Chapter 17: The Honor of A Man

Elias’s eyes were closed, and his senses were focused inside of him, and so he could tell that although his body felt the same, something was different, almost as if every part of him had been altered in such a subtle manner that he could not yet identify, but he could feel these changes.

There was a feeling of intense connection within his body that he had never felt before, it was almost as if everything about him had been properly synchronized down to the last exact detail, and if he thought about it, he could know how much health or stamina he had within him, which was a peculiar thought in itself, yet now, it felt almost natural, like a limb he never knew he had.

’Is this what it feels like to awaken?’

Elias would have loved to remain in this state for as long as possible to investigate the unknown changes via his senses, but he knew that would be a waste of time, not when, as an awakened individual, he had access to his [Status].

’To access the Lumina, how do I summon my [Status]? I remember that for everyone, the process is slightly different for the first time.’

An acrid smell like burnt rubber entered his nose, and his eyes flew open, as he reminded himself that he was not alone.

The first thing he noticed was a sphere of darkness about fifteen feet in diameter, hovering a few inches above the floor, a few feet away from him, and Elias stumbled back with a cry of shock. He did not intend to do that, but this sphere of darkness seemed to have a weight to it as soon as his perception knew it was there.

It was almost as if it had always been there beside him, and only now that he was a Siphon that he became aware of it.

For a moment, he thought that the darkness that had threatened to take over him in that weird vision had followed him into reality. He was wondering how he could fight against a concept when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and a part of his mind noticed that the hand was a little too warm, almost as if the owner had a fever.

He turned to see Brother Valerius behind him, and Elias saw the sphere of darkness reflected in his one green eye, but the solidity of his palm on Elias’s shoulder and the calm assurance in his gaze steadied Elias’s nerves, and Brother Valerius nodded in appreciation.

“Good, you have touched the Lumina and become a Siphon, congratulations, Elias, but your ascension is not over.”

Elias looked around him quickly, his eyes and all of his senses rapidly capturing details he had missed as his usual calm mind took control over his thoughts. For a moment, he thought he was in a slaughterhouse filled with weird bodies that appeared like monsters he had read in stories; they had all been sliced and crushed, but he blinked, and that vision was gone, leaving only plain metal in its place. Weird.

Too many things had changed too fast in such a short period that Elias had not properly taken the time to observe those changes and know the best method to respond to them, but now, it was almost as if he was already getting used to them, and his cool reasoning was taking charge.

He had returned from that weird white void, and looking around him, he could only see the commander and Brother Valerius; the rest of the Order were gone, including Kaelen, making Elias feel a little disappointed; he wanted to celebrate his ascension with his friend. However, did Brother Valerius not say that his ascension was not over? Could it be related to that sphere of darkness?

Elias noticed that the lights were dim, and at first, he thought it was a result of the orb of darkness floating in the room, sucking up all the light, because, why not? At this point, it was no longer a strange thought, but then he noticed that the massive Ember Orb above was dim, as if it had burned for hundreds of years and needed to be recharged.

“Come to me… son.”

His head whipped towards the floating orb of darkness as the unknown voice of that woman who had been inside his head during his ascension emerged from the orb of darkness. He peered at Brother Valerius to see if he was hearing the same thing, but from the smile in the man’s eyes and his general demeanor, Elias inferred that he must not have heard that voice.

Elias was used to hearing strange voices in his head, and was wondering if there was now a new addition; however, compared to the voice of the Passenger, whose cries could have driven a stone to insanity, this woman’s voice was almost… cute.

Cute was a strange word of choice to describe a disembodied voice, but Elias could not find any words to describe it. He was well aware that his sensibilities were just wrong, and what he considered normal or funny would be deeply frightening to others.

Perhaps, the smartest choice for him at this moment should be fear and apprehension, but Elias had lived too much with death that the prospect of his demise was not troubling. He would not mind dying if his death were interesting, and now that he had touched the Lumina, there was bound to be nothing short but intense adventures waiting for him ahead.

The desire to understand this new world he was entering was blooming in Elias’s chest, and the only reason he was not grinning was that he was aware that any normal person in his situation must be a bit disoriented and confused, and so he had to play that part for now.

“I… I don’t know what happened, one moment I was preparing for my ascension, then I saw this…” Elias gestured to the floating orb of darkness, “… thing. Where are Kael, Rhys, and the rest of the Order? Are they okay? Are we in danger? I can now fight, I think, since I am now a Siphon.”

Brother Valerius smiled, and Elias could feel that the hand on his shoulder became a bit firmer. “It is all okay, you were successful, and as much as I would like to tell you more about what you have just experienced, you have a choice to make, but you should not hear it from me, but the Commander herself.”

Drawing Elias closer so he could whisper to him, a heavy tone settling on his voice, and for a moment, Elias felt a heavier weight on his spirit, “Do you remember what I always tell you anytime we talked about the future and our places in it?”

Elias wanted to roll his eyes; of course, he did. His memories were perfect. However, he adopted a slightly lost look in his eyes as if he was digging into his memories. Brother Valerius had not tutored him for four years now, not since he began working under the walls of the Royal Palace, and it was normal to struggle to remember teachings from four years ago.

His eyes lit up as if he had just remembered the answer, and Elias whispered back, his voice shaking a bit but still carrying a strong conviction within,

“A man’s honor is not in never falling, but in always rising for a cause greater than himself.”

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