Six Paths To Godhood

"Element of flesh? What is that?" Raymond mused. "It's the first time I am hearing about something like that."

Vivian looked at him thoughtfully. Indeed, it was very unlikely that a human might have heard about the existence of other elements besides the normal ones like the basic elements of nature.

"As far as my knowledge goes, it is an elemental affinity even rarer than the Space element." Vivian had read in the elven library that only true dragons used to awaken this affinity once in a millennia.

"Only true dragons are said to possess this affinity when they transform into humanoid creatures," Vivian recalled a very curious piece of information she had read before. "Though there is a mention of a person who is said to be born with this affinity!"

"Who?"

Vivai shook her head. There was no mention of their name or origin in that book. She could even feel the distress the original author of the book had when he was writing about that entity.

It was as if the author was afraid of some retribution for writing about them as he vaguely mentioned a person with an affinity for flesh and left it at that without providing sufficient information.

It was like a warning to those who were capable of reading between the lines and a passing rumour for those who simply skimmed through the book.

"I don't know." Vivian simply answered. "But one thing is for sure, I am a living, breathing example that the element of flesh does exist and you as well Master Ray!"

Her eyes shook as that realisation settled in. Why were true dragons so revered and feared by the masses?

Their gargantuan size aside, it was because of the natural born abilities that were gifted to them because of the element of flesh.

"Six paths to Godhood…"

"What?" Raymond asked Vivian who was mumbling to herself.

"Nothing!" Vivian was startled for a second and composed herself.

There were six known paths to Godhood that were mentioned in the ancient scripture according to what Celestia had told her when they were kids.

Aura of Heaviness.

Cape of Lightness.

Book of Attainment.

Threads of Fulfilment.

Ring of Domination.

and the last one was the Crown of Supremacy.

Vivian's eyes widened and her head turned towards Raymond so fast that it appeared to be rolling off of her shoulders.

Crown of Supremacy!

A crown. Wasn't it something she had seen on Raymond just a few moments ago?

-Gasp!

Vivian covered her mouth with her hands as she let out an involuntary gasp.

Why were the true dragons hunted down by the gods and their minions?

It was precisely because of the element of flesh.

'Earth, water, fire, wind, light, darkness, and any other element for that matter; all fall under the Crown of Supremacy. Only by cultivating your element to the utmost, can you manifest the Crown for yourself.'

It was something Celes, her once dear friend, had told her. She wasn't willing to believe her back then but it seemed like there was some truth to her friend's words after all.

'Almost all the elements can allow you to manifest a crown and there are only a few special ones that give you access to other paths of Godhood. However, the element of flesh is different. It can help you reach out to the four paths simultaneously!'

'A crown when you master the element of flesh, an aura when you strengthen your body to the limit using the element of flesh and a cape when you can move at incredible speed using that physical prowess, and lastly something that even makes the Gods envious; A ring that lets you control others like a puppet by dominating their fleshly bodies using the elemental affinity.'

'And that was why the true dragons were killed as soon as they were born just in case they awakened the element of flesh!'

Vivian had no idea why her friend was rambling all that unintelligible gibberish back then, but it definitely helped her find some answers to the questions she had now.

"No, I don't have any affinity with elements. I can't cultivate because of my broken core." Raymond shrugged. What was this about a flesh element? If anything, his affinity should be wind.

Even his mother supposedly had the Wind element according to his Grandpa. There was no way he could have anything other than that when both of his parents were Wind element cultivators.

"That's nonsense! You can't be alive with a broken core!" Vivian rebuked.

Raymond's lips tugged in amusement. "I see… a student is feeling bold now. She is even talking back to her master."

Raymond grabbed her ears once again and started caressing them.

"Hwaaa~ I am telling the truth! I saw you manifesting a crown back then!" Vivian tried to argue with him but her brain was melting by the continuous stimulations caused by his hands playing with her ears.

"Yeah… you really need to get that head looked at by someone. Let's go back to Mist village and see if anyone can help with that…"

Raymond dragged her towards the direction of the Mist village. His wives must be waiting for him. It was better to spend time with them than dealing with Vivian's nonsense.

———

Raymond entered the Mist village through the entrance gate and he could clearly feel the hostility directed towards Vivian by the gatekeeper.

"Halt!" He ordered by stopping Vivian in her tracks using a metal spike he was carrying as a hurdle. "Pay up before you enter!"

Raymond's instincts kicked in. "What the hell are you saying? Aren't we supposed to pay only for the first time?" He might as well live in the forest if he had to pay every time.

"Not you, Human! She has to pay." The elven guard pointed at Vivian with disdain.

"Why? Does she have a horn on her head? Stop looking at her like she is some kind of demon!" Raymond's face darkened. If you're going to abuse your authority, you should do it with everyone.

Why discriminate between people?

"Haha, I will let a demon enter freely but not her! She has to pay if she wants to enter!" The guard laughed smugly.

"Master Ray, leave him be. It is always like this. I am used to it." Vivian grabbed Raymond's arms and held him back from attacking the gatekeeper.

"Tch, what a disgrace! You're referring to a human as 'Master'". It is true what they say, you're really a stain on our elven legacy!" The guard tutted in disapproval.

-Make'em Vanish-

"Huh?" Vivian blinked and the guard was gone. "Where did he go? Master Ray, did you do something to him?"

"Yes, I threw him into the sky." Raymond pointed upwards where a small dot could be seen that was piercing through the misty clouds.

"Is it because he talked bad about me?" Vivian asked shyly. It was the first time someone other than her grandfather had defended her like that.

"No, he was talking as if calling me 'Master' was something disdainful!" Raymond replied. It was one thing to say bad things about Vivian but he should really watch his words.

"Fufu~ I believe you," Vivian's eyes narrowed into crescent-shaped moons as she laughed like a little girl.

This human was funny. He was shy to admit he was defending her.

"But you shouldn't mess with the guards or any of the villagers for my sake. It will get you in trouble with the village protector." Vivian said seriously.

The village protector was someone she hated with all her guts. He was always out to flirt with her whenever he was not holed up in his house.

Only gods knew what he was doing inside all day without looking after the village, but it was good for Vivian who didn't have to deal with him all the time.

"I don't care. I will make him vanish too if he comes after me!" Raymond declared confidently.

Soon, they reached the mercenary guild where the trio of Jasmine, Lyla, and Arlo were waiting for him at the entrance.

"I am back!"

Raymond called out to Jasmine who was pestering Lyla about something. And Lyla appeared to be rubbing her forehead furiously to ease the headache she was having.

"Master! You're back so quickly?" Jasmine asked sceptically, her gaze shifting back and forth between her master and the pompous elf.

'Wait a minute! Why is she acting all shy and cute?' Jasmine looked at her in disbelief.

The proud and overbearing elf was looking at them nervously while trying to hide behind her master.

"Master, d-did something happen? Why is she following you like that?" Jasmine raised her eyebrows at him.

"Haha, nothing important. I just accepted her as my student!" Raymond chuckled. "Though, I am not going to teach her anything!"

It looked like her master was not going to elaborate any further and if she pressed on, she knew he would definitely not tell her anything just to irritate her further.

So she asked the elf directly:

"Miss Vivian, did something happen between you two? Why are you hiding behind him? And how did you become his student?"

"Fufu~ I am not saying anything. It's our little secret."

A nerve on her head twitched in annoyance. That did not sound good at all!