Before, there was only boundless, eternal void. From that dark abyss, the -unknown- were born. Just like chaos itself, they were endless and everlasting, vast and forever changing. But then came desire, and with it came direction. From it, the gods were born.
The gods appeared, and brought with them war.
What was the beginning of the universe? When did it begin?
Indeed… it was when 'He' was born from the Void.
'His' birth marked Year One of existence. After all, 'His' awakening created Time, and with it, the Void was no longer everlasting.
'He' was the youngest, and yet… 'He' was also the oldest. A paradox befitting a horror such as 'Him'.
But Chaos still stretched ever outward. Thus, 'His' awakening gave birth to Space, and Chaos was no longer unbounded. A wall was raised around infinity.
And was not Chaos also everchanging? So too did 'His' awakening give rise to Change: giving direction and birthing questions: what, where, when, how and why.
But back then, 'He' was young and curious… 'He' did not understand many things. Yet that was no surprise, for 'He' was the personification of all that cannot be understood. 'He' was relative, ever-changing. 'He' was the Pillar of the Unknown, the essence above the ranks, of all that was Unseen and Unexplored.
But before 'He' awakened, there was something else waiting for 'Him' in the Void. The Creator, the Majestic and the Terrifying. The Great God, Almighty and Divine.
If such a thing as a smile had existed back then, 'He' would have smiled. For after an eternity of waiting, 'His' Brother had awakened from the Void.
And thus, the first thing Mysteries beheld was not the cold darkness of the abyss, but the purifying, radiant light of 'His' Brother. The light that guided 'Him' toward 'His' true self. The light that banished the darkness.
It was the heart of 'His' Brother, 'His' guiding flame… and the light of all who were searching for a way…
"Haaa... haa... haa..."
Amon shot up, breathing as if he'd just sprinted. His head felt ready to split. Sweat beaded down his spine, and his teeth chattered as his eyes darted around. For a dizzying moment, he didn't know where he was until he recognized the place... Luna's chambers, huh? It had survived the castle's destruction, apparently.
Wait, fuck! My condition…
He checked himself urgently, then his soul. The corruption and those other abnormalities were gone. He let out a long, shaky breath, relief washing over him.
But then he frowned. That dream… what the hell was that? He couldn't make sense of it. Could someone dream inside the Dream Realm? Well, yes… it was possible, but a very rare occurrence, usually meaning some terrifying nightmare creature was influencing your mind.
He pulled his hair back and forced himself to breathe. Panic wouldn't help, he needed to calm down and assess the situation.
He had passed out, that made sense. Between the madness, the awakening, forming a new core, and the cleansing of ascension, his body, soul and mind had been pushed past their limits. He should be thanking the dead gods that he was even alive and sane.
Still, the dream clung to him like a bad omen. It wouldn't leave his thoughts.
"Haaa..." He exhaled again. "There's nothing I can do about that now. Better to focus on what I gained. I didn't suffer for nothing… Wait, am I a masochist? Nah…? Nah, no way."
After calming himself, and convincing himself that no, he didn't enjoy pain and was definitely terrified of it, Amon began sorting through everything that had happened. First thing he did was summon his runes. He might have passed out, but he remembered the Spell's voice clearly, announcing his awakening.
Name: Amon
True Name: The Blasphemer
Aspect: [The Error]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Flaw: [Blasphemer's Gambit]
Flaw Description: [You trace the edges of a truth better left unseen.]
Amon stared at the flaw in disgust. Therapist… I need a fucking therapist. This is actual madness. What a tricky flaw… No, scratch that. It feels like I have more than one. The Uniqueness of Error is trying to corrupt me, amplifying the flaw's effects, driving me insane, almost turning me into a mindless beast… Shit. Is Mr. Jacob taking clients? He's supposed to be a therapist… not exactly thrilled about his job, hates listening to kids' sob stories…
No use thinking about it now... sigh, I'll talk to him when I go back.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, he continued reading his runes, checking his rank and class.
