"So it's you— has been head of the Silverettes. Walter." A silver mist shrouded his body. He looked up, staring at Alexander. "Who are you?" He responded, "Never mind my asking. I need not know any further." He turned, walking to where Anemone lay.
Blood loss almost transitioning to hemorrhagic shock. Node damage to vast percentages of her system. He opened her eyes, before shining his aura against them. Delayed pupil-Iris reflex. These are all sign of a severely damaged magic system. Just how much spiritual magic was she forced to use?
"You can't just ignore me….Walter. I am your current head." The golem moved Alexander and thereby placing him on his shoulder.
"Current head—Its more accurate to call yourself the dog that wagged his tail for a new master just to have a treat. I shall take my live. The miss leaves with me as well." Walter was about to pick up Anemone when the fist descended. It struck him once, then twice. Pounding away at him. Five consecutive hits found their mark before it stopped.
No sooner had it stopped than a silver light blitz through, leaving a hole through its otherwise rocky body. Blood dripping from Walter before his wounds began to close. "If you had not torn my muscles just now, you would be dead. So show some gratitude to your golem."
"What are you talking about? You are no stronger than when you were a kid. Your magic must have stagnated. There is no other explanation." The golem's body began to regenerate. Rocks materializing to fill the hole.
"Version two."
"Huh?"
"You have already chanted, yes? I can tell." No sooner had he concluded his statement than his aura dissipated.
"Of course you could. Then it's a good thing I wasn't aiming for you. My aim was Ane—" he stopped, wondering where she disappeared off to. In her condition, it was practically impossible that she could move a finger, let along herself. "What did you do?!"
"I moved her. You probably never saw when ,did you? I moved her then let your golem hit me." Walter turned to face Alexander. Flashes of lightning appeared before his eyes as their silver glow intensified.
"HOW? You said my golem tore your muscles." Walter smirked before a silver aura erupted from his hand. "That, I lied. I tore my own muscles when I used a lightning to enhance my already silver enhanced body. It tripled my regular lightning speed.
Now, Alexander, was it? Have you ever wondered why the head family of Silverettes is born with divine silver?"
"Does it matter?" The golem attempted to strike Walter when he jumped, landing where Alexander lay. "And you claim to be the head. Disappointing." Walter placed his hand on Alexander 's shoulder before continuing, "Because it conquered and forces submission from all it faces. In that regard, it is far superior to your Roaring Column art." Hardly had he finished speaking when he feinted a hit. Alexander, seeing this, closed his eyes.
Without feeling the hit, he opened them again only to see Walter walking away with Anemone in his arms. "What are you doing? Why didn't you finish me off when you could? Must you always bring shame to this family?! What would your late siblings think?"
"Head….why are you angered by my gesture of kindness?" His gaze grew vacant, it was obviously, the topic that had been breached was one that he was none too fond of. "I would ask you to refrain from ever mentioning my siblings. Because you see, what good is a family—if it will always sell out one of their own." He continued walking before the golem rushed him. It threw yet another fist when he shifted Anemone to one of his hands before blocking it with the other.
He let a sigh, flashes visible. From where Alexander stood, only one eye was visible. Its silver glow sending shivers down his spine. It had become apparent, severely so, just how weak he was in the presence of such might. "I am incomplete." Divine Silver was an ability meant to pair with a golem to form a monstrous self-regenerating war machine. But, in the hands of such a feeble human body, its true might can never be realized. I am limited by my physiology and that fact is a reality I must accept.
I have no golem ability as I am a bastard child. I am the head's descendant, yet his might shunned me.
"Golem Art evolved: Attes, second glory partial manifestation." The golem's arm began to glow. Beige strips wrapping around it. It began pushing back Walter. His arm began to rip, blood dripping as he clenched his teeth. Groaning as he attempted to push it back. Silver covered his whole body before he shoved it back, sending it flying before it crashed into the ground.
Within the dust cloud that had risen, a silver glow towered. The sound of sparks echoing closely against Alexander's ear. He looked up, before adding, "You are nothing at all like the cheerful child you once were."
"People change. Especially if they had to watch their parents be beheaded. Then again, you would never know that, all you did was agree to the role." Before Alexander could offer a response, Walter crushed his skull. He then walked away with Anemone in his hands still.
