Chapter 19

After the entrance ceremony fiasco, all the first year students were led to their respective dorms, except for the seven students who were called up to the stage. They were led to a separate building, a run down white walled two story house the length of an apartment complex. Though the walls were cracked and dirty, Lewis could tell they were made of a sandstone type material.

"The Pharaoh and his officers live separately from the rest, it's only proper that the elites separate themselves from the common and average. This is the first years starting throne, the better you do, the higher in ranking amongst the years you are, and the better the facility you get. Lunch is in three hours, so get settled in and wait until an instructor retrieves you for mealtime." The same woman who did the Reflexes test led Lewis and the other six to the building, gave a brief explanation, and promptly left afterwards. Lewis stared after the woman for a moment before turning to the house and attempting to open the door. Not to Lewis's surprise, the door was busted, rusted, and corroded shut. Instead of wasting time trying to open the door, Lewis chose instead to kick it in and walk inside the musty, dusty, and humid interior of the house.

"I call whatever room isn't covered in mold." Joshua pushed past Lewis roughly before disappearing immediately up the busted staircase.

"What a ray of sunshine." Damien muttered as he followed up after. Lewis chose to remain downstairs and wander the lower section of the house while everyone went to claim a room. Though he had another reason for remaining away from prying eyes.

"Okay Lila, you can separate yourself from me now." Lewis told Talila, who was still combined to Lewis. After a brief moment of tingly discomfort, Talila fully separated from Lewis and stood in front of him with a look of deep, concerned thought.

"Is something wrong?" Lewis inquired of the nymph.

"Talila felt something sinister yet similar to her, in the depths of Master's soul. Did Master receive a contract from another nymph before Acotali?" Talila asked Lewis.

"No, why?" Lewis replied and questioned.

"Talila just wanted to confirm. Master should remove the nasty thing around Master's neck." Talila answered before looking around the dirty building.

"If I knew how, I would." Lewis muttered.

"Talila can clean and fix Master's new home if Master wishes." Talila looked at Lewis and stated.

"Sure, do what you want Lila." Lewis walked away while mulling over the mention of whatever might be lurking in his soul as Talila mentioned. While he was lost in his thoughts, a massive surge of magical energy overtook the entirety of the house. The dust, dirt, mold, and cracks began to vanish as Talila nonchalantly repaired the house to what Lewis assumed was its original condition. The interior had lots of stone gray with gold, blues, and green to accentuate. Even the rusted fixtures shone as if they were brand new, giving the place a royal feeling. Stomping followed shortly after the change as everyone upstairs ran down in a hurry. The first to arrive was the girl named Emilia. She had long wet pink hair that was out of the bun it was in previously, her red eyes shone with astonishment as she glanced around at the surroundings. She was in a pink bathrobe and slippers, accentuating her slender and robust figure. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed deeply after running so fast.

"How did you do this?" Emilia immediately asked as soon as she caught her breath.

"I didn't. My familiar did." Lewis pointed at Talila who was smiling happily and innocently. Emilia stared at the nymph blankly before turning her suddenly infuriated glare towards Lewis.

"That's a child, how is she a familiar, you fucking lecher!" Emilia swung her arm back and slapped Lewis backwards into the table, breaking the newly refurbished furniture item. Lewis stared up in complete surprise from the out of the blue slap.

"Oh you poor child! Come here, I'll save you from this bad man!" Emilia went to scoop Talila up, but froze when Talila stared at the girl with pure hatred. The rest had arrived the moment that Lewis got slapped. Lewis sat up from the remnants of the table and stared at the frozen stiff Emilia.

"Talila, enough." Lewis stood and brushed himself off and told the nymph. Talila's expression brightened back into a smiling and innocent one as she happily went to Lewis's side, doing little hops along the way.

"Talila apologizes for inconveniencing you, Master." Talila bowed. Lewis patted her head and stared at Emilia who was now trembling.

"Talila is an Earth Nymph, she may look like a human child, but she's in fact a spirit. If you had paid more attention, you'd notice that she has pointed elven ears and higher magical energy." Lewis pointed out.

