paranoianovel Chapter 493: Sixth Step
Chapter 493: Sixth Step
Chapter 493: Sixth Step
***
Emir leaned back, resting his head against the headboard.
'...I'm back.'
He turned to his left, eyes drifting to Lyra.
She was lying beside him, her features softened in her 'sleep'-though he knew any small movement would instantly wake her up.
Her face looked calm, peaceful, and he allowed himself a moment to take it in, feeling a strange sense of relief.
Perhaps he had been affected by the nightmare more than he let on.
Once he'd seen enough, Emir closed his eyes, letting his mind wander.
His thoughts circled back to the nightmare, piecing together the mysteries surrounding it.
These 'dreams' had changed since he became a Seraphim
Counting from the day of his ascent, he'd only slept four times: once on the same day, once after the test, the third was a brief nap just before the third gathering, and now him of a few seconds ago.
A trend remained clear between all the times he slept.
No nightmare tortured him when his slumber was brief.
He needed to be in deep sleep to experience it.
That was enough to make him wonder why, but not long, as it made sense in a certain convoluted way.
Emir needed his brain to relax a slight bit and let its guard down, allowing his corrupted soul to dredge up these scenarios, buried so far below his consciousness.
And now that he thought about it, he could still recall the string of nightmares he had suffered as a child, back before he understood any of this.
Especially the first one. He remembered it vividly, too vividly, as if it happened yesterday. It simply planted itself in his mind and never left.
A version of himself, much older, strangling a baby-his younger self, helpless in his own hands.
The meaning behind that nightmare no longer mattered; he took no one's place; he was simply a subject undergoing an experiment, a victim, even though he didn't see himself as one.
What mattered was that it happened directly after he had done the mutation unlock, allowing in the corruption, the eyes of black.
Back then, he'd believed those nightmares were random, or perhaps induced by someone, but
now...
He knew that 'someone' was himself.
'...It's all so ridiculous.'
Just as his past was done flooding through his mind, he opened his eyes again, gazing at the ceiling.
Something had shifted with this recent nightmare, and though he smiled at the end, accepting it all, he didn't like it one bit.
Quick Draw.
That specialized skill was what allowed him to cross the chasm, entering a grade that represented the beginning of true mastery within the Celestial Hierarchy.
His previous efforts were nearly useless; he was being too greedy.
Emir needed to be incredible at something specific, and now that he was, whether
accidentally or not, everything fell into place.
It had awakened in him through his Art, Blade of the Drowned, and it originated from Weiss's ability, {Silent Bloom,} the third upgrade of the fourth ability in the Blade Dancer's Path.
He wasn't at all surprised as to why he had it.
After all, the prerequisite was that he had to be in a near-death situation, and what was closer than having his head nearly cut off by milliseconds-a moment so intense that his body could
feel the blow even now.
Quick Draw wasn't as powerful as Weiss's ability of course, not even close, yet it was a significant enhancement to his attack speed, a straight boost that came with no downsides, not taking up space in what remained of his ten ability slots.
And there was more that he realized.
Expert wasn't merely a higher grade; it was a new status entirely, with Inept, Proficient, and True as the three subgrades, each defining a stage in his evolution as a Celestial.
This wasn't simply an increase in percentage or raw power; it was a recognition of his ability
to handle combat on a new level...
A higher 'step,' the sixth one.
But he didn't think that just because of the new skill.
His recent experiences had contributed to this leap.
The dangerous game with Quinn, the unlocking of his seventh ability, the execution of both his plans, the major disaster, and the revelation of the mole in their midst-all of these successes and many more, had combined to push him to this point, bringing him closer to the
next sub-rank.
Exarch.
'Hmm...'
It seemed Lyra's previous estimation had been conservative, even though she overestimated
most factors.
She previously said that it'd take him a year to cross to the next rank in the Celestial
Hierarchy, but right now...
'Not bad.'
He believed that it wouldn't even take him half that time.
'Not bad at all.'