Nine Paths, One Destiny
My journey back to the Gurukul had been a contemplative one. The forest seemed livelier than ever before, its rustling leaves and echoing birdcalls creating a serene ambiance that resonated with my newfound heightened senses. I had grown accustomed to my new abilities, but every day brought new revelations, pushing the boundaries of my understanding. It took me a week to return when I only took two days earlier when I departed.
I could see the massive tree that perched the Gurukul in the distance. Its sight never failed to amaze me. Its branches spread out among the clouds, its visible top a mere illusion. Its real canopy stretched to the sky where no matter how much you craned your neck your vision simply would not reach. The tree was special needless to say. It wasn't even visible to those outside the Gurukul and the forest surrounding us was illusory in nature. Only friends accepted by the forest could even find their way here. Everyone else would be lost to time never to be seen again. That's also the reason these forests are simply called the Illusory Forest or Illusenwoods.
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After a long and eventful journey, I finally returned to the Gurukul. As I passed through the gates, the familiar faces of my fellow disciples greeted me with warm smiles. Ren, Arya, and Shaun were among the first to welcome me back.
"Ren! Arya!" I called out as I approached closer, my voice filled with genuine joy.
Ren turned to face me, his face breaking into a warm smile. "Kaito, you're back!" He extended a hand, and I clasped it in a firm handshake.
Arya, always the composed one, nodded in acknowledgment. "Welcome back, Kaito."
Shaun offered a handshake as well."Nice to have you back."
I couldn't help but feel a surge of relief and happiness. "It's good to see you all again. I've learned so much during my time away. There's so much to share."
Ren grinned mischievously. "Oh, I can't wait to hear all about it. But guess who was the first to return?"
I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity evident. "Who?"
"Shaun," Arya answered, her voice carrying a note of admiration. "He came back before any of us, just two weeks after we left."
I let out a chuckle. "Of course, Shaun would be the first. This guy's always been ahead of the curve."
Shaun shrugged modestly. "Someone's gotta set the pace."
I responded. "Good work and I'm just glad that you are not an arrogant piece of shit."
Shaun grinned, "You and me both brother."
Arya chimed in, "He is a prodigy indeed though I came in second. Not that it matters or anything. It's not a race after all. We've been training and practicing while waiting for the rest of you guys to return."
"Oh, that's quite amazing Arya." I praised Arya with genuine admiration.
To which Arya responded with a 'hmph'. She continued "That's no big deal. Each chakra has its own difficulty level for each person. This one just happened to be easier for me."
Though she seemed stern as usual, there was a slightly higher pitch in her tone. One that would go unnoticed by others who are not very familiar with her. But I picked up on it and I am sure Ren and Shaun did as well. We had been together for years after all.
Arya is weak to praise as always.
'At least she's not a tsundere. That would be pretty bad.'
Shaun quipped "Yeah, that goes for me as well. Things might change with the next chakra levels. Our burdens and trauma are unique to us after all.'
"Yeah, I'm gonna beat all of your asses next time. That's for sure." Ren exclaimed displaying a wide grin, his enthusiasm infectious.
I responded to Ren's jab, "Sure, we will see. By the way how many of us have returned and who else is left? Don't tell me I am the last to return."
Arya answered, "Counting you, seven of us have already returned and from that seven, the four aside from us are attending to their chores. We decided to rotate our duties on a cycle and pass some of our chores to each other to make sure someone is always there in the Gurukul to welcome back the others."
Shaun completed the remaining, "Yeah, your timing is quite good, me and Arya were just returning from our cooking chores while Ren was on the lookout. As it is now only Ying and Aarav have yet to return."
There was a brief silence as I digested those words and collected my thoughts.
'I should probably get this out of my system.'
"I feel like I should address the elephant in the room, though you all might have already discussed it. Equinox system....., now that...... was a bombshell," I said, breaking the momentary silence that had settled among us.
Ren chimed in, "Yeah, no kidding. It was quite shocking to suddenly see a holographic screen appear out of nowhere. Not to mention the sudden mechanical voice of the system ringing in our heads."
Arya nodded in agreement, her brow furrowing in thought. "It felt like I could read and hear the system at the same time, the lack of latency was quite eerie."
'Ah, now that I think about it that's true, isn't it? I never even noticed. The system seemed to speak in our minds with the same speed I read through the words on the screen.'
Shaun, who had been relatively quiet until now, finally spoke up, his voice laced with a hint of skepticism. "We should also be cautious. Such power comes with its own set of risks and responsibilities."
