Cultivation Commence

The sun had only begun to crest over the horizon when they arrived at a small shop called the 'King's Armory' at the center of Artesian District, reserved for the gentlemen and Ladies of nobility.

Aurelia and Zariel were bowed inside by two goblins in refined black suits that seemed to take away from the abnormal size of their ill-proportion heads and dark green skin. They appeared imposing in their 'armor.' 

"I need fourteen suits. Same with the girl. No bloody dress. She'll be training swords and spells. So versatility is best."

The two goblins narrowed their dour gazes at the bear furs the two wore with penetrating eyes and frowned. 

"We don't serve human children. Too much growth. Adults only." one of them said. 

Zariel did not reply just yet, paying them no mind. He eyed the two regal suits that hung on display. He was impressed. The needlework was impeccable, well within the level of Grandmaster. The only fault he had was that he noticed there were no inscriptions on such a fine masterpiece. 

"If it's money you're worried about—" Aurelia began. 

"It is not," said one of the Goblins. "The King's Armory creates to last, not to be outgrown. Money comes second."

Aurelia looked to Altair, but the boy seemed busy admiring their work. 

"Do you know what I like about lower realms? They master their craft. They don't rely on Arcana or Dao to aid them. This suit was custom-made for this mannequin. Am I right?"

"You've got a keen eye on you, human boy, " rasped an older goblin aided by a short cane. He studied Zariel with his penetrative gaze just as dour as the other two that welcomed him in. "But it's just the same. We don't prepare armor for kids." 

"yes… so I've been told." Zariel mused and said, "What if I could assure you that I'll be wearing your suits for potentially a lifetime?"

When the Goblin, Revlon, grinned, rows of shark-like teeth reflected through Zariel's cold silver eyes. 

Goblins, at their core, were known for their greedy and lustrous nature.

So when Revlon said, 'Go on,' Zariel was not in the least bit surprised. He lifted his hands in the air and drew an Alteration Rune before everyone's eyes, and pointed to one of the goblins at the door. 

The shrieking light that flashed landed faster than most could blink, causing small commotion amidst the lords and ladies. Some swore it was a killing spell, others a curse. Though, the low gossip seemed to die out as the goblin subjected to Zariel's experimentation patted his body as if to make sure everything was there. 

"I'm alive," he said when he began to notice his clothing begin to expand and contract, writhing around his body. His eyes went wide, and before he could speak on it. His suit suddenly felt better against his frame. 

Revlon's jaw dropped, noticing the small difference in how his suit fitted perfectly against Rekmon. He whirled to Zariel. 

"basic Alteration," Zariel explained. "Now, the clothing will adjust to every pose and posture you make. As you age or grow, the suit will automatically begin to adjust to your proportions, eliminating your worries of a suit being thrown away or outgrown. Now, might we talk business?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can come to an arrangement. 

***

Aurelia was staring as they boarded the carriage, resting the several bags of clothing he earned for free alongside a lifetime supply of clothes for the mere price of the Runic Spell. 

"Didn't you say Arcane formulas were the lifeblood of Arcanists? Why are you giving them away?" 

"because they are useless to me. Aurelia, I don't think you understand how a lot of Arcanists learn spells. Most learn enough to understand the basics of any spells, which isn't hard, especially when you break it up into seven small schools. That rune I used is literally the most basic of Alteration spells with a slight twist. But instead of using their brains and learning how to create sorceries like I just did, they wanted to follow set guidelines created by others. And sure, you'll learn a few spells, but you'll never be able to create your own."

Aurelia didn't quite understand, but something he said caught her ear. "You created that spell then and there?"

Zariel looked at her like she was stupid. "all my spells are home-brewed. Even that [Resist] spell. The original spell usually vanishes after a single hit. My version grants protection for an entire minute without the need to worry about counting the number of times you've been hit. The only difference is a slight change to the formula."

As she listened to the way Zariel droned on about the Arcanes, Aurelia slowly began to understand how intelligent he really was. His mind wasn't fixated on combat like the stories Old Mar told her about Arcanist. Rather, Zariel was using it for practical reasons. 

