As Auron looked down at his familiar, he attempted but failed to control the scowl that spread across his features.
[So, you remember? What is it you want me to say?]
"Why. Why did you three keep me in a coma for all of these years? Time I could have spent with my mother. The entirety of my life was a lie. Now I have this royal Aura. What am I, who was my mother?" Auron's frustration was evident as he lost some control over his mana and levitated upward at the last word, his magnetic power sent ripples of erratic electrical energy across the stone floor.
[I… I can not speak about the events leading to that decision yet, or your family origins, but I can speak about what happened after we were in the void.] Zander skirted around the blood magic with great effort, which would have once prevented him from speaking and stolen his sentience.
"Do so then," Auron landed, unsteady from the unexpected magic he had used unintentionally. He crossed his arms and waited.
[You were five years old. It was not my call, but you should not judge the decision made by your mother. Your screams and terror were awful. I do not blame you either. A child never should have been exposed to such a terrifying sight. Our best option was to supply you with an environment that would give you a chance at normal development. Don't you dare speak ill of the decision. We all sacrificed so much of ourselves. You were beyond powerful as a child.] Zander seemed to flutter back and forth with his thoughts. He was seemingly defending something he disagreed with, but he also seemed very protective of Auron's mother.
[I do not know how much you remember... Your mother was a prodigy when she was a child. You were something else. Something unchained. You made her power look like it was timid by comparison.] Zander placed his head on the ground as he fought against the blood magic to speak. Auron felt guilty, but the pain of his past pushed him through the guilt right back into his anger.
[Those of your… bloodline. Are built differently. People are not supposed to have access to the power that you had at such a young age. If your mother had not aptly made that decision, all four of us would have died.] Zander ended the message. Auron could not tell if he was familiar, angry, sad, or just exasperated at explaining, and the pain caused in doing so.
As he contemplated the words, Auron ran his hand over his forehead. "You are right." He says after a few moments of rubbing his hand in place on his head, and a long pause. "I do not know what I would have done. I will not judge the decision, and I am grateful for the sacrifice. Sometimes I just feel like my mind and my magic are wrong.
Each time I power up, or increase the depth of my magic, I am hit with great waves of depression. Though I should be, and am thrilled at the use of magic, something in my brain is misfiring, or broken. I do not know what to do, Zander. Who am I with all of these false memories." Auron's previous frustration was gone. Replaced with a feeling of deep sorrow.
[We will deal with any problems together. Okay? You are Auron, and you have your future to look forward to. Your memories from before the void will return. Not all of them will be pleasant, but hopefully, that will help you with your identity issues. As for your mental state, we should find someone who can help. A true healer. Let us just take one step at a time.]
"They hurt my mom bad, didn't they?" Auron only heard half of what Zander said as the vivid images flash through his mind once again. The scene of cut flesh and missing arm, a permanent fixture in his memories now.
Zander's eyes threatened to go distant as he fought against the blood magic. A tight nod is all he managed, as the two burned with great fury.
"Zander. I do not remember her name or that of my father." A tear fell down his face, matched by tears forming in Zander's eyes as well.
[Let us find Geralt. He will be able to tell you everything. Now practice with your magic, yes?]
After a long pause, Auron wiped his face and looked to his friend.
"I am not the type of person that can survive here, Zander. I have been needing to change, and now I think I know how to do that." Auron stares into his eyes. Laying bare his soul and outing his own flaws should have been more difficult, but Auron was just so tired. Sitting down against the wall, he held Zander's stare. "Watch over me. I do not know what this will do or how long it will take. If I am not me when I come back, just know I appreciate everything you have done, and this adventure with you," Auron closed his eyes, ignoring Zander's vehement protests.
His young mind was nothing compared to the vast storm of consciousness before him. Centuries of life versus his own feeble 19 years. Looking down at his hands, he could see right through them. His body was an identical transparent mental construct. Looking around, it was easy to understand his own mental turmoil.
Standing atop a glass pedestal, he peered about. Inside of his own mind, a vast field spread out as far as his eyes could see. Straight up, a starless sky loomed over him. A diamond the size of the moon gave multicolored light to the area. There were hairline cracks in every aspect of his mental space, the ground, the sky, and even the air had flaws.
