(Life corruption. Like thin tendrils trying to find a way into my skin… The concentration is a problem too. The only good thing is that the river is constantly flowing so there’s heavy dilution. But, in the winter when the river freezes, the commoner’s drinking water will be much more…)
Orion feels it on the surface of his skin as the rushing river flows. It is life mana that has a subtle signature of corruption, but it doesn't do any harm to him. Tarsin also recognizes its incongruous presence but he couldn’t see any issues with it.
By his expression, Orion can tell however that he perceives something is wrong. As if there's smoke but no fire in sight.
(He doesn’t have my mana sensing capability. But, even if the life mana is corrupting, both Tarsin and I at least have resiliency as those who are capable of using mana. However…)
Most commoners were just barely capable of becoming Ensoarcs. Especially to the very young or the elderly who have not developed a core and reached the Asthenos realm, this water poses significant risks.
(Vulnerable populations who swim in this water might get hives, burns that look like allergic reactions, or even skin cancer. Those who drink the water without any purification done, in the worst case, might get ulcers or stomach cancer… But… where is the mana coming from?)
Orion can tell that the corrupted mana is not inherent to the river, nor is it naturally generated through animal byproducts or anything inherent to the atmosphere.
(...Wait. The plantation.)
Orion recalls one of the businesses being administered by the Ironhill Viscount’s younger brother, his uncle. In most noble territories, large-scale farming is seen as infeasible and primitive. Magic has long since created a shortcut for crop production
Prelic operates an agricultural facility through the use of several nature mages, capable of using and manipulating life mana to aid the growth of all sorts of crops. The plantation.
(Only the plantation has direct access to the river upstream. It’s possible this is being caused by the layer two commoners, but any operations run by them wouldn’t result in this level of mana saturation. Did uncle start dumping plantation byproducts into the river? Or did they change their production method? How intentional is this?)
Orion taps his fingers in impatience, trying to consider the most plausible explanation for why the plantation might be dumping tainted, life mana concentrated effluent into the river. However, no matter how he thinks of it, those who work with life mana would be able to easily sense this concentration and identify the dangers of it.
The nature mages involved must already know what they’re doing and it’s unthinkable that his uncle is unaware. The only plausible answer is willful negligence. It’s obviously more profitable to dump instead of safely disposing of it.
(The commoners might only figure out the link between the plantation and increasing cancer rates several decades, maybe even centuries, later. Even if they pursue legal action, they won’t get very far; the justice system in Everhart will side with our noble family instead of them. People like my uncle will… never face judgment.)
The boy on the edge of the tainted river looks towards the setting sun, his jaw clenched in anger.
(How many infants and old people will die painfully as a result of this…)
Orion steps out of the river and speaks seriously to Rubedo and Tarsin.
“We will head home for now.”
Rubedo bows slightly and informs Cernelise about the end of their outing. Tarsin was about to inform the knights but Orion held him back.
“Tarsin. There is something that we need to do today. Once we bring Cal home, you will accompany me somewhere else.”
“...Very well, young master.”
Alaric, Calista and their entourage return to the mansion on Alaric’s order. Calista is held by her maid calmly as if she were a newborn babe and, although it seemed like she woke up when the carriage ride got slightly bumpy, she immediately went back to sleep.
After entering through the estate’s gates, Cernelise carries Calista out of the carriage. Alaric instructs Rubedo to prepare a late dinner with Cernelise in case Calista wakes up later into the night. He would be back home by then.
Alaric remains outside near the carriages and the horses with Tarsin, watching as his sister is carried inside, accompanied by Cernelise, Rubedo and the knights.
“...Tarsin, you have a map of the city, right? Show me the river and carriage-safe roads that can be used to access it. The further upstream the better. Preferably one with a peer and boat rentals…”
—
“...Tarsin, lower me into the water.”
“...Yes, young master.”
Alaric and Tarsin are on a boat, at a point along the river that is at the boundary between the noble district suburbs of the first layer and the wealthy commoner neighborhoods in the second layer. The is the farthest point upstream that the two had access to while also remaining hidden to Viscount’s security forces.
