The Legendary Dark Traveller (Part 1)

Dante woke up just before the dinner, which gave me a chance to actually interact with him. "An An", he'd say from time to time, even though me and my mother tried to teach him a few words. "Mama ba ba ga An An", he said. I couldn't understand anything, but my mother could for some reason translate that. "You are surprised, aren't you? Well, you were the same. A mother is able to tell what her child says, even though the words are mostly meaningless. Once you become a mother, you'll know", she explained.

'Once I become a mother, eh? I don't even have a boyfriend…'. My mind was mostly preoccupied with training or learning. I didn't have the time to meet new people, or even fall in love. That of course didn't mean I had no curiosity towards those things. My parents set up their family really late compared to others. I knew there was still time to fall in love, perhaps that was my reason for not rushing.

My father and the two masters returned before the evening. Master Irwin had a new friend with him as well. The small Taurus looked really adorable, but the name he chose was a bit… Too much of his style. "Crimson Rage is a bit overkill, don't you think?... As long as you take good care of him, I'm sure the name will not matter that much", I said. "What? It's a good name! Great name for a great future beast", he defended his naming sense. Master Yater didn't get one for himself though. The reason was simple as well. He had a pack of wolves and a bird at his place, there was no need for another animal to join their ranks.

The most important to me was my father though. I wanted to know the real extent of his powers. I wanted to witness the power of a Dark Traveller. "Dad, Frosty and mom told me who you really are. I'm not sure why you tried to keep that away from me, but I understand how important your role is", I said. He sighed, before taking a look at Frosty. "It's not that this was a secret of some sort. Most people know, so my daughter should as well. I'm sure Frosty answered most of your questions, but that's not why you told me this, right?", he asked.

"Hehe, you saw right through me. I'd like to witness those powers. The Legendary Dark Traveller, my father's real power", I admitted. "Normally I'd decline, since showing off isn't my kind of thing. These two told you about some of my skills, right? You also witnessed my Arts, but you'll need a proper comparison. I'll show you my Auras, then I'll show you the power of a Dark Traveller, alright?", he proposed. That wasn't a bad idea, since I could comprehend the power my father controlled much better that way.

For that demonstration, we had to move away from our houses. The two masters were really eager to find that out, meaning they didn't see the full extent of my father's strength. To my surprise, even my mother wanted to go. "He didn't even show you?", I asked, surprised. "Yet you call me stingy, eh? Just like he said, he's not the one to show off for no reason. The Arts he displayed for you? I know the strength of these was mild. A being at the Primal Limits must be capable of much more", she explained.

My father only smiled, and didn't try to refute that. "Alright then, let's get a bit away from here, so that we don't disturb the animals… Are you seriously taking Dante with you?", he asked when mother came back with my brother in her arms. "Are you telling me to leave him alone?", she argued back. "... No, just make sure to protect him then", he replied before we left the area.

Father took us out into the Wilderness, where we were told to stand a bit further back from him. "I'll show you all my Auras, their effects and then my inherited powers. Let's start with the first Aura that I created myself. The Domineering Aura", he said before releasing it into the open. I could feel my body's insides contracting heavily. I had a hard time breathing, while the others around me were mostly fine.

"I thought that this Aura used its pressure to hinder my opponent, but that's not the case. My Aura is a bit different than that", he added before demonstrating that on the ground in front of him. "Bam!", a huge hole appeared out of nowhere, but there was something inside it. He picked it up, before throwing it towards master Irwin. "Pak!", he caught it like nothing, then passed it to me. The object he handed to me looked like a small ball of glass, but when I actually grabbed it, the weight wasn't something I expected.

"My Aura is able to compact anything in its wake… Well, almost anything. There is another use for this though", father said before surrounding himself with that Aura. His body compacted rapidly, making him a lot thinner. "I can use that Aura on myself, but only certain types of Auras can achieve this. This places a lot of stress on my body, but of course I'm not overdoing it at this stage. Irwin, come and attack me with your sword", father invited.

Master Irwin gladly grabbed his sword and walked towards him, but then stopped. "You are not allowed to retaliate, alright?", he asked. My father shook his head, "Just attack me with some strength, don't act like a weakling". Master Irwin took that as a yes, and released his own Aura. There were no skills involved in that one slash, he simply attacked my father.

"BOOOM!", the attack was powerful enough to create a shockwave, able to reach even my body. That would be impressive, if not for my father's block. He simply caught the sword with his bare hand. "Not bad at all. You used a lot of strength and actually managed to wound me. Of course, the wound will regenerate soon", father said before releasing the sword from his grasp. He didn't use the Dragon Arm of his, no, he used his normal arm for that. Yet, master Irwin was only able to make a small cut on his palm.

"That isn't the full extent of this Aura, but you get the idea, right?", he asked me. I was mesmerised to be honest. My father was a being at a Primal Limits stage after all. "...Yes, though shouldn't your body be naturally strong due to the stage?", I asked. "That is true, but I actually weakened myself for his strike. In this case, I was at the peak of the Inner Limits stage. If he used his full strength, he'd cut my arm rather badly so I'm not invincible… at least under those conditions", he explained.

That concluded the demonstration for my father's Domineering Aura, but others didn't seem that impressed. They knew that Aura pretty well. That demonstration was mostly for me and perhaps for Dante, who shouted "Dada" excitedly a few times.

