The Path of Asura

Cursed with a weak body, Asura since the beginning of his memory has been treated with utmost care by his family. A man born between the vast extension of land held by a family of farmers and the kingdom of an actual civilization looking for increasing progress and growth.

Whilst most of the people were able to use magic, such a thing was uncommon for Asura even when the teachings came. Even children were able to perform well in basic tasks related to magic, he was the only exception. No matter how much he focused on his will, no matter how many times he wanted his inner world to finally be able to reproduce something unto the reality he was seeing—nothing happened. Thus he was considered garbage, even within the village he was sent to with his father's request, which is a renown farmer that provided food to most places across the village.

With such an important family living in a well-developed society, Asura was… a failure. Not for his parents whose love was always present despite his lacking, they were worried for his future nonetheless. For a man who was blessed with talent regarding magic tricks and combat prowess using Qi and other sources of Powers, Lazarte was truly worried for his son, and wanted to help him just a tad after discussing important matters between them, it was just a reply what he wanted and needed:

"Are you willing to risk your life to attain and regain what was meant to be yours, Asura?"

"Yes. I'd even die to prove my worth…"

After such a sight regarding his first son daring to die even for such sad events since he was born, Lazarte felt nothing but grief of not being able to perform a guiding duty when it came to magic, basically due to his son not being able to process any magic at all. His spirit was there, it was the core that didn't.

There was a legend regarding a forest valley that many people dared to face, however, at the deepest of such a place many offerings awaited those willing to challenge the violent environment and the monsters that existed on it. Asura may be born without magic, however, his body was tuned to the point of being able to carry most duties based on strength alone—a blessing.

The Forest of Isolation was a place that prevented anyone entering it to be able to use their magical powers. It was the perfect place for Asura to prove his worth as being the first living being to be able to accomplish an enormous feat, however, anyone that had tried before never came back from such a place, even despite the fact most people were proficient with their martial arts—which was everything Asura had since his younger days.

Asura tried, nonetheless. He underwent a pilgrimage with only a horse, and a handful of bags filled with coins to be able to reach the outskirts of the Forest of Isolation, which seemed to be as great as the rumor had been spread regarding it. Armed with only his faith and his thirst for power, the young man filled with confidence prayed for any God he had known since the beginning of his life and those that his family adored the most. He was afraid, who wouldn’t? However the life he was seeking was something that the people had to risk for when they were at his position—a man lacking magical capabilities, embarrassed, bullied; with most of his friends making fun due to his condition.

He didn’t want such a life, and Asura, wanting to improve his life, moved forward to one of the scariest places he had known, if not the most. Asura charged right to the forest, with a bag of weapons and utilities; food and groceries. That was the moment where his life began to change; to move forward to the greatness he was destined to have for. As the one and only man whose conviction would lead him to the higher realms he had desired for so many years until now. The Forest of Isolation was just his stepping stone to climb up.

\*\*\*

The Forest of Isolation wasn't easy. The thickness at the top of the trees was so thick that almost no light reached the surface. The monsters that appeared out of nowhere were threatening the more Asura moved to the center of the Temple his father had told him through the legends he had been told since childhood.

From giant insects, wolves, goblins, undeaths, and even menacing birds that dared to attack at him from all angles despite the forest permeating every inch of the sight. It was hard, but he could feel that experience and the basics of martial artists were growing at a steady phase. Slowly… everything became even easier the more he moved to the inner part of his journey. Sparkling lights appeared on his sight, as if fireflies permeated its sight from top to toes. Magic was slowly permeating his body.

"Is this…?" he asked himself, looking at the magical particles eventually going inside his body. His enthusiasm rose to the highest point once again and dared to push forward, no matter what awaited ahead of the path he had chosen due to the consequences of living as an abomination "it is Fairy Essence… is it reacting to my nature? And my will…"

Even before reaching such a point inside the forest, Asura was able to check the dead and rottened bodies of the previous warriors that had sought for the treasures waiting at the Temple, but that had been many days ago. How much time has passed since then? His resources had ended a long time ago and began to chew on the beast's meat cooked with firewood.

