Limits

I asked "Did any Human reach the Primal Limit?". He smiled and replied "Yes, actually I know of at least a few". I was shocked 'That many people? Wasn't the Primal Limit considered legendary?' I asked myself. He saw the shock on my face, and said "It is rare to be sure. In the past, there were a few people who reached it. Every Emperor in the Endrosian Empire was at that stage. The late Emperor Harold The II was at that stage".

I asked shocked "The late Emperor broke through to his Primal Limit?". The old man nodded in confirmation, and said "Yes, but it was achieved thanks to a borrowed power. Only one Emperor broke through, without the external help. It was Verion, the Emperor in the Torrential Era. As far as I'm aware, the rest of the Emperors broke through using an inheritance item".

He then continued, "They are weaker than those who broke through naturally. But don't be fooled boy. Even we, the three masters of the Forbidden Arts, would have a hard time taking on an Emperor. You would be dead with one swing of his fist. That is under the condition, we fought him three versus one. It wouldn't be that simple though. The Emperor has very strong and loyal Royal Guards. They number at least 20, and are at a similar level to us masters". I nodded and asked, "What about others?".

He replied "There were others who broke through that Limit. Some masters of Forbidden Arts did it as well. Besides that, we have the North and Elysian Empire. The North is much more mysterious, but I know that Hatmandor possesses at least two beings at the Primal Limits stage. Elysian Empire is small, but they are quite rich in natural resources. They are Humans just like you and me, but they are also different. With their secret of "Living Formations", they pack as much punch as the whole Endrosian Empire. The Emperor of the Elysian Empire is also someone who reached their Primal Limits, although they do it naturally. Or so I heard".

I asked excited "Have you been to Elysian Empire?". He nodded, and said "I have. Elysians are really peaceful, but they will not allow anyone in, except for certain people. No one from the Royalty has a right to enter. They only allow people like me to enter. They know I wouldn't help the Royals steal their secrets. Besides, Even as a master in the Art of Stealth, I don't think I would be able to escape, if they really wanted to catch me in their land. Elysians are not a joke, let me tell you that much".

I asked "Can you tell me more? How does the place look like, and so on?". He smiled and replied, "Me telling you, would be boring. How about this? If you do well, I will take you there for a few days. We are not that far away from Elysian Empire anyway". I nodded my head frantically, and exclaimed "I will try my best!". The old man seemed satisfied, and asked "So, what now?". I thought about it, and asked "Can we have a bout? If I fight you, I would be able to pick things up faster".

He laughed "Kid, are you serious? You can't even detect me, and you want to have a bout with me? I told you, I'm not here to teach you. I will only give you hints, when I see fit. You are doing well, but it seems you forgot about something". I thought about it, and asked "What would that be?". He replied "I already gave you one hint. Think about it boy. Take things slowly. Pushing oneself and rushing, are two different concepts. You are rushing right now, so slow down. Take some time to form your thoughts, and think about what I told you. You are not too far away from reaching something".

'It must be the story about Arien then. He did indeed say that there is a secret hidden in that story. I was focused on other things, and had no time to really analyse it. Besides, I never believed those stories' I thought. Either way, I had to think about the story. If it contained the hint, I could gain something from it.

I recalled Arien's story, that the old man told me about. 'She was just a normal woman, yet was able to create the Art of Stealth. She was chasing a shadow for most of her life, but the shadow was just a figment of her imagination…'. As I thought to this point, I recalled something. 'Shadow that is a figment of one's imagination… I think I know what that is. It must've been the Shadow Battle technique, but with one difference. She wasn't fighting it, instead she was trying to catch up to it, unveil it' I thought.

This would make sense, she was never able to unveil the shadow, because it never existed. She imagined it, it was all in her head. When she realised that, she noticed that she could do the same. 'If that is the case, does that mean I need to chase a shadow too?' I thought. There was more to it. I didn't believe it was that simple.

I wrecked my brain about it, analysing everything that the old man told me. I came to only one conclusion 'Illusion. Is the secret to the Art of Stealth an illusion? Avoid the Light... ', and it hit me. It all made sense now. The Art of Stealth was not a simple Art of hiding, it was an Art of Illusion. My body moved by itself, and I entered a state I could only describe as "Epiphany".

I was now able to appear, and disappear like a ghost… No, I was able to do this for a long time. I simply didn't realise that, and search for something that didn't exist. That was the secret of the Art of Stealth. I stopped, and looked into the distance with a single thought. 'I did it Nick, I reached the stage you told me to reach' I thought. Although Nick reached similar stage, it was different. His master must've had too much influence on him, helped him too much. Whereas I reached the stage by myself.

The old man stood there shocked for a while. When he finally woke up, he said "Monster". I turned to look at him, and said "The answer was always in front of me. I chased after something that never existed. That was the hint of the story… But, that is not the mastery, isn't it?". His mouth twitched, and asked "Then what is?" I replied "Illusion, that is the real mastery, right?".

His face went grim for a while. He suddenly started laughing, and said "You are indeed natural. I told you that story only once, just like it was told to me. Yet, you figured out everything so easily. Indeed, you haven't become a master yet. Your ability to hide improved for sure, but illusion is the real mastery". I nodded, and said "Now I know why this is a Forbidden Art. Eterians are the reason right? The Art of Stealth was not forbidden before, only after the Eterians appeared, did it become a Forbidden Art".

He was still laughing quietly, and responded "Correct. Eterians… Master Manipulators. They specialise in illusions, but also in other practices that can control people. Charm or charisma, they use anything to get their way". I asked "I now know where to proceed, but I don't really know how. Do you have any hints for that?". He replied, "First, show me what you can do. I want to see the extent of your abilities". I asked surprised "You want to fight?". He shook his head, and said "You can hide better, but your perception is still not there. This is something, you should be working on from now on. Jump, I want to see you move".

I nodded my head, and jumped down the mountain. The old man followed me, not to help me out, but to watch me. We were both using our abilities to hide. If someone stood on that mountain, he wouldn't even realise we passed by. I used the control of my energy, as well as the knowledge from my Natural Path skill, to descend. No obstacle was able to stop me. Soon, both of us appeared at the bottom of the mountain, like shadows that seemed real and unreal.

The old man said "Good, that step is completed. You can meld into anything you want. Now you just have to learn about illusions". I asked "And how do I do that". He shook his head, and said "That is for you to figure out. I will only give you hints, when I see fit. For now, try by yourself. If you are stuck for too long, I will help you out. Besides, I already told you what you can work on". I nodded my head in understanding.