Free Web NovelChapter 269: Boons(III): Vessel of Ciel
With a mind overflowing with questions, it was then that Uriel realised that his mage tool had been broken down during his evolution—alongside his garb, tunic, and fang.
He didn’t have anyone to ask for guidance.
While he could try and ask the—
’No.’
Uriel refocused.
’Each of my cells bearing a world doesn’t seem possible. No, it is absolutely impossible.’
’But since I’ve managed to form my own fabrics with my Star Rings and Spirits, perhaps the boon manifests in such a way. Maybe it’s hyper-focused.’
His gaze sharpened. ’Potential of a world...aether?’
It had to be.
The natural evolution of his iron body would grant him even greater aether reserves, and of the highest quality at that.
And if that happened...
’I’ll be able to freely use my Star Rings without worrying I’ll run out of energy.’
Since forming his Star Rings, that had been the biggest issue, and he doubted even the formation of his new cores would fix that. He hadn’t thought he’d find a solution so easily.
Though the thought excited him, he rapidly noticed another oddity.
’How can my "Characteristic" evolve this much without my talent and trait associated with it doing the same?’
His Twilight Resonance Talent had caused his Shell and Shell Layers to evolve alongside it. It didn’t make sense for that not to be the case here.
’Maybe I didn’t meet all the conditions to fully evolve them? If I had to bet, the conditions of evolution have to do with the Hound Wills...’
He pondered for a moment before nodding to himself, coming up with a plan for how he’d deal with the Hound Wills rampaging across his mind and body. It was about time he dealt with them anyway.
’Let’s finish this first.’
He focused on the last three weaves. His Astral Forms and his new Uniqueness.
...
[Astral Spark Form: {Earthen Soul Carapace}
>Details: Earth remains steady. Earth remains unbreakable. Earth always grows. Its lands are cold yet full of life, and its heart is lit ablaze, the heat of its flames cold.
•Your soul and mind are shielded from all status effects and your spiritual defences are outstanding.
•Your soul rapidly heals from injury and your mind remains stable at all times.]
—
[Astral Spark Form: {Syloed Crimson Brazier}
>Details: The brazier burns with flames of blood, turning impurity to ash and tempering legacy into an unbreakable form.
•Your soul is constantly burning as it is endlessly refined and tempered by the Crimson Syloed Flames of Spirits.]
—
[Uniqueness: {Vessel of Ciel}
>Details: The Forms of the past haunt the present, in hopes that a better future may absolve the impure ones of their sins.
•The Sins of Ciel lay in your left arm.]
...
As he read the last of his status’ weave screens, Uriel couldn’t help but sigh.
’Hm. So I was right, my astral forms are what allowed me to ignore my Sin so easily. That’s good.’
He brought his left hand to his face, observing its jagged crimson lines and sharp ivory runic marks that intertwined to form a strange tribal tattoo spanning his entire arm.
His gaze flickered with complex emotions as he stared at it.
On one hand, this was nothing but a sign of his impending doom, proof that his Sin and illness were growing by the second.
But on the other hand...
’The power I felt when the Sin was boosting my soul was...ridiculous,’ Uriel thought. ’Maybe I should stop fighting it and instead try to learn from it.’
’My past self...maybe that’s what he wanted me to do? But should I even be doing what that bastard wants?’
It had to be remembered that the one who’d shattered Uriel’s runic scar had been none other than his past self.
It had snowballed into his runic scar becoming a corrupted vessel for his Sin, which grew to corrupt his path before latching onto his illness.
All of it was his past self’s fault.
But it was much deeper than that.
’He let Thoryl trap me so I could get the Sin. He most likely also let the death advent happen so that my karmic balance was messed up and I was forced to take the hardest trials, which led me to the ruby monument.’
’He also used Emrys to lure me to Lucianna so that I could burn in the brazier. He forced me to fight Miquella so I’d be forced to take on my draconic form. He somehow used the system to get me the garb, and he used Enoch to give me the fang.’
’And I’m sure the bastard led me all the way here so I could reunite with Ariel and Samael...’
Uriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The level of control his past self had over his current life was starting to horrify him. But that horror almost seemed paradoxical since, at his root, he didn’t care much about his own life.
And even if he did, in truth, what was the difference between him and his past self?
All his past self had done was give him a chance to survive.
He’d fixed his sparks, given him the Spiral House and Tower, evolved his body, made him discover a new weave slot through Astral Spark Forms, partially fixed the issue of his illness, reunited him with Ariel, and much more he didn’t care to remember.
But the same issue and question remained.
At what point would he be free?
’I...don’t know.’
Uriel exhaled and opened his eyes, rising to his feet. His Will flickered like a roaring flame, and he suddenly smiled.
His gaze, ivory and still, shuddered as a rose ray of light pierced through.
’Ah, who cares.’
...
The room had already been silent for quite some time.
Ariel sat cross-legged near the center of the room beside the vats where their bodies had evolved. His eyes were closed, his face still, and his breathing even.
As he breathed in, swaths of thick aether were drawn into his form, and as he exhaled, even larger amounts of pure aether were expelled from his body.
His aura flickered, diminishing by the second as his long curly black hair danced with the fluttering waves of his aura.
The world around him was perfectly still.
Not far from him, Samael sat cross-legged, the tears on her face long wiped away as she too meditated and scanned her body to comprehend the changes made to it. freewёbnoνel.com
Uriel hadn’t paid much attention to it due to the massive overall changes he’d undergone atop the gain of the so-called perfect foundation, but what they’d been given was truly...wondrous.
Samael could barely believe this was only the reward for the first floor.
"..."
Korynth, who sat a bit further away from the two, slowly opened her eyes and exhaled. She looked down at her palms, feeling the sheer strength flowing through her body, then nodded to herself.
’I’ve regressed.’
Once, she’d stood at the very peak of the fourth step, a mere inch away from the fifth, but after Kael had crippled her, she’d fallen off a cliff.
After that, all she’d been able to do was focus on her Will and refine it. She hadn’t even been able to control aether.
But after drinking a droplet of Samael’s blood, her foundation had partially repaired itself, allowing her to wield aether again.
And now, with this perfect foundation they’d been given, she was fully restored, without any lingering side effects. In fact, though she was now merely a G-Ranker, she felt nearly as strong as she had at her peak.
And that was only because she didn’t yet know how to wield her Will and aether in tandem. Once she did...
’I swear to the Gods that I’ll—’
Her thoughts were interrupted as her eyes widened and, seemingly out of thin air, Uriel appeared before her, squatted to eye level and shirtless, his long ivory hair forming a wild mane only rivaled by the sharpness of his gaze.
For some reason, though he emitted no aura or pressure whatsoever, he still...loomed.
"Korynth."
