Capítulo 36: Miracle
After the wave of darkness, the group was in complete silence.
When it dropped the broken skull back into the dark abyss, the statue continued its march without a hitch.
Once they collected themselves, they continued to anchor themselves to face the storm. It was not over.
Cassie summoned her golden rope and wrapped it around the prone body of Aldric. Effie held them both close to firm the wavering winds. With nothing but her thoughts to keep her occupied, Cassie immediately thought about what she saw earlier.
'Whatever that was, my vision didn't see it. What was going on earlier? Is that what it meant?'
She rested her hand against his chest to feel his heartbeat.
'Ok, his heart rate is steady.'
That was all she could do until the storm stopped and Nephis could take a look at him. If his condition wasn't stable, she would have urged Nephis to heal him now.
Slowly, time passed as they weathered the storm. It proved the point of nature being the worst enemy in the dream realm. While the exchange between the giants finished a while ago, the storm continued its assault with no remorse.
Hours later, the storm finally died down, and the bright rays of light shone through the lighter clouds.
The cohort was all bloody and tired but still alive. They came together and sat down on the wet, cold stone.
Nephis approached Cassie and the prone body of Aldric. She spoke.
"What's his condition?"
Cassie responded immediately.
"He is stable. The bleeding from his eyes and ears stopped. The eye on his forehead closed."
She spoke hauntedly.
Nephis approached him and placed her hand on his chest. Spreading her soul flame through his body, she healed the surface-level wounds like his damaged ears and eye vessels, but that was all she could accomplish. The rest of his internal damage was not visible but was metaphysical. She was lucky she could even do that much due to him not being awake to suppress his darkness.
"That's all I can do. We'll see when he wakes up."
The group focused on themselves. Each reviewing the memories they gained from such a battle and looking at their soul or shadow fragments in the case of Nephis and Sunny, respectively.
It seemed both Cassie and Sunny received the [Dark Wings] memory. Sunny had also received the [Blood Blossom].
Over the course of the day, they slowly recovered from the traumatic experience and got back into their regular routine. Their journey was about to reach its end.
----------
It was the morning of the second day, and the group could see a mountain range in the far distance. After finishing breakfast, they went about their day until noon.
Cassie was standing nearby watching over Aldric when she heard a small voice whisper.
"Further...stronger...beyond all of them."
With a jump, Aldirc sat out of his laying position and looked around erratically. Not noticing any danger, he took a deep breath and looked around.
Cassie was studying him closely, watching his reactions.
He locked eyes with her and asked.
"What happened? Is that thing still here?"
Cassie noticed the lapse in his memory as if he could not recall the ending of the fight.
"No, the statue defeated it yesterday. Something happened to you. No one knows the cause."
She continued to study his reaction to see if he knew anything.
Noticing that he was thinking in silence, she went to get Nephis to check over his wounds.
It was slowly coming back to Aldric. The fight with the locusts and the flower parasites. The tentacled terror and the statue fighting.
Everything changed when the statue unearthed the skull that it nested within. A feeling of horror and insanity washed over him. He looked up to try to avoid the skull and saw something that should not have existed. A blood-red moon. The red light slowly encompassed everything with a red tinge. All the while, his ears were hearing whispers of madness.
Like a patient under anaesthesia, he could barely remember the details before he went under. He could only recall a sharp feeling in between his eyebrows. As if a creature was trying to birth itself from under his skin.
'I guess that was what [Insight] was warning me about'.
When the statue began to reach down to the bottom of the depths, Aldric had the strongest reaction he had ever felt from his attribute. The danger was greater than even the corrupted creature territories in the Dark City. And there was no escaping it. The feeling radiated in every direction, with no room for escape. He could only prepare himself, but nothing could have prepared him for what happened.
Instinctively, he summoned his darkness. From his core, it slowly seeped through him. Once it reached further across his body, he felt an immense pulse of pain. His darkness would not circle through his body.
Panic immediately went through his mind.
'What the hell is wrong with my aspect?'
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and dove into his soul sea.
