Chapter 158 Dark Pool

By the time they reached the Dark Pool it was already the third day on the island. There wasn't much time left before the competition would end, yet Lucas kept his cool. 

"This should be it.", Asta said confidently as he found a cave on the side of the mountain. "I don't think we'll have any visitors or competitors considering what kind of pool this is.", he knew perfectly well that there could be some black cored students aiming at the same place. Yet the chance was way too low, it was already extremely rare for one to be born, let alone survive until now. 

"Well, that's the first issue I have with this place.", Lucas had a hardened look on his face, Asta was just following along, so he hadn't been thinking ahead. 

"Are you worried about the guardian? That there won't be enough meat shields or something?", Asta tried to lighten the mood, but Lucas wasn't having it. Considering both their mentality, Asta was certain that if they were in a different place, he would've laughed. 

"Not just the guardian, but the pool itself. Darkness as an element is the exact opposite of a Light element. Light heals, restores and creates. Darkness simply destroys."

"That's the basic theory, yes.", Asta wasn't a fan of elements, but that didn't mean he didn't study it. Knowing your enemy and yourself are needed to secure victory, and Asta was more than aware of the strength of elements.

"How can an element with the sole purpose to destroy stay in a certain form? Fire can go out, and extended by adding more fuel. But Darkness doesn't work like that.

Any attack containing Darkness is simply meant to give the spell a higher destruction force. Even using Darkness in stealth it's simply used to destroy all scents and aura's we exude. The moment we conjure it in the air it disappears by consuming the air, so how could it stay conjured?"

'Even the Life Drain spell is just destroying the vessel to obtain the nutrients.', Lucas couldn't figure out how Darkness could be manifested without it disappearing or destroying everything it touches.

"Perhaps the darkness would be coupled with something that makes it last?"

"And that's where I'm stuck. I have no idea what could make Darkness stay in a physical form. The guardian of the Light Pool was a physical being of pure Light, the guardian of the Dark Pool can't be the same, or it would simply self-destruct."

"Then how about we find out instead of breaking our heads over an impossible issue?", Asta was certain that the answer was right in front of them, and no matter how much he liked researching and studying, elements didn't suit him. He would rather not waste time over something he didn't care about. He was following Lucas only because he was his way to the top.

Lucas didn't want to agree, but didn't see any other way forward.

The entrance to the cave was shrouded in an oppressive darkness, with the only light penetrating being feeble rays that struggled to pierce through the thick veil of hanging moss and ancient vines. The air within was cool and damp, carrying with it an earthy scent that hinted at the secrets hidden in the depths.

As they ventured further into the cave, the uneven ground beneath their feet became more treacherous, with slippery rocks and jagged stalagmites threatening to impede their progress. The echoes of footsteps reverberated throughout the cave, creating an eerie symphony.

They entered the cave with their guards up. Since it was a new day Lucas had already activated his necklace and had another shield at the ready. Asta on the other hand had a bubble of pure mana around him. 

Moving slowly downwards the light started to vanish. Lucas didn't waste any time before sending a few lights forward. The cave seemed to display dancing shadows in the struggling light that tried to fight against the darkness. The only sounds were their own footsteps and the occasional echo of a falling drop of water.

They kept going deeper and deeper, both had their willpower spread far, yet they didn't encounter any kind of monster that tried to slow them down. The darkness became so oppressing that their lights went out. Lucas tried to summon another one, but it quickly vanished. 

Suddenly, he started to hear faint whispers, they felt incoherent, but somehow the whispers were all conveying the same message. A message he couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried. He kept his eye, or mind, out for whatever may come next. Both Asta and Lucas stayed quiet, not because they were trying to stay focussed, but because something in their heart was holding them back. 

Yet the whispers kept growing louder as they ventured deeper. It almost seemed as if the whispers started to echo as well, putting both of them on edge. Normally Asta and Lucas weren't people who were afraid of death, but the unknown didn't sit well with either of them.

