Limitless

A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07

---

A few days later, when Maya and I were having dinner, I ask, "I always meant to ask. Externals are all Immortals, right?"

Maya gives me a knowing look, and says, "You want to ask why I still need to feed on other people to live?" At my sheepish nod, she sighs, and says, "It is a folly of my own doing, I assure you."

I look at her, not saying anything, while she takes the moment to gather her thoughts. Resting her hands in front of herself, Maya says, "After I had my First Death, I could have lived eternity without feeding on a single soul. I could have also stayed my hand for a few years and then returned to sucking souls, without actually needing to do it. Alas, when I did it just once, right after I resurrected, when I killed Cul-Gath and sucked his soul, my condition returned fully."

If I understand it correctly, her Awakening as an External had fixed the issue with her soul. But since she didn't know it at the time, and used her Soul sucking soon after waking up, her soul once again returned to needing souls to survive.

She then chuckles, and adds, "Besides, I was around 200 years old when I had my First Death. When I was Resurrected, I had found myself in a body befitting that age. Absorbing Cul-Gath's soul allowed me to return to the youthful form you see now."

I nod, accepting it, and say, "It was just a curious question. Have you found a way to fix it?"

Maya shrugs, and says, "A few. I am, as you might deduce, the foremost expert in Soul Magic in the entire World, even counting all the Gods of Death, and the Necromancy Experts. I have either created, or found, more than a few Rituals that might.. MIGHT.. work on fixing the damage done to my soul. Alas, the ingredients required for that are completely inaccessible to me. And hence, the Rituals themselves are completely impossible for me to perform."

I refrain from asking what the ingredients are, and return to eating, my mind running fast. 

I'm an expert in Rituals, not the best out there, but I am good at modifying existing Rituals for my own use. I haven't tried actually creating Rituals, but that's only because I didn't need it. And if Maya, a self proclaimed Pioneer in Soul Magic, says that there isn't a way to fix her issues, then there isn't. 

Her Soul was damaged, thanks to the Sacrificial Ritual her father's village forced on her. And then, when her Ascension to an External fixed those issues, her own need for revenge, and her need to look young brought those issues back.

Although, the Ingredients thing will need some thinking on, but only when a bit more trust has been established between us.

I then ask, "Would that work again? You dying and resurrecting? As long as the one to kill you is a normal Mortal, you should resurrect, right?"

Maya shakes her head, although she does it with a smile, and says, "I thank you for your help, Atharva, but no.. it doesn't work. I have already tried it. It would have only worked right after my First Death, not anymore."

"Huh. I apologise then. It can't be comfortable, having to rely on other souls to live." I say, and return to my food once again, gaining silence in return.

"No.. it isn't" Maya softly says, as she too returns to eating.

---

A couple weeks pass in comfort, with Maya and I living peacefully in her Castle. She spent her days either in her Library, in the Kitchens, or in her gardens. I, meanwhile, spent my days just thinking about my battle with Hela, using my Mind Palace to analyze that fight again and again.

I also helped her cook the food every once in a while, and once, I even cooked food from my own time for her.

And yes, I had told her about my Time Travel accident on the first day itself. I didn't mind that, I could feel no malice from her, and I felt like I needed to tell her my own story right after she told me hers.

As for Hela.. I was cursing my stupidity everyday. First of all, I shouldn't have stayed to fight her, that was a stupid mistake to make, and I know that now. Well, I also knew that then, but I wanted to test my mettle against her.

Secondly, I could have tried a few more things to gain an upper hand, which I didn't do. I could have taken her to the Mirror Dimension, which would have probably given me enough control over the fighting grounds to land a win even.

I could have used my Kasha flames, which might have worked to harm her, and it might even have helped me cut her arm off completely. My swords can channel my flames well enough that it might have worked in cutting her arm off.

I could have used my Light Magic through the sword, which also might have worked.

