Chapter 23

Chapter 23.  BA- no.. Wait.. Wrong thing. Hmm.. Got no idea for a title. Who cares, really?
Sonne woke up. He could see a source of light around him. He was lying down, in the ground, but it felt warm. He tried to stand up, his body felt.. Destroyed. Damaged.. Yet he managed to stand up. Looking around he could see the darkness of the cave.. The strange sigil, emitting light in the ground, where he was lying, the stranger.. Aetheral, waiting by the entrance looking outside, as rain was pouring down and a lighting stroke. Sonne tried to move closer to the exit.. Or entrance, however you look at it, but was interrupted by the man's speech.
"Hold on! You are not yet ready to walk."-he said. Sonne did not bother much, as to stand down, but he did feel his body was tired and hurt, as he moved towards a nearby flat rock, and sat.
"What is going on?"
"You were hurt. Toast Ild and Wynd already left. They are looking for the remaining four. Gahrn and Luna weren't with them."
"What.. Happened to me? That.. Slash thing.. It was too fast"
"I am afraid that was not a slash."
"What?"
"You were hit, by I assume two or three hundred blades at once. "
"But I.."
"You saw but one flash of red light. I know. It was actually composed of many micro blades."
"What kind of power is that?"
"A power.. Your mentor has. A power the Asurans had.. A power, these people are currently using.
"Toast? He.. He has such power? But why didn't he teach me about it?"
"Well.. Either he is a jerkass who has his own hidden agenda and evil plans, or you are not one who focuses entirely upon Awesomeness Fu.. And therefore won't actually need to learn it. Or both."
"That explains it. So.. What.. How did he do that?"
"It is a common idea, to contract awesomeness and force it into a pattern to gain the desired effect. Somehow that might be right, but to the one that goes deep enough in the matter, it is completely wrong."
"What?!"
"Your entire concept of Awesomeness Fu is.. Wrong. Or perhaps.. You have not been given the best instructions. Of course.. You could never manage to unlock its full potential in the state you are now, by utilizing the true path of awesomeness fu, and instead you were taught a different, lesser in potential, but more useful to you."
"But.. I need to learn, to learn to get stronger. Why won't Toast teach me?"-Sonne said, curious and worried in the same time.
"For your own strength, he refused to teach you what'd make you weaker. My theory is however.. He fears you will be unable to grow stronger."
"But I will be. I WILL grow stronger"
"Hmm.. Maybe you will be. Maybe. I am unsure"
"What!? Tell me! What is the way to wrong stronger!"
"Well.. As I said.. The way you have been taught is wrong. Instead of contracting awesomeness.. You should release it. You should let it flow. Through you, in you, out of you and back into you. The power of un-halted evolution , that freely walks its true path. Does it... Enlighten you?"
"I... HOW?"
"In a very painful manner"
"HOOOOOOOOW?"
"I am.. Not really fit for a teacher"
"But I need to know"
"Eh. I guess I can tell you. Awesomeness automatically flows into bodies.. However, it will not automatically flow out, once you start contracting it. To start on this path, you must have it flow out first. But that is not easy to one like you, who has been contracting it for so long. That means.. You have to forcefully release the holding points. A holding point, is like.. A knot in a rope, where awesomeness gathers and is spread through the parts of the rope. Once these knots are undone, awesomeness will flow freely. So.. In order to manage that, we must destroy your holding points first. This process though, is done in only one way, within my knowledge. A glass blade is known for absorbing awesomeness, even automatically.. But why doesn't the world around it collapse then?"
"Why?"
"Because it does not absorb free awesomeness, that is ever flowing. It tears apart and "eats" the contracted, the forced awesomeness. The glass blade itself is part of the flow of awesomeness. And thus.. As I strike you with it, in the holding points, I shall drain its awesomeness. Erase the holding points, and let the remainder of the awesomeness flow in its place. However, as such points are connected to the rest of your awesomeness flow, if the absorption is not localized enough, it will end you. Is that something you can go with?"
"I.. I.. I don't know. I.. Think so?"
"You are not sure. There is doubt in you"
"Why do you care?"
"It contracts the awesomeness even further. I'd kill you if I tried right now. "
"I don't care! I.. I need to be stronger!"
"Such greed. Perhaps you shall see the error of strength."-he said, quickly unsheathing the glass blade, and making a slash at Sonne's already wounded body. It sent him, from the rock he was sitting on, towards the ground, Sonne falling on his back. He stood up, barely again.
"Did it.. Enlighten you?"-the boy asked, smiling."
"I.. Waaa.. Waaaagh"
"It hurts? Hmm.. It seems one of your holding points has been destroyed successfully."
"G.. Gaaah. That.. .. It hurts. H.. H.. "
"Calm down. The process is meant to be rapid. And continuous. Be prepared. "-the boy said, as he proceeded to leap closer, and make a few more slashes, from various directions. Sonne already sustained a vertical wound through his chest, a horizontal one to his left lung, one to the left of his stomach, a couple of diagonal cuts across his left arm, one through his right, one more straight slash through the right arm.. And a few more, by the time Aetheral was done. He dragged Sonne's bleeding body back to the sigil, smiling as he said.
"Phase one is complete. Your holding points are now less tangled. It will need more work, however this one, will have.. Less impact on you. "
"That.. Sounds good"
"Instead of slashing you many times with my sword, and throwing you around rocks.. I will pierce you with glass needles, over the holding points"
"Gah!"
"It is in essence , far better than what you just experienced"
"What.. Will happen when I .. Am done with this?"
"Your next step in evolution, I assume? That would be an accurate description. And maybe you will then take a rest from your quest for power."
"What?"