Lucas wanted to talk, but something kept him back. He looked beside him but couldn't see Asta anywhere. The only reason he was still so calm was because he could feel Asta through his willpower. 

Venturing deeper into complete darkness they entered the heart of the cave. The whispers were the loudest here, yet they still couldn't find a single being around them, let alone any sort of light.

A pool of some kind of liquid was right in front of them. They couldn't see it, only sense it with their willpower. Spreading it over the pool they couldn't find the bottom. The pool was completely still, not moving an inch, yet that only put them both more on edge. 

The whispers seemed to pull them towards the pool, it felt suffocating, forcing them to think differently. The air around them didn't seem normal, light seemed to be forbidden, and the air felt extremely heavy. 

"Asta.", Lucas voice was louder than the whispers, making it easily distinguishable.

"Yes?"

"I'll create a light, you create a bubble around it."

With this plan they hoped to see something because while willpower could show them their surroundings, they only saw the outline and could feel the power of mana, but that was it. Only people who trained hard enough like Elam could do more with their willpower. 

In unison, they activated their spells creating an artificial lantern. The light didn't reach far, only when they stood very close did they see each other. Staring at the light, they could see the Darkness trying to get in.

"The damage is minimal, if I keep supporting it, it'll stay for some time.", Asta felt reassured that they were going to be capable of seeing something again, not that it illuminated the cave, but having some light brightened his mood.

Lucas on the other hand felt weird knowing that the air in this cave was capable of damaging their shields. He was glad the Darkness only fought to destroy the light, but the moment it would target them, he would flee as fast as he could. He moved his hands around and did feel that it was harder to move, as if something was pulling him back.

"What is this place?", Asta was as curious as Lucas, but neither knew how they needed to proceed. The pool in front of them was probably their goal. The only issue is that each pool was guarded, and they still couldn't detect any aura. The whispers were still there though, constantly reminding them they weren't alone.

'This guardian must have a spell similar to what Eleven has, it's an assassin.'

'I don't think so, if they were an assassin, why wouldn't they attack us when we couldn't see anything?'

'Because the moment we feel safe and get careless, we'll be attacked.'

'Then let's see if we can find him with our eyes instead of our willpower.'

Lucas stayed away from the pool, even if he felt inclined to get closer, that only made him more cautious. "Asta, let's create more lights."

Asta nodded and both went to work, creating dozens of self-made lanterns that lit up the cave. It would constantly drain their energy, but waiting in the dark wasn't something either of them wanted.

Even after they could see most of the cave, there wasn't anyone or anything that could produce those whispers. 

Taking a closer look at the pool they could only think that the guardian was a fishlike monster that guarded the pool from within.

"Want to scoop tiny bits away and slowly drain the pool?", Asta found a solution, it might not be the most practical, but it would give them a chance to see if there was anything inside it. 

Lucas used his willpower once more to check the pool out, now that he had light, he could more accurately sense things. Yet, the results didn't change, the pool felt impossibly deep. 

'Or our willpower can't enter it.'

'That's a possibility, but what material can block willpower in the first place?'

'I don't know, I'm just trying to guess here.'

Waiting around and wasting time pointlessly would only harm him. He needed to make a choice.

"Asta, protect me.", Lucas moved closer to the Dark Pool as Asta created a bunch of Pure Mana weapons and shields around Lucas. He might be more relaxed, but would never be careless. 

Lucas sat down next to it, his heart was beating faster than usual as the whispers started to get louder and louder as if approaching him. He was scared something would've come out and kill him in an instant. He had already activated his necklace, and had a basic shield around him, yet he didn't feel safe at all. 

He slowly reached out to the pool until his fingers almost barely touched the Dark liquid. Suddenly all the whispers stopped, leaving an extremely eerie quiet atmosphere behind. Lucas's heart dropped. Having the silence be so loud and heavy, Lucas wished that the whispers came back. 

