Jin's Growth (3)

The moment I stepped foot onto the ritual circle, I felt a little queasy. At that moment, it felt like over a thousand eyes were looking at me, watching my every move and reading my every thought. It was a surreal experience, to say the least, but I quickly shook it off.

All I needed to do was to focus on the task at hand.

Following Variel's instructions, I channelled some of my magic power into the small circle beneath me and…

'What's this?'

Almost instantly, my entire body began to warm up. The blood within my veins began to flow rapidly, and my inner organs were overwhelmed with a sense of comfort. And for the first time in my life, I felt like I could 'see' inside my body. Every micron that existed within, every blood cell that danced harmoniously, every fibre of my being…

It felt like everything was under my control. If I so chose, I could independently move anything as I pleased. It didn't matter if it were the tiniest brain cell or a strand of hair. Everything was under my explicit control. And of course, that included my very own…

Soul.

'So, this is what a soul looks like.'

One might think that your soul was shaped to fit your body; however, that was far from the truth. My soul was tucked into a small marble, one that was less than a few inches long. It shone with a beautiful azure hue. In the void of my inner consciousness, that one shining light was blinding, to say the least. Rather than crumbling under the pressure of the dark, my soul continuously burnt bright, seemingly in defiance of its miserable fate to lay alone in the void.

'Haha, I guess I would expect nothing less.'

A soul was a reflection of oneself. And the fact that it was a tenacious little bugger did put a smile on my face.

'But what are those things attached to it?'

However, as I closely inspected the luminous sphere that represented my soul, I did notice some irregularities. Four of them, to be exact.

Four smaller marbles, each one with its own unique colour, protruded out from my soul. Each of them had long roots that dug deep into my soul as if they wished to hold the marble firmly in place.

'White, Golden, Obsidian, Emerald…'

I counted the four marbles and identified their distinct colours. For some reason, even though the four spheres looked like parasites that leeched on my soul, I didn't feel any animosity towards them. Rather, I felt a tinge of affection for each one of those parasitic balls that held my soul in place.

'No, I can learn more about them later… What I should do now is…'

Like Variel had said, the moment I channelled my magic power into the ritual circle, my instincts instantly knew how to complete the job. If I wanted to awaken my Vampire Aspect, all I needed to do was touch that small blob of energy that I call my soul.

And thus…

My 'hands' reached out and earnestly cupped the small azure ball within them. Like a mother cradling a baby, I gently and lovingly brought the luminous marble closer to my chest. Instinctively, I knew what to do. I knew what was going to happen. And I knew…

What my power was going to be.

A warm, fuzzy feeling echoed through my body, waking me up from my intoxicated stupor. My consciousness was kicked out of the void that my soul resided in, and I slowly regained much of my lost motor functions.

"Brother! How are you feeling?" As I gradually awakened, I saw Irina rush straight toward my arm and grabbed it with a combination of worry and anticipation.

"A little tipsy, but other than that, I'm fine."

I smiled and gently reached for her soft, white hair. I get it now… That white marble that I saw within my soul should belong to my beloved sister. They do look quite alike, after all. The reason why I couldn't feel any hatred towards it was probably due to the affection that I shared with this adorable little creature that was rubbing her face on my arms.

But, what were the other three spheres then? Were they three other souls?

Numerous questions entered my mind, and honestly, I would have loved to get the answers right away. However, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"So, how was it? Have you awakened your Aspect?"

"Variel…" I turned towards the aged butler, gently prying Irina's hand away. "My Aspect seems kind of different."

"Hmmm? What do you mean?"

"I think… It's better to show you."

I raised my hand and channelled my inner magic power as I'd done so a thousand times before. However, I called upon something hidden deep within my soul rather than using my magic power to weave a spell. Something that I'd just recently acquired and something that only I could use.

Five metal rings appeared on each one of my right fingers. All of them were elaborately designed with ornate markings that could only be described as aristocratic. Embedded within each ring were distinct jewels, each one forming into a unique shape. However, unlike the marvellous rubies or sapphires that shone in their own blend of colour, four of mine were completely void of any luminous glow.

Well, all but one.

From the ends of the rings, five chains ran down the lines of my fingerbones and connected themselves to a silver bracelet that was likewise decorated with luxurious finishings. However, the special jewellery set was unlike any regular one you could buy from the shop. Instead, it was pulsating so heavily with my magic power that it was almost nauseating to look at.

"Hoho… You managed to conjure up a Soul Armament."

"Soul Armament? What's that?"

