Author note
Sorry for the wait readers I got held up with wanting to at least update my other other as I said I felt that I neglected them this year. Anyway the new chapter would have came out sooners but I was busy with exams recently so I couldn't put my focus into writing for a little while, but here is the next chapter. Like aways don't be afraid to comment on the story and drop a power stone if you can.
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Salem's Pov
A relaxed sigh was let out from my mouth as the roof of Morrigan's was retracted allowing the wind to be touching my face as Morrigan continued to drive. I was just enjoying the visual of the blue sky and enjoying the feeling of the warm sun rays but also the song love nwantiti slowed reverb version vibing through my headsets.
But good things can't last as something sharp pricked my arm
"Wow hey!" I hissed, rubbing the sting and arm glaring at Morrigan whose fingernails had extended like Lady Deathstrike.
"Oh no no~ Junior you have no right to cross. I told you not to listen at full volume when speaking to me. You never know what I might say or do to you if you're not paying attention." She retracted her nails.
"Man whatever."
She gasped like I had slapped with a wet fish. "Did you just 'whatever' me. On heavens don't tell me that you really are going through your rebellious teen phase. No wait what am I saying? You've been like this since I've met you~."
I stuck my tongue out. "Please. You were obviously a theater kid growing up and not a good one in fact despite having the type of magic for it."
"Hmph!" She lifted her chin with exaggerated pride. "For your information you little punk I would be marvelous in theater. After all, I've posed as countless personas slipped into high places, fooled entire courts and charmed dignitaries." She tapped her face morphing into an Arabian woman and back to normal. "But I hardly need to, considering I already possess the natural appeal of a star. A shame I fell into treasure hunting instead."
I chuckled. "Yeah, your ego definitely matches those diva actresses. Speaking of treasure hunting, are you sure you're even one? Cause I've never actually seen you… you know… do much treasure hunting."
She flicked my ear hard. "Ow! Hey!"
"Don't 'hey' me you bloody smartass. And never doubt my skills. I simply work and we take out little monthly separations. I am a woman of many pursuits."
"You really do that?"
Another flick. "Yes really!"
I rubbed my ear. "Okay okay. So what's the catch for this 'special' hunt you're inviting me on?"
She gave a soft, musical laugh and ruffled my hair. "Oh lighten up Junior. Am I not allowed to spend time with my adorable apprentice? Besides… It'll be fun."
"So what's the job?"
She made a mysterious smile and winked. "Now I wouldn't to ruin the surprise my dear boy~."
I just gave her a suspicious look and let it go, leaning back on the seat.
"Anyway, remember I need to stop and clear some anomalies." I muttered. "Things have been getting crazier. Another fusion-class one might pop up soon."
"Don't worry. Our little detour won't hinder your monster hunting one bit." She twirled the wheel lazily. "Speaking of your monster hunting job, I want to ask you about two things from your last fight. First your blizzard technique with the glacier wolf form."
"Yeah? What about it?"
"I noticed the ethernano in the air felt… unusual. Not quite natural but a touch like your magic signature. She smirked. "Come now darling. Spill your little secret."
"Hmph. A great mage never reveals his secrets."
She let out a little chuckle. "Aw you trying to be all coy with me are we? That's so adorable. But how about this you tell me what that was and I promise to make it worth your while and you know I never disappoint~"
"Why do you always gotta make things weird? But since you asked so nicely." I shrugged my shoulders leaning back. "It's a technique where I control the ethernano in a set area instead of just absorbing it like mages normally do. I cast my magic in the air while syncing it with the surrounding ethernano giving me full control of the ethernano in that space. So it basically becomes my magic or an extension of my magic."
"A personal domain." She murmured with genuine interest. "Most impressive, especially for one with your talent for ethernano manipulation. Still… there are holes in your little technique."
"Oh like what." I already knew some weakness of my remixed mana-zone technique especially since I'm still a little new at this. But maybe an experienced mage like Morrigan would notice some deeper problems which I didn't notice.
"Well first I take that this technique of yours is extremely difficult to cast and control so it will take a bit of time to set up so it might leave you a bit vulnerable, next you can't move this special zone of yours, you need to be to be in perfect balance between your internal magic and the ethernano from the environment otherwise you will face backlash and rupturing your magic flow, finally a move like that will likely result in sensor overload if you're not careful."
