"This... is insane!" Hill exclaimed in shock and horror.
As his vision changed from a blurry mess to focused clarity, he saw that he was sitting on an uneven slab of volcanic rock that seemed to move up and down slightly. It was black in color and felt unusually warm beneath his palms.
Just a few feet from where he was sitting, the ground sloped off into a churning lake of lava. Molten rock bubbled slowly before popping slowly, releasing awful gas into the air.
That was why the air smelled so much like rotten eggs, Hill thought to himself as he observed the horrors surrounding him.
The heat, which had seemed to increase in proportion to his descent, was now a thick force that hugged his body tightly. Hill could feel himself slowly being cooked alive.
Looking around wildly, he saw that his perch was just an island in the lava lake, enclosed in a hellish large cavern.
The cavern stretched so high that the ceiling wasn't illuminated by the light from the lake below. Instead, massive stalactites were hanging down from the cavern's roof, their low hanging tips slightly visible thanks to the lava.
There were other islands similar to the one Hill was on, some closer to him and some further away, each of them appearing as a dark silhouette against the fiery orange ground.
But that wasn't the worst part. He was all alone in this seemingly hellish landscape, with no sign of life.
How can I survive here!? He thought, beginning to hyperventilate. There's simply nothing I can do! How can I climb those walls or even swim in that lava!? It's impossible!
He stood up, his mind reeling and his heart pounding. He couldn't stay here, that was for certain. The heat was already starting to affect him, and he knew that if he stayed, he would either be cooked alive or fall into the lava, eventually.
But before he could do anything, he felt a strange shift within his consciousness. It felt like something had superimposed a structure upon his thoughts. The feeling similar to blurry vision snapping into focus or random noise resolving into clear sound.
What the hell is this? He thought to himself as he slapped himself on the forehead repeatedly. Something just happened to me!
He closed his eyes, and that was when he noticed it. Instead of everything going black, he felt he could still see. More accurately, it felt like he was staring into something else entirely, a space that he could only perceive with closed eyes.
No, that's not it. It's like... I'm seeing with my mind instead of my eyes.
What stood before Hill was the expanse of the soulscape that he had fought the ghost in. However, a bright light came from above this time, illuminating the surroundings.
In front of him was the image of the dead ghost's body... and his body. The ghost's neck was bent at an awkward angle, clearly dead. But that wasn't the issue.
It was his own body. His head was utterly separated from his body, lying on the ground next to the ghost's body. The portion of his neck that was still attached to his head appeared to have shattered upon hitting the ground, like a broken vase.
There was no blood coming out of his neck; it had been frozen all the way to the bone.
The ghost had killed him. He had died in the soulscape.
Huh...? What does this mean? Did I fail?
But before he could even ponder this further, a strange series of markings and unknown letters began swirling in the air.
They began clashing with each other in flashes of light, and as they did so, Hill noticed that they were becoming letters that he could read. The clashing continued, and soon, a series of words were displayed in the air before him, glowing brightly in the darkness like a full moon on a dark summer night.
[Transit Complete: Welcome to Igashia]
[Harbinger Deity Defeated: Ghost of an Uncertain Future.]
Hill stared at the words in confusion and shock as the message remained before him.
What are these weird names and phrases? Harbinger deity? Igashia? It was all quite confusing, and he felt a growing sense of unease. He had no idea what any of this meant, and the fact that it had appeared in his mind only added to the surreal nature of the experience.
He focused on the words, trying to make sense of them, but nothing came to mind. They were just a jumble of letters and symbols that held no meaning for him. He was about to give up and dismiss the message as just another hallucination when a new line of words appeared:
[Soul Art Manifesting...]
Hill's eyes widened, immediately recognizing the words before him. This was it! He was going to receive a supernatural ability!
Hopefully, it can get me out of this hell hole.
The thousand voices that had cried out when he had fallen began to vocalize again, their volume rising quickly like a vocal drumroll.
But before Hill could even react, the words disappeared. And in their place, a bright, glowing light emanated from his chest.
The light grew brighter and brighter, filling the entire soulscape with its brilliance, and then, with a sudden burst, the light exploded outward, blinding Hill momentarily. When the light faded, he saw a ghostly hand hovering before him.
It was translucent and wispy as if made of mist, and it moved with a graceful fluidity that defied the laws of nature.
Hill reached out tentatively to touch it, but his fingers passed right through the hand without any resistance as if it were made of air. Behind the hand, another series of letters converged.
[Soul Art Granted: Phantom Hand.]
[Description: The phantom watches. From the unseen, a hand extends to guide, assist, and manipulate when the wielder falters or overlooks. A silent partner in the soul's shadow.].
Hill's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't know what to expect, but he was pleasantly surprised. He wasn't sure what the hand would be able to do, but it seemed like a pretty cool ability nonetheless.
He was about to open his eyes and try out his new power, but before he could do so, another series of letters converged in the air in front of him.
Wait, there's more? What's going on?
[Blessing Manifesting...]
Hill was stunned. How could he have forgotten something as important as this? He knew the answer to that question though. It was because he didn't even expect to survive the soulscape trial in the first place. Something like receiving a blessing was the least of his worries.
But blessings were incredibly important to the awakened and not all of them received one. This was an incredible stroke of luck!
[Blessing Granted: Frost Sentinel.]
[Description: The lingering chill of the vanquished Harbinger suffuses your soul. Attacks may carry the bite of frost, slowing and weakening foes.].
Hah.
Ice powers from the very cold that nearly killed him, it was kinda poetic.
Hill touched his arm, the phantom pain of frostbite still sharp in his memory. He wasn't sure how thankful he was. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but he felt relieved that he had been granted something at least.
But the glowing text wasn't done. One final line appeared, killing his momentary relief off completely:
[Curse Manifesting...]
His blood ran cold. Curse? W-wait, why??? What did I do!?
[Curse Inflicted: The Deathly Hollows.]
[Description: Death binds you. Many phantoms now cling to your soul, tethered by transgression. When consciousness rests, a hungry phantom stirs.]