When choosing Race Traits, you needed balance.
Positive traits were worth somewhere between 1 and 4+ points, whilst Negative Traits were between -1 and -4.
After careful selection, Hora finally selected the following positive traits.
Amorphous Flexibility (2 pts): Can squeeze through tiny spaces, by shapeshifting your limbs on a minor scale.
Ash Regeneration (3 pts): Heal rapidly when in contact with ash, smoke, or extreme heat.
Shadow Affinity (2 pts): Stronger in
darkness. Will always develop shadow manipulation through correct training.
Eternal Youth Appearance (1 pt): Age extremely slowly in appearance after maturity.
Magic Resonance (4 pts): Will awaken an affinity to a single type of magic before reaching the age of maturity.
Night Vision (2 pts): See clearly in the dark.
Toxin Immunity (2 pts): Resistant to poisons and diseases.
Wings (4 pts): Will develop retractable wings by the age of maturity.
Enhanced Physicality (2 pts): Stronger and faster than the average humanoid.
There were many other traits that interested Hora; however, he knew that the more positives he chose for his race, the more negatives he would have to balance it with.
So for now, he accepted these traits, as well as a few other base traits that came with his previous selections. Then, he moved on to the negatives.
Dark Soul (-3): The Ashfallen soul is seen as "unnatural", causing healing spells from most faiths to fail or even harm them.
Bad Blood (-2): The Ashfallen blood is thick, black and smoky. When split, it releases ashy smoke that causes people to choke.
Decaying Aura (-4): A passive field lingers around the Ashfallen, slowly decaying non-living things around them over the years.
Echoes of Darkness (-2): When stressed, the Ashfallen start to mutter in ancient, unknown languages.
Cold Within (-2): The Ashfallen's body temperatures are unnaturally cold, and drain the warmth from whatever they touch.
Shadows Cast Wrong (-2): The Ashfallen's shadow does not move in sync with their bodies, and sometimes flickers with ancient shapes.
Burnt Scent (-1): The Ashfallen's body constantly carries the slight odour of burning.
Light Rejection (-2): Too much time spent in the sun will cause the Ashfallen's skin to crack, and bleed ash.
Soul Beacon (-4): The Ashfallen's Near-Immortal state draws attention from greater beings.
---
With all these choices made, Hora had created a balance between the positive and negative traits of the Ashfallen.
Part of himself was scared of the negatives; however, he couldn't control his excitement for what was to come.
He was desperate to become an Ashfallen, and yet he still hadn't finished his creation.
Before getting ahead of himself, Hora continued with the creation.
[Step 8: Select your natural environment]
Hora was shown a list of different environments, alongside the buffs that he would receive when the Ashfallen were inside them.
Without hesitation, he chose to Volcanic option, which would grant him even more increased healing when inside the heated temperatures.
He was also given the choice to choose a secondary option, so he decided to select the underground. This enhanced all of his senses when beneath the earth.
[Step 9: Select a magical affinity.]
[Fire]
[Shadow]
[Decay]
[Illusion]
[Transmutation]
[Necromancy]
There were many affinities locked off from the options, due to Hora's previous choices. Also, this choice did not determine what affinities the Ashfallen would always awaken, but rather what they were most likely to awaken.
It seemed that within the world of Ilona, it was possible to awaken multiple affinities. These were the ones naturally selected due to Hora's choices so far.
Hora selected Fire. It was a clear choice, as it allowed him not only to fight, but also to heal himself due to the Ashfallen's healing in intense heat.
Finally, after this, Hora knew that his creation was almost complete. The system presented him with a final screen, which summarised the basic information he had chosen.
[Racial Summary]
Name: Ashfallen
Lifespan: Near-Immortal
Appearance: Striking, frightening beauty
Strengths: Regeneration in ash, amorphous flexibility, shadow/heat affinity, wings
Weaknesses: Watched by Gods, Frightening, Avoided
Starting Population: 1,000 individuals placed in a hidden ashen valley.
[One final gift from the Creator (you): Choose one Blessing or Curse to mark your race eternally.]
Blessing options:
Rebirth: Every Ashfallen can be resurrected once.
Whisper of the Void: Can communicate telepathically over long distances.
Ashen Stomach: Able to completely sustain themselves on ash alone.
This screen caught Hora more odd guard than any of the others.
First, it had been revealed that there would be a starter population. Did that mean that his creation of this race would not only affect the future, but also the history of the world, Ilona, placing preciously existing Ashfallen people into their world? In other words, filling the Ashfallen with their very own 'lore'.
And those Blessings. They all seemed incredibly powerful. Each and every one of them had a benefit that already made the Ashfallen a race to be reckoned with.
...
After careful thought, Hora thought there was only one option. Rebirth.
Whispers of the Void was a skill that required him to find and stay with other Ashfallen people. This would force him away from the route of being solo.
Ashen Stomach was convenient, however, it required him to always have access to fire magic and burnable objects. He also wasn't sure what ash would taste like to him, so he didn't choose this option.
Rebirth, without any other requirements, would give him the chance to cheat death.
Yes, it was only once. However, Hora had no intentions of dying, so this would simply be a precaution for him.
With this option chosen, the System presented him with one final screen.
[Confirm? Yes / No]
He selected yes.
With a blink, the system screen in front of him faded away, and at the same time, the world around him shifted.
He experienced what could only be described as the world unravelling and recreating itself.
Hora felt himself being torn apart and created again before being thrust through existence at incredible speeds.
Finally, after all of this was done, Hora found himself lying on a field of white grass. The sun beat down on him from above, and it stung.
"Ashfallen, you must wake up immediately." A feminine voice came.
Hora tilted his head to the side and found a woman staring down at him. Her hair was completely black and fell to each side of an incredibly beautiful face.
But those eyes... They were completely white, and terrifying to look at.
"Ashfallen, please come fast. The Giant Elves are here, and they want your blood."