Reading this I felt excited as I had gotten a unique power, something that was not just based on martial arts or techniques but something truly mystical and ancient. A power that could help me predict future threats and dangers.
But unlike the martial arts techniques which I learned almost instinctively through the Light of Truth, I had no idea how to actually use this Star Seer power. It sounded profound and powerful, but the description was vague on the practical application.
Curious, I asked the system directly. "System, how do I actually use this Star Seer power? I don't have any natural understanding of it like I do with martial techniques."
There was a pause, as if the system itself was considering how to explain something so ancient and esoteric.
"YOUR MAJESTY WISHES TO KNOW THE METHOD OF INVOKING STAR SEER?"
"Yes," I replied. "Tell me everything you can about how to use it."
The system's response came in the form of detailed information flooding into my mind.
"STAR SEER LEVEL 1 - RITUAL INVOCATION METHOD:
To invoke Star Seer at Level 1, the user must perform the following ritual:
Collect ash from an active fire - the flames must still be burning, not yet extinguished. The ash must retain the warmth of the living flame.
Mix the ash with water in precise proportions until the mixture becomes pitch black and muddy, like the void itself given form.
Pour this mixture into a bowl or shallow vessel. The vessel becomes a mirror to the celestial realm.
Position the bowl so that the night sky and stars reflect upon its dark surface.
Focus the mind upon the reflected stars. Clear away all distracting thoughts. Open oneself to the whispers of fate.
Once the ritual is complete, visions shall come as whispered words or fragmented thoughts placed directly into the mind of the seer. These whispers are cryptic and often distorted, but they contain seeds of truth about futures yet unwritten. The clarity and accuracy of these whispers depends on your proficiency with Star Seer.
WARNING: At Level 1 proficiency, visions are highly fragmented and open to misinterpretation. Higher levels of mastery will bring greater clarity. Proceed with caution."
After receiving this information, I instinctively asked the system to show me my status regarding this new power.
Name: Ryuk Ashborn,{Rajeev} Age: 11 years Talent: Immortal Pupils(sealed), Law of Life stone fragment(sealed) Possession: Beacon of Truth(level-1), Fragment of fallen kingdom, Star Seer(level-1) Bloodline: None Martial arts: Basic kick and boxing technique{Pro} (137/400) Star Seer: (0/100) Realm: 0 System Level: Zero(upgrade to unlock full abilities) System Quest: One quest available Title: Emperor of Humanity???, Martial Pill
I saw the proficiency panel added to my status - Star Seer: (0/100). This meant that just like my martial arts technique, I would need to practice and gain experience with Star Seer to increase my proficiency and unlock higher levels of clarity.
The thought of predicting the future was intoxicating. I felt a burn of curiosity and anticipation in my chest. But I also felt a warning in my mind - the system's caution about misinterpretation at Level 1. Still, I had to try. How else would I protect Yuki and the children if I couldn't see what threats were coming?
Reading this I felt both excited and cautious as I had gotten a unique power, something that was not just based on martial arts or techniques but something truly mystical and ancient. A power that could help me predict future threats and dangers. This power required a specific ritual to activate.
I looked towards the burning fire pit near the edge of the clearing where I usually trained. The fire was dying down, but still alive with dancing flames. Perfect.
Quickly, I gathered some ash from around the edges of the fire pit, being careful to collect only the ash from flames that were still actively burning. The warmth from the fire radiated against my skin as I worked, my fingers blackened by the fine powder. I could feel the residual heat within the ash itself, still carrying the memory of the flames.
Then I went to fetch water from a nearby stream, carrying it back in a clay pot I had found near the hut weeks ago. Finding a wooden bowl, I began mixing the ash and water together, stirring slowly and methodically.
As the mixture darkened, the white ash dissolving into the clear water like snow melting into spring streams, I felt something stirring in the air around me. The night seemed to grow quieter, as if the world itself was holding its breath in anticipation.
When the mixture finally became pitch black and muddy, almost like liquid shadow, I placed the bowl on the ground before me. I tilted it carefully so that the night sky reflected upon its murky surface. The stars appeared within the dark liquid - tiny, distant pinpricks of light dancing across an obsidian mirror.
I took a deep breath and steadied my mind. Clearing away the lingering excitement and anxiety, I opened myself to whatever would come.
At first, there was only silence. The night air was cool against my skin, and I could hear the faint crackling of the dying fire behind me. The crickets had stopped singing, as if even nature recognized something sacred was happening. Then, slowly, a sensation began to form at the edges of my consciousness.
It was subtle at first - like wind brushing against my mind, barely perceptible. A touch. A whisper of something beyond the veil of normal perception. But then it grew stronger, more insistent, and words began to form. Not words I was speaking myself, but words whispered directly into my being, placed there by some force beyond my understanding.
"Death..."
The whisper was soft, almost gentle, but it made my entire body tense. The single word carried such weight, such certainty. I pushed harder, wanting more clarity, wanting to understand.
"Death comes... for you... death comes for all..."
My breath caught in my throat. The whispers continued, layering over each other like distant voices in a crowded room, creating a cacophony of doom that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Blade... darkness... no escape... death... always death..."
