Chronos could only imagine how expensive more advanced books were.
Looking at the price, he debated not buying it and just experimenting with the skills but if he did that, he didn't know how long it would take him to understand his own skills.
Even though it would cost him nearly half his points he decided to purchase {Spatial Relativity for Kids. The place to begin your journey!}. He would also need to spend hours copying it for his clan later.
That was not a pleasant thought, but it would take too long for one of his clan members to amass enough points to buy it if he didn't.
Selecting the book, he felt knowledge enter his mind in the same way The Divine Beast method had then turned into an actual book within his mind.
Shocked Chronos thought, "So books are stored within the mental space while techniques and spells are learned and need to be practiced. I wonder if I can interact in other ways with my mental space now. Hmm, no it doesn't look like I can touch anything but the books, at least this makes writing it down easier."
After looking around the mental space for a while Chronos turned back to the matter at hand and began to work on advancing his bloodline. He would read the book later when he wasn't so busy.
Focusing on his bloodline once more he moved the bloodline power spread throughout his body towards his second heart.
Now he could clearly feel his second heart. As he sensed it, he could feel two different powers coming from separate chambers of the heart, one was the spatial power he was already familiar with, but the other power felt extremely faint, almost non-existent.
Was this the void power that his status claimed as his second greatest affinity?
As Chronos observed it for a few minutes he began to understand what the techniques that claimed it was both nothing and alive meant. While it was certainly empty and could be described as nothingness it also had a presence and movement like it was breathing.
How that was possible was a mystery to him but that was what it felt like.
While observing the secondary chamber that contained his void power the first and larger chamber suddenly thrummed as more bloodline power was gathered into it.
Returning his attention to the larger chamber he watched as it began to compress the power inside of it just as he had done with his barrier. That was a bit concerning but the Divine Beast method had said that he shouldn't try to control the process and let his power act freely once it was inside the second heart.
As it became smaller and smaller Chronos began to feel pain in his heart but chose to continue until he couldn't endure it anymore. As he watched the pain continued to grow until minute cracks began forming on the second heart.
Then it expanded and began to heal, now he understood. The heart was a muscle and like all muscles it would grow stronger the more you used it.
Now forcibly compressing and expanding your heart was extremely dangerous so if your body was too weak you would experience a heart attack instead of growth. But as a werewolf in the knight rank both his endurance and natural healing were very high and could endure this process.
If there was any problem, it was that he wanted to go for a run right now. Actually that feeling was growing stronger the longer he practiced the Divine Beast method.
Finally, he could no longer suppress his instincts and jumped to his feet. Letting out a howl he took off, running to the edge of camp where he vaulted over the walls and started a loop around the fort.
His howl startled Sten who had been focusing on practicing his healing technique. Watching him run to the walls Sten suddenly got the urge to join him. All of the werewolves in camp saw Chronos running and several couldn't resist joining him as they jumped over the walls and followed his path.
"Sten what happened?" Asked Freydis.
"He was working on breaking through his bloodline to reach the first rank when he suddenly jumped up and ran."
"So it's instinct? Veteran fangs follow me." She yelled.
Most of those that had followed Chronos were the younger generation along with a few older ones that were in tune with their bloodline.
If they encountered danger in their current state, it would be hard for them to fight back as all they could think about was running right now.
To keep them safe Aunt Freydis took a group of veteran fang rank members and surrounded them as they ran. She wouldn't interfere with whatever was happening as it looked like it was beneficial to them, but she wasn't foolish enough to let them go off on their own in their current state.
After making a full loop around the fort Chronos was vaguely aware that Aunt Freydis was protecting them. Feeling her presence, he decided to let go of his control and ran in whatever direction he felt was best.
Turning away from the fort he ran northeast where he felt like they would find something. Whether it was good or bad he could only wait and see.
Ba-dum...ba-dum..ba-dum.
As they ran, a rapid heartbeat echoed from Chronos, accelerating their blood. Hearing it, Freydis realized they could all lose control if they weren't careful.
"Veteran fangs stay focused! Chronos' heartbeat can make you lose control!" She called out.
Several of the veteran fangs shook their heads to refocus their minds before they lost control showing shocked expressions at how much a mere heartbeat could influence them.
Running through the swamp Chronos felt that they weren't going fast enough but couldn't find any way to increase their speed. In frustration he howled only to have all of those behind him howl as well.
As the howls echoed through the swamp, they seemed to fuse together until the air in front of them rippled. Then a strange thin barrier appeared in front of them and stretched around them until the entire group was encased in it, looking closely at it Freydis saw that it seemed to change the world around them.
No, it was they who were changing. She realized as the forest in front of them was far too close while the forest behind them suddenly seemed to stretch into the distance and several trees whisked past them far faster than they were running.
"What's going on?" Sten yelled in confusion.
"I don't know but we are moving much faster than I have ever moved before." Freydis yelled back.
As the kilometers passed beneath them, they travelled further and further to the northeast until a scent in the air struck Chronos's nose. It smelled of blood, poison, and corruption.
Growling in anger Chronos turned towards the scent, it did not belong in this world and in his instinct driven state he was determined to dispose of it.
Shortly afterwards the rest of them caught the scent as well causing angry growls to echo from all of them.
Crossing several lakes and rivers they only slowed down when they approached a grove that was glowing with black and red light. Inside they could hear screaming from women and children while men shouted in anger and frustration unable to do anything.
Creeping through the tall grass they came over a hill and saw a clearing with a strange ritual going on in its center.
People were tied to stakes around its edge while others were being sacrificed to an altar made of bones in the middle. Cages were around the edge of the clearing containing humans, lizardfolk, and other intelligent races.
Among those cages were several that had misshapen creatures inside of them. Most of them stood on two legs but had appendages that didn't match their bodies. Some had crab claws for arms, others seemed to have blades poking out of their bodies at strange angles, others had batwings for legs, and a few looked like they were entirely made of tentacles.
The people tied to the stakes looked like warriors from the wasteland and swamps but there was also an ogre tied with them. He was shouting the loudest cursing at a group of men dressed in black with several runes stitched into their clothing.
Ogres weren't normally seen on the northern end of the continent and were well known for being honorable and strong. A sacrificial ritual like this one went against everything ogres were taught.
The black robed men were ignoring him while bowing to an idol set on top of the bone altar but the veteran fangs couldn't make out what it looked like from their position. From their position Freydis could see nearly a hundred more black cloaked men with weapons at their waists.
Counting her men she realized that only 53 werewolves were here but as long as those black cloaked men weren't that skilled, they should be able to easily overwhelm them if they attacked.
Looking at the werewolves following Chronos she knew that none of them would retreat today, all of their expressions screamed that whatever this ritual was it had to be stopped now!