Chapter 49: Dawnless
Within the purple veil of Ashenfall’s dominion, a seismic shift had unfolded.
Minutes ago, the air had trembled with violent pulses, as if the realm itself were a living entity venting its fury. The ground shuddered, sending ripples of dark purple energy cascading beyond its borders, a raw display of Ashenfall’s wrath.
Scattered across the desolate landscape were relics of war, shields etched with arcane runes, spears glinting with latent malice, swords half-buried in the ashen soil, and armors that seemed to whisper of battles long past. Each object quivered in sync with the dominion’s unrest, their surfaces reflecting the eerie glow of the purple moon overhead.
Above, ten creatures soared through the sky, their sleek forms cutting through the haze. Each was a meter long, their black scales shimmering with purple patterns that pulsed beneath their leathery wings. Reptilian eyes burned with primal power, and jagged white teeth gleamed in silent hunger.
These were baby dragons, born of Ashenfall’s essence, circling the moon like sentinels of a new era.
...
Baines awoke to a surge of awareness, his core thrumming with a larger reserve of aura.
The sensation was intoxicating, like a river of energy coursing through him, unshackled and potent. He had ascended to the rank of Aura Master, the sixth star in the aura hierarchy, a realm where aura began to take tangible form.
They were also known as true masters.
Sixth-star warriors could wield their aura with unparalleled versatility. Baines could now project aura pressure, a force capable of stunning weaker beings with his mere presence. For example, he could infuse his aura with decay, and a corrosive will hang around him, or channel his intent to cut, and a destructive force would form around him.
His aura could now shape physical constructs—shields, armors, weapons—molded by his will. He could regenerate wounds by redirecting aura flow, though at the cost of temporarily depleting his reserves.