Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Fwoosh!/

He swung his sword... Again and again...

It was a strange feeling, the wind blowing against his skin, it moved in a certain direction, one he could very well control...

Or so he felt... It was as if he was all-powerful, that he had attained everything... That this was what he was pursuing...

An illusion caused by his unexplainable condition.

The best way he could describe this feeling is akin to Phantom pain, the term used when someone can still feel a lost limb, but in his case, it was the feeling of something he never had.

A new feeling mixed into his previous 5 senses... A 6th sense.

A strange and stuffing feeling originating from the center of his chest, right by his heart… Or was it directly on his heart?

He couldn't tell precisely.

Curious, he tapped into this feeling, and guided something from within it, following the movements Testros did.

Though it would be better said that his body followed the movements, not him.

His body felt split, but also natural, a feeling very hard to share.

/Shine... Sha sha/

The tip of his sword glowed, and the wind started to gather…

It wasn't as violent as the old man's, his was just a slight breeze, but enough to make the fallen leaves rise… If there were any in the training arena that is.

Most of the trees within Resko had long since dried into dead husks of their once glorious selves...

His eyes seemed to spark with some intense heat, but that wasn't this strange sense, it was just his emotions.

However, the center of his chest did glow in a dim, greenish-blue light…

/Rise.../

He raised Caladgold high into the sky, the sword refracting the sunlight into its basic colors like a Prism, creating a surreal scene reflected onto the sand…

And slashed!

/SHUA!/

/CRACk!/

When the tip of his sword collided against the ground, a football-sized ball of energy was created and released, sliding on the ground like a speeding car, digging a small trench until it met its end 4M away from Dale.

/Bang!/

As loud as the sound of a gunshot, the ball exploded, creating a 3 M-long crater.

/Huff.../

"..."

However, Dale didn't seem to be done yet, inside his mind, he had grasped this strange feeling, and now it was time to test a few more things…

Taking a deep breath, he got back into a posture.

His chest glowed once again, but this time, only one edge of his sword glowed.

With each passing moment, his control increased, and his grasp of what this was became clearer, tighter...

/Thud…/

He moved his massive greatsword backward and took a single step forward.

/SLASH!/

He slashed the air with all of his strength in an unnecessarily big movement...

However, after his sword moved, a blue wave of light was created, although it only lasted about a meter before dissipating into dim sparkles of light…

Even so, his slash had successfully parted the dust cloud in front of him... His slash had transcended the length of his blade!

"..."

Dale silently watched this, he interpreted, revised, understood, and reached a conclusion, all within a few seconds...

So he raised his sword once more, this time, in a piercing stance exactly like the one Testros did.

/Thud…/

He took another step forward and pierced his sword into the air!

/Flash!/

This time, it was a flash of light, but no apparent effect was observed afterward.

Only a single silent flash...

"..."

Perhaps satisfied with his previous testing, Dale raised his sword and looked at it as it glowed faintly in response to the strange feeling he had.

/Raise.../

...

Without wasting any time, he started slashing… Once, twice, thrice… Just like in the daily training he did with Testros.

Throughout this entire movement, the sword kept glowing blue, however, sometimes, the light would flicker and the sword would go dark…

When this happened, Dale restarted his movements from the beginning… And without realizing it, he stayed like this for almost an hour…

Back and forth in this unending tug of war with himself.

/Drip.../

To the point that his hands started bleeding from swinging such a heavy object constantly.

...

"..."

'Kid…'

Of course, after so long, even Testros snapped out of his own trance, only to witness Dale's poor state as he started imitating him.

He saw, if even for a moment, a reflection of himself, and his feeling were conflicting.

To be proud... But to be worried.

He knew what was happening, and he knew better than to interfere.

Instead, he made sure no one would approach, but was he also supposed to watch as the kid pushed his body and did something he might very well have no idea off?

He could be literally walking right into his doom...

But if he were to stop the kid from achieving his own glory, then he wouldn't be able to pardon himself for the remainder of his life.

So he kept quiet, closing his eyes, focused on both himself, the outside, and Dale.

...

""...""

During this hour, Misgurd and even the Village head Edimund appeared, and with a quick explanation, they understood that it was better to remain silent.

So they sat near Testros and observed Dale swing his sword under the hot sun...

...

/Time passed.../

""...""

Within 2 hours, Dale already had a small group of people gazing at him, curious as to what would happen after he was done…

It was only when the sun was at its highest point, and when Dale was breathing heavily due to overworking himself, that he stopped.

