“Combat is like any other Discipline in existence.”

 

“We all have it naturally.”

 

“We all rely on it in some or the other way.”

 

“Just like all the other Disciplines, it is refined over time for the Species that practice it.”

 

“The longer it has existed the fewer flaws it has.”

 

“Still, as with everything in life, if a Combat Form stops adapting to changing circumstances it will die out and be replaced by something else.”

 

“Thus, Combat Forms that stood the Test of Time, are by default powerful.”

 

“Yet, never underestimate Combat Forms that have just been born into existence. After all, they may have more flaws, but new things tend to shine much brighter before being polished to stand the Test of Time..”

#17 Quote - Book of Life and Death - Chapter- Heroes and Villains

 

*

 

Central Continent - Southern Forest - Survival tribe - Alexander

In the western part of the territory belonging to the Survival Tribe of Badg’Er stood a tree. 

 

The tree itself was unimportant save for one branch near the ground. Nevertheless, at this very moment, the tree and branch were unimportant. At least, when compared to the Humanoid Honey Badger who sat beneath the tree with crossed legs and a straight spine.

 

It was unimportant because Alexander was warring with himself and his innate emotions and stupidity.

 

Today was the day his Capacity reached its limits again. 

With said Capacity, Alexander once more achieved awareness of his whole existence. He enjoyed the moment, as he knew that it would not last. With every moment that passed, he tried his best to imprint everything into his memory, but then came the moment when had to choose what to do once more.

 

Does he fill in that which was apparent in this awareness? 

 

Or does he try to see what was beyond it?

 

Alexander had been warned of what could ensue if he chose to send his awareness beyond the Earth Attunement option.

 

It could be said to be a curiosity manifested not just from his innate desire to see what was beyond it, but a curiosity manifested because he'd been told it was dangerous.

 

It was that momentary curiosity that titled the scales of Alexander's current direction in Life. 

 

When Alexander sidestepped the immediate and probably reasonable action, to see what was beyond, he found out that there was nothing special happening the very same moment that he did the sidestepping. 

 

With the sidestep, the Earth Attunement option became background noise in favor of the much louder Eight Shining Lights that manifested. 

At first, nothing happened, but the more Alexander stayed in that new awareness and directed his attention to the Eight Shining Lights, the more the Shining Lights began to coalesce into activity.

 

The Brightest Shining Light was the Light that was the closest to him. When Alexander focused on it for a moment, he felt the Stability of the Earth Attunement he'd already gained. 

 

However, unlike what he'd gained from The First Star, The Second Star radiated a different kind of Stability. This one radiated a Stability of Motion. 

 

It told of things moving with a slow and steady path onto the future.

 

After The Second Star, came the Third Star. 

 

Its light was lesser, but he could still understand the things it radiated towards him. The Third Star radiated Fluidity in everything, whether it be physical or emotional.

 

After The Third Star, came The Fourth Star. 

 

This one's brightness was even lower than the third. Still, it was enough for Alexander to understand its purpose. 

 

This one told of a Fluidity that could easily switch to a fury that would surprise anybody. 

 

When Alexander studied it for a moment, there was a slight resonance with him. It made him remember the sudden burst of strength he had gained whenever he'd gotten angry at somebody. 

 

The Fourth Star made him remember those times he'd had to defend himself with Aggression from much bigger creatures.

 

Indulging himself for a moment, Alexander forgot about himself before returning to the stability that was the base state of the First Star. 

 

Still, Alexander’s curiosity only increased with each Light he examined. 

 

As if stuck in the motion, Alexander’s attention touched upon The Fifth Star and it was that moment that changed everything for Alexander. 

When he touched The Fifth Star, Alexander understood it. The Fifth Star was an enhancer at its core. It would enhance both his physical and emotional side. How it worked Alexander knew not, but what he felt was that it took everything he had and burned it in some way to fuel that boost in capability.

 

At least it felt that way to him. Yet, the moment he understood that resonance was achieved between Alexander and The Fifth Star. It was as if they were meant for each other. 

 

Alexander's awareness inched closer and closer to it and the Shining Light representing the Center Star only increased its shining light.

 

When the two touched and the resonance synchronized, Alexander felt the Chakra that made up Capacity flow into Shining Light. 

