Chapter 276: Restoration and Empowerment

As the fleshy organ evaporated in Aiden's mouth turning into particles of energy to provide him with further gains, the memories of the two orcs that were now part of his being, began to play out with rapid succession. 

From the memories, he could make out that there was a special existence at the very top, governing the entire Horde. This being was someone from another realm, someone that instilled fear and obedience to the various warlords, leaders of the races that were now under his banner. 

The 13 warlords were nothing more than subordinates of this being, someone whose name Aiden couldn't make out from the memories nor could he peak at his features. The only clue he could make out was from the last image before their own consciousness was being brought under the command of this being. He was a controller, a manipulator of minds… The last scene that played out in both cases was a dark cloud engulfing both orcs' minds completely, swallowing their consciousness with ease. After that, there only fragmented images focused on the battlefield. 

The only unique event was the moment of clarity that encroached upon the berserker. As he was first defeated and pushed to the brink of death, the magus' hold over his mind suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by a lust for revenge. 

The scene of him plunging deep into his brethren and devouring his flesh, blood, heart, and core and enforcing his own evolution through his rage as the driving force… only to be met with failure halfway through as the very energy that controlled him pulled him back at the very last moment.

The scenes flashed through Aiden's mind rapidly, his mind processing all that was playing out in front of him with incredible speed, mostly thanks to the newly gained parameters and skills that he was yet to take a peek at.

Although there two full lifetimes worth of memories to go through, the entire process only took him a couple of minutes, before his closed eyelids slowly opened up glimmering with the very same golden brilliance as they did through the battle.

He slowly looked through the demolished hallway, that they turned into a brutal battlefield. Rubble, dust, splintered wooden remains of the destroyed doors to the various rooms… Organs and rivers of blood dominating over the once royal carpet… The carnage they accomplished was brutal.

His eyes slowly went through each of the three standing minions of his, his eyes curving into a satisfied, contented smile. Whatever results, rewards, the system would show him, he was proud of each of his minions, they really outdid themselves in their first combat. These once small and fragile, meaningless existences, were now able to comfortably match up to creatures that were birthed and raised through war. Not just any, but these warriors they faced were the elites the very top of their ranks!

He nodded at them as his eyes slowly passed through them, finally arriving on the unconscious but still stabilized first minion of his, Roas. He suffered the most in this battle, meeting someone that he couldn't possibly match. Still, it was him, that gained his first victory, he didn't hesitate, did not falter when he was faced off against this monstrous berserker… 

He felt guilty, he was his first 'creation', and he did not know what he was doing at the time. When he was creating Glohn, his most recent one, he knew much more about this mysterious power of his.

Determination shined in his eyes, as he made the decision to fix this mistake and properly reward his most devoted servant. He approached the bulky orcs stably lying body, crouching down, planting his right palm under his head, and lifting it up from the ground slowly, carefully.

"[Orc] Roas, I am at fault for what happened to you. I planned to fix this mistake after the battle, but it seems I should have done that before I threw you into danger. I'm still too young and inexperienced, I hope you can forgive me…." Looking at his slumbering servant, Aiden spoke in a sad tone.

With his right hand holding the body of Roas in a sitting posture, he put his left hand atop his head and closed his eyes, focusing on his already bubbling power deep inside him. He released the shackles on both of his auras, letting their power descend on the hallway freely. He focused both streams of his energies and slowly began to guide them towards his connecting palm, to revitalize his fainted friend, and even provide him with further benefits.

The moment the young master's aura descended and enveloped the trio, Glohn, Gob, and Galina turned their attention from the demolished hallway towards Aiden. The powers that he released and kept active, these auras that would be choking, overpowering to his enemies, were incredibly soothing, warm rejuvenating to all of his allies, including the still unconscious silver-haired prince that missed the whole ordeal…

The combination of his energies, the one he obtained from his fusion and his original one, the [Soul Power] kept flowing relentlessly into the battered body of the unconscious orc, rapidly restoring it to its peak state. The energy flowing, it quickly reached each and every corner of his body while a thin stream of his [Soul Power] made its way towards Roas' Core, his crystal, the source of his energy. As the crystalline walls neared, the energy surrounded the precious, magical organ covering and protecting it. 

With his vitality restored, Roas' eyelids began to flutter, as he was abruptly awoken to feel his young master's familiar warmth coursing through his body. His eyes sprung open with this realization, but before he could utter a word before he could phrase a question in his mind, he suddenly felt his own reserves skyrocketing. Unbeknownst to him, a now-familiar-looking seedling began to take shape as the new center, merging with his own reserves and creating something new, something long-forgotten in the passages of history.

Reaching the boiling point, the power that was contained within the crystal burst forth, brimming in a familiar golden light. The light that originated from his own core, enveloped Roas's entire being in an instant. His body that was gently held in his young master's caring embrace began to change. 

His already generous rich muscle mass grew, as new strands began to form. At the same time, it gained an additional level of density, increasing the strain and contortion it could withstand. His dark brown skin turned even darker, whilst gaining an even greater thickness, gaining defense akin to a mail armor. The structure of his face began to change, the bone structure, the features evolving as the powerful Primal and Draconic essences converged and mixed together with her orcish origin, forming an existence that shouldn't exist at current times.

Long, shoulder-length, silky black hair appeared on the top of his head. His eyes now brimmed with the same golden color as what was his master's. A thick nose, sharp edges, and a vaguely human-like face were what greeted the stunned trio as the light slowly faded.

What was even more surprising that just like with Glohn, two recognizable protrusions were now visible on Roas' back shoulder plates, hinting at a new feature that even he wasn't truly aware of…

The end of his hands now had the same thick, curved ebony claws that his master was known for. 

Standing up, Roas slowly took in all the changes in his body that while mostly kept the same look as before, still had tremendous changes. With this evolution, he got rid of most of the rough, primitive traits orcs were known for. His body, bursting with incredible power and might looked much smoother, better to look at than before.

Raising his hands, Roas was looking at his strange golden-scaled lower arms and his terrible clawed hands. A smile began to show its curves at the edges of his lips as he realized the incredible gift, he was granted by the generosity of this one person, his young master, his one true lord.

He took a bit of time to familiarize himself with his new powers. With a focused thought, he retracted the claws and watched with an increasing smile as his arms returned to their 'normal' state.

Taking a large gasp of air, he spun around, facing his young master, and with an ever-increasing reverence, he began to fervently kowtow. His faith and devotion to this unique existence grew more and more as he recognized all the changes his undeserving being had been granted.

"[Orc] Young Master… I can't thank you enough for such an incredible gift. I am not worthy yet, but I will strive to return the generosity you have shown me, I swear on it with the name you have granted me, Roas!"

He yelled with reverence, tears escaping from the corners of his eyes. He didn't know what exactly he had become, but he felt the incredible amount of energy coursing through him. He knew, he was certain that his young master will accomplish a great many things in the coming future.

Neither of them, not even Aiden was clear about the importance of the feat he had just accomplished today...