"Does this place send us to different floors based on our abilities?"
Nacht had thought about the last floor he had been on and he couldn't help but think that the circumstances they were placed in aligned a little too much with their abilities. Of course he still didn't know Alister's traits or most of the other sinners on that floor for that matter, but he did know his own abilities, and that of the woman the abstract had killed.
The floor was mostly covered in a veil of darkness which coincided with Nacht's own trait [Herald of Darkness] while the enlightened sinner had a rune that was perfect for the forest environment they were in.
Although Nacht was reasonably confident in his conclusion, it still could be nothing but a coincidence, especially since he was new to penance. All he could do was speculate and ask the only other person he could talk to in this place.
Alister—who was also sitting on the fountain's edge—rested his head on an open palm, still with his characteristic smile and answered his question.
"Well it certainly does seem to be that way."
Nacht lingered for a moment, unsure if he should ask but decided to anyway.
"What are your traits if you don't mind me asking?"
Alister face sunk deeper into the palm of his hand
"I don't mind telling you, as long as you tell me yours first."
Nacht thought for a moment. He didn't think his traits were anything special, it wouldn't make a difference if he told Alister since—at least for now—they were a team. Still, he didn't like the idea of telling someone else about his abilities.
In the end he decided to tell Alister his traits, arguing that it would be helpful to know what they were both capable of, especially since they were going to be fighting together in future fights.
"I have three traits. One is my archetype and the rest give me a helpful advantage in certain situations."
Alister's eyes widened slightly.
"Three? That's almost as much as me! Although I suppose you might have the same amount once you become an enlightened.
Nacht furrowed his brows.
"You can gain a trait from your rune?"
Alister scratched the side of his head.
"Yes, even if it's rare, it's possible. So what are your traits?"
Nacht looked down at his saber and saw his black eyes reflected in them.
"You probably have an idea of what one of them is already since I was able to clearly see in the dark. The trait gives me an affinity to darkness but since I'm not an enlightened, it only allows me to see in the dark.'
Alister's red eyes glinted in recognition.
"An affinity trait, that's quite useful."
Nacht nodded.
"My second trait is also quite situational. It gives me resistance to some forms of detection, while not as useful as my other trait, it still has its uses."
Alister nodded as if everything was finally making sense.
"No wonder I couldn't see you in the dark. I thought my senses had gone mute!"
Nacht told him about his last trait, which couldn't even be considered a trait, it didn't give him any new abilities.
"My final trait is my archetype."
Nacht shifted slightly.
"Now it's your turn, what are your traits?"
Alister turned to look down at the healing liquid in the fountain as if he was staring at his own reflection.
"Besides my archetype, I have three other traits. My first trait is only useful in combat, it allows me to see any weak points on my target."
Nacht's eyes flashed.
'I guess that's how he was able to kill the other sinners so cleanly.'
At first it seemed like an extremely powerful trait, but merely seeing an opponent's weak points wasn't enough to decisively win a battle. An enlightened would need both the skills and experience to effectively take advantage of an abstract's weak points. The same went for enlightened humans.
More often than not, they would need someone else to create that opening for them. So while it was a useful trait to have, it wasn't a trait that would allow you to win every battle you came across.
"My second trait on the other hand has nothing to do with fighting, it is strictly utility. It allows me to determine if someone is lying or telling the truth."
Nacht looked at Alister with slight envy.
'Why couldn't I have gained a trait like that?'
Unlike Alister's first trait which seemed to have its own flaws, his second trait seemed to have none. Although the trait didn't seem to have any uses towards the abstracts, it was extremely helpful against humans.
Nacht already knew this but sometimes other humans could be far more dangerous than any abstract. After all, to survive in his own world, let alone penance, you would need the help of other people. No one can survive alone in either of the two worlds, so having a trait that lets you know if someone is going to stab you in the back is extremely useful!
"My last trait on the other hand is quite peculiar."
Alister paused for a moment, deliberating on what to say next before he finally said something that confused Nacht greatly.
"My last trait is grace."
Nacht furrowed his brows.
"Grace? What does that mean?"
Alister let out a small sigh.
"It means I have inherited the divine nature of a god."
Nacht's eyes widened in shock.
"You're joking."
The gods have gone quiet long ago, some even believing that they had perished during the end of the golden age. Still, their will lives on, sending anyone who's committed irredeemable crimes into penance upon their death.
Having anything that was remotely related to the gods was extremely rare in and of itself—let alone a trait.
Alister shook his head.
"Why would I be joking? It is merely a testament to how truly awesome I really am!"
Nacht leaned forward slightly. He was always eager to learn more about the different powers one could gain as they walked the enlightened path, especially about a topic as interesting as traits.
"How did you even manifest a trait like that?"
Alister looked at Nacht, taking note of the greedy look in his eyes and contemplated on what to say next.
"How do you think someone manifests a trait?"
Nacht thought for a moment.
"Aren't traits something you are born with and only manifest once you enter penance?"
Alister shook his head.
"Traits do only manifest once your human soul enters penance, but that is not how your traits are determined."
Alister let out a small exhale and continued.
"Your traits are a manifestation of who you are, and who we are is often influenced by our environment and upbringing, as well as the choices we make."
Nacht pondered what Alister said deeply. Now that he thought about it, his own traits did reflect some of his own circumstances. Even though Nacht wasn't proud of it, he was quite the thief back in District Nine, despite it giving him more trouble than it was worth.
He was caught many times and received quite the beating for it until eventually he stopped. Well, he didn't stop stealing, only getting caught. Still, in his early days of breaking the law he would have been ecstatic to have an ability that helped him with staying hidden.
On the other hand, his darkness affinity could have been related to his desire to see in the dark. After all, the only light that came on at night for the citizens of district nine were the ones that lined the district's towering walls. So it wasn't surprising for him to have that particular desire.
However, if what Alister said was true, then it brought up another question.
"Wouldn't traits be more common then? And how would this affect your archetype?"
Many people shared the same experiences and upbringing, especially the children of the enlightened clans. So wouldn't a lot of enlightened have the same traits?
Alister nodded.
"You're right, some enlightened do share the same traits but only certain kinds. Traits are also quite rare so most only have their archetype. However, there's a reason most people can only manifest their archetype and not any other traits."
Nacht raised an eyebrow.
"What's the reason?"
Alister looked at Nacht as if it were obvious.
"Destiny!"
Nacht looked at Alister with a deadpan expression.
"Destiny?"
Alister nodded once again.
"Yes, you were destined to manifest those traits and they weren't. Simple as that."
Nacht raised a hand to hide his face.
He couldn't help but think that Alister was dodging the question.
'Destiny? What kind of scapegoat answer is that! He even seems to believe his own conclusion.'
Nacht paused for a moment before realizing that Alister hadn't answered his other question.
"You still haven't answered my other question."
Alister stood up and turned around, presumably to admire the fountain, before answering his final question.
"Your archetype affects how your rune's abilities manifest, and therefore what powers you will gain. So in essence, your archetype is a manifestation of your spirit. Take me for example, I prefer to impose my will onto others, so I have an external archetype. Enlightened with my archetype usually have a rune that affects those around them. Whereas, someone with an internal archetype, prefers to impose their will onto themselves. The enlightened with this archetype usually have a rune that solely affects themselves and their own capabilities."
Alister paused and thought for a moment.
"Now that I think about it, you haven't told me what your archetype is."
Nacht was expecting this question.
"My archetype is [Abstract]."