5 Chapter Five: Inferno of the Depths.
[Prepare for appraisal...]
Jack found himself in a place between dream and reality. The myriad of stars on a black, endless void painted a beautiful picture. All of them were connected by countless strings of light, forming an inconceivably complex net.
'So this is the Spell... The tapestry of Fate is truly a breathtaking sight.' Jack pondered his current situation while waiting for his boon.
The Spell was still appraising his performance. However, the first reward had nothing to do with it.
[You have received a Memory: Fiend Egg.]
'...An egg?' Jack couldn't remember if anything of the sort had ever been given as a Memory during the original story. One thing was a surety: its enchantments would be high tier due to them coming from a tyrant.
'This could be fantastic or completely useless. I guess only time will tell.'
'Actually, as all the creatures in my Nightmare were of the awakened rank, so are the Memories I received from them. To a Sleeper, receiving any single one of them would be an incredible stroke of luck.'
There were seven ranks to everything in the Spell. These ranks were, in order of growing power: Dormant, Awakened, Ascended, Transcendent, Supreme, Sacred )and Divine (with the exclusion of Nightmare Creatures, who were ranked as Dormant, Awakened, Fallen, Corrupted, Great, Cursed, and Unholy).
From the Spell's point of view, Jack was a dormant human. Having a memory of a higher rank than his own soul core would be of great help once he entered the Dream Realm. The power gap between different ranks could not be overestimated.
'The only reason I was able to slay so many of them was [Boundless].' The ability to jump ranks was incredibly rare, even amongst the most well-trained and equipped soldiers.
As he reflected on his advantages, and how to best leverage them, the Spell suddenly spoke again.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[A nameless soldier entered the Bloody Plains. With the corpses of his enemies as his armor, he waded a path of blood through the battlefield. Hero or Monster, both fell by his hand. In the end, only he was left standing.]
[You have defeated twenty-one awakened demons: Armored Fiend.]
[You have defeated nineteen awakened monsters: Scavenging Fiend.]
[You have defeated an awakened human: Darius, the Scourge.]
[You have defeated an awakened tyrant: Matriarch Fiend.]
[You have achieved the unthinkable!]
[Final appraisal: glorious. May you escape the claws of your warden.]
'...Interesting. I've always wondered how sentient the Spell really was and if it was the doing the appraisals at all.' Jack pondered of the Spell's mysterious creator, Weaver.
[Dreamer Jack, receive your boon!]
Jack grinned. 'Time for my spoils of war.'
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Inferno of the Depths.]
Jack laughed out loud. 'That is a great True Name, Mr. Spell! Almost prophetic, one could say.'
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
'That's the whole reason we're here, isn't it?'
"Yes."
[Dormant Aspect 'Son of The Secret One' is evolving...]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Unholy.]
'...Don't know what I was expecting, with that horrendous description of the Aspect. This was a low blow, Mr. Spell.'
[Aspect Name: Seed of the Great Ones]
'Let's see the damage here.' Jack silently summoned the runes and found the lines describing his aspect.
Aspect: [Seed of the Great Ones].
Aspect Rank: Unholy.
Aspect Description: [You are the seed that will bloom so that this Realm can perish; an abomination, born of a malevolent entity from another world. As one of their kind, you hold great and terrifying powers. But still, you long to break the chains that would bind you.]
'Hoh, boy... People with Fate-related Aspects are definitely going to be a problem. At least it got rid of the "sin" part.'
Innate Ability: [From the Depths].
Ability Description: [As a creature born of the vast void, your intrinsic form reveals itself only once involved in True Darkness. Unfit for mortals to gaze upon, a mere glimpse can induce madness in the weak of mind.]
'This could be a boon, but also a liability... Enmaddening allies by mere sight could become a real problem.'
'True Darkness is its own elemental force if I'm not mistaken. In the original story, Sunless only encountered it a couple of times; it's definitely not plentiful. The only problem is, the Dark Sea was one such place.'
'If I do end up in the Forgotten Shore, I'll probably fall into the sea, directly transforming into my "Intrinsic form." If someone were to see it, I might have to terminate them… It wouldn't do to have a deranged person spouting nonsense about me being a "monster." I would be doing society a service, if you think about it.'
'Though... The main cast might not have any problem with it, funnily enough. Sunny and Nephis are both "divine," so probably can't be considered mortals in the full sense of the word, not to mention their great tenacity. And Cassie is safeguarded by her blindness. Is this the so-called plot-armor?' Jack thought with a slight laugh.
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
Jack felt something waking up inside of him. Energy filled every fiber of his being as a power he hadn't felt before ran through him. Everything became sharper, from his emotions to his muscles and fine control.
'Interesting... It's similar to mana but completely unresponsive to my attempts at control. Probably a derived energy form, infused with soul-power. Is this energy natural in this world or was it manufactured by a greater being? It feels foreign and native all in one.'
With each second, his transformation was becoming more profound. Jack could sense as the vulnerability of his human body was altered into a superior shape.
And then, he could finally see his Soul Sea.
'So this is what looks like... Figures.'
A vast and dark ocean and a great storm raged against the shores of a small and lonely island. Although the isle looked on the verge of being consumed by the turbid waters, it still emanated a sense of tranquility and endless fortitude, unwilling to ever be devoured.
Atop the small island rotated a desolate black sun, illuminating the dreadful scenery.
'I guess a peaceful prairie was too much to ask.'
Just under the dark waters, one could see a myriad of creatures, all silently staring at Jack. Of course, he recognized every single one of them. After all, he had killed them himself.
'Built-in soul defense mechanism, check.'
'At least, no mirror freak is gonna come barging down my metaphysical doors any time soon.'
Jack also spotted five spheres of light orbiting around the black sun, as though caught in the soul core's gravity well. A subtle smile appeared on his face.
'The harvest was plentiful this time.' These were his Memories: Chitin Armor, Clawed Scimitar, Remembrance of the Fallen, Rider's Earpiece and
Fiend Egg.
The Spell's voice suddenly pulled him out of his Soul Sea.
[Awakening Aspect Ability...]
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Darkness Manipulation.]
'Sounds powerful.' Jack pondered. 'True Darkness was always purposefully dissociated from Shadows in the original timeline. While Shadows belong to the Gods, True Darkness came into being from the lifeblood of a formidable Void Creature exterminated by the deities of this world. Such an origin marks it as a treacherous force, that should not be underestimated...'
Jack summoned his runes. He wanted to go to the description of his new ability right away, but then decided to give his overall information a look first.
Name: Jack Ripper.
True Name: Inferno of the Depths.
Rank: Dreamer.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Darkness Fragments: [113/1000]
'So, another unique progression method... Won't be able to use soul shards, but there are definitely upsides. I believe the most useful continues to be the Nephis approach, due to having the possibility of doubling the speed of advancement. But this does give me some leeway in nurturing some powerful allies.'
Memories: [Chitin Armor], [Clawed Scimitar], [Remembrance of the Fallen], [Rider's Earpiece], [Fiend Egg].
Echoes: -
Attributes: [Fateless], [Deathless], [Boundless], [Son of Darkness].
Aspect: [Seed of the Great Ones].
Innate Ability: [From the Depths].
Aspect Abilities: [Darkness Manipulation].
Aspect Ability Description: [Darkness answers to your call. The dreadful beings that reside inside it do not].
'That doesn't sound ominous at all.'
[All power has a price.]
[You have received a Flaw.]
[Your Flaw is:...]
Jack grinned. 'Do your worst.'
