Chapter 81 - Not Alone After All

As Skyle immersed himself into a deeper contemplation of the taint corrupting his body, he saw a disturbing similarity between the shades of the seed of darkness and the aura of the latent power of his bloodline.

There was a subtle layer of vast power lurking just beneath the surface of his blood. He could feel it in the energy coursing through each drop of blood. It was unlike that of the life energy which nourished his organs, muscles and tissue. This darker energy was like a deep shadow that lay dormant still, but at times it would stir and cause an observable disturbance within the aura of his body.

If he had not tapped into this power to contend against the Guardian of Sanctuary just moments ago, he might not have recognized it. However, in that one moment when his blind fury had unleashed all of his untapped potential, he had come to know the power of this bloodline on a much more intimate basis.

If the seed of darkness was the power of corruption, his blood sung with the power of the void. It was hard to describe except as a deep shadow which absorbed all light around it. Its sole instinct was to devour all in its path, and Skyle could instinctively feel that nothing was beyond its power to consume.

Such a terrifying hunger was disturbing on its own right. When it interacted with the Aktaris already staining his veins, Skyle had no idea what the consequences would be. What he did realize was that for now he must keep his bloodline power sealed as tightly as he possibly could. The more he unleashed its ravenous hunger, the faster the Aktaris would spread its foul taint.

He would consult with his parents tomorrow, but for tonight he wanted a few moments to survey the extent of his current powers, and decide the path that he would embark on from this moment on. While he was thankful for the sacrifices of his parents, and the guidance they would still provide in the future, Skyle was determined to follow his own path and blaze a trail of defiance against whatever powers on Aeria, Sanctuary or Lyria would oppose him.

He was weak now, but to him it was largely a matter of his young age and mental immaturity. He must stop relying upon the protection of others, and spread his wings far from the safety of his home.

Just as Skyle reached this solemn determination, he felt a familiar warmth curled up by his side. He glanced to his right and saw Ash lying on the ground, his head perched upon Skyle’s knee. His fur was matted with dried blood, and angry gashes could be seen all over his body.

Snowblade tigers were fiercely loyal to their own, but at the same time their hierarchy was strict and defiance harshly punished. There were three alphas within the streak at the moment, and among them Old Razor was the fiercest of them all. He never pulled his blows, even against the younger cubs, and his presence inspired fear among the streak.

“Oh, you stupid cat, why would you go and get hurt on my account?” Skyle cried out helplessly, stroking Ash’s head.

Ash opened his eyes and flicked a concerned glance toward Skyle, his former anger already forgotten in the face of this new crisis - for seldom, if ever, had the tiger cub seen his owner look this lonely and desolate.

“I’m alright now,” Skyle lied once more, as he had with his mother, but the growl coming from deep within Ash’s throat stopped his next words.

Sighing to himself, Skyle shook his head. Snowblade tigers did not understand the concept of lying within the streak. They were family, and though they might have conflicts and even openly fight one another, they would never hide the truth, or worse yet, deceive their streak.

Lying was just one of those abominations only humans would think of.

“I’m not fine, Ash. I feel hollow and torn inside. A fire scorches my soul away until I burn with a blind desire to set the whole world in flames. I want it all to burn until I can lie down and cry myself to sleep in its ashes.”

Skyle let himself pour out the tears he had been holding back, all the while collapsing on top of Ash and hugging the tiger’s head to his chest.

Ash let out a whimpering cry, an uncharacteristically feeble mewl as it began to lick the tears away from Skyle’s cheeks.

Skyle gazed at the bloodstains on Ash’s fur, lost in his grief yet still comforted by this brother of his who spared no thought to his own pain in order to console Skyle’s own.

After a long moment, when the tears had finally begun to subside, Skyle heard a deep, rumbling growl from Ash’s chest. Skyle looked down to see the tiger cub scratching at the wooden floorboards with his incomparably sharp claws. He scored deep gauges in the wood, and his eyes were lit from within by a fierce fire.

Skyle nodded. This gesture, he could understand as well.

“Yes, Ash. I will not lie weak and helpless. I will arise. I will become strong. So strong that no one will ever be able to threaten my family, or take away my loved ones from me ever again.”

Ash nodded then, as though full-heartedly agreeing with his streak brother, and added another low growl for good measure.

“We will become strong, my brother,” he seemed to be saying.

Then the young snowblade tiger cub tilted his head to one side, watching Skyle with the curiosity which had always marked him since young.

“Her name is Ria. One day I will tell you all about her. Just.. just not tonight, my friend,” Skyle whispered, and enough of the pain in his heart must have surfaced back onto his eyes that even Ash and his insatiable curiosity swiftly retreated.

Hissing his displeasure at the pain he had caused to his streak brother, Ash closed his eyes and leaned his giant head upon Skyle’s thigh once more.

