《The Strongest Demon Lord in the Modern World》


 Chapter 1 - Banished Spark

    It was a beautiful, bright summer afternoon. The sky was azure blue, without even sparse white puffs to smear it.


    The landscape below was just as incredible. Lush, green forest covered the realm wherever the eye could see. Creatures of odd shapes and sizes ruled their dominion, with no sight of civilization to corrupt this paradisiacal world.


    Suddenly, a distorted sound shattered the millennial tranquility. The air began to distort, converging towards a singular point, a tiny, miniature black dot that suddenly appeared without any warning sign.


    The black dot greedily sucked in the fresh air, slowly, gradually expanding in size as the seconds kept passing, eventually reaching about the size of an apple.


    Like a child that known no control when presented his or her favorite treat, the black dot kept sucking with a power unknown to this primitive-looking world for several long seconds before it finally began to calm down.


    A distant rumble, the echo of what seemed like a quake suddenly came from its depth, first faint, but rapidly growing in volume and intensity.


    In the next instant, before the primordial creatures of the land below could even react to the discomfort the loud noise caused, an object suddenly escaped from its depths.


    Looking like an asteroid, an inanimate object it hurdled towards the lush jungle biome below. As the inertia came to an abrupt stop as the strange object connected with the ground, a violent explosion tore apart the surrounding life, leaving nothing but a large and deep, dead crater behind.


    Its purpose seemingly fulfilled, the black apple-sized dot slowly began to lose its shape and size, vanishing into nonexistence in just a few fleeting moments returning the peace and tranquility to the realm, ignorant to the state of the object it expelled.


    Traversing through the giant cloud of dust and smoke the meteor-like object''s crashing had kicked off, a faint humming sound could be heard. A rhythmic, periodic shockwave of light escaped from its center, its depth covering several miles with each release.


    Each pulse scanned the lands around the crater, seemingly in a desperate search for something. Each wave came faster with less and less pause between them as they did their best to find a suitable host, some abundant mass of life.


    Yet, the reality was a cruel mistress, each pulse, each request found only meager flora, lush and vibrant but mere plant life nonetheless. No matter the effort that was put in, it couldn''t find any signs of evolved life. Flora, and fauna -mostly insects at that-, naught of anything that could serve its purpose.


    In the end, the scans were put to a halt, the rhythmic pulses were no longer scanning the surroundings. The energy was deemed to be better kept reserved for the time being, lest all would be wasted with futility.


    Meanwhile, the large cloud of dust kept dispersing as a gentle breeze whizzed through the crater, slowly but steadily clearing the haze and finally revealing the source of all the commotion.


    At the deepest parts of the crater that was created, trading off all the life that was violently destroyed, a single vermilion-colored crystalline object was hovering just one foot above the ground. The same humming sound could be heard from it, as it rotated in its place, swirling and floating unnaturally in its place.


    There was a strange, mystical source of energy radiating from it. An invisible strand of heat, distorting the air itself, leaving naught but a blurry image of the beautiful, but otherworldly mineral.


    For some unknown amount of time, there was no change, the crystal didn''t seem to react to anything. Meanwhile, the dust settled, leaving the strange mysterious alien object by itself.


    Eventually, the tranquil equilibrium returned to this world, the strange events were forgotten. Life was in its very early stages in this world, after all, such strange happenings were beyond its residents'' comprehension.


    After some time, even the crater and its strange mineral host seemed to lose their importance for the inhabitants of this lush jungle biome. Creaks and distant roars filled the air once again, as the battle for survival resumed once more.


    Time passed, whilst the crystal at the center of the crater didn''t react to the stimuli of the outside world. Though its energy was limited, it still wasn''t in that much of a hurry. It decided to lie in wait, at least for a while, and keep its energy in reserve, only sending out a pulse to scan the changes in its immediate environment every couple of hours.


    It refused to believe that there would be no creature with more biomass that would come by.


    ¡ª


    Minutes turned to hours, hours to days as the crystal stubbornly kept on with its course of action, not changing its course at all. Though its tanks kept on declining as time passed, and it was forced to only scan once every quarter of a day, it still refused to believe that it was hurled to such a lifeless rock in the cosmos.


    As the darkness replaced the blazing star in the sky, the crystal, or to be more precise, the lingering soul inside the crystal prison was growing more and more desperate. As its reserves were slowly reaching critical levels, it had to come to terms with the fact, that either this region was deserted, or the primitive life forms did not dare to approach for some reason.


    In the end, it decided on a desperate last attempt. A last-ditch effort to look for substance, a suitable amount of mass to absorb and use as its foundation. If even this attempt would be proven to be a failure and its last remnants of energy would be used up, it could only enter into stasis for who knows how long.


    That was not something the trapped remnant of soul wanted, knowing firsthand how cruel fate could be¡­


    Reduced to such a state, betrayed by his own kin! Anger, wrath, the desire for vengeance fueling him and allowing him to escape in the very last second, it will not give in to the whims of that cruel mistress.


    Gathering all of its remaining energy, the crystal suddenly lit up, burning with the fervent desire of all its wants and wishes. The gentle red walls were now glowering with a menacing blood-red luster with a brighter, orange-colored seed appearing at its very center. The faint humming sound it kept emitting distorted, turning several pitches lower, once more alerting the local fauna of its ill-forgotten presence.


    Reaching the crescendo of its song the air around it blurred once again, as an impossible amount of energy was gathered to a single point of existence reaching singularity, its point of no return.


    In the next instant, all sound in the world seemed to come to a momentary halt. As if time itself listened with great interest, waiting as the crystal''s saga entered its last aria.


    It didn''t need to wait for long, as in the next moment, suddenly all the remaining energy -save for the very last bit for a hopeful last-moment conquest-, was released in the form of a powerful surge of energy. A violent ring sailed the land, the powerful shockwave uprooting several trees and bushes entirely.


    Unlike before, this time, the scans reached several dozens of miles searching for a suitable source, a host, or if nothing else, some mass of life to assimilate.


    Feeling nothing as the scans progressed, the lonesome prisoner was about to give up hope, when suddenly it was alerted.


    Towards the west, at the base of what seemed to be a large, weirdly shaped tree that seemed to have dragon-like scales as bark, his scan located a nest with 4 oversized pale-yellow colored eggs.


    Instantly, the crystal trembled, its surface vibrating for only a moment. Losing its original hexagonal ice drop shape and returning to an amorphous blob, it shot towards the direction of its hopeful find.


    ¡ª


    A black, formless, and viscous fluidic substance shot through the air at an unimaginable speed towards the west in the lush primordial jungle biome. Like a high caliber bullet fired from a powerful sniper rifle in the modern ages, it knew no obstruction in its path towards the destination. Whatever it came across, be it some primitive archaic reptilian-looking creature, or any of the flora it was instantly shattered, destroyed, and consequently absorbed everything into the alien, otherworldly fluid''s ever-growing mass.


    Though the essence it gained from absorbing this amount of flora and fauna was minuscule, at the very least it made this last-ditch effort, free allowing it to barely escape the dreaded hibernation.


    In just a few moments, the blob crossed the distance between its original crater and the nest of its last hope. As it arrived, it didn''t stop its charge but instead shot towards the closest of the four large, yellowish, dirty-stained eggs.


    Its membrane stretched out, reforming its shape similar to a thin drape, and it slowly descended below. The dark, ebony veil of slimy goo engulfed the quartet of reptilian organic zygotes.


    Expanding its shape farther and farther, in mere moments the slimy goo, the core essence of the otherworldly crystal swallowed up the entirety of the nest.


    Starting up the next phase of the process, the blob used all of its acidic fluids to begin absolving the hardened shells. Slowly, but surely seeping into its depths, assimilating itself with the four small mostly formless reptilian embryos.


    There was no mercy in the eternal race of survival; the heartless predatory organism gradually fused the four lifeforms into a singular mass of vibrant life essence. Once the new core of vital seed was formed and began to load in the darkness of the primordial fluids, the blob also began to change shape and began its last push, and initiated the last phase of the process.


    Using all of its leftover energy, and every last fiber of its being, it created a thin layer around the formed core.


    In what most could have been a minute, the blob completely seeped into the core of the eggs, merging the four life forms as one. Using its own last remnant, leftover energy, it fused together with the formed vital core, altering its DNA, injecting its own sequence into the chain. Minutes passed in silence as the nest was left empty. Slowly, gradually, the dark viscous fluid vanished, leaving behind nothing but a sole egg in place of the previous four.


    From its size, shape, and outward appearance, the poor, primitive mother would have no chance in distinguishing it from the old ones, the blob left behind no traces of its presence.


    Though from the outside it seemed that all was silent, and peaceful, beneath the hardened shell a chaotic storm was still raging. The very last stages of assimilation were still happening.


    The newly created core''s surface was still trembling, ripples still distorting its shape. The new seed of life was still evolving, assimilating and processing all the new information.


    It was the remnant of a being, once-powerful. In its prime, before the horrid betrayal, it was an overlord of a vast domain. An entity from another world, a ruler of millions of existences.


    Yet, all that power, all that arrogance was for naught, for that before it realized the ploy, he was met with the blades of betrayal. Its life was snuffed out by those he trusted the most¡­


    The little spark -now residing inside the depths of the core-, was actually still sentient, albeit barely. It managed to push through and survive through its miraculous willpower. The desire for vengeance, the burning hatred kept the unknown entity alive.


    Though through the curse it carried from its previous home, its special immortal existence, -saved and at the saved time-deprived of the eternal slumber-, it survived the trap that his so-called friends and family left for him and was instead somehow banished from its homeworld to this strange, new barbaric realm.


    His only hope was that this primitive creature, this¡­ reptilian-looking lifeform, his last hope was truly like he projected: abundant with life. Even if the Spark was unsure of what this creature actually was, and what sort of form, shape it would take, it was good enough for now. He could, after all, use the continuously gathered Enthropic Mass to absolve and assimilate the traits of its prey, and slowly, gradually retake its previous appearance.


    He was determined to crawl out from this metaphoric pit he was tossed into. Even though besides his unique existence he had lost all of his skills from his previous life, he still had all of its millennial knowledge, all of its memories.


    Being an immortal entity, he could take his time and slowly re-learn everything that was crudely taken from him, and return everything! None shall escape his wrath!


    Backstabbing, traitorous filth will once again tremble before the might of the most powerful demon lord: Lord Aziel Vor''thega!

 Chapter 2 - A New Start, Or...?

    Eventually, after some unknown amount of time, the raging battle for dominance inside the yellowish shell of the egg had calmed down.


    Completely assimilating with the zygote, all the vital energy, the essence was absorbed, merged into the formless blob, the origin spark.


    A new seed was formed from the remains of the old, similar in shape though at the same time, different from its kin. It was something new, something unique, something¡­ out of the constraints of this world.


    Days kept passing, gradually turning into weeks then into several months, whilst the entity, the small seedling of life inside the protection of the solid shell of the prehistoric egg continued to develop. Acquiescing to the governing laws of this new world, the little spark slumbered, letting ''nature take its due course and slowly shape his new initial body.


    Even though all the material essence he acquired were from rather primitive lifeforms, that had only basic instincts as their driving factor, he didn''t mind it at all. His own unique curse-like ability was the very reason for his endless existence and was what also saved him from eternal silence.


    It was his core defining trait, the [Essence Restitute] was more like a unique system all on its own. Serving as an immaterial Core, that unlike all the others he had ever come in contact with resided in the center of his soul.


    Every time he defeated a foe, the core would twirl into action, creating a sort of aura, a domain around Aziel''s body. Like hungry tendrils of a void beast, it greedily latched onto whatever foe his host has felled and swiftly absorbed the mass into its own, either converting it into energy or storing it for later usage.


    The little spark, which held the lingering soul and consciousness of Lord Aziel Vor''thega, once known as the strongest of the Thirteen Demon Lords, and second to only his own brother, the Demon God Cahal, rested patiently, unaware and oblivious to the passing of time whilst his evolution was reaching its final stages and he was getting ready to see the world through the eyes of his new body.


    Though he was all but certain, that it was a far cry from anything resembling his old self, he didn''t care. This¡­ life, was merely the start on his new journey, the very first step, the first hurdle he needed to overcome in his path of vengeance.


    No matter how much it took, he, Aziel Vor''thega will have his revenge on those that he once thought dear to his heart!


    With nothing more to do than to allow nature to take its intended course, the spark inside slowly descended into a deeper slumber.


    ¡ª


    Eventually, after the passage of some unknown amount of time, was finally awoken from his rest. His consciousness and the remnant of his soul have finally completely merged with the little reptile, prehistoric lifeform.


    Through the countless days, he could feel that he had vastly outgrown the constraints of his temporary calcium-based abode. An unknown urge swelled from inside him, he felt the need, the desire to break out, and finally whiff at the fresh air... He wanted to see the world with his own eyes, suddenly he felt that he could no longer bear being caged and kept inside of his egg.


    Before unleashing his bestial wrath, Aziel tried opening his eyes to take one last look at his surroundings, to at least memorize it. After all, this place, the inside of this egg was his first stepping stone, the starting point of his new life, his eventual return!


    Unfortunately, he found himself extremely weak. Weak to the point that even forcing his eyelids to part and open up be a much more strenuous task than it should have been.


    Suffering his first failure right at the start of his new adventure didn''t phase Aziel too deeply. Feeling the primordial urge to escape into the big world more and more pressing as time passed, he decided to shelve this little problem for the time being and return to it once he could smell and feel the fresh air finally.


    He could feel his two pairs of limbs, two fore and hind appendages protruding from his body. He could also feel something extra, a new tendril-like vestige coming from his behind, twirled under his body.


    ''A tail?'' He pondered inwardly as he kept on sensing, familiarizing himself with this strange new sensation. Faintly he could feel the muscles, the countless joints and small bones that made it up. Making a swift mental note to investigate it thoroughly as well, he shifted his attention and focused on the walls of the cavity he still resided in.


    Though he currently only sported 3 fingers at the end of each of his limbs, at the very least they all had a thick, curved claw protruding from the tip of them each.


    Using his limbs he began to scrape the inner walls of the shell, first rather weakly, but as time passed, and as he familiarized more and more of his new body, he added more and more strength to his attempt.


    Eventually, he managed to wear down the resistance and managed to pierce through the solid barrier, revealing the first crack on the outside.


    The tip of a dark, onyx-colored sharp end of a claw showed itself for the first time, grabbing the attention of a large-scaled reptilian creature that have just returned from its hunt and was ready to settle down to rest for a bit.


    Just as she was about to sit down, she heard the sound of a crack, making her jump up and wait beside the nest with growing anticipation. Her little one was about to hatch!


    Following the first crack, a large spiderweb spread out, further weakening the already fragile barrier. A moment later, another ebony tip pierced through.


    In a few seconds, more and more holes appeared, slowly forming into a dotted amorph geometrical shape. Eventually, the many holes finally wore down the last bits of resistance from the shell. The surface caved in, followed the dot-like holes, and eventually merged, fusing together into a large window.


    The large creature, the excited mother watched with barely contained excitement, as a small, but familiar-looking head appeared in the dim, dark interior of her egg. She watched as the little critter pushed his head through the small hole he formed, and through a visibly great deal of effort slowly, gradually extracted itself and fell down on his little behind in the nest.


    Maternal instincts instantly kicked in, the large, oversized reptile lowered her elongated head and nudged the little one with her nose, whiffing some warm exhale of air on the top of his head.


    At the sensation of the hot, humid exhale of air, Aziel''s eyelids instantly snapped open, revealing the large yellow glimmering eyes for the first time.


    Yet, only for a single instant, as the sudden surge of information, all the excess light hurt his unused vitreous sensory organ, forcing him to squint to combat the sudden searing pain.


    ''What the...'' The little creature, the newborn Aziel frowned inwardly. He wanted to exclaim his disgust over the strange method his supposed mother decided to show his affection, yet he found unable to voice any words.


    Like his visual organ, -which felt rather primitive, lackluster to what he was used to, he felt the discomfort, the newfound challenge in trying to use his vocal cords for the first time.


    Only a barely audible squeal, a high-pitched cry was all he could muster. More elaborate frequencies and resonance were all out of his capabilities. At least for the time being.


    ''Great...'' He lamented inwardly. Though he wanted to complain, the sudden surge of hunger that he felt, pushed these unnecessary thoughts quickly to the back of his mind.


    Aziel couldn''t help but look up at the large, strange bipedal, theropod dinosaur mother with an expectant glint in his eyes...


    ---


    Time passed, in the blink of an eye, several years have passed by...


    In a landscape flush with greenery and strange-looking creatures at every turn, an approximately 6-foot creature could be seen. Like the creature that brought it up before its eventual succumb to the violent and harsh world, he too was a theropod, a species of carnivorous predators that stood firmly on his 3-toed limbs. His body growing even above his deceased mother, looked like a fearsome incarnation straight out of a nightmare.


    Thick golden-brown scales covered his furless, featherless body, with long, thick curved ebony claws glinting in the cover of bushes menacingly.


    Over the years, although he got used to, almost accustomed to the harsh, twisted nature of this strange world, he still felt rather weak when faced with any of the real predators of this realm. His civilized mind still hasn''t descended back to a state that would allow him to match some ferocity, such brutality he constantly had to face.


    Still, in a sort of twisted, chaotic way, he almost enjoyed this lifestyle. At the very least there were no schemes, and ploys to battle against, no despicable traitors to worry when they would stab you in the back; life was simple, straightforward. You either survive or get eaten.


    Taking a whiff in the air, Aziel was about to set foot in a seemingly random direction to see if he could find a more open area so that he could at least make out the surroundings.


    However, before he could take a single step and get anywhere¡­


    *SNAP*


    *GROWL*


    The snapping of a twig could be heard followed by a deep growl from behind.


    Hearing this, Aziel felt a chill running down his spine. Slowly turning around to see what had made the noise.


    As he looked at the feathered creature standing on two legs facing him, he immediately regretted his decision. The creature was slightly smaller than Aziel, but its massive claws made him worried beyond belief.


    "Oh shit!" He cursed at his luck.


    He spun around, and burst into a sprint, running as fast as his legs could carry him. This action only seemed to provoke the animal as it began to chase after Aziel gnashing its teeth.


    He kept running and running until he almost passed out from exhaustion. Aziel finally decided to look behind him to see if he managed to escape the fearsome predator.


    Not seeing any trace of it, he decreased his speed and slowed down to a stop.


    After looking around and believing he was safe, Aziel spotted a log. He went to sit down to recollect himself from the life-threatening situation he had just gone through.


    Little did he know that an even bigger predator than before was watching, lurking, trying to find the right time to strike.


    As the creature observed Aziel and saw that he finally dropped his defense and sat down, it jumped from the foliage and pounced at him.


    ''Huh?'' Aziel attempted to turn around but it was already too late.


    The creature had caught him off guard.


    *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH*

 Chapter 3 - First Steps - First Bumps On The Long Road Ahead

    Only the unnerving sound of bones snapping could be heard as the creature proceeded to munch on the mangled body of Aziel, effectively killing him and ending his premature adventure before he could fully reach his adolescence¡­


    As the creature finished with his meal and wandered away with a hint of satisfaction shining through with each of its steps, all that was left of Aziel, the once-proud Demon Lord was a singular puddle of vermillion coating of blood that gradually sank back into the fervent soil, further enriching the lush untainted environment.


    ¡­


    Long after the bright azure blue skies have darkened, a strange, mysterious phenomenon began its lonesome melody. Drops of scarlet blood poured back up from the fluid as if expelled from yet another medium. The fluid slowly converged together and began to reform into a solid frame, that resembled the bipedal theropod creature, Aziel. His unique trait, [Essence Restitute] shifting into activity, it began to slowly restore his body using up some of the lingering essences found in the soil itself. At the same time, like always, it was also making sublime changes, effectively enhancing the bio frame, making it stronger, sturdier in the future.


    The grotesque process took its time, restoring an entire frame from the ground up, it took a sizable amount of time, pushing the night closer to its peak before the reassembly was finally completed.


    Opening his eyes, Aziel took a large gasp of the cool air, frantically recalling, remembering the events that led to his previous demise only a few moments ago.


    "That vile beast..." Aziel scowled in anger at his own helplessness. "Just you wait... I''ll pay back the humiliation tenfold!" He swore right at that spot to take his sweet revenge upon the creature that caused his suffering.


    Sighing to move on from his frustration, Aziel took a moment to inspect his newly reconstructed body. Closing his eyes, he exhaled sharply as if to clear his mind and calmly inspected the inner state of his current vessel.


    ''Hmmm... There was a modicum of compensation from that shameful action...'' He remarked mentally, slightly easing his heart at the insight of the gains.


    After his body was reformed from the ground up, whilst his gathered reserves were almost halved, he felt stronger, sturdier than before. Though still sporting the same reptilian frame, his muscle strains seemed much harder, much more resistant than before.


    Raising his clawed forelimbs, he tried clenching his palm, only to grow to elicit a small mental smile at the new sensation. He could feel a new sense of strength, a power he had not felt just a few hours before!


    His earlier anger vanished almost entirely, his elongated lizardlike face revealed a hideous-looking, but at the same time, goofy smile.


    "This feeling! Ah, I missed it so much!" He exclaimed in his mind, wanting to shout at the sky if he could!


    To test himself, Aziel looked around trying to find a small rock. When he finally did, he grabbed it with his right clawed hand and began to exert some pressure, gradually increasing it along the way. Testing the limits of his newfound might and attempting to see what would happen.


    *CRACK!*


    As he was squeezing the rock, it began to visibly crack within his hands.


    Seeing this Aziel used all of the pressure he could exert with his current frame.


    *CRACK!* *CRUMBLE!*


    The rock began to break apart completely, shards fell out of Aziel''s hand.


    He was speechless to what he was seeing, flabbergasted at how strong he became after just one passage of his [Essence Restitute] cycle.


    But, before he could revel in his newfound strength, he sensed something behind him.


    This uncomfortable feeling made him rapidly turn around facing the incoming threat. This time there was no fear visible anywhere on his face, his eyes were lit with determination.


    From behind a bush, Aziel saw the creature that had chased him when he first arrived. Though he couldn''t be certain, something was telling him that this was the exact same creature that engorged on his flesh just a few hours ago.


    The realization that this was the very same creature made him livid.


    "Oh... You will regret this arrogance of yours..." Aziel sneered in his mind, only releasing a guttural, hoarse growl through his jaws.


    As he exclaimed the creature suddenly bolted from its cover, running at him, flashing its teeth and the claws that could tear apart any normal person. The creature was releasing a massive amount of killing intent towards Aziel.


    Yet, Aziel did not back down, but instead, he planted his feet and ran at the creature with full force, ready to rip the filth in two.


    He roared, startling the wildlife of the prehistoric jungle.


    Both ran at each other at full speed, and when they collided.


    *BOOM!*


    An explosion of sound was released on impact, frightening the creatures, causing them to frantically escape from the source.


    Aziel turned out to be the victor from their initial clash in the end! He tackled the creature and pinned it onto the floor. He began to tear into its flesh with no restraint, showing no remorse, no mercy to the overgrown lizard.


    He continued tearing away flesh and skin without rest until it slowly began to deform from the force of impact behind each of his blows. Initially, the creature tried to retaliate by jamming its claws into Aziel''s sides, but this was deemed futile as it only served to fuel the rage of its opponent causing its vicious attacks to speed up.


    He kept on pounding and tearing long after as the creature was reduced to just an extremely deformed pile of fleshy mass, white silvery shards of the remnant fragments of its bones splattered all across the once-green lush soil.


    Feeling satisfied by his victory, Aziel sighed contently and got up from the carcass of the creature just as its mutilated corpse began to liquefy and fuse into his body.


    As this happened, Aziel''s body began to heat up, and morph, his skin thickened, his teeth sharpened, his claws growing fiercer than before. Once again, his body felt more powerful than before.


    A boiling primordial urge swelled up within him, he took a deep breath, looked up to the sky, clenching his clawed limbs and tightening his chest.


    When the feeling finally became uncontainable, he closed his eyes.


    "RAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" he let out a roar so loud, the air began to violently vibrate in response to his call.


    The sounds of animals could be heard in the distance, acknowledging the birth of a new predator.


    *GRUMBLE!*


    Aziel''s stomach grumbled, the last chain of events had made him hungry beyond belief.


    A new crooked, terrifying smile crept upon his face, as he continued his trek.


    "Let''s find something to eat."


    ...


    Delving into what seemed to be the endless hunt for food, Aziel came across a large variety of creatures. Some small, while others so large that their steps alone could shake the ground. There were some truly massive creatures out there.


    He couldn''t help but be astounded by the sight of these massive giants, yet at the same time, a newfound excitement also began to take its root. Such new, unique life forms, so vastly different from Nova... Yet so rich and diversified! Maybe, just maybe there may be something to gain from his exile.


    To pass the time, he went around hunting the smaller critters, consuming them to make himself just a tiny bit stronger every time he did so, as well as to gain the traits they had accumulated. He had eaten the first couple to quell his hunger, but he mostly stuck to assimilating them into himself.


    He had benefited a lot from absorbing these creatures, gaining a noticeable speed boost; he had even adopted a more scaly appearance due to killing another one of those smaller predators he killed first.


    One of the first few creatures he came across was a snake, however, calling that monster just a simple snake would be an incredible understatement. Despite its appearance showing it to be one, its sheer size alone contradicted that fact.


    It was over hundreds of times the size of anything Aziel had come across in his more than 1500 years of existence!


    When Aziel had first seen the monstrous creature, he was greatly intimidated.


    After all, it was much different from that thing he had fought when he first arrived. The monster did not only dwarf it in size but in sheer strength as well! Fighting it was the last thing that was on his mind.


    But, despite his unwillingness to face this thing, he had no choice as the damn beast looked in his direction and noticed him.


    At first, it didn''t move, but not too long after spotting its prey, it began to rapidly slither towards Aziel. This had startled him, and before he could do anything it wrapped itself around his small lithe frame, trapping him as it slowly wrapped itself tighter and tighter around his body, squeezing the life out of him.


    Aziel was trapped, unable to move, barely able to breathe as it just kept getting tighter, he was becoming frantic, trying to shake himself loose. Sadly, this did nothing but speed up the inevitable.


    As a last-ditch effort, Aziel tried using the claws hoping to carve a path towards escape from this vile creature''s entanglement. This proved fruitless as the scales were too thick for him to puncture. He even used his fangs to bite into it in an attempt to get it to loosen its grip even if it was just a little.


    *CRACK!*


    Ultimately the sound of bones breaking could be heard.


    To Aziel''s dismay, the grip on him only tightened. He could feel his lungs collapsing, and as his heart was pierced by one of his broken bones, crushing him in the process, he breathed his last, leading to his second death in this new harsh world.


    ''F*cking hell...'' He cursed inwardly just before everything turned dark.. Again.

 Chapter 4 - Overcoming Ones Limits

    As the very last rays of the sun were close to being dimmed out completely, and that the sun would duck below the visible horizon only to be replaced by the merciless, cold night, a reptilian, bipedal lizard''s figure could be seen lying in the dirt.


    As the memories of the day''s disgraceful events have re-emerged and began to flood his mind, causing him to recollect himself and begin to examine the third iteration of his new body.


    Truth be told, him suffering another defeat at the hands of another unexpectedly powerful beast, anyone could have suffered some lingering damage to their mindset.


    Yet, Aziel only growled to himself as he stood up from the ground. Turning his gaze towards the starlit, clear heavenly abode above, he couldn''t help but let an uncanny sigh escape from his lips.


    Though he seemed unaware, there were other, gradual changes to his body along with each incarnation.


    ''Another one to add to the list¡­'' He muttered to himself, letting a cruel smirk creep up on the edges of his lips.


    Taking an extra moment, he began to check his body to see what adaptations he had received from his death by the massive snake.


    First focusing on his forelimbs, he noticed that they once again gained some small amount of length, turning from the initial short little useless stubs to something that could actually be useful. Additionally, whilst he was still very much a theropod, and had only 3 fingers, they were much more sophisticated than before.


    His claws also seemed to have undergone some sort of evolution and have been greatly enhanced. For one they were now visibly much sharper, gaining a great deal of extra length as well. Additionally, they also became jagged, greatly increasing his cutting potency.


    He also noticed that his skin was much thicker than it was before, gaining a more rock-like appearance. It also became a slightly darker shade than his previous skin tone, making him be able to blend in much more effortlessly to his surroundings, especially during the dark of the night.


    Another surprising change was that he noticed he was slowly but surely making a lasting imprint on the ground. His feet as he stood still were slowly sinking, inching deeper into the ground.


    ''Hmm¡­ Interesting¡­'' He muttered to himself as he scrutinized all changes in his body.


    Approaching a nearby tree that seemingly had the same thickness as an elephant''s leg he extended his claws.


    *SLASH!*


    The tree was sliced cleanly into several sections, matching each claw.


    *THUD!*


    The separated tree trunks fell to the ground in that moment, as he easily, effortlessly cut through.


    ''These claws are rather useful, I guess¡­'' Suddenly his eyes glimmered with a golden light as he glanced towards his right, seemingly gazing into nothing but the lush, dense forest that seemed to cover everything.


    Yet, his eyes squinted as if it found his target.


    "Time for round two!" He exclaimed.


    Planting his feet, he jumped onto the branch of a nearby tree and began searching for the bastard that had just killed him.


    After a while Aziel had found the snake, it was coiled up in a spiral position, appearing to be soundly sleeping after his fulfilling meal.


    Seeing this, Aziel jumped down and landed in front of it. The snake seemed to sense this, as it uncoiled itself and looked at the pesky reptile with menacing eyes.


    Annoyed at the weakling in front of it, the snake launched itself immediately at the fragile-looking opponent bearing its sharp teeth with its mouth agape. However, before it could bite its prey, Aziel jumped back just as it snapped its mouth shut.


    Satisfied by his reaction time, Aziel changed into offensive, he rushed at the monster.


    *SLASH!*


    He slashed at the snake, leaving a deep gash on its torso. This caused the snake to begin bleeding profusely.


    With visible confusion at the sudden turn of events, the snake backed away from the much smaller predator, not understanding how the prey he just consumed had come back, stronger than before.


    With slow pace Aziel circled around the tree the oversized snake resided at, looking at it with an obvious contempt flashing in those large golden eyes of his.


    This seemed to anger the humongous apex predator to no end.


    With a loud hiss, the snake threw itself at his opponent, baring its fangs, hoping to cause him a fatal wound. Sadly, in the eyes of Aziel, the snake might as well be moving in slow motion towards him.


    He took a small step to the side, completely evading the creature''s assault. As its head passed him, he already had his claws raised into the air.


    ''F*ck you too...'' He mumbled inwardly, slashing down with his claws in the next instant.


    *SLASH!*


    A clean slice cut the snake''s head off.


    *THUD!*


    The head landed on the ground with an audible thud. The snake''s eyes dimmed as it slowly succumbed to its inevitable demise. It died unable to understand how its prey came back so much stronger than before.


    Seeing this Aziel sighed with happiness. The last thing the creature had seen before the life left it was the face of his prey grinning at it uncontrollably.


    Once the snake had moved on, Aziel walked up to its head. As he touched it, the mass of the corpse began to liquefy and fuse with him. It seamlessly transformed into a black, oily viscous fluid and began to merge with the contacting clawed arm.


    While this was happening he walked over to the rest of the body and absorbed it as well.


    As the large carcass vanished in a few blinks of a time, Aziel suddenly felt the pain coming deep within from his chest.


    *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*


    The sound of his heartbeat could be heard, getting louder and louder with each passing second.


    His body began to heat up, glowing red as steam began to emit from the pores of his body.


    *GRUNT*


    He felt discomfort all over his body as he began to grow taller. His height increased, his bones became bigger and stronger. His muscles expanded then condensed, his skin became rows and rows of golden-brownish scales, appearing to be unbreakable by normal means. His eyes soon became slits, replicating that of a reptile.


    Yet, what was most eminent was that his body shape changed. From the forward-leaning stance, he had now a humanoid shape. Thick scales like medieval armor covered the entirety of his body. Five fingers, -with long onyx curved jagged claws protruding from their tips- rested on each of his hands and feet.


    Trying to recollect himself, Aziel examined his changes and became amazed by the boost he gained by absorbing the monstrous creature.


    He was now over 9 feet tall, dwarfing over his previous size of 6 feet.


    He walked up to a nearby rock about his height. Picking it up with shocking ease, placed it in his right arm, then threw it full force into a tree a few meters away from him.


    *BOOM!*


    The rock collided with the tree, causing it to explode into splinters on the ground.


    Amazed by his newfound strength, Aziel was speechless. He looked at the remains that just a moment ago was a proudly standing tree, now shattered remains on the solid ground.


    Positioning himself, Aziel launched himself forward, soon vanishing into the deeper parts of the jungle.


    His journey, spanning even before the emergence of a species that will cause a great amount of annoyance, almost with all the other emotions-, has just begun.

 Chapter 5 - Growth Through Failure

    Time waits for no one. It keeps on going with its steady pace regardless of the whims of the feeble mortals, or even those that proclaim to have a higher standing, a higher measure of power brimming within their fleshy frames.


    Since Aziel''s last clash and eventual victory over the giant snake monster, several months have passed by. Throughout those months, he has been searching for more creatures to assimilate to make himself stronger. To claim back what he had lost.


    Still, his smile was no longer honest, despite having shaped into a much more agile, slender bipedal frame. He had managed to completely shed his theropod origins, and now was standing in two firm legs, sporting a frame mostly reminiscent of a humanoid, albeit with deep reptilian, lizardlike origins.


    The dark, brown thick scales that covered his entire frame were like genuine armor from some medieval fantasy. The jagged, long, and curved ebony claws reflected the sun''s luster whilst also providing their host with an aura of true apex predators.


    His build, with an astounding 9 feet, whilst it would have made him a genuine monstrosity in the modern urbanized world, wasn''t that exaggerated when compared to the multitude of titanic creatures he had seen since his arrival.


    Creatures with the sizes of literal mountains, legs thicker than some of the towers in his palace back on Nova¡­


    Not so long ago, he had come across a massive tank-like animal, during one of his excursions. It was roughly the size of an elephant, sporting armor that had seemed to put a modern-day tank to shame, covered in spikes and thick layers of hardened skin. It also had a hammer-like appendage at the end of its tail.


    The creature was fairly powerful, as Aziel watched it withstand all the attacks of a bigger dinosaur and then proceed to shatter its leg with one swing of its tail, completely crippling the predator. Once the dinosaur was on the floor wailing, the creature raised its tail, slamming it into the head of the reptile, putting it out of its misery in mere seconds.


    As its once hunter became a helpless victim of the fearsome beast''s abuse and was wailing on the hard ground, the tank-like creature raised its tail one last time before slamming it down and squishing the reptile''s head into a mushy mess, putting it out of its misery in mere seconds.


    After it left, Aziel went up to the bludgeoned carcass and swiftly absorbed it. In doing so, he gained an even thicker skin than he had before, his muscle strength and density increased by a volume once again, his claws and fangs gained some additional sharpness. His tail, which so far was mostly useless, finally transformed as well.


    In addition to becoming slightly thicker, several more joints have been formed inside it, allowing even more dexterous maneuvers. He could finally fully feel it, sort of similar as an extra limb that grew from the wrong side of his body.


    Examining it, he found it to be much stronger than he previously thought. He tested this by slamming it against the nearest tree. The tree put up zero resistance and was easily blown to pieces by this singular swing. It felt as if he was hitting a twig, not a tree comparable to the thickness of a grown man.


    His unique physiology, the [Essence Restitute] selected the most dominant traits from all the similar genomes of the mass of assimilated creatures. He was becoming more and more reptilian as he kept consuming the prehistoric animals.


    He soon escaped his thought process, when he noticed the creature getting a little too far away. Chasing after it to see where it was headed, once he finally caught up, he saw it was integrating itself back into a larger herd of similar animals.


    Wanting to spectate more and hope to pry more of the peculiar creature''s secrets open, Aziel began to circle around the group, making sure to keep his presence hidden while studying the group of living tanks.


    After a while, he noticed one of them leaving the group by itself. Taking this opportunity, he slowly went around and followed after the creature.


    Staying hidden as his main priority, he sneaked after the animal unnoticed.


    The creature soon arrived at a meadow. Stopping in its tracks, it began to calmly engorge itself by eating the lush green grass that was sprouting from the rich soil. Seeing this, Aziel snuck up behind it with his claws all ready and prepared beforehand.


    Lunging himself at the creature, he swung his claws at it as hard as he could against its thick backside.


    *CLANK!*


    ''What the...''


    To his utter shock and surprise, his claws that knew no obstacle, no hindrance so far was easily bounced off of its back, leaving behind no trace of damage, not even a blemish. It was as if he was trying to slice through reinforced steel, it didn''t even leave so much as a scratch, completely opposing his idea of cutting it in half.


    The creature, startled by his sudden attack swung its tail with an instinctual response, slamming it into his side.


    *CRACK!*


    "AAAAAARGH!"


    The amount of pain he felt was unbearable. His entire left side shattered, his arm, and what felt like at least three of his ribs were destroyed on impact. He felt his broken ribs piercing his organs, causing him to fall to the ground, writhing in pain, before he could gather his thoughts due to how disoriented he was.


    Yet the creature, now aware of the strange-looking enemy that had made an attempt on its life was not forgiving. It raised its fearsome tail and with a sudden surge of its strength utilized, it slammed down.


    As the spiky appendage made contact and sunk deep into Aziel''s back, he could hear yet another round of cracks. His spike clearly, obviously shattered to pieces, Aziel coughed up several mouthfuls of blood before with the unbearable, searing pain, he swiftly lost his consciousness.


    Seemingly satisfied by the outcome of their clash, the creature snorted coldly, before he turned around and left Aziel''s broken body on the ground floor of the meadow. Not bothered what its opponent''s fate would ultimately be, the beast made its way back to its group.


    The shattered, broken corpse of Aziel remained still for a while before it finally tremors finally began to spread around the surface. Originating from somewhere deeper in the center of the fleshy gore of the mound, it dissolved into the same primordial fluid once more, proceeding to seep beneath the soil in the next couple of minutes.


    His trait, [Essence Restitute] kicking into full gear for the third time in this world, his body was reconstructed from the base once more. At the same time, his vessel evolved yet again, teachings its third iteration.


    Sucking up the rich essence stored around, the surrounding meadow was slowly drained of its previous bright luster. The leaves were dried up as they aged visibly to the naked eye.


    Some hours later, the same-looking humanoid figure, Aziel''s body could be seen lying on the now dried-up, parched portion of the land. The gruesome remainders of his third defeat were nowhere to be seen.


    The sun has long receded below the horizon when Aziel''s body was fully restored, all of the brutal damage he had sustained was now fixed, and his body was now more attuned to take higher levels of physical abuse. All that was left for him was to wake up from pain-induced slumber.


    A bit more time had passed, the night had already replaced the daylight luster when Aziel finally began to stir and wake up. Opening his eyes and adjusting, he realized that he was spread out on the floor and that he was gazing at the starry night sky.


    ''What the hell happened?'' He pondered, lost in confusion.


    Slowly, the events that led to his third demise began to resurface from his stored memory.


    ''Another one to the list....'' He growled with anger, recalling the shameful blunder he had made.

 Chapter 6 - Releasing The Shackles

    Fuming in frustration, Aziel stomped and kicked at the ground, causing the ground below him to slowly crack and cave in, gradually forming a crater.


    *RUSTLE!* *RUSTLE!*


    Lost in his anger-induced temper tantrum, he was brought back to reality when the nearby bushes shook suddenly.


    Hearing this, Aziel quickly snapped his gaze in the direction of the noise.


    From the bushes came a creature not much smaller in size than him. It stood on its hind legs, sporting small horns protruding from the sides of its head.


    Seeing the creature, Aziel turned to face it, his grin grew from ear to ear. Due to his razor-sharp teeth, his smile could give nightmares to any modern-day man.


    *ROAR!*


    The creature, however, was not afraid to face such a nightmare-inducing monster. As their gazes met, it released a ferocious roar, trying to intimidate the strange-looking enemy.


    Unfortunately for this hunter of the dark, it met Aziel in its worst possible state. He was still very angry with his earlier experience with that brute of a creature. He gladly accepted the challenge. Looking at the creature that had a similar body shape -minus the horns-, to his original form, he smirked.


    ''I was just looking for something to vent on... and here you go, offering yourself willingly!'' He sneered inwardly. Realizing he haven''t tested his newest and most missing ability as of yet, Aziel inhaled a large gasp of the cool night air, puffing up his chest.


    Taking only a single instant to have it stored in his diaphragm, a powerful, primordial response erupted from deep within his lungs, expelling the used up air all at once.


    "RAAAAAAAAAARGHHHH!!!!"


    He released a roar so loud, it made the creature''s previous war cry sound like a whisper compared to his.


    This greatly intimidated it, causing it to take a few steps back.


    His previous arrogance nowhere to be found, the horned predatory reptile turned around and began to escape from this fearsome opponent.


    Aziel merely sneered at the sight of his escaping foe, bolting after it in the next instant.


    Tacking it to the ground with full force, he grabbed it by the neck and slammed it against the ground, holding nothing back. He released his full uncontained rage upon the poor beast, tearing it apart as it was shrieking from the pain.


    Aziel kept slamming it into the ground relentlessly long after it stopped shrieking entirely. Only when he felt satisfied and vented did he look up at his raised hand only to be met with the mangled and broken creature in his hands.


    He raised the deceased animal above his head.


    *BOOM!*


    *SNAP!*


    He slammed the creature into the ground, forming a small crater, exploding its already battered head into a gooey, mushy mess.


    Without wasting time, Aziel pierced his clawed right hand deep into the fleshy heap.


    His trait activating, the creature''s carcass swiftly liquified and was absorbed by Aziel, causing his body to shrivel as it began to reform, assimilating the new changes on the fly.


    He grew slightly taller, increasing his already respectable height just a couple of inches further. On top of that, he felt his sight sharpen, his hearing be more receptive. Suddenly the previously bearable stench of the blood-drenched mud became slightly more irritable.


    His senses sharpened by a small volume. Suddenly he could feel, see and hear a lot more of the previously silent realm.


    The change was so great that he began smelling all kinds of different things, from bugs to the many different creatures in the forest. His body tensed in anticipation.


    Extending his claws, Aziel ran deeper into the forest, in pursuit of whatever he could put his claws on.


    ...


    Shrouded by the darkness of the night, deep within the ancient forest, wails of creatures could be heard only to be torn apart and silenced within moments. Flashes of a blur could be seen flickering through the forest at unbelievable speeds, tearing apart anything it could find within its range, letting nothing escape.


    The blurry figure, Aziel was still lost in his mindless rage, he was massacring the wide palette of creatures of this prehistoric world mercilessly, playing the role of a real menace, a disaster to the realm. A trail of dark liquified mess followed its every moss, his body was constantly absorbing the carcasses it came in contact with, adding more and more mass into his ever-growing reserve.


    He did not hold anything back, Aziel would attack anything he could find, assimilating them into himself, gaining their traits. Enhancing the ones he already had, each creature he absorbed sped up the process of killing the next just by a minuscule amount.


    His strength kept soaring, reaching the point that tearing apart any normal-sized dinosaur would be of no difficulty to him.


    "AAAAARGH!" His primal roars echoed throughout the forest.


    *CRACK!*


    *SNAP!*


    The grotesque, horrifying sounds of bones breaking and flesh being ripped apart could be heard. Aziel had finally released all his restraints, showing no mercy. In his eyes, these creatures were only the means to become stronger. He finally let go of all the shackles weighing down his heart.


    Memories, visions of his past life kept on coming back. Images of his brothers and sisters, as they lorded over the vast, endless lands of all creatures besides the pestilence that was called humanity.


    His large, yellow snake-like eyes squinted as drops of tears began to swell and escape from his corners. He gritted his sharp teeth tearing apart yet another unaware beast as he stormed through a nest similar to the one he was brought up.


    (AN: The story about the last days of Aziel''s last life alongside a lengthy introduction to the Dark Fantasy world of Nova is actually half done. The first half (roughly 4K words, is already written, whilst the second half is storyboarded. I did not want to add it to the start of the novel and instead am planning to use the ''Side Chapter Feature for it at a later date. It has a lot of characters that will come into importance much, much later. )


    Not wanting to reminisce those painful memories, Aziel shook his head as he resumed his hunting. Gradually, the once boiling rage he felt began to subside. The more he killed a new, a more intoxicating feeling replaced it.


    He was getting stronger at an incredibly fast rate, his body began to reform and grow exponentially. His height kept on increasing, reaching into the canopy of the trees, gradually reaching to be over 15 feet tall. He was euphoric from the sensation of the raw power welling up within him, slowly becoming more feral as the night prolonged.


    It had gotten to the point of him hunting and attacking by pure instincts alone, the instincts of all the creatures he had absorbed began to take over.


    For the entirety of the night, Aziel kept hunting, killing, and consuming, until an unexpected change took place.


    "AAAARGH!"


    His body suddenly began to overheat, rapidly releasing steam, causing his mindless craze to come to an abrupt halt. His heart rate was peaking and his lungs were contracting.


    Aziel''s body expanded uncontrollably, forcefully snapping him out of his absorbing frenzy, and causing him to fall and convulse on the ground uncontrollably.


    His reserves reaching the turning point, the constant assimilation of traits did not have time to settle inside his body as Aziel kept consuming without rest for hours.


    His vision turned hazy, his eyes began to blur, an immense amount of fatigue washed over him all at once, causing him to fall down to his knees, swiftly fading into unconsciousness....

 Chapter 7 - Evolution

    (AN: First of all, welcome to all the new readers. I''ll do my best to listen to you all and keep the story engaging, so don''t hesitate to let me know your thoughts!)


    ---


    Regardless of the bloody carnage, a singular maddened beast had caused during the darkness of the night, as the sun emerged from below the horizon in the next morning and lifted this despair-filled veil, - it was like nothing has happened at all.


    Everything was back to normal, minus the grotesque trail of blood, bones, and gore alongside with splintered remnants of the demolished treeline that ultimately lead into a seemingly inconspicuous cave.


    Inside this barely habitable tiny hole in the side of a moderate hillside, a humanoid-shaped figure, Aziel laid on the cold, hard rocky ground, still unconscious.


    During the nightly rampage he lost himself in, he had consumed a vast amount of mass from animals ranging from the tiniest to those ''medium-sized'', that could reach all the way to the canopy of trees. Eventually, his body reached its limit, a sort of threshold, causing the subsequent collapse and loss of consciousness.


    Since then, several hours have passed by, with Aziel succumbed to his current seemingly peaceful slumber.


    "Aaarrgh..." Shattering the serenity of the silence, a groan escaped from the reptilian-man-hybrid.


    Slowly coming back to his senses, Aziel felt groggy, dizzy even. He was disoriented, even worse, he lost control over his body, he was unable to move, to even sit up.


    He sighed, already having an idea what was happening to him. After all, it happened once before, back in Nova. His body was currently undergoing a grand shift, trying to process the overflow of genetic information he had assimilated without a care, without a thought to the consequences.


    His skin was trembling, ripples of his distorted flesh wobbled constantly, shifting, changing, and fluctuating every parameter of his body each second. These changes were caused by the mass assimilation of all the creatures he had consumed, his skin increasing in density, while also changing itself to a more lightweight, condensed material.


    Aziel''s body also began to shrink, returning to its previous size of 6 feet. His body was not simply only getting smaller, it was condensing its mass, and greatly increasing its capabilities all the while maintaining all the strength of his much larger form.


    His tail losing its previous log-like thickness, it gradually became thinner, even gaining a hardened point at its tip. His claws turned smaller yet denser, gaining sharpness and becoming slightly more manageable. The layer upon layer of scales he once had, began to fuse, becoming a thinner, denser layer of compact and smooth skin.


    He was undergoing an evolution, a greater, much greater transformation than before.


    Knowing full well what this whole process would entail, Aziel stopped trying to make note of every minuscule transformation for the time being and slowly closed his eyes while heaving a soft, defeated-sounding sigh.


    He calmed his turbulent mind, and slowly traversed back into the land of dreams, allowing his unique physique and ability to take its due course over the passage of time.


    After all, if anything time was the resource he had a copious amount of...


    ...


    Time moved forward, the bright daylight turning into the afternoon gloomier glow, eventually allowing the shroud of darkness to descend once more.


    As the sun rose once more, the sole resident inside the cave was still unmoving. His body was now covered in a strange, thin layer of membrane, a sort of hairlike thickness. The protective layer, while it looked rather fragile, still was surprisingly sturdy and elastic. In its current form, it could most likely withstand even a full-powered tail strike from the tank-like creature!


    The rose-colored layer of semi-transparent skin showed a dark silhouette of a humanoid figure inside it, still undergoing its first real evolution.


    ...


    Days turned to weeks, those weeks eventually turning 6 full months before finally, the majestic cocoon twitched. His consciousness returning to reality, Aziel knew his body had finally processed all the traits he had assimilated.


    Sensing this, Aziel''s eyes snapped open, revealing a bright glowing pair of yellow slits instead of humanoid pupils.


    Testing his capabilities, his fingers moved first, the joints cracking loudly after the prolonged hibernated state. Following this small success, Aziel then began to slowly move his limbs, and eventually his body.


    Sitting up, he tore away the protective embrace of the membrane that covered his body like an oversized body bag and sat up.


    *POP*


    The sounds of joints popping resonated in the small cave as Aziel''s body began to wake up from its completed metamorphosis.


    After a few awkward movements on the ground, Aziel had started to get used to his new, improved body. It was much more responsive, much more agile than before. Though it was still far from being in the state of his previous self, he was brimming with newfound energy. Energy, different from the mana present in Nova, but something similar to Vitality, the essence of life of all living beings. He felt vigorous, energetic, refreshed!


    Positioning himself against the ground, he pushed himself up.


    *BOOM!*


    Unaware of his current physical standards, Aziel had exerted way too much of his strength. So much in fact that he effectively launched himself into the top of the cave, sinking into the walls, opposite of his goal of simply getting off the floor and standing up.


    He was oblivious to the changes his body had gone through, he did not know the limits of his new form or what he was capable of now.


    Falling from the newly created hole in the ceiling, Aziel was perplexed. He tried a gentler approach in his second attempt, slowly pressing himself up from the floor while examining himself.


    Noticing how different he looked from his previous self, he was shocked, mainly by the fact that he was smaller. He rather liked his increase in height.


    Looking at the exit to the cave, he took a step in its direction. As he did, his feet stomped the ground loudly, each step he took carried an immense amount of weight behind it, displacing the soil at his feet.


    Choosing to ignore this, for now, Aziel walked outside the cave to examine the area. Seeing nothing interesting, he continued on his track, trying to get used to his current self.


    As the fresh air and afternoon shine of the sun caressed his face, Aziel decided to test the changes in his body and learn his current capabilities.


    Picking a random direction, he began walking which soon turned into running, his speed slowly, gradually picking up the pace. He kept getting faster and faster as he constantly adjusted, the pace soon reaching speeds beyond anything possible by the creatures in this period.


    Becoming excited, he began going even faster, causing a gust of wind so strong, that the trees swayed as he passed by them. Building up momentum, he directed his body towards a boulder, running at it full speed.


    *BOOM!*


    Crashing through it like a comet.


    Planting his feet to stop himself, his momentum dragged him through the ground leaving a trail behind spanning several yards.


    Looking back, Aziel grew even more excited, he was leagues above what he was before.


    Seeing how dirty he became, he decided to wash himself off somehow, searching for a river or any water available.

 Chapter 8 - Battle For Dominance

    A small pond spread in the midst of what seemed to be a little natural respite, a clearing.


    Finding it after a bit of search, Aziel walked towards its shore to quench his parched, dry throat and then to wash down all the mud, grime, blood, and whatever filth he carried on his body.


    Stepping out from the boscage, the foliage, Aziel saw several smaller creatures already present and spread around the shoreline.


    Feeling no aggressive intent from them, Aziel decided to ignore them. After all, there was nothing to gain from such feeble critters anymore, nor could they pose any meaningful threat to him. Though he haven''t tested his combat prowess, nor his newly gained natural defenses, such small reptiles, no matter if they charged at the dozens, were no longer capable of piercing Aziel''s thick skin.


    Approaching the border of the pond, or to be more precise, small lake Aziel knelt down. Using his hands, he began pouring some of the crystal clear drink into his mouth.


    *RUSTLE!* *RUSTLE!*


    Behind him, the rustling of bushes could be heard.


    Alerted by the sound, Aziel turned around to check the source of the disturbance. In front of him was a massive dinosaur that seemed somewhat familiar to him, although he couldn''t remember why.


    The oversized creature crept up on a smaller dinosaur that was on the other side of him. Lurking behind the oblivious critter, the giant apex predator opened its massive jaws and with an uncannily swift motion, it snatched up the poor prey by its neck, shaking it violently.


    *CRACK!*


    The shaking continued until a small cracking sound was heard, indicating that the neck of the creature had broken.


    The bigger dinosaur placed the smaller one on the ground and looked at Aziel. Seeing the creature''s face, he finally recognized it.


    Though quite a bit of time had passed since then, he hadn''t met a similar leveled creature since then. The towering giant, the hungry menace, the true zenith of the Jurassic food chain.


    Also, his nemesis, the cause of his very first painful experience, his first death.


    Seeing his predator once again, Aziel''s excitement began to rapidly rise.


    He sneered as he looked at the creature. His newly formed facial muscles began to exercise for the first time, his lips parted to give way to his first-ever spoken words since his arrival in this strange, new world.


    "Heh... The very first on my list... You bastard, finally decided to come out of hiding? How stupidly brave of you... I guess I should thank you for that!" His voice was still slightly croaky and raucous due to his vocal cords resonating for the first time since their formation.


    A slight discomfort swelled inside Aziel''s throat, which he ignored. Looking at his first true opponent, Aziel''s face revealed a cruel, menacing grin.


    *SNARL!*


    The creature, although unable to process his words, could still feel the underlying meaning, the general emotion they carried. He could understand that this strangely shaped creature just uttered a threat, taunting his majestic dominance.


    The beast''s mentality as the absolute peak existence of its time couldn''t let such an affront go unpunished. Its massive jaws gave way to a booming, rage-filled roar, shaking the nearby boscage and quaking the very ground itself as well.


    Whilst the dozens of small critters fled in panic, Aziel remained still, matching the fierce gaze of the giant beast with one of his own. His lips curving higher, turning his already terrifying, cruel sneer into one bordering the craze and bloodlust, he snickered.


    "You have read my mind!"


    At the same time, both creatures rushed forward, charging at their opponents.


    Their clash for ultimate dominance and revenge shook the landscape...


    ...


    "RAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!"


    *ROAR!*


    Aziel and its nemesis, the humongous reptilian predator''s rushed at each other relentlessly, charging headfirst against the other. The ground was trembling from the massive weight behind their reckless assaults.


    Aziel began to increase his speed, building momentum, planting his feet, and jumping towards the creature.


    While he launched himself at the beast, time seemed to have slowed down as they got closer to each other.


    The pressure kept on building until it finally reached the boiling point.


    *BOOM!*


    Colliding, the two generated a small shockwave upon impact, both bouncing back to catch their balance from the collision.


    Both contenders began showing signs of being disoriented from the initial charge.


    Due to Aziel''s smaller size, if he did not have his current level of strength, he would have been at a grave disadvantage.


    His opponent was visibly shocked, it did not expect that this small fragile bipedal creature would be capable of pushing it back. He was used to easily killing its prey.


    This small, weak, and fragile creature, however, despite it being many times smaller than itself, managed to push it back! This was not something its feeble, primitive mind could easily process.


    "What''s wrong?! Never had a REAL FIGHT BEFORE?!" Aziel exclaimed, raising his voice in anger, causing an echo.


    As if the creature could understand him, it ran at him with its jaws agape, flashing its fangs, charging for a second attempt.


    Watching as the creature rushed towards him, Aziel braced himself, planting his right leg to the back, and bending his left, effectively sinking his feet a few inches into the soil.


    *ROAR!*


    The creature stretched its neck, attempting to bite down on Aziel. Seeing this, he further tightened his hold on the ground, holding his hands in position to catch the creature in its charge.


    *CRASH*


    Colliding for the second time, Aziel held the edges of the creature''s jaws open. Not letting up in its charge, the dinosaur continued pushing him back, causing his feet to further dig into the ground, displacing more of the soil.


    "AAAAARGH!!!"


    Aziel''s body started to strain under the incredible pressure. Noticing this, he contorted his body beyond normal means, redirecting the creature''s force away from him, causing its head to plummet into the ground next to him.


    The dinosaur quickly recovered and lashed its teeth against its mortal enemy. Aziel evaded the creature by performing a double back handspring, launching himself into the air at the end.


    *BOOM!*


    This acrobatics eventually proved to be a mistake, as the creature wasted no time in spinning around, swinging its tail at Aziel, effectively swatting him out of the air.


    This sent him flying violently into the trees, snapping several of them in half along its flight crashing and tumbling on the ground for several dozen yards before his abrupt journey came to a halt.


    "Ahahaha, I actually felt that... That is it, this is what I need... GIVE ME MORE!" Despite the massive attack, Aziel was growing more and more excited by each passing second, grinning from ear to ear without showing any restraint.


    Moments like these allowed his troubled mind to release its mental shackles, and allow its host to let go of all the negative emotions he kept inside.


    He picked himself up at incredible speeds, grabbing one of the fallen trees with his right hand, reaching back, and hurling it at the creature.


    Seeing this, the beast barely managed to dodge by shifting its mass to its left.


    Noticing its unstable manner of dodging, Aziel swiftly stomped his feet. Taking in a deep breath, he then ran in a zigzag motion towards it, trying to disorient the creature.


    Getting close enough, he grabbed a handful of sand, chucking it at the creature''s eyes. He then jumped, cocking his fist back as he launched himself forward.


    The fraction of a second in which this all happened felt like several minutes as Aziel arrived close to the creature''s face.


    Despite it not being able to see correctly thanks to the sand in its eyes, the beast opened its jaws in the direction of its opponent''s supposed trajectory.


    Seeing this, Aziel quickly reacted by using his tail to pierce the neck of the creature, pulling himself away from its jaws before they could snap shut.


    Landing only a few feet away from the beast, Aziel immediately rushed at it, slamming himself into its hind legs, throwing it off balance, tipping it sideways. This created a new opportunity for him.


    Noticing this chance, Aziel jumped to the side of its face. As it was off-balance, cocking his fist back for a second time.


    *BANG!*


    Slamming his fist against the creature''s lower jaw, making its head fling back.


    As the creature''s head was coming back down, Aziel contorted his body, twisting it while tensing his steel cable-like strains of muscles to build up pressure behind his fist.


    Noticing the creature''s head coming back down and slowly coming back from his short disoriented state, Aziel released the pressure he was building up, untwisting his body.


    *BANG!*


    Punching the beast with all his accumulated energy, Aziel tightly clenched his fist, sinking into the side of the creature''s jaw, causing its head to forcefully jerk sideways.


    *THUD!*


    The immense force drove the creature''s face into the earth with a loud thud, almost knocking it into unconsciousness.


    Not wanting it to recover, Aziel sunk both his feet into the ground, running at the still dazed beast.


    The creature, gaining back some level of cognition during this time, noticed its opponent charging towards it. To retaliate, it used its hind legs while still on its side, violently kicking Aziel away from it.