Over the course of the day, Tarsin has been growing increasingly frustrated by the seemingly random nature of Alaric’s actions. Yet, his loyalty ensures his silent obedience. Still, his nervousness reaches a peak as he finds himself lowering Alaric into the water after the boy asked for an impromptu boat ride without his sister.
(We’ll be keeping this whole thing a secret from her…)
After Orion swims out from the edge of the boat, a rope securely tied to his life jacket, he starts to perform his work. He can’t abide those unseen deaths, not when he has the chance to change things himself.
First, he needs a deeper feel for the corrupted life mana. Alaric closes his eyes and tastes the river water.
(It’s slightly more concentrated upstream. The tap water piped into the layer one and two neighborhoods is probably filtered and purified enough to remove this corruption. Meanwhile, a lot of the layer three commoners who don’t have reliable tap water infrastructure get their water directly from the tributaries, maybe only boiling the water to curtail disease.)
Orion stops swimming after reaching the very center of the river. At the edges of the river, he can see fencing having been put up recently. In this area, jumping into and swimming in the river is completely prohibited, although most wealthy commoners wouldn’t swim in the river anyways.
Alaric reasons that the real purpose for this new rule being imposed is most likely to prevent the wealthy commoner families from complaining about an increase in medical problems among their infants and elderly. Several of these families run businesses and operate merchant caravans that buy wholesale from Ironhill businesses.
Of course, the tributaries in layer three cannot be similarly fenced off because of how the commoners there rely on the Kiure tributaries for their drinking water.
The spot Alaric’s boat sits at is far from the piers and out of sight from any patrolling vessels, at least for now. Even if swimming in the river is illegal, no one is there to see Alaric doing it.
(Is it really cheaper for them to put up all this fencing instead of just disposing of the mana properly? Well, I guess building cheap fences is a one-time cost and they’ll be dealing with the corrupted life mana indefinitely, so long as the plantation produces crops. Wait… is the mana the reason why the local fish has become subpar in quality recently? Yet another reason to act.)
Orion concentrates on the water around him and the mana within it. To a normal Ensoarc, even attempting to absorb this corrupted life mana would result in their mana pathways being filled with impurities and biological distortions. The worst case would be an early, painful death.
Orion concentrates his mana manipulation abilities to calmly breathe in the mana within the river. He raises his hands out to the water’s surface and activates one of his powers. There is mana at the edge of the river that is too far for him to cycle it through his body. But, his ability to assimilate souls also has a physical manifestation related to gravity.
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At this stage, where he is not even an Asthenos Ensoarc, he cannot use it to manipulate bodies of mass. But, at his current level, he should be able to direct all the mana in his surroundings towards himself, whether it is the mana in the atmosphere or the mana near the river’s floor.
As the mana gravitates towards his body and in through his skin, he feels a sensation as if tiny needles are entering through every pore. But, he would not just allow impurities to collect within his body and impede his own future growth.
He has the memories of a certain noble in hell to draw from here. This noble, a scientist and master of poison, knew how to properly absorb and process corrupted mana. When Orion consumed his soul as sustenance, the skills to deal with all manner of corrupted mana, honed over an exceedingly long lifetime, became his own to do with as he pleased.
(Carefully… like pouring an omelet on a burning pan while avoiding lumps, always flowing, never stagnant… carefully, cycle the mana through the mana pathways in the right order. From here to here to there to here… completely avoiding either the heart or liver until purified of the life affinity. Slowly. Slowly. I have time. Until it’s all absorbed… Until the water is safe to drink.)
Orion spends a long time in the water processing the corrupted life mana. By the time he finishes, the mana concentration here would be greatly reduced.
Tarsin is worried that Alaric would get hypothermia from the early summer night water’s chill but he has faith in his young master. The boy doesn’t look like he’s shivering or uncomfortable either. The knight Tarsin Hilba, a mid-Tropos Ensoarc, also perceived the change in the atmosphere’s mana as soon as Alaric maintained a steady position in the water.