"Eha Eha. You really got all that from seeing twice and my explanation?"
"What can I say Junior." She said primly. "I've been in this line of work for a very long time. So I know my stuff."
I nodded. "Alright so any ideas on how I can overcome all of this?"
She waved her hand. "For now I can say just keep practicing your ethernano control to make the activation easier to a point it should be as easy as breathing, but this won't be much trouble since you have a natural affinity for controlling ethernano. Also focus on endurance training to increase stamina and improve your duration, so you can keep it active for long periods of time. "
She tapped the wheel. "Now for the second matter. The creature which gave you access to dark magic and shadow travel, show it to me."
"Huh like right now?"
"Not inside my car." She said sharply. "You ruin my seats. These beauties are upholstered with the finest materials. Cost me a small fortune."
Honestly I could get her to some extent even though I've never owned a car before. My dad had basically given one of his cars to Fatima and me a BMW but I can't remember the model. We were in charge of basically taking care of the thing so we would be care not to cause not even a scratch on it and if any of our extended family members or friends were in it and started doing some stupid shit, we would not hesitant to scold them because in the end we would have to be the ones to clean that mess up.
Man, I really miss my big sister.
The car made a hard stop knocking me out of my thoughts.
"Alright Junior out!" She shoved me. I quickly turned into my cat form and landed neatly on my feet.
Geez what's this multiverse coming to if a n*gga can't even brood in peace.
"So why did you want to see this form?" I stretched a little bit and then shifted back to normal.
"To test something. Chop chop, my little changeling."
Letting out a sigh I accessed my Darkrai form and my body began to be covered by a cloak like a cocoon. After truly transforming the sunlight was a little irritating for me so I drifted to the shadows of a tree.
"So what do you think?" I asked my mentor who brought out a monocle-yeah a literal monocle like she'd stepped straight out of a Sherlock film and began poking me.
"Teacher, what are you doing?"
"Hm. Fascinating. Very fascinating." She leaned closer. "And it gives you a subtle personality change as well. I wonder what you taste like my dear~."
"Say what?"
She coughed delicately. "So tell my dear changeling who do you feel in this form?"
I hesitated. "I admit it's a little strange, like my heartbeat is slower with a cold weight on it, my emotions like their on mute, whenever I enter the shadows I feel more comfortable and they feel like they are calling to me. It's freaky."
"Tell me when your shadow traveled and how you returned?"
"Well when I was in the shadows it was nothing but pitch black for the most part but this form gives me a special instinct to navigate it. But for the most part I sense and follow familiar magical signatures?"
"Listen to me Salem I won't tell you to stop using shadow but make sure that you don't spend long periods of time down there." She spoke seriously.
"Why?" I went back to normal.
"When you slip into the dark you are not merely moving through shadows. You're stepping into an entirely different dimension called the Shadow realm and it's a place where mortals are not meant to tread." She lit up a cigar, took a slow drag, and continued.
"Inside that real drift the Echo-Shades - scraps of fear, grief, and agony by the living. They cling to travelers, nibbling at their negative thoughts and magic like moths at silk. Over time they take the shape of their host acting as their shadow waiting for their chance to take over. You'd be shocked how quickly those little pests corrupt the mind once they get the chance." She made a cold amused smile.
"Deeper still lies the Shadow Sea. A liquid abyss where your identity begins to dissolve. Stay too long… and you will forget your name, your purpose, even your own face. Just like that." She snapped her fingers. "Then there are the creatures known as the Lurkers that feast on movement. Tide-beasts that feed on those you enter."
She grabbed my cheeks and squished them. "Do not mistake my warning for melodrama love. Shadow travel is not a bloody game, it's trespassing upon hunting grounds of cosmic horrors that find mortals… delicious. To make it worse that form shines like a lantern in the dark with all that nightmare and dark magic you leak so I'll give you a 30 second time limit while you are down there, got it!?"
"Yeah I got 30 seconds in the realm and got your hands off my face." I shook off her hands and she released a huff. "But that's a lot of stuff. How can some mages shadow travel? Do they follow some marked paths or do they use some special spells?"