    Aziel had placed his arms up to defend himself. Despite this, he was still hurled a great distance into some more trees by the beast.


    "What''s with you and the trees? Do you have a vendetta against the jungle?" Aziel asked, taunting the beast whilst picking himself up from the new trails of broken foliage.


    The creature ignoring his jabs also got back up meanwhile and charged at Aziel.


    "*Sigh* This is just getting repetitive now¡­" he sighed.


    Watching as it got closer, Aziel extended his claws and replicated the creature''s course of attack.


    As the two ran at each other, Aziel, when he got close enough, pivoted to the creature''s left, slashing at its Achilles tendon, causing its left leg to drop. He then simultaneously spun around and sliced its other leg, crippling its opponent in one swoop.


    *THUMP!*


    The creature fell to the floor unable to move any more.


    Aziel walked up to the head of the creature, grinning like a madman.


    As he did, the beast opened its massive jaws as a last attempt at retaliation.


    Already anticipating this, Aziel quickly grabbed the edges of the creature''s mouth.


    "I think that''s enough of that." He exclaimed as he tensed his muscles.


    *SPLATTER!*


    The splattering of blood could be heard, as he then proceeded to tear off the beast''s lower jaw.


    *THUD!*


    He threw it to the side as if it was a piece of used tissue.


    The creature began to squirm, obviously in pain, but unable to make a sound, consequent to its lack of lower jaw.


    Aziel then placed his dominant hand on the beast''s face, leaning over, looking it in the eyes.


    "Remember me now?"


    The beast''s eyes filled with fear. It couldn''t understand Aziel, it began pleading with its eyes, hoping his victor would not kill it.


    Seeing this, Aziel made up his mind.


    "An eye for an eye!"


    *SHANK!*


    Aziel then stabbed the roof of the creature''s mouth, piercing the brain, ending its reign, killing it instantly.


    "Well, that''s that..." he exclaimed as he removed his claws from the carcass.


    "Let''s see what I will get from you!"


    Saying this, he began to absorb the massive beast, watching as its body liquified and fused with his mass.


    "Huh?"


    In doing so, Aziel noticed something was different this time around. Unlike usually, his body didn''t change as he expected it to, he stayed relatively the same.


    However, just as he began to ponder about what was going on, after a few moments of inactivity, the observation quickly changed.


    "AAAAAHHH!" Aziel screamed from the sudden surge of pain he was experiencing.


    His body was giving off a golden hue, releasing a blinding light in all directions. He felt as if each of his cells were on fire, becoming stronger as if changing into something else entirely.


    He began convulsing, his body growing and shrinking in size as his pupils vanished.


    His body became heavier in an instant, the sudden shifts in weight causing the soil under Aziel''s feet to cave in, creating a small crater.


    He felt as if his skin was being torn off his body, his nerves firing nothing but pain signals.


    Eventually, as all the air escaped from his lungs, so did his screams die down. The immense pain that tormented his entire body finally knocked him out, he slipped into unconsciousness.


    *THUD!*


    Falling down, the crater increased in size.


    Aziel could be seen laying in the crater, his body increasing in density, glowing and rapidly changing, making itself stronger down to its very cells, becoming many times more efficient than it was before.

 Chapter 9 - Aftermath And Changes

    Gazing across the horizon, all around a field of mayhem and chaos¡­ the reminder of a fearsome exchange could be seen on the edges of a nearby lake.


    Rows of trees torn apart and splintered, the soil displaced greatly, showing signs of being plowed through by something massive facing an even mightier adversary.


    At the epicenter of all this carnage and destruction, a fairly deep crater could be observed emitting an immense golden hue.


    Within the crater, the shape of a humanoid body could be observed. The true cause of the golden hue was lying on the ground. The glow that had proceeded after hours, was beginning to slowly dim over time but was still relatively bright when viewed from the surface.


    As time passed and the morning luster was replaced by the midday glory, the glow dimmed considerably, making its unnatural cause visible to the surface.


    What could be seen was Aziel. His appearance was vastly different than it was prior. His skin was no longer scaly like reptiles, instead, it became similar to mammals. His hands no longer had claws. His tail vanishing back within his body.


    From the outside, the silhouette, besides its unique saturation, was akin to a human.


    Aziel''s body had completely reverted back to its original form. Observing his body, other than a massive change in muscle mass, having the build of a modern-day athlete, and gaining the perfect proportions, he looked relatively ''normal''.


    As the glow began to fade completely, Aziel''s form could be admired in its full glory. His skin could be seen glistening as the sun''s rays caressed his toned golden-brown chest, seeming delicate to the touch and filled with luster.


    *CRACK!*


    Not long after the glow faded, a medium-sized chuck on debris broke off from the edge of the crater, plummeting towards Aziel''s unmoving body.


    *CRUMBLE!*


    As if colliding with metal, the debris shattered as it came into contact with Aziel''s skin.


    His skin''s delicate appearance was merely an illusion. In reality, it was much stronger than most materials generated on the planet, capable of absorbing and repealing high levels of pressure generated against it.


    Aziel didn''t so much as flinch to the debris, as it went completely unnoticed by him.


    *GROAN!*


    He grunted as his eyelids fluttered open, expressing another noticeable change.


    His eyes were still reptilian, but they changed greatly from how they were before. The slit in his pupils gained a considerable depth, giving off a sinking feeling to those who observed it. His irises and sclera radiating a purple and blue hue, gaining the main characteristics of a more mythical creature.


    "Uhhh¡­ my head¡­" Aziel groaned in pain reaching for his forehead.


    He was still disoriented from the changes his body had gone through.


    Aziel stood up with zero difficulty, due to his body''s newfound natural instinct of being less wasteful of its movement.


    Standing up, he looked at his hands, shocked to witness the vast difference compared to before.


    Yet, the initial surprise slowly turned into a displeased frown.


    "D*mn¡­ I was really getting used to my claws¡­ They were different from before¡­" He lamented.


    Yet, as he kept on inspecting both his hands, a sudden feeling, a slight stimulus emerged from beneath his skin, making Aziel go surprised yet again.


    "Wait for a second¡­"


    Despite his claws not being visible on the outside, Aziel could still feel them. Feeling as if he could still use them, but he couldn''t understand what changes his body had gone under and what exactly he had become.


    Walking over to the lake, Aziel knelt and leaned over to see his reflection on the water''s crystal clear surface.


    "Not bad¡­ I see the vague outline of my old self in there¡­"


    He noticed that his body had reverted to how it was before, except for a few noticeable changes. His muscles were sturdy, each fiber was visible below the skin. Though his head was still hairless, his face now vaguely reminded him of his old visage just with a hard reptilian touch. Yet the sharp jawline and the contours started to draw out his previous self.


    That was when he finally noticed the changes in his eyes.


    "What in the Gods'' name¡­"


    Seeing his irises and sclera glowing a purple and blue hue he was flabbergasted.


    "Is this change related to this unique energy that this world seems to be rich at?" He muttered, lost in the reflection of himself.


    "It''s not mana, nor elemental essence¡­ I can''t feel any connection with the elements at all¡­ Hmm¡­"


    "In any ways¡­ This new ''me''¡­ I kinda like it!" He exclaimed as he straightened himself and stood back up.


    Turning around, he saw the damage caused by his battle against the massive beast. Shrugging his shoulders to ignore the barren wasteland-esque sight, he began walking back into the forest.


    After the first few steps, Aziel noticed something: his balance was much different than it was in his previous forms! Seeming more spread out around his entire body, rather than being centered at his core.


    Wanting to test the changes in his balance, Aziel placed his leg back on the ground.


    To test it further, he also placed his hands on the muddy floor, transitioning into a one-handed handstand. He began shifting his weight in as many positions as he possibly could. Even with his supernatural flexibility, his balance did not falter even once.


    Satisfied with his newfound capabilities, Aziel wanted to further test what other changes he had.


    Looking back at his hands, he remembered the strange feeling, that slight tingling he was having before. To test this theory, he began to experiment by tensing the muscles in his right arm, focusing keenly on the results.


    To his surprise, his right arm suddenly swelled, exploding in size, replicating the layers of scales he had in his larger, reptilian form. His nails rapidly grew and hardened, morphing into the onyx-colored claws he once had.


    "Hmm¡­ Not bad, not bad¡­" He muttered, satisfied with the unexpected discovery.


    Releasing the tension in his arm, it quickly reverted to its previous state.


    After continuous experimentation, Aziel had concluded that he still had all of the traits he had absorbed, but his body, or more precisely, [Essence Restitute] with the acquired copious amounts of mass he absorbed, created a primitive version of the [Shapeshift] unique ability. Though it was very basic, as long as he had enough mass stored in his cells, Aziel could now freely alter between his previous ''massive'' size and this current, more compact version.


    Even though the strength would remain relatively the same, the extra weight could prove useful in some cases.


    He now could revert himself back completely into his more massive form by contracting all the muscles in his body and focusing on the change.


    ...


    Now in his larger form, Aziel could be seen smiling, flashing his terrifying fangs in anticipation of how much stronger he was.


    Walking up to a nearby tree, he raised his claws into the air.


    *SWOOSH!*


    As he swung his claws, a burst of wind followed, slicing the tree into several parts and proceeding to do the same to the ones behind it, blowing the sections away with the erupting high pressure.


    Satisfied with what he had seen, Aziel had a look of approval plastered across his face.


    "I think that''s everything."


    Concentrating, he reverted back to his smaller, humanoid appearance.


    "Still the energy usage for the shapeshift is not the most ideal... Just this back and forth consumed more than half of my reserves..." He sighed, feeling the sudden ache in his stomach.


    With a sigh, he turned around and began walking back in the depth of the jungle, looking for the cave he was once forced to take a prolonged rest in....

 Chapter 10 - Limit

    *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*


    The ringing of violent explosions reverberated in the vast jungle realm. Boulders with the size of smaller cars were sailing the air, tossed left and right by a humanoid silhouette standing at the epicenter.


    This silhouette was naturally Aziel. He was currently clearing out a path, casually throwing boulder after boulder out of the way as if they weren''t even there to begin with. Creating a pathway with him in its center.


    Finishing up, he created a path that stretched 70 meters in length, purely out of the boulders in the area.


    "Mhm!" Holding a boulder over his head, Aziel was visibly proud of the results of his work.


    His thirst for further knowledge in understanding his own limits and capabilities was not satiated by the slightest, Aziel had created this path with the idea of testing the limits of his speed. He wanted to see actually how fast he could reach by the end of this straight, narrow pathway.


    *THUD!*


    Placing the final boulder behind him, Aziel leaned against it, crouching into a running position.


    Taking in a deep breath, he focused his maximum strength into his legs. This caused his lower half to morph into its reptilian form, growing in length and becoming digitigrade in the process.


    To maximize his start off, Aziel decided to morph his arms as well, causing them to expand exponentially. Leaning forward, with the aid of his now shapeshifted arms, Aziel went into a deeper, more feral crouching position than before.


    "3.." Aziel began to count down, tensing his muscles, simultaneously building up pressure.


    "2¡­" His body was now beginning to flare up. The muscles expanding from the stored energy, radiating off immense heat.


    "1¡­" On the last count, Aziel released a deep primal growl.


    "SWOOSH!"


    He vanished without a sound.


    *BOOM!*


    Soon after his disappearance, an explosion rang out, shattering the rock Aziel was braced on. Debris was sent flying as the shockwave released from his launch was equivalent to hitting the rock with 20 pounds of pure dynamite.


    Aziel was not seen at his intended mark. In actuality, he had launched himself up to two miles away from it, only stopping when he imprinted himself on the side of a nearby mountain.


    "Argh¡­"


    Aziel released a pain-filled groan as he pulled himself out from the solid surface. Brushing the dirt off of himself he looked behind him to see that he was far beyond his intended target.


    "Well¡­ This is new¡­" he muttered, shocked by the distance he covered in such a short time.


    Turning around, he began running, gradually transitioning into a sprint this time choosing to not activate his demi-human form. He didn''t want to overshoot the distance again.


    On his way back, he came across a creature that he was a little too familiar with. This creature was the tank-like dinosaur he had met earlier in his journey when he was on the other side of the fields, hunting.


    The very creature that utterly humiliated him, wrecking and toying with him as if he was an ant, trying to scrape an elephant.


    This creature had deeply imprinted itself in Aziel''s memory; the vision of the pain and humiliation he felt as it slammed its spiked morning star of a tail into his back, paralyzing him.


    Instantly his mind was filled with a rage that he fought he had already forgotten.


    Seeing that the creature did not notice him, and continued to leisurely feed on the grass, Aziel immediately morphed his legs into its more digitigrade form, running up to the creature to engage in a shoulder charge.


    *BANG!*


    Ramming into the creature''s side, the force of the impact carried the two a few feet from the creature''s initial position, knocking it back.


    The creature was startled by his sudden charge, disoriented from the impact. Aziel then reverted his legs back to normal.


    He glared at the creature, waiting for it to regain its composure.


    The creature recovering its senses looked at Aziel with anger burning in its eyes. Wasting no time, it spun around, aiming its blunt tail at Aziel''s right side.


    *CLANG!*


    The tail of the creature hit Aziel, bouncing off as if it collided with an incredibly hard surface, leaving only a small bruise on his right arm, vastly different from his first experience.


    Looking in shock, the creature gazed into Aziel''s eyes, growing slightly intimidated.


    It swung its tail at him for a second time, this time with even more force carried behind it.


    Sensing that the creature''s attack held more power in its swing, Aziel agilely ducked out of the way, effectively dodging the blow. The creature''s swing threw it off balance.


    Noticing the chance, Aziel morphed his hands into claws and pounced.


    *SLASH!*


    Aiming to end the fight quickly, Aziel lunged at the neck of the creature, cleanly separating its head from its body.


    *THUD!*


    "What? That''s it?!"


    Not expecting this to happen, Aziel was shocked.


    He did not expect this, he did not expect to kill the creature he had lost so horribly to, in just one fell swoop.


    "I guess I did become stronger¡­" He sighed, not sure of how to feel with the ease of victory.


    A moment later, he just shrugged his shoulders and walked up to the corpse of the creature to absorb it. In the next moment, the carcass began to liquify just as he drew near it, floating towards him and fusing with his body.


    After a few seconds, the assimilation process finished. Aziel''s body began to vibrate. His back morphing into its demi-human state and slowly changing, growing a layer of thickened skin, covered in the bone-like protrusions scattered across its surface.


    His tail also began to grow back out of his body, ending with a thicker, more blunt accessory with a spiky point at its end.


    Analyzing the upgrades his body went through, he undid all the changes, reverting to his humanoid form.


    "That should be enough¡­"


    Aziel began walking, no particular destination in mind, just wondering to see where his next challenge would be.

 Chapter 11 - Plight Of A Thief - A New Goal

    "Oh for the love of Nova¡­ GIVE IT UP ALREADY!!!"


    The serene peace, the tranquil calm of the jungle was shattered once again, by a roar from the recently emerged strange and new apex predator, the humanoid creature, Aziel.


    His roar, which reverberated across the trees, somehow wasn''t the same as usual. Instead of the natural arrogance of a king, it was replaced by worry and fear. Dread and Despair.


    Running from a flock of winged creatures, Aziel could be seen holding a large egg, somewhat similar to the one he was born from, yet at the same time, larger and cleaner. As he ran, trying desperately to escape, signs of panic were written across his face.


    A while ago, he had spotted one of these creatures flying towards a cliff. Growing curious, he made up a decision that ultimately led him to this current hopeless predicament and followed after the strange flying reptilian. He climbed, ascended the cliff to see what it was. Upon reaching the peak, he came across a nest of them.


    Staying hidden to not alert them, Aziel got a little closer. Intrigued by their ability to fly, he wanted to gain this skill as well. He came across some eggs as he was snooping around. Believing he could gain their ability of winged flight from absorbing one he silently picked one up.


    Proudly carrying his loot in his arms, he began to walk back to the edge of the cliff, but unfortunately during his attempted escape, he made a mistake.


    A terrible, terrible mistake.


    *SNAP!*


    He had stepped on a twig that was a part of the nest, alerting the creatures to his activities. Seeing this, he picked up the pace, running towards the edge of the cliff and jumping off, leading to the current situation.


    The creatures were relentless in their pursuit of the pesky thief; constantly diving and snapping their beaks at him to slow him down. He only kept running faster to avoid their pursuit.


    "Come on! It is just one egg! You guys had like a dozen there!"


    *SHRIEK!*


    The creatures responded to his explanations with high-pitched screeches.


    Two of the creatures dove down in response, trying to impale him with their long, spear-like beaks.


    He could sense this due to the survival instincts of all the creatures he had absorbed, Aziel shifted his weight to the right, flickering out of the direction of their charge.


    In doing so, the creatures lost track of Aziel.


    He could be seen hiding behind a tree, heaving desperately, holding the egg close to his chest, waiting for them to leave.


    Thirty minutes had gone by and his pursuers still did not leave. Aziel was growing restless, he didn''t want to absorb the egg now, because if he gains any great changes, he might get exposed and the chase will resume.


    He wasn''t even sure if he would get anything from the egg at all.


    Ultimately, with no other viable option he could see, Aziel chose to wait for some time longer, hoping those pesky leather-winged oversized birds will give up.


    The sky now started to darken.


    Getting fed up with lying in wait any longer, Aziel took the egg, liquified it, and absorbed it into his body.


    "Urgh!"


    His body began to pulsate, his arms surging with energy and elongating, reshaping themselves.


    His pinky and ring finger began to fuse together and grew a bit in length. From the bottom of his arms, a membrane of skin and muscle that stretched from his highly elongated fourth fingers of the hands to the start of his hip was formed.


    He grew wings! Not the wings of a bird, his wings held no feathers, just a thin layer of skin stretched along his sides.


    "COOL!" Aziel exclaimed happily, forgetting the gravity of his current predicament because of his newly gained ''toys''.


    *SHRIEK!*


    A loud pitched shriek rang out, causing Aziel to turn around and see that the creatures had seen him as his newfound wings were much wider than the tree could hide, alerting the pursuers to his location.


    The creatures bolted towards Aziel with the full intention of impaling him with their beaks.


    "Time to test these bad boys out!" He exclaimed, growing more excited than worried in the face of the incoming threat.


    He tried to move his wings first, but all he received was his arms awkwardly flailing about. He had zero knowledge of how to use these wings after all.


    Realizing his stupidity, forgetting how he didn''t even know how to use his new appendages, Aziel quickly undid the changes, morphing his arms and bracing himself for the incoming attack.


    The first of these beasts to reach Aziel flew straight at him with its beak. Seeing this, he waited until it got close enough.


    When it did, he shifted to the side and grabbed its beak. Using its momentum he threw it over his shoulder.


    *BOOM!*


    Slamming the beast into the ground, incapacitating it, he turned back to the rest of the group, waiting for them to attack. As he expected, another one promptly did so in the next instant. Taking a different line of approach it flew upwards accompanied by another that flew to his left.


    Both flying at him, Aziel grabbed the one that was already on the ground by its beak and hurled the unconscious beast like a makeshift projectile in the direction of the one to the left, knocking the creature out of the air on collision. The one above him continued its dive at Aziel without delay.


    Looking up, seeing the creature flying towards him, it drew near, he focused his gaze on the beast, his eyes squinted. As the creature drew closer, close enough for Aziel to summon his tail and swing it into the creature''s head.


    *THUD*


    It dropped to the ground unconscious and potentially even dead.


    All of this happened in a matter of seconds, the rest of the creatures in the group seeing this decided that this fight was no longer worth it and flew away.


    "Finally¡­" Looking at the flock''s retreat, Aziel could finally heave a sigh of relief. Exasperated, he plopped down on the ground, lying beside the trio of the defeated flying lizards.


    Even though he could have easily taken care of them without any issues, he wasn''t in the mood for a full-on fight.


    Looking at the ones he had already flattened, he stood up and walked over to the first one that initiated the attack.


    The creature was roughly the size of a modern-day giraffe, its beak making up a sizable portion of its face.


    With no expression visible on his face, Aziel raised his right leg.


    *CRACK!*


    Dropping his foot on the neck of the creature, he snapped it with ease.


    The carcass began to liquefy and traverse towards Aziel''s body, causing him to feel a change greater than what he felt when he first ate the egg of one of these things.


    Deciding to not summon his wings out yet, he walked up to the other two and absorbed them as well. The changes felt vastly different from before. The same tingling sensation that eventually grew to a massive discomfort slowly began to rise inside his body.


    When he finished absorbing the third and last creature he had killed, then did he settled back down on the ground, allowing his body to assimilate the changes and restructure the relevant parts of his body according to the newly acquired biomass.


    The process of [Essence Restitute], the restructuring of the relevant parts of his body was much faster this time around, only changing a specific part, a currently hidden appendage on his body.


    Feeling that the discomfort have gradually eased up and vanished entirely, then did Aziel finally summon his wings from his body and began to examine them.


    They felt stronger than before, the membrane they were made of seemed thicker, sturdier, darker in color. It also seemed to have grown in size, the top part of his wings appeared to have gained a thick layer of scales along with sharper endings.


    His wings were much different from the wings of those creatures, seeming to have evolved further, and become more suited for aerial combat, including self-maintenance.


    Checking out all the changes, Aziel was impressed, but he was more interested in the actual usage of his newly acquired body parts.


    He started to experiment with them, slowly beginning to gain a better grasp of how they work, soon making conquering this new firmament his new goal....

 Chapter 12 - Battle In The Sky

    Roughly a week has passed by since Aziel has made contact with those winged demons and came in contact with the horrific experience of the [Essence Restitute] reconstructive cycle once again.


    He was growing fond of his newest appendages, his wings!


    Ever since he had acquired them, he was no longer forced to wander aimlessly. No, he was now flying around aimlessly!


    He had even come across another nest of the flying creatures not far from the one he found before. Drunken with the feeling of his newest ability, Aziel has been hunting them as of late, so that he could further strengthen his capabilities.


    As a result, his wings grew wider, gaining a wingspan of 8 meters when turned into his demi-human form whilst the scales on his wings grew even thicker.


    Aziel could be seen on the top of a cliff, once holding a large nest of a group of the bird-like beasts, now it''s a barren reminder of an exterminated family.


    He had killed and assimilated all of them to make himself stronger. He felt no remorse, he wasn''t bothered by the gruesome massacre, the hundreds of absorbed primitives'' have made him grow immune to such civilized thoughts.


    He was sitting on the edge, scoping out his surroundings for even more of them.


    Eventually, he spotted one in the far distance. Thanks to his heightened vision, Aziel watched as the creature flew towards another cliff.


    "Now-now, where are you headed, I wonder?"


    He dove off the cliff, spreading his wings in pursuit of his clueless prey.


    Getting closer, however, Aziel made a shocking realization of what he was chasing. This creature was vastly different from the others of its kind. Much different in both size and appearance.


    It was roughly five times the size of the others he had seen so far!


    This creature had a more intimidating appearance than the ones he had killed before; this one held a much wider wingspan and its beak was much thicker containing a sharp row of razor-like teeth, while the ones he was hunting before did not.


    "Never seen you before¡­ What exactly are you? Some mutated specimen?" Aziel wondered, following far behind the flying beast.


    Curious about his discovery, Aziel slowed into a glide and began observing the creature from above, it is completely oblivious to his gaze.


    Watching as the beast glided through the sky fluently; seeing how it tracked down and killed its prey was mesmerizing to bear witness to for Aziel. He continued to view its attack patterns and way of approach when hunting for prey.


    After about 20 minutes, Aziel felt like he had gathered all he could from analyzing the creature''s hunting patterns. He began to crave the beast''s more dominant traits for hunting above the clouds, as just copying its patterns wasn''t anywhere enough to satiate his rising hunger for the creature''s dominant traits.


    Losing himself to his greed, he folded his wings and commenced to dive towards the creature''s back cutting through the air like a bullet.


    Drawing near, Aziel''s upper and lower jaw extended into a point hardening to form a beak; one of the main traits of those winged creatures he had been absorbing for the past couple of days.


    Unlike the originals, his beak had jagged grooves in them to increase its penetrative power when impaling the prey.


    He gained speed as his beak aided in his acceleration towards the creature. Reaching its back he grew excited from what he could get from this majestic beast.


    *SWOOSH!*


    That was until something entirely unexpected happened. The creature had flapped its wings forward, maneuvering out of Aziel''s path, causing him to whoosh past it.


    He was shocked by the creature''s quick reaction and sudden movement. Despite its size, it could maneuver itself so freely without any loss in its speed.


    Swiftly extending his wings to halt his rapid descent, Aziel turned around only to see the creature flying at him at great speed. This caught him off guard, as he was still confused as to how it had managed to dodge him despite him being in its blind spot.


    The creature had flown into Aziel at full speed. In his confusion, he couldn''t react and was impaled through his chest.


    This would have been fatal if it was any other beast, but to Aziel, this attack only managed to pierce his skin by a couple of inches.


    Even though this was still rather deep, the attack would have completely impaled anything else.


    Aziel quickly morphed his right arm into his demi-human form, grabbing the creature''s beak while still plummeting from its charge. He pulled himself off from its beak and changed his hand back into wings.


    Although the constant shapeshifting was taxing on his reserves, since his latest evolution, he had amassed a lot of surplus energy that was kept stored with [Essence Restitute].


    He had also grown more and more accustomed to his new life in this primal, untainted world. Though he was forced to start anew, his memories stayed with him, allowing him faster progression and a more in-depth understanding. He was increasing his affinity by a great margin, his mastery now allowed him seamless transformation with less energy consumption.


    Flying to the left of the creature to observe it, the beast had spread its wings to slow its descent. Stopping, the beast looked at Aziel and rushed at him with its beak ready for a second effort to penetrate through his body.


    His previous injury from its first attack had already mostly healed, thanks to the increased regenerative ability gained, but that didn''t mean getting impaled at high speeds didn''t hurt. Also, the passive healing did nothing but tax his diminishing reserves even further.


    "This isn''t looking good!"


    Seeing the pursuit of the creature, he began to fly in the opposite direction, trying to outmatch it in speed. This proved to be a huge mistake as the creature was gaining on Aziel rather quickly, despite him going at his absolute maximum speed.


    Growing desperate, he began to fly upwards above the clouds and into the higher atmosphere to cause the creature to give up its chase.


    This also did not work, as the beast continued to chase after. As it was slowly advancing on him and that it would soon catch him, Aziel decided to switch tactics and fight back.


    Running was proving to be a futile endeavor anyways. He should at least try his best even if he were to ultimately fail.


    He flew higher into the atmosphere, gaining height, he came up with an idea.


    Aziel undid his wings and transformed completely into his demi-human form, growing to be 6 meters in height. Activating his dermal armor and curling into the shape of a ball, he began to rotate, rocketing downwards like a meteor towards the creature.


    Not being able to respond in time to the peculiar form of attack, the beast collided with Aziel, both of them were sent spiraling towards the forest floor.


    *BOOM!*


    A few moments later, a huge explosion rang throughout the jungle landscape, as the two huge bodies hit the ground forming a massive crater and a giant dust cloud.


    "Argh..."


    Aziel was seen on the body of the giant creature as it lay dead while he was only disoriented from the collision.


    Lying atop the body of the giant winged creature, Aziel was groaning whilst his senses slowly returned to him.


    "You should have given up sooner¡­" he said as he looked at the beast''s dead body. Whilst he only suffered some concussion and was merely disoriented from the crash, the beast, on the other hand, has died on the spot.


    Walking near it, he examined its carcass, observing the creature''s visible traits that were dominant over the other creatures that plagued the skies.


    The more he examined it, the more excited he became about what he would potentially receive.


    Not being able to hold himself back anymore, Aziel began to absorb the creature, fusing all of its delectable traits into himself.


    In the instant that he did so, his arms transformed into his wings, slowly changing into something else, something much more resembling that of the fabled mythical creatures.


    His middle and index fingers began to fuse, extending outwards followed by the same membrane that the rest of his wing was made off. His wingspan increased as well; from his previous 8-meters was now dwarfed over by his now 12-meters. The backside of his wings began to form scales, adding an extra layer of protection.


    Growing excited by his changes, Aziel extended his wings and launched himself into the air. Reaching a suitable height, he placed some strength into his wings.


    Growing excited by the changes, Aziel couldn''t stand still any longer. Bending his knees and planting his foot firmly in the ground, he launched himself into the air, caving the already formed crater even deeper. Spiderweb cracks spread around from the location he stood just a moment ago, Aziel shot up high in the skies.


    *BOOM!*


    A small shockwave was released, blowing back the trees around him, causing Aziel to vanish into the distance within an instant.

 Chapter 13 - A Whole New World (1)

    Another month passed by since Aziel had an encounter with the mutated winged creature that seemed to be the apex predator ruling the heavenly abode.


    After killing it and assimilating its most dominant traits, he didn''t laze around but had learned a great deal of many new tricks that came with these newfound abilities. For example, he could manipulate how the traits are expressed or used. His wings for one did not necessarily need to be grown in place of his arms, but after his recent assimilation, he could now sprout it from his back, allowing his arms to be free to use instead.


    He could even turn parts of his body completely into the limbs of another creature.


    His [Essence Restitute] trait also seemed to grow stronger, gaining more efficiency during the absorption process. He no longer needed to necessarily absorb the entire mass of the creature if he only wanted to gain its traits, merely the creature''s brain and heart seemed to be enough to do the trick.


    Also, with the increased efficiency, Aziel was now capable of freely converting the surplus mass into the energy used to power his abilities and transformation.


    This energy that is closely tied to each living creature on this strange new realm, he decided to call it [Aether] for the lack of a better term. For now, he was incapable of investigating it more thoroughly. The only mental note he had made so far was that unlike the [Mana] found in abundance freely in the air and everything in Nova, his old home, [Aether] was something closely related to the creature''s very own vitality.


    Essentially it could also be referred to as its pure life force, its essence.


    ...


    Standing at the sandy shore of a lake, Aziel was currently doing his best attempts at fishing; his mouth morphed into that of a beak he stood still as he waited for the fishes to approach him.


    To cease his growing boredom, he took up fishing as a way to pass the time in his new home. Already conquering the lands and the clouds he was bored; no longer having a challenge in either.


    Focusing on fishing, Aziel was oblivious to a creature stalking him from behind a tree waiting for the right moment. Seeing that Aziel was focused on his activities, it slowly crept closer and closer to his back, prepared to pounce at the right time, and kill him.


    Once it was close enough, the creature jumped at Aziel with its claws aimed at his back and its fangs aimed at his neck.


    *BANG!*


    As it got closer, Aziel had sensed it as it arrived within his sensory range. Casually swinging his fist back he sent the creature flying into a nearby tree, cracking it.


    The creature receiving this blow was fatally wounded and was now suffering from internal hemorrhaging as it struggled to pick itself back up from the floor.


    Fear visible in its eyes, it began to limp away as it was casually defeated and fatally injured in the hand of this strange-looking figure, fading into the forest.


    Not losing focus, Aziel continued to observe the lake in search for fish. Hours had passed like this, he was still crouching there motionlessly as he still couldn''t find any fish in the lake.


    "This is pointless¡­" He grew annoyed.


    Picking himself up, he reverted his mouth to normal as his attempt at fishing was proving to be a fruitless endeavor at its core. He has been crouching in one place for the past several hours and still, no fish could be seen anywhere in the entirety of the lake.


    Scratching his head, Aziel turned around and began walking around the lake to see if he could find anything at its edges.


    Scanning the rest of the waters, he could see no fish and absolutely no signs of life. Aziel was growing bored as he no longer had anything to challenge his title as the strongest creature on the planet. He had already killed and absorbed any possible threat both on land and in the skies, leaving him to a fate of deep emptiness.


    As he gradually kept on rising higher and higher on the food chain, so did his interest in this world slowly began to wane.


    In his mind, this was the truth, he believed that nothing could contend with him anymore, but he didn''t know how wrong he was. Lying at the bottom of that very lake he was scanning, was a beast many times bigger than anything he has ever seen on the surface. A super predator that ruled the waters in this ancient, prehistoric world.


    Growing curious as to why it was empty, Aziel took a deep breath and dove into the lake, swimming to its bottom, growing more and more puzzled the deeper he went. It got harder and harder to see as the light was dimming the deeper she reached. However, aided by his ability to see in the dark from the many predators he had already absorbed, these changes were negligible to him.


    Reaching near its bottom, Aziel slowed his descent and began to observe the bottom of the lake in search of some form of life he could absorb to further evolve himself.


    Swimming at the bottom of the lake, he still came across no signs of life and was growing bored in his search for anything he could find at the depths. He soon collided with what felt like a rock as he wasn''t paying attention to what was in front of him.


    ''The hell?''


    Scratching his head, he looked up to what he had hit.


    Seeing what appeared to be an underwater hill, he just decided to swim around it, since he was still in search of life at the edge of the jungle. Swimming for a while longer he came across an opening at the bottom of the lake''s edge.


    Curious by this discovery, he journeyed into the opening to see what he could find.


    It has been 20 minutes, and Aziel was still swimming through the dark, unlit pathway that the opening had led to. Eventually reaching its end, he could see another opening where he could exit out from.


    Reaching the exit to the pathway, Aziel arrived into a much larger body of water, roughly five times the size of the previous one, not just in size but depth as well.


    However, unlike the previous lake, the one he was in now was filled with schools of fish or what appeared to be fish, though they were much scarier looking than any he had ever seen before.


    ''About time¡­'' he inwardly exclaimed.


    Ecstatic by his find, Aziel began swimming around to see if he could catch any of the fish to absorb it and gain the ability to breathe underwater. His lungs might be able to allow him to hold his breath for an extended period of time, but that didn''t mean it was comfortable doing so.


    Swimming at the nearest fish he tried to clumsily catch it, only for it to escape from his grasp within moments. He then tried to catch other fishes but he failed every time; they were just too fast, too agile in their natural environment.


    Since all his attempts failed, he decided to change his approach and hid behind a rock to wait for one to come by and pass him. Extending his claws he lied in ambush for his unsuspecting prey.


    After about five minutes later, a rather large fish spanning around 20 feet in length, sporting a thickened layer of bone-like armor on its face swam in front of the now coiled-up Aziel.


    Wasting no time, he rushed at the creature as fast as he could and sunk his claws deep into the side of the creature.


    The creature receiving Aziel''s attack began to thrash around in the water in an attempt to shake its attacker off. Not giving it the chance, he latched himself onto its back and continued to stab the animal in its side, rending its flesh in the process.


    The creature was beginning to bleed out and lose more of its vigor the longer Aziel held onto its back. Soon succumbing to its injuries, the fish stopped its trashing and could no longer resist its incoming demise by Aziel''s hands.


    Stabbing the creature in the eye, it finally died. He decided to absorb it immediately as he had no intention of wasting any more time.


    With the new mass fusing with his body, Aziel''s frame began to warm up, causing the water around him to boil and generate bubbles from the intense heat he was generating.


    Struggling to hold his breath due to the pain, he held his neck as the pain concentrated there. Just as he reached out for it, lines started to form on Aziel''s neck, soon opening into gills, allowing him to breathe. Additionally, his feet soon grew a thin webbing to aid in his swimming.


    Realizing this, he took a deep breath and sucked in a large amount of water. This held no ill effects anymore, thanks to the changes his body has just gone through from absorbing the fish. Inspecting himself, his upper body was now covered in armor made out of a bone-like material, similar to the creature he absorbed.


    Inspecting himself further, he was not aware of the current situation he was in.


    The blood of the fish he had killed attracted a beast vastly greater in size than what he had ever seen, rushing in his direction at high speeds.

 Chapter 14 - A Whole New World (2) - Death Match

    Oblivious to the grave threat that was rapidly approaching his current position, Aziel was busy inspecting the slight changes of his own body. Consuming that oversized armored fish-monster, he now felt much more comfortable in this new, unexplored medium.


    He raised his attention, ready to leave back for the surface as he felt like he acquired what he wanted when suddenly, he felt his senses screaming at him from somewhere behind, outside of his field of vision.


    Alarmed by the sudden warning signals, Aziel quickly turned around to see another fish, similar to the one he killed rushing at him with high speed. Watching his hasty approach, Aziel was slightly perplexed, he evaded its charge by swimming to the side once it was close enough.


    "What is with this all of a sudden? This shouldn''t be causing the¡­"


    Before he could finish his line of thought he had to evade again, as the creature had changed its trajectory and went back after Aziel, opening its jaws ready to bite into him.


    Feeling that their dance was getting pointless, Aziel swiftly extended his claws and just as he swam to the side to evade the second rushing charge of the maddened aquatic beast, he also sliced at its underbelly, tearing it open.


    Like a pi?ata, the creature''s guts were spilled at its surroundings, painting the water into a deep shade of red.


    As the beast succumbed to his injuries a moment later, Aziel swam to it and proceeded to absorb it. The traits he gained from the creature slightly enhanced, making him feel stronger under the water than he did before.


    Swimming around, Aziel was observing the environment to familiarize himself with his soon-to-be new domain. Looking around, he noticed a creature much bigger than the ones he had just killed rushing in his direction.


    Not only was it bigger but it seemed to be much faster as well, closing the vast distance within mere seconds.


    Snapping at Aziel, the creature tried to bite off a sizable chunk out of him in its initial charge. Its ferocity and desire to viciously murder the invader into his territory, the creature knew no remorse.


    Not wanting to be done so quickly, Aziel reached to grab the creature''s massive jaws, trying to keep it from connecting and tearing into his torso. Yet, the creature had an unexpected, titanic strength in its jaws, causing Aziel to crumble under the brutal pressure, he was visibly straining.


    This unknown beast of the dark depths was just that much stronger, dwarfing all the other apex predators he had met so far.


    Giving into its strength, Aziel tried to force his way out of this situation by morphing his arms into his demi-human form. This proved to be helpful, as he managed to pry its mouth open just enough for him to maneuver out of the way.


    Not giving him the chance to recover, it swung its tail at him, causing Aziel to put his arms up to defend himself. The hit sent him rocketing several dozen meters in the water towards a boulder protruding from the bottom.


    Seeing the slab of stone rapidly approaching, Aziel flipped around, contorting his body and positioning his feet on the rocky surface of the boulder to return to the beast. Reaching the rock, Aziel crouched on its surface and transformed his legs into his demi-human state to give himself an even greater, explosive boost.


    Launching himself, he began rippling through the water, similar to a torpedo towards the side of the creature, trying to tackle it underwater.


    The creature observing Aziel''s charge effortlessly shifted its massive body and swam to the side, causing him to completely miss his intended target.


    ''This beast¡­ is toying with me?!'' He grumbled with a mixture of shock and helpless anger upon the realization just as he whizzed by the massive beast.


    Aziel decided that the fight was dragging on longer than it should have, transforming completely into his demi-human form, with the additions of his new traits. His tail was similar in appearance to that of a modern-day crocodile, except for having a pointed tip at its end.


    Feeling that the fight was dragging on longer than it should have, Aziel decided to let go of all his remaining restraints; he transformed completely into his massive demi-human form.


    The only difference was that instead of the large draconic-shaped wings he would normally dance around with, Aziel currently sported a pair of gills at both sides of his neck and had a full row of massive bone spikes protruding from his spine. A thin layer of a semi-transparent membrane stretched between them, acting as both dorsal- and caudal fins, increasing his maneuverability even further.


    With the formation of his tail, Aziel''s speed underwater had increased exponentially. Using his tail, he slithered through the water towards the creature bearing his claws.


    ''DIE!!!'' he exclaimed inside his head.


    Zooming towards the creature, he swung his claws.


    *SWISH!*


    The creature swiftly swam out of the way once again, effortlessly evading his attack. Aziel was growing more and more frustrated and angry as the creature wasn''t even fighting him, it seemed as if it wasn''t taking him seriously. Just like he guessed, the beast was merely playing, toying with him.


    Aziel began to savagely swing his claws at the creature trying to tear it to pieces in his anger. The creature was unamused, only observed him while dodging all his attacks as they came, not paying that much attention to Aziel as they fought.


    In Aziel''s uncoordinated, savage barrage of attacks, the creature countered his last attack and swung its tail into his chest with even greater force than the last, sending him flying back whilst also causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood from the sheer force of the impact, shattering his sternum.


    Trying to reorient himself, Aziel was in a lot of pain from the creature''s hit. This pain only served to further fuel his rage.


    "AAAAAAAARGH!!!" He yelled out, the water enhancing the vibrations; the anger in his yell could be felt by the surrounding fish, causing them to flee.


    In his growing bloodlust, unbeknownst to him, his body slowly began to heat up, the strange vital energy, the [Aether] coursing inside him faster and more violently with each pass.


    Aziel''s body started to expand greatly in size, building up pressure in the water. His claws elongating and his teeth grew in length increasing in their sharpness.


    The creature was becoming wary of Aziel''s sudden increase in size, getting minor danger signals from his changes.


    Immediately swimming at the beast, Aziel opened his jaws to clamp down onto its body. Approaching it, he increased his speed. The creature quickly evaded to the side, dodging his attack once again.


    As it did so, Aziel swung his tail into the creature''s side just as it evaded his jaws. He then followed it up by jamming his claws into the stomach of the creature latching himself onto it.


    He used his claws to continuously stab the titanic creature''s abdomen in his fit of rage, not wanting to let it go no matter how hard it was thrashing around in the water.


    The blood of the creature was bathing the water in dark red color. Growing desperate from the loss of blood, the creature bit Aziel''s arm that he used to puncture its stomach and began to lock its jaw. Like a machine, the force vice-like snap placed unbearable pressure on his arm, causing a great deal of pain.


    *SNAP!* The muffled sound of bones breaking was carried away by the water.


    "AAAAAAAARGH!" Aziel screamed in pain, magnified by the liquid.


    The creature had snapped his forearm bone and tore through the flesh of his right arm completely, while simultaneously forcing his shoulder joint out of place.


    Aziel had let go of the creature after its desperate attempt at escape working. The creature kept thrashing with his forelimb swaying in its mouth, pulling it out from the socket and tearing it off completely.


    The immense pain of losing one arm made Aziel let go of the beast completely and back away. Despite needing to let go, he had already done a considerable amount of damage to it, the creature wasn''t going to live much longer after its hard-fought victory.


    Spitting out Aziel''s arm from its mouth, the creature was visibly enraged by his actions. Realizing it didn''t have much longer left to live, it rushed at Aziel who was still disoriented from the loss of his arm.


    Reaching him, the creature opened its jaws and bit towards his right side, clamping its jaws deep into his flesh. Aziel, gradually losing the clarity of his mind, was unable to respond to the creature''s attack, he was slowly losing more and more of his blood.


    He desperately began using his claws on his left hand to stab it into the side of the beast repeatedly for it to let him go.


    The creature gave in and released Aziel from its bite, but not before tearing off a chunk of his flesh in the process, making his organs visible from the outside.


    Now, both the creature and Aziel were on the clock, running out of time to finish this fight. Both of them were in critical condition.


    Even though Aziel''s [Essence Restitute] have shifted into maximum gear and was doing its best to continuously heal and restore his body, the rate of healing simply wasn''t fast enough to recover the many grave injuries in the timeframe needed. He also had to keep a sliver of energy stored away at all times, otherwise, he would end up in a similar or maybe even worse situation as when he was expelled from his previous world, Nova.


    Deciding to end the battle in one last charge, Aziel swallowed down all the pain and swam at the creature with full force. The creature seemed to have the same idea as him, it began to swim towards him with everything it got as well.


    *SWISH!*


    Both contenders cutting through the water approached each other at high speeds.


    *BOOM!*


    An underwater explosion rang out releasing huge ripples through the fluid medium.


    The creature had sunk its teeth deep into Aziel''s neck, his razor-sharp teeth deep within his gullet.


    Aziel on the other hand had sunk his claws into the creature''s lower jaw, piercing into its brain, killing it instantly.


    Realizing that he finally won the fight, he retracted his claws and pushed the huge carcass off of him, letting it float in the water while he reverted to his human form.


    After straining to stay transformed from the loss of blood and the critical damage he sustained in the battle, he struggled to keep himself conscious.


    He descended towards the creature''s corpse to absorb it and aid his body in his recovery.


    However, before he could even reach it, he felt something from behind. Turning around, he saw the same creature he had just fought with and almost died too.


    No, it wasn''t the same.


    This one was different, bigger in every way. Its sheer size was many times greater than what he just fought with, its skin looked thicker and its teeth were many times larger than anything he has seen before.


    "Was that thing I just fought with only a baby?" He exclaimed in fear.


    Aziel couldn''t react as the creature opened its massive jaws, biting him in half within seconds. The last thing on his mind was the realization that what he had almost died to wasn''t even fully grown; and if it would have been, he wouldn''t have stood a sliver of a chance against it.


    This information sunk deep within Aziel''s mind as he drifted into the darkness once more.

 Chapter 15 - Second Encounter

    Another week had gone by since Aziel''s battle in the bottom of the seabed and his gruesome discovery that he was still too weak compared to the true lords of this world.


    His inevitable defeat was driven deep into his mind, he carried it like a battle scar: a constant reminder to quell his rising arrogance.


    Still, unlike before when he met his first few deaths, he wasn''t filled with the same rage as before. Instead, he was calm to the point it would have been scary to bore witness to.


    Realizing his mistakes in losing himself with the newfound pleasure of unleashing his inner beast, Aziel finally shifted his mindset and has been cultivating. He was focused on trying to analyze all this newfound essence he had absorbed, alongside this energy he had named as [Aether].


    He has also been focusing on the hundreds of traits, abilities he had picked up he has absorbed up to this point and began fusing them all together, whilst expressing their dominant traits.


    Carried by his past life''s experiences, the process has been going smoothly most of the time, however, reaching the present the process has become harder and harder.


    Through the hundreds of traits, some that were smaller just didn''t mesh well with others and kept on resisting the fusion.


    The essences that he managed to fuse thus far became one with his body, further strengthening it in the process. He could feel his body growing in power, his cells strengthening even more than before, his skin hardened and his bones changed into a more dense material.


    On top of a lonesome rock sat Aziel in a lotus position. His eyes closed, his body was releasing steam into the area around him. His cultivation session that had taken his last week almost completely was about to come to an end.


    *EXHALE!*


    Aziel suddenly exhaled, discharging a large cloud of steam from his body. Opening his eyes and focusing his senses, he released an invisible pulse of energy into his surroundings. This ripple of [Aether], one of the new abilities he picked up after modifying a pretty simple skill [Mana Sense] from Nova rippled across the space around, gathering information from the miniature vibration in the atmosphere and proceeded to relay it back to its caster.


    He realized this ability after gaining a similar ability, echolocation from the underwater fish he had absorbed. After fusing it with some other traits with similar functionality from the various land dwellers, his body was now capable of generating these energy pulses, more accommodating to this new source instead of mana.


    In functionality it wasn''t too overly complicated, after a pulse bounced back, it relayed an image of his surroundings back to him, gradually drawing a map in his mind.


    Thankfully to his experience dealing with a similar ability that drew from his now non-existent pool of mana, Aziel had a fairly deep experience with the ability. He could ignore the slight increase in burden that it weighed on his mind.


    Retracting the pulse, Aziel then began working on a way to have his traits express themselves without his physical appearance changing. This was proving difficult as his body couldn''t achieve this without the aid of supernatural means.


    Closing his eyes he continued to focus on his essence, continuing to fuse as many traits as he could until he reached a dead end shortly after. All of his traits have been effectively fused, but he couldn''t express them in his current form properly without changing.


    *Sigh*


    "I suppose that is all I can do at my current level of strength¡­ Still seems to be missing something¡­"


    He lamented, feeling that whilst he did gain a considerable boost in terms of strength and power, something was still missing.


    He felt as if he was on the brink of achieving something monumental. He was on the brink of a major breakthrough, he was just missing that invisible push¡­


    Sitting up from the rock, Aziel jumped down from the top and faced against it. Looking at the rock he squatted down into a horse stance and reared his right arm back with a clenched fist.


    The sound of hissing could be heard as Aziel exhaled through his gritted teeth. He punched forward, his arm becoming a blur as it flew across the air.


    *BOOM!*


    As his hand came in contact with the rock, the shockwave released from his fist splintered it and sent the tiny sharp fragment flying back into the forest.


    "Hmm¡­ This has to do for now¡­ Let''s just hope it''s enough."


    With a stern look on his face, Aziel nodded at the sight before him before he turned around and began making his way back to the same lake he was killed at by that titanic monstrosity, taking his time to not lose his concentration as he walked.


    Half an hour later, Aziel was already in the water and he could be seen swimming to the bottom of the lake in his human form at immense speeds. To him, this speed was relatively moderate compared to what he was capable of in his demi-human form.


    Reaching the bottom of the lake, he didn''t see the creature that had killed him, he could only find the weaker lifeforms at its base. Aziel decided to attract the creature by killing a collection of these smaller animals, painting the sea red with their blood.


    Forming his claws, he attacked all the creatures he could find within his range, making sure to absorb all that he could to store the surplus energy and be just a bit more prepared for the hardest fight of his new life. Every bit of advantage further increased his chances of surpassing this gigantic hurdle.


    As time continued to pass the lake was turning into a deep shade of red from the number of creatures he was killing.


    Aziel decided to take a break and wait for the blood to attract the creature to his current position.


    Returning to a lotus position floating in the water, Aziel decided to begin fusing his newly gathered traits while waiting for the beast to appear.


    He didn''t need to wait for too long, not long after he began cultivating he suddenly sensed something massive entering his sensory zone.


    Flinging his eyes open to observe the newcomer, a small smile appeared across his face. Finally meeting his expectations, the creature that he was waiting for had decided to show itself!


    It headed towards his location attracted to the blood scattered in the water.


    Watching as the creature drew closer, Aziel stood up and without wasting a single moment, instantly transformed into his demi-human battle form. His body swelled up, doubling in size, his evolved traits began expressing themselves.


    Spotting its opponent as well, both sides began observing each other as they floated in the water, still several hundred meters away from each other.


    The massive aquatic predator growing more and more excited from the smell of blood floating around them, it couldn''t hold itself back any longer and rushed at Aziel in a drive. Opening its jaws, it tried to swallow him in whole.


    Despite its size being double that of a whale, the creature swam incredibly fast and covered the distance between it and Aziel in an instant.


    Aziel reacted by swimming out of the creature''s charge with moderate difficulty as the beast was massive and adding its speed, fighting it would pose to be a pain in the ass.


    Swimming to the right of the creature, Aziel extended his claws and rotated in the water, cutting into the side of it. This didn''t affect it much as the creature was way too massive causing the wound he inflicted to be a mere graze compared to its actual size.


    Ignoring Aziel''s attack the creature followed up with an assault of its own, swinging its tail into him at high speed as if it was immune to the resistance of water. Colliding with his body Aziel was flung back as he had nothing to brace himself on.


    Summoning his wings, he used them to resist the momentum against him, flinging him back.


    The force behind the hit sent him flying into the bottom of the lake imprinting him into the bedrock.


    Picking himself up, he began to grin.


    "Nice, this wouldn''t be fun otherwise¡­"


    As he muttered to himself, Aziel planted his feet into the lake''s bedrock and launched himself at the creature, resuming the trial for dominance once again.


    Cutting through the water, Aziel was like a modern-day missile as he charged in the direction of the beast


    Gritting his teeth from the water resistance against him, Aziel made his mouth into a beak to help him rip through the water, picking up speed as he advanced towards the creature. The massive beast observed his advance and noticed his rapid increment in speed.


    *SWISH!*


    The creature quickly evaded his attack and watched as Aziel shot past it. Retracting his beak, he spun around to charge at the creature once more.


    But before he could initiate his second charge, the beast was already en route, reaching directly in front of Aziel.


    Before he had any chance to react, -let alone evade-, it slammed its jaws shut on Aziel, swallowing him whole.


    However, before it had the chance to completely consume him and end the battle, Aziel clenched his fists and punched the roof of the creature''s mouth.


    This forced the creature''s mouth to swing open with tremendous force, allowing Aziel to escape its jaws and swim away from it.


    ''WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO THINK YOU CAN SWALLOW ME?!'' He screamed with rage inside his head.


    He was angered by the fact that the creature had almost swallowed him in that instant. He began to think, trying to come up with a plan so he could quickly defeat it in the most brutal manner possible.


    His body began to heat up once more, but upon realizing this, Aziel calmed himself to not lose his ability to think rationally in this fight.


    Right now he needed to be in his top form if he wants to survive this fight.


    Swimming in the direction of the creature, Aziel extended his claws and concentrated on making them stronger. This caused his body to react by enhancing them further, causing his claws to glint with an unnatural aura of sharpness.


    Arriving at his intended target, he swung his claws at the creature.


    The creature seeing this decided not to charge headfirst, as it could sense the danger radiating from Aziel''s claws. Instead, it decided to swing its tail back at him, aiming to knock him away.


    This did not work as Aziel sunk his claws into the creature''s tail causing it to shriek in pain.


    Taking this opportunity, Aziel used his claws to climb onto the creature''s back from the tail, stabbing his way forward with each step of the way.


    This placed the body of the creature in complete agony as his claws were constantly digging into its back.


    Trying to shake its pesky opponent off, the creature began thrashing around erratically in a frantic attempt to take him off of its back.


    Not letting go, Aziel held on and continued to stab the beast deep in its flesh.


    Driven reckless by the constant pain, the creature grew desperate and swam to a nearby underwater hill and slammed itself into it.


    Aziel was forced off from the collision and was now embedded deep into the wall of the hill the creature slammed into.


    "Argh¡­"


    He released a painful grunt that was enhanced by him being under the water. The collision had shaken him and forced him to let go of the creature''s back.


    No longer feeling its enemy on its back, the beast felt relieved. However, this relief was soon replaced by rage; the creature turned around and looked at Aziel. Seeing him implanted in the wall, pure hatred emanated from its sinister eyes.


    Aziel was still disoriented, he stood motionless as he was not prepared for the collision. The creature drew back and rammed into Aziel with a large force, further imprinting him into the hill.


    The creature''s charge had him with full force, due to the hill being stationary behind him.


    Trying to move to escape, the beast rammed itself into him a second time. The collision had broken several of Aziel''s ribs, causing him a great deal of pain in the process.


    The beast had rammed into him several more times before retreating to observe Aziel''s current condition.


    His body was almost completely broken, his ribs were shattered, his spine fractured and all the other bones in his body were greatly damaged.


    He was rendered immobile.


    Falling from his hole in the hill, Aziel''s body descended to the bottom of the lake.


    The creature wasn''t finished with him though, it backed up and rammed into Aziel for the final time with all of its strength, creating a second crater at the bottom of the hill.


    Aziel''s mind was in turmoil from the pain he was under. His body was utterly broken and he could not move at all. It was a miracle that he was still conscious at all, the assault he had just endured by the hands or the fins of the creature was brutal beyond anything he had experienced in even his previous life.


    The creature observed him, watching as Aziel''s body lifelessly rested on the ocean floor.


    Seeing this, the beast concluded that he was dead.


    He wasn''t that far off, Aziel was on the very edge of dying, he was barely conscious at this point, his body was screaming with pain.


    *THUMP!*


    Suddenly, the resonance of a heartbeat could be felt vibrating through the lake, growing stronger with each passing beat.


    *THUMP!!*


    The vibrations grew stronger as the heartbeat increased exponentially, beating with the rhythm of a drum.


    ...


    The source of these vibrations is pinpointed to the broken, battered, and bruised body laying on the lake''s floor.


    The rate of the heartbeat expanded out of control, Aziel''s body was beginning to pulse in response to this heartbeat. He began to emit a golden glow followed by intense heat as his body began to self-repair itself with uncanny efficiency.


    His shattered ribs reformed and all the bones in his body fused back together, reversing all the damage he had suffered. His body also gained a benefit from this experience as well.


    [Essence Restitute] once again growing stronger, more efficient, it shifted into a higher gear as it reformed, reconstructed Aziel once more, whilst also enhancing it based on all that suffering he had just gone through.


    The lights emanated from his body had attracted the attention of the creature to his recovery. Observing Aziel, the beast was confused as to what was happening.


    It had never experienced something like this before.


    Fully recovered, the light from his body faded. Aziel was completely healed, his mind was now clear, his body surged with a new realm of strength within him. Picking himself up from the lake floor, not fully understanding what had just transpired within his body.


    Aziel had no time to think further on the matter as the creature that almost caused yet another one of his deaths attacked him once again.


    Swinging its massive tail at his body as it did at the beginning of the fight, it was sure that a few slaps would put this pesky being in its place.


    Aziel who wasn''t paying attention didn''t react to the incoming attack.


    The creature slammed its massive tail into him, expecting to knock him back into the hill.


    Contrary to its belief, Aziel was still in the same spot as he was before, his body only slightly shifted from the impact.


    ''Huh?''


    Snapping out of his thoughts when he felt something hit his side, Aziel turned to see the tail of the creature. He remembered that he was in a battle of life and death to determine who was the strongest just a moment ago, he angrily punched the creature''s tail.


    *SHRIEK!*


    Aziel''s punch had blown a hole into the tail of the beast, causing immense pain to it. The punch was followed by a burst of water pressure, sending a shockwave through the seabed.


    Aziel didn''t know what to say or think about this change, he was perplexed by how his body grew suddenly so strong.


    "What is all this power? Why is it so¡­ different?"


    While he returned to his thoughts, the creature regained some of its composure and attacked Aziel once again.


    Sensing it approaching, he looked in its direction, noticing he no longer felt threatened by its existence, unlike a few moments ago when he was mercilessly crushed by it.


    As the creature approached him, it opened its jaws and clamped down on Aziel.


    This action caused the creature to wince even more, as its teeth shattered when it came into contact with Aziel''s new body.


    His upper torso was inside the mouth of the creature, unharmed, barely feeling anything from the attack as he already evolved past this creature.


    Seeing its struggle, Aziel decided to put the beast out of its misery, he clenched his fist and punched the creature''s upper jaw.


    This time, the punch badly blew the creature''s face completely off, killing it instantly.


    Not surprised by the slightest of how easily he ended the beast at this point, he silently absorbed its huge carcass into himself and fused its traits with the others.


    With the large carcass vanishing in the blink of an eye and fusing into him, Aziel turned towards the surface yet again.. His eyes carried an unnatural calm, unperturbed by the climactic fight he was just baptized with.

 Chapter 16 - Apocalypse (Bonus Chapter!)

    Several decades had passed since Aziel had defeated that aquatic monster and had become the strongest creature on the planet. By claiming both land, sea, and even the skies as his own domain, he now stood at the true zenith (AN: See what I did there?), the true pinnacle of this new world.


    Though he arrived at the top, he couldn''t find any creature with an ability that would help him find a chance, a way back towards his old world.


    He was stuck, with no path ahead for the current him. In his gloom, he gradually grew distant, apathetic to the events of the world. He had hunted all of the races, species he could find, yet he found nothing new, nothing that could push him towards his ultimate goal.


    With the lack of intelligent life living on the planet, he slowly lost his interest in the primordial lifestyle. The harshness of the wildlife no longer posing any challenge to its existence.


    He had tried many things to give himself a challenge. Swimming to the bottom of the ocean to adapt to the extreme pressure it held, jumping from the highest peaks he could find to increase his durability, he had even intentionally got himself struck by lightning from flying above the clouds during storms just to strengthen himself, in vain and ultimately hopeless attempt to unlock his still missing connection with the elements.


