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The Exalt - Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 141: Within the Black Depths
🕑 Added 2022-11-19 21:28:29 +0000 UTCOscar tapped his knees with his fingers while waiting for his master, Draven, to finish drinking the tea. He sat on a luxurious white chair and stared at his reflection on the crystal table.
"This is bad tea." Draven finished Oscar's tea and shook his head. "Tell me why you have returned here. Did I not give you a manual to begin your initiation in Adamasreis?"
"I want more training." Oscar bowed his head.
"More training? Why should I train you? What happened back then was only for a week, and you were only named a temporary disciple. Why shouldn't I put you to work in the pits for the next six months? You'll be quite useful as a Reis user. I can already see the progress you can make in the pits."
Draven shrugged his shoulders and crossed his legs, waiting for Oscar's response.
Oscar smiled and maneuvered off his seat straight to Draven's side with Adamasreis-clad fingers clenched into a fist. He punched forward, bringing up more Reis to create the 'Shattering Wave' to hit Draven with all he had.
However, as expected, his fist did not do anything and was caught in the palm of Draven's black-gloved hand. His 'Shattering Wave' did absolutely nothing as if all of his power was reduced to null before Draven.
"Good punch. You have utilized the 'Shattering Wave', and your Adamasreis is already up to your fingers. That is worthy of praise." Draven praised Oscar, but his hand firmly grasped onto Oscar's fist and clenched, cracking knuckles. "So what was the point of this? You're still so weak."
Oscar's knees buckled to the floor in a loud thud, and his face was riddled with veins trying to hold back the throes of pain trying to escape. But he carried a smile and spoke, "Since I'm so weak, isn't that insulting to master? You are the one who trained me; should I not be strong?"
Oscar felt the grip on his fist tighten, and he groaned. His master's strength was tyrannical.
Then, Draven started to laugh and let go of Oscar's fist. He continued to laugh as he smashed his fist down on the crystal table, reducing it to ash before Oscar's stunned gaze. "This is 'Shattering Wave'. You're still so far from the apex. But you are correct; I cannot abide by you being my disciple and not having the adequate strength to back it up."
"Then!" Oscar stood up; his eyes gleamed even though his fist was purple.
"You have officially graduated from a temporary disciple to a permanent one. Now, follow me." Draven gestured in an exaggerated motion.
Oscar let out a sigh of relief and followed his master with anticipation. He had finally become Draven's true disciple.
As they walked through the dark hallways of the Abyss Prison, Draven turned to Oscar and asked about his time after the Grand Gathering. Although he had been checking up on Oscar's progress from the sidelines, it was always better to ask firsthand.
Oscar answered with great detail about the places he had been and what he did. Draven listened in silence as they continued to walk. Suddenly, he stopped when Oscar mentioned the Prinstyct.
"Robert Raeven….I don't recall him. If he was in the same generation as that sword idiot, then he must have been a junior. Still, he opened up your Prinstyct; he's a crazy fool." Draven crossed his arms and scoffed.
Oscar had the urge to tell his master that he shouldn't be the one to say that.
"The Prinstyct is incredible but nauseating at the same time," Oscar recalled the distortion in the world around him that made his body lurch.
"Hmmm." Draven pondered for a moment before speaking, "It seems I will have to add Prinstyct training to the list. It's a waste not to hone it further. If you encounter others with Prinstyct, chances are you'll be more advanced than them and take control of the fight."
"Yes!"
"We're here." Draven opened a small door.
Oscar peered inside but was confused that it was very dark. Suddenly, he felt himself being pushed, and he was falling down a long hole. The winds from the fall uplifted his cheeks and squinted his eyes, but he was suddenly caught in Draven's hands.
With a snap of Draven's finger, a bright light beamed down from above, illuminating the hole. Oscar looked around and saw that it was a well-paved hole with crystal-smooth black stone as the material. Along the walls, he noticed a few holes.
"Master, what is this place?" Oscar looked up to his master, who started floating in the air. Then he learned the clanging of metal and found himself chained to the floor. He stood up but could not lift his arms or legs past the length of the chains.
'Reis Awaken'
Oscar tried to pry his hands free, but these chains were incredibly durable.
"This is the next step of your training." Draven talked from high above. "When I pull this lever, the waters from outside will begin to flow in and submerge you."
