Chapter 46: Domain of Death
Nearing the cathedral, I tossed one of the Stone Legion's soul shards to Regis. He leapt up and caught it, crushing it in his jaws as its essence visibly seeped into him.
Licking his lips with satisfaction, Regis hummed in excitement. After the battle, we'd divided the soul shards appropriately: I only absorbed the Fallen's soul shard, while Regis took five of the ten Awakened ones.
The rest I transformed into memories for Saint. Unfortunately for Krabs, he'd have to wait until Saint ascended.
Since we were leaving the Dark City for a while, I decided we should take down the Forsaken Knight and retrieve the red gem, allowing Saint to use it.
Even if Saint would be out of commission for a while, it wouldn't matter much; we had Krabs, and with Regis hopefully rising in rank, we'd be prepared for any run-ins with the Blood Loctus or anything else we might face before that.
I couldn't have been more pleased—with just five abilities, I'd discovered my slashes could slice through Awakened monsters without trouble.
Additionally, I realized how versatile my tentacles could be, though Regis never missed a chance to offer his own deranged ideas for them.
Their power didn't decrease with size, so I could create many small ones, combining them into a powerful mass. No wonder Sunny was always thrilled to learn new things about his aspect, just figuring this out made me even more excited to learn more.
As we approached, Regis voiced his thoughts. "So, how are we doing this? Should I take the kill to increase my rank, or do you want it? I'm fine either way—and wow, that last fight was fun."
"We'll let Saint deal the finishing blow. What do you say, Sunny? You wouldn't pass up the opportunity of your girl dealing the finishing blow, right." I teased lightly.
(I don't like how you worded that, but yes, I'd be more than glad to receive whatever boon that Knight has. But why should Saint kill it?)
"Because the Knight holds something that can help her ascend in class. Wouldn't it be great to have an ascended demon on your side?"
Sunny paused, then cleared his throat. (It would. It would be incredible, actually.)
Regis whistled, lifting his head with a mocking grin. "Such shamelessness" he teased.
(I'd rather have an ascended demon than something as useless as shame.)
Chuckling, Regis gave a toothy grin. "Lost from Dignity—that sounds about right."
I held back a laugh, and Sunny immediately responded in a panicked tone. (Don't even joke about that! You could actually invoke it! You idiot—Pleiades, tell him never to say it again.)
"Don't worry; he's not stupid enough to use it in front of others. His jokes are well planned… I think."
(You thinking that doesn't help my anxiety at all) Sunny grumbled. I turned to Regis.
"Regis, just don't say it. If you don't, I might consider giving you a gift."
Tilting his head, he pried, "What kind of gift?"
Resting a hand on my chin, I smirked. "A voluptuous vixen."
Without missing a beat, he scoffed, "I'll hold you to that. But please, forgive me, lost from life."
(STOP IT!) Sunny barked as Regis cackled. I kicked him to snap him out of it. He'd spooked me for a moment, but he wasn't reckless enough to doom himself with a bad joke.
'>>Hey, I've been thinking of something.<<' Regis transmitted, drawing my attention.
'[About what?]'
'>>About echoes. Why haven't you made one? And don't give me that 'with great power comes great responsibility' excuse you give on eeeeeeeeverything.<<'
'[Honestly, I just haven't settled on an idea. I thought about making a four-armed echo or something, but I'm not sure what I want yet.]'
Tottering beside me, Regis looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke with a hint of excitement. '>>Why not make a memory that turns the corpses of living beings into echoes?<<'
The idea made me pause mid-stride.
'Why didn't I think of that sooner?' I sighed, realizing Regis would never let me live this down.
Reluctantly, I transmitted the thought to Sunny.
[Can you head to the cathedral? I'll rest for a bit before we attack. And you'll be fighting] I told him.
(I'll be fighting a Fallen Devil ? For that experience you want me to gain, i assume?)
[Exactly.]
Giving up control, I entered my soul sea. The glassy waters shimmered around my soul core, which glowed brighter than ever before.
