The Evernon Saga - The Journey Of Ascension, A Struggle For Godhood.

As William and Magnar sank to their knees with blank expressions, teetering on the verge of blacking out into eternal sleep, Joseph dispersed the Mana dome in its entirety. This exposed William and Magnar to natural Mana concentrations once again.

They clutched at their throats and c.h.e.s.ts, gasping for air. They sweated profusely, in obvious terror with their pupils fully constricted and their breathing ragged. William and Magnar were confused and afraid.

What just happened to them?

William attempted to speak through his disorderly gasping,

"C-captain! What was-"

"Animus Zero."

Animus Zero? The frightened duo recalled that Joseph had mentioned that term earlier, but only in passing. How could such a terrifying occurrence be mentioned so briefly and casually?!

"Animus Zero is a state which a being will enter if it is deprived of all Mana. As I mentioned earlier, all living things require Mana to function. Therefore, in the absence of Mana, all life-forms stop living."

William and Magnar gasped.

It was too heavy of a truth for them to fully accept it immediately. Their fun, carefree lives that they had lived so far could be reduced to that state of purgatory? It was incredibly disturbing, as it was only because of the absence of Mana, a substance whose existence was unknown to them all this time.

It was a horrifying thought, that they could be normal mortals going about their life, and could suddenly be plunged into a Mana void, if someone who could control Mana had malicious intent.

Without waiting for the pondering duo to ask any questions, Joseph continued.

"Of course, I don't mean that you die. It's just that your state of existence will be reduced to that of a sea sponge, unmoving, unfeeling and barely existing. Except that you don't breathe, and you eventually die."

Hearing this, William and Magnar had grim expressions. They had just felt firsthand what Joseph was describing, and it was unbearable when one was in such a state, losing all sense of self and sentience. The worst part of it, however, is that one would only be able to feel anything after successfully escaping from that state.

"There are exceptions, however, to Animus Zero. To you little plebians who are Tier 0, you have no Personal Mana and therefore automatically enter Animus Zero if deprived of mana. On the other hand, existences who are Tier 1 or higher, have a pool of Personal Mana stored within them. This is formed through natural absorption of the ambient Mana around you. If this is used effectively, one would be able to sustain oneself temporarily in the presence of a Mana void. I was able to withstand the void through this means."

William's eyes lit up as he heard that once one had a Tier, they could resist Animus Zero. Such an indescribably horrible experience was one that he would rather not have to experience ever again.

"While we are on the topic, here's another concept for ya. Define what the 'aura' of someone is." suggested Joseph.

William was halfway daydreaming and visualizing a future version of himself that could withstand and laugh at Mana voids, giggling. Magnar spoke up,

"Isn't an aura just how the air about someone feels to you? Like how a pretty girl would have a calm and cheery aura, making people around her smile? And how a criminal would have a murderous aura, making people feel scared?."

Joseph's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"A mighty fine guess there, young Magnar. You are indeed right. However, only when we are discussing ordinary mortals, that is."

Joseph paused, smirking upon seeing the obvious confusion on Magnar's face. Joseph began to release his 'pressure' ever so slowly, letting it gradually seep out over the course of what he said next.

"As a creature ascends through Tiers, it will become increasingly terrifying to other creatures. There exists an instinctual fear within living beings towards existences far bigger, stronger, or deadlier than itself. These creatures fear the Aura of such existences. They will not even wish to be within the area of influence of such a creature's Aura, let alone approach it. They will flee, and this distance only increases as their object of terror grows stronger, and continues to ascend."

Joseph's pressure was starting to mount upon William and Magnar, drawing their undivided attention and causing them slight discomfort. The sand began to shift around them, and the winds stopped blowing.

"Humans and other Humanoids are capable of this too, and in fact, every living creature has the possibility to ascend past being an ordinary mortal. An ordinary mortal would be anything that is at Tier 0. The only way to break out of mortality is to ascend!"

As Joseph continued his speech, William and Magnar were beginning to feel the full brunt of Joseph's pressure. They had to struggle to crane their necks in order to keep their eyes on him, as their bodies were getting 'crushed' towards the floor by the weight that was descending upon them, and their heads were going down along with them. It was somehow different from before! They felt very physically heavy, and found it much more taxing to resist!

"The first step of ascension, is Tier 1. It is at Tier 1 where you undergo your first evolution as a life form, surpassing mortals by leaps and bounds in all aspects, and gain the ability to use and store your own Personal Mana. But the third benefit that you get, and arguably the most important..."

"YOU CAN EXERT DOMINANCE UPON ALL LESSER BEINGS!!!" roared Joseph with a surprisingly clear and powerful voice, unlike his usual slightly raspy tone. His thunderous voice created wind and force that halted the breeze and repelled the waves. Joseph's Aura reached a peak, and William and Magnar couldn't physically resist it anymore. Their bodies immediately crumpled into awkward positions on the sand without restraint, continuously sinking deeper.