I could have used my Telekinesis, but I also know that my talents in Telekinesis aren't strong enough to battle her. But it could have given me an advantage. As for Telepathy, I had actually tried it. Her Mind just refused to be bent(or even penetrated) by me.

Sure, some of them are 'mights' rather than 'will', but I could have at least tried.

And then there's her Magic Resistance. Or more like, her own dense Magic.

I have seen those moments in my own mind again and again. When I used the condensed Fiendfyre, when I tried to blast her away, when I tried the Dark Curse. I have repeatedly visited those moments to see why it happened. To see if I can find a way to fix that issue.

And I realised.. I can't.

Hela's Magic is so dense, that it inherently repels all Magic weaker than hers. She's literally better than Dragons, Nundus, Basilisks, and even Giants, at repelling Magecraft spells. Possibly combined.

I doubt if even the Killing Curse would have any effect on her, but to be fair, the Killing Curse is a Curse meant for Mortal Souls. It might not even work on the Externals, to be honest.

Shaking my head, I stand up. I need to talk about this, out loud. Maybe that will help.

"Yes, brother? What can I do for you?" Maya asks, smiling up at me when I enter the Lounge.

I sit down, and say, "I needed to talk about my battle. And even show it to you. I was hoping that your.. thousands of years of experience.. might have some insights on it."

"Oh?" Maya asks, and puts the Tome she was reading down. I doubt she hasn't already read through it, but she might have also forgotten that she's ever read it.

I know I have that problem, and I'm only 75 years old, while also having perfect recall.

I lean back, and say, "You know who I fought. Hela of the Asgardians. The Goddess of Death. Have you fought any Gods in your life?"

Maya nods, as she waves her hand, conjuring a couple cups of tea for her and me. Her batch of tea is wonderful, and I've learned that she grows the plants herself, in her own garden.

As I take a sniff of the strong tea, Maya says, "I have mentioned before that I was present during the Convergence 8000 years ago. That year was one filled with War. Every Pantheon was new then. Asgard was ruled by Buri, Othrys by the Titans, Egypt by the God Eater, and so on. And like any young race, they warred with each other. More than a few Gods came to me, to force me and the other Externals to join their ranks. A few accepted, and became Gods, but I, Garbha-Hsien and a few others refused. The Gods didn't like that, and tried to kill all of us. As you can tell, I lived, they didn't. Why do you ask?"

I smile, always excited to learn new things about the past, and ask, "Have your spells ever failed you against them? Specifically the Magecraft ones?"

Maya frowns, closing her eyes to think back. Barely a few seconds later, she opens them, and says, "No.. I can't say they did. My Magecraft.. as you call it.. never failed me against the Gods. I even fought against the Egyptian God of Magic, Heka, once. Even then my Magic worked perfectly."

I run my fingers through my hair, not understanding it. I had thought that all Gods had dense Magic, but is it just Hela?

"I.. don't understand. Look, I want to show you my memories of the fight. You can give me your own opinion then." I finally say, and immediately summon the Elder Wand to my hand.

Maya looks in open curiosity, as I touch it to my forehead, and then pull it back, pulling the white wispy strand of my memories with it.

"Fascinating." Maya mumbles, watching me work.

I chuckle, despite my worries, and drop the Memory strand on top of the table, while storing the Elder Wand back in Nowhere. The table is not a Pensieve, however, and nothing happens when I do so. It just.. stays on the table as if it was a dense liquid.

With a few gestures, I conjure a Runic Spell around my palm, and point it at the memory. Immediately, the memory wisp floats up, and within a single moment, expands to cover the entire room in white smoke, that then begins to slowly transform into a forest, with Hela, her two servants, and I, facing each other off, the Berserkers fallen on the ground near me.

Or more accurately, the spell, along with my memory, turns the entire room into a Pensieve, showing anyone who enters it my memory of that fight.

