122. Cōl Lāli

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Cold Star Magic has leveled up!

Magic Theory has leveled up!

Soul Sense has leveled up! x3

Soul’s Decree has leveled up!

Fatigue Resistance has leveled up!

Primal Soul Core has leveled up!

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You have learned a new spell; Natcattiram Cataract!

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Your incredible attunement with your soul has allowed you to learn your Cōl Lāli, the lullaby of your soul. A Cōl Lāli is a personal lexis. Whenever you intone even just one line of the incantation, your mana and soul power will go into overdrive.

With each line uttered, your energy consumption will lower by 1%, ignoring limits, and your magic attack will increase by 1%. Your senses will be heightened, your body will be fortified, and your base regeneration factor enhanced.

Each line cannot be more than a minute apart from each other and the effects last for five minutes. On the other hand, whenever you finish your lexis in its entirety, you will be granted a temporary 25% increase in magic attack followed by light exhaustion.

Note: The first use of the Cōl Lāli is always the most tiring. Keep in mind that ‘singing’ your Cōl Lāli is strenuous for both the body and soul.

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You have gotten closer to your Soul Marble!

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That’s what Rakna woke up to and more so than the block of text in front of him, the first thing his attention latched to was the lexis he had intoned earlier. It was scathing in the back of his mind, ready to be used at any given moment. It was as if the very notion of ever forgetting this chant was simply impossible to conceive.

“{Hey, you’re finally awake!}”

Rakna’s expression contorted as if he had suddenly been stabbed in the guts. ‘Really? Did you have to say those exact words?’

“{Huh? Did I say something wrong?}”

“…forget it,” he uttered and sat up as Higure cocked her head in confusion. He looked around and noted that he had been moved to the lounge room. He apparently was lying on the floor and to his right, he could see Evelyn sitting on a couch, asleep. Rexam and Fenriu were also present. Both of them were seemingly sleeping.

He looked at himself and noticed that he was still in his werewolf form. The good thing was that he hadn’t used Gigantism earlier or it could have been a bit awkward. More so if his theory that he might have been carried by Flavia or Evelyn was correct.

“How long have I been out of commission?” He asked as he reverted to a therian. He tightened his limbs, relieved that he hadn’t somehow returned to a crippled state.

“{Not that long. Maybe two hours? The young Cambion has been staying here all along and the other lass was doing the same until she went out a short moment ago. I told them to not worry too much since I’m aware of the side-effects of unlocking a Cōl Lāli.}”

“You told them?”

“{Yes. Through telepathy. It’s an easy skill to learn, you should give it a try.}”

“I see…” He muttered and closed his eyes. “[Crystals of Frost Abide the Star’s Wrath,]” he muttered and his circuits flared. His mind immediately became clearer as if he had been injected a shot of adrenaline.

“{Ah! Rakna! You shouldn’t use it again so soon!}” Higure shouted worryingly.

“It’s fine. I only wanted to test the first line,” he replied as he clenched his hand. “More importantly, you seem to have some knowledge of this.”

“{Of course, I also have one, after all. To be exact, I had one. In any case, Cōl Lāli; a unique lexis branded on the soul that mirrors the user’s life. It’s an unattainable goal for most people, and to make things even worse, not everyone possesses one. Though I guess I should’ve expected this from you. You have a mastery over the soul unlike any other. You even have a nine-line Cōl Lāli. Even I only had four.}”

“What; the more lines the better?”

“{In a nutshell, yes. Nine is a pretty high number too as far as I know.}”

Rakna combed his hair in thought before shrugging. From the sounds of it, Cōl Lāli was a handy method to last longer in a fight. But, at the end of the day, it was a by-product of what he had truly wanted to make earlier. His status flickered into existence and his eyes landed on the new spell.

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Natcattiram Cataract (T.5): The caster summons twelve congregates of cold energy and molds them into four-pointed stars. The stars will merge and be set onto a launching spring.

This spell is considered Tier 5 partly for its incredible range. As long as the caster is capable of seeing their target, they can aim at it. The compressed star, while in flight, will not lose any of its force no matter how far it is propelled and anything on its path will be torn apart, only detonating on command.

Maximum Range: ~5000 meters.

Cost: 70% of the Host’s Mana Pool. (Primal Soul Core Correction – Limit Reached: 50%).

Attack: User’s MA multiplied by 7.

Cooldown: 1h.

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“So, it’s not only a good finisher but also a carpet-bombing spell... I like it.”

Higure snickered. “{Of course, you do.}”

“Now that I think about it, I also got a skill from doing the stampede,” he muttered as he recalled the rewards he had gotten from the impromptu ordeal. He opened his Item Box and pressed on the concerned case.

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Designation: Skill/Spontaneous Skill

Name: Wrath Yaksha

Requirements: Level 50 <✗> 200 Atr Cap <✗> Lv.10 (Max) Fear Resistance <✓>

Description:

By summoning a Yaksha within your body, you will be able to redirect negativity toward you and in consequence, you will attract the animosity of most hostile creatures in the vicinity.

Additionally, while the skill is active, your body will be strengthened by the Yaksha to resist magical and physical damage. However, the Yaksha will continuously attempt to take over your mind so be mindful to never use this skill in times of weakness.