He hadn't touched the liquid yet, and didn't feel like that was a good idea anymore. Lucas sat in that frozen position for minutes thinking what the best choice would've been. A small wind blew through the cave, making Lucas realize his back was sweating. Part of Lucas felt furious that they were scared of nothing and momentarily took control.

"Screw it!", abandoning his countless doubts he reached into the black liquid and felt the raven black water stick to his skin. He pulled his hands back, but pulled the water with him as if it didn't want to let go. The entire pool came to life as it started to cover Lucas's skin. It crept forward without stopping.

"What!!!", his shields were useless and the weapons Asta conjured couldn't do anything against the black gooey liquid. It crawled over his skin, even when he tried to wipe or pull it off, there was no stopping it. It simply spread even faster.

"Asta!", Lucas tried to summon his magic but nothing came out! 

The lights that lit up the cave got destroyed at the same time, leaving Asta and Lucas back in the pitch black. Making the already tense situation even scarier and made both panic. Lucas didn't need to see to realize the entire pool was covering him entirely. Any resistance was useless as he could feel the weight of the water as it moved forward. 

'This is a test like the mantis! Give me control, I'll take care of this! You're panicking too much!'

'Fine, I don't understand what's happening anymore!'

Under new control Lucas sat in a meditative pose as his neck and face were slowly covered in the pitch black liquid. "Asta, don't disturb me." were the final words Lucas could say before his mouth was covered as well. He closed his eyes as finally his entire body was just a human shaped dark being. His figure didn't hold any kind of distinguishing features, he was a mannequin of pure darkness now. 

Asta was scared for once, he didn't understand what was happening, but the sudden calm Lucas showed that there wasn't anything to worry about. Now that the liquid stopped moving, Asta noticed the entire pool was covering Lucas, and the original place where the pool was meant to be was but a shallow pit. 

Taking his time to calm his heart he tried to get used to the pure silence and the surrounding abyss.

He wanted to see again, but using elemental magic was something he vowed never to use again. So he sat next to Lucas and reached towards the sticky pitch black darkness before stopping. 

'I should focus on protection. The guardian could still arrive.', being more resolute, Asta stood up and conjured a bunch of Pure Mana shields that covered them. Being made of pure mana, it was easy to keep their manifestation. The costs were high when creating, but maintaining it was cheap. Elemental magic was mostly the opposite, cheap to conjure, expensive to maintain. 

Time passed slowly as Asta was left alone in complete darkness. He couldn't tell what time it was and wouldn't leave the cave without Lucas. 

'Perhaps this was a mistake, he's smart, but only he knows his own plan. How am I supposed to continue?'

Being in the dark and waiting for such a long time, he had started to get bored and couldn't help but think about his situation.

'Am I really that stupid, that I can't but rely on someone else who's better than I? Aren't I nothing more than a servant? Even during that fight with Brutus, I was only there for support. Was he right? Am I really worthless?'

Asta stared at Lucas and felt a fire in his heart ignite once more. 'No, I'm strong, I'm a genius, I'm the best when it comes to arrays, even Conrad can't beat me there.'

Trying to improve his own self-image, Asta didn't get far and started to critique his own way of living once more. 

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In the magnificent hall of the great magus the smells of the feast that was held there previously were still marking the room. Someone could easily remove the smell, but for the magus, the smell was soothing.

The Great Magus Seoris Rigurus was sitting alone at the table, he looked at the other empty end with a certain look. The red eyes between his deer skull flickered once or twice before looked to the side. 

His loyal attendants were patiently waiting for him to speak, ready to fulfill any of his commands, no matter how strange or weird. Seoris would never harm them though, for him, it was already a blessing to find human attendants willing to serve him since he scared off everyone around him. 

"Myria, how is he?", his deep and magnificent voice easily reached her ears, even if he was talking normally. 