"You know, you also look weaker now that you mention something." Damien stated while staring at Talila with intrigue. He must have been working out in his room before the house magically fixed itself. His fire red hair was tied up behind his head and sweat was glistening on his dark brown skin. Due to him being shirtless and only being in red sweatpants and black sneakers, everyone could see his well toned and muscular body. Joshua was staring a little too hard at Damien, which did not go unnoticed by the others.

"Circumstances." Lewis replied simply. At this point, Lewis just wanted to get away from everyone's attention, so he pushed through the group and went upstairs to find himself a room. Talila walked behind him while looking at all the ornaments that adorned the hallways, staircase and pillars that lined the doorways and entry ways. The only room that seemed vacant, was one that was significantly smaller and tucked away in the furthest corner on the left wing of the house. It didn't bother Lewis who was a minimalist to begin with, he simply laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling, wishing Tali was there to answer his questions and sooth his racing thoughts.

"You just can't survive without me, can you." Tali stated from next to Lewis, a plate of chicken nuggets in her lap. Lewis glanced over at her and sighed as he sat up.

"I do feel more relaxed around you. Earlier this morning, you were explaining the universal rankings and contracts. Talila mentioned something about a contract and something that's dormant inside my soul. If I didn't have this blocker on, or if I had more information, I feel like I'd understand this world better." Lewis began to explain to Tali. Tali looked at Lewis and sighed in return.

"Well of course you feel more comfortable with me around, we share the same fate and life. Talila is correct that there is something unawoken in you, it was born with you already bound to your soul. As for the universe topic, I will finish explaining for you. To begin with, every world, every dimension goes through various trials and tribulations. This world is going through a spiritual trial and a dimensional tribulation. The dungeons and gates your world is experiencing, are openings to worlds and dimensions that are on the same level as your planet.

If I were to rank your world by the universal standard, it'd be almost an Emerald Rank Planet. Your world is constantly trying to rank up, thus it constantly connects to other worlds in an attempt to get out of the spiritual stagnation humans have ended up in for millenia. The only way to finally break through to the next realm, is if humans sign their contracts. It's only a matter of when, when the universe resorts to extreme measures to rank up this world. That's the secret you desire, the universe itself creates and decides the fate of each world. In short, it is God." Tali finished her earlier lecture.

[User has discovered the Truth of the Universe. You are the first to do so and have contributed to the overall progress of worldly growth. The information you gained will shortly be released as common knowledge. Your Status has been updated to the Universal Density Standard of Measurement. The Universe has rewarded you for your contribution. Violet Soul Rank Skill Awarded- Cosmic Accumulation (Passive): A breathing Technique used to gather and circulate mana more effectively through the body and into the core. User currently has not created a Mana Core.]

[Status

Name: Lewis Padova  Age: 14

Titles: (10)  Level: 77

Soul Rank: EX  Health: W Soul  Mana: W Soul

Current Effects: Shadow Blessing of Yggdrasil- All stats 30% during daylight hours, but x5 during the night. Gaia's Blessing of Light- All stats x3 during daylight hours. Mithril Shackle of the Ignorant- All Unsigned Contracts Suspended.

  Body: W Soul  Mana Core: N/A  Mind: W Soul

STR: 1.1(1)  CHA: 1.1(1)

DEX: 1.3(1.2)  MAG: 1.1(1)

INT: 1.3(1.2)  CON: 1.3(1.2)

Free SP: .7

Skills:  Soul Contracts to be Signed:

Infinite Compatibility (Passive): Rank EX  Animal Soul Contract: 2/?

Soul Sight (Active): Rank EX 

Nature's Envoy (Passive): Rank EX  Insect Soul Contract: 3/?

Hellfire (Active): I Soul 

Shadow Manipulation (Active): E Soul  Plant Soul Contract: 2/?

Touch of Anubis (Active): R Soul 

Intimidate (Active): E soul  Mythological Soul Contract: 5/? Regeneration (Passive): I Soul

Adept Swordsman (Active): W Soul  Spirits: 1/?  Inversion (Active): R Soul

Choice (Active): R Soul

7 Sins (Unknown): V Soul  Contracted Spirits: 2/?

Adept Spear Arts (Active): W Soul 

Shadow Blessing (Active): B Soul

Dark Spirit Arts (Active): I Soul

Light Blessing (Active): B Soul

Earth Spirit Arts (Active): I Soul

Cosmic Accumulation (Passive): V Soul

  Contract/Soul Points (CSP): 13,505]

"This doesn't look appealing, everything looks so weak now. There's also new sections, and the names of certain items are entirely different. But, what does it mean by releasing the information?" Lewis stared at the newly revised status screen, his questions only increasing.

