The night less twilight extended farther than what one could consider eternity. He had been walking for hours now and yet all Litei saw was himself in the reflection on the puddles and the white surface.
'I have to hurry this up. Otherwise that wowed scenario I pictured was going to actually happen.' , he thought. Almost sensing his thoughts , the puddles of water broke waves all emanating from a single source.
He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed until now. Then the chummy Echo finally sang its song to him :
[—•—Event Detected! —•—]
- You who has remained triumphant against all odds receive one last trial to decide how your name will go down in history.-
[Event Description → : Among the star born children of light , a lone shadow stood. When it all fell apart , the six children of light sought protection in the darkness. The domain of the bearer restored , they cowered , fearful to return in disgrace. And so they sent the lone shadow into the domain of light. On that bright night , the lone shadow carried the word of light into the Lord of Starlight's ears , and was met with disdain for being shunned by light itself. And so the shadow never returned with the Lord Of Starlight's reply.]
[Penalty: Madness Attribute.]
***
My vision shifted back to the dark scenery , however this time I saw blurred out shades of flower like shapes. I didn't make any effort to find out what they were.
A thought nagged at me ,'The story of the children of light and the lone shadow.' , a title I came up with from the context.
The light being in contrast with the shadow had to mean something. Why else would the quest appear?
Pondering on the matter would only waste time , and I didn't have any left.
I directed my attention at the circle of soul essence , the particles remained the same amount.
How could I tell?
I didn't know.
A feeling of intuition , like being connected to a each and everyone of them down to the electrons through something.
Something like….
Something like a string.
***
Litei , ever so collected , reached for the ground scooping up a handful worth of soul essence. With the clock ticking , proper meditation would only slow him down.
So he was going to try another method he learnt from his father. It was a more straightforward approach to absorbing the soul essence , more so that his mother forbade him from ever practicing it.
"Sorry , Mom." , he imagined holding a long handle connected to a chalice. The shape created with finite geometric sequences and bound together by spell weaves of magic.
He poured the essence into that chalice and closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable to finally happen. Beneath the closed eyelids his pupils darted from corner to corner trying to get a peek at the wonders beyond his comprehension.
At first he thought that he had been taken back to the white void once more then back to the plain space of his cleared thoughts , the shack.
Neither had happened.
He remained perfectly still , the same surroundings unchanging and no mystical wonders occurring. It was as if he had been standing there for an eternity , patiently waiting to hear the sweet voice of the Distant Echo.
'You have leveled up! , can't it just say that. Or your trials are over , you may rest. I'm starting to miss living overseas.'
***
(Narrator's Pov : Ruiki's Viewpoint)
"Damn it." , he cursed at the world. The young swordsmaster summoned a vial of red liquid , quickly digested it and prepared for the next strike.
Beads of sweat running down his back , the fabric barely holding the blood stained clothes together. What he saw minutes ago flashed in his mind repeatedly.
Peering into a void creature's mind was far more taxing than a human's. His shoulders quivered from the blowing wind , a light drizzle washing away the putrid smell of both his and the ghoul's blood.
For the first time in their fight , he had actually done it. All of them , all the worms that made up the ghoul's hair , he had cut them off.
At least that was the case before what had transpired a few minutes prior.
One of the greatest weaknesses of Trojan Travelers is the lack of defense during an invasion. Riuki was no exception to that rule as well.
Emotions unlike anything he had ever felt beforehand rushed like rapid waves crashing at each other in a battle for dominance. His mental state had already been shaken from their indirect meeting , he still couldn't get that experience out of his head.
Facing a corrupted ghoul was beyond the level of base Travelers. The creature's rank went up from unholy to corrupted after witnessing the level of power it showed when he invaded it's neural network.
The worms bit mercilessly at Ruiki's skin , him helpless to stop them . The poison that was released through the paralyzing venom entered his blood system , damaging his platelets which lead to him bleeding out without any clotting.
He fell on his knees , the grip on his longsword loosening. His body ached beyond pain that any human would could handle. But he was a traveler , and hopefully by the time Litei woke up he would be too.
Almost in response , the young Spectre jumped up with energy. His cuts began to fade as mist rose up from where his wounds were supposed to be. His chest upheaved as his lungs opened up. He knew this feeling , from his first moments on Norverra—their world—it was the feeling of arriving into the world for the second time , it was…
Rebirth.
[You have overstepped the boundaries of humanity. The songs of fate have sought favor in you. Child Of Destiny , such was the name dubbed unto you by the whims of fate. Yet you have decided to walk your own path.]
[You have awakened your Soul Core.]
[To explore the Collapsed Realm , to be one with destiny, that is the way of a Traveler.]
[Evaluation :—> Miracle – The loom of fate spins the threads of humanity , placing trials before them , you have overcome them against all odds.]
[The gates of Avalon open themselves to the one who overcame the odds. Thirst for truth lies in your heart as well as wonders beyond the age of man and before the age of calamity.]
[Your fore bearers made you Spectre – Child of The Forgotten People. They were wrong .]
[Your name shall echo into the vast distance of the two worlds. The tale of the unbound Traveler , one who has achieved a miracle.]
[They shall utter the name of….]
[Spectra -; The Boundless Miracle.]
With that he was ready.
It didn't take time to sift through the usual barrage of notifications until he found what he was looking for. 'Avalon Path huh?. Those are the magicians.'. , in a moment a library's worth of basic knowledge about his resonance filled his already exhausted brain.
It was now unnaturally quiet , he started to miss the shack where the tension wasn't this much. Wait.
There was not tension at all.
That was because….
The ghoul…
It was gone.
================
Author's Note ☃️
First update of the week , hope you enjoy this one , took me 2 hours to plan and write.
1100 words plus.
If there was any mistakes notify me in the comments.
Have a blessed week.
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