Ashoka did NOT know he also had to attend the dinner with others. The last two nights, when he was supposed to dine at the dining hall, he had either been asleep or he had been out with Gaius, who didn't dine at the main palace in the first place.
So one could only imagine the expression he had on his face when the attendant came to inform him of the dinner time. Oh boy...
Eventually though, Ashoka steeled his heart and set off for the dining hall.
Once again, nothing interesting happened during the dinner. Usually, it was only Eldrin, Alariv and Oswald who would be present in the dining hall, with Gaius eating in the soldiers' wards, but this time, even the prince decided to come.
Ashoka's imagination ran wild the entire time; he almost thought something would happen during the dinner. Like Oswald confronting Alariv after finding out about the court case, or Gaius exposing Ashoka's attempt at treason in front of everyone. Being [Cursed] had done that to him, becoming more paranoid and all.
And the food, gods... He hadn't tasted food like that ever! So many new flavours, so many times he had to act normal while trying to eat something he would prefer not to. Of course, everything on the menu turned out to be delicious, even if the appearance suggested otherwise.
After dinner, Ashoka didn't immediately come knocking at Alariv's door. Instead, he went back to get into more comfortable attire, along with retrieving something.
Then, he appeared in front of Alariv's chamber and knocked. The door opened after a dozen seconds by Alariv, who had a smile playing on his face.
The prince wore a simple dark blue tunic with silver embroidery on its edges, a double belt wrapping around his waist. Ashoka knew that belt could also be used to hang a simple sword scabbard, because he was wearing that same dress, but in a different shade.
With a smile, Alariv welcomed him in the room.
Entering inside, Ashoka looked around with a curious expression. The room was almost the same as his own, only this one felt more lived in. There were numerous items decorating the various surfaces of the room. There were swords, portraits, and a framed flower covered in what looked like epoxy? Where the hell did they get something like that?
There was also an item that looked oddly beautiful. 3 different flowers, seemingly carved out of pure silver, tangled around each other in a beautiful swirl. On top of each of the silver flowers, there seemed to be a single soul shard trapped between its petals. Of course, there was one clear difference between these three soul shards and the one that he had personally seen. Not only were these ones bigger, but they also contained a brighter, whiter glow within them.
A-Are those ascended soul shards?!
Ashoka's jaw dropped. For a few moments, he simply stared at the item, his gaze unmoving as if he had just seen Jesus. His stare could've probably made even men cover their chests with their hands back in his world, maybe even reward him with a couple dozen slaps.
Alariv smiled widely at the still gawking figure of Ashoka before picking up the item like a trophy. "Is this what you're looking at? Well, it's beautiful, isn't it? It even has a story behind it just as amazing, though it would take too long to retell the entire thing."
He handed it to Ashoka, who took it silently, examining the intricate craftsmanship.
"These are the soul shards of the first Fallen monster I hunted on my own, a Fallen Demon to be exact." Alariv continued, "It was a very long time ago. Gods, that thing was terrifying; even now, I feel a hint of fear when remembering that time. I was only Awakened back then; in fact, I hadn't even awakened my aspect back then. It chased after me through the forest for three entire days. I had to constantly climb trees, hide in bushes and camp inside caves. Hehe, but it seemed the gods finally smiled upon me back then; after all, it was also the time when I unlocked my aspect abilities."
Ashoka nodded, "And what about your first Corrupted monster kill? Where is its soul shards?"
Alariv waved his hand dismissingly, "that happened during the raid two years ago. Back then, we didn't have the time to collect its soul shard because of an approaching hoard. Right, since we are already talking about this, I should probably start from here."
Saying that, he climbed up on the bed, sitting cross-legged on it. Ashoka followed behind, grabbing a chair and placing it infront of the bed. After a few seconds of contemplating what to say, Alariv raised two fingers in the air.
"In essence, there are two core elements that an Awakened posses. The first is their soul essence and soul core, while the second is their aspect and flaw. The first is the foundation of an awakening, but the second is just as important at higher levels.