Skyle looked down at Ash for a moment, grateful beyond measure for the quiet, steadfast warmth this young tiger cub provided him with just his wordless presence.

Then Skyle closed his eyes and once again dove deep within the wondrous mysteries locked within his own body.

By the time the first glimmers of dawn were visible beyond the rugged peaks of the Blackstone Mountains, Skyle had already set himself firm goals to establish his foundation in accordance to what he had discovered through his night-long study of his own body.

First and foremost, he would continue to master the 4th level of the Infinite Eye. He had a feeling that just like the Farsight, which had been unlocked at the 3rd level, there lay a deeper mystery hidden within that he would soon be able to unleash.

Beyond that, he must master the Desolate Star Technique’s five movements as soon as possible. Mastery of the Infinite Eye had unlocked the remaining four movements: the Absolute Symphony, the Maw of the Void, the Breath of the World, and the Divine Touch.

He had decided to prioritize the Divine Touch, as its mastery would allow Skyle to freely manipulate each part of his body down to even its smallest component parts, drastically increasing the benefits of any training while also multiplying his effective power many times over. It would complement the 4th level of the Infinite Eye perfectly, as he would be able to command his body even on the most minute level, and better bring forth its full potential.

Sadly, in order to progress in the Divine Hand, Skyle first needed to reach the second level of the 3rd movement, the Maw of the Void. This would be a headache for Skyle.

It wasn’t that the 3rd movement was a particularly demanding technique. If anything, someone like Fatty would be ecstatic at the prospect. The Maw of the Void, after all, had to do with the sense of taste. The first level was simply called Consume. Its concept was that of breaking down everything to its core elements and thoroughly digesting them, thereby consuming that energy to its fullest.

This was not a skill that could be acquired through simple insight or conceptualization. It had to be learned in the flesh, by the simple and most expedient way of stuffing himself with as much food as he could possibly swallow and focusing his Inner Sight on each of the elements broken down from this process.

Skyle was not much of a gourmand. In fact, except for a few rare treats which he truly enjoyed, eating was more of a necessary chore through which he could nourish his body’s reserves for the hard day of work ahead. In order to develop the Maw of the Void, Skyle had begun to realize that he would have to completely change his habits.

That is why the whole Farrow family stood with their mouths agape as they stared at the endless array of breads, fruits and meats spread out upon the breakfast table, a pale-faced Skyle swaying on his feet as he forcibly stuffed a massive sausage as thick around as his wrist down his mouth.

“Holy crap,” Reikard blurted out in a rare and uncharacteristic display of utter shock.

“Brother?” Kassandra whispered, her eyes going wide while her face took on a greenish tinge of disgust.

“S-Son?” Kendric stammered, moving forward.

He was cut off by his wife, who was already upon Skyle before anyone else could react. She laid her hand across his forehead with a concerned expression on her face.

“Sweetheart, are you alright? What’s going on?”

Unable to speak at the moment, Skyle tried his best for a reassuring smile, but the half-chewed remnants of the sausage he was still trying to swallow took this opportunity to escape the voracious maw of this fearsome, and apparently famished, beast.

Predictably, a soggy gruel of mashed sausage combined with colorful bits and pieces of a nameless assortment of fruits and vegetables promptly poured out through the gaps between his teeth and cheeks, dribbling out the sides of his mouth and hitting the surface of the table with a wet plop.

“Oooh..” Kassandra moaned, swaying on her feet and covering her mouth as she retched reflexively.

“Woa, big bro, that ain’t good,” Reikard mumbled, jumping back with a sickened look on his face.

Even Ash, who had been lying by Skyle’s feet the whole time, had the grace to cover his face under his paws and whine as if to say, “It’s not my fault, I tried to stop him but he just went crazy all by himself.. gross human customs..”

“Honey, I know you’re going through a really difficult time right now, but this isn’t the answer,” Adrienne murmured, tears pooling in her eyes at the miserable wretch her son had become. It was as though she were blaming herself all over again.

Kendric took this moment to decisively step forward and show his support for this son. He owed him this much, even if he couldn’t for the life of him understand what was going on inside his crazy son’s head.

“Calm down everyone. Every man has a right to choose his own path. Just because Skyle has decided to join Gordon in competing for the title of the fattest arse in all of Sunny Meadow, it doesn’t mean we don’t still love him, right? It is in times like these that our family must unite and support his decision,” Kendric said in a righteous tone.

Every member of the Farrow family bobbed their heads up and down at this. A determined look entered Adrienne’s eyes, matched instantly by a look of fervor in Reikard’s gaze. Even Kassandra narrowed her eyes as she stepped forward with a resolute air. She covered her whimpering mouth with one hand while the trembling fingers of her other hand picked up a half-chewed piece of bread from the table and extended it towards Skyle with a sickly smile.