She could still remember how one night she'd tried sneaking into his bed because it was too cold. Zareil had promptly kicked her out and showed her how to make a small heater with a Runic Symbol. Since then, she would attach the Rune to her clothes or on her skin whenever she was cold without the need for fire. 

"Zariel," Aurelia said, cutting in. "Do you know how to fly?" 

"I can. Though I have to use my… soul." He stopped bowing his head, considering a feat he'd never considered before. "I've got a Dantain, and I've got a soul…A Soul Flame Billows a particular variant of Astral Qi that doesn't inherently belong to any of the Twelve Realms. Good thing I haven't created a core yet." he mused, waving his palm and conjuring an array of formulas and graphs that portrayed various numbers that made Aurelia's head hurt.

"It might put a bit more strain on my fragmented soul, but souls are eternal. They can't be destroyed by anything other than the Weave, so the most I'll have to worry about is losing my sense of self. Hmmm. Meh, who cares? It's worth it." 

Reconfiguring his nameless refinement technique to allow two strands of energy to exist at once, Zariel was all smiles as his face began to pale of all color. He closed his eyes, reaching so far into himself, far past his mind's eye, to where a domain stood in an ocean of chaotic ooze, blacker than night, crackled with scarlet arcs of lightning. There it stood, a small node of silver flames billowed helplessly. Feeble as if it had been peeled apart in ways most could not imagine. Zariel, in his spiritual form, stood before it, watching himself watch him. 

'My Soul,' he thought wryly. It was unrecognizable. The once silver flame could barely be contained within his body and was no more than a node, small as a spec of dirt. "Don't worry… I'll return… and win I do… All of the Hells and those involved will pay. They'll pay in ways that'll make what happened to me seem like a game."

Cupping his small flame, feeling only ice penetrate his bones, Zariel opened his eyes to the real world, and within the depths of his pupils, a strange crest of a bleeding sun or moon hung, dripping with the dark ooze surrounding his soul. 

"Maid," Zariel called.

"Y-Y-Yes, my lord." Shouted Genny frighteningly, scared at the silver of ice his words carried. She peeped her head back, meeting his ancient silver eyes that bore no emotion. And her dread turned real. Goosebumps prickled her skin like needles, squeezing the air from her lungs. 

"We are heading to the Arcanist shop. I've many things I need to buy." He said, lifting his gaze off the maid and onto Aurelia, who felt a cold breeze slither by. 

"Zariel?" She called, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?" 

"I…" He smiled, calming himself. "Got a little excited, is all. Keeping my emotions in check is harder than I thought." 

"Why do you have to keep them in check?" Asked Aurelia curiously. "What's wrong with being mad, or sad, or happy?" 

"Because… little Aurelia. When I get mad, happy, and sad, lots and lots of people die." 

***

Hurrying to his lab with a crate of supplies from various vendors, he managed to purchase before they closed for the night. Zariel hurriedly packed up his belongings before finding himself in the lotus position on the floor and began. 

Spreading his Spirit from out of his soul into the atmosphere, Zariel didn't hesitate to pull at the Arcana into his pores, where they seamlessly entered his meridians; passing through all twelve gates, glimmers of refined Arcana rained over a small fleck that was to be his core in time. At the same time, Astral Qi, billowing from his fractured soul flame, whirled through the very Twelve Gates before settling within his dantian. 

Zariel turned even paler as the force upon his soul began to dim the flame until it smoldered. Even so, Zariel did not let up. So long as the soul flame did not die out, he would not lose his sense of self: He would still be Zariel Snow. But should he fail…

The Silver Devil continued, calculating the cycle of nodes of Arcana, expanding until a small mini sun shone brighter than any star in the night sky. He took in a breath and watched with coldness in his heart as the core that housed all his Arcana caved into itself. Its once silvery nature turned foul black. Zariel nodded and slowly allowed his small soul, ready to sizzle out at the slightest touch, to materialize within the collapsing star.

"This will be your new home." He said, curiously watching as a glimmer of silvery radiance surrounded the black star, bleeding down into an ethereal pillar that connected to the Dantain, bringing about a sense of harmony. 

"The Arcana ough to aid my soul, keeping it from breaking down, while the Dantain should begin to empower it and allow it to heal faster. Maybe my soul might heal in five years rather than ten. Still, it might take a few decades to return to what I formerly was."