[Name: Walter Silverette] [Candidate Rank: C]
[Attribute: Lightning]
[Unique Ability: Divine Silver; Hands Of a Spiteful God]
[Point value: 700/1000]
The details on his ID glitched out before new writing formed:
[Name: Walter Silverette] [Candidate Rank: B]
[Attribute: Lightning]
[Unique Ability: Divine Silver; Hands Of a Spiteful God]
[Point value: 700/1000]
~
Walter moved through the ever so desolate forest. As the trial had persisted for quite a while, the battlefield had thinned out, leaving a lot of blind spots that could easily be exploited.
[Point value: 750/1000]
His ID glitched again,
[Point value: 770/1000]
Walter lay waste to all who opposed him. All who attempted to attack him while he sought refuge for Anemone. No sooner had he found a cave than he let out a sigh of relief, "Finally, her condition was starting to go into the red."
He walked into the cave before setting her down gently. I need to re-examine her. Breakdown what her current state is and plausible ways to mitigate currents to her life. Shallow yet, rapid breathing. Clammy skin….rapid heart rate. He held up her hand to check her pulse. Weak pulse. This is definitely hemorrhagic shock. First symptom.
He opened her eyes before shining his silver aura on it. Delayed pupil-Iris reflex, and why are her eyes still partially golden. Her breathing became more erratic as her once crimson blood became golden. Huh? He wondered. Her condition had just worsened. That makes little sense. Her words are too small to facilitate symptoms that signify blood loss of an astonishing quantity. Yet, that is what I am seeing. She is yet to lose a lot of blood but she is reacting as though she already has.
He opened her eyes once more only to find that they were completely golden now. He then recalled that time in the forest when they encountered a formidable threat in the Panthera Leo Krugeri bystier. Cellular disintegration? That was what happened to Kano when she touched him.
Golden aura does not match any aura color on the attribute spectrum. So its an aura color formed from her unique ability like my silver aura. Keeping that assumption in mind, I can theorize. I hate this— each time I theorize, I start sounding like you did…brother….
Unique abilities typically carry drawbacks. With danger levels varying as opposed to attributes. For example, my silver can multiple my abilities damn near infinitely but in so doing, the stress level destroys the host. Muscle tears, bone shattering, etc. If I was never born with heavy regenerative traits, just assuming that state should have gradually worn out my body until I died.
I suppose in a similar way, her body is reacting. But—unlike me, her drawback is cellular disintegration. It is almost like she is feasting on components of her spirit every time to stay alive. It is gradually killing her body. He closed her eyes before removing a silver grape from his jacket. I know I told her to never eat these fruits as her golden aura rejects my silver but….this situation is not one I can shy away from. As he was about to feed her, I wondered, Can she even swallow? He began releasing a silver aura. He then bit the aura. "I need you to relax," he muttered before feeding her mouth to mouth.
No sooner had he done that than he jumped back getting some distance between him and her. He wiped his mouth, his gaze firmly focused on her. Now for the burst of magic. A golden aura wrapped itself around her body before she began lifting. This is different from last. She made it back to her feet before staring at Walter. Her golden eyes shimmering against the silver aura he was putting out.
"Thou…..Thou art the moon? He whom my light shall beguile?" She walked toward him. "Miss? Why are you speaking like that?" He looked on watching her walk closer. Her vacant gaze, nothing if not unsettling. His aura dissipated before he added, "Shall we talk? I agreed to work with you but I was never told I would have to deal with things like this often." He began pulling back his sleeves when she grabbed hold of his arms.
He fell to his knees before his once black lashes began to turn to white. His white hair, turning silver. "What are you doing?!" He coughed out blood. His coughing, getting worse and worse still. Is this possession? He coughed. Louder, more so until he vomited a black feather. Even though it was accompanied by the meal he had eaten, it remained dry, showing that it only existed on the imaginary plane.
She let go of his arms before picking it up. Tears ran down her face when she said, "I sought to understand. Now, I am certain….Thou art the moon. Thou hast?" She ate the feather before falling unconscious to the ground.
Walter tried to compose himself, so she was only trying to remove that thing from me. That means she was never possessed. What was that then? He let a sigh, looking at the rocky ceiling. Screw it—looks like one of those answers without a straightforward approach. I will pass. He fell asleep.
~
Meanwhile:
Anemone recalled. She collapsed to the floor before getting up. This time, her once brown eyes glowed golden. She looked up, seeing her mother, Galena.
"Honey—you can take as much as you need." She embraced her, allowing whatever life she had left be drained from her.