Chains Of Pride (The Ascending)

Chapter 6 - To Know (Pt 1)

    The origin of a Talium stretches as far back as humans did. They were shrouded in a veil of mystery that not even they themselves could dispel.

    They wielded powers that the average human could only dream of. Faster, stronger, and of course their cognitive functions broke the limit of what was thought possible.

    A Talium was in fact in possession of a blood type that was so rare that it only appeared in 1 in every 200,000 people.

    This blood type was special in that it was not hereditary, and it only appeared by chance. There was another aspect, of course, and that was that it allowed for the breaking of the cognitive shackles.

    Because of its unique composition that made it more conductive of electrical current on a cellular level, it allowed the electrical currents in the brain to improve in all areas.

    Breaking 100% of the brain’s potential gave them access to abilities such as matter manipulation, telepathy, atomic recomposition just to name a few, and their proudest achievement, the creation of their construct.

    This was discovered by the Progenitors and further delved into by later generations.

    Their bodies changing also meant that they had something known as the Blood Origin. A Blood Origin was something corporeal and physical in that existed both as an illusion and an actual thing in a Talium’s body.

    It was from here that a Talium that could drink in the knowledge available to them. A Talium could only begin to awaken their powers and latent potential by undergoing a process known as returning to the origin.

    Of course, a Talium would know all of this once they do ‘return to the origin.’ There were drawbacks in that the blood chose an emotion that powerfully slumbered in all living things… PRIDE.

    Their pride was literally in their blood and whilst it was the source of their strength, it could also be the reason for their downfall.

    “So that’s basically what you guys are in a nutshell; however, you three are… a bit different, hence this situation, but we’ll get to that in a bit. For now, any questions?” Shepherd Hide was using his own… technique to break the news to the three young men about their origins.

    Kia, Lanzo and Gero stared back at the Shepherd with doubt, disbelief and confusion running amok on their faces. If they were to hear this from someone else, they’d get up and leave while wondering what they did wrong in the morning. However, this was Shepherd Hide they heard this from.

    This is a man that abhors human interaction to an abnormal level.

    Though they themselves somewhat limit the number of interactions they have with others, based on what they heard, they knew they couldn’t hold a candle to the man in front of them.

    So, barring the possibility of a massive character change, does this mean that there was some truth to what he was saying?

    But then, how do you respond to that in the first place? After a moment of silence, taking this time to digest this metaphorical meal, Gero uncharacteristically took the initiative to pose the first question.

    “So what now? You’re gonna train us or something and take us out of Cendo Academy? I have no intention of joining any group or cult or whatever. I don’t see the need to uproot my life to accede to the whims of an overlord that only seeks to control me.”

    Of course, he was referring to the Organisation that the Shepherd brought up offhandedly in his explanation. Kia and Lanzo felt the same way. After all, who would want to delve straight into the unknown that granted no immediate benefit.

    Shepherd Hide rubbed the bridge of his nose where his glasses sat while thinking of his response. Usually, he would use force to either threaten, beat, drag and sometimes a combination of all three to get what he wanted.

    But this situation required a bit more finesse, and though he had none within a single bone in his body, he had to try.

    “Alright let’s try it this way then, what do you all know about frequencies?” Shepherd Hide played on their curiosity to lead them to where he wanted.

    “Frequencies?” This time it was Lanzo who spoke next, “you mean the rate per second of vibration that’s emitted in the form of a wave?”

    A look of shock flashed across all three men in the room. “Well, look at green lantern over here, so not like the other green muscle-head I see. That’s right, the very same, you’ve always wondered why you feel annoyed just being around other people, and yet in this room where I’ve been taking shots at you like there’s no tomorrow you can calmly sit there and take it? The answer is simple, it’s all due to frequency.”

    Kia realised something at this time, “Everyone emits different frequencies, I think I get it. I’ve heard of this theory once a long time ago during my research. Okay then, I’ll play along. How do most people have the tolerance to be in the presence of others when their frequencies differ?”