 

It was as if the Chakra became the coal to fuel the furnace that was The Fifth Star. 

 

Nevertheless, that was not all. Because each Star was intrinsically linked to one’s emotional state, it required not just Chakra to manifest. 

 

No, it required an emotional investment as well.

 

The moment Chakra began infusing itself into The Center Star, Alexander’s mind began to replay memories of his current life. Alexander knew not how to describe it, but to him, it felt as if his Life reversed, with every memory being played backward. 

 

Day after day reversed, then it became week after week and eventually, it became month after a month.

 

With every memory that was replayed, Alexander felt the resonance between him and the Center Star increase. The Center Star searched for something inside him. A few times it found what it looked for, and when it did, it resonated with them. 

 

This resonance between Memories of Anger and the Center Star acted like an invisible string tying everything into one. 

 

It continued going like that on and on. 

 

In the beginning, it was fine. Alexander had adapted to his current life and his anger issues rarely resulted in losing himself to emotions. Yet, the longer this went on, the greater the Dredd that manifested. 

 

And when it did, the words of his Friend reached Alexander’s awareness.

 

He had no idea what a Demon was, but he knew innately that it was bad. As such, Alexander began to fight wholeheartedly with everything going on.

 

Immediately, his awareness began to distance itself from everything going on, or at least he tried to distance himself. There was no success, as he was stuck in the process going on. When Alexander realized that fact, he began to struggle even more with the innate stubbornness and tenacity of a Honey Badger whose Will Stat was at 9. 

 

A stat that was extremely close to the epitome of what any normal Honey Badger, without any access to Powers of some kind to go beyond that mark, at least in theory.

Whatever the reason, once Alexander put his everything into the struggle, changes were bound to happen.

 

At first, nothing changed much. Only the strings that connected his memories and the Center Star began to tighten in response. With every memory that was replayed and with every moment that Alexander struggled in his rebellion, the strings tightened and stretched further and further. 

 

Yet, they did not snap. In fact, the opposite happened. The more they stretched and the tighter they got, the stronger their resonance became because Alexander was unaware of something very simple.

 

His very act of rebellion fueled the much-needed emotional depth needed for the manifestation of The Center Star. 

 

However, not all was lost. If Alexander could overcome the speed of the Emotional infusion, then it would not matter if the resonance increased. Eventually, the strings would snap and free Alexander of everything that was occurring.

Moments passed. 

 

Alexander struggled with all his Will and then it happened.

 

SNAP SNAP

 

Two strings snapped in this metaphysical manifestation inside Alexander. And when they did, Alexander's pressure eased by a ton. 

 

Yet, it was that ease and glee that doomed him. Instead of forging ahead in search of freedom from negative emotions, Alexander relaxed his drive for a moment. 

 

At the same moment, the Center Star, which was already halfway to its manifestation, acted on its own. It cast additional strings into Alexander’s memories. 

 

Only this time they did not search for anger.

 

No, fed by Alexander's rebelliousness of not wanting to become a Demon, that very rebelliousness infused the Center Star and etched itself into its core.

 

When Alexander felt the additional strings attach themselves, he realized his mistake and began to Rebel again, only now it was even worse. Every shred of his battle for freedom only worsened his situation as the Center Star absorbed every shred of emotional Rebellion.

 

Too bad Alexander was too caught up in the process to realize that he should have flowed with the process, now that the Center Star no longer sought out pure anger, and other such negative emotions.

 

Instead, the Center Star only manifested faster and faster. At the same time, more strings attached themselves to Alexander’s memories, as they searched for similar rebelliousness in other memories.

 

Like a librarian, the Center Star cataloged all of them, even those of his past life, that were far vaguer in existence. 

 

When it had done that, it was too late for Alexander to do anything, even in full rebellion mode. 

The Shining Light that was The Center Star collapsed into itself and with said action, it pulled along the strings containing the memories it had cataloged. Yet, it was not just the memories that were pulled along. Alexander's awareness that was at the core of all this happening got pulled inside as well.

 

After everything got pulled into that one tiny metaphysical singularity, the singularity began to vibrate and resonate with Alexander's physical heartbeat.

 

Boom, Boom Boom, Boom, Boom Boom.