The ground was partially red due to his own blood, his hands were terribly scarred, sweat covered his skin, his hair was soggy and...

The list went on and on...

"Huff… H-Huh?"

Dale blinked, recovering from his trance…

He raised his right hand to his face to wipe the sweat from his eyes when...

When he noticed it... Blood... And a lot of it.

The skin on his palm had been completely destroyed...

"Hm?... When did I get so hurt?!" He exclaimed in surprise as his pupils contracted…

He looked at the sword's handle, noticing the blood and bits of skin still tied to it...

And with it, the pain came…

Extreme pain in his hands, arms, legs, fingers… Every muscle in his body seemed to be screaming, protesting against their abusive owner...

/CLUNG!/

"?!"

'My chest!!'

Dale fell onto his knees as he dropped Caladgold on the ground.

His chest throbbing in pain, something he had never felt before…

With each beat of his heart, he felt his chest tear…

He almost took out a potion immediately, but he knew better, the pain made his mind clear up instantly.

[The Skill Stable Emotions 3-Star has been activated]

As he felt his mind clear up, he suddenly questioned himself:

'3-Star? Wasn't it previously 2.5...?'

[DING]

[Your trance-like state has ended]

"?"

'Trance?... Yeah…'

'I'm starting to remember…'

Dale blinked, focusing.

'It felt as if… I had to do it, and nothing else mattered… Is this what getting into a trance feels like?'

'I was focused, extremely so, I... Hum... There were indeed a few times in my life when such things happened, but it's hard to say if they were the same...'

'The closest thing I can remember was when I decided to start training one year ago after I understood the abilities of the Green box…'

'However, I never felt something of this degree before...'

'It's as if I had unending motivation... To the point of neglection.'

'A certain childlike desire as I simply focused on a single task and ignored all else... Like when a child simply decides to bolt to the other side of a road merely because it saw something interesting in there...'

As Dale recovered from his trace, he started to understand what was going on…

But the System had a lot more to say…

[Opening event Log…]

[8:54 You observed someone achieve Enlightment]

[8:55 You started to understand how Mana is stored within the body]

[8:55 You started to understand how Mana is moved within the body]

[8:56 Due to the many questions within your mind, you fell into a trance]

[8:56 Caladgolg answered your call]

[8:57 You managed to feel where the Mana is stored, greatly advancing your understanding of it]

[8:57 You understood how to properly feel Mana]

[8:59 You understood how to move Mana around your body]

[9:01 You achieved Minor Success in moving Mana from your body to an outside object]

[9:02 Your Mana sensitivity increased]

[9:03 Your Mana control increased]

[9:05 Your Mana control increased significantly]

[9:05 You achieved Slight Success in moving Mana from your body to an outside object]

[9:06 A new Movement has been imbued into Spear Technique]

[9:11 Your…]

…

[10:34 You achieved Great Success in moving Mana from your body to an outside object]

[Your constant repetition allowed you to solidify this feeling within your mind]

[The Skill, Mana Conduction 0-Star has been created]

[Mana Conduction has been integrated into Spear Technique]

[The qualifications of your Spear Technique increase]

[10:36 You have learned how to conduct Mana around your body as you move]

[10:37 MINOR ENLIGHTENMENT]

[Due to a sudden revelation, you grasped a small piece of the truth regarding the training you've only recently started]

[Mana Control and Sensitivity have considerably increased]

[Spear Technique 2-Star -> 2.5-Star]

[Close quarters Combat 0.5-Star -> 1.5-Star]

[Spatial Awareness 0.5 -> 1-Star]

…

[11:17 Due to constant movement, an overwhelming amount of Mana has clogged the Heart Gate]

[11:17 Your Heart is being stressed beyond its normal confines]

[11:17 You resisted the minor tearing]

[11:19 Spear Technique: Mana Conduction 0-Star -> 0.5-Star]

[11:20 Your blood is overly saturated with Mana]

[11:20 Your body's High Constitution tolerates the High Concentration]

[11:22 A Mana Overflow has started to distort the flow of your blood, your High Constitution is forcibly integrating the excess Mana into itself]

[11:23 Your Mana sensitivity increased slightly]

...

