CH18 Advice, Truth-Seeker & AetherKindle
***
Rowland nodded.
He would be lying if he said he was surprised by the boy's decision.
Other children his age might be drawn to the allure of the War King Palace or the title of the War King's nephew, but not Leo.
In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the boy acted as if it had been a curse or burden on him since day one.
The years of living in the slums alone before Rowland found him had bred him into an independent soul. If not for the necessity, Rowland had no doubt the boy wouldn't have stayed so long in the War King Palace, if he had a choice.
Understanding his nephew so well after five years, Rowland had expected his choice and prepared ahead.
"Very well. Since you have made your decision, I will no longer have a say in your decisions going forward. I can only advise you, but ultimately whatever happens in your life, whether you take my advice or not, the consequences will be bore by you.
"Whether you choose to simply be an artisan or you become a hunter, despite the obvious challenges of the path, I will not stop you... nor in fact, will I encourage you." Rowland stated.
The middle-aged man folded his arms and said with a very solemn expression.
"Listen carefully, this is the first advice I will give you. It might very well be the best advice I will ever give you..."
"There are four things you must have which will be key to your success on the path you have chosen. Land, wealth, method and companions.
"Land is a place that is your own. It is both your dwelling and a place that harbours your memories and secrets. It is the place where you will be most peaceful and powerful.
"Wealth refers to resources. Money, mana stones, treasures, pills, rare herbs, rare ores... Whether just for cultivating your individual power or for growing your expertise in your chosen artisan profession, wealth is something you will always need.
"Method refers to knowledge, be it techniques, secret manuals or even basic know-how that can help you in whatever you choose to do. Method is indispensable for you cannot achieve anything without knowledge.
"Finally, Companions. Just because you are now independent doesn't mean you no longer need people. Grow a network of people and leverage it for whatever you need. How you choose to do so -honour, integrity, loyalty, cheating, lying, manipulation- depends solely on you, because once again the consequences are yours and yours alone.
"These four things, never forget them. They will remain relevant for you as you are weak now till you become as strong or influential as where I am, and even when you surpass where I stand."
Rowland's words echoed in Leo's mind as if they induced a trance. They triggered the memories of both the Martial Sovereign and the Grand Space Pirate King locked in his mind. Both individuals had been told something similar when they were weak and gave the same advice -in their own ways- when they reached the pinnacle of their world.
And even then, at least in their hearts, both admitted the four things were still important.
"Thank you, Uncle." Leo said sincerely.
Rowland smiled gratified.
While he couldn't be sure Leo understood the wisdom behind his words, he was at least sure the teenager took them to heart.
That was enough.
As long as he did that, even if he didn't understand at the moment, he would in the future.
"Rest and recover your strength. In a few hours, I will prepare a send-off package for you. After which, you can leave anytime you wish."
"Uncle, you don't ha-" Leo was about to turn down the gift, but a glare from Rowland shoved the words back into his throat.
"Thank you, uncle." He eventually said.
Rowland nodded and left the room.
Leo collapsed back on the bed.
Things seemed so peaceful in his moment that it felt like a mirage to the boy.
It was uncomfortable.
Not because he didn't like the peace, but because he knew it wouldn't last. He didn't believe he was someone who would have a peaceful life. He would always be running from something... or towards something.
Even now, when he thought about it, he already had a target on his back.
There were many things he had to hide that ironically being a possible possessor of an SS-Class Gift was the least of his problems.
Leo shot to a sitting position when his thoughts came back to his Ocular mutation. His eyes didn't just turn Red-gold, they actually came with abilities which required Mental Energy to activate.
In this case, they were indeed not too different from a Gift.
Only that, in addition to Spiritual Strength, Gifts also required Mana to activate.
Not only did Leo's Ocular mutation have its own name, it also came with its own abilities, much like a Gift did.
From the Intuitive information the teenager got after activating his Ocular powers for the first time, he found out that the name of his Golden eyes mutation was... the Truth-Seeker Eyes.
