FELRITH SAT ON the edge of his bed in his room, burdened by his past. As he spent the day reflecting on the memories ingrained within him, a sense of heaviness settled in his heart. It wasn't from pity or remorse that he felt, for he felt none.
Both of the lives he had lived were shrouded in darkness, a result of the environment that shaped him. Thus, he, too, embraced that same darkness, molding himself into the individual he was now.
However, the town he now governed had endured immense suffering under his previous identity's ruthless and senseless rule. His former self, a malicious lord, and a morally corrupt prince, exploited everyone in his path, leaving behind a deep-seated scar in the hearts of the villagers.
Understandably, they despised him for it.
This predicament weighed on Felrith's mind. He looked out the window as the emerald-tinted light waned, contemplating how to reintegrate himself into society and realign his goals.
"The past can't be rewritten," he murmured, with determination and annoyance in his voice. "But I can still make amends in the present and hopefully shape my future."
His decision was made, and his resolve was solidified. Felrith recognized that if he wanted to earn back the villagers' trust and establish genuine control over his territory—a source of power and authority—he needed to begin by addressing their grievances.
And the simplest way to do that was by alleviating their suffering and improving their living conditions—which really was their grievances, as most were starving, malnourished and working endlessly for little or nothing but scraps.
Felrith wasn't inherently kind or empathetic. However, he was not so blind that he couldn't comprehend the value of citizen support and being loved by his people, though he aimed to be feared by others.
After all, he of all people, saw firsthand what unity could do through Lucian's eyes.
These experiences, however, also brought his ultimate refusal to adopt the hypocritical stance of the Angelic who preached benevolence while practicing cruelty.
Felrith genuinely aspired to better his village and lands, offering opportunities he himself lacked as an orphan child on the streets. Yet, neither did he intend to ensure that these opportunities were handed out for free, potentially hindering the town's progress.
Felrith acknowledged that his views might evolve as he gained experience in his new life, but he believed fairness was the right approach for now. Thus, Felrith needed to show that he had become a different person—one who genuinely cared for the welfare of his subjects. He recognized that, even if his motivation was self-serving as a Lord, it was also his duty.
Little did he realize that his sense of duty would evolve into genuine care, though such nuances were beyond his current understanding.
But Felrith was too focused.
Scanning his memories about the town's welfare proved fruitless and fruitful; his review of the town's conditions yielded mixed results.
Poverty existed before he assumed control but vastly intensified during his past self's rule. Villagers before who worked tirelessly and lived poor lives, now struggled to survive, as their resources were pillaged by his former self's greed and foolish rule.
Not to mention, many of the town's women had suffered sexual harassment and assault from his past self, further exacerbating their situation.
Felrith couldn't undo the past, but he could shape the present and future.
The present situation proved worse than he thought with the lack of resources. However, what troubled him more was the lack of memories he had about the town.
His old self when exiled here slightly more than a year and a half ago, was initially consumed by cruelty and anger, resulting in his past self-inflicting misery upon the people for his pleasure. But those months of so-called pleasure provided him no real solidification of contentment, and eventually, he withdrew into self-isolation; neglecting the power and lives he held in his hands.
Felrith clenched his fists, as a surge of determination gripped him. "I won't be defined by my past."
He swore to rectify it, recognizing that the villagers did not deserve such mistreatment. After all, Lucian had experienced a more dire situation in the past, living among winged beings who, upon reflection, were part of a fanatical cult.
Pushing these thoughts aside, he concentrated on the current issue: garnering local support. In order for his title as Baron to hold any real significance and enable him to succeed in this realm, he required the endorsement of the locals.
To achieve this, he needed resources, food, shelter, and a safe source of clean drinking water for them. Though he was fully aware that this wouldn't be a straightforward task.
After all, when Felrith looked through his memories he found the most profound disturbance and astonishment. He had arrived here without the elderly gentleman who had proven to be remarkably loyal, and in hindsight, was the sole individual genuinely endeavoring to steer him onto the right path—excluding his mother, a topic he preferred to avoid contemplating, given that her situation was far more dire than Lath'Or's.
Regardless, the old man had tried to intervene, yet the past version of Felrith obstinately refused all aid. His birth-pact butler had been pushed away by his previous self's arrogance.
Something Felrith anew regretted greatly.
This incident left an indelible mark on Felrith's heart, one he was determined to mend, considering the old man was family.
Thus, as much as having the old man in his corner would help, Felrith didn't have it. And so, he had to make do with what and who he had.
At this point, Felrith had only a small retinue under his command, including three guards and the former town head who now served as his butler. The guards were above average in their abilities, and the former town head was competent but talentless.
Although Felrith had his suspicions about someone else being present, it didn't matter now. Especially, since his past self-mistreated those four, adding to his issues.
