"I'm sure it was around here." My voice echoed through the cave, as the silhouettes of my shadow saints made the darkness itself sway.
It had been nearly ten minutes since the encounter with the raging bear, and since then, I had been searching for the entrance to the elixir's location.
The cave's third entrance was the only safe route, but that didn't mean the path was straightforward. My foolish self had made it resemble a labyrinth.
"Didn't I pass here before?" Shiki tilted his head, as if he understood what I was saying—Gobo, on the other hand, had gone scouting since I discovered my saints could merge with shadows, even if only superficially.
That was to be expected, given that I possessed a singular affinity for shadows, while others with dual, triple, or quadruple affinities had to divide their attainable knowledge among two, three, or four elements.
Scratching my light purple hair, I noticed a faint light emanating from a narrow crack in the cave wall.
"Bingo!"
I had been so preoccupied with locating the cave that I forgot Melissa would discover the elixir a year later, which meant erosion could have caused the hole to collapse.
"Shiki, break it down." I commanded, as the massive drifter stepped in front of me.
Growling so loudly I had to cover my ears, Shiki struck the wall with his fist, and in that moment, I felt grateful to Theron that such a blow had never landed on my face.
Shiki turned to me, his eyes pleading for approval. "You did well, Shiki."
Ruffling his fur, my gaze shifted to the collapsed wall of the cave and the space it had revealed.
At the very edge of the room lay a small glass vial containing a golden liquid.
I wasn't certain if it was because of the clairvoyance talent, but I could see subtle golden glimmers that I instinctively knew were tied to divinity.
"Not like that is any of my concern."
Activating the clairvoyance talent, I swept through the cave, doing my best to detect any traces of traps or enemies. Finding none, I moved closer to the elixir.
The bottle was unusually small, yet it felt dense and profound, compelling me to open it and examine its contents.
Pushing aside every other thought, I removed the vial's lid—sitting cross-legged, I commanded both Gobo and Shiki to remain on guard.
I grimaced as the liquid slid down my throat.
"Not what I was expecting, but..."
"Ah!!!"
I screamed as unbearable agony surged through my nervous system, drowning my consciousness in an endless torrent of torturous, excruciating, harrowing pain.
I could feel every muscle and fiber of my being shatter and regenerate, every molecule of my body torn apart and reassembled, the sequence repeated endlessly, though I knew it lasted less than a minute.
My bones fractured as they scraped against my skin, breaking apart and mending anew.
My muffled screams grew intolerable. I didn't want to speak through my sore and fading voice, but the intensity of the pain only forced it louder.
Just as Shiki stepped forward to assist me, a cooling sensation enveloped my body, rendering what once felt heavy—partly due to transmigration, and partly the torment of the elixir—as light as a feather.
I struggled to steady my breathing. The pain was gone—I couldn't even recall what it had felt like, though I still couldn't move past the memory of it.
Calming myself, I closed my eyes for a moment, adjusting to my body and the absence of pain, then inhaled deeply and exhaled heavily.
"System."
Ding!
[ARCHAIC SYSTEM]
Name: Kaiser Vanguard
Class: None
Affiliation: None
---
Rank: D-Rank
Core: Red
Title: Hunter
---
Archetypes: Manipulator
Affinity (Singular Affinity): Shadows
Mana Pool: 17/30
---
[Techniques]
None
---
[CORE CAPACITY]
Strength (STR): 4
Speed (SPE): 7
Agility (AGI): 7
Dexterity (DEX): 7
Intelligence (INT): 9
Charm (CHA): 8
Endurance (END): 3
Stamina (STA): 5
Luck (LUK): 9
D-Rank Stat Capacity: 59/300
Available Stat Points: 35
---
[Talents]
Shadow of Dominion: Allows the user to extract and command Saints formed from a target's essence.
Description: Two types exist—Shadow Saints, fragments of a target's true form created when conditions are met (not the main body); and Mage Saints, real individuals who willingly swear loyalty. Unlike Shadow Saints, Mage Saints retain their human appearance and free will.
Saints maintain their abilities, exist as immortal shadows tied to the user, and die only if the user does. They grow stronger with the user and can be summoned within the Dominion Radius or via mana imprints.
Condition: The user must either overpower the target, disgrace them (directly or indirectly), compel their loyalty, force surrender, or instill self-doubt.
To possess and dominate one's shadow, one must either fracture their belief in it or convert that belief to oneself.
[CURRENT MAGE SAINTS: 0...]
[CURRENT SHADOW SAINTS: 2...]
---
[Sub-talents]
Alabaster Ice [Gobo]: A talent acquired from a Sequence Nine drifter—Goblin. Enables the user to reduce surrounding thermal energy by 30% in normal to low-temperature environments, and by 170% of excess heat in high-temperature zones. The "surrounding temperature" is measured immediately before activation.
Clairvoyance [Shiki]: A talent acquired from a Sequence Nine drifter—Raging Bear. You can perceive beyond the normal range of vision. With enhanced sight, heightened senses, and a sixth sense, you can detect events or information beyond the reach of ordinary perception.
---
[VESTIGES]
Hunting Dagger [Weapon]:
Description – Spirit: Just a normal dagger.
---
"Seems like I earned 35 stat points, my mana pool cap increased by 20, and my actual mana pool rose by 8. Not bad."
My eyes briefly glanced at Gobo's stats, which had also increased.
"Damn, I'm tired."
"Kai!!"
My gaze shifted to the entrance as Charlotte dashed into the cave. I didn't even have the strength to dismiss my saints, so I left them where they stood.
"Are you okay?" Her gaze darkened as she raised her blade. "Monsters! Stay behind me."
Smiling faintly, I called Gobo and Shiki to my side. "Don't worry, they're not enemies."
Charlotte tilted her head as I collapsed to the ground. "Can you carry me with you?"
She sighed, smiling softly. "You really are hopeless."