The early human ascendants had walked a path of pure desperation. They discovered they possessed the affinity for power but were shackled by a weak human constitution not built to accommodate it. Unlike other races, humans had no innate gifts. So, they did what humanity has always done: they created their own system.
Races like the Elves, Dwarves, Blood race, and Elemental beasts were born with natural energy pathways and something called a "bloodline inheritance" that granted them deadly complex spells as they matured. Each of these races possessed set affinities—the elves, for instance, had an affinity for Life and Light, a Master Law, and a potent elemental law.
Humanity could not compare at first when all they had was the affinity for the Law, but through countless sacrifices, dissecting the bodies of other races and war slaves, the pioneers of the Path discovered a terrifying truth. The bloodline spells that other races were so proud of were, at their core, just sophisticated spell structures that harnessed elemental energy.
This was the revelation that changed everything. His Illusion energy was, at this moment, just raw energy. But under the right spell structure, it could become the fuel a spell needs to activate. No one fully understood what the intricate patterns within a spell structure truly meant; the process of discovery was one of continuous experimentation, weeding out failures, and sheer luck. The goal was to strip away the patterns that tied a spell to a specific race's blood, leaving a core structure that a human ascendant could use.
This was a grueling, high-risk process of acquisition, which was why spell knowledge was so fiercely guarded. Most ascendants, upon finally inscribing a structure onto their core, burned their research, ensuring their hard-won power stayed with them alone.
After a full month, Ethan was no closer to deciphering the Phantom Wolf's spell structure. He had successfully bribed the creature into compliance, but he suspected it was enjoying the lazy lifestyle of free meals a little too much. He could barely call it a wolf anymore at this point. Some days, all he just wanted to do was throw it back into the deep parts of the mist mountain and watch it suffer for a while.
The initial excitement of seeing the patterns form within the wolf had long since curdled into pure frustration. He noticed from continuous testing that the Creation-enhanced Elemental Eyes gave him a unique advantage, allowing him to see both the static patterns in matter and the fluid patterns in energy. During those precious 23-minute sessions, he would observe the intricate parts of the spell structure that interacted with the wolf's bloodline and trace try to recreate them with his illusion energy.
Yet, every structure he painstakingly copied and channeled his Illusion energy into would violently explode and fail.
"I need a break," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Nothing is working. Nothing!! Or... did I pick the wrong spell structure to start with?"
He could see the fact that the blood of the Phantom wolf would absorb the energy within its core, then, with its blood forming the base of the spell. The spell would be successful as long as the Wolf had the energy to sustain the energy drain from the spell.
The thought that he'd tried everything and he didn't manage to get even a single result frustrated him. To make matters worse, his points were nearly depleted, from his expenses on his and the Phantom wolf's nutrition to his regular trips to the library, forcing him to deactivate the costly privacy magic circle in his lab. He had to replenish his points as soon as possible.
Taking a quick shower, he headed out. Messaging Sansa to know if she was in the Order. Receiving a quick confirmation, he hastened his steps. Entering the hall, his distinctive look drew a few glances, but most ascendants lost interest almost immediately. He made a beeline for Sansa, who was still on duty.
Taking a seat, he retrieved the perfectly preserved Rank 1 Poison Fang within his space ring. Sansa picked it up; she was incredibly curious. Though it was only a Rank 1 creature, her eyes narrowed at the single, clean cut that had severed its head. She gave him a questioning look.
"Where did you find one of these?" She was a fire ascendant with incredible fire power. When it came to it, she could catch one of these easily, but it had to be understood that the Poison Fang Serpent gave any ascendant a long rage attack, a tough time with its paralysis poison, making it pretty easy to escape with its speed. But here she was, seeing a single blade cut as what took it down; it just didn't make sense.
Ethan smiled innocently. "Here and there. What does it matter? Can I get a price for it? I'm really in need of points."
Sansa, maintaining a professional tone, ignored his feigned ignorance. She knew the shrewd mind hiding behind that smile. "700 points. It's not the ideal price for a Rank 1 monster, but they've been hard to find lately, given their speed."