Rank: Awakened
Class: Devil
Soul Fragments: [1/4000]
Geez… I almost died. Worth it, I guess. Not sure why, but… Caster was laughing? That punk. How dare he laugh at his god?! Tsk, tsk. Shit... I'm the one who taught him that ridiculous crap. Whatever. At least I changed his fate. I always felt pity for him. By the looks of it, now he's actually enjoying life. Though… fewer Wally West references would be nice. I think I reinvented brainrot. And what's with the way he runs? Full speed, then leaping with his arms spread wide? Shit… well, he looked cool, so I'll give him that.
Grinning at the memory of Caster, Amon shook his head and laughed for a few minutes. Okay… let's see what changed, he thought, but his mouth still twitched. Pfthhh… no time for that... Let's be serious.
Attributes: [Uniqueness of Error], [Liar], [Prometheus].
Aspect Abilities: [Theft].
Aspect Ability Description: [You can steal abilities].
Prometheus? Haha… That means I can steal abilities. And I'm an Awakened Devil now… Hah. I can steal every ability from the sleepers of Forgotten Shore. Not to mention my physical strength, acrobatics, senses, instincts... Everything's increased manifold. I feel stronger… and without a doubt, I'm the strongest human on the Forgotten Shore.
He already acted like a cryptologist, uncovering the region's secrets; what happened, and what will happen. He knew things no one should have known... So it made sense.
In that sense, I already digested a lot of Prometheus, too. I feel like I've absorbed forty percent of it already… why, though? Is it… Ah, yes. Shard Memories. They weren't supposed to be mine. By stealing them I took something forbidden. Same goes for Weaver's Mask and the Heart of the Forsaken Knight… heh heh.
Which means… the first rule for acting like Prometheus is: steal the forbidden.
There must be other rules, but I don't have the information yet. I will experiment on it later.
Still… what happened to Superior Observation? Did it disappear? No… Liar and Superior Observation were attributes of the body I possessed in my first nightmare. Perhaps… hmm. It must have been absorbed by Cryptologist to make itself stronger. That seems like the correct assumption.
So… will the same thing happen to Liar? Will it be absorbed, maybe by Mentor of Deceit? Most likely.
Now… I should've gained a lot of Memories. I killed tens of thousands of nightmare creatures… pity I couldn't absorb fragments directly from the kill, like Sunny. Well, it's fine. I'm already a Devil.
Let's see what I gained...
He froze, eyes widening, mouth twitching before curling into a greedy smile.
"Holy shit...? Holy shit!"
Memories: [Chameleon's Cloak], [Jar of a Hundred Poisons], [Hidden Blades], [Hawk's Eye], [Hearth], [Fraud's Bag], [Midnight Shard], [Moonlight Shard], [Spectral Mirror], [Horizon's Edge], [Endless Spring], [Hand of Flame], [Little Helper], [Campfire], [Messenger's Wings], [Lightning Fang], [Dripping Malice], [Centurion's Pride], [Winter's Embrace…
So many Memories… Ahh, I'm in heaven. But… as Cryptologist, I should tell even without... wait a second.
He paused, expression turning serious. Hmm… will it actually work?
Frowning, he summoned Winter's Embrace and began decrypting its runes.
Memory: [Winter's Embrace]
Memory Type: [Armour]
Rank: [Ascended]
Tier: [III]
Memory Description:
[The sun was no longer kind. It had become cruel and merciless. Instead of guiding us with warm radiance, it brimmed with malice… and in its scorching embrace, everything was enveloped in crimson light. As for us… we became her fuel.]
Enhancement: [In Cold, We Find Comfort]
Enhancement Description: [This memory provides resistance to fire.]
I can see them… I can actually see the enhancements of Memories! Decryption really is a useful ability.
Not only that… his focus sharpened, and he began decrypting the situation in the castle.
A few minutes later, he sat in silence… So Medici had become the new Lord. Not just that, but the castle was also, more or less, protected from the nightmare creatures that survived the explosion. There weren't many, but they were still troublesome, especially the spire messengers.
Luna… sigh. She's fine. That's all that matters. Hmm… and Nephis submitted to Medici? Well, that's a pleasant surprise. Well, she had no other choice, either that or death.
