Against the tides of fate

Crowds, numerous people from all over the continent filled the Trexite.

Today is a very important day and the only chance to prove themselves.

Today is the re-awakening day, a chance for all who have once failed to rise to the top, a chance to prove themselves.

Excitement was coursing through most veins and some of them were filled with hopes that it would all change today.

The trexite, is the most important place on the continent.

The trexite is a huge structure divided into 3 segments.

The outer rings are made of 30 huge white pillars made out of cobblestone, spanning over 10 kilometers¹.

The inner ring which is just 600 feet away is segregated by 10 obelisks, the obelisks were tall, mighty and imposing each one glistening in the sun.

After the obelisk was nothing, beyond was what was known as the holy ground a place that can only be seen and accessed by templars and other recite figureheads.

(Axel POV)

".... "

I exhaled loudly, the entire situation still a bit baffling, if you didn't know am in the most restricted part of the Trexite.

Yes, am in the holy ground, the innermost part of it.

[Axel, I suggest you come off it and begin your awakening.]

'fine.'

I moved closer to the middle of the room.

And sat cross-legged.

"Breathe, empty your mind and let it flow."

I took a couple of deep breaths and felt something entering me.

The energy went to all parts of my body, it felt like a massage.

'Direct the energy to the necessary part.'

"..... A.. tt... Hew."

I heard a broken voice call out.

"m... Mat... Matthew."

I snapped out of my meditation and looked around the room but nothing was around me.

"Tian Yi."

"Matthew."

A small cloud of misty white gathered in front of me and condensed to a small miniature man.

"Matthew, why are you avoiding the inevitable?"

Tian yi said to me.

"Inevitable, right you of all people should know that nothing is set in the stone. The only reason your fucking ass is here is because you need to someone manipulate."

Tian Yi held his stomach and began doubling down in laughter.

"HaHa manipulate, you think I the great will of heaven, Tian Yi, I the one below no one, will need the help of a puny mortal."

Tian Yi bragged to me.

Taking a good look at the idiot I wish I could kill him.

I have met him before, well not him but each world has a Tian Yi and this one right here is the most pretentious one I have ever seen.

"Look, Matthew just accept your fate ok? You work for me and maybe just maybe I will help you in your cause for vengeance ."

His words sank in and I looked at the idiot with pure disdain.

"Understand this Tian Yi even if the world is coming to an end, even if am at death's door I refuse to be your pawn."

I told him straight up and his expression changed and I was happy that I messed with him.

"I see."

He slowly floated away from me.

"You would been a good one."

He disappeared after saying that.

Honestly, that was nerve-racking did I forget to mention that motherfucker is strong enough to destroy an entire stellar system with a flick.

[Axel, we might have a problem.]

Shit, I knew this was going to happen.

"How bad is it? On a scale of 1-10"

[Well, I will say 1000 since you are about to get struck by more than a million volts of lightning.]

Did she just say a million volts of lightning?

"You are kidding right?"

I genuinely asked.

[No]

Vena replied promptly.

I looked at the ceiling that was slowly opening to reveal the darkened sky.

This could still work in my favour.

[No, it not going to work at all.]

"Relax, have a bit of faith in me, I mean how many times have I disappointed you."

[ugh, I don't know the time you decided it was a good idea to raid a spider lion nest or kill the child of Gulap or...]

"Enough!! I get it."

The words she saying was evoking many bad memories within me.

"Vena."

I called out to her.

[Yes.]

"How much energy do I need to fully awaken and how much do you need for your upgrade."

[A lot of it even...]

She trailed off and it seemed she as come to realise why I was asking.

Here comes her rebuttal.

[No!! Absolutely not!! Are you serious you will die before you awaken, you have no idea the speed at which you will be reduced to dust.]

She rebuked.

It is not like I don't understand where this is coming from but I have lots of debt to pay, I must go stronger and not by conventional means.

"Vena."

I called out softly hoping to pacify her.

"Am a mortal dealing with the son of heaven, one that is blessed with a ridiculous amount of luck, am on the kill list of one of the most powerful celestial, all these people will stop at nothing to harm...okay so at some point risky things will be the only way forward."

[...]

"Are you with me?"

[Yes, I am]

Good am glad she's back now let beat this lightning, should be easy.

