Born In Ashes: The Enigma
Chapter 46: Zyrek (Part 1)

Chapter 46: Zyrek (Part 1)

Clang! Clang! Clang! - - - -

In the training ground, Azrael and Ashara fought back and forth, both wielding greatswords nearly as tall as their bodies.

Azrael moved forward swiftly, holding a black-colored greatsword, and blocked Ashara’s incoming strike.

The collision between the two weapons generated a loud clash of metal, and due to the tremendous force behind each blow, shockwaves rippled through the surrounding air.

Unlike Azrael, who was using his Soul Armament, Ashara wielded a normal greatsword forged from fine iron.

However, her blade was enveloped in fiery red cosmic energy, and even with all his strength, Azrael couldn’t cut through that layer of energy to damage the normal sword.

Ashara’s long, orange hair was tied back in a ponytail, and like Azrael, she wore a fitted training suit.

She easily blocked all of Azrael’s attacks and struck back whenever she noticed a flaw in his movements, forcing him to recognize and correct his mistakes.

After nearly half an hour of sparring, Azrael suddenly stepped back from Ashara.

The black sword in his hand began to glow with a hazy blue light as the entire blade became enveloped in cosmic energy. Unlike two months ago, when he had struggled to control the energy properly, his progress was now evident.

Cosmic energy flowed smoothly from his body into the greatsword, and Azrael’s gaze sharpened.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and held the sword in a horizontal slashing position.

The cosmic energy continued to pour into the blade, and the hazy glow around it intensified.

Ashara’s eyes flashed with a hint of admiration, and she gave a small nod of approval.

In the next instant, Azrael stepped forward and swung his sword at her.

The cosmic energy covering the blade boiled, then shot forward in a sharp, half-moon-shaped arc. The air split apart, and due to Fallen Star’s ability Sword Domination, the power of the attack increased by an additional 50%.

The sword arc carved a deep mark into the ground as it shot toward Ashara at frightening speed.

Ashara smiled upon sensing the strength of the attack. She casually poked the incoming arc with her own greatsword, still coated in fiery red cosmic energy.

The moment her weapon touched the arc, Azrael’s sword arc shattered and vanished without a trace.

Azrael wasn’t surprised by this. After all, his mother was a Cosmic King-level being. If she weren’t suppressing her power, she could easily reduce him to a pulp with a mere tap of her pinky finger.

Having poured nearly all his remaining energy into that final strike, Azrael slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.

Ashara walked over to him, squatted down beside him, and poked his cheek with her finger.

"It’s such a big day for you, but you still insisted on training, huh?" She said in a helpless tone and infused a bit of her cosmic energy into his body to accelerate his recovery.

Azrael felt warmth spread through his limbs, and the fatigue from the sparring session and energy expenditure began to fade.

He didn’t respond to her comment. Instead, he asked, "When will we start?"

"Your father should be back with the Awakening Stone in an hour or so," Ashara replied with a smile. "Go take a shower. You can begin once he returns."

Azrael nodded and stood up.

"By the way, are you sure you don’t want a birthday party? It’s a big day. How about we invite some peop—"

"Leave it, Mom," Azrael interrupted, shaking his head. "If you really want to do something, then you, me, Dad, and Kael can just go out somewhere for dinner."

Azrael still remembered Kael’s birthday from last month and felt a headache coming on just thinking about doing something similar. He knew he wasn’t cut out for things like smiling and greeting every single guest that came to a party.

After seeing what Kael had to endure that day, he had already decided that there would be no guests at his own birthday celebration.

When Ashara heard his suggestion of going out for dinner, she immediately shook her head.

"Absolutely not. Even if you don’t want to invite anyone, we are still going to have a home party. I’ll be the one cooking today."

Azrael paused in surprise and turned to look at her.

"Mom... you can cook?" _{fre eweb\(n)ovel(.)co(m)}

It had been nearly a year since he came to live with her, and she had never cooked even once so he had assumed she didn’t cook because she couldn’t.

Ashara was speechless when she saw his astonished expression, and her face darkened.

"Young man, are you looking down on your mom?"

Azrael saw that she was displeased and quickly shook his head. "Of course not. There is no way I would look down on someone as awesome as you. It’s just that... you never cooked, so I figured maybe you didn’t like it."

Ashara rolled her eyes. "With that sweet mouth of yours, it wouldn’t be hard for you to deceive some naïve young girls."

Then she turned and waved her hand.

"Go on. I am heading back."

Azrael watched her leave and let out a sigh of relief. He had been afraid she might drag him out shopping as punishment. Thankfully, he survived.

He went to the bathroom, and after removing his training suit, he turned on the shower, letting the cold water pour down over his body.

He closed his eyes and reflected on everything that had happened over the past two months.

With Ashara’s help, he had reached the same level of proficiency with the greatsword as he previously had with daggers. He had also learned how to use cosmic energy properly, and now he could channel it to enhance his abilities.

If he were to face that black figure again—the one he had fought during the trial to contract with Fallen Star—he was confident he could kill it in under two minutes... and that is without injuring himself like last time, when he had lost his foot just to land the final blow.

He opened his status window, and his eyes gleamed.

=====

---) Name: Azrael Thorne

---) Age: 16 Years

---) Level: 0

---) Status: Unawakened

---) Traits: Infinite Comprehension (Eternal Grade), Cold Blooded (White Grade—Evolvable)

---) Attribute: None

---) Rune: None

---) Substance: None

---) Title: ??? [Locked]

---) Bloodline: None

---) Strength: 20.3

---) Agility: 20

---) Stamina: 20.8

---) Cosmic Energy: 125 (+50 — due to 40% increase brought by Mid-Level Breathing Method) → 175

---) Skill: Cosmic Energy Breathing Method (Mid Level)

---) Shop [Locked]

---) Inventory [Locked]

---) Task Points: 1145—(He had received 1,000 points for completing the task of forming a contract with the Fallen Star.)

=====

His stat points hadn’t increased much over the past two months, but his combat ability had definitely improved—especially now that he could use cosmic energy and had formed a contract with Fallen Star.

"Finally... the day of my awakening," Azrael muttered, his voice filled with anticipation. "I wonder what kind of power I’ll awaken."