"Let's move on to my Bloodlust Aura. You already witnessed some of it, and even saw my skill. The Art of War doesn't require any elaborate skills though, it's the Art of fighting using your anger basically. I'm not sure if you know this, but once you develop more than one Aura, there is a way to combine them…", he said before the mood of the area changed.

My own Aura began awaking, while a large sword appeared in my father's hand. "You remember this sword, right? I'm using purely my Bloodlust Aura to make this sword, but let's see what happens when I add my Domineering Aura". The sword began shrinking bit by bit, it was getting compacted by my father's second Aura. That wasn't all, an even more hateful and angry mood enveloped the area. The masters and my mother felt the brunt of such force. They had to use their own Auras to protect me and my brother.

The sword was already screeching when it became about double the size of master Irwin's sword. "I'm sure you are feeling the burden guys, but I can go even further… Like this… Bam!", the ground underneath my father shattered, while his eyes became blood red. The two masters and my mother were struggling at this stage, they were barely able to fight against the pressure. The sword in my father's hand disappeared suddenly, allowing us to relax a bit. "You are a monster after all", master Irwin said quietly. "Yea, you haven't shown us your skills to this extent. No wonder you went easy on us back then…", master Yater added.

"Anyway, that was my Bloodlust Aura. Then again, it could be much stronger. I just don't want to overdo it, especially with little Dante and Anna around", father said. That sounded like bragging, but I was glad he didn't go all out, even though I actually asked him.

"Next Aura is not going to be this wild, so you should be fine. The Unyielding Will or Aura is a bit special. In the past, I had to meet certain conditions to awaken it. I can control it now, but it took me years. This is how it looks like", he explained.

I could feel something coming, but it wasn't savage, hateful or wild. The Aura felt refined … and quiet. My father's hair slowly lifted upwards, and danced around without any wind. His eyes changed to pale blue colour. That wasn't the end though. A faint haze surrounded his body, containing the same hue as his eyes. "This Aura doesn't have adverse effects on people really, it's more of a personal Aura. It affects my state of mind, my instincts and senses. That in turn makes me much stronger", he said.

"So, why is that Aura much stronger than others?", I asked, a bit confused. "Because I'm overreaching my own potential. It's not harmful in any way to me, but the effects are only visible through my skills. To show you this, I'd have to destroy a good chunk of the Wilderness, which isn't something I'm prepared to do for a simple demonstration. I also need a strong opponent for that, and Frosty will not fight me for stupid reasons", he replied.

"I can show you a weak example though…", he added. That was something, therefore I agreed. A pale blue spear appeared in his hand. I knew he used the Domineering Aura, because the spear was being condensed. "This is an Illusionary Unyielding Spear, combination of two Auras and two Arts. That's how it looks in action", he said before throwing it upwards.

Once the spear left his hand, it disappeared. When it appeared again, there were hundreds of them forming a sphere in the sky. "So this is an illusion?", I asked. "No, none of them are illusions. All of them are real, and all of them have the same amount of power", father replied, while the spears moved towards the middle. "Boom!", a loud clash reverberated through the area, while a powerful aftermath blew against our bodies. That time, it was my father who protected us.

'This is the strength of one skill, and yet he told me this was a weak demonstration…', I thought. "By the way, your eyes. They changed colours… I mean, do your eyes change colour with every Aura you have or something?", I asked. "No, it's not like that. My Auras are reflected in my eyes as well. Remember Anna, eyes can reflect a person's character or strength. That is why your eyes change under the influence of your Aura. Your mother and her ancestors were the same. Of course, this sort of change requires some special conditions, not all Auras can achieve that", he explained.

That made sense, since master Irwin's eyes changed due to his Aura too. Master Yater's eyes didn't change colour when he used his Aura. "These were the three Auras that I command. With these three alone, I'd say my strength ain't that bad already, even against those in the same stage. Of course, the Primal Limits stage involves another thing, but that's not something you need to know right now… Judging by my wife's expression, she's getting impatient. You want to see my real power, eh?", he asked.

"Show us, and let's be done with it", mother said, annoyed. "Yea, come on Nex, I'd like to see the Legendary Dark Traveller myself", master Irwin added. "Calm down guys, I'll show you in a minute. Before that, I have to show you my ice powers, right? I mean, Frosty is outside, and he's the one affecting the strength mostly. I'm sure he'd refuse that thing if I ask him… Instead, I'll just show you the extent of my ice power. That is what I can control, without Frosty's help", he said.

He didn't use any Auras for that, only his right Dragon Arm. "By the way, condensing stuff is in my nature, hence I can do this without an Aura. That is thanks to the control, not Auras or external powers", he explained while a ball of ice formed atop his palm. That didn't look overly strong, since Frosty could actually breathe ice from his mouth.

"Anna, here's a lesson for you. Just because something looks weak, doesn't mean it is. Let's see if you'll find it underwhelming", he said to me before throwing the ball of ice far away. "Crack… Shing!", a huge area turned into a small ice mountain. That one ball of ice, created something unbelievable. "How strong would that be if Frosty helped you?", master Yater asked. "Hmmm, a few times bigger? Something like that. Depends on his mood really", father replied.

"Alright, you've shown us everything. Now, let's see the real stuff", my mother said while rocking Dante. He really wanted to go to his dad, but mother wasn't letting him. "Patience, Fox. I'll show you my weapon first, then the main event", father replied instead. I wasn't sure what sort of weapon he'd take out. I saw him use daggers, swords and even spears. He had a real weapon too, which led me to believe it had to be one of them.