"I haven't seen a use of Runes like that since.. ever. I didn't even know it was possible to use Runes like this!" Maya exclaims, as she looks around. "Is this something that is common in your Future?"

I smile, as the Spell stays dormant around my wrist, and say, "Thank you, and no. This is something of my own making. I was never told Runes couldn't be used like this, and even my Runes Master was surprised. I believe it is because I believed it to be something doable that I managed."

"Fascinating. And this.. is this your memory? You're using illusions to show me your memory? But.. this doesn't feel like an illusion." Maya asks, ever curious.

You'd think that after 15,000 years of living she would have seen everything in regards to Magic. But apparently not.

Shaking my head, I say, "No. I am capable of many things, dear Maya, but Illusions is the one thing that I am not. Even the simplest of the Illusions are something I'm absolutely incapable of conjuring." 

And it is true. Not just for me, but for most of us Mages. Most. There are exceptions, obviously, but most Mages are absolutely pants at Illusions. Except for the Disillusionment Charm, the variations of the Flagrate spell, I cannot use any illusion.

We have multiple ways to see through illusions, but actually using them? Hah!

"What I did was use a Runic spell to turn this entire Room into an Artefact capable of showing Memories. Now, sit back, and enjoy the fight. Or enjoy my humiliation, because that is what happened." I say, and sit back on the chair, activating the Memory as I do so.

Immediately, the Memory starts playing itself, showing Hela and I talk a bit, before we begin our fight. I look at Maya, and find her completely focused on the fight, her eyebrows raising more than a few times, in either curiosity, or surprise.

When I hit Hela with the Fiendfyre spell, Maya mumbles, "That.. was idiotic. She's a Goddess of Death. Hell Fire, no matter what language you call it down in, will not harm her."

I sigh, having already cursed myself for that, but stay silent.

When Hela summons Mjolnir from wherever it had remained hidden until then, and slams me with it, Maya says, "That hammer.. it is a Divine one, is it not?"

I nod, seeing that she was looking at me when she asked that, and say, "I could feel that it was highly Magical, and could have channelled Hela's Divinity as if our own Magical Foci, but thankfully, Hela didn't use it for that. Whether it was arrogance, or her inability to use it as a Focus, I don't know."

Maya nods, and says, "You could have died during that hit. I can see that Hela held back."

Huh, to be honest, yeah. Hela did hold back during that hit. I could have been beheaded right then and there. It's Mjolnir! And Hela!

Why didn't she, though? Arrogance? Or did she just want to stretch the fight out?

We return to watching the memories, Maya giving a shocked reaction when Hela creates a portal to follow after me, and then asks, "Tiny Witches?"

My lips twitch, remembering that particular description of the Elves. I pause the memory, and say, "You must know the race of Elves that Mage kind has created and enslaved?" And Maya's nod, I say, "I have a village full of those Elves, freed from enslavement, and their bodies strengthened, near my home. They consider it their duty to protect Magical Creatures because Magic gave them Sentience. Before I got there, the Elves fought and killed two Asgardian soldiers, while rescuing the Re'em. And then, they asked me to save the Re'em they couldn't save."

Maya raises an eyebrow at the short story, and asks, "And you listened?"

I shrug, knowing that it must be hard for her to accept that a Mage listened to a request from an Elf, and say, "I owe them a lot. Before I freed them from their Enslavement, they were my House Elves. My.. Slaves. I had them do a lot of work for me, while I was looking for ways to cure their condition. And so, as penance, I asked them to call for me whenever they may need my help."

Maya becomes pensive, but stays silent as she looks back up to the memory. I continue it, and we stay silent the rest of the time. Not even when my Magecraft spells veered around Hela after splitting in two, did she give a reaction. 

Finally, when Hela kills my Images of Ikonn Clone, and indirectly, me, the memory retreats back to the wispy form, and with a single wave of my hand, flies back to my head. 

Maya stays silent for a few seconds, and then says, "You should have killed her, when you had her bound with the Crimson Magic."

