124 THE OBELISK OF UNKNOWN
Damen intercepted the serpentine alien mid-air, his arm catching the Storm Wraith's electric lash.
The impact would have killed an ordinary man.
But instead of burning, his veins flared white, the energy vanishing into his body, fully absorbed. He didn't even flinch.
"You picked the wrong prey, buddy," he said.
The realization hit him: his transformed alien body could absorb electricity. The Storm Wraith was nothing compared to him.
The Wraith shrieked with a sound like tearing wind just as Damen's hand pierced through its chest. His eyes scanned for a target with his glyph.
Soon he found one.
Name: Core of Electricity
Description: A source of endless electricity and plasma.
"This is perfect… works beautifully with my Electrocution and Thunder Crush," he muttered. Without hesitation, he pressed Assimilate.
"Electrocution- Electricity enhanced."
"Thunder Crush- Electricity enhanced."
Damen's electricity based meta skills were all enhanced by the assimilation of the Core of Electricity.
The Wraith went still. The Lightning arcs ceased. The storm itself dissipated.
But Damen wasn't done yet.
He hammered his fist into the creature, each strike collapsing its translucent flesh inward.
"Momentum Collapse."
Before it could recover, another blow struck, amplified by a powerful soundwave.
The Wraith was thrown skyward, every punch pushing it higher. Until Damen could reach no further. Then they fell together.
"It's about time," he muttered, before pressing Drain.
Silver light erupted, consuming the creature completely, leaving nothing but shards of glass-like dust.
When the dust settled, Eryn stared at him with wonder.
His eyes glowed faintly, his pupils narrowed into slits of pure light like an alien god.
"Damen…."
For a moment, Damen's consciousness transcended the desert.
He was in another place. There were nine suns blazing before him—the manifestation of Ra, God of the Suns. An army of Sun Scorpions and Deacons approached intent on claiming his soul.
Around him, water from the Well of the Unknown swirled, rising and reshaping itself into a water obelisk.
The armies of Ra recoiled at the sight of the obelisk.
Words etched themselves across their surface—words he somehow understood:
"One for Existence… Nine for Ascension."
"What the hell does that even mean?" he muttered.
Then his vision shattered.
He opened his eyes to find Eryn pressing against his chest, giving him CPR. He didn't resist.
"Erm… thanks," he said eventually, sitting up.
"What happened? You fell with the serpent… the storm's gone… I thought—" she rambled.
"I'm fine," he said.
Suddenly, new text flickered into Damen's view:
"Congratulations. You have received the approval of the Source of Unknown."
"Obelisk of Unknown Activated: 1/9."
"Annunakin Form available as toggle effect."
"What? A toggle effect?" Damen muttered.
He opened his system menu—there it was: Annunakin Form: ON.
"Toggle OFF."
At once, his body convulsed.
The silver veins dimmed and vanished, his muscles tightening as the alien armor receded beneath the skin. Within seconds, he stood fully human again—smaller, weaker, but unmistakably himself.
Eryn's eyes widened, joy lighting her face. "You… you broke the curse! You're human again!"
Damen smiled faintly and shook his head. "No. The Blue Blood's still there. I didn't break it—I just control it now… I can turn it off."
Eryn frowned in confusion, but Damen didn't elaborate.
Even he didn't fully understand.
Maybe it was the Source of Unknown, or perhaps that mysterious Obelisk that rewrote his existence. Whatever it was, he was human now—when he chose to be.
And when the alien form and power was needed- he could toggle the power on again.
This is the best of both worlds.
He checked his stats.
Name: Damen Dark
Strength Rank: B Meta Rank: D Blood Rank: B
Strength: 508 | Charm: 202 | Meta: 183 | Command: 182 | Blood: 881 | Armor: 1004
Damen exhaled slowly.
Every breath of his hummed with power. For the first time since the curse, he didn't just feel alive—he felt complete.
----
By the time Damen and Eryn reached Fortress Myrone, the air was heavy with smoke and the scent of burnt ozone. The gates opened the moment their presence was confirmed, and even Lord Nicaesa came down personally to meet them.
"Damen…" Nicaesa's voice trembled, eyes glistening. "We thought you were gone."
Damen gave a faint smile, the kind that barely reached his eyes. "Don't worry about me, uncle Nicaesa. I don't die that easily."
He paused, glancing around at the repaired walls and automated sentry turrets humming above the ramparts. "Tell me—how did you turn back the alien assault last time?"
Nicaesa's face broke into a weary smile. "Thanks to you. Your friend Zairgid brought over a thousand Autocannons. They tore through the enemy lines like a storm. We owe him our survival."
Eryn was escorted to the infirmary for treatment while Damen followed Nicaesa into his office. There, he recounted everything that had happened over the past month.
Damen gave a brief account of Zalira's death and Eryn's rescue, while Nicaesa explained their pact with Zairgid.
Shipments of drones, weapons and elixirs began flowing into the fortress again and in amounts much more than before. On the other hand, the Aukouma family was making a fortune.
But Damen knew it came at a cost.
"The major families won't let this stand," he said finally, his gaze hard. "They'll fight back the moment they realize what we are doing."
Lord Nicaesa leaned forward. "Then what do you propose we do?"
"We protect the Aukouma family," Damen said. "If they fall, everything we've built in this month collapses with them."
-----
Zairgid's sedan threaded through the Black Owl. He tried to remember the last time he'd actually had a party.
"Damn you, buddy—because of you I'm a CEO now. There is no time for anything," he grumbled at the empty passenger seat, blaming Damen with a rueful smirk.
A line of trucks suddenly screeched to a stop across the road, blocking his path. "What the hell is with the traffic today?" he snapped.
His bodyguard climbed out to investigate.
Without warning, the windshield exploded inward. The bodyguard's back hit the glass with a sickening crack. He slumped, his back broken.
Zairgid's hand flew to his mouth. He fumbled for his comms and began dialing for help.
A voice rang out from the trucks. "Come out now, Zairgid Aukouma."
-----