Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 114: Sovereign's Quarrel

Toren Daen

I looked up at the towering fountain, tapping my foot as my eyes traced the intricate design. It displayed a hooded mage, their features obscured by their robes, pouring a beaker of liquid with each hand into a larger carafe. The water that flowed out of each beaker converged to make a single stream, which then circled back up to repeat the process.

The water was tinted a slight reddish color, and I could just barely sense mana flowing through the liquid as it filtered through the fountain.

Aedelgard was different than I expected. The terrain wasn't as hilly as Fiachra, but it was far more busy. The scent of saltwater was always in the air, drifting in from the ocean currents. Steamboats–likely ripped straight from Arthur's schematics–were docked at the deepwater harbor of the Vritra's Maw Sea. Sailors were constantly milling about, shouting orders, and delivering goods en masse.

Sevren's strange spellform had worked, changing the descension destination from the second layer of the Relictombs to Aedelgard's descension portal. After all, I had a meeting I needed to attend.

Except as I waited in the courtyard of Bloodstone Elixir's main branch, I found myself growing increasingly irritated. I watched the water flow through the fountain one more time, then turned back to the guard who had stalled me.

"Are you absolutely sure you sent word about my arrival?" I asked. I'd been milling about for around half an hour already, and the fully-armored sentinel had not shifted an inch.

"I am certain, my lord," the man said in a monotone voice. The stick shoved up his ass must have been barbed or something. I couldn't think of any other reason why he stayed so still. "I must repeat what I said earlier. Lady Shorn rarely accepts personal visits. Perhaps you should return another day."

I sighed, shoving my hands in my pockets. I'd told the man I had an appointment with Renea Shorn a while ago, and while he claimed to have sent the message on, his attitude made me doubt that statement.

The closed courtyard was quite beautiful. There were a dozen different flowering plants I didn't recognize, each emitting a scent that mingled with the sea air in strange, cloying mixtures. The colors were simultaneously chaotic and ordered, like a dozen random brushes of paint coming together to form an image. While I'd been content to wait for a while at first in this peaceful garden, that patience was wearing thin.

I sat down on a nearby bench, settling in for what I expected to be a long wait. I closed my eyes, settling into a meditative state of mind. I reached into my core, caressing the Will nestled there; teasing it upward.

I didn't descend into my First Phase, instead keeping just outside of that range. I allowed bits and pieces of knowledge and insight to flow into my mind, exercising extreme mental control to keep that stream steady and small. With what faculties weren't occupied, I did my best to latch onto that insight. To keep it leashed in my mind so that it would not leave me a moment later.

I breathed in, feeling the mana in the atmosphere swirl toward me. I allowed myself to feel those eddies as I exhaled, the energy in the air flowing away in tune.

Lady Dawn wasn't awake to help me with this process, but at this lower level, I didn't need it. My bond had explained something crucial about Beast Wills in asuran culture.

The first step in mastering a Will was the assimilation phase, where you slowly dispersed mana throughout your body, allowing your muscles and bones to absorb it and strengthen in tune. This prepared you for the strain of a Beast Will.

Yet this was the barest step. Assimilation of the body was only the prerequisite. The greatest push forward was the assimilation of the mind.

I tried to draw understanding and insight from my Will, hoping to absorb the knowledge it granted me. This was the fundamental second stage of using a Will; the entire point of its existence. To understand what your ancestors taught, then add to it and pass it on further.