Chapter 8: Chapter 7- State of One

"Ashford?”

I found myself lying down on a hill of green grass, flowing freely in the wind against a tree that I was using as shade.

I awoke to an old but familiar-sounding voice.

“Ashford? Ashford~...”

A large figure appeared behind me, lowering its upside-down face to my level.

“There you are~ my little Ash~”

She stepped over me to my front and picked me up.

She was an average-sized woman with a good-looking figure. Her long hair and blue eyes reminded me of my sister and her smile released a warm feeling within my heart.

“You’re getting so big now~”

She put me down and sat at the base of the tree.

“Come here, baby.”

Beckoning me to come over, I began to walk toward her.

I realized that I wasn’t in my normal body. I was smaller and my legs were a little stubby.

Because of my weak body, I fell after a few steps right in front of her.

“Fufu. You’re so adorable, Ash!”

I became annoyed and put on a pouty face.

“Aww. Don’t cry~ Mommy will take care of you.”

She pulled me toward her and cradled me in her arms.

An alien, but yet a fuzzy feeling. I couldn‘t help but sink into the comfort of her arms as I began to doze off.

“Rest, for now, Ash. Because one day you’ll grow up to be a handsome boy~”

I surrendered my body and mind to her as every single worry, regret, and shame was washed away by the warmth of her melodious voice and soft aura.

“But until then– you’re mine you got that little man?”

As I fell asleep, I became enveloped in a sense of longing before darkness blinded me from heaven.

***

I woke up in my bed the day after Astaroth and I had our discussion on the gods and families.

The sense I felt from that vision was gone.

“So it was a dream…”, I concluded.

Immediately after I said that, an attendant came in. However, what followed instead of her usual joyful greeting was a worryful remark.

“M-My lord! Are you okay? What happened?”

Was there something wrong?

I looked toward a mirror that was placed on the wall opposite my bed and realized what the problem was.

I touched my face as I discovered that I was crying. 

The tears from my face flowed onto my shirt and dampened the collar.

“A-Ah! It’s alright! It’s just…”

I paused before finding the right sentence.

“I had a good dream.”

***

That same day, I traveled once again to the library in the basement, looking forward to more of Astaroth’s education.

There, I met an impatient demon who seemed to have a knack for finding my faults.

“You’re a minute late. Your shirt is carelessly unbuttoned. And your hair is messy, you seem to have a habit of scratching your head, aren’t I correct?”

While he battered me with a barrage of disrespect, I questioned when our plan would be set in motion.

“We plan to retrieve the two books and search for a lead to Nycht, yes? But how can I do that? I need to maintain my position as duke, as well as the fact that I don’t have any power.”

“Hmm. Did I not tell you already? I’ll simply grant you some of mine in the meantime.”

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“Your demon powers? If I were to use those and someone were to find out, I would be shamed, trialed, and exiled!”

“It isn’t as if every one of my abilities is based on demon magic.”

“For example…”

Astaroth’s left eye began to glow and emit a mesmerizing light.

He put the light against my eye, putting his eye across from mine.

I began to feel something crawl around my eye. As if my eye were covered in something.

“There you go. I gave you my eye.”

H-His eye?!

“But you still have yours?”

“Not like that, I mean that I transferred the power of my left eye into yours.”

“It’s a skill called [Dominating Eye]. It can induce fear into other people, and control the minds of those who are weak-minded.”

An ability that induces fear? How sinister. Quite Fitting of the king of demons. But is this enough?

Trusting in Astaroth, I decided not to question it further.

“With this, no one will dare to question your authority. Just simply make an example out of them.”

I didn’t doubt his words.

“Now sit down. I’m not done with you yet.”, he revealed.

I obediently listened and sat comfortably on the ground.

“Listen, you’ve heard of the state of flow known as Unity, right?” The state of mind in which one with mana aligns their energy, body, and mind to emerge as one whole for a short time. And during that short time, they become at least twice as strong as they are.”

Unity? Of course, I’ve heard of it. A rare event that only ever happens amongst the best of the best. Also known as the “State of One”. 

“It seems like you’ve heard of it, young duke. I guess I’ll teach it to you now.”

“Wha?!”

I jumped in surprise as my mouth and eyes widened in tandem in correspondence to such an outrageous statement.

“Y-You realize I can’t do that, right?”

“Tsk. Let me tell you something, kid. Unity isn’t something anyone could simply understand. In the first place, it isn’t some random thing happening.”

I was once again caught in confusion, but I decided to hear him out.

“You seem to think that Unity is an event that only happens to those with strong capabilities– however…”

“The truth is– Unity can happen to anyone. It doesn’t require powerful capabilities of magic. I’ve heard that some people think that Unity is some kind of reawakening, but not to this extent.”

I was shocked but completely entranced by his explanation, like a dog waiting for its owner to feed them.

“It seems people these days think of Unity as an event that happens like the alignment of the planets. However, the truth could not be further. Rather than a random incident, Unity is a place. One that can be reached endlessly.”

“The ‘State of One’, as you now call it, is an experience in which one has reached the limit of their abilities. And with each part of you all at the maximum, they align, and everything becomes one whole.”

“They enter a state in which their body is pure energy, and since in the air exists that same energy, it becomes much easier to intake it.”

“However, one does not stay in that state for long. But what do you think happens when you return to your normal form with all that mana?”

The gears in my head began to turn before he got to his point.

“Per one's limits, when they take in too much mana– they overload, and perish quite violently.”

“And for that reason, to prevent it, their limits must rise. Which is how those people become stronger.”

Thanks to Astaroth, I now understood the truth behind the State of One. Unfortunately, I still didn’t see the solution I needed, especially as one who can’t reach the State of One in the first place.

Only when I heard his next words did I finally understand.

“The thing about you is that your limit is zero. Meaning you’re unable to take in mana in the first place. And so, the solution?”

He beckoned toward my heart with his hand and laid the tip of his finger directly on it.

“Continuously enter the State of One, until you surpass those people at the top!”

And with that statement, a strange feeling entered my chest.

As if he were injecting me with poison, my weakening body stumbled as I fell into his arms before everything went dark.

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