Journey of the consumer

[Azraels POV]

After going through all my skills and their descriptions, I start the process of unlocking the marks abilities.

Though I can only unlock five abilities as of now, with three of them being passive.

Focusing deep inside of me, into the pitch black abyss that I assume to be my soul and finding the marks symbolising the individual abilities that make up the skill. The first symbol I focous on being an eye with a vertical slit pupil and a white irise.

Locking onto it, I can instinctively feel the way to unlock it. Pulling my mana into my hand, I materialise a lump aura and start to shape it into the eye. This simple task is extremely difficult for a beginner like me, making the construct collapse a few time into I finally got it.

On completion I felt a resounding click in my soul, as if a switch has been flipped or a puzzle finally put into place. The construct is then swiftly absorbed straight into my soul and into the mark, making its dull grey colouring glow a dim white light and leaving me a completely drained mana pool as well as a banging head ache.

So getting into a meditative stance, I began absorbing the atmospheric mana into my body. Unlike the previous times though, this time it's filled with the intent to replenish my mana reserves only allowing the extra elementental mana to be absorbed by the middle core after purification and sending the pure mana to the lower core.

This process take about ten to fifteen minutes in total, the process of purification almost automated by the ability of the middle core which I can't seem to completely figure out, but making the decision that my current task is more important, ignore it for now and carry on until my mana is full.

With my mana full I start the process of unlocking again, focusing on the same ability but the advanced level.

Knowing what to do I just get to it creating the same 2d construct out of aura in only a single time this attempt and allowing my soul to absorb it, making the already dimly glowing eye symbol into a shining light with full glow and illuminating the rest of the abilities. By the side of the wheel of powers that make up the mark, I notice another symbol. One hid so deep into the darkness that it is unrecognisable. Once again deciding to push this topic to another time, I move on.

It takes me an hour to repeat the process of forming the constructs and regenerating my mana. The construct after {dark vision} was the symbol of a rat with its mouth open and teeth blaring. After the rat of {devouring swarm} was a vaguely humanoid silhouette of a man mid jump into the air - {agility}, then another humanoid silhouette looking to be embracing the sky with his arms stuck out -{vitality}, and finally the image of menacing sharp teeth, vaguely humanoid in nature with animalistic proportions blaring out-{blood thirst}.

"Phew"

Letting out a content sigh of satisfaction after finishing unlocking the powers, I get up and walk to the edge of the roof. Much like Elizabeth did I …. I jump.

Falling from the 2 storie building, I land on the concrete path. With complete ease. No annoying tingle in my feet afterwards or any pain. It's as if landing on a patch of grass and the impact is negated by half.

A simple ability but a good ability none the less. Now onto the next course of action, listening to Elizabeth's advice.

….meeting my mother.

Though I know she will not have any negative reaction considering the personality that I've seen from her so far, but that is not what I'm nevous about.

So I start testing the newly unlocked powers at my disposal and putting to practice this new form of power named mana as a distraction and a exuse, a valid excuse, but an excuse none the less. Putting to practice what I know about the energy, I attract about 20 pebbles towards my hands.

With ten in each, I coat each hand in mana, though with differing effects. With one hand I use the mana to enhance all my physical strength in the appendage as well as the hardness and 'durability'. Constantly adjusting into a form that can easily crush the rocks while remaining durable enough not to cause damage. Though having just awakened the energy failure is a constant.

In the other hand, I inject the mana into the rocks instead, both to strengthen the objects as well as to make them levitate. Using the principle I found from my own form of telekinesis and aiming towards a tree, I do the exact opposite to what I did when attracting objects towards me and launching a few rocks at the trees I pass by.

*whooooosh* *bang* *bang*

The launched mini projectiles hit the tree and embed themselves into it, getting stuck there. Satisfied with my success, I walk up to the tree and observe the outcome and how far the rocks are embedded.

I notice though that it needs improvement. The rocks are broken, smashed by its own impact as well as not getting very far. For a first attempt though, it's a success indeed.

Finishing with my too small introduction to mana manipulation, I move onto my skill .

'{dark vision}'

Activating the skill, I feel my perception shift. Keeping my normal sight, a separate change is added on dyeing my vision a yellowish orange tint. Looking around I noticed both highlighted objects of various kinds, such as ;change that was dropped to the floor, toilets and bathrooms through the door and weapons. Also I notice the people either picking up the change, using the toilet or carrying the weapons.

"Hmmm~ its quite cool, to be fair."

Deactivating it I move onto the next. Skipping the obviously passive abilities, my next target is {devouring swarm}. Though this being quite a flashy abilitie to use out in the open, I decide to go somewhere secluded. The best place I can think of being my room.

Standing in the middle of my room 5 minutes later, I active the skill.

'{devouring swarm}'

My mark glows briefly as I pull my hand up in a grabbing and lifting motion, as if grabbing something up from somewhere. And that is exactly what happens when a pool of darkness fills the room in a circle.

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