Reaching forward and touching one of the nearest cracks unleashed a torrent of Red, Purple, and Green mana. All three fluttered out of the fissure like baby birds. Soaring away, they flew in an extensive circle around the large storm cloud and set on a path back toward Auron. His mentally constructed body may not have been tangible, but the pain he felt from what followed was real.
Red mana boiled his flesh while giving him the sight to understand what was happening to every single nerve ending. Notifications describing a massive amount of information rapidly flashed through his mind. Everything he had ever seen had a description and so much information. He held his head and screamed as the barriers holding back the knowledge of everything melted away from the heat of this mana. Deep within the agony caused by the fire and overloading of his mind, Auron managed to glean something essential. Red mana was fire and perception, but it was also precision. These three descriptions worked in harmony to encompass everything in the realm of power under the color.
The red gemstone on the back of his hand began to glow angrily in protest. Though the mind of the multi-eyed akkult that this gemstone came from was far detached, its blazing temper was imprinted on the stone. It wouldn't tolerate its current host being made to look foolish.
As it flashed, it sucked in the rampant mana, sending it directly to Auron's core, relieving the pressure that pure sight forced into his mind.
Red mana stabilized. Red gemstone has improved to tier two of three. Boon listed below:
Precision increased by an additional 10. With the increased connection to ambient mana granted by this stone, you can now understand mana combinations to a higher degree.
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Auron was baffled. How could something within his mind feedback into his body? Before he could think any more on the subject, the next wave of mana hit.
Purple mana caused blood to flow out of every orifice as his muscles grew and shrunk rapidly. His attention one moment was hyper-focused, and the next, it was nearly impossible to string one thought to another as his mind fluttered lazily. With no stone to come to his rescue, he was at the mercy of the blood focused mana. Auron felt as if his skin was on the verge of tearing. His bones creaked as the muscles flexed involuntarily. Every finger in his hands snapped, both devastating his incorporeal soul formed body and his real one.
Warning! Purple mana internal concentration has reached critical mass. Bleeding status will be randomly inflicted until rectified.
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Zander was beyond distraught. Auron was writhing in pain, and the area they currently inhabited was fully sufficed with heat. In waves, the warmth rolled off of him as he squeezed his hands so tightly they bled. Zander held off on healing him because he did not want to interfere with whatever internal process Auron was going through. When the young rogue began to bleed from his mouth, eyes, and ears, Zander lost all control. He would not fail Auron in the way that he failed the boy's sister.
Pressing his head against Auron's palm, he focused on their bond and mentally pushed with all of his might.
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The Green mana that followed was a blessing. The wind and growth washed over him, removing the effects of the other two types of mana.
He was the wind. He was a seed. He was life.
He recalled from his all-seeing moment with Red mana that Green mana was not as simple as healing or growth. It was also propagation. As his mind slowly put the pieces together, he watched in horror as the mana continued to surge into his body. His hair began to grow wildly, along with his nails. Increasing at a rapid rate, his skin began to flake off, and saliva dripped out of his mouth to the extent he choked on it.
Auron began to cough violently. The coughing, paired with an increasing feeling of being lightheaded, caused him to pitch backward. The opposite of a mana headache wrapped his mind, and he felt fuzzy, almost fluffy as he fell. Deep down, Auron knew that if he hit the ground from this height, he would damage his soul. Fear battled the relaxing feeling of health overflow.
Something large pressed against his back and stabilized both his body and the mana running rampant inside of him.
"As if I would let you fall," A familiar voice boomed out across the valley in his soul space.
Wind mana stabilized through your connection with your familiar. Level 20 tier limit lifted. Error. You are in breach of the agreement. Royal Aura detected. Authorization not found. Searching. Connection to enforcement squad not found. Breach report paused.
Auron immediately recovered. The mental image projected of himself returned to its original appearance, abandoning its overgrown hair and nails. Spinning around to see what he had pressed against, Auron gasped.
"Zander?" Auron asked meekly as his mind struggled to comprehend the being before him.
Zander's eyes, grown to the circumference of Auron's height, gazed back at him. A long Serpentine body stretched out for a hundred meters behind his giant lizard head. Six sets of beautiful white wings ran along his back, and four massive limbs that reminded Auron of a lion were set underneath him.
A rumbling wheeze was all the creature before him responded. Auron could see through him, leading him to believe this was Zander in his soul form.
"Are you a dragon?" The words slipped out of Auron.
