Monster
Adam ran towards Priscilla upon her call; normally you would think that he would run up the stairs, but instead, upon reaching close to the high, structured altar, he bent down, and in the next instant, he jumped up towards Priscilla, who was standing on the altar.
And despite being so small, he jumps way past the altar's initial 20-meter mark, going above it by an extra 10 meters. And when landing, he propels his body forward, doing a front flip as he lands in front of Priscilla; both hands raise upwards to manage his balance.
As a Shinso human, it was normal that he was stronger than a normal human being, even while being only five years old in body. To be honest, he was so strong to the point he once knocked down a large metal gate by accident when he kicked a rubber ball right into it.
Beyond that, Adam also realized he was also very flexible, so much so he can move his organs around to some extent. But beyond that, those were his greatest feats as a Shinso human, beyond his eyes, of course.
But in the Monster Realm, this level of physical strength was practically a joke. There were creatures here far beyond human limits; Roland himself could lift several tons with ease and punch straight through a steel wall like it was paper.
As such, Adam has already concluded that the only real way to get stronger was to acquire magic.
So for that reason, he has been looking forward to this day for years now.
"Big Sister Priscilla, can we start the spirit-calling ritual now?"
Adam said with his cute and childlike voice.
Priscilla, however, just sighed and replied back as such.
"Ah, for heaven's sake... The altar is not about to sprout legs and run off, so there is no need to get your knickers in a twist. Before we go any further, we need to check your Astrum reserves."
Priscilla explained as she continued.
Adam, of course, just nodded as he said.
"Ok, big sis... I will let you check my reserve, although, um, what is reserve again?"
Adam asked; he already knew what it was, well, to some extent, but since Priscilla has more knowledge on the topic, he wanted to increase his horizons anyway possible. As such, he asked her, and Priscilla responded to him, saying as such.
"Hmmm, well, for starters, your reserve is basically your Astrum Sea; it is the amount of Astrum you've got stored inside you. Think of it like a water tank. Magic needs Astrum to work, right? Well, even if you've got an affinity for it, that doesn't mean you've got an endless supply. Some people have massive reserves and can sling spells all day, while others run dry after a few casts.
"Different spells need different amounts of Astrum to activate. If your reserve is too small, some magic will be completely out of reach, no matter how talented you are. That is why I need to check your natural reserve so we know what we are working with before we go any further. Got it?"
Priscilla said, educating Adam on the matter; of course, with one question out of the way, another soon came.
"Wait... big sister... typically speaking, is it possible to possess more than one affinity?"
Asked Adam, and the moment he did, Priscilla, of course, responded.
"Of course it is... But most people only have an affinity for one element; the same goes for monsters or any other species. That said, every now and then, some extraordinary few come along with multiple affinities."
"Take me, for example. I have an affinity for light, darkness, water, time, and heat. On top of that, I've got contracts with two different unique spirits and one great spirit. Then there are people like Minerva, who have both space and time affinities, but their potential for Astrum is so great that they have more contracts with unique spirits than they do with the common elemental ones."
Priscilla said as she continued.
"But magic isn't the only power in this world...
"...The real strength comes from lore abilities... and personally, I have hundreds of lore abilities, so I rely more on those during combat than I do with my own magic. But that doesn't mean I don't love magic; I've spent years studying the Spirit Language, pushing it to its limits to unlock even greater power."
She explained, which was reasonable; given magic in this world, it differs greatly from any other media he has come across.
A lot of factors need to be taken into account to even begin using magic, so depending on one's own natural skills and lore abilities was way more proficient than taking the time to use magic.
But either way, Adam was willing to learn as much as he could.
As such, he just nodded and responded.
"Ok, big sister Priscilla, I understand."
"Mhm, good, Now come closer; let me touch your chest... I will personally see how large your Astrum Sea is."
"Alright, big sis, I am here. I'm ready whenever you are, although how are you going to check my reserve?"
Adam asked Priscilla, who said.
"Don't worry about that; this won't take long."
Said Priscilla as she took a step closer, placing her palm gently against Adam's chest. And moments later, a faint glow shimmered around her fingertips as she let her Astrum flow into him, or rather his sea; the idea was to make it ripple inside him at high speeds to see its total size; that was the basic way of checking a person's Astrum reserve.
"Just relax; you might feel a slight burning sensation, nothing too much to worry about."
"Ok."
Replied Adam.
From there, Priscilla began to
She was methodical, carefully spreading her energy throughout his being to gauge the depth of his reserve.
Normally, this process would take no more than a few seconds. She would send her Astrum in, measure the resistance and space available, and determine the limit of one's capacity. But something was off.
A minute passed.
Then five.
Then ten.
And as the time continued clicking, Priscilla's face soon turned into slient shock as sweat started to bead down her face in panic.
Adam, who had initially stood still with a mix of anticipation and curiosity, finally broke the silence as he began to question Priscilla, asking her as such.
"Um... Big Sis? Is everything alright?"
Asked Adam, who had a concerned look on his face.
Priscilla didn't respond immediately. Her brows furrowed, her mouth slightly agape. She pulled her hand away for a brief moment, shaking her head in disbelief before placing it back on his chest again, sending out another pulse of Astrum ripples just to be sure. But no matter how much she searched, she couldn't find the limit.
"This is... absurd."
Priscilla said as she finally spoke under her breath before looking directly into Adam's confused eyes.
"Your Astrum reserve... it's insane. I can't even find where it ends."
Adam blinked, tilting his head slightly as he then began to ask.
"So... is that a good thing?"
Priscilla exhaled sharply at this question as she replied back, stating as such.
"Good? That doesn't even begin to cover it. I need to use a different method to get a proper look."
She didn't bother explaining what she was about to do. Instead, she took a step back, closing her eyes as the air around her shimmered.
'It's been a while since I used this ability.'
Then, in an instant, her body glowed blue, shifting as though she were shedding her physical form. Her figure became translucent and ethereal, like a ghost flickering into existence. This was one of her lore abilities, Spirit Body, a unique power that allowed her to transform into an astral form, and directly, in this form, she can traverse immaterial places.
Adam, on the other hand, looked at Priscill as he blurted out aloud.
"Woww!"
The moment she fully transitioned, she began to float forward, as she said.
"Just stay still; to see your reserve, I will have to go inside your sea myself to properly gauge you; I will be back soon."
Without saying anything else, her spirit self began phasing through Adam's body.
"Now let's see just how deep your water goes, kid."
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"W...What is this...
Priscilla said in a trembling voice as she looked around her. Her eyes were open wide in disbelief.
Inside, she found herself floating in an endless expanse of pure darkness. A void that looked like it stretched infinitely in every direction. She could feel Astrum from the outside world leak into this place as a normal sea should, but the size of this place should not be possible, as every living being that is mortal can only use a fixed amount of Astrum.
Hell, even the thirteen crowns do not have a sea this large. Adam Sea was not just vast; it was beyond comprehension even to the likes of Priscilla.
How beyond? Well, if an average person's Astrum Sea was a lake and a prodigy was an ocean, then Adam's was the cosmos itself.
That was the best way to describe the inhumane Astrum Sea she found herself in.
"I-I...Impossible...
Priscilla whispered, her voice still trembling due to the sight before her.
"How... How could anyone have a space this large?"
She turned, trying to grasp the scale of what she was witnessing. Normally, even the most powerful beings had a defined limit, a space where spirits could dwell, and Astrum particles could be accumulated. But Adam's Astrum Sea had no such limitations. There was no space issue's whatsoever; he could contract a hundred of spirits, a thousand, and it still wouldn't matter.
"By Mother Vlada... W-What manner of monster have we picked up?!"