Being faced with such a task, Aaron couldn't help but feel a little flustered. He managed to gather his thoughts, extending his hand and picking up the first disk—the Edict pathway."
The image on the disk appeared a purplish-yellow hue embedded within a symbol. The symbol was reminiscent of a seal guarded behind chains suspended from above. The chains interlocked to form what looked like a crown, one that would be worn by a figure of royalty or high prestige.
"This pathway focuses on what governs our world, laws, and laws that can be changed. At lower Orders, simply uttering a few words could make... let's say, an apple turn blue or something. Anyways, the Edict pathway is about changing and reconstructing laws of the world around you."
He leaned back in his chair, tossing the corresponding disk up and down in his palm. "Does this sound familiar?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a little confused.
Why would he ask me this—asking me if anything 'felt familiar'? I never heard of this pathway until Aaron had initially mentioned it just moments ago.
"Does this sound like a pathway you belong to, as in the one inside you as we speak?"
I glanced towards the black cat which the Umbridge was possessing, taking note of the glare it was giving me. I couldn't help but shiver slightly, shaking my head.
"N-not really."
"Alright..." Aaron set the Edict pathway disk down, before picking up the one right next to it.
This was the Barbarian pathway, one I could slightly remember being mentioned during Shinoso's potion consumption. The logo had two swords intersecting to make an 'x', and behind the x was a pillar of fire and stone. It glowed with a fiery orange and red hue.
"The Barbarian pathway is one of courage, combat, and strategy. Anyone who drinks even the weakest potion can gain supernatural and physical abilities. My old grade-school teacher was a bit of a crazy myth-lord, so he had told me about this specific pathway. He swore he had a distant relative, or someone of such sorts on this pathway—"
Aaron abruptly stopped talking, realizing he was trailing off. He tugged at his collar, his other hand holding the disk.
"Anyways, the Barbarian pathway, from what he told me, makes your muscles bigger, makes you more durable, and can make you see in the future for like two seconds so you'd know if your enemy is gonna sucker-punch ya'."
"That doesn't... match my criteria," I replied, shuffling slightly in my chair.
From what I could recall, the Apocalypse pathway didn't bestow physical enhancements. If making a logical deduction and utilizing previous knowledge, the pathway is centered around chaotic and dark concepts.
"It doesn't?" Aaron suddenly laughed silently, his gaze raking over my body.
"I can see why, you're still as skinny as a twig."
"Shut up," I grumbled, crossing my arms.
It was at this moment when I realized something. By deducing the names of the given pathways, I could subtract ones that would immediately contradict concepts and terms related to the Apocalypse pathway. Reaching out under the subtle guidance of spirituality and intuition, I began to take one disk after another.
I subtracted the Tyrant, Guardian, Justice, Saint, Vitality, Anchor, Muse, Sage, and Scholar pathways. Now, I was left with only the Depravity, Hunger, and Reaper pathways. From what I could guess, they could carry some corresponding traits to my pathway.
"Ahh, I see that someone's spirituality is acting." Aaron noticed what I was doing and smirked.
As he watched me set the other corresponding pathways aside, I turned back to him. He now had three disks in front of him—Hunger, Depravity, and Reaper. After a few moments, Aaron picked up a disk that immediately ebbed with maloviolent black energy.
It was the Depravity disk.
"The Depravity pathway..." Aaron paused for a beat, his face contorting slightly. "Is a pathway that affiliated oneself with their most depraved and lustful desires. Heh, some people call it the Demon pathway."
"Demon pathway..." I repeated the term under my breath, numerous thoughts coming to my mind.
"What can it do?"
Hearing my question, Aaron's blood ran cold. He stifled a cough and continued speaking, his voice now carrying a slight tremor.
"Knowledge regarding this pathway is scarce to say the least. All we know from historical texts was that it was primarily kept by an ancient family under the Katshin Empire's throne. They guarded the potion formulas and decrepit knowledge. Legend has it that after this knowledge was found, they burnt it."
"This pathway can allow one to tap into their opponents deepest desires, turn them into apostles of depravity, and can corrupt souls with malevolent thoughts and influence."
It sounded a lot like the Apocalypse pathway. At this moment, the black cat under my table swatted at my leg, claws digging deep enough into my flesh to shed blood. I let out a low yelp, looking down at the animal. The Umbridge looked back up at me, shaking his head. Their illusory voice then sounded in my mind.