"Usually, Vampire Aspects manifest themselves as emblems or markings on the user's body." Variel began his explanation neatly. "It can be summoned on any part of the body, and it is normally not visible. However, there are rare cases where the Vampire Aspects would manifest themselves as Soul Armaments."

Variel looked at my five rings with great interest, but he didn't really seem all that shocked.

"Less than one per cent of True Vampires would ever awaken a Soul Armament. While they might not be any stronger than a Vampire Aspect, they are unquestionably powerful. Particularly since they can be weapons that could never be destroyed. So, what powers does your Aspect hold?"

Still looking at me with great interest, Variel asked while stroking his chin. His expression was that of an amused kid who just got permission to play at the zoo.

Seriously… Why do all Vampires treat me like a test subject?

"Let me show you…"

Rather than tell him what my ability was, I raised my right hand and targeted a nearby rock. It was odd. Even though this was my first time seeing this Soul Armament and awakening my Vampire Aspect, I felt like I was in control of every given moment. By instinct, I knew what my power was.

With four of the gems void of any magic, only the ring on my middle finger started to glow in an empyrean sky blue. My blood began to pump faster, and my concentration levels spiked almost immediately. I could 'see' everything about that rock at that very moment. Its orientation, the number of edges it had, its weight… Everything was under my distinct control.

And as my magic power left my body… Reality has changed.

The simple rock, void of any life or magic power, was now levitating in mid-air. If I wanted to, I could catapult it a hundred metres away. If I wished, I could crush it with the weight of my magic. That rock… was now under my complete control.

"Hoh… So you got Telekinesis." Variel's curiosity soon turned into a look of shock with a tinge of disappointment.

"Why? Is it bad?"

"No," the seasoned butler shook his head. "Telekinesis is an extremely desirable ability. You can use it to fly, block attacks and even wrest your opponent's body out of their control. It's highly versatile and in the right hands, can be immensely powerful. Many True Vampires would love to have that power as their Aspect. And because it was so desirable…"

Variel looked for a nearby rock, and to my surprise, after three seconds of casting, the man also managed to levitate his target.

"Once a True Vampire trains for long enough, they will one day be able to use Telekinesis as well. Yes, it would take a cast, and yes, it would be less effective as someone who uses the ability through an Aspect. But in the end, other True Vampires will be able to use the same ability as you."

Ah, I understood the concept. The advantage of a Vampire Aspect was the unique powers that it granted the user. Take Irina's case, for instance. With the Winter Sovereign Aspect, she could create snow and ice out of thin air or even change deserts into the deepest nights of Winter. And the most broken part of that Aspect was the fact that very few people in the world could replicate what she did.

As for me, while Telekinesis was a handy ability to have, if every powerful Vampire could use it, I would have no other trump cards to surprise my opponents with.

Right, that was the supposed theory behind Variel's disappointment. However, I don't quite agree… I don't think that the Telekinesis I have is the same as what Variel imagined.

"Is that your only power? Why are there four other gems that seem to be powered down?"

"Hmmm, honestly, I'm not quite sure," I answered the butler impassively. "If I'm not mistaken, I should have five unique abilities, each one encased into one of these jewels. However, when I awakened my Aspect, only the ring on the middle finger was activated."

"Hoh… Now that's interesting…"

Once again, the butler eyed me down like a precious specimen that needed to be dissected.

"I'd never heard of a Soul Armament providing five unique abilities. Do you have an emblem for your Aspect? Maybe I can help identify what Vampire Aspect you awakened."

"Unfortunately, there isn't a mark."

"What?"

Variel shot me a look of bemusement. And well, I could understand his confusion. Every Vampire Aspect would have their own unique emblem. Variel's one was in the shape of an icicle. Irina's was in the shape of a snowflake with eighteen sides and a symbol of a crown within. And since it was something that resided in one's soul, a True Vampire could call out their Vampire Aspect onto any part of their body.

However…

"When I awakened my Vampire Aspect, the only thing that showed up was this Soul Armament. I didn't see any emblems or marks."

"Curious… Truly curious indeed…" Variel thought for a moment before saying: "Is it because your soul has yet to recover?"

"I doubt that's the case…"

Honestly, when I saw what my soul looked like in the depths of my inner consciousness, I knew for certain that my injury had all but healed. The only problem was the four unidentified marbles that leeched onto my soul. And I had a feeling…

That Irina knew what they were.

"We'll need to experiment with this later on. But for now, let's get you familiar with your current Telekinesis ability, shall we?"

"Sounds good."

I smiled in response. After all, I didn't need to get my answer from Irina immediately. For now, training was much more important.