Waking Up
[Corven Umbrovante]:
Corven woke up with a jerk, heart beating fast, reeling from yet another nightmare. As he tried to gather himself, he noticed he was not in the medical ward. Rubbing his head at the killer king of migraines, Corven decided to fully take in his environment.
The thing he had woken up on was a fancy looking, red and black leather couch with red cushions and black leather. The room itself was fark, its curtained windows not allowing any light to be drawn in, so Corven would have been uncertain if it was day or night out if he didn't sense the absence of night outside. Being a Champion of Nyx had its benefits; being able to sense night or the absence of night was just one of them.
The room around Corven was made of dark bricked stone, dark as black stone. It had zero lighting, but Corven could see everything quite fine with his night vision[Though whether this was because he was champion of Nyx, or because of him being the son of Erebus or even if this was because of his bloodline abilities. Corven wasn't entirely sure. Still, though, he was thankful for the night vision]. Corven saw that there was a long, black desk as long as a dining table directly in front of him, stacked with books, papers and scrolls. There were various books and papers stacked neatly around him, even on the floor. There was a couch directly behind the desk in front of him, same color and material as the one Corven woke up on, just shorter. There were three windows in the room, though all three had that light repelling curtain covering them. There was a faint light source — torches lit with indigo blue flames that Corven's subconscious supplied him with the name of…
"Soul Fire," Corven muttered to himself, surprised at himself. "The rawest form of the soul itself… How do I know this? Where the hell am I? What is this place?"
Turning around, Corven saw a small spiral flight of stairs that led up to a working study, much less neater than the room Corven woke up in — it was littered with books and papers, some of which were stacked shelves alongside scrolls and half-written parchment papers, and others were lining the work table. It had Corven thinking to himself, 'Who still uses papyrus?'
The work study itself was much smaller than the room below, but also had much more clusters of papers and papyrus on the floor as well as half-read books that looked way to ancient to be modern. Corven saw a window at the top of the room, just left of the work table, but it too had that light repelling curtain preventing any light from coming through.
Corven was about to get up and take the spiral staircase that way, when he sensed someone materialize next to him, their words stopping him in his tracks. "So, you've truly awakened."
It wasn't a question.
Corven turned to see Faction Head, Athan Eubeleus standing there, wearing all-black — button downs, slacks and a pair of black business shoes. He still had on his signature silver wrist cuffs, adding an air of mystery to his being. His red, predator-like eyes and red wildly stylish hair giving him an intimidating allure.
"Sir…," Corven was confused, but he got up and straightened his posture.
"Forgive the mess, but I hadn't expected guests before," Athan shrugged, gestuing around them. "Welcome to my personal study, Corven…. Maybe, after this, I'll call you my apprentice."
These words shook Corven. He was sure Athan hadn't decided to make Corven his appearance yet. Did something change? Unbeknownst to Corven, things were changing because of the duels down earlier that day. He had briefly piqued the faction head's interest
Athan walked past Corven and up the flight of steps, gesturing for Corven to follow him. "We have much we need to do if I am to be your Master," Athan said to a puzzled Corven. "Your earlier performance impressed me… or, at least, it intrigued me. Do it again. Impress me."
"Uh…what?" Corven blinked, eyebrows raised, confused. "'Do it again'? You mean, like fight someone?"
"I said, impress me," Athan answered, sitting comfortably on a red and black throne of leather, leaning forward as he spoke. "Impress me, and I'll accept you as my apprentice."
"Uh… right…," Corven's mind blanked before he could bring it back online. "How the Hell do you want me to do that?"
"Hells," said Athan.
"What?" Corven made a face.
"There are 9 layers — dimensions — to Hell…. Supposedly," Athan said, pulling a thoughtful expression before shaking his face blank. "So the politically correct pronunciation of the word would be 'Hells,' with an 's' at the end."
"I…okay, whatever," Corven dismissed, trying to get a grip of the situation he was in. "How should I go about… uh, impressing you?"
"Answer me a question," Athan said, after a moment's pause. He looked Corven up and down during that pause, making Corven feel like he was before a beast sizing its prey.
"That's all?" Corven tsked. "I thought this would be difficult."
"What drives, Corven?" Athan ignored Corven's comment. "Every cultivator is driven by something, be it hatred of another or fear of the unknown. Every cultivator has something that helps power them to reach heights higher than their predecessors. What drives you, Corven Umbrovante? I'd think the question over, long and hard —- Its answer may dictate your future."