A familiar sight met his eyes—a black hole far in the distance. The sea of clouds that held his darkness at bay was clearly damaged. The usually still and calm clouds were erratic and changing. Bursts of darkness leaked through the clouds in waves pooling around his feet.
"Did I receive soul damage?"
Aldric's mind was a mess. He looked around for anything else. Turning backwards, he looked south. There, he saw another black hole.
There. There was another soul core. He had two.
'Two, when did I gain the second core?'
He thought to himself in confusion.
This was a major boon to Aldric. He quickly looked over his runes.
Name: Aldric.
True Name: First-Class Singularity.
Rank: Dreamer.
Dark Core: [2/7]
Class: Monster.
Dark Sprites:[264/2000]
Memories:[Unwavering Spark][Cragborne Armor][Malice Of The Deep][Cavedweller Garms][Water Basin][Charm Of Balance][Silk Robes][Silk Pouch][Warding Eye][Stone Coffer][Tesseract][All-Seeing Eye][Mantle Of The Underworld][Cursed Mirror][Dark Wing][Red Spider Lily]
Attributes: [Insight][Tranquil Core][Destined][Tenebrous Rule]
Aspect:[Made In Abyss]
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Abilities:[Dark Well]
Aspect Ability Description:[You can manifest the Darkness within.]
The last time he looked at the number of sprites was when they embarked on the statue. It was exactly 658 in number. He could not have gained that much from the battle between the two creature tribes.
'Tenebrous Rule.'
The increase in a core was confusing but manageable, but a whole new attribute was insane. He focused on the new attribute.
[Tenebrous Rule]Attribute Description: "Your Chalice is under your command."
Aldric's mind was racing a mile a minute. Perhaps it would help with his control. He had hit a plateau with his range.
Returning his focus to the present, he noticed Nephis approach him. She placed her hand on his chest, and Aldric suppressed his darkness in turn. It seemed he could at least do that without being in pain.
"You should be fine."
Aldric noticed that nothing happened. Perhaps she had already healed him when he was knocked out and came to check on him. Aldric appreciated the gesture.
"Thank you very much. Can someone tell me what happened?"
Cassie and Nephis gave each other a look, and Nephis started to speak.
"When the statue surfaced the creature, you had a severe reaction. Blood was leaking from your eyes and ears. Your hair started to change and an eye."
This part began to disturb Nephis of all people.
"An eye began to form in between your eyebrows. According to Sunny, you mentioned something about a red moon. You were hallucinating. You went unconscious when the statue broke the skull with its hammer."
He could see Sunny in close proximity, giving him a scrutinising look.
"It seems some of those changes stuck."
Nephis said after analysing his face.
A spark of panic went through his body as he quickly summoned the [Cursed Mirror].
This was the ascended memory that he gained during his hunts in the Dark City. The creature he killed was a Basilisk, they were frequent residents of the Dark City. It was a mirror that could enthral the user if they stared in it long enough. Finding it useless, Aldric had used it as a regular mirror. With his [Inisght], he could feel the moment it would start affecting its user. He had only done this due to its long requirement time.
He viewed himself in the oval ornate mirror that was the size of A4 paper.
His black curls remained as luscious as ever; however, he had gained perhaps an inch of length that was white. Not grey or silver but completely white. Creating a stark contrast to the black hair above it. The white streaks were sporadic. Only a few reached to his scalp. The rest stopped one to two inches from the end. It looked as if someone stopped halfway from dying their hair completely. The additional length caused his hair to rest just above his eye.
Locking eyes with himself, he noticed the most stark difference. His previous brown eyes completely changed. Both eyes had a complete black iris. Small specks of white glowed in the dark abyss, spread around like the stars in the night sky. His pupil was pitch black. Absorbing all light that neared it. Aldric had to admit that these were the most unique pair of eyes he had ever seen since his arrival. They did not offer him any benefit or disadvantage when he looked around.
It seemed the rest of the cohort joined in the discussion. He heard Effie whisper.
"A damn mirror? What else is this bastard hiding?"
Between his eyebrows, he could see a faint vertical crease. He remembered that was where he felt that exploding pain beneath his skin.