    Shepherd Hide nodded at this, “Listen up, while every single human emits a different frequency that can only slightly change for whatever reasons. The majority of humans’ frequencies only lie within a certain range. So they’re not overly sensitive to it like we are, and they’re not that far from each other unlike us, of course, our frequencies don’t change that much under normal circumstances, but we’ll touch that subject another time.”

    Hearing this Kia interrupted, feeling as if he could understand himself better if he knew, “Wait that doesn’t make sense if they are that close to each other, and if their frequencies can change, then by that logic some would then match. So they can’t be different all the time, what happens then?”

    “First of all, stop interrupting me, second of all, never interrupt me again.” Apparently, Takeshi wasn’t too keen on being cut off, especially since it was something he was preparing to explain.

    “Now, when frequencies match, this is a phenomenon known as synchronicity. When this happens for, however, how long it does, humans feel the innate need to form bonds or relationships, feeling a sort of kinship if you will. They usually end up becoming friends, best friends, some even end up in romantic relationships, even unrequited feelings are typically owed to a person who just seems to be a bit more sensitive to the frequencies approaching synchronicity.”

    At this time, all three young men now understood what was going on.

    “Oh…”

    While they were deep in rumination, a soft voice was suddenly heard behind them. They all turned their heads to find standing there, a young woman holding a tray with a glass of iced tea.

    She was clearly surprised that there were guests in the mansion, a testament to the Shepherd’s antisocial tendencies. However, this Digium wasn’t an unknown one.

    She was Minayatsu Ayuki, known for both her otherworldly beauty and intelligence. She was the number one Digium within the medical community, at only 18 years of age, and already her medical breakthroughs had contributed significantly to the advancement of medicine on a global scale.

    Her beauty only served to further propel her popularity. She had pink hair, a unique style that seemed to work for her, her figure was impeccable, and she exuded a fairy-like temperament that rendered her untouchable and unapproachable.

    Because of her medical expertise, she was known as the Life Fairy.

    Her life outside of the medical department was shrouded in complete mystery, something that now made sense as it seems her time outside was mostly spent here.

    She recovered from the shock fairly quickly and continued on her way with the tray, placing it on the table beside Shepherd Hide.

    He only slightly nodded in acknowledgement, and as if that was enough, she turned around to leave, eyeing the three young men. Her gaze lingered on Kia only a moment longer with no change in expression as she did so before she left.

    “So…”

    “You have no worth to speak of for me to explain a single thing to you regarding her. Level up from something I hate to something I kind of dislike, and I might even consider letting you survive for taking a guess.” Lanzo hearing this from the Shepherd didn’t even bother to finish the question he was about to ask.

    “Now I was never known for beating around the bush, so I’m not gonna start now. I want you guys to join me so I can allow for the safe awakening of your abilities. It’s as simple as that, I don’t intend to hand you over to the association completely or at all if I can help it. You’d be my responsibility, I think you’ll be able to go much further than any other Talium before you.” He took a sip of his iced tea when he finished speaking, waiting for their reply.

    Gero narrowed his eyes before asking, “Why? Before anything else, what’s this difference you see in us, that you talked about before?”

    Takeshi paused his enjoyment of his drink at that, “Huh, so you caught that, huh? Very good, well here it is. Under normal circumstances, when you start to awaken, a trigger is normally required. You would go through a process known as returning to the origin, this is you fully awakening by the way.”

    “It is during this time that your power begins to manifest. You’re then able to exude the pressure and aura of a Talium when you’re done. Provided that you’re able to go far enough, you’ll even be able to call forth your construct.”

    “But you three seem to be, as small as it may be, giving off the pressure and aura of a Talium even before returning to the origin. It begs the question as to how powerful you’ll be when you finally do return, draw from your Blood Origin, and then, when all is said and done, begin to awaken. Even I’m a bit curious as to what your constructs will be like.”