Lua exhaled and collapsed to the ground. She had pushed her body and cores beyond their limits—draining them, refilling them, and finally forcing a stable, pure essence weapon. A feat no one in history had ever achieved. Still, she had paid the price for such an achievement, though she had also gained far more.
Lying on the ground, she summoned the rune to check her progress.
Soul Fragments: [554/2000]
Lua read the runes slowly. Almost 50 fragments from a single battle?! She was elated.
Wait. Didn't I get a memory? she thought, and the runes obliged.
[Talon of Unrest]
Memory Rank: Transcendent
Memory Tier: IV
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [Forged from the jagged fangs and rib bones of an ancient abyssal leviathan—a monstrous shark that roamed the darkest depths of the dark ocean.]
Memory Enchantments: [Marrow Leech], [Phantom Laceration], [Death's Chill], [Siphon Fang]
[Marrow Leech]
Enchantment Description: [Upon wounding an enemy, this Memory drains their physical strength, weakening them with each strike.]
[Phantom Laceration]
Enchantment Description: [After a strike, this Memory creates an invisible aftershock, dealing additional delayed damage.]
[Death's Chill]
Enchantment Description: [Strikes cause a numbing frost that slows the target's movement and reaction speed.]
[Siphon Fang]
Enchantment Description: [Hits with this Memory draw out large amounts of soul essence, temporarily overcharging the wielder's health or empowering their next attack.]
"Oh my god," Lua whispered, staring at how powerful the weapon was.
Summoning the memory, she watched as a slightly curved bone dagger materialized in her hand. The handle fit perfectly in her grip, grooves aligning seamlessly with her fingers. At the end of the hilt was a ring, designed for slipping a finger through.
Lua smiled and stood up, though she limped as she made her way toward the remains of the statue. Digging out the soul shards, she crushed them in her hand. A surge of energy rushed through her as 12 more fragments fused into her soul.
Pausing for a moment, she turned toward the Devil's corpse, following the same routine and crushing the four transcendent shards.
Lua relished the feeling of an extra 32 fragments in her soul. 'This kind of feels like cheating to be honest, double dipping fragments' Lua thought before opening her runes.
Soul Fragments: [598/2000]
She let out a humorless laugh. Nearly 100 fragments and a Transcendent memory in under 20 minutes, 'Insane.'
Lua looked at the sky 'guess it's time to head back,' Lua then began to walk back to the outer settlement, eager to tell Effie about her exploits.
***
It took Lua a full day and a half to reach the settlement. Exhaustion and her injured ribs slowed her down considerably. But what she saw completely caught her off guard.
A Spire Messenger lay on the ground, surrounded by a group of hunters—Effie, Nephis, Sunny, and... 'Caster?'
'…What…' Lua froze, stunned.
As the messenger made a sudden move for Effie.
Lua threw Sky's Gift with all her remaining strength. The crimson spear slammed into the messenger's eye giving Effie the opening needed to finish it off.
Lua sprinted toward the group, eyes locking onto Effie. "Effie!"
Effie straightened, dismissed her shield, and glanced down "Damn. I think my arm is broken!"
Lua arrived next to Effie and began to examine her arm. Effie, however, turned to the dazed-looking Sunny. "Hey, doofus. You're okay?"
Sunny responded slowly "...Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just… thinking about stuff."
Effie turned back to Lua "What have you been up to, Lua?"
Lua hesitated before answering, "We'll talk about it later." Before she could continue, Effie poked her in the ribs. Lua flinched, a half-whimper escaping her lips.
"Your ribs are fractured," Effie said seriously.
"Got punched by a Fallen demon." Lua shrugged.
"Lady Lua of the White Feather Clan" a voice called out. Lua turned to Caster who was approaching.
It had been years since they last met—in the waking world, at least. He hadn't changed much. Still broad-shouldered and built like a warrior, exuding an undeniable aura of strength, appeal, and raw power. His darker skin complemented the regal, manly image he had always embodied. Yet, despite that imposing presence, his face remained handsome and gentle, his green eyes laced with humor.
"Caster..." Lua muttered, tilting her head slightly to meet his gaze. Shifting her weight onto her uninjured side, she adjusted her stance.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Sunny scowling. 'Ah. He just realized I'm a Legacy.' Lua shot him a half-annoyed glance.
"I'm glad to see you're still standing," Caster said, offering a polite smile. He inclined his head slightly, his gaze lingering on her injured ribs. It was only natural—despite both being from vassal clans, the White Feather Clan held significantly higher status.
