Chapter 91 - Claim It, Mash It, Stick It In A Stew (Patreon)

Jiran flew the group deeper into the outlands after asking the cousins why they didn’t know how to claim density. Mayalyn looked bored after hearing his question. She yawned and leaned against his aura. Olive and Cameron were both clearly confused. After chewing on his words for several seconds, Olive responded.

“If you know who our parents are, then you know who we are? Why did you pretend otherwise when we first met?”

“Until your conversation last night, I didn’t know who you were. You,” Jiran said while pointing at Cameron, “I still don’t know who you are but I’m assuming your father is related to Emperor Dominus somehow.“

Cameron nodded but didn't elaborate. Jiran wasn’t about to press him for more information as he really didn’t care.

“Either of you going to answer my question?” Jiran made impatient circles in the air with a finger.

“I’ve never heard of anything about claiming density. What does that mean?” Olive, once again, was the first to speak.

“I guess it’s my own phrase for it, maybe you would call it something else. It means to convert density into mana instantly, rather than wait for it to happen naturally.”

“What?! That’s possible? How?” Cameron finally butted in, unable to constrain himself over something that could so drastically increase his combat potential. Before Jiran could respond, Olive held up her hand while thinking aloud.

“You’re saying Lenton would have known how to do this back when he first reported your disappearance? That was nearly a year ago. This doesn’t make any sense,” Her features contorted as her hair bounced side to side.

“That’s what I’m confused about, too. By now, the information should have spread to every corner of the empire, but it hasn’t. I can understand why it might have been slow to spread and even caused some unrest. But to not have spread at all?” Jiran spread his hands with his palms up while shrugging.

“Is this ‘claiming,’ something anyone can do? Are there any downsides or dangers? Perhaps they chose not to spread the information due to it being harmful in some way.”

“I’ve never experienced any downsides and I’ve been doing it since my tiering day. Hold on. Beast,” Jiran saw a prowling devourer rolling across the Outlands in the distance and changed their angle to intercept the rapidly moving monster.

“There must be some reason. You truly cannot think of why the information would have been kept a secret for so long?” Olive squinted one eye at him with a scrunched nose.

“Well sure I can, the church would have raised a huge fuss about it since the method directly contradicts their beliefs. I would think the emperors would be able to smooth that over with the populace though.”

“What?! How can a method to turn density to mana contradict the Voice? If what you say is true, that could certainly be why they chose not to spread the method. There are… things about the Church of the Voice that are not widely known.”

“Really? Enough of a reason to keep the empire from becoming significantly stronger, as a whole, in a short amount of time? It’s not exactly a difficult method to learn. I didn’t think the church’s sway was that strong.”

“Again, it depends on the nature of claiming density. Are you going to tell us?”

“I planned on it, yes. It needs to spread eventually for the sake of everyone living in the empire.” Jiran’s eyes flickered to Mayalyn before returning to the cousins. “And getting you two to do it will save me a lot of hassle.”

They nodded at one another and sat cross-legged. Jiran held up a finger while looking into the distance. “Let me deal with this real quick, then I’ll show you.”

Jiran’s channel lit up a pale blue before a lance of ice speared through the tier five beast below them. He paused for a minute as the red density worked its way through his system before checking his status briefly.

Seventeen to go. Five more today, six tomorrow, six the next day. That’s not a lot of time to get things sorted out with these three and the People.

Turning back to the royals who’s eyes were glowing with greed, Jiran began. “It’s a fairly simple method, all you need to do is connect with the density in your stomach or lungs through an emotional bridge, then claim it.”

“Emotional bridge?” Cameron’s brow furrowed.

“Save your questions until the end or this is going to take forever,” Jiran’s voice was firm as he continued his explanation.

“The mindlink when you activate a skill is just your brain being forced to create a tiny bit of fake emotions. Those emotions move through your body to your mana and link with it, which allows the mana to be controlled. Go ahead and use your molding as normal with that mental image.”

After only a few seconds, both of their eyes flew wide and Cameron shouted so loudly Mayalyn covered her ears with a hiss.

“I-I gained four levels in molding! All of my other techniques increased in level too!” Cameron began laughing maniacally as he pumped his fists.

Guess a combat junky like him would be pretty happy about a sudden boost to the power of his skills.

“C'mon man, keep it together. We have a lot more to cover.”

“I only gained one? Why is there such a large difference?” Olive looked to the side, refusing to meet Jiran’s eyes.

“No clue, what did you picture?”

“That the great power of the mindlink is pure emotion,” She spoke slowly, her head tilted down while she finally met his gaze through her eyelashes.

“That’s not even close to what I said…”

“I do not wish to blaspheme against the mindlink by thinking of it as fake!”

“Jiran,” Mayalyn whined his name while giving him puppy-dog-eyes, her hands covering her ears.

He swaddled her in a layer of soundproofing and watched as she sighed contentedly before laying down in a fetal position.

She must be tired after running all that mana through her. Good to know  there are some side effects to that. I guess if there wasn’t, it would be way too OP. We’ll have to do more testing later.