Ethan knew she was not being honest with him. "Uh... Sansa," he began, his tone light. "I understand if you're not interested in this monster corpse. Henry mentioned something about needing one of these-"
"1000 points," Sansa cut him off, unable to stand his fabricated story. "And that's fair. So, are you going to sell it, Initiate?"
Ethan nodded with a smile. Selling to the Order was less profitable than a private sale, but it was safe. A harrowing experience in his first three months—nearly being killed in a "simple" trade with a Rank 2 ascendant—had instilled a deep paranoia. Now, he only traded with the Order or Alan.
"Well, thank you, Sansa. You can transfer the points now," he said. "If you're interested, though, I might have points you need, and you probably have the answers that would get you them."
He spoke with a gentle smile that irked Sansa to no end, clearly enjoying her frustrated reactions.
"Come with me," she said tersely. "Let's talk in this room."
She led him to the same room where they had first tested his affinity. Following behind her, Ethan couldn't resist pushing further. He leaned in, covering his mouth to whisper in a tone that was not nearly quiet enough, his expression utterly sincere.
"I mean, I don't mind the two of us in a room alone, but I hope the concealing magic circle works fine. We wouldn't want any... sounds... leaking out."
This random comment he made jokingly attracted the attention of Several ascendants in the hall, embarrassing Sansa to no end. A suspicious-looking ascendant was watching all of Ethan's exchanges with Sansa and immediately started tapping away at his soul band, sending information about their interactions to someone.
Sansa stiffened for a moment but continued walking as if she hadn't heard him, pushing the door open without a word.
Stepping into the room, Sansa took out a circular board inscribed with a magic circle. At its center was a small groove holding a red, glowing elemental stone—a fire stone, from the looks of it. Seeing his curious expression, she immediately became smug.
With a simple channeling of energy, she connected the power source to the circle, which took on a different hue as the red energy was absorbed. The activated runes flared to life, creating a simple, transparent barrier made of swirling wind element around them.
"So...?" Ethan asked quietly, genuinely intrigued by the ingenious creation. "Are you going to make me ask?"
Sansa, seizing the rare chance to get back at him, looked at him with feigned cluelessness. "I don't understand... Make you ask what? Go ahead, ask your question. Big Sister Sansa will definitely answer."
Ethan's face twitched. Of course, she wouldn't let this opportunity slide. "I'm only curious. Come on, what's that board with the magic circle?"
Sansa nodded, her tone dripping with false sweetness. "Of course, I'm always here to help, even if you never appreciate it. I'm good that way." Ethan rolled his eyes at her response. "It's a portable magic board. It's not defensive, but it can help keep our conversations private. So, speak freely; I still have work to do."
Ethan nodded. "I won't lie, I've been researching an illusion spell structure, but I've made absolutely no progress with the patterns."
Sansa was quiet for a moment, looking at Ethan as if he were a fool. "How do you skip several steps and go straight to researching a spell structure? Of course, you won't understand anything!!! I told you to break through to Rank 2 first, then you can think about starting research on a spell structure!!"
She paused, her expression shifting to one of concern. "By the way, what's holding your breakthrough back? I wasn't going to say anything, but even if the universe gave you the weakest soul, you should at least be able to create two elemental threads. Don't force it if that's your limit."
Ethan smiled awkwardly. He had forgotten to tell her. "Uhh, about that... I actually already broke through to the Soul Born rank." To prove it, he channeled a wisp of illusion energy into his eyes, making them glow purple for a second.
Sansa was shocked. The first word leaving her mouth was a sharp, "Ahhhhh! Why didn't you say anything!!!"
Ethan, still smiling wryly, shrugged. "Actually, I totally forgot to tell you. I had a lot going on."
Sansa laughed incredulously. "Oh, please! How much could you possibly have going on?" She leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "Quickly, tell me, how many threads did you use?" After hearing that Alan had formed a lightning Forge Core, she held high hopes for Ethan, too.
"Heh... Like I'd answer that question?" he deflected with a smirk. "Let's move on from it. I have some questions concerning spell research."
Sansa shook her head, reminded of just how secretive he was. "Alright, what exactly do you need to know?"