Only Ash was exempt from this madness, as the snowblade tiger cub groaned out loud and swiftly retreated to one corner of the dining room, as though fearing this human madness might be contagious.

Skyle was close to tears himself as he quickly swallowed the rest of the food in his mouth, then explained as best as he could that he was training in a secret art that required he consume immense amounts of food for at least the next few weeks.

Reikard and Kassandra looked confused at this revelation, but instant relief flooded his parents’ faces. They had been expecting many things this morning, and in fact they had hardly been able to sleep at all, worrying about their son’s reaction and what the future would bring.

Skyle still looked mentally and emotionally exhausted, his complexion wan and the lines of his face burdened by deep sorrow. His eyes, however, were burning with a determination fiercer than any they had ever seen from him. This brought them hope, and so they decided to quietly support him in any way they could.

Wiping away a few crumbs from his mouth, Skyle quirked an eyebrow in his parents’ direction.

“Where’s Leon?” He asked.

Kendric shrugged his shoulders, and Skyle nodded in response. There was no way the lumbering giant could have slept through all the commotion last night. This meant he was still busy tip-toeing around his many burdens and considerations, weighing them against what his friendship demanded from him.

Well, misery loves company. Skyle decided that he might as well drag Leon into his bleak new world and share all the worries that came with it.

After all, that’s what friends were for. Apparently, it was about time Skyle taught Leon this simple, yet most salient fact about friendship.

“So smart,” Skyle sighed through his nose, walking towards Leon’s room. “Yet so stupid around friendships.”

Shaking his head as he kicked the door to Leon’s room open, Skyle couldn’t help but roll his eyes as Leon once again pretended to be asleep.

“Poor dumb giant, he has no idea what he’s in for,” Skyle lamented in mocking tones within his head.

“Leon, stop pretending to be asleep, you dumb ox. Not even your noble ass could sleep through last night’s storm,” Skyle sighed.

To his credit, Leon sat up right away, at least having the grace to look embarrassed. “I, ah, I didn’t know what to say. Seemed like a family kind of matter.”

Skyle smiled then, one of the rare genuine smiles he had shown since last night. Walking forward, he slapped his hand against his awkward friend’s massive shoulders.

“It’s alright, I understand.” Skyle said, and he realized that he truly did. He could see the shades of emotion within Leon’s aura, reading the big fool’s thoughts as though he were an open book.

Yellow of embarrassment and green of fear fluttered around him, but the most dominant colors were the blue of loyalty and red of frustration. Leon wanted so desperately to help his friend, but he simply did not know what to do. Skyle realized that someone like Leon had likely seldom, if ever, had any true friends he had regarded as equals. He must have placed himself in Skyle’s shoes and been desperately trying to decide if he would rather have his friend barge in on his hour of need or would prefer to hold on to his pride and deal with his problems by himself.

Skyle could truly sympathize with such a dilemma, as he himself had more than once felt the same thing. He now realized how foolish and awkward such considerations were in the face of true tragedy and the precious warmth a true friend could bring.

At least, Skyle could bask in the intense and unmistakable purity of Leon’s loyalty and concern.

He was a good friend, this one. A true brother.

It was different from the expected love and support offered by family. After all, Skyle had come to expect such from them. It was only normal to him, as he himself would do the same without hesitation. They all knew this, and so their show of unfaltering love was precious, but not unexpected.

Leon, however, was a stranger. He had barely been in Skyle’s life for a week. He was also the noble heir of a Grand Duchy, a rich and powerful scion of a famous and storied House. That such a man would display such unswerving loyalty and depth of concern for him, it truly inspired Skyle and kindled a hearty fire in his chest.

“Leon, I owe you an explanation. We should talk, but first, you have a promise to keep,” Skyle nodded to his friend.

“Huh? I do?” Leon looked lost and confused, no doubt still struggling over how to best be Skyle’s friend at this moment.

“Oh yeah, don’t you remember? Ditches to dig, fences to fix, manure to haul, etcetera etcetera. Oh, I can tell we’re just gonna have a jolly good time, my friend.”

Leon looked doubtfully at his friend, a deep glimmer of suspicion entering his eyes.

It was a good thing, Skyle reflected to himself, that Leon did not have the True Sight. If he did, he would not know whether to get down on his knees and cry for the desolation burning within Skyle’s soul right now, or stare in wonder at the deep, abiding warmth his honest, awkward friendship had kindled within Skyle’s heart.

“Or maybe,” Skyle noted somewhat ruefully. “He would haul ass as fast as he could. With the kind of day he’s got ahead of him, I know I would.”

Truly, it was good to have friends.

He was not alone, and it was good to be reminded of this.

Especially now.

“Ria, are you there? I think.. I think I’ll be alright, after all. Just wait for me a little longer - I’m coming.”