For a moment, Melvin thought he was going to be thrown into the second step immediately. He had misinterpreted the system's latest words as that, knowing that ascension meant to continue climbing or rising. In the context of the Silver Spire, it should be the former, but he was entirely wrong.
In fact, the sudden brightness that had engulfed him and everything around him was unchanging. Just there, totally white.
On the other hand, Melvin was currently existing in the brightness in the form of shadow waves, outlining every part of his body completely, albeit he still retained his human features and perception.
That was why he felt the changes that were occurring within him. It started as a tingling sensation, then a flow through his veins to every muscle, strengthening the weakened fibers of his body parts and granting him a feeling that made him feel a stronger version of himself.
In his form of shadow waves, the part that should have been his head lowered, looking down at his exterior body parts. From inside him, his tissues were as well repairing, and it was greatly affecting his flesh.
The parts that had been torn both from Aftertick and the mucus of the Sea Slug King were healing, closing up with each moment that passed.
Everything that was going on for Melvin right now was more of a good thing to him, considering that most of the time sensations like that happened, it brought with it pain. This one was just not painful but was also repairing his entire being… changing him for what was to come.
Now, he understood what the system meant by "prepare yourself for ascension." It was only awakening his dormant powers, effectively evolving his abilities from what used to belong to a mere Awakened to an Initiate carrier of the flux. Essentially preparing him for future outcomes.
'Good job there, system.'
In no longer time, the sensation and feeling from evolving his abilities had come to an end. Now, what was left for Melvin was a sudden announcement by the system.
Somehow, he had anticipated it considering the features he had seen in his profile, but he hadn't expected it, truth be told.
[You have awakened a new Mark.]
'A new Mark?'
So far, Melvin already understood what marks were doing in the lives of flux carriers. It was more or less a trait or, put fully, an innate power that is attributed to each one of them. For him, it was just better to call them attributes; maybe that was even going to be more understandable.
For example, with his [Luck], he can be able to evade danger or even put himself into more danger. This mark was not juicy to him, considering he had no control over it and the fact that it was passive. He tried to memorize how this mark even worked for him in the Opening Bastion.
His mind reeled for a moment, and he seemed to get the catch.
'So, it threw me to face a dangerous and highly profaned creature as that abomination. And even surrounded me with different ways out by strangely making rock salt and heavy chains available,' he mused.
'Right. And there were also the pillars and the strange gifter, the whip wielder.'
Still, none of this was how he wanted to live his life. He preferred it if he controlled every situation himself and even got to decide how things were done.
To even make everything worse, he finally awakened his affinity and its ability, but the ability was not even looking promising in the least.
'What is even wrong with my luck?'
[You have awakened another Mark.]
'Uh?'
Melvin dismissed his dilemma immediately and decided to focus on the wavy runes that were appearing before him.
[For where there is right, there must be wrong.]
Melvin stared at that recent information. He couldn't argue with the system for that correct information, but what does it have to do with him, really? He was still trying to figure out what the words meant when the next runes shattered the bitty sanity that remained of him.
[Your ability has been limited…]
'Oh, no! F**k you!'
Regardless of how emotive Melvin currently is, the system didn't seem to care. Instead, it instructed him to think about his profile status so that he could see his current information.
Swallowing his hateful gut, the boy hesitated but finally summoned his status.
[ … ]
[Name]: Melvin.
[Origin]: Aeon's Eye.
[Soul Rank]: Initiate.
[Soul Signatures]: Aftertick; Seven Keys-1; Brinewrought Aegis; Hollow's Shroud.
[Marks]: Luck; 5x Fragment Multiplier; Hollow.
[Affinity]: Time.
[Affinity Rank]: Ascendant.
[Affinity Ability]: Fixed Point.
[Limit]: Temporal Debt.
[Fragments]: 5/5000.
Melvin began to read the runes displayed as his status from the beginning to the end.
As he read, he became well aware of the change in his soul rank, which should have been termed "Awakened." He was now a higher echelon above that rookie rank. But then, his eyes lingered on the fourth soul signature he had received.
He had always wanted to see and know what it was but didn't see the chance then. Now, he had the chance. So, he focused his mind on [Hollow's Shroud] to see its description.
[Soul Signature:]: Hollow's Shroud
[Rank]: Ascended
[Soul Signature Description]: Born from the lingering echo of the past, present, and future. It is said that in a place between light and shadow, there lies a hollow place where intent dissolves and presence fades.
Melvin read the description again and again, and it was, in fact, not making any sense to him. It could be a good soul signature considering its rank, and he was somehow disadvantaged in this brightness void where summoning the soul signature would be useless.
'I will just check it out later.'
Then, his mind moved further down until they rested on his Marks. He had received a mark he considered to be juicy and very beneficial.
[5x Fragment Multiplier.]
[Description]: Increases every consumed fragment by 5 times.
Honestly, even without reading the description, Melvin already understood that term and even began to imagine how beneficial it could be for him.
For a flux carrier, the evolution and strength of their soul flux depended on the amount of fragments they consumed. As far as his knowledge so far carried him, he knew that the benchmark for "Awakened" and "Initiate" climbers was one thousand.
Hence, a climber's soul core only expanded when these fragments were accumulated to the fullest, both bringing an evolution in the soul flux of the climber and a change in the fragment figures.
So, for him to be able to accumulate a fragment amount that multiplied itself by five, unlike his fellows…
'Nah, nah. Don't think about it.'
Melvin shook his wavy head, joy currently breeding inside of him.
'This is indeed a blessing. Starting out with a 5x fragment multiplier,' he mused, imagining how some authors of fantastical books he read would title their books.
Then, his eyes settled on the strangest mark so far.
[Hollow.]
[Description]: Aeon survived by cutting away what made survival difficult. Fear was inconvenient. Pain was distracting. Hope was dangerous. And emotions were abstract. So, he buried them.
Melvin read it one more time and finally understood that he had earned the mark because he was bearing the will of Aeon.
'Wait… so Aeon is a god?' he was just realizing.
In that case, it now made more sense why he received a fourth soul signature without an outright achievement. It had come from Aeon, the god of time.
'Hollow's Shroud should probably be his attire in those days, which is why it's ranked Ascended.'
Melvin couldn't help but wonder how powerful that soul signature would be when he began to use it. Of course, he didn't plan to start using it immediately, judging by the fact that… well, his reason might not be tangible enough.
He just wanted it to be his trump card in the future.
All that read and understood, it now remained one feature that he was yet to attend to. So, he focused his attention on the runes that contained that feature and began to read.
[Limit]: Temporal Debt
[Description]: Every time you use your ability, you borrow time from your own future.
Melvin stared at it for a while and almost burst out laughing.
'Juicy. Is that what you call "limiting my ability"?'
As much as he was concerned, that was indeed a blessing for him. The system surely didn't know how much he wanted that kind of feature to work for him, and while it granted him what he wished, it even termed it a limit.
[There are rules >>>]
The next rune shattered Melvin's happiness and expectations. As far as rules were applied, he was certainly sure it was nothing good.
Besides, what are those rules?