Echoes of the Abyssal Blade: Path to Free Will

Humming around the courtyard of the Starfall castle, Jonan walked with a grin plastered all over his face.

To have clarity for his path forward, if he is successful in his next steps, he will be able to grow to vast heights, and will be able to become one of those proud members of the family, whom he always envied.

After reaching his room, carrying the black book with him, he realized it would be better to hide the knowledge of the book from others for now, as it would bring unknown trouble for him, while he is not sure of what kind of trouble will come knocking his door, but he had a strong feeling that revealing it's existence would only lead to unforeseen complications, which he will not be able to bear for now.

The black book not only mentioned his hope of going forward on his path, but also some secrets which are likely forbidden, and better not be discussed, but there was one thing that did trouble him a bit.

It is common knowledge that the seven legendary heroes are the ceiling and topmost authority in this world, and none could compare to them, be it wealth, might, or renown, they are the pinnacle and very definition of one above all.

Yet, the author of the black book, Magnus has mentioned those he called, "greedy mongrels", multiple times, who had such amazing power to uproot the nucleus of all the human race.

When no one even knows the fact that humans had cores to begin with?

It is common knowledge, that humans have weapon affinity only, so why did the black book mention the fact that humans had cores and that was not the end, while Magnus hated those "greedy mongrels", he still had not much fear of them.

This shows that Magnus was equal in power to them, or not much weaker than them, yet even after the mention of these fearsome beings, he mentioned in dread about the three unique beings, whom he called "HIS HOLINESSES", just who and what are they, to give such a Wise and powerful man such fright, and where are these fearsome greedy beings and "HIS HOLINESSES".

Chaotic thoughts troubled him greatly when he and everyone in Dreavows only knew of the seven hero's might, and no one else.

Composing himself, Jonan entered his room to lay quietly on his bed, relaxing his mind and letting his thoughts drift away.

At the same time, at the center of the majestic Starfall castle, which was as awe-inspiring as it was unreachable, on his throne sat Draven The Hero.

It was a throne that towered above all others, which was made of polished obsidian and adorned with intricate silver filigree that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly grace.

The room itself was vast, it's walls were draped in tapestries, which depicted the grandest of battles, ancient victories, and heroic legends, each one expressing the story of Draven's illustrious past.

Reading the book with unwavering intensity, his eyes which were deeply engrossed in the book, suddenly snapped up, as if noticing a change somewhere, a grin began to form on his face.

"Looks like the boy has finally found his answers," thought Draven The Hero.

At the same time, the shaman lady standing beside him sensed the shift in her master's expression. Her eyes narrowed in concern, and she hesitated before speaking, her voice soft but laced with unease.

"My lord," she began, her tone respectful yet filled with an underlying worry, "why did you place 'The Enigmatic Manuscript' in the library for the young master to find? It is a book of Taboo, which even your firstborns are forbidden to study. Why risk such a thing now?"

A helpless sigh escaped Draven The Hero's lips, after a moment of contemplation, he spoke, his voice heavy with resolve. "Lenaia, everyone in this world has a calamity they must face, be it the poor or the rich, whether they are weak or strong, they will have to face their calamity one day, it can be early or late, but it is inevitable and there's no escaping from it, and even we heroes are no exceptions."

"The others have been preparing to face theirs, for quite long, but I was stuck in my own path, now that I have found a breakthrough, I will not compromise, and will be the final winner of everything in this world."

Shaman Lenaia's brow furrowed slightly, a trace of concern clouding her expression. She felt the weight of her master's troubles but was helpless in sharing his burdens. Still, she knew what needed to be done. The boy's growth was of utmost importance to him now. If she could help the boy reach his potential quickly, it would ease her master's path and bring him closer to his goal.

"Anyway, don't concern yourself with this, and how are the preparations going for those seven," asked Draven The Hero with solemnity.

Changing her emotions, the lady shaman said with a frown, that there were some complications, and some special artifacts would be needed to complete them.

Turning, he motioned to one of the attendants standing in the corner, who quickly bowed and left the room to carry out his orders. Draven's attention returned back to the shaman, who had already taken out a token, and begun to chant softly under her breath, preparing the ritual to contact his agents hidden in shadows, as well as his offspring responsible for the border safety.

"Inform them to strike swiftly and without hesitation. Let them draw out every enemy within our borders, create chaos, and sow confusion. They must not know that we are preparing for something which is considered Taboo."

The shaman nodded, her lips curling into a faint, knowing smile. "As you wish, my lord."

Her figure vanished into the mist, and Draven, who was left alone, stared out into the dark horizon. The battle ahead would not be won by force alone, but by a masterful manipulation of every move, both seen and unseen.

Meanwhile Jonan, after taking a nap in his room, started preparing for his future, according to the black book, he has taken one step, which he also knows is the hardest, and by a stroke of sheer luck, he was able to break the limit on intelligence.

Draven's mind raced as he processed the magnitude of his achievement. Breaking the limit on intelligence was something that had been considered not only difficult but near impossible and was a feat, that only one other person in history had ever accomplished: the Great Hero Arthessa.

No one, in all the knowledge he had gathered, had ever surpassed that boundary.

A surge of pride washed over him. To be in the same league as The Great Hero Arthessa, who is known for her wisdom and intelligence, and for resolving conflicts without violence.

Jonan wasn't certain if he would become like the legendary hero Arthessa, but he was sure of one thing, he had already surpassed countless warriors in one critical aspect.

His intellect, now beyond it's natural limits, set him apart, but he did not let his pride cloud his focus. The next challenge he faced wouldn't be as grueling as breaking the intelligence barrier, but he knew the difficulties would grow exponentially as he pushed through more limits. That's why he had to keep the easiest for last, to give himself some hope of reaching the impossible, breaking all the four attribute limits.

Jonan also recognized something crucial: the order in which he shattered these limits would define the kind of warrior he would become.

By breaking the intelligence limit first, he had revealed his true path, not one of brute force or barbarism, but of strategy, calculation, and foresight.

His fighting style would be shaped by his mind, his ability to outthink and outmaneuver his enemies, not just to overpower them, and he has already got in mind which attribute's limit to break next.

Jonan knew that breaking the limit on the constitution would be the easiest of the remaining attributes. With just one elixir from the treasury, he could easily surpass it. However, he wasn't blind to the reality that the other two attributes strength and dexterity would be far more challenging to break through. He could very well hit a bottleneck, a point where his progress would be stalled for an indefinite time, and that uncertainty weighed on him.

Instead, he chose a different path. He sought to break the dexterity limit, the next most difficult attribute after intelligence. Unlike constitution, dexterity demanded more than just consuming an elixir or relying on external aid. It required the mastery of a battle art of Dexterity. Only through perfecting this art could Jonan hope to push past the natural limits of his dexterity.

Thankfully, Jonan was born into the most prestigious clan of all, one rich with knowledge, resources, and expertise. This legacy would be his greatest advantage, easing the difficulty of breaking through the limits of all attributes and forming his own "Nexus", a unique source of power lost to humans.