Chapter 31: Who I Am?

Chapter 31: Who I Am?

 Darius faced the fireball head-on, the raging inferno a mere breath away. Time seemed to stretch as the colossal orb of fire closed-in.

With a swift movement, Darius thrust his hands forward. The aquatic light around them intensified, casting a weak glow against the fireball's fury.

Just as the fireball was about to engulf him, Maguayan's voice pierced through the destructive flames. "Agni!"

Agni wilted, the fire in his eyes snuffed out. With a hesitant twitch, he clenched his fist. The fireball, menacing a moment before, flickered and vanished without a trace. 

 Silence fell, the threat gone as quickly as it had appeared. 

 In the span of a single breath, the deadly threat arose and dissipated, as fleeting as a fart in the wind. Darius stood unmoving for a moment, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he lowered his hands to his sides. 

 "Why are you taking his side? He still needs to tell the truth!" 

 "You know we are already bonded, show some restraint."

 "Why don't fireballs make good pets? Because they're always barking up the wrong tree!"

 "Can we just go home already? All this talking is boring." 

 The Elemental Kings around Darius kept up their squabble, each voice clashing with the others, creating a noise that made Darius's teeth grind.

 After taking a long, deep breath, Darius advanced.

 At once, the five elemental kings quickly distanced from Darius. One thought raged through their minds, their auras swirling defensively around them. 'DEATH.'

 Energy began to surge, enshrouding each king in their natural element. Monstrous new forms began to solidify and emerge, ripping out from their elemental cocoons.

 A towering giant, skin a dark red, stood enveloped in flames. Its four arms and four eyes glowed, with long hair made entirely of fire. Ancient runes, carved deep and pulsing with light, traced across its arms. The robes it wore around its waist, edged with the essence of fire, fluttered as if caught in the wind. Around it, an aura of heat and intensity radiated, a tangible force that visibly distorted its surroundings.

In the vast emptiness, a leviathan unfurled, its serpentine form massive beyond measure. This creature of water spiraled through the void. With each movement, waves surged, vast and unending. Its scales shimmered with the deep blues of the ocean's depths.

From out of a enormous bolt of lightning, a figure of armor appeared, its form slender yet imposing, forged from sleek, reflective, silver metal. This avatar of lightning stood tall, its structure mimicking the definition of a warrior's physique with uncanny precision. The armor's surface rippled with each surge of power within, giving the illusion of muscles flexing under strain. Bolts of electric energy rampaged down the armor's limbs.

 This lightning knight held aloft a spear, an extension of a storm's fury itself, its shaft gleaming with a dark purple. The head of the spear crackled incessantly with tendrils of lightning.

 Behind the knight, rising from the void, a colossal figure of a humanoid bear, planted its feet firmly on the ground. This towering sentinel was sculpted from the very essence of the earth, with skin of compacted soil, veins of jagged rock, and sinews of intertwined roots.

 Clutched in its massive hands was a staff, forged from the same composite of rock, earth, and roots. The staff's surface was etched with runes that glowed with a deep, earthen energy.

With a deliberate motion, the bear slammed its staff down onto the ground, a gesture of authority and command. The impact resonated through the void, sending tremors across the expanse.

Emerging as the final spectacle, the void unveiled a being of breathtaking duality. The upper body of a woman, bare and radiant, commanded the air around her. Strangely, she had two faces. One bore a smile, reflected a joy that could inspire nations. The other, marked by a frown, bore the weight of judgment and the readiness to unleash the storm's wrath. Her long green hair whipped around her face, dancing in the winds. Beneath her waist, her body gave way to a tornado that churned with relentless energy. This swirling mass anchoring her to the void.

'Enough!' Darius continued to advance, the air around him thick. The Elemental Kings, in their monstrous forms, momentarily recoiled, a primal fear briefly awakened at the core of their beings. It wasn't merely the physical presence of the child before them that unsettled the titans of elements; it was the aura emanating from him, a chilling miasma of slaughter.

