The moment Arthur stepped forward, he could feel all of the emotion leave his body.
In every single Human being, there was a tiny voice in the back of their heads, sometimes telling them to stop, or restrain themselves from going too far.
Sometimes, when people go too far, that tiny voice in the back of their minds makes them remember that decision, and forces them to remember ever tiny detail of everything they ever regret, or force themselves to try and forget.
A conscience.
Some people don't realise they have one until its too late, while others, learn to deal with the pain that a conscience brings.
But Arthur?
A conscience was something he was never born with. The tiny voice which tells you its wrong to steal that piece of fruit from the local vendor, or that tiny voice which tells you its wrong to slowly squeeze down on the soft, supple section of neck, just above the carotid, smiling softly as the life slowly drains from the small child that had just tried to steal from him....
He slept soundly that night.
And every night after that.
Arthur never left Parachenko Village because he was afraid that people would call him a monster if they ever knew about his personality and interests. He was afraid of what might happen if he let go of himself.... and allowed himself to fully express the person he believed to be.
Once he left Parachenko Village..... was the day Arthur Kovacs died.... and the day that 'Arthur Kovacs' was born.
A fully fledged sociopath. Complete with homicidal tendencies.
Nothing ever seemed wrong about murder or genocide. People worshipped a book about a Man who killed entire Races and deified the Man.
War and conflicts happen everyday, allowing countless numbers of Hatred Fae to wander the Earth, allowing hatred to perpetuate throughout time and space.
The very ritual he was about to undergo, was one that only came at the cost of someone else's suffering.
And he was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Arthur felt the cold wind from behind the ancient gate gush forth, and over his body. His thick, wolf-skin jacket fluttered slightly, but remained flawless as he gazed deeper and deeper into the Abyss.
A single firefly, floating silently, and emitting a bright, black coloured radiance flew out from behind the gate. The power was far greater than that of the previous girl's, and as such, Arthur's smile was far bigger than what he remembered.
Taking in a deep breath, Arthur let the Hatred Fae land silently on his forehead, instantly feeling a wave of intense emotion wash over him like a wave.
Unlike the previous girl, Arthur didn't fall to the ground, overcome by the sudden surge of hatred coursing through his body. Spreading his legs and clenching his fists, the fifteen year old reincarnate let out a shallow breath as murderous thoughts and emotions coursed throughout his Mind, Body and Soul.
The Mind, Body and Soul together were what generated origin essence. In unison these three started filling up the empty reservoir that was the human body, once exposed to the Hatred Fae.
Origin essence could allow a Human to interact with essence of the Heavens and the Earth, allowing them to store Fae within their Mind, Body and Soul.
All Fae possessed different requirements to contain. Some being stored in the body, while others in the Mind, and some in the Soul.
All appearing as faint tattoos, just hidden underneath a layer of skin. Of course, those Fae that excel in stealth, more often than not, possess no such tattoo.
A formless power slowly filled Arthur's body.
Countless thoughts, ones that he had long forgotten, and others that seemed as though they had just happened yesterday, bubbled up to the surface of his mind.
His hand twitched, the sensation of a neck snapped caused him to breath a sigh of relief.
His fingers gently pressed together, the tiny feeling of a vein on the tips of his nails.
His heart beat, reminiscent of the first time he had ever pulled out a man's heart.
He had no need for hatred right now.
All he was doing.... was allowing the countless experiences of his thousand year lifespan wash over him.
Slowly his breath steadied. His mind became clear. And his body.... stronger.
A breath of turbid air escaped Arthur's lips.
"Arthur Kovacs.... second-tier talent. Origin Fae-".
"Wait what!?".
Arthur turned his head frantically, turning towards his Father with a questioning look on his face. His calm demeanour completely shattered and his eyes blinking in confusion.
The Clan Leader frowned for a moment before narrowing his eyes at Arthur.
"Do not interrupt me again, or there will be consequences".
Some of the young men and women gulped slightly, gazing silently as this Father and Son.
If the Clan Leader isn't soft on his own child, then what would happen if we speak up while he's speaking!?
Shivers crept up their spines.
Arthur froze for a moment before bowing slightly, holding his Origin Fae in his arms.
"My apologizes Clan Leader. I meant no disrespect".
His Father snorted slightly before tilting his head down slightly to peer at the Fae in Arthur's arms.
HIs gaze slightly inquisitive and his expression.... befuddled?