I tried to pull away, to break the connection, but the whispers held me like chains made of ice and despair. More fragments, more words, flooding into my mind like an unstoppable tide that no dam could contain.
"You will fall... they will fall... all will fall to death... the shadow comes... it always comes..."
I gasped and jerked back from the bowl, my entire body convulsing. Tears had formed in my eyes without me even realizing it, streaming down my cheeks in rivulets. The whispers faded as I broke the ritual connection, but their message remained seared into my mind like a brand, impossible to ignore or forget.
Death. My death. But not just mine...
Without thinking, driven by a desperate need to understand and protect them, I began the ritual again. My hands shook as I mixed fresh ash and water, tilted the bowl toward the stars. This time I focused my mind on Yuki - her image, her presence, her potential fate spread before me.
The whispers came faster this time, almost eager to share their dark knowledge.
"She will die... betrayal... darkness... blade through heart... death... she cannot escape..."
No. No, this couldn't be happening. Not her. Not Yuki.
I broke the connection with a cry of anguish and tried again. And again. Each time focusing on a different child, each time hoping, praying that I would hear something different. But the answer was always the same.
Kevin. "Death by darkness... the blade finds all..."
Dimitry. "No salvation... only death... only shadows..."
Ivans. "The blade awaits... cannot be avoided... death..."
Xiao Jake. "Fate sealed... death... forever marked..."
Arya. "Darkness comes... hunts them... death..."
Anya. "Sister and brother both... to death they go..."
Natasha. "Death, always death... the shadow takes all..."
Yumiko. "Only death remains... only the void..."
Each whisper was like a knife twisting in my chest, deeper and more painful than the last. All of them. Every single person I cared about, every child I had sworn to protect. All marked by the same inevitable fate. Death.
I fell backward onto the grass, my breath coming in ragged, panicked gasps that felt like drowning in air. My vision blurred with tears until the stars themselves seemed to weep. I wanted to scream, to rage against this injustice with every fiber of my being, but I had no strength left. The empty bowl lay overturned on the ground, the dark liquid spilling across the earth like blood from an invisible wound.
What was the point of any of this? What was the point of training, of building a family, of making plans for the future if they were all going to die? If I was going to fail them just as I had failed everyone in my past life?
The despair that seized me was absolute and suffocating, like drowning in an endless void that had no bottom, no escape, no mercy.
But then... a spark.
A small voice inside me, barely audible beneath the screaming panic and howling despair, reminded me of something crucial. I had resources. I had powers. I had a system designed to make me an Emperor.
With shaking hands and a voice hoarse with emotion, my words cracking with barely contained tears, I called out into the darkness.
"System... give me the reward for my fifth quest... I need it... I need to understand what's coming for us..."
The system's response came immediately, a beacon of light piercing through the darkness that was consuming my mind.
"MAIN QUEST: GAIN FOLLOWERS(9/5)" "COMPLETED FIFTH QUEST, REWARD AVAILABLE"
"DISTRIBUTING REWARD."
"1. Experience Card (Mastery Enhancement - Usable 3 times)"
"Experience Card: A card imbued with the concentrated power to accelerate one's mastery and understanding of any technique or ability. When activated, the user achieves approximately half of the complete mastery or potential of their chosen technique for a duration of thirty minutes. This card can be used a maximum of three times before it becomes inert.
WARNING: The card will grant understanding and perception but not physical strength - the user's body may be unable to fully utilize the heightened perception and knowledge gained. Use with caution."
A fragile hope took root in my chest, small and delicate but burning with fierce determination. If I could achieve half mastery of Star Seer, maybe I could pierce through these vague, fragmented whispers. Maybe I could see the true nature of the threat that hunted us. Maybe - just maybe - I could find a way to change this fate and protect them all.
The proficiency panel for Star Seer flashed in my mind - still at (0/100), but that didn't matter anymore. I didn't need to grind experience slowly. I had the tool to bypass that limitation, at least temporarily.
Without hesitation, my voice steady despite the tears still streaming down my face, I made my decision.
"System. I will use the Experience Card. I will use it on Star Seer. I need to see clearly. I need to understand what hunts us."
The response was immediate.
"CONFIRMED. INITIATING EXPERIENCE CARD USAGE ON STAR SEER."
"STAR SEER MASTERY ENHANCEMENT - DURATION: 30 MINUTES COMMENCING."
"USER WILL ACHIEVE APPROXIMATELY 50% MASTERY OF STAR SEER LEVEL 1-5 CAPABILITIES."
I could feel the change beginning to take hold, a rising tide of clarity and perception washing over my consciousness. The veil that had obscured my understanding was about to be lifted.
But before I dove back into the ritual, I paused. I steadied my breathing, wiped the tears from my face, and prepared myself for whatever terrible truths waited in those whispered words.
The stars above seemed to pulse with an almost living intensity, as if they too recognized that the moment of revelation was at hand.
With the Experience Card now active and thirty minutes of enhanced perception before me, I was ready to demand answers from the universe itself.
I reached for the bowl and prepared to begin the ritual anew.