The understanding that the Trial's end would soon be upon them collided against Kieran's mind like a surreal bomb.
He was surprisingly met with ambivalent emotions.
A part of him counted the days with restless delight, looking forward to the Trial's end as if it were the most sublime gift he could receive. That would be a true blessing because it marked the return of all that had been stolen from him.
This Trial… was hell.
At least for him, personally. Aside from the confirmed pleasantry of the Sacred Inheritor's experience, perhaps the others fared much better, but it was always meant to be a nightmarish scenery for Kieran.
After all, his accolades determined what Trial every Inheritor would face. Its success hinged upon his personal efforts.
The voice had revealed that to him, but he hadn't understood it initially.
The weight of the Anchor dictated the difficulty of the Trialscape. At some point, Kieran had begun to suspect that this event was amongst the strongest the Flame had ever been in Xenith.
'That wouldn't be the wrong assumption to make, right?'
The arbiter of this Trial had confirmed Kieran's capacity to become a Great Myth, which in turn designated him as a powerful Anchor. The prospect of great potential was both a gift and a curse. It could be the source of veneration but also the focus of envy. And envy was a dangerous emotion that led many to do vile things.
Daedric was an example of actions driven by envy. Kieran had not gone out of his way to create conflict with the giant, but he somehow ended up in a blood feud with the Colossal Inheritor.
Kieran shrugged that thought aside.
Though their Class offered similar benefits in different areas, their accumulations could not be compared. What set them apart was Kieran's accumulation of feats… and the Imprints engraved upon his body.
Despite the hell Kieran had been through, however, he couldn't dismiss what he gained from being in this place — mostly about himself, but also about the facets of the world he previously remained blind to.
More than that, Kieran suspected he would learn much more if he remained here longer. Many parts of this Trial resonated with powers resting in his soul and impulses that guided his every action.
What else could the Flame teach him if he gave it a chance? What else could he learn from the Cardinal of War and Flame as he studied him closely?
And… what would he learn from the final battle? What if everything up until this point paled compared to what the last moments had in store for him?
Kieran was a firm believer that the final moments were the most critical. It was, after all, his last moments that allowed him to return. He had yet to find the reason for said return, but an unknown voice in his mind affirmed that he would learn the truth in the future.
He would learn every truth… for he had become a Truthseeker at Eni's behest.
Confirmation of the Inheritor's journey to the Wailing Sierra had come, and because most of them were coming from beyond the fringes of the Land of Ruin, Kieran estimated it would take months before they arrived.
Unlike the other Inheritors, Kieran could arrive at the Wailing Sierra in a day's travel.
That left Kieran with several months to prepare, strengthen his arsenal, and complete the refining process of whatever he could.
Before he could begin that process, he had to give it structure first — a habit that came to be after attaining personal mastery of Anatomy.
With structure came the understanding of what must be done. And though Kieran thrived in chaos, he enjoyed the order and immersion the new perspective graced him with.
There wasn't much left for Kieran to do other than focus strictly on completing the tasks of his Advancing. It was difficult to realize at first, but Kieran now understood every action made thus far aligned with one of the objectives of his Advancing.
Of the five objectives, Kieran remained confounded by the first — employing and understanding Manic Integration. He gleaned part of its meaning from its name — a skill that supported fusion, but that's where the issue arose.
What was he supposed to integrate?
Emotions? It was a possibility, but Kieran felt it was an unlikely one.
An ability already existed as the fusion of emotions — Will.
A person's Will was a culmination of emotions, generally geared toward enduring or striving.
However, Kieran had learned recently that Will could temporarily or permanently adopt emotions that had little to do with either of those factors. That was how he gained the ability to employ his Will as a makeshift weapon or shield.
If not emotions, blood, then?
Kieran shook his head again.
'No. Enhancing Blood Mania will lead to a comprehensive overhaul of my blood. That'd be redundant.'
Kieran fell into deeper thought, ruminating over the meaning of the first objective.
If he had nothing to do with his emotions or blood, which were the two primary vehicles of power for his Class… what was left?
He turned to his experiences in the Trial thus far for the answer. There had been a cycle to everything he had endured, but not every experience needed to be considered to reach an explanation.
The aspects of the Advancing were woven into the Trial itself and existed as seamless hints. Now, he had to discern and decipher those hints.
Engrossed in understanding this objective, Kieran sat in the Realm for days, analyzing his experiences with the Flame and his experiences with the Cardinal of War and Flame.
Slowly, the instances where he adopted and integrated pieces of their disposition and skills became apparent. Then, like puzzle pieces aligned to create a mesmerizing and elucidating tapestry, Kieran arrived at an answer with widened eyes.
'I've gradually come to internalize the skills of these two. They aren't my own, but I can emulate them. Then… Manic Integration would be…'
Kieran jumped to his feet in shock.
"Anchor… my Blood Rune! I need my Blood Rune!"
The Anchor thrummed.
However, it did not return what Kieran requested. He wracked his mind for a reason the Anchor would return his Blood Rune. He knew how to refine it now. It had always been before his eyes, but he had belatedly recognized its essence.
"Anchor… you have been with me through it at all. You have seen that I lost everything, but I did not break. I stood strong. Grant me this one wish. I will not let you down."
Silence ensued, and then an answer came. But the voice that spoke to him… Kieran did not expect it.
[You have resisted well thus far. But your challenge is far from over. Your request… is denied. Unless you take the actionable steps to create it yourself and deepen your understanding of your power in the process, you are not permitted to have that which didn't exist during this event.]
Kieran frowned, for he knew that voice. It belonged to the same entity that catapulted the Inheritors into this Trial.
However, Kieran didn't bicker or berate the owner of that voice.
The station was unfathomable and could likely wipe him out of existence. But, in their refusal, there was an exit route. He had to do everything manually, which Kieran didn't mind. Manual meant he'd internalize what he learned.
It'd be etched into his memory.
'I can assimilate the skills of other Maddened. But that's the passive effect. This is just speculation… but I believe I can consolidate my skills!'
