Infernal Apocalypse

I took a moment to stretch my arms out and wiggle my legs a bit, and without a doubt I felt a bit stronger. It seems those flames weren’t just for show. That’s amazing. I’m not really sure how much stronger I felt, but I knew it wasn’t on the same level as a breakthrough to a different stage in Body Tempering.

Yet I felt stronger nonetheless, its almost as if my body has just been reinforced overall. This is really good.

Moving on, now that the embrace of the flame thing was out of the way, it was time to continue reading.

Wow…this last page is definitely way more important than the first one.

[The thing that most people will likely use to identify you as an Infernal are your Flames. They are called Eternal Flames, for a very simply reason. The Flames of Infernals are truly Eternal. If enough power is imbued into them, they can and will burn till the end of time. In fact, there are countless planets that have met that exact fate for their transgressions against Infernals. ]

Entire planets that are just being burned forever? And the fact it said countless means it can’t be just a few. That…that is a lot to take in. Just what type of race of people did I become? Are we the antagonists of the Multiverse?

And that’s not even the problem, the problem is I don’t see anything wrong with it. If an entire planet worth of people tried to kill me I’d set them on fire too. Just reinforces the idea that I’m definitely one of them I guess.

Moving on, the page didn’t end there.

[ Now, your flames were always with since the day you were born, but it would have never been revealed prior to being welcomed into the Multiverse. Your body needs the Qi in the air to have enough power to use the Flames. Without it, your flames would remain dormant forever. Though if you’re reading this that is not the case, and your flames have made at least one appearance.]

Hm, that was interesting. So, I’ve always had these flames, but Earth didn’t have access to Qi before, so my flames never showed itself. Does that mean if the Multiverse thing didn’t happen I would’ve lived a typical life and died never knowing what I really was? That’s a somewhat scary thought. Glad that isn’t the case.

[ Your flames are apart of you, they feel as you feel, breathe as you breathe, fight as you fight. They are deeply entrenched into everything that makes you, you. Though properly using them is a different story. There is no step by process or an exact science in learning how to properly wield your flames. Infernals have been around since the dawn of time itself, and to this day that has always been the case. The reason for that is while Eternal Flame is the same, it is still unique in some way to just you.

[ It is not like a spell waiting to be cast after a set of conditions have been met, it is not like an intricate array working by a set of rules. No. It is much more than that, much deeper than that. It is alive.

[ Not in the same that you are alive, but it truly does feel. You need to connect with it, bond with it, truly recognize it as your partner that will walk with you to the end of time in every battle, in every triumph, in every down moment, in EVERYTHING. Treat it like a family member and it will do the same to you. Never forget that, and you will soon be able to truly walk the path of an Infernal Patriarch.

[ Let your Flames burn Eternally, and your spear be ever swift! ]

After reading that last line, I calmly placed the booklet back in the small box it came in, and just rested on the cot for a second digesting everything I just read.

It was a lot.

Infernal Patriarch? First it said something about sole ancestor, then it something about a lineage, and now Patriarch? Why are they making it sound like I’ll be the head of a clan or something? Sigh Let’s not waste any more time thinking about it.

My flames are alive.

That explains a lot of weird things that’s been happening to me. The reason why I feel annoyed or angry or just completely unwilling to do certain things since I’ve been in the Tutorial is all probably due to these Eternal Flames of mine.

Though it’s not completely fair to say that as Its not like I’ve disagreed with those feelings, I just didn’t understand them fully but now I do. Well, that’s not entirely accurate, I still don’t understand them, but now I know that my flames were playing a part in how I felt.

I also know why I couldn’t make use of them properly. I’ve been subconsciously treating it like a tool to be used, and not something akin to a partner. I’ve shown much more love to the spears I wield than to my very own flames.

That needs to change.

I laid down on my cot and closed my eyes. Trying to focus within myself and shutting off the world completely.

I tried to imagine my flames, showing up in the darkness that I was seeing, I tried to imagine them embracing me like the flames of the book did, I tried to imagine them roaring into life as I battled my enemies, I tried and tried and tried to feel them, yet I knew I was still missing something. What was it? What was I missing?

I focused deeply on everything I learned from the book. Everything I felt since I’ve been in this Tutorial, everything I’ve done at every age of my life.

What was it? What am I missing?

My parents? No, that can’t be it.

I didn’t have any siblings so that couldn’t be it either.

Wait…

Siblings?

The book said my flames were with me since the day I was born…

They have been there, every step of the way. They were there when I took my first steps. They were there when I said my first word. They were there for my first day of school. They were there when I first learned I couldn’t be burned. They were there when I got teleported to a new place. They were there for my first kill. They were there when I learned how foolish I was in thinking I could treat this place like a game. They were there as I grew stronger and learned how to fight. They were there when I took the life of a human being.

They were there. They were always there.

I have always had a partner.

I have always been supported.

I have always had someone watching my back.

I have always…had a brother.

VWOOSH

The second I had that thought, I felt something within me shift and as I opened my eyes, beautiful black flames seemed to pour out from my body, engulfing my entire being, before eventually flooding the entire room and likewise the whole house. Nothing was burning though, I can tell these flames weren’t meant to burn. All I could feel was a sense of happiness.

It truly felt like everything was now as it should be. I felt whole. I felt refreshed.

I felt like an Infernal.