Shuwrak Zahara!
He was Yarsha Zahara's older brother, five years older than her. However, in terms of talent, he was nothing worth mentioning about. He didn't even have enough strength to kill a Centinger before the Varahan Empire was established.
And it definitely didn't seem like he had any hidden potential, 'But it seems we were all fooled.'
'He's indeed her brother.' Inala thought, instinctively perceiving the man before him as a serious threat. 'He's a different kind of beast, but still a dangerous beast.'
Silver Centinger Art!
It was the cultivation technique Yarsha Zahara had created, treating the spikes growing on the centipede upper body of Centingers as a mineral to build a Human Avatar out of. The resultant power allowed the Free Human to exhibit a corrosive power that was effective on every living being, just like a Centinger.
Using Silver Centinger Art, Shuwrak Zahara...failed to kill a Centinger. He wasn't a match, no matter how much he progressed through the Life Stage. Irrespective of what Yarsha Zahara tried to strengthen this beloved brother of hers, nothing changed.
He was a simpleton and didn't have much talent in terms of fighting. However, he was genuinely a great older brother for her, pretty much the sole person who treated her as family and didn't care whether or not she was talented.
Yarsha Zahara's father too loved her as family, but as a ruler of a Kingdom, he valued her talent more than herself as a person. Therefore, no matter what, she wanted to safeguard her older brother's future.
At every turn, she had perceived the threat of the Mystic Paths, having suffered defeats in their hands multiple times. Irrespective of how strong she became, she felt that there was a likelihood she wouldn't survive.
If that were to happen, with mere strength incapable of killing even a Silver Grade Pranic Beast, her older brother wouldn't be able to live peacefully, especially after arriving at the Varahan Empire where the average citizen with a Vara Human Avatar was stronger than him.
Yarsha Zahara wanted to change Shuwrak Zahara's Human Avatar to the celestial Boar's Vara. That would make him strong enough to survive on his own. Even if he didn't have a Nature stored in his Human Avatar, just by relying on his Gold Grade Prana and a Vara Spirit Weapon, he could survive in the wilds, if the situation turns south.
...
"I won't change!" Shuwrak Zahara stared at Yarsha Zahara, his expression adamant, "Mystic Sumatra Art, Gold Inheritance Art, they're all amazing. However, I'll stick to Silver Centinger Art."
"Why?" Yarsha Zahara shouted, "It's weak as compared to Gold Inheritance Art. They're not even in the same league of comparison. Shouldn't you pursue strength above everything?"
"Strength is good, Yarsha. But," Shuwrak shook his head, making eye contact with his sister, his gaze boring, "I won't accept it at the cost of disregarding my identity."
"I am a Free Human, and whether weak or strong, I plan to live like one." He spoke.
"That makes no sense! Whether you're taking the mineral from a Centinger or an Empyrean Boar, it's the same!" Yarsha Zahara expressed her frustration, her eyes red, almost tearing up, "Can't you just listen to me? I'm pleading you. I have the strength to change your build without any issues."
"With a Vara Human Avatar, I have to take Pranic Beast Natures into me, right?" Shuwrak Zahara smiled wryly, "I'm not you, Yarsha. I can't endure so many influences without going mad. Silver Grade itself is my limit."
"But..." Yarsha pleaded, "If it's just that, then I'll create something with Gold Grade strength but with minimal influence."
She thumped her chest with vigour, "I will do it! I can!"
"You know..." Shuwrak Zahara chuckled as he stared at Yarsha Zahara, "This Silver Centinger Art is the first gift you've given me. So, I'll cherish and use it. This is also the only thing you created that doesn't exist to strength Brangara, his progeny, and his force."
"That..." Tears streamed down her eyes as Yarsha Zahara became emotional, "Just for that? You plan to remain weak just for that?"
"It's important," Shuwrak Zahara nodded, "It's what Yarsha Zahara had created for the Zahara Kingdom, not the Varahan Empress.
"Besides, I haven't been idling about either." He smiled and pushed forth an Information Slip, "Look at this."
Yarsha Zahara didn't need a Glove Slip to access the information within the Information Slip. She causally picked it up and dropped it moments later, in shock, "How...is this possible?"