"What?!" Oscar tried to lift his arms with all his might, but the chains were strongly attached to the floor.
"This place emulates the pressure of the deep. Once you are submerged, you will feel the onslaught of the breaking pressure of the depths. At your current strength, survive for one minute, and you pass." Draven's helmet-covered face was shaking as if chuckling.
"...." Oscar was silent and closed his eyes in meditation; his Ein was also cut off.
"You wanted this training. But don't worry. We'll only be doing this session for six hours." Draven teased and pulled the lever.
The waters started to flow in from the various holes in the walls. Oscar shuddered as the nail-biting chilly waters slowly climbed up from his feet to his waist. As the water came up to his neck, Oscar huffed and stretched his neck out for one final breath before it covered him; only bubbles were visible on its dark surface.
Oscar could not see anything in the waters as they reflected the dark surfaces and somehow blocked out the light from above. He was flailing, trying to get out of the water when suddenly, he felt an unbearable pressure assaulting every inch of his body.
Every part of his muscles tensed and contorted as he let out a voiceless cry. He felt like he was being squeezed like a lemon.
'Reis Awaken'
Oscar managed to gather Reis upward and punched it forward to divert the waters, but it only alleviated a small part of the pressure in the area he punched. The rest of his body was still crushed, and his lungs squeezed out all the air, resulting in bubbles on the surface.
The small gap in the pressure he created plugged itself back up. Under this ceaseless pressure, Oscar was certain that he would die until the waters suddenly parted, and he dropped to the cold black floor, vomiting.
"Ten seconds. You lasted quite long on your first try." Draven stepped onto the floor. "How was the feeling of the pressure?"
Oscar was still coughing and gasping for air until he finally regained his calm.
"What in the world is this training? If it's for Adamasreis, I cannot even contain the Reis within me while assaulted by the pressure. What application of Reis is this?" Oscar knelt because his legs were trembling from the torn muscles.
"You will resume this until six hours are up." Draven ignored Oscar's words.
Oscar nodded and stood up. He knew well enough that Draven wanted him to figure it out himself. Once more, the waters enveloped him, and Oscar felt the pressure pounding on his body.
'Stay calm! What is the correct course of action? What can I do within my current abilities to overcome?' Oscar relaxed his body and allowed the pressure to continue crushing him as he thought hard. His leg kicked out with Reis, and the pressure was lessened in that area but quickly returned.
Oscar fell to the floor again as the waters parted. Draven continually kept tabs on Oscar's progress, stopping the waters at the right moments.
"It's impressive that you got your Reis Awaken to five seconds, but that is pointless here." Draven helped Oscar to his feet.
"How long did I last?" Oscar asked.
"Eleven seconds."
Oscar's training continued until the end of the six-hour session. His body was pale all over from the chilling cold. Thankfully, Draven gave him a three-hour break in between each session to rest and eat.
This lasted for a week.
Every session, Oscar decided to use the 'Reis Awaken' not to draw up the Reis but to observe his body. How was his body reacting to the constant pressure, and in what ways could he shift to handle the pressure better?
Then he realized the constant pressure was a swirling mess of Reis that rampaged through his body.
'If I divert this Reis, could I lessen the pressure?' Oscar shifted every inch of his body by moving his internal organs and controlling his muscles. The Reis from the pressure seeped in, and Oscar drew it all toward his fist and exploded out.
This was more powerful and alleviated more pressure at a single spot, but Oscar could not maintain the 'Reis Awaken' for long. He could not keep it up and was swallowed by the pressure. The pressure was too much for him to handle before he could use 'Reis Awaken' again.
'Dammit. Master was right. My five seconds of Reis Awaken is useless unless I can somehow get it to one minute. Or if I can attack at multiple places in fast succession, but that would overdraw my Reis Awaken.' Oscar gasped for air during the small respite.
Oscar's eyes widened because he realized there was something else he could try.
"Again, please!"
"Hoh? It seems you figured something out." Draven waved his hand, and the waters swallowed Oscar.
Within the waters, Oscar gathered the Reis and didn't divert it into a single point but strained to split it. He split it into two halves and unleashed it from both his fists. This time, the pressure lessened from two spots.
His face broke into a smile even though the pressure was crushing the rest of his body.
"That's it." Draven sipped some tea from high above.
