Leaving the Realm was a much easier ordeal. It didn't require as much impetus. With a thought, it was as if a doorway had opened up inside the Inner Plane, leading Kieran's attention back to the real world.
A few monts after he felt the Realm's strange presence disappeared, he opened his eyes.
He was instantly greeted by the sight of Ezra's gorgeous visage dressed in a full-body suit stitched from leather-like material. Thin plates of lusterless tal clung to parts of her body to provide additional protection without impeding mobility.
When he looked at her, Ezra staggered back, her face adopting a strange pallor and her eyes widening in horror. The fear in her eyes was shadowed by intrigue and disbelief. However, Kieran caught her wrist to keep her from stumbling over the passing people behind.
"Are you okay there, Ezra?"
"Okay..." Ezra choked and stamred her words out. She gained so of her bearings a mont later, tilting her head with a burning, inquisitive gaze. "Your eyes... they're so strange. And horrifying. And there's sothing about you I can't put into words. You feel... terrifying K- Aatrox."
Though his real na was no mystery to the public, given his interview, that didn't an Kieran wished for it to be used at all tis. It was a slip-up on Ezra's part, but he ignored it altogether.
"Well, yeah. That tends to happen when you experience growth. And how my growth happened... you could say it doesn't surprise that I'll eventually learn so strange things."
Ezra's expression betrayed her lack of understanding, and that was to be expected given Kieran's ambiguity, but he wasn't keen on cluing anyone in on his current situation.
As it stood, he was far closer to Argexes than he felt comfortable. Inside his Realm, he could feel the madness slumbering within the endless number of crimson chains forming the bleeding sky.
And he felt speaking of it would give the chains greater authority over his mind. Sothing about words being extrely powerful, capable of morphing the subconscious in ways one couldn't understand until it was upon him.
Which wasn't wrong considering the nature and basis of his Subclass lent support to that school of thought. Words were powerful, and the tongue was a frightful weapon... but the mouth wasn't the only way one could speak.
"...How strong would you say you are," Ezra suddenly asked.
Deep in her eyes was a competitive fla, flickering with a need to understand what this man before her had achieved.
Kieran crossed his arms, thinking for a mont.
Because of what he had seen, he found it difficult - downright impossible, really to call himself strong. He had witnessed too much and internalized more, and thus, he felt small and inconsequential.
There was Agrianos, the Child of Destruction and Ancient of Ascension, who wielded power so great reality trembled beneath him. He didn't quite understand how such a level could be achieved, and it was done without relying upon Argexes, who again made Kieran feel like a pittance in the grand scope that was reality.
Then, there was Hekaina, the Enchantress of the Wykins and Ancient of Woven Fate. He attempted to make conjectures about her abilities, but the mystique her actions were steeped in mystique perplexed his mind. He had concluded that the price paid to the Hecate was that abstruse concept known as Significance, but he still hadn't learned its purpose or origin. Aside from his conjectures, there was her unique thod of wielding the ciphers. Well, he couldn't speak for its uniqueness given his lack of exposure to many Runemasters, but the mystique baffled him still.
To balloon her ciphers to a size larger than man and have them work in concert without fail and cast with a single incantation reached a level of mastery so absurd Kieran doubted he could reach that point without endless devotion.
And Kieran had a sneaking suspicion that Hekaina and Agrianos were rely the tip of the iceberg surrounding Ancients. The thought that other equally profound and age-old individuals skulked Xenith's surface sent a chill down Kieran's spine.
Because of these thoughts, Kieran answered truthfully.
"I'm... better than average," he said.
Ezra scowled initially. Then, it beca an adorable pout.
"You want to believe you're only stronger than average when I have committed your feats to mory?"
"You must rember, those feats were accomplished as a Novice," Kieran shrugged. He watched Ezra's expression go through visible changes, but her disbelief remained constant. "The baseline has risen now that we're Adepts. I can't hold myself to that sa standard. And so... I say I'm better than average."
Ezra found reason in his logic. As Adept, the baseline has risen, but she felt there were so holes in the argunt. For one, the number of stats given upon Tier Evolution was pretty minuscule.
"I can understand where you're coming from, but... the Tier Evolution I received only rewarded 660 points across all of my General Attributes. That isn't an earth-shattering change in baseline."
Kieran's ears perked up when Ezra disclosed the exact number of stats she received from her evolution. It was lower than how many he received, but it wasn't a huge disparity.
'660 and 700. That's what... a 40-point difference?'
However, Kieran also rembered that the Advanced encompassed much more than just increasing their Attributes. He would even say Attributes were a secondary aspect of the
Advancing.
A true Advancing led to a comprehensive upgrade by culminating what one learned and experienced as a Novice - a Path that would, in the end, bestow a boon of personalized
effect.
"What about the other things your Advancing awarded? Class Upgrade, and the like. Does that not contribute to a risen baseline?"
"Well, you're not wrong. I did gain a great deal," Ezra muttered, revisiting all she had gained
from it.
In Kieran's case, he received Attributes, but more importantly, Titles. All of which currently lood in the corner of his vision.
[Herald of the Unbroken (Mythic - Title)]: You usher the Unbroken, for they are your kind and are drawn to you. Forged by fla and adversity, your soul is greater than the sum of its forrly shattered parts. 5 RES, 5 WIL.
[Warwrought (Legendary - Title)]: Made in the throes of battle, your soul bleeds the aftereffect of a brutal war. Your wounds are aplenty, but to a savage, bleeding wounds are a sign that your heart pumps still. You do not shy from battle, nor do you fear it because you were born for it, and it empowers you. 6% STR, 2 MIG.
[Apex Predator (Legendary - Title)]: To be challenged is to have your dreams fulfilled. You were a predator before all else, and now your predation has grown to be legendary. The apex is elusive, but you hunt it with impunity. 5% PER, 2 ACU, 2 ALA Though his Titles awarded him status, whether concrete or a percentage boost, the descriptions hinted that each Title likely highlighted a trait he could utilize.
He didn't have proof of this yet, but Kieran believed the Apex Predator Title was linked to his
Type Upgrade. Otherwise, they wouldn't share so many similarities.
After sifting through his Titles, Kieran dismissed them and shifted the conversation.
"I think that's enough of our personal strength because there'll be more ti to talk about that later. We have other things to discuss, don't we?"
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