[11:25 You failed to resist the tearing]

[11:26 Your heart suffered minor damage due to the extreme Mana concentration within it]

[11:26 Skills, Stable Emotions 2.5-Star, and Fighting Spirit 2.5-Star, have been automatically activated, you managed to maintain your focus]

[Your trance remains unbroken]

…

[11:32 You failed to resist the tearing forces rampaging through your heart]

[11:32 Your heart has suffered Medium damage due to the extreme Mana concentration]

[11:33 Thanks to the Skills, Stable Emotions 2.5-Star, and Fighting Spirit 2.5-Star, you managed to maintain your focus]

[Your trance remains unbroken]

[11:34 Stable Emotions 2.5-Star -> 3-Star]

[11:35 Spear Technique: Mana Conduction 0.5-Star -> 1-Star]

…

[11:50 Your heart has suffered considerable damage, causing internal bleeding]

[11:50 Fighting Spirit 2.5-Star -> 3-Star]

[11:50 The pain wasn't enough to remove your focus from the task at hand]

[11:51 An unknown force has fully healed your Heart]

[11:52 Your heart has suffered considerable damage, causing internal bleeding]

[11:52 An unknown force has partly healed your Heart]

[11:53 Your heart has suffered considerable damage, causing internal bleeding]

[11:53 An unknown force has partly healed your Heart]

[11:54 Your heart has suffered considerable damage, causing internal bleeding]

[11:54 An unknown force has slightly healed your Heart]

[11:55 The extreme Mana within your heart has achieved a Critical state!]

[11:55 Your heart is on the verge of exploding!]

[11:55 Skill, Vital Heart 0.5-Star has been automatically activated]

But Vital Heart only lasted for 3 seconds…

1st Second…

[Your heart managed to last through the rampaging forces]

[The Gigantic Wave of Mana is forcefully expanding the Limits of your heart!]

[Mana +12]

[Mana Control and Sensitivity have greatly increased]

2nd Second…

[Your heart managed to last through the rampaging forces]

[The Great Wave of Mana is forcefully expanding the Limits of your heart!]

[Mana +8]

[Mana Control and Sensitivity have greatly increased]

[Spear Technique: Mana Conduction 1-Star -> 1.5-Star]

3rd Second…

[Your heart managed to last through the rampaging forces]

[The Strong Wave of mana is forcefully expanding the Limits of your heart!]

[Mana +5]

[Mana Control and Sensitivity have greatly increased]

[11:55 Vital Heart has deactivated]

[11:55 Your heart is being pressured by the wave of mana]

[11:56 ADVANCEMENT]

[The Heart Gate has been forcibly opened!]

[Spear Technique: Mana Conduction 1.5-Star -> 2.5-Star]

[Mana +25]

[11:56 Thanks to your increased Vessel, the pressure on your heart has lessened]

[12:01 You are waking up from the trance]

…

[12:12 Your trance has ended, and as your body rests, your mind clears]

[The culmination of your Life training is passing through your eyes]

[Spear Technique 2.5-Star -> 3.5-Star]

[Close quarters Combat 1.5-Star -> 3-Star]

[12:30 You have awoken]

[Closing event Log…]

Dale gasped as he read the log, and as the pain in his chest increased, he understood that it wasn't the time to be lazing around!

/GULP!/

He took the strongest healing potion he had, an Elixir, out of his inventory and chugged it, before applying the rest of it directly on his chest after he took off his shirt.

But that was far from it all...

Every healing item that could be stacked was consumed by his voracious mouth, all with the purpose of saving him from having a heart attack or any such afflictions...

His heart had been damaged, and he hoped it wouldn't have any lasting effects…

And as the minutes passed, the pain decreased, and the feeling of dread disappeared…

"Haaa… I think I'm okay now…"

He looked at the ground beneath him, it was completely destroyed, with many craters and cuts that dug deep and as far as 7M long...

The ground was even a bit red... It had a strong stench of Iron.

He quickly understood why, that was the result of his actions, the red paint was his own blood, now mixed with the sand...

It felt surreal, any would think this very ground he stood on was the site of an incredibly fierce fight, and not of someone who was training alone.

His own hands, filled with blisters and cuts seemed unfamiliar to him.

Faint steam was rising from his upper torso, as his body heat had achieved a new peak.

With a warm feeling on his chest, he smiled, this time, knowing that it wasn't something bad.

And this unknown feeling that somehow felt unfamiliar yet nostalgic, as if he had recovered something he didn't know he was looking for.

Dale had awakened as a new being.

…

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Notes

Due to the nature of this chapter, I may have to do some modifications or even add a few more things later on.

See you all later!

I hope you enjoyed it!

re.o

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