Bang!
With a resounding echo, the hammer knocked the living daylight out of Faxul, causing him to slump to the ground while the Black Raven Construct vanished.
This allowed Daneel to take a deep breath and calm himself.
He realized that this was just one of those days, where there would be so many shocks and reveals that it would feel as if he was being overwhelmed.
So, over time, he had learned that the best thing to do was take a step back and just breathe in and out, thinking about simpler things in life.
Before Daneel could get to the second part, Kellor hurried to Daneel's side and spoke in a voice filled with shock.
"I don't know what happened, My Lord. One second, he was just lounging in the chair and daydreaming, just like all the other days. He told me that he was actually trying to figure out something very important, but I didn't believe him as it didn't look like that, at all. Suddenly, a few seconds ago, he screamed loudly and started writhing before that Raven appeared. I sensed danger from it, so I was first about to conjure a barrier around myself and then contact you, but you arrived before I needed to do so. Wh-what is going on, My King? Can that consciousness of the Empire Spirit be messing with him? Or does being a different body cause phenomena such as these?"
Daneel knew that Kellor, who usually preferred to keep things short and to the point, was in a pretty flustered state as he practically babbled all this before finally shutting his mouth.
Yet, Daneel still marveled at the man's analytical ability which had shown itself even though he was in such a state.
As he was part of the Council of Nine Heavens, he knew about the truth behind Faxul. So, he had raised questions regarding this, which made even more questions arise in Daneel's head.
What the f*ck had Drakos meant when he said 'bloodline'?
Daneel had almost never heard this term over all the years he had spent on Angaria. Even recently, when he was discovering more and more about Champion Paths and the secrets behind becoming a Hero, he had never seen any indication of important data which was related to one's bloodline.
Then how the heck had this come out of the blue?
Unable to take it anymore, Daneel decided to ask Drakos, while also wondering why the Ancient Dragon hadn't already explained itself and absolved Daneel of all these doubts.
"Drakos, wh-"
"One moment, Young King. I'm trying to ascertain if there's any additional threat to your friend's life and sanity. This is a very tricky case due to the existence of that hibernating old bird."
Daneel promptly shut his mouth as he heard this.
Obviously, Faxul's wellbeing mattered more than him getting his questions answered.
Still, as he was idle, he decided to ask the system.
"System, has there been any data found regarding 'bloodlines'? Check back and give me all relevant and important instances where that word is used."
[Affirmative. No entries found in data obtained as part of breaking the second seal on the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor. Irrelevant entries found in various books. Vague hints have been recovered. Consolidating. Looking for other mentions. No references found in data collected in the Sect of Hedon.]
That last sentence made Daneel frown, as he had really been hoping that that source would prove to be fruitful.
Only, as he remembered that most of the data he had collected there was from journals of just Warrior-level characters, he realized that he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up, as this seemed to be something that was definitely very closely related to the Champion level.
Daneel was about to give this up as a lost cause and wait for Drakos to answer while observing the spells that the Ancient Dragon was deploying his Mageroot which looked like they were scanning Faxul in various ways and receiving feedback which was at a level he nor the system could understand. Yet, he paused and opened his eyes wide as the system gave one last reply.
[Total direct, relevant mentions found: One. Replaying.
'Only the true line of the Black Raven can command the God Beast']
A deep voice said these words, and as Daneel heard them, it was as if he was transported back in time.
It was a part of the message that had been left behind for Faxul by his father before he died.
As Daneel asked the system to repeat the sentence, he finally understood something.
All along, they had thought that this sentence was related to the ability to speak to a Raven closely, and understand what it was feeling and saying at a more intrinsic level than all others, which was something that Faxul had always been capable of.
In fact, with that ability, he would have been very adept in combat if he had a companion at the same level as him, but, sadly, that was not possible in this case.
Now, as Daneel was reminded of it, he got the inkling that maybe, it was not related to this particular aspect, at all.
Also, at the same time, Daneel was reminded of the mystery that was still present regarding his friend.
When they had begun the plan to have Faxul take revenge for his father's death, Faxul had suddenly undergone a metamorphosis, of sorts, where his power had increased exponentially in the short span of a few minutes.
To this day, Daneel had not seen a similar phenomenon anywhere else, even though he had had quite a few dealings with Champions and even Heroes.
Even the system had only been able to say that there was something different in his blood that had caused it, but it couldn't explain what.
Today, Daneel had a feeling that he would definitely get an answer.
Also, although it was a fact that Faxul was in a different body, and hence, should not be in possession of the same 'bloodline', when taking the traditional meaning of the word, Daneel knew instantly that that was not a problem.
The body he was in was that of a great-great-whatever-grandfather of his, which meant that they shared the same bloodline.
As for what Kellor had said about feeling danger, as Daneel thought back, he realized that the Grand Court Mage was right.
In those brief moments when Faxul had been in that form, even Daneel had felt a certain level of ferociousness and power that was capable of giving even him pause.
The most incredulous thing was that Faxul hadn't been controlling those elementary particles that made up the Black Raven Construct with his Mageroot.
No, they had naturally formed into those incredibly complex patterns, just like in the case when he had seen that Giant teleport away.