Well, there are actually 3, with the third being the Will, but go on, I won't bite. He didn't think Alariv was unaware of the concept of Will but doubted he would disclose such secrets to someone like Ashoka who hadn't even started walking the path of ascension.
The prince continued, unaware of Ashoka's inward lampooning, "First, we should talk about how someone can awaken their essence. There are two ways to awaken one's soul essence. The first way is the most natural, but also the most elusive. It is through reaching a certain enlightenment. This comes in various forms and is unique for everyone—" Just like that, Alariv explained what Ananke had explained to Sunny and Nephis in the Tomb of Ariel.
"Then, there is the second way, the one that is the most effective and practical, the one that almost anyone can follow. It is to absorb soul essence that has already Awakened or Fallen. Through killing those who have already awakened and plundering their soul shards."
Ashoka blinked for a second. "Wait, isn't the second method considered a taboo??"
Alariv tilted his head, giving him a curious look, "well yes, in the outside world, where peace has descended upon the lands for centuries, the second method is indeed considered a taboo. But in the land of Casamir, which is constantly besieged by abominations all year, this method is considered a normal practice.
"As you should know, all instances of awakening in the kingdom need to be carefully recorded because of security concerns. But even then, as long as a person can get permission, they can always go into the wilderness in hopes of hunting down the corrupted and gathering their soul shards. People are also sometimes rewarded soul shards by the royal court or the army itself. That is how most of the Awakened soldiers are recruited."
After a second, Alariv chuckled. "Actually, my father always claimed that he had awakened naturally, but Mother always called him out on his lies." Then, he sighed heavily, his face turning sullen, as if overcome by a sudden surge of memories of the past.
"Right, where was I? Using the soul shards..." Alariv continued talking, going into details about the intricacies of ranks, classes, soul essence, soul core and even the soul sea. Ashoka listened attentively, trying not to miss any detail. He had learned his lesson back in the police station, when he had thought he knew enough about the first nightmare, before being made aware of how unprepared he was by Awakened Raymond.
"And lastly, there are the aspects and flaws." Alariv paused, thinking for a second. "Actually... The matter of how to awaken one's aspect is quite elusive, even more than how a person naturally awakens their soul essence. Even I, as an Ascended, can't hope to teach you much about this. Everyone unlocks their aspects in different ways, and one cannot hope to do it through artificial scenarios or attempts; you just have to hope you don't die before awakening it. As I said before, I unlocked my aspect while being chased by a Fallen Demon in the wilderness for three entire days. Perhaps you will unlock it while being chased by an Awakened Demon, or maybe during a war or something entirely unique. In short, if you're destined to unlock it, you'll do it eventually, completely on your own. This is not something I will be able to teach you."
Ashoka nodded thoughtfully, remembering how Rain unlocked her own aspect. Then, he posed a question.
"How does one know or control what kind of aspect abilities they unlock?"
Alariv titled his head, contemplating the answer.
"Most people say that aspects are a confluence of one's innate affinities and choices that manifests as a specialisation and attunement. But there are also some other vague criteria that are followed. Take, for example, Rurik, our scout, and me. On the one hand, Rurik had always been a scout, and indeed he got an aspect related to scouting. I, on the other hand, had a completely different experience.
"You should probably be aware of my Ascended ability; it is what I'm most famous for. I call it metamorphosis, and it allows me to temporarily adapt to or create counters to various phenomenons my body is subjected to. For example, I can control the moisture in my body, become resistant to corrosive elements and maybe even control flames with my body. There are a lot of nuances to it, but you get the gist of it. Now, you would think my aspect is focused around combat, right?"
Ashoka nodded in response. "Indeed, it does seem suitable for someone like Sir Alariv, who is a front-line swordsman. So what's the catch here?" He had found out what kind of Awakened Alariv was when investigating the royal family; hence, he wasn't surprised or flustered by the question.
So this guy is basically a bootleg Mahoraga!