The only thing they could feel was an ungodly amount of weight on their bodies, as well as a low, deep rumbling noise booming in their ears.

Joseph looked on for a moment, standing up much straighter than usual, with a completely different expression than before. His hair floated as his clothes waved even in the absence of wind.

This was a face full of pride.

Creatures that have ascended Tiers, have become higher lifeforms in every sense of the word. They feel innately superior and are immensely proud of that. It is also common for them to see everyone beneath them as ants or specks of dust, in comparison to them. Of course, when one has good character, they don't feel it as strongly.

Joseph was a decent man, and an old soul. But even he couldn't withstand the pure euphoria of 'stepping' on lower lifeforms with nothing but his Aura. It was as refreshing for him as it is for mortals to crush c.o.c.kroaches. He bore witness to William and Magnar quivering under the weight of his Aura, as they were pushed down into the ground, forming two small craters.

After a few brief moments of looking upon them with arrogant disdain, listening to their miserable wails brought Joseph back to his senses.

"Argh, by the Eight Seas! I might have gone a little too far with these young ones." muttered Joseph with concern, as he immediately retracted his Aura, freeing the suffering duo from the torture they were experiencing.

"My apologies you two, but an example needed to be made. I hope that that experience didn't dampen your spirits."

As they stood up shakily, they looked Joseph dead in the eyes.

All he could see were two blazing infernos in their gazes.

"Good. The main reason why I've brought you here is to train you young seedlings, as you've guessed. Are you aware of your levels and how they blatantly showcase your ungodly level of talent?"

William and Magnar nodded with no hesitation, showing full awareness towards the bizarre levels they possessed at their ages.

"What you have just experienced from me, is known as an Aura. Every creature above Tier 0 possess one, as will you once you ascend to Tier 1. Now, I say this with absolute certainty, as I'm sure that both of you will reach Tier 3 at the very least. Especially you, William." declared Joseph without a single hint of uncertainty in his voice.

William revealed a very confused expression as he pointed at himself innocently.

"Auras are powered exclusively, by your Personal Mana. You Aura represents your Mana, and similarly shares its traits. As for you William, do you remember what happened to you earlier, and how you got out of the water?"

"Yes and no, Captain...it's all a blur and is quite difficult to recall, but I vaguely remember my body feeling really warm, and that the air around me was very foggy."

"Indeed it was so, young William, for you have accomplished something that I have never ever heard of before, let alone see. You have somehow accessed your latent Personal Mana without having to ascend to Tier 1."

'You have accessed your Mana without being in Tier 1.'

This sentence made William freeze, both in body and mind. He had Mana? This was a monumental and mind-blowing discovery! He knew he was talented, but this was unheard of.

"It gets even more bizarre, young William. Your Aura is an Elemental Aura. To be precise, it is Fire-aspected. However, your flames are unusual. They give off an entirely different kind of energy wave in comparison to normal Fire-aspected Auras. I can't explain why this is so, as I have never seen such flames in all my years." explained Joseph thoughtfully, stroking his beard.

By then, Magnar was staring at William with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. This brother of his had done the impossible!

William was staring at his hands, looking slowly from one to another, and then up and down his arms. He found it hard to believe that even though he couldn't detect it, there was Mana flowing through him?

"In your head lies your brain. However, to those who have ascended, it is also the core of our body's Mana. Our Personal Mana is stored and flows consistently throughout out body in our blood, but the core of our Mana is actually a crystal inside of our brain, perfectly linked and synchronized with it. This crystal usually forms during one's ascension, as the ambient Mana rushes into your body like a river, allowing for you to discover the natural depth of and form your pool of Personal Mana. The depth of your reserves is entirely based on your talent. Those with no potential will only be able to store minuscule amounts of Mana, whereas those with immense potential can effectively and efficiently store, as well as utilize the Mana which they absorb."

Joseph paused for a moment, observing if William and Magnar were still following what he was saying. Their unbroken stares were all the confirmation he needed.

"Auras come in two main groups, with non-elemental Auras being the most common, and Elemental Auras being quite rare. Only 2 or 3 out of 1,000 people have an Elemental Aura, and that includes even those who aren't at Tier 1, of which there are abundant. The majority of any country's population is formed of mortals and commoners, as we all know. I shall not explain every single Elemental type, as there are quite a few variations. However, non-elemental, or physical Auras can potentially come in 3 main groups, where they would otherwise just be the normal, unaspected 'pressure' that you've felt before. These are Cutting, Piercing, and Crushing Auras. I could explain, but it would be easier to demonstrate." said Joseph as he walked at a leisurely pace towards the water's edge.

Joseph took off his coat in the process, followed by his shirt and pants, leaving him in his u.n.d.e.r.g.a.r.m.e.n.ts. As the last of his clothes hit the floor, so did William and Magnar's jaws.