I nod, accepting that, but say, "If I had killed her then, Asgard would have razed Midgard to the ground. They would have killed not just me, but all those like me, and my Elves, and the Magical creatures."

Maya also nods, and says, "That.. is a possibility, yes. Or, the Sorcerers, other Pantheons, and even the Mutantur, would have interfered before they could cause much harm."

She shakes her head, and says, "I understand now what you meant by your questions. Your Magic failed you, against Hela. And I know why it happened to you, and not to me when I had fought Asgardians in my own Past."

"Why?" I ask, both of us leaving the topic of me hypothetically killing Hela aside. I don't mention that it might not have worked anyway, since cutting off Hela's bones was a bit beyond my strength at the moment.

Maya looks at me, and bluntly says, "Your Magic is too weak." I scowl, to which she says, "It is not something you might have ever learned, if you hadn't faced someone like Hela. But there is a limit to how strong a Mage's Magic can get. And you, brother, are right at the precipice of the limit. But you haven't crossed it yet."

"What do you mean? Sorcerers can get strong enough to fight Gods well enough, so can Coven Witches. Even a Mage.. Watoomb, could get strong enough to Conquer a Splinter Realm." I say, a bit confused.

Maya nods, and says, "Yes, but not one of them did it using their own Magic. Sorcerers get stronger by absorbing more and more Magic from the Universe, and the outer Realms. Coven Witches do it by absorbing Magic from the Earth, using their Coven place as the channel, but even still they only get stronger because of their Rituals and their books. As for Watoomb.. I was alive when Watoomb was just a Mage, you know. I was even a Sorcerer of Kamar Taj during that time. He first kept borrowing the Magic from the Splinter Realm, and only the Splinter Realm that he rules now, and only when his Body became completely saturated with the Realm's Magic, did he ascend to become the Ruler of it."

She raises her hand, when she sees me open my mouth, and says, "Allow me to explain, and then you can ask your questions."

I nod, and lean back, to listen.

She says, "You already know the different types of Magic Wielding humans. Mages, Sorcerers, Coven Witches, Demon Witches, Dragon Sorcerers, and Druids are the most numerous, although Druids are getting low in numbers every century. Each of them have limits to their strength, a limit to how Potent their personal Magic can grow before it stops becoming more Potent. Sorcerers, Demon Witches, and Coven Witches get around this limit by using stronger Magic spells using Magic from elsewhere."

Sorcerers use Dimensional Magic, Demon Witches invoke Demons for their spells, Coven Witches.. I admit I don't know much about them. I know they need Covens, Knowledge, and a place to call their own to use Magic. And I know that their Magic stays a single colour no matter what spell they use. And I know that most of the time, the colour is common between every Witch within the Coven.

"Druids, Mages, and Dragon Sorcerers, meanwhile.. they are stuck inside the limit. Usually." Maya says, pausing a bit.

I take the cue, and ask, "Usually? I assume it's not always the case, since you've gotten your Magic strong enough to fight Asgardians."

Maya nods, and says, "For a Dragon Sorcerer, the only method of increasing their Magic Strength is by bathing in the blood of a strong enough Dragon, which is.. almost impossible since they need to kill the Dragon themselves first."

Right, if you're in need of a stronger Dragon than you, you might not be able to kill it anyway. Well, some people probably could, especially Dragon Sorcerers like the Iron Fist, who, despite not using actual Magic spells, can still kill dragons stronger than themselves. But even they cannot reach the level of the Gods. Hell, Iron Fists can barely reach as strong I am right now, and even that happens very rarely.

When I nod in understanding, Maya continues and says, "For a Mage or a Druid to break their limits, we need to strengthen our body, as well as our Soul. Only when your Body and Soul is capable of handling the higher Potency of Magic will your Magic become stronger."