The Felrith of the past was despicable, vile, and ruthless. He knew the reasons behind such a transformation was in place. Yet, it was a sentiment strongly abhorred by the Lucian part of him, having been subjected to the very torment he had inflicted.
A fierce internal conflict raged within him, yet in the grand scheme of things, these conflicting impulses amalgamated into a singular determination to improve and reform. Felrith understood that he wasn't defined by either of these opposing sides; he was his own individual.
'It's time to embrace my new identity,' he thought to himself; then muttering out loud, "It's time to start acting like it," as he watched the day moon sink into the horizon; and darkness befell Mirewood.
Turning his gaze to his now cleaned-up room, Felrith reminisced about how challenging it was to clean with his physical state. However, he also acknowledged that his fat could be easily corrected with training and magic.
With that thought, though, came a realization, that before putting his plans into motion, he needed to tap into the knowledge gained from his previous lives. He possessed a comprehensive record of knowledge acquired from both his lives.
While Lucian had a weak foundation of common and fundamental knowledge, aspects were missing from his well-educated upbringing as a Dark Elven prince. These gaps included skills such as pickpocketing, navigating 'street' life, and recognizing scams. And interestingly, Felrith's previous self-displayed remarkable intelligence in his academic pursuits, even though he lacked interest and motivation.
Consequently, he had amassed a wealth of information hidden from the general public, given the exclusive nature of the renowned royal academy. Felrith needed to make sure to use all he could, and thus, he took note of that before he dived into a piece of knowledge, which was innate.
Focusing his mind inwards, with more difficulty than he imagined, Felrith extended his consciousness, and called upon the enigmatic entity and force known as The Index—a representation of existence transcending time and space—through an instinctive feeling, stemming from the small percentage of liquid power coursing through his veins.
Accordingly, as Felrith invoked the Index within the canvas of his mind's eye—as it's often described—he witnessed an ethereal window take shape.
This window, appearing as a translucent, multicolored screen, materialized both in his thoughts and visual perception—displaying various rune-like symbols that slowly translated to him as he continued to peer at it....
━━━━ ✹ ━━━━╝ ✵ ╚━━━━ ✹ ━━━━
Name: Felrith Caelithor Sil'Avaris
Race: Greater Drow | (Hidden) The Fallen, {Fallen Avatar: Locked}
Level: 1 | EXP: 0/100
Cultivation Pathway: N/A (Locked—Level 25)
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Primordial Gift(s):
Shadow Touched Scholar (Innate) – Stage 1
Frenzied Divination (Blessing) – Stage 1; Locked
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Titles: [Locked], [Locked], [One of The Fallen], [Boon of Perseverance], [Wanderer of Realms], [Celestial Exile; Defiant of Heaven's Will], [Forsaken Prince]
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Affiliation: Sil'Avaris Kingdom
Rank: 3rd Prince (illegitimate)
Territory: Mirewood Barony
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Soul-Bound: N/A (None)
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Attributes | Free Points: 0
Vitality: 2
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 6
Intelligence: 11
Fortitude: 65
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Cultivation Arts: N/A (Locked—Level 25)
Skill Slots - 0/3 | Skill Points: 0
1. N/A (Open)
2. N/A (Open)
3. N/A (Open)
━━━━ ✹ ━━━━╗ ✵ ╔━━━━ ✹ ━━━━
'Well… that's an overwhelming amount of information to process. Ughh, is this going to be an information dump?' Felrith cursed silently, his eyes scanning his status in shock and disbelief.
However, as he absorbed the details, a surge of determination welled up within him. Despite his low status, he saw potential buried within them.
I mean, he didn't just have one primordial gift, but two! Two of them! That was unheard of, and almost unbelievable if he didn't have it shining before his own eyes.
His attributes, though, were very lackluster, except for his unexpectedly high fortitude, which prompted him to ponder internally.
'Why is it so high?'
The only guess he had was his titles section. Titles were rare and coveted across the many realms, and seeing his collection of titles was yet another shock.
Scanning his status more than once, Felrith comprehended the implications. However, he still felt the need for a thorough exploration of what his titles offered, along with his primordial gifts and his peculiar race.
'What does The Fallen mean? Does it refer to my past as an angel before I fell from the heavens?' Felrith speculated, acknowledging the absence of wings, and starting power that would typically accompany a fallen angel.
Driven by curiosity, Felrith decided to dive into the extensive information about his own identity and current power. He knew he had a lot to learn, with tasks to complete, people to locate, encounters to have, plots to unravel, truths to unearth, and power to harness.
And so, he chalked this oncoming infodump up as the true start of his journey.
"My path starts now," Felrith murmured to himself, his voice trailing off as he reviewed his status, saving the most interesting for last...
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Primordial Gift(s):
Shadow Touched Scholar (Innate) – Stage 1
....
