B2 Chapter 194: Revelations, pt. 1

Reclining deep into the overstuffed armchair next to the fireplace in his room, Kaius did his best to tune out the desperate keening of his ignited aspect.

After their discussion with Rieker had finished, the man had escorted them out of his training hall and quarters. At first Kaius had been worried that they would need the guildmaster’s timetable to be completely free every time they were to train, but he’d let them know there were other ways there—Ro would show them tomorrow.

Even if Rieker had insisted on them celebrating, they’d done nothing of the sort. Immediately upon returning to the Dusty Stables, Kaius had ignored the inviting warmth and tuned out the welcoming hiss of ale hitting tankards in favour of retreating to his room, Porkchop and Ianmus in tow. He’d even gone so far as to decline Hensch’s offer of bringing dinner to his rooms.

After all, who knew how long his Aspect would take.

Now he sat and readied himself, Porkchop and Ianmus leaning in with wide eyes from their seats on the ground and opposite armchair respectively.

Taking a breath, Kaius gave his team a nod and gave in to the keening of the burning pillar above his soul.

**Ding! Pillar of Self Discovered, Mentis Ignited. Would you like to initiate Aspect Formation?**

He accepted the systems waiting prompt, and dropped into his soul-space.

Now that he was no longer hiding from the change, Kaius got his first good look at the burning flame above the pillar—tasted the racing energy that flowed from it in waves.

Potent, sharp, and wise. It was…strange, like his mind was racing at a million miles a minute just from the light and heat it gave off.

A simple flicker of will connected him to the construct more fully. Kaius saw his truth. Saw what the light of the burning pyre had seen revealed within him.

Desire to grow, and strive, and survive. To face trial and tribulation willingly. To learn from the experiences, and draw upon his history to pave his next step, to see him through the next danger. What he wanted was ephemeral and changeable—it wasn’t Truth.

How he got there? How he approached barriers and obstacles? How he worked to grow and learn and change? That was Truth.

Visions flooded his mind.

A soldier—aged, bloody, and tall—stood shoulder to shoulder with ten-thousand others, facing down an iron and flesh wall across a field littered with the fallen. Enemies and allies alike were shuffling, hiding their discomfort and fear in small movements.

The soldier stood tall, unphased. He’d already seen it all.

Kaius could see it in his eyes. A want, a need, a desire. It threw the soldier back into battle again and again—through heroic victories and crushing losses. Yet still—they stood tall, every battle leaving them a little older, a little wiser, and a little more scarred.

Yet still, the soldier was unphased—trusting in his mind, and his blade.

The sword drew him in. It was plain. Simple honed and oiled steel, scratched and brushed by the ministrations of a thousand failed challengers.

The blade held memories. The blood, essence, and reminders of a thousand battles. Chipped it might have been, simplistic and unadorned it might have been, but it remembered. The stabs. The parries and feints. The cuts. The false-charges. The openings. The maneuvers. The guards. The formations. The guard-breakers. The sieges. The hikes. The camps. The drills. The orders. The plans. The failures.

The victories.

Every scratch, chip, and scar was a treatise on war.

The blade remembered, and it guided the way.

Kaius snapped back to himself, reeling within his soulspace.

The fugue left from the vision was heavy, blanketing his mind like a roux. It shaded his perception in his soul-space, making his vision blurry and indistinct.

But even through that haze, the burning light of his aspect was visible. Radiant and full of splendour, it burst with light. Growing more and more intense, until all he could see was a burning yellow that reeked of wisdom.

From deep within himself, the power of Mentis rose. Claws closed around his mind, plunging deep as they rearranged his thoughts, shifted lobes, and metamorphosed his cognition. Twisting them, reinforcing the connections and easing the flow of sensation.

His thoughts expanded. A second stream burst into existence. Not a full duplicate, but where once he was limited to a single thread, now two focused on his changing mind.

It was violating, exposing, and revealing. The crux of who he was, how he thought, reinforced and infused with power.

Yet despite the vulnerability, he found himself at ease. It wasn’t the forced change of corruption, nor a destroying fire that left ashes in its wake. Potent, yes. Overwhelming, definitely. But it felt…right.

Like he had taken a step to being more whole.

Slowly, the light of Mentis dimmed, leaving fullness in its wake.

**Ding! Mentis Aspect Founded – The Veteran’s Edge**

**Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Trailblazer II**

Kaius gasped, his eyes snapping open. The light of the room flooded in, bringing with it the faces of his team watching him closely with eyes that reflected the gentle flicks of the hearthflame.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

There was no moment of confusion, no split second of disorientation like he normally experienced—he was simply there.

“Fucking hells, this is bizzare.” he said, shaking his head.

“What was it like? The bond got all…wishy washy for a while there.” Porkchop asked.

Kaius gripped his knee, idly noting the supple texture while he thought on his next words.

“Strange… There were visions, similar to the impression you get from skill merging, but far far more in depth and immersive, and far more personal.” Kaius paused, gathering his words as Ianmus leaned in closely—obviously eager to learn as much about the experience as he could. “Once the Aspect ignited…it did something to my mind. Some generalised boost—I keep expecting it to be overwhelming, how fast everything is coming in. But it isn’t—which is almost disorienting in its own right.”

With every word he spoke, thoughts flitted across his mind like a flock of migrating starlings, creating connections and making inferences that would have otherwise been out of reach. It was different from the reinforcement of stats—that he could tell immediately.