    All of this soon posed less and less of a challenge, until it got to the point that they no longer stimulated him any longer. Aziel was now deeply depressed about how everything had turned out.


    Crossing through some desert landscape Aziel was pacing towards no true destination, in particular, he was just a lone wanderer in a world filled with creatures of massive proportions. He was traveling the land to find a purpose in his existence.


    His decades-long journey had led him to many different landscapes holding many different species, but none managed to give Aziel a suitable challenge; he already stood at the pinnacle.


    He decided to spend the rest of his time exploring, familiarizing himself with the rest of the planet, and the environment as a whole.


    In his exploration, Aziel had come in contact with many oddities he had never observed before, most of which were extremely poisonous plants and giant bugs, sometimes the sizes that would have even dwarfed over his original reptilian form.


    Upon discovering these venomous plants, Aziel spent some effort in consuming them en masse, slowly, gradually building up his immunity to all known forms of it. After a while and countless attempts, he was now completely immune to any poisons that could be found in this prehistoric world.


    When Aziel had come across the giant bugs in his journey, he was shocked at first, but he soon grew curious from the hardened carapace they held on their bodies. Upon realizing how durable they were he decided to absorb a few of them to increase his body''s durability.


    In doing so, he eventually evolved his old bone armor, enhancing it with a much slicker and sturdier retractable onyx-colored exoskeleton that he could utilize whenever he needed.


    The new armor was several times stronger than the previous protection he formed automatically in his demi-human form. It would be formed from his skin hardening into an incredibly dense mixture of chitin and a bone-like layer of armor, shrouding and tightly fitting both his human and demi-human versions.


    When he gained this new ability, he was excited by what it could do, but he soon became greatly bothered by it, as the armor only made him more powerful than he was before. This would just further decrease his chances of finding something, anything that could challenge him.


    Aziel continued to walk the world in search of new stimuli to his existence. After several decades of boredom, he was slowly getting to the point where anything mildly interesting would suffice¡­ Hunger, happiness, sadness, even pain would be welcomed, as he grew numb with the relentless passage of time.


    He could now be seen above a volcanic biome, flying. He was growing tired of walking, so he decided that he would stretch his wings a bit, to explore the other parts of the land.


    "Hmmm, what''s that?"


    He was flying above a biome populated with large mountains and hills. At the biome''s epicenter, he spotted a peculiar-looking mountain that was much larger than the others surrounding it. The mountain was releasing an orange hue from its summit, attracting Aziel''s attention.


    Flying towards the mountain, Aziel landed on the side of its peak and looked over the edge.


    "HOT!"


    A gust of immensely hot air had burst out of the mountain as Aziel peered over the edge.


    "Huh, is this an active volcano?"


    Concluding that this mountain was a volcano at the center of this biome, he became curious once again. Feeling the heat from the volcano, an idea came to his mind.


    "Maybe this can finally give me what I want!"


    His eyes glowing with anticipation, Aziel once again looked over the edge of the volcano, observing the molten rock bubbling within its core. He was thinking about what he wanted to do, soon becoming hesitant the longer he looked down.


    Shaking his head to free it from these negative thoughts, Aziel spread his wings and flew directly above the volcano.


    "No, I can''t miss this chance!"


    Altering his trajectory, he folded his wings and dove straight into the entrance of the volcano. The immense heat began to sear his skin before his body even touched the surface of the boiling magma.


    Reaching deeper into the volcano, Aziel closed his eyes as he was approaching the molten lava.


    *BOOM!*


    A small explosion rang out as Aziel dove into the lava. His screams of pain could not be heard as the hot boiling molten rock began seeping into his mouth, filling his lungs and invading his body.


    The pain he was feeling was beyond excruciating, he couldn''t remain conscious for even a second as his body burned up, his mind forced into darkness. [Essence Restitute] shifting into activity yet again, reconstructing his body only to be melted again and again. Each time gaining increased resistance to the impossible environment.


    The years began to pile up, soon several centuries have passed, eventually even piling up to thousands of years. Deep within the soil of the now withered landscape, Aziel was in a state of advanced hibernation from the stunt he had pulled. His body needed time to set everything in place.


    "Urgh¡­"


    A groan could be heard coming from somewhere deep underground, seeping through the cracks of the surface. Aziel was slowly waking up from his millennial slumber.


    Opening his eyes, he couldn''t see anything, so he attempted to move.


    *CRACK!*


    *RUMBLE!*


    Synchronized with his movements, the sound of rocks breaking and tremors rang out. The sound of the tremors was enhanced greatly by his senses, causing Aziel to be tortured by immense pain.


    "Urgh¡­"


    He winced at the pain and stopped moving.


    "What was that?" - He questioned inside his head.


    Going for a second attempt at finding an escape from his current predicament, the ground began to shake in response. The sound of the tremors was again amplified due to his senses.


    Aziel was now stuck in a dilemma, every time he moved, the ground trembled in response which was then enhanced by his senses, causing him a great deal of pain.


    He sighed in this realization. Not wanting to spend the rest of his days encased wherever he currently was, he started to move, trying to ignore the pain coming from the tremors.


    Eventually, after some effort and a great deal of struggle, he had managed to shift into a crouched position. Once he got into the position, he was ready to try and attempt another escape from his entrapment.


    *BOOM!*


    An explosion rang out as Aziel launched himself from underground with a force comparable to a missile. The shockwave caused the soil to burst open violently, debris sent hurdling in all directions.


    Escaping his tomb, Aziel was now climbing to two thousand meters above the ground. Losing velocity his ascension came to a sudden stop and he began to fall back down to the earth.


    Escaping from his tomb, Aziel found himself flying high up in the air. Gradually losing his velocity, his ascension came to a halt, he began to float and to fall back down to the ground.


    *THUD!*


    Aziel landed with a heavy thud, sinking into the soil. The sounds are still being amplified by his senses.


    "What is going on?!" He exclaimed, holding his head, wincing in pain once again.


    Taking his feet from the ground and standing up, Aziel looked around.


    Observing the surroundings, he saw nothing but destruction, the once flush landscape was painted charcoal black, many of the trees were withered away.


    "What has happened here?"


    As he asked in confusion, his mind was flooded with memories of what he did and where he was.


    "Hmm¡­ Did my actions cause this perhaps?" He pondered, feeling no response but genuine curiosity.


    Aziel let this sink into the back of his mind as he began searching for any signs of life. However, despite his efforts, he found nothing for miles around the volcano.


    Sprouting his wings, he took to the skies to further his search for any signs of life. Still not coming across anything, he decided to pick up his speed.


    After some time had passed, Aziel felt as if he could go faster, he felt that his body was leagues above what it was before. Raising his wings, he directed his strength into them, flapping his wings as hard as he could.


    *SWOOSH!*


    Aziel shot forward with immense force, creating an air pocket as he flew above the trees. The shockwaves that followed pulled them straight from their roots.


    Two minutes had passed since he had been flying at a speed around Mach 5 when he finally spotted the first signs of life.


    He spotted a herd of massive long-necked dinosaurs, and he immediately flew towards them. As he landed in front of the animals, he had spooked them, causing one of the massive beasts to swing its tail at Aziel.


    This wasn''t a good idea.


    *CRACK!*


    An audible cracking sound rang out while the tail of the creature snapped upon it came in contact with Aziel''s body. The creature, shocked by the unexpected pain, began to wail from its tail is suddenly broken.


    "AAAAAAH!"


    Aziel felt a sharp searing pain in his head. His senses were so greatly enhanced that the wailing was amplified to be comparable to him being next to an airplane jet.


    "STOP! SHUT UP!"


    Aziel couldn''t handle the pain of his senses being overloaded, causing him to fall to the ground, the sound driving him insane every second that went by.


    He couldn''t take it anymore, he launched himself at the creature, knocking it over and quickly slamming his fist into its skull, killing it instantly, no pain, no suffering, just silence¡­


    Aziel immediately spread his wings and flew away from the location at his top speed. He was tired, tired of these creatures, and how their only purpose seems to be driving him to the brink of insanity.


    He flew himself into a mountain causing the entire range to tremor violently. He decided to seclude himself until he can adjust to his senses being enhanced to such an unbearable degree, closing his eyes he began to give his body time to adapt.


    Several days later, with a loud rumbling bluster, Aziel came out of his distress as the area began to quake.


    His instincts screamed at him of imminent danger, he immediately flew out of the mountain, causing it to collapse. What he saw when he exited the mountain had confused him. All the creatures were running, trying to escape from something.


    Aziel didn''t know what was wrong, but he knew something wasn''t right.


    All of a sudden he noticed that the daylight was getting brighter and the temperature was increasing dramatically.


    Aziel immediately looked up to try and find the cause; what he had seen shook his very being, his body froze, his mind became devoid of all thoughts. Fear was the only thing Aziel felt, not since he arrived in this world had he felt such an imminent death.


    What he had seen was a massive meteor spanning hundreds of miles across hurtling towards the ground.


    He wanted to move, he wanted to fly away, to escape but he couldn''t.


    *BOOM!*


    The meteor collided with the planet, causing a bone-chilling explosion, vaporizing all life within its range and melting away the rest.


    Once again, just having awoken from his millennial-long slumber, Aziel was once again, forced back into hibernation for several millions of years, as the strange new planet gradually recovered from the mass-extinction event¡­


    [End of Vol 01]

 Chapter 17 - A New Era

    Time neither waits nor revolves around any single soul. It always had and always will pace forward in the same steady rhythm. Never slowing down for any single being.


    After the cataclysmic event that scorched the Earth and purged 99% of the life from the surface as we know, the damaged planet needed a long deal of time to recover.


    Life almost completely vaporized, the fauna was the first to hesitantly start reclaiming its lost grounds after a couple hundred thousand years of solitude.


    Eventually, just as it started, life was once again restarted through the same cycle, yet this time, Mother Nature took a step in another direction.


    Putting an end to the Triassic Period, and how it was later most commonly referred to as the ''Mesozoic Era'' or the ''Age of Dinosaurs'', an entirely new realm of life took over the reins.


    Species of an entirely different kind both in nature, size, and behavior replaced the giant mythical reptilians; the age of mammals, or better referred to as the ''Cenozoic Era'' have arrived.


    When Aziel was crushed under the planet-sized space rock and was almost instantly vaporized, he was buried under miles and miles of minerals in the process.


    Buried deep underground, whilst his body went through countless incarnations, slowly using up all the stored energy it had accumulated throughout his reign as the Apex Entity, the True Overlord of this primitive realm.


    Unfortunately, or maybe quite the contrary, the humongous boulder made of unknown material and home of many microscopic organisms, over time had begun to slowly fuse together with the humanoid mangled flesh underneath it, piece by piece, atom by atom they slowly became one.


    [Essence Restitute] though it was capable of reconstructing its host, whilst also passively improving it based on the type of damage the biomass received, couldn''t work freely. It also required ''fuel'' as well.


    Eventually dropping below the same critical levels as it was during the time of their expulsion from Nova and arrival to this world, it slowly entered a long hibernated state, slowly amassing energy and gradually fusing the alien, otherworldly mass into the body.


    Countless millennia have passed since the cataclysmic event that wiped out nearly all life on Earth and pressed the reset button on all life on the planet. All dinosaurs have now gone extinct, smaller mammals taking their role in the new environment.


    The planet''s once-massive singular continent has broken up, scattered across the globe, each carrying different forms of life, some big, some small. The bigger animals ruled the land, trampling the weaker ones for their continued survival, to thrive in the world''s newly-formed habitat.


    This new world was relatively stable as each animal maintained its role. The environment continued to progress, and heal.


    This was about to change, as an apex predator from the age-old, prehistoric world had laid dormant for all those countless years, buried deep beneath the Earth in his near-eternal slumber.


    This entity will not stay dormant for much longer.


    No, it will soon rise and take back its rightful place as the absolute pinnacle of evolutionary life.


    ***


    In an unknown location of the new world, a forest flush with life and greenery could be observed. In the distance, a long-fanged tiger was fighting a life-or-death battle against a massive bear-like creature; they were both fighting for the corpse of some animal that was sprawled in its own blood down on the floor, cold and lifeless.


    Little did they know that an ancient, primordial entity was about to wake up.


    Deep underground, Aziel was twitching from time to time. Immense heat starting to be released from his body, the cracking sounds of joints rang out. Aziel''s body started to shake violently, causing tremors above the surface, despite his body being many miles below ground. The heat his body was generating was causing the rocks around him to melt away.


    All of a sudden it all stopped.


    The tremors, the shaking, the heat, all of it.


    Everything came to a sudden halt.


    Everything was shrouded in silence.


    Suddenly, Aziel''s eyes flung open with immense force. After countless years, he was now awake, his body had reset itself and ended its long cycle of hibernation. The massive boulder that once caused the cataclysm was now nowhere to be seen.


    He did not speak, nor did any visible emotion could be seen on his face. He merely shifted his position, raising his back, and sitting up straight.


    Yet, this seemingly simple action caused the tectonic plates above him to shift, generating massive tremors, earthquakes to disrupt the surface.


    The two fighting animals have long been gone since, scared of the sudden earthquakes their primitive minds can only register as a sort of danger they need to escape from.


    Aziel''s mind slowly woke up, flashes of visions, memories of his last moments slowly emerged in his mind. He recalled the meteor and how the collision forced his body into hibernation for countless years. His eyes gradually adjusting, he decided to get himself to the surface. Being so deep underground, encased in the rock wasn''t comfortable.


    Aziel positioned himself upwards and tried to limit his strength to not damage the environment like he did the last time he was caught in the same situation. Deciding to use around a fifth of his power, he launched himself with the force of a massive explosion.


    He burst through the crust, sending shockwaves throughout the zone, knocking over all trees within the radius.


    He had launched himself into the upper atmosphere of the planet. As he reached previously unattainable altitudes, he was appalled at how powerful he was. As his momentum came to a halt, Aziel was soon hurtling back towards the surface of the Earth.


    Within moments, Aziel collided with the ground causing a cloud of dust to form.


    After some time had passed and the dust cloud dissipated, Aziel was seen standing in the crater he created, observing himself. Feeling an immense boundless sensation locked inside, he couldn''t stop shaking as his body was filled with overflowing energy that felt like it could spiral out of control at any moment.


    At this moment, Aziel felt as if he could easily destroy the entire landscape if not more if he would let this energy go out of control. Not wanting to test this theory at the moment, as it could prove catastrophic, he placed the idea in the back of his mind for a later date.


    Examining his surroundings, he came to see a forest, but not the same forest as the one he was in before, this was much different. The flora wasn''t as harsh, as violent, as outlandish as it was before, it carried a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere within them. It was much more compact, the grandiose scale seems to have vanished throughout the course of time.


    Walking out of the crater, Aziel spread his wings and began to fly.


    "I need to find someplace where I can release this urge that''s welling up inside me¡­"


    For the following hour and a half, Aziel was flying across the continents at an unimaginable speed. In his eyes, the terrain was vastly different than it was before, smaller masses of land spread all around the previously endless deep blue. The once singular gigantic domain of the sea was now separated into several smaller sections.


    Eventually, Aziel came across a small island far away from any land, devoid of life. It was completely desolate with no signs of ever producing any. He decided that this island would be a good place to release his boiling urge, as his newfound immense power was becoming overwhelming.


    "This will work!"


    Landing on the small island, Aziel retracted his wings into his back and examined the zone to make sure it was clear. As he was growing restless, the urge in his body was growing stronger, the energy was continuously growing in its potency, turning more and more violent as time passed.


    Not being able to take it anymore, Aziel raised his hands above his head and tightened his fists. His fists radiating immense pressure. In the next instant, Aziel slammed them into the ground as hard as he could, not holding anything back.


    *BOOM!*


    An explosion many leagues above what he has ever produced was released.


    It spread rapidly, similar to that of a modern-day nuclear bomb, multiplying the damage immensely. The small island began to shake violently without stopping.


    That was not the end of it, as the island slowly began to sink into the water as if something was pulling it from the bottom. Aziel felt this and immediately summoned his wings and flew above to observe what he had done.


    "This felt amazing!" He exclaimed, with a satisfied grin sprawled across his face.


    He felt relieved as his body was no longer tingled with this sensation of immense power. It was now calm, allowing him to think clearly and observe the situation at hand.


    Remarkably amazed by what he can now do, Axzal became ecstatic as he could now be officially classified as one of the most powerful beings on this planet, even including those that have yet to appear.


    Remarkably amazed by what he could now do, Aziel felt satisfied. Through countless years have passed since his arrival, memories of his past life still clouded his mind. A question was slowly growing swelling inside, he couldn''t help but ponder.


    "I wonder... Am I close, or maybe even above compared to my previous self? It''s really hard to guess..."


    Aziel said with frowns wrinkling his forehead.


    Still, there was a swelling pride, happiness that slowly, but gradually stepped to the forefront of his mind.


    Turning around, he flew into the distance, not able to hold back the excitement for what the future holds for him and what benefits he could reap from the challenges that he will soon come to face.

 Chapter 18 - First Contact?

    Perched atop a cliff, that stood proudly above next to a boundless jungle that stretched all across the observable horizon, a dark humanoid figure sat, looking down at the realm below, looking around.


    "So much time had passed, yet I am still as clueless about this world as I was back then¡­" Aziel sighed, looking at the empty palm of his right hand. Lost in his thoughts, he was tormented by the mysterious energy, this unknown resource, this [Aether].


    Through the many years of his rule, over the prehistoric era, he did all he could to find more about this enigma. He hunted, tested, researched¡­


    Recently, since his emergence into this new, unknown changed world, he even tried cultivating, he secluded himself deep inside a mountain and spent years trying to harness it from deep inside.


    Yet, everything turned out to be a failure in the end. All he could show up for all that effort was that this [Aether], -like the Mana in Nova-, was present everywhere in this world.


    It was the true seed of life, no matter the life form it had it deep inside their bodies. It wasn''t anything tangible like the large variety of Core''s from the Beasts and Monsters on Nova, but more like an ethereal, abstruse mass, an incorporeal seed of some sorts¡­


    He wasn''t certain, Aziel had no proof to all of this. Everything was conjecture at this point, his conclusions after thousands of trials and errors through dissection, consumption, research¡­


    This, seed, this [Aether Core] as he was starting to call it by a lack of a better term, was also present in him. He wasn''t sure if he had it since birth, or it may have been the result of the many iterations of his constantly evolving existence¡­


    The only outcome that came from his first closed-door cultivation session, this meditation of introspection was only the confirmation of this central seed, this source of energy amassed in the very depths of his soul.


    Leaving his humble abode, the cave that served as his ''home'' for some time, Aziel wasn''t satisfied with the results.


    "Just what is this energy? Where does it come from? How can I tap into it, how could I properly utilize it?" He lamented.


    At first, Aziel thought it was somewhat similar to Mana, being an ethereal source of untapped elemental power that -with either through some organ, ability, or trait-, could be manipulated, and used similarly to its counterpart on Nova.


    Yet, unlike Mana, this [Aether] seemed to be vastly different. For once, it wasn''t related to any of the elements. It was much more connected to life itself, the vitality of every entity. From a basic overview, it seemed that the stronger, the mightier the creature was, the more reserves of [Aether] coursed etched in its veins.


    Through his battles with the three apex predators of the prehistoric era, the King of Land, Air, and the Oceans, he saw it close hand, how it provided them with superior strength, speed. He felt how it enhanced their defense, how resilient they had become compared to the other, similar creatures of its kind.


    Still, though it was indisputable that all three of these monstrous creatures were strong¡­ overly strong compared to their kin, they weren''t self-aware of this mystical resource they held, it remained untapped, not fully utilized¡­ driving forward their inevitable demise and loss during each of their clashes.


    Aziel also noticed how this power seemed to be closely related to the emotional state. That during highly stressful situations, or when his anger seemed to peak it gradually turned more and more apparent.


    How it passively enhanced his body, increasing his speed, his strength, lowered his reaction time, or simply made his body just a tad bit more resilient against the incoming blow.


    *Sigh¡­*


    "There is no point lament about it¡­ I guess I need more information, I should look around and see how the new life accommodated to this [Aether]."


    He sighed, slowly standing up and stretching his tired limbs. Gazing down and into the distance, he wondered.


    "Maybe this time around¡­ there would be some more.. sophisticated lifeforms¡­ maybe with some intelligence that goes beyond their primal urges¡­" He whispered, feeling the loneliness of his eternal cursed existence growing harder and harder to bear.


    Planting his feet into the rocky surface, he jumped into the air, floating in the air for a while, before the gravitational force eventually slowed his traverse and threw him down on the ground.


    His feet agilely touching the ground, he landed on one knee down on the ground. Yet, despite this display, the massive weight of his body caused the ground beneath his fate to crack and cave in, forming a small crater. A shockwave of force exploded from the impact, sending powerful ripples across the space, tearing apart the nearby tree line.


    Ignoring the destruction his action had caused, Aziel turned his attention towards a random direction.


    Some time later, Aziel could be seen crossing walking in a rocky landscape filled with trees. Wearing makeshift pants that he made from the fur of a creature that he killed a few days ago, Aziel was trying to look somewhat presentable. He was looking around to see if he could find any form of intelligent life.


    Continuing to walk for several miles nonstop as he didn''t need to rest, Aziel had come across many other beasts while he was exploring.


    Initially most had tried to attack him in an attempt to kill him, but they weren''t a threat in his eyes and were easily dispatched. They were nowhere near the strength and fierceness of the creatures of the old world he already dominated. Such feeble beasts were nothing before his eyes.


    Aziel had absorbed a few of the creatures he killed to see if he would gain any new traits that could benefit him in some way. The first creature he absorbed was somewhat similar to the tank-like creature from ages before, but without the protruding spikes and weapon-like tail. It was also much larger and was covered with a dark bronze-brown layer of fur.


    By absorbing this creature, Aziel gained fur patterns in his demi-human form along with the scales he had before. The creature did not give him any substantial increase in his strength or any of his base stats so he ignored the changes.


    The rest of the creatures he had absorbed didn''t give him any further changes, as he already had the more dominant traits of dinosaurs. The traits of these weak mammals couldn''t possibly compare to the ones he had already absorbed.


    Aziel quickly lost interest in the absorption of these creatures, as doing so would no longer benefit his growth. He continued to explore the world as it is now, trying to see what he could find.


    A few months passed with him doing nothing but exploring the new terrain. He was already growing tired of it, he was becoming lonely from the lack of any other forms of intelligent life.


    He now craved interactions that didn''t involve extreme violence. He didn''t want to admit it, but truth be told, he had missed both his family, as well as his servants from back home.


    He often found himself pondering about how his most trusted and loyal servant, Nira have been doing. Is she fine? Did she suffer the fate as she and his brother, Cahal did?


    He could only shake his head and move on, such question had no use, had no point. He may never find the answer to them, after all¡­


    The land was becoming colder as time passed by. The rocky terrain was gradually covered with snow and ice, most of the animals have begun searching for food to keep themselves from starving.


    Aziel was an exception, as he does not need to eat for an extended period, his body was capable of maintaining its functions without food due to the survival conditions of the past era.


    Eventually, Aziel finally found the very thing he was hoping for. Situated in the foot of a mountain, surrounded by trees, he found several caves, with some elaborate paintings adorning around the entrance.


    Sharpened sticks, reminiscent of some crude spikes were planted deep into the sturdy, frozen mound.


    Aziel couldn''t help but frown at this discovery, his nose smelled the very familiar penetrative stench of a race, that was the cause of all the grief and disaster in his old home.


    The stink of humans.


    Although they didn''t look anywhere near the pestilence that plagued the world of Nova and was more like a slightly more intelligent version of the apes he had met already, they already had that unmistakable smell.


    While they were bipedal, and barely had any fur, they still carried a tinge of their predecessor''s animalistic features¡­

 Chapter 19 - Plans (Bonus Chapter!)

    After coming across the first-ever semi-intelligent lifeforms that after his countless years of solitude, Aziel was growing rather conflicted about the situation. It wasn''t even about the fact that they were probably, a sort of predecessor of humanity, he has long since accepted that fact.


    He even realized the great potential he had in front of him. If this race, these strange bipedal mammals, that whilst showed signs of intelligence, were indeed the precursor to those that later would turn out to be the humanity he used to hate in his old life¡­ He could directly influence them, shape them, mold them to his liking!


    No, he was having problems about how he should go about approaching them. He was just as wary of them as they would be of him. After spending his endless life in complete and utter solitude, he had trouble with how to actually approach them.


    Not that he was actually that great at interacting with others in his previous life to be fair¡­


    ¡ª


    Aziel observed the primitive tribe from the shadows for the past several days; examining them and learning how they acted not just with each other but with their surroundings.


    He tried to find patterns in their behavior, see if they were truly capable of complex actions based on their thoughts and emotions and not merely just on acting out their instincts.


    Before anything, he wanted to make sure that his first targets, his first subjects for this prehistoric social experiment were indeed fit and feasible, he did not want to end up trying to interact with mere furless monkeys like some crazed madman.


    Also, he wanted to analyze them, so he could come up with a way of approaching them without the need for unnecessary conflict.


    From the very start, Aziel realized the very first hurdle, that he wasn''t sure how he should go about crossing. Their language, -if it could actually be called like that-, was nothing more than a grotesque mixture of howls, gurgles, and a wider variety of barbaric roars; sounds of various animals morphed to their liking.


    From what he had inspected, their exchange was on the level of hurling objects at each other, with the occasional howling as well.


    Still, before he could deem the entire venture as a failure and decide to move on to a different approach, a small smile began to slowly form at the edges of his lips.


    Regularly, at around dawn, but not later than early morning, the small tribe-like group left their caves, only to separate into two larger groups.


    The first group consisted of mostly the bulkier-looking males, and the rest, mostly females and their offspring.


    Then the first group picked up the sharp sticks they had used also as a sort of demarcation of their own, claimed ground, and ventured out to gather some fresh raw meat for the night.


    All the while, the group of weaker, less aggressive portion of the group seemed to focus on foraging for whatever they could find, mostly black bean-like one-seeded fruits.


    He watched their behavior for several days, making sure to analyze each group''s actions thoroughly.


    He was hiding behind an array of bushes at the edge of the tribe''s borders, just out of sight, lurking like a true predator. He kept his eyes on the movement patterns of these primitive creatures. After some time pondering about the various possibilities, he decided that the best would be to absorb one or a few more of them.


    Luckily, it wasn''t even that outlandish of a thought. During their hunts that they ventured out for every couple of days, it wasn''t that rare that one or two of the males never return.


    From what he had seen from only a few clumsy attempts they had made, they could end up either impaled by their prey, crushed beneath their heavy hooves, or could even fall prey themselves by a third party, another beast that was prowling of its own.


    The plan was simple, he could just take the place of one of these predators in their next hunt and grab one of the stray males!


    With the plan made in his mind, Aziel made sure to erase his presence as he stealthily stayed hidden in his wait.


    Early next day, with the first rays of the emerging sun, to his absolute luck a lonesome figure, -probably an early scout-, approached in the direction Aziel was laying in wait.


    As the hunter got a little too close to Aziel''s location, he got into a perfect position for him to pounce. Not willing to let such an unexpected opportunity escape his grasp, Aziel decisively lunged at the caveman and covered his mouth to keep it from making any noise to alert his brethren.


    Using his other, free left hand he shushed at the stunned and frightened humanoid, signaling him to be silent. Unfortunately, the native creature either didn''t understand or just couldn''t swallow his growing fear.


    He kept fidgeting, trying to break free from the forced hold.


    ''I really hope, you are not what you seem to be¡­''


    Immediately after he caught the primitive humanoid, Aziel morphed his hands into claws and swiftly slit its throat. Before the body could slump to the ground, Aziel absorbed it and¡­ instantly felt the surge of changes.


    From the absorption, first came a new influx of memories. A rather uncomfortable process, that while it was the most hated part, it also proved that the creature was truly intelligent.


    The images, although weren''t overly long or complicated, it showed the creature''s life, living as a cave dweller, greatly detailing every moment of the seemingly roughly two decades of existence right up to the point of its recent demise. He also gained an understanding of their means of communication, finding it rather disappointing to find out that it wasn''t that much more than what it seemed.


    They were barely more than those playful, mischievous monkeys he had found in abundance in the warmer biomes.


    Still, he at least found a way to reach out to these creatures, if nothing else, it would serve as some sort of entertainment¡­ He really craved some social or semi-social interaction.


    Finishing processing its memories, Aziel felt that he was finally ready to try and approach the tribe. He was tired of the endless solitude, the eternal loneliness he was cursed with.


    Wearing his animal skin clothing, Aziel took a chest-full of air to calm his nervousness. He was feeling weirdly nervous, feeling nothing like his usual self.


    Taking a few extra minutes, he finally began walking towards the tribe of neanderthals in anticipation of what he could discover.


    Maybe he could potentially form a sense of kinship with them.. Something in the back of his mind told Aziel that this couldn''t happen.

 Chapter 20 - Communication

    Albeit he wasn''t placing too much hope after all the scouting he had done, Aziel still decided to approach the tribe''s grounds.


    Taking a deep breath, he suddenly stepped out of the nearby undergrowth, emerging in front of the group of bipedal creatures.


    Yet, before he could even utter a word, the first thing he was greeted with was the sharp end of the wooden stick pointed at his chest.


    A rather rough-looking male, with several claw marks adorning his body, blocked his path. It hollered at him, that was his means of expressing his will to scare the strange invader away.


    Frowning at the rather brutish, rather offensive gesture, Aziel didn''t respond at first, though his gaze gradually shifted from a frown into that of rising anger.


    Noticing the commotion at their territory, another of these cavemen soon came up to block Aziel and point the sharpened edge of his spear at him alongside with a menacing gaze.


    His instincts flaring up, it took Aziel a great deal of presence not to kill and absorb both of them instantly.


    Doing his absolute best, he gritted his teeth, swallowed a gulp of saliva and suppressed his urge to kill, and instead decided to raise both of his hands in the air, to show that he meant no harm. That he approached them with peaceful means.


    Thinking back to the memories of the hunter he absorbed just before, he swallowed the utter shame that began to rise in his heart and opened his mouth to speak in their sort of dialect.


    Slowly lowering his right hand, he pointed at his chest, whilst forming an oval shape with his mouth, and began to roar a series of animalistic sounds.


    He was basically trying to convey to them that he was harmless, and was without a tribe of his own.


    Looking at the outsider, the two males acting as guards were growing confused. Their primitive minds weren''t capable of understanding such complex thoughts.


    For several minutes, they stared at Aziel whilst a series of emotions played through their haze-covered gazes. Not coming to any conclusion even after such a long and rather awkward silence, Aziel was quickly losing his patience.


    His eyes were flickering with all the suppressed annoyance and anger, his hands were slowly balled up into tightly held fists.


    As the minutes passed, the event began to draw more and more attention from the surrounding tribesmen and women.


    A third male walking up joined in on the commotion and like his two brethren, proceeded to aim his weapon at Aziel. His cold, menacing gaze, carried nothing but hostility as he gazed at his rather unique-looking figure.


    He grunted something that was barely comprehensive, yet its meaning was still rather clear.


    He wanted to know where did HE come from, and what did he want with them. Though they seemed to at least understand that he wasn''t your average beast, they didn''t really amount it to too much.


    The trio of cavemen kept on observing the standing and silent Aziel. As there was no reaction, no response to their ''questioning'', their anger-mixed-anxiety grew more and more. They all pushed on the pointed spearhead closer to Aziel''s neck, trying to either scare him away or if lucky, hunt this exotic predator down.


    This action made Aziel''s instincts flare up violently. In response, his arms suddenly flashed, reaching out he grabbed two of the three, pointed weapons in the next moment.


    "That''s it. I''ll do this the other way then I guess." He grunted, muttering under his breath, pulling on both grabbed spears, tearing it out from its wielder''s grasps in the next moment. At the same time, he raised his chin and as an attempt in using it as a sort of makeshift hammer, he used some force to nod and crushed the tip upon impact.


    His sudden reaction by disarming the trio entirely scared the primitive Neanderthals. With widened, frightful eyes, they all jumped, backing away from the strange, unknown opponent.


    Snapping both his hands that each held one of their weapons, both wooden spears splintered away to smaller pieces; he throw the remains down on the ground around him.


    A hungry glint flashed across his squinted gaze as Aziel slowly walked forward, approaching the shocked and frightened trio with each step.


    Meanwhile, all the noise have alerted the rest of the camp, violent roars, and howls replaced the previous tranquility. The women and children rushed to the protective depths of their caves, leaving only the males of the group to gather up and approach the unknown predator.


    Looking at them from the corner of his eyes, Aziel''s anger only rose higher. These barbaric¡­ primordial¡­ primates were looking at him as if he was a mindless beast, something less than them?!


    They were looking down at him? How dare they!


    Aziel''s rage flared up, he could no longer hold himself back. His experiences from his past life, the horrors of their religious zealots and holy knights scorching, raiding their territories their cities, killing and abusing their people¡­ Those cold, emotionless eyes were suddenly the only thing Aziel could see once again.


    Scarlet Red replaced all the colors of the world as the bloodlust, crazed wrath overtook all of his senses, causing Aziel to unleash his bestial side once more.


    His body swelled as his body fully transformed, shifting into his full-sized demi-human dermal armored battle form. A large more than a meter-long thick tail sprung out from his back kicking off a sizable cloud of dust as it fell down to the ground.


    His facial expression twisted, contorted into that of a crazed madman, Aziel roared at the sky before he lounged himself forward, swiping his terrifying claws at the trio of terrified guards.


    All of the tribe members hurriedly rushed and picked up their weapons and surrounded Aziel. They all had an angry yet worried look on their faces as they gazed at a beast they have never seen before.


    Seeing how easily this towering, musclebound giant killed one of their own left a lasting impression on them.


    Standing above the now mutilated corpses of the three male hunters, drenched in their blood and some bits of their gore, Aziel stood still, heaving heavily, causing his chest to lift up and down as he tried his best to calm down.


    He really didn''t want to kill off the only form of intelligent life he has come in contact with after countless years of solitude.


    Taking a sigh, and collecting himself, he slowly transformed back into his normal shape. Sighing, he once again lifted his arms and tried his best to look honest and apologetic.


    Howling and roaring, Aziel proposed to the group of humanoids once more his intentions. Though this time, trying to convey that he didn''t come to cause harm, but wanted to be peaceful, looked pretty questionable¡­


    In response to his words, none of them lowered their weapons and kept on pointing it at the neck-line of Aziel, despite his proposal. Though at the very least none of them pushed forward, but remained in their place.


    ''Some progress¡­ I guess?''


    Strangely, after his show of carnage, these creatures seemed to slightly respect or if nothing else, fear a bit more of him. Their aggressive, violent nature didn''t act up, none of them attacked Aziel this time around.


    Eventually, one of the individuals holding his spear, took a hesitant step forward, looking at Aziel as if he wanted to speak.


    Holding his weapon aimed at Aziel with his right hand, the man opened his left palm and hit the center of his chest while howling something that felt less aggressive than before.


    Listening and inspecting his actions, whilst also comparing them to the memories he had gained from before, Aziel could roughly translate it in his mind.


    ''Me¡­ Important?'' Aziel muttered inwardly, deciphering as best he could. It wasn''t as if there was any definite reference he could relate to, he was mostly going by instinct. ''You¡­ big? No¡­ bad? Why¡­ come? What¡­ want?'' He sighed as he slowly translated the greeting or maybe warning message. ''What was I actually hoping? These are barely more than the beasts¡­ Still¡­ it''s better than being alone¡­''


    As the man finished ''speaking'', Aziel nodded, slouched his shoulders to not look so guarded, and slowly reached to his own chest. With his right hand, he gently placed it on top, and whilst uttering a similar cacophony of howls and beast-like imitations of roars, he replied.


    ''Me¡­ strong¡­ I¡­ you¡­ hunt?'' He muttered mentally, hoping that his message went across.


    When Aziel said this, the individual backed away and went to the rest of the tribe. It sounded as if they were discussing the agreement on whether they would let Aziel into the tribe to help them hunt.


    Eventually, the discussion came to an end, and the same individual came back.


    His eyes, though still carried some hostility, it were much calmer than before. Also, he no longer held onto his spear as he returned.


    Stepping forward, he looked at Aziel from top to bottom, before resuming his shouting session whilst pointing towards the trees.


    ''You¡­ go¡­ Hunt¡­ Bring¡­ Food?'' Aziel translated in his head. ''Do they want me to prove myself that I''m capable of aiding them? Or are they hoping to merely use me as a tool? Hmm¡­ Interesting¡­ Guess I''ll bite for now, and see where this all goes.''


    Nodding his head in agreement, Aziel turned around and was about to walk outside of the tribe''s borders.


    However, after only taking a step, he stopped in his tracks and turned back at the frontal speaker primate. Trying his best to look friendly, he smiled, that was barely more than the menacing, vicious grin of a hungry predator, and pointed at the small mound of the blood-covered, gutted trio of dead cavemen lying at his feet.


    ''Do¡­ you¡­ need them?''

 Chapter 21 - Unexpected Revelation

    Looking at their gazes full of confusion and even a mixture of the still not completely settled anger. Aziel chuckled, waving his hand away.


    ''Nevermind... I guess... I''ll serve myself...'' He thought, stepping over the pile of corpses and reaching over with his hand.


    In the next moment, adding further to the shock, confusion, and even the fear to these primitives, the dead bodies of their brethren have begun to wobble unnaturally, only to liquify a couple of moments later.


    From the three separate deceased neanderthals, a single dark, viscous fluid could be seen floating slightly above the ground. Taking the easiest shape it could, it formed itself into the form of a ball as it did so.


    In the next moment, the little ball of vital fluid slowly levitated towards Aziel''s body fusing and merging with him as it made contact.


    ''Argh... I hate this part...'' Aziel''s eyes snapped wide open, the memories of three individuals assaulted his mind, showing their short-lived adventures in the form of quick, flashing images and visions one after another.


    Like the lonesome hunter, they too lived a rather basic lifestyle, Aziel couldn''t help but frown with growing displeasure and disappointment visible in his face.


    ''It might have been too early for me to try making contact. I''m bored but not to this point... It would be easier to teach those big wild felines to do some tricks than to be able to live with these... well, whatever they are.'' He sighed inwardly, feeling himself less and less motivated to continue with his initial plan.


    At the same time, some minuscule changes were starting to form inside his body after the fourth consecutive assimilation of these species. Whilst they did not have any visibly dominant traits, their mind, their logical thinking was a step above the beasts.


    Deep inside, at the center of his very soul, where alongside his unique trait, the driving factor to his eternal existence the [Essence Restitute] was residing in the form of a bright colorless orb floating in an endless dark void, -now with another, a smaller orb with a faint golden hue joining it-, small changes were taking place.


    Surrounding the two small twin starlets, several smaller orbs were orbiting them. Closing his eyes Aziel sighed, ignoring the perplexed looking primate crowd; not that they could truly hurt him with their little sharpened sticks.


    Feeling the tingling sensation rising deep inside him, he closed his eyes and with a heaved sigh he slowly descended into his own subconscious.


    A moment later, somewhere in the core of his existence, where the once spark-like sharding fused with this world''s primordial energy, Aziel could sense a new grand change forming from the seemingly empty void.


    A white tear sliced across the darkness, growing, increasing both in height and width in every passing instant. From within the rift, a strange mixture of ethereal essence flowed in, to Aziel''s surprise, multi-colored with half of it golden and the other being the same milky-white like the rift itself.


    ''How in the world?!'' Aziel muttered, utterly shocked by the revelation, continuing to silently spectate the events.


    Soon, after its grand entrance, the mixture of essences have begun to part away. The golden essence, just like Aziel had suspected departed from its host of white, traversing across the empty void, and fusing into the golden starlet at the very center.


    At the same time, the white essence, after losing half of its substance slowly reformed into the shape of a tiny seed, soon joining the fray and orbiting around the twin stars driving everything at the center.


    ''I don''t understand...'' Aziel muttered, not sure what to make of the revelation.


    ''The Aether in these primitive creatures are so vast. Could that be the reason for their evolution?'' He pondered for a bit before sighing and shaking his head. ''If this is the case then...'' At the exceptionally cruel, vicious idea, Aziel shook his head. ''No, that wouldn''t achieve anything... I need to watch them grow, monitoring their progress as continue to evolve.''


    He muttered, turning his head towards the central golden star, radiating an immense heat in the coldness of space. ''Just what is this energy... it''s so different... so much more powerful...'' He muttered, vanishing from his inner world in the next instant and returning to reality in the next second.


    His attention returning to the outside world, he was met with the shocked, terrified gazes of these primitives. Their figures shaking, they were all slowly backing away, all looking utterly aghast. The cold, frozen expression of utter terror, they all looked as if they saw something they just couldn''t comprehend, couldn''t understand.


    ''What?'' Aziel looked bewildered, confused at what could have happened. In the next moment, however, as he took a look at himself he understood.


    Since his attention wasn''t here, he couldn''t control the changes in his body after the new assimilation. The white essence being the newest form were slowly fused into his current mass, altering his appearance ever so slightly.


    His body shifting, fusing with the now quartet of absorbed cavemen, has begun to slowly alternate itself visually as well. His towering height slowly decreased, his compact form was somewhere around 6 feet, maybe just a bit above. (AN: Around 185 centimeters). Five distinct fingers on both of his hands and feet, with a small nail-like hardened skin tissue emerging at its top.


    His claws, whilst still present, would no longer tear through the tip of his fingers, but instead would seamlessly grow out from these nail-like skin cells. Short, messy, and disheveled-looking hair appeared at the top of his head, looking somewhat similar to the primitive apes, just much shorter, and less dirt-stained.


    Luckily, however, the disgusting thin, sparse fur-like hair that covered their bodies, -mostly their upper torso, shoulder, and most of their backs-, did not appear.


    He no longer looked like a giant, bipedal lizardman, but as if he was the unholy offspring of his old self and one of these creatures.


    Aziel couldn''t help but frown as he inspected himself.


    ''I need to work on this... This looks utterly disgusting.'' He frowned, turning his attention back to the group of these men, only to see that their initial encirclement was now much wider, with each of them once again tightly holding onto their weapons.


    Their gazes were filled with disgust and fear, as they looked at Aziel. Utter disdain, and contempt visible in their eyes, Aziel had to swallow several mouthfuls to calm himself down.


    Sighing for the umpteenth time since their interaction, he looked at the front-standing hunter.


    He looked at him with a questioning gaze, before asking....

 Chapter 22 - The Tribe

    He looked at him with a questioning gaze, before asking the man whom he believed either to be the tribe''s leader or at the very least some respected individual.


    Using the wide, over-expressive gestures he now learned from the procession of all the memories of the deceased men, Aziel began to howl, roar, sniff, and overall mimic the various beast''s sounds, conveying a very simple question.


    ''I¡­ bring prey¡­ you all¡­ accept¡­ me?"


    He sighed after feeling he conveyed what he wanted, growing exhausted from all the awkward-looking forms of communication.


    Whilst the leader rudely turned around to ''discuss'' the offer from the fearsome monster that came to them, Aziel instead took a closer, scrutinizing look at him.


    Initially, Aziel wasn''t sure about where to put his age, though this particular caveman did seem slightly rougher, more covered with bruises compared to the rest of its kin.


    ''Perhaps he is more experienced, surviving more encounters than the others? Does that make him the leader in the eyes of the others perhaps?'' He pondered inwardly, showing nothing but an apologetic smile on the outside.


    For the third time since his approach, Aziel found himself with his hands raised in the air, showing the same surrendering motion as before.


    Once again, he found himself questioning himself, growing less and less certain that all this effort, would truly be worth it.


    Eventually, what felt like an eternity, the leader figure turned around and took a step towards Aziel. He raised his right hand, clenched his hand into a fist, and began to violently beat his own chest whilst hollering akin to a monkey.


    Though this reaction seemed rather aggressive, Aziel understood what it meant. It was a way of them agreeing to his offer, effectively saying that if he really can bring back food for the entire tribe, they would allow him to stay in their ''territory''.


    Nodding his head in agreement, Aziel walked outside of the tribe''s borders and vanished into the forest. He was moving at dozens of miles an hour through the shrubbery, nimbly avoiding any obstacle he came across.


    Quickly scanning the terrain, Aziel was looking for a decently sized animal, preferably some herbivore mammal that he could bring back to the tribe, so they would accept him.


    Only a few minutes after his departure, he spotted a suitable offering; he saw a large deer-like creature twice the size of that of its modern-day counterpart, eating grass in a field.


    Running up behind the creature, Aziel immediately broke the deer''s neck without any resistance from the animal whatsoever. Picking it up, he swiftly began making his way back to the tribe carrying the dear over his shoulder.


    The sun started to recede by the time he made it back to the tribe''s grounds. When he entered, he walked to its center and dropped the dead carcass of the dear onto the soil in front of the tribe''s people.


    Noticed by a new pair of hunters standing guard, they quickly bolted to the back of the tribe''s caverns, alerting everyone in the process. Meanwhile, Aziel''s wide large strides pranced into the main, central section of their grounds, to the front of the caves, and threw the large carcass on the ground.


    "Hunt¡­ done¡­ Food here¡­" He exclaimed, slowly growing out of the awkwardness of this manner of ''speech''.


    The people of the tribe gathered around the corpse of the deer and were amazed by its sheer size.


    Some pointed with a wondrous gaze at the humongous body, full of delicious meat and usable skin, unable to believe their own eyes. They cried in shock, trying to make sense of what offer was placed in front of them.


    Aziel did not respond to them but searched the depth of the caves for the figure he had talked with before.


    Seeing no visible response or a sign of his acceptance into their folk, he frowned, before hollering with a slightly annoyed tone into the darkness.


    His intent, whilst it wasn''t verbal, was easy to decipher: "Is this enough? Or do you want more?"


    Eventually, the man who gave the request to him previously woke from his daze and emerged from the cave. Looking shocked by the sight of the felled beast he hurriedly nodded his head.


    Finally! He was accepted into their folk! He could linger amongst them, join in their excursions, learn more about their behavior¡­


    Hopefully, he could find some answers to the questions about the nature of this world that has been tormenting him.


    Aziel contently nodded back in response began walking away. The individual seeing this, ran after him in a hurry.


    "Wait! What about your share of the hunt?"


    Grabbing his shoulder, he looked at him with confusion. He pointed at the carcass behind him, hollering like a wailing beast, asking why wouldn''t he go take his share of the meat.


    Aziel shook his head, not wishing to partake in the meal. Instead, he raised a question of his own.


    "Home¡­ Me¡­" He howled, asking which cave of the few these people had made their own could he use as his own.


    ¡­


    With the arrival of the next morning, Aziel could be seen sitting in a lotus position on a makeshift bed made out of animal skin out in the open, just before the caves. His question was unfortunately met with denial, they didn''t want him to join any of caves where the rest of the tribe stayed, only allowing him to sleep outside.


    Though this left a bad aftertaste, Aziel wasn''t too bothered by it. For him, this was already quite luxurious, he had spent most of his nights either hunting or resting just like this, out in the open.


    He was up all night, meditating since he did not require constant rest to be able to function. A session of mediation was just as, if not more effective.


    Aziel was trying to find a way to finally found a way to actively fuse the [Aether] he had accumulated so far, and merge it with his body. He was hoping that by doing so, he would truly step into the supernatural, and get a step closer to his goal of reclaiming everything he had lost.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t make much progress, the large mess of countless smaller essences orbiting the central section were turning out to be a blockage of themselves. To break through from his current stagnation, and evolve further, Aziel needed to first clean up the mess he had made before.


    Sensing something approaching his tent, Aziel opened his eyes to see who was approaching him, entering his tent was the same man from yesterday.


    Sensing someone approaching from the caves behind him, Aziel''s eyes snapped open, he heaved a long sigh. Turning to look at the figure approaching, he nodded to greet him.


    He gave the man a questioning gaze, silently asking the nature of coming directly to him. From the troubled look in his eyes, it was clear he wanted something.


    "We¡­ hunt¡­ you join!" The leader hollered, pointing at the trees.


    *SIGH¡­*


    Aziel sighed in response, standing up from his meditative position. Silently nodding, he followed the man to the border of the tribe. After a few moments of walking, they came to meet a group of tribesmen holding the same wooden sharpened spears that they tried using against him just yesterday.


    Reaching the group, Aziel noticed that they were glaring at him with a mixture of malice and fear in their eyes. This confused him greatly, though he decided to speak against it.


    "This¡­ hunting team!" The man proclaimed, pointing to himself with a slight smirk as he continued. "Me¡­ best¡­ Me lead¡­ You listen!"


    The man, effectively announcing himself as the leader, then began telling Aziel about their plan for the day.


    As he gazed across the hateful gazes of the crowd, he eventually spotted the only female in the group. Finding it peculiar how or on what purpose did such a creature with an ill-fit body joined, he couldn''t help but ask.


    "Who¡­ she?"


    Pointing at the female, Aziel asked the leader. Seeing who he was pointing at, the man shook his head, showing slight anger in his tone for the first time today.


    "She¡­ join¡­ Mate die¡­ you kill¡­ you eat¡­"


    As the leader announced her, the woman gave Aziel a look of pure hatred. Deciding to ignore this and not be too bothered by it, he looked back at the leader figure.


    Understanding what he wanted, the leader hurriedly exclaimed.


    "We go¡­ Hunt! We brave¡­ we strong! Ugh''va¡­" He exclaimed pointing at Aziel."¡­with us!"

 Chapter 23 - First Hunt (Bonus Chapter!)

    ''Ugh''va? What in gods'' name is¡­'' He mumbled suddenly recalling the memories of the absorbed. He frowned slightly upon realizing the derogatory underlying meaning¡­ not too excited to be called something that vaguely meant ''Monster''.


    Sticking close together, nervously crouching through the forest shrubbery, the prehistoric hunting group was heading towards their hunting grounds.


    Well¡­ apart from Aziel, who unlike them, was walking with nonchalance behind the group. Yet, despite his casual outlook, each of his steps was silent, his scent much less obvious compared to this pigsty of foul-smelling humanoids.


    Unlike the others, Aziel did not receive any weapon, even though he was offered one, he refused to carry it. After all, it wouldn''t serve him any purpose at all, and would instead be a hindrance if anything.


    The leader couldn''t help but shake his head, thinking about how idiotic it was to go out to hunt without any tool to rely on.


    He was constantly confused by Aziel''s actions. The longer he was around him, the more perplexing, more strange each and everything he seemed. However, shaking his head, he decided to focus on the hunt for the time being, as it was more important.


    Reaching the hunting grounds which was a clearing located north of the tribe, Aziel signaled the group to stay low and follow after his lead.


    Finding it amusing, Aziel decided to join in on the fun and crouched down, following the "Wizened Leader''s" orders, mimicking the rest of the group.


    As they got closer to the clearing, the leader raised his hand, signaling the group to cease their movement. The reason for this was that he spotted out in the clearing they have grown used to, a lonesome deer, similar to those oversized, giant ones that Aziel killed and brought back.


    He signaled the group to move to their specific locations. A few scurrying to the left side of the deer, another some taking its right, whilst the leader took to the back and motioned Aziel to take to the front, blocking the path of the beast''s escape if necessary.


    As for the only female in the group, that besides looking hateful and hurt did nothing along the journey was ordered to stay put and simply follow the leader. For today she should learn and gather experience for the next day. Also, for today mainly because of the female, the two would be the distraction.


    The few that weren''t assigned to any of the roles then formed a larger circle around them, acting as scouts and guards in case another predator would decide to join. Their role was the worst, effectively serving as baits to die so that the rest could escape and survive¡­


    Once everyone took to their positions, the leader signaled the group to commence the attack. He, followed after by the female jumped out from the cover of the bushed and began to loudly howl, and sneer at the beast. Their weapon raised, he quickly hurled his spear towards the beast.


    Following their leader''s initiating attack, the two groups on the side both jumped out from their covers, throwing their respective sticks as well. At the same time, two figures from each side charged ahead, ready to impale the creature and hope to put a swift end to their surprise ambush.


    Before the shocked animal could react, the charging cavemen from the left managed to hit it and pierce its side, albeit not too deeply. This caused to deer to finally react, and enter into a state of frenzied panic, deciding the best course of action and directly turning to charge at the still approaching man from the right.


    His head lowered his antlers were like much more fearsome spears of their own. The charging man, expecting the beast to charge towards Aziel, was caught off guard. He couldn''t evade the creature''s sudden charge and was thrown back into a tree on impact, putting him out of the fight instantly.


    Within only moments into the battle, one of their group''s members was already badly injured from just the creature''s first response.


    This blunder, this shameful display wasn''t missed by the leader standing at the back. Growing angered, he suddenly reached for the spear in the female''s hand standing beside him and aimed at the deer''s side. Since the beast decide to turn to the side, whilst it also put out one of theirs from the fight, it also created an opening to be abused as well.


    Taking a moment to make sure his target was on point, he threw the weapon towards the creature. Not wanting to give any breathing room to the deer, the left side joined in, throwing their last spear as well.


    Both spears hit the target, the leader''s plunging deep into the creature''s flesh, whilst the other one proceeded the hit the animal''s front leg.


    *SHRIEK!*


    The creature shrieked in pain from the loss of blood filling its lungs and slowly drowning it from the inside. It became frantic, and once again abruptly turned sideways, this time charging in the leader and female''s direction.


    Being much more experienced and surviving several similar hunts, the leader didn''t freeze, unlike the woman, and jumped to the side to avoid being impaled by the creature''s charge.


    However, as soon as he landed in the shrubbery he realized he made a fatal mistake. He remembered that the female was still standing, most likely frozen on the spot due to the overwhelming fear.


    Looking back, he saw that indeed just like he thought, the woman hasn''t made any move and that the deer was rapidly closing the distance between them. His antlers were armed and raised ready to pierce through her flesh. He immediately tried to run back and push her out of the way, knowing that she wasn''t familiar with this kind of situation.


    Unfortunately, he also realized that there was absolutely no chance of him making it in time and saving her. The woman could only raise her arms in defense, protecting herself through pure instinct.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the field Aziel, who was somehow put to the sidelines watched as everything unfolded before him. Though he found their barbaric, primitive approach rather amusing, he decided to intervene and hope that by this, he would finally gain the full acceptance of them.


    Using his immense speed, Aziel flickered from his previous location, his body blurring as it suddenly vanished from leaning against the tree he had used.


    The woman, who had her arms raised was frozen. Her eyes tightly shut, she was already expecting the inevitable moment as the almighty Nature would take her to its embrace.


    Yet, as the instant passed, with another full second following after it, she felt no pain, her mind remained clear. The leader who meanwhile arrived at the spot was left standing with his mouth agape.


    What they saw was Aziel, he was holding the antlers of the deer and forcing it to remain in place. Behind the beast, the rest of the hunters have soon arrived, all looking bewildered at the miraculous scene in front of them. The same attack that threw one of them against a tree with a force that knocked the air out and caused it to fall to the ground, was stopped in its tracks.


    Looking over his shoulder, Aziel checked if the shivering woman didn''t suffer any physical trauma. Seeing that both the female and the leader were unharmed, he switched his gaze back to the deer that was still struggling, desperately trying to free itself from Aziel''s grip.


    ''Hmm¡­ What should I do with you¡­''


    Aziel leaned back and swung the deer into the air before slamming back violently onto the floor. This single attack incapacitated the animal, rendering it unconscious and bleeding internally. His inevitable death wasn''t too far away.


    The group of neanderthals was all left with the jaws hanging, their eyes wide open¡­ This scene that they were just witnesses to, was simply beyond their comprehension. They couldn''t understand what this creature, Aziel was¡­


    The only thing they knew¡­ was that he was now their tool!

 Chapter 24 - Three Months

    Letting go of the creature''s horns, Aziel, turned around and looked at the staring spectators.


    Turning his head towards the crash site of their brethren, he shared an inquiring gaze, howling a short cry asking:


    "You¡­ Friend¡­ Okay?"


    As if his words were the thing that they needed, the woman and the leader woke up from their daze. Quickly, without wasting any more precious time, they rushed over to check on the unconscious man. The rest of their hunting group following behind them, they checked the unmoving man''s condition. Upon feeling his hot breath on their fingers, they sighed in relief.


    "We¡­ go¡­ back." Aziel stepped toward them, asking whilst sighing.


    He looked at the deer that was on the floor and was about to pick it up when one of the hunters, a fellow with a deep scar running across his face came and pulled back against his shoulders.


    "No! You¡­ rest¡­ We bring¡­ food."


    Looking to his left, Aziel saw the man offering his hand to help him carry the heavy carcass.


    He smiled, and shook his head, placing a hand on his chest, conveying.


    "Thanks, but it''s fine. I can take it."


    Aziel then effortlessly picked up the animal''s body and threw it over his shoulder, causing another wave of shock to spread across the group once again.


    "HOME!" He exclaimed, walking at the front, soon vanishing in the thick tree lines.


    Aziel''s first-ever hunt as a member of a group has come to an end. Although it wasn''t smooth as it could have been if he were to do it by himself, he believed that it was still a good bonding experience¡­


    He wanted to, no, desperately wished for a better experience. Though even after countless years since the sorrowful event, the painful memory of his betrayal by the hands of his family, left a scar that not only time could heal fully.


    He needed these people, he needed this chance¡­ more than anything.


    ¡­


    Three full months have gone by since Aziel had finally been accepted and integrated into the tribe. Ever since he has been joining the tribe hunts and often was sent out by himself as well.


    Yet, his happiness, his hope of being accepted as one of their own, could never truly be realized. Their malice-filled, hateful gazes that they looked at him initially never fully left the corners of their eyes.


    He could feel, smell their fear, Aziel could see the wary looks he was given. How he was still forced to sleep outside, in the corner, being treated like some pet that they owned.


    Over time, the leader and the group slowly shifted the way they conversed or acted around Aziel. Their fear and dread slowly turned arrogance and contempt.


    He knew that he was merely a convenient tool, a weapon they used to ease up the burden during their hunts. The tribe''s women and children still avoided him like a plague even after these three long months of him doing nothing but trying to prove himself.


    Strangely, or maybe because of the honest hatred they started out with, the only person that wasn''t acting the way the rest was the female, the woman that had hated him back then the most.


    Though they were a far cry from being on friendly terms, he was the only one that didn''t treat him like an object. The only one that after a month, had been honest with him from the start.


    Still, Aziel took all of that without showing any resistance. He allowed them to use him, to rely on him. He wanted this whole experiment to work, he wanted to be able to connect with these creatures, he needed this companionship, whatever sad it may have been.


    Yet, even his childlike passion had begun to crumble and wane after months of abuse. After three long months of being treated nothing more than a slave had gradually pushed him over the edge.


    Aziel realized he was too hasty, too eager. These creatures weren''t on the level he needed them to be. They were primitive, violent, acting mostly based on their needs and instincts. If they were hungry, they hunted. If they were filled with lust, they freely mated out in the open.


    They were indeed capable of forming some emotional attachments, like selecting a mate and forming a sort of bond ship with it, there wasn''t that much more to it. They felt somewhat sad when losing one of their own, but unless it was the mate of one of them, they quickly got over the mourning.


    In truth, that female, that lost her mate due Aziel''s actions was one of the unique cases. She, after three full months, still felt some emotional attachment to that male that Aziel had absorbed. She still retained some of her initial anger every time they interacted.


