As he kept examining his own status, he finally came across something that was about to change his life forever, something that had been with him since the beginning.
Something that was with him since the moment he first got the system, his first skill, his first gift
Freedom of the broken
DING!!!!
Quest: [Escape slavery]
[Has been completed. Congratulations, descendant Azreal, you are on the path towards succession.]
Escape Slavery:
No worthy descendant of ###### will remain in chains. You are destined for far greater things. To fully escape, strengthen the skill: Freedom of the Broken.
Reward: Fusion and purification of bloodlines (werewolf & kitsune)
Ding!!
Freedom of the Broken (level 5 Max):
1: Grants an unnaturally strong mind, resistance to mental collapse.
2: Greatly enhances resistance to poisons, addictive substances, and drugs that affect the mind.
3: You are free from all contractual and controlling magic
4: free others from contractual and controlling Magic
Suddenly he felt a deep burning sensation coursing through his throat like his airways were closing up, slowly suffocating him.
The thick golden rose thorn tattoo on his neck, which signified he was a tier zero slave, began to glow bright red and move around his neck like a snake slowly constricting him.
Seeing the tattoo around his neck start to glow, Oliva quickly ran towards him. Getting on her knees beside him, she held him and asked, her voice shaking with worry and surprise.
"Az, what's going on? Are you ok?"
But the pain was so intense he couldn't even form words anymore, only animalistic grunts
His hands quickly shot towards his neck, attempting to ease the pain somehow, but what could he even do?
It just kept burning, getting hotter and hotter, until eventually it was so hot it felt like his neck was about to catch fire
And that's when he saw it again, the system message, but this time the words it displayed weren't words of his completed quest, congratulations, or even his rewards; no, it was something he couldn't fully comprehend, especially in this state.
And he wasn't the only one seeing it either.
DING!!!
[For one to be completely free they mustn't be held down by those who are still in chains, no it is the job of the descendant to share the burdens of his chosen Soulmate, just as it is her duty to stand with her chosen mate, isn't it???]
Freedom of the broken:
4:free others from contractual and controlling Magic
[Now you shall both be free, embrace your freedom for it is what you both have longed for]
"Az can you see this thing too—"
Before she could finish her question Olivia too was hit with the sensation of her throat closing up as her golden rose Thorn tattoo started glowing a deep red as well
She let go of Azreal falling to the cold snowy floor she began clawing at her own throat, as the tattoo started to move, as soon as her fingers dug through her own skin drawing blood it began to grow back slowly.
As the tattoo moved around their necks a deep burning pain came with it, that sank deep within their skin this was the most intense pain either of them had ever felt
Worse than when they had to cleanse their bodies to increase their mana core stage, worse than when the mana beast in the dungeon hit, bite, poison, pin, and slammed them into the snowy floor
No this pain was far worse it was like liquid fire was being poured onto the necks and right into an open wound.
But this was just the beginning, as the fire only grew hotter in an attempt to burn the tattoos away.
And slowly it was starting to work as the tattoos were slowly starting to fade away
It was even so the burning didn't cease for even a second
Azreal's vision blurred. Pain clawed through every nerve, but somewhere beneath it all, a strange warmth began to creep through his chest.
It was subtle at first, like embers glowing faintly under ash, then it began to spread, radiating from his chest, down his arms, and into his hands, as if his body itself was trying to feed the fire eating at his neck.
"Oliva!" he rasped through gritted teeth finally gathering enough strength to speak, but the sound barely carried.
His throat felt as if it were being hollowed out,
The fading tattoo around his neck writhed violently, the golden rose thorns now glowing an almost blinding crimson.
He could feel it digging into his skin,
His hand, trembling violently, reached up and grabbed at the tattoo. Pain shot through him like lightning, yet instead of recoiling, he clenched his fist tighter.
The burning screamed, but slowly, imperceptibly, the crimson light began to fade from the tips of the thorns to the base, turning from fire-red to molten gold.
Next to him, Olivia was barely conscious, her nails bleeding from tearing at her own skin. She whimpered, and the system spoke directly to her now
[You are his mate. His freedom is your freedom. Accept the pain, share the burden.]
Something unexplainable flickered in her mind, a tether between them. Her hand, slick with blood, reached toward Azreal, and when their fingers touched, the sensation was electric.
The fire searing their necks didn't lessen, it intensified but now it pulsed in rhythm with their heartbeats.
Pain became rhythm. Suffering became connection.
And then, almost as suddenly as it had begun, the burning shifted.
It was no longer fire consuming them, it was fire welcoming them.
The golden rose thorns began to unravel, strands of magic lifting from their skin like smoke into the cold air.
The tattoos were being purged, unraveling themselves until only faint traces of gold remained, embedded beneath the surface of their skin.
The glow dimmed, leaving behind only their scarless, bare necks
DING!!!
[Congratulations descendant Azreal and soulmate Olivia, on attaining your freedom]
[Bloodline Fusion: Werewolf & Kitsune has been postponed due to the host's condition and unsafe environmental conditions]
Azreal gasped for air, chest heaving, tears mingling with snow and sweat. He looked at Olivia, and she was staring at him, wide-eyed and trembling, but alive.
The shared pain had bonded them in ways he couldn't yet comprehend.
He reached out, his hand trembling, and brushed the snow from her face. Her lips parted, and she whispered hoarsely
"We… we're free?"
He nodded, the strength returning to him in surges.
"where finally free Liv, after everything were finally free"