His Flame talent had been completely replaced with a new talent.
This new talent 'Phoenix Flames' took its place, and Alex couldn't be happier when he saw the rank next to it.
'S+... To think I would have gained such a strong talent from just completing the first stage of my Heart of the Phoenix technique...'
Alex almost found it hard to believe, but after recalling everything he had just been through, he accepted it as fact.
Focusing on his new talent, Alex opened up further information about it.
[Phoenix Flames (S+): Imbued with the essence of the legendary Divine Phoenix, these flames possess the unique properties that make them far superior to conventional fire. The lethality they possess is enough to harm even the strongest of beings. These flames come with many unique properties, befitting of the Divine Phoenix:
Regenerative heat: These flames have a dual nature. While they can burn with intense, destructive power, they also possess healing properties. When used on oneself, or allies, the flames can heal wounds, mend broken bones, and even regenerate lost limbs. Derived from the Divine Phoenix's own incredible healing abilities.
Soul Fire: Unlike regular flames that can only affect the physical plane, these flames can interact with the spiritual. They have the ability to inflict damage on spiritual entities, while at the same time enjoying the same regenerative effect — able to purify and repair damaged souls.
Unquenchable blaze: Once ignited, Phoenix Flames are almost impossible to extinguish by conventional means. They can burn underwater or in the vacuum of space, drawing the ambient energy from around them to sustain their heat. Only a wielder of a sufficiently strong talent, or profound mastery over the fire element can hope to snuff them out.]
'...'
When Alex first opened up the information regarding the new talent, he didn't expect there to be such a detailed explanation for it.
As he read through it, his heart beat increased faster and faster as he realised just how powerful this technique was.
Unlike his previous Flame talent, where the flames just... burned, this one had a much wider variety of uses.
The system was even so gracious as to lay out a few of these uses for him, rather than hiding most of the information from him like it does with the Soulforge talent.
'Regenerative heat, Soul fire, Unquenchable blaze... This is simply too powerful!'
What left Alex so shocked and confused though, was that this was something that should have only happened when he practised the Heart of the Phoenix technique to completion, through all four stages...
Normally, just like everyone else who practised the technique before him, he would have to go through each of the stages one by one, in an excruciatingly slow process that would span multiple years.
The first stage consisted of just collecting all of the chaotic energy in his body and moving it all to his heart, concentrating it all in one area.
Stage two was next, and in this stage he had to refine the energy in his heart, removing all impurities and other such unneeded properties.
Stage three consisted of condensing the refined energy into a liquid, making his energy take on its first physical form.
Stage four would be last, where this liquid energy would be condensed into a solid state, in an energy core just like the one that Alex had.
This energy core would surround his heart and crystallise it, assimilating it into the core.
So he would essentially have a heart, but he wouldn't at the same time?
The concept still confused Alex a little, but this was the gist of it.
But somehow, he had skipped all of these stages...
He had come up with a theory as to how this had happened after ruminating over it though.
He remembered that when he first obtained the Phoenix fury technique from the Awakened association, the woman who examined him, Kyla, there was a remark attached to the description.
It said that it was rumoured to be a lost chapter of a much stronger technique, linked to the lineage of the Divine Phoenix...
This clearly turned out to be true now.
And the Heart of the Phoenix technique was probably another lost chapter of the same stronger technique.