 

At the same time, Alexander’s Lungs resonated slowly to the rhythm that the Heart made. With every moment that resonance increased in power. Until eventually the Heart, the Lungs, and the singularity synchronized perfectly into one giant phenomenon known as the bio-electrical field.

 

Nonetheless, this bio-electrical field was extremely focused on the Heart and the Lungs all while being infused with a metaphysical quality of Chakra and Emotional depth. 

 

As such, a new designation was needed for it. 

 

A certain existence was familiar with this phenomenon. As such, this phenomenon was termed Aural Chakra.

Once Aural Chakra was birthed, it expanded towards the Heart and the Lungs instantly. With that expansion, Alexander’s awareness followed. 

 

Alexander felt and heard every beat of the heart like a giant drum upon his awareness. At the same time, the Lungs made bellowing sounds, as if a ginormous amount of air was pulled and exhaled.

 

Still, that was not the end of the Aural expansion. 

 

Once the Heart and the Lungs were fully encompassed, Alexander felt the Aural expansion expand upon his whole body. With every inch that it expanded, Alexander's awareness of the details diminished in favor of expanded awareness of the whole.

 

Only after the Aural Chakra expanded into his whole body did the next step begin. Synchronization of the other internal Chakra structures. As only one currently existed, aside from the innate Chakral Roots, the process was easy and quick.

 

Within moments, the Earth Chakra Attunement of the Skin, Muscles, and Bones was done. Not much changed aside from changing its Chakra structure into an Aural-based variant. 

 

It certainly wasn't enough to provide the next benefit of the Earth Attunement. However, it wasn't without benefits. What those were was for Alexander to find out once he came out of his current trance.

Moments after moments passed, and soon the light began to vanish from the horizon. 

 

Not that Alexander ever saw the true horizon with all these huge trees blocking so much sunlight from racing the bottom layer of the Forest.

 

Still, it was at that moment that Alexander's physical body trembled all over before his eyes opened to face a new world before him. Nothing actually changed, but to him, everything felt slightly different. 

 

It was as if everything gained a bit of extra depth in both sharpness and its colors.

 

Yet, as if that very moment, DING, DING, DING, DING sounds echoed in Alexander’s mind. The Dings disrupted the last prongs of trance-like behavior and Alexander focused on the here and now.

 

As such Alexander addressed the very first thing that came to him.

---

System Alert!!!

 

Establishment of the Second Stage of Ascendancy Achieved;

 

Path - Emotional Affinity

 

Star - The Center Chakra Star [The Fifth Star]

 

Node - Heart and Lungs

 

Elemental Attunement - Fire [Energy Booster]; Air [Energy Intake]

 

Elemental Perk - Fire [Temporary Body Enhancement]; Air [Temporary Instinct Enhancement]

---

The moment Alexander saw it, he remembered his friend's words and they proved to be right. 

 

With that being the case Alexander dismissed the System Window in favor of summoning forth the second one.

---

System Alert!!!

 

Resource Change Established;

 

Chakra > Aural Chakra

---

This one made sense, but it was useless to the current Alexander. He innately understood what Aural Chakra was, even if his current awareness of it paled to what he'd felt when it was concentrated on the Heart and Lungs.

 

Thus he dismissed it and summoned forth the third System Window. Because it too was very simple, even if he did not understand what a Title truly represented, ALexander summoned the fourth DING a moment after.

---

System Alert!!!

 

New Title Generated;

 

Rebel

---

---

System Alert!!!

 

New Special Ability Manifested;

 

Heart of a Rebel

 

Description;

 

The more Rebellious you feel, the Stronger you Will be. 

 

Effect;

 

Passive - Stat Boost [10% - 50%]

---

“Re, Bel, What?” Alexander wondered before the meaning of the word anchored itself inside his mind as if he knew very deeply what it entailed.

 

“Umm, Me, Angry, Get Strong?” Alexander wondered for a moment. 

 

Deep down, he knew that at its core it was that, but there was more to it. He was sure about it. 

 

Still, as he pondered over it for a moment on the details, a stray ray of light reached his face. It alerted Alexander about the time of the day. 

 

When he did, a simple growl began to announce its presence.

 

“Think, Later. Need, Food.”