WarBeast (3)

Azreal was forcefully trying to open his eyes a few times now but each time, his eyelids seemed to get heavier and closed on their own. After a while, he decided to just stop and wait —on what felt like a few hours— before trying again.

Everything looked out of focus like he was seeing doubles. Painfully moving his head from side to side, groaning in pain the entire time, he found a sort of familiar face: Asbiom.

He was currently in one of the cages with the other humanoids but all the others stuck to the opposite sides of where he was, not wanting to get too close, scanning him from head to toe wryly.

"Don't pay them any mind, It's probably their first time seeing something from legend"

Turning his attention to Asbiom, he tried to speak but only groans came out, his body felt too weak to even speak, just turning his head was a painful task.

Asbiom stared at Azreal for a second before his eyes started glowing and a glowing light shot out from them into Azreal's eyes.

<<This is my imprint on you. It seems like you are too weak to speak so we can communicate this way>>

Stunned, Azreal took a moment to realize that the bear was using telepathy. When the glowing light entered his mind, it formed a hazy silhouette that had not taken its true form as it.

As it appeared in his mind, before the image fully formed, just seeing the light alone caused a sense of fear that he would've thought had long left him to be formed in his mind.

The 'Glowing Man'.

Instantly, chains shot out of the pitch black environment wrapping the glowing light in their deadly embrace, he wasn't even sure where the chains came from nor was he thinking about it.

Fear could be seen clearly on his face as he slowly stepped back further. Although it was impossible for his consciousness to breath, he started feeling like he was suffocating, the entire space felt so much smaller than it actually was and it felt like it was still shrinking.

<<Calm down, I won't hurt you>>

As Asbioms voice was once again heard in his mind, the glowing silhouette took the form of the white bear.

Noticing the figure and the voice, Azreal calmed down quite a bit but even so the chains didn't move because of a bit of anger that grew inside him.

<<How are you here?>>

<<Just as I told you, this is my imprint. This is just a tiny piece of my consciousness>>

After understanding that and looking at the chains that restricted Asbioms movements he didn't dwell on it for long.

<<do you know where am I?.>>

None of the weakness that was plaguing his body could be identified from his thoughts, his voice sounded just like it would when he's at his peak mixed in with the anger.

<<The home of the WarBeasts, the Nether Realm. How can you not know but be here?>>

Asbiom completely ignored the anger in his voice.

Thinking back, Azreal remembered Maseru mentioning it in passing but he didn't dwell on it or explain anything about so neither did he.

<<.....Warbeast? I don't know.>>

The anger inside him only grew larger as he started feeling like a man who lived his entire life comfortably in a cage with a curtain covering it. And now that the curtain was removed and the cage was open, he felt like he knew nothing and no matter how hard he tried to understand his new world, it felt like he was wasting his time and he didn't have the slightest clue how to change.

At every step he took to try and understand things better, he found himself tossed somewhere new and he had to start everything over, it was so frustrating and he's only been here for a little over a year and most of that time he was incapacitated in a dungeon.

<<Mhmm...The Nether Realm is sealed off from the entire chaos realm and could be considered its own world without the help of…..>>

Speaking up to this point Asbiom paused for a second before continuing.

<<I suppose it could be considered your good fortune meeting me>>

Suppressing his frustration and anger and ignoring Asbioms words, Azreal tried to calm himself down before speaking.

<<What are Warbeast?>>

Asbiom didn't answer right away, only staring at the manifestation of Azreal's consciousness.

<<What do you mean by what is a Warbeast? Just look at me>>

The anger that he was trying so hard to suppress before seem to want to flare up at any moment, gritting his teeth he changed the topic.

<<Do you know why I can't sense Divine Energy? Does it have something to do with the nether realm?>>

<<I suppose you could say that; I won't get into a long drawn out explanation but Warbeast don't have any use for Divine Energy because it doesn't really exist here. We use Nether Energy but the main reason you can't sense any energy is because of those wrist cuffs you're wearing>>

It was only now that Azreal realized that he was wearing wrist cuffs with the broken chains attached to them.

Even though he was given an explanation as to why he couldn't sense any energy it didn't really help since he was too weak to remove them.

<<But even so, I wouldn't recommend you taking them off. You should just forget about those fancy spells you learned because you won't be able to use them anymore, I'd advise you to just wait until you naturally gain back some energy to move around on your own>>

Asbiom words stunned Azreal. Forget about his spells? What could he do without them?

Sure he knew how to fight but that was basically street brawling and there was no technique to it, just the principle of ensuring you win while taking as little damage as possible. What would happen if he met a bonafide fighter?

So far, he's been operating under the principle that: technique is nothing in front of absolute power. But what now?

<<Why?>> Once again Asbiom looked at him before speaking.

<<My small friend, your body is suited for Divine Energy. Trying to absorb Nether Energy is nothing short to willingly eating poison. But if you do me a favor then I might have a way of helping you. You still won't be able to use your fancy spell but it's still better than nothing.>>