I accessed the memory creation screen and let my imagination wander since Regis was still outside, not here to bother me with his own little ideas.
"Maybe another living memory, like the Luggage. This one could even talk" I mused. But a living tomb wasn't ideal. Perhaps… a special egg for corpses that could transform them into echoes?
Yet an egg would limit me to one creature at a time, if i wanted to keep with the theme of the world that is. Then, an idea struck me.
"A coffin! No, better—a sarcophagus." My reading on Warhammer had paid off as I dove into creating it.
This memory would be of the Supreme rank, with only one powerful enchantment, like the [Mirror of Truth] sunny had in antarctica.
After finishing up the basics, i read the runes, they now read:
Memory: Rigid Sarcophagus
Memory Rank: Supreme
Memory Tier: I
Memory Type: Tool
Memory Description:[A Sarcophagus with a sense for profanity.]
Memory Enchantment: [Soul Bound Usurpation]
[Soul Bound Usurpation]
Enchantment Description: "Placing the bodies of living creatures in the coffin will eventually turn them into an Echo."
[0/10000]
To the right, I saw the blank picture that would represent the memory. I visualized a large, melancholic sarcophagus made of alabaster-like cold stone.
Satisfied, I clicked the confirmation button, watching as a small, star-like object nestled into my core.
A smile of satisfaction crossed my face.
Then from my core emerged Regis, his presence immediately evident as his flames sparkled and reflected on the glassy surface of my soul sea.
He looked toward me and waddled over with a hint of curiosity.
"So, did you make it?" he asked.
Responding with a smile, I summoned the memory, and the star exited my core. Weaving itself into existence, the hulking memory appeared—a massive coffin-like structure made of an almost metallic alabaster stone.
The lid of the sarcophagus slid open, and from it emerged a small inky black hand. The sight of it made me twitch slightly; the memory of my body almost being ripped apart still made me shiver.
Surprisingly, the hand waved at me and Regis. Curious, Regis approached, put his paws on the edge of it, and submerged his head within.
Moments passed before he lifted his head and looked at me.
"Yo, check this out."
Tilting my head, I approached and looked into the memory. Inside was a black mist that obscured its bottom.
Looking over at Regis, I blinked a few times in confusion.
"Did you see anything?" I asked. Regis looked at me, wagging his tail.
"Oh yeah, something real cool. You gotta see it for yourself."
Frowning, I hesitated. It was obvious he was up to something, but the real question was whether I'd fall for his trap.
'Damn it, now he's got me curious.'
"You sure there's nothing bad in here? If there is, I'll take drastic measures."
Regis paused, glancing down slightly. He looked back at me and stuttered, "Define drastic measures."
Leaving his question unanswered, I bent down and looked deeper into the mist. As my head descended, a chill ran down my spine.
Then I saw it: beneath the mist was a horrifying scene of endless shadows, nightmare creatures looking right at me. Some were massive, others as small as stools. Some were magnificent; others were grotesque and beyond anything I could even conceive.
Among the creatures were humans or human like creatures, each one staring at me.
Not just the humanoid ones, but the rest of the shadows as well.
Gulping, I looked further and saw abominations, growing larger and more twisted than the rest.
They stood on a land made of shadows, with shadowy plains and shadowy mountains expanding endlessly into the distance.
Then I felt a sense of being watched—not just seen, but deeply scrutinized. It was as if something were probing into the very essence of my true self, every secret, thought, memory, plan, every part of my life—everything.
I wanted to leave, but I couldn't; it felt as though something was forcing me to stay. Then all the abominations looked upward, their attention focused on one spot.
I craned my neck to see a massive pair of eyes, each as big as the moon, staring directly at me.
From those eyes, I felt an incomprehensible power.
As I stared into the abyssal eyes, a primal terror surged through me. They weren't just looking at me; they were dissecting me, peeling away every layer of my being with a force that felt like a thousand piercing knives.
Every memory, every fear, every triumph and mistake seemed laid bare. For a moment, it felt as if I were standing at the edge of eternity, the depths of my mind merging with an entity so vast and ancient it defied comprehension.
