands and Shadow’s. I would be controlling my future and that day was coming soon.

***

That was a year ago. Now I was 10 going on 11 at least I think so. The only way I knew my birthday was because of the System.

‘Status’

Overview

Name: Aegis Kan

Age: 10

Race: Magi Human

Racial Abilities: Minor Adaptation

Physical Cultivation: 5

Magic Cultivation: 0(4)

Aspects: Starlit Harbinger, (Available Space).

Titles: Resolved

Not much changed. I spread my aura out bumping in to Ryna’s to let her know it was time to move. The Wild Jungle had been left behind and in the distance the city of Redcoomshi was visible. A few weeks away but we had the high ground and the city surrounding the volcano was massive in its own right. I couldn’t believe the wonders of magic that allowed the city to exist right next to an active volcano. I knew of ward specialist, enchanters, and runic blacksmiths but I don’t believe I truly know the extent of their abilities as small floating islands moved above the city effectively doubling its size.

“Beautiful.”

“You are,” I said with a wink at Ryna.

Who blushed and proceeded to jostle me with her aura.

We had grown closer over these years as we had no choice and eventually, I learned of her past and she learned a bit of my troubles growing up as the first son of the duke.

Ryna’s mother was fallen nobility after losing her territory in the north to a rival. Their family had been on the decline for years and the death of her great grandmother all but seal their fate as she was the most powerful of the Rohan’s. Ryna’s mother who was already running their adventure guild was tasked next head of the family only to lose the lands and title a few months later. I knew nobles could challenge one another but in the North Dukedom it was much harsher in terms of living environments and resources. So, every piece of land was valued highly.

Since their loss the Rohan’s spent the time recruiting adventurers from all walks of life even managing to snag a few elves and dwarves. Apparently, it was like a vacation to them and a coming of age thing where they would go out into the world to prove their worth.

I would see if I could recruit a few into the forces that I had gathered before I left. I hope Murnia and the Slight Hands were doing alright. I wonder if they forgave Alex by now.

We began our run towards the city dodging erupting pockets of lava. I expected to be fine in the heat but whatever magical effects my bloodline had was only active when it was in use. I very much felt the heat as the ground itself was on fire in a few places. Hard scale like rock covered creatures that looked like Komodo dragons appeared and became the norm since we began moving towards the city and I harvest whatever I could. Their meat was tough but did not cook in flames and had to be ate raw. The only good thing about them was the pouches in their bodies that served as water skins.

We began to actively hunt them as there were no rivers headed towards the city. Only rivers of lava were headed away. The city grew larger as we grew closer, and the islands weren’t just islands but floating contraptions that released rain over the city at set time periods. I couldn’t wait to get through those gates and sell off the cores and mana stones I’d been collecting. We arrive at the line to get into the gates and my heart thumped in excitement.