This aura wasn't new to Darius; it was a dormant beast within him, a legacy from his past life as Xue Feng. Penglai was a cruel forge that shaped him through fire and blood, where the price of power was paid in lives, both of enemies and sometimes, allies. To survive, to ascend in such a world, Xue Feng became a reaper of souls, his hands stained with the essence of countless lives before he embraced the Dao of Taiji.

Now, in his new life, surrounded by beings of pure elemental force, that ancient, primal aspect of his being surfaced. The killing intent that once was as natural to him as breathing now unfurled like a dark flag. This wasn't the simple aggression of a predator, it was a calculated, cold intent to extinguish life, honed over millennia, an intent that saw life and death as two sides of the same coin.

"You want to know who I am?"

The dark miasma billowing from Darius erupted, his aura now embodying a god of death.

"I am Darius Valdene!" His declaration thundered, echoing throughout the void.

Darius now stood before Agni, his small stature strangely towering over the flaming giant. "And my secrets are my own."

The Elemental Kings sensed this shift, the air itself seeming to wither in the face of such raw, unbridled malice. Agni's flames flickered, Maguayan's waters churned, Barrond's roots trembled beneath the soil, Ayolyn's winds whipped about in frantic disarray, and even Kidlat's lightning seemed to hesitate in its dance. 

 In that moment, Darius stood not as a mere cultivator but as an embodiment of the Taiji's darker half, the void from which all life springs and to which it inevitably returns.

 'OK, that's enough; still need to give them some face.' 

 Darius's menacing presence gradually softened, the air around him cooling. 

 "I'm aware you could end me in an instant, yet do not force my hand. As a Valdene, my integrity stands. So when i say i have no ill intentions, my words are true." Turning to Ayolyn, his tone softened further, "My purpose? Simply to gain strength, to safeguard those dear to me. Nothing more."

 The Elemental Kings halted, eyes moving silently among themselves. In the growing quiet, an unease settled. One by one, they cleared their throats, yet no voice found its way into the open. 

 "That was intense," Barrond cut in, sitting down with a thud that sent tremors through the void. The sudden motion flung Darius off his feet, airborne for a brief moment.

Maguayan, in her towering leviathan form, turned her massive head towards Agni. Waves of water gently ebbed around her as she spoke, "Are you satisfied now?"

Agni, his four arms crossed, flames flickering less fiercely around him, glanced away before grudgingly responding. "Fine," he growled, his voice crackling like fire. "I'm satisfied."

 "I believe he has potential," Ayolyn stated, her voice a mixture of whispering winds and forceful gales. "But not yet. He still has much to prove." Her dual faces—one smiling, one frowning—watched Darius intently.

 "Potential for what?" Darius's confusion knitting his brows.

 "At first, when we sensed the summoning, we intended to kill the one who dared to call upon us," Agni admitted, his flames pulsating with each word. "Such acts are usually marked by force and arrogance, demands rather than requests."

Maguayan interjected, her gentle eyes flickering as she glanced at Darius. "But this... this was different. It wasn't a command but a gentle request, almost as if you were asking, 'Are you there?'" 

 Water around Maguayan gathered swiftly, her leviathan form shrinking rapidly into a whirlpool. The whirl of water spiraled, condensing into her figure. Scales of deep sea blue flashed, and within moments, Maguayan stood in her merwoman form. The transformation, quick and fluid, left a faint mist in its wake. "It intrigued us, so we answered."

Maguayan looked around at the other Elemental Kings, then back at Darius. "And then we found you," she continued, a hint of wonder in her tone. "Not just a child, but something more. Accepted by the young ones, which you mortals refer to as mana, which is no small feat. You're an anomaly."

 "We offer our blessings, to fortify your markings. To anchor them deeply within you." Her gaze held Darius, compelling and enigmatic, "And if you venture into the depths of the Aquatic Abyss, my realm, additional rewards await you."

Towering flames covered Agni, waning to a gentle warmth as he morphed back into his original form—a young boy with golden hair, dressed in regal attire. His voice brimming he piped up, "In the Pyroclasmic Expanse, that's my playground, you'll find challenges. Beat 'em and get stronger with my fire!" His bright red eyes locked onto Darius. "You gotta survive though."

