Descending down, Aldric flowed into a viscous sludge of darkness that lost all its momentum as it fell on the ground. As it bounced upwards, it took the form of a humanoid figure. A solid form of darkness surrounded by gaseous black specks stood before the skeleton. Hidden and obscured by his aspect, their conversation began.
"So, where are you heading to? It seems like you made quite the journey."
Aldric spoke out, his voice distorted by the layers of darkness covering his form. A tone of sardonic curiosity filled the space.
The skeleton moved eerily. With no eyes to tell him where it was looking, with no skin to make facial expressions, with no muscles to tighten. And in those empty sockets, a special existence observed Aldric too.
Eurys POV
The ghastly figure stood still. Where the boundary of darkness began or ended, nobody could know. Shimmering and shifting, vaporous but solid, Eurys registered the feeling of true darkness immediately.
'Just what manner of creature is capable of speech in a form like that? It is so weak. So pitifully weak, but it burns with a potential that I have not seen since …'
'That touch of the profane and the divine spark… What conditions could possibly birth such an abomination in a world devoid of Gods and Daemons? I don't know what is worse, this thing or that white-haired creature.'
Eurys noticed it just then as he peered deeper into the figure. A memory and a spark burned through his unfeeling bones in response. A feeling unlike any other in the millennia that he experienced the monotony of being deathless.
'This isn't a creature born from the effects of corruption. No… this creature is pure. A being from the cradle of creation.'
With no facial muscles, he could not smile. But anyone looking at the skeleton could tell that something had intrigued him.
"Where I am going is much less interesting compared to your existence..."
He began.
"Born of the void! How are you here? A remnant from a time best forgotten, or are you some aberration born from their corpses? Just what are you?!"
Eurys shouted out.
The figure shook. Even though it did not speak, its subtle movements spoke of its feelings. Eurys could tell that his words had an effect. It seemed that this creature was more human than it looked. Feelings of anger and annoyance emanated from it in waves.
But what Eurys failed to realise was that this creature was not a creature at all. A human hidden in a form of darkness, Eurys should have known; however, the void that he observed shifted his judgement too soon. For no human could ever contain the void as Aldric had.
It was a paradox based in logic. Interact with the void outwardly, and it was corruption. Even if you were to ingest a manifestation of the void, a metamorphosis beyond corruption would await you.
But Aldric was unique. For whatever reason, he could contain it all. A spark of the void, a seal of desire – nothing was impossible for him.
The figure wrapped in darkness began to unfold. Revealing a human form that triggered a memory deep within Eurys of a time long forgotten. Of somebody that, together with a few others, broke the world order and doomed existence as it was.
"I'm not some abomination that you can insult at your leisure, Eurys of the nine."
The tanned male was adorned in an armour that seemed to melt into his skin and wrap around his lean frame. His voice was deep but young. Spoken not like a soldier but a warrior who carved his own path and served no one. Many of which Eurys had come to know.
Taking the reveal as though it was not a surprise, Eurys did not even seem to care that his identity was known to this stranger. What worth did his name have now anyways?
"A human… So are you going to reveal the secret of how you took the void within yourself? An act that the Gods and Daemons could not accomplish themselves?"
Eurys spoke casually. Asking the question with the calmness of a retired man talking about the daily news. As though the existence of Aldric did not clash against everything that he spent his life fighting for. What he spent eons atoning for in deathless solitude.
And it was then that Eurys observed it. A spark of energy that was too pure and too personal. A form of essence from the void, unlike the manifestation of corruption. He knew that this energy could not corrupt or change anything; however, whether that would remain that way was a different story.
"Gods… Daemons… Don't compare me to remnants from a dead era, you shitty fossil."
A voice of derision and intent left the human.
A reflective response burst from the young man. A response that Eurys did not anticipate at all. With a spark of red energy trailing between his eyes in the moment.
But just as reactively, the moment ended.
Placing his hand along his head, the human whose name Eurys did not know began to grip his temple as though he was in pain.
"What the…"
The human took a step back, and his face looked eerily confused. As though the present moment was not registering to him at all. But as quickly as it came, it left. Leaving the young man looking detached and unaware of what just occurred.
'Interesting… He does not know what happened.'
Eurys observed.