'Luckily that third eye closed. But it still left a mark.'
Aldric returned the mirror to his soul sea and looked back at Nephis.
"Did something happen next?"
Nephis responded.
"The destruction of the skull released a wave of darkness that Sunny warned us about. I released light through my sword to battle the wave, but it seemed that the darkness beyond my reach was attracted to you in particular. We could not see what it did to you when you were unconscious."
She levelled him with a long stare.
"Do you know why this happened to you?"
Aldric's mind was currently elsewhere. Nephis' response to his question explained how he gained a new core. It seemed the destruction of the skull released so much darkness that his aspect subconsciously absorbed a slither of it. Aldric knew that someone else destroying the skull of a [Flesh Weaver] or an [Iron Spider] would not give him any Dark Sprites. Perhaps this was only possible due to the shared affinity between Aldric and the carcass as well as how powerful the creature was. The protection that Nephis gave him was what allowed him to not be overwhelmed and killed. He was not immune to darkness stronger than himself.
The information that Nephis gave him also confirmed what happened to him and how. Recalling the history of the Forgotten Shore, it was theorised that the alien that landed in the kingdom was an unknown or perhaps a creature of the unholy rank. The skull most likely belonged to that creature. Even after more than a millennia from its death, the corpse still possessed such potent corruption. Aldric was hoping to use this as a gauge to learn about his flaw, but the clash of the unknown-ranked tentacle creature and the corpse of what he could only assume was an unholy being made learning from this impossible.
He was starting to realise how improbable his survival was. In the dream realm where death held no preference from the strongest to the weakest, he was lucky to escape its clutches this time.
It was mind-breaking how unfair this all was. While his flaw did not show itself everytime he spoke or used his aspect, it did guarantee him certain death if he ran into the wrong creatures. Any regular person would try their best to remain in the waking world as long as they could. In their current situation, they would lock themselves in the Bright Castle forever. This could only reflect the strength of his aspect. Potential that he was not realising.
At least he had learned that the next change was visual hallucinations. Aldric was trying his best to view this as a learning experience, but this was the closest to death he had ever been. If the statue was any later in destroying the skull after bringing it out, he would have no longer been human. Would he still even have his sanity? The traumatic experience hadn't fully set in, so he pushed through the panic and thought about how to address the question.
Aldric relaxed his face and looked at everyone in discomfort. In a resolute and grim tone he spoke.
"The strange reaction I had when I saw the horror was..."
Aldric steeled himself for what he was about to say next.
**********
Thanks for reading.
Double upload today. Think this might be my longest chapter at 2200 words. Just kept writing and couldn't stop. Didn't want to interrupt my train of thought.
What do you think about the new attribute? Suprised? What about his new class?
What do you think he will say to them? The truth? or pull a Sunny?
Anywho, till next time.
Capítulo 37: Truth
Aldric steeled himself for what he was about to say next.
Looking around him, he noticed everyone's clear interest. Sunny was eyeing him like an enchantment to be studied. Kai and Effie were focused on his every word. Caster was in view to the side of Nephis.
He ran his hand through his curls and gave each of them a look of discomfort, as if it pained him to say the next few words.
On the inside, Aldric was angry. But it was a cold fury that had no outlet. After all, who could he blame? Something like this was bound to happen. Tomorrow or a year from now. His secret would be a secret no longer. It was painful but set in stone when he received this flaw.
No man is an island. His ventures into the dream realm and nightmare gates would not be done in solitude. So, he could only accept it.
Aldric's eyes locked onto Kai. Kai's existence was a bane to Aldric as of now. He could not mince his words. He would have to explain himself without it registering as a lie to Kai.
This was not the only reason, though. After all, he was not afraid.
He chose to use this as an opportunity. The only flaws unknown in the cohort would be Sunny's, Caster's, and his own. Given his current standing, it was an easy way to gain the trust of the group without giving up too much. The reveal of his flaw was not a major danger to his safety. It was more in line with Effie's flaw. Much more deadly, of course. It was not a flaw that someone could take advantage of. His enemies would not be able to wrestle a nightmare creature 4 ranks above him without dying themselves. Laying a trap for him was a different story.