"He is still healing, Lord. According to the doctor it should still take a few weeks before he will have recovered enough to walk.", the maid on the other hand had to raise her voice a bit if she wanted her lord to hear them. She knew it wasn't needed since the magus would hear her even if she whispered, but saw that as a good side of her. She tried to treat him as a normal person.

He had recently performed a successful experiment that would shock the entire magic world. He was the very first mage in the universe that had succeeded in creating a body that was completely filled with pathways and gateways. Yet, he was focussed o something else.

"Myria, do you think I would be a good teacher?", he asked with sincerity. He placed value in the opinions of his servants, even if they were weaker than an ant in his eyes. 

"My Lord, you could easily teach him the theoretical side of magic. But I believe that when it comes to execution, he needs practical experience in order to grow."

"An educated view. Hmm, I guess I could place him in the attack force. Then he would see a multitude of mages with a bunch of different techniques. That may prove as a great opportunity."

"My Lord, if I may, even if you were capable of giving him his original body back during the experiment, he will be discriminated against. He is weak, placing him in the attack force could end in his demise."

The Magus stood up and paced around the long table. The chandeliers that hung from the ceiling gave off a pleasant light. His slow footsteps echoed in the room as his beautifully decorated robes dragged on the ground. Yet not a speck of dust was to be seen, Myria and her group were very persistent when it came to cleanliness. 

"What if I gave him a charm to protect himself?", the magus said as he arrived at the other end of the table, touching the chair with hands. The white gloves made a leathery sound as he tightened his grip. 

"My Lord, before I answer, what do you see in that boy?", Myria wanted to know what her master thought about him, depending on the answer she would give a different response.

"Hmm, "That boy"? We really need to give him a name. He has an innate gift of telepathy and a Black Core. His perception of magic is amazing and when I look in his eyes I see my younger self. Depending on his determination he could become a God or a Devil in this world. Personally, I don't care what kind of justice he believes in, I just want to see new magic."

"My Lord has high expectations from him, then I agree that a charm is absolutely necessary. If you could, a public statement would also give him a certain safety, though that also means more attention."

The magus and his servant talked for a bit longer before the master needed to leave. Weeks passed by, giving the boy more than enough time to recover. 

When Seoris came back home he found his servants awaiting him, among them was the boy he healed back. 

"Welcome back, My Lord, have you been well?", Myria was in front bowing deeply, the other servants followed her example. 

"I'll only be here for a little while, they need me to be back by tomorrow. I've come here to pick the boy up."

'...Leave...?...'

"That's correct, you're going with me to experience the outside world.", the servants were confused as to why the magus seemed to talk to himself. Only Myria was in the know and a single glance from her made the others bow even deeper. 

"My Lord, is there anything we can do for you?", Myria might've been weak, but she wanted to at least be of some help. After giving her some tasks did the magus enter his own castle. Bringing the boy with him to the hall again he walked towards the middle as the table started to float to the side without any warning. 

"Now, we only have a single day, I'll try to teach you as much as I know. Before we start, I'll ask you a question I asked quite some time ago. What is your name?"

'.....Not.....have.....one...'

"I see, most parents give their child a name, sometimes before it's even born. Even Magic Beasts give each other names, are you telling me you don't have one? Then, can you think of a name for yourself?"

'....Not....needed...'

The magus knew the boy was different from normal humans, but this still escaped his grasp. Most people wanted a name, some were jealous of other people's names after all. Some even change their own names to something they like more. Yet this child didn't want one, or didn't care about it.

"Fine, then let's start with the basics. Magic is everywhere around us, only mages have the capacity to notice it and use it for their own purpose. A lot of mages think that artifacts and certain medicines are what make a mage stronger, but in reality it's all about their willpower. If you have the determination to keep going, then talent, background, luck, pills and any other kind of crutch are meaningless."

"Try to feel the magic around you, you can already use telepathy, so I know you have experience in feeling magic. Once you can see your own core, imagine whatever you wish and your magic will make it come true. Start with something simple and easy, don't use any elements, just pure mana. Your mind won't be strong enough to conjure anything complex, so just create a ball of mana for now."

