Amon stared at the raven pecking at fruit with a blank expression. Really? This is my reward? For real?
He was honestly bewildered. After finally unlocking his Aspect Legacy, he had tried to take the first step into its mysteries. Through ritualistic magic, he'd completed the first level. Of course, he knew that by unlocking the first level, he would also be granted a Legacy Relic… which turned out to be a bird.
A fucking bird...
Shit, I feel so disappointed.
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.]
The First Level: [Explored]
The Legacy Relic: [Herald Of Mysteries]
[Do you wish to give a name to Herald Of Mysteries?]
The spell's voice snapped him out of his daze. So I'm supposed to give it a name? Hmm… I can't see the bird's runes yet. Maybe after I give it a name, the connection will be established between us, which will allow me to see its runes. But names also have power, so I should choose a fitting one.
A name, huh? …For this thing? The spell called it Herald of Mysteries. Is that its actual name? Like a soul serpent?
Haaaa... Names, names, names… What should I choose? It's not like I'm some dense protagonist who throws out dumb names just for cheap comedy. I'm decent at this. Wait... I know. Yeah, that works.
"Let's go with… Raven."
The moment he muttered the name, he felt a bizarre connection forming between him and Raven. As if he and the bird were linked by an invisible string. It was a baffling sensation, yet strangely pleasant. Almost as if the two of them had always been meant to be together. At the same time, glowing runes appeared in front of him. Finally, Amon could see what Raven was capable of.
Name: Raven
Species: Herald of Mysteries
Rank: Awakened
Class: Devil
Description:
[Seeing the loneliness of His brother, the Almighty Creator shaped a companion that would follow Him everywhere. In this act of love, the Maker banished the solitude of the Omnipresent Deity.
And their meeting gave birth to the greatest friendship known to the world… as well as endless adventure and mischief, the travelers of countless realms and explorers of the unknown.]
Amon was stunned.
So… the God Almighty and the Lord of Mysteries really existed in this world too? Seriously, this was getting way too confusing. And this time, they weren't enemies? They were… brothers?
That was surprising enough, but what really made his thoughts spiral was another detail. The Lord of Mysteries, the Omnipresent Deity Himself, was said to be lonely.
Dude, how? How could someone who was literally everyone and everywhere feel solitude?
Then again… maybe that was exactly the reason. If all you had was yourself, if every voice, every thought, every being was just another reflection of you... then there was, in truth, no one at all.
But… what about those adventures and mischief? Travelers? That was interesting. So overall, the Lord of Mysteries didn't give a damn about the war between deities that decided the fate of the universe? He just wanted to go on adventures and have fun with His bird? And whatever abominable horror crossed their path… yeah, it simply became an Avatar or a Marionette.
Still… that was so confusing! One of the most powerful beings in existence wasn't interested in anything else but His own pleasure and elation? That was so irresponsible! What about the Age of Chaos and the War of Gods!? Void beings? Corruption!?
Dude basically said, I'll do my own thing, you guys can go fuck yourselves.
That was it? The Lord of Mysteries was the original chill guy? Oh my lady Spell…
But maybe I'm wrong. I don't know enough yet, after all.
Shaking his head, Amon glanced at the raven and let a small smile creep onto his face. He reached out and patted its head.
"Well… looks like we're a team now, Raven."
The bird stopped eating, tilted its head, then spat the fruit out and flapped its wings, perching on top of his head like it owned the place.
Amon chuckled at first… but his smile froze. His expression slowly crumbled. Because in that exact moment-
"The fuck? That's the best you've got? Naming a raven… Raven? My name is seriously Raven? Oh, lady Spell, bless this idiot with a better imagination before I die of shame..."
Amon went rigid. His eyes widened in disbelief.
It could talk?! It could fucking talk?!
"H-How-"
"Priorities!" the bird snapped. "What kind of clown names a raven Raven?!"
Amon snatched it off his head and held it up by the wings, glaring daggers.
"Listen here, you little shit. Before I boil you alive, answer me. How the hell can you talk?!"
The Raven stilled, then… sighed. At least, it sounded like a sigh. Amon wasn't sure if birds could even sigh, but before his irritation could boil over, it spoke again:
"It's my attribute. Satisfied? Now give me a real name, you fucking cunt!"
Amon's eye twitched. Slowly, deliberately, he reeled his arm back, then hurled the bird across the tent.
Raven smacked into the stone with a pathetic flutter, then slid down dramatically, landing belly-up with its legs in the air.