"Seems I'm not completely useless." Shuwrak Zahara smiled in relief upon seeing her reaction, "I looked into our family history and noticed a trend. Across many generations, there were Princes or Princesses born with more than eighty units of Prana. Though they couldn't dominate Prana like you, they were significantly talented."
"That's where things became interesting." He smiled, "The siblings of these geniuses had no talent. It was as if all their talents were transferred to their genius siblings. However, I was wrong."
"Then?" Yarsha Zahara's eyes glistened, admiring her older brother as the latter expressed intelligence that she had never seen in him before, 'It seems there are fields my dear brother is passionate about. If only we could have figured this out earlier, brother would have been happier...no, without Brangara appearing in our lives, father would have been too pressed to raise our strength. So, he would have continued to pressure brother to become a soldier as he had done. Nothing would have changed that.'
"Our Kingdom had nothing, but in the Varahan Empire's records, things are different since every single force we have absorbed have contributed their pool of knowledge to our library." Shuwrak Zahara grinned, "Yarsha, I can't say this with guarantee. But I feel we Free Humans originated from the Silver Empyrean Tentacle. And the greater its traits manifest in us, the higher our Prana at birth."
He pointed at her, "Isn't that why your talent is no different than the Nature of Prana Solidification?"
"True..." Yarsha Zahara's eyes lit up, "That seems logical. I never thought about it that way."
"Then what about me?" Shuwrak Zahara pointed at himself, consoling upon seeing Yarsha Zahara become sullen, "It's not your fault. Or rather, none of our previous generations of geniuses were at fault either. Do you know what happens when a Silver Empyrean Tentacle is born?"
"It gets hunted by the Gold Empyrean Tentacle." Yarsha Zahara said, muttering in realisation, "You don't mean?"
"Throughout Sumatra's history, the Silver Empyrean Tentacle resists and fights the Gold Empyrean Tentacle. Among the Free Humans, our family line has inherited the strongest characteristics of the Silver Empyrean Tentacle. so, in every generation, when the concentration reaches a certain threshold, a genius is born."
"Think of it like a Free Human version of the Silver Empyrean Tentacle." He continued, "Similar to how the Silver Empyrean Tentacle tries to resist, that characteristic is somewhat exhibited in Free Humans too. However, unless we're the Silver Empyrean Tentacle, we cannot inherit all its power, so it gets split."
"That's where we come in," Shuwrak Zahara chuckled, "We embody its desire to resist and survive against the Gold Empyrean Tentacle. Therefore, we have no talent, as we resist Human Avatars too to a great extent."
"That's..." Her eyes expressed sadness, "Does that mean irrespective of how powerful your Human Avatar gets, you won't ever become one of the strong?"
"That all depends on how you interpret it." Shuwrak Zahara laughed, "Reactive Jade is completely mineral dependent, right? It reacts and changes as a mineral to the product of Nature we expose it to. I'm not suited to such a thing, since my rejection is pretty strong."
"Then, your power needs to be something independent of a mineral." Yarsha Zahara frowned, "Without a Human Avatar, I can't see how that is possible. Maybe with Sumatra Gold, I can try to turn you into a Pranic Beast. Inala did something like that, so if I use it as reference..."
Seeing Yarsha Zahara mutter nonstop, Shuwrak Zahara smiled gratefully before bringing out another Information Slip, "I'm happy you're thinking on my behalf, but look at this first."
"That's it!" Yarsha Zahara's eyes lit up in realisation, "Indeed! It was my previous life's greatest regret!"
"You wanted to obtain the Major Treasure of Weapon, but even though you were right in front of it, you couldn't get it. And your Reactive Jade had reacted to counter the ambient psychokinesis that formed the Influenced Region of Armoury." Shuwrak Zahara expressed his confidence, "You have that experience in you. So, I want you to use that on Silver Centinger
Art."
"Millinger!" Yarsha Zahara grinned, "It was my intention to upgrade it to Gold Grade in due
time."
"But this time, ignore its corrosive power." Shuwrak Zahara nodded, "Focus on its Secondary Nature and its psychokinesis capability used to launch its artillery strike."