    Or perhaps, there was more to it, that anger, even unbeknownst to the woman has slowly transformed, turned into something else¡­ It was just that Aziel was apathetic to the wooing of a monkey, whilst the woman wasn''t ready to face these new emotions, thus their relationship was doomed, never allowed to blossom to anything more than this mostly neutral companionship.


    Truth be told, his wish did come true in some fashion. He was accepted as a member of their group, although was kept on a metaphorical leash either due to being looked at like a weapon, a tool or because of the instinctual fear the weaker ones felt towards him.


    "What¡­ you¡­ think now? Why¡­ you sad?" The woman, that he decided to name as Dinah asked him, noticing the increasing wrinkles on his forehead. She reached out, using a piece of furless leather to gently caress it.


    "You¡­ feel better?" She asked howling animalistic noises.


    Aziel could only sigh and flash a weak smile at the woman, nodding silently at the inquiry. Looking up, he gazed at the sky, lamenting, thinking inwardly, what he should do.


    He spent three full months, trying his absolute best to give this whole thing, this whole experiment a chance.


    Technically he was successful, and while the time he spent here was nowhere near enough for him to see any changes in their behavior or notice the signs of [Aether] in work, he felt that it was now pointless to continue this.


    Worse, he felt that if he would have instead spent this time cultivating and working on himself to find an answer, he could perhaps have made more progress.


    ''I should leave¡­ There''s no point to this anymore. These creatures¡­ they are just not ready for direct interaction, it would be best to instead watch from afar.'' He lamented.


    "You¡­ leaving?" Suddenly a feminine voice reached his ears, bringing him back to reality.

 Chapter 25 - Departure

    "You... leaving?" Asked a feminine voice, slightly trembling, shaking with the repressed emotions pushing themselves to the surface. Dinah, the woman Aziel had made a connection seemed to notice the strange, unfamiliar, somewhat somber expressions on his face as he gazed at the clear starry night sky.


    "Yes." He nodded, showing a neutral expression on his face as he kept on losing himself in his stargaze. Still, he patted the spot next to him, subtly signaling the woman to come and sit with him.


    "Uhm." The woman, understanding the gesture nodded and sat down on the leather. Following his actions, she too turned her attention to the heavenly abode.


    Yet, unlike this mysterious creature, that she held complicated feelings too, she actually couldn''t find the dark ethereal helmet that stretched out above, and where those fearsome flying beasts ruled as beautiful as him.


    No, she, like the rest of her kin was terrified, scared of the unknown, the vast void that their feeble primitive minds just simply couldn''t process.


    Despite that, she didn''t complain, she just silently stared at the vast emptiness. Trying her best to understand what this strange man was thinking, was doing.


    "...*Sigh*..." Aziel sighed, not bothered to keep up the pretenses anymore. "It''s beautiful, isn''t it? There''s so much out there... so much more than to this small land you primitive apes think of as your entire world..." He sighed, speaking in an elaborate and sophisticated manner.


    His words, his speech shocked the woman. Dinah, couldn''t understand a single word, yet she could somewhat process the emotions lying underneath, hiding in his somber tone. She could feel a strange sense of pain, unlike anything she had ever felt. Yet, though she couldn''t fully process what was going on, Dinah could feel that this man was sad.


    Sad that what happened to him. Sad that how her kin had treated him. Sad that despite everything he had done for them, tried doing for them, he never shed the mantle of monster in their eyes. They never have treated him as one of their own.


    Understanding this, Dinah too felt the grief. She too was guilty, yet unlike the rest, her anger, her wrath was somewhat justified.


    With only soft sighs coming as a response, Aziel turned to look to her side. Seeing the furrowed thick brows of the primate female, and the pouting lips, he couldn''t help but flash a pained, bitter smile.


    Catching the woman off guard, Aziel reached out and gently caressed her cheeks as she spoke.


    "Don''t worry little one, it''s not your fault. It was me. I was too hasty. My desire to end this eternal loneliness that I am cursed with has resulted, my childish excitement to see an evolved, humanoid species that I have acted against better judgment and approached."


    Aziel sighed, either not bothered or oblivious to the fact that the woman next to him had no way of understanding him.


    After a brief moment, he continued. He glanced only briefly at the perplexed, still stunned female before returning his gaze back to the sky above.


    "...I have tried. To my better judgment, to all the warning in my head, I wanted this... this experiment to succeed."


    Aziel sighed again, the same bitter smile flashed through his face yet again.


    "I guess in some way... the experiment was indeed successful... You all have taken me in, and allowed me to stay with you. Though undoubtedly you saw nothing but a convenient way to gather food for you... You still let me stay with you."


    As the joke of his role in the tribe materialized in his mind, Aziel chuckled dryly, bitterly. Laughing at the sarcasm, the joke of his situation.


    "I guess I was the first pet to mankind? How poetic..."


    Dinah silently listened, focused on the man''s words. Though she could not understand a single word, she still felt the overwhelming sadness, the disappointment that he exuded.


    She felt a slight ache, a similar pain straining at her heart that she only felt when she learned that her mate was now dead. Realizing this, Dinah suddenly went wide-eyed, before tears began to swell at the corners of her eyes.


    Snorting, she smeared the tears that have already made their attempt to escape and was now traversing downwards her face. A soft sob escaped through her locked lips, she reached for the man''s hand that still caressed her cheek, gently grabbing it, she pulled it towards her heart.


    "Me... Hurt...Here..." She expressed, guiding Aziel''s hand towards the center of her chest. "Me... Hurt... Me... Like..." She continued, her gaze turning blurry as the tears one again gathered, blocking her vision.


    "Ah... Interesting..." Aziel mused, caught surprised by the sudden exclamation of this woman. He did not expect such an admission from her at all. To be honest, he noticed that unlike the rest of these primordial bipedal beasts, she was different, more emotionally evolved.


    The fact that she had felt a longing for the dead male for so long, and couldn''t forget him was already beyond what the others in the tribe were capable of.


    She felt hatred, anger, malice, grievance. She felt hurt, emotionally distraught, that slowly, after many many hours slowly began to heal and as it turns out, transform to something different.


    "You are indeed different, better than the rest..." He spoke, gently caressing her cheek again. He smiled at her, causing the woman to turn slightly panicky and avert her gaze, hastily shifting it to the ground. "...Still, I cannot be what you want me to be. I am truly sorry, but..."


    He sighed, standing up, he cracked his neck. In the next moment, Aziel''s body shifted, transforming back into his previous larger, lizardman-like appearance. Two large wings sprouted from the shoulder blades on his back that stretched wide.


    Giving one last glance at the woman, who was shivering with all the pent-up emotion, she smiled at her one last time. A flash of appreciation sparkled in his eyes as he nodded.


    "Thank you, little one. Thank you for everything."


    In the next moment, before Dinah could respond, or even call out, Aziel bent his knees and shot up to the sky. His sudden departure, generating a large sound of force, rang throughout the tribe, waking up most of the residents in the caves.


    As they rushed out to see what sort of predator have attacked them, they were confused to see only the sobbing woman, Dinah sitting at Aziel''s ''abode''.


    The eldest hunter, the one acting as the leader of their little commune stepped and asked.


    "WHERE... HE... GO?"


    Dinah, hearing the question, carrying nothing of the emotions and tones of intellect that she was already missing erupted into a saddened bawl.


    "HE... GONE...."

 Chapter 26 - Seclusion

    Atop a large mountain, whose unimaginable peaks piercing through even the very clouds themselves¡­ At its summit a tall dark green, almost black contoured humanoid figure stood tall, looking down at the world, like if he was its undisputed ruler.


    In a way, he was right. Having dominated both the endless plains of lands, the dense jungle forests¡­ the deep dark trenches of the oceans and even the very sky itself, this being, this creature was the true Apex, the real Zenith of the primordial, Jurassic era.


    An endless, immortal existence, whose existence has started long before this war, and most likely will continue on, long before it was gone. The cursed, wretched non-ending cycle of life, that even death never dared to accept fully into its embrace.


    Standing alone at the ledge, Aziel looked down upon the world, finding its colors gradually turning bleak, grey. The colorful life of the fearsome, violent reptiles was gone evolution stepped into a direction that he wasn''t sure if was worth its attention anymore.


    Humanity, -at least that''s what Aziel has concluded after his relatively short, 3 months experiment-, has shown its head once again. Like a plague, a sturdy bacteria, that you just couldn''t get rid of, has shown up in this world once again.


    Though they were just taking their first steps in history, Aziel was sure that with time, they will be as much of a dominant, arrogant, and destructive species as they were back on Nova.


    They call demons and devilkin as the spawns of evil, the very embodiment of sins, yet compared to themselves, even the vilest of these demi-kins were nothing, they paled compared to the most average of them.


    They were the true evil, the real corruption on the face of every realm. The real embodiments of all the sins. Murder, Raid, Pillage, R*pe, Theft¡­ Whatever you could imagine, they have done it.


    Joke of it, they even did it to themselves! Kingdoms battling against each other, rulers scheming against each other, coveting the treasures of each other¡­


    ''Wonder what they would do in a world like this¡­ Where there''s nothing else to dominate, nothing else that could step up against them. Will they turn against each other, be the proverbial snake that bites off his own tail and dies to his own stupidity?'' He mused, looking down.


    His gaze, having mutated many times, completing many iterations of evolutions already were much keener than that of these primitive primates or even any other species this world had to offer for that matter. Whilst normally nothing could be seen from a distance of thousands of meters and even a layer of clouds standing between him and the target of his piercing eyes, Aziel''s eyes could clearly see a particular tribe of hairy bipedal monkeys as they continued on with their lives.


    The tribe of humanoid figures didn''t seem to be too bothered by the loss of their ''pet'', barely even registering the loss. If anything they felt slightly annoyed by the wailing, sobbing female.


    They returned to their original lifestyle barely an hour later, grouping up in two. One part of the most dominant males and lately some females as well, going out to hunt for some game, while the weaker ones doing their best to forage some fruits, seeds, and whatever edible and nutritious they could gather.


    For Dinah, the woman whose heart have now been broken twice and lost someone she held dear once again, she was like an empty shell, a hollow empty husk of her former self.


    She refused to move, staying at Aziel''s leather ''bed'' for the entire day, sitting whilst holding her knees close to her face. She sobbed, wailed¡­ it was clear she did not find any reason for this continued suffering of life any more.


    As the days passed, surprisingly to even Aziel, her sorrow didn''t seem to ease. Her mourning never stopped, her reason for a living seemed to leave her completely at that point. She never left Aziel''s bed, refusing to take a step away, afraid to lose this last bit of his lingering scent, if she did so.


    Watching her wailing and grieving, broken completely beyond repair, Aziel couldn''t help but frown. For the first time, he felt something else than the coldness in his heart. Yet he did not do anything, he stood above everything, removed from the events of this world.


    Eventually, he made up his mind. Though he felt a bit of regret for Dinah, after all, it was him who tormented the poor woman twice by now, he decided to move away and focus on himself for a while.


    There were many tasks that needed his full attention, that needed prolonged seclusion. He needed to first stabilize the many essences inside his body, give some attention to the swirling mass of prehistoric essences and finalize their fusion into one singular orb of the essence. Though he did start this task, he was far from completing it.


    Also, he needed to spend some time focusing on uncovering the mysteries of this strange new source of energy. This [Aether] that after so many years he still has not fully comprehended¡­ the very source of the world itself.


    And finally, as the last step to complete his seclusion and mark it as a success, he had one last task. Once he mastered both previous points and was finally reach at least a basic understanding of this world energy, this [Aether], Aziel needed to fuse the main, central orb of essence holding the very core of his soul, the source of his eternal existence, [Essence Restitute] and merge the two separate parts into one.


    He was no longer in Nova, this world was unlike his previous one. The air wasn''t filled with mana, there was seemingly no separation from nature''s elements. Here, from what he had seen, you either could master all elements or perhaps you had no access to them at all.


    All in all, he needed to step away from the world, and focus on himself. He needed to spend some time, analyzing the root of this world, and working on mastering it. Only that way could he step up firmly to the top, and lord over everything.


    Only then could he start taking steps in finding a way to return, to finally enact his vengeance on all those that betrayed him and caused his banishment.


    ...


    Taking one last look at the sobbing female, Aziel sighed heavily and turned away. Though he could feel the stabbing pain in his heart, he decided to ignore it.


    He looked at the cave entrance he carved from the mountain top, and after one last sigh, he walked in.. The rocky surface suddenly shattering behind him, it closed off, secluding him from the happenings of the world.

 Chapter 27 - Inner Focus (1)

    With the cavern completely blocked with several layers of rubble and stone, Aziel was now completely sealed off from the happenings of the outside world.


    He sighed, somewhat relieved, but at the same time also feeling troubled. The image of that sobbing, heartbroken woman, Dinah appeared before him again as he walked deeper into his rather humble abode and sat down the ground.


    Shaking his head, he fixed his posture, sitting cross-legged, Aziel inhaled controlled deep breaths. Keeping the large surplus air just a few extra seconds, he slowly exhaled.


    This process, albeit costly as the oxygen was a limited resource now in his new enclosure, did do its job, and slowly, gradually calmed Aziel''s agitated heart, so that he could also clear his mind from the unnecessary thoughts.


    Eventually, he managed to rebuild his focus and distance himself from everything. He knew he had more important tasks at hand, he needed to step up his game.


    With each exhale, he took in less and less of the already stale air of the cave, his eyelids feeling heavier by each passing minute, they shut close.


    Devoid of any source of light, or even anything that could be used to measure the relentless passage of time, Aziel had no clue how much time he had already spent before he finally reached the required state of mind to descend back into his subconscious world, the very depths of his unique soul and began to arduous work of reforming all the orbs of essences he had collected over the several millennia.


    Within the borders of his mind, Aziel could sense the various orbs of concentrated essence floating inside of his core. Scanning through the bundle, his eyes halted on a specific pool of essence that was expressing itself strongly above the others, dispensing a white light over all the others. It was the result of his previous attempt where he tried fusing all the prehistoric essences into one cohesive unit.


    Though it was by no means a failed attempt, they were far from being a single entity. It was like a grand mixture of everything.


    Floating towards the orb, Aziel held it in his hand and began to focus a small amount of inner energy on it. Responding to his request, the central golden star-like energy, his current pool of [Aether] began to emit a faint hue, radiating ever so slightly. Thin hair-thin strands traversed the empty void, fusing into the white milky substance.


    The orb of essence began to grow brighter and brighter until the color soon began to change to a deeper orange fiery hue, as he soon began to push a larger amount of his inner energy towards the orb.


    As the primary orb, holding most was being morphed, molded, and evolved, on the outside, similar transformations were going unnoticed. Aziel''s current appearance began to shift, reacting to the changes happening with the orb itself.


    His height remained somewhere slightly above the 6-feet mark, (or to the rest of the world around 190cm height) his mass turning leaner, the thick strains of muscles shifting in size, transforming his figure into a more youthful appearance.


    As the orb of essence continued its changes, and slowly the rest of the smaller orbs also began to fuse together with it, -along with the small seed of Neanderthal essence-, Aziel''s appearance was changing, transforming.


    As if a master took the scalpel, his facial features were gradually turning more visible, the previous vague, silhouette of a humanoid monstrous entity, were growing more and more defined.


    With each iteration, with each cycle passing, his features turned more defined, resembling that of a human closer and closer.


    With each successful cycle, the process of fusing more of the worldly [Aether] became harder, growing more troublesome, requiring more and more of his focus, and attention.


    Yet, each time, each completion resulted in a grand milestone, each iteration was like a new realm he has stepped onto. Each time, he could feel the mysterious energy just slightly more than before.


    Gradually, the cold, stale air gained something new, something intangible, but something that felt enriching, nourishing.


    Aziel could feel the pores on his constantly reforming skin growing more and more sensitive, gradually learning how to passively absorb the powerful sustenance and enter a self-sufficient cycle.


    Eventually, the process seemed to reach a block. The orb refused to advance any further and remained as it was as if a piece of the sequence was somehow missing.


    Not knowing what it was, Aziel simply released the orb and looked at the large sea of essence within his core. Since he had the chance, he decided to ultimately combine all his traits, meshing the newest with the old and enhancing them all at once.


    He mentally commanded all the remaining orbs to surround his spectral body in the form of a spiral grid. He then began to meld the many different orbs together in rapid succession, forming a bigger and bigger sphere of concentrated essence. The orb grew to massive proportions once all of the orbs within the space had melded together, all except the golden, glimmering orb.


    Floating to the center of the space, Aziel formed a ball of inner energy within his palm and continued to fuel it with larger concentrations to make the union more powerful. Condensing the ball to the size of a marble, Aziel reached out to place it within the sphere.


    "Here comes the hard part¡­"


    Infusing his inner energy with the essence sphere, it had an immediate response on contact with the ball of inner energy. The sphere began to warp and shift as the structure began to deform and struggle to maintain itself.


    Aziel placed himself in a state of heightened concentration and began to focus on regulating the sphere and prevent it from collapsing.


    After some time the sphere began to build resistance to his attempts and continued to go out of control.


    "Argh..."


    To stabilize and finish the process, Aziel began to pour more of his energy, all his remaining resources into the reforming of the massive sphere. He began to compress its massive size into a smaller, manageable form.


    This seemed to work as the sphere began to calm down and stabilize... at least that''s what was thought.


    The sphere suddenly imploded and abruptly expanded, launching Aziel out of the subconscious mindscape and forcing him back into reality.


    Opening his eyes vigorously, Aziel held his head, feeling an aching pain like thousands of needles tormenting him. He grunted, feeling numb, feeling depressed at failing to cross the very last hurdle and stuck just at the brink of breaking through.


    Yet something was missing, that last push...


    Though he felt he got closer to unlocking the secrets of this worldly energy, he was still far from mastering it....

 Chapter 28 - Inner Focus (2) - Stages

    Expelled from his inner, subconscious space Aziel grunted, feeling uncomfortable in his own body with the remnant lingering pain tormenting him. As if thousands of needles pierced the pores of his skin; this sharp sensation, this anguish kept on with its mindless torture.


    "Argh¡­ W-what is g-going¡­ on¡­" Feeling distraught, he felt he was going crazy.


    Being bathed literally in an active volcano for hundreds of years, seared in molten lava, obviously, Aziel wasn''t stranger to such sensations, yet, for some reason, he felt this particular torment to be the most unbearable of all. Not the physical aspect of it, no, that was merely uncomfortable for a veteran like Aziel¡­ but the mental pressure, all the invisible daggers that kept on pressing in on his mind¡­ That!


    That was not something Aziel was prepared for at all.


    Maybe because of his attempt to forcefully push through the white-golden Orb of Essence to break through its current blockage and step up to a higher state of existence¡­ perhaps this was the backlash, the recoil from the overuse of [Aether].


    Pondering about it, Aziel did find it somewhat similar to the state of being [Mana Draught]¡­ A similar sort of pricking, uncomfortable feeling when you completely drained all the [Mana] from your body. Yet, that also came with drowsiness, exhaustion that forced anyone to descend into an extended slumber¡­


    "Huah¡­ No, this¡­ huaaah¡­ is different¡­" Aziel yawned, weariness suddenly overcoming him, he soon felt the weight of his eyelids.


    Unable to resist, he soon laid down on the cold, rocky terrain, and succumbed to his drowsiness¡­


    ¡­


    Time. Time never stops. It keeps on marching ever-forward, merciless. It may be bent, slowed, or even the opposite hastened, but never be completely pushed to a halt.


    No, instead it is our perception that bends, that forces us to experience this same steady flow in a different manner. Like how it feels so arduously slow if you feel bored if you are scared or experiencing a negative, uncomfortable situation.


    Or on the contrary, how it just whooshes by, like the summer breeze if you are immersed, happy or excited.


    Whilst your experience may differ from those close to you, in reality, that''s just an illusion, your faulty perception.


    Oblivious to the passage of time, all throughout his attempt to forcefully fuse the essence and the new energy, Aziel was oblivious to the outside world.


    Whilst he recuperated, and his body slowly, gradually stabilized, the wheels of time kept on going. Days, turning to weeks, then to months, eventually to years.


    They soon began to pile up, decades, centuries went by, without Aziel even realizing. To him, his attempt at trying to re-create the same technique for cultivating [Mana] and trying to fit it for this new [Aether], this was all just a fleeting instant.


    Yet, to the rest of the world, it was much, much more.


    ¡­


    As he slumbered, Aziel''s body continued shifting, morphing. The changes he had already made to the orb of essence expressed themselves in a new unique way. The previous inner turmoil, the constant battle for dominance was settled.


    Whilst he may have not managed to completely finalize and reinvent Nova''s technique for cultivating the inner force and fit it to this world''s standards, Aziel did manage at least reach a minor success and elevate his body to a new realm.


    Since Aziel used his previous world''s, Nova''s knowledge as the basis, and that the Physical Realms are mostly the same, just with different, new, and previously unknown essences used as its base, the same methodology could also be applied here.


    If that is the case, Aziel was now considered to be at the peak of the second realm, the very end to cross over from the Earth Realm all the way and step into the Sky Realm. Only then, could he consider himself somewhat back on the long road to recovering his previous state.


    Whilst still impossibly far, that missing step would finally elevate his existence back on track. Still, for now, he was unable to take it, he was still missing something.


    Something crucial. Yet¡­ unknown.


    In Nova, whilst there were many different methods to cultivate your own inner core, and enhance it with [Mana], strengthening both your body and soul the realms had a unified definition.


    Without going into too in-depth, the various realms for cultivating one''s body was as follows:


    1 - Mortal Realm


    2 - Earth Realm


    3 - Sky Realm


    4 - Noble Realm


    5 - Duke Realm


    5 - King Realm


    6 - Emperor Realm


    7 - Demi-God Realm


    Each realm is known to have multiple stages, with its own corresponding requirements to fulfill and cross. Reaching the realm of Demi-Gods, you would already be an unreachable existence, the tales of myths and legends to come.


    Capable of shattering mountains with a single strike, owning a body that no simple blade or metal could pierce¡­ It was the highest state of being in Nova, with only the 1 entity ever reaching it: Cahal the Demon God, the lord of all demi-kins, and consequently, Aziel''s blood brother.


    Aziel himself was ''merely'' a peak Emperor in his previous life, just like the rest of his brothers and sisters, the Thirteen Demon Lords.


    Whilst the state of Demi-God was definitely not the end of the road in the endless journey for more and more power, the next stages were never known, never experienced in the long, billions of years of history of Nova.


    Cahal, his brother might have some more insight on the matter, being the only being at the top back then, but he never explained it.


    During his research whilst hunting in this world, Aziel pondered if the same logic, the requirement for crossing the first hurdle and successfully crossing the first realm for one''s Soul State would also be somewhat applicable.


    Since there''s a massive difference between the two worlds, he couldn''t be certain. On Nova, all life was born with a special, extra organ deep inside them. It was a crystallized shard of essence, most of the time could be found in the core of the beast or creature''s brain. A tiny shard, that held immense value.


    On Nova, the goal of the Mortal Realm for anyone wishing to surpass his limits is to attain his or her Core Essence. A fragment of the powers of creation and merge it with his soul.


    If successful his soul would transform into a capacitor-soul capable of sensing and storing the mana freely available in the air and then subsequently fuse it inside their bodies, enriching and empowering themselves over time.


    Whilst in the early stages of their journey for power they would directly enhance their bodies, their bones, their organs, their skin... Whilst on the later stages, they could directly convert it to a form of energy, that they could then use and pool from whenever they cast a spell or conjured the arcane.


    ...


    Eventually, Aziel''s body had stabilized, her mind refreshed. With his drained reserves restored, Aziel finally began to wake up.


    Feeling refreshed, his eyelids fluttered as they slowly parted apart from the countless centuries of stagnation, revealing the first grand change¡­

 Chapter 29 - A Playful Flick

    As his eyelids slowly, fluttered, parting apart from each other after countless years of tranquility, the gaze that looked back at the world was vastly different from before.


    Mayhaps it was an aftereffect of the man different creature''s fusion, or perhaps that the countless traits were now seamlessly fused, merged into a new one, Aziel''s look on the world had a massive change from before.


    The reptilian-looking eyes were now a part of his history. Two balls of perfectly crafted milky-white marbles looked curiosity at the world. With a pair of unique-looking hazel-brown stars looked back at the world.


    Covering the mysterious-looking shape, a light yellow, almost golden-tinted bedding of golden coating filled up the circular iris. It looks unique, exotic.


    Still although undoubtedly, it looked rather peculiar, the faint hue, the resonating light glimmer that it emitted, was the wildest of it all. As if pair of flickering built-in flashlights, it instantly become obvious once his sight cleared up.


    The previously pitch-black darkness was battling against two sources of faint light pillars, lighting up the shambled, destroyed entrance, revealing the large pile of millenial rubbles he himself had left behind before shutting himself in.


    However, the bizarre, inexplicable events didn''t stop with the mystery of his glowing pairs of gaze. As his sight gradually returned, enhancing itself by each passing second, before finally his night vision also kicking in, he was met with a shocking, magical scene yet again.


    The sight that surrounded him, looked truly as if he was outside the boundaries of the planet itself.


    The small pebbles as well as the surprisingly thin layer of dust that managed to seep into the closed-off abode were floating in the air around him, levitating and slowly circling, orbiting around his body, at a constant steady pace.


    As if he was a force defining the laws of the world by his mere presence. An existence, an entity by normal means.


    Silent, Aziel gaze was once again lost in the strange aura of dirt. A small, crooked smile creased his lips, still hiding behind the darkness of the shadows.


    ''Interesting¡­ Is this perhaps pure [Aether] energy?'' He pondered, focusing on the direction the orbiting was heading towards.


    From closer inspection, it seemed that instead of just simply orbiting, they were instead floating in inward-patterned spiral slowly, but surely closing in towards him, slowly falling to the ground listlessly once they have come in contact with his naked, bare, and¡­ fair light-toned skin¡­


    ''What the¡­'' Shocked to see the skin on his arms, Aziel hurriedly swayed his gaze to all around his body that he could look at, finding the same results everywhere he checked.


    His smooth, dark green, almost black-toned skin has once again changed, now looking fair like some of those arrogant and proud High Elves in Nova.


    ''What is this?!'' He grumbled inwardly, finding the change from his previous, in his opinion rather majestic dark tone to this new¡­ well¡­ this fairness to be rather displeasing.


    Yet, he could feel that apart from the shift in color, his skin was just like before, sturdy, resilient, and elastic. The old thick scales of his first iterations were now nowhere to be seen, only its most dominant qualities were retained, the negative aspects were gone.


    Still, he was quite displeased, feeling that he was once again heading in the same direction as before. Was it a defect, or an inborn trait of his [Essence Restitute] that it seemed to head for the very same direction of how he looked before in his peak?


    Will he once again, have long silver hair, cascading down from his head, reaching to the lower half of his back, making him look like a wild beast unless he pulls them together into a ponytail? Will his eyes be like pairs of crimson, blood-red moons, gazing down at the world, causing everyone to look at him feel an eternal dread and coldness?


    His skin, whilst still much healthier-looking than before were already seemingly heading in that direction. His jubilation for his darker shade of skin is just a memory now.


    ''Whatever¡­'' He grumbled, deciding to shelve the ''issue'' for later. For now, feeling his body bursting with energy, he once again felt he needed to feel the fresh air.


    Not sure of how much time could have passed, he once again felt curious to see how those hairy monkeys have been up to. Are they still barely more than the predecessors they have originated from?


    Were they really the first humans of this world? If so, how was their journey through time? Did they become the same religious plague upon this world, just like how they are on Nova? Are they still striving to dominate every living being around them?


    Thinking about them, Aziel couldn''t help but recall the image of that female, the one he unwillingly though, but have hurt not once but twice in her probably short, fleeting span of life.


    Will he ever find out what had become of her? Did she manage to overcome her grief, and find her happy ending? Or did she eventually succumb to all that pain that she couldn''t understand or process at the time?


    "Huah..." Aziel sighed, a wry look donning his face, he shook his head to clear from these useless thoughts. Whatever happened, it was the right thing to do. They were just not meant to be. Not then at least.


    Standing up, the silent cave was suddenly filled with dozens of cracking sounds. Joints and muscles struggled as they were moved for the first time since Gods'' know how long...


    As he stood up, he felt... different. Smaller perhaps?


    Aziel frowned, he wasn''t sure, feeling the memory suddenly be only a distant fleeting image, nothing more than a tingle, an itch in the back of his mind.


    Still, he felt that he should be closer to the ceiling, albeit most like by not much, yet as if a few inches was lost somewhere along with his recent ''upgrade''.


    Also, his body felt lighter, leaner, thinner.


    ''I need to find some water to check myself... Something just feels weird... different.'' He made a mental note to be one of the very first things to do once he gets out.


    ''Anyway... I wasted enough time. Let''s leave.''


    Cautiously, remembering what happened during his first-ever ''power-up'', he made sure to apply only the minimum amount of force as he slowly took that couple of steps and walked over to the pile of rocks blocking his path towards the exit.


    Not sure of how strong, how powerful he may have become, he decided to try and compare himself to his old standards, and see if they were still up to par, or perhaps he needed to spend a bit more time accomodating.


    Pushing out his right hand, he flicked at the closest rock.


    The action looked casual, playful even.


    From the look on his face and the effort he had put it, it would have looked that there was nowhere near enough pressure applied to move the stone.


    Yet, what happened caught him off guard.


    As if it was hit with overwhelming, explosive, and violent force, the blockage exploded, the massive obstruction, as well as the entire ceiling, the top of the mountain, was blown off.


    As if a sleeping, slumbering volcano had suddenly woken up, a loud roar shook the world for dozens of miles around the vicinity....

 Chapter 30 - Phenomenon (1)

    Unbeknownst to Aziel, his simple action has caused great turmoil, instantly shifting not just the landscape but serving as the catalyst to events that would go beyond his wildest imaginations...


    He may not be aware of it himself, but his past decision to seclude himself for ''some'' time to focus on himself and the understanding of the new type of energy, the spiritual resource that is in place of Nova''s all-available [Mana], the [Aether] would propel him far into the future, to a time where everything would be stranger than what even the most recluse dwarfs hiding in some faraway hills could have come up with.


    Their stone monuments and technocratic empires were nothing compared to the structures and metal jungles of what awaited the unsuspecting reincarnee. (AN: Is this really a word? Kind of hard to accept, not gonna lie.)


    The massive explosion caused massive upheaval and a quickly rising state of panic in the neighboring populace.


    Researchers, scientists, and various experts were fumbling, trying to make sense of the seemingly unexpected ''natural'' phenomenon.


    The event that had just shocked, not just the country, not even just the landmass called ''Europe'', but soon, the entire world was inexplicable.


    No, that wouldn''t even begin to cover it. The truth was, causing everyone in the know to scratch their heads was that what happened was just simply impossible.


    The hill that ''somehow'' erupted... or more precisely, woke up wasn''t at all a volcano. It was, by all means, and processes examined and learned- a mountain.


    For one, there was no vent, to funnel towards the inner core of the planet. No access to magma. It was the result of the movement of tectonic plates eras past.


    Yet, it still exploded. A dark cloud of dust formed a giant mushroom of smoke, shrouding the surrounding regions in darkness and thick fog.


    Not even an hour passed, and almost all news outlets and media channels were laser-focused on covering the incredible news. A sensation of another level had rocked the world... One reporter went as far as unleashing his inner kid and compared the mountain''s explosion to the "sound of an ancient beast waking up from his millennial slumber"...


    He would probably be shocked to learn how right he was!


    ---


    *Several hours before the Event, on the same day...*


    It was a clear, sunny morning. The orange rays peeked through the uncovered window, creating a beautiful pillar of light, illuminating the small but messy room of the peacefully sleeping teenager.


    As the dark, depressing void continued its futile battle with the morning''s luster, groaning, the sounds of the youth waking up could be heard. Following the weak morning roar, shuffling noises, the first expression of movement came.


    An arm shot out from under the cover, aimlessly tapping against the desk next to the bed, desperately searching for something. Anxiously slapping the wooden frame, the hand continued to search to the left and to the right, until, after a few seconds its fingers finally touched, sensed a device with a distinctly familiar shape. Happiness shot through the nerves, and instantly, the still semi-unconscious body sent out the order, clasping the dark frame of the device and pulling it back with a lightning-quick motion.


    Shortly after, from under the cover, a white light surged forth, as the screen on the device was activated.


    Still groggy, the sleepy figure looked at the text on the screen.


    [6:38 AM, June 6th, Sunday, 2021]


    "What the fuck?! Why am I awake at this ungodly hour?!" He grumbled, voicing his dissatisfaction at the cruel fate that had befallen him.


    "Eh, whatever, at least I have an extra hour to prepare for the trip." He sighed in defeat. He knew that once he woke up there''s no chance for his body to allow him even a wink of sleep, at least for the next several hours. That was just how he functioned. He could only grumble and curse his own luck.


    He rolled to the side and begrudgingly sat up. As he leaned forward he squinted his eyes as he clashed against the sun''s cheeky morning rays. He quickly raised his hand, shielding his azure, deep blue eyes, and frowned at the bright star high up in the sky.


    Following that, the urge to release the tiredness boiled up inside him, reaching the critical, turning point. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and let out a loud yawn while raising his arms into the air and stretching his thin body.


    With some of his mental strength returning, he slowly stood up, leaving the comfort of his bed, and trudged towards the white, painted wooden door. Slithering forward, looking like the typical undead that marched aimlessly in the movies, he eventually reached towards the door''s handle and pushed his body weight against it.


    Giving one, last, menacing stare against the window''s glass, he pushed on the door and left his musky-smelling, no, MANLY den, entering a small hallway. Following up his first roar with another, albeit weaker yawn, he sleepily shuffled towards the far end of the hall, aiming for another white door, completely oblivious of the muffled trickling sound of water that was coming from the other side.


    Going on by pure, natural instinct, he pushed on the door without much thought, and with his third yawn so far in this early morning, he entered the bathroom. He groggily slithered towards the toilet, and revealing his eager, bulging snake, he steered towards relief, emptying his pent-up bladder.


    His trance-like state, however, was rudely crushed to tiny pieces when a loud shriek suddenly jolted him awake from his lingering morning stupor. Looking towards the direction of the sound, his shock quickly turned into a frown, as he saw a familiar, feminine silhouette desperately trying to cover her delicate parts with the semi-transparent, yellowish bathroom curtain that served as cover and separator for the shower. Behind it, a reddened and angered female head popped out. Her long black hair swayed against the air like the snakes atop the Medusa''s head, as she hysterically shrieked at the invader.


    "What the f*ck Jake?! HOW CAN YOU JUST BARGE IN WHEN I''M TAKING MY SHOWER! GET THE FUCK OUT RIGHT THIS INSTANT AND WAIT FOR YOUR TURN OUTSIDE!" Giving more oomph to her words, an empty plastic box of bath soap flew out, rocketing towards the assailant youth''s head.


    Although he knew he was in the wrong, and that it was only a mistake made by his morning grogginess, he would not leave without his ''work'' finished. He shrugged his shoulders to all that cursing and¡­

 Chapter 31 - Phenomenon (2)

    He shrugged his shoulders to the cursing and finished alleviating his morning needs. He casually leaned slightly forward as he continued shaking the one-eyed cobra, avoiding the approaching projectile whilst cleaning what needed to be kept clean. Once finished, he pulled his boxer back up, and under the deathly stares, and continued cursing of the offended party he turned towards the sink and swiftly washed his hands.


    Then, finally acquiescing to the yelling and cursing of the girl, he walked to the door. Before he left, however, he turned back, and with a cheeky grin on his face, he threw back a remark.


    "Don''t be so mad, sis, you look great today!" He immediately rushed and closed the door behind him. Not a moment too soon either, as just as he did, a loud thump could be heard. The woman threw the shampoo bottle at him. The loud but to his luck, muffled curses could be heard even as he walked back towards his room.


    "Damn, she is feisty today! I guess I should avoid her for now¡­"


    He glanced one last time towards the bathroom door with a smirk on his face and shook his head before he stepped back inside the semi-lit den that was his room and closed the door behind him.


    He had no time to waste on pointless squabbles, he needed to get ready as soon as possible and go over the details of today''s plan once again.


    A short while later, the doors to the lair were opened one last time, and a now battle-ready, dressed youth stepped out. His lean, thin frame was covered with a black t-shirt and light blue jeans.


    With his mobile phone in his hand, he quickly navigated through the maze of the Operating System''s interface, opening up his messaging app. Quickly tapping twice on the top of the appearing name list, the chat frame loaded up.


    With a lightning-fast motion, he began typing as he slowly crossed through the hallway once again, but this time, aiming for the staircase at the other end, making sure to keep his distance and avoid the dungeon-slash-bathroom.


    Soon, the quick typing of his hands formed a sentence that was sent towards the other party.


    [Hey Jay, u up man?! I''m going over soon!]


    He did not need to wait for long before the animation of the three dots signaling that the other party was typing appeared on the screen.


    [Sup man! Sure, come, we can eat while we go over the plan!]


    Smirking, he nodded his head. His fingers flying into action, a response was formed in a second.


    [K, C ya soon!]


    With that, he locked the screen of his phone and slid it back into its space, his farmer''s back pocket.


    As soon as he crossed through the relatively short distance of the hallway, the handle on the bathroom door was pushed down, and the door slowly creaked open. A feminine figure, the feisty, black-haired demoness stepped out, wrapped in a large white towel. Lucky for him, her eyes were currently closed as she used another towel to wrap her long black hair and created a makeshift turban over her head, she did not notice him.


    Before she had the chance to throw another barrage of curses at him, Jake quickly, but silently stepped forward, and left the hall through the stairs, descending from the upstairs floor of their family house.


    Arriving at the ground floor, Jake entered a large, spacious hall, his family''s living room. The first sight that greeted him was just a bit ahead of him: lounging on a dark brown, leather couch, a slightly older middle-aged man was enjoying his work-free Sunday morning, watching the local morning news on the large flat-screen TV.


    Stepping forward, the noise of grease sizzling on a pan hit his ears, soon followed by the trance-inducing aroma of fried bacon with some eggs, his family''s traditional weekend breakfast.


    Although the smell was incredible, Jake had no time to waste. He already set up an early meeting with Jay. Today was much too important. Still, he did not want to leave without at least saying hi and hopefully stealing one piece of the obviously delicious treat. You know, just to be sure that they are good for the family! Yeah, that''s right, just to keep his family safe, there was no other reason to do it at all!


    "Hey Dad, good morning!" He threw a greeting to the man, laying on the couch wearing nothing but his pajama pants before he sneaked towards the kitchen.


    "''ning son..." Still sleepy, the man on the couch grumbled a response in a barely audible tone.


    Closing in on the target, Jake quickly leaned against the wall, and carefully sneaked a peek at the ''enemy'' inside.


    Much to his dismay, as if the woman had magical senses, just as he glanced a peek, she also spoke in a loud, audible voice aimed at the rogue hiding just outside.


    "Jake, don''t just stand there, come here and give your mother a hug!"


    "Damn, how do you do this¡­ Every. Single. Time?! I was sure I was silent this time!" Spotted, Jake could do nothing but grudgingly leave his hiding spot, and walk inside with a defeated sigh.


    The middle-aged woman, with shoulder-length black hair, similar to the girl, who was still getting ready upstairs grinned under her breath, not taking away her attention from the frying pan where a few strips of delicious-looking bacon was getting the sizzling hot caress.


    "I am your mother Jake, it''s my job to know what shenanigans you and your sister are up to at all times!"


    Letting out a loud, theatrical sigh, Jake decided to change the subject.


    "Mom, I¡­" However, he was immediately silenced as the cooking lady interjected.


    "Let me guess. You have to leave and have no time to spend breakfast with your family, but you would like to get a strip just to ''keep us safe''?"


    Jake looked shocked at the woman. Her conjecture was spot on, scarily precise to be exact. Looking at the middle-aged woman with a stupefied face, he stuttered.


    "H-how?!"


    In response, the woman only gave a knowing wink, and grabbing a fork, she picked up a strip of bacon and gave it to the boy.


    "Here, you rascal, take it and leave. Do your thing!" She smiled, as the boy hungrily grabbed the meat, and swallowed it whole without wasting his precious time and energy on properly chewing it.


    "Fank... " Gulping, he quickly destroyed the incriminating evidence and returned a wide, thankful smile to his mother. "Thanks, mom!"


    With that said, he quickly turned around and was about to leave, but was, once again, interrupted, as a firm, but a delicate hand grabbed his left shoulder, holding him in place.


    "But, make sure you return for dinner, you hear me? I don''t mind if you skip lunch, but at least get back by nightfall! Don''t make me call all your friends!" The warning that came from her, caused shivers to run through Jake''s back. He could only silently nod, with a loud ''uhm'', unable to let out any meaningful responses.


    As he was finally let go, he bolted towards the exit and quickly left his home. As soon as the outside noise of the city hit his ears, and he felt the warmth of the sun hitting his skin. He was happy, his excited mood returned.


    Today was the day! After months and months of research, they finally had an exact location to investigate!


    Their destination: To the nearby Mountain!

 Chapter 32 - Indie-Club

    The sun stretched ever-higher on the clear, light blue spotless sky. It was still early morning, though several hours have already passed from the ungodly early hour Jake was forced to break his peaceful slumber because of the prepared alarm on his phone.


    He, now joined up with his best friend Jay and with a dark brown haired, bespectacled girl called Myra have just reached the outside the city limits and were standing in front of the large forest acting as a sort of natural barrier between two powers, two countries bordering each other.


    Though, the presence of the mountain range at the depths was providing more of a separator.


    After going over to his friend, Jake spent around an extra hour waiting for his friend to get ready for their ''Grand Adventure'' they have planned for the day. It was Sunday, and whilst most teens of their age would be busy sleeping off all that copious amounts of alcohol from last night''s partying¡­ but not them.


    They, together with the third member of their little ''Club'', were unlike their peers. They weren''t spending their Friday- and Saturday evenings wasted, drenched in equal amounts of alcohol and sweat, dancing and partying the weekly grind away.


    Though not shut-ins or ''NEETs'' as their type could be mistakenly called by nowaday''s media, they had a much different -though undoubtedly unique- interest, they shared.


    "Okay, guys. Before we venture into the thick of it and walk headfirst into whatever danger is lying out there, hiding behind the trees and the undergrowth¡­" Facing his friends, Jake took a deep breath and forced a look of seriousness on his face. His cheeks turned slightly pinkish with the strangely, uncharacteristic cold, despite it should be the beginning of summer.


    Though lately, with all that mumbo-jumbo about global warming, it was said that this type of unpredictable weather was the new ''norm''. Anyway¡­


    "¡­We should go over the day''s plan once again." Taking a brief moment to exhale a lungful of the used-up air, Jake spoke. He looked at the dark brown haired, nerdish teenage girl first.


    Myra Heartgrove, was a girl, both Jake and Jay''s childhood friend since before starting school even. She was of average height and weight as well. Though her body was rather generously gifted, curvaceous where it needed to be, not much was ever shown even to her best friends. She always hid behind large knitted ugly sweaters and pullovers, and baggy pants, or in some rare cases, jeans.


    Even during PE classes, she rarely even showed up, as she always had an exemption. asthma, or some sort of disorder, allowed her to not humiliate and shame herself by jumping around in gym attire. Honestly, it was quite a wonder that nobody ever connected the dots, and thought of her as a slightly overweight, chubby girl because of the type of attire she was always seen in school or public.


    Her almond-shaped, whiskey-colored, deep-set eyes sparkled with excitement as she thought of the journey ahead.


    Clapping her hands she exclaimed happily, energetically.


    "Alright!" She almost jumped barely being able to contain her exploding excitement. "From the research we have done, it is clear that we should investigate Greytop Mountain. From the historical records, we have found in the school and city libraries..."


    "...and from the internet, since nobody reads those dusty old tomes anymore Myra..." Jay butted in, rolling his eyes as he was reminded of the most boring, exhausting couple of days of his life. He never even wanted to remember it, much less recount it.


    "and FROM. THE. INTERNET..." Myra repeated, pushing each word with a threatening, warning undertone and making both boys swallow a large gulp of saliva in the process. "...we can be sure that records of the prehistoric humanity were somewhere around this region."


    "Yes, and our only option to find something would be to take a hike and climb the hill!" Jake finished her report, pointing excitedly towards the sky.


    ''Not that we have the funds, the permits, and the time to do some real excavation on the ground...'' He added, albeit mentally only.


    Retaining the excitement on his face, he swirled around his feet, facing the forest he pointed at the looming darkness of the trees and exclaimed with an unmasked excitement.


    "Let''s go, we will show the world, that our Indie-Club still has a place, a meaning!"


    With that said and without further adieu, he began marching fearlessly against the tree line. Holding nothing in his hand, and carrying a large mountaineer backpack, the lead explorer of the undoubtedly nerd-sounding Indie-Club began his adventure, blissfully unaware of the disaster he was rushing headfirst into.


    Taking a lasting look at the receding back of their friend, Jay and Myra sighed exasperated, before following after a few seconds later. Soon the trio vanished into the thick forest.


    The forest they entered was oak-brown and fresh smelling. The grasses were crispy beneath their feet as they crossed slowly, cautiously deeper and deeper into this natural biome.


    The trees towered over them majestically. Their knotted arms rose ever upwards, as far as their heads could lift. They were hoary fortresses, standing proud and tall, undisturbed by the corruption of civilization.


    The orchestra of birdsong that they heard from afar suddenly stopped as they crossed into this new, luscious realm.


    A pair of jays, the scavengers of the bird world were screeching somewhere high up in the canopy of the trees. Their gemstone of bead-like eyes was always on the lookout for smaller, feathered, or furred meals. While they mostly preferred the former, feathery prey, they would occasionally swoop down and grab the lonesome squirrel or even the youthful hare if they would scamper away from the protection of their parents.


    The morning stars peeped through the thick dome of the trees, looking down at the world like silver asters; glinting and shimmering. They looked happy, content in their solar-silver isolation. The simpering wind carried with it, the smell of wild basil, which upon further, a closer inspection could be seen growing freely, unrestrained on the clumpy emerald green mattress of the floor. the aroma was rather refreshing, akin to a mulchy mix of the pure raw forest perfume.


    Breaking the tranquility, the snapping of some twigs and branches reverberated amidst the woods, the youthful trio of friends were marching deeper and deeper soon making their way to the foot of the mountain, barely spending fifteen minutes at all.


    "Alright... We should take a five minute break before we begin." Jake sighed, as he looked for a wide enough trunk. A moment later as he spotted a wide honey-brown oak, he stripped his large pack from his back and slumped down on the ground leaning against the tree.


    Looking up he sighed, feeling a mixture of overwhelming joy and childish excitement as he gazed at the cloud-covered top of this mountain. He was happy to be here, feeling as if he was truly in the brink of something extraordinary.


    "Jack!" His reverie was suddenly interrupted with a nervous sounding call of his name. Turning towards the source, he saw his friend, Jay pointing towards the sky, looking strangely worried. At the same time, Myra was just like him, signs of fright, and a seeping terror could be seen in her usually calm eyes.


    Following the direction, they were pointing at he looked up once again....

 Chapter 33 - A Distant Friend?

    *ROAR!*


    The ear-shattering, world-trembling roar bellowed through the peaceful slice of nature suddenly. The world itself quaked in the next moment as a violent explosion shook the realm far and wide.


    The top of Greytop Mountain literally exploded, sending debris everywhere, tearing apart both the landscape and mother nature in equal measure. Even the not-too-far city that neighboured the forest suffered the nature''s tantric violence. Walls crumbled as the projectile rubble crashed through several buildings, wrecked cars and traffic as well.


    Though the destruction wasn''t overly excessive, the city was definitely caught unprepared for such a sudden event, making the emergency service team''s reaction lag just a bit behind what would have been preferable.


    Minutes later, looking at the smoking destruction of the nearest section of the city, one could only imagine and hope that the casualties wouldn''t spike too high.


    In the first, standing right at the center of all this historical event, Jake, Jay, and Myra were gazing at the sky. Where once were white-puffy clouds covering a lonely peak reaching hopelessly towards the stars, only a large trail of dark smoke could be seen.


    The once calm mountain range roared with violent fervor, making the teenagers terrified. They felt as if the very fabric of their reality, the world itself trembled under this overwhelming might.


    Standing right at the epicenter of all this disastrous commotion the teens were simply frozen stiff. With looks of absolute terror, they couldn''t even properly process what was happening.


    Jay was looking pale as a sheet of paper. His eyes were looking hollow, matching the lifeless, listless look of his face, his mind was under the duress of a chaotic storm. Trembling, shivering like a leaf, he slowly lifted his right arm, looking at the primordial carnage that was happening above them.


    "W-w-what is t-that?" He squeals amidst the heavy stutter due to his mind being incapable of catching up with everything that was happening.


    Myra like Jay were shocked and mostly scarred as she followed her friend''s gaze. Heavy beads of tears swelled up at the corner of her eyes, she was unable to hold back the sobbing, fearful of their most likely hopeless fate.


    "I-I¡­" She looked up, her head hurting from all the heavy, dark thoughts crossing through her mind.


    Slowly, as if realizing something important, her gaze, however, slowly wandered off from the terrifying disaster and was slowly wandering lower and lower, eventually resting on the lean, thin figure of their friend and leader of their little 3-person club. She gazed at her wild, unfettered short black hair, his deep, azure blue eyes were unlike them. It showed less and less fear, but genuine wonder and intrigue as it continued gazing at the disastrous events above.


    His growing, settling calm, made Myra grow more and more perplexed and at the time interested in the matter. How could he be so calm, knowing that if a volcano had erupted, they, in particular, stood absolutely no chance at survival?


    Not even them, but the entire city.. no, the entire surrounding region was doomed. Even if not the molten lava wouldn''t finish them off, the subsequent toxic fumes that would cover the lands would do them in.


    "J-jake¡­" Unable to comprehend the boy''s reaction, Myra couldn''t stop herself from asking out. Yet, after uttering the name of the very person, her heart secretly was thumping, beating so fiercely for, she found herself unable to utter the words.


    Yet, despite her lack of comprehensive speech and cohesive words, Jake seemed to understand what she was thinking about. His gaze slowly formed two crescents as he squinted, his lips parted as he muttered the words.


    "It''s incredible¡­" He sighed, taking several long breaths to let his words settle in.


    Still, Myra found herself falling deeper and deeper into the proverbial rabbit hole as she kept on staring at the profile of the young man, feeling a growing heat, that was coming from deep her body, rather than the supposed volcano.


    Eventually, after like a minute, Jake''s eyes squinted harder as his curious nature seemed to spot something¡­ something unexpected. His right index finger slowly sailed the air pointing at the thick dark smoke.


    "There¡­" He pointed in a particular direction. "What is that? Doesn''t it look¡­" His words trailed off, as she scrutinized the object with all his available focus.


    "Huh?" Caught unprepared for the strange question, instead of a response to her non-verbal question, Myra was once again stunned for a brief instant before she could turn towards the appointed direction.


    As soon as she did so, her eyes went wide with another round of shock. She turned speechless once more, yet this time, it wasn''t due to the sheer terror, the fear of death that broke her mind momentarily, but instead the distinct object¡­ nay, the humanoid-shaped figure that seemed to steadily grow closer and clearer with each passing instant.


    Yes, in the thick of it, at the very center of the dark looming smoke, Jake then Myra as well, definitely spotted the shape of what they felt like belonged to a human.


    However, they couldn''t accept the scene at all. They couldn''t believe their eyes, their brains refused to acknowledge the seemingly impossible fact. How could they? How could a living, breathing figure emerge from that explosion? How could someone just fly out, like the fictional superheroes of the many cartoons and comics, and recently, movies that were out there¡­


    No, they must be already delirious due to the heavy air, maybe the toxicity has already started playing illusions with their minds. They must be going crazy, they have all felt.


    They just stood there, at the foot of the mountain, gazing at what they felt would be their gradually approaching end. Neither of them felt regret for their decision to venture out, only felt an overwhelming sadness that they had to experience such an unexpected disaster¡­


    ¡ª


    ''I need to spend a bit more time slowly getting used to my new strength, I guess¡­'' Aziel frowned as he slowly lifted off the rubble that was his abode for gods'' know how long.


    He couldn''t deny he wasn''t expecting such a violent reaction from a single flick of his finger. The entire mountain top was blown apart, him causing destruction on such a scale and level¡­ so effortlessly¡­


    He pondered, was this the strength of someone merely being at the peak of the Earth Realm?


    No, Aziel was certain that this wasn''t the case. It felt several levels higher. Based on his one and a half thousand year of cultivation experience from Nova, his current strength felt somewhat close to the King Realm rather than the measly peak stages of the Earth.


    Yet, he was certain, absolutely sure that he hadn''t even made a breakthrough yet. What was going on then?


    As he slowly, mindlessly floated, levitated, not even realizing that even this action of his was something he shouldn''t have been able to do with his own, prehistoric abilities only, he was lost inspecting his own hands and palms.


    "Something is not right... Is this new energy, this [Aether]... so overwhelmingly potent? [Mana] seems like some diluted mixture of lesser energies compared to this... vastly superior one!" He muttered to himself.


    Deep in thought, he slowly levitated away, downwards following the mountain slope. Still deep in the thickness of his actions, his evolved, sharp gaze didn''t scan around. Aziel remained oblivious of the commotion he had caused, or of the strangeness of the era altogether.


    As he wandered away, however, he finally noticed the presence of three presences. One of them, in particular, made him finally break his reverie, and turn his attention downwards on the ground.


    His eyes went wide, a barely perceptible curve began to settle in on the edges of his lips.


    Looking down at the distant shapes of what seemed like three humanoid figures, his eyes turned glossy at the distant memories...


    "Dinah?"

 Chapter 34 - A New World

    Looking down at the distant peculiar shapes that looked to be three humanoid figures, Aziel''s eyes turned glossy with the sudden surge of memories. Sensing a familiar presence, the only creature that got close to him so far in all his time exploring the surface of this new world, Aziel couldn''t help himself but call out as he slowly floated down the slope.


    "Dinah?"


    Aziel muttered, mostly to himself. The memories of their time spent together, the long talks, -which albeit sounded rather awkward due to the method of communication of the time-, the stargazing nights they spent together.


    He never admitted it to her, but Aziel truly enjoyed the little primate female company. After all, the main reason he decided to settle down with them, and even put up with their humiliating way of attending to him was because he grew bored of the endless loneliness that accompanied his cursed existence.


    He wanted companionship, he thirsted for any form of social interaction. After several thousand, nay millions of years of dominating the prehistoric era, he never could converse with any of the creatures, beasts. Their vocal cords never evolved, the only sound any of the monsters could utter were guttural roars and hoarse incomprehensible yells.


    Even after the grand cataclysm, after life once again, filled up the planet with new forms of furry beasts, growing much more compact in size and shape compared to the first iteration, they were still rather primitive. Whilst after absorbing a sizable sample of them during his first couple of days before he found these hairy primitive humanoids, none seemed to be able to form sounds of any complexity. The most he found was a chuckling-like regurgitating form of noise from the smaller chimpanzee-like mammals.


    Anyway, the fact that the female, which he named Dinah after a while, had kept his companionship night and night again¡­ made Aziel''s time vastly more enjoyable.


    Still, in the end, Aziel had to move on. Despite trying his best to close up and fight these feelings, once he felt the same vibrations, the same presence of soul waiting right in front of the place where he left them when he secluded himself¡­ Aziel had a hard time bottling his feelings. As his mental barrier, a dam had broken, his emotions surged to the surface, thrusting their miniature daggers into the pulsating flesh of his heart, wrenching it in the process.


    He couldn''t help but feel guilty, and even slightly regretful of leaving that pure creature behind. He betrayed her feelings, leaving her alone in her sorrow without looking back.


    Still, Aziel felt that what he did was ultimately the right call. At the time, the era was just not ready. Yes, he could have dominated that tribe by force and influenced them from the get-go. Make them grow a different path under his rule, bask in his power, evolve in a completely different direction.


    Heck, at first, he had the thought himself, however after a while, as he lived amongst them, felt the same greed, the same sins that seems to follow these creatures along wherever they set foot Aziel eventually decided against it.


    The trouble of guiding such a sinful species, whilst he himself had hundreds of questions weighing down on his shoulders, troubles he still hadn''t resolved to this day¡­ Aziel felt it was better to just let them be.


    Traversing through the thick of the dust and smoke, their hazy silhouettes, gradually started to take on clear shapes, making Aziel go surprised yet again.


    ''Hmmm¡­ They are no longer hunched-back but standing straight as they are gazing in my direction. Still, what is this am I feeling from them?'' Aziel mumbled, taking a moment to hone his senses as it scanned the three paralyzed figures whilst slowly inching closer and closer.


    ''Fear?'' Aziel frowned, focusing his gaze on the female instead. ''Are they scared? Did they not recognize me? Does she not remember me?'' He muttered, still not fully aware of the vast changes his body had vent through.


    He could feel the gentle wind as it caressed his smooth, fair skin, - something that never happened before, as his sturdy scales were resistant to the elements to the point he never even felt the cold, the breeze¡­ and after his last stint with the volcano, even the heat.


    He knew his body had changed drastically, after all, he had seen a small teaser even in the darkness of the cave. His once-majestic height, his dark glossy skin, his reptilian origins have seamlessly merged with the many other essences he had gathered, as well as the human genes from Dinah''s tribe creating something new.


    Also, learning that [Essence Restitute] will strive to recreate his old image, he had an inkling, a general idea of what he currently looked like. He already felt the long set of hair floating against the wind.


    Eventually, Aziel slowly landed a dozen or so feet away from the shocked and paralyzed trio, at the foot of the mountain. Though the massive cloud of dust started to settle, the silhouettes slowly gained color, both parties were still rather obscured from each other. Both sides were silent, trying to figure out the other side first.


    Whilst Aziel was silently staring at them, scrutinizing their figures and trying to make sense of their strange attire and tools they were using, the trio themselves were just as equally perplexed by what they were seeing.


    "J-jake! W-what is g-going on? J-just w-who is t-this... this... dude?!" The first to break the silence, Jay turned towards his friend standing in the middle of their group and whispered in his direction.


    Or so he thought.


    Due to his nervousness, the volume he originally intended to be lower, was much higher. In the end, before he even realized it, he was nervously shouting, yelling like an idiot at his friend.


    "W-why are you..." Jake grumbled his reverie, his stun broken due to his friend''s effort. He was about to turn towards Jay when suddenly they were frozen in the spot of the ancient, deep voice that filled the area.


    "Ilth ambar na-shur; im odar nha ha in il nen, im tur- odar ha in i coe, im tur- nahr ha in i gwilith."


    The strange figure did not stop either, even as his speech was way too outlandish, strange for the trio to comprehend, he didn''t seem to care. The figure turned to look at Myra who in turn looked at the boys for help. Her gaze was asking, desperately begging for them to do something, for she was clueless at what was going on.


    As the dust settled, and they could finally take a glance at the man standing in front of them, they were turned speechless at what greeted them.


    The man reached out his right hand, looking at the bespectacled girl, and with a beautiful, yet sad, melancholic tone spouted a single word. A single question, a single name.


    "Dinah?"

 Chapter 35 - A New World (2)

    Stunned by the mesmerizing, somber voice, Myra found herself in a daze. The fear, the sheer primal urge to shiver and cower has suddenly vanished as the man uttered the single, magical word.


