Harbinger Of Doom: The Attainer

51. A New Stage

Lores deadpanned his face in acute concentration. He ventured into a world of his own where his will was capable of manipulating. His eyes were radically shut. The orange glow of the sun bathed him, highlighting a tough looking beautiful man. The reflection on his skin was almost like a porcelain, sheening with the flash of steel. Lores battled to effect his gnosis. He remained there for long.

The elder inspected the youth, patient for a supernatural occurrence. The quest to defy established principles was not an easy one to begin with. But for some unknown reason, he developed faith in Lores. Lores was like an island in a vast sea, a mound shrouded in gales of stormy waves, his survival dependent on only his individual effort.

The sage aided Lores with words of insight. He spoke slowly, making his words easy to grasp.

"Comprehending the tao of nature and the tao of swords. Acknowledging the influence of cosmos and the mystery of void. To attain the level of mastery and perfection as a swordsman, the heart of a sword and that of the user must attune...."

While the sage was speaking, Lores absorbed every word in profound focus. He fell into a trance, as if hypnotized by the chant of the sage. In that trance, the sky was filled with dark clouds, blinding flashes of lightning streaking down from it. Thunder roared all over the ambience in its mightiness. It was as if the world had come to an end, with not even a single soul present.

Lores saw himself standing on a vast land pestered by a fierce gust. The surroundings were blurry and tumultuous that Lores had to squint his eyes while protecting himself with his hands. The deafening roar of thunder continued, and the sky was very dim, creating a promise of darkness, and premonition of treachery. Truthfully, Lores was scared and confused. His heart flipped as a prickling sensation shot up his spine. In the spur of the moment, his eyes fell on a tower stretching at an incredible height towards the sky, penetrating into the expanse of void, where it leads a mystery.

To the terror of Lores, a potent gust swept him midair with an inrushing force. Waves of acid welled up in his belly, his heart plummeting to his feet. The gust transported him at an insane speed towards the mysterious tower. Lores soared into the clouds, embedded in their entirety. The blinding streaks of lightning struck down at will, but inexplicably did no harm to Lores. The incessant tumult relayed an otherworldly sensation, like the devourers of immortal souls, empowered by the energy of the sky.

Lores continued soaring into the expanse of void, enveloped in the obscure mists. It seemed like the unending way far into the deepest of void led to a realm of immortals, encircled by dangerous lightnings designed for the demise of intruders. The youth whizzed past thousands upon thousands of kilometers away from the vast land which he once stood on. The journey seemed like it was never going to end until Lores finally landed on the pinnacle of the tower. Deep down below were thick clouds of darkness. Lightnings saw Lores face to face in what seemed to be a horrific sight. Just then, Lores heard a sonorous voice.

"You have attained your inner nirvana."

Lores turned his head from one side to the other, but he saw no one. "Where I'm I? What's going on?"
After much thought, he remembered sitting in front of a house, an elder standing beside him. His situation dawned clearly on him. "That must be the sage's voice."

"Now the force of a blade must work with the heart of the sword. Remember, the heart of a sword is the heart of its user. This is the tao of swords and the ultimate test of gnosis. Do not be consumed by your inner self. To come back to reality, you must undertake the available risk."

Lores muffled out a gasp, horror written clearly on his face. "To come back to reality, you must undertake the available risk... meaning I have to jump down from this tower???? Goodness gracious!!" Lores released a long sigh. "But I don't have a choice lest I be consumed by my inner self."

It took Lores a lot of both mental and bodily effort to muster bravery. Lores blew out hot air, staring at the floating clouds, the vast land below was far from being seen. This was pure suicide! Lores' hard mustered bravery seemed not to be enough.

A thread of lightning streaked in the direction of Lores. He startled and uncontrollably plummeted from the pinnacle, sinking into the abundance of clouds while shouting for help.

The lightning had helped Lores to return back to where he belonged.

"The rhythm of your mind must conform to the heart of your sword. It is very important as it nurtures the gnosis..."

Meanwhile, Inside the house, Lores' sword wobbled incessantly under his bed.

"Inner nirvana is the peak of self-discovery, a quality of every invincible mage."

Lores could hear all of the sage's teachings while plummeting towards an unseen end. The mellow voice was like a soothing balm in the midst of chaos. His fear left him. He stopped shouting, waiting to get back to reality.

A whistling sound whizzed in the air, a slim blade its source. The sword glinted like a flash of silver as it flew towards a boy in the lotus position, its steel eliciting an idea of extreme sharpness.

Lores eyes sped open- those very eyes that were incalculable and deep like a bottomless abyss. He raised a hand to expertly catch the hilt, leaving the resonant sound of steel to dance in the air.

"Master, how long did it take me?" Lores inquired with a confident voice. The sage upheld a silence of shock.

"Half an incense stick time. Congratulations. You've broken through to the stage of familiarity." The sage blurted. What usually took years for others was only a matter of minutes for Lores. It vividly showed the youth was promising. The world could be on the verge of welcoming another archmage with time.

Lores was so joyous that he went a frenzy. The sage looked amusingly at Lores before taking his eyes elsewhere. Lores' frantic state was understandable, but the mage had to call him back from crossing the boundary of complacency.

"Alright. Alright. Don't be so happy. I call the second stage a stage of neutrality. In this stage, you're neither an amateur nor a professional. Calm down."