The mind was a fickle thing. With enough powers in the realms capable of influencing it, one must develop stalwart defences to make it far. However, Eurys could tell this was not an attack but rather a symptom. A symptom of what the young man before him represented.
The immortal was not powerful enough to dissect Aldric's entire existence and composition, though observing him, the telltale signs were there. As a remnant from the Doom War, Eurys had never interacted with a Void creature, yet in the actions that engineered its conception, Eurys had learned all about the truth of the Gods and their origin. Aletheia had completed her fate just as he had.
So to think that in this dead husk of a world, a human of the void would show himself. Eurys truly thought he had seen it all.
'If you were there, just how different would things be...'
Likely, nothing but everything too.
Another thing had caught the skeleton's attention. As a [Fated] individual, Eurys had always held an uncanny intuition regarding fate and its strings. Just as he and his ilk were wrapped and smothered by the strings of fate, the human before him was the opposite.
While he could not see it, Eurys could feel it. The lack of the concept of fate fitting around his being.
"Is this the disposition of someone marked by the void? You are so detached from fate that it is almost laughable."
Eurys echoed out in the expansive cavern.
And the interesting specimen answered right back.
"You feel it... I'm genuinely surprised I still have a True Name. It's like I'm an anomaly to the concept of fate. Ever since that day..."
A subtle hint of superiority was laced in his voice. But who was Eurys to judge? His uniqueness practically deserved it.
The only comparable existence was the disgusting Nephilim; however, even they were different. The human did not contain a biological duality from birth but seemed to artificially induce it. But what made Eurys so curious was what about the young man made it all possible?
But it seemed that the spawn in front of him had a major misconception. While the strings of fate did not bind him like they did for all of creation, they surrounded him. It felt as though the strings were infinitely reordering and overlapping around him to account for his existence in an attempt to minimise and contain him. The fate strings of everything that interacted with him, from the air to the rocks, shifted and rearranged themselves. Contracting and shortening as it adapted.
Unknown to Eurys, he was unaware of just how far this effect traversed through the tapestry of fate. The infinite number of permutations being accounted for in each of his actions and their immediate effects. Trying to account for beyond the immediate future was a task impossible even for the law of fate because Aldric was not just a speck of dust in the fate of the world. He was an expanding black hole whose future influence is unpredictable yet assured.
It was disgusting and fascinating to witness. How successful this was, Eurys did not know, but it was amusing that the void-spawn believed that he was free of the influence of fate. Perhaps not directly, but fate had a funny way of rearing its ugly head.
But Eurys knew that this anomaly was not strong enough yet. That the only thing allowing this makeshift containment to function was the anomaly's weakness. Even if he were to become a transcendent, the issue would be the same. Only through strengthening his connection to the void could something change.
'A lighthouse free from the influence of the storm yet still contained on a dreary island. What an existence!'
But what this did grant was protection. Protection from any being capable of manipulating the strings of fate and perhaps more things; he was unsure.
"A Nephilim and a human void-spawn and in such little time... What luck!"
Eurys finished with a tone that bounced between sarcasm and being genuine.
Aldric POV
It was refreshing speaking to somebody who knew what they were talking about. Someone that he did not have to continuously withhold himself around.
But Aldric knew that he would not gain much from this suicidal skeleton. Eurys was a creature wrapped in lies and omissions. Even if Aldric were to display all his knowledge in a way to get closer, he was sure that Eurys would laugh it all off with a passing comment.
So what exactly could he gain from this immortal?
Aldric thought back to the last interaction he had with one avoidant of death. Noctis and their conversations.
The value and knowledge he gained in regard to natural supremacy and more.
'I need a way to make sure that he answers my questions with no omissions.'
And just like that, Aldric had a plan.
"Eurys, you seem interested in what I am, and I am interested in what you know. So how about this? A question for a question. With no lies or omissions allowed, you are given the right to refuse a question, but that does not skip your turn."
Aldric proposed.
"And how can you enforce these rules? Do you have the strength to do such a thing in the case that I lie?"
Eurys responded light-heartedly. Painfully alluding to the disparity in not just their strength but their class.
A master could not enforce his will onto a being that was beyond his rank, let alone one cursed by Shadow God. However, the only difference between enforcement and cooperation was consent. And Aldric had gained a new method to weaponise that relationship.
