Chapter 5 #2
Shadows flooded out from his core and saturated his body. He felt himself become one with the darkness in a way that was different, new, and profound.
He was no longer a human form cloaked in darkness.
His very flesh was now woven through with shadow, so that he felt himself…
unreal, insubstantial, the contours of his form fading into the air around him.
Not a ghost, not pure shadow itself, but only partially physical now.
Beneath that new sensation lay another: a bonfire ready to flare up the moment his form was damaged, to bolster and regenerate him, to make him more focused and coherent the more wounds and exhaustion he sustained.
Harald stared down at himself in wonder.
He wasn’t merely turned into shadow. The very darkness that engulfed him afforded a protection he intuited exceeded that gifted by Umbral Aegis.
It gave a sensation of invulnerability he knew had to be false, but still it raised his spirits, made him feel untouchable, unreachable.
And the very bonuses afforded by Dark Vigor had doubled as well.
“Impressive,” said Brauxis. “The urge to smite you has redoubled!”
“My apologies,” said Harald, turning his arms to and fro as he admired their whispering, blacky burning forms. His words seemed to come from far away. “I… yes. I can feel my power growing.”
“The natural culmination of this refinement and increased simplicity is a new level,” said Brauxis. “The Fallen Angel always recognizes consolidation.”
“That so?” Harald grinned, though he knew Brauxis couldn’t see his smile beneath the shifting darkness. “So, consolidating my powers will result in gaining new ones?”
“No. You are in the process of gaining that power already. The level is her acknowledgement of your gains.”
“I see.” Harald lowered his arms and allowed the Form of the Black Throne to fall away. His body immediately felt heavy, burdensome, and slow. He inhaled deeply. Had he even been breathing while in his new form? He couldn’t recall. “I guess I’m getting greedy.”
“Were you not, you wouldn’t be Level 8.” Brauxis seemed to be studying him, though his blank helm revealed nothing. Harald could sense his focus. “Yet you are gaining more power than I anticipated. You are benefitting more than most from consolidation.”
“Talented, I guess,” grinned Harald.
“Or it could be your Demon Seed.”
Harald’s grin slipped away.
“Regardless. Continue. There are more benefits to be realized.”
* * *
Harald’s next advancement came only a day later.
Spurred by impatience at the increase of his Passive Abilities, he chose to focus instead upon his attacks, and in rapid order was able to intuit the connection between Abyssal Attunement and Demonic Edge.
One infused his blade with the draining power of the abyss, turning the edge of his sword into a portal to the abyss, while the other flung that energy forth.
They were both reflections of the same principle, and their aggressive intent made discerning their unity simple.
But that realization still felt only partial; satisfying, yes, elementary, true, but insufficient.
Harald dove deep into his core, frustrated with the lack of resultant consolidation. Was he missing something? Abyssal Attunement allowed him to drain essence through contact with his blade. Combat thus became a process of… extraction.
Demonic Edge allowed him to extend his attacks beyond his steel.
His weapon became… a conduit? There was something there akin to an aura power, was there not?
Within a certain domain, he could project the abyss.
His Edge allowed him to send distinct arcs in a direct line, but it was still a projection, his blade becoming a conduit.
In a sense… Black Halo was already a combination of them both. Abyssally Attuned attacks that acted as a conduit for his destructive desires.
Close.
He felt his core identity shift, felt his understanding of the abyss shiver.
What of Tenebral Surge? A radial annihilation burst. He became the center of devastation. The overlap with Black Halo was clear, but wasn’t that underpinned by Abyssal Attunement and Demonic Edge?
Excitement coursed through him, nearly causing him to lose his thread of thought. All were based on the power of the abyss, obviously, but they were… while using them, he became…?
It was so close. So tantalizingly close.
Those four powers, when considered together, weren’t just distinct ways to attack. They were… when combined… a means to…
Harald inhaled deeply and clenched his fists. His whole body was taut with tension. Consciously, he forced himself to relax.
They were… a means to impose collapse.
Flesh sundered. Essence drained. Foes destroyed. The abyss made manifest on the battlefield. Enemies weren’t just hit. They were drained, shredded, surrounded, overwhelmed, and unmade.
When combined, the four powers turned him into the core of a unified destructive system.
Harald’s eyes snapped open as an image seared itself into his mind: a vortex, a permanent swirling storm of the abyss with himself as the eye.
Active Ability Unlocked: Abyssal Imperium
Your abyssal powers have fused into a singular dominion of collapse.
You now wield annihilation as a unified force.
Harald let out a sharp exhalation.
Blinked, but saw that Brauxis was gone. Spun, and saw that the exit from the cavern was sealed shut, smooth stone where the archway had been.
Heart pounding, barely able to catch his breath, he reeled, the power of his epiphany and the change in his circumstances overwhelming him.
Abyssal Imperium?
Had the very strength of his new power scared the Emanation away? Had this all been a trap, a way to lure him into revealing the Demon Seed’s true might?
Chest heaving powerfully, he summoned Chyron’s Scourge and activated his new power.
The air darkened as if bruised, and filled with glints and hints of whirling movement as the ghosts of a thousand shadow blades began to revolve around him, filling the cavern with dark edges and intimations of death. The Scourge turned jet black, gleaming as if freshly dipped in ebon oil.
Harald licked his lower lip, considered blasting an attack at the freshly sealed wall. But then—no.
He dismissed the Abyssal Imperium.
The swirling madness of the rapidly revolving shadow blades faded, and the Scourge returned to its geode-mineral hue.
He knew he should be furious.
That this turn of events was a betrayal.
Did they seek to entomb him forever, and be rid of a potential foe?
It mattered not.
Right now, Harald wanted one thing: to continue following the thread of his realizations.
Abyssal Imperium. Form of the Black Throne. Crown of the Abyssal Tyrant.
All three were huge strides toward a destination that was just outside his reach.
But he was close.
So close.
Harald dropped to his knees, rested his fists upon his thighs, and closed his eyes.
Five powers yet remained unconsolidated.
Abyssal Grasp. Shadow Dominion. Grave Concordat. Dread Wellspring. Maw of the Starless Deep.
Five.
Brauxis had encouraged him to reach for four.
Was it possible to combine even more?
Harald bent his chin and focused.
The very cavern felt in flux around him. As if a great entity had turned to consider him for the first time. Alabenthos?
No.
This was something even vaster.
Harald forced the notion out of his mind.
Was there even a thread connecting the five?
He’d already grasped the connection between Abyssal Grasp and Shadow Dominion. Both manifested living tendrils of the abyss which quested for his foes, immobilizing, draining, and controlling them. Both were born from the abyss.
The abyss’ hunger and will made manifest.
The Abyssal Grasp fed him his foes’ energy.
Allowed him to drain them akin to a vampire.
Dread Wellspring fed him directly from the abyss.
With each passing moment, his connection to the abyss grew stronger, allowing him to increase his physical stats.
One sourced from his enemies, the other from the abyss.