"I am getting closer. I can feel it…" Asura raised his hand and eventually a small amount of sparkles condensed over his opened palm. Although still negligent compared to other Mages, he was able to perform much easier tasks. Permeating his body with magical energy eventually led him to strengthen his muscles, and make him faster, stronger. The fact that he was able to reproduce magic was because the forest magical essence which was based on the lost magical source of the fairies was now becoming one with his soul, slowly, "I will make it back home, dad… I promise. I'll prove my worth to the world by becoming the first human to reach the Temple of the Fairies…"

Asura’s moment didn’t fall down, if any, he went ahead with renewed force. He slept for a while before moving into the depths of the forest. More sparkles of magic permeated his body, granting him strength steadily. Giant, fierce monsters started appearing as if to prove his worth, and even though he suffered damages from such appearances and actions, he was able to beat them up. He felt alive, happy. But… At a certain point, such a wish became a distant dream. Eventually, he reached the outskirts of the temple, and the forest shook. Every ounce of it trembled greatly as if an earthquake was daring to break and split the world in half.

From the magnificent gates filled with drawings of the long lost civilization of the fairies and the fey, a Blood Tiger. A magnificent being that only existed in the legends from past centuries and that was considered long gone from the surface had appeared before him. Equipped with armor filled with scars, much like his wooden-thicks. Fierce eyes which glow in red and four weapons, each one in a hand—a mutant.

A fierce battle began after such a beast launched a threatening shriek against him. Since the very beginning, although receiving help from the magical sources that were swirling across the forests and invading his body, his magical output was nothing compared to such mythical beasts that had appeared before him. Asura’s moment came to an unexpected halt.

Blood spilled all across the environment, trees and leaves. The outer walls of the Fairy Temple were damaged even, the escenario was reminiscent of a war-like contest of force. Asura’s Martial Arts improved while facing a greater threat but wasn’t enough to successfully fend off the Blood Tiger whose fangs were daring at his head, willing to kill him at any moment.

It happened then—a murderous aura appeared and swirled across the endangered Asura’s body. The magical power that was residing him and that he didn’t have access to finally bloomed for the first time, opening the obstructed Magical Paths. Soon, eyes that were closed-shut opened with a glowing, purple hue. An explosion occurred then: with a serious close-up hit happening right at the Beast chest, the Blood Tiger was sent flying away. A new awakening state permeated Asura’s body, however, it wasn’t his consciousness that was moving his body. Trapped inside his own thoughts, he watched the events unfolding before him.

A glimpse of the oldest martial arts combined with unprecedented magical power was so ferocious that even the Blood Tiger eventually couldn’t withstand and keep his ground, falling spitting blood before the eyes of Asura’s. Eventually, the Mythical Beast surrendered and ran away to the darkest area of the Forest. The unwavering walls of the Temple were damaged, almost to the point of collapsing itself.

A great sense of hopelessness filled Asura’s body, growing tired as the conscience that had taken over his body eventually went dormant, as if nothing had happened. For three days in a row, the young man’s body fell asleep, opening his eyes only after his body had regained part of his strength.

He felt dizzy as he eventually opened his eyes, meeting with another being's body, waiting for his arrival.

“Are you awake now?”

“You…” a headache attacked him, “who are you…?”

“Me?” the small woman swirling alongside his body smiled sincerely, “I am the ruler of this Temple, and your Savior”

Asura’s eyes widened, out of surprise, sitting right at that very moment to see her from close.

“Then you’re the one who fought against the Blood Tiger of the Old Myths…?”

“Yes. It was due to our compatibility that I could take your body and fight back. I was dormant for hundreds of years, the last vestige of the Fairies in this forest—that’s who I am”

“If you are the master of this place, then…!” Asura’s reverence for her savior reached the highest point, placing his forehead over the land surface, “Teach me! I want to be your disciple, I want to become stronger, just like you!”

A smirk appeared over the woman’s face, whose body grew up in size until becoming a full-fledged human body watching from the rear the pledges of such a young man.

“You have been trapped for ten years here. We are isolated from the outside world, since then, I have been watching your steady progress here, in my land” a small hand was placed over Asura’s cheeks, and chin, straightening him. He didn’t need to ask for such futile things, “I have already formed a contract with you. Your wish, your soul wishing for power. I am your guard—your power and fairy. If you take me with you outside the boundaries that kept me isolated from the outside world in this Forest of Isolation… Then, I shall become your Servant, your companion. I will grant you the power to overcome any threat. Try to use your magic”

After the Ancient Fairy asked, Asura went up and moved his body, trying to reproduce magical effects as he fought. Punches, kicks, everything went smooth as if he didn’t have any injuries over his body, although the armor was broken, his clothes were restored as if nothing had happened before against the Blood Tiger. Magical power shot from every movement of his, as if inflated with an overwhelming power oozing from his body.

