Chapter 7: Awakening

"Krr...."

A young dark haired boy currently stood in what looked to be a vast never ending desert. In front of him was a collapsed and bloody gigantic worm like creature that was releasing weak noises from its oddly shaped mouth.

"I'm done...." Aron muttered as the worm began glowing before completely vanishing.

Aron's body was in no better condition, his fists were extremely bloody with even part of his bones exposed on the knuckles. He also had multiple flesh wounds on his chest, back and arms but the expression he wore remained composed. His already dull grey eyes looked to be even more lifeless from the lack of rest.

Meanwhile in a gigantic plain hall housing only a large dome, Argos stood with a smile on his face and his arms crossed.

'Time is really flying but the rate at which this boy is growing is really impressive. I've at least taught him what's most important so it's about time we move... beast mongers are truly a frightening bunch no matter the world.' Argos thought with a bright smile on his face.

Argos's pondering came to an end when an opening appeared on the large dome he stood in front of. A moment later, Aron walked out with close to no injuries. The most he had were slight cuts that grew smaller and smaller as a white mist emanated from them.

"Hmm, already done? You keep surpassing my expectations for you, perhaps I should raise the bar again don't you think? With all those beast wills your injuries will heal in no time." Argos inquired in a friendly manner but Aron simply gave him an unamused look.

"Do as you please, you damn sadist..." Aron muttered in a low tone, clearly tired from back to back sparring.

"Considering what you do to my summonings, you're the sadist here. Anyway, take a short break and we can finally proceed to the your last bit of training from me." Argos sudden announced but Aron didn't hesitate shaking his head in disagreement.

"I don't need to take a break" Aron responded confidently as all his injuries finished healing. Argos sighed at this but maintained a smile as he gestured for Aron to follow him, he wasn't surprised that Aron was eager to finish his training and leave for good.

Aron and Argos stood on a neatly carved magic circle that immediately began to glow when they made contact with it.

Soon light completely engulfed them and blurred their vision. When the light faded they were in a much smaller room. It was a small beautiful garden with assorted flora surrounding a crystal clear pond.

"What is this place?" Aron asked while looking around the tranquil garden.

"As you already know, beast mongers don't grow but instead undergo evolution after reaching their current body's limits. You've long since reached this stage and can likely undergo your first evolution without trouble however... there's a taboo way of doing this that holds more benefits than any other method I know. It's the whole reason I've wanted to become a beast monger myself, however the stronger the body one seeks the more horrendously painful the experience will be, but if you endure...the growth you'll experience is unlike any other. I do hope you survive, I truly do..." Argos encouraged before placing a hand on Aron's back.

In that moment numerous strange runes began to cover Aron's entire body before he could even reply.

"Metamorphosis... Invoke!"

What followed was the sound of multiple bones cracking fiercely and non stop. Aron's body was undergoing changes from the very lowest levels. Every part of his body would first be destroyed before slowly being reconstructed forcefully with mana.

This process was taxing on both parties as Argos had to be extremely precise and focused. As for Aron, his mind was in a state of complete disarray, every fiber of his being was telling him to just die as the pain was too much to bear. However Aron grit his teeth and tried to endure for as long as he could.

"Almost there...." Argos muttered as he shifted one hand to the back of Aron's head.

What followed was Aron entering a dead like state. He could neither feel or do anything. For just a short time...Aron had truly died.

Argos soon pulled his hands away from Aron's body which soon collapsed to the ground in a bloodied state.

Argos looked at Aron's unmoving body with a bit of worry before coming closer and placing a finger on his neck. He remained doing this for quite sometime until he finally felt a pulse.

"....he's successfully entered a cocoon state. His evolution and metamorphosis begin now." Argos muttered before sighing in relief and retracting his finger.

Argos who was still breathing heavily raised his trembling hands towards Aron before performing a short gesture. What happened next was Aron's body began hovering from the ground before slowly floating towards the pond.

Once there the body slowly began to descend into the water without any signs of stopping. Before long the body was completely out of sight.

'You survived the first phase of this dreaded technique...but the next part is the most important. The longer you can endure it, the greater the growth you'll experience. I do wonder how long you'll take.' Argos thought to himself before standing up weakly and leaving the room.

And so time began to fly once again although this time the one who was waiting for results was Argos. Most of his time was now spent observing the pond in which Aron laid but the progress was extremely slow.

"Just how long are you willing to endure whatever grueling torture you must be experiencing child?...." Argos muttered to himself as he stood at the edge of the pond.

Argos stood there for a good while and just observed the still water. He stayed this way for a while before shaking his head and releasing a sigh before walking away from the pond.

'Seems it's not time yet... I will wait for as long as I need to child, alas even a mage like myself isn't immortal.' Argos thought to himself before exiting the garden completely.

Once again a grueling amount of time began to fly by but Aron still showed no signs of awakening. Many times Argos worried that Aron may have died but everytime he checked that wasn't the case and he would instead see some progress as a large white stone with veins formed where Aron's body once laid.

....

As time continued to go by Argos's frame had grown slimmer while his hair had grown longer and messy. He looked far from the healthy individual he was when he first met Aron. He currently had a staff in hand and a smile on his face as he looked at the glowing white pond in front of him.

Yes, unlike all the other times he stood before the pond this moment was different. For the first time the pond was no longer still and the white veined stone within showed signs of cracking. The water was constantly rippling as light began to emerge from below the water. This continued for a short while before the pond was completely engulfed by white light.

The ripples on the surface of the pond became more vigorous and rough. What followed was a shadowy figure being seen from below the water. When Argos saw this, the smile on his wrinkly face grew wider and let out a relaxed sigh.

"Once again, my expectations for you have been completely shattered...." Argos muttered before the light in the pond spread across the entire garden along with a loud humming sound.

The light faded slowly and Argos soon opened his eyes. However what he saw in front of him wasn't the pond but a muscular and toned abdomen. Argos slowly began raising his head before stopping when his gaze met a face.

A neatly sculpted jaw with strong facial features to match and long black hair. The figure in front of Argos looked nothing like the boy that had entered the pond many years ago...well almost nothing. One feature remained the same, it was this one feature that caused Argos to show a bright smile.

'Those cold grey eyes...they still seem carry the same determination as that fateful moment we met....' Argos thought to himself before giving the figure in front of him a nod.

"Well done...Aron" Argos praised sincerely while holding a staff weakly in both his hands.

"You've changed..." Were the first words Aron spoke after so many years towards Argos. His voice was no longer soft and adolescent but strong and intimidating. This caused the old mage to break out in laughter while shaking his head.

"Haha, ever so blunt I see. You're one to talk child...no, it would be more accurate to call you a man from now." Argos replied, causing Aron to turn his attention to the ripped pieces of cloth covering only parts of his body.

He didn't seem all that taken aback by the immense changes his body had undergone. He instead looked at his own hands before clenching them and releasing a sigh.

"How long?...." Aron asked while looking very indifferent about the situation.

"Who knows but look at me now, that should give you an idea..." Argos replied before giving Aron a worried look.

"I felt like I was stuck in a never ending nightmare, I tried to wake up so many times but couldn't. It all felt so real, I almost truly began to accept it." Aron replied in a confused tone before turning his gaze away from his clenched fist, he began to check his surroundings as if unsure if this was reality or yet another vivid nightmare.

Whatever it was Aron experienced, Argos could see that it left a deep impression on him.

"Now, you're ready to fully inherit my legacy and leave this place."

....

[Rule #244: The greater the pain, the greater the gain]