The prince smiled with amusement. "Well, that's what people would think, I suppose, but the reality is quite different. My Dormant ability allows me to magnify the ordinary qualities of non-magical plants and animals, making them almost mystical in nature. A tree's trunk can become as unmoveable as an iron pillar, grass can anchor itself to the ground so tightly that even I won't be able to pull out, or it can dry up the nutrients of an entire field in a matter of hours.
"My Awakened ability, on the other hand, allows me to inherit these traits from the modified or unmodified plants and animals by consuming them."
Finished with explaining his abilities, Alariv finally leaned back, "all these abilities are completely unrelated to anything i excelled at, none of them were directly related to combat in a direct way, and I can assure you that I hadn't once touched gardening before unlocking my aspect."
"So, what you're telling me is to just wait and hope for the best?"
Alariv gave him a thumbs up. "You caught on quick!"
Just like that, the two continued to talk. Sometime later, Ashoka suddenly stood up from his chair and looked around.
"I need some water..." he said in a hoarse voice.
Alariv gestured towards a simple makeshift kitchen seperated from the rest of the room by a wall, "there should be some water left in there."
Ashoka nodded at him and turned around. As he did, though, his eyes grew dark as shadows danced across his face.
Right, he had come to meet Alariv for a clear reason.
It didn't take him long to appear in front of the kitchen's opening.
Entering inside, he noticed some utensils and a simple earthen pot sitting on top of the countertop. He silently picked up a glass for himself and opened the lid. The familiar scent of rain hit him in the face, making him pause to take in the smell.
Next, he dipped the glass inside, scoping a glass full of water for himself. After that though, instead of putting the lid on and going back, Ashoka did something strange.
His hand reached into his pocket and felt for something. Soon, he sensed the familiar glassy texture between his fingers. A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Without any further expression, he pulled out the item from his pocket. Examining it closely, it was a small glass vial no larger than Ashoka's pinky. Inside swirled a milky white liquid, thick with thin, thread-like segments that twisted and coiled in chaotic patterns. This was the item that Gaius had given him this morning when they met.
Looking at the swirling liquid inside, Ashoka let out a shaky breath. He already knew what it was. Well, of course he knew it; after all, he was the one who had asked for it.
It was poison.
It was the poison meant for Alariv.
With another heavy sigh, Ashoka's finger started moving, slowly and methodically opening the vial's cap. For a second, he was afraid that Alariv would hear the soft clinking of glass against glass with his ascended hearing, but in the end, the vial did not make a single sound, as if it had been enchanted by a strange sorcery.
His hands did not shake when he turned the vial over the pot, slowly watching the white liquid dissolving into the water.
One might think that using poison against someone whose ability was to adapt was stupid and counterproductive; in fact, Ashoka was one of them, but Gaius had assured him that it would work.
According to the prince himself, the poison originated from a rare species of corrupted flora which specialised in creating potent toxins. Ironically, the plant's primary predator was a pack of strange, corrupted abominations that could rapidly neutralise a wide variety of poisons, new or old, on the spot—an ability strikingly similar to Alariv's own. Over time, however, the plant had evolved a new and far more insidious strain of poison specifically designed to counter its new enemy.
The milky white liquid was a slow-acting, multi-stage poision. Its mechanism was simple, yet remarkably complex. Upon entering its victim's body, the poison lay dormant for several days, remaining almost undetectable as it waited for the creature to rejoin its herd. Only then would it begin to activate.
As it spread throughout the body, the poison's many components would react with the victim's internal chemicals and tissues, constantly forming new, more aggressive compounds. These evolving toxins would continue to corrode the body from within, shifting their nature constantly.
This adaptive counter-strategy could effectively render Alariv's ability to adapt almost useless.
Although Alariv did not specify the rank of that plant, Ashoka was almost certain that it was Fallen.
Looking at his glass of water, he extended a trembling hand to grab it.
He did not know when his hands had begun trembling on their own.
He moved the glass to his lips and gulped it down silently.
Ah... How treacherous of me...
Back then, in the fields, when Ashoka had been unable to look Alariv in the eye while asking him to teach him about how to awaken, it wasn't because he was deathly shy to ask for something like that.
No, the answer was far less innocent.
It was guilt.