“Wow! This much power…!”

“Amazed? Usually mages suffer from the restraint of having up to eight magical paths across the body connected to the magical core which provides the enough mana to perform magic abilities and Qi movements while attacking. Strange, blessed ones have up to sixteenth magical paths… Legends from the Old Myths held double than that. But you… I rammed through your memories… You even know why you couldn’t perform any magical tricks, did you?”

“No… why?”

“You have the qualifications to eventually become a God. The reason why you couldn’t reproduce any magic you desired, was because your magical paths were blocked from the moment you were born. It seems that a sort of power had been inflicted against you and blocked the progress of your awakening skills. However…”

“No way… What’s wrong?”

“Although I’ve opened some of your magical paths, there is still a long journey before you manage to breach every one of it and finally reach your maximum potential”

“Is there a way to shorten the path?”

Azariel smirked.

“Don’t rush, but there is a way. You… Now that we have a connection, you are able to search for my lost artifact…”

Azariel's hands took his, and placed it over her chest. She shared her memory with Asura, and eventually realized all the things she went through thousands of years ago—when the Old Myths had taken her as hostage and isolated from the world due to the dangers she represented as the most powerful fairy that held the possibility and the talent to become a God herself. A Weapon that defied reality—a weapon made to crush anything that existed ahead its path: Zerstörung.

“You… were born like me?”

“Yes. Only that there weren’t any side effects over my existence alone. My weapon, now that you are linked with me, master, you will be able to wield it fully. The moment you place your hands over it, all your dormant powers will awaken. That’s the shortest path. Of course… you can go slow, and open the paths on your own. Progress. Train, beat the enemies. I will support you in any way I can. Now that you have seen my memories, all the Ancient Martial Arts of the Fairies have been imprinted on your body. However, you need to master them”

“Yes… I promise that I’ll eventually open the paths, and reach the weapon that was lost to you. I will make sure that anyone who stands on our way will pay for the dangers and torment we have suffered since everything started going to shit”

“Thank you, Asura. My name is… Azariel. The Last Candidate of the Fairies and the Fey. From now on, I will watch your back, so move forward”

The moment Asura accepted his new fate, Azariel’s body grew shorter and eventually was lost inside the body of his new master. With his mission being completed as he reached the Temple of the Fairies, it was time to come back to the outer world. He wasn’t tied, and the curse was lifted the moment a human with Godlike potential made a contract with Azariel. With his newly acquired powers, the sprint applied by Asura shortened the distance at a fast-phased rate. The years he spent lost across the Forest of Isolation, moving with the most preventive way, was nowhere to be seen. Charging full-speed towards the exit and finally reached the outskirts, only to see a new world greatly changed:

The blue skies were painted with dark to crimson-red colors, and storms appeared all across the environment. A dark, evil energy permeated the surroundings and sufferings could be felt from afar.

“Father! Mother!”

Asura’s preoccupation over his parents grew instantly, and moved.

Poor Asura. He spent too much time trapped inside the Forest of Isolation, and the moment he met the Fairy, the Angels, Demons and Gods moved in unison to bring chaos over the world. A new page was unfolding before his eyes; a new chapter that would lead either to the destruction of the world, or the concretion of a new hope for humanity, the mages, and those that were showing their fangs to the dormant enemies that for years went into hiding, leaving the mages and the magical races alone. Would Asura become the hope humanity and other races were losing? Only time would tell.

\*\*\*

It had been a long way until that very moment. After many struggling events where he had faced death, the decayment of the world due to the corruption of all the Mythical beings that had been dormant to take action over humanity had left a grudge towards those that were talented enough to breach the barriers and become transcendents. Humanity resisted, nonetheless. The mages, the great mages proved their worth the moment they started engaging in ferocious battles, moving in groups, uniting kingdoms; empires, humanity and other races eventually became one: with the only interest of conservation of life and safety.

With the parents dying before his eyes, his friends, those that had mocked him since he was young; grandpa, grandma, the Mayor of the village and the kingdom next to him, after fleeing to other places, Asura’s underwent important changes that pushed him to higher grounds. He proved his worth against the front lines, the backlines, and planification… Although the path wasn’t filled with gracious and neat perfection events that improved his presence across humanity and other races, eventually reached the pinnacle of even becoming one of the twelve Mage Kings that were reaching transcendence much like the status that Angels, Demons and their Gods alike had reached many eons ago. Their talent was outstanding, but no one had been able to surpass such a wall. The last time a God was born between humanity and the living beings was… Thousands, thousands of years ago—Azariel being the last successful attempt before she was imprisoned, beaten and isolated in her own forest.

