The Oracle Paths

957 Cekt l s Disciples (part 1)

A handful of minutes later, Syrbarun returned, accompanied by five distinct individuals, each bearing a unique style and appearance.

Jake immediately recognized Siri, a Delkron android woman who could pass for a human were it not for her skin, which resembled white plastic, and the electric blue gleam in her eyes. She was the third of the latest generation of Cekt's disciples, while Syrbarun was the fifth in recruitment order.

As for himself, Jake was the seventh and current last disciple of Cekt, but that status might soon change.

"Jake, you're already familiar with Syrbarun and Siri, but I'll reintroduce everyone since it's the first time we've all gathered here simultaneously." Cekt took over from the Vrusug, making the introductions. "The one who resembles a humanoid red dragon is Drakon Solara, my sixth disciple. His bloodline confers upon him immense physical strength and an absolute immunity to fire, in all its forms. And by fire, I mean broadly speaking, including heat and all plasma resulting from combustion."

The expressions of Jake and his friends morphed upon hearing this. It was their first time encountering the concept of immunity to an element. It was important to note that even his Cosmic D Starfeyrves Bloodline only provided resistances.

How one could become entirely invulnerable to heat to the point of violating the laws of thermodynamics was utterly beyond him.

"Pleased to meet you." Drakon nodded kindly, his intimidating reptilian appearance contrasting with his temperament. He seemed eager to return to whatever he was doing before being dragged here.

Standing at only two meters, his body exuded restrained power and a grace that was both controlled and imposing, as if his original form of a red dragon had been compressed into a humanoid shape. His skin was a burnished ruby crimson speckled with gold. From his slit eyes, a fiery glow erupted, a reflection of the dormant power within him. Two curved horns emerged from his head, adding to his draconian stature.

"Drakon is reserved, but he's a passionate seeker of knowledge who's willing to do anything to quench his thirst. The plasma-based weapons of mass destruction he designs are promising."

Cekt praised the reticent lizard, much to Syrbarun's surprise, who glanced at him with a bruised look of injustice.

Why was their treatment so different? As the envious Vrusug hoped that his master would change his attitude towards him, the following sentence crushed all his hopes,

"The Vrusug looking foolish and resembling a red-haired minotaur mechanic, that's Syrbarun, whom everyone calls Syr."

Cekt continued bluntly. "His passion and specialty are technology and science in general, but his guilty pleasure lies in exoskeletons and mech suits. The mechanical arms in his back that assist him in his research and boost his combat capabilities are one of his achievements. Vrusugs are generally known for their brute strength and simple-minded but stubborn spirits, and Syr is no exception."

Just as Syrbarun began to believe his master had no positive comments to make about him, Wendok added, "Still, I appreciate his driven mind and his dream of creating a mech suit that allows an ordinary civilian to match high-level Evolvers. Such things exist already, of course, but there's a limit to what technology and artifacts can do. His ambition remains admirable nonetheless."

The Vrusug proudly puffed out his chest at receiving validation from the little alien, two streams of tears silently trickling from his dark eyes.

He yearned to enfold Cekt within his arms; the latter must have sensed it, for he swiftly brought down his cane on the Vrusug's skull, knocking him unconscious in an instant.

Jake and the other disciples struggled to swallow, their faces twitching in sympathetic discomfort at the sight of the formidable knot, stubbornly resistant to their high vitality, on Syr's skull. Each one of them had, at least once, painfully experienced a similar fate—Jake included.

"Ahem, where was I? Oh yes, introductions!"

Cekt nonchalantly leaned back onto his cane as if nothing had occurred and continued, "The woman appearing as an indistinct mass of light is Lyra Silversong, my fourth disciple. She is of the Sylian race, an ethereal species closely related to the Astrals. Her bloodline allows her to manipulate light, create illusions, or turn invisible. Like Drakon, she is wholly immune to all kinds of electromagnetic waves."

As the Aetherist didn't point anyone out, Jake and his friends momentarily faltered, their gaze shifting between two individuals. Lyra was not the only luminous being among them. Both creatures were radiant, their contours indistinct; they weren't sure who Cekt was referring to.

Nevertheless, after a brief hesitation, Jake and Hade eventually fixated their gaze upon one of the two glowing silhouettes.

"She is the young woman to my left," Cekt clarified, cutting the suspense. "The one emitting a gentle white light."

'As expected,' Jake and Hade thought, nodding in understanding.

Having been identified, a melodious laughter

echoed in the room and Lyra giggled, "Hehe, I wanted to see if any of you could tell the difference. It seems we have a few sharp minds among us. As for my specialty, it's quantum optics. By forcing Aether to radiate and focusing these rays, I can observe them up close, much like a microscope. Cekt recruited me based solely on this ability, and since then, I've been studying diligently under his guidance and assisting him with his research."

Ulfar and Lucia didn't quite comprehend what this meant, but for Jake and Hade, who had a solid understanding of Aetherism, the implications of such an ability were astounding. If Jake could zoom into his Aether Code like this, he could have directly analyzed his own bloodline. His mastery of Aether would have advanced by leaps and bounds in no time.

"Lyra shows promise," Cekt acknowledged gravely. "Even for me, with access to the right technology, such an ability would be invaluable. If I could, I would transfer her bloodline to myself for this ability to control Aether radiation so absolutely, but unfortunately, our species categories are far too different. The exchange would come at too great a cost."

Jake knew what he meant. Despite his bloodline and appearance having drastically changed, the core of his DNA was still human. Well, at least before his last mutation.

If he desired, he could absorb the bloodlines of creatures with unique and extraordinary abilities, like the Space Worms, for instance. The ability to control space at will and open wormholes with a mere thought was indeed a powerful one.

The problem was that to be compatible with such a bloodline, one would have to become a repulsive, truck-sized worm. Even a Rank 3 Aetherist like Cekt could scarcely change that.

Back in the day, when Cekt had fused and customized his Myrtharian bloodline using the genes of Gerulf and Lucia, he had been faced with a host of necessary compromises. This was chiefly due to the fact that Gerulf, despite his humanoid appearance, was not exactly considered human. Strictly speaking, the Kintharians and the Throsgenians were hybrid lifeforms bearing more kinship to minerals or flora than to humans.

Of course, this was not to suggest it was impossible, just that it was beyond the reach of a Rank 3 Aetherist like Cekt, particularly given the high-Grade nature of Lyra's bloodline.

Unperturbed by their questions, Cekt proceeded to formally introduce Siri, a familiar face to Jake,

"The lovely Delkron android, that's Siri, my third disciple. Her rational mind and emotional impenetrability make her an exemplary student, and I have nothing but praise for her," Cekt flattered with a broad grin, which promptly faded at the young woman's lack of response. "Alas, this absence of emotion is also her sole and unique flaw. Like most advanced artificial intelligences, she excels in utilizing and combining data but struggles to infer from it to create truly novel concepts. This lack of emotion also impairs their Soul Strength, leaving them practically talentless in awakening techniques based on their True Will, which are largely reliant on obsession and emotional attachment. Among android races, we find numerous decent Aetherists, but almost no Rank 5 Aetherists, the level at which one can touch the realm of the Soul Code.

Preempting the objections from Jake and his fellow disciples, Cekt corrected himself, "I know what you're about to say, but the Ancient Designers Aurae and Syntharae are exceptions. That's because they merely resemble androids. Their intelligence isn't artificial, and they were born naturally."

Jake immediately quieted down, understanding what he meant. Aurae might have looked and acted like a robot, but he was anything but.

However, the first one that came to mind was not Aurae but Vhoskaud. That malicious android surely experienced all kinds of emotions, making him a genuine prick!

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