I found myself once more in the infinite darkness, strings of silver filled my vision like a myriad of stars. The sight was just as breathtaking as it had been before, it even made my chest tighten with an emotion I had only experienced when old man Darius used to tell me his stories. I could feel like I could grasp them, as if they were calling to me, but as soon as I reached out, the voice sounded out once more.
This time it didn't sound in my head but all around me, reverberating through the very fabric of this strange space. A string of runes followed, floating before me.
[Born as a fishermen in a war infested land, he met a stranger, a storyteller who ignited his passion for adventure and yet he couldn't, he had responsibilities to attend to, he couldn't be free, but once those tethers were gone he soared into danger and did what none had previously done]
How long was this thing watching me? Testing me? Since the Tower? Since Drakon came to the village? Since I was a sailor? Since dad died? Since Darius? Before even that!?
I felt a chill crawl up my spine, as memories, my memories of all my life rushed forth. How much of it was real? Decisions made by me? It was a sinking feeling, but the voice pulled me out of the reverie.
[You became an awakened]
[You have defeated a dormant monster, Lightning King's spawn] x3
[You have defeated an awakened terror, Lightning King]
[You have unlocked the door to the tower]
[You have awakened your divine lineage]
Divine lineage? What did that mean? I had always been just a fisherman's son from a backwater village. There was nothing divine about my bloodline—we were common folk, struggling to survive in a world torn apart by war.
[You have become a King's Candidate]
King's Candidate. Hadn't Yunan said something about a king? I scratched at my head but for some reason I couldn't remember it, as if everything had been a dream.
[You have achieved the impossible]
[Final appraisal: Glorious. There is nothing your will can't overcome]
"Just what in the gods' name is this place?" I muttered into the infinite black. The words seemed to absorb into the darkness itself, as if the void was listening. I brought my hand forward, trying to touch the runes, but it just passed through them like they were made of light.
[Dreamer --, receive your boon!]
Dreamer. That is what it had called me before, when it had said my nightmare was over, so was that all this was... a nightmare?
Again the voice and new strings of runes pulled me away from those thoughts.
[You have been bestowed a true name, Ş̷͖̝̘̌͌̀͑̋́t̸̛̛̳̅̓̋̏̔͒̏͆͌͜͝͠ợ̷̮͕̜͚͈͖͍͊̂̊̌ȑ̴̦̗͈̿̍̈̏̀͆͘m̷̧̢̡̡͖͕͕̺̜̄͂̿̐̕̕͜b̸̖͙̼̹̘͎͖̝̜̙̬̽̆̀̍́̓̑̈́͘ͅr̶̫̹͍͕͈̱̲̯̯̮̒̈́̓͋̄͋̚i̴̧̝̪͕͗̎̈́͋̈́͐͘n̷͇̯͌̏̐́̿̾͑̽̕͜g̶̢̨̟̹͖̅͊̈̾̈́͌̅̍͛̾͌̽͝e̶̘̭̖̲̱̣̦͔̠̭̺͈̬̩͋r̵̡̥̘̹̟̰̚̚]
[You have been bestowed a true name, ̶̘̟̺͈͎̘̮͎̦͌̅̏̀̋͐̿͒́̾͋͝͝Ř̵̨̼̘͕̯̂̌̾͗̓̾̈́̚̚͠͝i̸̛̛̥̺͎͙̥͙̇̎̔͂́̈́̒͘̚͝͝s̶̨̰̞̗̭̺͉̝̲̮͑̅̃͋̈́̈̅͜ḯ̸̼͓̻̙̼̼͉̱̹̀̏́̎̑͛̀̔̐̃̍͜n̴̢̡̝̪͖̲̥̭͚͈̦͍͙͚̏͜g̴̛̠̹̤̜͎̣̹̤̓͂̋̓͛͆̎̕͠ ̴̜̯̫̝̼̳̪̊͜T̸̬̹̱̫̬̥̣̬͋̐͐̊́̽̀i̷̡͔͍͇̼̥̙̓̈̈̑̈́͐͛͑͠d̵̥͙̥̟̱̞̓̊̽͊̓̔̇͘͠e̸̛̫̞̜͍͚̲͓̻͒̉̽́̄̌̈̏̉]
"Why are there two and why are they unreadable?" I muttered, squinting at the shifting runes, almost as if they were trying to get free. But gradually, I could make each letter out.
"Let's see the first one says... S-t-o-r-m-b-r-i-n-g-e-r."
The moment I spoke each letter aloud, it stabilized, becoming solid and real. "Stormbringer," I said all at once, and the word resonated through the void like thunder.
As soon as the name left my lips, the second string of runes flickered and disappeared, as if choosing one had negated the other. The glitch effect on the first name cleared completely, revealing its true form.