"It's the will of the universe. In a few weeks or months it will reach the masses that those who had been stagnated at the peak of Emerald Soul Rank, or S-Rank, will have discovered the contracts of their spirits, and will unlock further power. Once that happens, the gates and dungeons that have been appearing will increase in quantity and difficulty. That's the extent of my knowledge, anything after that, I wouldn't know. I only know that much, because that was the point my world was at, and as you know, I destroyed my world." Tali set her empty plate down and stood up while brushing the crumbs off her black dress.

"Tali, you leave me with more questions than answers when you answer. When I first met you, you didn't seem to be aware that you were in a dungeon, yet now you say you knew dungeons and gates existed at that time? I didn't see anything of the sort in the visions you showed me." Lewis pointed out.

"I showed you what I wanted to at that time, my story. I had nothing to do with dungeons or gates, I just sat atop a knoll. I assumed that even after I had destroyed all sentient life on my world, that the gates and dungeons were still active and that was the reason for different life forms coming and going through my area. That's why I wasn't surprised that you claimed I was in a dungeon, I only felt it was fitting." Tali gave a somewhat satisfactory explanation, but Lewis still felt more confused than satisfied.

"If it makes Master feel better, Talila knows what happens when the world upgrades to the next Rank." Talila joined in on the conversation.

"What happens Lila?" Lewis asked the eager nymph.

"Travel between worlds. Talila remembers daddy calling them 'Planetary Portals'." Talila replied.

"Da- I thought you had no body previously?" Lewis pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Talila didn't. Daddy told Talila that she had to remain as a spirit to bond with someone more worthy than him. Unlike other elves that had spirit children with gods, daddy wanted Talila to bond with someone who'd treasure her most." Talila smiled and explained. 

"Well, he sounds very wise. I guarantee he is more than delighted to know his child is with such a person." Tali smiled. Lewis remained deep in thought, processing the information he had gained, as well as his new skill.

"Tali, tell me about Cosmic Accumulation." Lewis turned to Tali for more information.

"Cosmic Accumulation?! How do you know about that breathing technique?" Tali exclaimed incredulously.

"It just… wait, are you not aware of the system? A lot of my questions were answered by you as if you were aware." Lewis began muttering.

"Hah, I'm aware of the Divine Will of the Universe that resides in you, but you see it as a system huh?" Tali sighed.

"Divine Will? But it was gifted by the Pantheonic Gods." Lewis replied, the answers he was receiving were getting less surprising.

"The Pantheonic Gods are the emissaries of the Divine Will. They simply follow the orders of the Universe in return for the worship from the species that the Universe Creates. Though they are forbidden from interfering with free will, as the Universe declared that all beings were entitled to act as they wish without restraints." Tali explained, giving Lewis answers he hadn't realized he needed.

"What about you? You were forbidden from interfering in mortal affairs, and even suffered divine punishments for breaking that rule." Lewis pointed out.

"That's a matter to be discussed at another time. Let's speak about the Cosmic Accumulation. As it was stated, it's a breathing technique that allows one to create a Mana Core anywhere in their body to house the spirits they contract with. It also provides the chance for those people to create Mana Circuits within their bodies to utilize magic power effectively and freely, as well as store and increase the capacity of Mana. In order to create a Mana Core, you must feel the cosmic energy that exists inside of you, an energy that is unique only to you. It is also commonly referred to as Life Force, Qi, Chakra, Aura, Vitality or Psyche. Throughout the life of any mortal, this life force releases constantly, giving mortals their short life spans. But, when the Mana Core and Circuits are introduced, not only does it prolong their lives, upon gathering and increasing the quantity and quality, their lifespans can increase infinitely. 

