A skilful God

Azrael struggled to keep his eyes open, but the exhaustion was too much for him. He watched as Mortimer appeared before him, just like the first time he saw him. Mortimer's presence filled the room with a dark and foreboding energy.

Mortimer turned his attention to the woman who stood before him, paralyzed with fear. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Who, no, what are you?"

"You are in no position to ask questions," Mortimer replied, his voice cold and commanding. He raised his hands and the woman was lifted off the ground, suspended in midair by his telekinesis. She struggled to breathe as Mortimer squeezed his hands, cutting off her air supply. With a flick of his wrist, Mortimer sent the woman hurtling into the wall, leaving her gasping for breath and in shock.

"I'll ask the questions," Mortimer continued, his eyes fixed on the woman. "If you lie to me or refuse to answer, I'll give you a fate worse than death." Mortimer released his grip, and the woman took a deep, ragged breath, struggling to regain her composure.

"Who are you?" Mortimer demanded.

The woman hesitated. Mortimer's grip tightened once more, and the woman gasped for air.

"Don't make me ask again," Mortimer warned.

"I am an ancient beast of the soulless forest," the woman finally replied. "I evolved to a higher level than any other beast, but after thousands of years I have grown weak and all that's left of me is my soul."

Mortimer's eyes flickered with interest. "An adequate soul, I might add. One I can make use of to replenish my power."

Mortimer's grip tightened once more, and the woman struggled to breathe again.

"You're coming with me," Mortimer declared as he pulled the woman close to him. "The power I've expended to come here must be replenished, and you'll do it with your life."

Mortimer turned to Azrael, who lay unconscious on the ground.

"You'll be on your own for some time, Your Grace," Mortimer said as he picked up Azrael with his telekinesis.

Azrael slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the brightness of the light shining through the entrance of his cave. He took a deep breath and stretched his sore muscles, feeling refreshed but also disoriented. He looked around his cave, trying to piece together what had happened. He spotted his sword lying next to him, along with a book he didn't recognize.

He couldn't remember much from before he passed out, and he didn't know how much time had passed. All he knew was that Mortimer had probably managed to save him and bring him back to his cave. Azrael picked up the book, hoping to find some answers.

As he opened the book, he saw the first page filled with intricate handwriting. The words read, "I had used a great deal of my stored-up power to be able to enter the physical plane without consuming your dark ki, this means I would no longer be able to connect the physical plane and the watcher's gate until I regain my strength. Until then, you're on your own. So try not to die, your grace."

Azrael gripped the book tightly as he read the note. He knew the toll it took for Mortimer to cross over to the physical plane from the watcher's gate. He also realized that he was alone now, with no one to guide him or protect him. He flipped through the pages, hoping to find any clues as to what had happened while he was unconscious.

As he read on, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the woman he had fought. "Did Mortimer kill her?" he thought to himself. He tried to push the thought out of his head and focused on the words in front of him, hoping for some clarity and answers.

Azrael discovered that the next page of the book did not relate to anything that had happened recently. As he flipped through the book, he found instructions on ki techniques and how to use the power of the eternal flames more effectively. When he reached the end of the book, he read a message on the back page which said, "All of this must be learned to greatly aid your strength and prevent a situation deadly situation from happening again."

After closing the book and taking a deep breath, Azrael grabbed his sword and the book and left the cave. He walked through the forest until he reached the nearby waterfall, where he sat down and began to study the contents of the book more closely. As he read, he came across a variety of interesting skills with detailed instructions on how to learn them, including:

Eternal flame - telekinesis

Dark ki technique - death beam

Primordial spark - multiple bolts

Dark ki techniques - ki defense

Azrael was intrigued by what he read and decided to start with the first technique on the list: Dark ki technique - death beam.

As Azrael delved into the book, he discovered that the technique he wanted to learn was a destructive beam shot from the tips of the user's fingers, created by compressing their Dark ki and releasing it in a burst of energy. The book warned that while the concept was simple, executing the technique required a great deal of control over the flow of ki.

Confident in his ki control and flow, Azrael began to train himself in the technique. The book instructed him to start by flowing his dark ki through his body and compressing it at the tips of his fingers. However, Azrael quickly found this to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

Despite his best efforts, Azrael struggled to hold the compression for long and felt immense pain as his dark ki flowed back into his hands. After numerous failed attempts, the sun had almost set and the waterfall's loud sound overpowered the rest of the forest.

Azrael considered sleeping where he was, but he knew that it wasn't safe. He quickly made his way back to his cave to rest. As he lay down, he couldn't shake the feeling of the terrifying thing watching him ever since he had entered the forest. The feeling had become increasingly threatening, and Azrael decided that since it didn't want to come to him, he would have to seek it out.