Kivara did not know what she should do. She only stared at him, but she could feel him breathing, and that was enough. She studied him and thought,
"I do not know how to feel about any of this. The last few days have been a blur of things that never happened before. And his Sigil... he has to meet Master. That is, if we ever get out of here and do not turn into wandering zombies."
Just then, a green light flashed from the book and shot out, passing through Riven's back like a thread, and then, just like that, it was gone.
Kivara stared at it grimly. "It seems I am not the only one who knows the potential you carry, Riven. And it seems this one already got its hands on you."
She glanced at the abomination sun and could just picture it as an eye watching down.
It took some minutes before Riven jerked awake, and when he did, he noticed two things. The pain in his legs was gone, and he could feel a presence in his mind. He felt something that was not there before he passed out, and he knew what it was.
He stood and stared at the book. "I am bound to this thing," he said softly. "Is that good?"
Kivara answered in the same tone. "Depends on what you will gain from it and what it will take in return."
Riven already expected such an answer. He reached out and opened the book once again. This time, the first page was not blank. There were words written on the green page in purple letters.
He brought it closer to his face and read it out loud. "Path of the Undying Necromancer."
Kivara gave him a sharp look. "You can read it?"
"You cannot?"
"It is as if I am trying to read something written by a bird. I cannot grasp even a single word, and it is spiraling too, turning up and down. It is making me dizzy."
Riven was surprised to hear that because he could read it perfectly, and as if to prove that, he began to read it out loud. "A relentless harbinger of ruin who becomes death's ultimate predator. The ground beneath the dead."
He shrugged at that when she gave him a look. "That is what is written beside the path's name."
"I have not heard of such a path before, and the fact that it is called Undying..."
She did not finish her words because it was something apparent. Something, somewhere, had brought them to this catacomb for Riven to claim the path. She shivered. And maybe more.
She changed the topic. "Well? Read out the name of rank one of the Path of the Undying Necromancer."
He cleared his throat. "It begins from rank two."
"Is that so? I am so surprised," Kivara said with a deadpan expression.
Riven read it out. "Rank two is called Undying Revenant. It says to hunt a Rotling. One is enough because the energy will overflow."
Her face tightened. "Let me guess. We are standing and looking at the energy of a Rotling."
Riven could only nod, and she sighed.
What else could they do? Something far more powerful wanted them there, wanted Riven there, and there they were. They could only hope to turn things in their favor.
Riven frowned as he continued reading. "There is only rank two here. I guess I will get the rest when I am ready to advance to it. By the way, Kivara, what are the Burst, Shape, Enhance, and Command that I am seeing under the technique?"
She finally sat down. "That is how all techniques are grouped based on the function they perform. It is the fundamental way all aura practitioners manipulate their aura. All paths must have these forms of techniques in each rank. Let us take one and then the others.
"Burst is a sudden, explosive release of Sigil power that releases energy in a raw, immediate surge. It is mostly an area-of-effect technique. What it does is also always different. A storm Sigil might create a whirlwind with its Burst.
"Like me now, my Burst is different. It is more focused. It is still an explosive release of aura, but it is on my fist. It also drains the Sigil faster."
Riven nodded. He had never known techniques had technicalities to them. He thought they were just one and the same—throwing aura at each other.
She continued. "Let us talk about Shape next. It is about crafting and manifesting tools, weapons, or allies that extend the user's reach or influence. It is versatile, allowing both offense and utility, with duration tied to rank."
"So your blade of darkness is a Shape technique?" Riven asked.
She raised her brows. "Blade of darkness? I like that. And yes, it is a Shape technique. The amount of power and effectiveness of each of these types of techniques depends on your path. An earth Sigil will be more powerful in Shape techniques, while a wind Sigil would be stronger in Burst.
"Then there is Enhance. An internal amplification of the practitioner's body, mind, or abilities through aura. It is a self-directed boost that heightens their natural capabilities.
"Enhance is about personal empowerment, making the user stronger, faster, tougher, or more perceptive. It is the technique for turning oneself into a more effective force, whether for combat or survival.
"Those with more physically aligned Sigils would excel at this."
"And finally, we have Command techniques. It is the directed exertion of will over external entities—living beings, spirits, objects, or forces, using aura. It is the imposition of dominance, bending others and things to the practitioner's intent.
"You see the way I can force an object to come to me? I can do that to living things too. I did it to you. Those with Mind-related Sigils are very, very skilled at Commands."
She stared at him. "You will be too. Commanding the dead, spirits, and such is all part of Command techniques."
She clapped lightly. "All in all, every path has its own techniques, and all of them follow the four forms. Now, enough talking. Let us get you to rank two."