In a way, the whole thing had actually reminded him of something from Earth.
Mechas.
Indeed, it was almost like Faxul had been stepping in and out of a Mecha that was in the shape of a Black Raven.
Only, this Mecha was much more natural and fluid than any man-made device could ever be.
Shaking his head, Daneel tried to make it stop thinking.
The more he replayed what had happened and mulled over it, the more his anticipation and eagerness to have his questions answered grew, which were also accompanied by nonsensical thoughts like these which were the product of an idle mind.
Thankfully, Drakos finally spoke up after a few moments.
"He should be fine. It seems that…the dissonance between his consciousness and body caused the bloodline to be triggered, because the two wish to achieve equilibrium using any and all methods available. Interesting. No wonder father said that the consciousness is a wonderful thing which even those at the Hero level are only beginning to understand."
"Drakos!"
Daneel couldn't help it any more as he heard the Ancient Dragon talking to himself.
He had actually meant to just remind Drakos politely that he was waiting, but his emotions had caused it to come out as a shout.
"Oh, right, Young King. Apologies. Bloodlines are…complicated. Where do I start? Oh, yes, I'll begin with the Godbeasts. First of all, please understand that some information is still locked behind the third seal. I'll try to make use of what isn't to give you as clear a picture as possible."
Daneel felt a little irritated as he heard this, but he continued to listen without saying anything.
"Hmm. Young King, the full story, which you will find behind the third seal, relates to the history of this continent. It speaks about ages long, long before even the Empire. I only say this to motivate you further. Let me give you the gist of the answer you seek. As you know, I am a Godbeast, too. Godbeasts are not singular beasts; no that word refers to species of beasts which were so much more powerful than regular beasts that they had to be revered as 'Gods'. We Godbeasts have the ability to grant our bloodline to certain humans who meet certain requirements. Apparently, this is a very painful process which even halves the power of that certain Godbeast. In the time of the Emperor, all remaining Godbeasts were made to do this 'granting'. Some agreed to the Emperor's terms and did so willingly, while others had to be forced. All this happened in the beginning of his rule, so I am pretty sure that this has nothing to do with all the plans he made for the safety of the continent. That was why I was surprised before: by all estimates, by this age, all bloodlines should have thinned too much, meaning that their effects should not come to light unless there are special circumstances in the case of your friend."
"DRAKOS, JUST TELL ME WHAT THE BLOODLINE HAS TO DO WITH FAXUL TURNING INTO A GODDAMN BIRD!"
Daneel hadn't been able to take it anymore. Seeing the Ancient Dragon go left and right in his explanation, the King of Lanthanor shouted out like a little kid who was angry at his parents for not telling him what gift they had bought him for his birthday.
Well, he had had no choice if he wanted to retain his sanity.
Finally, Daneel received the answer he was looking for.
"Er…yes. A bloodline has various benefits, such as increased base potential and comprehension. But the most coveted benefit is the right to train in Champion Paths which are comparable in power to the strongest in existence. In their blood, those who are descendants of humans lucky enough to obtain bloodlines of Godbeasts carry the essence of the existence of said Godbeast. This allows them to 'will' themselves into a form of that Godbeast, granting them access to all inherent natural affinities and strengths while also still being capable of using their Mageroots and bodies. When paired together using the right techniques which exploit those affinities and strengths, those who train in these Champion Paths skyrocket in power to match, and even in certain cases exceed the most advanced and powerful Champion Paths in existence."
Here, Drakos paused, before saying, "Let me show you. That would be for the best.".
As soon as he said this, Daneel received a message from the system.
[Incoming Visual Message.]
"Send it in," he said instantly.
The next moment, Daneel was standing in an open plain, with rolling hills all around for as far as the eye could see.
THWUP! THWUP! THWUP!
Hearing a sound from above, Daneel looked up and received the shock of his life.
Above him, flying in the sky was a gigantic Black Raven with a wingspan that exceeded 40 feet in length. It covered the sun, itself, when it passed over him, making him shade his eyes and gaze at it with awe.
It's resplendent feathers which shone individually looked razor-sharp, and as he continued watching, it flapped its wings once to instantly pause in the air.
What happened next was branded into Daneel's mind.
As it opened its beak wide, a spherical…darkness sprang into being, which quickly began to expand.
As it did, Daneel felt a strong pull, as if he was going to be tugged into the air at any moment.
All around him, trees and grass started to be uprooted and swallowed by that darkness, which allowed Daneel to get an epiphany and understand what it was.
It was a black hole.
Around its edges, existence, itself, seemed to warp, while its will to swallow and destroy everything was felt in every part of Daneel's body, which was struggling not to be pulled into that abyss just like everything in his surroundings.
At this moment, Daneel heard Drakos's voice again, and the tone of the Ancient Dragon was filled with a certain…respect, and deference that the King of Lanthanor had never heard before.
"Such individuals are known by special names which indicate the Mage/Fighter Technique they choose to unify their power with the Natural Construct that is formed by their will. This particular one was called…'The Path of The Invincible Black Raven: Devouring Monarch of the Skies'."