[You have been bestowed a true name, Stormbringer]
Stormbringer. The name felt right in a way I couldn't explain, like putting on clothes that had been tailored specifically for me.
"That's... weird. Well, weirder I guess." The understatement of the century, but what else could I say? My entire worldview was being rewritten with each passing moment.
The silver strings grew brighter, and I could feel them reaching toward me, trying to establish some kind of connection.
[Your aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve aspect?]
Wait, my aspect? This thing knew my aspect? How was that possible? I had never even been able to figure it out on my own. And what did it mean by evolve? What could allow an aspect to evolve? I had heard stories about Darius from past legends were they were able to, but I had always assumed those were you know legends.
I thought for a moment, my mind racing through possibilities. Only one explanation made sense, and it sent shivers down my spine.
A god.
Or at least a divine being.
"Is this what Yunan meant when he said I would find what I wanted in the Tower?" I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, but the implications kept cascading through my mind. Had Yunan known? Had he deliberately led me here, knowing what awaited me?
"Let's try not to think about it too hard," I muttered to myself. "As for this evolve thing..." I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of destiny settling on my shoulders. "Yes! Evolve my aspect!"
[Ascended aspect Memory's Fish is evolving...]
Memory's Fish. Even hearing the name spelled out in those golden runes made me wince. What kind of aspect was called Memory's Fish? It sounded like something a child would come up with, suddenly I felt glad that I had never figured it out.
[New Aspect acquired]
[Aspect Rank: Divine]
[Aspect Name: Memory Vessel]
Divine rank. Just what kind of aspect would this be?
More strings of runes materialized before me, detailing my new abilities with meticulous precision.
Aspect Description: [You have no power of your own and as such you wear the skin of those you have slain, who else but you could use the power of Corrupted so carelessly]
The description made my blood run cold. Wear the skin of those I had slain? Use the power of the Corrupted? What did that mean? And why did it say I had no power of my own? I had just evolved a divine aspect—surely that counted as having power?
Innate Ability: [Vesselmare]
Ability Description: [You are able to choose whether to wield the rank and tier of your memory or your own, you are also able to change the vessels of your memories but they must be of the same type and be simple objects with no enchantments]
"Memories? Vessels? And what were memory types?" I spoke aloud, hoping the voice would provide clarification. "Since when did memories have types? Well, I guess there are sad and happy memories which could be understood as types, but that doesn't quite feel right. Seriously, this is making less sense by the second."
The void offered no immediate answers, only another string of runes.
[The First seal has been broken once before]
[Awakening dormant powers]
Another wave of transformation washed over me, but this one was different. Instead of changing what I was, it felt like it was revealing what I had always been, stripping away layers of mundane mortality to expose something far more extraordinary underneath.
I clutched my chest and stared into the darkness, smiling despite myself at what was happening. The feeling was not painful or unpleasant, unlike when I had first formed my core years ago. It was as though my soul was being shaken awake, infused with essence.
Warmth spread across my body like liquid sunlight. I felt the essence pull at my muscles, skin, tendons, bones, even my very soul. Every fiber of my being was being enhanced, refined, perfected. Soon the heat was replaced with a calming cold, taking away all the aches and discomforts of my recent battles. The pain in my wounded palm vanished. The exhaustion from fighting the Lightning King evaporated.
Then the energy moved upward, reaching my brain and, finally, my eyes.
My vision strangely doubled, creating a disorienting overlay of two different realities.
I could still see the void populated by an endless pattern of stars, silver strings weaving through space. But I could also see something different—a silent, calm blue sea illuminated by a white sun. My soul sea. This place had somehow pulled me into my own soul sea, allowing me to perceive both simultaneously.
However, there was something different this time. Two other smaller balls of light were swimming in the soul sea, drawn like moths to the brilliant flame of my core. For some reason I understood it, these were the memories? I wasn't 100% certain, but I was pretty sure.
Before I could test my thoughts (though it wasn't like I knew what to tes), the voice pulled me out of my Soul Sea, returning my full attention to the void.
[Awakening Aspect Ability...]
[Aspect Ability acquired]
[Aspect Ability Name: Nightmare Equip]
"Nightmare Equip," I muttered, testing the words on my tongue. "It sounds powerful. It probably has something to do with the memories, but we'll figure it out as we go."
But before I could explore these revelations further, the voice resounded again, and a new string of runes appeared before me.
[All power has a price.]
The words sent a chill through my spine. I had forgotten, an aspect wasn't the only thing that defined a true awakened, no more important than that it was their flaw.
[You have received a Flaw.]
[Your Flaw is: ….]
A/N: You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth request for power stones