I Reign Supreme

ScrollMasters and Mantrants:

'I wanna be a mantrant!'

'ScrollMasters are the best!'

'Why can't I manifest my own ring!'

The newly selected Ascenders had varying thoughts on the matter and decided to voice it out for all.

'Being one of the greatest Ascenders does not depend on which ever path you were born to take. The founder and the first Lord of Xylem, GrandMaster Ka'al Tumal was a ScrollMaster in his time and one of the best there was, if not the best. But despite this there were others who challenged him and nearly brought him to his demise. Take for instance, our current overall ruler is a mantrant.'

'There are no unique inharent traits that certain ScrollMasters or Mantrants are born with that could make them one step ahead of each other. Instead they both pay attention to their paths to be proficient in it.'

In Ascension, the two paths to Ascend is either as a ScrollMaster or Mantrant. There has not been a person who ascended in both paths simultaneously since the very first Ascension era. This phenomenal is solely because of a reason – which is the difference in the physiology of mana that flows through the Mana Circulatory System of a human.

In the early era, the very first Ascender s were ScrollMasters who drew strange objects and shapes over unique papers and later interpreted these drawings by channelled their Mana into it. By doing this, they were able to manifest the true meaning of the drawings on the paper to life and called it Mantra. After a long time researching on the workings of mantras, these Ascenders began to use this newly found skill to do their bidding. Be it good or bad. For creation or destruction upon themselves.

But after few centuries during the reigns of ScrollMasters, there was an appearance of a unique human. A human from a very distant land to understand the mechanism of the subtle energy network in the body. This person was Xuan Zang, from a different race of origin in relation to the ScrollMasters.

Theoretically speaking, the main reason to as why Xuan Sang was able to become an abnormal Ascender based on the views of ScrollMasters at that time still was a mystery hitherto.

Some people said Xuan Zang encountered an event that forever changed the cause of his life.

Some people said he was an emissary from above the skies sent down to earth for a certain purpose.

While some said he was full of deceit. Tricking people into believing he was wasn't a ScrollMaster when deep down he hid his scrolls underneath his sleeves the whole time.

Nevertheless, despite people's diverse thoughts towards Xuan Zang, he seemed to care less about it as he went ahead to build his very own empire, Tang Empire, where he took in various people of the world and thought them the way to manifest their mantras without the use of peculiar papers. The Tang Empire spread out towards different locations on the earth, extending in its branches and teaching those interested in the way of an Ascender through opening the Energy Gates in the human body – The major relay stations where the strength of your mana are regulated. Many gates are located at joints or, more precisely, in the actual space between the bones of a joint.

As a result of this, Xuan Zang was depicted as the 'Supreme One'. The father and predecessor of all Mantrants of the world. But even with this, there was something Supreme Xuan Zang couldn't change – the fact that not all people were qualified to become Mantrants, no matter how he thought them. Then after he carried an experiment. Hoping to teach a ScrollMaster how to manifest his own mantra, but then he realised ScrollMaster couldn't manifest their mantras without scrolls and whenever he tried to imbue his Mana into a paper scroll, the paper scroll didn't just reject it, it played dormant and allowed his Mana phase through it like an ordinary paper. After he conducted his experiment, Supreme Xuan Zang came to a conclusion that no ScrollMaster could manifest his own mantra without using paper scrolls and it was impossible for Mantrants to pass their Mana into paper scrolls to manifest mantras thus categorising the Art of Acsension into ScrollMasters and Mantrants.

'Manifesting your mantra for Mantrants shouldn't be a problem because you Mantrants have an affinity for it. Unlike we ScrollMasters, everything was made easy. All we need to do is pour out our Mana and our Ethereal Ring is made. Now squires, I want you to show me to this magic!'

Yes Commander White Bird!

Choreographically, all the squires moved out from their position to form their lines constituting of twenty roles and fifteen columns. Each of this squires brought forward their hands and slowly combusting sparks of light began to implode three inches around their wrist. Some had red light sparking around, some had green, while some even made their light converge to the shape of a snake that slithered around their limbs.

As for Vester, making an Ethereal Ring was not a problem at all. In fact he had his eyes shot and his hands stretched out while flippantly manifesting them. But as soon as he opened his eyes, he was surprised at what he saw.

Only about thirty-five percent of the squires could manifest their Ethereal Ring! While the rest of the squires were struggling to make theirs appear. Some expression had even changed like they were having trouble defecating, while some looked like they had just been baptised.

For some reason, Commander White Bird's apprentices carried similar expression on their faces. Like they were both happy about something. It seemed even Commander White Bird too was smiling at the squires who couldn't make out their rings.

