Rivers of the Night

There was a small lull, and then the beast’s shell seemed to burst with steam.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Pillars of lava erupted from the sea of red gold below, surging up and slamming against the reddened ceilings.

Theron watched intently, not missing a single beat. This was it.

’Indeed… they can swallow it… they can swallow the Bloomstone

This didn’t seem like a huge deal. In fact, it seemed inconsequential. So what if a beast could? What difference did it make?

Anyone worth their salt knew that the bodies of beasts were vastly different from their human counterparts. There was no surprise if they could do something a human couldn’t, especially if it was an Imbued Beast, and even more so if it was a Silver Imbued Beast like this one.

But to Theron, it was like firecrackers were going off in his mind.

He was overwhelmed with a sense of gravity.

’Could it really be…?’

Theron’s gaze flickered again and again.

If he was correct, this was game-changing.

What if… the Forbidden Spells of the Luminescent Moon Sect didn’t exist as methods of taking advantage of unknown abilities of the Bloomstone? What if, much like many other spells of a much more normal kind, they were mimicking something that already existed in nature?

What if the special mutations of the beasts in this Secret Realm had allowed them to always use Bloomstone in this way? And, what if…

Theron was able to use Bloomstone in this way as well?

It was a wild thought, but it was one that Theron couldn’t conceivably separate for himself. That was because he had felt what it was like to activate the Vital Bloomstone Forbidden Method in part.

When he first did the poses, his Immortal Jellyfish had corrected his stance, making him feel more whole and complete. But then, when he used Vital Bloomstone for the first time to heal himself, not only did it happen with shocking speed, but it was no less as fluid.

It was like… his body was already naturally able to do precisely what it was that these beasts could.

In that case… if he swallowed a Bloomstone, what would happen? Would he need to master these Forbidden Spells at all? Or could he skip all of that and allow his body to trigger their abilities all on its own?

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Theron’s gaze flickered continuously as he watched the beast continue its rampage. More and more pillars of fire and earth surged upward, slamming continuously. Continue your adventure at

In terms of variations, there was no doubt that Lava Mancy was truly up there. Theron had never heard of a human having it, at least not in the Nightingale Province. But he also hadn’t heard of a beast having it either. Its existence was practically sheer speculation.

But in terms of raw power alone, it might only be matched by Lightning Mancy. And honestly speaking, if Theron were to choose between the two, he would without a doubt choose Lava Mancy.

That was because it not only had the offensive capabilities of lightning, but it also had strong control and defensive capabilities as well. There was a reason it was the far rarer Mancy.

Now, Theron was facing off against it while his mind was weighing out the struggle of a lifetime.

There was only one way to test his hypothesis. But testing it might also cost him his life.

The downside was obviously death. But… what about the upside?

The upside was a chance to unlock a whole host of abilities with the simple swallowing of an external resource. And unlike pills, there were no impurities to consider or worry about.

So long as he had enough Vital Bloomstones… he could push himself to the very brink.

Theron hesitated, and then hesitated again.

Then… his eyes grew frighteningly cold.

If he went with his original plan, he would win, but it would be a pyrrhic victory where he danced on the blade’s edge until the very end. He just might lose his life.

But if this worked…

This entire Secret Realm, all of its secrets, and all of the resources that would come with it…

Would be his.

There was only one decision to make.

One was the cowardly way out. But the other… it almost guaranteed him revenge for his parents.

There was always a risk-to-benefit analysis to take when making a decision. Theron wouldn’t certainly die if he swallowed a Bloomstone; it was just a good chance.

If death wasn’t guaranteed, but the upside was life-changing wealth, a complete change to his Fate…

Then what was there to hesitate about?

Do it.

’But not now. Not yet. Only when all the cards are on the table.’

Theron’s shoulder shifted again, and this time, he didn’t pull out a Bloomstone, but instead a familiar crystal.

According to Dorian’s plans, he would control and then guide this beast. Only when the time was right would he try to pull things toward Thessa and, in all likelihood, Ironvale.

To Dorian, Ironvale was most definitely the greatest enemy to deal with. Such an enemy was almost certainly chosen to deal with him specifically.

But there was also no doubt that how well this plan would work would be dependent on Thessa and her faction’s reaction.

Now… what would Dorian do if Thessa appeared unannounced?

With a squeeze of his fist, the Water Mana around the crystal shattered. But Theron was far from done.

With a push of his palm, the crystal soared down.

In a relentless rampage, the beast didn’t even understand what it was doing. All it sensed was a great amount of Fire Mana rushing toward it, and it reacted on instinct, swallowing it whole.

Suddenly, the Fire Soul ember flared. Influenced by yet another Resonate Bloomstone Theron had thrown into its mouth, it was suddenly amplified countless times over.

…

From a far-off distance away, Thessa’s expression changed.

What just happened with her Fire Soul fragment?