Here it is. Chapter 10.

Wow. I didn't think i would make it. Tables are not my thing. Anyway this marks the end of this ark. But I am having second thoughts on how to begin the next.

Would you the readers prefer me to continue with this frame of time or jump to one that I already set up?

Originally I had planned to move right along to the time when Sun was in the courtyard swinging the sword and training.

But otherwise i could use one or two chapters to get there. Sortah like a training regimen chapters or something. Eventually you will see all the different time frames from the beginning but honestly everyone becoming confused is my fault as the author.

Tell me in the comments if you wish for your voice to make a difference.

Also please please vote on my story I think it would awesome to get in the top fifty. Now that my story is becoming established I'm going no where. I'll just keep writing till its finished.

Anyway thanks for reading my story. ;)

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The king brought us into a room that seemed to be without end. A completely white space with a blue cloudless sky above. If I strained I could see three figures in the distance. Two large and one small. The smaller one leaning forward looking in the distance itself.

I looked to my rear and saw the same display now with the smaller figure looking back. It dawned on me what was occurring.

"This is my personal ability. I can create unique dimensions that are under my control completely." The king said so almost smugly.

I nodded.

"This particular space is much smaller than when I train my men."

Though his ability seems quite handy, I could not imagine how he could possibly go about creating it. It was becoming quite apparent that the discipline I noticed earlier from the guard was a result of his personal training method. Thinking back, most of the adventurers from when I first entered the marketplace when I was three did not visibly look half as disciplined.

I nodded once more following this train of thought.

For a king to personally train his men shows that he places martial power above many other aspects of his rule. A strong king needs strong men especially in a world ruled by power such as this.

"This power alone is one of the reasons I was able to succeed my father, Gregory Amnest the Third. A putrid man that almost collapsed the kingdom because of his shortcomings. My two elder brothers even had the audacity to try to succeed him."

A fiery smile appeared on the kings face.

"They quickly changed their minds of course, with a little negotiating."

"Now I do not mean to bore you with old tales of the past. Angeline and I were informed by Francis that you are having troubles with checking your status. One of the blessing that all people have. At first we were quite stunned by this but it seems Angeline has come up with a work around for now."

Angeline who had been a background character until now smiled. She seemed to be an impatient woman. I had noticed that she was rolling her eyes at various points during the kings dialogue as if he were telling obvious or rather unimportant information.

"Finally, I can't be here all day as much as I wish to. Who else would run your nation while your playing around?" Angeline scolded the king as if he were as little boy.

The king in turn looked away avoiding her eyes.

Angela > King.

So this was the balance of the power in this great country. How women can make even the greatest men tremble.

She redirected her gaze towards me. I could see a small portion of her motherly love shine through but there was a precise focus in her eyes.

"Now Sun as the phony King has said." she spoke sarcastically. "Francis, as much as I hate the man, and I came to two conclusions as to why you cannot see your status."

This was something that intrigued me deeply. I was a patient person but most of that patience had been worn thin as I grew to the age of six. Never in your wildest dreams would you understand the boredom I faced as baby with an adult mind. I didn’t have the patience to wait any longer to start training this body.

"Your strengths are either simply immeasurable or they need a tool to work through."

"And in either of those cases what would the solution be?" I asked.

"In the first, I would suggest you simply get over it." She chuckled. " But the second case, which I believe, is far more likely."

"Francis gave you a book correct?"

I nodded.

A smug smile was starting to come over her face as if she had won some sort of contest.

The king pulled the book out of some pocket in his robe and handed it to Angeline.

"This book is far more important than anything you will ever own." She grins. "What was the title of this book when you first looked at it?"

"The History of Aleron" I said.

“The book will display whatever information that you wish to know before it binds with a host. You could say its a potentially symbiotic relationship. It feeds off your life energy binding to only you and by the look of it  you have already formed your bonding. I no longer see anything but a white leather book with black pages within.”

She tossed me the book to me.

“Its a unique cursed item. Which means it has a potential to be just as harmful as helpful for the user. Honestly we don’t know whether it will be similar to status.”  

“Harmful in what ways?”

“In short it can kill you.”

Oh great. There is always a catch. Why can’t I ever get lucky and the catch be something like “You will forever  have women chasing you trying to steal your seed.” Thats something I could get along with. But alas, I am never so lucky.

“So you gave me a book that could kill me but you act as if that isn’t a problem? I don’t even have an idea of how to use this thing.” I forgot to speak in a respectful tone.

“ If anyone has the ability to use a cursed item it would be you.” She glared at me and looked to the king.

“What does my being an incarnation have to do with anything? What is an incarnation!!?” screaming into my head.

The king took from his robe my dagger and tossed it to me.