"That way, even if you have a mineral based Human Avatar, the product of it that you wield won't be mineral based but purely energy based." Yarsha Zahara nodded.
"Anything regarding moulding Prana is beyond me. That's your talent. But if it's to suppress,
resist, and fight back, then I believe I won't be as talentless as now." Shuwrak Zahara smiled.
With a perfect direction and the wealth of information accumulated by the Varahan Empire,
Yarsha Zahara completed her objective.
Gold Millinger Art!
Brangara captured a few Millingers and stored them in a nest each. He turned one of them into
a Tangible Nature and gave it to Shuwrak Zahara to fuse with.
Two months before Brangara and Yarsha Zahara left to target Orakha and the Mammoth Clan
through the Sandy Grey Void, she had succeeded in changing Shuwrak Zahara's Human Avatar. The result was a honestly dangerous individual, who stayed in the shadows of the Varahan Empire, with information about him forcefully erased other than his time at the Zahara
Kingdom.
It was never updated past that point, even in Brangara's memories, for he never knew what Yarsha Zahara had been planning. He simply captured a few Millingers because she had asked him to do so. And that resulted in the following power.
Primary Nature-Refractive Inhibition! Secondary Nature-Tangible Millinger!
A monster among Gold Grade was born, one who never revealed himself, no matter how the
situation had progressed outside.
...
'Just what is his build that even with a Major Treasure in my possession, I'm feeling this terrified?' Inala thought in a fluster. Shuwrak Zahara hadn't concealed his presence, allowing Inala to glean some clues. However, other than linking that Shuwrak Zahara's power was
related to a Millinger, he couldn't figure out anything else.
"Welcome to the Wean Clan." Shuwrak Zahara's expression was calm, kind even as he observed Inala from head to toe and made a mild bow in acknowledgement, "Thank you for cooperating with us regarding your capture. Had you made a commotion, DaraBuntara wouldn't have managed to return home."
"I'm the Wean Clan's nanny," Shuwrak Zahara introduced himself, "And I'll be the one in
charge of your future."
"What does the Wean Clan plan to do with me?" Inala expressed without an ounce of hesitation, even though his instinct was screaming against him conversing with Shuwrak Zahara, "I'll have you know that I'm a Brully child. So you cannot farm for more of my race
through me."
"We don't have such a plan." Shuwrak Zahara said suddenly, surprising both Inala and
DaraBuntara.
"Seriously?" Even Inala couldn't help but express his confusion, "Even with my limited
understanding of your abilities, I know for a fact that the Wean Clan will become stronger through my Nature."
"I thought as such too." DaraBuntara expressed his concern. However, he shut up after received a mildly focused stare from Shuwrak Zahara.
"That is indeed the truth, but the Wean Clan doesn't intend to tread the single-minded path
of strength progression like in the past." Shuwrak Zahara smiled, "We plan to first harness all
our potential, which will take dozens of millennia. Introducing a Brully's power into our fold will only weaken our creativity."
"I've finally managed to steer the Wean Clan in the right direction. So, I will avoid pushing
them back onto their old, faulty ways." He shook his head.
"Then, you have no use for me." Inala frowned, feeling that even he couldn't see through the
man before him.
"Actually, it's the opposite." Saying as such, Shuwrak Zahara got up and approached Inala,
extending his hand for a shake to the giant before him, "I intend to make you an instructor to
the Wean Clansmen."
"Many Gold Grade Pranic Beasts have taken up the job."
"What's the pay?" Inala let out a grin, realising why Gold Grade might have taken up a job
offer.
"Mystic Sumatra Art," Shuwrak Zahara grinned, "And all its skills in our library, created exclusively by our Gold Grade Pranic Beast instructors."
"We named it the Gold Varahan Library, and its access is restricted only to Gold Grade
existences." He eyed Inala and continued, "That's the basic benefit. Apart from there, as an instructor, you'll receive an all-you-can-eat buffet of resources..."
"Done, I'm in." Inala accepted the offer readily, 'I'll be a fool to miss out on this. This is
probably the first time in Sumatra's history where a group of Gold Grade Pranic Beasts are researching on a unified objective.'
"Then, glad to have you on board with us, Leukeu."