While Enmu, the Nameless Wanderer, created Awakened Beasts by imparting the power of prana upon one representative of each existing living being on Ainerax, known as precursors, Enlightened Beasts were born from the encounter between living beings, generally monsters and animals, and the remnants left behind by Dao, whether Greater or lesser.
While in their own respective way, both powers were imparted by the beings that first encountered them onto their offspring, with the intention for the offspring to pass it onto their own. It appears quite logical that, in the end, Enlightened Beasts would become a minority compared to their Awakened counterparts demographically-wise. This is due to the manner in which arcane was imparted to them. Firstly, there was a limited amount of remnants on Ainerax. Secondly, only a very lucky few had the opportunity to encounter these remnants. In the case of pranakinesis, the power to wield prana was granted to a representative of all living beings, with the intention of passing it on to their offspring. Not only was arcane a very limited resource, to say the least, but it was also compounded by the fact that the aspect they developed upon encountering the remnants can degrade over generations.
Understanding all that, one is right to ask oneself the question: Can an arcane-wielder be a prana wielder? Or vice versa?
The answer to both questions was yes.
Dream was a living proof of that, but since he was built different, he didn't make for a very objective example. However, the monstrous monstrosity up ahead fit perfectly into that role.
Name
H.P
A.P
W.P
P.P
Threat
Aspect
Lesser Aspect
Nagadread Lvl.3
57
428 / 524
0.5
742 / 1576
Behemoth
Elemental Resonance
Electrokinetic Resonance
Electrokinetic Dissonance
Scattered here and there lay the corpses or rather bits of Mawcrawlers he previously heard. They presented a gruesome sight to behold, yet it paled in comparison to what lay ahead. In front of him, towering over the lifeless trees, stretched a massive snake. It was in the midst of swallowing a gigantic Mawcrawler in a voracious gulp, its fangs pushing the mangled body down the creature's throat.
Its violet scales shimmered with an eerie iridescence, casting an otherworldly glow in the dim light. Jutting forth from the sides of its gaping maw were obsidian fangs, curving like twisted daggers, adding a sinister edge to its already fearsome appearance.
“There’s no way I’m messing with that,” Dream silently muttered to himself, making sure to hide well behind the dead tree he used for cover.
Dream's instincts screamed at him to retreat, to back away slowly and avoid any confrontation with the colossal serpent. While the aspect it wielded was something he had never encountered before, and certainly not something Dream wanted to miss out on, Dream was acutely aware that, in terms of stats, that creature appeared to be an exceptionally unfavorable match for him.
“Especially with this…”
Description
**Electrokinetic Resonance:**
As a lesser aspect of Elemental Resonance, Electrokinetic Resonance enables its wielder to harmonize its energies with existing electromagnetic fields, deftly guiding and shaping lightning and electrical currents. Through this intricate attunement, the creature orchestrates a controlled symphony of energy, redirecting the forces of nature with finesse and precision.
**ElectroKinetic Dissonance:**
Complementing the spectrum of Elemental Resonance, this Lesser aspect taps into the raw, untamed essence of electricity, allows the lesser Aspect’s wielder to disrupt the equilibrium of electric potential within the atmosphere, wresting control of existing currents and claiming them into their own to dispel.
“No matter how I look at it, this is clearly a poor match for me. Better not mess up with that.”
One of the reasons that prompted Suraxai to develop the Nexus System was, in his own words, to counter Dream’s recklessness, which he described as utterly self-destructive. While the system, in itself, didn't entirely eradicate that behavior, its existence, coupled with the many regulations Suraxai implemented, managed to uproot or at least temper those tendencies of Dream.
One of these rules stipulated that his most potent mantra at any level must cost no more than fifty percent of his prana potential. This ensured that, in the event the strongest attack was unleashed, he would still possess sufficient prana to either retaliate or, in the worst-case scenario, flee.
