Grimoire of Cultivation

Chapter 28: Unknown Power

"How should I approach this?" Darius paced the library, his brow creased, his words tinged with frustration. "I still can't use all five elements at the same time, so I have to choose the order for the third stage carefully." His pacing stopped as his eyes momentarily erupted with a white light.

Darius viewed the world around him with his Arcane Gaze; the elements now filled his view. "I shouldn't count on being able to upgrade the arrays once they are set, so I need to be sure," Darius waved his hands through the ethereal wind mana that circulated before him. Walking over to the library window, his gaze turned to the morning sun as it cast a warm glow over the estate.

Darius's attention lingered on the interplay of fire and wind mana in the sky, intensified by the morning's first light. "No matter what I feel like I should start with water, water is the core of my foundation." His gaze shifted beyond the library's confines, settling on Lake Ponversay. The lake's surface, a mirror to the skies, rippled, echoing with waves of mana that resonated with his core.

"But what purpose should it serve?" Darius wondered, his gaze fixed on Lake Ponversay, its surface catching the morning sun. He leaned forward, chin resting thoughtfully in his hand, his tense shoulders slowly dropping.

He sighed, eyes shifting towards Fang Root Forest in the distance, 'I'm itching to get out there.' Rising, he moved towards the table next to the array.

Darius faced the table, where six distinct items lay: five ink wells and a slender shard of bone, honed to a needle's point. He lifted one ink well, examining it closely with one eye closed. Outside the glass vial, runes were etched, glowing with a soothing blue pulse.

"It looks like it worked perfectly," he murmured, steadying himself for the task ahead.

Darius, clutching the remaining vials and the bone shard, approached the wall's full-length mirror. He carefully placed his items down and seated himself before it, eyes gently closing as he eased into a pattern of slow, deep breaths.

Darius's thoughts flowed as seamlessly as the mana within him, 'The runes I added to the vials worked perfectly, the ink should be full of enough mana at this point,' he reflected, feeling the rush of multicolored mana weaving through his meridians, 'I will start with water, but how?'

Time seemed to stand still as he remained motionless, the subtle rise and fall of his brows the only sign of life stirring within.

Darius's eyes fluttered open, a brief flicker of runes floated within his pupils. "Flexibility and hydration."

"My cultivation began with water; it's nature symbolizing adaptability and resilience. It's my cornerstone, ensuring a balanced and harmonious base for the other elements. Water will form the core of the array, as essential to it as it is to life itself, granting flexibility to my muscles and ensuring my organs function optimally."

Darius shed his white tunic, unveiling a physique surprisingly sculpted for his age, muscles taut as if forged from steel. He leaned forward, seizing the vial marked with water runes and the finely honed bone shard.

Darius uncorked the vial, releasing a blue shimmer of mana that spiraled into the air before vanishing. With a satisfied grin, he dipped the bone shard into the ink. Then, positioning the needle over his heart, he pressed it into his skin.

Darius experienced the sharp bite of the bone needle as it penetrated his skin, 'each thrust needs to reach just the right depth, I need to make sure the ink sets properly.' Darius's movements were slow, every pierce of the needle precise, each movement held no hesitation.

'This isn't so bad. Not even close to what I endured with my bones.' His smile widened, picking up the pace, he continued tattooing himself, frequently dipping the needle back into the inkwell as minutes turned to hours.

Darius neatly completed his task, observing the freshly inscribed array on his chest through the mirror's reflection. The tattoo, about the size of his fist, depicted an intricate series of runes and symbols that spiraled into a circular pattern, mimicking the ebb and flow of water. Each line and curve seemed to ripple and swirl, capturing the perpetual motion of a calm yet relentless stream. The ink, still fresh, gave off a faint glow, highlighting the fluidity and depth of the design, with tiny droplets of blood accentuating its contours. "Perfect," Darius declared, his eyes tracing the seamless integration of art and elemental power.

