Leo stared at the description with a scowl. It was a bit all over the place and mostly vague. Well, it wasn't exactly vague since he knew the answers to most of it. The madness came from aura when she had succumbed to it. What he didn't know was that the monster he had killed was the one that had actually started the madness in the first place, adding to the realm's problems when counting the Spirit of Madness.
The madness of aura was contagious in a much more rigid manner and not through physical contact. Perhaps it could also be contracted physically, but Leo did not know that. In fact, the madness of aura was still one of the most unassuming topics he had not been able to understand.
All he knew was that it spreads.
"Did she run mad because of the burden to reach the surface? Or is it something much bigger?"
Leo frowned. Even if she had run mad for that reason, why exactly did she want to reach the Tide of Seas? Everything had a reason. So why had Aquafina dreamed of reaching the surface when she knew it was nearly impossible?
"No, no. It wasn't exactly impossible... individually. If she had wanted to go, she should have gone herself, either by sneaking away or through ignorance. She is human after all. Just because they live underwater doesn't make a difference."
Leo was onto something. It certainly didn't make sense unless she had wanted to take everyone to the surface and not go alone. But why? For the same reason as Leo?
This raised more questions in Leo's mind, making the curse Lyra had mentioned earlier look even less informative. What type of curse could that be? How do other realms enter this realm? How are they still having interactions with other realms?
How exactly do realms interact with each other and what characteristics does each possess? Who had created the realms? In fact, the realms back in his timeline didn't seem to have a creator.
"How had I missed that?"
It was possible to miss it, since humans do not pay attention to matters that do not have an effect or play a role in their lives. Even things that do play a role, which are mostly metaphysical like time, are still ignored until they are needed.
The questions kept rushing in, almost causing him a headache. He continued to study his new Vestige.
Vestige Characteristics
[The Sea's Embrace]
[Seamless Incarnation]
[Impervious Solitude]
[Minor Remnant of Dread]
An almost understanding look formed on Leo's face. Characteristics are magical boons gifted to a Vestige to make it much better than mundane things. In other words, an Aura Farmer sword is better than a mundane sword in every way.
"I am guessing the last one is the Unique one."
A Unique Characteristic is one which has better magical potency and also has the potential of becoming stronger in the future as the user becomes stronger. This means it can also follow the path to attaining full power as long as the user is still alive and following that path as well.
With a small sigh, he checked the descriptions of each Characteristic.
[The Sea's Embrace]: This Vestige is stronger when in contact with water and brine, also granting its user the privilege to breathe, see, and move underwater.
[Seamless Incarnation]: This Vestige demands a physical union with its host. It knits itself into the host's marrow, acting as the flesh and bone the user has lost.
[Impervious Solitude]: This Vestige protects the mind and soul from corruption at its best.
[Minor Remnant of Dread]: As a Unique Characteristic of the Vestige, it offers the user a minor amount of dread. The user is immune to dread in comparison to their rank and able to use an amount of dread in comparison to their rank. The higher the rank, the higher the affinity to dread.
Leo scratched the back of his head. The armor was useful, very useful indeed. [The Sea's Embrace] was not going to be needed now since he was inhabiting the body of a being who could already breathe, see, and move underwater. Nevertheless, it would be of great help in the future, not because he might fight in the middle of the ocean — which he definitely did not want to — but because of rain.
"As long as rain falls, my prowess will be doubled."
Well, rain doesn't actually fall every single minute.
Furthermore, the other Characteristics were also very helpful. [Seamless Incarnation] was the most useful right now, given that he had lost an arm and had a mutilated back.
"I wonder how it will appear since it will connect and mostly replace my body."
The Characteristic had described it as an extension of the user's body, replacing missing body parts. Would the pain be excruciating when appearing and connecting to his body? Or would he feel no pain at all?
Controlling his urge not to summon the armor yet, he glanced at the last two. [Impervious Solitude] was actually the most valuable since it protected him from something he mostly loathes: madness and corruption.
The last one was still confusing and also a bit simple at the same time.
"How exactly does one use dread? I can agree with defense against dread, but offense with dread is just confusing."
Not feeling like digging deep, he checked for more descriptions but found nothing.
In the end, it was a great boon. The last two characteristics, however, were a chore to Leo. Although [Impervious Solitude] was not a unique characteristic, it had that flavor. The sentence "at its best" just meant how strong he had to be to keep the characteristic in action. So in a sense, it followed the path or rather motivated Leo toward the path of full power. The stronger his resilience grew to madness and corruption, the more potent the characteristic became. It was more of an assignment than a boon.
It was the same with the [Minor Remnant of Dread].
"To think the word dread would actually be a mystery to me," he chuckled.
For someone who had felt dark emotions, mostly dread, from the beginning of the Seek until the battle with the Eye of Dread, it was a bit hilarious. Dread was something that almost encompassed every dark emotion, and so it remained a mystery of its true nature. It was more than fear; it was the suffocating weight of inevitability.
Leo realized that while he could define the mechanics of his armor or the logic of his aura, the essence of the monster he had killed was still a black box.
"A mystery of the true self," he mused.
Shaking his head from the dreadful thought, he inhaled deeply and summoned the armor.
The air in the basement did not change, but his body did.
A sharp, biting cold flared in his bone marrow, starting from his spine and racing toward his extremities. Underneath the bandages, his skin began to itch and crawl as the white scales of the Sagittarius pushed through his pores.
The most violent part was his missing arm.
Leo watched, teeth grit, as white metallic liquid seeped out of his shoulder stump. It hardened instantly, forming a jagged, skeletal frame of white metal that mimicked a humerus and radius. Then, the scales began to click into place over the frame, layering like a deck of cards being shuffled by a fast hand.
He felt the armor hook into his ribs. It was a heavy pressure that forced his lungs to expand against a rigid cage. The shattered parts of his back were suddenly braced by a cold, unyielding pillar of metal.
For the first time since the battle, the constant, throbbing pain in his spine went numb.
Leo stood up.
If he had a mirror right now, he would have seen how menacing and dreadful he looked. The armor appeared like liquid connecting to his mind, body, and soul in the most bizarre ways, then hardening on his skin immediately.
The white metal of the Shell of Dread crept up the side of his neck, framing his face like a jagged collar. Then it slowly swallowed all of his face from the cheek to the last strand of hair like a thick white bubble, until it finally formed a crossbreed of armor and a mask.
Where his mouth was supposed to be, there was a maw. He tried opening it as if it were his mouth and, alas, it worked, revealing countless tiny, triangular metallic teeth. His eyes were replaced with crimson orbs that resonated dread. On his head was a small, inserted crown that looked like the needles from the sea monster's tail.
Leo looked at his hands in awe and then his legs.
"Wow. This is so cool. Wait till I rub it in Fang Rui's face."
Happy, he decided not to dismiss the armor. He could now walk and did not feel any pain, so he could go and check on the ship, but walking like this would definitely attract attention.
Well, if there was one thing Leo loved, it was attention.
Before he stepped out, however, he placed his metallic palms together and whispered:
"May your soul rest in perfect peace, Aquafina."
With that, he smiled, revealing countless teeth, and walked out of the dark room.