I should mention that it does not make them wholly immortal, as any lethal wound will still kill them. So, if you've earned the right to the foundation of breathing, then you should quit wasting time and begin accumulating the Life Force that's escaping right now. That little shackle on your neck will become obsolete and useless, nothing more than an accessory once you succeed." Tali pulled Lewis off the bed and sat him down on the floor.

"Close your eyes, and feel the energy inside you. Feel its path, and stem the flow of its escape." Tali began to instruct Lewis. Lewis sighed and closed his eyes. He sat there for five minutes, unsure of what it was he was feeling for, but after those five minutes of silence and thoughtless meditation, Lewis entered a state of self observation. He could feel the energy he normally felt when activating his blessings, or contracts. It was wild and electrified, warm and untamed, cool and smooth. Different feelings, yet all felt like a part of a whole. 

He followed the energies until they seemed to vanish all around, creating a perfect outline of his body in his mind. Following what Tali told him to do, he began to stop the flow at each point until the energies were trapped. Pain now replaced the sensation of each energy.

"Great! Now quickly gather that energy anywhere in your body!" Tali shouted out the next step. Lewis was sweating, but he swiftly followed what he was told and began to gather the energy in his diaphragm. At first, the energies refused to follow Lewis's will, but once the foundation of the core was apparent, they combined and smoothly flowed into the core until a perfect sphere of energy was situated perfectly in his diaphragm.

"You really do things quickly, while we're here, why don't we start with the first path. Take a small portion of that energy and make a pathway to any part of your body and set up the first gathering point for outside mana." Tali guided Lewis through his task. He was already trembling and exhausted from the first two steps, but he continued with the momentum, his breathing felt cleaner and more effective. Lewis took a small amount of the combined energy and began creating a path, in his mind he saw the path trace itself to his left lung and establish a gathering point. Once the pathway was completed, he immediately felt energy trickle into his new core from the gathering point, immediately he opened his eyes and stared at the message that had opened.

[You have created a White Soul Mana Core. You are the third person to do so. You have contributed greatly to your World's Evolution. You have been rewarded the Black Soul Rank Skill- Foggy Footwork (Active): A type of martial art technique that distorts the opponents visual of you.]

[You have created your first Mana Path. You are the second person to do so. You have massively contributed to the growth of your world. Your world has broken through to the Emerald Rank! You have been rewarded the Crimson Soul Rank Skill- Jade Skin (Passive): Your skin will be as hard as a jade imbued with the energy of the universe. Your Body is now at an Indigo Soul Rank and your Constitution has been increased by 3.1 permanently.]

"It seems I'm in the first three people worldwide to accomplish this." Lewis stated.

"It doesn't surprise me. The universe should have begun spreading hints of the information I gave you to the rest of the world. It just means that there are two people that are far more talented than you are. I can feel just how much stronger you've gotten with just that little bit. How does it feel to be unshackled once again?" Tali asked in response.

"I feel the connection to my… uncontracted spirits again, but now it feels more centralized, right in my core." Lewis explained. He could feel the eager spirits awaiting him in his Mana Core, and the sinister feeling of the dormant spirit Talila mentioned, beckoning him as well.

"As much as I would love to teach you the method of signing a contract with a spirit, you should wait until you've completed the first circuit." Tali advised.

"Why wait? I receive rewards for accomplishing being in the top three, so I'm going to keep going until I pass out." Lewis dismissed his fatigue and closed his eyes again.

"Do as you want, but Mana Paths increase in difficulty after each creation." Tali warned Lewis. Lewis followed the same pattern and created a path to his right lung. His breathing became even clearer, and his mind became lighter. His next pathway was going to be his heart, but as Tali had stated, it became severely difficult. Lewis wasn't going to give up, he struggled through instead, while sweat poured from every pore on his body as he painstakingly created the pathway to his heart. Once he had succeeded, the pathways in the lungs simultaneously connected with smaller pathways, and Lewis felt tingling between his collarbones and shoulders, he instinctively knew that if he wanted to create the first two circuits, then he needed to complete two pathways simultaneously.

"Whoo… Inversion." Lewis breathed out, mentally preparing himself while activating a skill to divert the extreme pain and fatigue to unrelated parts of his body, hoping that it would assist in his concentration. The moment he began, his body rejected his attempt, his Core refused to release the necessary energy, and his mind blanked for a brief second.