'It seems this year's squires are more of paper monks.' She said with slight chuckle.

'Who would've thought of that?' Commander White Bird's female apprentices commented and the male gave a nod as his approval.

'Do not stress yourselves. For there is only a reason you cannot manifest your mantra. You are ScrollMasters!' Commander White Bird tightened her fist as she exclaimed.

'I'm…a…a s-scrollmaster. Yess!!'

'I'm not a bookworm, how am I a ScrollMaster?'

'My parents are Mantrants!'

'Seems to me a lot of paperwork needs to be done.' Commander White Bird's female apprentice added.

'Zizi, I'll be needing the Repositioning Seals.' Commander White Bird said with her back.

Immediately, her female apprentice responded with a sharp nod then drove out a scroll out from the scroll holsters by her leg before handing it over to Commander White Bird.

Commander White Bird then skillfully unrolled the paper scroll to her left with her right hand and exposed the zodiac signs and writings laid written on the scroll. After that, the scroll flew up and floated above her head.

'By infusing our Mana into the scroll, the scroll is able to float for as much time as the user intends to make it.' Commander White Bird said as she placed her right hand underneath the scroll paper.

Fsshh!

A large breathtaking circle emerged from the scroll paper in a blink of the lid. The emerald light of this circle disoriented the rays of the sun, re-dying everything with it original colour and turning the space they stood green. The young Ascenders were enthralled with this astonishing display of mantra. Not just the circle itself but the other items that twriled inside the circle.

Inside the circle were two isosceles triangles, one pointed to the south and the other to the west, interconnecting together and forming another circle again inside the space. This large circle created a crosswind like a wave that blew every hair alike as it spun on top the tip of Commander White Bird's palm.

'This is a type of mantra that involves the use of Mana to transport certain objects in between places. Once you've received your personal scroll paper, I strongly recommend you begin this training at all cost!' Commander White Bird shouted while pointing the hand were the circle spun upward.

'I'll show you all the basic method of Mana transfer and after that, my followers here would lead you to collect your personal scrolls. For those in need.'

Kpa!

After saying that, Commander White Bird slammed both her hands against each other and the mantra on her hands initially reappeared at her back. But this time the shapes inside the circle twirled backwards, reconstructing the original shapes to form a pattern utterly unintelligible for the onlookers.

And as the scroll hung in midair, the writings and drawings laid inside it began to redraw itself completely to correspond perfectly with the newly reappeared mantra behind Commander White Bird.

'In Mana Energy Circulation, two universal forces are concerned. Either it's Light or Darkness, Sun or Moon. In other words, some people far away call this enchantment Yin-Yang. But at your level, I'll be drilling you on focusing your mantras so it could be built solely on one force, which is Yang.'

'Now! I want you kids to observe!'

Prrsk!

The silent male who stood behind Commander White Bird ferociously drove his right palm through her c.h.e.s.t and an ear-piercing screech reverberated across the entire field, couple with the bright emerald lightning that danced around his palm.

When the squires saw this, they all became shrouded with fear. The only person who stood unconcerned was a boy, adjusting his askew glasses who wasn't even the slightest bit moved by the scenario, like he expected an action of sort. But the rest of squires were on the verge of running away, but then, something stopped them.

Commander White Bird instructed them not to!

'I thought I told you all to observe?!' she exclaimed then coughed out series blood from her mouth. 'When you enter the battle field unprepared, you expect the least. Many has lost their lives in such a way because of ignorance! For children like you, you'd last as long as you enter before kissing your breath goodbye. But from this lesson you should know more.'

'You should know with Yang Energy also known as your physical or artificial energy, which is the basic and foremost subject of every physical related skill in Ascension, you are entitled to regenerative abilities since healing plays an important role to one, physically.'

Suddenly Commander White Bird's male apprentice pulled his hand out from her c.h.e.s.t and littered enough of her blood on the platform where they stood.

Argm!

Commander White Bird dropped to her kneels after the boy released his hands from her. It was obvious the squires knew of how she felt under her current state. Not everyone could bear the pain of an object plunged through you and yet still be alive. Leaving with the pain for even the shortest of time was excruciating dreadful.

But as the these squires were enthralled by what they saw, there was a dreadful screem amongst them that shook all hearts alike.

Aarrgghh!

When they withdrew their sights, they found the origin of the noise – it was initially the boy with glasses who wasn't moved at what Commander White Bird did. If it was completely following Commander White Bird's instructions or trying to show-off for everyone none knew because what they met was also, breathtaking.

This young man also had both his very own hands straight inside his c.h.e.s.t.