    As if the man knew exactly what her heart, body, and most importantly, soul needed to unlock something deep inside. Unknown emotions swelled from inside, as she looked at the otherworldly¡­ boy in front of him.


    Boy, or mayhaps a young man was a better phrase. Roughly matching their height, maybe just a couple of centimeters taller, with a lean, but still sporty build.


    Fair, silky smooth skin, slightly pale, yet still vibrant, full of vitality. A long silvery flock of hair, cascading down below his shoulders, a pair of glowing marbles were gazing at her with such intensity that made her heart flutter with an unknown sensation.


    Still, those incredible, almost unbelievable, deep, yet magical-looking eyes made not just Myra but the rest of the gang, Jake and Jai to turn speechless yet again.


    Two golden irises stared back at them, which although by itself was beyond what they believed to be possible, but the star-shaped formation that glimmered with a bright hazel-brown luster... made their jaws almost fall as they stared dumbly at the unknown man.


    Youthful, vigorous... from a first, yet closer glance, somewhere around their age, maybe around 18 years of age. A slender, lean frame yet still the toned shapes of muscles clearly visible. A body crafted to perfection.


    "Itilth ien, darth ambar na-shur? Im odar ha nen lo''alth in gwoilth coe?"


    Lost in the sight of the figure in front of them, a gradually shifting, modulating voice brought them out of their trance. The creature looked rather cold, frowning as he talked, asking two questions by the sound of it.


    It was at this point, that they finally realized something crucial, that unbelievably flew by their minds a moment ago.


    Myra, being the first to realize this critical detail, immediately covered her eyes and shrieked in a high-pitched tone, giving voice to her embarrassment.


    The boys, as if waking up from a dream, realized the same critical detail, or actual lack thereof, making them fidget in place, and hastily reach for their backpack.


    A few seconds later, Jake pulled out a simple long-sleeved light grey shirt, together with matching sweat pants, presenting it to the strange man. He forced a wry, somewhat bashful smile on his face as he spoke to the man.


    He could only hope that despite the strange language he was speaking with, he would understand the motion of gifting and would dress up, covering his rather impressive, but still bare naked body.


    "Hey, ehrm... d-dude..." Jake spoke up, suddenly finding the difficulty to just simply greet this unknown man much harder than he had expected, making him stumble and stutter a bit. Taking an extra second to exhale and calm his racing, raging mind he continued.


    "...So, I am sure you have just as many questions as we do..." He said, adding another line muttering in his breath as he did: ''...since you came out of the exploding mountain...''


    Both Jake and Jai glanced downward at the man, raising their eyebrows in the process, trying to suggest the man cover up his fleshy baton.


    ---


    [The events from Aziel''s perspective]


    As the cloud slowly but gradually settled, and he now had a clear sight of the three figures that he thought to be his welcoming committee, Aziel realized that the female was different. He frowned for a brief moment, squinting his eyes as he tried to glean deeper, beneath the flesh of the female that he somehow mistook for that primordial ape woman.


    ''Why did she remind me of her?'' He pondered inwardly, finding himself lost in her sight. In the end, he remarked it to be his lingering guilt and regret betraying the feelings she had shown back then and leaving her behind to wallow in her sorrow.


    Aziel sighed at his own faltering self, feeling conflicted by his own emotions. Shaking his head, he looked up at the trio and asked.


    "Who are you three? What do you want?" He asked coldly. Realizing his voice was still rather dry, he actively focused his inner flow of [Aether] to refresh his vocal cords. Almost instantly, his dry, deep rumbling voice began to grow lighter-toned, somewhat matching his rather youthful-looking appearance.


    Upon his questions, the three seemed to finally react, waking up from their stupor one after another. Yet, their reactions seemed slightly off, not what Aziel was expecting.


    The female, whom he mistook for Dinah, seemed to circulate more of her blood towards her cheeks, making them go bright red. She hurriedly reached for her eyes and averted her gaze.


    Her actions were perplexing, to say the least. From what he had seen, Aziel was almost certain he was bashful, embarrassed by something, yet he couldn''t understand what could have induced it. He wasn''t scared, he could no longer feel the sense of dread and terror from them. That, he was certain of.


    ''Weird...'' Aziel thought, looking at the fidgeting figure of the young woman.


    For the two boys, they also suddenly entered into haste turning towards the mysterious-looking bags they were carrying. They seemed to be in a hurry looking for something, making Aziel grow more and more curious by the second.


    From what he could sense, just like the woman, they both also had an elevated, increased heart rate. They were also agitated, yet they weren''t showing signs of fear, or anger.


    Still, before Aziel could ponder on it some more, the middle one, the tallest of them all seemed to have found what he was looking for. A small smile crept on his expression as she turned around to face Aziel again and stepped forward.


    He stepped forward, presenting a set of clothes, -similar to the strange, unique attire they all were wearing. With a powerless, stuttering, trembling tone, he began to speak. As soon as he did so, Aziel frowned yet again, realizing for the first time, that something may be amiss, that may be more time had passed than what he had intended to.


    Still, in the very next moment, a smile began to show itself on his face.


    The boy was speaking in a rather sophisticated manner. The language he was using had clearly used elaborate and complex sounds, requiring evolved, fully functioning vocal cords. He didn''t roar and yell like the animals, he didn''t use his hands to talk at all...


    Aziel was quickly growing beyond elated, barely able to contain his swelling happiness. Did his seclusion propel him into an era that could finally end his eternal loneliness?


    Deep in his own thoughts, Aziel was brought back to reality when suddenly a loud blaring horn-like sound came from a bit of distance from them.


    He could sense several dozen creatures, similar to these three rapidly closing in on their direction...


    ======


    Hey, my dear readers!


    Hope you have a blissfully happy holiday season, regardless of what you celebrate, stay happy and healthy!


    From now on, we would settle in for a 1 Chapter / Day schedule with the following bonus features available to you all:


    Powerstone Goals


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.


    Once we reach the target, I will immediately work on delivering the promised bonus as soon as possible.


    Also, this is by all means not mandatory, but instead an incentive in case you wish to show your support! After these last two days of rest, I''m feeling ready and refreshed! Push me to my limits!

 Chapter 36 - Situation

    Several dozen life forms of similar nature to the three that were already present in front of Aziel have slowly started to convey towards their direction.


    Though he couldn''t make it out for absolute certainty, whilst he could feel some faint dread in their signatures, most of them were filled with greed, and strangely¡­ lust?


    Aziel raised his eyebrows in question at this peculiarity, casting his gaze on the trio in the next second once again.


    Obviously, he had understood that there was a vast disparity, a barrier erected between him and these younglings due to the inability to converse. Their language, whilst much more sophisticated than the gurgles, roars, and animalistic sounds of Dinah''s tribe, vastly differed from Nova''s Common tongue.


    Even their kin, the humans back in his home world didn''t seem to match them, compared to that crude, harsh language, this one that the young central male have talked with had a certain soothing trait, a warming rhythm to it.


    Normally, in any other case, if he found himself in a strange situation such as this, Aziel''s normal approach would be to absorb the trio and assimilate their knowledge. This way he would not just learn their language, but would also swiftly learn of the current history and familiarize himself with the world.


    However, because of this female, that for some unknown reason reminded him of Dinah, Aziel couldn''t act on his first instinct. Through this action, or actual lack thereof created this rather awkward scene when neither party could understand each other.


    Still, as he looked at the clothing, the attire he was presented, he understood what he probably wanted to convey. His old clothing, the fur-made straps of the wildlife from before have long since given into the dredges of time.


    Though he wasn''t too bothered by it, he accepted the offering with a neutral gaze and a nod of his head. He grabbed the clothes and inspected them.


    He was surprised by the fine high-quality threads, reminding him of the nobles and aristocrats of his old world. Putting the lower half aside for the moment, he picked up the light grey, long-sleeved shirt, raising it in front of his eyes.


    He frowned as he noticed the lack of energy emanating from it. It was thin, slim, and with the lack of any energy embroidered into it, Aziel wasn''t sure what kind of protection could such a piece of clothing provide. Was there any point in wearing it?


    Still, unaware of the customs, as well as because if the was a genuine offering from these mortals, he decided not to complain, but put it on. After that, he inspected the second piece he was given, which was a sort of leggings.


    Like the strange cloth chest piece he was given, the leggings were also devoid of any infused energy or essence. Though it was a layer thicker than the shirt, it was still rather weak in terms of natural resistance, providing barely any protection for the wearer.


    ''Are these slave rags perhaps?'' Aziel pondered for a moment, ultimately deciding not to react and just continue inspecting the events to get a better understanding.


    Grabbing the pants by the helm, he equipped it as well.


    As soon as he did so, he could see the nervousness ease in the youngsters'' eyes. Whilst the female was still rather tense, as well as acting like those annoying elves, bashful, the two boys seemed to have calmed down considerably.


    After his emergence and the initial roar of the mountain, the events have gradually begun to calm down, which though Aziel remained ignorant of, the boys and Myra have noticed. Feeling that the disaster have somehow miraculously have avoided them, and their lives were no longer in critical danger, the boys have finally managed to calm down and reign in their emotions.


    "Jake!" Jai called out for his friend, his eyes fixated on the now-clothed stranger.


    Seeing no reaction from his friend, he reached out, grabbing his shoulder to get his attention.


    "What?" Jake asked.


    "What should we do now? He is definitely from some other faraway country..." Squinting his eyes, Jai scrutinized the stranger''s face for a bit before adding. "...Probably somewhere east, though I have no idea what is going on with those weird eyes of his..." He muttered.


    "Hmmm..." Jake hummed, deep in thought, not sure of what to think of at the moment.


    "Well, I think th-"


    Noticing how the neutral expression of the stranger abruptly changed, transforming into a deep frown as he swept his starry, mystical gaze to the tree line behind them, Jake''s words froze in him.


    In the next moment, before they could even ask, all of them were alerted to the distant sounds coming from behind. People were closing in on their direction, and from the sound of it, whilst they weren''t overly disciplined, they were a single unit.


    Realizing what they could be, all three of them frowned and turned around facing the trees as well. The boys clenched their fists, as their frowned slowly settled into displeasure.


    ---


    Aziel was surprised yet again as he silently watched the reactions of the trio. He had long since noticed the approaching group, but as thinking of they might be the rest of the group where these three had come from, he chose to ignore it at the time.


    The stench of human greed has filled her nostrils, forcing him to frown with a growing annoyance swelling inside him. The corrupt taint that was present in Nova, he could once again sense it.


    Yet, strangely these youngsters were different. Their obvious hostility and rising alertness have made Aziel question and doubt his initial conjectures.


    ''Are they two different parties?'' He pondered, slowly looking over the backs of the youths, before raising it towards the distance. His heightened, unusually sharp eyes could already make out several silhouettes crossing through the thicket.


    Holding strange tools in their heads, that vaguely reminded Aziel of the dwarven automated ranged weapons, they didn''t seem to be friendly at all.


    ''Let''s wait and see if they have any affiliation with these three...'' Aziel thought, following the approaching figures with his gaze.


    ---


    Jake and his friends were rather tense as soon as they realized that they are no longer alone. They were nervous, agitated, and even slightly scared as they realized that after surviving one natural disaster they have fallen into another one.


    They knew immediately that the approaching group couldn''t be the police or any official party but rather something different entirely.


    Jake sighed, steeling his resolve, whilst also thinking of what he should do next. Thinking of the ''poor'' unknown boy behind him, he made up his mind.


    "Guys... We need to save him, we can''t escape..." He muttered the order.


    =====


    Author Note (AN from now on): A slow chapter for now, but expect things to get pretty crazy in the coming chapters! :D


    =====


    Powerstone Goals


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 37 - Holding At Gunpoint

    The ferocious and violent roar of the mountain''s dust still mostly lording over the forest, casting a thick veil of shroud over its domain. Still, by now, the trio could see the faint, blurry outlines of what seemed to be more than a dozen figures.


    They cautiously circled around, though they didn''t seem to be too bothered hiding their presence, they were still mostly silent.


    As Jake, Jay, and Myra were looking increasingly more and more agitated, Aziel was watching as the events unfolded with curiosity glimmering in his star-shaped exotic eyes.


    ''What are these monkeys doing...?'' He pondered, shaking his head in the next second with a wry, crooked look on his face.


    ''No, that''s not correct anymore. They have evolved over my seclusion, losing most of their hairs. Now they mostly match those disgusting creatures on Nova, yet their attire is vastly different. Hmm...'' He pondered, his eyes lazily moving to scan the figures approaching them from all directions.


    What was still hazy, blurry silhouettes and dark outlines for the trio of youngsters, Aziel could clearly see and inspect them. The strange dark, metallic-looking strange objects, that reminded him of the dwarven pieces of machinery were present with differing shapes and sizes in almost all of the newcomers'' hands.


    Long, half -an-arm length dark metal cylinders with an armrest-looking thing and even a trigger placed conveniently at their fingertips. He felt awed by such a marvel of ingenuity.


    ''Are those... some sort of weapons? Based on the lack of a loader mechanism, I would guess these are similar to those fat, bearded mountain dwellers'' latest inventions. Shooting pellets instead of arrows if I remember correctly...'' He mused, trying to search through the vast library of his memories.


    Thankfully, mostly due to his unique nature of existence, his memories that normally should not have been accessible, or clear due to the wear and tear of time, it was stored in his soul space, saved and protected by his [Essence Restitute] trait.


    Shifting his focus over the figures in a casual, nonchalant manner, he eventually spotted what he suspected to be the leader of the trio. With a bright red bandana put over his head, hiding the lack of his hear, a tall and brawny man sauntered forward, with a wide grin plastered across his bristly, unshaven face. A similar-looking tool was put over his shoulders.


    From his stance and body language, Aziel could almost see an aura of arrogance covering his muscular frame.


    "My, my, what do we have here..." He croaked in his raspy, unsettling tone; the sign of the attrition due to years of nicotine-induced abuse.


    The men coughed in the next moment, which then turned into eerie and unpleasant-sounding chortling laughter.


    A moment later, the silhouettes that also closed in and were gradually revealing themselves joined in, filling the forest biome with their cacophony.


    After a minute, the central, tall, bandana-wearing man raised his arm. His face suddenly shifted from elation to a stern, borderline disdainful look.


    In the next instant, all of his men ceased their chuckles and laughs, and just like their boss, they too turned abruptly serious.


    "So..." After a few seconds of intense silence, the man looked up at the mountain, snorting at the still tragic-looking sight. "...Who amongst you four wishes to score some good points and tell us what in the actual fuck happened? What are you brats are even doing here?"


    He asked, meanwhile his eyes slowly scrutinized all four of them, eventually finding more interest in the only female in the group. Following their boss''s gaze, the rest of the rough-looking men that were trapping them leered over the shy and increasing more fearful girl.


    Noticing this, and feeling the growing lust in the air, a frown flashed across Aziel''s face for a brief moment, that went unnoticed by the bandana man.


    "Hmmm? Nobody?" Seeing that nobody stepped up and spoke the boss-man heaved a theatrical sigh, before casting his gaze over the shivering girl in the group. "How about you missy? We gentlemen wouldn''t want such a precious little maiden like yourself out in this dreadful weather now, would we?" He smiled, which seemed more like a sneer than of anything else.


    He raised his left arm in her direction, waving with his hand to come over.


    "Come here, don''t be afraid. This uncle here is especially nice to-"


    "That''s enough!" Jake, finally gathering all his courage, and making up his mind, and affirming his resolution stepped forward. Puffing out his chest, hoping it would make him look braver as he really was, looked coldly at the man.


    "Who are you, people? What do you want?" He exclaimed, his tone was firm, he looked resolute, although inwardly he was shaking like a leaf.


    His friend, Jay looked shocked at his friend''s action for a brief moment, before gritting his teeth, clenching his fists, and following his example in the next second. He too stepped out, looking stout, demanding an explanation from what clearly seemed-to-be thugs.


    Briefly surprised by their action, the leader figure didn''t seem to be offended by the duo''s actions. Instead, a small smile slowly began to curve and contort his already eerie expression even further. His dark brown upturned eyes scanned over the duo once again, before he finally looked over the so-far silent fourth member of this little team.


    "And what about you there, boy? Are you going to step up like your friends here, or will you continue cowering in fear?!" He asked, snickering as he did so.


    Looking at the young man at the back, he first thought that he was too scared, to even react to their presence. Yet, as the seconds passed, turning into minutes, no matter how he tried observing him, he was surprised to see that instead of the normal response of fear, only genuine curiosity and at the end, a growing, emerging contempt was shown on the unknown young man''s face.


    However, instead of a response, the strange boy simply ignored him. His attention was on the two boys ahead, his eyes showing the same curiosity and interest as before.


    "The f*ck?!" Irked by such a snobby attitude, the brawny leader snorted in annoyance. Picking up the rifle from his shoulder, he aimed it towards the boy in the back, asking in a colder, threatening tone once again.


    "I will ask, one last time, and I highly advise you to do not dare to ignore me..." He exclaimed, his finger lingering over the trigger, ready to fire at any second. The playful tone and attitude instantly vanished as he turned serious.


    Following their leader, the rest of the surrounding crowd also armed their weapons on all of the youngsters, the smiles and smirks instantly vanishing from their faces.


    "So... little brat... Let''s see if now you would more... coop..."


    Yet, before he could even finish his words, the boy suddenly vanished from his sight, only to reappear behind the man that had his weapon aimed at the girl.


    =====


    We are steadily getting closer to the first goal and with it the first bonus chapter! Great job guys (and gals!)


    Powerstone Goals


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 38 - Bloodbath

    *Splurt!*


    "Urgh...?!" Before anyone could say a word or react in any form or fashion, suddenly a blood-drenched clawed hand pierced straight through the man, tearing away the clothes, skin flesh, and gore in equal measure.


    The man himself, most shocked of them all, turned agast mostly with the initial shock of seeing a hand coming out from the center of his torso. Yet, not even a second later, his nervous system flared up, sending jolts of information to his brain.


    First, it was the searing, burning sensation. As if his flesh, his skin was burned away with fire. Then, the adrenalin kicked it, suppressing the sensation, at least momentarily. Even the heat seemed to have calmed down...


    Yet, he knew something wasn''t right. He could feel a rapidly encroaching exhaustion, he could feel as his stamina was draining away at a rapid pace. He could feel a warm liquid pouring down his chest, making its way, slithering towards the ground.


    The man felt as if hours passed, bringing forth strange, new sensations. Each step worse than the one before.


    Breathing gradually turned more and more of a chore. Each inhale grew weaker as if his lungs just couldn''t support the increased need of his body. With each failed attempt to fulfill this newly risen requirement, he felt more and more of his own strength slipping away. Eventually, his legs could no longer sustain themselves, they wobbled and in the next instant they gave up completely.


    By the time his head touched the ground, he could only see blurry silhouettes and the flashes of what seemed to be the muzzles of lots of guns. He could no longer hear the bangs, the explosions, or the hopefully painful cries of his murderer... He had a new horizon to explore.


    Though it has seemed like hours for the man, actually barely a couple of seconds have passed since Aziel suddenly flashed across the makeshift battlefield and tore a fist-sized hole in the man aiming his gun at the girl. Tearing away the waning but still beating precious organ, the man''s heart, Aziel didn''t hesitate but quickly gulped it down before the shocked then horrified eyes of the crowd.


    Even the three teens, Jake, Jay, and Myra was shocked and terrified as they saw the horrific, nightmarish scene. As for the thugs, they were stunned, petrified at what they witnessed. One of their own, gone! Just like that!


    "D-d-don''t just stand there... K-KILL HIM! SHOOT, YOU IMBECILES!" The first one to break his trance was the leader himself, standing behind the three youngsters.


    His previous playful attitude was nowhere to be seen, his face was contorted into an ugly frown as he shouted orders. Still, his figure was shaking of what he had just seen, despite the power of his bellowing roar.


    As if a magic word was uttered, the thugs holding the teens at gunpoint shook their heads and one after another broke their daze. The shock in their gazes swiftly transformed, fueled by the helplessness, the dread they all felt, it slowly turned into an uncontrollable rage.


    Their faces contorted into the same ugly mug that of their leaders, they exclaimed almost in perfect unison, albeit throwing a variety of curses.


    "DIE!!!!"


    "B*STARD!"


    "MONSTER!!"


    Shifting their stances they all ignored the teens and instead snapped their guns at the silver-haired, monster that was supposed to be a silent boy a moment ago. What they thought was just his timidness turned out to be hiding a terrifying monster.


    The muzzles flashed as a rain of bullets was hailed at the widely grinning, almost euphoric-looking boy. His face painted crimson with the smeared blood of the now-deceased human, Aziel was basking in the feeling that he had missed for so, so long.


    He could also feel a strange warmth deep inside him, but before he could dive deeper and inspect the sensation, he felt as if hundreds and hundreds of bees had tried to sting him.


    His body felt weird, tingling all over yet with each passing instant it grew number and number to it. His physique, his [Essence Restitute] was working actively, using his reserves of inner energy, his [Aether] to accommodate to the pain.


    The men were growing increasingly more and more shocked as well as terrified seeing how the storm of bullets didn''t manage to hurt the boy, only grazing off his skin as if it was some superalloy, some sort of reinforced, resistant material.


    Yet, without any other method to vent all their growing, gradually settling frustrations and unease they continued to pull the trigger and empty out their cartridges.


    At around a minute later as they all emptied their magazines, they all hastily searched for a replacement. Knowing that the monster was now unleashed and not suppressed by any of them, they did their best to find a replacement and resume their actions.


    No matter how futile their actions were, they didn''t know what else to do, how else to combat such a threat.


    Aziel remained still, almost baptizing himself in the rain of bullets. At first, it felt rather painful, even though guns of their caliber couldn''t possibly do any lasting damage, it was still a new, unexpected experience. His body has grown resistant to many forms of trauma, but these pellets, metallic projectiles were something new.


    As the seconds passed, so did the discomfort slowly, steadily settle down and eventually go away completely. By the time the storm ceased, he barely felt anything.


    The grin on Aziel''s face curved higher, which made it all the eerier with how bloodied his face still face. A cruel, vicious glint flickered in his eyes as he looked at the thugs hastily searching in their pockets and bags.


    "W-wait.. Watch o-"


    Yet again, as the leader reloaded his rifle, and was about to resume his firing, his face turned pale. He wanted to cry out, and warn his brothers, but before he could even do so, the monster''s figure flickered once again, only to reappear not even a moment later in the midst of the crowd.


    Aziel arms''s swung down with a lightning-fast motion, his dark, ebony claws reflecting in the faint sunlight as they sliced through flesh and bone as if it was nothing but dense air.


    Blood splurted trailing the arcs of his hands, each swing tearing apart skin, flesh, ending a life in the most gruesome, brutal manner possible. Each time a small piece of their matter was absorbed through Aziel''s skin. Each time feeling a bit more of the same warmth in the center of his frame, making him grow more and more curious about it inwardly.


    In the following thirty seconds, the leader has been thrown into the deepest, vilest pits of hell. Not even a minute had passed, yet his friends, his brothers he had survived through all that storm, all the misery of their lives were now gone. Their bodies were torn to pieces, mutilated, or in some cases even worse, they were all beyond redemption, beyond any chance of saving.


    Still, their murderer, this reaper... this horrific monster that was now fully bathed in their blood, stood over them, looking more and more of an incomprehensible creature by each passing second, with each look the leader gave to him.


    He could no longer care about how could the boy''s hand transform into what felt looked like the hand of a prehistoric-looking beast, how he suddenly sprouted such a horrifying set of claws.


    He needed to enact vengeance for the lost souls of his brothers. He needed to end this monster, yet he knew his gun was hopeless in penetrating that strangely resistant skin of his.


    Anger clouding his judgment and mind, he could no longer bother, in the end, he flicked his arm, and aimed towards Aziel''s head as he shouted and pulled the trigger at the same time.


    "JUST F*CKING DIE ALREADY... YOU MONSTER!!!" He yelled, pulling the trigger as hard as he could.


    A new storm of bullets sailed across the air, crossing the meager distance in an instant, flicking off Aziel''s body without any form of damage caused. Aziel grinned at this, grinning widely. He slowly began to approach the man, ignoring the hailing storm of projectiles, pushing against it as if he was going against a tide.


    "DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!" Crazed and losing his mind at the nightmare he had just gone through the leader of the thugs continued emptying out his last magazine, ignoring the fact that once that very last bullet left the barrel, so would his life end along with it.


    His chance of survival was with this last couple of bullets, his last hail mary. He roared like a crazed, cornered beast, no longer bothered by worldly emotions and attachments. The only thing that mattered now was the slowly approaching menace, the blood-drenched monster that hid behind that youthful, vigorous human''s flesh.


    Yet, neither bullet he fired could penetrate the boy''s skin. His clothes were long since shredded, leaving only just a vague neckline covering him, leaving his body bare once more.


    As the last butter was loaded but the automated mechanism and was then released not even a fraction of a second later, the leader no longer felt anything. Not even fear itself. He no longer bothered, he no longer cared. He felt no regret, no grief, no sorrow. He just wanted this torture, this nightmare to finally end.


    He closed his eyes, opened his arms wide, waiting for the inevitable to come.


    Yet, as the second passed, followed by another, then another... that awaited end never came. The sounds have calmed down along with the last of his bullets that were fired, making him puzzled and then gradually more and more confused about what was going on.


    As his eyelids nervously parted apart, temporarily returning his vision to the leader he instantly grow shocked at the seemingly impossible scene revealed in front of him.


    The monster, the impenetrable skin of the monster was somehow overcome, the silver-haired creature was found lying in the ground, the same evil smile plastered across his face with only a bloody hole replacing his right eye!


    =====


    We are steadily getting closer to the first goal and with it the first bonus chapter! Great job guys (and gals!)


    Powerstone Goals


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter (Getting closer!),


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 39 - The Impossible Reality

    For several seconds, there was no reaction from either party. Just like how the leader of the armed thugs, the brawny, bandana-man was unable to process the series of events that just got more and more outrageous and felt as if a story from some horror-flick came alive, the young teenage trio of the Indie-club couldn''t react at all.


    Right from the first moment that strange young boy from unknown origins suddenly disappeared, only to appear behind one of the armed men only to literally tear a hole at the center of his chest... they were long since lost in the events.


    At first, they didn''t even notice the monster-like claws that suddenly appeared. Only when the first couple of yells and deathly hoars reached their ears did they turn aghast with shock and even with a tinge of fear.


    Jake, the most grounded of them all, was also lost for words. His mind was in a state of mess, a chaotic storm wreaked havoc inside.


    ''Just who... are what is he?'' Remembering how the boy seemingly floated above the ground as it came out from the rubble itself, he realized that he skimmed over a lot of details at the beginning. Whilst he was petrified and stunned with all the carnage he was unleashing, his mind was under the barrage of questions and conspiracy theories.


    ''Could this place be... hiding some secret underground government facility?'' He pondered. ''Could he be a victim of government abuse, an experiment gone wrong?''


    As he looked at the claws, he was reminded of one of his favorite anti-heroes, a grumpy ''lone-wolf'', with great regenerative powers and a similar sort of armament that he could seemingly grow out from under the skin on his hands.


    ''Could there be more like them?'' He pondered, his mind already birthing the seeds for newer and increasingly more outlandish theories. Being a fanboy of comics and all related superhero-type media, just like his two friends by his side, his wishful thinking easily found grounds to hold onto even in such a nightmarish situation they were now in.


    He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn''t even register the last moments of the battle. Only when the shooting has suddenly ceased, did he slowly wake up from his session of reverie.


    Yet, as soon as the haze cleared from his mind and his vision regained its clarity he was shocked by what greeted him once again. The unknown figure, the boy that they have just met, and later found out to be such an undefeatable boy with an impenetrable-looking skin was lying seemingly dead in a large pool of blood. Though he didn''t know if any of that belonged to him, Jake couldn''t believe his eyes.


    No. He felt it impossible! He, like his beloved hero from the comics, was almost immortal! A simple bullet, even as lucky as that last shot was couldn''t kill him!


    "No..." Jake muttered, as his mind refused to accept the harsh reality. Whilst Jay was seeming of similar thought and gazed at the unbelievable, impossible result with obstinate refusal behind his shocked, bewildered gaze. He too, while silent, silently shook his head, not accepting the reality, and was just waiting for the mysterious boy to sit up at any second.


    As for Myra, her shock soon faded, replaced by a pang of sadness that she herself couldn''t understand where it came from. She felt her heart churn as if it was crying, grieving for the loss of someone important to it. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, battling against her hopeless resistance, and soon made their escape route slithering down towards freedom, the ground.


    She didn''t know who this boy was. She couldn''t understand how he came out suddenly from the thick smoke, how he appeared at the center of this natural disaster at all. She couldn''t believe her eyes at first when suddenly, just like in the movies they all loved and fanned over he suddenly blinked as if it was as normal as breathing and decided to attack the men pointing their gun at them.


    She did notice that the first target the mysterious boy chose was one of those that armed her specifically, though she didn''t put too much weight on it. Besides being paralyzed by the gruesome scene that followed after it, she didn''t have any chance to ponder on it at all.


    She couldn''t understand why did she feel this strange connection, this almost magnetic pull towards this unknown figure. Why wasn''t she utterly horrified, scared when he revealed what kind of a monster he truly was.


    Was it because of him fighting for them? Maybe, though Myra felt there was something else, something deeper, something that she couldn''t understand. She felt the heavy, rapid beating of her heart, that she just knew didn''t match the scare, the situation.


    No, it was something else. She could feel hidden desire, an urge to get closer to this man. To this boy.


    Like Jake and most likely Jay, she herself was lost in her own thoughts and didn''t register the last hurrah, the last hail mary of this hateful thug as it unleashed the last of his bullets in a desperate storm to, -if nothing else-, pull this monster down to the pits of hell with him.


    Only when the storm calmed down, and silence loomed over them once again, did she wake up, together with her friends, and look at the motionless, blood-drenched body. The pain, the sorrow, the grief filling her heart, she couldn''t hold back herself anymore and cried.


    ...


    Cautiously stepping forward, the leader of the now-deceased group of thugs slowly inched closer and closer to the boy''s -hopefully- corpse. Nervous that it may just be a ploy, a trap set up by that horrifying monster, he took his time with each step, tightly clenching the rifle in his hand. Even though he was completely drained of bullets, used the very last magazine he had, he felt safer holding it close.


    Several seconds passed in tense silence, with the only background being the faint, subtle sobbing of the girl.


    The leader, as he finally got into a close-enough distance slowly, hesitantly pointed the gun at the body. Reaching further, he poked at the body, laser-focused on the smallest, tiniest of twitches in response.


    His fears, his agitated state didn''t calm even as there was no reaction at first. Only after what felt like a full minute of continuous poking and pestering, did the ugly frown began to curve upwards.


    "Did he... Did that monster finally f*cking die?!" He muttered at first, slowly beginning to process the miracle that had just happened to him. "I... I survived?" He asked himself.


    Looking down at the body, slowly, realization struck him. A sinister-looking smirk appeared on his face as he raised his empty gun in the air in victory.


    "I SURVIVED! HAHAHAHA I KILLED IT!"


    His celebration, however, was abruptly cut short when the distant sounds of sirens have reached their ears. His smirk vanished, giving place to a small frown yet again as he muttered.


    "F*ck... they were quite fast..."


    Still, not all is bad, he still had the 3 of the original group of kids. Though he lost a lot, in the end, the situation was that dark...


    As he looked over the mourning trio, dark thoughts began to form into a sinister plan in his twisted mind...


    Pulling out a dagger from the sleeves of his pants, he suddenly turned his attention back to the kids. A crooked smile appeared on his scruffy face as he nodded towards the city.


    "Okay brats, get a move on it. I don''t know what more secrets you three may hold, but I''m sure it worth quite a penny!"


    =====


    Almost there! Just a bit more push and we will reach the first reward! Come on guys (and gals!), do your best!


    Powerstone Goals


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 40 - Clues

    As the trio was being forcefully escorted away by the vile, brawny thug they looked more tired and exhausted than terrified than they should normally be. After going through such a rollercoaster of emotions, the boys felt utterly exhausted, almost completely numb to the threat pointed at them.


    They could only sigh and do their best to gather and conserve their energy for the time being. With the sirens coming off the distance, the boys felt that they still had some chance to escape and survive. To hopefully get back the comfort of their homes, their families, and just¡­ hopefully forget this day entirely.


    Whilst the boy''s idea was, for the most part, shared by the sole girl, Myra in the group, she was also still confused about her own emotions. About the heartwrenching pain, the sadness that tortured her heart whenever she looked at the motionless body of the unknown boy.


    She didn''t even know his name, much less anything else about him. He spoke in a strange unknown language, that while was rather pleasing to the ear, was nevertheless nothing she had ever heard of before.


    ''Why am I¡­ like this? Why do I care about him at all? He may not even be human anymore¡­ but some escaped experiment¡­'' She tried reasoning, as she was pushed away somewhere towards the direction of the city.


    As they slowly entered the tree lines, but before their figures would be completely swallowed by the darkness, Myra turned around to look back at the mysterious figure one last time. She felt her heart being pierced by a new surge of grief and sorrow as she looked at the copious amounts of blood gathered in a large pool under his lean body.


    Yet, just as she was about to turn back, her eyes went wide suddenly with shock. The body, the supposedly lifeless body twitched! Though it was just once, and by logic, it could very well be some sort of muscle spasm, or the last currents leaving the nerves¡­ Somehow Myra felt it¡­ no. She KNEW what it meant.


    "Stop gawking, you little b*tch. Focus your eyes forward. That little monster of yours is now dead. Nothing can save his soul from hell! AHAHAHA!"


    Feeling the rough handling of their captor pushing her back and forcing her to turn forward, Myra no longer looked scared. For some reason, she no longer feared the cruel, horrific prospects of her potential future.


    No, she felt a new sensation, a new cloud of calmness spread in her mind. She merely smirked at the bandana-wearing man''s words, showing nothing but contempt to him.


    This reaction of hers didn''t go unnoticed by her friends either. Jake and Jay looked at her casting puzzled looks, wondering what could have made the girl turn around so suddenly.


    For a second, they both looked bewildered and confused, before in the next moment they both suddenly recalled their earlier fantasy of comparing the strange boy to their favored comic-book hero. In an instant, they both went wide-eyed with the shock of this realization simultaneously.


    They looked at the girl, who as if understanding their thoughts, slightly nodded and continued smirking smugly, not bothered by the rough handling of their captor behind them.


    The confirmation was like a shock of a lightning bolt to the boys, they too gradually turned calm, and even slightly elated. No longer weary, or scared, the trio followed the route their dagger-wielding captor was laying out for them¡­


    ¡­


    Aziel was once again under the effects of his unique skill, [Essence Restitute]. Gobbled up large amounts of these human essences during the fight, his ability was now working in full force once again.


    The dark, bloody hole in his right eyesocket healed visible to the naked eye. The seared, burned flesh became vibrant and lush again. Miniature tendrils shot out from them, meeting midway and pulling the walls of the whole closer and closer together as new mass was constantly made.


    Aziel supernatural regenerative abilities, coupled together with the skill''s mysterious powers have taken but only a minute to restore the lost eye back to its original state.


    Yet, the process didn''t stop there. Though they were hidden away behind a small barrier of the skin as Aiden''s consciousness was still deep in his own inner world, his irises were changing yet again. Influenced by the much new genetic information he had just gained, the strange, otherworldly star-like shape was no longer prominent. It could still be found if one would have taken a closer, deeper inspection.


    Normally, if one would now look into Aziel''s eyes, he would be met with a mesmerizing, yet unique, warmer and lighter-toned cinnamon-colored pair of eyes. Strangely though, it somewhat seemed to resemble crimson more than that of its original brown origin¡­


    Along with his eyes, Aziel''s body was also changing as more and more genetic material was being processed. His frame once again shifted, gaining a bit more height, whilst his frame retained its lean, almost lithe characteristics. The claws and blackened surface of his transformed arms have turned back into their ''normal'' states.


    Lastly, the pool of blood his body was laying in, was slowly, gradually being sucked up, converted into energy to refill the lost reserves.


    All the while his body was working to upgrade his outward appearance, it also worked to strengthen his skin, flesh, and organs to be more resistant to this new type of trauma. At the very same time, Aziel deeply focused on the swiftly flashing images, visions in his mind, processing a great deal of information at a frightening pace.


    He gradually began to fill up the giant mass of darkness in his mind with information gathered and collected by the roughly dozen or so humans he have collected. Though their knowledge was severely limited, and there were literally thousands of years that were unaccounted for, he did gradually gain an understanding of the latest steps of mankind.


    From their memories, he had learned how much the world he once knew had changed. How the dominant species were no longer giant predators or the new breed of furred beasts, but instead this now-hairless breed of monkeys, that has now grown far beyond Dinah''s tribe of cavemen or even what he remembered from Nova¡­


    Though he also learned that just like those greedy creatures plaguing his home¡­ no, his past world, these humans too were mostly driven by their dark emotions. Greed and Lust being the dominant driving desire, these violent creatures were just as destructive as he remembered. Fighting their own kind, killing and murdering innocents in cold blood just for some measly mortal gains and benefits?!


    Still, he couldn''t judge and condemn them all. Reminded by the kind gesture of the young youth that he now understood what was for, Aziel found that surprisingly there were good breeds among them.


    Like Dinah, they were like diamonds, shining through the grime, only waiting to be found.


    Still, there was another matter that shocked Aziel thoroughly. He had no time to check in the heat of the battle, but he could feel these small, yet countable wisps of the energy, this [Aether] flowing into his core with each culled life of a human. Each time he reaped a life and absorbed a small amount of its blood, a wisp of [Aether] was also generated, slowly but surely merged with his own and pushing his current realm higher and higher.


    Aziel could feel reaching his limits and getting closer to a breakthrough. Still, if his experience on Nova was anything to go by, crossing through the threshold of the Earth Realm and embarking into the first realm of the truly powerful, the Sky Realm, gathering his energy wouldn''t be simply enough to do so.


    If he were to base his new cultivation base on Nova''s standards he would need alchemical aid as well as an early-stage Sky Realm beast''s core to absorb to his own and recreate his old core first.


    The problem was, that if these human''s memories were anything to go by, this world was vastly different from his old. This world was governed by science and strange technology instead of magic.


    Still, Aziel found some faint hope. From what he understood, this world must have had some connection with his old world at some point. Either someone of something managed to cross over, or something else must have happened as there many stories termed as ''Fantasy'' that they shared with their children.


    They were shockingly accurate and descriptive of how he remembered his old life. Though most stories were biased towards humanity''s side of events, it was still undoubtedly the tales of someone from his old world.


    Deep in thoughts, Aziel was focused on processing all the new information he had gained as well as trying to find a hold in what he should be doing when suddenly he sensed a new group of humans approaching his location.


    At the same time, he noticed the familiar figures of the youthful friendly trio walking away from his location in the other direction... With another presence joined by them... One that instantly made his eyes snap open with anger.


    "Found you..." Aziel muttered, now in the newly comprehended language of these mortals before his laid-down figure suddenly vanished.


    =====


    Almost there! Just a bit more push and we will reach the first reward! Come on guys (and gals!), do your best!


    Powerstone Goals


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 41 - Arriving To The Scene

    Just as Aziel''s figure disappeared into thin air from the ground he was laying on, after locating the teenagers and their surviving thug leader, the surrounding undergrowth was pushed apart and several figures adding up to slightly more than a dozen walked out in a disciplined manner.


    Each was wearing a matching, uniformed attire, with large, spacious, or perhaps packed, clearly aimed to provide extra protection to weather the harshness of nature''s elements.


    Wearing a rather large bright yellow helmet so that they could be identified even though the thickest of smokes and with their equally as unique yellow one-piece clothing that vaguely resembled that of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Suits that the Bomb Disposal Squad wore. As they carefully approached the carnal, gory scene filled with mutilated flesh and pools and pools of blood the scene looked as if they were astronauts landing on a new and unexplored planet for the very first time.


    However, unlike how it would have been in any major blockbuster movie, the group of trained experts had no weapons hanging on their backs, waists, or held in their hands.


    Instead of holding onto the barrel of a rifle, they each gripped the handles of a variety of tools, such as a hand axe for chopping through branches blocking the path, shovels to dig if needed, and some pickaxes in case they would be needed to remove a harder obstacle.


    They were the domestic branch for the Emergency Response Team Search and Rescue or as they were more commonly known locally the ERT for short. A specialized group of elites of a joint effort from the various government-owned emergency forces, having elite firemen, field doctors, and even transferred SWAT team members as well.


    As their name suggests, the group was specialized in handling the aftermath of disasters of any kind, be it man-made, or in our case, nature''s wrath. They were usually the ones to call in first whenever a tragedy struck somewhere in their Range of Activity, to go in and complete two main tasks of equal importance.


    First, they would obviously need to do what their name already implies: Search and Rescue any potential survivors. Provide them the necessary emergency care so that they would have the highest chances for survival and be safe for being carried to the nearest hospital.


    Also, with ex-marines and elite soldiers also in their ranks, they were qualified to handle the occasional violent survivor and criminal if needed. At least until the police would have arrived at the scene, they were more than ready to tackle the occasional violent encounters.


    Their second, but just as an equally important task that needed to get to on-site as soon as they arrived would be to analyze and investigate the scene. Look for clues and trace the tragedy back to its root, so they could make sure such an event would not happen again, and that the safety of innocents would not be endangered in the future.


    Barely an hour after the sudden eruption of the city''s historical landmark, Greytop Mountain, the ERT has arrived on site. As the team stepped out from the cover of the trees and have finally gazed at the horrific, nightmarish sight even their trained and experienced minds were thrown into chaos.


    The brutal gory battlefield, littered with mutilated bodies, flesh, seared organs¡­ even the hardest experts among them had to focus not to wretch and puke into their suits.


    Stepping through the bushes, Frank Dalton, the assigned team leader and by rank, Captain of this team of First Response Unit frowned as soon as the bloody scene was revealed. Even for his trained eyes, that have seen more than his fair share of battlefields, and even dozens of cases during his tenure both as an army lieutenant, and an officer of the ERT, he found it hard to process the aftermath of what seemed like the aftermath of a blood bath.


    He frowned as he slowly inspected the scene, scanning through the entire field first before taking a step forward. He checked the piles of carcasses, that hardly resembled people at all. Torn limbs, skinned chests covered with thick layers of blood piled together at one spot, yet the missing parts, flesh, and what seemed like organs could be found littered wherever he looked.


    Looking more closely he looked at the footprints left in the crimson soil, his mind was shifting into gear as he tried to make sense of what could have happened. He squinted his eyes as he looked up at the mountains, looking at the dark grey cloud of smoke that still engulfed the mountain top.


    Still, the more he looked at it, the more puzzled he became. If it really was what they told to the public in the media, or what was reported, shouldn''t this whole scene be entirely different?


    If Greytop Mountains was truly a volcano that has just awoken from its potentially millions of years of slumber¡­ then nothing made sense.


    For once, the eruption itself should have spewed lots of hot and dangerous gases, ash, and lava into the air, covering its vicinity with it almost instantly. Not just the forest but the entire Sector 14, or as it was most commonly known the Forest District would be beyond saving by now.


    Whilst they could see rubbles scattered all over the landscape even as they cautiously ventured towards the depths, nothing that would have supported the supposed event have been seen.


    The lack of volcanic ashfall, that should have been present all over due to the explosive style of the eruption was nowhere to be seen. The rubble they have come across and inspected along the way was definitely not volcanic rocks, but simple, regular minerals.


    Also, this scene was clearly not the result of a tragedy. These people, whoever they were, were definitely not hikers caught unaware on their way to climb to the top.


    "Captain! We have found something!" A feminine voice, belonging to his second in command, the First Lieutenant brought him out of his thoughts. Grunting with a slight annoyance Frank Dalton turned to look at the figure approaching him.


    Giving a salute, the woman stood at attention awaiting the signal from his captain before she would continue with her report.


    Captain Frank sighed, nodding for her to go on.


    "Captain!" The woman exclaimed with passion in her tone, giving a slight, extra pause before going any further.


    "We have found clues towards the identities of the victims. Sir¡­ They¡­" Reported the First Lieutenant, her voice trailing off in the end.


    "They were of a criminal group, right Julie? If I were to guess¡­ they should be from that group, right? The Outcasts?" The captain added, his expression turning into a sneer towards the end.


    "Uhm... Sir, yes, you are absolutely right, Sir!" The woman, First Lieutenant Julie Estes nodded vehemently at her Captain''s words. Turning around as she took a step forward and taking his right side, she pointed over to the large pile of bodies.


    "Though the figures are mutilated, and we would need Forensics to confirm¡­ however, from the few markings, tattoos found on some of them¡­ at least some of them seems to be belonging to that underworld group. Sir¡­ we have also found a few things that are hard to make sense of."


    "What is it First Lieutenant?" Frank asked, raising his brows in question.


    In response, the First Lieutenant pointed towards a strangely familiar shape protruding out from a slightly deeper pool of blood found not too far away from them.


    Looking at the object, Frank didn''t need too long to identify it. He immediately frowned at this discovery.


    "A stock? Wait¡­ it looks as if¡­"


    "Yes, Captain. The rifle looks as if it was torn apart¡­ just like the victims¡­" the First Lieutenant finished the Captain''s words with a somber-looking expression on her face.


    ¡ª


    Somewhere far away from the gory scene at the base of Greytop Mountain, Aziel, now wide awake, was standing on a thicker tree branch high above the treeline. Leaning against the trunk, whilst being hidden inside the crown, he was looking down below.


    Just under him, he looked with a growing, wide smile as the brawny rough figure, the leader of the now-deceased band of thugs were holding the three youngsters at knifepoint.


    He looked clearly distraught, disheveled after what he had gone through. His facial muscles were twitching, showing signs that he was on the brink of a nervous breakdown.


    With the gentle wind carrying the distant sounds of the ERT over, the man was clearly very alarmed and frightened of being discovered. He was violently pushing the kids, forcing them to march further towards the east, where the city itself should be situated at.


    Aziel smiled as he listened to the man. Though he tried to sound cold and collected as he shoved the teens forward, his rapidly beating heart and small beads of sweat glistening on the back of his head as well as his forehead couldn''t escape his keen senses.


    Looking at the group as they got below his position, he...


    =====


    At the time of writing, we only need a couple more stones to reach a bonus chapter! In case we have reached it before the weekly reset, I''m going to work on it as soon as I get back home and release it asap!


    In other news, here are the next week''s goals! Do your best everyone, so that we can grow and give me more and more energy to write!


    Powerstone Goals


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 42 - New Faith For Humanity Church

    Looking at the group as they got below his position, Aziel still couldn''t help but ponder more about what the true intentions of that man taking the younglings away could truly be.


    Did he want to use them as hostages, or even as meat shields in case that government body -that are already at their previous location-, catches up to him before he had the chance to escape?


    These¡­ weapons, that these humans used, these guns and rifles could indeed cause some serious damage. True to his fears, Aziel could understand how serious of a threat these dark metallic pieces of modern warfare could cause to the average mortal.


    ''They are truly weak¡­ pathetic¡­ having excess to all this unique energy, yet none of them I have met so far seemed to be able to control it. They are mere mortals, none walking the Path at all.''


    Without access to Magic or being able to use [Aether] to enhance their bodies, these led pellets, or ''Bullets'' as they called them could easily put an abrupt end to their already short lives.


    Thus, if the man''s way of thinking was to use those three as an additional layer of protection, Aziel would have understood it. His reasoning, whilst rather cruel, would have been logical in his understanding.


    However, if that were the case, why would he walk with his back and both of his sides remained unprotected? Why would he stand behind those three, a few steps of distance apart making even his front somewhat vulnerable to a sudden, surprise attack? Just what was this man''s aim? What was he doing?


    Pondering, Aziel watched silently as the group slowly, but gradually walked away, crossing through the forest, closing towards the city through the natural cover, whilst keeping relatively silent.


    As he thought, suddenly he recalled the memories of the so-called Vice Captain of this group of now-dead band of gang bangers. Surprisingly, contrary to what image they might have painted they were actually rather well organized.


    Whilst they were just a local branch, barely more than your average disgruntled teens and orphaned street kids were swayed by the words of a few twisted figures such as the bandana-wearing brawny man. He was only referred to as the ''Leader'', although he was known in the city''s criminal underworld as ''Bowling Ball''. A nick that he hated with a passion and beat up anyone who dared to utter that humiliating moniker.


    Whilst their currently nameless, small team was only a side branch sent out to this faraway, mostly calm section of the city. The main group, the ''Outcasts'' were one of the leading groups, ''organizations'' that ruled over the city.


    Whilst they were far from being as much of a machine as the famed ''Mafia'' from the history books, they were nevertheless grown up from being just a band of lousy kids wanting to make their voices heard.


    No, they were now working as an organized family, having several branches that, like the one led by Bowling Ball, were sent to ''protect'' the many sectors, districts of the city.


    In any way, the Vice Captain, going by the ''name'' as Little Bullettooth had recently come up to the boss to discuss a new business avenue he and his contacts have found out. He was also the guy that Aziel attacked first, for aiming his gun at the girl with the familiar presence.


    Little Bullettooth first informed the Boss, that they learned of a new, mysterious group that appeared in town only recently. Whilst they were new, they seemed to have some serious pulling power not just locally but most likely state-wide as well.


    Upon their arrival, they were granted a large, three-story warehouse in the harbor district, the Mayor''s office directly gave them ownership of the land, albeit the details of the transaction were still kept secret. Regardless of it though, whilst not much was known about the matter, it was still strange how easily and effortlessly they took over such an important and strategic piece of land.


    The group itself retained its secretive nature, not initiating contact with any of the major parties both legal or from the city''s criminal underworld. They placed guards all around the premises, protecting whatever business they were doing hidden from the prying eyes.


    At first, people thought of them as an overly cautious group of smugglers, or perhaps drug dealers, yet things just didn''t add up in either case.


    Eventually, news began to spread that what they were dabbling in was much more sinister, much more vicious. It was way more cruel, twisted, and dark than anyone dared to think of.


    They were indeed smugglers, traffickers, but not of the average kind. Their ''products'' they shipped to many parts of the globe were something else entirely... The devils are sealed with humans. Both whole and their parts...


    This piece of news shocked the city''s gangs and groups. They were baffled, confused at how could they strut into the city, and even go as far as making the Major''s office itself to provide them a place? How could such a vile group of demons be allowed inside and even worse... protected by the law?


    Though not all of their questions were answered, some light was shed a few days later, when they finally made themselves known as the ''New Faith for Humanity or NFH, a sort of new religious church have publicly opened up its gate and began doing sermons.


    Figures donned in old, dark brown linen robes gave speeches, and preached for the citizenry. They looked like a group of monks, earning them a great deal of credibility, and authenticity.


    Whilst they quickly soared higher and higher during daylight, they retained their mysterious and secretive nature during the night, not allowing any news to escape their premises. The scouts and spies that were sent to investigate never returned, their fate whilst not confirmed it was but clear to everyone involved...


    The Vice Captain, after a great deal of effort and many attempts finally could make a deal with the group, which he immediately proposed to the boss. A new avenue, a potential path to glory, influence, and power. Though it carried a great deal of risk as if found out by the main group, they would most certainly be dealt with, the rewards would easily outweigh the risks. The chance to finally grow into a fully-fledged real group, earning a name, and hopefully... a new nickname, the Leader was soon convinced.


    ...


    Recounting the memories of the Vice Captain, Aziel finally understood what was going on. The Leader, this ''Bowling Ball'' wanted to use these three figures to make a deal with this group of monks. The reward earned from those three healthy young teenagers would most certainly give him a hefty sum, allowing him to somewhat recoup the losses and humiliation he had suffered.


    Still, it still puzzled him why did the group even decide to come to the mountain, as it made no sense for such a group to march towards danger seemingly recklessly, he couldn''t get a clear answer even after going through the Vice Captain''s memories once again.


    Fully finished with the memories, Aziel opened his eyes and looked towards the group slowly parting away from his spot once again. With a warm smile on his face, his figure flickered once again, vanishing from the top of the trees in the next moment.


    ---


    "Move it you brats or I will slice you all up! Though they would pay more if you are alive, they wouldn''t throw you away even if you were carried it bags!" The leader, Bowling Ball hollered, shoving Jake forward. He was gripping the handle of his dagger so tightly that his hand was going pale from the lack of circulation already.


    He was nervous, clearly agitated, darting his gaze to the back every couple of steps taken, listening to the noises. Ever since meeting that demon, that inexplicable monster his heart couldn''t calm down. As if a bad omen was hanging over his shoulders, he could not relax at all.


    Adding to his growing unease, he had noticed how the trio had no longer looked frightened, but were all calm and strangely, smiling...


    Unable to hold back anymore he grunted with annoyance, asking with a cold tone to the boy he just pushed away.


    "What are you all so calm about anyways? Shouldn''t you be scared, knowing what awaits you all?"


    "Why would we? We all-"


    Before they could finish their words, suddenly a familiar figure appeared in front of them. A warm smile donning his expression, he looked at the three teens, taking a bit more time to linger over the girl before eventually looking over smugly at the now shivering, trembling man at the back.


    His whole body was shaking, he couldn''t believe his eyes!


    "Y-you! H-how did you..."


    =====


    This week''s goals we can strive to reach! Let those stones pile up! :)


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 43 - Good Effort...

    "You don''t need to know, mortal." Amidst the growing, sinister-looking sneer, Aziel''s lips parted, giving way to his deep, low-toned sounding voice. Still, what shocked the trio was the fact that unlike before where he sounded like someone straight out from another planet entirely, he spoke fluently in their language.


    ''Could he speak our language before and he just pretended not to?'' Jake couldn''t help but think.


    Though, noticing their surprise, Aziel didn''t bother with the teens. His sinister sneer curled higher on his cheeks. Before another word could be uttered, or the shocked brawny leader of the thugs could even process what was going on, Aziel suddenly bolted, charging at the man with fast, but still not supernatural speeds.


    Still, because of his sudden action, the bandanaed man, Bowling Ball couldn''t react in time, he could only hurriedly raise his arms forming a protecting shield in front of his chest.


    This unfortunately did little to stop the fierce, explosive nature of the attack. As the silver-haired boy''s fist sailed across the air like a rocket, it sent him flying backward upon impact.


    Bowling ball grunted as his back slammed into the trunk of a nearby tree, sending miniature, bloodied splinters as they pierced through his shirt. Following that, Aziel''s right hand wrapped around his throat.


    Hate emanated from the man''s eyes, judgment and contempt burning them into a sinister shade of crimson. Bowling Ball gasped, choking as the silver-haired boy''s fingers cut off his air like a tourniquet.


    His mind screamed at him, desperate to know why it was being punished. His lungs burned, his mouth working like a fish on dry land, sucking in nothing but fear. The edges of his vision started to grow fuzzy, black dots appearing over the sneering devil''s shoulder, distorting the gray glow of the forest''s gloomy atmosphere like reverse chickenpox. Panic flooded his veins with adrenaline. He struggled, desperately clawing at the fingers sealed around his throat. He tried to kick the boy in the groin but only managed to connect with his shin, the impact ricocheting painfully through his foot.


    Aziel snarled, loosening his hold, giving the bald man the opening he needed. He threw his left arm between them, turning to the side and trapping Aziel''s arm against his own chest before elbowing the boy in the face with all his adrenaline-infused strength.


    Yet, the expected reaction didn''t come. He felt his arm going numb as, like a bolt of lightning hitting him from the heaven above, electricity surged through his nerves, causing him to cry out in pain in the next second. He felt as if he hit a sturdy, brick wall, his entire arm was growing numb.


    Contrary to what he expected, the boy didn''t stumble backward grasping at his supposedly bleeding nose. No, instead, he lost the momentum that he so painstakingly carved out for himself.


    "Good effort, I guess." Bowling Ball heard the leering taunt of this hateful opponent ringing in his ears next. Anger, rage, and his desperation fuelled all leftover stamina in his body, he clenched his fists tightly.


    All this that happened today for what? Some measly gains, to try to go and backstab his current masters in place for new ones? Regret filled Bowling Ball''s thoughts, he was aware of the hopelessness of his situation. However, the fury he felt due to the despair mixed with all the adrenaline was coursing through like a pulsing heat. If nothing more, he wouldn''t go down without a fight!


    With a yell, Bowling Ball threw a punch at Aziel''s head. Aziel ducked, sliding easily into a leg-sweep, knocking Bowling Ball''s support from under him. The ground smashed into his back, forcing the air from his lungs in a rushing wheeze. Bowling Ball rolled backward to his feet, still fighting against the in his chest.


    Before he could properly readjust his stance, Aziel once again closed in on him, pushing his advantage, arms and legs flying. Bowling Ball blocked as many of the blows as he could, his arms jarring in their sockets every time he did, his ribs and face blossoming with pain every time he didn''t.


    He knew that he was being toyed with, the amount of pressure this monster had exerted only gradually increased as if he was being used as a sort of dummy to test on.


    He stumbled back through the shadows of the trees until he was once again cornered. Cringing, Bowling Ball held his hands up in surrender. Aziel backed off, eying him with a sinister, smug look as if waiting for the magic words.


    Bowling Ball''s knuckles were bleeding, his ribs bruised, and his lip split into an oozing gash. It was time to end this. He was too tired to go on. With the last remaining energy he had left, he stood proudly, not allowing to crush his dignity any further and be toyed with any longer.


    "You... win." He said, the words gravelly and pained as he forced his battered throat to work. He spat a bloodied gulp of saliva on the darkened ground, before finally closing his eyes. "Do... what you need... to do... Just... end it... please..."


    ---


    Crossing through the busy city, a bus was heading through the heavy midday traffic.


    A five foot six, rather handsome-looking boy with a smooth face and long silvery hair pulled into a single ponytail at the back of his head was gazing out through the windows.


    His dark eyes, shining with a crimson allure were looking at the jostling crowd outside. The little workers, ants, and cogwheels that ultimately made this giant machine of urbanized, modern life grind forward ever so relentlessly.


    He sighed, as a faint smile appeared over his face as he thought of the newly gained memories. Aziel has now begun to formulate a plan in his mind...


    "Uhm..." Suddenly a feminine voice came from next to him. A gentle smile crept up on the young man''s face as he heard the call. Slowly, he turned his eyes away from the window, looking at the young bespectacled girl sitting on the neighboring seat.


    "...Uhm... A-Aziel... S-sir..." The girl stuttered, looking at the handsome man with an embarrassed, shy expression, his fingers twirling and fidgeting.


    Aziel smiled at the sight, shaking his head he gently, calmly spoke. His tone was nowhere near as booming as in the forest, instead, it now sounded mellifluous, pleasing to the ear.


    "Don''t be afraid, child. I''m not going to hurt you. You carry the essence of somewhere I once held dear to my heart... You can rest easy in my presence." Turning over his shoulder he added with a slightly increased volume.


    "As for that matter, you two could relax as well. I am forever grateful to you both. The rare act of kindness you have shown me has forever been etched into my heart and mind."


    The two boys sitting behind them could only nod, still not sure how to feel or what to say at all. Though the horrific scene would probably haunt them for months to come, their hearts were strangely not in any state of frenzy or panic.