"My body is what is known as a Chalkydri. Generally, they are one with Blue mana, but I am an exception. This is the form I will take when you reach level forty." Zander smirked. He seemed to enjoy being able to actually speak. Auron was overjoyed as well. He still shook from what he had just experienced, but having Zander here, and looking so powerful helped.
While they spoke, the storm cloud at the center of Auron's being darkened.
Turning around after noticing the change in lighting Auron's eyes widened again.
As if jealous of his love affair with Green mana and the presence of Zander, the thundercloud sent a bolt of lightning straight at the two of them. The energy hit Auron directly on the forehead and permeated every ounce of his being. Slowly, yet somehow instantly, he felt the electrical current as it flowed through his body. His muscles twitched violently. Auron felt as if he would vibrate off of the podium. He flew upward as his magic activated and pushed him away from the earth in his mental construction as if the soil was somehow real. As he fell back down roughly, his yellow gemstone flared into life. The small stone clashed with the mental manifestation of his mind orb. Somehow the small piece that used to be one with the spirit convinced the mind orb to abate its lightning.
Yellow mana stabilized. Yellow gemstone has improved to tier two of three. Boon listed below:
Speed increased by an additional ten. You have improved command over your body and, in turn, your mana. With this, you will now be able to combine various types of mana simultaneously.
After a few moments of heavy breathing, Auron forced himself to his feet. Looking around, he made out hundreds of those same cracks in his psyche. Another that was suspended in the air began a lazy descent toward him. He knew he did not have the internal capacity to deal with the wild mana, likely due to his low level. As cowered fearfully trying to avoid it, Zander moved to take the blow in his stead. Auron screamed for him to move.
At his urging, the Diamond placed where a sun might have been in reality flared to life. It shone down a beam somewhat similar to a rainbow that eradicated the errant crack. Continuing the laser traveled around in a path doing the same to several others. Finally, it stopped, and the Diamond went slightly darker than it was before.
Auron had no idea what he was witnessing, but he knew that light had saved him before, and it was related to his Royal Aura. Perhaps it would fix his fractured mind as well. As the Diamond darkened, the sky above was visible. Hundreds of stars shined down from what looked like the black of space. Remembering the void of his nightmares, Auron shivered and cast his eyes level with the cloud.
Seeing the light fix his mutilated mind gave him the courage to face the storm once again. Tossing aside his hesitation, fear, and worry, he jumped forward. Pushing off of the ground with his new magic, using the pillar as an anchor, he flung himself directly into the dark cloud. Zander followed the charge and brought all the wind he could muster along with. At the edge of the cloud, he was halted, even with his full size and all his power, he could only watch.
As Auron flew into the looming storm, static shocks ran along every inch of his body. His hair stood on end, and he felt as if he couldn't breathe oxygen almost non-existent inside.
{What do you want, child.} A voice boomed into his mind, its force threatening to break everything he was apart.
"I need your help. I am not enough as I am. My mind is fractured, and I do not have what it takes to move forward alone. Can you not see where you are and the state of this place?"
When the ancient spirit did not respond, Auron continued.
Something feels wrong about our connection. I believe we are supposed to become one of mind, and power." Auron shouted into his surroundings.
{I have given you access to my path already, boy. You can not manage melding with my ancient mind. The process would wipe away everything you are. I have seen your courage, and that is why I chose you to carry my mind orb. Do not let that be your undoing.} The cloud flashed violently as he spoke. Communicating seemed to be very difficult for its mind. Auron looked around, trying to spot Zander through the mist.
{Return in a hundred years. Perhaps then you could handle the sorrow I now keep with me.}
Frustrated by the condescending tone and dismissal of his own pain and life experiences, Auron called his Green mana to his hands. Charging it with everything he had, he unleashed it toward the storm. Zander felt the mana and created his own attack from the outside. For a brief moment, Auron could fully breathe, and the electrical charges seemed to dissipate.
Tier 2 wind magic: External genesis unlocked. Vicious Cyclone
Surrounding him was a cyclone that grew as it fed on the surrounding air. It even took some of the electricity surrounding it as it increased in size. As quickly as it grew, it was smothered when the cloud returned.
{You attempt to tickle me with your weak magic. I tried to warn you. You must not understand that I am not all that I once was. My soul is gone. Along with it, my pity, understanding, and guilt. You will regret this. If you are seeking mental ruin. Fine. Take it.}
As the spirit finished talking, its entirety began to flow into the mind orb on Auron's forehead.