Chapter 44: Chapter 120 – Aura Materialization

Asterios helped Miria sit down on the bed instead of hanging around his waist over its edge since she didn’t need to cover him any more. He then turned towards the king again.

“Before you ask, I have no idea what and how that happened,” Asterios said with all gazes directed at him.

“The fact that you did it subconsciously only proves how monstrous the control of your own aura is. I already was impressed with it before, but you just keep shattering my expectations again and again,” Welrond answered after recollecting himself.

“Did you… hold back yesterday?” Silvia asked.

Asterios shook his head. “No, of course not, Princess. We were supposed to go all out and that’s what I did. Anything else would just be disrespectful.”

“This is only an assumption, but considering the change after the last time you entered that weird place, my Lord, I think both then and now you have managed to grow stronger or to unlock a part of your bloodline,” Selene commented with a thoughtful expression.

“It’s possible. What Umbra called an Aura of Authority back then, and today what His Majesty called…”

“Aura Materialization,” the king finished after him.

“Yes, that. Is it that big of a deal?”

Welrond nodded. “The amount of control and command over one’s spiritual energy can be categorized into a few grades. I’m sure you are familiar with at least the initial one even as a Summoner. The first is Aura Externalization.”

“Right. It’s about bringing your spiritual energy outside of your body and circuits, often how people put pressure on others or leak killing intent. It’s very simple to do it subconsciously or accidentally. At higher levels, the energy can become visible and coat one’s body,” Asterios replied.

“Good. Then, there’s the second step, Aura Condensation. Silvia?” The king glanced at his daughter.

“By concentrating the spiritual energy in one point and condensing it, we can force it to assume the attribute we have the highest affinity with. Not everyone can do that, but people with special bloodlines like us do tend to have it a bit easier. The most common way to recognize it is how the user often coats their weapon with their attribute like we do with fire and someone else could with wind for example.”

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” Miria started jumping up and down on the bed while raising her hand and everyone turned to look at her. “Is that what I’m doing? I coat my blades with mana and make them sharp! But, I don’t use any element, though?”

The king stroked his chin. “That is also possible albeit very rare.”

“Miria comes from another realm where people rarely can even use mana to do things other than strengthening their bodies so I wouldn’t be surprised if they developed differently from what we know,” Asterios added.

“Could be. Anyway, returning to the main topic, after Aura Condensation, comes Aura Manifestation. Something Silvia is yet to achieve.”

The person in question lowered her head with a slightly dejected expression.

“I’m sure she will soon break through the temporary bottleneck holding her back. I could tell she works hard.” Asterios tried to cheer her up a little and brought a small smile onto Silvia’s lips.

“With your help, I’m sure that will happen in no time,” Welrond exclaimed enthusiastically. “As for the technique, you saw it back in the meeting room when I attempted to attack you.”

“Ah. The pieces of flaming armor and the sword?” Selene asked.

“Exactly." The king nodded. "After reaching perfect efficiency in condensation and some initial understanding in manifestation, one can shape their elemental spiritual energy into pretty much anything they want.”

“So, like Selene does?” Miria joined in again, tilting her head adorably.

Welrond glanced at her with a raised brow and then turned to the white-haired fox lady. Selene smiled at him softly and gathered a ball of blue spiritual energy above her palm. She then changed its form into a bunch of common shapes, ending at a few thin discs. They then turned into deadly needles, then into knives, and finally joined together to make a spiritual katana, which she swung a few times while still sitting.

“Yes… Pretty much like that… But with an element present…”

Asterios chuckled. “These two are from the same realm.”

“Should I expect your third familiar to be proficient in Aura Materialization?” the king asked him with a wry smile.

“I don’t think so. His body is an actual ethereal shadow. Unless hardening it to the level that allows it to be used as armor or a piercing spike is any close to that.”

The man sighed. “It’s closer to manifestation but I’m not sure after all of this… Aura Materialization is exactly what the name suggests. A person has enough control and power over their spiritual energy to literally force it to take a material form, just like what you did with the clothes. Your scarlet flames changed into these and we have all seen it. If controlled properly, such creations can be almost impossible to differentiate from manmade things. Even I haven’t yet reached the Aura Materialization stage and you did it so effortlessly. It only shows your superior authority over fire, most likely thanks to your bloodline”

“It’s still all new to me.” Asterios shook his head while looking at his arms and hands. “I feel like I’m just skipping steps and jumping ahead from time to time, which doesn’t look fair.”

