Endyr woke groggily, with a splitting headache and a sweat-drenched body. As he blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the fog that covered his sight, he raised his head. He was in a bed he did recognise, in a room he did recognise, wearing cloths he did not recognise.
Endyr brought his hand to his chest, feeling the thump of his heart before chuckling. "It seems I am very much alive. In that case, did help arrive?"
The last thing Endyr remembered was-rather brutally-murdering the assassin in the safe room. After that, he had collapsed and now woke up here. While deep in thought, Endyr did not notice the door to the room opening.
In the doorway stood Sia, his older sister. Upon seeing Endyr was conscious, she burst over and grabbed him tightly. She sobbed into his shoulders, leaving Endyr frozen in an awkward position with his arms in the air.
'What is with this girl and crying?' he asked in frustration. But internally, a small piece of him was happy that Sia was so concerned about him.
Endyr had long since noticed a conflict between his humanity and Denizen nature. On one hand, he desires human interaction and contact, but on the other he disdains relationships and emotional ties. Endyr only managed to gain some semblance of balance by playing the curiosity of a Denizen against itself: having a family would be a valuable "learning experience" and is entirely new.
"What happened? Where are we?" asked Endyr. Sia pulled away from him slightly and wiped her tears. "We are in a different house, one in the nearest town."
"Did mother come and rescue us?"
"Yes, she showed up shortly after the killer was..." Sia trailed off, no doubt wondering if she should describe the brutal and visceral end of the killer to her younger brother. "Anyway, mom showed up and brought us here."
After learning how he had arrived, Endyr moved on to the next topic, one that had been burning in his mind since he saw Sia.
"Sister, when that killer tried to harm us, a strange light came from your body...what was that?"
While Endyr was told by the System that his sister's Seed of Ascension had Bloomed, he wanted to learn how it felt first-hand from Sia. She furrowed her brows and tried to collect her words before speaking.
"That was something called a Seed of Ascension...it basically means I can use Mana now, just like Mom and the guards could."
Endyr waited a bit, but Sia did not elaborate any further, much to his disappointment. He hid it immediately however and leaned in closer to her.
"Will I also Ascend like you one day!?" he asked excitably, his body slightly trembling in anticipation.
Sia nodded her head in confirmation. "Since everyone else in our family has Ascended, you definitely will too. But you will have to be 10 at the earliest to Ascend. You may even have to wait till you're 12."
Endyr opened his mouth to express his sadness, but stopped before speaking. A memory popped to his mind, and he thought back to what System notification he heard just before blacking out. After racking his head for a second, he recalled what the System told him.
A smile slowly spread across his face, one awfully similar to the smile he showed Captain Silver as a Denizen of Infinity. Upon seeing it, Sia felt chills runs down her spine and she instinctively loosened her grip on Endyr.
"Altair?" she asked tentatively.
Her voice brought Endyr to attention, and he realised the condition of his face. With a cough, he wiped away the smile and stared solemnly into Sia's eyes.
"I'm slightly sad I have to wait so long, but that just makes it all the more exciting"
Sia nodded before pulling back fully and standing up. "I have to go now Altair, but I'll try and return soon. For the next day, you have to stay in bed though. Do you understand?"
Sia spoke sternly, wagging her finger at him. Endyr chuckled in response before lying back down and pulling up the covers. "I wont go anywhere" he promised her, lying cleanly through his teeth.
His sister stared suspiciously at him for a moment, before smiling and patting his head. She then tuned and exited the room, leaving Endyr to his own devices. Once he was sure no one was going to come in after Sia, he sat back up and his grin reformed.
"Status"
==========================<<♉︎♉︎>>================
Name: Endyr/Altair Atrazark
Species: Denizen of Infinity (former), Human
Age: 4.5 years
Level: 40 (Mortal Tier)
Rank: D- (EX Sealed)
Titles: Former Denizen of Infinity, Creator of the Infinite Universe, First of his Kind, Endless Spring of Potential, Vessel of Mana, Irregular, Outlier of Regulation
Skills: Language Comprehension (E), Mana Manipulation (EX), Archaic Dialect (EX), Physical Boost (D)
Authority: 15 pts
Remark: No longer just a cute toddler, our resident Denizen has taken to first step towards Ascension.
=========================<<♉︎♉︎>>===================
When Endyr saw his new Status, a peal of laughter escaped him. He sprung to his feet and out of the bed, splaying his arms wide open before cackling manically.
