Zarek frowned, his senses feeling distorted. His brain was practically rattling against his skull, pushing against it in waves that seemed to want to knock him down a peg. It was ironic, especially since this pain was coming from the fact his Charisma was becoming disproportionate to his other abilities.
Axiograft was a strong Talent, probably far too strong. Zarek should have realized in that moment that unless he was cautious, he could end up triggering an evolution that he wouldn't be able to control at all. But right now, he couldn't think about such existential, down-the-line things. It just felt like there was a secret constantly gnawing at him, constantly biting at his heels in an attempt to force him to look.
But he just… didn't understand.
Ashborn Demon?
He didn't get it. That was just a random name people with too much time had given him. When he saw it appear as a Hero Spirit on his status page, for one, he didn't even understand what a Hero Spirit was—he had never heard of it before. And two, he thought that maybe it was a coincidence.
His last name was a bit odd for modern times, but it had been his own for as long as he could remember, so he never really thought twice about it. But in an expansive world like this one, where there were lineages of people who called themselves by Imperial elements, it would probably be more odd for someone not to have a family name like Ashborn than it was to.
With that line of thinking, Zarek hadn't jumped to the conclusion that the Ashborn Demon referred to himself. Instead, he thought that it was just related to the Ash Demon Role he had had in his previous lives. Given the fact he had a Skill named [Ash Reborn], it seemed plausible. So he just decided to be patient until he found a chance to unlock it.
But right now, the feeling was overwhelming.
One part of his mind was screaming out those two words continuously.
Ashborn Demon.
Ashborn Demon.
Ashborn Demon.
And then there was the other half—the half of his mind that deduced and drew conclusions, the half that could take even the smallest of clues and unfurl it into a beautiful logical leap that tended to work out for him… except in the cases it bit him in the ass instead.
That half was screaming out something else entirely… that the aura before him was familiar, that it was intimate, that it was an extension of himself, that…
It was himself.
The combination of pain and confusion left Zarek in a daze, not sure what to do.
Why would he be sensing someone—let alone himself? Was this black expanse a person or a thing? But if it was, how could it possibly be himself if he was standing right here?
Was it a metaphor? Was this some twisted world where past and future ceased to have meaning, so he was actually coming into contact with some version of himself yet to exist? And why wouldn't this damned headache go away?!
BANG!
Zarek's mind shook, and suddenly he began to see the world with astonishing clarity. He looked toward his Charisma only to find that the Growth Potential was still just a mere B+, and yet he felt like it had changed considerably.
The invisible barrier before him was no longer invisible. Instead, it was like a sea of tadpoles and swimming runes, of twisting gears and interlocked chains of ancient script.
It was more complicated than anything Zarek had ever seen, and yet he didn't find it overwhelming. Enjoying the story? Find more at MV-LEMPYR.
'This Axiograft Talent…'
On the one hand, Zarek had planned for all of this. He had picked out Atom Link, Harmonic Recall, and Temp Duplicate, all for the sake of forging a Talent exactly like Axiograft. This was what he had been looking for all the while.
But he would be a fool to say that this was the exact result he was expecting. It would be little more than arrogance.
Without the boost from the Eclipse reward, he would have had to find another method to fuse them—especially with the imbalance of an A Class Atom Link at play. And the results would likely not be nearly so profound.
'I guess it's as the saying goes… luck is what happens when skill and opportunity meet. That A Class Eclipse Threat was something else. Even at my absolute strongest, I wouldn't be able to defeat it without tricks… is it really possible to grow that powerful naturally?'
He exhaled a breath.
Yes. It was.
And in this life, he was going to prove it.
If he couldn't do so with this Talent in his back pocket, then he wasn't exactly the Ashborn Demon, now was he?
The moment he had the thought, the barrier shook. As though responding to his intent, the gears of red turned and the tadpole-like runes swam more fiercely.
It was small, but the hand Zarek had up to the barrier actually moved forward just the slightest bit.
Zarek's eyes narrowed. 'I don't know what the hell you are, or if you really are just me, but I do know one thing. I'm not leaving here empty-handed. If it's a battle of Intent you want, it's a battle of Intent I'll give you.'
The moment his hand moved forward just the slightest bit, Zarek knew what he had to do.
He closed his eyes and dug deep.
Then, he took a step forward.
The barrier became like a rush of wind, and then the lines of pressure appeared. The gravity was so heavy that space bent and twisted, black lines etching themselves across the air as the wind itself seemed to tear.
Powerful and unmitigated, it nearly forced Zarek to his knees. But after just a slight bend, he took another step, and then another.
He felt the assaults on his mind, the carving knives on his heart, the attacks at his pride, but he was like a wisp of smoke drifting through the wind. Though his body shook, he always found just enough strength to take another step.
The feeling was probably exactly what Thalion had experienced back then when he sensed the Eclipse Threat. But the difference was… Zarek was feeling it this time.
It was so much stronger, so much more potent. If the likes of Thalion sensed this, he would likely directly end his life. The gap was too wide.
But Zarek didn't feel such despair. He could only focus on the creaking of his knees and bowing of his bones. All he hoped for was that his skeletal system would keep up, that his nerves would keep firing, that his blood wouldn't run dry or cold.
It was impossible for anything to make him feel fear. Maybe when he was a teen, maybe as a young man, maybe when he didn't have all of the experience he had now.
But he was no teen or young man anymore. He had been forged in fire through three lifetimes. He had suffered loss and heartache. He had experienced the end of his own life, the torture of pain beyond words, the loss of love and the extinguishing of hope.
"You're going to have to show me something more than that."
A familiar, wild grin spread across Zarek's lips, but his teeth weren't nearly as white as they usually were, his gums leaking with crimson blood beneath the strain.
Pain.
Like he said. He was all too familiar with that.
Feeling the will battering against his Intent, Zarek began to laugh.
The Intent was too familiar. He had mastered it three different ways in three different lifetimes, but now it felt like it had formed together in a unique mesh unlike anything he had ever felt before.
Maybe this world wasn't real after all and it was just a test of his mettle, a chance for him to see if he could match up to what his great potential truly was.
A test like this for a Rebirther was, well…
He was born for this.
One step after another, the days waned. This time, Zarek didn't get a chance to rest, the attacks encroaching on his mind again and again.
But he seemed to have forgotten about all of that. He didn't count the days, he didn't even think anymore. He just let his eyes blaze.
Not once did he consider this matter breaking him.
And maybe whatever this trial was seemed to sense that.
Zarek could feel the runes shifting around him, almost as though they were confused, trying to consider how to make things harder but not knowing how to—outside of crushing Zarek entirely.
However, it was also obvious that this simply wasn't the sort of test this was.
And then Zarek hit something again. This time, it wasn't a barrier. In fact, it felt a bit soft, but not in any way Zarek immediately recognized.
He fell forward.
Confusion colored his face as he was unable to stop himself. Had his body hit a wall, finally? Could he not continue?
No… he barely registered that the wall of black was gone.
—
[Hero Spirit {Ashborn Demon} Unlocked]
—
BANG!
Zarek's mind felt like it exploded as the world faded to black.
No, not entirely black. There were two, burning pyres of amber, flaming like the ambrosia of gods. It looked toward Zarek as though it might try to burrow holes through him.
Just when Zarek thought that he could easily ignore this as well, his soul lit on fire, burning with the same amber flames.
That was when the confusion returned.
Was he going to die even though he succeeds?