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How terrifying it is to change a man's heart?
The answer is very terrifying.
Then how terrifying it is to not only change his heart but also his mind, personality and very core? Erasing him and putting something different in its stead? Making him a completely different person while that ended result is fully aware and conscious about it?
This is also very terrifying.
But what is more terrifying is that man thanking you for transforming his life to something better while you are aware of the cruel process you just put him through. It is like reprograming a person's mind completely… no room for going back or reverting to old habits, changing his heart way beyond anything achievable.
It made me shiver in fear.
I know I was acting high and mighty but seeing something, feeling it and understanding what it is are completely different stories from just planning for it and getting ready mentally.
I just created a new human in the place of another human and it became very grateful to me. I removed all the hatred towards magic and changed it into admiration and wonder, all the evil into a good well, all the hate into guilt and all treachery into loyalty.
The man that walked in was not the man that walked out.
This was a power mortals shouldn't possess and I shouldn't abuse yet it will become a full ability I can use freely one day.
How terrifying!
It took me quite a while to put my head in peace with it and erase all the evidence of my actions. Now Jarl Korir is a new man who will serve Winterhold as a proper Jarl and I will keep my eye on him for the coming few days.
"Why are you so worried?" A voice asked me.
I looked back to Alina and sighed.
"Nothing. Just worries of work."
"You are normally not worried of anything."
"… Normally. I am just scared of what might I become."
"You? Jon Dare?"
"Heh! It is just… things used to be simple. I am good, evildoers are bad, there are lines one shouldn't cross, I knew I would cross them someday but… it is just that they are really scary. Once you cross these lines, realize what you are capable of and see the outcome of your actions… it all feels unsettling."
Alina raised her brows and looked around. She checked that there is no one around us in my office and removed her [Fire Keeper Mask].
"I see that you are troubled, darling. Come here."
She pulled my head and took me in a hug.
"You are not a bad person. Maybe a little villain but you are not evil."
"… Yeah." Her logic was a bit confusing.
She let me go and looked at me.
"You are literally the guy who came from another world and will slay dragons in the future. I mean you shouldn't be scared just that you got more powerful."
"Hey, don't use my excuses against me."
"Hehe." She laughed sweetly and looked at me again.
"Both you and I know that there are not just excuses. You said it yourself, the first requirement in Cultivating the Essence Energy is to have a strong heart, you are Jon Dare, how can you be scared?"
I felt like her words hit the spot and I smiled wryly. There were many things in this world that I am ready for or I thought I was until I experienced it. The feeling was strange.
And it kept getting stranger for some reason.
"Eeeh… Jon."
I was not sure what this feeling is but Winterhold was rather bright today.
"Jon!"
"Oh, sorry. Yes."
"You are… getting… red?" Alina said something strange.
"Excuse me?!"
"You are becoming red? Like… look at your skin for Kyne's sake."
I looked at my palm and…
"Why am I red?"
Alina touched me but she retreated her hand right away.
"Hot!"
"Thanks."
"NO! You are hot."
"Clearly."
"I mean your temperature."
"...… Ahaaa!"
I am hot indeed.
I stood up from my chair and opened the window for some fresh cold air to come in but I didn't get any cooler.
"Alina, I think my Magicka is causing this. It is not moving properly and I can't use it right. I am about to break through the [Iron Bone Stage]." I understood what was happening in an instant.
As Alina said, Meditation is about the heart. Once my heart calmed down, I was in a proper condition for a breakthrough and my Magicka started acting up on its own.
"Wh- What should we do?" She asked in worry.
"Teleport me somewhere with a lot of snow."
"Yes."
She held my hand and cast a spell, the view around me change and I could tell that we are in the snowfield southeast to Winterhold. I sat down right away and started to meditate in the snow.
I could feel Alina sensing my temperature every now and then while piling ice around me. Her action seemed organized and calculated to not disturb my meditation.
The feeling of a breakthrough was getting nearer and nearer but still taking forever. This was all because of the excessively strong blessing that dear Uncle Sheo bestowed on me.
[Blessing of the Mad Champion] was basically similar to the Redguard racial power [Adrenalin Rush] and the Argonian racial power [Histskin] Just similar to the blessing of the All-Maker [Root of Power] that is similar to the Altmer racial power [Highborn].
I estimated that a major breakthrough was near after I got that blessing and it is happening right now.