That.. makes sense. So much sense that I don't understand why I didn't realise it before. Magic is Spiritual as well as Physical. My body is strong, far too strong for a normal human, and because of that, my Magic did become more Potent. Not as Potent as I want, not enough to harm a God, but it did. But my Soul.. I have never been through any Soul Magic Ritual, which means that my Soul is still the same as that of a normal Mortal Mutant-Mage-Sorcerer.

Maya's voice brings me out of my thoughts, as she says, "Strengthening your body is fairly easy. Train your body through physical exercise, or go through Body Enhancement Rituals, and there are thousands to choose from, depending on your own choice. And as long as you don't change your body too often, and too soon, you can carry such Rituals as many times as you like."

Well, yeah, but no. She says that because she's 15000 years old. A normal Mage lives for about 200 years at most, which means that their bodies can go through only a finite amount of Physical Rituals before they.. snap, or change the way you don't want it to. A perfect example.. Voldemort. The Canon one. His face became snake-like, and his nose became flat. That's not just because he went through multiple Rituals, but because he went through multiple Rituals without leaving a sufficient amount of time in between.

You need to give your body rest from Rituals, the time depending on each Ritual. Sometimes, that's not always necessary, but if the Change you want to happen is great enough, the cooldown is high. 

Grindelwald.. the bastard.. had the one Ritual that I know of that does great changes to your body, but also doesn't need a cooldown period. But, the Ritual's effects are obvious to those who have studied the art of Rituals. Looking back, I can now tell the difference between the Grindelwald I met during the last attack on Hydra, and the one I met when I actually fought him.

"But Soul.. There are very few Soul Enhancing Rituals in the first place, but even amongst them, Rituals to take your Soul from mortal onto the next step, are very rare to come by, and even harder to perform. The conditions are almost impossible to meet, and that's not counting the ingredients you might need." Maya says, and then finishes her explanation.

I take a moment to think, and ask, "What about you? How did you take your Soul.. to the next stage of Evolution?"

Evolution.. Did her Mutation or her Ascension to an External help in that regard? Will it help me? Or would I have to wait 15,000 years too before my soul becomes Strong enough?

Maya shakes her head, and says, "No, it wasn't just because I became an External, although I have no doubt that it was a factor. And it's also not the fact that I've been alive for so long either. Garbha-Hsien is also a Mage, although his Mutantur gift is what gave him Magecraft, but he isn't as Magically powerful as I am."

"The reason my Magic is more Potent, enough to harm a God even, is that my Soul has evolved over time, because of my Curse. My Curse.. that forces me to…. absorb souls within myself, absorb Life Force, forced by body through evolution after evolution. I was already thousands of years old when I first met the Gods, and due to the thousand or some Souls that I had already absorbed within myself, my Soul was already far stronger than even some Gods." Maya says, and I understand.

She did not just absorb Life Energy again and again, she absorbed entire Souls, memories and Magic within them included. The only reason she isn't a Goddess right now, is probably the fact that her own father Cursed her Soul through a Ritual. So while her Soul is more potent, it is still weak, still forced to eat more souls.

Damn, I'd be pissed too if something like this impedes my chances of becoming Stronger.

I sigh, realising that if I want to become stronger, I will have to go through a Soul Magic Ritual. And that means I'll need at least a few years of research first, if I want to avoid destroying my Soul.

Well, at least I got a new subject to study.

"Don't be so glum." Maya says, in a chiding tone. When I look up at her, she says, "Did you forget? I am the foremost expert in the aspect of Soul Magic."

I smile, as I shake my head, and say, "I haven't forgotten it. I just.. I prefer to study the subject of Rituals myself. Lesser chance of me messing things up if I know for sure what I'm doing. If you do all the actual work, then I might mess things up."

Maya smiles wide, and claps her hands a few times, making me blush a bit. To be fair, I haven't been congratulated by anyone on making right decisions before. Mostly because I rarely make the right decisions, but that's besides the point.