"You clearly desire strength. I don't know yet what for, but.. I intend to find out."
"Why? What does it matter to you?"
"Let me just say, that I have a feeling, it might be crucial to the future. Does it.. Enlighten you?"
"Not really."
"I am sorry."

After a few hours, Sonne had woken up. He had gone through being pierced with the needless, receiving several shockwaves through his body, and being drugged, and after that, forced to meditate. It had worked. He was now.. Different. He felt the awesomeness flow through him, and out of him... At the same time. It felt as if he was one with everything, for a moment.. He held up his blade, firing a blast of awesomeness. It was the same, yet it felt different. It felt right.
"So.. This is what you were talking about?"
"Precisely"
"Huh.. It feels great"
"The thing is.. That is not the power I was telling you about. The power comes, when you.. When you truly connect yourself with the awesomeness. Right now, you are holding on to it, but not quite connected. To truly connect.. One must awaken"
"How do you even do that?"
"You must go, deep into your inner world, and seek your answer there. Yada, yada, yada..  Listen.. The real trick to it, is to make the way you use your powers, part of this all too. You see.. The bullets you fire, the moves you make.. You have to make it flow, like the awesomeness in you does."
"Huh?"
"You must become one with the power. You do not fight the power.. You become one with it. You connect to it. Does it.. Enlighten you?"
"That's like your catchphrase?"
"I know already. My knowledge extends past the fourth wall, and into the author's mind. To access it , is a far more dangerous process, and it yields no pleasant results"
"I..see.."
"So.. You can go ahead and.. Connect with the power, while I go do.. Something"
Sonne did not have time to question him, nor did he care. Why would he? That man had indeed given him great power, but by piercing him with needles, slashing him, and drugging him. Yeah.. He had no business with such people. Sonne kept focusing on his gun, trying to channel the energy through it. He figured he needed to do something like that, because otherwise.. Well, it felt right in some way. After a bit of trying.. He was getting tired. He felt as if he was achieving nothing with all of this. Why was he trying even? To surpass someone? No, not really. Then why? To defend people? He was not that kind of Anti-Hero. And.. Why did he do all of it in the end? There was no reason. Naught. His entire crusade had been meaningless.. Why had he fought? For nothing. And as he was drowned by those thoughts, the weapon suddenly glowed , in a golden light. Grabbing it. He forgot anything he was thinking a few seconds ago, and attempted to connect. Trying to become one with it, he felt the awesomeness flow through.. He felt his power grow and burst out. The aura surrounded him, and his weapon, before he let it flow completely, let it grow stronger, shroud him with the light and.. Finally.. It was over. From the aura of light emerged Sonne. His hair, now white, his clothing replaced with armor in the upper body part, composed of black plates,   as some sort of cloth hung down from his waist, whilst he carried two weapons. They were smaller, looking more of two sawn off shotguns. It felt great. It felt amazing.. The power surging through him. He lifted a shotgun and fired it, the beam of energy following, leaving off a massive explosion, blasting the entrance of the cave, three times larger. Sonne had to leave now. He had achieved the power he wanted, and now.. It was time to go hunting. He ran through the forest, looking for any enemy clues. His speed had increased, he could move much faster than usual, and he could see.. He picked some signals.. There was something out there, he could feel it. A source of power was heading his way. Sonne waited there, as the source of power approached. When it had come closer, it seemed to be .. Someone unknown. He wore armor over his shoulders and forearms, something around his waist as a large metallic belt, and the rest of his body was covered in a dark blue garb. Together with that, a large hammer. Charging forward, he swung the hammer towards Sonne who sent the enemy off by firing his two shotguns. The man stepped back, but as he knew.. Whoever this foe was, he had unlocked the power of awesomeness. Holding his hammer up, lightning proceeded to release itself from it, lightning up the battlefield, as the man emerged, the hammer now much larger, his body completely coated in armor, as he swung it.. It left behind a trace of energy, appearing as electrical, sparkling, cackling.. Sonne went on to dodge, the hit , as he proceeded to fire his two shotguns. It seemed fairly difficult to deal with the matter at hand, as the swings of the hammer, caused much destruction. Then the enemy swung the hammer knce more, and attempted to hit Sonne in the head with it. Charging forward, as he made it past the hit, Sonne fired his shotguns, while the opponent swung it once more, attempting to fling Sonne off. And it had worked apparently. Sonne wasn't there anymore, except. From behind, holding a large , single gun he fired. The blast concentrated into a tiny sphere, before extending to a massive beam, sending the enemy flying.
"That seemed nice"-he heard Aetheral's voice from behind, as  the boy came out of the trees.
"You were watching all along?"
"I guess I was. Hmm.. I never got it, really.. Why are we on this mission?"
"I guess.. To help those underground guys, so they won't attack us and all."
"Yes.. But it is strange. The conflict was closed 76 years ago, there is no reason for attacking, really.  Unless they wanted, us to help them with it.. Not as if they did really need our help, but because they wanted to use us as a bait"
".. You mean.. They are using us?"
"It would explain a lot. Hmm.. So, should we go look for the others?'
"Probably. So.. Why are you here anyway?"
"I? Well.. Remember the time we chanced upon each-other? "
"Yeah.. I do. "
"I am here.. For reasons related to it. It seems, there are certain problems that haven't been solved properly, and now it is my job to fix them"
"It sounds fairly dull and simple."
"It does sound dull and simple indeed. Now on the move.."-he said. In a while, they had managed to chance upon Toast and Wynd and eventually it seemed Ild too, who had found Luna. Gahrn had also managed to join then. Of course Aetheral did not forget to tell Sonne, about keeping the bait thing a secret so..