Chapter 557: Powering Through
(Planet Morod, The Central Jail-House, Second Basement Floor)
*BZZZTTT*
The needle bit into him again and again, its buzzing a constant vibration against his skin, yet the pain he felt no longer seemed like just physical pain.
With every line Mikanos carved, Leo could feel something foreign threading itself through his body, not into muscle or bone, but into the very pathways where his mana flowed.
It was as if the man was drawing a new mana conduit over his flesh, one that ran parallel to the network he was born with.
The sensation was both strange and suffocating.
Unbearable heat flowed along each fresh line before sinking inward, where it tugged against his core as if trying to fuse with it.
"This is not mere ink," Mikanos eventually explained, his voice steady despite the intricate work.
"What I’m using to paint your body is called the essence of death. It’s a liquid that forms when the bones of over 100 rare beasts are smelted together in a furnace."
Leo’s fingers twitched against the armrest, a fresh wave of fire lancing from his shoulder to his ribs, as he felt slightly uneasy about injecting smelted bones into his body.
"This is the same material that’s used to make the Death Gods staff, and the only material in the universe that can channel the power of death without degrading significantly after each use.
Almost anyone can learn the spell that the second elder is about to teach you, however, nobody can do it without mitigating the backlash.
Any mortal who tries to channel the power of death through their own body will see their mana circuits become inflexible and tainted over-time, as death mana significantly corrodes one’s interior with every use."
"You should thank Dragon Kevin for inventing the solution to this problem, as he was the one who realised that engraving Parinthrak’s sigil on your body was a way to safely cast this spell." Mikanos educated, as at this point the Second Elder’s voice joined in from behind.
"Kevin mapped the entire spell outside his body, across his skin, so that the mana would flow through the engraving instead of his body, and not damage his core.
However, the initial materials he used as ink simply could not remain stable when passing the power of death.
Regular ink faded after just a single use, while other materials did not last too long either and faded quite easily, until he came across the only compound that could withstand the corrosion."
The second elder explained, as Leo listened to the whole story intently.
This lesson in history, while interesting, unfortunately did nothing to ease his pain, as each new section that Mikanos drew onto his skin, brought with it a fresh wave of agony.
"How much longer do you need to complete?" Leo asked after a while, as Mikanos looked into his eyes and said "Five more hours" in the most serious voice he could muster.
*Faint*
Leo faked fainting out at that news, before opening his eyes yet again, as the pain now became visible on his face and expression.
"Don’t worry, you’re already holding out much better than the previous guy I tattooed.
If you remain co-operative, I’ll try my best to finish it in under two hours." Mikanos encouraged, as Leo bit into his own lips and tried his best to suppress the scream building in his throat.
From that point onwards, Time blurred into a haze for Leo, who only focused on his breathing to try and get through the pain.
For him, every second felt like it stretched for an eternity, as by the time the promised two hours were up, he was already drained physically and mentally, with sweat covering every inch of his body from top to bottom.
"It’s done...." Mikanos finally announced with pride, as even he looked surprised to have completed such a large engraving in a single session.
"You’re the first Dragon to complete it in one go.... Records show that even Kevin needed to take a single break before he could go again...." Mikanos praised, as Leo barely smiled at those words.
"Here, you can check out how you look in the reflection of this polished metal," he said, as he moved his cart of supplies near Leo, which contained a polished metallic tray that worked like a mirror.
*Creek*
Leo pushed himself up from the chair slowly, his muscles still trembling from the hours of unrelenting pain, as the cool air of the basement brushed over the raw, burning sensation that lingered on his skin.
He leaned forward, catching his reflection in the warped gleam of the metal tray, and for a brief moment, the exhaustion in his eyes was replaced by something else entirely.
What stared back at him was almost unrecognizable. His back, shoulders, and stomach were now covered in a sprawling lattice of black lines intertwined with silver veins, every curve and angle locking together to form an unbroken sigil — a mark that seemed to pulse faintly with its own life.
The longer he looked, the more it resembled some symbols he had gazed upon in the Time-Sealed world, as although it was not an exact replica, Leo felt like he could decipher its underlying meaning if he cross-checked the symbols with some ancient texts he had carried out of that world.
*Thrum*
Even dormant, the mark thrummed faintly against his core, as if waiting for his command to activate.
"This is just the start," the Second Elder said. "You still need to learn and practice the spell to master it. But the learning curve from here onwards should be fairly simple. I’m happy to inform you that you have already completed the most difficult part."
Leo’s lips curled slowly, the faint smile carrying a dangerous edge.
For the first time since sitting in that chair, he could finally think past the mind numbing pain.
As he felt the hum of power beneath his skin... and the promise of what it could do when unleashed.
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