Pulling on his new ascended ability, Aldric pushed it further. Having taken the last two days to truly understand the wording laid out by the spell.
[Aspect Ability: Ephemeral Mandate]
[Aspect Ability Description: The spark you contain holds the concept of infinite possibilities.
A singularity does not follow the flow of fate and struggles against what has been ordained.
Your actions have taken you down this path. That divine act has cemented itself within your being and changed you.
Just as the incarnations of flame did, create your own laws and concepts. Restrain and seal parts of yourself, and the Origin shall reward you.]
It was his responsibility as an Awakened to stretch the definition of his ability. To think of the numerous ways that he could utilise it. So the act of sacrificing aspects of himself to the Origin, like when he experimented with his hair, was not everything this ability could do. No, he could imagine more.
Using the spark of inspiration that occurred when he had that heated talk with Cassie in the Ivory Tower, Aldric invoked [Ephemeral Mandate] and a sigil pattern formed on his hand. It was time to form a contract whose authority was governed by creation itself.
"Well, normally I couldn't dream of forming a contract with somebody above my rank, but having your consent changes it all. This is nothing but insurance to ensure fair play."
Aldric reached his hand out to clasp the skeleton.
While the unique nature of this human put him on edge, there was a rule that Eurys knew too well. That the rank difference between creatures was an absolute law in this world. Besides, he wondered how this would interact with the curse of a god.
And so Eurys took the outstretched hand.
"You can describe the terms if that makes you feel better."
Aldric spoke with a hard-to-describe tone, but Eurys definitely felt he was being undermined.
Taking the hint, Eurys spoke.
"You better not try and fool me, boy. There are ways that an immortal like me can make your life pretty difficult."
With the mandatory threat over, he spoke as his eyes peered at the glowing sigil resting on his new "friend's" hand.
"I swear to tell the truth without restraint and omissions. By the Gods and whatever this ability is, let it be done."
A spark of red burst between their hands. Unknown to either of them. It was not the words that fuelled this contract but their will and desires. Furthermore, Eurys noticed a peculiar change.
The red specks of light in the young man's eyes grew and expanded as soon as the deal was made. However, just as quickly, the ring of light contracted tightly around them. Inhibiting and stopping the spread.
Aldric felt a drain. Not in his soul essence or his darkness but much deeper. The same drain that he felt when creating an Apostle and when he used the chaos energy in his attacks.
'So that is the fuel.'
Deep in his soul sea, the now contained eldritch eye that represented the void pulsed with energy and vigour. But it did not pour out uncontrollably, but rather a controlled amount passed through the one-sided membrane-like barrier that Hope created.
"If you go against the terms, even I don't know what the price will be."
Aldric spoke out. He was excited to experiment with his new ability.
"I'll start then, young man. This ability of yours – I can tell that you are somehow bargaining using your connection to the void to form contracts. If I agree to be killed, would it work?"
The first question was asked, and Aldric chose to respond.
"Well, I'm not sure. Given your curse, it seems rather impossible. But let's see."
Aldric summoned the sigils around his hand once more. Using his connection to the chaos within him, he was beginning to understand his power more. Placing a hand on the skeleton, Aldric focused on making a connection, and a feedback loop was created. Aldric willed his intention to sacrifice the being in front of him; even with the loose consent emanating from Eurys, the energy cost would be absolutely massive. An amount so large that it made Aldric's reserves feel like a drop in a world covered by water.
But it was still possible. It was still possible to overturn the will of a god.
This ability was truly like alchemy. The concept of give and take but pushed even further. He truly was bargaining with the void.
"Yeah, too high of a cost. Maybe if I were a divine god, it could be done. But until then, you're going to have to find another way."
Eurys did not move or speak. It seemed that this was a passing curiosity, if anything.
With that said, Aldric asked his question.
"I've learned about the act of natural supremacy. Given that you succeeded on that path as well, can you give me an insight into how you chose your domain? What is it that determines one's domain?"
A silence sat amongst them after Aldric spoke. The skeleton was still and quiet.
"Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, creature? It seems that you are the ambitious kind. Well, to answer your question. It is tied to your nature. Whatever aspect of yourself that you feel and aspire to the most. For most, it is a reflection of their aspect, but not all. In your case, it is too soon to tell. Perhaps when you become a transcendent, you can explore the concept of a domain. But I see what your question truly is. You want to know if you can choose the expression of your domain, given you have so many options due to your nature."
Aldric's eyes widened as Eurys hit the nail on the head.
"Well, ask better questions next time. Now it is my turn."
He spoke mockingly.
"What did you mean by natural supremacy?"
Eurys spoke out as the flow of questions continued.
---
Some time passed. The pair had spoken and spoken until they were sick of each other's presence. Even with how novel Aldric was to Eurys, he had a journey to complete. So after enough talk, the pair separated.
Aldric had gotten sick of the skeleton after enough of his questions were rejected. While he could enforce honesty, he could not enforce compliance. And so, many questions were answered, and even more of them were refused.
Though, the gain in knowledge was worth it. However sparse it was. But Aldirc thought about what Eurys mentioned earlier.
'Nephis...'
Given where they were and where Nephis was headed to, Eurys had told him that she was not far.
Thoughts and plans were born and discarded as he thought of the last scion of the Immortal Flame. Her worth and existence within his plans. Her value in the present and in the future. And the actions of his past.
Aldric had always known. He knew that it would have been laughably easy to find a meaningless existence to act as the sole conduit for their escape. To guarantee Nephis' return to the human world.
While Aldric would love to say it was for a grander purpose. To ensure that there were no changes to the future or to ensure Nephis' safety from the sovereigns. Even to ensure that Sunny was enslaved to Nephis and not the Mirror Beast or Mordret. But that was not true at all.
Aldric felt that it was poetic. It was an action of resolve from Nephis that he did not want to step on. If anything, she deserved his respect for her decision to stay.
But now it seemed that the stars were aligning for them to meet. With what he had to gain, the void-spawn considered it.
And so, Aldric made a choice.
---
Nephis POV
Her body ached. Her soul frayed, and her mind was tired. So very tired...
Months trailed as the dreamer survived alone in the caverns of the Underworld's outer boundary. Exploring the outskirts of the Nightmare Desert before turning her back on that possibility. But for every door that closes, another one opens.
'I found it. A way back.'
Nephis was sat around a small fire fuelled by her aspect. Her thoughts ruminating in the dark caverns at the boundary of the Underworld. The area was sparse of nightmare creatures, as though they were all congregating elsewhere.
Three hundred metres in front of her, an expansive core of darkness was contained in a gap between two shards of stone that jetted out from the ceiling and the ground, respectively. Like a miniature sun, the seed of nightmare burned and emanated plumes of energy. Strangely, the rock that contained it seemed to be unlike the surrounding geology. It contained a red tint and a marble finish.
Looking at her runes, her mind relaxed.
Name: Nephis.
True Name: Changing Star.
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Tyrant.
Soul Cores: [5/7]
Soul Fragments: 286/5000
Memories: [Dream Blade], [Starlight Legion Armour], [Dawn Shard], [Dark Wing], [Nameless Sun]...
Echoes: ----
Attributes: [Dreamspawn], [Nephilim], [Flame of Divinity], [The Fire].
Aspect: [Light Bringer].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a creature of light that was banished and doomed to exist in the darkness. You bring radiance and warmth to wherever you go, but with it comes indescribable longing.]
Innate Ability: [Halfbreed].
Ability Descriptions: [You can directly absorb a portion of the soul essence of any Nightmare Creature destroyed by your flames, as well as of any human.]
Aspect Ability: [Soul Flame].
Ability Description: [Your soul burns with the purest of flames. That flame can both restore and destroy, and is both a blessing and a curse.]
Flaw: [Pristine Soul]
Flaw Description: [You must suffer to use your power.]
Looking beyond her new class as a Tyrant, Nephis focused on one of the few things that kept her sane in the nearly two years she was stuck in the dream realm.
The runes of Sunny.
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Ascended.
Class: Devil.
Shadow Cores: [4/7]
Shadow Fragments: 744/4000
Memories: ...
Echoes: ...
Shadows: ...
Attributes: ...
Aspect: [Shadow Slave].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a miraculous shadow left behind by a dead god. As a divine shadow, you possess plenty of strange and wondrous powers. However, your existence is empty and lonesome; you mourn the passing of your former master and long to find a new one.]
Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond].
Ability Description: [Find a worthy master and let them know your True Name. Once they recite it out loud, you will be bound to their will, unable to disobey any command. It is improper for a shadow, let alone a divine one, to walk around without a master.]
Master: Changing Star.
Aspect Abilities: [Shadow Control], [Shadow Step], [Shadow Manifestation].
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control].
Ability Description: [Your shadows are more independent than most, and are invaluable helpers. All shadows respect your authority.]
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Step].
Ability Description: [You can move freely between shadows, traveling from one to another in an instant.]
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Manifestation].
Ability Description: [You can manifest shadows as tangible objects].
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].
Flaw: [Clear Conscience].
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
Dream Anchor: Tower of Longing
The only thing on her mind was his new status as a master. Knowing Sunny, it was likely that the rest of their cohort joined him in conquering the second nightmare. Whether Aldric had joined them, Nephis did not know.
With Sunny, a divine aspect holder, tied to her, Nephis wondered where he fitted in her future. And most importantly, if he would be an enemy. She knew he was not tied to those ghouls; however, someone that strong had ambitions. Ambitions that she did not fully understand.
The call of the nightmare pulled away the rest of her thoughts. Nephis was hesitant about taking on the challenge. While her desire to return was insurmountable, the idea of challenging the second nightmare as a dreamer made her hesitate. Fallen creatures like the Crimson Terror would be the least of her worries. And while she believed in her luck, relying on it as a warrior would be to spit in the face of her grandfather and especially her father.
It was particularly potent too. As a dreamer, a second nightmare seed pulled and pulled. So, Changing Star was running out of time. This was not a matter of choosing another option to return home; after all, all her options were exhausted. There was no Saint to whisk her away or a path back to any of the human citadels.
The longer that she stayed here, the faster her humanity dissolved. No contact, no humans, no connection. It was hard.
Terribly so.
So, here she was, deciding on how best to tackle this challenge. Should she try and saturate her core even more before challenging the nightmare, or should she enter it now?
She felt it before she could see or hear anything.
Inhibition. Her flames flickered and grew weaker. A presence saturated in darkness was behind her. With a spin, she stood up and pointed her sword forward. Her guard ready.
Before her, he stood. Somebody that she had never expected to see. Not Sunny, not even Cassie, but him.
'Aldric!'
He stood taller, with a presence she remembered from her childhood of what a master was. The controlled influence of darkness emanated and wrapped around his aura. A field that was limiting her aspect spread around him. That same soul-rendering effect had become even more potent and contained a chilling cold to it. But there was more now.
'His darkness has become even stronger...'
She could feel a subtle pull emanating from the darkness. Likely at its weakest due to his intentions, it was a wonder just how potent it could become, and she was sure that there was more. Knowing that he was a divine aspect holder, there was definitely more.
It was as though he were transcendent in appearance. There was a level of beauty to his visage reminiscent of a marble statue. His skin glowed, and his contours were perfect. While not too dissimilar to Kai, his beauty was a different type. One of rich contrasts and sharpness.
A lot of things changed in his appearance. A ring on his finger that screamed it was a memory. That tint of red in his pupil was contained by a ring of light.
But much was the same.
That same nebulous armour that he never spoke about, with no weapon on his person, she could not comment on it. The strands of white were intermixed at the tips of his curls. And lastly, the feeling that he gave off. The feeling of detached intensity and purpose.
Beyond their connection between light and darkness, his presence seemed to draw something from within her. Much deeper than her light and closer to her soul and spirit. While her spirit wanted to scream 'apparition' and burn her mind of whatever was influencing it, she knew that this was real. Something within her could tell.
Before her mind could continue wandering, a deep masculine voice reached her ears.
The first human voice she had heard in years.
"Nephis... It's been a very long time..."
The reunion between light and darkness had begun.
***
Thank you for reading.
I'm back. Thank you all for your patience. I appreciate it very much. 4.5K to return isn't too bad right?
Deals with Eurys made and knowledge gained+1. Just what else did they talk about?
Nephis is back! Just what will come of this meeting? To think a vote brought Nephis and Aldric together.
Till the next one.