51 Death of the Desolate Universe (1/2)

The Devil stared at Helial as he stood up, his spiritual body looking quite bad.

”You already chose,” the kid made a brief remark, his eyes sparkling with a mysterious glow. He had caught sight of something in Helial's eyes, something that only Helial himself and his brother could grasp.

”Light, huh? It's gonna be fun.”

”How d-” he interrupted mid-sentence. ”My memories…” Helial grinned his teeth.

”I know everything, even if you don't tell me,” the Devil smiled slyly.

”Then you also know why I chose it.”

”Yeah. It's an interesting choice, very appropriate for one of my disciples,” he approached him with an evil smile on his face.

He patted his index finger on Helial's forehead. Suddenly, a shiningly black sphere got into Helial's head. Its darkness was unfathomable and looked as bleak as a timeless glacier.

All of a sudden, Helial's mind was flooded with an endless flow of information, which slowly converged into a Skill.

You learned a new Skill!

Death of the Desolate Universe

The Devil raised his hand, his index finger half raised, and said: ”This is my Breathing Technique. You're the first person…”

***

”... I've ever showed it to. Congrats!”

***

”... to ever access it. Congrats,” the Devil laughed icily as he shook his head. Then, he curiously lowered his arm, that was in midair.”If you really want to cultivate both Life and Destruction, you'll have to tell one's powers from the other's altogether. Now, sit cross-legged. I'm going to teach you a principle I once found in some ruins I came across along a space-time boundary. I couldn't cultivate it myself because I represent Destruction, or one of its forms, so I'll never be able to represent Life as well.”

Helial sat down after staring blankly for a moment. That terrifying Breathing Technique was enough to scary him to death, yet the Devil just gave it away to him so easily. Helial smiled. Maybe he wasn't that evil, after all.

One moment after though, the smile vanished from his face. That same Devil could have possibly saved Vidio, and decided not to. Why?

Once he sat, the Devil began to explain calmly: ”Now put each hand on the corresponding leg, palms upwards. Next, try to generate two Mana spheres. Doesn't matter if this isn't your actual body. The training will work anyways.”

Helial stretched his hands, palms upwards, and evoked two Mana spheres.

”Okay. Now feel the force of Destruction that fills my Breathing Technique, without activating it yet, and try to lead your knowledge towards the sphere on your right.”

Helial closed his eyes and followed the instructions, trying to probe that mysterious Skill.

He sensed some hints of the Breathing Technique hidden powers and his shock intensified. He felt a violent rage and an excruciating pain spread through his body. They seemed to be trying to rip his gut to pieces.

And yet he wasn't suffering. That pain seemed to belong to someone else.

It was no ordinary pain. It was the apotheosis of all pains. If let free, then it would have probably razed the whole universe to the ground thanks to its unrivalled fury. That feeling filled his body with bleakness, as if his heart and bones were about to freeze.

”Destruction is death, annihilation, but no absence,” the Devil explained, as his profound words started resonating with Helial's heart. ”Life is birth, renewal, but no plenitude.”

Helial pondered the meaning of these words as he repeated them: ”Destruction is death, annihilation, but no absence. Life is birth, renewal, but no plenitude.”

He began to make the deep feeling sprung from Destruction flow into the Mana sphere in his right hand. The sphere suddenly turned from translucent into light-bluish, before getting darker and darker. After a while it looked murky, like a greyish mud.

”Now feel the principle behind Flame of the Qilin, make it your own, and then move it towards your left hand, without stopping sensing Destruction in your right hand. And keep in mind: Life is birth, renewal, but no plenitude. Destruction is death, annihilation, but no absence.”

The boy started feeling the heat of the flame seething inside his chest.

He felt a sudden urge to soar through the sky and face death, as his flesh got infused with a sweet warmth.