Its abilities were Concealment, Enhanced Vision, Spirit Sight, and Eidetic Memory.
Concealment wasn't an ability much as it was a mode control. It allowed him to activate and deactivate his Golden Truth-Seeker Eyes.
Enhanced Vision was a passive ability which improved his vision whether the Truth-Seeker Eyes were activated (red-gold pupils) or deactivated (Blue pupils). When deactivated, Leo could see twice as far and clearer than a normal human. With the Truth-Seeker Eyes activated, he could see significantly further away depending on the level of his Mental Energy.
Spirit Sight allowed Leo to see the aura, mana flow, emotional state and in rare cases the potential of a living being.
Eidetic Memory was both an active and passive ability. As long as his Truth-Seeker eyes were activated, Leo would be able to perfectly recall whatever he saw.
These abilities didn't have direct combat applications -perhaps Spirit Sight- however Leo didn't mind. They had great utility if used in the right situation.
Besides, he saw them as free abilities when he ordinarily shouldn't have any in the first place.
Thinking about it, Leo figured his eyes weren't meant for combat in the first place. As for what 'Truth' he was supposed to be seeking with the eyes, only time would tell.
According to the information he got, the eyes will get more powerful the higher his Mental Energy cultivation gets. It would upgrade its current abilities and potentially unlock new ones depending on his situation.
Leo's eyes darted to the door. Through the flow of energy around him, which had become visible thanks to the Spirit Sight passive ability of the Truth-Seeker eyes, Leo could tell that a restriction had been activated around his room.
Most likely an Isolation ward so no one could spy on his room.
The person who activated it was without a doubt, Rowland.
Leo smiled because he knew his uncle figured he wouldn't be able to resist checking out his new abilities and activated the ward as he left the room.
In fact, leaving the room was most likely a pretext to allow him to check out or test his abilities.
As for watching or finding out about his abilities, Leo knew his uncle wouldn't do that.
Rowland had specifically warned Leo numerous times to keep details about his Gift secret as he possibly could.
It could be the difference between life and death as beasts and monsters weren't the only enemies he was likely to face.
The deaths of his parents were a painful lesson of that.
The fewer people who knew the details about his gift, the better, Rowland included.
Rowland warned him that although the people he tells might be trustworthy and not intend to give his abilities away, they will always remain a potential leak of information in the presence of the right (or wrong) enemy.
This was likely why the War King himself didn't want to know about his nephew's abilities even though he was curious about the abilities of an SS-Class Gift.
Leo eventually got bored of playing around with his new Ocular powers. Most of them weren't useful in the isolated room anyway.
Instead, his attention turned to the entity now floating unrestricted in his Mindspace.
The Primal Flame that almost killed him cruelly about five years ago.
The flame felt strange as Leo felt he could control it like another extension of himself– an unfamiliar extension of himself.
The flame was directly connected to his mind so he could control it by simply willing it.
Leo snapped his fingers and a ball of golden flames appeared in his hands.
The flame was warm to touch to him, however, he could tell that this was only for him. The flame's temperature had to be incredibly hot from the way the air sizzled above it.
The teenager suddenly had the urge to throw the flame.
He tried many methods, but it didn't work.
Finally, after a couple of minutes of embarrassing poses, that got even the flame embarrassed, it sent a mental message to Leo informing him about its properties.
The flame had little to no attack properties and was mainly a refining and purification flame. It couldn't be launched for an attack but could refine and/or purify whatever it lit.
It was then Leo recalled he got the flame from Zora who got it from a blacksmith. So it made sense the flame wasn't an attack one.
Leo chuckled wryly as another non-combat card was added to his growing repertoire of tricks.
It was like something was pushing him on a path to become an artisan.
The final thing the teenager and young adult learnt this day was the name of his Primal Flame.
The AetherKindle...
(To be continued...)