Turning back to the cousins, Jiran wasn’t surprised to see Cameron with his eyes closed as he continued to push his new understanding further. Meanwhile, Olive was giving him a scathing glare that he thought suited her better than the demure mask she had been wearing all morning. He knew this was going to be hard for her after hearing her pray several times in the short time they had known each other.

“Well, it’s fake and it isn’t fake. The chemicals are coming from your brain, so they are certainly real in the sense that they exist. But they aren't created due to a typical, physical or mental stimulation, so I definitely consider the mindlink to be an artificial process.”

“I can see why the emperors would be hesitant to spread this information. This alone would cause outrage and something tells me there is worse than what you have so far revealed.”

“Yeah, it definitely gets worse,” Jiran agreed with a nod which caused Olive to recoil from him.

“So there is more? Spilik’s asscrack, how can it possibly be worse than insinuating that the mindlink is artificial? Our skills and techniques are at the very foundation of our existence, calling any part of them ‘fake’ is an insult to our very nature and way of life.”

“Do you want to hear the rest of it or not? I can just show Cameron and you can forget about this whole thing. Aren’t you the girl who walked into the Outlands on a hunch that there might be a way to help the empire? How are you balking now, when a method to do just that is right before you?”

Olive’s jaw clenched and her nostrils flared as she took several calming breaths. When she was ready, she met his eyes with a firm nod.

“You are correct. This is the path that I was set upon. I will overcome it!”

“Good. Ready for the next step, Cameron?” The boy’s eyes flew open and he gave Jiran a feral grin with a thumbs up.

“Okay, now you need to activate molding without the aid of the skill. Purposefully create your own emotions and allow them to spread through your body. When you feel them reaching your manapool, connect your thoughts to it through those emotions and will your mana as you desire. Basically, sidestep the training wheels of the skill system and do the whole process yourself. Go ahead, I’ll wait.”

“What emotion should I use?” Cameron asked eagerly, Jiran imagined that if he had a tail, it would be wagging.

“It doesn’t matter, though each emotion has an optimal strength. If you’re too sad, happy, etc., it becomes a lot harder to get the mana to behave. The only solution I know is practice.”

Over the next hour, Jiran killed two more tier five beasts as he waited for them to connect with their mana. Suddenly, Cameron leaped to his feet with a bark of laughter. He paced back and forth whil running his hands through his hair.

“I-I did it. My molding went up ten more levels. H-how is this possible, why would they not tell everyone. We have to do something about this. We have to go north. Right now, the generals have to be told. We could stop the Graymin in their tracks if everyone knew!” Cameron leaped at Jiran and shook his shoulders while yelling in his face.

“I don’t disagree, but I’ve got other things to do right now and I have to prioritize. Like making sure the People are safe and then I need to help my cousin,” Jiran’s words caused Cameron to deflate and the boy sank to his knees.

“No, how can those things be more important than this? They have to know, don’t you see how many lives this will save?!”

“Are you forgetting that Lenton has known about this for a year? Why don’t the generals already know? Why is this falling on our shoulders? C’mon Cameron, we’re just a group of kids. This shouldn’t be our problem at all.

“No, you don’t understand. It’s… I-I need to help. I’ve been running away for so long. Every time I think I’m able to make a difference, I feel like I get further away and it’s happening again. I’ll be able to ascend tomorrow, and with this method, I could make a real difference on the front line. But no. I’ll still be stuck here, doing whatever you two decide.”

Jiran wasn’t sure what to say as Cameron sat back and closed his eyes once more. Apparently he was content with uncomfortable silence after his lapse in self-control, so Jiran let him have it. Three hours later, he finished his sixth beast for the day and found them a new campsite on the other end of the Outlands.

Olive never budged from her meditative state, so they left her alone as they prepared a firepit and roasted some lunch. They stepped quietly. A bloated silence weighed heavily around Olive, so thick that even Mayalyn’s usual exuberance was stifled.

Jiran pulled her aside and they reviewed the combination attack they used. She asked for more lightning mana which he supplied. With the familiar element zipping through her, she quickly rediscovered her usual smiles and good cheer.

Jiran borrowed a notebook from Cameron and then sat in the grass with Mayalyn, comparing the alphabets of their languages and working out the first steps for learning to communicate.

Four hours later, Olive gasped and her eyes flew open.

“It actually worked. I don’t believe it,” she whispered

“And that… is why you failed,” Jiran tried to sound mysterious and wise but knew he came off as stupid when she frowned at him. Recovering quickly, he continued. “You want to take a break? There’s a little lunch left,” He nodded toward the fire spit.

She sniffed and then scrunched her nose at the bland, unseasoned meat.

“Oh, c’mon. We’re out here in the wild, no need to act so spoiled, Princess.”

Mayalyn’s head whipped around and she growled. Jiran instantly realized his mistake and raised his hands defensively.

“Hey, that’s what she is. I didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t look at me like that. There’s a difference when I call you tha… Ahh, never mind, you’re right, I won’t call her princess anymore,” When Jiran gave up with a grumble, Mayalyn smiled sweetly before going back to scribbling in the notebook.