Joseph's back was like a map, there were mountains, valleys, and shapes of all kinds!

His back was extremely muscular and defined, unlike Magnar's muscles, which were big but relatively lacking in definition unless he strained himself excessively. Joseph's muscles however, displayed many veins and even the fibers of his muscles, with all the lines that went across the muscles of his back.

Joseph's Aura spiked for a moment, as he crouched, and leaped. He dived into the water expertly, leaving not much more than a small splash. William and Magnar recovered from their initial shock, and had no clue as to why Joseph went swimming all of a sudden.

Around 20 seconds went by in silence.

Suddenly, the gentle waves on the late-afternoon's sea surface were disturbed as water currents underneath began to swirl. The water's surface shattered as a boulder the size of a cottage flew high up, out of the water and fell down onto the sand of the island.

But that wasn't the only one.

Various rocks of many shapes and sizes flew out of the water every 10 to 20 seconds or so. Soon, the majority of the island was covered in boulders. Joseph walked out of the water absolutely casually, continuing towards the first, and largest, cottage-sized boulder.

"I've retrieved a fair number of rocks for use in your training. In case you've been wondering what my Aura is like, it is both Physical and Elemental. This is known as a dual-aspected Aura. The element of my Mana, not just my Aura, is Earth. This grants me two benefits. The first is a stable, strong and firm-set physique, much like a boulder. The second benefit, is what is unofficially known to some as a 'Gravity Domain', which exerts a physical force upon all creatures in the area of influence of my Aura, on top of the psychological pressure you experienced before. One could call this a 'dual-suppression' of sorts. My Physical Aura, however..."

Joseph straightened his left arm, and made his hand straight with his fingers pointed out, like a spear hand. A thin. but visible layer distortion began to take shape around the edges of his hand. Joseph walked by the rock, his body seeming to twitch, and briefly blink out of existence, as he relaxed his hand and arm, with the distortion having vanished. Joseph had now walked by the rock, as it stood around 2 meters behind him.

"...is of the 'Cutting' variation, due to me having grown up with and used various swords and blades throughout my life. This has augmented my regular Aura into a Cutting Aura. If I were to be entirely honest, its origin isn't even my Mana or Aura. It is called Intent."

The cottage-sized rock began to slide into two halves, from its uppermost-left side to its bottom-right side. The rock itself was cleanly cut, as if it was masterfully and painstakingly achieved by a master carver, with a smooth surface that put crafted jewelry to shame. The upper half of the rock slid off and crashed into the sand, causing a small shock wave to shake the ground beneath their feet, and sand to be thrown everywhere by the massive, heavy impact.

William was visibly shaken by this, as Magnar fell backwards onto his rear in sheer awe and confusion as his knees gave out.

"With nothing more than my b.a.r.e hands, combined with the vast experience and understanding I have with blades and sharp objects, I can cut a boulder like this. This was achieved simply because i intended to do so. This is known as Cutting Intent, and is what allows for me to perform such a feat. The reason why I mentioned Physical Auras earlier, is because one can imbue their Intent into their Aura. Observe."

Joseph's Aura spread out, exerting its usual pressure, albeit lessened for demonstration's sake.

Suddenly, the pressure exerted underwent a change in quality. The various boulders began to have cuts in them, that just randomly appeared out of thin air. They were small, and not very destructive. However, when Joseph condensed all his Aura on a human-sized boulder, it was sliced in many places repeatedly, as if there were invisible flying blades in the air revolving around that boulder like angry bees.

The boulder received tens of cuts on it every second, as William and Magnar watched a large, solid-looking boulder turn into nothing more than finely-diced pebbles.

Joseph turned around, and looked at the surprised duo. They froze up.

As soon as Joseph looked at them, their hair stood on end. They felt the same sensation as if a sharp blade were to be pressed onto their skin, just shy of drawing blood. It felt frightening, dangerous, and deadly. However, they didn't just feel this sensation at any one part of their body.

No, they felt it everywhere on every centimeter of their skin at the same time, causing them massive physical and psychological discomfort!

The Aura was retracted, letting the boys relax, as Joseph began to redress. He left his coat on the same rock he sat on earlier. He frowned when he realized that he accidentally cut a few centimeters into the wrist portion of his left sleeve with his Cutting Aura earlier.

"Alright lads, in these remaining 3 months that you have before the examinations announced by the herald, I'm going to train both of you excessively. This will turn you from boys, into young men who are ready to tread the path of becoming top Warriors! Are you ready?!" roared Joseph.

"YES CAPTAIN!" yelled William and Magnar loudly and with resolve.

Deep down, they found everything that they had witnessed and heard today way too shocking, as well as bizarre. They were slightly unsure about what awaited them in the near and far future, but they were determined to grow into something greater than they are right now!

Even deeper down, they were also glad that all the talking was over, and that they'd get to do things again.