"What are you...?"
Elias Voss stared at Rowan rcer, shock hollowing out his voice. Monts ago, Rowan had overwheld Marcus Hale by flooding his body with raw life force until it collapsed under the strain. Rowan himself stood untouched, calm, as if nothing had happened.
Elias had spent decades studying people born with supernatural gifts. This went beyond anything he understood. It was not just the sheer volu of vitality. Rowan’s combat ability was just as monstrous. The lightning technique he had used earlier surpassed anything Elias had ever witnessed, even from legends spoken of in the old mountain orders.
"Master Voss," Rowan said casually, brushing dust from his sleeve, "the distractions are handled. Let’s talk business."
Elias exhaled slowly. "You helped . I won’t pretend you didn’t. So... what do you want?"
Rowan dropped onto a nearby stone, relaxed, like a man negotiating over tea instead of corpses.
"I don’t like dancing around topics. I ca to this island to make a trade."
"What kind of trade?"
"I know your history. I know what you’re dealing with." Rowan’s gaze sharpened slightly. "I can quiet the hunger inside you. The emptiness. The... urges you’ve been fighting. In exchange, you teach your biological absorption discipline."
Elias frowned. He did not truly believe Rowan could fix him. But Rowan had saved him minutes ago. And part of him wanted soone else to understand the burden he carried.
Still...
"You should know," Elias said quietly, "even if I agree, learning this ability may not be good for you."
The discipline had made his body nearly indestructible. But it had widened the gap between mind and flesh. The stronger his body grew, the harder it beca to stay human.
Rowan smiled, faint but confident. "You don’t believe . That’s fine. I’ll prove it first."
In a blink, Rowan moved behind him.
A cool pressure touched the back of Elias’s neck. A soft blue glow flickered across Rowan’s hand, sinking past skin, past bone, into sothing deeper.
Elias gasped.
The technique Rowan used was a neural and spiritual harmonization thod. It adjusted emotional signals, repaired fractured thought patterns, and restored equilibrium between instinct and reason. Others had used similar thods to build loyal followers by planting subconscious triggers.
Rowan did none of that.
He simply... fixed the damage.
After a few seconds, Rowan stepped back. "Done."
Elias blinked. The constant grinding pressure inside his skull was gone. The gnawing hunger that had followed him for years had quieted into a distant whisper. His shoulders relaxed without him realizing it.
For the first ti in years, he felt like himself.
"If I’m not mistaken," Elias said slowly, "that technique... isn’t it connected to the old rcer lineage?"
"No," Rowan said simply. "I learned it through a deal with Quinn Thorne. Sa way I learned the other forbidden disciplines."
He lifted his hands.
Invisible forces rippled outward one after another. Spirit binding. Reality scripting sigils. Spatial calculation matrices. Autonomous construct forging. Essence flow manipulation. Each appeared briefly before fading.
Elias’s eyes widened.
Six lost disciplines. All mastered.
If he added Elias’s thod... that would make seven.
No wonder this man was so terrifying.
"I accept the trade," Elias said finally. "You fixed . I’ll pass it on now."
He cut his finger, letting blood bead at the surface.
"Normally, you’d need this to begin the synchronization process."
Rowan shook his head. "Not necessary."
He placed his palm on Elias’s head.
mories unfolded. Neural pathways. tabolic conversion cycles. Cellular reinforcent patterns. The full operational structure of the absorption discipline flowed into Rowan’s mind.
Most people needed rituals, catalysts, or genetic keys to inherit these techniques.
Rowan did not.
He closed his eyes.
Inside his body, energy began circulating along the newly learned pathways. His internal organs adapted first, restructuring to handle extre life-energy conversion.
A minute later, he opened his eyes and pressed his palm against a nearby tree.
A pulse spread outward.
The tree withered in seconds, its life essence draining into Rowan. Color returned to his skin. His pulse steadied into sothing... heavier. Denser.
"Interesting," Rowan murmured. "Very compatible with my existing biomass conversion abilities."
His original power allowed him to draw vitality from plant matter to restore stamina and magical output.
This new discipline was broader.
It allowed absorption from any living organism. Not just recovery. Permanent physical reinforcent.
"Unbelievable..." Elias whispered. "Minutes. You learned it in minutes."
Rowan stood, dusting off his coat.
"Trade complete," he said. "Take care of yourself, Master Voss."
Then he vanished.
He reappeared beside two island sentries who had been secretly monitoring Elias.
"Good evening," Rowan said pleasantly. "Could you inform your king I’d like an audience?"
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