Even some of the Clan Elders looked slightly confused as they gazed at Arthur.
Or rather, the Origin Fae in Arthur's arms.
Looking down at the small creature in front of him, Arthur's eyes widened for a moment before he quickly stored the Fae in his origin essence sea.
Most of the Elders seemed slightly surprised by the fact that Arthur could already store Fae in his origin essence sea without needing to be taught, but the Clan Leader smiled slightly before speaking loudly.
"Origin Fae, Unknown Salamander Fae. We'll research it, and its abilities after the rest of the awakening ceremony has been completed".
Arthur nodded slightly, regaining his emotionless demeanour while heading to the side of the room, where the only other girl who had awakened her talent sat silently.
She seemed a little embarrassed to be sitting next to Arthur, the son of the current Clan Leader, as well as someone whose talent was ranked higher than hers, but she quickly regained her confidence and tried to speak to Arthur.
"You're Fae is pretty cool Arthur. It was pretty big as well. What do you think it is?".
Arthur turned to the side, his face completely devoid of any sought of emotion whatsoever.
But, at the drop of a hat-.
"Oh? This big guy? I think its a Winter Fae".
A excited smile appeared on his face.
"Oh! What do they do?".
"Well, they turn the environment around the Fae Master into a cold, winter wonderland. Unless the opposing Fae Master used Fire Attributed Fae, they can only freeze to death".
The girl, Andrea went wide eyed.
"That huge Salamander can create a blizzard?".
Arthur nodded silently.
"Yeah. Your Woodpecker Fae can't turn into anything, however, it can enhance the piercing effect of your moves but several folds. Fae aren't usually used in direct combat with one another. Most usually have small bodies, or bodies smaller than humans, so it would be more effective for Fae Masters to use their abilities in combat for ourselves".
Andrea revealed an enlightened expression.
"Ah! I see. But there are some Fae who can be used in battle, right?".
Arthur nodded.
"Yeah, although even I've never seen one before".
Andrea went silent after that, opting to play with her Woodpecker Fae while Arthur sat there alone, contemplating what had just happened,
'Fuck.... fuck.... fuck.... in my previous life, my talent was third-tier, not second-tier! Also, my Origin Fae wasn't the fucking Bone Sword Fae, but neither was it the goddamn Exotic Ranked Fae Winter Solstice Salamander!'.
It was the Fae that Arthur had just finished cultivating, after raising it from an Legendary Ranked Fae to an Exotic Ranked Fae had become the target of countless individuals from the thirty-three heavens.
After showing a Exotic Ranked Fae in front of dozens of people, Arthur was slightly on edge.
Theoretically, there shouldn't be anyone present who would recognize such a rare and powerful Fae, but there were no such thing as certainty in this world.
If even just one person found out the truth about the Winter Solstice Salamander, Arthur wasn't sure if his Father would be able to protect him.
.... Or even if he would want too after seeing such a thing.
An Exotic Ranked Fae was the same level as a Rank 6 Fae Master! Someone who had pushed past the realm of mortality and ascended, becoming a Fae Immortal!
And something like that was in the hands of a fifteen year old.... who hadn't even become a true, Rank 1 Fae Master.
No wonder why his talent was raised from third-tier to second-tier!
The effects of the Winter Solstice Salamander weren't to be used in battle, even though it could create bone swords like he said.
Once a Fae pushes past Rank 5 and into Rank 6, they themselves undergo a tribulation. This was because Fae weren't originally supposed to reach such a state. Only when contracted with Humans could this process work.
Once a Fae, becomes an Immortal Fae, they become closer and closer to the Truth of the World. Their Mystery reaches a point where their single ability can no longer contain their power, and manifest their secondary ability as a result of this influx of power.
The only problem is, that secondary power, are all completely different from each other.
Two Rank 6 Winter Solstice Salamander Fae will possess completely different secondary abilities. Most of the time completely random.
The original ability of the Winter Solstice Salamander Fae is to turn the environment around the Fae Master into a freezing, winter night. It shapes everything within several kilometres of the Fae Master into a cold, unforgiving blizzard.
The sky turns dark, and the strength of other Ice Attributed Fae increase in such an environment. However, the strength of Shadow and Dark Attributed Fae are increased as a result.
The second ability.... the randomly generated ability gained when undergoing tribulation.... was more than likely-.
"..... the ability to go back in time.....".