"Stop yapping, will you?" Amon cut in, scowling. "Raven is the name of a mystical bird spirit in Native American mythology. It's tied to creation, transformation, and trickery. It's really selfish, mischievous and cunning too. It stole the moon, the sun, water, fire... Basically the ultimate troublemaker and benefactor. If that's not fitting, then I don't know what is, you dumbass chicken." He leaned closer, his tone sharp. "Now… explain clearly."
The Raven's four pitch-black eyes widened. For a heartbeat, it froze, then suddenly hopped onto its feet and buried its face behind its wings.
"P-Please don't hurt this cute pet! Raven is very satisfied with its name…"
Amon stared, expressionless.
…Was it mimicking an embarrassed anime girl? Complete with the cutesy stammer?
What the fuck?
No, scratch that. How the hell did it even know about anime?! Gods, how he loathed that bullshit… As if girls really acted like that. Mostly it was just the fantasies of mangakas. Some of them were freaky as hell, too.
Still, that pathetic performance gave him enough clues. With Decryption, the truth clicked into place.
So… it had his memories? That was kinda cool. But every memory… oh, shit, that's... Yeah, let's not think about the dark, shameful past.
"Stop that nonsense." He sighed and beckoned. "Come here."
"I don't take orders from twinks like you."
A vein popped in Amon's forehead. His voice dropped to a glacial hiss:
"Wanna end up in boiling water?"
There was a flutter, then the Raven materialized on the table in front of him, staring up with the most innocent eyes it could muster.
…This fucking bird.
Amon ignored the bird, who in a few seconds had already forgotten his threats and gone back to stuffing its beak with fruit, clearly not giving a damn about him.
Meanwhile, his eyes lingered on the glowing runes:
Attributes:
Spirit Bond: [Herald Of Mysteries will not obey anyone but only accepts one partner.]
Amon clicked his tongue. So that's why the damn bird talks back instead of following orders… it's literally built to do whatever it wants. He shook his head, at a loss for words about the freaky bird, and moved on.
Illusionist: [Herald Of Mysteries is proficient in illusions and trickery.]
"Figures…" he muttered. Probably not an active effect, more like a foundation to support bird's abilities.
Transformation: [Herald Of Mysteries is the partner of the Lord. And as such, it naturally possesses the ability of change. But unlike the Mysteries, it needs to devour the being to transform.]
Amon's brow arched. Isn't that… faceless? No… a knockoff version at best. But also no, that's not it. It's not mimicking the appearance of individuals, it's more about species. If it devours Aiko, it won't become her… it will just gain a human template. Its appearance would remain unique. Yeah. That made more sense. His Decryption confirmed as much.
Finally, his gaze fell on the last attribute.
Majesty's Aura: [As the being that was once the partner of Mysteries, it carries a faint aura of the Lord. Even if the aura has thinned, over eternity since their separation.]
Amon leaned back, lips curling faintly. So Raven had the same rank and class as him. Four attributes, two abilities already… which meant class boosted the number of attributes, and rank boosted the number of abilities. If he was right, this fucking chicken would eventually end up with seven attributes and seven abilities.
Now it was time to check its Abilities. Amon felt a spark of excitement, who wouldn't? Just from its attributes, it was clear the bird was formidable. He already had Carapace Centurion and Cursed Herald, and now he had another creature… well, not exactly serving him, but at least it was with him. It was time to see how reliable it could be. If it was powerful enough, with unique abilities, then his plan's chances of success would increase significantly.
Abilities:
Heavenly Illusion: [Herald of Mysteries is capable of creating vivid, horrifying illusions that are impossible to distinguish from reality without supernatural perception.]
Amon's eyes lit up. Oh… now that's what I'm talking about. That was extremely useful. If someone didn't have innate abilities like Cassie's or Sunny's, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But no… that would be too overpowered. There had to be some kind of limitations.
Using Decryption, he more or less understood its weaknesses. For example, if the illusion lacked realistic details, anyone with even a bit of common sense could notice something was off. Another limitation was simply being higher ranked than Raven, powerful Ascended with above-average perception could see through it. And it wasn't just about higher ranks.
Seishan, with her heightened senses, could detect it, and Medici could too. Though, he would struggle more since a Hunter's instincts aren't about seeing illusions, but sensing threats. Jet could probably detect it as well. She didn't need to see; she could sense the souls of creatures. That way, she would notice Raven's soul nearby and realize something was wrong.
Clone Creation: [Herald of Mysteries can split its essence into several parts, each forming a fully functional clone.]
Naruto?
Amon's mouth involuntarily curled up as he leaned back in his chair, decrypting the ability. So it could split its essence to create clones… bros Naruto, definitely a Shadow Clone Jutsu merchant… Pfthhh… Kekk… Ahem, let's move on.