Miria slid off the bed and stood up to hug him from the side, rubbing her cheek into his.

“Master, you always put so much effort into your studies and practice. I’m sure it’s not just because you are getting more powerful that you can do all of this. The king said it requires a lot of control and we know how good you are at that.”

Silvia nodded. “Your companion is right. It certainly is a gift from your bloodline and you shouldn’t feel bad receiving it, but if that was all that’s necessary then I should be as good as Father is instead of struggling to reach his level.”

“Just as Silvia said,” Welrond agreed. “It only looks like that because you already have a great amount of control and knowledge that instantly brings you higher when you acquire enough power to match them. It’s obvious that at some point the power threshold will catch up to the control and these jumps will stop, but we don’t know when.”

“I guess. So, is my mana just imitating the looks of some clothes and other things? What about my gloves? They seem almost the same as my actual ones, including the magical circles inscribed into them.” Asterios pondered.

“And how do these work exactly?” the king asked.

“A special mana-conductive ingredient is used as the base that allows them to be filled with spiritual energy. I can attach my glyphs and spells to them when they are turned on to have those on standby or activated.”

“Then, since those are formations activated by mana, they should work. It’s all about their design, right? Your clothes are currently made of spiritual energy. Literally. Even if they don't exactly give off such a feeling. And that means the circles are too.”

Asterios raised both of his brows. “When you put it like that… Then if they already are spiritual energy themselves, they should be always on?”

He made a few quick strokes with his right hand and slapped a freshly drawn sigil onto the back of his left. The symbol attached itself as usual and Asterios could feel the connection to it. As it activated, Miria felt a familiar sensation over her body.

“Oh. Steel Skin? It works, Master,” she informed him.

“Hahaha. Unbelievable.” Asterios smiled to himself. “Then, if all of this is spiritual energy…” He grabbed the edge of his coat and pulled it a bit to the side. “Selene.”

His vulpine partner knew exactly what to do and pierced the material with the tip of the katana she was still holding in her hand, swinging it down afterward to create a bigger cut. Everyone then watched how the split part of the coat caught on crimson fire and regenerated in a moment.

“Incredible,” Asterios muttered. “But as expected, it does consume a very minuscule amount of spiritual energy to repair itself. Nothing great, but if I were to run out at some point, it's quite obvious I would end up buck naked.”

The king nodded. “Yes, that’s the major downside of using Aura Materialization in the form of clothing or armor, but being proficient enough in it can result in much better protection than what common materials can provide. Especially when you are using leather or even the simplest iron. Having the agility of light armor with the durability of a heavy one is very advantageous.”

“Alright. We have wasted enough time gawking at the unexpected changes,” Asterios said, deactivating the spell he had placed on Miria. “If Your Majesty allows, we will now proceed with what we have planned. I will test and examine this in the meanwhile. I already was confident in dealing with them so it’s fine if I don’t get to the bottom of my possibly new abilities right now.”

“Very good. Here are the memory crystals so please, fill them up before you leave.” The king summoned and handed a few big gems to Asterios.

He received them into his hands and picked up a weird rectangular token from amongst the crystals.

“And what’s this?”

“A communication sigil. I have the other one. We can talk through it telepathically when both people activate it. Filling it with mana will make the second plate vibrate.”

“Understood. But, I could always send Umbra to connect us.”

“Naturally. You can also use it to let me know beforehand, which I would appreciate. Less anxiety when an ominous shadow suddenly emerges from behind you and something tries to invade your mind.”

Asterios smiled wryly.

“Can I get one too?” Silvia asked. “For training, of course. We could talk about ourselves and other things already.”

“I will think about it. For now, it’s not necessary since Asterios will be busy and you shouldn’t inconvenience him,” her father answered.

Miria peeked her head over Ast’s shoulder and glanced at the princess with a smile. “If you want to be able to talk with Master, there’s another wa—mmmmwwwhhhmmm…”

He quickly silenced her with a hand. “Thank you for everything, Your Majesty, Your Highness. I will come back to discuss our promise after we deal with the current predicament. Farewell.”

Black shadow swallowed Ast’s and Miria’s silhouettes and plunged into the ground, at the same time taking the sitting Selene with them too. Silence fell on the chamber.

