47 Feeling Powerful

Aria and Margaret watch in bewilderment as Arthur finishes off his third plate of food in less than ten minutes, a feat that is nothing short of amazing. His love for the culinary delights they prepare is evident, but he has never appeared so ravenous, sparking their curiosity about what changed during his bath.

"Take it easy, Arthur, or you might choke eating at such a pace," Aria voices, her tone laced with concern and curiosity. "Are you truly okay?"

"Mm," Arthur nods as he finishes the food on his plate. He feels better than ever, his body filled with strength and agility, and with his stomach fully satisfied, he feels complete. "That was delicious!" He glances at his mother and Margaret, before gently taking her hand and caressing it with tenderness.

Margaret smiles, but Aria's curiosity only deepens. She moves closer to Arthur and places her hand on his shoulder, which begins to glow with her magical essence as she analyzes his body. "No way! You've reached the sixth tier of the Mystic Novice Realm!? But how... what did you do during your bath???"

*Gulp*

The sound of Arthur swallowing nervously fills the kitchen as he scrambles for an explanation. 'How do I explain feeling empowered after Nyx made me feel good with her hands and swallowed my seed?' He can't imagine saying that out loud, especially with Eve also in the kitchen.

Aria catches on the hesitation in Arthur's eyes and a special sparkle she only notices when he speaks of Nyx, leading her to rapidly formulate theories in her mind. 'He claims to feel stronger each time he kisses her... so she must possess some kind of boosting ability... but what things have they done to achieve such an amazing improvement? Could it be that they've already...?'

"Come with me," Aria drags Arthur by the arm to a secluded corner and whispers in his ear. "You must tell me what you did with Nyx!"

'Fuck!' Arthur inwardly curses, his mother's astuteness making him feel cornered. He doesn't wish to hide anything from her, so he ponders over how best to convey it. "She used her hands... and her mouth... on my... you know... that th-"

"Okay, I get it!" Aria exhales both in relief and irritation. "Just hands and mouth? How did things rea—No, better you don't tell me!"

Arthur sees a whirlwind of conflicting emotions in his mother's eyes, but she seems both curious and excited, making him smile. "It's a good thing, right?"

"Are you talking about the power increase or Nyx's mouth?" Aria shoots a sharp look at Arthur, causing him to swallow hard again. "Both, I guess?"

She can't resist the urge to pinch his cheek. "You are such a naughty boy! Ahh... let it be! Maybe this is your connection with Nyx, but let me understand it better before you two end up doing something like this again; we still don't know how it works... and it could be dangerous!"

"What do you mean?" He asks, concerned. "You want me to tell you every time Nyx and I do… couple things? Really??"

Aria sighs. "I can't really ask you for something like that, but I just want to help you understand it and use this... ability, in the best possible way. Can you at least tell me after you do something like that again?"

Arthur can hardly wait to do something like that again, but he doesn't tell his mother and just nods, making her smile. "You are a good son, darling; just let Mommy help you grow."

"Of course, Mom," He smiles at her as he stretches his arm and flexes his fingers. "I feel so strong and energetic now... I must keep training!"

"Hmm..." Aria analyzes his body again with her magic. "You really are in the best shape so far; whatever this thing with Nyx is, it's incredibly efficient."

Arthur nods, his eyes sparkling with pride and excitement as he mentally thanks Nyx again. Then, he turns his attention back to his mother. "Four golems now; also make them stronger."

"Isn't that a bit too much, darling?" Aria can't help but worry. "Four opponents of the middle Fighter Rank at the same time? No genius could do that while only in the sixth grade of the Mystic Novice Rank…"

"I at least want to try," Arthur pleads. "I feel the energy coursing through my veins... I just want to give it my all."

Aria can see that Arthur is very eager, and this really seems like the best moment to train, so she summons four Blood Golems of the middle Fighter Rank, a tough challenge for her son.

He puts little Eve to sleep and then starts his training; his opponents are strong, fast, and attack him from all directions with no room to breathe, but Arthur is stronger and faster than ever, his senses sharp and his mind clear. He manages to hold his ground, his sword dancing gracefully around the golems, deflecting their attacks without much difficulty.

Arthur takes a few hours to get used to dealing with four enemies attacking simultaneously, but not being thrown to the ground brutally is just the first step; the hardest part begins when he tries to counterattack and discovers that his opponents are as hard as rock. But that was what he asked for, so he could exchange blows with them without worrying about them breaking easily, thus improving his sword skills even more efficiently.

Each time his sword clashes with a golem's, he feels more connected with it, the desire to become stronger pushing him forward. As Liam, he used the blade as an extension of his body; there was no challenge he couldn't overcome, and no amount of adversaries could stop him.

