[Robbing Heaven Forbidden Array:
Type: Forbidden.
Classification: Grade-2.
None insertable knowledge; requires manual learning and comprehension.
Cost to Deploy: Perpetual knowledge of the 5 Elements and 8 Extremities (5 Core Anchors and 8 Core Boundaries). Ample energy source that scales with target size or realm.
Description: A forbidden formation that steals from nature. Energy absorbed is sub-permanently lost. The array operates in three distinct phases.
Phase One, Siphoning (The 5 Elements): Five inner anchors–Fire, Water, Metal, Air, Earth–form the core pentagon, drawing from nature.
Phase Two, Suppression and Compression (The 8 Extremities): Eight outer anchors form an octagonal boundary. They suppress and twist the stolen energy into volatile extremes, which are;
Yang Heaven's Descent, Yin Marsh's Decay. Yang Solar Flare, Yin Absolute Frost. Yang Thunderclap, Yin Witherwind. Yang Mountain's Wrath, Yin Devouring Pit.
Phase Three, The Collapse.]
…
After reading the preliminary details, Marcus dived into the formation structure and drawings.
He read through it, and his mouth quickly went dry.
At first glance, nothing about this formation array carried any sound reason as to why it was classified as a forbidden array.
But the more Marcus read, especially when it came to the intricate designs of the inner anchors and outer boundaries, he began doubting if he would be able to use this formation at all.
The markings gave him a great feeling of dread, as though it was warning him.
Moreover, the difficulty seemed to be high, even for him, despite having the capabilities of a Grade-2 Formation Array master.
But it can still be useful. This formation array can seize the energy of everything within it, including people.
If I can trap Maney and Cassir within the formation…
As soon as the thought came, Marcus seemed to see a path to victory.
It didn't matter how hard it was; Marcus was certain that he could learn it as long as it was still a Grade-2 Formation Array, forbidden or not.
But these were just his thoughts. Purely ignorant of some of the requirements and consequences.
And so, he delved deeper into trying to understand this formation array.
But unfortunately for him, he was unaware that one would need to have sufficient mental energy to study formation arrays manually.
A dizzy spell overtook his sight as another painful pang of a headache assaulted him, and in a few seconds, he passed out.
Time trickled away slowly.
Close to the late hours of noon, Marcus woke up feeling a lot better than before. In fact, he woke up with a bit more understanding of the Robbing Heaven formation array.
"Ugh," Marcus groaned as he propped himself up off the ground.
The blood he had cried had dried over his cheeks. Even his clothes that had been soaked with blood had also dried.
"This can definitely work. I only need to study it a bit more. And if it is anywhere as destructive as I think, then losing this life to get more time to study wouldn't be an unworthy trade." He got on his feet and reflexively dusted his clothes, only to remember that a few pats wouldn't be enough to clean him up.
The Marcus of yesterday would have dreaded this idea. He had only two redos left.
Failure in this one was as good as a bad gamble in the next.
But now…
Marcus shook his head with an excited smile and started walking.
He left his private training ground for the bathroom to wash up. Even while taking a bath, he continued to study the Robbing Heaven formation array.
"This should be the major issue with this formation. Source of energy." He rubbed his chin.
Marcus leaned into the edge of the tub he was in and stared at his ceiling.
"We have quite a bit of gold left, but might not be enough to purchase Mid-quality Mana Stones. Anything less might not even be enough to get the formation to start properly. What to do?..."
He put this problem to the side and focused on trying to comprehend the formation some more.
An energy source will only be a problem once he can construct the formation array properly.
…
A few days went by.
Marcus had barely left his office, as he spent most of his time trying to accurately draw the formation diagram on papers in his office.
When he first had the idea to attempt this, Marcus realized that what he was planning to construct was a lot harder than he imagined.
Using his mind to trace the diagram seemed very easy, but when he tried to jot it down, the diagram became so complex that his hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Moreover, it also drew from his mental strength. Every rune, every line, sapped some energy from him.
This amplified the difficulty of the array.
But this didn't discourage Marcus; if anything, it gave him more confidence in the formation array.
Marcus paused and tapped the pen on his head. He was trying to figure out why there was a dissonance between the image he had in his head and when he attempted to put it down.
"To draw or lay down formations, the first thing needed is understanding… the nature of formation. Its uses, the Laws it touches upon, and then the process of inscription." He muttered, trying to take himself through the basics.
After being schooled by Veronica, Marcus became glaringly aware of how vital the basics to such things were.
"The second is the diagram's structural integrity… the physical or inscribed diagram must be geometrically and proportionally correct. A single line at the wrong angle, or a rune even slightly misplaced, can cause the formation to fail or activate wrongly."
This part of the process was more mechanical when compared to the rest. It tried to make sense of the relationship between the geometric positions of the runes and their placements.
However, because of the precision and attention to detail it needed, it was one of the reasons why formation drawing or inscriptions were considered one of the more difficult categories of magic.
Though some subsets could still be connected to formation drawing, like talisman inscription, which had less stringent requirements. But that was too small a scale for this type of formation Marcus was planning to use.
"The third is Energy Infusion into the inscriptions."
Laying down a formation isn't just about accurate drawing; it requires the practitioner to breathe energy into every line as it is inscribed.
This was another simple but complex part of formation drawing.
The energy signature used to inscribe must match the law of the formation it was trying to invoke.
For example, inscribing a fire-anchored formation array with a water-tinged mana would corrupt the formation.
This is another reason why formation drawing is difficult. And for adept practitioners, this is the reason why they must choose a specialization.
Not many people can wield multiple elemental-natured Mana.
But for Marcus, this stage wasn't much of an issue. One of the Robbing Heaven formation array requirements is that it is laid with the five general elements of Mana.
Without it, the 8 Extremes would be incomplete. The only drawback to this was that Marcus's Mana reserves were insufficient.
"And then finally, the fourth. Activation and control. But how will I know its difficulty if I can't get past the second layer? Especially since this is a Large Scale Formation Array." He chuckled and leaned back into his chair.
This final part was also crucial. One can get the first three steps and still fail to activate the formation array because their control is bad or they're unfamiliar with the energy pathways.
Despite feeling frustrated, a smile remained on Marcus's face. It was as if he didn't fear Maney's coming anymore.
In fact, he was a little bit less scared of dying now. Just a little bit.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves too much… one step at a time. Solutions will present themselves just as the problems did."
Marcus became the optimist. And this is how he had always been. Even when he was first appointed as the governor of Agard, despite seeing its impoverished state, his optimism didn't falter.
He experienced thirteen years of unexplained madness and sickness, and even then, his heart didn't falter.
Suddenly, Marcus began to recall a time when he tried playing a prank on his father.
"Why can't I recall your face, father?" He frowned.
With each passing day, Marcus felt like his father's image in his head was becoming blurry.
I should request a portrait of him from sister when we meet…
He paused.
"Yes… I have a nephew now, and my sister is getting married. This is another reason why I must succeed. Just so I can catch the bastard that impregnated my sister before marrying her."
A look of disgust mixed with anger colored Marcus's face.
Suddenly, Maney didn't seem much of a bad guy to him when compared to that vagabond.
But he quickly crossed this thought out of his mind and focused on the papers in front of him.
Marcus returned to practicing his formation drawing.