“What an interesting youth.” Welrond finally broke it after a moment.

“I agree, Father. I feel like I can learn a lot from him. Thank you for this opportunity. I know it must be hard with a daughter that avoids interacting with other nobles and spends all her time on training grounds.”

“Don’t mention it, my dear. I have never forced you to put up with them and I can fully understand your unwillingness to socialize with most of those pricks.” Welrond sighed heavily while rubbing his temples. “At least you still learn about everything necessary to be a proper ruler and know who is who without even meeting them.”

“It’s only natural, Father. I can’t disappoint you. You know that I would do anything for you.”

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“I do and I appreciate it. The same thing goes for me. But… If you really want to show how grateful you are… Then what about calling me as you used to a long time ago? Just once… You know… Daddy?” 

Silvia’s face instantly turned crimson and she shot up. With a downcast gaze and hasty step, she raced through the room and disappeared behind the door with a loud slam.

Welrond sighed again. “Maybe if I asked Asterios…”

 

※※※

 

After they appeared outside of the castle, Miria pouted. “That was mean, Master. And you forgot about the crystals.”

Asterios bonked her on the head. “Behave yourself next time, then. They are royalty. A king and a princess. I knew exactly what you wanted to suggest.”

“Ehehe~”

He pulled her closer and pecked Miria’s lips. “Thank you for taking care of me when I was unconscious.” Selene joined them and he placed a kiss on hers too. “Both of you.”

“Fufufu~ It's our duty.”

“Nevertheless, thank you. As for the crystals, Umbra will deliver them later. Let’s get back home first. After we arrive there, please go check on Svertaniel and the situation in Dagger's End.”

~As you wish, Master,~ Umbra responded and started transferring him while the girls jumped back to their realm.

Asterios showed up in front of the mansion and quickly found his mother. She threw herself at him in a tight hug and barraged him with questions, but he told her to gather everyone and he would explain.

With his grandparents present too, he explained what he had discussed with the king and what was their plan of action, of course, omitting some details. He still mentioned in general meeting the princess and their practice spar, which ended in him agreeing to train more with her.

James was surprised to learn that the king had given their token back but received it nevertheless. He was sure it was thanks to Ast’s interactions with the man and his innate diplomatic skills. His grandson just oozed with charisma and a noble demeanor.

“To think that you became the tutor of the royal princess.” Anna smiled at Asterios warmly. “I always knew you were special from all those letters my daughter had been sending us.”

“Mom! Please, don’t bring that up in front of him!” Kindra blushed faintly.

“We tried to keep ourselves away from all the nobility but maybe it’s time to reconsider our approach. First Nobelle and now the royal family…” James rubbed his chin.

“Slow down, Grandfather. I think you are getting a bit too far ahead with this. It’s just a simple deal between me and the king. Not much else,” Asterios said.

Kindra scooted closer to his side and started grazing her finger over his chest. “You are saying that but my motherly senses are telling me that you haven’t told us everything. I bet she’s already completely charmed with you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Mom, stop. Consider who you are talking about first. I’ll be leaving now. There are many things I need to take care of. And you guys just reminded me of another one.”

She giggled and let go of him. Asterios nodded politely at everyone, receiving the same in response, and disappeared in black shadow. The trio of Hestizos immediately began discussing how to approach this new era their family was stepping into.

After the brief meeting, Asterios moved to his room in the mansion and sat down on the bed. His grandfather had mentioned the Nobelle family and he realized that neither Grea nor Tina had contacted him after he woke up. The last time, Grea had been on him in just a few minutes.

He reached through his bond to the two women. ~Grea? Tina? Are you girls okay?~

~Finally, kid. I thought you would never get in touch.~

~Ast! Are you okay? Did something happen? Do you need help? Where are you?~

Asterios chuckled at the very lively but anxious tone of his blue-haired girlfriend. He knew she was ready to rush to him the moment he let her know his location.

~I’m fine, Tina. Better than ever, actually. What about you two? Did you experience the weird hot sensation again, Grea?~

~Yeah. It was much stronger, though. I melted a test tube in my fingers in a fraction of a second.~

~My pencil caught on fire when I was taking morning notes before going to school…~

He thanked in his heart whatever gods existed that Tina hadn’t been in the middle of the class when that happened.