Darius placed the used vial aside and wiped the bone needle clean on his shirt. He then picked up the next vial, gently pulling out the cork. From within, tendrils of yellow and brown mana unfurled, pouring slowly from the neck of the vial and falling across his hand.

"Density and endurance," Darius spoke, immersing the sharpened bone shard into the inkwell. He began the meticulous process of tattooing once more. 'Earth will complement water's adaptability, lending stability and resilience. It offers the perfect balance between stillness and motion. Following water with earth ensures a foundation free from the fragility other elements might impose.'

Inking a second circle around the initial one, Darius worked with precision. 'Earth will fortify my muscles and organs, enhancing their density and capacity to endure more rigorous stress.' A single bead of sweat traced its way down his forehead, his eyebrows knitting together.

Upon completion, Darius studied the earth array encircling the water tattoo through the mirror's reflection. This outer ring was etched with deep, robust lines that mimicked the patterns of ancient stone and rugged terrain, enveloping the fluid water array with a protective embrace. The earth symbols, dense and precise, appeared to draw strength from the very ground, their form a stark contrast to the flowing water inside. Together, they formed a compelling visual harmony—water’s adaptability encased within earth's steadfast resolve, each line and curve of the earth array perfectly designed to complement the fluidity at its center, suggesting a symbiosis of movement and stability.

Now holding the vial that seemed to pulse with an internal heat, Darius remarked, "fire will increase my metabolism and recovery." As he uncorked the vial, a burst of hot mana leapt out. "Fire should follow earth to balance the density with metabolic activity. It will ensure that the strengthened muscles and organs from earth's enhancement don't become sluggish due to their increased mass."

His smile was wide as he caught the needle in a shaft of sunlight piercing the library's calm, but then, his face took on a more somber expression, the smile giving way to a frown as he positioned the needle above his stomach. "It's not my fault I talk this way," he muttered under his breath, embarking on the intricate task of adding the third tattoo.

'Fire increases the metabolic rate, enhancing energy production and accelerating healing,' Darius stubbornly thought to himself, his cheeks a fading shade of red.

This tattoo, that covered his entire stomach, was shaped as a square rather than a circle. Darius's hand moved with such speed it almost blurred, the tattoo spreading across his stomach as if it were growing on its own.

'If Tilly walked in right now...,' Darius's face twisted in a grimace as he tensed his stomach muscles, 'no laughing!' he admonished himself, forcing slow breaths.

After another hour, "Finished," Darius relaxed his stomach, tilting his head back with a sigh.

Facing the mirror, a grin spread across his face. "Mother would kill me if she saw this," he mused, eyeing the two expansive tattoos across his torso, each still oozing blood.

The square fire tattoo sprawled across Darius's stomach, its corners sharp and defined. Inside the square, flames danced in intricate patterns, weaving through each other in a complex maze of fire and ash. The colors transitioned smoothly from a deep, smoldering red at the base to vibrant orange tips, mimicking the natural play of flames in the open air. Each stroke of the needle had imbued the tattoo with a life of its own, making the fire seem alive and flickering, as if a gentle breath could stir it into a blaze. The surrounding skin, flushed from the needle's touch, added a natural contrast to the fiery hues, making the tattoo stand out starkly against Darius's toned abdomen.

"Ok let's get this done, I really need to take a bath after all this," he grimaced, giving his armpit a quick sniff. Darius's gaze shifted to the second to last bottle, which appeared to rattle, as though its contents were eager to escape.

Unlocking the bottle unleashed a gust that playfully lifted his bangs. "Wind complements fire's energy boost by guiding the surged metabolic energy for effective use. Reflexes and Speed. It sharpens my bodies intuition and boosts blood flow efficiency, enhancing my reflexes and muscle contraction speed," Darius explained, immersing the bone needle in ink. He started to mark the right side of his chest, directly over his lung meridian.

Finished in just half an hour, his speed was astonishing, his hand moved like a perfectly calibrated machine.

