God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Darkness... Then a sudden flash of light.

He had previously experienced a sort of tunneling, spinning feeling, his senses disoriented from it. This feeling wasn't foreign at all. He always felt like this whenever he had an encounter with Ashur. That same feeling of sinking into a deep pool of ethereal matter, the feeling of sinking into one's soul.

It was a surreal experience, but it wasn't long-lasting, as the process was very brief...

The same piece of land mass floating in a deep dark void. Cain found himself standing at a corner of the island. Standing in front of him was the epitome of bodily perfection in all his majesty, the golden dragon, Ashur.

Cain stared back at the figure in the void with a flabbergasted expression on his face...

He wasn't in his human form, and he was looking down at Cain with his eyes. The most sinister, yet mysterious part of the majestic golden dragon to Cain, were his eyes of contrasting colors. They always managed to suck his soul in every time he gazed into them.

He noticed that the white eye of Ashur had many similarities with his own {Eye of Clairvoyance} skill. The only difference between the two was that the hue of white in Ashur's eye was several times brighter and more menacing than his.

Also, if one didn't look closely, one would fail to see the complex numerous patterns that were floating in the depths of his eye. These congregation of runic symbols were of numerous layers and added a tint of substance to what Cain thought was a pure white abyss.

"You don't seem amazed by my magnificence anymore."

The resounding thunderous voice of Ashur rang again in the depths of Cain's soul. Cain could feel the very foundations of his soul shake a bit with every syllable Ashur uttered.

"I am... But could you tone it down a bit? I highly doubt you intend to kill me."

Although Cain felt an innate sense of respect for the golden dragon, he still felt an even higher level of familiarity with him. He felt like no matter what, even if there was no one to trust, he would still be able to have faith in him.

"Hahaha... What a sharp mouth you have."

Although he said that, Ashur didn't sound a bit displeased. If anything, it felt like he was talking to a kindred spirit. One could tell that his words had no ill bearing behind them.

"Hehehe..."

Even Cain was a bit embarrassed. After all, most people would be too frightened to even speak a word when faced with the humongous titan of a being that stared them down, looking down on them like the insignificant existences they are.

"I can tell that you have truly begun your journey on the path to profound magical comprehension and understanding."

Cain could tell he was referring to the spell he was trying to create...

"Yeah... The tome you gave me has been helpful... Truly, thank you."

Cain took a bow in front of Ashur, expressing his gratitude to him. He was grateful because, without the tome, he would never have begun his journey on the understanding of magic so early...

"Don't mention it. However, I must say that you are a bit incompetent."

Silence...

Cain wasn't expecting the next thing the huge golden dragon said to him. He was a bit shocked, to be honest.

"What do you mean?!"

Cain was a bit pissed off. He had shown the giant lizard respect but had gotten insults in return. He balled up his fists, ready to give up his life to punch the dragon's arrogant snout should an appropriate explanation not be provided.

'I might not be very good at this, but I'm sure the spell can work. I only need to use the rune lines from the {Azure Burst} skill to perfect this skill.

According to the [Records of Akasha], a spell, similar to a rune had three primary parts...

The limiter, the core, and the control...

The core of the rune or spell was the heart where all information the skill, spell, or rune needs for execution is located.

The limiter is the protector that limits the amount of mana the spell or skill takes in, and the amount of power or utility the spell or skill can provide. These are important because they serve as the natural balancers of nature. Without them, the caster would lose control of the spell and end up destroying himself...

The control is the part of the spell that links the caster to it. It also controls the amount of mana a spell can take in, as well as the power and utility the spell can provide.

Cain planned to create the perfect spell that didn't need limiters, a spell he had full control over...

The perfect spell...

"Haha... Don't take it too personally. After all, I speak truthfully."

Before Cain could even move a muscle, the huge golden dragon made a move. Although its body was extremely huge, its movement was many times faster than what Cain could react to.

The claws of the huge dragon extended from its body. Ashur extended his index claw towards Cain's forehead. Cain couldn't even move out of the way. He hadn't even expected the attack, and before he knew it, the index claw of Ashur had made contact with his forehead.

Fireworks went off in his mind instantly. It felt like his soul had made contact with the most ancient of existences. The soul of the Ancient dragon wasn't something Cain was ready to encounter.

Suddenly, there was silence...

Ripples...

Echoes...

A voice reverberating in his soul...

"There is no such thing as perfect in this world. This may sound terrible, but it is the truth. The average person admires perfection and seeks to obtain it. But, what's the point of achieving perfection? There is none. Nothing.

Not a single thing. I loathe perfection! If something is perfect, then there is nothing left. There is no room for imagination. No place left for a person to gain additional knowledge or abilities."

It suddenly became clear to Cain.