"Just stop there, three pathways is already an outstanding accomplishment." Tali sounded strained as well, but Lewis remained stubborn and continued his attempts. 

"Hah, fine. It's annoying, but I know you won't quit, so I'll assist." Tali sighed and Lewis felt her meld with him in the same way that Talila did. His body lessened in pain and fatigue, and he was able to create the two sources of energy to make the pathways. Tali gave Lewis her assistance, guiding the pathways along in a smoother manner, the difficulty felt similar to the heart's path, but splitting his mind to control both pathways felt unnatural, like he had two thoughts running simultaneously. Any interruption could disrupt and damage his mind, and he knew that. With slow and meticulous progress, Tali and Lewis successfully established the pathways, and as what happened when the other pathways were established, smaller pathways connected themselves to the heart pathway. Two complete circuits were established simultaneously and Lewis collapsed immediately after. 

[You have successfully created your first Mana Circuit; The Flame Circuit. You are the first person to do so. You have contributed an exponential amount to the world's growth. You can now imbue the Fire Element into weapons you own or create. You have been rewarded the Violet Soul Rank Skill: Blood Reinforcement (Passive): Your blood circulates smoother, cleaner, hotter, stronger and faster with every beat of your heart. Your body is immortal, your regeneration is instant, and your stamina is infinite. You have reached the maximum rewards The Universe can give you.]

[You have successfully created your second Mana Circuit; The Wind Circuit. You are the first person to do so and your contribution to Worldly Growth is immense. You can now imbue the Wind Element into weapons you own or create.]

"Wow, I earned something broken for once. Blood Reinforcement… no matter how I think about it, it's absolutely the most broken skill I have." Lewis chuckled, his fatigue was swiftly vanishing, and shortly he was able to move again.

"Congratulations, Master. Talila can feel the immense strength that you have gained." Talila bowed to Lewis as he stood up and dusted his uniform off.

"Is that so?" Lewis replied plainly. A knock resounded from the door before it opened and Emilia entered the room. Lewis immediately became irritated.

"Excuse my rudeness, but I wish to speak to you as your Vizier." Emilia bowed her head.

"Well, make it quick." Lewis sat on his bed and clasped his hands together in an oddly noble manner. Emilia looked up to speak but her words froze in her throat at Lewis's appearance. His hair was now pure black with a ghoulish sheen, his skin was darkened like caramel and just as smooth. His eyes were violet in color and seemed to glow with a dangerous energy that pierced with just a glance. His face was sharper and he exuded an air of royalty straight out of a fantasy novel. It caused Emilia's heart to race erratically as she stared at him. 

"Master, you are still fused with Acotali." Talila reminded Lewis.

"Oh, right." Lewis remembered. In a blink, Tali unfused with Lewis and he returned to his usual look.  Emilia shook her head and took a deep breath, instead of being entranced, she was now confused and shocked about the sight of a small girl unmelding from Lewis and materializing right in front of her, as if it were a normal occurrence.

"I… will pretend that didn't happen." Emilia finally spoke.

"That's fine. Now speak about whatever it is you wanted to talk about." Lewis dismissed her statement and demanded.

"Ahem, uh, I was simply wondering how you wish to approach the competitions and infighting we will surely be facing from here on and in the future." Emilia began her planned conversation. 

"Head on." Lewis replied simply, destroying all of the pre planned conversation Emilia had conducted prior to coming up to Lewis's room.

"Pardon, did you mean something strategic by that, my Pharaoh?" Emilia asked, looking for a more satisfactory response.

"I said head on, meaning if a fight happens, then it happens. We just have to win right? It's not my job to be strategic, I just bury my opponents and move on. You want a strategy, then you deal with the strategy. Isn't that your job, my dear Vizier?" Lewis responded with heavy sarcasm on the ending question.

"I apologize for my intrusion and injudicious questions. May I now speak to you about more personal things, Lewis?" Emilia bowed for the first part, but addressed Lewis firmly on the second.

"Depends on how personal." Lewis replied with his arms crossed.

"Eight years ago, August seventeenth, twenty twenty-six at Grecco Amusement Park. You were the last victim of Vulture right? Tell me all the information you have on that piece of shit." Emilia's face darkened in rage.