Each clone was formed from a fragment of its essence. For example, if Raven had ten soul fragments, it could create ten clones but each clone would possess only the strength of a single fragment. If a clone was destroyed, its energy would return to the original. Similarly, if a clone expended energy, the original weakened proportionally.
Amon considered the implications. Creating too many clones diluted their strength. Send a hundred after Nephis, and they'd be annihilated instantly. Send a single clone at half strength, though… that could be fatal, not just for Nephis, but for anyone on the Forgotten Shore.
"I really should have named you Naruto… or Itachi. Ravens and illusions… that type of shit."
Amon sighed, glancing at the bird with a faint smile.
"So, I'm still confused about some things. Like-"
"I know," the Raven cut in before he could finish, its voice echoing in his mind. "For now, only you can hear me. It's not that I actually know human language, I'm still a bird. To gain your tongue, I'd need to eat a human. As for my personality… it's a fusion of your personality, your memories, my instincts, and my unique traits. Half of me is you, the rest is just me, let's say."
Amon nodded slowly. I see… so it has fragments of my personality and memories, but not my understanding. Like a child staring at a corpse without grasping what death means. Even if it shares something with me, its own experiences will inevitably shape it into a completely unique individual.
"Alright," Amon said aloud. "Then one question, are you a girl or a boy?"
The Raven squinted with all four eyes. Then, Amon heard laughter, loud and mocking, in his head, while the bird only cawed.
"Of course I'm a dude. Anyway, forget that. We've got a battle ahead, so we need to prepare!"
Hope flickered in Amon's chest. So it can be reliable after all…
That hope was immediately crushed.
"So what's the plan? When are we ditching those idiots and running for it?"
Amon grimaced as the Raven tilted his head, looking far too pleased with himself.
"What? Let's bail. Easy-peasy."
"We're not running," Amon muttered. "We're fighting. Check my memories, you'll see the plan."
The Raven reluctantly closed his eyes, a confused look on his face. A heartbeat later, his wings flared wide, and he swooped onto Amon's head, pecking furiously.
"The fuck!? Oh gods! We're going to die! We're dying! That's it, we're so cooked!"
"Chill, man. We're not dying," Amon said flatly, shoving him off.
But the Raven was, sadly, in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. So he's a coward… why did I expect anything else?
They argued back and forth for a while. Amon coaxed, encouraged, and insisted that the plan would definitely work if the others followed his instructions. Now, with Raven's help, the chances of success were even higher. Sadly, the Raven remained unconvinced.
Then the tent flap shifted. Nephis stepped inside, her pale gray eyes scanning over Amon before lingering on the bird, currently smacking him in the face with frantic wings.
Hmm… I see… That I don't understand what's happening…
"Uhm… Amon, we need to move. The battle starts in a few hours."
She left as quietly as she had come. Wise choice. Outside, she paused, staring blankly up at the sky.
…What the hell was that?
Inside the tent, Raven froze mid-flap, his four eyes locked on Nephis's retreating figure.
"Mama mia… what was that?"
Amon frowned. "What do you mean, 'what'? That was Nephis. Obviously. What is it now?"
"I think... I'm in love," Raven declared with a dramatic caw, clutching his chest with his wings.
"…What the fuck?" Amon muttered, staring in disbelief. "You do have my memories, right? You know exactly what she's like…"
Raven's eyes gleamed with delight as he laughed. His wings crossed strangely, like arms, as he declared...
"Who cares, man? That freaky-ass sun god lineage is perfect. And the whole 'autistic blowtorch' thing? That's the strawberry on top. I just hope she blows me instead of buildings."
Amon opened his mouth to say something… anything! But nothing came out. He could only stare down at the ground, hollow-eyed.
This freakshow of a chicken!!!
***
[A/N: Okay guys, the battle is starting! I wonder what's going to happen, and now that Amon has changed his plans because of Raven's appearance, things are going to get even more outrageous. I remind you, Amon and Raven are both Awakened Devils, far more powerful than any sleepers or nightmare creatures that will fight there. So many sleepers will survive. That's the only hint I'll give, so go ahead and guess, heh.
Anyway, we have Raven. Honestly, I like this one. They do a lot of diabolical things together. Gee, Raven's wild and even has a crush on Nephis, lol. But I think he's really cool. I'd been thinking about Amon's Legacy Relic for a while, and in the end, I decided to give him Raven. It's fitting. I don't know exactly how things will progress, but they probably have a great dynamic and will be the coolest duo, without a doubt.
Because of university, I don't have as much free time, so sorry for the delay. That's it for now, enjoy the meal!]
***