Another rule established by Suraxai was to refrain from engaging with creatures whose stats appeared to hold a quantitative advantage over him. Although Dream had yet to witness the creature's in action, its stats strongly indicated that it fell squarely within the parameters of this latter rule.
Avoiding confrontation was the way to go with this one
Dream contemplated the idea of slowly edging backward, yet considering his, already big enough, stroke of luck in arriving unnoticed, he chose to stand his ground. He opted to wait, biding his time until the creature concluded its meal and departed, allowing him the opportunity to depart without drawing any further attention to himself.
With caution prevailing, Dream opted to let the creature continue its feast, allowing it to devour the Mawcrawler without interruption. He patiently bided his time, waiting for the opportune moment when the creature would eventually finish its meal and move on.
Since the Mawcrawlers upon which the snake-like Awakened Enlightened Beast feasted were themselves enlightened beasts, implying that the activation of its Draconic skill would not cause their bodies to disappear as it would for an Awakened Beast or an Odo wielder, this prompted Dream to reap whatever little remained from their demises.
[ Nexus Alert]
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Enlightened Beasts Consumed
H.P▲
A.P▲
W.P
17▲
238▲
0.0▲
"At the very least, I won't walk away from this empty-handed," Dream silently cheered himself on, patiently waiting for the creature to depart.
However, minutes turned into a lengthy span, and still, there were no signs of the serpent's departure. An uneasiness settled in as the minutes stretched into more than a dozen, and the lack of movement from the massive snake was perplexing. There was just that hissing that let out evenly now and then.
As the weight of the situation bore down on him, Dream's patience began to wane. He shifted his gaze uneasily, his curiosity tinged with a growing sense of foreboding. A feeling of disquiet gnawed at him, prompting him to finally steal a glance at the creature.
“Don't tell me,” he muttered under his breath, an ominous intuition creeping into his thoughts. Ignoring the knot of unease in his stomach, he cautiously turned his gaze toward the serpent, only to find himself locked in an unsettling stare with its abyssal black eyes.
“You've got to be kidding me,” Dream lamented, his voice barely a whisper as the reality of his predicament became starkly apparent.
In that tense moment, the creature's presence abruptly shifted, replaced by a sound akin to a deep, hollow breath resonating through the air. "Crap!" Dream cursed, abandoning his concealment, that he only now realized had been useless all along and bolted away.
With a sudden, jarring motion, the snake-like creature contorted its form, coiling its body with an eerie swiftness.
Sensing that an attack was about to be unleashed toward him, Dream, who understood that striking first is always the preferred approach, swiftly turned around and summoned his electro-elementalis.
“Crap, crap, crap!”
Somewhere in his heart, he had a feeling that the snake would attempt to evade his attack. Therefore, Dream readied himself to adjust his aim as he charged his mantra. However, the snake made no such move; instead, it leisurely proceeded with its intended action, coiling into a “dung” shaped little hill.
[ Electro ]
Apprentice
Thunderspear Lvl.3
71
The lightning spear shot out, and Dream came to understand why the snake didn’t even bother.
While it happened barely a flash, Dream saw his [Thunderspear], closing in on the snake and as it did, the so-called "Thunder" spear began to fall apart, scattering discharges in all directions while also propelling itself toward the snake. The negligible amount that reached the snake's violet scales hardly qualified as a discharge.
“Screw this, I’m out.”
His electro-elementalis was Dream's greatest asset, not only due to its potency but also because of his substantial reserve of prana he’d very recently built up to support that potency. So yes! Electro-elementalis was his trump card, and anything against which his trump card didn’t work against was a very very bad match.
Completely disregarding Dream's “attack”, pulled its head back as if to gather strength, and then released a scorching burst of lightning from its wide open mouth. The lightning streaked through the air with deadly accuracy, aiming directly at Dream's retreating figure.
Once again, Dream swiftly turned around when he noticed the sudden decrease in the monster's Prana Reserve. He realized that trying to dodge the lightning attack heading straight for him, which was like a continuous stream, might not be a practical choice.