Lua glanced at her fractured ribs "…I've been worse. Moreover, why are you out here?"
Caster straightened. "I joined the hunting party thanks to Lady Nephis. The castle atmosphere has grown... stale."
Lua knew Caster's twisted side well. But he had always respected Legacies, only showing his true nature when his temper frayed. That said, the fact that he had been sent to kill Nephis was a rather large red flag.
Still, if Nephis had chosen to exploit him, that was her decision. Lua wouldn't interfere. It would be a shame if he died. But she wouldn't lose sleep over it.
"Would you mind giving me a hand?" Lua asked, referring to her damaged ribs.
Caster quickly obliged, lending Lua his shoulder, allowing her weight and relieving her of some of the pain. It took around 4 hours for them to return. As they did, the hunting party sprawled out across the road. Nephis walked over to Lua and placed her hands on her ribs. A warm peaceful feeling suffused Lua's side as Nephis' flames licked away her wounds.
After a while something struck Lua 'oh yeah, I got an Aspect Legacy' Lua thought excitedly as she called upon her runes.
Aspect Legacy: [New Beginning].
Aspect Legacy Description: [Following in the steps of the Deamon of Destiny, last child of the -unknown-, Realm Heart journeyed to perfect her divine soul. She used the tools of the Deamon and the gift of her lineage to forge new life.]
New Beginning Mastery Level: [1/7].
First Relic: [Claim].
Second Relic: Unearned.
Third Relic: Unearned…
Lua paused for a few seconds. "Claim" She spoke softly. And a moment later, the Spell spoke softly into his ear:
[You have received an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[You have received a Memory: Blood Relic.]
'Eerie' Lua commented to herself before summoning the corresponding runes. Her eyes widened as she read over the new memory, completely not expecting it to be that good.
[Blood Relic]
Memory Rank: Dormant
Memory Tier: II
Memory Type: Armour
Memory Description: [In the great forest a King commissioned a great blacksmith to construct an elegant suit of onyx and gold. During the twilight of its forging, a stray drop of blood from a dying god reached the metal.]
Memory Enchantments: [Blood Bound], [Stalwart], [Assimilate]
[Blood Bound]
Enchantment Description: [Blood repairs this armour.]
[Stalwart]
Enchantment Description: [This armour provides extremely moderate protection against physical attacks, moderate protection against elemental attacks, and a low amount of protection against mind and soul attacks.]
[Assimilate]
Enchantment Description: [This armour can assimilate another memory into itself. Potency of the enchantments are dependent on the wielder's Soul Core capacity.]
"Huh?" Lua blurted out, catching Effie's attention.
"Something wrong?" Effie asked.
"No, I was just shocked by something"
"Is it relating to your little solo hunt?" Effie pried.
"I killed a fallen Demon.."
Effie's eyes widened. "That's—"
"And a corrupted Devil" Summoning the Talon of Unrest, her finger in the ring hole and twirled it for Effie to see.
"Is… is that a transcendent memory" Effie gapped, upon seeing the wide grin on Lua's face she stormed towards her "How the hell are you so lucky! This is your second one including that mystery cloak!" Effie complained.
Lua giggled. "One more thing—I got an Aspect Legacy." Effie froze.
After nearly a minute of complete stillness, Lua called out in concern. "Effie?"
***
Effie, Lua, and Nephis sat across from each other at a table. Lua idly used the Talon of Unrest to cut up the remains of the Devil for Nephis to cook.
"What's the Legacy relating too?" Nephis asked, her face as serious as usual.
"It relates to souls," Lua responded, "I unlocked it after forming a true essence weapon."
"What kind of relic did you get?" Effie interjected.
Lua proceeded to explain the memory she got, listing the enchantments. Effie's face continued to get more and more surprised whilst Nephis' hardened.
"In addition, I believe that the memory's rank and class are either dependent on my own. Or that of my class and the mastery of the Aspect Legacy. Given that there are seven stages, I assume it correlates to the seven ranks." Lua explained calmly.
"That's most likely correct." Nephis agreed, "then it would be advantageous to advance as much as possible with your aspect legacy as quickly as possible."
Lua nodded, "I think the next step will most likely be to master forming essence weapons and probably something more. But I'm not sure about that yet."
Effie paused for a moment "Perhaps it has something to do with remote controlling them. Summon a blade." Lua nodded, summoning a slightly jagged essence blade in her hand. Effie continued, "now let go of it."
Lua released her grip but held the essence together. The blade plummeted to the floor before dissolving. "Tsk," Lua clicked her tongue, "It falls apart as soon as I let go."