The feeling of euphoria surpassed anything Endyr had ever felt. In that moment, he knew that no sustenance nor woman could ever make him feel so good.
Endyr looked at his Status once more, before closing the window and turning to his System.
'Hey System, what's with my weird Rank?'
[Congratulations Host on Ascending at the mere age of 4 and a half!]
[To answer your question: You regained your true Rank when facing that assassin, but your body is too weak to handle it. Therefore, the System sealed your Rank down to {D-} for your own safety.]
Endyr nodded to himself after hearing the explanation. 'Makes sense really...having an EX Rank would be ridiculous and way too OP. Hey System, how fast would I Level with EX Rank?'
[Host would reach the {Master Tier} after killing for two weeks straight as opposed to the several months it would take someone with {A Rank}]
'What about someone with S Rank or higher?'
[With {S Rank} and higher, they would also reach {Master Tier} after two weeks. It would not be until the {Grandmaster Tier} that their growth would become lower than yours.]
Endyr then snapped his fingers in excitement. 'Didn't you say I could also see my Stats and Bloodline now?'
[Correct, but it is stored in a separate part of your Status. Would you like to see them?]
Endyr confirmed and waited as the System displayed a [Loading] notification. After around three minutes, a *ding!* rang out and the Endyr's Status reappeared.
===========================<<♉︎♉︎>>===================
Strength: F
Speed: F
Defence: F
Vitality: F+
Intelligence: C
Mana: E
Luck: S
Charm: C
Techniques: ∅
Bloodline(s): Atrazark-Zephylte, Hyppiliote-Nyx
===========================<<♉︎♉︎>>=================
Endyr greedily scanned his Status, taking in his absorbedly high Luck and decent Charm. His other Stats matched what he guessed they would, averaging E Rank (excluding Luck and Charm).
He then focused on each individual Stat, hoping to gleam more from them. The System did not disappoint.
[Strength: How much physical force one can exert.]
[Speed: One's movement speed, agility and reflexes.]
[Defence: How much damage is negated upon receiving it.]
[Vitality: How tenacious you are and how fast you regenerate.]
[Intelligence: Your learning, comprehension and deduction capabilities.]
[Mana: How easy it is for you to use Mana and how strong your Skills are.]
[Luck: How likely it is for good things to happen and for situations to end in your favour.]
[Charm: Your aura, appearance and aesthetics rolled into one.]
After gaining a deeper understanding of how Stats worked, Endyr dismissed the window and focused on his Bloodlines next. He had two: Atrazark-Zephylte and Hyppiliote-Nyx. The names sounded quite strange, so he asked the System for a deeper explanation.
[Atrazark-Zephylte: A Bloodline bestowed by {Zephylte, Archon of Air and Truth}. Grants wielders control over the Air Element and a natural ability to detect deceit or lies.]
[Hyppiliote-Nyx: A Bloodline bestowed by {Nyx, Archon of Darkness and the Moon}. Grants wielders control over the Shadow Element and strengthens them under the moonlight.]
Endyr nodded in satisfaction after he finished reading about his Bloodlines.
'So, I have a dual Affinity for Wind and Shadow? Sounds pretty neat, and the passive of being able to detect lies is also handy. The boost under moonlight is good too.'
'Hey System, what's with the naming of my Bloodlines?'
[The name of a Bloodline is determined by two things: the distributer of the Bloodline and its inheritor. Your Bloodlines were created by {Nyx} and [Zephylte}, two Gods and the Bloodlines are utilised by House Atrazark and House Hyppiliote, meaning only members of said Houses can use them.]
Now that all his important questions had been answered, only one remained.
'Hey System...how come I only gained 40 Levels from killing an assassin that as obviously in the Master Tier at the very least?'
While he asked politely, Endyr was secretly pissed at missing out on so many Levels. It is impossible to just Tiers in one go, but he should be in the 90's for Mortal Tier rather than a flat Level 40.
[When Host used his {Mana Manipulation (EX)} Skill, the soul of the target was obliterated. Therefore, there was less EXP to be given by the System.]
Endyr froze upon hearing the answer, before letting out a long sigh. 'Was my attack really that powerful?'
[Yes]
Endyr grumpily returned to his bed and lay down. 'Guess I might as well sleep for real now'