CHAPTER 26: ASSIMILATION

Aegon had read many cultivation novels, so he was quite familiar with the concepts of Soul Seas, Divine Seas, Divine Consciousness, and countless other terms often used in them.

He just never expected to encounter something so similar in his own world too. But he quickly noticed that there were differences between the Soul Seas he had read about and the Soul Sea he was currently standing in.

Sadly, he couldn’t do much here.

He wanted to touch the crimson moons hanging high in the sky, but he couldn’t. He wanted to walk into the mist-covered island, yet failed to even approach it properly. He wanted to swim in the endless waters, but it was as if the water itself rejected him, he couldn’t dive down no matter how hard he tried.

’I feel rejected by my own Soul Sea, yet at the same time, I feel invincible here. What an ironic feeling. Still, if I’m really invincible here, then perhaps I can finally assimilate all the things I’ve acquired till now. Or maybe just a part of it. I don’t know if my body can handle it, but the awakening process and Opa’s preparations should take care of it for now.’

Aegon’s thoughts were running wild, sharper than ever, as he realized he could now think much faster and clearer.

Since he had already decided, he commanded firmly, "Gimme..."

[Ding! Passive Trait: Child of Duality being assimilated!]

[Ding! Legendary-Rank Blazing Sun Holy Physique being assimilated!]

[Ding! Unique Skill: Eternal Flame being assimilated!]

[Ding! Trait: Harmony is being used!]

[Ding! Mystic Eyes: Eyes of Truth being assimilated!]

[Ding! Affinities being assimilated!]

As the endless stream of notifications passed through his vision, the world around him began to shake violently, as if enormous changes were taking place on a worldly scale.

His consciousness began to shift elsewhere, and he couldn’t even think properly anymore. All he saw before losing his awareness was a giant sun blazing to life in the starlit sky, while the two crimson moons seemed to clash desperately, fighting to keep their dominance in the heavens.

’The Sun... is rising!’

....

Xiu stared at Aegon, biting her nails in nervousness. She knew deep down he would be fine, she had full confidence in him, yet she couldn’t help but worry.

After all, there were plenty of times when children were hurt during Awakening, some even severely injured. She feared something similar might occur with his Awakening.

Because of her worries, she completely forgot who stood by her side, herself, Aurelia and most importantly, Arnold. Even if something bad happened, they would naturally be able to intervene and stop the Awakening without any repercussions.

There was a reason they had chosen the best Awakening Liquid, prepared with rare ingredients that required enormous resources to obtain. And yet, they didn’t even blink when using it all for Aegon.

He was bound to succeed with the sheer amount of resources poured into his Awakening.

"Relax!" Aurelia said, hooking her arm around her best friend’s shoulder. "He’ll be fine. In fact, he’ll shine brighter than the sun itself."

"Says the woman who was sweating buckets during her daughter’s Awakening," Xiu retorted sharply, making Aurelia choke on her words.

She smacked Xiu’s head and grumbled, "Don’t remind me of that. You weren’t even there to support me."

Xiu pursed her lips, guilt flashing briefly across her eyes. But instead of admitting it, she did the best thing she could think of.

Ignore her best friend.

Just as Aurelia was about to say something else, her daughter’s voice rang out loudly.

"Mom, why is the liquid draining further?" Elara asked, pointing anxiously at the puddle surrounding Aegon.

Only then did the others notice it, and their eyes widened in both surprise and delight. It could be a good sign for Aegon.Only Xiu felt uneasy, a complicated look on her face, as if she didn’t like the feeling building in her chest.

She turned toward Arnold, who was standing right beside Aegon, and asked, "Dad, he’ll be fine, right?"

Before Arnold could reassure her, the rate at which Aegon absorbed the liquid suddenly increased. Within seconds, the entire puddle was gone, leaving Aegon sitting there in a deep, unmoving sleep.

"Dad!" Xiu screamed as she rushed forward, but Arnold stopped her. "There’s something wrong with him. Please check it!"

Arnold turned toward her, his expression complicated. This was the second time he had seen Xiu so worried and on the verge of tears. Even in the worst of situations, she was the kind of woman who remained strong and smiled through the danger.

The only other time he’d seen her cry like this was when her adopted mother had died.

Now, she was making that same face again, eyes full of concern, heart full of fear. It stung Arnold’s heart to see her like that. He didn’t like that expression on her face, but there was little he could do except explain.

"Relax. Everything is under control," Arnold assured her firmly. "My wife once told me she experienced something similar during her Awakening."

"Wait! Then that means..." Xiu’s eyes widened in shock.

"Yes," Arnold nodded. "He may really be awakening his Soul Sea and becoming the next Master of House Valeria. He has the eyes, so I expected something like this. Don’t tell me you’re forgetting that?"

Xiu lowered her head in shame, wondering how she had become so dumb all of a sudden.

As a true Valerian, of course Aegon would awaken his Soul Sea. It was the very foundation needed to become a Dragon Master. She had just never told him because she didn’t want to raise his hopes too high.

’Idiot Xiu! Keep yourself together! He’ll be embarrassed to call you Aunt otherwise.’

What Arnold didn’t tell her, however, was that awakenings like these were often extremely dangerous for Valerians, for reasons even he didn’t fully understand. His late wife never disclosed all her secrets, after all.

Just then, he felt a subtle shift in the surroundings and frowned.

’Why did the temperature change? Is it...’

By now, the others also noticed the sudden rise in temperature and turned toward Aegon at the same time.

Right before their eyes, yellow flames burst out of Aegon’s body, slamming directly into Arnold. But Arnold merely grunted, dispersing the flames around him with ease.

The flames, however, didn’t stop. They continued to pour out of Aegon in waves, filling the entire courtyard in a blazing sea of fire. If it weren’t for the elders shielding the children, they would have been burnt alive from the sheer heat.

The obsidian walls trapped the flames, preventing them from spreading outside the courtyard.

Aurelia tapped her finger lightly against her arm, her voice grim as she asked, "What are these flames? Why do they carry such pressure and intensity?"

She had managed to disperse the terrible pressure weighing down on everyone, but it wasn’t something just anyone could have done. These flames were anything but normal.

"I don’t know, but it seems to be part of his Awakening," Arnold responded, waving his hand and containing all the raging fire into his palm. "He isn’t hurt at all, so it should be fine. These flames won’t harm him."

Just then, the color of the flames began to change, and Arnold’s expression turned ugly as he muttered darkly, "We need to leave."