.

.

.

.

.

"Argh, I was wrong."

So wrong.

It hurts like hell.

A few strikes in and I can feel my insides being torn apart, the energy of the lightning is causing nothing but chaos internally.

[Control it Azel.]

I concentrated all my effort on directing the lighting to form my meridian, using the energy I tried forming a pathway for the energy to pass through.

The energy seemed to have a mind of its own and it kept on refusing but I managed to reel it in.

The newly formed meridians were rough but they got the job done.

"Breathe."

I struggled to sit up and then began the next phase.

Forming a mana pool or this time activating my Draken heart.

The energy from the lightning "Ather" was less ferocious than before.

I steadily guided it through my meridians to my draken heart.

"It blocked like father said."

The draken heart was covered in dark obsidian-like stone.

"Now I just have to break it."

I rotated the Ather to form lumps and shot it at the heart.

I repeatedly shot a ball of energy at the heart until a small crack appeared on it.

"yes, now I just... "

The remaining Ather was gone, none was left in my body.

I scoured my entire meridian but there was nothing.

"No, No."

Think, think.

I retracted my consciousness from my body.

And began drawing mana from the environment.

"FUCK!!!"

He locked it, being a higher being of pure energy Tian Yi can restrict mana flow in an environment.

"Dammit."

I was downtrodden and my head was down.

"Is it true can't I defy fate... Is this the end... With bl.... "

Blood, blood why not.

I projected my consciousness back to my meridian and I began extracting the vitality from my blood.

I was using a forbidden technique where one uses one's life to break through.

I could feel my body proportions reducing.

I took the extracted vitality and formed lumps of energy that I repeatedly launched at the heart.

"Come on!! "

I launched a lump of energy at the heart but it seems to do nothing.

I took all the remaining energy and constructed a huge lump of energy that I then launched.

"Arghhh!!! Break!!!"

*Crack*

A massive crack appeared in the heart but apart from that it was okay.

*Bleurghh*

I puked a colossal amount of blood dyeing the pristine concrete floor red.

Shit.

I collapsed on the ground lying in my pool of blood.

"I failed."

The realization of failure slowly set in and I felt broken, I looked at the looming black clouds with the lightning threatening to strike.

Trying to kill me when am weak.

"Unmute."

I unlocked the channel for Vena to speak.

[Why?... Was it truly worth it?]

[You could have lived a normal life free from all this pain, a happy life far from the reach of the celestial.]

Her words echoed throughout my soul, frankly I also have pondered if it is truly worth it. I wondered if I had the resolve to go through with it. And my answer:

"It is worth it; I want nothing more than to see her head on a stake tears flowing down her eyes with pain and regret etched on her face."

[Fine]

<The Vanir £%%%@ Monarch of &@@& chooses you.>

I was shocked, short of words and perhaps very confused.

Vanir and those other gibberish what could they mean, I threw it all to the back of my mind and focused on now.

They say all that a man needs to go from zero to hero is a little push and now I have that push.

Thump*Thump*

My once stone-covered heart now beat with profound zeal.

I could feel a whole lot of mana entering through me.

My bones and body felt renewed.

Whoever that was broke the restrictions.

*Crackle*

The sound of lightning grabbed my attention, the clouds were darker than before to the point where they were pure black.

Occasional flashes of gold lightning appeared within it.

The upcoming strike seems to contain more than the usual energy.

[If that current energy touches you, it will result in your certain death.]

The previous said to me.

I had many questions to ask but right now I must survive.

.

.

I must defend against the lightning, but I have no skill.

I stumbled to my feet and embraced my newfound instinct.

A low growl escaped my lips, I steadied my arms and embedded my feet into the ground, my chest rose slowly and my throat brightened.

Rumble*

The huge compressed tail of lightning slowly made its way to me, it passed the hole in the roof and I roared.

"GRRARR!!!

A huge blaze of fire left my throat and crashed with the incoming lightning.

I roared once again filling the breath with more mana.

And.....

BOOOMM!!!

A loud explosion occurred with my breath winning the standoff and piercing the skies.

I stood erect blood dripping from my throat, feeling proud of myself and the first step I have taken in my path of defiance.

.

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<You have been cursed.>

Sorry for the late update.