"Normally people teach children with simple examples of fire or water since it's easy to understand and imagine. But you don't want to know the amount of kids that killed themselves because they lit their own heart on fire or blocked their blood vessels with tiny stones. I know of one that was capable of drowning herself even. So stick to pure mana, no elements."

The hours passed by as the boy who wasn't knowledgeable about magic tried to conjure up anything. The magus simply watched, he knew how much time was left before he had to leave. If the boy couldn't do anything he would leave him behind, no reason to bring someone inept with him on a dangerous journey. He wanted to teach the boy, not endanger him.

Getting bored, the magus decided to explain other things that were a little too complex for the boy. "Many mages use runes in order to use mana, the experiments they did to find the runes were quite something. But still, it's a way to do it, runes started to take over all other means of magic. Because of its classification and stable structure, magic became something easier to research. Humans wanted control over magic just like everything else, so they found a way.

Runes can be used in circles and arrays, spoken, signed, and a bunch of other things as well. It was a great way for mages to learn quickly, which was necessary for humans to grow stronger. After all, when we compare humans against all other species, they're pretty weak.

In the beginning the human race was pitiful and incompetent, yet now, they even employed me to fight against the dragons in this world. Beings that stand on top of the food chain are now being hunted by those at the bottom."

"It's truly a magnificent thing to witness, although I do have to start thinking if I won't be targeted next since I don't remotely look human. And if humans don't like something, it's other races with more power than them."

"Look at me rambling, have you made any progress yet?"

'.....yes....done....', the boy never opened his mouth, and he never conjured anything yet he was confident to be finished with his task. The magus didn't see anything and would've easily picked up on it.

"Done? Then why don't you conjure something up for me?"

The boy didn't move an inch, but the magic started to flow out of his body. The mana formed a bubble that floated. 

"Perfect, now, try to do exactly that but with an element you feel comfortable with."

A new bubble appeared of pure Darkness, but swiftly vanished as well. The boy stared at the empty air where the bubble was meant to be. The magus's eyes flickered for a moment, children don't usually conjure the Dark element at first, especially not successfully. He knew that Dark magic wasn't something that stayed manifested for long. 

"Ho? It seems you can't conjure elements that well yet?", trying to test him, the magus pushed the boy to try again. 

All the while staying silent, the boy started to manifest multiple tiny balls of Darkness, yet they all disappeared quickly. The magus knew that the boy was in his experimental mode and was excited to see the result. He wasn't expecting a solution to the problem, rather, he wanted to know the boy's reasoning power.

Time slowly passed as the boy had given up on conjuring anything, the magus could tell he still had some mana left. So he waited patiently until the boy was ready to give up.

For a final time, the boy closed his eyes again and conjured up a ball of Darkness. One second passed, another second passed, yet the bubble wasn't shrinking. 

'Hmm? That's? Is he using his own willpower to inhibit the Darkness's innate abilities? Considering how long it took, he's at the intelligence level of a Heavenly One's child. That's pretty remarkable, I should congratulate him.'

"Hahaha, well done, I wasn't expecting such a solution since it's extremely impractical. But a solution is a solution. Now boy, you can stop putting your mind under so much stress, and tell me, what would be the next step?"

The boy's brows loosened up and the ball of Darkness vanished into nothing. 

'.....make.....mind.....into....real...world...'

"To make your willpower exist in the real world? Well that's... no, you should research that in your own spare time. Who knows, perhaps you'll make a great breakthrough in the future."

The boy didn't answer, and the magus wasn't expecting one. With his task completed, the magus knew it would be very dangerous, but beneficial for him to go along with the attack force. The magus knew that the boy was something special, he wasn't social, anything but. Yet his talents were out of this world.

'As long as he was protected from their pressure, it would be somewhat fine. Dragons have a habit of targeting the strongest after all.'

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