"Haha...Hahaha."
Aldric laughed as he wiped away the anxiousness from his face. Why is he so worried? He learned many of the character's flaws at no cost or danger to himself. Why was he so reluctant when it was his turn?
Calming himself, he took a steady breath and steeled his eyes.
"It's my flaw."
Widened eyes met him instantly. It was not a small thing to admit in front of anyone. It spoke to the amount of trust the person must have to reveal such a thing. They knew though. That trust was not something that was abundant in their group.
Sunny had the most visceral reaction. With widened eyes and an agape mouth, he seemed like he was told the most shocking news ever.
'What the hell! Why would he even think to reveal something like that? It's not as if he needed to, or else he would have told us before we left.'
Sunny was shocked. He had a feeling that what he was about to reveal would explain the costs of such a power. He wondered if it could possibly be worse than his own in combination with his innate ability.
'No way.' He spoke deprecatingly.
Effie and Kai were hanging off his every word.
Nephis and Caster were both silent and calm. But that was not the case on the inside for one of them.
'Why on earth would you do this, Aldric? What's your angle here?'
A reveal of his flaw was the last thing that Caster expected. A flaw was the lifeline of an awakened. It was like he was baring his heart out to them, irrespective of the danger, and for what? Caster could not understand.
"I... when I am near creatures that rank above me, I have adverse reactions like you saw."
Aldric spoke calmly and resolutely.
A silence spread through the small clearing.
"What the hell! I should be calling you a suicidal bastard instead. Hunting in the Dark City with a flaw like that."
Effie shouted in anger. She slammed her hands on her legs, releasing a large sound, amplifying her voice.
Kai had a scarred look on his face.
"So every second you spend in the dream realm, you could be walking straight to your death."
His face took on a look of pity as he stared at Aldric.
Sunny seemed too shocked to speak, while Cassie had a look of sadness and pity etched on her porcelain face.
Nephis looked at him in a different light. To venture on this expedition where unknown horrors would lurk in every corner. To not buckle in the face of death and to keep moving forward. She knew most people in his position would be happy to live the rest of their days in the Bright Castle doing whatever it took to appease the lord. She wondered just how strong his ambitions were.
Everyone took a glance at Sunny. They knew that he should have already exploded in commentary at what they just heard. They saw the pale, short scout with a hand on his chin, thinking as if he were a philosopher pondering the meaning of life.
' I genuinely don't know what is worse. His flaw or mine. To think he was hiding something like that. I take it back. Every time, I wished for a damage-dealing aspect like his. With that flaw, I would have been dead the moment I entered the dream realm that night. Flailing around the cold, dark sea while I changed into a horrific abomination. How the hell did he survive this long? Crazy bastard.'
Just imagining it sank his heart to the deepest parts of his guts. Freedom in not being someone else's slave or survival by not dying in the face of nightmare creatures many ranks above you. In the face of that, Sunny was genuinely grateful for what he had. As hard as it was to believe, it seemed that he didn't have the worst flaw that he knew of.
Aldric studied their reactions and looked at Cassie. He could tell that she was about to ask a question. With the movement of her lips and her facial expression, he put a stop to it.
"Enough talking. I need to eat."
Aldric killed the momentum of the conversation and got up to fix himself a late breakfast. Leaving a few wandering minds behind.
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It was the next day. Two days after the battle of the titans, the red coral was slowly disappearing in the view of a rocky mountain chain. The colossus was nearing the end of its journey. Like a crab in a bucket, it couldn't leave. It was slowly being pulled back to the Forgotten Shore by whatever controlled it.
One by one, the cohort jumped off the statue. Each using their own method, they finally arrived.
Where the first lord of the castle ventured.
**********
Thanks for reading the chap.
How are we doing?
has anyone read lord of the mysteries? Finished volume 2 after 3 months. Took me 9 days to read all of shadow slave before that.
Was Aldric wrong in revealing his flaw or was it just a matter of time?
Love yall, take care.
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