Turning
chapter-227

The power of an Awakener, as radiant as the light that wrapped around Yuder's hand, gently rippled as if welcoming him.

'Maybe this side is a bit easier to handle.'

However, contrary to his thoughts, the power of an Awakener was not that easy to control. It didn’t react or inflict pain when he tried to manipulate it like he did with other powers. Yet, the power merely twined around Yuder's hand as if trying to cling to it, only to return to its original place, repeating this cycle. It was uncanny how it seemed intent on touching of its own volition, yet always slipped away, as if mocking its own master.

'Do powers also take after their master?'

Regardless of the numerous attempts, the outcome was always a failure.

'The remaining three powers are too resistant, and the power of an Awakener is hard to grasp...'

He wondered if he should just give up for now. He didn’t want to rashly tamper with it and risk causing more harm. But there was no guarantee that this fortuitous opportunity would present itself again. If this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, he knew he would undoubtedly regret not seizing it. Looking at the red aura that encased his hand, Yuder gritted his teeth.

'I must at least try to touch the power.'

Fortunately, Kishiar had not yet woken up. Even though he felt his energy draining faster than when he summoned the fiery pillar that seemed to pierce the sky, he could still endure. With his other hand, Yuder wiped the sweat accumulating on his forehead.

'Instead of blindly trying to touch it, I should carefully observe it first.'

He took a deep breath to calm his rushing thoughts and focused. With a splitting headache, he started to see the flow of the aura wrapping around Kishiar's body more clearly.

'The problem is definitely those tangled lumps, regardless of how you look at it...'

Ideally, each power should flow in its own place like blood circulating in the body. The current situation, where powers were tangled together, blocking their paths, couldn’t possibly be good for the body. The flow of power was very slow now, possibly due to Kishiar's sleeping state. If the flow sped up, the collisions and tangles would undoubtedly worsen.

'The expression "a crack in the vessel" must refer to the situation where the power lump, which seems like a vital point, gets stressed and causes a problem.'

With this understanding, he could also see why Kishiar mentioned a 'cycle' as necessary. If the four powers inside his body failed to maintain a proper balance and one of them inflated too much, or all of them swelled and blocked the flow, the number of those tangled lumps would increase correspondingly.

If such problems escalated, it would inevitably lead to a breakdown. Therefore, it was necessary to extract some of the accumulated power before it expanded too much.

'...It’s probably better to let it out before it gets too congested and bursts.'

Kishiar mentioned that the imperial family members who broke their vessels died as their bodies exploded. No matter how strong a being was, they could not defend against an attack from within.

'But in the end, it wasn't a fundamental solution.'

Considering the issue originated from having multiple powers, which most humans found challenging to possess even one, finding a solution was difficult. Frankly, even Yuder, who was observing these enormous powers clearly through his eyes, had no clue where to start.

Yuder felt a shiver down his spine thinking that if it weren't for the power of the Awakener one, which was solidly wrapped around the other three remaining energies from the outside like a fence, Kishiar might have already died from his body exploding. When he had heard the tale of the imperial family member dying from an exploded body, he'd only vaguely imagined it as a dreadful scene. Now, however, seeing the flow of energy firsthand, he could easily envision how such a calamity might occur.

Unconsciously, Yuder shook his chilling head, grinding his teeth.

'At least, Kishiar is safe from such a death now.'

But recalling once again that Kishiar had ripped open his own arm to extract blood and power before coming here, Yuder's emotions were somewhat complicated.

He wiped the sweat emerging from his temple once more and then tensed his hand. Of all the energies flowing within Kishiar, he moved his arm towards the smallest tangled part which was closest to where the power of the Awakener one was gathered.

Just like the last time when he thought that he must control the power of the Red Stone, which might collapse the basement, he focused all his strength to grasp this energy.

'Just like before... Just one more time!'

An intense pressure that felt like it could break his bones rushed in, making his fingers tremble uncontrollably. Although his lungs felt like they would burst due to his heavy breathing and he was in agony, Yuder, in his intensely concentrated state, didn't feel a thing.

'I can grab it.'

The power of the Awakener that was wrapped around the tangled energies. He had to seize it.