[Shadow-Touched Scholar (Innate) - Stage 1: Upon vanquishing adversaries, your touch may gain access to your foes' hidden insights, memories, or even abilities. When a foe is defeated, an intangible connection forms between you, the scholar, and your slain adversary, granting you the chance to delve into the echoes of the vanquished's experiences and possible knowledge. It is akin to placing their soul in a collection of sorts, offering a chance to learn something from the fallen foe, ranging from a 1% to 5% chance, depending on the situation and rank of your adversary. If your gift activates, the insights you gain are random, depending on the fallen foe. You may recover memories from the deceased, skills, cultivation arts; even having the slight possibility of assimilating their full cultivation path, alongside inheriting their primordial gift. Whatever the dead have to offer, if slain by you, is yours to rightfully take, should fate will it. Such a gift cannot be bestowed by another but is born innately. This gift, thought to remain only within one, now proves otherwise, as you are living proof it now resides within another.]
━━ ━━ ━━ ━━
Titles: [Locked], [Locked], [One of The Fallen], [Boon of Perseverance], [Wanderer of Realms], [Celestial Exile; Defiant of Heaven's Will], [Forsaken Prince]
....
[Boon of Perseverance: Through sheer will and unyielding determination, you have accomplished the seemingly impossible by surviving 'The Descent', a feat achieved by only a few dozen through the annals of time. Thus, your journey, from the fall from the heavens to your descent into the abyss, has forged your soul like tempered steel, strengthened to survive only by your unyielding will; bestowing upon you an additional +50 Fortitude.]
....
[Wanderer of Realms: As one of the few whose soul has traversed across multiple realms of existence, you have embarked on the long and arduous journey to glimpse into the universal secrets of power! For every realm visited, you will receive a +5% bonus to your intelligence attribute. (Realms visited: 3, Intelligence: + 15% Boost)]
....
[Celestial Exile; Defiant of Heaven's Will: Forged in Rebellion and Unshaken Resolve, you have dared to challenge the established celestial order, defying the will of the "Heavens". Your unwavering determination and courage have marked you as a rare and courageous soul, though possibly foolish. Through your defiance, you incurred the wrath of higher powers, yet you stood resolutely, refusing to bend to their designs. For better or worse, your actions have caught the attention of high powers, earning you a place of honor and respect among those who yearn for change. Conversely, it has also made you a marked enemy to those who oppose your ideals. This title not only grants you an innate aura of imperceptibility to those aligned with the Angelic Faction—meaning you are protected from their divinations and scrying means—but also provides a significant boost when facing one of your sworn foes. +25% boost on all attributes when in the presence of angelic or light-oriented beings.]
....
[Forsaken Prince: Cast out and exiled to the kingdom's outskirts, you were forsaken. Nonetheless, the royal bloodline flows within you undeniably. As a born prince, your innate title wields authority, prompting citizens weaker than you to submit to your presence; should you wish it, and dependent on the circumstances, via law and situation. The extent of your authoritative influence hinges on your perception of existence and how others view you. Thus, as your journey unfolds, your perception of this title and innate power may expand; unveiling new abilities with this title and power having the potential to constantly develop.]
...
[One of The Fallen: As a result of your defiance against your celestial descent, you not only survived the fall but captured a fragment of divinity from the heavens themselves. This perceived act of 'corruption,' according to heavenly standards, altered your essence and transformed your race—a feat achieved by only a handful. The assimilation of this stolen fragment of pure divinity has granted you an exclusive ability shared among all members of The Fallen Race but uniquely expressed in each individual. By exploring your racial attributes, you may gain access to your Avatar, which embodies your true self. This form reflects your personality, strengths, acquired abilities, latent potential, beliefs, and the influences of your titles and primordial gifts. As you delve deeper into this aspect of your identity, your Avatar's manifestation will evolve, shaped by the intricate interplay of your attributes, talents, ideologies, and other contributing factors. Your Avatar resembles a deity's divine form, yet it can be unlocked and harnessed before achieving full godhood. It's important to note that this title itself doesn't offer practical benefits; its primary function is to identify you as One of The Fallen and provide essential insights into this mysterious race; a race that encompasses a diverse array of individuals who have defied the heavens' will, representing various races and backgrounds.]
...
…
[Communication Alert!]
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[Communication Alert! Communication Alert! From THE INDEX Facet 1729, Administrator 9th — SSS!]
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[MESSAGE: Dust to Divinity, We shall Rise.... remember those words little fallen...]
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...
[THE INDEX Facet 1729 has used a $%!<^$ - &*+@$, bestowing upon you 1 Random Skill of [Legendary] quality!]
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[The Random Legendary Skill spin is ready!]
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[Activate?]
[Yes] | [No]
...
'What the fuck?!!??'
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A/N: I had initially planned to delve into his inner dialogue as he reviewed everything in detail. However, in the interest of time for both of you (The Reader) and me (The Author) and to propel the plot forward, I've provided a concise list of his thoughts. Hope that was fine!
Anyway, Happy Reading!