This tattoo, meticulously crafted on his skin, unfolded into a five-pointed star. Its shape, precise and deliberate, was composed of interlocking runes. Each rune was carefully aligned, creating a dynamic flow where each line and curve seemed to feed into the next, giving the appearance of constant motion. The runes, dense at the center, gradually thinned towards the points of the star, creating an effect of energy radiating outward.

Darius, not pausing to examine his newly inked star, placed the wind vial aside and reached for the final one. This vial pulsed with an intense energy, its contents charged with lightning mana.

Upon uncorking the vial, a small bolt of lightning sprang forth, leaving a scorched mark on the ceiling. "Shit!" Darius instinctively ducked, his eyes widening in alarm. "Gotta remember to clean that," he muttered, refocusing on the task at hand with the lightning ink.

"The pinnacle of power," Darius murmured, his eyes capturing the spark of mana that fizzed from the vial. "Lightning will amplify my body's capacity for storing and releasing energy in bursts, pushing my peak power higher. It's set to refine the conductivity of my nervous system too, making the flow and use of mana more streamlined."

Darius carefully dipped the bone needle into the ink, his gaze fixed intently on the vial. Slowly, he withdrew the needle, now coated in black ink that glistened with a deep purple glow at its tip.

Bringing himself face to face with the mirror, Darius started the delicate process of tattooing his forehead. 'This will ensure my nervous system and mana channels continually evolve.' This time, his actions were deliberate, each insertion of the needle clearly visible to the naked eye.

The tattoo was beginning to form into an upside-down triangle, roughly the size of an eyeball.

Darius's expression tightened with each stab of the needle, the pace slow enough for him to feel every prick in full. Yet, his hand remained steady, its movements mechanical, as he continued the meticulous task.

Two hours had elapsed, and Darius completed his intricate ensemble of tattoos. On his chest, directly over his heart, lay the circular water tattoo—a serene, fluid symbol, now encased within the earth's steadfast ring. Across his stomach stretched the fire emblem, its square contours pulsating with an inner glow, reminiscent of an ember ready to ignite. On his chest, opposite the water emblem, shone the wind's star, a pattern of five points woven with runes that seemed to breathe and flutter with each of Darius's own breaths.

At last, the lightning tattoo completed the collection—a network of sharp, purple lines converging into an intricate web that crested at his brow. Each stroke was precise, electric, mirroring the unpredictable and raw essence of lightning itself.

Darius, firm and resolute, set his tattooing equipment aside. He then made his way to the Elemental Nexus Array, its crystals replenished, positioning himself at its heart. Assuming the lotus position, he settled in, his gaze unwavering.

Darius's eyes closed, and he delved into cultivation, his breathing aligning with the steady cadence of his Arcane Talisman Technique. The tattoos across his skin commenced a rapid healing process. Wounds sealed, scabs formed and then shed, unveiling unblemished skin adorned with pristine tattoos beneath. This remarkable regeneration concluded in mere minutes.

Once the tattoos were completely healed, he continued to cycle his technique, first drawing in the water element and directing it towards the tattoo on his chest.

The patterns etched on his chest burst into life, starting from the core and spreading outward. Mana coursed through the tattoo's intricate lines, infusing them with a vibrant light that pulsed, as if the tattoo itself was alive with energy. Amidst the silence of the library, an echo of cascading water and the roar of crashing waves enveloped the air, as if the very essence of a vast ocean was contained within those glowing lines.

Shifting focus, Darius drew in dense earth mana, echoing the previous technique as he channeled it towards the earth array that encased the water tattoo.

The earth tattoo brightened slowly, its colors oscillating from deep amber to rich yellows and browns. When fully alight, unlike the pulsing water tattoo, it maintained a consistent glow. Accompanying its illumination was the deep, resonant sound of shifting earth.

Darius continued this ritual with each element, their unique energies and sounds illuminating and radiating from their respective tattoos. Eventually, the lightning tattoo on his forehead sparked to life, casting a purple brilliance across the library.

