Darkness.
Never-ending darkness.
He had lost track of how long he had stared at this darkness, but lately, he was starting to become more aware.
Feeling his body still wasn't possible, but if he could think, that meant he wasn't dead.
'But... Is it even possible to survive that?' Julian thought, dazed. 'My head was definitely crushed, that much I'm sure of.'
And yet...
'Am I really alive?'
His thoughts continued swirling for an unknown period of time. Flashes of his past came to mind again, and the moment before his death was the most vivid.
The expression on Aliyah's face, and the power he exerted while holding the chimera down.
He recalled the feeling. It was as if he were commanding the miasma to do something instead of allowing it to act however it pleased.
Drawing on that sensation, Julian suddenly felt a tingle. The more he focused on it, the more that tingle grew, until eventually, he regained feeling in his hand.
Afterward, his second arm, then his legs, lower body, upper body, and lastly...
As the miasma gathered around the stump of his neck, a new face began to regrow. It contained the same features as before, but it looked much more chiseled.
And when the formation of his new face finally finished, he regained feeling in his entire body.
A shallow breath escaped his lips, and soon, he opened his eyes to darkness again, but this time, it wasn't the endless void. It was the crushing black of rubble.
A few sharp shards pierced his body, but Julian ignored the pain and regained total control of his senses. Imagining the miasma gathering around his arm, he pushed the rubble aside.
As he made some space for himself to breathe, Julian spotted a few bones belonging to a large figure. Judging from its size, those bones definitely belonged to the chimera. Most of its bones had turned to dust, leaving only the spine perfectly intact.
Julian extended his shaky hand toward the spine and stashed it away around his neck.
With that, Julian continued using the miasma to break free of the rubble until, just a few hours later, his fist broke through the last of it. Through the hole, he saw the tunnel from before, the ice markings on the wall present but blurry.
A relieved expression appeared on Julian's face as he pushed the last of the rubble aside and finally broke free. He picked out the pieces of rock that had stabbed through his body and pulled them out.
But once they were out, he realized that healing took a lot of time. If anything, he was healing like a normal person again.
Closing his eyes, Julian figured out that there was no more miasma remaining in the tunnel, only a slight trace from the chimera spine around his neck.
'That's why I must've survived...' Julian thought. 'At the time of my death, the chimera likely died as well. With so much miasma leaving its body at the time of death, it must've entered mine.'
That would explain why his body was so much sturdier. He felt like a completely new person.
But with this moment of peace, Julian suddenly slumped against the wall, his entire body shaking.
He had endured it. He had survived. But at what cost?
The pain broke him. Even now, while blood gushed out of him, Julian barely felt a thing. It just seemed like a minor inconvenience.
But the memories of having his body torn apart over and over again kept replaying in his mind. The screams he suppressed, the feeling of emptiness during his death... everything.
Like that, Julian remained with his back against the wall for several hours. No, maybe days. Processing everything he had gone through in such a short period of time.
And when he was done, Julian finally rose to his feet, a spark of determination in his gaze.
For starters, he decided to check his status.
***
Name: Julian Everness
Imprint: None [You must awaken]
Rank: Dormant
Soul Artifacts: Crimson Halo, (NEW) Spine of the Fallen Chimera [To Be Assimilated]
Attributes: [Cursed], [Miasma Affinity]
???: [You must awaken]
***
'A new Soul Artifact?' Julian mused, glancing at the spine around his neck. 'This thing?'
A little startled, Julian inspected the Soul Artifact.
Soul Artifact: Spine of the Fallen Chimera
Soul Artifact Rank: Awakened
Soul Artifact Type: Defensive / Offensive
Soul Artifact Description: Upon usage, permanently fuses with the user's spine, greatly increasing strength, speed, and Spiritual Essence recovery. Gain a special [Attribute ???] when fused.
'What...? Is this like an exoskeleton?' Julian recalled. These types of Soul Artifacts were in the rarest batch, and getting one would set him back at least a hundred mansions. After all, every single one of them granted a free attribute.
Yet here he was, with such a valuable Soul Artifact wrapped around his neck...
If he were to not use it and bring it outside, he would become rich. But in the end, he cared very little about money, especially when he had something so good in his grasp.
And so, having made up his mind, Julian glanced around, making sure there were no enemies nearby. He even used Spiritual Essence projection to double-check. When everything was in order, Julian was finally ready to assimilate it.
There was just one more thing...
'Unlike most other Soul Artifacts, exoskeletons hurt... a little.'
But he was pretty resilient to pain now. After all, how bad could it be?
[Do you wish to assimilate the Soul Artifact: Spine of the Fallen Chimera with your soul?]
[Yes / No]
Not wasting any time, Julian pressed yes and awaited the pain that was to come.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the spine wrapped around his neck suddenly twisted and, without warning, flew up into the air. Then, like a dagger, it tore open his back, breaking his spine and taking its place.
Sure, he thought it would be a walk in the park considering what he went through earlier, but...
"AAAAAAAAH!"