If looked at technically, bloodsucker would be the wrong term. It would be more accurate to say that he was about to use his blood to give birth to life, so a...bloodbender?
Leonidas didn't linger on the thought for much longer, as his consciousness arrived back in the real world. The mouth stood a few steps away from him, silent and steady, waiting for him to step into its domain.
Leonidas cast a quick glance at Willow, noticing her standing with her sword raised high, ready to attack or defend.
She met his gaze, caution and hesitation swirling in their dark depths. Willow seemed to be second-guessing letting Leonidas do whatever, but it was too late; he was already ready.
His senses hadn't increased as dramatically as his body or mind, but awakening had affected them all the same. Leonidas could feel his heartbeat; he could hear his blood rushing through numerous veins and arteries; he could see something in the air.
Barely visible specks of near-transparent golden light were all around him, seemingly merged with the very air he breathed. It was breathtaking and terrifying at the same time. He hadn't seen them before—even after awakening—because he was simply not looking for them.
How many things are there, hidden from my sight?
Leonidas shook his head...in his mind.
Focus. I need to lock in.
To succeed in his goal, Leonidas needed to first grasp the golden light in front of him...only that he couldn't. His body was too low a rank to directly grasp them, his eyes too weak to directly see them, his mind too dull to directly will them towards him.
What could he do?
It was simple. He would imagine that he could. And for someone like him, someone who had lived two lives and seen a whole other world, imagination was his strongest suit.
Come to papa, little bastards.
Leonidas imagined himself moving his right arm, the one that had been eaten. Obviously, nothing moved, but his result was achieved, albeit partially.
Leonidas recalled what he had learned about Insenium. Like everything related to the Labyrinth, information about it was restricted and could barely be spoken about to non-awakened. Still, Leonidas knew its name and the basic function of what it could perform.
Mother had said that Insenium exists all around us, and I now see she wasn't kidding. But more importantly, she had said that to use even the lightest of Edicts, a flow of Insenium is required.
For context, Edicts were supernatural abilities tied to one's Source Element. A person could have one and only one Source Element, and they gained an Edict tied to that Source Element upon each rank-up, making for a total of six.
But Leonidas's case was a bit unique. Since his soul was basically two halves, he had two Source Elements, which meant two Edicts, which meant more power.
But it also meant more Insenium consumption, mental strain, and more time spent on mastering his abilities.
The point being, Insenium was important, and Leonidas had to somehow supply it to the invisible island of light growing within his soul.
"Whoo." Taking a deep breath, Leonidas pushed the phantom arm he had formed in his mind forward, imagining it grabbing a handful of golden specks.
The arm followed his will, moving right below the nearest cluster he could see. It opened its fingers, the motion causing it to almost disappear like smoke.
Like hell!
Leonidas focused harder, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, while his brows scrunched up in strain. The hand opened again, this time clear and solid, and moved for the cluster again.
As soon as Leonidas touched them, his hand burst into flame. Obviously, it didn't exist, but the pain was still there. His mind felt as if it were being pounded by a club that was hotter than the very pits of hell itself.
Still, Leonidas held firm. He needed to touch his hand to his chest, and he was going to succeed, no matter what.
Fire made the process harder, not impossible. He only had to move his hand, so it was over relatively quickly. His hand passed through his chest, and a rejuvenating feeling passed through his body, as if he had gotten a good night's sleep and woken up on the good side of the bed.
Insenium flowed through every part of his body, through every vein, merging with his blood and bones alike. His blood burned, and the sudden urge to unleash the energy running through him ran wild.
"Hoo..."
Amazing. This feels amazing, and next time the process won't even take a single second.
Leonidas was quickly coming to like the Labyrinth, despite their...differences.
He took a quick glance at Willow, whose eyes were glowing with black fire. Her sword was changing states of matter faster than Leonidas could see. From a solid piece of wicked metal, to black water swirling around her limbs, to a gas armor encasing her like a thin layer of visible oxygen.
Now that is just cool. While I can grow some stupid flowers.
Life was so unfair that it almost hurt.
He turned around and faced the mouth again, which was still just staring at him as if it couldn't cross a certain point. Leonidas was sure that there was some sort of restriction the foaming ravine enforced on the beast.
The silver sword spun in his hand naturally, going round and round over his wrist before he caught it with rough movement. His eyes turned cold, the warmth and humor in their oceanic depths dying in seconds.
His face settled into icy resolve, and the world slowly lost its color until only red remained.
"Flower gleam and glow..."
At his words, the world plunged into silence. Then it shook. A ring formed around Leonidas, roots tearing through the multicolored ground, shooting high into the sky.
They grew and grew until he could no longer track them. Eventually, they stopped. They stopped and decayed. Crimson bark shrivelled and shrunk until it was snuffed out of existence, leaving behind a rain of crystalline roses, as if gravity didn't dare touch them.
"What the hell..."
Leonidas heard Willow speak, but he ignored it, too mesmerized by the sight.
A/n: I forgot to ask, but was the quality of chapter 9-11 lower than the others? I expect at least 6 comments cause Ik at least six people read this.