Chapter 1070 Multilayered Seal

Although the sky was full of chaos, the blue lakes beneath the island remained serene. The blue waters enveloped all creatures in a tight embrace that bestowed upon them everlasting serenity. Deep within the waters, inside a fissure in s.p.a.ce, wrath was being recreated.

Azkahar a.s.sumed his draconic form as he gazed at the human sitting in his blue palace. The man had unshaven black hair that the occasional breeze ruffled. Below his neat eyebrows were a pair of golden eyes that looked at him with infinite curiosity.

His lips pressed firmly together as the man voiced his question, confused, "What do you mean release all wrath?"

Azkahar knew that the notion was absurd to a man who had suffered from wrath to be asked to release it all. However, his studies had led him to this conclusion. The side effects came from restraining wrath, not from using it.

"Wrath is a horse that cannot be tamed. If you hold it back, it will break your bones and tear your flesh. However, if you allow it to roam free in the wilderness, the horse will not hurt you."

"But it will not be tamed."

"This is the issue with how everyone has approached wrath. Throughout thousands of years and countless vessels, the same mistake has been made. Even in other timelines, the mistake was the same. Our expectations cannot be to tame wrath but to redirect it. Wrath can never be tamed."

"Then, how am I supposed to redirect it?"

"The technique is simple, but executing it is akin to moving a mountain. Imagine that you are holding an ablaze rope that is burning with ferocious fire. Instead of holding it in peace or reigniting it every time you want to use the flames, it"s better to swing the rope so that the flame does not burn you."

"That"s a very specific a.n.a.logy, but there is no flame or rope in my situation," said Arthur with a frown as he stared at his hand. "I understand the concept of releasing wrath and redirecting it so that it wouldn"t burn me, but imagine this: I have a switch that opens a dam, and behind that dam is wrath."

Arthur wanted to explain that his wrath was not a flame that could be redirected or manipulated but an overflowing flood that slammed into him once released. He would lose all sense of what was happening and would see nothing but destruction.

"You have a boat, created from the golden mana of creation," said the blue dragon with eyes full of wisdom. "The reason you are the only one capable of wielding wrath is because of your golden mana. It is the origin of all creation, even more ancient than wrath itself."

"This is how I sealed Eragon in my sea of consciousness," said Arthur with a nod. "I used my golden mana to summon chains of order and seal him. Using his lightning involves unsealing him partially to use the lightning."

"Then, for the sake of handling his powers, let"s create a multilayered seal. As I have studied, wrath comes in many forms. Do you remember the first time you used the Breaker Insignia?"

"In the war against the Calamity Spider," nodded Arthur with a frown. "At that time, it was nothing but a pillar of light. Wrath was nonexistent in my heart, too."

"The Holy Crown unlocks the potential within individuals, therefore the insignia. Those who conquer will obtain the Conqueror Insignia, while those who heal will obtain the Healer Insignia. In your case, you defeated the trial and broke it apart."

"I did that by killing the final boss before it awakened," muttered Arthur with a shake of his head. "It had nothing to do with wrath."

"Solomon gave you the golden dagger in the previous timeline, which managed to unleash the power within you. A normal dagger would not have been able to break through the core and end the trial. However, what happened in this timeline?"

"I have no idea…"

"The story has been rewritten. In this timeline, wrath has awakened within the trial, allowing you to end it. Your legacy had a small part to play in that trial, while wrath ended it."

Arthur did not answer the blue dragon as he had no such memories. Solomon should not exist in this timeline since Arthur never went to Alka and met him. Thus, even if the dwarven king was there, he would not help Arthur.

"This is the only way that the timeline makes sense," said Arthur as he raised his eyes toward the blue dragon. "How is this related to the multilayered seal?"

"Since the Holy Crown managed to turn your potential into an insignia, it allowed you to tap into wrath without exposing yourself to it. However, the insignia was overridden because you met Ca.s.sius the Proud."

"Then, I should create a seal similar to the insignia. First came light, then lightning, then the black flame, then materialization of wrath itself."

"Your observation is close to what I have uncovered as well," said the dragon with a nod as blue characters turned into a list hovering midair. "These are the manifestations of wrath."

Arthur read the seven manifestations of wrath, which included some he already knew, but others he had no chance of uncovering. The list was as follows:

1. Light.

2. Lightning.

3. Flames.

4. Armor.

5. Chains.

6. Tempest.

7. Chaos.

"The first is the one you already used, a black light that could undo the elements," said Azkahar as he pointed at the first. "Lightning has a similar function but with a more chaotic nature. Flames are the condensed form of wrath, which is destroying your body."

"I have once formed the armor when Julius Venera was killed, but I never knew there was a higher form of wrath."

"After the armor, chains appear that could disable opponents and reign destruction on the battlefield. A tempest is akin to a calamity, which has befallen Runera in alternate timelines. As for Chaos… you have once awakened it."

"…the wolf of destruction."

"It can be anything other than a wolf, but it is the ultimate form of wrath which makes the user lose his sanity. If Oren did not use the Sword of Benevolence, you would have never recovered."

Arthur was silent as he saw the seven manifestations, and wondered how he has survived such a creature roaming inside him without this knowledge. Oren called him possessed, which Arthur has dismissed because he never witnessed himself turning into a monster.

Once Azkahar placed them in front of him, Arthur realized that if he took another step into the pool of wrath, it would have destroyed him. However, there was another time where Arthur allowed the final manifestation of wrath to appear.

"Oren was not here when I met Yuvan Perli inside this tower," said Arthur as he raised his head. "Someone else saved me."

"Diana Freya," said Azkahar with a smile. "She is the one person capable of negating chaos and reversing the transformation. This is the reason that it turns into an impossible choice. You need two things to keep your sanity."

"Mana of creation and Diana," said Arthur with a nod as he raised his eyes. "If I manage to control wrath, then I can avoid that future where I have to choose one over the other."

"Gaia will never hand over her powers to a holder of wrath, but you know someone who"s close to her," said Azkahar with a smile. "However, that remains for later. Now, we begin creating the seal to separate wrath into its seven layers."

Arthur knew that he was talking about Suyin, since Morana was the sister of Gaia. As long as he tried talking to Morana to convince Gaia to trust him, it might be possible to wield the two powers. However, that would be hard since wrath destroyed countless parts of the world.

Azkahar had a plan that Arthur had never considered before. In essence, he had to use the chains of order created from his golden mana to restrain Eragon inside him. In this way, he would be able to release wrath according to what he can handle.

The blue dragon seemed to know everything, even creating seals. Although it could not do it directly, it guided Arthur in a step-by-step method to create it. In reality, it was similar to writing runes, but using the chains of order themselves.

Arthur did not know how much time they have already spent, but creating a seal was only the first step. After limiting how much wrath can manifest, it would become easier for Arthur to train about releasing it. Instead of one dam, he was building seven of them.

"How much time has pa.s.sed, Azkahar?" asked Arthur while his eyes were closed. Although he was inside his sea of consciousness, creating chains of order without rest, he could still talk to the blue dragon.

"Three days since you arrived."

"Then, the war has already begun outside," muttered Arthur with a frown as he started to lose focus. "We need to hurry."

"The war lasts a week and it has only been a day," said Azkahar with understanding. "If you can finish your training in the next six days, then you can leave in time to defeat all lords."

"I can always come back," said Arthur, but Azkahar did not answer him. Instead, his blue eyes turned toward the distant sea, where a vortex was forming.