    When they witnessed the impossible scene as the bulky, muscle-bound''s lifeless body suddenly began to shake and then transform into a blob of dark fluid, only to fuse into this boy''s body, they couldn''t believe their eyes. Though they fantasized about him being the main protagonists of one of their favorite comic books, they never truly believed it in their hearts. It was more so to comfort their hearts, to calm their agitated nerves.


    Yet, it happened, right before their eyes. First the strange animalistic claws, and then the indescribable and simply unbelievable scene...


    Jake and Jay looked at the smiling young man sitting in front of them, the same question echoing in both of their minds:


    WHO OR WHAT IS HE?


    =====


    This week''s goals we can strive to reach! Let those stones pile up! :)


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 44 - Reminisce

    Aziel felt quite amused as he watched the two boy''s complicated looks for an extra moment, before turning his attention back to the shy young girl sitting next to her.


    Myra''s cheeks were red as a ripe tomato, with several conflicting emotions mixing together in that small, lithe frame of hers. Her heart was beating to a rather chaotic rhythm, her mind was slowly descending into an absolute mess.


    She was unable to formulate a question any more, despite having the desire to. After the many outrageous, shocking, and most importantly, quite impossible events that happened in quick succession, her mind had a really hard time processing everything.


    Starting from the moment she landed her gaze on the figure she was already a mess. This strange sensation of knowing someone when you clearly don''t was eating away at her bit by bit.


    After witnessing how an entire human body liquified magically and fused with his body, and the subsequent slight albeit noticeable change in the boy''s complexion was beyond what her fragile heart and feeble mind could take at once.


    In the end, she couldn''t even take his gaze, those alluring, mesmerizing crimson gaze. That piercing, deep gaze that could stare way into her soul, shaking her very foundation from just a mere glance¡­ No, her heart was already rattled, Myra could only turn to look at the floor, and listen to the humming engine as they traversed through the heavy lunchtime traffic.


    Seeing how frightened the girl became, did not bother her, but turned his attention back to the glass, whilst a gentle smile donned on his face. Gazing at these mortal humans rushing about and tending to their duties or whatever chores they have set their minds to, made him reminisce about her traitorous brothers and sisters. To a time when they were still one family, and have not sold their souls to the enemy¡­


    Aziel slowly closed his eyes as his eidetic memory traversed him through the memory lane¡­


    (AN.: Since I realized that the side chapter thing cannot even be used for the moment, I figured I''ll just fuse in the extra lore with smaller bits and pieces. Whilst not necessary for the time being, it does give a bit more insight into the world''s lore. Though there''s a lot of lore, I''ll not dump it all at once, but use it like this, as transitions.)


    ¡ª


    In a humungous, marble hall 13 figures sat in lavishly decorated, throne-like chairs. Each throne unique, with different motifs decorating it from top to bottom. In each of the 13 thrones, a different-looking humanoid creature sat, looking around with a cold, emotionless look in their eyes. While they all mostly held humanoid features, each figure had its own kirks, traits.


    One had a pair of goat-like horns growing from his temples, while another female had a literal pit of golden-scaled snakes dangling from the top of her head. Strangely, the snakes were all alive despite being grown out from the figure''s head. They were hissing in tandem at the other similarly majestic figures in the spacious room. She had a pair of yellowish, reptilian eyes, focused on the tall, black double doors at the far end.


    "How long are we going to wait?! While we waste our time here, who knows how many of our kin are slaughtered or taken away by those filthy bastards!" Another figure that resembled a giant bipedal lion-like mix between a beast and men jumped up from his throne, hitting the burgundy velvet armrest.


    His eyes scanned through his twelve other brethren, eventually resting on a bored-looking, long, silver-haired man. His eyes were closed, but that only emphasized his handsome look.


    "Brother Aziel, how can you stay calm in times like this?! How can you be so relaxed, so disinterested in the lives of our people!" He roared loudly, angered by the blatant, disrespectful action.


    The silver-haired man did not even bother opening his eyes, he only leisurely waved with his hand. Yawning, he spoke with a tired, cold tone.


    "Sit down and wait patiently for our Master to arrive, Lord Frelahn. Don''t force me¡­ You know how that would end."


    Lord Frelahn was visibly shaking as he tried to keep his anger in check. He wasn''t known for his calm demeanor after all. Born as a beastkin with such a royal predator as his ancestor, he wasn''t known for his toned-down, cool demeanor.


    Still, he wasn''t an idiot either. He was perfectly clear the difference in power between this lean, bored, silver-haired figure and himself. He was aware of how terrifying this monster could be when he decided to take action.


    As he thought about it a bit, with all his willpower Lord Frelahn held himself back, taking a long inhale of the marble hall''s fresh, majestic air, and with a slow and controlled exhale, he silently sat back down to his velvet seating.


    He could only look viciously at the bored, half-asleep figure, without any possible course to vent his anger.


    "Ohohoh, you boys! I love how you can''t grow up even after so many years¡­" The serpent-haired woman giggled haughtily, clearly enjoying the scene, her generous bosom shaking vigorously.


    "Liandrin, I would advise you to keep your thoughts to yourself, or I will show you where a whore like you truly belong!" Lord Frelahn, being already agitated by being threatened, wasn''t willing to let that snake woman have her turn as well.


    Once again, he smashed the armrests of his chair, which miraculously still managed to withstand the brutal pummeling, and cried out looking at the woman with a cruel, lust-filled glint shining in his eyes.


    Lady Liandrin, the snake-haired reptilian-looking woman chuckled once again at the annoyed Lord Frelahn''s threats, clearly not afraid of his wrath in the slightest.


    Before she could offer a riposte, suddenly the previously warm, mid-summery temperature in the room shifted. A cold gust of air came from seemingly nowhere and breezed inside, chilling the room''s air, turning both parties silent instantly.


    The lady''s haughty mood vanished, only to be replaced by a frightened look as she turned towards the previously bored, half-asleep silver-haired man. Now, however, his pair of crimson, blood-red piercing eyes was plastered at her, gazing down coldly.


    The terrifying pressure that this simple action exerted, caused the entire room to turn eerily silent. With all the attention focused on her, Lady Liandrin hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply towards the man.


    With a respectful and shaky tone, much different than how he addressed the proud lionkin lord, she spoke.


    "I apologize for my disrespectful behavior Lord Vor''thega. I will assure you it will not happen again¡­ so if you could, please¡­" She dared not to raise her eyes, even the nest of serpents settled on top of her head quieted down, clearly wary of the demonic being at the other end of the room.


    The man did not respond to her apology but merely shifted his contemptuous gaze towards the frowning beastkin.


    Albeit clearly unwilling, with no other choice, Lord Frelahn as well stood up from his seat, and copying the reptilian lady''s actions, he too bowed and apologized.


    "Just like how Lady Liandrin spoke, I too have to apologize for my rude behavior, Lord Vor''thega!" Turning silent for a second, he clenched his fists and continued with a growling undertone. "I am just worried. Those despicable maggots¡­ this.." He spat on the ground with clear disdain and rage as he continued with a bit of difficulty. "¡­ human filth, are continuously raiding the settlements close to our borders! We need to put a stop to them!"


    "Not just those, but they are now launching skirmishes deeper into our lands, destroying and pillaging as they see fit! We need to do something!" Another man, a tall, robust, dark brown-skinned, bald figure with large platinum eyes added, joined in the discussion.


    "My dear sisters are being slaughtered! We need to resolve this conflict! This can''t go on!" A harpy-looking woman joined in as well."


    "Yes, my people are also suffering!"


    "We have to do something! This can''t continue on!"


    One by one, each and every person stood up, adding their own to the ongoing argument, all looking at the silver-haired figure for answers as if he were the one to blame for all their misery.


    Raising his right hand in the air, Lord Vor''thega turned the room silent once more. He opened his mouth to speak, but, before he could say a word, the words froze in him, as the large ebony double doors behind them were suddenly kicked wide open. From behind the doors, a majestic voice came, reverberating the huge hall.


    "My dear friends, don''t worry, I have the solution for your worries!"


    ¡­


    "Welcome, my king!" Shifting his tone, Lord Vor''thega bowed his head, greeting the robust majestic figure that appeared in the wide doorway.


    Stepping into the room, Cahal the Demon God, the ruler of the thirteen Demon Lords of all non-humans. His giant figure blocked the large towering doorway, towering over everyone in the room.


    =====


    This week''s goals we can strive to reach! Let those stones pile up! :)


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 45 - Reminisce (2)

    Standing in the doorway and gleaming down at his Generals, the Lords of the Darkthouched, the ''Demonkind'', the ''Demis'', or as they were referred to as of recently by mankind: the ''Filth''; a robust giant clad in dark metal armor bereft his horned head and long, black mane cascading below his shoulders, drooping over his back stood like a statue.


    His ebony, dark skin, those, deep, dandelion-tinted eyes that burned like two brimstones only added further support to his already dominant, proud stature. Four large, curved ebony horns protruded from the upper regions of his skull, starting from his temples and reaching towards the skies.


    This fearsome creature was none other than Cahal, the Demon God, leader of all the non-human collective, and the present Lords.


    As the room ascended into a sudden silence, either by his abrupt intrusion, or his perplexing words. Every eye, each gaze was focused on the robust giant lost in his confident smile.


    "Yes, my brothers, and sisters¡­" He began to speak again, taking dominant strides towards the leading seat, the biggest and most dominant throne sitting at the helm of the room.


    Arriving there, he took his seat, resuming his speech whilst slowly scanning the stunned faces of his generals. He seemed to enjoy their bewildered, puzzled looks, akin to a gourmet savoring a good wine or a filling, sumptuous meal.


    "This endless war that ravaged our lands and tormented our people for more than a century will soon come to an end! The long-sought conclusion is just in front of us! We only need to grasp it hard, and not let go of the opportunity!"


    ¡­


    A sudden bump on the road sent Aziel to fly up from his seat, bringing him back from his reminiscing.


    "Ehrm¡­" A meek, timid voice of the teenage girl reached his ears once more. As he slowly turned his bored-looking gaze towards the girl, she shuddered suddenly, making the questions she wanted to ask again, freeze in her.


    She hurriedly averted her gaze, whilst fixing the frame of her glasses nervously.


    "What is it¡­ child?" Aziel asked, forming a polite-looking smile on his face. "What is it that bothers you? Do not be afraid to ask. You especially should never fear me."


    "Ehrm¡­" Myra gulped again, fixating her to the insides of the bus. "I-I¡­" She stuttered, not being able to form anything meaningful.


    "A-Aziel, she wanted to ask what are your next plans? Do you have anywhere to go at all?" Growing annoyed by this timid, frightened friend of theirs, Jake sighed and finally spoke up, asking the question the girl herself was just unable to do so.


    "Hmm¡­" Aziel flashed a mysterious smile at the question, returning his attention to the window once again. For a bit, he watched as their vehicle drove through the traffic, soon taking a temporary stop at a bus stop.


    He watched with interest as people stepped out, only for a new group of figures to replace them.


    "A-Aziel?" Not receiving any answer, Jake asked for the strange, peculiar boy''s attention again. Though he acted rather weird, neither of them dared to show any signs of frustration or annoyance. Having seen what monstrosities he was capable of, they didn''t dare to irk him.


    Heck, they weren''t even sure what he was. Some escaped secret experiment of the government? A comic book story coming to life? An entity from some far-flung place of the universe, outside their galaxy? They didn''t know, though their imagination was running wild with theories ever since they had glimpsed on his ferocious combat strength.


    The way he ripped apart a dozen armed gang bangers, was like a dance of its own. Murder perfected to the point of becoming an art style of its own!


    Yet, the most pressing thought that they each shared and wished for an answer desperately¡­ at the same time, the knowing it was probably the biggest taboo and just couldn''t be worded, was how he seemingly ''ate'' that brawny, bandanaed man.


    Oh, what they wouldn''t give to shed some light on the mystery!


    Deep in thought, suddenly a loud ringtone wrenched the boy''s as well as Aziel out of their reverie.


    Jake reached for his jeans'' back pocket. He glanced at the caller ID which read: Mom!


    "Jake? FINALLY!" A loud exclaim came from the other end. The mature woman''s voice exploded with worry in the next moment. "WHERE WERE YOU, MISTER?! I was worried sick ever since the news came! Why did you turn your phone off? I was just about to contact the police!"


    Hearing his mother''s harsh voice for the first time since surviving all the morning''s ordeals, a warm current through Jake''s body; tears welled at the corner of his eye.


    He wasn''t sure how to even begin recounting his tale, but finally felt some relief hearing the worry and concern in his mother''s tone.


    Taking a moment, he sighed to calm his nerves before responding to the barrage of questions.


    "Mom, I get it. I''m sorry, I have no idea why you couldn''t reach me. We are all fine¡­ nothing bad happened."


    "Where are you now? Is Jay and Myra with you?" Jake''s mother''s question came in the next second, right after an audible hefty sigh.


    "Y-yes they are here¡­ Hey guys, say something so mom can calm down.." He turned to her friend''s with a questioning gaze.


    "Good Day, Mrs. Green." Jay spoke up, sending his greeting first.


    "Mmm¡­ G-good M-m-morning Mrs. G-green." Myra took a few extra seconds before she could gather her wits to the point of stuttering a timid greeting. After blurting it out, she hurriedly swayed her gaze towards the inside once again, still not having the mental prowess to look in the mysterious boy''s direction. Not until she could somehow quell the chaos raging in her heart at the very least.


    "Right. At least you guys are all saf-" Jake''s mother, Mrs. Green noticeably calmed down after hearing all three members of their little group safe and sound despite the historical disaster, the eruption of their nearby mountain, Greytop Mountains.


    "Good Morning, Mrs. Green."


    Before she could finish her thought, suddenly another voice reached into the phone. It was youthful, somewhat similar to his son''s yet it was definitely coming from someone else.


    ''Hmm¡­ They finally got another friend after all these years? Thank god¡­" Not minding it too much, she shrugged her shoulders, not bothered to ask about the fourth voice for now. The more they had the safer they were, she thought.


    Still, in sight of the dangers, she couldn''t calm down until they returned. Giving it a light cough, she spoke up again.


    "Ehrm.. Anyway, you still didn''t answer the question young man! Where are you?! Get yourself home right as soon as you can, don''t wander around!"


    "M-mom¡­" Jake wanted to complain, but once again, before he could even begin, her mother exploded on the other end again.


    "Don''t you begin, mister! Haven''t you seen the news yet? It''s not safe out there, come home immediately! You can even bring your friends as well! I will call Jay''s and Myra''s parents as well, they must be just as worried as well."


    Taking only a momentary pause, she spoke again in the next second.


    "As for your new friend, I''m sure his parents are also looking for him. Don''t loaf around anymore, you hear me?!"


    "Y-yes, Mom. We are already sitting on the bus¡­ Ah, we are just about to reach the station!"


    ---


    While Jake was busy calming the mama tiger, and Aziel was engrossed in his reflection of his past life, the bus arrived at the destination.


    As they got off the bus, Aziel looked at the flood of people passing by him at the bus terminal, reality finally hit him. He finally wasn''t alone! After myriad years of loneliness, he was finally back to a time where he could start embarking on his quest for power and vengeance!


    =====


    This week''s goals we can strive to reach! Let those stones pile up! :)


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter (Getting close!),


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 46 - You Are Not Alone!

    With a bright smile, Aziel took stood at his spot, just stepping into the terminal, gazing at these mortals, he cracked a smile, and then he followed the trio to the exit.


    Meanwhile, outside of the Greytop City''s bus terminal, a small commotion was raised. Something had caught the crowd''s attention: a dark red Lamborghini Urus.


    This crimson metal demoness'' worth was in the hundreds of thousands. A truly rare gem, one of the only models in the Lamborghini line that while it was combining the soul of a super sports car with a body and functionality of an SUV. It was no doubt a rare sight of luxury in the streets of Greytop City.


    Still, albeit the car was undoubtedly outstanding, it still wasn''t the main cause of such a scene; it was the woman standing right in front of it.


    She looked like she was in her thirties; she had a beautiful face and was wearing a black dress tailored to her curves, a formal white shirt, and a pair of high heels.


    No doubt, she was from the higher echelons of society, an elite-class woman, with a considerable background.


    Her dark brown, slightly slanted eyes gazed through the crowd, looking at the exit. Each time someone came out that seemed to match the person she was looking for, she clicked her tongue, growing more and more anxious after each round.


    Her heels were tapping the ground, her arms were folded nervously grabbing her upper arms, clenching them tightly as if they were a pair of handlebars.


    "Come on¡­ Come on¡­" She muttered to herself, ignoring the crowd circling around her.


    Suddenly the phone in her carry bag began to ring, breaking her mind out of the growing pits of despair, even if only momentarily. She hurriedly picked up her smartphone, looking surprised to see the caller''s ID on display before hitting accept.


    "I''m sorry Sanda, I''m really not in the mood for talking right now¡­ I¡­"


    Before she could even finish her words, the voice on the other end unleashed a verbal storm, talking at a hurried, fast pace.


    Though the woman frowned at first, as she felt it was rather impolite to not even let her finish speaking, not even a moment later, a variety of emotions flashed across her face.


    From the initial shock and surprise to the confusion and the eventual happy calm, she went through it all, in a slew of a few seconds.


    In the end, she reached for her chest as she heaved a sigh. Her anxiety though not completely vanished, did seem much better than just a minute ago.


    "Y-you certain of this?" She asked again, begging to get confirmation.


    As the person on the end of the line confirmed her question, the woman nodded.


    "I see. Thank you, Sara! I will sure to bring the boys back to you! Hmm?" She asked, back as the woman on the end suddenly spoke again, even before she had a chance to finish.


    A small frown appeared on her beautiful face, the more she heard from her friend.


    "I see. I will check it..." Suddenly, as she looked up towards the exit, she spotted the group she was actually waiting for. She hurriedly raised her right arm and waved at them. "...I see them now! Gotta go, Sara. Don''t worry I will bring them all back to you. Once again, thanks for keeping my daughter safe for the time being!"


    With that, she ended the phone and waved once more towards the group that was just leaving the stairs and was looking around. Soon they noticed her and walked over.


    "M-mom? H-how... w-what are you doing here?!" As they got there, Myra, who was most shocked and surprised to see her mother wait for them, exclaimed. Her cheeks that finally started to calm down and regain their original color palette once again gathered a larger concentration of blood, making them turn bright red once more.


    "Honey! I was so worried!" Ignoring her daughter''s cry, the woman hurriedly pulled her girl into her embrace, hugging and kissing the top of her head, not bothered by the trio of boys and the large crowd gathered around them.


    "M-mom! S-stop it, I''m fine!" Myra tried her best to resist and squirm, albeit with futility.


    The woman, Myra''s mother took her sweet time to embrace her daughter again. Despite Sara''s, Jake''s mother''s words on the phone, she couldn''t completely calm down unless she could feel her in her arms again.


    Eventually, after a couple of minutes of embarrassment, Myra was finally freed from the vices of her worried mother''s vice-like embrace. She took a step back, subconsciously taking the new boy''s right side. As if by natural instinct, she felt the safest by his side, though she still couldn''t bear looking at him.


    Following her daughter''s steps, Myra''s mother looked at the new, unknown boy for the first time.


    He was of average height, 6'' 1" (~185 cm) if not less, the same height as she was in her heels.


    His look was¡­ pedestrian at best, and his taste in fashion was definitely questionable. Though the clothes felt somewhat familiar as if she had seen them worn before... Strange, she thought, though she wasn''t too bothered by it.


    Taking an extra moment to take in the boy''s calm, nonchalant expressive face. She turned surprised when the boy suddenly took the initiative and bowed his head.


    "Greetings, Myra''s mother, it is my pleasure to meet you. My name is Aziel, I am new around these parts." The boy politely greeted the mature woman with a gentle smile.


    Lydia Martin, Myra''s mother smiled at the boy. She was very pleased with his courtesy, which was sadly, quite a rare trait nowadays.


    "Pleased to meet you Aziel..." Lydia smiled at Aziel, remarking. "Have to say, you have quite the exotic-sounding name. Where do you come from, if I may ask?"


    "I come from somewhere far and found myself lost in the midst of this calamity. If not for your beautiful daughter and her friends coming to my rescue, I may have suffered a great tragedy." Aziel remade, keeping her bowed posture.


    His words caused Myra''s already red cheeks to turn a shade brighter, making her the fidget in place and not know what to do with herself anymore. As for the boys standing next to them, they too were surprised by the professionally fabricated lie of Aziel, but they did not speak up against him and kept quiet.


    "That is terrible Aziel!" Lydia gasped as she listened to the boy. Feeling sad for him, she asked as she felt a sympathetic, donning compassionate smile on her face. "Do you have anywhere to go? Any parents or guardians waiting for you?"


    Already expecting the question, Aziel''s play didn''t falter, he donned a sad, sorrowful look as he shook his head listlessly.


    "No... they... they weren''t as lucky as I was." He said with a bit of difficulty. He looked somber, casting his eyes towards the direction of the large rope of smoke coming from the mountain. "I... am alone now."


    "Nonsense, young man!" Lydia immediately exclaimed, reaching out and pulling the boy to her generous blossom in the next instant. She wholeheartedly embraced the silver-haired handsome teen into a motherly embrace, as she hummed with a delighted tone.


    "You are not alone! You will stay with us!" She exclaimed, shocking Myra and the boys.


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter (Getting close!),


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 47 - First Day (1)

    ''Young man?'' Aziel amused inwardly while allowing the alluring mature beaut to smother him with all of her unwarranted affection. To be perfectly honest he found himself quite comforted by the soft puffy pillows he was pulled into.


    Though he was alone and secluded for thousands upon thousands of years during his self-research and whilst he organized his old cultivation technique around this new source of energy, this [Aether]¡­ He was never meant to be ascetic. He was far from being tormented by the mortal''s faulty systems, he had to admit the desires made life joyful.


    His wanton, childish bloodlust during the age of those massive reptilian giants back then¡­ then later on his desperation to fit into a group, no matter how primitive it was¡­ It was all to banish the eternal boredom and loneliness that occupied him on his endless journey.


    "Alright, my dears¡­" Eventually, Lydia eased on her hold and allowed Aziel to escape from the hug and take a step back, beside the so far silent spectator duo of Jack and Jay.


    Myra however, already standing by her mother, couldn''t bear to look at them. She was feeling way too embarrassed and even ashamed to even comment on her mother''s actions.


    "M-mrs. Martin¡­ I-I¡­ *khm* T-thank you for coming to pick us up." Gathering himself up a bit, Jake finally managed to stutter out a few words, although still rather shocked and even bewildered about the strange and exaggerated exclamation just before.


    Lydia clearly noticed the strange gazes they all shared¡­ well, except for this unknown boy, this ''Aziel''. She smiled and waved at the group.


    "Come, get in. We can talk more on the way. I''m dying to know what on Earth did you guys were doing anyway!" Looking at Myra who was about to ask, she just simply winked as if saying ''I will explain it later'' and walked to the front of the car.


    After getting into the vehicle, they were soon off and were headed toward Jake''s house in the Greenshade Community.


    This was a mid-range residential property in Greytop City. The scenery was beautiful as it was surrounded by trees and was right next to a small artificial lake. It was also not far from the Ivy League High School where Myra and the boys were studying.


    At first, the journey was mostly silent, with the air quickly descending into a tense awkwardness. Myra sitting at the front with her mother whilst the three guys were grouped together at the back. Aziel, like on the bus before, took the right wing, and was focused on the many mortals, humans tending to the matters of their average lives.


    He couldn''t help but be fascinated by them. Even though he should be disgusted, nay worse, annoyed and angered by these filthy creatures, he couldn''t help but look at how they lived their lives with great excitement.


    The many gadgets, tools of comfort, and ease that they invented just to make the menial chores that much easier and bearable was like an entirely new source of excitement, joy in his endless path.


    He had to admit, there were so much more to them than what he remembered from Nova, or what he had even learned so far. They weren''t as simple as he thought of, much more diverse than in his memories.


    ''Is this the effects of [Aether]? Even though they seem to be incapable of using it directly, it still affected their path of evolution to such a degree?'' He pondered.


    Eventually, after some few minutes that felt like complete eternities for the other two sitting at the back, Lydia broke the silence and asked again, what were they even doing. Since her daughter told them that they would be going to the nearby forest just outside town for their little club, she wanted to know more. Especially since they came back with an extra member, a handsome young lad joining their little trio, even if just temporarily.


    When the news hit as well as they felt the terrifying explosion coming from Greytop Mountain, the namesake of their city, she immediately turned frantic. Unable to focus on her work a second longer, she quickly got off and rushed to her friends, Jake and Jay''s mothers.


    Eventually, she decided to try her luck and got to the central bus station.


    ...


    The boys and Myra hurriedly explained the events that had happened, though made sure to leave out the part with Aziel''s monstrous carnage completely and just told them the same story that Aziel had made up. They explained they found them without any rags alone in the forest, looking lost and, -as an attempt to explain his unusual calm despite the tragic situation-, in a state of shock.


    By the time they got to the end of their story, even though they tried to be short and fast, they have arrived at their destination, Jake''s home, thus they ended up not being able to ask Mrs. Martin about her statement from before.


    Yet, Myra just couldn''t let the matter go that easily. Before they could get out, she grabbed her mother''s shoulder and pulled on her slightly.


    "Mom..." She asked in a hushed tone, pointing with her gaze towards the silver-haired boy sitting behind her.


    Lydia however, only smiled at her, not saying a word. Still, however, the mysterious smile and that seductive, alluring look on her face felt strange and weird for Myra. She couldn''t understand what she was hinting at...


    Lydia giggled at the confused look of her daughter as she stepped out from the car and turned towards the entrance. Even without supernatural abilities and senses, it wasn''t hard to tell that Jake''s mother, Sara was probably sitting at the couch in the living room still nervous, despite knowing everything already.


    Aziel was led to a large furnished living room. The family house wasn''t anything special, though it was comfortable for a family of four with 3 bedrooms fully occupied and having a guestroom furnished for the occasional guests.


    The living room, which was basically an open hall-like area that engulfed the free space that was between the stairs at the left corner of the room, the short entrance hall in the middle, and the kitchen area, which had no walls but only a marble bar.


    "Hey, Sara! Look who I found at the station!" Just as they stepped in, Lydia called out. Though there was no need for it, as even before they could all step inside, the distraught-looking woman, looking vastly different than to the demonic figure of Myra''s mother, Sara Green was already in front of them.


    Without wasting a single breath of word, or even allowing Jake to protest he too, just like Myra and Aziel before was pulled into a bearlike hug.


    "Oh thank the god you are okay honey! I was so worried!" She cried, hugging her son as if she was afraid that the illusion would break at the moment she would let go.


    It took several long minutes before the situation could somewhat calm down and Jake would be let go. Looking over, Sara was about to thank Lydia for bringing them back safe and sound when she too noticed the unknown, strange kid present.


    She found her unique, silver hair and crimson eyes quite a unique sight. Not sure what to think, she instead asked as a polite-looking smile emerged on her face.


    "Hello there, dearie. I''m afraid I have not seen you before, are you okay?"


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter (Getting close!),


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 48 - Investigation Results

    Whilst Aziel and the group were busy recounting the events once again as well as introducing Aziel to the motherly woman, far away from them, at the foot of the mountain the scene was just completed.


    Captain Frank Dalton could be seen standing in front of the largest mound of mutilated corpses. His arms folded, he was listening to the report of his second in command, the First Lieutenant.


    "So, let me get this straight. After investigating the scene thoroughly and gathering every piece of evidence we could, our conclusion is¡­ that we don''t know what happened?!" Frank expressed with an annoyed face. How could not be? Though these low lives would not be missed by society, the fact was still that they were clearly murdered, and couldn''t have died because of this supposed eruption.


    "C-captain¡­" The First Lieutenant shuddered nervously, not daring to look the middle-aged man in the eye. "W-we can only make assumptions¡­ but-"


    "Speak, First Lieutenant. Even that is better than the big nothing you have to show up for the last hour of work so far." Captain Frank grunted with a cold, miffed tone.


    As he spoke, his eyes turned towards the side, he suddenly stopped. He focused on many footprints faintly visible on the ground. Whilst for the untrained eye, it seemed that nothing strange was to be seen, his veteran, honed senses have spotted something lying underneath.


    "W-well¡­ I-I *khm* W-we have two theories." The first lieutenant spoke up, explaining the conjectures the team has going as of now. "W-we believe, that the bodies may have been brought here AFTER they have died. T-the outer districts, sectors of the city are known for the many gangs. Two smaller groups, could have clashed¡­ fighting for territory maybe?"


    "Hmmm¡­ Unlikely." Captain Frank shook his head almost immediately." The victims should all be related to the Outcasts. A small-time group of gang bangers would stand no chance, even if it were just a side branch. As for the groups with some backing, they would be wiser to risk their lives for some measly gains. This sector is worthless in their eyes¡­"


    Whilst speaking, Captain Frank focused his gaze on the East side of the clearing. His expression slowly contorted, transforming from his previously cold stern, outlook to that of resembling a hound.


    "Interesting¡­" He muttered to himself, his gaze seemingly following a trail. "What is the second theory, First Lieutenant? Speak." He snorted whilst keeping his focus on the invisible trail.


    "W-well¡­" The First Lieutenant was hesitant to speak it, as it felt way too outlandish and far-fetched. However noticing the growing displease on his Captain''s face, she could do nothing but reveal her own theory.


    "I¡­ ehrm¡­ I-it could be that some form of beast attacked these. Maybe startled by the mountain''s sudden eruption it came down from his cave and met this group of people hiding in the forest. The group got scared and reacted rashly, causing the beast to lounge at them and tear them apart." She explained. Though quite nervous and hesitant at the beginning, she gained more and more confidence the more she explained, growing rather passionate towards the end.


    "Hmm¡­" Captain Frank hummed as he listened to the second theory. "Who came up with this one?" He asked after a bit of thinking. From his tone, it was impossible to tell what he thought of it.


    "Ehrm¡­ This¡­" The First Lieutenant''s body trembled at his Captain''s question. Casting her gaze away, her body swayed, and fidgeted, looking for a hole to hide or a route to escape from the embarrassment and the scolding of the man.


    After a couple of seconds, she gulped and spoke up in a meek, powerless tone.


    "I-it was me, Captain¡­" She muttered, his gaze plastered on the ground.


    "You?! Hmm¡­" Captain Frank revealed a surprised look on his face. The cold contemptuous look faded away for the first time. Not sure of what to make of his expressions, the First Lieutenant wasn''t sure what to do, she kept on fidgeting in place and preparing her heart for the harsh tone and words coming any second now.


    Yet, the expected outcome never came to be, the fearsome lion, his captain never roared, his anger could not be felt even after several seconds.


    Hesitantly, First Lieutenant Lexie Long, or Alexandria Long officially opened up her tightly closed eyes and slowly looked up. As she did so, she was met with the robust back of his Captain, who was still focused towards the eastern edges of the forest.


    "C-captain? Is something the matter?" Finally noticing the strange peculiarity of his actions, and that he was constantly focused on something, First Lieutenant Long asked.


    "Did you or anybody else find something strange over there?" Captain Frank asked. His gaze focused on the path created by a couple of faint footprints that hid beneath the mud, the dust, and all the gore covering the aftermath of Aziel''s carnage.


    Frank walked over with a fixed gaze.


    "T-that¡­ No, Captain. We have not found anything worth mentioning." First Lieutenant Long replied thinking about it for a moment. "Why? Did the Captain¡­"


    "I am not sure yet." Captain Frank spoke up before First Lieutenant Long could even finish.


    Arriving at the scene a moment later with the woman following behind, Captain Frank squatted down, his fierce, piercing gaze scanning the ground around him.


    A few seconds later he hummed thoughtfully, his gaze now looking towards the looming darkness created by the thick canopy of the trees.


    "D-did my theory¡­ ehrm¡­ have any v-value to it?" First Lieutenant Long asked after some time. Still, not sure what to think, or if what she should be doing, she couldn''t hold herself back and asked again.


    "Hmm¡­ Not sure yet, to be honest." The Captain responded after some silence. He kept on staring at the trees, pondering on something.


    After roughly about a minute, he then pointed towards the direction he was facing, and exclaimed loudly, giving the new set of orders.


    "Gather up! We are heading out!" He ordered.


    ¡ª


    Just as they were about to set out, suddenly a group of men, wearing dark business suits and dark sunglasses appeared around them. Their slick, neatly combed short hairs, clean-shaved faces, expensive suits, and ties made them look quite out of place in the thick and grimy battlefield. They looked more like a bunch of businessmen than anything else.


    Captain Frank looked coldly at the figures and while his stance looked casual, he was ready to enter into battle at any second. His awareness was raised to its maximum, his muscles hiding under his uniform bulged ever so slightly.


    He had a growing scowl residing on his face as he gazed at the strange figures surrounding them.


    "Captain Frank Dalton, I have to ask you to stop investigating this matter any further. Your job here is now considered done, this scene and the area beyond this point is not off-limits to your group." Suddenly one of the business-men looking figures stepped forward.


    He reached into his suit''s breast pocket and showed an official-looking badge. The insignia was rather unique, somewhat resembling that of a crosshair but with three arrows pointing inside its center as its axis.


    Three distinct letters stood out, I. S. P. A.


    "F*ck..." Captain Frank grumbled instantly as he saw the badge...


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 49 - First Day (2)

    Sitting around a large wooden table, Aziel shared his very first meal in his life. Unlike in the past where he tore into the raw flesh of his conquered prey, he finally could enjoy a more civilized experience somewhat similar to his past life.


    This meal Aziel had shared with the extended Green family was not unpleasant by any stretch of the imagination. The Green''s strictly followed the traditional table manners, which meant no chattering while eating.


    However, Aziel didn''t mind the silence. His mind had already veered off to the memories of his past life.


    ''It''s been quite a while since I had such a peaceful meal¡­ I wonder, what they would be doing¡­ Are they still alive? Or have we already fallen?'' he pondered wistfully.


    While bustling about between the kitchen and the dining room, Mrs. Green managed to pause for a minute and spoke to the new boy, "Aziel dearie, it''s your first time visiting Greytop City. Although it was not of the most pleasant of circumstances, you could try to take a walk around tomorrow. I am sure Jake, Jay, and Myra to take you to go to the city center. I''m certain that all that gloom will be washed away and replaced by the experience!"


    "Thank you." Aziel accepted the offer without thinking too much about it.


    The boys (and Myra) agreed to the request as well, they still felt that they owed Aziel their lives. At the same time, they had the chance to learn more about him in the process.


    Dinner was over Aziel bid farewell to Mrs. Green with a smile.


    As soon as he walked out of the house with Lydia and Myra coming with him, the mature lady leaned over and hugged the boy''s right arm.


    "Come Aziel, let''s go home! I''m sure you are tired after everything that happened¡­ A good rest is what you need now! Tomorrow you can Myra can go explore the town!"


    Seeing her mother''s actions made Myra feel displeased in her heart. She frowned and snorted at the scene she folded her arms below her chest.


    "What is the problem, honey? Is something bothering you?" Lydia asked, noticing her daughter''s strange reaction. She felt surprised, she understood the clear, obvious signs of jealousy. ''Does she take a liking to him?'' She wondered, a mischievous smile stretching across her face.


    Soon, they were already on the road, arriving in front of a huge, grated, luxurious metal gate. A small guard post was erected at the side.


    Noticing the Madam''s car arrive, he hurriedly pushed on a red button, hitting one of the very few available options in his post.


    In the following moment, the large gate buzzed loudly as it slowly drifted to the side, opening the way to the lavish, extravagant mansion that awaited them inside.


    The small neatly trimmed hedge followed along the short bright yellow road that led the way towards the marble staircase of the entrance.


    As they slowly drove in, Lydia took fleeting glances over the rear-view mirror, flashing a satisfied smirk as he noticed the wondrous, shocked gaze of the boy sitting at the back.


    "What do you think, dear? I know it''s rather humble, but I hope you will like it¡­" She asked amidst her growing smile, fishing for even more reactions.


    Aziel nodded at the question, only responding with a short, curt ''Humm''. His crimson eyes gazed at the outside, and whilst he looked surprised, inwardly he was battling the surging memories.


    The sight that he was shown reminded him of his home and the subjects of his previous life. He couldn''t help but sigh. Ever since leaving his seclusion, he was haunted by these visions of the past. His past lingering resentments were like vicious little demons, that, like parasites, leered on his soul.


    He heaved a softer sigh and shook his head, clearing his mind from these troubling, haunting thoughts. As his vision cleared up again, he looked at the mansion once again. After everything that he experienced and the many new mass he had absorbed, he needed some time to properly fuse them with his humanoid core.


    At the same time, he also wanted to go over the knowledge he had collected from those thugs as well as from the vice captain''s hidden plan and his connection to the harbor''s secretive group.


    Faking a yawn, he looked at the entrance with a drowsy look on his face.


    "Ah, you must be exhausted after everything you went through!" Lydia spoke. Parking the car, she hurried to the boy''s side, taking his right arm as her own once again as he stepped out.


    Without waiting for a response, she stepped forward, guiding and escorting Aziel into his new abode... Into his new life.


    ---


    "Finally¡­ Alone!" Aziel exclaimed, heaving a satisfied, contented sigh, as he closed the door to his new room behind him.


    If anyone asked him to summarize his experience with this new home of his, he would probably say ''Luxurious. Dream-like. Unbelievable. Lavish''.


    He could go on and on about it. Just from looking at this incredible mansion from afar, one would be astonished. Standing atop a hill, it looked like the lord of the surrounding community.


    Each mansion was attended to by a sizable crew of staff, chefs, maids, butlers, gardeners, security, guards¡­ You name it, they had it.


    This unbelievable building had its own tall, white marble walls protecting it, with a humungous grated gate barring entry to anyone that wasn''t on the registered list. Several rough-looking men, all donning black suits, sunglasses looking more like secret agents than that of regular security that the other residents hired. Each of them had this strange, cold, fearless aura, a presence that said: ''Don''t mess with me!''.


    A huge kitchen, Dining Room with a full staff attending to it, looking more like a specialized restaurant than anything less awaited their precious guests, Lydia, and her family.


    A fully decked gym, a huge library full of books... a garden in the backyard to take a rest among the carefully attended flowerbed... It was clear from the quick house tour that this Lydia, Myra''s family was well-off.


    To be honest, it was somewhat surprising and bewildering how such a supposedly noble girl, like her, would befriend such a mediocre pair of boys as Jake and Jay.


    Eventually, after more than an hour of introductions, Aziel was finally shown mercy and was led to a white oakwood door at the end of the second floor''s main hallway.


    Whilst he was exploring the mansion and was driven all day, Aziel sensed the ebbs and flows of energy around him very carefully.


    Although the air was rich, the [Aether] was not static. It flowed like an invisible current, always heading towards the area with the lower potential. It acted similarly to water, with denser spots on rare occasions would pool together. As the saying went: wherever there was the sea, there would be desert as well. Some places were dry, lacking any meaningful amount of this world''s unique energy.


    Luckily the room he was now in, was one of these unique spots, with a slightly higher concentration of [Aether].


    Walking into the center of the room, he discarded the clothing he was forced to wear and plopped down on the floor, sitting cross-legged, facing the door.


    Sitting at the center of the room, Aziel let the breeze come in from the open window to comb through his hair as he relished the refreshing cool air from the lake.


    He closed his eyes, slowly allowing his consciousness to drift and sink down to the depths of his soul, he entered his soul space where the globes of essences have floated around like miniature planets around the twin stars of his [Aether Core] and [Essence Restitute].


    Like an asteroid field in space, a white cloud of wild energy fluctuated around a similar, smaller white ball that orbited the furthest from the central twin stars.


    ''Alright, time to work...'' He muttered, floating over.


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 50 - [Bonus!] First Night - Choosing An Art

    Pooling from his inner source, the [Aether Core], Aziel began to process of molding the amorphous cloud of the essence in a more manageable form. Surprisingly, unlike previously, during his seclusion, the process was nowhere near as arduous. It was much faster and way more efficient.


    Aziel himself was surprised by the swiftness of the entire process. What he first thought would take him at least the entire night, maybe, even more, to even reach any meaningful stage, was processing at a lightning-fast pace.


    The gaseous amorph white milky cloud deformed, transforming into the easiest shape it could hold; a ball. Aziel then placed both his spiritual hands around the tennis-ball-sized essence and whilst stabilizing the energy transfer, it began to slowly transfer it towards the larger, main one.


    Reaching over, Aziel couldn''t relax, he was fully focused. The last stage of the process, the actual fusion was also the hardest of them all, it didn''t only require precise control and handling of both his own inner energy, but he also had to focus on the reactions and responses. The smallest mistake could result in a major catastrophe.


    Whilst doing all that, Aziel also had to make sure to properly circulate the [Aether] corresponding to the cultivation technique he was still in the form of updating. That in on itself held a considerable amount of risk, as he had no proper guidance, no prior experience to turn to. He was basically the progenitor, he could only rely on his previous life''s knowledge.


    As mentioned before, the cultivation progression on Nova was divided into seven major realms. These were the Mortal, Earth, Sky, Noble, Duke, King, Emperor, and last but not least: Demi-God. Within each stage were sub-levels. The first stage, for example, consisted of three sublevels: Foundation Establishment, Essence Enlightenment, and Core Condensation.


    As the name suggests, the first sub-level was about building a solid foundation from which all the other cultivation stages were developed upon. Once completed, the cultivator would shed its ''Mortal Limits'' gaining immense strength, speed, and agility. It was a transitional period when the cultivator reaches beyond the limits of the human body. He or she if successful would effectively transform her or her soul, transforming it into a so-called ''Capacitor Soul'', capable of sensing, storing, and gathering the [Mana] freely available in the air. The cultivation should also have the ability to gather some degree of arcane force to use minor spells.


    The next two sub-levels were usually combined together and were simply called the ''Enlightenment'' phase. Once the cultivator had completed both levels, he or she could use even more powerful spells and arts. They could call upon the natural elements such as the very earth to turn it into semi-sentient golems who would fight to the death. In the eyes of the mortal creatures that never stepped on the endless path of gaining power, these cultivators were already no different than the gods, although they were technically not gods by a long chalk.


    After the cultivator had breached the first stage, he or she would enter the stage called Connate, during which one could ride on the back of the wind to wherever he wanted to and increase his or her lifespan by a considerable margin. However, even with those magical powers, they were still far from being immortals.


    After his first seclusion and gaining some manner of understanding with this [Aether], Aziel directly jumped through these beginner stages and landed himself at the peak of the Earth Realm. He just barely stepped into the Connate Stage. Though he was still a far cry from being able to actively and effectively use his own energy to sail the skies without using his draconic-looking, reptilian wings, he could at the very least levitate and float in the air now.


    Aziel sighed, flashing a small smile as he pondered about his restarted journey. Though his physique has already reached, if not surpassed his peak from Nova, he was like a little cub, a small child in terms of cultivation.


    "Hmm¡­ I could actually try learning an art. I should have enough [Aether] gathered for some of the easier ones. What should I pick?" Aziel asked himself as his consciousness returned from his inner space.


    "Still, I have to tackle this with more care this time around. I have to make sure that the mistakes of the past would not be repeated. I have to go step by step and build up my base properly. With this new energy, I''m not sure what the end would look like¡­ I may even be able to reach into Demi-God realm¡­" Aziel nodded as he reflected on his past life''s mistakes.


    "No, that''s not enough. I have to go further, only by reaching into the higher, mythical stages of godhood could I hope to open a path back¡­ only then could I enact my vengeance upon those treacherous traitors!" The thought of his death from those that he thought of as his family, his brothers, and sisters made Aziel heave a sigh of regret.


    Nonetheless, there were still many things that Aziel should feel grateful for. For one, he was miraculously given another chance to start all over again.


    Taking a moment to ponder on his choices, he made up his mind.


    He had formulated a plan and decided on the art in his mind. An Art that normally would be impossible to use in his previous life, yet with the greatest potential.


    "This time, I will use the forbidden art¡­ the Primordial God''s Void Refinement!"


    The Primordial God was an existence that was more like nighttime stories were children all across Nova. More of a fantasy than anything feasible. It was an entity transcending even the Gods themselves. Effectively transcending reality, and transforming it into a concept. A being that the normal mind couldn''t even comprehend¡­


    Yet, whilst it was but a legend, a myth, this mythical entity, this Primordial God had an even more of an impossibly hard, unique cultivation art.


    Once it was mastered, the art would help the cultivator to harness much more power than those who used other arts.


    "Inclusiveness was not only the key in mastering this art, but it was also important to cultivate with the limited resources. The energy on this world, this ''Earth'' is completely different than on Nova, and I need to scrape any useful resources that I could find, including any medicinal herbs, numinous treasures, and even unsavory elements such as the Malignant Essences and even the deathly energy itself. There would be no art more suitable than the Primordial God''s Void Refinement Art given my unique circumstances."


    The so-called Malignant Essences, Deathly Energy were not that much different than the bread and butter of cultivation. They were all merely an extension of the universe itself, a reflection of one or two of its countless facets. On Nova Malignant Mana, and Death Mana was just one of the many available aspects.


    That being said, the energy was much readily available on a planet, and it was easier to be bent into whatever shapes or forms the cultivator desired. The other forms of energy required specific Dharmic Arts to be harnessed. Without the aid of some very special arts, an ordinary cultivator wouldn''t be able to harness all forms of the [Mana] until they had reached the Sky Realm at the very least.


    However, with the special ability of the Primordial God''s Void Refinement Art, Aziel should be able to harness the [Aether] from all sources without too much of a hassle.


    The word "void" in its name referred to the vast universe. The boundless space contained an unimaginable amount of energy from various sources, all of which could be harnessed using this unique art. Whether it is the essence found inside the core of a star or of demonic origin deep below the world of the living; this particular art could handle them all.


    "What a shame. I was incapable of using this art in my past. For some reason, while in theory, it outclassed everything in existence, I was too far ahead in the realms to use it back then. Now, however¡­"


    Aziel shook his head and heaved a sigh. He had to clear his mind and focus, such thoughts would only delay him.


    Taking a few minutes to calm his mind, Aziel gathered himself and started the Void Refinement.


    The art was not only useful in harnessing [Aether] but was also effective in straightening one''s flesh. It was a good way to improve both internal and external prowess.


    As he gradually progressed with the cultivation, his body seemed to become a black hole that sucked various forms of energy into him. The air around Aziel was soon devoid of any essence, so much so that even the breezy wind that blew by the open window became stifled.


    He was so engrossed in his cultivation that he nearly forgot the passage of time. The moon rose and fell, and before he knew it, it was a brand new day.


    As the sun rose above the horizon, Aziel suddenly opened his eyes as a white light streamed out from them. The pillar shot up dozens of meters into the sky, piercing the morning air as a sharp hot knife would butter. The strange white light didn''t fade away until it had hovered above Aziel for another few minutes.


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 51 - Visitor At Night...

    Aziel slowly opened his eyes as his cultivation session was done. If he weren''t completely alone in the room and that someone would have looked at him, he or she would be surprised to see that Aziel''s eyes were shining like a pair of light bulbs. Slowly, with each passing second, the light in Aziel''s eyes dimmed.


    ''Heh... This Primordial God Art is truly incredible! Even though this was the first time I had managed to complete a cycle, I have already reached well into the first sub-level of it! At this rate, I shouldn''t have any problems breaking into the Sky realm!'' Aziel exclaimed in his mind.


    The fast rate of progress in this still quite unfamiliar environment had honestly surprised him. Although he was convinced that it had something to do with his past life''s vast experiences, he wagered that the unique art had helped quite a bit too.


    Finished with what he wanted to do during his first night, Aziel picked himself up and shook his body. The energy within his body released a series of popping sounds, somewhat similar to popping hot popcorns.


    Closing his fist, Aziel could feel as his body was bursting with this vital energy, [Aether] was coursing in his veins.


    ''Ah this feeling¡­ Incredible!'' He sighed with delight, feeling the sensation that was lost to him for so long quite satisfying.


    "I still have a long way to go." He sighed, quickly quelling the rising storm of excitement in his heart. Turning towards the window, it was just now that he noticed the sun was already on its ascent, shining just above the horizon.


    Still, despite not resting at all, he felt refreshed, the exhaustion from yesterday have all but been relieved from his body.


    Even still, he felt the dissatisfied grumbles of his growing hunger. He patted his belly and decided it was time to eat. With luck the rest of these mortals that provided shelter would have already prepared some tribute, he thought.


    He remembered the words of the mature seductress lady, that succubus¡­ Lydia advised him to take a look around town. Though she also offered that she should take the trio of the Indie Club with him, he wanted to explore the surroundings on his own.


    Making up his mind with a new plan of action, he quickly left his room and went downstairs to quickly grab a few bites. As it was already quite early in the morning he didn''t meet anybody besides the morning shift staff.


    Once again, as he asked for some quick grub he looked at the many servants working for this family with a wondrous, contemplative gaze. He was reminded to his own servants, that through the hundreds of years of servitude have grown quite close to his heart.


    ''Heh¡­ I''m still too weak.'' He sighed at himself and shook his head to clear his mind.


    Soon, a french toast was placed in front of him, together with some milk. The fresh, crunchy bread, the slice of ham together with the creamy melted cheese was a completely new experience for Aziel, he couldn''t help but groan with delight after each bite, causing the female staff to blush as they heard him.


    Many of the staff, have already taken a liking to the ''Handsome Silver Prince'' that had come with the Madam last night. When they were told he would be joining the family from now on, the female staff blushed one after another.


    Finishing with his small, modest but all the more delightful breakfast, Aziel left the mansion on foot. Without any obstruction, he soon found himself on the streets of Greytop City, once again be marveled by the seemingly endless stream of humans going by all shapes, sizes, and ages attending to their lively chores.


    Children walking by groups with backpacks, going to what he recalled from his processed memories as ''Schools''. Man and women donning suits walked towards to grind several hours in a boring, grey cubicle or if they were slightly luckier, in an office, working for someone else''s gain. Others walking to do their morning groceries, or just to go shopping¡­


    Aziel couldn''t help but be amazed by them. Despite knowing that their entire lives didn''t matter at all in the grand scheme of things and that whatever they achieved would be but forgotten in just a couple of decades even by their descendants, they still didn''t falter. They kept on pushing forward, without looking back. Without wondering if there was anything more to the meaning of their existence than that.


    ''How amusing¡­'' He smiled, crossing through the streets without any real destination in mind.


    After a while, Aziel found unknowingly walked into a park and found himself beneath the shade provided by a nearby willow tree overlooking a small artificial pond.


    Feeling the cool, refreshing morning breeze coming from the pond, he let it comb through his hair, and caress his face. After spending so much time away from civilization, he felt the most comfortable in nature.


    Time passed, as he spent most of the early morning doing seemingly nothing but enjoying the atmosphere. Though he looked as if he was lazing about, in actuality Aziel was still processing the many lifetimes of memory he had gained. He was merging the more than a dozen memories, correlating and comparing them to each other, trying to make sense of every clue, every detail.


    Soon, however, the modest meal he had consumed showed the only negative trait it had: It was small, the energy it provided was quickly used up. He felt his hunger striking once again.


    Deciding it was time to look for something, he stood up and started to walk around.


    As soon as he was out of the shade of the willow tree, he saw three people walking toward him.


    There was a woman in a white exercise suit walking beside an elderly man who wore an old dark brown business suit. His steps were supported by a cane. Trailing behind the two was a young man with a fit body and pair of sharp eyes.


    The girl of the group pulled her hair in a ponytail; her beautiful face held a cold and distant expression. She had a pair of perky bosom and a tall body. She was as attractive no doubt, comparable to Myra or even Lydia if not even more beautiful thanks to her toned, well-defined features.


    Aziel was still immersed in his own thoughts and therefore, he didn''t think too much of this encounter. He passed the three strangers without even sparing them a glance.


    However, three strangers had definitely noticed him.


    The young man glued his eyes on Aziel and didn''t look away until Aziel had disappeared at the end of the walking path. Then and only then, did he turn his head and look back at the old man walking in front of him, and whispered into his ears something.


    The old man frowned and shook his head in disagreement. "No, you are mistaken. He is just a passerby, probably a morning jogger."


    The event passed by, with Aziel didn''t even bother about it in the slightest. He didn''t pay any attention to them, he was so immersed in the memories that he wasn''t even bothered sending them. If he did so, he might have been surprised by what he would have found¡­


    ¡­


    After his morning walk, Aziel returned to the Martin Family Residence. Noticing that there was nobody was down in the dining room, he quickly scanned through the mansion, only to find that both girls have already left.


    Being left alone, Aziel didn''t mind it too much, he quickly returned to his room and resumed his nightly cultivation session. He still had to process a great deal of knowledge and get accustomed to this new and interesting world.


    After all, what he needed the most if he wanted to embark on the step towards dominance was information.


    Eyes closed, Aziel continued harnessing the [Aether] from the air for many hours. When he finally opened his eyes, it was already late evening.


    Surprised, he sent out signals and found that the ladies have returned meanwhile and was currently downstairs enjoying dinner.


    Deciding to join them, he spent some time talking with them, mostly defending the overly zealous assault of the mature woman, Lydia, who was even more eager and excited to be together with him.


    From the strange, meaningful glimmers in his eyes, Aziel was getting mixed vibes... He felt that the looks she was giving were going beyond what was considered ''normal''.


    He could hear the rapid, chaotic beats of her heart, she could almost feel the heat emanating from her...


    Feeling strangely uncomfortable, Aziel decided to quickly finish up dinner and returned to his room to resume his nightly session and cultivate the ''Primordial God''s Void Refinement Art'' once again.


    Soon, losing himself in the vast emptiness that the circulation of the art contained, he enjoyed the gradual accumulation of [Aether], feeling ever-so closer to reaching his limits...


    However, before he could fully immerse himself, suddenly the handle on his room''s door was pushed open, and a figure sneakily stepped in...


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 52 - The Beast, Unleashed! [R18]

    Whilst still keeping his eyes closed, and keeping most of his attention on the waning, thinning currents of [Aether] available in the air, Aziel''s lips parted as he coldly asked.


    "What are you doing here? What do you want¡­ Ms. Lydia Martin?"


    Hearing Aziel refer to her by her full name, caused the failed sneaking silhouette to lose all pretentiousness and step into the faint moonlight by the window.


    Her alluring, seductive body was revealed under the night''s silver luster, revealing her bountiful mounds and illustrious mature hourglass figure. The thin layer of laced, semi-transparent dark silk material, her nightgown barely covered her pink pair of flower buds. Going down below, it also just hang low enough to cover the entrance to the naked cave awaiting the brave adventurer...


    Her hair loosely flowed all around, some strands cascading down and giving a seductive cover from the front, she gazed at the boy sitting at the center of the room, like a hungry predator would leer at its unsuspecting, yet helpless prey.


    "Ahh, don''t be so cold, Aziel..." She responded to the boy''s question with a pouting expression. She looked as if she was hurt, playing into the act she have long since devised in her head.


    "Ah... woe me, my beloved is cold to me!" She sighed, acting as if she was on the podium, acting to an audience. Theatrically she touched her forehead with the back of her right palm, turning her gaze towards the glowing silver moon at the clear star-filled midnight sky.


    Aziel merely sighed in response. He slouched his shoulders, as his attention slowly, gradually returned to reality. Feeling the heat radiating from the mature woman as he did her best to tempt the boy into the potentially sinful, taboo act, he finally opened his eyes. He calmly pushed himself off the ground and stood up.


    Without any visible emotion betraying his true thoughts on the matter, he pointed at the empty, pulled-down bed.


    "Bed. Now." Aziel commanded, uttering only two curt words. Yet, in the next instant, he noticed her brown eyes showed nothing but pure joy and the great glimmering sparks of excitement.


    Like an excited kitten, Lydia didn''t waste any second, and whilst wagging her waist she swiftly hopped away from the windowsill and bounced over to the bed, removing her single piece of clothing before climbing onto her knees, facing the standing, insipid human statue in the room. Her wet, exposed cave was ample temptation to any creature, inviting its soon-to-be master to plant itself deep in its depths.


    "So... this is how you want to play it? I had a feeling there was something off..." Aziel muttered to herself, removing the last few pieces of clothing he still wore, removing a piece with each closing step.


    Leaning over her, Aziel too didn''t waste time with useless foreplay. This was not lovemaking, he had no feelings for this woman at all. Though he wasn''t tormented by the lack of opportunities regarding these carnal exercises, he too was bored of being a virgin for millions upon millions of years.


    A baptism was long, long overdue, and this offering of flesh would be adequate.


    Thus, as soon as he was in position, and his dragon have risen from its eternal slumber he positioned himself allowing it to peer into the dark depths of the flesh cave.


    Grabbing her waist, for added support, Aziel suddenly pushed forward, entering in one swift motion. Lydia''s sweet honey-pot fully swallowed his proud member, wet, hot, and somewhat still tight despite all odds.


    The sudden intrusion forced a loud yelp to escape from Lydia''s lips, though even that was swiftly controlled, only allowing muffled, muted sighs and moans to let out.


    Aziel felt her walls moving as if guiding him further and further in. His patience gave out after the first few initial, exploratory pumps. The fierce, primordial beast taking over, he began to hump savagely, pushing her down further onto the bed. Each wild thrust brought out a sweet pleasured moan from amidst the fluffy pillows.


    "Mmmffff..... Mmmmmffffph.....mhhhhh...."


    She cooed out, gripping the nightly schlong with her wet walls, whilst her weighty melons swayed back and forth rhythmically from the fierce pounding. Her gentle arms struggled to support herself under the fierce attack driving her into the bed covers.


    The bed was shaking violently from the wild mating, as the seconds turned into minutes it looked more and more as if it wouldn''t be able to support such a fierce pounding. The creaking noise, however, only stimulated Aziel further, his eyes were glowering with bright crimson under the moonlight as he unknowingly began to circulate his inner energy, causing [Aether] to fill his veins... and his dragon.


    He leaned even more onto the poor woman, forcing her prone onto her stomach and spreading apart her legs so that she was forced completely flat on the bed. Her melons pushed to the side, Aziel then gripped the bed frame for further support and with one large arc, he swung into full force and penetrated her already swollen pussy again with greater and even deeper thrusts making use of her cunt fully as she let out continuous low guttural grunts, incapable of coherent speech anymore.


    "Mwrghgl....mhfffghpft..."


    She trembled from the sheer pleasure, legs shaking with each thrust as her sex moved around Aziel''s member. Lydia''s pussy shook and contracted, sucking eagerly for its heavenly nectar, its just reward.


    With all her effort, she slowly pushed her tear-stained face up from the embrace of the pillows and muttered a plea.


    "....inside... fill me up... Give me your seed..."


    She pleaded with Aziel to impregnate her. Although the chances of that were not impossible, however, the likeliness of that happening was astronomical. Still, since only Aziel was aware of this, he found her actions amusing to no end, and played into it.


    "Beg for it. If you want it, beg... like the pig you are."


    He chided her, prompting Lyidato to buck her hips back against Aziel every time he thrust. Her insides squeezed tighter than ever, trying to milk him for everything he had.


    "Please... I beg you..."


    A loud slap rang out in the room in the next second, Lydia was once again forced to plant her face deep into the jungle of pillows and cry miserably at the aching, searing pain of the painful hit on her bum.