As the dagger curled through the air, I had that small sense of dread that would come over me whenever I need to prepare myself. Life and death situations have a way to teach you things. I learned how to see them coming.

For example I noticed, the way the king and Angeline kept glancing back and forth at each. The almost unnoticeable impatience of her their muscles the way they seemed to shift back and forth for no reason at all.

They were tense.

Far too tense for a simple  exercise to teach me how to use the book. No, their tension was of those that have no other option. The kings body though stiff seemed poised. Angeline s own was roaring. The strong beat of her pulse was easily discernible from her hardly covered body. Maybe if I had been paying a little more attention I might have caught on to what they were playing at. But by then my dagger was already in my hand and the lights had flashed out.

It wasn’t as if I was afraid.

I wasn’t.

It wasn’t as if I was mad.

I rarely ever do.

It was not that they quite literally ,as well as figuratively, left me in the dark.

No, that’s how its always been.

It was that I was being underestimated.

You see in the last life. I had built quite a reputation for my cruel and unusual ways.

I am killer. Hero would never be attributed to me.

It just never felt right.

Save a pretty girl once they expect you to save them every time. Torture them even a little bit and with just a small amount of kindness and they adore you for not killing them and beg for more. Crazy. I never understood it.

Being reborn gave me some of my emotions back but its not like I never had a sick sense of being in the first place. If i'm to be a hero in this world. I'm going to be the darkest hero there has ever been. I’m going to do what I want when I wish to. Rules are followed by the weak.

Ironically Francis called me the incarnation of Death. If I’m going to be honest with myself, I might as well say that sounds just about right. I used to kill who I wanted when I wanted and spare who I wanted when I wanted. Sounds fickle but I never said I was deliberate in everything I do.  

Now I can say I used some of my ability in the classroom facing the golem but my skills right now aren't attributed to be used in the daylight. I was a killer better put an assassin without peer. Sure if you places me in front of someone and said fight I have no doubt I would win but for arguments sake I feel that its a little barbaric.

I didn’t just blantaly stab a man in the heart for all to see.

No, I blatantly stabbed that man when only I could see. They could question how it got there at another time. If, of course, had they ever found the body.

The longest I ever waited was about five hundred and eighty seven days. Spoiler alert, I ended using poison. The man was to damn cautious.

Now what any of this has to do with current situation I guess you could say the darkness fits me perfectly. If I couldn't see them, they should not be able to see me either. But that doesn't mean I couldn't find them.

I stopped breathing. I stopped moving. I stopped thinking. I placed myself into the air. I placed my being into the very moment. I absorbed the fleeting impatience that tainted the space only to finding several other emotions as well.

My master had called this technique, “Eno”. Since it could be used in any situation from meditation to fucking. It helps you feel the emotions within the air. If you know how your opponent is feeling you know how he will react to your own emotions.

You could categorize this as a direct use of what's known as the sixth sense. If i were to place you blind folded, ears plugged nose stuffed. Completely without your senses into a room of a dying man. You, unless you're so consumed with your own emotions, would notice the stale vibe, the lack of vibrancy, the lack of life that was around you. Change that dying man into a young non reincarnated child unlike myself and you would feel the direct opposite.

Eno has levels of use. I’m not entirely sure how many since I died before I completely perfected it. I am only at the expert level. I can sense the direction emotions emanate from as well as leak false emotions. My master was at a level that made people faint from overload of their emotions.

Could I have killed my master. The answer is undoubtedly yes. But he would have killed me first.

I felt a variety of emotions within the air. Impatience, fear, disappointment, worry, carelessness, and a few others. Whatever the situation was I felt bloodlust lining each of these emotions.

Bloodlust a crude form of informing those around you of your intent to kill them. Crude because it gives them a warning. “Hey I’m right here about to kill you!” It comes off as much as big red spot in a white canvas.

No.

True bloodlust I have learnt is near the opposite.

Its the white part of the canvas. Its the feeling of comfort. Of trust and endearment but instead underlining helplessness. The worst fear of death is the one you're always waiting for.

I did not lust after their blood. I lusted after their lives.

I began to fill the air with my own cloak of darkness.

I let the emotions of despair, shattered wills, and hope.

Hope is the false profit.

If you believe in hope you lose the ability to change your destiny with your own hands and leave it to random probability of someone else changing it for you.

I felt the way the emotions enter the minds of those hidden.

First, they seemed be a hive mind. Ready to attack in moments. But slowly one mind started to despair for what seemed to be no reason at all. Despair not from of course this exact moment but from their own life. I only mirrored the feeling I do not have the ability overwhelm them with it. They did that to themselves.

Another felt it and then another. I felt the way of bloodlust fall short. Their wills shattering at this moment. No longer knowing what they are doing this for.Then like a phoenix hope appeared. Glorious rejuvenating hope. The bloodlust came back. Their will returned but their hearts were still confused but they held hope in this moment.