My own form, my identity, began to feel small—insignificant—in comparison, as if all my memories were fake and i weren't real to begin with.
The colossal eyes blinked slowly, a moment of ominous calm that somehow amplified the weight of the being's gaze.
Shadows around the vast plains surged upward, forming into vague shapes and figures, each representing facets of my life I hadn't even known I held.
Then, like the tide retreating from the shore, they began to fade, dissolving back into mist. The pressure holding me in place loosened slightly, yet the eyes remained, watching, as if they were waiting for something from me.
Then I heard it—a voice so powerful and beyond logic that it didn't speak to my ears but directly into my mind.
My soul felt shaken by the echoes of the voice.
Its tone was ancient and otherworldly, neither male nor female, yet vast and echoing beyond anything human.
Each word rippled through my soul, reverberating like the aftershock of some cataclysmic force, touching every corner of my being with a terrifying intimacy.
"You...who peers into death."
My heart stammered, and my breath hitched as the words seared into my mind.
The abominations below shifted in unison, as if responding to the voice, each set of eyes fixed on me in twisted reverence.
"What is it...that you seek within my domain? Treacherous Vessel?" the voice thundered, carrying a weight of expectation that made my knees weaken.
I opened my mouth, struggling to speak, but nothing came out. The pressure of the presence felt as if my very thoughts were being sifted through, examined under an unyielding, cosmic scrutiny.
I fought to find my voice, my thoughts swimming in disarray as the question lingered, insistent and demanding.
I heard Regis chuckling, his voice distant and echoing through the misty darkness. "Told you it was something cool" he whispered, though there was a slight edge in his tone.
Swallowing, I pulled back without responding, distancing myself from the bottomless black gaze. As my head emerged from the mist, I exhaled sharply, feeling the weight of reality reassert itself around me.
The air felt clearer, but the impression of that unfathomable presence lingered.
Turning to Regis, I managed a shaky laugh. "You weren't kidding, were you? Damn, that was scary. Did it speak to you, too?"
Regis gave me a puzzled look, his tail dropping in confusion. "Hear? I didn't hear squat. I just saw the shadows and thought they were cool."
Baffled, I scratched my temple and stood up, the shadowy hand still waving at me. "Well...I heard something speaking to me from above, and I saw massive eyes looking at me."
Regis widened his eyes and looked at the memory. "Holy shit. Damn, why is this thing even connected to the shadow realm? And is it even the shadow realm? Didn't Sunny's lantern lead to it originally?"
Shaking my head, I dismissed the memory.
"Not a clue, but when I was making it, I did think for a second about it leading to the shadow realm—since, well, you know, death and all that. So I guess that any creature I put in it will be led into the shadow realm and then become my echo? This is really confusing. And wasn't shadow god dead?"
Regis tapped his paws on the ground, then sat with his tail resting on the surface of the sea. "You heard the shadow god? Sick!" He smiled and wagged his tail, making the water ripple slightly as his tail ponded up and down.
"So, what did he say?"
"He asked why I entered his domain and what I sought to find, then he called me... I don't really remember honestly." I answered, sitting down.
Whistling, Regis replied, "That's awesome! You actually got to talk with a god. Pretty sure you're the first to do that in this era."
I nodded, sighing. "I guess, but damn, that was terrifying. I really hope he didn't read my memories." Scratching my head, I looked upward, glancing at my core.
There were so many questions, like whether or not I could fully enter the shadow realm through the memory.
But if Sunny, who was a saint, barely escaped it, I'd rather not go into it. Still, the fact that the shadow god, or maybe it wasn't him, maybe it was some powerful sacred being.
But only a god could have such an infinite realm within it, not some sacred being, and the creatures inside it were definitely dead, so it must have been the true shadow realm.
I even thought I saw the stone legion somewhere within.
Sighing, I lay on the ground and stared blankly at the stars.
This was way too much lore for a high schooler to figure out.
Next Chapter: The Darkness of Profanity
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