    "Who are you? Who owns you?! KNOW YOUR PLACE!" Aziel roared with anger, smacking Lydia''s rear flesh again, whilst also thrusting deeper with even more power. Lydia cried out with a mixture of pain and pleasure, taking a couple of seconds, close to a half minute before she managed to collect herself enough to respond with heavy sighs.


    "Please... my... m-master... I beg you... Plant your seed.... in me..." She pleaded, panting, growing increasingly exhausted after suffering through an hour of carnal onslaught from this ferocious beast.


    Though she was proud of her stamina, she had unexpectedly met her match tonight.


    Grabbing her hair Aziel pulled her head high, twisting it backward, causing her to gasp for air in surprise. He leaned over to her ears and whilst giving it a deeper lick he sneered into it before pushing it back into the bed...


    The pleasure was building, Aziel suddenly increased his pace moving even faster into her. Lydia''s walls pulled at Aziel greedily each time he retreated apart, holding onto its new owner with all she had.


    The feelings finally peaked, Aziel roared loudly as he poured all that accumulated liquid emotion, rich with [Aether] into her. Pulse after pulse poured into her sex, Lydia''s walls continuing to massage Aziel, coaxing out more of the liquid she so earnestly coveted.


    Eventually, the sensation sent the girl over her limit, she yelped into the pillows before collapsing and slumping listlessly down. Still, the happy, satisfied wide smile that hung over her face was a telltale sign that he wasn''t in pain, but instead was experiencing pure bliss.


    Aziel smiled, deciding to take it easy for the rest of the night, and lied down beside her. Stroking her wet, sweaty strands of hair for a while longer, he too soon drifted off to a light sleep feeling much better, satisfied...


    ...


    *slick* *slurp* *lick!*


    As the morning sun peeked through the window, casting its golden pillar to scare away the gloomy darkness, Aziel''s peaceful slumber slowly came to a grand closure with a delightful sensation coming from his lower body.


    As he slowly peeled his eyes open and turned downwards he was met with the sight of the naked body of the succubus, as leaned over from the side. Lydia was making sounds of pure joy whilst she was being fully engrossed in her morning ''duty''.


    Aziel smirked with satisfaction and laid back appreciating the full service for some time longer. After a generous (and copious amounts of the) ''donation'' was inserted into the flesh deposit and a contented sigh was released, Lydia smiled and spoke.


    "Good Morning... master..." She smiled seductively, her lashes fluttered as she made eyes at me while stroking my member softly.


    "No, that enough for now. There''s still lots of work to be done."


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 53 - Martial Artists

    Leaving the comfort of the bed and the slithering naked seductress behind, Aziel stood up and grabbed his clothes laying around on the floor.


    "We should go visit the plaza at the city center to buy a couple of extra choice clothes for you... dear master..." Lydia''s gentle, enticing whispers broke the silence as Aziel was about to dress up.


    He shrugged his shoulders at her suggestion, not too bothered by it. After all, the first time he donned some rags to cover himself was when he was about to make first contact with Dinah''s tribe. Before that, he basically spent a great deal of his existence without such commodities.


    Even more so, he could still utilize his transformation technique and return to his armored, scaled giant battle form. His current human appearance was merely the result of his latest evolution.


    "Sure, I don''t mind." Quickly putting on the shirt and the pants from yesterday he looked towards the window as he added. "I need to go out for a bit. We can talk later."


    With that said, Aziel walked towards the door. Pulling it open, he turned his face over his shoulders before walking out and throwing out one more sentence.


    "Act normally when we are not by ourselves and you can come back tonight as well. You were... satisfactory, I guess."


    Having said what he wanted, Aziel stepped out of the room, closing it behind him, and leaving the naked woman remain laying in his bed.


    He didn''t waste time for breakfast, after the short session of interrupted cultivation Aziel felt the need to get back closer to nature. He felt a call, a pull coming from deeper within.


    Deep in thought about the nature of [Aether], he didn''t even realize where he was going, he just let his feelings take control. Soon, he felt the fresh air, bringing him back to reality. Looking around, he realized that he went straight to the same park he visited yesterday, right back to the side of the artificial pond.


    The same gnarly, old willow tree he laid against yesterday was looming over his head, covering him with its comforting shade once again.


    Yet, when he arrived, Aziel was surprised to find out that unlike yesterday he wasn''t alone this time around. Someone else has already taken ''his spot'', having an open-air training session.


    It was that same girl with the ponytail that he had met yesterday, and she was practicing some form of martial arts under the tree. Looking around, Aziel also noticed that she was not alone either. The same old man, that was with the girl yesterday, stood behind the tree, leaning on his adorned walking cane, and was watching over the girl''s practice. From time to time, he would call out and stop the girl and would offer some advice and guidance to fix and improve her mistakes.


    Also, the same sharp-eyed young man was sitting inside of a black jeep-like vehicle, being ever-so vigilant. His piercing gaze was constantly scanning the surroundings without faltering.


    Aziel was somewhat surprised to see the same trio of strangers he had met yesterday. What were they doing here?


    As he was paying attention he noticed the strange, albeit familiar resonance inside his core. Surprised and shocked, Aziel was unable to contain his curiosity and approached the strange group.


    The old man merely graced him with a fleeting glance before returning his attention to the girl standing in front of him.


    Since he didn''t feel anything special, Aziel didn''t pay any heed to them the last time, he didn''t take a look at the girl, nor the old man, however now, after observing the duo more carefully, he was shocked by what he found.


    Adding to the girl''s exquisite face and tenacious body, she carried an almost heroine-like quality in every single one of her movements. Each swing of her arms, every simple action she took seemed like a small declaration of victory, every kick, thrust she made felt as if a goddess was casting judgment upon the unworthy mortals.


    Still, it wasn''t her appearance and technique that caught Aziel''s attention. To him, these ''dance-like'' graceful moves were nothing special. No, what he was shocked was what he felt radiating from deeper inside of her. It was undoubtedly [Aether].


    "Hmm... This is unexpected... I never thought these humans can actually sense and use it..." Aziel was aught by surprise as he did not expect to meet another cultivator on Earth. From his experience, although it was limited, he was all but assured that this realm had no practitioners at all.


    However, upon taking a closer look, his surprise quickly faded.


    "No, she seems to be not fully aware of it. It is too weak, too... basic. She shouldn''t at most be at the first or second level of the Mortal Realm, barely more than a seedling."


    As Aziel continued his observation, he only now noticed the unique shirt the girl was wearing, as well as the traditional martial arts suit the old man was in. Unlike yesterday, he wasn''t donning the greyish business suit, but a traditional-looking dark purple robe with golden embroidery at its rims. The girl''s attire was similar in fashion, only that it was loosely fitting long-sleeved shirt with wider, long sleeves.


    Azel hummed, as he looked at their practice session with growing interest.


    It somewhat reminded him of the training sessions of his knights back in his previous life. How they spent each morning restlessly practicing their movements, fixing their breathing, and then ending it circulating their cultivation techniques to increase their [Mana] inside their cores.


    Ever since coming in contact with this world''s energy, Aziel always wondered, was [Mana] truly inferior to [Aether]? Or was it just a different name for the same form of energy? Yet, there was a clear difference... Whilst the former was more closely related to the spiritual aspects, the latter was the life force behind all living beings, be it flora, the wildlife... or as it turns out humanity.


    Looking at her, Aziel wondered how strong she truly would be. The internal energy inside her was far inferior to the ones on those that relied on [Mana] for those just starting their path to cultivation.


    He was all but certain, that not just she haven''t even started the first couple of stages and her body was barely stronger than that of a fit mortal. A cultivator could harness the powers of nature, and the universe calling forth powerful spells and creating miracles with a snap of their fingers.


    All that would be far beyond the capabilities of simple martial artists like they seemed to be.


    As Aziel''s curiosity was gradually satisfied with just inspecting the girl, he gathered himself and continued watching the morning practice.


    As time passed, every now and then he would smirk at the mistakes, shaking his head disapprovingly.


    Eventually, the girl noticed the stage, silver-haired boy criticism, which she quickly grew annoyed with. After some time, feeling she took it long enough, he paused his exercise and asked hotly.


    "Who are you and what are you doing there, you creep?! What are you looking at me for? Do you even understand what we are doing?!" She snapped.


    Instead of a response, Aziel chuckled at the accusations thrown in his way.


    To him, these primitive martial techniques were barely more than primitive dance moves. His knowledge and experience as one of the Thirteen Demon Lords granted him ample opportunities to master these physical arts. He could be said to be the embodiment of the true martial spirit, especially in this world.


    Let it be the basic cultivation techniques or the art of killing and warfare; there was nothing that he did not have a knack for. Being a hands-on leader of his people, he wasn''t like most of the other leaders, his brothers, and sisters. He was actually well versed in all kinds of unarmed close-quarter combat techniques.


    The girl''s shambling forms and unrefined skills were laughable in his eyes.


    His knights'' entry-level martial techniques, the "Sanguine Hundred Forms" were much more sophisticated than what the girl had used. Not to mention that the "Sanguine Hundred Forms" was mostly used only as of the base, for the newly initiated and those that did not yet advance from their beginner ranks. It was used as a form of maturity, once mastering these basic moves, they would be able to advance further after taking a successful exam.


    Any official member, that has accomplished this trial, would have long since forsaken these techniques.


    Nonetheless, Aziel was not about to argue with her, nor did he have any intention of getting closer to them. After learning what he wanted, he was about to leave anyway, thus he decided to take the higher route and nodded his head as a form of apology.


    "Think nothing of it, girl. I was just merely passing by and found your practice session interesting. That is all."


    "Hmpf! Then buzz off, and stop leering at my-" Before she could finish, the old man standing behind suddenly shouted with a raised, colder tone.


    "Kora, that is enough!"


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 54 - Garnering Attention

    Kora trembled in response to the old man''s shout. The riposte she had already prepared in her mind instantly froze in her, her shoulders slumped.


    "Y-yes, grandpa." Kora replied to her grandfather. Still, before turning away and returning to the practice she halted, she managed to shoot Aziel a searing glance.


    Aziel looked at the old man, only to find out that he too, possessed a somewhat similar amount of Internal Energy enriching his decaying system. Though, like with the case of the girl, Kora, he was most likely a Martial Artist, probably a grandmaster rather than a real Cultivator of [Aether].


    Still, probably by the several decades of practice and keeping his art continuously perfected have made him garner enough that would push to a level similar to the early stages of the Mortal Realm, somewhere around the Peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, just a bit off from stepping into the next one.


    However, without a proper art, or technique he would have no chance of actually breaking through.


    Still, compared to the girl, who could at most be considered to be at the stepping stone of stepping into the beginning stages, but more likely being just a more talented Martial Artist, the old man was the first clue for Aziel into the world hidden behind the shadows.


    That being said, Aziel had to admit that his comparison was skewed, to say the least. It wasn''t proper to look down this pair of granddaughter and grandfather. His knowledge, his experience came from a different world entirely, using a completely different type of energy.


    His only understanding of this world came from a time where humans were simply nonexistent, and that giant creatures, monsters ruled over lush jungles and untainted lands. This modern world was completely unknown to him, even without looking into the shadows.


    Was he stronger than this daughter, or this old man? Sure, however comparing them wouldn''t be fair. Even without his cultivation as a late Earth Realm cultivator, his unique physical characteristics alone would be enough to make quick work of them.


    Thinking everything through, Aziel shook his head at his own overly eager self and turned away, looking for a different tree to sit under.


    Not too long later, he found a similar-looking old oak tree, he sat down cross-legged underneath it and started to cultivate.


    Closing his eyes, his body and mind quickly entered the cultivation state as he initiated the Primordial God''s Void Refinement art. Soon the suction of energy created an invisible layer made out of the pure vacuum, a space devoid of any energy found in the air.


    Immersed in his own world, after some time, the peculiar situation and strange actions have raised the elderly man''s suspicion. Looking at the young silver-haired man, he wondered why anyone would wake up this early in the morning, come to the park, and only fall asleep again under a tree?


    "Hmm¡­ Huh?!" After a while, the old man suddenly gasped in surprise.


    "What is it, Grandpa? What is bothering you?" Noticing his grandfather''s sudden cry, Kora asked curiously.


    Turning his gaze over to the sitting young man, the old man asked with a hardened expression on his face.


    "Look at the young man carefully. Do you notice anything strange?"


    Squinting her eyes, Kora scrutinized the boy, though he failed to find anything noteworthy, besides the rather unique pigmentation of his hair.


    "Ehrm¡­ What should I look for Grandpa?" She asked after a minute.


    The old man sighed, yet didn''t let the matter go.


    "Pay attention to him. Notice his breathing? How it is controlled, regulated?" He pressed on.


    It wasn''t until the old man deliberately pointed it out that Kora noticed how the boy''s chest swelled up and down at each intake of air. In a rhythmic, repeating matter, the boy''s chest pushed up, before retaining its blown shape for a couple of seconds before slowly releasing all of it in a slow, controlled manner.


    Also, two specks of white light spurted out of his nostrils, writhed and slithered like two tiny snakes. Two rays of white light barely about the size of a needle; one wouldn''t even notice them lest they would keep close scrutiny.


    "W-what is that?!" Kora frowned with a slight disgust, turning her attention away.


    "I am not entirely sure myself¡­" The old man began with a sigh. "¡­however, it seems oddly similar to those ancient methods of harnessing energy from the air around us. It was said that in ancient times, some of the most powerful sects utilized similar techniques."


    He took a moment to look at the strange young man before continuing.


    "This kind of breathing required precise control and high power. The practitioner of this technique should be able to dive under the water for an extended period of time." The old man said slowly.


    Kora snorted upon hearing her grandfather''s words.


    "Grandpa you are overthinking things!" She waved her hand dismissively. "He is just breathing heavily, that is all. There''s nothing more to it at all!"


    "Dear, you are just too young to understand. Too naive, too green to the real world." The old man shook his head, refuting his beloved princess with a tender voice. "What he is doing, couldn''T be done without at least a couple of decades of diligent practice. I, for example, have never seen such a perfectly executed technique in real life. Only read about it in books older than myself!"


    "Huh? Is it really that powerful?" Suspicion flashed across Kora''s face.


    Thinking about the boy, suddenly she recalled their earlier talk. "Wait for a second¡­ If he really is such a cool expert like you say, Grandpa, why did he shake his head looking at my practice?"


    Kora paused to mull over her own question. Not even a moment later, realization hitting her, she frowned, hitting her open right palm with her left fist in anger.


    "Argh, such a jerk! That ass!" She grunted with growing anger. "I don''t care how powerful you think he is, I will test his strength! I will see for myself if he really is such a great master, and not just a fake pretending for our attention!"


    Seeing the eagerness in his granddaughter, the old man heaved a deep sigh.


    However, the old man didn''t design to stop her. However powerful this young man might be, he and his granddaughter should be safe in his own territory. He had fought many brutal wars during his life, and he scarcely feared death, much less a young man such as him.


    The grandfather and granddaughter pair decided to wait for Aziel to finish his cultivation. After about twenty minutes later, the boy finally opened his mouth and spat out a ghostly white glowing ball of gas. This parcel of white gas shot forward a few meters and traced a silvery arch in the air, before eventually evaporating.


    "He is a powerful martial artist!" The old man''s face hardened as reality set in witnessing such a mystifying scene.


    "Grandpa, there is no need to worry! We have Brother Crag here to protect us in case of trouble!" Kora sneered smugly, adding another thought to it. "Can he dodge a bullet to the face? I don''t think so!"


    Unlike her grandfather, Kora was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She never experienced the world proper, she could always rely on her prestigious family background to protect her from the many potential dangers.


    Thus, she was young and fearless, naive and perhaps somewhat ignorant as well.


    The brawny man sitting inside the jeep had been paying close attention to the developments. His hand was long since resting atop his waist, just above the holster of his gun.


    ¡­


    Finished with his morning exercise, Aziel was rather satisfied. The air was rich in this park, his short session netted him with more results than an hour of doing the same in his room, somewhat comparable to his now-destroyed cave atop Greytop Mountains.


    Sighing contentedly, he turned his head around, only to grow surprised by the pair that lurked behind him all the while.


    A deep frown soured Aziel''s expression as he looked at the old man and granddaughter¡­


    =====


    Powerstone Goals:


    100 Power Stones -> 1 Chapter,


    200 Power Stones -> 2 Chapters,


    300 Power Stones -> 3 Chapters,


    Golden Ticket Goals:


    50 Golden Tickets -> 1 Chapter,


    100 Golden Tickets -> 2 Chapters,


    150 Golden Tickets -> 3 Chapters.

 Chapter 55 - Demonstration Of Power

    Seeing that the boy had finally woken up, the old man donned a smile and stepped forward to greet Aziel.


    "Greetings to you, young man." He bowed his head ever-so-slightly. "I have to say, I am glad to meet another martial artist in the making! My name is Gaius Marshal, it''s a pleasure to meet you. May I ask what your name is?"


    Sensing no ill will, or malice in the old man''s words and actions, Aziel nodded at him in response, speaking curtly.


    "Hmm... Aziel." He snorted his reply coldly.


    The girl frowned in reaction, whilst the old man remained smiling and civil, showing no visible displeasure if he took any offense at all. The smile was retained over his wrinkled face.


    Looking over them once again the tightened bodies of the two, Aziel could guess that what could have caught their interest and brought them to him was the sight of his cultivation.


    *Khm!*


    The old man, Gaius Marshal''s polite smile never faded from his face. He coughed to grab the attention and continued with his inquiries.


    "Young man... ehrm, Aziel, could I be as bold as to ask, where do you come from, and I may have the honor to know who your teacher is?"


    Aziel shook his head at the old man''s questions. He found being called a ''Young Man'' by this elderly human rather amusing.


    "Hmmm... I..." Thinking about it, Aziel decided to test the waters a bit, and probed the granddaughter-grandfather pair.


    "No, I''m not a Martial Artist... Say, Old man, what do you know about the world of cultivation?"


    Though Aziel didn''t believe these two mortals would have even understood the true meaning of the words, he wanted to see that they had any information seeing as they more or less stepped on the journey. Even if they were probably unaware of it, the unrefined energy in their bodies was superior in terms of quantity than that of others Aziel had met so far.


    "Cultivation? Are you...?" The old man looked visibly confused at Aziel''s question. Wasn''t he a martial artist?


    "Grandpa, let''s not waste our time on this rude, arrogant brat any longer. Let me spar with him already," Kora turned around and shot an icy glance at Aziel. "Why did you lie to me earlier? Now show me what you can do!"


    "Are you... perhaps trying to provoke me into fighting... you?"


    Aziel frowned with a hint of disdain flashing across his face, as he measured up the girl from top to bottom once more. From the look on his face, it was clear he didn''t put the woman in his eyes at all.


    Though he couldn''t help but feel like his blood boiled in anticipation at the request, he felt that it wouldn''t be fair on these mortals if he were to respond. The gap in terms of power between them was as vast as an ocean after all.


    After weighing his options for seemingly only a few seconds, he decided not to get involved in such petty squabbles. There was no real hostility between them, and there was no point in the exchange, the other side simply had nothing to offer at all.


    He smiled, faking a humble look, and bowed at the glaring young maiden.


    "I must apologize, but I have to decline your offer, young miss. I love peace, and am against wanton violence."


    His words, if it would be heard by his past self would sneer and probably fall to the ground in laughter. The self-crowned Apex Predator of prehistoric times, the Eternal One, that''s kill count is probably already in the high millions preaching about peace...


    "Don''t bullsh*t me, you *sshole!" The girl cursed, rather crudely and uncharacteristically to a girl of her stature. "I saw you sneering at me just before when I was practicing my forms! Don''t play with me!" He roared, flinging back at Aziel.


    "Young man, what harm could be in a little sparing session? Although my granddaughter was still at the beginner level, she was well underway to master our family''s first technique. I was hoping that with your help, she could advance even faster." The old man said slowly but firmly.


    Despite the old man''s calm voice, his suspicion didn''t recede the slightest, instead, it grew with each passing second. He had given the boy his name, but the latter seemed to have never heard of it before. How could any powerful martial artist not recognize his name?


    Aziel shook his head and heaved a sigh of resignation. Though he could still decline, that would most likely offend not just the girl but the old man as well. He knew he now had to oblige the girl''s request.


    Still, not wanting to hurt him much, he decided to play it easy, and just prove his point. He turned to face the large, old oak tree he was just resting under.


    Looking at the center of the trunk for a moment, he clenched his right hand, and with a casual, seemingly effortless-looking swing, he struck at the tree.


    His arm traveled at an incredible speed, turning blurry as it drew a dark shadowy line in the air. As it hit the thick, gnarly bark the collision released a massive, explosive surge of energy into the air in the form of a shockwave. Splinters were sent flying like tiny projectiles to all directions from the impact, one such grazing past the girl''s face as if it was an arrow or a bolt fired from a crossbow.


    "Watch out!" The old man shouted out as soon as he quickly raised both of his arms in defense, but his warning came too late.


    "What in the..." Kora was in a state of shock. Her long dark hair on the right side was cut to shoulder length; the crystal earrings she was wearing also fell to the ground.


    She touched her cheek and found a thin line of a wound where blood was seeping through. She turned around and saw how the willow tree''s trunk was riddled with holes; the splintered off parts of the old oak tree''s bark have lodged deep into the willow tree, as if they were pieces of metal.


    "What in the god''s name have just happened?! What is this power?"


    The old man''s heart was caught in his throat during the turn of events. Seeing the girl was unharmed, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    Casting his gaze back at the young man who was standing cool and collected once again as if nothing extraordinary had just happened, he smiled wryly.


    ''I have never even dreamed of seeing such incredible power, such martial prowess in my lifetime. No...'' He shook his head. ''This is not martial arts; this is something far more powerful. Even I wouldn''t dare to say I would be able to take such a blow directly...''


    Aziel was looking carefree and nonchalant, however inwardly he was delighted, happy with himself. For the first time, he managed to practice proper control, and whilst showcasing his strength, at the same time he managed to control it just like he wanted. Instead of destroying the entire tree with a single, powerful punch, he exerted just enough strength to properly scare these two mortals.


    The old man came up to Aziel and saluted him. "It was our absolute honor to meet you, Grand Master!" Gaius Marshal spoke with great emotion in his voice. Never had he thought that he would encounter a hermit grandmaster, a very young one while at it!


    Kora couldn''t stand in the ceremony any longer and bolted towards the willow tree. Reaching for the many small holes in his trunk he pulled out one of the deeply lodged-in splinters with a bit of difficulty and then turned to Aziel. She looked at him with an incredulous gaze.


    "H-how did you do it?! W-what in the hell even are you?!" She muttered.


    Even the man in the car was shocked by the development. He almost forgot that he was still holding the gun in his hand.


    What was the point of using a gun when his opponent was faster than a bullet?


    ---


    Aziel spoke candidly, waving his hand in a dismissive manner.


    "Think nothing of it."


    As a matter of fact, if the elderly man would know of a proper technique to circulate and use his Inner Energy, he could have been able to do similar feats as well. Whilst Aziel''s attack looked terrifying it was nothing more than some parlor trick, and easy demonstration of the proper utilization of one''s internal strength.


    Even though the old man was only at the Foundation Establishment stage in the Mortal Realm, he could channel the available [Aether] in his body to reinforce his fist, and release it in a similarly explosive fashion. Even more, he could probably lodge his fist deep into the trunk of that willow tree if he wanted to, looking like a supernatural being to the average citizenry.


    Yet, the reality was the old man could not achieve such feats, he probably wasn''t even fully aware of his own strength, and merely counted whatever he gained during his lifetime to his skills and experience.


    "It might be a small trick for you, sir, but for me, it was like an unbelievable miracle!" The elderly man exclaimed. He no longer called Aziel "young man", but now called him "Sir" instead.


    Although the elderly man had lived through a tumultuous life and had eventually earned himself a great fortune, his life-long dream was to become a powerful martial artist. To stand at the level of those legendary figures! However, over the years, he had come to terms with the fact that his talent was simply mediocre.


    Even though he was rather resourceful and quick-witted, he has not yet got the opportunity to meet a real grandmaster in person... until now that is.


    The words of the old man have kept on bothering Aziel. Finally, he could no longer hold back and asked.


    "These... grand master''s you keep referring to... Could they do what I just did?"


    "Of course!" The old man nodded. "The Martial Grandmasters are the basically legendary figures, heroes etched into the threads of history! They stand above us feeble mortals, capable of unleashing impossible feats and wonders! For some of them, it wouldn''t be too difficult to even kill someone from a distance!"


    Suddenly, confusion flashed across the elderly man''s face. He asked curiously, "Sir¡­ as one of the grandmasters yourself, how could you not be aware of what I have just told you?"

 Chapter 56 - Making Friends?

    Pondering for only a short few moments, Aziel shook his head in response.


    "I have lived a very secluded life up until recently. What you both saw was basically just a breathing exercise to circulate one''s Internal Energy. I have never heard of about the worldly matter, nor about any of these Martial Grandmasters besides my Master."


    Seeing that the old man was about to ask again, Aziel raised his index finger to silence him and added.


    "He has sadly already passed away. One of the main reasons I have left my seclusion and have ventured to experience the secular world. I am afraid I''m not the person you may be thinking of."


    The elderly man seemed perplexed by Aziel''s confession. He had only heard bits and pieces about the mysterious world of mythical people. Stories about Sects living hidden in the shadows, then again clans and powerful families with supernatural abilities and otherworldly nature were all but stories in old, dusty tomes.


    Still, despite the boy''s denial and even though he sounded honest, the old man felt that there was something more to the matter at hand. The technique he had just used was emblematic of the Martial Grandmaster''s power.


    But then, why would he deny it? What was the point, why did he want to keep the clearly obvious fact that he was a Martial Grandmaster a secret?


    Unable to find an answer, the elderly man decided to push the question aside for now. His priority was to befriend this boy, regardless if he was the grandmaster or not. If he could do what a grandmaster could, what difference did it make anyway?


    Plus, he was young and¡­ quite good-looking. He could be a perfect match for his beloved, gorgeous granddaughter! The elderly man''s mind raced as he tried to think of ways to get closer to the young man.


    He quickly plastered on a smiley face and then said, "It doesn''t matter. On another note, if I may be as bold to note, you don''t give me the impression of a local. Are you from here?"


    "Hmm¡­" Aziel pondered how he should respond to the old man. In the end, he felt that there was nothing to lose but more to gain. Building connections is almost as important as raw power after all.


    "No, not really." He shook his head, displaying a charming smile. "As you have correctly guessed, I came from abroad, somewhere far, far away. My full name is Aziel Vor''thega, but just call me Aziel, like how everyone does. I have only just recently arrived here. Due to the disaster with Greytop Mountain, I am most likely stuck here for the foreseeable future."


    "Aziel Vor¡­ thega?" The elderly man and his granddaughter exchanged a confused glance. He turned his head around and asked curiously. "In that case, would you mind if we would call you Mr. Vor''thega? I wouldn''t dare to call such a dignified master, by his first name, after all!" He coughed, masking his embarrassment before asking. "What about your teacher, Mr. Vor''thega? Was he from somewhere around?"


    "He was also like me, somewhere far away, in another world." Aziel shook his head.


    In fact, Aziel did have a teacher, just like how his brothers and sisters had. The Demon God, Cahal, their eldest brother was also like a Master to them all. When they were just mere kids, he was the one that taught them everything. He guided them on their path, making them the seemingly indomitable existences as they were back in their prime on Nova.


    The old man''s words made Aziel wonder about where exactly Cahal his eldest brother could be. Was he still on Nova? Which part of this endless cosmos could their old home be at? Was it in this universe at all? Though a lot of time had already passed, the memories of his old life were still clearly etched into his mind.


    His old life, his own domain, the people he had left behind¡­ What could have happened to them?


    The elderly man misunderstood Aziel, as probably any normal person would. He heaved a sigh and then said heavily: "It is human nature to live and die. Your master would be proud of you knowing what you have become. I am old, and so are most of my friends if they are still alive. My martial arts exercise may have kept me going a couple of years longer than my buddies, but I feel that I am going to reunite with them very soon."


    Just as the elderly man finished his words, he bent forward and was caught by a fit of a violent cough.


    "Grandpa!" The girl shouted with a distressed voice.


    With a hint of tears in her eyes, she helped the elderly man to his feet and gently patted his back.


    "I am fine, my dear. Just some old wounds, that never fully healed." The elderly man waved a comforting hand at his granddaughter.


    An idea flashed across Aziel''s mind, he cracked a smile and said. "You should not force yourself too hard. From the sound of it, it is hurting your lungs, old man."


    "Does Mr. Vor''thega have some knowledge in medicine? How could you know that?" The elderly man said incredulously.


    Before Aizel could respond and say anything, the girl turned to look at him and explained with a sad look on her face.


    "My grandfather had a close call with death back when he was young. He.. he-"


    "I did something stupid and have suffered its consequences ever since. I was young, and thirsted for adventure¡­" The old man sighed, speaking up and forcing his daughter to turn silent once more. "My actions left me with these injured lungs. Back then, I couldn''t get into a hospital in time, which resulted in this sadly irreversible damage. Because of its nature, it was impossible at the time to cure the symptoms completely."


    The old man looked melancholic as he muttered with a sigh.


    "I have learned to live with it, and besides¡­ I don''t have that much left anyway."


    The girl, Kora looked at Aziel, batting her eyelashes with a hopeful look on her face. She loved him so much, she would do anything to alleviate her loving grandfather''s pain.


    "D-Does Mr. Vor''thega know of something that could help my grandfather''s injury? I wonder¡­ is there a way to cure him maybe?"


    However, since the damage was caused by internal trauma, there was nothing modern medicine could do to help. Even the most advanced medical science has turned helpless against an injury that had been dragged on for decades unattended.


    However, after witnessing the miraculous power of Aziel, the girl finally saw a sliver of hope in curing her grandfather.


    "I will be frank with you, Mr. Vor''thega. Our family, the Marshals are quite influential in these parts of the county. You can expect to be heavily rewarded if you can save my grandfather. For that, you have my word." The girl locked her eyes onto Aziel''s and announced firmly.


    Aziel felt rather amused by how the conversation was going exactly as he had hoped. He faked a humble-looking smile as he spoke slowly:


    "Sure! It''s not that difficult to do so anyway. Since fate has brought us together, I will gladly oblige to your request."


    Aziel carefully watched as their faces were lit up with glee.


    "However, I will need a few days to prepare for it. In, let''s say three days from now, I will bring you the cure. Would that work?"


    "Y-yes, of course!" The girl exclaimed as a smile finally broke over Kora''s cold and distant face.


    Aziel had to admit that when the frown was finally lifted from her face, this girl looked quite the beauty. Still, he only admired him inwardly, and wouldn''t do anything to actively pursue the matter any further.


    "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Vor''thega." Although the elderly man tried to remain calm, his trembling voice had betrayed him. He turned to the young man still sitting back at the vehicle and called out for him." Young Crag, why don''t you come on over and give him our contact information? Also, please give him a ride home as well."


    Then, the elderly man then turned around to Aziel.


    "Please do not hesitate to call for Young Crag whenever you are ready. He will come for you and pick you up. Also, feel free to call for his aid if you need any help!" He offered with a warm smile.


    "Thank you, Old ma- *khm!* Elder Marshal." Aziel nodded, addressing the old man in a more polite manner finally.


    Aziel was given a ride through the park all the way back to his home. The ride home was mostly silent, the two only spoke when Aziel was given their contact information. After that, Aziel went straight home.


    Though Aziel could have healed the old man right here on the spot, it would have raised several questions. Questions he wouldn''t feel answering.


    Hence he decided to utilize a much more subtle method, that at the same time would net him even more potential benefit and the loyalty of a powerful family as well.


    He decided to concoct a medicinal pill for the old man. A simple Lesser Healing Pill would be more than enough to purge any mortal disease out of the old man''s system.


    Thinking about the potential cost of preparing all the necessary herbs and materials for it, Aziel sighed. He needed to keep this hungry woman satiated for the time being.


    Luckily, the necessary ingredients required for concocting the medicine shouldn''t be too expensive, the herbs needed shouldn''t be that hard to find.


    The Lesser Healing Pill was a simple low-grade miracle cure for cultivators back on Nova. It could cure the ailment, strengthen internal energy, and even slightly prolong the cultivator''s life.


    Still, although it was merely the most basic, "lesser" version of the pill, it would be more than enough to heal the old man''s injuries. Even better, it could probably aid him to even push into a higher stage as well!


    "The lesser version should be enough." Aziel pondered, pushing on the entrance door and stepping inside the mansion.


    Just as he was about to take a step in, he was greeted with Lydia approaching him with a bright smile and heavy steps.


    "Finally you are back, Aziel! Come let''s go do some shopping!"

 Chapter 57 - Gathering Info

    Aziel could only sigh and nod upon seeing Lydia''s great enthusiasm and let himself be dragged towards the garage.


    Though he felt that buying clothes would be rather pointless as they would mostly be shredded to pieces just by him transforming, he ultimately decided to just go along with it.


    Jumping into the luxurious car, the two were zapped across the streets, taking advantage of the light traffic that was usually the case between the morning- and lunchtime rush hours.


    The two soon found themselves at a rather luxurious-looking place, the Greytop Central Plaza.


    Greytop Central Plaza was very large and had an impressively elegant interior construction design. The architecture was exotic, with more than 3 fully decked out floors filled with dozens upon dozens of smaller boutiques and shops. Each floor was so vast that they each had their own nameplates as well!


    The sides were decorated with numerous precious vegetation as well as colorful blooming flowers could be seen blooming everywhere. It was almost as if you didn''t step into a giant building complex but instead into a separate community entirely.


    Driving into the parking lot, Aziel could see many well-dressed handsome men and beautiful women, possessing the bearings of the wealthy, more sophisticated, the higher echelons of society. For Aziel he was reminded of the pompous and arrogant nobles of his own world.


    In just ten minutes, he saw dozens of luxury cars, some similar to theirs, while others looked slicker, more compact. Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ferrari - the world''s top most precious vehicles lined up one after another, most of which Aziel couldn''t even tell as the thugs he had absorbed were on the opposite end of the social spectrum. Still, he could tell that each of these, cost at least as much as Lydia''s some maybe even more.


    "Come, honey, let''s go. We have a lot of shops to visit! I can''t have my ma-... *khm* you flung around in such rags, after all!" Lydia exclaimed with excitement, turning her cheeks bright red as she almost blurted out something she didn''t mean to.


    To mask her rising embarrassment, he quickly reached for Aziel''s hand who was still befuddled by all that he was witnessing for the first time, and pulled him away, into the first floor of the plaza itself, soon making their way to what they simply called the ''Clothing District''.


    Aziel''s head was swinging from left to right wildly as he was taking his time to take in all the new stimuli he was experiencing. The wonders of this world just kept on coming, amazing him to no end!


    Whilst he gained a great deal of information from those he absorbed, the lives they lived and the experiences they accumulated were nothing like what he was seeing.


    Still, as he continued to take in the wondrous sights, and looked around to see the sea of people that filled up the floors and the shops, he couldn''t help but be reminded of the Marketplaces of the bigger cities. People of a wide variety came and gathered there as well, gathering spices, food, materials, or whatever they could find.


    Thinking about it, he recalled the place where the most precious, most exotic, and unique items and materials usually found their new owners. The place where usually only the wealthiest gathered... the Auction House!


    Darting his gaze around, he searched for a board, or a sign for it, but found nothing of the sort as they made their way through the thick of the crowd.


    Eventually, his curiosity peaking, he decided to ask.


    "Are there... any special shops? Hidden ones perhaps?" He asked, pulling on Lydia''s hand, urging her to slow down.


    "Special or hidden shops? What do you mean, Aziel?" She asked, though her gaze didn''t look too confused.


    "Places where only the rich or those more powerful visit. Hidden houses, gatherings or perhaps events where you can find more... exotic, rarer commodities... or even artifacts of the old times...." Aziel responded, taking an extra second before continuing. "...Auctions, I believe they should be called."


    "Huh? How do you..." Lydia grow surprised at Aziel''s words. Looking around as if she was suddenly alarmed by something, she pulled him towards an empties corner before leaning closer.


    "How do you know about these?" She asked in a hushed tone, reaching to grab his shoulders.


    Aziel however, didn''t like this sudden change in demeanor. His eyes suddenly blared up, as a sliver of his internal force was released around them, giving a slight pressure to the woman.


    Lydia suddenly felt as the air first turned colder, then thicker, almost palpable. She felt as even breathing was becoming more and more of a chore whilst an increased weight began to pressure her, pressing her down to the ground. She had to use all her strength just to remain to stand and not to fall down on her knees.


    She was scared, terrified by this inexplicable sensation, this mystical force. Seeing the glaring, glowing eyes of what she thought of as her newest boy toy... she was frightened!


    It seemed that her conquest may not have been what she had thought of. The handsome man with a beastly passion in bed... maybe the roles were actually reversed and that their nightly playful tease of words was the truth?


    "Hmm..." Aziel smirked seeing the usually confident''s woman perplexed look on her face. It was rather satisfying to see her in such a state, to be honest. "...Based on your reaction, I can safely say that you do know of the existence of such a place."


    "W-well, t-that''s-"


    Before Lydia could finish her confused stammering, Aziel spoke up once again. His tone was now colder, carrying more power behind it.


    "Enough, woman. Answer me this: Do you have a way to get into such a place? Do you know where and how often they meet? What do they usually sell?"


    Lydia suddenly felt compelled to answer. Suddenly all the thoughts and worries were washed away from both her heart and mind and the only thing that mattered was to appease this young man.


    Unbeknownst to her, and unseen due to the clothes covering her body, a strange mark appeared suddenly over at her womb... Glowing bright lines of milky white taking the form of a strange runic symbol that most likely would be unknown to the wisest creature of this world.


    It was the emblem of the House Vor''thega, a special marking that compelled a slave to obey the words of his or her master.


    Last night, during the crescendo of their entanglement last night, Aziel poured more than just his seeds into Lydia''s hungry womb. By infusing his very own essence together with a wisp of his own refined internal energy, his [Aether] as well as utilizing the moment of euphoria where her mental resistance was basically nullified, Aziel formed a Magical Contract with her, binding her under his will.


    Basically, she was made a slave, albeit this fact has so far remained unknown to her.


    Whilst such an action may not have been the kindest route to take, and that it could be said that he abused their warm welcome and hospitality, it wasn''t as if he forced himself on the woman. No, she came onto him, seeing nothing more than her newest boy toy that she could enjoy. It''s not that he was planning to utilize the contract to any of the family''s detriment! Seeing how wealthy they were and that he would need someone that could guide him into how this world truly worked, Aziel decided to just use the freely offered opportunity.


    Because of his knowledge and understanding of this world, despite spanning several million years, was still effectively nonexistent.


    Compelled by the force beyond her understanding as well as not consciously aware, Lydia''s raging heart and racing thoughts calmed down by a single thought from her Master. Her usually present seductive smile reappeared on her face as she waved her hand in a teasing, playful manner.


    "Of course, I do honey! What do you, who am I?!" She said, pulling out a black card from her handbag. The card hard a thin cold rimming with no images, no words on it, but a single RFID chip, reminiscent of the modern bank cards. She waved the card between her index and middle fingers in front of Aziel as she teasingly remarked.


    "Not only do I have information about them, but I have this VIP card to boot!"

 Chapter 58 - Purple Cloud Auction

    (AN: Apologies for the silence and the consequent slower release of chapters. I was actually trying to figure out a couple of issues in the back end related to WN service. Sadly I got no answers even now, a month later.


    Anyway, I do not want to keep everyone hanging, and thinking the story is abandoned. Far from it actually, I am just gradually shifting my attention in regards to this story to other mediums.


    Chapters are already written till Chapter 65 (and even made available as well), they are just not posted here (yet). For info and details about where to look for the content and lots and lots of exclusive extras, side stories, detailed info sheets... e-book formatted print-ready versions, please read my note at the end of this chapter. Thanks in advance, and have a nice day!)


    -----


    From a quick glance, the card could be easily mistaken for a high-profile bank or credit card. Though the lack of text was somewhat strange no doubt, from a distance, it couldn''t really be seen anyways. Adding the very lavish-looking golden threading going through the edges, it wouldn''t be a huge mistake for not noticing the peculiarities right away.


    Aziel looked at the card Lydia was waving between her fingers.


    "So, what do you know about it? Where is it? How does it work?" He asked.


    If his old world''s experiences were anything to go by, finding an Auction House and attending one of its scheduled, advertised events would be Aziel''s biggest opportunity in finding something valuable.


    Although Auction Houses were open in the normal nine-to-five work schedule, every weekday, most of its daytime operation wasn''t worth the time and effort. Small-time items, herbs, and average worthless antics would be available for sale.


    However, during big scheduled events, some exclusive and incredible treasures could be found. At least on Nova, it was the case. Whenever a big event was scheduled, the various local lords and nobles would gather. It was the event what most would target to sell their most precious heirlooms, or what the treasure hunters and adventurers targeted, as it promised the biggest return for the risks they took in whatever crypt or dungeon they ransacked prior.


    "Oh? Well, it is called the ''Purple Cloud Auction House'', it is a large, very powerful business. They have a local branch here in the city, at the harbor district." Lydia responded with a wave of her hand, as she pocketed the card.


    Walking up and hugging the boy''s arm, she added.


    "Come, let''s go buy some clothes for you, mister! I can tell you more while we get you decked out!" She exclaimed, already pulling the boy along without giving him a chance to argue.


    Rejoining the pedestrian traffic, the pair walked towards the clothing stores found on the eastern side of the building.


    Soon they found themselves in one of the first, a Men''s Clothing store. As they walked in, a shop assistant came forward, greeting the duo with a polite bow.


    "Good Day to you Madam and Master!" She spoke with a respectful tone. As she bowed, her shoulder-length wavy light brown hair fluttered against the wind. Her bright smile and her lightly freckled golden brown skin painted a rather alluring, charming sight.


    As she looked up, her deep, ocean blue eyes glimmered like a pair of beautiful gemstones, hide away in the crescent crevices of their sockets. She had a healthy-looking smile, creating the perfect image that any similar shop should probably strive for.


    "A good day to you too Miss¡­" Seeing as Lydia was about to wave her away, Aziel spoke up, greeting the young maiden with a handsome smile of his own.


    "A-ah.. I-it is Gabriella. M-My name is Gabriella, M-Mister!" The girl spoke, stuttering as she met the gaze of the charming, handsome devil of a young man. His smile almost instantly captivated both her heart and soul, she felt like a young deer in front of a hungry predator.


    Feeling annoyed and increasingly jealous of the young girl''s, the shop assistant''s actions, Lydia couldn''t hold herself silent anymore. She waved her hand dismissively as she coldly spoke.


    "Don''t just stand there like a big idiot! We need some new clothes for MY man here!" She said, emphasizing the last part of her speech as if clearly marking her ''territory''.


    "A-ah y-yes, r-right away m-miss!" Gabriella jumped up in fright at the scolding, taking a step back and turning towards the aisle of shirts. On one side all the official, buttoned shirts lined up, whilst on the other the more casual versions, t-shirts could be seen hanging.


    "Ehrm, do y-you have an idea of what are you g-going for? Gabriella asked, still stammering a bit as she shifted her mindset into that of her role, she grew calmer with each word, almost losing and forgetting her fright from just a moment before. She was looking at the aisle that was just ahead of them, her eyes already looking for suitable options for the handsome master standing just behind.


    In a couple of seconds, as she was waiting for a response from the madam, she had already selected some feasible options for him. From his build, and how he carried himself when he came in, Gabriella was leaning towards a darker-colored business suit, with a dark grey, long-sleeved shirt and matte black buttons adorning it from top to bottom.


    In her mind, the combo also had black leather shoes to crown the set.


    As she fantasized about the end result, she was brought back to reality with the harsh, cold scolding of the woman.


    "What are you standing there for! Move it already and show us some suits and shirts that could match my darling!" She exclaimed angrily.


    "Aaaah!" Gabriella yelped in fright as she was caught daydreaming again. She hurriedly bowed in an effort to apologize again but before she could do so, the very Master that was the root cause of her clumsiness had reached out and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back up.


    "No, no need for that, Gabriella." Aziel spoke warmly, a charming smile donning his handsome face. "Please, if you could, show us some of the options for suits we could try."


    "S-sure¡­ C-certainly¡­" Gabriella responded looking slowly losing herself in those deep crimson eyes that she found more and more alluring as she kept on gazing into it.


    As if a spell of daze was cast upon her mind, Gabriella eventually managed to guide the two through several aisles of clothing. In the end, besides the set, she already dreamed up and envisioned there were several sets of suits selected. Mostly of the same, more official image as that ''devilish'' look suited him much better. Still, they did manage to select a couple of ''normal'' sets as well, mostly with long-sleeved shirts that tightly fit Aziel''s lean, toned body shape and similar tight jeans.


    By the time they left the store, with the almost dozen-or-so bags, Aziel was like a densely packed mule.


    "Come dearie, let''s grab a bite before we make our way back home. We could also discuss more what you asked about earlier since we could once more enjoy some¡­ much-needed privacy." Lydia spoke as she walked by Aziel''s side, visibly feeling better as they left the store and that little vixen.


    As Aziel brought all the bags filled with his future attire, he couldn''t help but suddenly feel an increased need for some sort of storage item.


    ''I can only hope that I can find something in this Auction when we visit. Walking around like this is incredibly stupid¡­'' Aziel grumbled inwardly.''If not a Space Ring, or Bracelet¡­ even a pouch would do¡­ but if nothing else, hopefully, I could chance upon Void Stones¡­ I refuse to believe that this realm, rich with energy has nothing of the sort¡­''


    Making their way over to the second floor where the food court was found, they both selected a simple hamburger with some fries and took a seat at a mostly empty corner.


    As soon as they sat down, Aziel asked, already growing annoyed by carrying everything. Why did he have to carry this stuff? Shouldn''t they have brought some of that large staff from the mansion and had them carry everything?!


    "So, Lydia tell me more about this Purple Cloud Auction House. What more do you know? Do they hold any special, scheduled events?" Aziel asked as he grabbed a bite from his burger.


    "Yes, there is!" Lydia answered with a bright smile as she grabbed a piece of chips and dunked it with some sauce. "There''s a monthly event they hold. Their namesake, the ''Purple Cloud Auction, is a nationwide large annual auction where the most exotic, unique items could be found. I''ve participated in a few events of Purple Cloud Auction and did score a few precious artifacts, even though I did spend quite a large amount of money¡­"


    Aziel thought for a moment and then slowly spoke, "That being the case, then we''ll leave tomorrow. However, when will Purple Cloud Auction be held? Is there any chance for us to participate?"


    Lydia secretly felt relieved, as she saw the growing interest shining through that ''mask'' of his. Upon hearing Aziel''s inquiry, she immediately replied, "Just 2 days ago one my contacts have called me to inform me that they have their monthly schedule Auction event scheduled to take place. I originally didn''t plan to go, but if you would like, we can visit! My card would allow us to take up one of the VIP boxes!"


    =====


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 Chapter 59 - Making Plans

    Daylight was already thinning, the darkness have began to gain dominance once more, it was evening¡­


    Barely able to contain his excitement behind a small smile, Aziel together with Lydia and another pair came to Purple Cloud Auction venue. The action was held by the docks, deep in the center of the famous and famed Harbour District of Greytop City, at a large Business Conference Center.


    From his absorbed memories, Aziel found it odd that the human traffickers'' warehouse that they were strangely granted by the major''s office was only a couple of blocks away¡­


    Still, he decided to not bother with it for the time being. Whilst he would need to eventually pay them a visit, for now, they weren''t too high on his list of tasks.


    The Center was a tall glass building with more than twenty floors peaking high above the district, looking over it light a proud and slightly arrogant giant.


    The venue for the auction was huge. Encompassing the entire 10th and even the 11th floor, there were over a thousand tables and chairs placed out, with more than half of them already occupied, with more people taking their scheduled seats as the time passed.


    Yet, it was only a fleeting amusement for Aziel, as their group had taken over one of the 10 VIP boxes prepared at the floor above. It had a protective shielding, with a one-sided see-through special window, only allowing vision from the inside.


    The group of four casually took their seats and sat down as the auction venue''s attendants presented them with a brochure that held the list of items that would be scheduled to be auctioned and had already been prepared in advance.


    Aziel sat in his chair as he skimmed over the items that were scheduled for tonight''s auction. The brochure had several dozen items listed, with each of them taking up a full page, showing an image of it (if possible) with some detail.


    Flipping through the pages, Aziel''s face gradually soured, he was growing more and more disappointed with each item he skimmed through. Quickly flipping through more than two-thirds of the contents, he found nothing worthy of his interest. Although the items were good objects, he simply had no use for them.


    However, as he entered the last third of the little pamphlet of a book and looked over the items, his vision suddenly froze on a particular page.


    A chunk of dark stone with a faint purple hue sat atop a crimson satin cushion atop a small pillar. From the picture, albeit it wasn''t of the best of quality, he could still recognize it is exactly what he was looking for.


    Although it was listed as ''Unidentified Mysterious Alloy'', he knew what it clearly was!


    It was clearly a chunk of Void Stone! The very material he would need to craft a space storage artifact!


    Though from the data it seems that only this small singular chunk of ore was listed and planned to be sold, and by itself, it wouldn''t be nearly enough for even a smaller ring.


    Still, if the photo was true, then this was definitely the main material to refining a Spatial Ring.


    In that instant, Aziel''s heart accelerated and beat faster as a determined expression could be seen settling on his face. Though he wanted to be hopeful, and said otherwise, in truth he wasn''t too hopeful in finding any of the most important magical artifacts in creation.


    This world was unlike his old home. Here, whilst he was now sure that the true powers lurked behind the surface, for some strange reason none of them came forward to the light.


    He couldn''t see powerful cultivators sailing the skies or any of the magical beasts reminiscent of Nova shaking the realm with their ferocious cries. Spells of the Arcane and the elements weren''t thrown around.


    Noticing his excitement, Lydia turned to take a peek at the book in Aziel''s hand, only to sigh when she saw the item.


    "Aziel dear, I can see you are excited, but please keep in mind that we only have 30 million to spend. The item you are looking at starts at 2 by itself with 500 thousand increments for each bid."


    Aziel pondered over Lydia''s words for a moment. Calculating over the funds and all the potential artifacts he had found interesting so far, he frowned as realization hit him.


    "D-don''t worry, honey!" Noticing his Master''s rapidly souring mood, Lydia suddenly felt worried. Would he be angry at her for failing to meet his expectations? Should he have prepared more?


    "I-if you really need it, I can take out more before we go and pay at the end!" She hurriedly offered.


    "Hmm¡­ Alright." Looking up from his thoughts, Aziel nodded, his thoughts once again racing at the amazing claim he had just found.


    Taking a note, he flipped the page looking at the very last item officially offered in this venue.


    Instantly his face grew wide again, Aziel''s heart was struck with surprise again as his eyes then fell on the list below as he found another useful thing, century-old wild ginseng. A special herb used mostly in concoctions of mostly spirit-enhancing elixirs.


    Although they were based around Nova''s [Mana], by now Aziel was fairly certain it would work just as fine with this world''s [Aether]. Even if that weren''t the case, the experiment would still be beneficial, as its secondary effect would still enhance his spiritual body.


    "I need to buy this as well!" He exclaimed with confidence brimming in his eyes.


    However, as he looked at the price listed below the image, his excitement quickly flipped over to disbelief.


    "20 million just as starting bid with 1 million increments?!"


    Scanning through the entire brochure, whilst he found some other items scheduled earlier in the event that would be of some use, he wouldn''t be too bothered missing out on them.


    He had two items that sparked his desire, the rest didn''t matter. Even if they did, just these two items, by their base, starting prices would almost the amount of money Lydia had prepared.


    Though he was of another world originally where money wasn''t just some printed paper but the actual mineral they represented, Aziel, from the many memories he had taken for himself have understood their worth.


    He knew that these numbers were of tremendous amounts of wealth. A single million would be enough to fill up the needs of an average family of four''s needs for almost an entire year! At the very least they could live a carefree life for half a year! With just a single million, a chunk of dark rock and old wild ginseng cost more than 22 just to start!


    "Mr. Vor''thega, what objects have your eyes set onto?" The woman of the second pair that came with them, Lydia''s acquaintances asked as she placed the brochure she was provided with down after reading it through.


    Without care, Aziel pointed at the chunk of Void Stone and the page behind it as he said.


    "I want these two items. I need them at all costs!"


    The woman, Sandra Vago looked at the dark purple stone, going with the strange name of ''Unidentified Mysterious Alloy'' with some astonishment. It was because she didn''t know what this stone was. The brochure only described that the ore was rare and extremely hard, and suspected that it was from a meteorite from space.


    However, for the second item the young man was pointing at, the century-old wild ginseng, she couldn''t help but look wryly at him, as she herself was planning to go for it.


    Such remarkable treasures, with wild herbs reaching such almost magical ages, whilst withstanding and surviving the many challenges that the passage of time and the wildlife offered¡­ such items never had a fixed market price.


    Their worth was practically limitless, even if someone wanted to spend a large amount of money, they would have to be extremely lucky to even find one offered at any venue. Let alone a 100 years, even decade-old herbs were incredibly rare to see being placed at any venue.


    She heard stories about the wondrous effects of such items held for one''s health. Wanting to try it out as well as having some money to waste, Sandra planned to fight for it, at least a bit. However now, that the young man, Lydia''s mysterious man was planning to go for it, she decided to let it go.


    "Ah, I will just forget it then¡­"


    Sandra secretly sighed inside as she turned to look at her husband who was looking at some antiques offered at the first half. Leaning over his ears, she whispered the items Lydia and her partner have planned to fight for.


    Listening to Sandra, the man only nodded all the way through, only to show a slight frown at the end, catching Aziel off guard.


    As their gazes met, he felt some hostility¡­

 Chapter 60 - At All Costs

    ''Hmm¡­ It seems that the both of them had plans for the wild ginseng." Aziel thought, quickly reining in his emotions and returning the calm, friendly-looking fake political smile to his face as he nodded at the man.


    The man in return only snorted and returned his attention to the stage¡­


    As the clock struck 8 PM, the chimes of the bell instantly quieted the originally noisy auction venue down as everyone''s eyes were fixated on the stage. Along with the auction''s stage opening, a young beautiful woman at the prime of her life walked onto the stage.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen! We, the Purple Cloud Auction welcome you to this month''s event! The venue is held with the support of the Eastwind Trade Union, and all the items that will be auctioned have been listed on the auction''s brochure that has already been provided to you beforehand. This humble one''s name is Tiana Sohl, and I will be the host¡­ *khm*, auctioneer for tonight''s event! "She spoke with a beautiful smile, showing some theatrics as she ''accidentally'' made a mistake and smiled embarrassedly only to captivate the male audience even further.


    "This action''s session will soon begin, and I believe that all the present fair Ladies and handsome Gentlemen have already seen the auction''s list of items. It is my sincere wish that everyone will be able to obtain the items you want and return back with a rewarding and successful evening." She said.


    "I hereby announce that the 35th Purple Cloud Auction has officially begun! The following first auctioned items are a rare treat to those looking for some precious, historical antiques¡­ It is a group of three silver table articles! A silver vase and two trays!" She exclaimed as the assistants unveiled the items that were brought up to the stage.


    Seeing the lack of enthusiasm, the host, Tiana continued with a gentle smile.


    "Do not be too quick to judge! Everyone must not look down on this beautiful silver vase and the pair of trays! The orb is in pristine condition despite its age estimated to be around 150-200 years old, its plating is still intact! Also, the seal found at its base, it shows that it was used by none less than some highly esteemed noble household in the late 1800s or 1900s! There''s even a chance that this set was used in a Royal household¡­"


    Aziel sat quietly in his seat as he listened to the grandiloquent introduction from the auctioneer. As the auction was announced to officially begin, he looked at the following hundreds of guests of the Purple Cloud Auction as they began to place their bids for the items, looking uninterested in the items.


    From the growing bid war that slowly reached its peak, he was reminded of the similar events from his previous life, he couldn''t help but reminisce about the scene.


    He remembered how his brother used to say. When the world is in chaos, the opportunity for gaining strength arises¡­ However, when the world is in peace and is thriving, then amassing wealth is flourishing!


    Remembering it, Aziel could now see how deeply true that sentence was. Each item was being auctioned at a high price and each item would be bought at sky-high prices. He couldn''t help but sigh. At present, there were a lot of rich people, and they loved to amass wealth and become richer. Certainly, he also had another kind of thought, that rich people were foolish. Buying pieces of dead objects and bringing them home with such meaningless significance.


    ¡­


    The auction had lasted for over 2 hours and Aziel had yet to place a bid even once. In contrast, Lydia''s friends, Sandra and the haughty man had bid a few times and even won a couple of items they seemed to take interest in. Lydia, however, remained silent as whilst there were a couple of interesting articles, their purpose for coming was the two last objects Aziel had taken interest in.


    "For the next item we will auction, it is an incredibly rare ore! This rare ore is very hard and we suspect that the ore came from space and was crushed down to Earth as a meteorite, millions of years ago! We believe that this item will be a very precious piece of the collection of valuable minerals! Perhaps, this space item''s value will be more valuable in the future and would be very difficult to estimate!


    "The floor price is 2 million and every bid must not be under 500 thousand! Now... let us begin the auction NOW!" The auctioneer held the dark purple Void Stone in her hand and explained in an excellent voice and expression as she announced the start of the auction.


    "This is it!"


    Aziel''s spirit shook as his eyes tightly honed on the chunk of purple stone held in the host''s hands. It was really, undoubtedly Void Stone! He had to get it!


    Still, he quickly quelled the raging storm in his heart and forced a neutral expression his face. He couldn''t rush to bid, as from what he had observed from the last 2 hours of the venue, only very few of the initial bidders would truly want to claim the items. They were as though throwing the brick to attract the jade, and only initiated the bidding, and if some people called for the biddings, they would immediately renounce it. If nobody called for the bid, they might be able to obtain the item with little money, but still, buy it as one of the things they took a fancy at.


    Not even a moment later, a voice resounded in the hall as someone raised his flag sign.


    "2.5 million."


    Immediately, another voice came from the other end of the room. Another flag was raised.


    "3 million!"


    "3.5 million!"


    "4 million!"


    ...


    Shortly after, the Void Stone''s price had reached an astounding 9 million. However, after the last person called the bid, nobody raised their flags even after 10 seconds.


    A sweet-looking smile appeared on the auctioneer''s face as she spoke "That gentleman has bid for 9 million, any other guests calling for a higher bid? Everyone, don''t take lightly this rare ore with its mysteriousness. Perhaps its value would be 10 times higher in the future compared to the present."


    "9.5 million!"


    As the auctioneer''s voice fell, another voice sounded, coming from one of the VIP boxes.


    Seeing as how the bidding war was progressing, Aziel took a deep breath and pushed the button in his chair, signaling that he too now was interested in the bid. A moment later his distorted voice resounded from the speaker placed beneath the VIP boxes.


    "10 million."


    "11 million!"


    The voice sounded again, this time with a bit more power behind its masked voice.


    Aziel didn''t care about the increased pressure coming from his opponent. He calmly pushed the button and revealed his next bid.


    "15 million."


    ...


    Everyone at the auction venue turned around and looked at the VIP box''s direction from where the bid came from.


    "Who could be throwing away money like that? Some arrogant kid from a rich family, no doubt!"