Ren grunted and Arya just shrugged. "That goes without saying. There is no such thing as a free meal after all."
No more words were exchanged after that. It seems that I was not the only one who was paranoid about the system.
---
We waited in the Gurukul for the other two to arrive as well. What else was there to do? During that time life went on as usual. It was then I found that a pact was made in which we would reveal our abilities all at once when everyone had come back. I too joined in this pact as we waited for the last two to return.
I spent my idle time honing on my [Lunar Clairvoyance] skill which I shortened to LC for now as it was quite a mouthful. Although I did not much make progress regarding the resolution I did manage to extend the range by about five meters or so. Using my [Thread manipulation] I practiced making more solid things. I wanted to make an arrow but the most I managed was to make the shaft, so there's more effort to put into that project.
When I was not training in my idle time I was training Emo. It has grown quite a bit reaching half the size of its father. Using an artifact provided by the guru, we had managed to achieve a semblance of conversation with the baby emus or more accurately the baby Virudas. I call it a semblance of conversation because we talk through exchanging feelings and emotions rather than words. It's much more intimate but sometimes fails to get the messages through. The Virudas were still in their growing phases and we had managed to somehow have them clean their circuits and prep them for the chakra opening. I wonder what kind of self-awakening it would have.
After our training, I figured it was time for some fun. So, I took Emo to meet up with its siblings at that little forest glade. Ren and Arya joined us, and we were in the middle of figuring out what to do for the day when, out of the blue, I got this unexpected message from Eunoia.
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---
1 week later~
Ying was the next to return, and her arrival was met with cheers and applause from the rest of us. She looked a little haggard. She explained that she made a clumsy mistake when trying out her new skills and that caused a minor accident. Nothing too serious just some minor injuries and scratches. Getting her to the infirmary we also shared the details about the pact with her and asked if she wanted in. She accepted. Although now the rest of us were much more curious as to what happened with her and about her skills. She of course kept mum about the skills she had acquired, all of us did.
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As the days turned into weeks, we fell back into our routines at the Gurukul. Training, meditation, and honing the new skills in secret and seeking advice from the seniors and the guru. It was during this time that I felt a subtle shift within myself, a newfound connection to the world around me. It seems I was well on my way to unblocking the second chakra. However, that would have to wait till the second cleansing of the circuits.
The congratulatory messages and gifts remained in anticipation until Aarav's return. None of us harbored any disappointment; it had been a unanimous decision among us to await the arrival of the final member. Whenever the guru appeared to extend his congratulations individually upon our successful returns, we politely asked him to do so collectively instead. He maintained his austere demeanor, but we could see that he appreciated our cooperation and patience underneath the guarded veneer.
---
1 month later~
Aarav was the last to arrive, and as soon as he crossed the Gurukul gates, we surrounded him and took him by surprise. The eight of us surprised him when Aarav had let down his guard the moment he entered the gates. As they say, you show the most openings when you think you have won. It was understandable, we too felt immense relief when we had crossed the Gurukul gates after weeks of toiling in meditation.
It was a joyful and unexpected welcome, and Aarav was taken aback by our enthusiasm.
The eight of us bombarded Aarav with congratulations like a surprise birthday party, and he was taken by surprise. "You guys!" he exclaimed, a mixture of delight and embarrassment on his face.
I clapped Aarav on the back. "We couldn't let you slip through without a proper welcome, buddy."
We celebrated that night with a grand feast, feasting on the Gurukul's finest dishes and sharing stories. The guru and our senior disciples joined in the festivities, offering their congratulations and words of praise.
"It warms my heart to see such unity among you," the guru said, his eyes filled with pride. "You have all faced the trial with courage and determination. You have proven yourselves worthy. You have all shown patience, camaraderie, and dedication. These qualities are the true essence of our path."
We all simultaneously bowed to the guru. words were not always necessary to convey an emotion.
The guru continued, "Now, it is time for your well-deserved rewards. Enjoy yourselves tonight." As soon as those words came out of his mouth, three barrels of the finest fifty-year-old aged wine came out from the earth. There was nothing more to be said. We drank, sang, and made merry. Alcohol, smoking, and drugs were strictly forbidden and none dared to cross the guru in any way. But today was a special day and the guru himself gave his permission and provided the wine. Needless to say, getting drunk would be hard at this point in our training and excessive drinking would cost us quite dearly the next day as per the rules. Today's reward did not mean we could indulge too much in alcohol, doing so would have consequences.
We enjoyed ourselves immersing in the festivities moderately but making sure to properly enjoy as well.
