Chapter 13– The Path to Mastery

Damien stood at the edge of the training grounds, gazing at the dark horizon. His mind was lost in the storm of power swirling within him. It had been a year since he learned the truth of his origins—he wasn't just a supernatural anomaly. He was the amalgamation of some of the most powerful beings in existence. The essence of the Seven Devil Kings, rulers of the most fearsome realms of Hell, flowed through his veins. In addition, the raw, destructive might of Fafnir, the cursed dragon, and Typhon, the father of all monsters, surged within him, a force too great for any mortal to handle.

But even after all this time, Damien could only access a fraction of their power—1% of both Fafnir and Typhon's abilities. It frustrated him. He could feel their immense strength lurking just beyond his reach, a constant reminder of how much further he had to go.

From Fafnir, Damien had gained the ability to tap into Draconic Mana, a unique source of energy that fueled his strength and resilience. When he activated this power, his body would transform, gaining dragon-like qualities—hardened skin that resembled scales, enhanced senses, and a near-invulnerable defense against physical attacks. His strength would surge, making him capable of feats that no human or even many supernatural beings could achieve. But it was only a sliver of the dragon's true power.

From Typhon, Damien had inherited the ability to wield Typhoon's Wrath, controlling the winds and storms with just a thought. He could summon fierce gales that shredded anything in their path, creating destructive forces akin to the father of monsters himself. And yet, despite the intensity of this power, it was a mere whisper of what Typhon could truly unleash.

It wasn't just the limits of Fafnir and Typhon's power that bothered Damien—it was the complete inaccessibility of the Seven Devil Kings' essence. The essence of these ancient rulers wasn't something Damien could tap into. Each Devil King had a power that was uniquely tied to their domain and soul, abilities that could not be replicated or transferred to another. The sins they represented—Lucifer's pride, Mammon's greed, Asmodeus's lust, Belphegor's sloth, Leviathan's envy, Beelzebub's gluttony, and Satan's wrath—were so deeply woven into their beings that no one else could wield their strength.

Despite having the demonic mana from the Seven Devil Kings within him, Damien had yet to access any of their powers. It was a constant reminder of how much control he still lacked. However, even though their powers were unique to them, Damien had found something within himself that was perhaps just as powerful—his own unique ability.

Born from a deep-seated desire to escape the darkness that had surrounded him since his childhood, Damien discovered that he could do something none of the Devil Kings or other demonic beings could—he could invert dark energy into light. Where others would wield the corrupted mana of Hell to spread chaos and destruction, Damien could take that same dark power and transform it into something pure, radiant, and cleansing.

It was a paradox, a power that reflected his internal struggle. Inverting darkness into light wasn't just an ability—it was the manifestation of his wish to escape the shadows that had consumed his life. When he used this power, the demonic energy inside him shifted, and what should have been a destructive force became something entirely different, something that could push back the shadows and create hope where there was none.

But the light wasn't always pure.

In moments when Damien couldn't fully transform the energy, when he only managed to invert a part of it, something new was born—Dark or Corrupted Light. This power was neither fully light nor fully dark. It was a twisted hybrid, a reflection of the incomplete transformation of energy. Dark Light had the intensity and brightness of true light, but it was laced with the lingering remnants of demonic mana, making it unstable and dangerous. Where pure light healed or cleansed, Dark Light could corrupt, burning away enemies but leaving a taint of darkness in its wake. It was destructive and terrifying, and Damien hadn't yet mastered its full potential.

Even with these abilities, the vast reserves of demonic mana within him remained largely untapped. Damien could feel it, a constant, simmering pool of energy that pulsed with every heartbeat. This demonic mana was raw and chaotic, ready to be harnessed, but its sheer magnitude made it difficult to control. Every time he called upon it, there was a risk that the power would overwhelm him, that the darkness would consume his mind and body before he could rein it in.

This fear had held him back. Even though he wanted to conquer the powers inside him, he knew that trying to force control over such immense energies could lead to disaster. His mentors—the Wanderers—had warned him of this many times. Kara had told him that power wasn't something you could rush. It had to be earned, understood, and mastered over time. Niko had reminded him that even though he had incredible potential, it would mean nothing if he lost himself in the process. Elen had been blunt: if he couldn't control the power inside him, it would destroy him, just as it had destroyed so many others before.

But Damien wasn't willing to let fear hold him back any longer. He knew the time had come to take control of what was his. The essences of Fafnir, Typhon, and the Seven Devil Kings had been fused into his very being, and if he didn't find a way to master them, they would consume him.

Today, standing at the ruins with the storm of power swirling inside him, Damien prepared himself for what was to come. He could feel the Draconic Mana simmering beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed. The winds of Typhon stirred, ready to bend to his will. And beyond that, the massive pool of demonic mana lingered, like a sleeping beast waiting to be awakened.

Damien closed his eyes, focusing on the dark energy that pulsed through his veins. He called upon the Draconic Mana first, feeling the strength of Fafnir surge through his body. His skin hardened, taking on a scaly texture, and his muscles bulged with newfound power. The air around him crackled with energy, and for a moment, he felt invincible.

Next, he called upon Typhon's essence, and the wind responded. A swirling vortex formed around him, the storm winds growing stronger as he summoned Typhoon's Wrath. The ground beneath him trembled as the power of the father of monsters coursed through him, filling him with destructive potential.

But it wasn't enough. Not yet.

Damien reached deeper, beyond the powers of Fafnir and Typhon, into the heart of the darkness inside him. The demonic mana flared to life, surging through his body with a force that nearly knocked him off his feet. He gritted his teeth, fighting to keep control as the chaotic energy roared inside him.

And then, he did what no one else could—he inverted it. Slowly, painfully, he began to transform the demonic energy, forcing it to shift, to bend to his will. The darkness became light, pure and blinding, radiating from his hands as he opened his eyes. The shadows that had always clung to him receded, replaced by a warm, glowing power that made the air around him shimmer with intensity.

But Damien didn't stop there. He pushed further, intentionally leaving part of the energy untransformed. The result was something terrifying—Corrupted Light. It burned brightly, but it was twisted, laced with darkness that gave it an edge of danger. Where the pure light was clean and radiant, this was wild and unstable, a weapon of destruction rather than salvation.

As the power flowed through him, Damien realized that this was his true strength—his ability to turn the darkness into something else, something of his own making. He wasn't just a vessel for the Seven Devil Kings or a pawn in the game of gods and monsters. He was something new, something unique.

And now, it was time to conquer the power that was his.