Chapter 210: Eclipse Keep’s Silent Architect
The familiar hum of settled energy resonated through me as I finally opened my eyes. After what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few hours of focused meditation, the last lingering tremors from overexertion had been shunted from my loci, and my internal pathways felt stable once more.
With a thought, a translucent, shimmering interface bloomed before my vision, invisible to anyone but myself.
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[DASHBOARD]
◈ Personal Info
◈ Stories
◈ Messages (2 Unread)
◈ Inventory
◈ Achievements
◈ Funds
◈ Scenario Points
◈ Shop (*)
◈ Pathways
◈ Resonant Relics/Treasures
◈ Skills/Abilities
◈ Techniques/Styles/Arts
◈ Bonds (*)
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Finally.
I’d felt the System pings during the battle - those insistent vibrations at the edge of awareness. Now, with the Keep secured and my body no longer threatening to implode, I could properly review them.
I immediately noticed the signs on the two functions but decided to start with the messages, as I promised myself last time.
Two new messages glowed, signifying their unread status:
◈ [ECLIPSE KEEP’S SILENT ARCHITECT] (*)
◈ [ECHO OF ANCIENT COLD] (*)
I mentally selected the first entry. The window expanded, filling my vision with its detailed report.
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「 ECLIPSE KEEP’S SILENT ARCHITECT 」
"A healer’s hands mended flesh. A tactician’s mind outmaneuvered fate. And when the Lament Shroud’s mist threatened to drown all hope — you stood where the tide broke.
▸ CONTRIBUTIONS RECOGNIZED:
✓ Orchestrated triage protocols that reduced casualties by 81%
✓ Devised and implemented strategic counter-measures that critically weakened the enemy.
✓ Personally stabilized Baron Nusayel’s critical meridians post-battle
✓ Intercepted fatal backlash meant for Baroness Selvienne
✓ Saved a corrupted soul
Result: Played a paramount part in the overall victory of Eclipse Keep.
▸ REWARDS:
◈ + 100 Scenario Points
◈ [Title Unlocked: [Shadow Mender]]
"You work where the light doesn’t reach - stitching wounds and fates alike."
▸ +10% Mender’s Paradox comprehension
▸ Minor aura regeneration growth when healing
◈ [Memory Fragment: The Second Thread]
◈ [Healer’s Indispensable Toolkit] - "A comprehensive collection of fundamental instruments and sterile supplies. An essential for any practicing or aspiring healer."
◈ [Apothecary’s First Compendium] - "A foundational text detailing the identification, properties, and basic preparation of common medicinal plants."
NOTICE: SHOP UNLOCKED!
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A wry smile tugged at my lips as I finished reading.
The System really enjoys glazing me, doesn’t it?
Not that I minded - the praise was... satisfying, in a way I’d never admit aloud.
My gaze skipped past the florid prose and the report to the rewards. The [Shadow Mender] title caught my attention first - its effects were more practical than I expected. The aura regeneration while healing would be invaluable, and that boost to Mender’s Paradox comprehension...
Interesting.
I lingered on [Memory Fragment: The Second Thread] for a moment before deciding to save it for later. Some things deserved proper focus.
The last two rewards - the toolkit and compendium - were clearly the System’s way of supporting my new persona. Not that I’d complain about professional-grade equipment and what appeared to be an exhaustive medicinal reference.
Then I saw it.
NOTICE: SHOP UNLOCKED!
My smile widened. So that’s what the asterisk meant. If the Shop was open, then Bonds likely were too. I decided to check both of them after reviewing the next message.
A chime echoed in my mind as the System automatically minimized the message, drawing my attention to the second entry:
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「 ECHO OF ANCIENT COLD 」
"You saw the monster behind the mist — and chose to offer a hand instead of a blade. Where others sought destruction, you sought understanding. And in that moment of mercy, a myth was reborn."
▸ Connection Established: You have successfully saved, stabilized, and bonded with the core entity of the Lament Shroud, now known as the Rime Weaver.
▸ Soul Symbiosis: Your destinies are now intertwined, granting you unique access to its nascent powers.
▸ REWARDS:
◈ + 100 Scenario Points
◈ [Title Unlocked: [Conduit of the Rime]]
"A living link to the silent storms, channeling the primordial chill of a forgotten age. Your will guides the essence of absolute zero."
▸ Enhanced control over cold-affinity abilities.
▸ Increased resistance to frost and ice.
◈ [Rime Weaver’s Call (Active)]
◈ [Glacial Heartbeat (Passive)]
◈ Water Affinity has Evolved! - See the [Bonds] function for more information.
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As I absorbed the contents, phantom frost formed on my eyelashes, melting instantly in the cavern’s ambient warmth.
"A myth was reborn."
The System’s dramatic phrasing aside, the message confirmed what I’d suspected - my connection with the Rime Weaver went deeper than simple coexistence.
The rewards were... substantial.
[Conduit of the Rime] - the title alone sent a shiver down my spine. Enhanced cold control and frost resistance would be invaluable, since I planned to work closely with the Weaver.
[Rime Weaver’s Call] appeared to be a summoning skill with limitations - likely duration and cooldown restrictions I’d need to test. [Glacial Heartbeat] was more straightforward - passive aura regeneration in cold environments. Useful, especially in this frozen wasteland of a Keep.
Then came the final line:
Water Affinity has Evolved!
I blinked.
So I do have water affinity.
I still hadn’t synchronized my loci, a crucial step in formal cultivation or whatever they call it, and Virion had told me to check my affinities only after officially becoming an Initiate Resonator.
He probably meant that I should focus on the immediate problem rather than worrying about other things.
A quiet satisfaction settled in my chest as I processed the revelation.
At least I wasn’t some affinity-less anomaly, doomed to rely purely on brute force or external tools. Coupled with my already awakened and subtly growing void affinity, the implications were many.
First things first.
With a thought, the detailed message windows vanished, collapsing back into the minimalist system dashboard. I then opened the [Bonds] window.
There was an image of a swirling vortex ball - probably the Rime Weaver. And below the image, [Name: Empty] was written.
Right, I haven’t given it a name yet.
I considered it for a fleeting moment but decided against it for now. Some things required more thought.
I just couldn’t name it Whitey or Frosty, those cliche monikers didn’t suit a being of its depth. Yet neither would I burden it with some grandiose title like "Glacius the Eternal" or equally pompous nonsense.
I’ll think about it later.
With that in mind, I mentally tapped the image. The window instantly morphed, presenting the detailed breakdown of my first bond.
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[ RIME WEAVER ]
Name: None
Race: Pure Aura Beast
Affinity: Ice | Mental | Mist
Innate Rank/Potential: Mythical Tier
Current Rank: Elder Tier
◈ Abilities/Powers
◈ Special Bond Ability
◈ Shared Powers
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