The path was filled with thorns and sacrifices to reach the point of no return—the place before him, Asura stood, was the Door that would lead him to become what he is eager not to acquire. He didn’t feel acquainted to hold such a weapon lost to not only his Servant, but his lover too, who died protecting him from a direct attack from one of the scariest beings he had seen even in his dreams. She was her companion. After twenty years of resistance they had a half-ling. If there was a way to bring resurrection to the lost ones he had loved for so many years, it was to break his way to the real playground where many gods were fighting. He had reached transcendence already. He had beaten the shit out of angels and demons and lower Gods, but there were others that could eventually kill him anytime they wanted. So why did he hesitate to take hold over the weapon her lover had dreamed to have once again? Fear that he could fail after an attempt? Perhaps.

No man, despite their development and the worth they had proven to everyone else was exempt from the fear of the unknown that lay ahead the path he had chosen. Continuos bombings were heard from the outer side of the Dimensional Barrier that had been built, isolating him and the weapon from the outside where the nine kings alive were fighting against and horde of enemies willing to chop their heads. He heard their screams, the magical attacks that dared to break the universe itself.

He remembered her touch, and a soft whisper went by his ear, not only hers, but his children too:

“Take it. There is nothing to fear” they said, “You will be able to reach the higher ground and watch everything from the summit of the universe… Don’t hesitate. Hold was meant to be yours… I promised it would be yours, Asura, no, honey, please…”

For a moment, he felt like a tear dropped over his hand. Asura’s face hardened, and finally took the weapon that was vibrating, as if calling him, and only him. Zerstörung screamed then, and the world that was before him shone with dark and golden hues permating it. The lights were fighting against the darkness, and eventually embodied Asura’s body, entering in his lungs, his skin, every pore of his body was drenched with endless darkness and time moved slowly. He remembered the events that had happened since the beginning of his birth. Every second had passed before his eyes and then… Everything was shut.

He lost consciousness for a while and the moment he was awake, he felt a hand holding alongside his the weapon he had been pursuing for so much time with Azariel, it felt like her hand. And a shadow resembling her was seen then. Asura’s proficiency in the Ancient Martial Arts had increased greatly since the moment he left the Forest of Isolation from where Azariel was caged in, but to say that he was stronger than her in that aspect was clearly a wrong assumption.

“You’re alive…?”

“Have you lost your mind? No! “ she replied, smirking at him, “I’m nothing but a fragment that had been imprinted on you. I am the last vestige of Azariel which was left inside this weapon, and all the skills and proficiency she had learned in her lifetime of training… Will be bestowed to you. From here on, even if I am nothing but a fraction of her, I will be helping you, my master… No, my love”

“I’ll bring her back…”

“Are you confident?”

“I am… With this; with your presence, it is all I need”

“Are you ready to get out of this space?”

“Yes. I will bring death over all those that dared to destroy my world. No turning back; no mercy over the failed gods”

It happened then. The isolated dimension broke like a glass, and before Asura’s view, the universe was seen. The endless power imprinted over the weapon created by Azariel permeated his body and everything went blank. He moved so fast that no laws tied him. With just one blow a Middle-level God was beaten, not even using any weapon other than his barehands. The struggling kings watched his backs, and the Lesser Gods, along with the other heavenly, demonic beings accompanying them were astonished and took a step back. Asura’s eyes looked right at them.

“Come. This will be the last stand of the Livings, and you all shall perish here” With such words, the Greater Gods that stood at the back smirked. And the final clash began. An unprecedented conflict that created dimensional breaks across the environment and space. Only one side could be left alive, nothing more. It was time to show his progression—Asura’s vestige had grown to the point of becoming the emperor, and the Greaters Gods didn’t know this fact. Eventually… Every one of them faced defeat.

The Path of Asura might not be the cleanest of all, nor the most convenient, but was the right path he had chosen—a path filled with suffering. With struggles, with sacrifices. Not only his, but his beloved ones too. With every punch, with every strike, and powerful swinging of his weapon and magical abilities and martial arts he had proved this very fact. He killed every one of the enemies with a straight face, tears dropping from his face. He was sincere to his emotions: he was the right God. One that wanted a peaceful life. One that had reached the highest point of existence through efforts and massive losses.

That was the Path of Asura.

The newborn God who defied (and defeated) the Heavens and Hell itself.