Sitting around the campfire with fine wine and good company.
It was time for the big reveal. Everyone was in on the pact and now it was time to reveal our abilities.
This wasn't a sudden spur-of-the-moment decision. No, it was a carefully considered choice. Revealing our abilities meant revealing our vulnerabilities, our strengths, and our weaknesses. It meant laying bare a part of ourselves that we had kept hidden from each other and the outside world.
But we had enough trust in each other. We were comrades, friends, and confidants. If we could not trust each other then who?
What's more, these skills were only the foundation, we could always build more on top of it. These abilities were just the beginning, the stepping stones to greater heights. We could always build on them, refine them, and unlock new potentials as we grew stronger together.
We sat around the campfire, the campfire's heat was a comforting presence, pushing back the chill of the night air. It sent spirals of rising smoke into the darkness, carrying with it the earthy scent of burning wood. The logs and branches in the firepit crackled and popped, adding a soothing, rhythmic soundtrack to the night. A ring of large, smooth stones had been meticulously placed around the fire pit. The campfire was nestled in the center of a circular arrangement of large, weathered stones. These stones formed a natural and rustic seating area around the fire.
Around the campfire, the group sat on logs and rocks, their faces illuminated by the fire's light. Shadows danced across their features, accentuating the lines of their expressions. The flames painted their faces with a warm, golden hue, each of us ready to share our abilities, to lay our cards on the table.
Shaun spoke disrupting the silence that had enveloped us. "Let's go around the circle. I will start first."
Shaun was a young man in his early twenties, with a lean and wiry build that spoke of physical agility and endurance. His short-cropped brown hair framed a face marked by the sun. He had a rugged handsomeness about him, with a strong jawline and sharp, observant hazel eyes that always seemed to be assessing the world around him.
"I will start with my grace. I wished for a growing dragon's physique in human form."
As soon as he said this his eyes turned into slits, his presence grew larger and small translucent scales started appearing on his body.
Aarav, the first to break the silence, raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, his face reflecting a mix of curiosity and intrigue. "A growing dragon's physique, Shaun? That's... quite ambitious. Care to share more details? How does it work?"
Shaun, always composed, responded, "Well, it's not an instant transformation. The wish is tied to my current level, but the growth would be gradual. I'll need to adapt to it over time. The idea was not to gain the physical strength and resilience of a dragon while still maintaining my human form. Instead what I really wanted was the magical circuits a dragon intrinsically has. The dragons are unrivaled users of magic in terms of innate potential and sheer potency of their magic. Their bodies are like nuclear energy reactors."
Arya, her analytical mind at work, chimed in, "And how do you plan to control it? Dragons are known for their raw power and sometimes, well, their fiery temperament. Are you prepared for that?"
Sasha interjected as soon as Arya had finished her piece, her concern evident in her tone. "I agree with Arya. The dragons are mythical beasts, some of them have even ascended to the status of Titans. Their minds are alien and beyond the understanding of us mortals. You will have to tread very carefully."
Shaun grunted, took a moment to collect his thoughts, and continued "As my talents are that of a mage. This opportunity was like a golden grail to me. I have long envied the dragons but not anymore. Magic now comes more instinctively to me and my maximum chi capacity has soared. I even got the ability to manipulate ambient energy in the surroundings as it is without personalizing it, something impossible for humans. Although I am well on my way to becoming a half-beast in human skin. The system tells me that I will become a dragonoid if things go well. It did not elaborate further. I like to think the constraints of grace work in my favor since the changes would be minuscule and gradual. The grace that we have received might just be the only one that we will ever get or there might be more in the future and if there is more I believe asking for this grace at my current level was the best choice over asking it later when the grace would be correspondingly stronger. Since the changes would also be much more potent. As it is, it's essentially just a bloodline ability at this point. The low level of grace should alleviate any risk of going out of control and prevent me from burning down cities and villages in a fit of rage. Fingers crossed."
Everyone started chuckling.
Ying playfully added, "One of us might earn the title of a dragon slayer sometime in the future then. Your sacrifice would be well remembered."
Shaun gave a side eye to Ying, smirked, and continued. "I was presented with only one path - Titan. The class I chose was [Dragonkin Sorcerer]."
"The Dragonkin Sorcerer excels in spellcasting, with a focus on offensive and defensive magic. This class also improves my mana control, allowing me to maximize my efficiency while utilizing magic and reducing the chances of exhaustion during intense spellcasting. It also gives me resistance to elemental damage."