Now that I think about it, they're also preparing for the siege of the Crimson Spire.
Hmm… how curious. This is a really useful ability… just by knowing the state of the castle, I can deduce what happened, what's happening, and even predict future developments from bits and scraps of information.
Not only that… His gaze sharpened as he faced the wall, and beyond it, the Crimson Spire.
I can feel that abominable bitch. And I can also see the way out of this place. Even if I didn't have knowledge from the novel, just by becoming a Cryptologist, I would have been able to tell what happened here and how to get out, through decryption alone. A Seer like Cassia would no longer have been necessary.
After analyzing his new abilities, he shifted his focus back to his runes. His blood boiling with anticipation. maybe he had gained something… Aha! I knew it! My luck wouldn't be that shitty.
He stared down at the runes gleaming with pale light, a avaricious grin spreading across his face.
Echoes: [Carapace Centurion], [Cursed Herald].
Haha… this is insane. Carapace Centurion is an Awakened monster with incredible physical strength. And Cursed Herald… that's the Spire Messenger's real name. A Fallen Monster of immense power, practically every sleeper avoids it at all costs. Facing such a creature is a death sentence.
They'll provide invaluable support when the battle against the Crimson Terror begins. He remembered Kai fighting Spire Messengers from the novel. With this echo's help, dealing with them will be far easier…
As for Centurion… hmm, I need them. No way I'm letting them be destroyed. It's not like I enjoy fighting, so when I return to the waking world, I'll probably laze around, but still… they're pretty useful. If they prove useless, I can always sell them.
Echoes of Awakened and Fallen rank could make me rich in one go… No, don't be greedy. They're important. Wait a second… the Academy would want them, right? They'd pay me. Maybe not much, but they'd still pay to record the creatures and their traits.
Hmm… wait a second… He paused, glancing back at his runes.
Is that… Hah… Hahaha. I really hit the jackpot!
Aspect Legacy: [Mysteries]
Legacy Description: [It's always beautiful to remember the past and dream of it; it is a necessity to still love your old life. A great tree does not abandon its leaves until its root is truly gone. Therefore, the root of your spirit will remind itself where it was nourished by love and hope to survive the endless loneliness of the Abyss.]
"Haaah?" Amon paused, feeling his heart pound wildly in his chest. Even his soul seemed to tremble… What the hell…
He wiped a tear from his eye. What's going on… why am I crying?
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Amon forcibly suppressed the emotions and tried to compose himself.
Wait… is this related to the dream I had? Hmm… It's confusing. That dream… why did the story feel like it described Lord of Mysteries? Shit… it definitely felt like Lord of Mysteries.
Does that mean… hold on, I only have Error… Does that mean there are those who have Fool and Door? If so… do I have to fight them for the Uniqueness of the Door and Fool pathways? Hmm… possibly. Who says only I can have a pathway from the original Lord Of Mysteries? There might be two others… it's still a theory, but there's a real possibility I have rivals.
"Haaa… there's no use in this. I only had one dream, and now this Legacy Description… too many questions with no answers…"
He leaned back on his bed, massaging his neck. Then he frowned, raising an eyebrow, his eye narrowing in suspicion, and sighed.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and Luna's head peeked through, her crystal-blue eyes wide with surprise and her pale white hair spilling into the room like snow. Now that the blood and dirt were washed away, she looked as stunning as ever.
"I haven't even knocked yet. How did you know?"
Amon's mouth curled into a mischievous smile as he looked up at her. He raised a finger to his lips and said:
"Let's keep that a mystery."
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[A/N: Okay guys, academy is starting, so I won't have as much time to write anymore. Whenever I find some time to relax, I'll write, but if not, then nope. In the next chapter, Amon will explain what happened to Luna and also to us. For now, he's learned about his gains. It's actually a lot, and the siege of the Crimson Spire will now be far easier than it was. Many from the Forgotten Shore will survive, too. Besides that, we also learned a few things at the start of the chapter. As Amon continues his journey, he'll discover more. That's it for now, enjoy the meal!]
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