His journeys and battles through the years played in his mind. From his weak five year old self to his current self, silhouettes at different stages of his life stood before him. Their strengths were different, but one thing always remained the same. Their backs were straight and in the face of true adversity, they remained staunch.
Igor froze in realisation. And as Liu Xin's blade pierced his chest, two words were all he said.
"I see…"
*Puchi!*
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|DxD|- Chapter 76- The Spark
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The world was unfair. It was a universally accepted and recognised truth. Few benefit and many suffer because of this truth. But everything must balance, for no one could truly have it all.
The world was a mountain of snow and most started at the bottom. When they climbed, snow would rise to block their path. They could not push it aside, only roll it upward. The farther they climbed, the bigger and heavier the snow became. What began as a clump they could kick became a boulder that would crush them at a moment's notice.
If they fought to persevere, using every ounce of strength, will, and intelligence to climb, then once they reached the peak, they could roll their snowball to the other side. And once that massive snowball fell, it would release all of its accumulated mass in an avalanche that would drown everything.
It was the world's way of fairness, for those who began at the top could never gather as much snow. Whatever they rolled down the other side would never amount to much. For them who were born fortunate, born powerful, there was little they could do to advance. Because only adversity could nurture the conviction needed to climb. And to keep climbing, stubborn persistence was key.
[I see…]
Through it all, Igor only now realised. Beyond revenge, beyond love, and beyond duty, what kept him going was what made his clan so feared: the stubborn insistence to never give up. His people, his elders, and his family—all of them sought to defy the fate of extermination through any means necessary.
He, the last of them, inherited that stubbornness, for he was their proof that Ariya lived on. His very life from his conception was a tale of persistence, to defy what fate had preordained. It was that very persistence that carried his people for thousands of years and would do so for thousands more. For through him, his people would not fall, god willing or not.
As the blade entered him, Igor entered a state of realisation. A transformation occurred throughout his body. The well of spirit energy in his mind ignited into white flames that flooded his being. Every pore, every tissue, and every cell was rinsed in this baptism of energy.
His vital energy bloomed like a flower, bathing him in a beautiful cloak of gold. The lucid world shattered like glass, revealing a reality torn apart by years of battle. In a field of endless craters and chunks of rock, Igor was a rose that bloomed in a barren land.
His evolution was beautiful. The golden glow, ever so gradually, took a faint orange hue like polished amber. It clung to his skin like a candle having a richer colour at the base.
Spirit energy continued to baptise him, forging his body anew and elevating him to a new peak. It was an amazing feeling like taking the freshest of breaths. His body felt so light and relaxed his feet lifted off the ground.
Seconds turned to minutes, and his elation only grew more. Persistence was the key, the spark that he needed to transcend. He relished the process in watching the transformation happen. His heart thrummed with endless strength, and the pool in his mind expanded.
But something else mystical happened. His spirit energy seeped beyond his muscles and slipped past the skin. His aura of polished amber was slowly consumed by the leaking mercury of spirit energy. It oozed through his skin like thick mist, embalming him in a silver cloak of liquid.
The change was immediate. Through his senses, Igor felt things he couldn't tell, 'saw' things he could not begin to comprehend. The world slowed to a halt, and colour faded to shades of darkness. The only light he 'felt' came from him and what he recognised as the hourglass.
His eyes opened, deep grey like the chamber itself. Colour returned and time flowed. And with it, a crushing fatigue swiftly tore through him.
"Nnngh!"
He fell on one knee and his hand gripped his throbbing head. He felt so woozy he could barely tell up from down.
"What was…that??"
He opened his eyes again, back to their normal blue. His teeth locked in frustrated shock and confusion. Everything was going so well, and then this strange state happened. This was not supposed to happen.
"Argh…damnit."
Igor forced himself to his feet, but stumbled and fell soon after. His energy reserves were dry, dry, and dry. It hadn't been a single second that he went from absolute power to feeling weaker than a low-class.
"Tch!"
He clicked his tongue in place of cursing. Forget flying. Just making a small energy ball would affect his lifespan. What little vitality he had was what kept his body from collapsing. It was the very source from his lifeforce.
"This is…"
He shook his head to clear the headache, but only made it worse. His brain was mush, and the urge to vomit only grew. He held his floating stomach and forced himself to his feet once more. He remained still to fight the disorientation until he could properly absorb his surroundings.
He slowly looked around and saw nothing had changed. The world was in colour, but his condition was proof he wasn't hallucinating. Somehow, he entered a state where time was slowed. He had not the faintest clue, but he couldn't, wouldn't let this rest. He would definitely find out what that was, because with high-class, he could finally read all the books that were restricted from him.
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AN: Alright. Hear me out. Hear me out a bit. I know I've been whining a bit, but I think I've had a change of heart. The aura change is a nice touch, but I'm more interested in this new state he discovered. Is it a transformation? A state? Both? Maybe the books will reveal something.
Chapter 76
END