(Even now, his abilities surpass my understanding. I have pledged my loyalty to quite the monster…)
It is at the two hour mark where Orion feels a change, one that is at the same time welcome and unwelcome. He tugs on the rope to pull him up. As he is brought up to the surface, he speaks calmly to his knight.
“Tarsin. Maintain utmost secrecy about all activities occurring tonight. The most crucial secret to keep about tonight… It’s time for me to ascend to Asthenos.”
“Wh-What!?”
Orion had spent time thoroughly processing and absorbing the river’s mana. That mana wasn’t being wasted. It was being continuously cycled through his mana pathways to progress the development of his core. There was enough mana in the water for a breakthrough.
Alaric sits on the deck of the small boat in a kneeling position, his eyes closed while Tarsin watches from the side with fear in his gaze.
(This is… too early.)
Ascending before you’re ready comes with consequences. Alaric is still a boy who is inexperienced with handling mana, especially in a critical situation like Ensoarc realm ascension. If his core forms and he cannot handle the aftermath…
(Will Alaric be able to do this? If his core is already forming, he might have a grade 14 or 15 core. He is a genius among geniuses, someone who will rise to be a deity, given enough time and support. But… there’s still that small chance of…)
Of course, Orion has already ascended once before, in a much worse environment than a boat on relatively calm waters. A large quantity of mana is now cycling through his mana pathways. The current is getting faster and faster. He was purposely keeping it from entering his ephemeral, undeveloped core.
(It’s time then…)
The mana cycles faster and faster.
The number of cores an Ensoarc has directly displays their power. Asthenos, the first realm, means the first core has formed, Lithos, the second realm, means a second core has been added, and so on. Each realm has a lower, middle and higher stage associated, each stage involving the development of the most recently added core.
(Right before I regressed, I had just reached lower-Exos, and that was all it took to kill a higher-Exos realm deity with countless millennia of experience. Tonight will be the first step I’ll take to regain all eight cores.)
For an Asthenos, their core is formed within the center of their belly, occurring from the stimulation of a person’s mana pathways via external mana absorption. Unlike the mana pathways, an Asthenos’ core is like a spiritual vessel of mana, both generator, mutator and natural recycler of mana. But, core formation carries risk.
(If a normal child my age somehow underwent core culmination, there’s a high chance they would destroy their mana pathways, ending their life as an Ensoarc before it began. Even Cal can only safely attempt this around her 15th birthday…)
Before ascension, the core appears like a ghost organ within Orion’s belly, just barely detectable and waiting to be born. As his cycling mana enters the ghost core, its image starts to become more defined.
The core drinks in the mana flowing within Orion’s body as if it were a desert during rainfall. After it gets its fill, absorbing all the mana Orion had to give, it closes off its receiving gates.
(Three… Two… One… Detach.)
The core releases itself from its spot in Orion’s belly. It enters the mana pathway network and starts slowly completing a full circuit through all of Orion’s pathways. It travels through his arms, his legs, his torso, and head, in that order.
Every part of Orion’s body it travels through experiences immediate physical refinement. The core strengthens the stomach, kidneys, liver, heart, muscles, bones, nerves, and every other physical aspect as well, including all relevant sensory organs.
After a full cycle, the core returns to rest in Orion’s belly where it would remain indefinitely. However…
(Not yet, not yet… Multiple cycles this time. If I’m going to be stuck at Asthenos for a few years… I’m going to be–!)
Orion does another full revolution of the core, starting from the belly through his limbs, torso, and head once again. He then forces a third revolution. Then a fourth. Each revolution dilates all mana pathways, allowing the parts of his body that had already received initial refinement to become even more refined.
By his fifth and last revolution, Orion’s body has reached the upper limit possible at this stage in his physical growth. Any further than this and his core would travel through his body indefinitely, an unwanted outcome.
It actually takes effort to force the core to remain situated in his belly. By the end of it all, Orion is exhausted.
From his kneeling position, Alaric keels over, lying sprawled on the deck of his boat, prevented by Tarsin from accidentally falling off the edge into the water. He takes deep breath after deep breath, sweat pouring from his exhausted body. Yet, he has done what he needed to do.
