[Corven Umbrovante]:
After the Assembly, Corven sent out a Soul Whisper to his friends, stating to meet him in his dorm in half an hour. He rushed to his dorm in the meantime before quickly entering his Shadow Space.
He was in a hurry, because he'd finally sensed something in his Shadow Space, mid-assembly that needed attending to. Not one something — Multiple somethings.
Upon entering his Shadow Space, one of the first things Corven sensed was that it had expanded once again. Before, it was the size of a large city, at around 200 square miles across all directions, making it 518 square kilometers. Now, it was 225 square miles across in all directions, making it 583 kilometers squared. If, before, it was the size of a large city, then, now, it is the size of a small metropolis or a very large city.
The great castle built into both the four mountains and the valley of said mountain themselves — the Shadow Palace — stood proud, in blackstone and grandeur. Its outer castle, made of 6 towering towers, stood sentry over the main, inner castle, connected to the main castle via stone-rooted bridges. The drawbridges hovered over the black river that seemed to flow from a waterfall and lake further beyond the Palace. Though it was dark eternally here, the 3 moons of Shadow Space shone calmingly upon the land and the surrounding forests seemed to bask in its glow.
But this wasn't what garnered his attention. No, one of the reasons for Corven's rush was... resting right before the drawbridge of Shadow Palace.
Spread out before him were 7 cocoons of purple and indigo energies, one of which was a heavier indigo blue with a hint of pure black and minor white trimmings.
While the last one may have radiated greater power than the other 6, it wasn't what had Corven's attention. No, it was the other 6 that had acquired Corven's gaze, specifically, the one in the middle. It was cracking open.
Corven watched as a hand clawed its way out of the cocoon, as a baby chick would an egg. Bated breath, eventually, the entire body came out, covered in a transparent, slimy substance.
Skin pale white like marble with a bluish-purple tint to it, the woman had completely violet hair and sharp, violet eyes. Her cultivation, once at Low Legacy rank, now rested at Mid Demigod rank. Thomeye Briar stood there, naked as a newborn baby, eyeing her surroundings with intrigue, as her brethren of the Five Pillagers clawed out of their cocoons to do the same, also quite wet, with the same purple hair, same purple eyes and same pale white skin, tinged in bluish violet. Each radiated a higher rank in cultivation now than they did before they went into the cocoon.
Former leader of the Five Pillagers, Thorin Blackblade, who was only at High Legacy rank before his transformation, now stood naked at High Demigod rank. The one known as Sir Slasher, who previously stood at Mid Legacy rank, now stood at Mid-Demigod rank. The twin daggermen known as Steven and Buchanan Bearclaw were previously at Low Legacy rank; now, they stood at Low Demigod rank.
Even the 6th cocoon, holding the alchemist of the group of rogue poachers Corven had confronted before —- Julia — was out of her cocoon, now standing, also naked at Mid level Demigod rank.
As they all took in their new environment they'd awaken to, Corven took note of the cultivation ranks. 'Despite all being turned into my first Shadowborns, not all increased in rank equally. Sir, Thorin and the twins all skipped ahead a whole complete step, while Julia only went ahead 2 partial steps. Thorneye Briar leaped a whole complete step and then a partial step into Mid-Demigod rank. Does this mean those with greater potential before turning advance faster than those who don't have it? Curiouser and curiouser.'
The moment they clawed their way out of their cocoons — possibly even before then — Corven felt a connection form between himself and the 6 present. A 'Sire Line' link, no doubt, with Corven being the progenitor. It had felt strange but natural, like one would feel a connection to a newly healed limb finally in use again after months of unuse. And through this link, Corven could feel what they were feeling, see what they saw, and sense the natural loyalty, belief and awe they felt towards himself as their sire and progenitor. He felt that he could even bestow abilities on them, so long as he himself had it in his arsenal, and, even then, it would not be as powerful as the ability would be if Corven had used it.
But still, it was a formidable capability. Even if the ability would be weaker in their hands than it would be in Corven's, the difference in power hardly mattered. So long as they could wield it effectively, even a diminished version would still be powerful enough to inflict considerable damage in any given battle.
Corven somehow knew that not all of his Shadowborne would have as natural a mastery of certain skills that he had. For instance, some may be better at using certain abilities that others aren't and others may have a heightened affinity to elements that their peers would not have. All of this was to say that there would definitely be specialists and elites — a clear hierarchy of power amongst the Shadowborne, but one that he found himself logically approving of nonetheless.
At base, their strength would equate to Tier A Griffin strength, thanks to the Griffin (Tier A) beast DNA within their blood, and many would have a Poison affinity thanks to the Great Snake Corven consumed. All would have a healing factor and Dark Magic affinity to certain degrees and all would have a naturally high agility and night vision. Some would have his Perceive ability, granting them superior senses and instincts, while others may have a minor form of his Absorb ability.
At this, Corven realized something. He's had abilities he hasn't even tried out yet! The ice abilities of that one would-be assassin and the Poison abilities he must've acquired from absorbing that Great Snake's blood — They were lying dormant within him and he forgotten all about them.
He really wanted to smack himself. He's been caught up on strengthening his natural abilities, he's forgotten he has acquired ones, too.
'I'm an idiot,' Corven thought, deadpanned.
It was at this moment that the 6 Shadowborne present finished their environmental observations and realized Corven was present. Immediately, they fell on one knee, bowing their head in reverence.
"We Greet Our Progenitor," they all spoke at once, the awe in their voice, though Corven was more focussed on their naked forms, with a frown.
'Clothes... they need clothes,' Corven thought, then he was able to smell the stench of the goo they were covered in — transmutation goo reeked. 'And baths.'
Nevertheless, Corven willed his expression to give nothing away as he bid them to rise. He then called for his familiar, Crowella, to bring them to the stream to get a bath and to fetch them some clothes from within the palace. Crowella, now in her human form, rushed to get the tasks done.
As this was happening, Corven made his way inside the Shadow Palace, down to one of the vaults within the depths of the Palace — to an empty vault that housed a red Dungeon Gateway. It was the same Dungeon Gate that Corven found sealed in the Dark Forest for eliminating the lightningwind mountain lions. It was open now.
"With this, I can get stronger," Corven said. "Me and my allies."
With that, he left the Vault and Shadow Space, appearing once more in his dorm, choosing to cultivate until the others arrived later.