Then I crushed it.

I ran towards them.

They recognized that I found them almost instantly but they were confused almost as if I shouldn't have been able to. I still had the dagger in my left hand and the book in the right.

There had been six of them.

They had been grouped closely planning.

Now with my attack they were confused and short two men.

I could tell they could see me directly in the dark as if the sun was shining down upon me.

Which was odd. It must have something to do with the Kings ability to manipulate the dimension. I had killed two of them on the preemptive strike and the remaining four were already oozing the kind of emotion you see at an execution. Their own.

Perhaps this wasn’t their choice.

I let the thought go when I noticed one of them coming forward trying to attack me. It wasn’t that I could see them but I noticed the sound of his body miles ahead of me. I could even tell he was wielding a sword. Sadly enough for him, I parried his attack and aimed for his throat.

Mid swing his sword flashed inward from his slash almost making an L shaped  slash with his sword. I had never even seen such a technique much less prepared for it. I was playing around and I got burned.

I blocked the slash with my right hand. The book slightly torn and blood dripping from my palm.

Still my dagger had already been embedded into his throat by this time.

I held the sliced book still blood soaking its pages. The three remaining people huddled together crying, I’m sure, not that I could see them.

I sat down. The body inches away from me. I left the dagger in the mans neck as I grabbed the other end of the book. The oddest occurrence was happening. The blood from my hand was being absorbed into its pages.

A screen of blue popped up before my eyes.

Sun’s GrimoireYou have fed your grimoire. A second form has became available. Do you wish to change forms? Warning may cause harm to the owner.YesNo

“Yes”

I could not say no to such an interesting development now could I.

The book in my hands began to change. By change, I mean morph out of my grasp. I could not even tell what was going on.

Then like magic the lights were back on.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Then I noticed the king was next to me as if he had never left my side. Angeline must have left long ago getting back to whatever she was such in rush to do.

I raised my right eyebrow at him, questioning the situation.

“I didn’t expect you to be able to kill them so easily. Angeline said you would be able to call on the books power if I placed you in a dangerous situation.”

We were both watching the book now as it changed into a black glob. It seemed to form a piece of a human body then consume it all over again. A black cloud laced around it ever so slightly but was slowly beginning form into a shapeless human blob. A small blob. But then the characteristics started to become outlined.

“What’s going on?” I asked the king.

He looked forward at the weird display and shrugged his shoulders.

It was changing into a shadow form of myself. It had my features but none of the exact colors or detail. No eyes or clothing either.

I bent down and picked the knife out of throat of the mans body I had just killed. Upon closer examination I noticed it wasn’t human. It was a cross between human and pig. Disgusting.

“A group of Tandrals that we know were part of an illegal slave trafficking system. Capturing boys and girls who live in villages at the edge of our country.” He said with disgust in his voice.

The three I hadn’t killed were actually females. I must have subconsciously killed only the males of the group because of my love of women.

“The men are dominant in their society as well as hideously ugly but the females are held in a type slave manner.They follow the orders of the alpha whether they agree or not.”

I looked at the cowering girls. It was surprising to notice that they were extremely beautiful.

“They though are considered high class females when in our own society. For some reason or another they cannot be without a master.”

I shook my head away the tangent thoughts that were arising in my head, focusing back to the now completely reformed book.

It had changed into me.

“Young Sun, in all my years, I must say I have never seen that kind of abomination. What did you do?” The king asked watching the figure as it began to practice walking.

“It asked me to transform after absorbing a small portion of my blood.”

The king pulled out a small glass orb. The orb started to shimmer and glow.

“It looks like we have a small problem.” The king whispered to me as if dumbfounded.

“How small is a “Small Problem”?” I said back quietly.

“Hmm, somewhere between Greater Boss level to Deity level.”

The dark version of me started to punch in the air slowly. It was as if it were testing its newly acquired body.

“Wait are you saying I have to fight it?” I asked incredulously.

“No, I’m saying we are going to have to fight it.” the king said.

“Is it that strong?”

“Stronger. Prepare yourself its coming.”

“Wait, why is that strong?” I got into a fighting stance.

“Its you and knows everything you know. I’m starting to think you're far more than you even let on.”

The dark version of me now had a dagger similar to my own. He began swinging it back and forth to the point it was mesmerizing.

Oh, fuck.

“Close your eyes!” I screamed at the king.

The king didn’t have to ask any questions his eyes shut on command. He had a staff in one and a sword in the other. He was set in a position to counter attack the moment someone came into his space.

“Your no fun.” The other me said in my own voice. It was almost identical.

“Why don’t we just talk this out?” I assuaged to the other me.