Barrond's massive figure began to crack and crumble, a large bear made of stones and earth emerging from the rubble, "In The Lithic Bastion," he rumbled, "strength and endurance beyond the ordinary await. But beware, every boulder is a challenge, every challenge a path to greater power." With a low, resonant chuckle, his gaze shifted to Kidlat, who then transformed. The electric aura condensed around the tall, slender knight, its body liquifying and condesning back into the silent, looming elemental. "Kidlat oversees the Storm's Crest," Barrond added, "a place where every step is...shocking."

Kidlat turned his featureless face towards Barrond and slowly shook his head.

The swirling wind kings form quickly condensed, from the storm emerged the ethereal outline of Ayolyn. "Brave the Cyclonic Vista, my realm, to wield the might of tempests. Beware boy, it's a path fraught with danger," her tone softened as she continued, "But, who knows? Perhaps you'll sweep me off my feet."

"In return," Agni's voice popped and fizzed, "you gotta do one thing for each of us when you're all big and strong. Don't like it? Too bad. Say no, and you'll just get something even tougher."

The kings' eyes bore into Darius, their collective will a tangible force. The offer was clear: blessings and trials. 'I get the feeling I shouldn't say no,' Darius thought, 'I can always handle these guys when I get stronger, or just turtle up inside the Vault if necessary,' his eyes became firm as he nodded his head. "Ok, I agree."

"Wonderful!" Maguayan exclaimed, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "Once you've honed your strength, venture into our Chaotic Mana Regions. Begin with mine," she continued, her excitement undimmed. "There, we'll test you, shaping your power through our trials."

The Elemental Kings gathered around Darius, each preparing to bestow their blessing. Maguayan moved first, her hands gliding through the air, drawing invisible lines that sparked with a cool, blue glow around the water tattoo. "This mark connects you to the essence of water," she explained, touching the tattoo gently "these blessings will grant you protection within our regions." The tattoo brightened under her touch, the blue deepening.

Next was Barrond, who lumbered forward, his massive, earthy paw hovering over Darius's skin. With the tip of a nail, he pressed down lightly, and the earth tattoo pulsed, absorbing a warm, brown glow that spread across it like roots through soil. 

Agni, unable to hide his embarrassment, stepped up with a flicker of flame dancing from his fingertips and pressed it to Darius's stomach. The fire tattoo flared up, glowing with a vibrant orange, the lines sharpening.

Ayolyn, swirling with a playful gust, brushed her hand over Darius's chest. The star tattoo vibrated with a fresh, green light, it's lines swirling like leaves in a whirlwind. 

Lastly, Kidlat approached, a spark of purple jumping from his extended hand to Darius's forehead, making the lightning tattoo crackle with energy, the purple lines weaving like lightning across Darius's skin.

As the final blessing settled, Darius's figure was bathed in the light of all five elements, blending into a dazzling display. "Each mark is a bond, a promise between you and the elements," Maguayan's voice filled the void, warm and clear. "Carry them with honor."

Darius stood, his gaze transfixed on the radiant tattoos adorning his skin. 'The mana... it's celebrating,' he marveled internally, noting the vibrant dance of energies within. 'These blessings... what power do they unlock?'

His focus sharpened, drawn irresistibly to the vivid glow of his tattoos. 'There's a harmony here, a synchronization between the elements and my own mana," Darius realized, a sense of unity enveloping him. 

The tattoos vibrated, their brilliance intensifying, compelling him to adopt the lotus position, his mind delving deeper into the newfound resonance.

As Darius concentrated, the mana within him swelled, its presence more pronounced, echoing the vitality of the blessings. Suddenly, without warning, his body became the epicenter of an overwhelming surge of energy. Light erupted from him, a blinding cascade that filled the void, his thoughts momentarily scattered by the sheer magnitude of the transformation. 

 "I'm breaking through!" he realized, the last coherent thought before his world was swallowed by light.