"And lastly, the Titan paths give access to Familia control. It helps me establish my dominion over those whom I share my power with. I can give them a derivative of my power and in the cases of beasts influence their growth. For example, the Virudas Ren, Arya, and Kaito brought, I can share my powers with them to give them a draconic aspect. Since they are birds who are descended from lizards who in fact are descended from dragons, it will also synergize quite well with them."
I look towards Arya and Ren who are seated next to me. The idea itself was fascinating.
I looked towards Shaun and asked him while seeing him eye to eye. "Will it make them beholden to you?"
Shaun spoke in earnest while not breaking eye contact. "Not if I don't want them to."
I slumped as I released a sigh. Confrontation was not exactly my forte and it does drain me. Something to work on. I looked to my left and I saw tension escaping from both Arya and Ren as well.
Arya shuffled her feet and put one foot on top of another knee. "It requires some discussion, we can talk about this at length later."
"of course" Shaun answered promptly with a smile on his face.
As silence reigned once more among us, Ying who was next to Shaun shuffled and clapped her hands.
Ying was a young woman in her early twenties, with an air of elegance and grace that seemed to follow her wherever she went. Her petite frame belied a strength and agility that came from years of disciplined training. She had long, flowing ebony hair that cascaded down her back like a silken waterfall, and her almond-shaped eyes were a striking shade of deep brown.
"I guess it's my turn now" she began.
"I wanted to stick to my roots and I am sure that was the case for everyone else as well. For my grace, I chose the ability to manipulate my perception of time. I can now see things in slow motion or fast motion. I am not there yet but I think I can also trick my body into slowing down or speeding up though it's purely perceptional."
Sasha gasped "Wait wouldn't that mean your performance in fast-paced situations would dramatically increase, you can dodge literal bullets now with ease, even the magic-empowered ones."
Joon-Ho chimed in "You could also significantly increase your learning speed and you can even enter a meditative state where time feels as though it's moving at a snail's pace, achieving deep mental focus."
"Your mental processing speed would be much higher as well, providing moments of calm in the midst of chaos, this makes you much more adaptable in any situation. Truly an amazing ability," remarked Sasha.
Ying merely nodded in acknowledgment and continued.
"I was given two paths - Celestial and Avatar. I chose the Celestial path and my class is [Aura weaponmaster]"
"Aura weapon master is an expert in swordsmanship, spear techniques, and whip handling. I can channel my inner aura into my chosen weapon, enhancing its properties and seamlessly changing the weapon from a sword to a spear to a whip. Aura is versatile and adaptable and can be molded into different forms, such as slashing waves, piercing projectiles, or defensive barriers, depending on the situation and weapon I wield. I now have acquired a heightened awareness of the auras emitted by others, allowing me to anticipate enemy movements and intentions. I can also see emotions as different colored auras."
"The celestial path gave me a way to glean the Truth. As my chakra level increases, it can help me separate falsehoods from the truth and peer into the true nature of things."
"That's all"
Next after Ying would be Arak.
Arak always had a commanding presence that drew immediate attention. He stands tall, with a strong and muscular build, reflecting his physical prowess and years of training. His skin is weathered, bearing the scars and marks of battles fought and won. Arak's deep-set, intense eyes are a piercing shade of steel gray. His hair is a dark, unruly mane, falling to his shoulders, and occasionally swept back to keep it out of his face during combat. He has a rugged, chiseled face with a square jawline, exuding an air of strength and resilience. Arak's facial features are marked by a prominent scar on his left cheek.
He is not a man of many words. However if best described he is a gentle giant who deeply cares for his comrades.
Arak merely grunted to draw attention.
He spoke with a gruff voice. "My grace is the ability to mutate parts of my body as I wish. As a result, I am now able to mutate the DNA of any part of my body while being system-protected. Essentially it is a metamorphosis ability though it can be ventured further to adapt other creatures' mutations as well but I have a limit on how many body parts I can mutate at once. There is also a cooldown period for recovery."
"I was presented with two paths - Void and Titan. I chose Titan and my class is [Gigantes]. With it, I gained immense physical strength and endurance. I can lift heavy objects with ease, endure extreme physical stress, and become nearly invulnerable to most conventional attacks. I can also temporarily increase my size, growing larger and more imposing. This enhances my strength, reach, and durability even more. I can return to my normal size at will. At later levels, I can transfer some of my vitality and energy to heal or empower allies."
"The Familia control is the same as Shaun, so nothing more needs to be said."
"Let's not waste time on praises. But please give me any advice you have at a later time. Time is passing and there are others to tend to as well. You're up next Aarav."