    "15 million for an unknown piece of space crap? What an idiot!"


    "What a stupid idiot! Even the 9 million was way too much for it, much less 15! Pfff... Rich people nowadays really don''t value money!"


    "Some prodigal brat, wasting away their family''s hard-earned wealth!"


    "Could it be that he just took a liking to the auctioneer girl? Wanting to showcase his worth in front of her?"


    "Wow, this is really interesting!"


    Following Aziel''s bid, a lot of people began to comment on the show in the conference hall, which, thanks to his heightened, sharp hearing did not escape his senses. Still, he did not comment on it and wore an indifferent expression on his face as his eyes were fixated on the chunk of Void Stone presented on the stage.


    He was sure, from what he had heard that none of them had the knowledge about the truly precious things, and he wasn''t going to pay notice to these ants. Even more, there was no chance he would tell anyone about the truth behind this item, and that is what it truly was! In his hands, this item was an incredibly precious treasure that he could fully utilize, but for these ignorant people who wouldn''t be able to refine the stone into a Spatial Ring, it was only a lump of rough stone.


    The auctioneer looked at Aziel''s box deeply as she smiled and asked. "The esteemed customers at Box Nr 1 have placed a bid of 15 million. Are there any higher bids than 15? If not, this precious rare ore will be sold to them!"


    "15 million going once..."


    "15 million going twice..."


    When the auctioneer was about to speak the final word and announce that the Void Stone was sold to Aziel, the voice coming from the other VIP boxes suddenly sounded.


    "20 million!"

 Chapter 61 - A Short-lived Battle

    Everyone in the entire auction venue was shocked by the sudden voice. Even if Aziel regarded money as though it was dirt and didn''t think much about it, however, almost nobody amongst people in this era would recognize this deep purple mineral, the Void Stone. And it was unexpected that someone would be willing to bid such a high price for it.


    With a displeased frown, Aziel followed the sound towards the source, gazing deeply at the box sitting at the opposite end of the hall. Releasing an invisible string of [Aether], it didn''t too much effort to find the bidder guest.


    He was an old man who wore a black traditional-looking tunic suit, with a full set of white hair, and an amiable benign face, giving off the impression of a philanthropist. However, facing the gaze of everyone''s eyes, he revealed a proud expression. Especially when he shockingly turned towards Aziel''s direction and smiled, making Aziel realize that he was aware of his scanning! The old man smile amicably as he tilted his chin up and showed a provocative look in his eyes toward Aziel as if she was fully aware that he could not only sense but even see him!


    "Interesting¡­" Aziel smirked at the scene, as he raised his head towards the stage pressed on the button at his armchair, and placed his next bid.


    "30 million."


    "¡­."


    The entire auction venue boiled as all eyes shifted back and forth between the two VIP booths of Aziel and the mysterious old man. And as such, as the saying goes in each abnormal event, there must be some kind of reasons and causes, and some people were even secretly thinking, was this piece of rare stone perhaps really a treasure?


    However, guesses were just that: Simply guesses, and still, nobody dared to join the race and squander their wealth on a potential what-if scenario. The reason was pretty simple actually and even somewhat justified from their standpoint.


    Even if this strange-looking chunk of stone, this unknown space rock was indeed precious, they simply had no knowledge about it at all. In the case they bought a worthless item, that meant that really were the biggest idiots of all.


    Going further, after the first box''s counter bid, there were no more reactions coming from the second box anymore! A minute passed by the tense silence as everyone eagerly awaited another shocking counter, which just never seemed to arrive.


    The taunting smirk on Aziel''s face gradually grew wider, as it transformed into a satisfied smile, gradually enriching his visage as it settled on his face. At the same time at the other booth, the mysterious old man''s complexion turned unsightly as though he had just lost someone close to him! Like a widow who had been left with her dead husband and was forced to marry an old fart!


    Aziel could see that the old man''s lips wriggled a few times as he wanted to speak up and possibly call for a higher bid, which he eventually managed to rein and took his emotions in control once again.


    Next to him, Lydia was actually as fighting an immensely hard internal battle to retain the calm on her face and do not showcase the increasing heartbeat and the chaotic tumultuous emotions from showing at the outside.


    Not that any of that could have escaped Aziel''s senses, even if he seemed to completely ignore them.


    "Hmmm, I expected more¡­"


    Aziel was surprised to see the old man suddenly give up. From his previous expression, he calculated that he would have to spend a large amount of money, but he didn''t expect that the old man would suddenly stop right after his first counterattack.


    Excitement flashed in the auctioneer''s eyes as she spoke with an agitated and spirited expression, saying, "There is a saying that the eyes of the people are as bright as snow. For me, on the other hand, I would like to quote modern slang: ''Do not miss any chance that passes by!'' If this small piece of cosmic mineral is not precious enough, then how could it be priced so highly in an auction?" She asked the question with a small, mischievous smile.


    "I feel incredibly blessed by Lady Fortuna and happy because I was able to witness people who have such good taste and discerning eyes. Such strong mentality as though bright and burning torch for being able to recognize such a treasure!"


    "The blessed gentleman in box number 1 has bid 30 million. Is there anyone present who wants to bid higher? If there is none, this piece of rare treasure will belong to our generous customer!"


    The auction venue, which usually was full of shouts exclaiming bids and bits of rage and wealth turned into a complete silence following the auctioneer''s conclusions. Everyone''s eyes wandered between the two VIP boxes. The audience was curious, would the man in the second box call for a higher bid? Would he let this ore go to the first box after such a fierce display of wealth?


    Some people even had been preparing to immediately snatch the bidding once the mysterious old man raised his bid again.


    Just as the auctioneer had said: ''Do not miss the chance that passes by", the people were ready to jump on the bandwagon as soon as the battle shout, the counter bid was raised. In the case that if that chunk of stone was really a rare treasure, even if they were unable to recognize it for now, but they could slowly study it, so the might be crossed into a huge surprise.


    However, they were bound to be disappointed, since the word for the ''battle'' never came, the old man inside box number 2 remained silent, he did not raise his bid again.


    This turn of events was also quite regretful for the auctioneer. Still, she was excited inside, she never once in her dreams dared to think that this piece of worthless-looking stone would shoot to such an astoundingly high price. As an auctioneer, she would get her own cut, a percentage commission for each item that was successfully sold at the venue. Since this item had now reached an incredible 30 million, it also meant that she got some nice, unexpected gains.


    "30 million going once¡­"


    "30 million going twice¡­"


    "Then, I hereby announce that this precious ore is now sold to the dear customer over at VIP Box number 1! A servant will proceed over to complete the transaction shortly, or if you desire you could wait until the auction ends and go backstage."

 Chapter 62 - A Loss And An Unexpected Opportunity

    A few minutes later, just as the item was brought off from the main stage, someone knocked on the door for Aziel''s VIP box.


    It was one of the Auction House servants, a young woman with straight matte black hair, pulled up into a ponytail at the back of her head. She was holding the wrapped-up and boxed item in her hands. Aziel could already sense the familiar vibrations coming off from inside, she was carrying the Void Stone, the precious conquest Aziel spent so much money on.


    Aziel didn''t hesitate and rushed to open the door. This Void Stone was an urgent material he needed right now, he wanted to hold it in his hands as soon as possible.


    He had to inspect the item, hold it in his hands, then pay the sum of money!


    With a gentle smile, Lydia gave the card to the servant. The transaction went very smoothly, and Aziel quickly returned to his seat at the VIP box with the Void Stone now in his hands.


    A smiling expression hung on the corner of Lydia''s mouth, even though she was fully confused why the boy wanted that strange stone so fervently. Still, since it was Aziel, she didn''t dare to ask but instead smile and said in a low but soothing voice.


    "Congrats dear for obtaining the treasure!" Though she was somewhat pained inside for the astounding amount they had bought this small piece of mineral, ultimately she didn''t bother herself too much about it.


    Her mind, her thinking was slowly getting accustomed to the subservient role. If Aziel wanted this item, he must have had a very good reason for it. She could not question him, she felt that she couldn''t question his decisions.


    "Thanks!" Aziel nodded at the woman, before returning his attention to the stage once more as the next item was brought up.


    The auction continued in a rather quick fashion. The next few items that were brought up found their just owners without much of a hassle, or a similarly vehement battle that went on for the stone. What surprised Aziel slightly was that there were quite a few smaller items following the ore, despite how the brochure proclaimed it being second to last. In reality, there were quite a few in between them.


    Aziel really admired the auctioneer''s social skills. A lot of items'' original value was quite modest, yet due to her impeccable, unceasing speech, she managed to spark the people''s interest, making them generously spend their money, causing the auctioned item''s price to climb.


    "She is gifted¡­" Aziel thought, looking at the smiling, cheerful woman.


    Time passed as items were brought up one after another. Almost one and a half an hour later¡­


    The auction would soon be finished and also enter the final climax.


    "The next auctioned item is our second to last one tonight! This is also the item that a lot of people have been heavily paying attention to¡­ the century old wild ginseng. It is public knowledge that along with today''s rapid development in modern technology, the forests are being severely exploited. Thus, finding such genuine, wild ginseng, untainted is an incredibly difficult thing to do, much less for one being a full century in age! It''s borderline miraculous that we have this one prime mythical herb here for sale tonight!"


    "The main question remains¡­ to whom will this precious treasure belong to in the end? Who will be the victor, that will have the right to grab hold of it? Let''s find out! I wish you all the best!"


    "Thus, I hereby announce that the true auction has begun!"


    The moment the auctioneer, Tiana Sohl had finished speaking and stepped back, the entire venue erupted, boiled with the guest wildly competing in an all-out bid war.


    "30 million!"


    "40 million!"


    "60 million!"


    "70 million!"


    "80 million!"


    ...


    In just 2 minutes, the price has already reached the astounding 190 million mark. It was already impossibly high, and no matter how hard Aziel would have wished for it, he couldn''t compete. Even with Lydia''s immense wealth, the price was reaching such heights that were just out of their reach.


    Still, such a priceless treasure would be an immense boost for him to push through his current bottleneck and fully transcend his current limits. After realizing that this world, this ''Earth'' wasn''t as simple as he thought it would be and that there were other cultivators that could utilize [Aether], Aziel''s thirst for power has been fully unleashed.


    He looked at Lydia, knowing that at the very most, she could -maybe- gather up another 200; may be enough for the next bid.


    Aziel looked at the side, the calmly smiling, pair of husband and wife that came with them.


    "The difference is only 10 million right now, and the amount would probably change shortly after. Hmm... Should I..." Aziel was in deep thought about his possible options. He could use his usual approach and make these two submit to him, either by using one of his old life''s most useful skills, the [Mind Compulsion], or simply using some schemes.


    [Mind Compulsion] was a very powerful ability Aziel had acquired after absorbing the clan of rebellious vampires in his last life. After killing and assimilating the only Ancient amongst them, he gained the skill amongst a couple of other useful ones. [Mind Compulsion] was a powerful hypnosis skill, that allowed the vampire, -then Aziel-, to control the mind of another simply through eye contact. Though the skill itself was not exclusive to Vampires, the other races also had similar abilities that mostly worked through either a spell or physical touch to achieve a similar result.


    The skill was also only temporary, its length and power depended both on the caster''s power, level, mana usage as well as the target''s willpower to resist its effects. Also, if he or she was aware that such an ability was attempted, it would significantly increase its difficulty.


    Still, it was an incredibly useful and powerful tool, that Aziel often utilized during his climb to the top, especially during meetings or making deals.


    Aziel''s mind raced faster as he thought over the possibilities. He had not attempted to use the skill so far, he had no idea what would be the effects and potential consequences if he would try to substitute [Mana] with [Aether].


    ''It should probably work if I would be careful. [Aether] is stronger, more potent than Nova''s [Mana], I need to account for it. Still... there are some obvious differences between the two, I''m not sure what the end result would be... Worst case, I could fry their brain completely...''


    Aziel pondered if the risk would be worth it. He knew that the two had probably around the same wealth as Lydia, and even with the few items they had already bought Aziel could gain access to another 200 million. Still, if he were to do that and spend their savings, some questions would probably be raised later on...


    Half a minute later...


    Aziel had made up his mind to take the risk and use them. He would first hypnotize the man, who was already quite antagonistic against him before, whilst he would ask Lydia to bring the woman, this Sandra out for a few minutes.


    He believed in his ability, and he didn''t want to miss out on this century old wild ginseng. It was just that much of an opportunity!


    Coming back from his thoughts, he looked back at the stage where the latest bid was just placed.


    "220 million from the gentleman at VIP BOX number 2! Is there another higher bidder? If there is none, this precious century old wild ginseng will go to the customer in Box 2!" The auctioneer looked excited and loudly asked the audience.


    Suddenly, the lights lit up around Box 1, and the same robotic voice sounded from the speakers.


    "230 million."


    The auctioneer, Tiana Sohl''s eyes brightened up as she said with a smile. "The generous customer from Box 1 has come in the last second! The gentleman has offered 230 million, a truly amazing capital! Today''s scene truly makes me think, that how many great men have hidden amongst us, common folk! Is he the hero of tonight''s drama, or do we have another contestant, a brave soul that would stand up? The choice is with you, my dear friends, take this chance, while you still can! If not, this century old ginseng will go to the dear customer once again at VIP Box 1!"


    An agitated expression surfaced on a lot of people''s faces in the auction venue. While they sympathized with the auctioneer''s words, most could simply only swallow their anger, and pride as the price was just too much, too high for them.


    A plump middle-aged man who sat in the front row, just in front of the beautiful host, angrily roared as he raised his hand in the air.


    "240 million!"


    "250 million." The light instantly lit up around Aziel''s box, his robotic voice resounded in the hall once again.


    That fat middle-aged man pushed the beautiful young girl at his side as he turned his head and stared toward Aziel''s box, and then motioned his middle finger at him whilst exclaiming.


    "300 million!"


    Silence.


    Everyone inside the entire auction venue was shocked by the fat middle-aged man''s bid.


    300 million?


    Such a sky-high price was way too much, going far beyond everyone''s imaginations.


    People began to whisper to each other in sight of such a terrifying bid.


    "Just who is that man? What could be his origin? Such an amount for a single piece of herb... even if it''s so rare... This fatso is just a spendthrift fool!"


    "Yeah, such a price is too much for a century old wild ginseng. At this point, he just wants to show that man in the VIP box to know his place!"


    "What a complete idiot! Too many idiots sprouting up nowadays! Is this fatty really drunk and has a fever of his riches?"


    "Why is it always the idiots with all the money?! Life is just so unfair!"


    Aziel squinted his eyes as he looked at the provocative expression on the fat middle-aged man''s complexion. He secretly sighed inside. He just couldn''t afford it any longer. The highest bid he could bid was probably around the 400 million mark, which from judging the complexion on the man''s face would be the limit of this fat man, and he would continue the race even further.


    His expression soured, as he took a long careful look at the chubby man, whilst also remembering his vital signature. Such a measly, powerless mouse dared to stand up against him, and even humiliate him?! He has a lot to learn about the true powers of this world and that who he just cannot afford to offend.


    Thus, Aziel forced a smile on his face as he let out a troubled sigh. Even though he was once incredibly rich, to the point he could have taken entire nations without batting an eye, now the situation was different. He was perfectly aware of the power of money. However, at present, he just restarted from the scratch again with a severe lack of funds.


    Finally, the 1000-year-old wild ginseng was bought by the fat middle-aged man.


    "Hehe... The real treat will soon be coming!"


    "An excited proclaim could be heard from Aziel''s side suddenly. Lydia''s smile grew wide as she gazed at the stage below.


    Surprised by her reaction, Aziel asked: "Why? Isn''t the wild ginseng the last item on the list? Shouldn''t it have been the last item tonight? Is there another thing not listed on the list?"


    Leaning over, Lydia whispered.


    "Honey, you are not aware as this is your first time visiting the Purple Cloud Auction, but this is sort of its own custom. For each event they hold, there''s always a couple of items that are not on the list, the finale, the most precious being one of them each and every time."


    "Hmm... So that''s how it is..."


    Aziel then realized. For this last item, he had a bit of anticipation. Since he didn''t spend money to buy the century old ginseng, maybe the last auctioned item was what he needed.


    Suddenly, all the lights at the auction venue were lit, as a band of dim white light was shone on top of the auctioneer''s body.. Eventually, the projector cast the pictures onto the wall behind the auctioneer.

 Chapter 63 - A Slice Of Paradise

    As the projector screen appeared behind the auctioneer on the wall, all eyes were immediately fixated on it.


    Soon, the venue turned silent once again as a video then started playing.


    Clear light blue sky appeared first on the screen. The sound of waves surging back and forth, reminiscent of an ocean beach. The camera raised its lenses, looking ahead where a beautiful tropical-looking emerald green island stood tall surrounded by nothing but the vast and boundless sea.


    From a first impression, the island itself seemed quiet, tranquil, and most importantly; large. As the camera flew higher and gazed down the beautiful landscape was revealed to everyone watching.


    Spanning several dozen miles at the very least, the island had a bit of everything. Rolling ranges of hills surrounded by verdant lush green forest. The sonata of chirps could be heard through the audio, and an illustrious colorful clearing with a small pond also came into view eventually.


    A single building reached proudly towards the skies, sitting atop the tallest hill somewhere at the northern half of this paradisiacal landscape. A castle coming straight from the middle ages stood magnificently at the hilltop with a smooth pathway leading the wary traveler towards all parts of the island: A single paved road reaching from the caste through the forest, all the way to the southern shore where a small private dock waited for the approaching sailors.


    Another path led to a large circular stone-made structure, that funnily reminded Aiden of those stupid monkeys of Dinah''s tribe from the prehistoric ages. From the processed memories, Aziel recalled a historical landmark that looked somewhat similar, the Stonehenge of Britain.


    The last path reached the eastern hillside, vanishing somewhere in its peaks eventually.


    The camera eventually flew up high once again, the screen soon faded back to dark, the video have ended.


    For a while, the utter, and heavy, pin-drop silence was all but palpable in the large hall. The crowd like one single unit looked with a mixture of awe and shock at the cottage-white painted wall.


    The last ''item'' in the auction was an entire island?! What is going on?!


    Even Aziel was slightly interested in it. From the video, it wasn''t clear but from what he could guess, the [Aether] had to be quite rich and abundant there. Also, whilst he was by no means an expert on the matter, the layout of the island seemed deliberate, he could see the makings of a powerful array in the works, probably to gather and concentrate the energy all around the land.


    The more Aziel thought about it, the more he felt that the island would be perfect for his plans. A base, hidden from the world, protected by endless vast sea¡­ A land, rich and abundant with [Aether] prime location for cultivation¡­


    The lights at the auction site were re-lit again, followed by the auctioneer''s voice who spoke with a shallow smile.


    "We have all seen the video. The last item for tonight''s venue is rather special, we have a very slice of the majestic paradise for sale. Heaven''s Trove Island is located deep within the Pacific Ocean. For thousands of miles each direction your only neighbor would be the boundless ocean waters and nothing else!"


    "This private island was once originally owned by the European Financial Conglomerate. Unfortunately for them, as the Great Recession struck the world back in 2007 and 2008, the Financial Consortium had no choice but to sell this private island willingly giving up more than 3 years of development in the process."


    "As for how this island ended up being listed in tonight''s auction¡­ let''s just say, our leader''s hands reach far and wide." The auctioneer flashed an impish smile, before fixing her posture and adding.


    "I believe that each and every guest participating in this Purple Cloud Auction is one of the richest and most powerful people, not just in our city, or even in the country but all across the world! I am sure that everyone is interested in this beautiful treasure, this hidden paradise! Thus without further ado, the auction for this private island will begin now!"


    "The starting price for this slice of heaven will start from 500 million and each bid increase is to be no less than 10 million. Now¡­ the auction officially begins!"


    With the ending of the auctioneer''s voice, the following hundreds of people under the stage who were participating in the auction were talking in a whisper.


    Hundreds of whispers could be heard coming from under the stage following the ending of the auctioneer''s speech. The participants were in heavy discussions amongst their partners trying to decide the best approach for this no-doubt once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    Even though the island was something nobody would have wanted to miss out on, a starting bid of 500 million was by no means a small amount. Even for them, the rich and wealthy, this was not a small amount of money, they had to be careful.


    Aziel couldn''t help but frown as he heard the auctioneer''s revealing the starting price for Heaven''s Trove Island. That was just too much. Even if he were to take away all of the wealth and even savings from that pair of husband and wife, as well as all the money Lydia had, he would still come short, even for the starting bid!


    Should could only grit his teeth and clench his teeth in anger and watch as this prim


    Still, how could he sit still and watch helplessly as such a prime location, absolutely perfect for his plans to be wasted in the hands of some filthy mortal?


    "I will get it. No matter what¡­" He smirked sinisterly gazing down at the stage.


    Noticing his scary expression, Lydia shivered for a moment, though not from fright but from the surge of lust that suddenly coursed through her entire being. Her cheeks turned red as she suddenly felt a rising heat coming from her loins, she heaved a couple of exasperated sighs before shifting her attention back to the venue below.


    Looking at the venue, Aziel''s mind was racing at lightning-fast speeds. His eyes scanned over the audience as he scrutinized and analyzed each and every detail he could, storing all the information his incredibly sharp, supernatural eyes could find.


    At the same time, he sent out invisible pulses of [Aether] breaching into the hidden VIP compartments hanging above, analyzing the vital signatures of all present.


    Surprisingly, besides the old man, who seemed to be at the Middle Stages of the Mortal Realm. Though from the unrefined raw power the old man radiated it felt that he too, just like the old Marshal grandpa from the park, was a Martial Master at most.


    Besides him, two other booth residents sent similar vibes, albeit somewhat weaker, around the peak at the Foundation Establishment substages of the Mortal Realm. Still, unlike the old man, they felt more youthful, one being somewhere around forty of fifty at most, whilst the third would be much younger, around his early thirties or at most, late twenties.


    Also, from the energy signature, the third guest most likely was a woman, making her strength all the more surprising, considering the fact that from Aziel''s processed memories, he recognized these humans to be mostly a patriarchal-based civilization, where they often pushed the other sex, to attending household chores at the most.


    Even though this trend had seemed to gradually change in these modern times, Aziel was fairly certain that in the shadows of it all, this hidden world of Martial artists playing ''cultivators'' wouldn''t be as advanced.


    The silent murmurs and hushed discussion were finally brought to an end, when a plump middle-aged man suddenly raised his floppy arms and proclaimed the first bid, thus starting one of the fiercest bid wars in the Purple Cloud Auction House''s almost century-old history.


    "510 million."


    "520 million!"


    "530 million!"


    This was the last round of the event, and only a few number of people were involved in this auction compared to the previous ones. However few bidders in numbers they were, but the price was in constant increase. And one of the most spirited and jubilant in bidding was the fat middle-aged man who wore the gold chain. 7 or 8 minutes later, the price had climbed up to 1.48 billion.


    "1.5 billion!"


    A bead of sweat permeated on the fat middle-aged man''s forehead as he called for the bid.


    "2 BILLION!"


    Suddenly the lights of a VIP box lit up, its speakers resounding a thundering, robotic voice, akin to a lightning bolt across the thundering sky.


    The fat middle-aged man suddenly turned his head as he stared at the old man with eyes full of anger. He heavily breathed a few times before he shouted again with the emotions audible in his tone of voice.


    "2.1 billion!"


    "Reaching to this price, there only the fat middle-aged man and the VIP box still in the race. After about half a minute of silence, the lights below the box lit up once again, as the man''s robotic voice resounded once again.


    "2.2 billion!"


    "2.3 billion!"


    The fat middle-aged man''s voice turned a bit hoarse, but he still insisted on bidding. However, his anger was soon replaced with pure happiness as following his retort, there was no response coming from the box even after a full minute of silence.


    The fat middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead and secretly felt relieved inside. It was actually his limit, if the price increased again, he would have to renounce it.


    Seeing as the violent war was calming, the corner of the auctioneer''s mouth curled as she smiled with sparkling eyes and spoke.


    "The price for Heaven''s Trove Island has risen to 2.3 billion! This is indeed a terrifying amount of money, but I do still think that some people have yet to bid. After all, this is a few tens of square miles of uninhabited island with completed construction and development. If this private island were to be used accordingly, it definitely would be a paradise on Earth, the one and only kingdom for its owner."


    "Being the master of one''s own kingdom means that there are no legal and public laws binding you! Being the master of Heaven''s Trove Island means you are its king, its sole sovereign! If the future owner wills it, he can very well apply to the international laws and establish his or her very own new country!"


    "This island is the dreamland, a paradise. Now, I would like to ask once more, is there no one who wants to increase the bid?"


    Deathly stillness and silence filled the entire auction venue following her words.


    The eyes were swaying wildly, everyone was keeping a watch on each other. The auctioneer''s words did instigate them and ignite their emotions and desires completely. But still, they couldn''t get so much liquidity, for their enterprises they would be seriously hit by the impact and would severely influence their companies and fracture them!


    Despite their hearts palpitating with the desires, they were helpless, they couldn''t just go and squander away their company''s wealth, even if they were the owners of their respective businesses, they couldn''t be irresponsible.


    A trace of a disappointed expression was revealed on the young auctioneer''s elegant face. Despite the 2.3 billion prices already exceeding her expectations, she still hoped to sell the island at a higher price. In contrast, the fat middle-aged man was in the opposite mood as a wide smile emerged on his face; a proud expression could be seen on his complexion.


    However, suddenly the lights under VIP BOX number 2 lit up and the shocking voice came in through the speakers, giving a cold shower of the harsh reality to the fat businessman.


    "2.5 billion!"

 Chapter 64 - End Of The Venue

    A wave of shock rippled through the crowd following the shocking exclaim. Everyone, even Aziel was surprised by the huge bid the mysterious old man in the second VIP box had responded with.


    Sitting in the front row, the smile and proud expression on the fat middle-aged man''s face froze in a flash. With difficulty, he turned his head and looked towards the closed-off box. The humiliation enticed anger and rage to overwhelm his rationale, he directly jumped up from his seat and loudly snapped in a stern voice. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! He must be doing this intentionally, to disturb the auction! I refuse to believe that person could put out 2.5 billion to buy this island!"


    His words were what most people at the auction venue approved and agreed on as the talks then sounded again. After all, he had backed out from a bidding war before that ended up in a much lower price. How did that person suddenly gain access to such astounding amounts of money?


    People began to whisper amongst each other, the chubby man''s words resonated with the crowd heavily. Their jealousy made them approve and agree with his statements wholeheartedly.


    "Huh? Just who does he think he is? Taking everyone for a fool, he has to be some young rich bastard! How could he possibly have 2.5 billion to buy that island? I bet he doesn''t even know the consequences for doing such nasty play!"


    "Yeah, Youngsters nowadays really have no discretion! Having no care for their family''s hard-earned wealth, squandering it away like the wastrel he surely is!"


    "Something must be wrong with that brat''s mind! Before this, the fat man had already snatched the wild ginseng. Could it be that he harbors resentment and now intentionally increased the price? Hasn''t he noticed that the fatty has reached his limit and cannot increase the price again?"


    "Foolish guy, I really don''t know what he is thinking!"


    "What an idiot! Digging his own grave!"


    Aziel was amused as he listened to the numerous whispers and comments coming to the man. The target of all the sneer and jealousy however did not react, even though Aziel was sure he heard everything that was being thrown out. He said nothing but remained silent after his offer has been placed.


    The auctioneer, Tiana''s heart was full of worry right now. She herself wasn''t sure of the legitimacy of the offered claim. After all, she too has witnessed how he had to back out from the bids before, seemingly reaching his limit. Yet now, he suddenly offered a price several times higher than the final offers before.


    Tiana was clear about one fact. If the old man in Box Number 2 obtained the rights to buy Heaven''s Trove Island and then turned out to be unable to put up the money, then not just this event but the entire auction house''s reputation would suffer greatly.


    Not only would she be unable to get her percentage of the sold auctioned items, but it would also smear and make her reputation in the auction business plummet.


    However, she was also perfectly aware of the fact that when the auction is being carried on, she had neither the rights nor the authority to inquire about the amount of money of VIP. They were usually either very prestigious, high profile people, that had deep connections, or were personal acquaintances of the owner.


    What should she do now?


    With a helpless expression, the auctioneer looked at the fat middle-aged man before his vision landed on the old man''s box.


    The fat middle-aged man glared at the VIP booth before he loudly shouted once again, his fist hitting the armrest of his chair.


    "Miss Auctioneer, I highly suggest making that person first PROVE that he has the sufficient funds for such a purchase. Otherwise, not only will your auction house be thoroughly discredited, but you will also make all the auction''s guests disappointed!"


    The auctioneer looked deeply at the box for several seconds before she sighed and replied to the fat man with a helpless expression visible on her face.


    "Sir, I apologize but I am not allowed to do that. Customers in the VIP boxes enjoy special rights."


    "What are you-"


    Before the chubby fat man could finish his retort, the lights lit up under Box 1 and the sneering modulated voice of its resident resounded in the room.


    "I wonder, does the Purple Cloud Auction house have fallen so low that an average sore loser such as this disgusting fat pig can give orders to the staff? As far as I can see, he is not even a VIP, so I am wondering... From where does he dare to speak in such a manner?"


    "Fucking bastard... COME DOWN IF YOU DARE!"


    The fat middle-aged man was burning with fury as he angrily glared and roared at the speakers.


    The auctioneer was growing more and more anxious and frightened by the rising chaos in the room. She quickly stepped forward and spoke to the fat businessman.


    "Esteemed Sir, regardless of the other customer is able to buy the auctioned item or not, the bid had already been placed. Our auction house will do the transaction about the auctioned item with him. Let me humbly remind you, sir, that this matter is strictly between our auction house and the customer, a third party has no right to interfere. Please get back to your seat and we will continue the auction. I would like to ask you, do you want to increase the price?"


    The fat middle-aged man''s complexion flushed crimson. He was filled with anger, but there was nothing he could vent his anger too. Although he did have some background and strength, he didn''t dare to go against this auction house. He could only choose to submit in humiliation and swallow his anger as he silently sat down.


    Seeing this, the auctioneer finally felt relieved. Still, as she noticed how the fat middle-aged man no longer offered a counter offer to the current price, she felt slightly disappointed.


    Nevertheless, she smiled and spoke to the audience.


    "The current offer for Heaven''s Trove Island is at 2.5 billion! Are there any other bids? If not, this slice of paradise will be sold to the esteemed customer at VIP Box Number 2!"


    Silence reigned over the hall, no one spoke up in response to her call.


    Their eyes darted between the fat middle-aged man, and the customer in VIP Box 2, wanting to see the result of their fierce (and heated) battle.


    "Heaven''s Trove Island goes for 2.5 million to the customer in VIP Box Number 2 once..."


    "Twice..."


    "...And, sold!"


    She exclaimed, announcing further.


    "Then, I hereby announce that the right of ownership for Heaven''s Trove Island is now sold to the last bidder, the generous customer in VIP Box Number 2! Due to the price, let me ask the customer to please follow the staff member to the backstage to continue with the transaction formalities." The auctioneer spoke as she donned a polite smile and an anticipating expression. After all, if he could indeed complete the transaction the hefty bonus she would receive would be just as astounding!


    Still, in his own box, Aziel followed as the life signal in the other box slowly stood up and followed another, much weaker signal out then along the hallway, towards a staircase at the back.


    As their signals lowly faded, only then did his vision return to the people in his box again.


    "Come, the event has ended, we have already got what we bought, let''s go dear. It''s already quite late, I''m sure Myra is worried!" Lydia said, smiling as she place her hand over Aziel''s tighs. From the sparks and her heated expression, it didn''t take much deductive prowess to understand what she really meant behind her call.


    As the crowd slowly dispersed, Aziel''s group also left the building. Saying their goodbyes the two were about to enter the vehicle when Aziel suddenly turned his gaze back to the entrance.


    He cruel, sinister-looking smirk appeared on his face, as he turned away from the vehicle.


    "Go alone, I still have some business to attend to. I will find my way back, don''t worry." He said.


    Before Lydia could even respond, Aziel''s figure suddenly burred and then vanished from her sight!

 Chapter 65 - Hunter Of The Night

    The daylight have long since escaped, ducking below the horizon by the time the Purple Cloud Auction came to an end. The silver half-perfected disc, the moon shone brightly atop the star-filled night sky.


    *Swoosh!*


    A strange shadow disrupted the steady chirp of insects and the irregular sounds of the passing vehicles. Far above the ground, crossing through the building tops with supernatural ease, a strange creature, only vaguely resembling that of a humanoid could be seen zapping through seemingly following a lonesome dark BMW vehicle.


    Reaching the end of a large four-story block, the creature jumped across the vast chasm, defying the laws of physics without care. As it sailed across the air, the silver moon bathed in its gloomy light, revealing the dark silhouette.


    Aziel, transformed into his perfected battle-form, was following the mysterious old man''s car as it drove back hopefully to their home where he could strike down and test out just how long he can extend the [Mind Compulsion]''s effect actually.


    Though he also desired for the decade-old wild ginseng, he had made a decision which route to follow. Eventually, the prospects of a personal base, a hidden ''domain'' of sorts in the middle of the vast ocean felt much more important than that of the herb.


    Thus, after separating from Lydia, he made his way quickly atop a nearby building overlooking the parking lot and waited until the life signature belonging to the old man left the building. He followed its path as it entered the back of a luxurious car, and another, much weaker signature, probably his bodyguard or perhaps driver, drove them away.


    Then, Aziel transformed to his old, much more preferred form, with all his prehistoric, dominant traits ready for his usage. Although he may have been able to keep up with the car and follow them in his human form as well, unfortunately, despite his strong cultivation as the peak of the Earth Realm, his control over his own [Aether] wasn''t perfect yet, much less his effective usage found in his surroundings. He needed to rely on his acquired physical traits for this task, thus the monstrous appearance.


    His protective armor covered his body, with the shredded, torn remains of his clothing hanging around his waist as well as from his shoulders. His digitigrade feet now resembled that of the famous or fearsome predators of old, the velociraptors. Lean strains of muscle could be seen stretching, supporting his body and his leg joints as well. A thick, meaty tail provided that much-needed extra support as well as assistance to lounge forward with even more explosive power.


    A bulkier and taller frame stood steadfast atop his waistline, with two draconic wings growing from his back shoulder blades. His face, though mostly retaining its humanoid features, with the difference of a more glossy, sturdier darker grey skin replacing his previous pale one all around.


    "Go... go my little sheep, bring me to your den... let me find out your secrets..." He flashed a sinister smirk as he continued to leisurely follow along the vehicle, crossing, nay flying from building top to building top.


    As the roads were mostly empty, the old man''s journey was relatively swift. In just a few minutes they have already crossed a relatively large distance, leaving behind the harbor district, entering one of the business ones. Looking at their journey from a birds'' eye view, Aziel guessed that their destination was probably somewhere to the northwest parts of the city.


    From his acquired memories, Aziel recalled that the way they were heading was the so-called prestigious part of the city. Similar to the high-profile nobles and even more dignified aristocratic families from back his old life, that part of the town was home to the rich and wealthy.


    With Lydia''s and Myra''s family home being one of the rare exceptions, most of these traditional, privileged were living in their closed-off communities, each attended and surrounded by armies of servants and guards.


    Not that it mattered to Aziel that much in the end. He was determined to take claim on that island, even if he had to go on a murder spree and clean up an entire household, he would do so.


    Even though it would bring some unwanted, much earlier-than-planned attention to him, he would still do everything he needs to claim that island.


    Still if preferable, he would try to subjugate this old man and his family. Though his inner power that he seems to actively cultivate, no matter how meager it is, would be beneficial to him, whilst also he would gain new important knowledge through the old man''s memories... ultimately, a servant of his caliber would be still a better investment.


    Clearly, this old man had some pull to be able to be considered a VIP by the auction house standards and even be able to move such astounding amounts of money.


    For what reason he decided to fight with such unexpected ferocity for the Heaven''s Trove Islands remains a mystery, Aziel knew at that moment he needed the loyalty of this human.


    Flying through the darkness, high above the eyes of the citizens, Aziel kept pace with the dark vehicle, eventually leaving the center, and just as he expected, leading towards an enclosed community.


    Tall, bone-white stone walls stood high and protected those living within its territory from the filth of the outside world.


    A double-arched bronze barred gate blocked all traffic. A single guardpost was erected at the side, allowing entrance only to those that were registered and could prove their identities. For anyone else, they could only turn around and drive away, lest they would face gunpoint with the licensed, armed guards'' heavy rifles.


    As the dark BMW drove in front of the beautifully designed, illustrious gate, the driver showed a keycard that served as an ID to the stationed guard who then promptly buzzed them in and opened the way.


    Aziel watched from atop a nearby building, frowning as he sent out several pulses of [Aether] to scan the area. Each scan returned with a bit more of a picture of what was going on inside.


    Dozens upon dozens of strong life signals surrounded a series of buildings, patrolling in a manner that covered all blind spots, allowing no enemy to sneak past by their line of defense.


    Whilst each life force was relatively strong, at least to this world''s standards, none were actual, true cultivator, but strong Martial Warriors with a few reaching into the Master realm. As for Grandmaster level fighters, such as the old man, Aziel couldn''t sense anyone else from the first few scans, although for some reason he couldn''t see into the largest building standing at the center of the smaller ones. A strange invisible force seemed to block his attempts, which, honestly caught him slightly off guard.


    ''Hmm... I should keep a low profile and try to remain unseen. Alerting the old man ahead of time would only cause bring further, unwanted complications.'' Aziel said inwardly.


    Following his line of thought, ripples appeared across the surface of his body, as his appearance shifted once again. The animalistic, predatory traits receded, vanishing back into the essence, and rested in his Power Core. His previous humanoid appearance returned, albeit with the shattered clothes he looked like a vagrant, or mayhaps an escapee, a victim of an assault.


    Still, he didn''t bother with it, as his frame continued to shift once again, losing more and more height, and muscle with each passing second. His lean, toned body lost more and more vitality, whilst a supple, youthful appearance gradually appeared replacing the fearsome hunter of the night.


    As a minute passed, Aziel''s transformation also slowly came to completion.


    Under the shining moonlight, a young child, barely looking more than 10 or maybe 12 years of age stood in place of Aziel, smirking proudly at the world below!

 Chapter 66 - Forging A Plan

    A thin, skinny little boy, looking even younger than those three Aziel had come in contact first when he woke up, stood in the place where Aziel''s figure was just a few seconds ago.


    The boy had a scrawny, lean, and malnourished visage, sort of a child beggar that one could see in the underpasses and the metro stations. Although the fact that his skin was just as glossy, shining white as before, pale even... as well as his albeit ruffled but, at the same time shining silver locks of hair would have directly contradicted that fact.


    Raising his small hands with their palms facing towards him, Aziel took a couple of seconds to carefully scrutinize his new outlook.


    ''Not bad, I guess...'' He expressed inwardly showing an appreciative smirk as if stamping his ''approval'' on the transformation. ''It seems I have claimed enough genetic material to alter my appearance according to my needs.''


    "Still a bit too vibrant... I can''t go out like this, I''m basically glowing like a lantern..." He muttered, noticing that his most defining features have been retained.


    Closing his eyes, he once again focused on the ball of human essence deep inside his soul, revolving as the farthest and at the same time, latest orbiting the central core, the now [Aether] infused central core.


    ''Now... if I remember correctly from before, if I channel the orb''s essence while infusing a bit of [Mana] into the mix, I was able to alter my current appearance with some small changes. Though I no longer have access to [Mana], hopefully, this [Aether] will do the trick just as fine...'' He pondered, focusing on turning the theory into reality next.


    He channeled the orb''s essence, revolving it inside his body, whilst he also gathered a small wisp of [Aether] from his ever-growing resource pool and channeled the two together, focusing on changing the color of his hair.


    The surface of Aziel''s body wobbled yet again, as he focused on his unique trait and attempted to recreate yet another skill from his last life. Soon, the ripples began to calm down, only for his hair to suddenly gradually lose its silvery shine.


    As if the bright moon under the previously clear night sky was suddenly mysteriously changed, dark clouds appearing to block the silver orb high above, so did his hair gradually, slowly losing its beauty.


    Darkness, as if the taint of despair appeared at the edges, gradually creeping higher, further along, their already set path of the venture. They greedily gobbled up the allotted space, as the silver shine gradually vanished, turning into ebony, matte darkness in its place.


    His hair, which after his transformation have also lost its cascading length, and instead could only reach its owner''s shoulders, has completely changed in a couple of seconds, now perfectly melding into the night with its matching pigmentation.


    Heaving a sigh, Aziel stopped actively revolving and channeling his energy, allowing it to return to its calm state once again. A couple of beads of sweat perspired on his forehead, as he reached for them with his arm only to smear them all along his forearm.


    "Huah... This took much more out of me than I had wanted to..." He sighed, muttering to himself. "I am still not good enough, handling [Aether] is much harder compared to Nova''s [Mana]. It''s so complex... unlike anything I have ever seen..."


    Raising his hands again, he clicked his tongue with a scorning, dissatisfied expression on his face. "I have drained way too much of my own reserves... I can''t even change my skin color anymore, it would drain me too much."


    He grumbled for a bit, before getting ready, and shifting his attention to the manor''s grounds in front of them.


    "It should still work fine, I guess. Even though my knowledge of this strange ''modern'' world is still quite lacking, I can just use what I am best at and get better along the way..." Aziel sneered before his face shifted to a cold, insipid neutral, focused look.


    He released another invisible pulse of energy to spread around himself, spreading to its surroundings and gradually forming a layout in his mind. He focused on the life signatures that appeared one after another, before ignoring most of them. They came from around him, mostly residents, citizens that have little to no use for Aziel.


    He focused only on those signatures that were stronger than the average, showing either abnormal vitality or ferocity that made them stand above the common folk.


    With the lack of proper cultivators he had come in contact with as of yet, Aziel wasn''t too afraid to suddenly stumble upon one. From what he had seen from his short few meetings, the most that, at the very least, this small county could offer were Martial Grandmasters, which were still at most still equivalent to Peak Mortal Realm cultivators.


    Basically the younglings, the children of his old world...


    Still, even those could be quite troublesome to deal with, as with him still not being completely accustomed to using [Aether], his skillset was still quite lacking. He would have to resort in utilizing his physical traits, which wouldn''t be as subtle as he would like it to be.


    Transforming into a hulking amalgamation of primordial beasts wouldn''t be the wisest method of subterfuge. Still, if things go sour, he could always use his abilities honed through the millions of years of the prehistoric era to get the job done.


    Ultimately, he did not care about these wretched creatures too deeply. The only reason he was even mingling with them was that they had their uses towards reclaiming all that was taken from him.


    He will find his back to his old world and enact his vengeance, his wrath upon those treacherous, scheming... conniving brothers and sisters of his!


    ...


    After a couple more pulses, Aziel had more or less mapped out a route deeper inside the manor grounds, closer to the central, main building, which he would have to utilize other methods for finding a way inside. The strange, mysterious wards that protected the structure blocked each of Aziel''s attempts to scan it. No matter how much and how hard he tried, he couldn''t penetrate the magical barrier.


    Still, Aziel wasn''t too worried. His failure to invade the building premises with his scanning skill that he aptly nicked as [Aetheric Sense], did not mean he had no means to find out what was waiting for him inside.


    No. Far from it. The patrolling juicy mounds of meat, the guards of the premises would surely know a thing or two... Aziel would just have to get a bit more direct and physical and grab a bite or two along the way....

 Chapter 67 - The Lamb Walking Into The Lions Den

    In the looming darkness of the night, a strange shadowy silhouette stood atop a building top just opposite of a huge manor''s foreboding bone-white tall stone walls.


    Dressed in loose, baggy, and oversized -albeit quite elegant looking- clothes, his eyes were locked on the tall seemingly insurmountable man-made barrier that was below him.


    Yet, his eyes seemed to be focusing not on the structure that easily dwarfed over his meager height. No, his eyes slowly followed along a path, he was focusing on the thumping, pulsating life force pacing behind it.


    A lonesome guard, patrolling the outer premises quite have reached the far edges, just completing his large patrol as it checked this far away corner of the manor''s ground.


    Aziel sneered as the tall, brawny man casually approached closer and closer to the dark and augur corner. Though he was unaware as of yet, this poor, miserable human wasn''t just approaching this dreary veer but was actually reaching towards his own gruesome demise. Towards his own death.


    Lady Fate, was quite a cruel mistress, indeed. Even though he was like any other fallible creation under the heavenly firmament and his life was just as plagued, dotted with the sins and mistakes as any other, it still couldn''t be said that his prospected future was justified.


    Yet, there was nothing he could do about it, he, just like the more than a dozen gang bangers from before, will have a new purpose to serve. His soul, his very essence will serve as further fuel to add to a Demonic Entity''s ever-growing collection, his genetic material will be both nourishment and new addition to a sort of General Collective.


    His lifetime memories that would inevitably flash before his eyes as his soul would be sucked out and then processed by this predatory monster of another world, it would also play before that being as well.


    Perhaps, in its own, grotesque way such a fate may not be that bad after all. Looking at it from another angle, this worthless mortal, by joining the Collective, would finally serve a purpose than just drifting across the vast, and turbulent Sea of Life. His life, by being abruptly stolen from him, finally gains meaning. It would be WORTH something. Even if that would only value a minuscule amount, it would still be something, right?


    Aziel sneered at his own, rhetorical thoughts. If he wouldn''t be already focused on the task, and wouldn''t be attempting to skulk in the dark, stealthily trying to make his way into the central building where he lost the signal from the mysterious old man from the auction, he would have laughed out at his own self.


    Since when did he get so sentimental? Just a couple of million years and he already acts like a decrepit old man?


    ''Heh...'' He scoffed at himself inwardly, before shaking and clearing his head with a softer sigh. As the warmth of the hot air escaped through his lift, it also carried all his emotions along with it, leaving behind a cold-blooded ancient carnal predator that have just locked in on his newest prey...


    As the cold gust of wind blew against the night, suddenly Aziel''s childlike figure vanished from its previous location only to reappear atop the walls, just above the patrolling security guard as it turned around to walk back.


    He soundlessly jumped down and sneaked right up to the man''s back. Without wasting a second, his right arm blurred as it shot forward. At an instant, his fingers morphed, changing into similarly sized, claws just in time as it reached the man''s back and effortlessly tore through the fabric of his shirt and the kevlar chest hiding underneath.


    Aziel''s other hand also shot forward, reaching towards the stunted and startled man''s mouth and nose, blocking their entrances, muting all potential yelps that would have escaped otherwise.


    "Mffrgh..."


    Only a couple of muted guttural, croaking groans could be heard, as Aziel''s right are pierced through the bones, flesh organs, and eventually skin tissue again and make its way out in the front.


    A bloodied and gory small hand appeared at the lower ridges of the guard''s rapidly waning vision. Before his sight completely melded with the increasingly welcoming darkness, he could just barely make out as it waved at him in an eerily bizarre manner.


    "Quite the brute, are you? Not even saying hi... Heh... humans." Aziel muttered to himself as he pulled his arm back, widening the horrific hole that was already present in the man''s upper torso.


    "Anyway... time to work. Show me what you got, human." He muttered silently, watching with a curious gaze as the solid body of the corpse swiftly lost its shape, returning to a floating ball of dark viscous mass and flew right into his vessel.


    In the next instant, he could feel the heady and intoxicating sensation... No matter how many times he had done it already, this feeling will always be a thrilling experience, it never gets old.


    He could follow as the new mass made its way deep inside him, slowly transforming and whilst the physical mass was absorbed, seemingly vanishing into the void, the man''s essence and soul was gradually absorbed and processed.


    Aziel sighed silently as he gazed at the sky. He closed his eyes focusing on the emerging series of new memories, visions of this so-far unknown man.


    The security guard or as Aziel had now just understood through the initial memories of his early years that he had just skimmed over, Johann Ganz was as boring and predictable of a man as it could be.


    He wasn''t an overly bright kid, somewhat at the lower end of what could still be considered as average and not crossing over to be considered moronic. Yet, thanks to his huge body and his inherited huge natural muscles he could be said to be good at PE and sports.


    He was also well-liked amongst the weaker sex, he had quite good to look at with chiseled facial features and dark blue, deep-set eyes, and wavy dark chocolate hair. He never had a lack of bed warmers.


    During his last year of school, just as he was slowly growing worried about what he would do with the rest of his life, a letter came coming from the Military, he felt somewhat relieved. He could still take some extra time whilst doing his service to his country and train to be a soldier.


    Aziel sighed, already growing bored of the senseless visions, he fast-forwarded the appearing images, focusing on the last days of Johann''s life. The rest, though they may not be completely useless, was completely worthless for his current situation.


    As the images flashed through in before his mental eyes, he focused as they came closer to the last days. As they approached the beginning of last week, Aziel eyes grew wide with surprise at what he had seen....

 Chapter 68 - Finding A New Target

    Johann''s last days finally brought some relevance in before Aziel''s eyes. About a week before his untimely, sudden demise by his hands, just finishing his servitude to the country, Johann was on his way towards his new place of work.


    With the friends and contacts he had inevitably made during his 2 year tenure, Johann was quickly accepted into a well-known security firm without any hassle.


    He was also given an assignment and joined the already stationed guards at a contract. The pay was quite lucrative whilst the work was mostly minimal, with them doing the usual rounds and just securing the inner grounds to which they had no access.


    The only building he had access to was the small one, which turned out to be a sort of barracks, a station for the guards found not too far, at the very edge of what they called the ''Inner Grounds'', the forbidden zone where the owners supposedly lived.


    They had no access to it, only a select few elite guards, not hired but under the direct employ of the family could step inside. They were not from their security firm but were supposedly groomed by the family themselves.


    Still, despite their secretive behavior, there were some rumors that each member of these elites had served the Special Forces and was a highly trained, deadly individual.


    Each is highly skilled in hand-to-hand, close-quarters combats as well as an expert marksman in their own. Rumors were going off about their physical strength and speed even surpassing what should have been the capability of humans, making them superhumans in a way.


    This piece of news has raised Aziel''s attention and awareness, making him surprised as he finished skimming through the dead guard, Johann''s memories.


    If these tales, these myths were to be believed and would hold some modicum of truth, it would mean that these ''Elites'' were not simple warriors but probably cultivated [Aether] to enhance their bodies. Would they turn out to be cultivators perhaps, or were they simply holders of the mutated genome the humans seemed to have been born with every once in a while?


    Aziel didn''t know the answer, but nonetheless, it was an important piece to his collection.


    Though he ultimately did not get closer to finding a way into the inner grounds, he now had a new destination along with a new target.


    The Guard Captain, the officer assigned to this place by the Security Firm stationed inside the barracks.


    He was the only guy from these ''contracted outsiders'' that had direct contact with someone from the inside. From Johann''s memories, it was also said that he, this so-called Captain Liam Briggs was also meeting up and reporting to someone from the inside regularly.


    Aziel needed to get to this man. Even though offing him and absorbing him would give him some extra time, it would still eventually alert everyone. He was not like Johann who could be just written off as insubordination and be just given a warning.


    No, once the people realize the Captain was gone, it would immediately alert everyone, inside and outside as well. Though he wasn''t sure how much time this exactly meant, from then on Aziel was on a count down, a tight schedule to get everything settled.


    He could no longer waste time and would have to quickly make plans to get inside. Even if it ultimately meant that he would need to slaughter every one of these ants, he would do so.


    Taking one last look at the clothes left behind by the dead guard, Aziel shook his head once more before returning his attention to what was ahead of him.


    Closing his eyes, he sent out another pulse of [Aether], focusing mostly on his immediate range of vicinity, and look if there would be any problems approaching.


    Luckily, or perhaps just as he had planned out previously, the ground was clear, there were no patrols approaching or anywhere nearby. This particular spot was one of those which was the least guarded, with only the occasional guard crossing it during his long perimeter patrol.


    Turning his attention towards the inner grounds, Aziel focused his attention towards the smallest yet still quite large, single-story warehouse-looking structure that stood tall at the end of the only road leading in from the gates.


    A second, albeit much smaller fence, separated the forbidden lands from the rest, the Guards'' Barracks were standing right before the barred gate, acting similar to the Guard Post.


    Aziel''s figure silently dashed forward, leaving behind his trusty corner and rapidly making his way through the yard. Sticking to the shadows and corners, he was like an invisible predator, lurking in the shadows, gradually slithering forward to its prey.


    Without any problem, Aziel easily made his way through the outer exterior and was now standing atop a tree, hiding inside its crown, looking over the building standing in front of him.


    He was watching silently as two figures were talking in the front. Besides these two, Aziel could also sense a third, much stronger presence.


    "How long till you complete your contract man?" Leaning against the wall, one of the guards asked the other as he folded his arms and put a cigarette in his mouth.


    "Another week, before I have to go back to base." The second one answered, whilst grabbing his lighter and lighting his friend''s cig with it. He sighed, expressing his true feelings. "But to be honest... I am reluctant to leave. I like it here."


    Taking a large puff, the first guard took a moment to enjoy this brief moment of respite before responding with a similar tone.


    "Yeah, I can understand that, brother. There''s nothing better than a gig like this. Fat cash with zero danger. It''s not like the usual shit we had in the corps, I tell you. Too bad, we cannot be like the Cap...." He scoffed at the mention of the man, snorting his head towards behind. "Sitting on his ass all day, having to do jack shit and still grab that heavy doe."


    "Psssh!" The other guard waved at his friend for caution. "Keep it low, will ya? What if he hears it? Or worse... those inside..." He whispered at the end, waving his head towards the closed-off gate next to them.


    "Oh, chill man!" The first guard puffed his cig once more and waved his hand dismissively. "What could happen? The Cap is probably snoring inside, and those inside wouldn''t care about what we, ''wretched poor commoners'' say! You can relax, it''s not as if anybody would be watching us. Now, just calm down and take a cig-"


    Yet, before he could finish his words, suddenly his eyes went wide, as a sudden blurry shadow appeared behind his friend, and the unmistakable faint sound of something slicing the air could be heard....

 Chapter 69 - Barracks

    *SLASH!*


    *SPLURT!*


    Blood splurted following the sound of a slice made by some unknown form of clawed weapon. A dark shadow suddenly appeared, seemingly materializing from thin air.


    The scene that greeted the first, puffing guard was something he couldn''t process. What he had seen just didn''t make sense at all, his mind just couldn''t accept the information his eyes were sending forth.


    The shadow looked to be a young kid, barely looking 10 or maybe 12 years of age. Yet, his strange-looking eyes glimmered with a sinister crimson hue, and instead of the expected supple, youthful hands, he had strange monstrous claws protruding from the tip of the dark-toned hardened skin of his fingers. He looked coldly at the guard facing with his back against him, ignoring the fact that he, the other one could clearly see what he was doing.


    His eyes went wide with shock, and though it instantly alerted his friend that something must be amiss, it was already too late. Before his receptors could register the new stimulation, its path was cut apart as a set of dark claws separated the shocked-looking head from the rest of the body.


    Like a fountain, blood gushed out, splurted over his just as shocked friend''s face, ruining the taste of the cigarette and causing the last bits of its stump to fall out of its hold, his lips and fall down to the ground, just beside the now lump headless corpse.


    "W-w-w¡­" He stuttered, the distress froze his brain, sending his thoughts into shambles. He was unable to cry, or call for help, which was somewhat uncharacteristic of a trained soldier. Yet, the impossible, but still, horrifying scenery had made him almost fall back into a sort of PTSD, a mental illness he was secretly still battling with.


    *SLASH!*


    *SPLURT!*


    Before his brain could catch up with the sudden sequence of events, the same black claws sliced the air once again, blurring through his vision for a brief section of a second.


    His breathing instantly turned ragged, forced at a single moment, his mind once again grew confused. Before he could realize it, his head rolled on the floor, his consciousness faded to darkness¡­ By the time his body fall down on the ground, joining the other headless carcass, he was long gone.


    Reaching out with both of his hands, palms facing their bodies, Aziel watched silently as both bodies rapidly liquified into floating balls of mass and essence and merged with his body.


    He sighed, as he opened his eyes a few seconds later.


    "Nothing useful, and barely any essence to gain. These normal humans have barely any use besides being some average batteries. Barely enough to refill the lost energy." He clicked his tongue muttering to himself with dissatisfaction.


    "Closing his eyes once again, it flickered for a few seconds before he opened them again and clicked his tongue.


    "Not even anything useful in their memories. Just the same boring garbage¡­" He sighed complaining into the air.


    "Anyway¡­ At least the obstruction is now gone, time for the second dish¡­" He said, as a sinister smirk once again made its appearance. He turned his head towards the building, focusing on the life force he could feel from somewhere at the back.


    "From what I could see from the gained memories, this so-called Captain Liam Briggs is probably lazing around in his office. Watching some show, not bothered by anything." Aziel muttered.


    From the growing collection of memories he gained from the many absorbed individuals, the strange devices of this modern world, the technology felt more and more familiar to him. Though he still found it quite strange that they achieved similar, if not even better results and advancement in science as the most studious gnomes, or the nerdiest dwarves or humans of Nova without the use an inch of [Mana] or [Aether].


    Purely by relying on their wits, and logical thinking they made some incredible leaps over the several thousand years of their history. From the hairy, ugly monkeys of Dinah''s tribe to flying the air using metal, heavy frame vehicles... ''Airplanes''...


    "If nothing else, they are at least interesting..." Aziel smirked, shaking his head to clear it from the distracting thoughts.


    Though he complained before, it wasn''t entirely true he had gained nothing useful from the two guards. He now had a layout of the barracks and the exact location of the captain mapped out in his head.


    With a confident look on his devilish, smirking face, the young child, Aziel walked towards the door and pushed down on the handle.


    Carefully he pulled on the door, opening it whilst revolving his energy at maximum, and kept a tight guard, scanning his surroundings.


    Stepping inside the building Aziel entered in a long, but somewhat tight hallway. It was dark, the lights were turned off, which did not make any problem for Aziel. Absorbing countless species in the primordial era, his vision during the night was just as good and sharp as during the day.


    [Essence Restitute] instantly kicked it, registering the instinctual need for the stored ability. Aziel''s eyes lit up, glimmering with a bright cat-like yellowish glow as the foreboding darkness swiftly receded.


    He could now clearly make out the long hallway, and the several doors he could match with the gained memories.


    To his left, he would enter what was called the ''Monitoring Room'', filled with dozens of monitors that showed the feeds of the numerous cameras placed around the Manor''s Grounds.


    The two guards puffing their smokes outsides were supposed to be staying there and keeping tight watch. Normally they shouldn''t have been out both at the same time, but since there were never any intruders sighted on the premises, their awareness has turned lacking, they did not bother with the rules.


    Taking one last look, he turned his attention to the right where the hall sailed all the way to the other, far end of the barrack where the storage room was found. Along the hallway several doors could be seen from both sides, each leading into either one of the facilities, the resting room for the off-shift guards, the small canteen, or the bathroom.


    The very last room, however, was the Captain''s Quarters, a somewhat larger, off-limit place where the Captain, Liam Briggs basically lived.


    Enjoying the easy life of his assignment, that unlike the rest of the guard, was permanent, he no longer had any real worries in his life. With no intruders or issues of any sort since him starting his contract and beginning working here, he had grown quite relaxed in the last couple of months.


    Too bad for him, that tonight everything would change, and unbeknownst to him, his reaper was standing just outside his very door....