The voice that had given him guidance when he had almost gone down the wrong path. Most of those who go down the runecrafting path usually go with perfection in mind, the same type of mindset Cain had started with. This would eventually lead to their downfall, as because of the rigidity in their thought process, they fail to live up to their full potential by failing to think outside the box.

"Do you understand now?"

The Golden Dragon said in a deep condescending tone. It sounded like he was mocking Cain for not realizing his inability.

Cain looked at the ground, a sense of anger, as well as embarrassment engulfing him. If not for Ashur, he would still be wallowing in his ignorance.

"I can't be blamed on you... After all, you do not have any formal education in the art, nor have you had enough time to study the field yourself. It would do you well to lose any sense of arrogance you have now, as it would limit your potential ability to learn... Come to terms with the fact that you know nothing..."

"Whatever, you giant lizard! I agree that I know nothing, but still, I'd rather be ignorant, and learn everything by myself, go through an insufferable amount of woes, than bear this level of insult!"

Cain had had enough...

He wasn't about to listen to this. He knew that he wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to spells and runecraft, but his pride wouldn't let him bend the knee, especially after he had been insulted to such levels.

Without him even knowing, the aura of pride unique to the Primordial Celestial Dragons began overflowing from every pore of his being.

"HAHAHAHA! Very good! As expected of the proud dragon soul." Seeing this, Ashur let out a satisfied laugh.

Cain instantly calmed down, as he noticed that Ashur was just trying to incite his emotions. Although he was angry, he was still curious as to why he would do such.

"Relax. I was just testing you. It would seem that your(my) dragon soul is still as pure as ever. Good to see, good to see..."

"What is all this about?!" Cain asked, perplexed.

"That is not important for you to know. Rather, let me open your mind to your potential!"

The claw that hadn't left his forehead transferred a strand of impossibly pure spiritual energy into his soul.

What the Golden Dragon had transmitted to him was a rune blueprint design that was so complicated, that he couldn't make heads or tails of its content yet.

"This is but one of the many I(We) possess. Use it wisely."

"The key to runes and magic as a whole is to seek the truth hidden beneath the veil of existence. Do not let the illusion of the mortal coil pull you down. Let your soul be liberated from the normal path. Only then shall you know true POWER!"

At the end of his sentence, the loud voice of Ashur was once again ringing in the depths of his soul.

"Allow me to demonstrate..."

Saying this, the golden dragon flapped its wings and moved a distance away from Cain. He began a chant, building up an attack.

".... Murdak shal-moth ètaktel aksin..... "

The chant began in a strange archaic language. At first, he could not comprehend it, but a flash of inspiration hit him suddenly, and he was able to understand the meaning behind it.

"Seek ye, the children of destruction, for it is within the decay that all is born from... Let your life and blood be consumed by the insatiable greed, for therein shall the source of immense power and vanity be... Embrace the whispers of the world, for within, lay both madness and redemption..... "

He was sure he had heard this before...

Suddenly, all colors vanished from the world within Cain's soul. The eyes of the golden dragon flashed brightly...

"Golden Dragon God Battle Art: Domain of the Damned!"

Various colored magic circles began expanding at an incredibly fast rate. They covered the entire vicinity around Ashur's magnificent figure. Runic sigils and arrays arrangements themselves in ever-changing infinite combinations that dazzled Cain's senses. He couldn't comprehend what he was witnessing.

He knew all of this wasn't happening but was just a manifestation of Ashur in his soul. However, he couldn't help but be amazed and stupefied by the magnificent display of power before him.

Within this domain of runic patterns, Ashur was king. This was an incredibly powerful skill, and its power would be even more devastating if used on an enemy.

"If you think this is powerful, then you truly have much more to learn." Letting out a chuckle, Ashur stared at the stupefied Cain.

Cain had managed to draw some inspiration from what he had just seen, and he was eager to apply what he had learned.

"Always remember this. The way of magic is one filled with myriad paths. Everyone has a unique path that will lead them to power. Follow yours. My era has passed, and as powerful as I once was, the fact remains that I failed."

Letting out a sigh, Ashur continued;

"I failed because I lacked sufficient power, not because I was weak. We, descendants of the mighty dragon Celestial race cannot be weaklings!"

There was pride in his voice as he said this. Even Cain was beginning to feel the immense sea of pride in his voice as his heart began to pound in his chest.

"The weak are those who will settle for what the heavens offer to them! Remember... Our goal is to go against the natural order. To break the very concepts of the heavens, and form our path!"

As soon as the sentence ended, Ashur raised his head towards the endless sky, letting out an earthshaking, heaven-rendering roar.

Cain was immediately forcibly sucked out of his consciousness. The same feeling of passing through a vortex assaulted his senses, and before he knew it, he woke up...

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