(Right now… I am… the strongest Asthenos Ensoarc in the entire world…)
Before, Alaric was as strong as an outstanding promising athlete in the middle of puberty. As a normal Asthenos, he would become as strong and resilient as a non-Ensoarc adult who had undergone knight training for several years.
However, after a full five revolutions of his core, Orion has achieved a level of physical strength, agility and toughness that is already superhuman. He looks up at the dark sky, his ascension having taken a full hour. A laugh escapes. Then another. It’s almost a full minute before his laughter relents, Orion falling asleep.
—
Orion awakens later in his bed, at a time around 3am, Calista sleeping peacefully as well.
(Tarsin brought me home and to bed… The whole thing went smoothly. It was far less painful than the first time in hell. I feel… powerful. So unbelievably powerful… Damn, I didn’t plan for this to happen today. Sigh… I can’t sleep in this room anymore.)
Alaric immediately gets out of bed and leaves his bedroom.
(I should have discussed this eventuality more with Tarsin but… no, I suppose I never told him about my nightmares.)
He looks for a room in the Viscount’s mansion that has a vacant bed. After a few minutes of searching, he finds a barely furnished room. The current sub-house of the Ironhill estate is for the second wife and her children alone, so Alaric didn’t have to worry about running into people he needed to be wary of.
(I’ll have to ask Rubedo how to tell Cal we can’t sleep in the same room anymore. My superhuman strength changes things. The nightmares… Some days I can sleep through them but, every so often, Cal wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to help me calm down and, sometimes, I push her away. Now, if and when that happens… I might fail to control my strength and kill her.)
Orion never had to worry about such a detail when he was in hell. In that place, sleep was not possible. Furthermore, while conscious, in order to be around the damned who had inherently weak bodies, he ingrained restraint into his very being. That was what allowed Laila to be in his presence, to touch him, even in her final moments.
While awake, it’s impossible for Orion to misjudge his strength and harm those important to him. Ironically, when he sleeps, he feels the most lethal.
Orion considers his nightmares once again. Over the years, he became able to think about them without falling into despair. But, while he’s having them, each time it’s like he’s seeing Laila’s death for the first time. His lips start to quiver as he considers the mistake he tries not to make often.
He covers his eyes with his palms. He lays in bed silently as tears roll down his cheeks.
He’s let his guard down again. He’s thought about her.
—
Over several months, Orion continues to visit the spot at the river every three days, usually before dawn. The dumping has not stopped but it doesn’t seem to be increasing in frequency either. Thanks to Orion’s weekly absorption of mana, he reached the middle stage of Asthenos when he turned fourteen and the higher stage six months before he turned fifteen.
He and his twin sister continued their daily weapon and mana training. Three weeks before the twins turned fifteen, while Alaric, Calista’s personal maid and knight supervised, she had reached lower Asthenos as well. Although Orion found a way to hide his ascension, her debut into Asthenos was applauded within the family.
Calista’s coming-of-age debut is approaching in three months, at the beginning of summer, something her mother was looking forward to. Today however, their birthday, is the day that they would be tested for their aptitudes. Those with high aptitudes are guaranteed great power as Ensoarcs in the future.
The ideal range for a noble's core grading was between 9 and 12, aptitude being hereditary for the most part. However, the best of the best are even between 13 and 15. Calista is excited to see what her grade would be and Orion is excited for her.
However…
On the day of the aptitude ceremony.
“Alaric…”
Alaric is kneeling in front of his father and mother, his head lowered. There are several other people in the Viscount’s office staring at him, including the Viscount’s first wife, his three concubines, and his siblings and confidantes as well.
“My son… We can no longer allow you to be associated with our family. You are as of today, removed from the line of succession. You are to relinquish all of your possessions, especially those items holding the Ironhill crest and…”
The Viscount sighs in disinterest, looking at his son with no fatherly love or affection. Only disappointment.
“...You will be exiled from the Ironhill family.”