She then says, "At least I know you won't be rushing into things. Although.. take one suggestion from me.. you've already gone through one Soul Magic Ritual. Why not start there?"

I look at her, a frown forming on my face, and say, "I.. I haven't been through Soul Magic Rituals?" Although it comes out as a question.

Maya frowns, and looks me up and down, her pupil glowing with a soft blue light, and then looks at me in confusion. She says, "I assure you, Atharva, you have been through a Soul Magic Ritual. I cannot deduce the exact effect it had, but I do know that it has something to do with your Animal Spirit."

Ho.. ly.. shit..

"The Animagus Ritual is a Soul Magic Ritual? Gods, of course it is!" I exclaim, as I stand up and start pacing around.

"Of course, how could I miss this. Spirit Animal! Spirit! Animal! Gods, I'm so stupid." At Maya's curious look, I explain, "There's a Ritual, I think it should get famous a few hundred years from now, that helps you connect with your Spirit Animal. It allows you to transform your body into an Animal that you're closest aligned to, without actually Sacrificing the living one first."

It was originally a Druidic practice, which I've found evidence of, that has existed for over 1000 years now. It first began with Druids learning to see through the eyes of other animals and birds, Magical or not. That then evolved to the practice of changing your own body to that of an animal, while keeping your mind. And while the Druids do use it now, and have been for a couple centuries, Mages don't even know about it.

Maya widens her eyes a bit, and says, "Truly? Yes.. I can see how that should be possible, but assuming the form of an animal? And without even sacrificing the animal? I know Garbha-Hsien can shift into the form of a wingless dragon, but that's because he specifically hunted the Dragon down to be able to do it."

Goddamn, I need to meet with this Garbha-Hsien at least once. He might possibly be an asshole, but he seems like a strong Mage-Mutant.

She then looks at me, with wide pleading eyes, and asks, "Can I see?"

I just shake my head with a chuckle, and mutely take a few steps back. Within one moment and the next, I go from the bipedal human to the quadruped Kasha, a white flamed Demonic Cat.

Maya widens her eyes, as her hands subconsciously raise up to touch me. She stops herself, and says, "Magnificent. It is one of the Demonic Cats from the lands West of here, correct?"

Well, yeah. Japan is to the West of America. But for someone used to looking at maps that portray Japan to the East.. that's really confusing.

I nod, as I turn back, and say, "The animal's name is Kasha. I'll give you the directions for the Ritual, if you want."

Maya nods, and says, "I will appreciate it." She then smiles, and says, "As for your own problem. Whichever Ritual you decide on, to Ascend your Soul, be sure that it won't be a threat to your already existing.. Animagus Ritual. Also.. be warned that you might have to Sacrifice someone.. or something.. for it to work. I understand that you're a bit.. sensitive about that."

Well, not wanting to kill needlessly is not sensitivity.

I nod, already making plans on going back home and scouring my Repository for all traces of Soul Magic. But first..

"I do, need your help with something else though." I say, as I stand up to go out of the Lounge.

Maya raises her eyebrow, and asks, "There's more?"

I chuckle, knowing she's just kidding, and say, "As you saw during the fight, I have no way of actually hiding from the Asgardians and their Omniscient Gatekeeper, or even the King. I do have a Runic Spell burned into my skin that prevents anyone from Scrying me, but I've found that it doesn't work on those bastards. I need your help in devising something to make me absolutely invisible to the Asgardians."

Maya raises her eyebrow, and nods with a smile. She says, "That.. is a marvelous idea, brother. I will love to help you with this project of yours."

This way.. I can at least go home safely without worrying about an ambush.

Don't worry, Elves. I'll be home soon, to properly check up on you.

---

A/N: Next chapter, obviously, is Mason back to Sanctuary doing his research. I'm not going to stretch this arc too much, since this is the last actual arc I've planned before taking him back to the future.

But as you already know, my plans rarely go according to keikaku.

Anyway, thank you for your support! Tata!