Instead, in an instant, Dream summoned a thick layer of Odo. He expertly materialized it to cover his body, creating a shield. The golden substance wrapped around him.
Odo's responsive nature allowed it to absorb and reduce some of the lightning's impact as it rushed toward him. However, this only partially lessened the attack's force.
When the lightning encountered Dream's Odo shield, it was literally knocked into the distance. The lightning attempted to break through, causing him to feel like a chicken in an egg slowly immersed in boiling water. This made it painfully clear that the barrier was struggling to withstand the overwhelming power of the snake.
Despite channeling a great deal of effort into fueling the golden shroud, Dream keenly sensed its gradual dissolution under the relentless barrage of the creature's lightning.
The potent energy was proving effective at breaking down his Odo defense. With gritted teeth and unwavering determination, Dream endured the onslaught until it finally came to an end.
"Can't I have even a single moment of respite?" Dream emerged from his shroud of Odo, his face contorted in a grimace, and muttered, "Just now, was that an electro-elementalis attack? No, it wasn’t just that… Then it must have been that, right?"
Just as there were primarily two kinds of Awakened Beasts—Precursors and the offspring of those Precursors—there could only be two types of creatures wielding both arcane and prana. They were either Precursors or the offspring of those Precursors who encountered a remnant of Dao and evolved. In either case, the beings would undergo a transformation called evolution, enabling them to wield an aspect or a lesser aspect.
For those creatures that, for the sake of convenience, were termed "Hybrids" instead of Enlightened Awakened Beast by Suraxai, it meant that the already Awakened Beast would evolve, undergoing a unique transformation known as evolution—a process that would ultimately lead to the creature developing a distinct unique aspect unique and proper to themselves.
As a rule of thumb that aspect, they would develop would most oftenly be one that aligns with their existing powers.
In this specific instance, the awakened beast wielded the power of electro-elementalis, and its aspect, Elemental Resonance, clearly supported and adapted to this power, resulting in a more potent and harmonious utilization of its powers.
Name
H.P
A.P
W.P
P.P
Threat
Aspect
Lesser Aspect
Nagadread Lvl.3
57
369 / 524
0.5
713 / 1576
Behemoth
Elemental Resonance
Electrokinetic Resonance
Electrokinetic Dissonance
The creature hissed, a low and menacing sound that echoed through the air, as it fixed its intense gaze upon Dream. Slithering with an eerie fluidity, it moved past the myriad dead trees that punctuated the desolate landscape, closing in on Dream, lightning zipping from every part of its body.
As the creature closed the distance, an electrifying spectacle unfolded. Lightning, like a rampant tempest, erupted from every inch of its coiled body. Bolts of energy danced and crackled, forming a formidable display of power that painted the desolation with an eerie radiance.
In a heartbeat, the snake's lithe form contorted, coiling upon itself with a primal intensity. The air itself seemed to thrum with energy, pregnant with an imminent cataclysm. Then, in an explosive burst of raw power, the creature unleashed its devastating onslaught.
A torrent of searing lightning erupted from the creature's coiled form, a surging storm that engulfed the surroundings in a blinding cascade of brilliance. The very earth seemed to tremble beneath the onslaught as the electrifying onslaught raged unabated, consuming all in its path with an unrelenting ferocity.
“Tsk.”
Confronting the imminent electrifying storm, Dream's figure remained solitary, exuding an aura of fearlessness and unyielding resolve. Once more, he called upon his Odo, entrusting it to shield him from harm.
His trust was not misplaced, for as the frenzied lightning storm gradually subsided, Dream emerged from his protective cocoon. His gaze met the serpent-like creature, which now bore a perplexed expression, seemingly baffled by his survival.
“I doubt that, once again, there’s no running from this battle.”
Name
H.P
P.P
O.P
O.M.P
A.P
Level
Dream
103▼/108
876▼/1652
318▼/438▲
41.7▲
416/439▲
16
“I initially really didn’t want to do this, but I guess, I’ll have to make this work, somehow.”