I can’t even say how much I didn’t want to have to fight myself. If it could use my abilities we are about to have some serious problems.

“That wouldn’t be any fun at all.”

Hopefully, the king has some strong magic on otherwise this is going to be difficult.

I changed into the state Eno without further argument. I watched as my clone did the same. It was somewhat ironic that my own techniques might just kill me.

“King, use that ability to make it where that thing can’t see.” I realized earlier he hadn’t made the lights go out. He had made me unable to see.

“I can’t.”

“Angeline casted the spell, I’m currently busy keeping the dimension together. If I could help you further I would but if that thing has your abilities. Then you should be able to use them to right?”

Easier said than done.

The other me started to fall to the ground slowly using gravity to increase its initial speed. I could only defend as it was already too late to counter its rapid movement. My blade meeting its own. I sidestepped, our blades making a terrible screech as I redirected the force away from myself.

In this moment I tried to kick at its left knee but it dodged quickly blunting the force of the blow with its other hand.

Stalemate.

This was going to go no where fast. Even if we descended into using killing techniques they would just counteract one another.

Then the obvious answer is I would have to use a technique that it did not understand. I noticed the body of the tandral I had killed earlier out of pure luck an idea flashed upon me. The pig mans technique had actually been able to harm me. I might as well see if I could copy it.

I began to meditate. I didn’t of course leave my body unaware. I was leaving it to the natural conditioned fighting patterns that had already been fixated into my soul.

Breaking down the movements the man made earlier showed it was something more than a physical technique. I could not reproduce it without something else I didn’t actually know that much of.

“King, how do I use magic?!” I called out my body still fighting with the fake.

“You couldn’t possibly learn it in the middle of a fight.” he said.

“Just fucking tell me.” I called back.

“To use magic, first you need mana. Mana is energy you have that comes from your souls connection with all things. The deeper the connection. The more you have. You could have all the mana in the world but if you don’t know any spells. You can’t use it. Or vice versa. If you knew every spell in the world but have no mana it wouldn’t be worth anything.”

“How do I feel how much mana I have?” I called back the fakes dagger narrowly missing my face.

“You would need to meditate and reach into your soul. Establishing a link with your mana and this world. If you could do that while fighting that thing I will never doubt the name incarnation again!”The king yelled.

I was beginning to wonder why it was so hard for the king to hold the dimension. He had an easy time before the book transformed but these thoughts were second on trying to establish a mana link.

“Does aura have anything to do with mana?”

“If you can use your aura, mana should be no problem.”

I started to delve into my body. I drug my mental attention away from the fight that was occurring, leaving it to the automatic functions of my body and focused on the aura I had trained in the last life.

A black flame consumed me. It was my very being. It wasn’t warm. It was frigid. Cold. I could feel  my soul hidden somewhere in the flame. But I wasn’t looking for that. I needed to find mana. The mana that hadn’t been there before. My mind started to become one with the black flame as I was searching. I could find endless paths leading to endless other paths with no one destination. I searched the corridors of my being until I came upon something I had never seen before.

Water. Water had never been here before. I touched it with my flame and it seemed to absorb the endless stream constantly almost as if thirsting for its life. It never stopped absorbing rather it continued until above the flame a waterfall of water formed it constantly flowed into every part depth until-

“Sun, I can’t hold it any longer!” The king yelled. " The book is constantly trying to deconstruct this dimension.

I oriented myself to situation. For some reason the dimension had lost the its gleam and shine from earlier and rather was become unstable.

I could feel a single pulse now. It was as if it was the beat of the earth itself.

“How long since I talked to you last?”

“Hours, I am about to be out of mana. You need to finish this quickly.”

“I think I can use mana now.” I told him finally.

“Im-possible.” the king shuddered.

“Watch me.”

I listened to the pulse that resounded in my ears. It was soft and musical. As if making a melody of my very own soul. I breathed it in. I held it. I could feel energy that I never felt before rush through my body. It was indeed magic. But I realized it needed an outlet it needed to be used before it leaked into nothingness.

I began forming a picture of the move I had seen in my mind. I dashed but surprisingly I was faster even than before. I was on the fake before it could even lift its own dagger. I slashed but this time I copied the movements of the other man. I slashed down but used the mana that filled me to chase the direction of the movement. I don’t know how it did it but it felt to me only as if I were slashing downward.

The results were now obvious. I had won. The fake me head was rolling on the floor.

Suddenly the sun and atmosphere returned to the way it was before.

The king appeared right back next to me as if he were fine.

“If I had not had been here I would not have believed you. Direct mana manipulation.” The king whispered.

I didn't understand what he was saying but once again the displays appeared before my eyes.

Dominance established.

Mana link created.

Status and Abilities understood.

Reverting to Grimore form.