Sitting in the lotus position within the heart of the Elemental Nexus Array, Darius was a sight to behold. The water tattoo on his chest glowed with a serene blue light, its patterns shimmering like the surface of a calm lake, pulsing gently. Encircling it, the earth tattoo stood in stark contrast, its deep amber hue unyielding and constant, radiating a sense of unwavering strength. Across his stomach, the fire tattoo blazed like an eternal flame, casting warm, flickering light that danced across the library walls. On his right chest, the wind tattoo, shaped like a five-pointed star, shone with a light, airy brilliance, while the lightning tattoo on his forehead crackled with purple energy, sending occasional sparks into the air. Together, they bathed the library in a spectrum of elemental light, their energies harmonizing in a silent yet powerful aura that flared around Darius.

His eyes snapped open, revealing a vibrant chaos of colors swirling within. He brought his hands together, fingers moving through a rapid succession of hand signs, weaving patterns too swift for the naked eye to track.

Upon completing the final sign, Darius's voice resonated powerfully through the library, "Merge!" Instantly, the radiance from his five tattoos amplified tenfold. Light flooded the entire library, its brilliance leaking out onto the estate, bathing everything within its reach.

Amidst a sphere of dazzling white light, a young boy of twelve remained perched, body leaning forward, skin flushed, neck muscles taut as if on the brink of snapping. "I feel like I'm going to explode even my bones are stretching!" Darius's thoughts clawed desperately at consciousness. Every fiber of his being was stretched to its limit, as though battling an invisible force seeking to unravel him. His hair whipped wildly, streaming out as if caught in a storm.

The tattoos merged with Darius's skin, their brilliant unity fracturing into multiple beams, casting shadows and light chaotically around the room.

Darius remained immobile, blood trickling from his mouth, his form vibrating with a force it scarcely held in check.

As the tattoos fused deeper into his skin, their glow seeped out from every orifice—pores, ears, nose—bathing Darius in a radiant aura.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Darius's head snapped backward, arms flung wide as a inhuman roar, deep and thunderous, burst from him. The roar, laden with raw power, assaulted the noise barrier encasing him. For a brief moment, the barrier shimmered, straining under the onslaught of sound, then spectacularly fractured. A visible shockwave erupted, its force hurling loose objects across the room, anything not secured was thrust violently away from the epicenter of Darius's outcry.

Every being within a 10-kilometer radius halted, gripped by an instinctual fear. This even encompassed Tilly and the villagers, along with Darius's parents, ensconced within the den. The roar ignited their auras into a frenzied display; Jarek's lightning aura erupted, carving through the air around him, while Amara's surged like a formidable wave, lifting her silver hair as if caught in an unseen tempest.

Jarek and Amara, propelled by their elemental auras, sprang into action with supernatural swiftness, darting through the mansion's passageways toward the library. Jarek, enveloped in a crackling sheath of lightning mana that accelerated his movements to a blur, led the charge. He shattered the library's silence, barreling through the doors only to halt abruptly, rooted to the spot. Amara, trailing a step behind and wreathed in swirling water mana, came to a standstill, her expression etched with horror as both parents confronted the scene unfolding before them.

Suspended mid-air, encased in a spiraling helix of elemental fury, was Darius, his body arched backward, caught in a silent scream. This vision alone could petrify any parent, but the spectacle held an even more bewildering aspect. Darius's skin, previously fair and smooth, had transformed into a celestial canvas, mirroring the night sky's infinite expanse. His flesh now bore the universe's imprint, with planets, stars, and entire galaxies unfolding across his form, presenting a sight of both dread and awe to Jarek and Amara.

Jarek and Amara stood rooted to the spot, their fear palpable in the charged air of the library. Before them, their little wolf remained suspended, a silent figure amidst a storm of elemental power, his body a cosmic display that defied understanding. The sight was overwhelming, a terrifying reminder of the unknown paths their son was treading.

Time seemed to stand still, the only movement the violent swirl of cosmic energies around Darius, casting eerie shadows across the faces of his parents, who could only watch in stunned silence, grappling with the realization of the vast, unknown forces their child was mastering.