Chương 5: Warlock

'How fascinating!' Kayzen clenched his fists as he looked at one shard after another. Eikon of Keb'akaran Magi of Genetics Shaper of Plague May your heart envision this realm's protection. Receive blessings from the progenitor of fire and guard this realm from all threats. -- Low power with steady foundation. Eikon of Keb'akaran doesn't have any skills except for the vision they conjure. In return, they have a deeper understanding of the fire element.

While others fight for their lives, you choose to delve into the code of life. --There are no limits to what you can do, but at the same time, you will be unable to use Ether in the conventional way. May your creations become the incarnation of pestilence. By drawing Ether you can use and shape poison, toxin, or other related elements depending on the material consumed. Affinity and future progress would be affected by the records of the material.

-- Power varies greatly based on the material, but overall much stronger than an Eikon. Can possess multiple abilities. Next to none understanding of the element, Good for combat. Eikon of Argia Shaper of Hex May your journey be glorious. Receive blessings from the progenitor of light and bring glory to all around you. -- Low power with steady foundation. Eikon of Argia doesn't have any skills except for the vision they conjured. They have a deeper understanding of the light element.

May your records corrupt all that defies your way. By drawing Ether and using various mediums you can construct a variety of Hexes. The success and effect of the hex will depend on the records of all things involved. -- Power varies greatly based on the material. Can possess multiple abilities. Good understanding of records. Weak in direct confrontations. After reading the shards he gained a deeper understanding of the term 'Akashic Records.'

All of the choices presented before had something to do with his life, or record in this case. How and why the records were related to Ether was something he had to ponder later on. The shards had given him concise yet core information of all paths. He assumed that after selecting one he would gain a deeper understanding of it. In a way, this was just the transmission of knowledge. He would have to rely on the existing methods to become an Eikon, Magi, or Shaper.

'What I need to do right now is survive.' Judging from the fact that the seven had deployed a barrier around the towns; it was safe to assume that they would be safe from 'portals' that appeared in the sky. But was that the only threat? Of course not. The progenitors had addressed all of their creations. This included all life that was born on Erde. Just like the humans, the mutated plants and animals must have learned about akashic records one way or another. Not to mention other sentient races besides humanity.

Kayzen had already selected which of the options he would choose. Still, he decided to consult with the old man just to be safe. When it came to using Ether he was far ahead of Kayzen or anyone else in this town.

"What do you see?" Kayzen asked.

"Records of my life, or what was 'recognized' as such. There are nine of them to be exact." The answer from Rakh'ar stunned Kayzen. He asked further just to make sure, "You don't see the options to choose paths? Like what to become and such?" This time, it was the old man's turn to be speechless. The two shared what they knew and also questioned a random squire for confirmation. In essence, those who were unable to use Ether were given various options based on their lives.

Those who had already decided on their path received a different feedback.

"So to summarize, Warlocks need five records to complete the Shaper rank and then ascend to Warden. From then, the requirement for Dominus is 13. The same thing for Templars and Crusaders." Kayzen spoke while tying up his hair. What he wouldn't pay for a cup of coffee right now.

"That's just a guess. I feel like there is a difference in records? We need to discuss more. More importantly, have you decided on which path to follow?" the old man asked with a gleam in his eyes.

"Yes, I have. No point in thinking deeper. Who knows when the monsters will attack again." True to his words, Kayzen reached out and grasped the fifth shard.

'This is…!' He had thought that the one giving him information would be the seven, or perhaps there would be a torrent of knowledge flooding his mind. The reality was totally different from his expectations. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Kayzen found himself floating in the middle of a vast library. In fact, using 'vast' or any other word to describe it would be insufficient.

No matter which direction he looked, his vision was filled with galactic shelves containing white ledgers. This was the manifestation of Akashic records. Just being in this place allowed him to glimpse at everything that had occurred since the dawn of the universe. Huzzzzzzzz A sudden attracting force pulled him through numerous shelves. After what seemed like an eternity, he arrived at a small, isolated shelf. These were his own records.

'I thought this place contained all records of the past, yet again I was wrong.' What Kayzen saw was 'himself' who had walked on all of the five paths. A Kayzen using a flaming shield, another one that was wearing spectacles and doing research, one that had pale skin and was hiding in a cave, one who stood shoulder to shoulder with a valiant woman, and finally, the path he had chosen. He, who was extracting DNA and records from the fallen monsters. Seconds passed as the remaining four paths faded into nothingness.

All that remained in his consciousness was fragmented knowledge of what he could've been. And what he could do after becoming a Shaper of Hex. After an unknown amount of time he was expelled from this space.

"Young master?"

"How long?" Kayzen asked while taking deep breaths.

"What?" The old man looked at him with raised brows.

"I mean, how long was I spaced out?"

"A second or two perhaps? Is there something wrong?"

"I…have a lot to talk about, but let's focus on the monster first. Help me break open its carcass." The old man nodded and did as Kayzen instructed. Under the hands of a Warden the monster was sorted out in less than a minute.