Not sure how much time passed, my temperature was really rising and I felt that the [Dragon Frame Realm] characteristic of refining the body was functioning to its best, the target of refining this time was my skin and muscles. The snow around me started melting and getting piled by Alina until I felt I was there.
The heat on my skin started to become unbearable and my clothes started to burn but finally, it all came down. I was about to wrap it up and open my eyes but I felt that there were still more energies trapped in my core that could be converted to Essence Energy and I kept going further.
My body heated once again but it was not like Major Breakthrough and the heat died down quickly, after some time it happened one more time and the heat died down once again. I have advanced three levels in the new stage.
It was then when my rapid growth in strength died down and my meditation returned to its normal speed.
"Wow!"
I opened my eyes and felt very amazing. In front of me was a fairy in a red dress meditating in the middle of the snow while floating in the air.
"Show off!"
Alina always liked to meditate while floating. She says that being touched by anything hinders her consecration.
I was about to stand up and check my body but I saw Jull not far from us also sitting in meditation with an orb golden energy being formed between her hands.
"Another show off."
Jull prefers to concentrate the Essence Energy outside her body before absorbing it. Her movements are neat and artistic in my opinion.
Each one of us has his own method of 'Walking the Way' and can be said that our unique method of special meditation is our signature and no one in the world understand it better than us. Normal mages also meditate to increase their Magicka but it is no way near effective like our method. Maybe the mysterious masters in the [Psijic Order] can be the only ones that can surprise me with a unique meditation technique that has something to do with the spiritual Essence Energy but I highly doubt it. If they have a method of 'Walking the Way' like I do, Mannimarco wouldn't have chosen to become a Necromancer for the sake of Immortality.
"You are up?" A voice called for me.
"Yes, Alina. You too it seems, any good news?" I said.
"Yes, a breakthrough. I am now at Level 6, Iron Bone Stage." She said while smiling.
"Good job. Congratulations."
"You too, what is your level by now?"
"Level 3 in the new stage, didn't name it yet."
"Hehe, what are the characteristics?"
"See for yourself?" I said and undid my shirt showing her my skin and muscles.
Alina put her hands on me and felt my body carefully. Her brows twitched and she started to touch me in every place.
"Tsk." She then clicked her tongue.
"Oi, what's with that?"
"Jon… no no no, you are good, you are way too good. You managed to make me of all people feel envious!"
"What do you mean?"
"Look at your skin." She said and glared at me as if she will tear a hole through me, "It became stronger and smoother, even your feature became more handsome than before. That skin is making me sick with jealousy."
It indeed was the case but was it that good? I don't feel any difference.
She took out a small dagger and tried to cut my palm but the dagger did nothing.
"You skin is smooth and hard as Jade. How can you think girls won't be jealous? Humph!" She said.
"Fine fine, be train as hard as you can to reach my level, at least you know what to expect now." I said and patted her head.
"Yeah, just called it the [Jade Skin Stage] and be done with it."
"Yes, my lady. I will do as you wish."
Still, I think her skin is way smoother than mine, I mean she is Alina after all.
"So how long passed since I started training?"
"Three days."
"Good, this rapid progress I had lately requires a lot of stabilization. And what did I miss during the past days?"
"Jull said that the small tournament in the casino is over the teams heading to the High King's Tournament are decided. The Junior Tokens that we had this year are five, one for our company, one for the College, three for local teams. As for the Senior Tokens then we got only two, one is decided for a local team and the other one is with us, I decided to give it to our best warriors in the [Dare Security] if they are interested."
"Good call. How is Jarl Korir?"
"He is doing fine. He is really as you said, a new man. He started to work on the paper you readied for him and a new 'Guard Captain' was appointed from our ranks. The recruitment for guards was issued and the [Dare Security] will hand over the places that aren't part of our company. Some people were a bit hostile towards the Jarl but the air around him and his attitude are starting to gain him some popularity among the new locals."
"Good, this is really good news. I can now cut my workload by half but still, I will keep him monitored by [Team 0]. I may have changed his heart but not his soul."
"Jullanar said she that too. She has already put people around him from [Team 0] as a security detail. They will keep you updated."
"Having one-ninth of Skyrim at our pocket!" I said mocking.
"And doing a Goddamn good job keeping it running." Alina assured me.
"Thanks." I said and remembered something important. "Hey, Jarl Korir and I discussed something once I was done with him and reached an agreement, we prepared something for you."
"For me?"
"Yes, let's go see him."
I walked Alina to the Jarl's longhouse, this thing I had in mind was the last piece in making sure my kingdom remain intact.
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