'I need to achieve the same here!' He thinks as he continues exchanging blows with the golems; with each new attack, his mind reads their movements even better, allowing him to instinctively react in the best possible way.

Seconds, minutes, hours... Time seems to lose its meaning as Arthur continues waving his sword majestically. 'I feel it... with my entire body...' He doesn't even realize when he closes his eyes fights just with his other senses and instincts; the sword seems to move on its own, following his will.

He keeps fighting the Golems, slowly slipping into a trance, unaware of the passage of time nor his surroundings. He feels weaker now compared to the immensity of the world, so he needs to be faster, more efficient, and more lethal. Slowly, memories of his battles as Liam resurface in his mind, his movements, his rhythm, his habits… With each memory, his sword becomes faster and sharper.

He can no longer see the world around him. All is black and white, with the golem as the single focus. He must kill; he WILL Kill…

With every slash, his movements become more refined; his sword is no longer a foreign object nor a tool but an extension of himself. He IS the sword. His intent, the way to Kill. He IS Death.

From a distance, Aria watches his movements with a shocked expression. When she feels a cold aura emanating from her son, she understands what is happening with him. "Enlightenment!!!" she thinks aloud, her eyes sparkling. "But he is so young... how is this possible?"

She continues to watch Arthur, but he doesn't stop; no external influence can reach him now; there is only his sword and his adversaries in his focus. And so he continues fighting as a new day dawns, the first rays of sunlight touching his body.

As soon as Margaret wakes up from her nap, she rushes to the backyard and is shocked to see Arthur still fighting against the golems with his eyes closed. "How long has he been like this?" she asks Aria.

"Several hours," Aria quickly responds, her eyes still fixed on her son; she hasn't left his side for a second. Only this way can she ensure that nothing disturbs his moment so that he can make the most of it.

"Several?" Margaret is shocked and concerned. "Isn't that dangerous??"

Aria shakes her head as she gestures to her to be quiet. "One can spend in the state of enlightenment days, weeks, or even months as long as their bodies can endure it. It can be really dangerous in more prolonged cases as people in such a state lose touch with the outside world and become easy targets for their enemies. But Arthur is completely safe here, so he can enjoy it as much as his body can tolerate."

'Enlightenment?' Margaret can understand that it is something truly incredible based on Aria's expressions. "What does it actually mean?"

"He is comprehending his Will and Intent on a conceptual level, deepening his understanding of his own self and connecting with the Sword on a deeper level..." Aria comments, her tone proud and impressed. "His sword skills were barely at the Adept level, but I wouldn't doubt him reaching the Master level if he can maintain it a little longer…"

"Oh!" Margaret shares Aria's look of awe as they watch Arthur's dance of death. Both stand there quietly, simply watching his movements until Eve joins them to cheer for her big brother, too.

As the hours pass swiftly, the girls take turns watching over Arthur whenever Aria goes to the bathroom or grabs drinks and snacks, but she moves quickly to return to her son's side. This process lasts for three days, until on the night of the third day when his body nears total exhaustion.

Aria is the only one awake now, her eyes still fixed on her son. She has witnessed all his progress, how his already fast and skilled sword reached an entirely new realm, and how Arthur seems to play with the golems as if their skills were nothing more than party tricks in his perception.

His body is still under the same limitations as three days ago; he hasn't improved his cultivation level, so he isn't stronger or faster than the Blood Golems, but he manages to predict their movements with ease, and with just his sword skills, deflects and counters their attacks without difficulty.

Arthur's cold aura has also become more noticeable, like a dark aura covering his body. Aria sees the exact moment he pulls his sword arm to the side and then swings in a wide arc with a rapid slash. *WHOOONGG* The blade hums and vibrates as it cuts through the air coldly and releases an arc of bluish-black energy horizontally, severing the four golems in half and cutting a deep trench into the backyard wall before dissipating near the road.

He wanted to Cut, to Kill, and so he did. Only the Intent mattered. The Sword followed his Will.

"WHOA!!!" Aria exclaims in joy upon seeing that, clapping her hands and bouncing like a fangirl. "Second phase of Sword intent!!" But then she sees Arthur's body collapse in exhaustion. "Babyy!!!" She rushes in time to catch his body, resting his head gently on her lap.

"Wha-" Arthur doesn't understand what's happening; he tries to open his eyes, but his body is simply at its limit. He feels something extremely soft under his head and the warm and gentle touch of delicate hands on his face.

"Easy, darling…" He also hears his mother's sweet voice before blacking out. "You did great, better than anyone could... you are already a Swordmaster… Now rest, my baby."