Cost: 300 MP | Duration: 5 Min.

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“In other words, an aggro skill, huh?”

“{Aggro?}”

“Short for aggression. Basically, it’s the manipulation of an enemy’s focus,” Rakna answered with a sigh and stood up. He took one of the few blankets inside his storage and used it to cover Evelyn who was only wearing her bodysuit; her cloak folded next to her. She mewled and faintly smiled at the warmth before snuggling further.

Higure grinned. “{What a gentleman you are.}”

Rakna snorted and his ears and nose twitched. He looked at the stairs and saw Flavia stepping in with a bag in her hand. “Ah,” she exclaimed when she crossed eyes with him and smiled. “You’re awake!” She spoke perkily and walked to him. “Miss Higure told us it would be fine but, are you okay?” She asked as she put down the bag on the table.

“I am. Don’t worry, I don’t feel any different.”

“{Also drop the ‘Miss’, lass. I’ve had this name for barely two days now, don’t add honorifics to it already,}” the lioness uttered, and Rakna observed that she seemed to be connecting both him and Flavia through telepathy.

“Well, in that case, I’ll gladly do so, Higure,” the former teacher said softly with an ever-so bright smile on her face. It almost looked like there was a sun illuminating her back.

The lioness blinked in surprise and speedily turned to Rakna, “{D-devourer, this friend of yours is way too sweet! Since when humans were so sweet and gentle?!}”

He gave her an amused glance. ‘It’s just how she is. Get used to it,’ he responded and looked at the bag she had brought. “This is?”

“Ah, it’s coffee. I thought you would like one after coming around.”

“{…}”

“…I really can’t disagree on the sweet part.”

“Hm?” Flavia tilted her head and he snorted before peering at what was inside the bag. He pulled out three sealed cups with a small plastic band sticking out from the top. “They told me that you just needed to pull on that small strip and it would heat up for consumption,” she explained when she saw him throw a confused look at the cup.

“Oh?” Rakna raised an eyebrow and did what she said. Right after, an almost imperceptible burst of mana occurred before vanishing. The lid of the cup consequently slid off and gave view to the steaming coffee. “How does this work…?”

“They said it was an elementary application of ‘runes’. It’s apparently a magic that can be used by anyone regardless of their affinities. They called it a branch of spellcraft,” Flavia said as she took a seat and similarly opened a cup.

“{What she says is right,}” Higure remarked from the side as Rakna grabbed several of the sugar cubes that were inside the bag. “{If you want, I could teach you.}”

“If it’s no bother for you, I’d really appreciate it,” Flavia nodded cheerfully and Higure almost felt like crying at the pure aura that emanated from her. Meanwhile, Rakna was mechanically putting sugar in his cup.

When he added his fifth one, even Higure was forced to say something, “{Hey… don’t you think it’s a bit too much?}” Rakna shrugged and added a sixth… and a seventh one before finally stopping.

Flavia giggled and the lioness looked at her. “He and his uncle have always been like this. Every time I came to their house to make breakfast, they would always put obscene quantities of sugar in their coffee. Maybe the two rubbed off on each other.”

Rakna grunted at what she said and took a sip.

“{So… you would make breakfast for those two?}” Higure inquired curiously as the two entered a peaceful silence while drinking their coffee.

“Yes,” Flavia smiled fondly. “The old master was normally very responsible but he was horrible at waking up in the morning. And when I learned that Rakna would always wake up early but never eat breakfast, I just started going there every morning.”

“And then she started teaching me how to cook as if it was the most normal thing ever,” Rakna commented in between his sips.

“{Ooh,}” Higure was captivated by their relationship. “{How did you two meet?}”

Flavia’s back stiffened a little. “Well… it wasn’t a very good encounter. To be completely honest with you, Higure, for a time, I was scared of even approaching their house and my grandfather was just as apprehensive as me if not more.”

The lioness frowned at that. “{Why so?}”

“That-”

“Flavia,” Rakna interrupted her with a blank tone. He threw her a look and she smiled bitterly. He then turned to Higure who was gazing at him with a suspicious eye. “It was a time of my life I’m not the proudest. That’s all you have to know,” he said, not leaving her a chance to reply.

Flavia chuckled wryly and glanced to the side where Evelyn was peacefully snoozing away under a blanket that she 100% was sure wasn’t there before. “But… you’ve been getting better over the years, haven’t you?” She said and he hummed while looking at his coffee.

“As much as I hate to say it, this situation seems to have had positive effects on your mental state, don’t you think? Usually, you would have never made a promise like what you did for Evelyn.”

Higure was now both confused and worried about the implications of her words. Even Fenriu was cracking one eye open while listening to the conversation.

“You might be right,” Rakna admitted as callously as ever though there was a hint of gentleness in his tone. Flavia smiled and they fell into a comfortable silence again. Higure ultimately decided to just drop the subject and enjoy the peace.

A few minutes later, Rakna’s eyes widened in realization as he watched the ripples of the swirling coffee in his hand. “{Hm? What’s wrong, devourer?}” The lioness asked, noticing the change in his expression.

“Tomorrow…” He whispered. “Is the full moon.”