"Correct."She said with a proud smile. "Some skim only the surface of the darkness, never touching the true realm. Others craft protected pathways, narrow and shielded, and walk only those. But the reckless… or the ignorant… wander deeper and are swallowed. Either by the Lurkers or the shadow sea."
Damn I didn't think this verse was that big but I guess that's what happens when you learn more about any world you are living in.
Thinking about the Echo-shades I wondered if that's what happened to Rouge . His shadow acted all alive and really freaky during the GMG, then took over his body after Gajeel beat his ass giving him a power boost in the moment. Guess he really must have attracted an Echo-Shade when he went in a bit too deep when he Shadow traveled.
"Well. That is quite enough eldritch education for one morning." She clapped her hands sharply. "Come on, it's time to get started with your training."
That took me by surprise a little bit but she did say that she was going to be training me seriously while we're here. With stronger and fusion anomalies it would the best to get
I began stretching to get ready. "Alright I'm game so what are we working on today?"
She just gave me an evil and saucy smirk with her green eyes glowing, licking her lips, taking out a blind fold and some bracelets similar to the ones she was wearing.
'Yo what in the fuck.'
Elsewhere in Fiore
"Meteor!"
Yelled a blue haired and red eyed male in his late teens to early twenties, he was wearing a cloak which was tattered due to the battle fought.
He enveloped himself in a golden aura and began zipping around confusing the strange but powerful creature he was battling.
It towering over 20 feet, muscular, draped in blue, constantly shimmering with pulsating veins of electric-blue energy that. Instead of a conventional mane and tail, the beast is crowed with a dynamic cascade of swirling ethereal mist, crackling lightning, and orbiting rock fragments. Two immense horns made of solidified astral energy,protrude from a massive, fanged head with eyes glowing purple.
As it was focused on the male a girl with pink hair and eyes around 13-14 years old ran to advantage on its distraction.
"Mguilty Blades!" She chanted creating a more than a dozen teal blades launching them at the creatures back.
It roared in pain as the spell specially made to directly strike a target's sense of pain. But this didn't keep the creature down but it turned her to furious. It stomped on the ground making a fast wave of electricity shocking the girl sending her to the ground and it followed up the a blast of lightning to her but multiple orbs began intercepting the lightning blast causing an explosion
The pink haired girl opened her eyes and she was out of harm's way and in the arms of a beautiful curvy woman in her early twenties with purple hair and red eyes wearing a matching cloak to the other two but like them it was also tattered due to the battle
"Ul!?" The girl smiled in relief.
"MEREDY GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" The woman known as Ultear commanded her.
"What but…"
"It's too powerful Meredy. But don't worry me and Jellal can take care of it." She tried to reassure her.
The creature was about to attack them but…
"Jiu Leixing!" The man known as Jellal chanted while in the sky making nine lightning- made swords and threw them at the creature.
Jellal landed in front of the two.
"Focus you two .We can't afford to get distracted by monster like this." He lectured them.
"You don't have to tell me twice Jellal." Ultear got up and glared at the creature analysis closely.
The Behemoth slammed its foot into the ground once more making a seismic wave pushing the three back several meters with the pressure. Jellal was the first to meteor spell, grabbing the two and dodging the attack. And landing at a safe distance.
"Luminous Minutes!" Ultear threw an orb which transformed into numerous others and increased in their speeds appearing like beams.
"Pleiades!" Jellal called upon six rays of light falling from the sky to the Behemoth.
The two spells were too fast for it to or properly intercept so it took them head on making a large explosion. But when the dust cleared it was still standing but still took good enough damage though it was healing.
Letting out a howl being surrounded by dark aura letting out its magic and the whole place began to shake violently surprising the former dark mages but Jellal and Ultear got up ready to continue the battle while Meredy was shaking a bit but swallowed her nerves to help the older mages.
But before the battle could continue the creature looked up in the sky and suddenly turned into purple particles confusing the three.
"Um, what just happened?" Questioned Meredy.
"I don't know but something tells me this won't be the last we see of that thing." Jellal continued to look to the sky.
"Those are our chances for answers." Ultear let out a frustrated sigh as the reports of strange creatures appearing around Fiore causing damage have increased in recent months.
She just hoped that they weren't unknown demons from the book of Zeref like they theorised.