"Should I call someone to transport these to the lab? I'll check out the town's defenses in the meantime."

"Please do so," Kayzen thanked the old man and summoned the Ether shard with a thought. He had decided to become a Shaper of Hex and embark on the path of a Warlock. There was a lot that needed to be figured out, but for now, he was certain of one thing: A shaper of Hex could have a total of five shards. Each of these shards represented a record. What delighted him was the fact that he already had a record, something that would've stuck with him regardless of which path he had chosen.

Rank: Low Record Extraction: With your knowledge in genetics you are able to observe and isolate fragments of records from an organism's DNA. Kayzen assumed that the 'Rank: Low' was for the quality of his record. It matched with what old man Rakh'ar said about his nine records being different. The first five should be based on what he did as a shaper and the latter four focusing on what he did after becoming a warden.

'Of course, all of this is just a hypothesis.' What he needed to do right now was put his newfound knowledge into practice. Kayzen followed the workers and rushed back to his lab. Bran had yet to return, so he decided to take a slight detour to pick someone else as his temporary assistant. The devastation caused by the fiend class was evident on the way. He hadn't noticed it the first time he came here, yet now the broken streets and uprooted trees were becoming a stark reminder of their new reality.

Just as he reached near the towers, he found Mike who was helping squires clear the road. As always, it was hard to associate the trunk-throwing-man with a magi.

"Mikhail, got a minute?"

"Wh-oh! There you are. Just looked for you at the tower," Mike started talking the moment he saw Kayzen. As fellow researchers they had a lot to discuss despite them focusing on different fields. Mike was also given the option to choose from five options which aligned with the theory Kayzen and the old man had come up with.

"So, what did you choose?"

"Magi of Armament. Four paths were different branches of magi while the last one was Eikon of Gaia, so I picked the coolest one! Got a lot of new ideas by the way," Mike excitedly slapped Kayzen's shoulder and rambled on about new gen alchemy siege weapons. It was fortunate that the lab arrived before his brain short-circuited due to overload of information. In a way, both of them needed this distraction. Humans were emotional creatures.

After living in this town for years there was no way they weren't affected by today's casualties. Still, humans were also resilient. They moved forward.

"Help me get the centipede carcass," Kayzen said while he deactivated the ward. Now that the future was unpredictable he couldn't just keep it active. With ease Mike dragged the whole shelf to the middle of the lab. His eyes were fixed on the centipede's pincers.

"Want them?"

"Um…would that hinder your progress?"

"Not at all. This'll be useless once I'm done," Kayzen opened the jars one by one and placed them on the counter. Now that he was able to use Ether and had an ability, there were a lot of steps he could skip or shorten during the process. There was also the fact that he had already identified the 'records' within the centipede's DNA. Mike sat on the nearby stool and watched his friend work with a singular focus. Compared to before, Kayzen didn't use gel to isolate the DNA.

He closed his eyes and focused on sensing the Ether. At this moment he was someone who had yet to truly become a shaper. What he gained from that cosmic library was just knowledge afterall. What Kayzen was doing right now was utilizing his Record Extraction. Even before the seven's proclamation, he had already observed and isolated the records. It was just that he was unable to do anything further since he was unable to use Ether. But now, things were different.

What he aimed to do was extract those records and absorb them. That was something he could do as a Shaper of Hex. As Ether connected with his body Kayzen felt as if he had gained another vision. Despite having his eyes closed he saw fuzzy things interwoven within the carcass of the centipede. They weren't unique, but rather, the copy of the same trait or ability. In other words, records of the centipede. He touched those records with his consciousness and tried to make sense of them. Unsurprisingly, it was futile.

Well, not completely.

'Pain resistance.' That was the only thing Kayzen could understand. The reason behind the centipede's behavior was this. The more he looked at it the more he liked the trait. It might be a seemingly normal ability, but that was what he needed. He could have a total of five shards on his way to becoming the Warden. One he already had, and the last one was saved for the mosquito-elephant hybrid.

'It's decided then.' Kayzen clenched his fists as if he was grabbing something in the air. In fact, his fingers indeed caught 'something' and glowed with a deep crimson hue. Ether, the quintessence of all things. At this moment it was being shaped into a hex in the hands of Kayzen. What was a Hex? Kayzen's knowledge was too shallow to answer that. This was the inherent limitation of warlocks and there was nothing he could do about it for now. At the same time, there was an advantage as well.

Kayzen knew what to do on an instinctual level. He dipped his fingers into the green blood and drew a polygonal rune in the air. His hands left behind trails of Ether and forged a three-dimensional construct.

'In essence I need three things: The Source, The Medium, and The Target.' The source in this case was the record he had isolated. The medium was the link that connected him with the target; in this case the blood of the centipede. Kayzen pressed his palm against the rune and pushed it against the centipede's head. What he was attempting right now was the crudest form of hex. He used his own records to suppress the target and steal from it. What was the success rate of the heir of Ashbourne bullying a dead bug?

It couldn't be less than 100. The skull, the rune, and half of the carcass disintegrated and merged into a new shard.