The Reflection

Hiding inside a man-made cave some distance from the ever-moving black sea, Raian sat before a blazing fire. The crackling flames soothed his mind as he chewed on vile monster meat to sate his inconsistent hunger.

Surviving the black sea—or merely escaping it had opened his eyes. A shark-like awakened monster named [Maddened Kast] was only the tip of the iceberg lurking in those dark waters.

A few hours ago, just after Raian escaped the black sea and its turbulent atmosphere, a sharp cry shattered his brief moment of peace. A bird with black feathers and ghoul-like empty eyes was making its way toward him.

Cursing his nonexistent luck, Raian tried to brace himself. Another battle was drawing near. From the speed of the large, bony bird, escape seemed like a dream within a dream.

Initially a mere speck on the horizon, the bony bird grew larger as it approached. Its cries were loud, and its wingspan dwarfed Raian. The bony legs ended with sharp talons, and the skin covering the beak was masked under layers of hideous scars. The eyes of the large beast were empty but had a faint crimson counterglow at their centers, and Raian felt as if it was locked onto him. Almost like the bird was using its cries to locate him better.

Taking a defensive stance and readying himself to jump at a moment's notice, Raian prepared to strangle the large bird to the afterlife. Even though he felt like a small animal facing the bony bird, giving up was worse than death. The thought of dying while trying to run away was much worse than dying by fighting onwards.

Before the bony bird could reach him, a humongous shadow was drawn under the black sea, making the surface even darker. Unnoticed by the bony bird, the enormous creature leaped from the sea, its giant maw easily engulfing the bird with a terrifying bite. It dived back into the sea, splashing large amounts of water around as the shadow disappeared.

Silently watching the events unfold, Raian subconsciously reached for his pocket, where he always kept a pack of cigarettes, forgetting he was first, in the worst place possible and second, currently naked. So, he walked back silently, overflowing with emotions he couldn't process.

Now, sitting and watching the flames flicker, Raian reflected on the earlier experience. It was overbearing, to say the least. He was pretty sure the average awakened person didn't face events like this, or he was scammed by the expensive reports of awakened files he had bought.

Burying thoughts of the real world and the dangers within the black sea, Raian focused on what he could control. Turns out he was stronger than he had estimated. The meat he was eating belonged to a Dormant Demon.

The creature resembled a wolf with a long nose and two ears on top of its head but had eight limbs. Each limb held no bones, yet their whipping strength was formidable. Under assault from the many limbs, Raian withstood the hits to reach the body and pummel it. When his fist connected, the body was strangely soft.

'Perhaps that's why its cooked meat was so tender,' he thought.

Seeing that punches had minimal effect, Raian simply stabbed his hands into its flesh and ripped it apart. When that didn't work, he twisted the demon with all his strength. Defeating the dormant demon was not easy, but nothing too arduous.

But now, reflecting on his current situation, Raian felt conflicted. His divine aspect was supposed to dwarf everything in its way. He possessed an aspect of the highest rank, yet he struggled against an Awakened Monster. God knows there were 5 ranks above it.

With nothing to compare himself to, Raian felt lost. His aspect was too simple, too straightforward to bear the rank of divine. There was a guaranteed mystery in its depth that he couldn't yet understand.

He was strong because his aspect was so simple, but could this strength carry him to become awakened? He didn't know.

The victory over the Awakened Monster couldn't be taken seriously. Raian had killed it with a surprise attack. Back in the slums, right before an attack landed, people would leave the biggest opening, thinking they had won. Exploiting this opening was second nature to him.

Being sixteen and fighting against adults wasn't exactly even, so he developed this way of fighting, but it shouldn't be carried on. To get stronger, the journey would always be hard, especially when you're inside a monster den, blindly going forward, hoping you won't meet a Titan.

The Maddened Kast couldn't show its true strength before its light was snuffed out by him. If Raian wanted to become stronger, he needed to develop a new way of fighting. In theory, he could sustain any injury and recover with [Cursed Vitality], but it only worked on paper—or in this case, in his mind.

The [Potion of Cursed Vitality] was a miraculous memory. It could easily heal lethal injuries, making it top tier, even with the petrifying pain it brought as it healed. A single use had the most potent effect, continuous use was not a great idea. Not because the healing potency was reduced, but because a side effect would develop.

When overused, the [Cursed Vitality] would damage the body on a deeper level. Its overflowing vitality damaged his nerves, causing a lag in movement and dampened pain.

So right now, Raian was pondering, thinking of new ways to fight because his current methods shouldn't be used for long periods.

-xXx-

A lone figure traveled above the monochrome land. Without a clear goal in sight, the lonely figure walked onwards, full of desire.

'If I knew I would be dropped in the Forgotten Shore, I would have gotten an echo,' she thought.

One of her favorite activities had turned into her most despised and most hated activity. She couldn't muster the motivation to move on. Moving required energy, breathing required energy, simply living required energy, and to replenish said energy would require sustenance.

Her initial reaction to her aspect was confusion. After several months of practice, she was able to use it with some mastery, yet the aspect's true potential remained a mystery.

Her initial reaction to her flaw was fury. For three days, she cursed everything. From gods to mundane trees, her rage spared nothing. Eventually, it stopped. Time towered over everything.

Rage turned to bargaining. Maybe if she ate certain kinds of food, her flaw would spare her. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. But it didn't.

Seeing nothing work, she despaired. The desire to eat no longer existed within her. The world was cruel. Most of its cruelty was ignored, with only a select few instances in the spotlight. True cruelty existed in the simplest things.

People took many things for granted. Being able to walk, see, hear, and eat was something given to them from the start. Only after losing something like that would, they truly understand the weight of their loss.

Liala was blessed by the unknown. Her path was unique compared to anyone else. She could see further than what was considered normal and realized that despair was meaningless. She found new joys in her life, new anchors to live for.

Her blind journey had taken a toll. With no scouting ability, avoiding danger was sometimes impossible, leaving confrontation or escape as the only options. Luckily, her aspect was movement related.

Now tired and hungry, she saw a small cave—not large enough to house strong creatures. It looked promising.

Nearing the entrance, she sensed light and warmth. Her heartbeat quickened with joy. She had finally found someone. A comrade to fight alongside, a teammate to help her. Most importantly, someone to carry her around. Moving was too tiring, after all.

'Calm down first. Let's poke around and decide whether to form a cohort or not.'

Standing still, Liala chose to walk onward. 'Not like I have a choice. Two is better than one.'

Seeing a figure welcoming her with a sharp gaze, Liala wore her best smile. "Hello stranger, mind sharing this fire?" 

The figure behind the flame raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Liala?"

"Raian?" 

/// Gonna continue teasing the next member u guys prefer this way or writing?///