"Don't lie about this pathway. It's a pathway considered heretical by the Mother Nature church."
"Alright..."
I took another breath and turned back to Aaron, huffing as I leaned back. I took another bite of my cheesecake.
"That also doesn't sound familiar..." I let out a yawn, covering my mouth.
"Perhaps we could continue this another day?" Aaron, taking notice of my current state, collected the disks and tucked them into his bag.
"Yes, I believe we should."
The both of us finished our meals rather quickly, standing up from our table and making our way to the door. Outside, there was no snow falling from the sky, only snow on the ground that had been there the past month. Aaron's trembling hand met the doorknob, twisting it open and allowing the both of us to leave. The bitterly cold winds slapped me in the face, making me wince and move to cover it.
Both ends of the street were illuminated by the kerosene street lamps, shining their warm yellow light onto the snow.
"Did the entire kingdom go to sleep or something?" Aaron chuckled, tucking his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he began to walk forward.
Above us, the clouds had moved aside, making way for the light of the crimson moon. It basked upon the snow in the street, dying it in a slight, blood-red hue. It crunched beneath us as we walked downtown, making our way to the central square near my apartment.
"I heard what Aizawa told you yesterday; you can't leave without an adult accompanying you."
"I know, I'd consider it quite stupid. Shinso and Ayumi are out god knows where and they're alone. Why not me?"
"Well, kid..."
Aaron paused in his tracks, leaning back against a building. He kicked his foot out, planting it into the snow with a hearty crunch.
"I take it already, you know how dangerous this world is, right? Every corner there can be threats that can consume your soul, eat you alive if you're not careful. Even friends can turn to foes if you're not careful..."
The older man's gaze drifted to me, and his eyes softened. "You're just a kid; you're a scared kid who's wondering who he is and his place in the world. You stay up late starin' out the window wondering why you're here."
Aaron looked to the ground, kicking some of the snow aside. "I know all about it; I did the same thing when I was your age."
"You did?" I asked, a small pang of relatability entering my thoughts.
"Yep. The only difference between us though is that you have powers, I don't."
"But powers aren't what make you special, it's how you use them. I have no idea how you got those fancy horns on your head, but they damn sure look cool ...even if they are a little scary."
"They are?" I ran my hand along the slightly rough texture of my horns, feeling them until the base and tip. The area where the base of the horns connected my skin was rough and grainy, slightly flaky on the skin.
"But no one seems to care about em'. Didn't you wander into the market yesterday and no one bat an eye to begin with?"
"Right..." Recalling the encounter, I had bought bread from the market and the vendor didn't comment. The waiter who served us didn't notice our bread, nor did the Katshin Empire's garrison positioned on the edge of the kingdom.
"Everyone and everything in this world is weird, so what's the point in acting like it's scared of you?"
The black cat containing the Umbridge let out a low meow as it leapt onto me, its tail coiling around my shoulder. They began to purr as they brushed their head against my neck.
"Since when were you so affectionate?" I smirked, scratching their chin.
At this moment, the Umbridge paused their actions. They meowed deeply and jumped off my shoulder, and their illusory voice sounded in my mind.
"I suppose ...I'm as cat as I am a Spiritual Creature."
"Don't tell me... you're becoming a cat?"
"I don't completely know." The Umbridge patted away.
A rat scurried from out of an alleyway, and the Umbridge's tail instantly flicked up. Without wasting a second, the Umbridge burst off, chasing the rat through the road.
"Damn it." I chuckled softly, turning back to Aaron.
We locked eyes for a moment, but a sudden scream permeated the air, coming from behind us. Me and Aaron instantly turned around, catching sight of what was causing the noises. It was dark, about the size of a large dog, had red glowing eyes, and sharp teeth. Its fur was ruffled, and warm, crimson blood dripped from in between its teeth.
"What the..." I habitually took a step back, the soul-wings on my back flaring out.
Aaron's eyes widened as he caught sight of them. "K-kid... damn!"
I paid no heed to his shock, my gaze fixating on the animal before me. "Is that a dog?"
"It is," The Umbridge replied in my mind.
Their figure, clad in a dark cloak, emerged from the shadows. They no longer possessed their cat body, now standing numerous meters tall.
"But it's under the influence of something..."
At this moment, the large, dark dog coughed up something. In the crimson moonlight, I caught sight of the object. It was a dagger.