Sylas found himself in a world made entirely of gold. An endless expanse of strings stretched in every direction, shimmering with a light that was indistinguishable from the sun itself. They pulsed softly, like the heartbeat of something ancient and immense.
Each string vibrated with a faint hum, a melody he felt more than heard. A song woven into the very fabric of reality.
There was no ground beneath him. No sky above. Only the golden threads, infinite and alive.
He was standing on one of the strings, somehow balanced on it as easily as if it were solid ground.
He looked out at the view with sparkling eyes. It was truly breathtaking.
'Where am I?'
As if answering his thoughts, a strange and unnervingly familiar whisper resonated through the entire golden world. It vibrated through the strings, through the air, through him, echoing from everywhere and nowhere at once.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over]
[A little spider lost its memory in a twist of fate. Forgotten and wandering, the little spider drifted along a river of truths and fears. It wasn't long before the little spider found itself a kin. Together, they explored knowledge that should never have been uncovered. In the end, the little spider found himself in a battle between a treacherous shadow and a vigilant guardian. Still, naturally, the little spider, armed with its knowledge, was the one who survived.]
[You have defeated a corrupted titan: Lost from Light.]
[You have achieved the impossible!]
[Final appraisal: Glorious! Your cunningness impresses even the dead daemons.]
'Cunningness? When was I cunning?'
Sylas didn't understand what was happening. Was he being appraised for something? He wasn't sure, but it wasn't so hard to guess what was happening. Making an educated guess, a theory started forming inside his mind.
'A god must have saved me… So it pulled me into this strange world and now is rating my value. Weird… Will it give me something at least? Glorious… that has to be good, right?'
And something good indeed came.
[Dreamer Sylas, receive your boon!]
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Fate Eater.]
For a few moments he was completely silent. A dumbfounded expression in his face.
'What kind of lame name is that?'
He didn't know why, but, when he heard his true name, a deep sense of embarrassment took over him.
His cheeks would be reddened if this was his real body. Thankfully, The Spell couldn't read thoughts, so it continued.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
Instinctively, he said:
"Yes."
[Dormant Aspect Weaver Follower is evolving…]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Unholy.]
Sylas raised an eyebrow.
[Aspect Name: Last Weaver.]
'Unholy? What is that supposed to mean? …At least this name is cool.'
Without realizing it, a small spark of excitement flickered to life within him.
'Well… what now? It's something supposed to happen now?'
He looked around him, unsure of what to do after the whisper became silent for a minute.
Suddenly, he felt something crawling between his clothes. Silk, who had just now woken up from a deep slumber, crawled all the way up to his nose.
"Hey, there you are," he said, avoiding eye contact with her. "I…hm… I must admit I forgot about you in all that madness… I am glad you are safe though."
Silk wasn't bothered by his lack of memory, after observing him for the little time she had, it wasn't hard to guess he had some mental problems.
"Anyway," he said, looking around once more. "What is this world? It is amazing."
In Sylas's eyes, this world looked like a world of tangled strings, seemingly coming from nowhere to nowhere. But in Silk's, this world was like a piece of art. Although she couldn't see where which string started or ended, she was sure. They were all connected to something, something she didn't dare to eavesdrop.
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers.]
The whisper returned, and together with it, came a sensation Sylas had never felt before.
Deep inside him, something was waking up. At first, he felt as if his soul was being shaken awake, infused with a strange energy. The energy didn't come from an outside source. Rather, it was coming from within, as though it had always been there, sleeping.
The energy filled every fiber of his body. His emotions became clearer and sharper. Then, the pleasure feeling disappeared. Not sure why it had stopped, Sylas turned his eyes to Silk.
She was still at the tip of his nose, seemingly going through a euphoric feeling herself.
'What is happening? Why did it stop?'
Soon, he came to regret these thoughts.
His knees gave out beneath him.
Silk tumbled onto the golden string, barely managing to cling to it instead of falling into the endless void below.
Sylas clutched his head.
And then a hollow, sinister scream tore out of his throat, a sound that didn't feel entirely human.