Heat rose above his wide-open eyes. His body was shaking violently. An energy akin to smoke seemed to bloom, dyeing the inside of Yuder's eyes a red hue, but he himself was unaware of it.

And finally, when he felt something catch onto his fingertips with a thunk.

Yuder seized it without missing a beat. A red energy glowed intensely within his trembling hand.

'I've got it!'

He'd grasped the 'power' of the Awakener flowing within Kishiar.

Yuder gripped something invisible trying to escape from his hand, inhaling sharply. The energy of Kishiar in his hand flickered, transmitting a strange sensation he'd never felt before. It felt like forcibly holding onto something too massive to be held in his grasp. His fingers were throbbing as if they might explode and it was hot, but he didn't loosen his clenched fist. It was the same as when he had grasped the power of the Red Stone in the basement. At this moment, he was connected to the power through his hand.

'As for Kishiar...'

After he seized the energy, he instinctively turned his gaze to the man who was still asleep, as if nothing had happened. It seemed that he did not feel any pain unlike when he touched the tangled part of the energy earlier and there was a backlash. Seeing him like this, Yuder felt a little relieved.

'What should I do now?'

He pondered absentmindedly, and as if to provide an answer, the power of the Awakener writhed.

'...Right. The tangled lump is surrounded by the power of the Awakener, so by creating a pathway from the outside for the tangled energy to move again... If I move...'

Yuder exhaled and moved his hand very slowly. As his hand enveloped in red energy moved slightly, the energy of the Awakener, which was surrounding the small lump of tangled power, expanded or contracted in response to his will.

"Is this the right thing to do?" The doubt that had meekly raised its head gradually became overwhelmed by certainty as he observed the dwindling energy, seemingly swallowed by a rising wave of uncertainty. A gale seemed to roar in his ears and sweat poured out like rain. All his energy seemed to be sucked away, focused solely on moving his hand.

How many times had he moved it like that?

The tangled energies had completely untangled, vanishing with a rustle. All that remained was a clean flow of energy, finding its original place with no obstructions. Yuder finally let out the breath he'd been holding, quietly observing this spectacle.

"Ah..."

He had actually done it.

The sight was astonishing, almost unbelievable.

He had only managed to remove one entangled root of power within Kishiar's body, but it felt like he had accomplished the greatest feat of his life. His heart pounded like it had when he had managed to run over an entire mountain. He couldn't be sure, but Kishiar, who had his eyes closed, seemed to be breathing more slowly and steadily than before.

'...I think it's impossible to do anything more.'

Along with his instinctive judgement, Yuder slowly let his hand fall. The red energy that had wrapped around his hand gradually faded and all the sights that he had seen through his eyes blurred. Intense fatigue and hunger struck him.

After a while, when he opened his eyes again, he only saw the normal room with no strange power visible.

"..."

He was seated in a position where he could watch Kishiar, who was asleep with his eyes tightly closed.

But the morning sun pouring in through the closed curtain, the deep purple spots on his hands, and his palms feeling hot as if they were burned were all shining like evidence that something had happened here for a considerable amount of time.

Yuder slowly rolled up his sleeve. The skin that turned purple stretched endlessly. Lowering his sleeve and pulling a bit on the clothes near his shoulder to look inside, the spots had spread below his chest.

'...'

His head felt dizzy for a moment, but oddly enough, there was no pain.

'I wonder if it would be different if I use my power...'

Yuder cautiously tried to use a bit of water power with one finger raised. His initial plan was to conjure a small stream of water.

But a moment later, enough water to fill a kettle spilled over in the air, drenching his knees and face.

While blankly blinking at his wet knees, Yuder tried to summon wind. He had only planned to conjure enough power to dry the water, but in an instant, a hot wind strong enough to take his breath away blew, not only drying his clothes but making them stiff.

'What on earth...'

There was no doubt about the control of his power. But the results were amplified by several times. It was only natural that the experiment shown by Thais Yulman and his apprentice Alik flashed through his mind. He fumbled in his pocket wondering if there was a catalyst in his clothes, but there was nothing in the casual clothes he wore to bed.

Yuder, who was about to get up from his spot relieved that Kishiar hadn't woken up yet, suddenly found something and paused again.

'Has the spot faded?'