Attracted by the commotion, Cameron came trotting over and plopped onto the ground next to Olive. “Fathers, finally! It’s about time I learn something faster than you. Today is pretty great, huh Cuz?” Cameron elbowed Olive in the side which earned him a disdained huff and an eye roll.

“All right, let’s get this over with. This last part is the worst. Are you absolutely sure you want to know? If you thought the mindlink’s emotions being fake was bad, well, that was like a one on the bad scale and what I’m about to tell you is a five-hundred.”

Cameron whistled and Olive’s upper lip curled while she looked down at the dirt. A few seconds later, she nodded with clenched fists.

Here we go. The kicker.

“Your emotions can also link to the density you consume, so long as you do it before that density enters your muscles, organs, and bones to reinforce them. When you link to the density in your stomach, you can claim it as mana which then flows into your manapool. The process is incredibly quick, taking less than a second once you're used to it.”

“None of this sounds bad, why the big buildup? Were you messing with us?” Jiran shook his head at Cameron’s question before continuing.

“To connect with that density and claim it, you have to be convinced that density is unnatural; that it’s foreign to the body,” Neither responded right away as they chewed on his words.

After a few seconds, Cameron threw his head back and laughed at the afternoon sky. When he noticed Jiran not laughing with him, he stopped laughing as suddenly as he started. “Wait, you’re serious? But that’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard. The mindlink being fake is one thing, but to say density itself is—”

“T-this is a violation of everything I know to be real. After everything you have shown us… I-I need a minute to myself,” Olive shook her head as she stood up and walked away.

“Uh oh. I’ve only ever seen her like that a couple of times. This could get bad.”

“That wasn’t the response I was expecting,” Jiran watched Olive’s back as she retreated to the far side of a nearby tree. She leaned against its hard bark, facing away from the group.

“I’m not sure what you expected after trying to tell her that density is unnatural. That’s about as ridiculous as it gets. You might as well have just told her that Madra is flat,” Cameron rocked slowly back and forth with his hands on his knees.

“I’m actually more surprised you think it’s not flat, but yeah I get what you’re saying,” Jiran could only shrug before he sat down in front of Cameron.

“So, can you explain this any better, because I can’t wrap my head around it.”

“Sure, see that tree. Would it still be a tree if you sucked all the density out of it?”

“Maybe? It might crumble to dust for all I know, I’ve never even thought about something not having any density in it,” Cameron’s head tilted as he bent his elbows, hands still on his knees.

“Well, I can promise you it won't crumble. Neither would your body. Density makes you heavy and gives you power, but you wouldn’t die without it. You wouldn’t have a system either, or skills or attributes. You would still be a human, just less of one.”

Cameron’s nose crinkled and his head shook harder with every word. “That sounds awful.”

“I agree.”

After a few seconds of thought, Cameron spoke again.

“So, you really think that everything could exist without density?”

“The levels you will gain when you realize what I’m saying is the truth are all the proof you need. When you connect with the foreign substance that is density in your stomach, you’ll be able to turn it into mana instantly. Any further proof is irrelevant next to those realities.”

Olive’s hand smacked into the tree behind her and the two boys glanced in her direction to see tears streaming down her face. After a few seconds of hesitation, Cameron spoke. “All right, I’ll give it a try,” He sucked in a huge breath, the power of his diaphragm causing his armor to creak before he released it all with a giant raspberry.

“Hold up a second. It’s a lot easier to learn if you don’t have any mana or density in your body. Then, every wisp of density that enters your lungs as you breathe will really stand out,” Jiran hopped to his feet and circled around Cameron, placing a hand on his neck.

“Mana Transference.”

“Seventh layer of the inferno! Warn a guy before you do that. How is that even a technique? What did you do?!”

“I did warn you! Now c'mon, I don’t want to stand here all night waiting for you to figure this out.”

“Right, right,” Cameron grumped before closing his eyes.

Thirty minutes later, he sighed and fell onto his back while looking at the clear skies above.

“Son of a fallen bastard’s lost honor, it actually works. Yeah, I know why this information wasn’t spread now. Palo and Loro would snap. This would destroy the empire for sure. Who needs the Graymin to wipe us out when we would do it ourselves.”

The names were familiar but Jiran couldn’t place them. He looked down at the crestfallen boy, wondering how to ask. When Cameron saw his look and grunted before explaining.

“Palolla Le’Sanctum and Lorodarand Le’Sanctum.”

“The emperors who oversee the church, of course. What do you mean they would snap? As in—

“Yes, exactly. They would go wild. It’s not public knowledge but they’ve been unstable for nearly a hundred years. Anything could set them off and the other emperors have to tiptoe around those two. On the surface, they may be happily married, but if you ever meet them, you would know right away they aren’t well,” Cameron groaned before roughly running his hands through his shaggy hair.

Jiran’s mind raced as he tried to put the pieces together. “So you’re saying that if my method was revealed to them, it could upset their mental state and cause them to go wild, turning into beasts?”

Jiran’s whole body shuddered at the thought of two emperor-tiered beasts suddenly appearing in the middle of the empire. It would take a full group of five emperors to bring down each one, and with only three emperors left, it would seal the fate of the empire.

There would be no survivors.