Forbidden lineage… Since when was one of the gods forbidden? Wait—no, no, no—wait… the Forger, the Titan told me about this man. This lineage is that of a demon.
This is a lot to take in.
Mentally summoning both the small flame and the familiar blood-red runes, his gaze falls upon some very distinct changes.
---
Name: Dawning
True Name: Dawning Dusk
Rank: Dormant
Dawn Core: Dormant
Dawn Fragments: 108/1000
Memories: [Dawnbreaker], [Amulet of the Night], [The Forger's Crown]
Echoes: -
Attributes: [Destined], [Spark of Divinity], [Child of the Sun], [Child of Shadows], [Soulforged]
Aspect: The Great Dawn
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Ability: Dawnfire
Flaw: Empathy
---
He saw something new—or rather, two things. Dawn fragments. Obviously, those must be the fragments necessary to fill his soul core… but how did he gain so many? He had only killed—
Wait a second. You don't get fragments by killing. You get them by destroying the Soul Shard. I brushed over that, never really thinking about it.
Then, the reason I have so many fragments… is because the spell counted it as if I killed the Titan. So it gave me the adequate amount of fragments. Fascinating.
I wonder… Do I have to kill them? How else can I destroy a Soul Shard and gain fragments from that?
But what I'm most interested in is this Soulforged attribute. What the hell does that even mean?
Focusing on the attribute, the shimmering runes of blood-red light shift into a description.
---
[Soulforged]
Description: One whose soul has been forged into a sharper blade, a brighter mind, a greater aptitude, and the greatest will.
---
Interesting.
Diving into his Soul Sea, the radiant and luminescent light of his soul core greets him lovingly. Yet, as someone who has gazed upon this realm countless times, he can clearly see the difference. His core—his soul—it was brighter, stronger, faster, more radiant. Overall… breathtakingly beautiful.
Leaving his Soul Sea, his gaze falls upon the small flame. Its humanoid form seemed concrete and tangible now, its flames growing brighter and stronger in potency.
I don't exactly know what all of this means, but whatever it is… it made my soul stronger. That's for—
Before he could finish the thought, a sudden rumbling surged through the entirety of the throne room. The once-sturdy, beautiful walls were crumbling, collapsing. The pillars that had held the ceiling like testaments of perseverance—pillars that must have lasted for eons—began to fall.
Seeing this, the small flame acted quickly, covering its master in flames—empowering him. Not needing to be told anything, Dawn sprinted toward the stairs. Their long expanse, filled with darkness and endless shadows, was eliminated by his presence. He could feel the crumbling of the throne room. He could hear it. And yet, the shaking continued—this time, reaching the stairs.
It felt eternal, like the shaking would never stop. His enhanced body struggled to keep up. Deep down, he knew—if he didn't do something fast, he wouldn't make it out alive.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
I stayed too long. I got distracted. And now I'm paying the price. There has to be something I can do… This is such a bad way to go out.
There's one thing… that memory. I don't even know what it does.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he forced his legs to move forward. The ground shook beneath him. Yet, he pressed on.
From a distance, he could see the torches illuminating the pathway.
Whatever. Let's do it.
With a mental command, The Forger's Crown fell upon his head. Its beauty—a statuette of divine representation. Its design—simple yet sleek—contorted perfectly, fitting itself onto his head as if acknowledging him as a worthy wielder.
Through the connection, the memory formed. It felt like a string he could tug on at any moment, activating some hidden mechanism. Knowing that this moment would decide life or death, he took the risk.
Deep within his soul, he tugged on that string…
And the world slowed down.
Everything became slower—as if time itself had stopped completely.
What?
How is this happening? The world is slowing down. But why? It doesn't make sense.
The shaking had practically stopped.
The flickering torches—they were moving, but so slowly.
He kept running. In this frozen world, he reached the top of the stairs. At this point, his desperate sprint for survival had become… a brisk walk.
His gaze wandered—wide-eyed, as if witnessing a miracle for the first time.
As he moved through the Victorian-style halls, cracks lined the pathway. Yet, they moved so slowly.
Finally meeting the wall of sand that had enclosed him in The Cave three days ago, he began to shovel at it with his hands—one by one, little by little.
He felt euphoric, as if he had all the time in the world.
Whatever this feeling is… I like it.
For what could have been hours or just mere minutes, Dawn could not tell. But then—
The wall of sand was gone.
The beautiful, pristine white sands and endless dunes of the Nightmare Desert greeted him. Its eerie silence was like a peaceful melody to his flaw.
Dawn's face contorted into one of raw peace—of relaxation.
Then—
The world returned.
With a woosh, a cloud of dust fell.
Far behind him, the crumbling ruins of what used to be a beautiful throne room ceased to exist.
The dunes swallowed what remained of The Cave, leaving nothing behind.