~We tried to get in touch with you immediately but couldn’t reach you,~ Grea continued after Tina. ~Your girls heard us and said that you are unconscious and fine so we just waited for you to contact us.~

~I see. I’m sorry for worrying you. I know I said that I would give you a heads up next time but it all happened just so quickly and not exactly because I wanted. I didn’t know it could happen randomly too.~

~So, what was it? The same as the last time?~ Grea asked.

~Yes, but also something more. I will teleport to you and we’ll talk about it a bit later. I have some important things to do. Is two hours from now alright?~

~Yeah,~ both women replied.

~Good. See you then. I’m out.~

He then asked Umbra about Dagger’s End and his familiar confirmed notifying Svertaniel that their trip here was a success and that Asterios would fill him in on the details soon. The whole port was still on lockdown and the atmosphere there was growing tense. Their demon companion had been able to convince Moreso that Asterios was in the middle of fixing it.

Before heading there, Asterios teleported to Rosewind first after checking if Suanori was in her office. It was only natural to let her know how things had gone since they had left shortly after asking her for advice.

Noticing the signs of Umbra’s Shadow Movement on the floor, Suanori paused her paperwork and awaited the guest. Asterios soon emerged from the floor.

“Hello again,” she started. “I thought you were thrown into jail for some offense after you didn’t give any signs of life in almost two days.”

Asterios smiled wryly. “A lot of things happened and we spent two nights at the castle.” The guildmaster’s eyes widened. “And well, I did my best to avoid a certain woman as you have advised me, but I might have ended up as her sparring partner and a tutor by accident so it’s kind of like I have been chained to some extent?”

Suanori sighed heavily while rubbing her forehead. “Whatever you do just ends up completely outrageous…”

He then shortly filled her in on a few general things that had happened recently and they talked a bit about the king and his daughter. Suanori was surprised to learn that the man remembered her so well as she didn’t feel like she had done anything special to earn that.

“You just can’t catch a break, can you?” she asked with a smile.

Asterios shrugged. “Not much I can do about it. It’s beneficial to me anyway so it’s not something annoying.”

“Right. If you would like to listen to some more advice from me, make sure to keep your girls on a tight leash around the princess. Trust me.”

“Oh, I will. You can be sure about that.”

“You better.” She chuckled softly. “Now, I get that you are busy so move along. As for the thing you have mentioned, I started gathering people. We should be good in a few days. Eight have registered so far.”

He nodded. “Thank you very much. On behalf of Dagger’s End too. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated.”

With a simple goodbye, Asterios returned home and checked on Risvi. The boy was doing well and looked much better. They talked a bit and Asterios let him know that he could possibly safely return to Dagger’s End soon. Risvi wasn’t exactly sure about that so they left the discussion for later.

With most things taken care of, Asterios moved to Grea’s lab before teleporting to the lands of the Damascu Clan. He met up with the women and sat down for a moment to talk about the recent events, without hiding anything from them. Tina seated herself by Ast’s side and held his hand the whole time, unsure about showing more affection in front of the professor.

They both were shocked the more they listened to Ast’s story. While Grea marveled over the possibility of Asterios coming down from a lineage of Dragons, what she also had assumed in one of her much less probable theories, Tina focused on the part where he had met the princess, getting a bad feeling about that.

In around an hour, they exchanged some thoughts about his situation and Grea insisted on Asterios attempting the Blood Summoning to fully confirm that he really was connected to Dragons. She still wasn’t sure about his two sources even if he descended from a Dragon, but she felt like the ritual should be a good thing nevertheless, especially now that they had learned so much.

Since both of them knew he was busy, neither girl held Asterios back and he soon jumped to Dagger’s End after spending some time alone with Tina, exchanging a few tame kisses with his lovely girlfriend as they chatted about her progress in school.

Svertaniel was ready for his arrival and they got to work immediately. Umbra had told the man about their arranged meeting with the patriarch of the Damascu clan and Svertaniel led them through the town as they talked mentally through Ast’s familiar. Before they reached the impressive stone keep, Asterios filled his temporary companion in on pretty much everything related to their operation.

Now, they stood in front of the giant dark metal double gate after one of the guards led them here. The patriarch had been awaiting their arrival. It was time to wrap up the final element of the plan and begin the operation. And hopefully, move to the Demon Continent straight afterward.

 

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