Corven began to think it over. He thought back to when he was being chased by the Chaos Sphinx, and how he was afraid, but more for his friends then himself honestly. Then, he thought about his battle with the Great Snake, and how he wasn't really afraid of the monster despite it being many times stronger than the Chaos Sphinx. He thought about his family, Cimon and Achlys, and how they've been nothing but supporting to him all this time. He thought about Celeste and the promise he made to her father. It was then that something cliqued for him.
"I can think this over and over, and still give a sub-satisfying answer," Corven began, looking at Athan. "A cultivator knows what drives them deep in their core. For me, its power. The power to not kneel to anyone. The power to not submit to another being. The power to protect my loved ones, even from the gods, if need be.The power to control my own fate, damn the costs! That;s what drives me."
Athan looked at Corven like he was watching an amusing doe-eyed deer. He was genuinely impressed by the raw honesty of this young man. 'The power to not kneel before anyone, eh? To control one's fate? This boy…reminds me of you, my lady…That said, I need to test his resolve.'
Suddenly, the pressure in the room rapid increased itself, causing Corven to facepalm to the floor. He didn't know what was going on until he was a starfish on the study floor, his nose already bleeding from the impact and every bone in his body began cracking at the pressure upon it. He was confused by this turn of events, but then he future it out.
Athan was using his Spirit Pressure, his Presence, as a Chaotic Rank cultivator to force Corven into a pancake. It felt like gravity was crushing his insides from the outside. It was not a fun experience, not in the least.
"The thing about cultivators who chase power is that there will always be someone stronger than you, Corven," Athan began to explain himself, not daring to releasing his presence as he did so. "You can't even take the presence of a Peak Chaotic rank cultivator, restricting himself to the beginning of Chaotic rank, such as myself. How will you handle yourself against someone stronger? You must learn to yield, for there'll be times when you must… Otherwise, you'll die. I—."
Suddenly, the darkness and shadows inside the room seemed to move, migrating itself to Corven like mosquito to flames. It enveloped Corven in a comforting embrace, shielding Corven from the pressure Athan was giving out, surprising a wide-eyed Athan.
"'Learn to yield'....hehehe. Yeah, no, that's not my style," Corven's thumb pointed at himself as he spoke with a smile. "I'm going to become a god, and, when I do, I will become the strongest god! I give you my word. Then, no one will make me do anything."
Athan studied Corven's face, as if measuring his conviction, his resolve, his words — All at once. He studied Corven's unwavering smile, his almost wild eyes and his unyielding confidence. He studied Corven for a long time, before he began chuckling, clapping his hands. "Very good. Very good indeed. I am impressed beyond measure."
Athan released his pressure, but the darkness around Corven still lingered protectively.
"Very well, I shall take you on as my pupil," Athan chuckled. Then, eyes flashing dangerously, he continued. " I will forge you into a monster beyond compare. Be warned. You may yet survive the process, and I won't hold back or slow down."
Corven, dispersing the darkness and shadows around him, semi-bowed his head in respect. "Then I shall continue to impress… Master."
"Very well," Athan nodded, allowing Corven to rise all the way up. "You've been asleep for three days, apprentice. You've missed much. I would head to the infirmary or now… Your friend, Cimon Morpheus, is currently there in a coma, though the reason is unknown."
'Cimon's in a coma!' exclaimed Corven in his head, shocked. 'Three days! What the hell!'
"Later on this evening, meet me in the dark forests off-campus," Athan handed Corven a scroll — It was a map of Mythos, detailed and mapped out mostly, except for key areas of the Dark Forests and a few biomes beyond. An 'x' marled where they are supposed to meet up in the dark forests exactly. "We'll meet here every night for your training."
"Understood," Corven, still curious of Cimon's condition, rushed out. He wanted to see his nephew's condition first and foremost, with his own eyes.
"Then you're dismissed," Athan said, allowing Corven to go.
Corven rushed out, heading to the Infirmary at full speed. Athan watched his pupil go, then chuckled to himself.
"Shadow Queen…," Athan said, lost in thought, distracted. "is he really your son? He's got your stubbornness and heart, that is certain."
Athan paused, somehow even more distracted than before suddenly.
"I will train him for the path ahead, my queen," Athan muttered. "When you finally meet you son, you will be pleased. Of this, you have my word."