After passing out, Jody Trill's consciousness drifted to a strange place. He felt like he was floating in the middle of the pitch-black bottom of the ocean. He could not see anything. That is, until the little twilight imp popped into existence in front of him.
"Hunter status: Stasis. 178 stars and 300 crystals remaining. Spend forty twilight stars super-enforce process and regain consciousness?"
"Forty stars? That's daylight robbery! Wait. Am I…unconscious? No, that's not right… I'm clearly thinking. Is this not consciousness?" Jody was growing sick and tired of waking up in weird scenarios with nothing but a glowing creature of mysterious origin to keep him company.
Luckily, there weren't any seven-colored prompts or time-freezing Q&A this time.
"I would…better host…cheese wheel."
"Powerhouse…too risky…imbecile."
"It's so…baby spinach…dull! …Let's…toilet…goldfish?"
"Go away."
Jody could hear two voices that sounded far away. They were faint but becoming more evident. After a while, Jody could make out that they appeared to be speaking with each other. Even though their voices were far off, everything they spoke seemed to echo in Jody's heart. As time passed, through his focus, he became more hyper-aware of their existences and his own.
"But seriously, why couldn't I be the host of the souls, Sly? If you didn't want to do it, you should've just let me do it," said a childish and cute voice.
"Pah," the other voice made a spitting sound. He spoke coldly and indifferently but still had a boyish young voice, "Who the hell would ever be dumb enough to let you steer the ship? The situation is bad enough already."
"Now we're talking ships? I know I don't have my space license yet, but this is a petty excuse, no? Are you kidding me? I, your granddaddy, have been piloting since the womb. Plus, I would make an excellent host to those souls! Mom always says people are drawn to me," the childish voice spoke proudly.
"We are the 'those souls,' you imbecile! Tell me, who has a dumbass ancestor like you!? Plus, it's HOST. SOUL. Stupid!" Shouted the cold, boyish voice in exasperation. "Do you even know what a host soul is, X? No, you do not because your path to becoming a Great Sage has been effortless and without challenge. You know nothing of the intricate matters of the soul. This is the reason why you are unqualified. Honestly, why do I even bother talking to you?"
"Well, duh, who else would you talk to? Don't forget we're stuck in the abyss of dooming boredom until this soul's host guy gets stronger, or whatever," said the childish voice of this 'X,' matter-of-factly, before mumbling under his breath, "Besides, does the host even know what he's doing? If it were me, I would've been like, boom! Zap! Pow! Oh yeah! Free slaves! Let's rock! The takeover is televised, and the crowd goes wild, ahh. Ahhhh…"
"That's it. I've changed my mind. So what if you tried to save my life? When we finally get our lives and bodies back, I'm going to kill you," said the cold and indifferent voice of this 'Sly.'
He had just returned to calm when he noticed a familiar soul fluctuation.
"Huh?"
'Sly' and 'X' suddenly went quiet.
Jody felt a tingle from the inside and heard that cold and indifferent voice again. This time, it was like it was right next to his ear.
"Holy crap, kid, you made it here already? Decent talent, indeed. You managed to satisfy my standards barely. Though you're merely a soul thought, it can be considered an achievement. After all, considering your mundane competence, I never expected you to have such a strong spirit until at least thirty years later. Impressive, impressive. Hm? What's this? Some world art inheritance? No...heaven? Twilight! Well, now that's pretty fancy," 'Sly' casually said these insulting words to Jody before turning his attention to the twilight proxy.
"Who in the hell are you?" Jody called out into the darkness, feeling indignant.
"I am the Prince Syl… well, less of that. Whoever we were is now irrelevant. All you need to know is that we are in the same boat. I need you, as you will need me. We are three parts of a whole," said 'Sly' in his cold and indifferent voice. "I see you've begun the path of body transformation relatively young. Interesting. Being an energy artist of the twilight is the quickest way to ascend to the grandest heights.
"This saves us some time. However, your current path will hinder the advancement of your spiritual powers. The stronger your body, the slower your progress. Powerful bodies take more effort to reform, after all. Luckily, your Origin Body is simply shocking. It must be the luck of the Negus Supreme. Perhaps this would have never happened if Luerong were like you that year."
"If this path hinders my spirituality, how did I end up here?" Jody couldn't help but ask.
However, 'Sly' just ignored his question.
"From the look of his eyes, that little T'Zhanè punk should know a rather influential soul art. Perhaps he has passed it to you. If so, then I suggest you study it well. Although it may bind you to the fate of that fellow, it will be beneficial. The titans of old are said to be incredibly mysterious beings that rival the magic races of the God's Domain. Anyway, I also have a twilight-fueled ability. I shall also prepare a gift for you. Think of it as an investment… "
The twilight proxy suddenly froze and twitched before speaking enigmatically once more. This time felt far more majestic and influential.
[A transcendent hollowed soul wishes to gift you a Divine Legacy.]
[The Legion of Pharaoh exists above the heavens.]
[The True Pharaoh of Twilight is watching you.]
[Ten twilight stars awarded for being 'unique.']
[The domain of gods is vast and incomprehensible.]
[Oh, child of the world, men and women are born and made of the elements.]
[But you live with the spirit of the Divine within you.]
[Rise from your sleep of ignorance!]
[Be sober and thoughtful.]
[Realize that your home is not in the world but in the light.]
[Why have you delivered yourselves unto death, having the power to partake of immortality?]
[Using fifty-eight twilight stars to bless Nirvana Brand on the hunter's heroic leading soul with the truth of twilight. 130 twilight stars and 300 crystals remaining.]
"So ma…. agh!" Jody's thoughts shook, and he suddenly had a feeling of completeness overwhelm him.
After a moment, he recovered.
"Nirvana Brand? How torturous would that be if the twilight didn't bless me?" Jody wondered if this 'Sly' was trying to kill him and take over his body.
But he swiftly dismissed such thoughts.
He felt like something deep within himself had changed on a fundamental level. It seems the action from this 'Sly' had somehow triggered this reaction.
Jody was instantly bewildered by the things this fellow had said. This was especially so when he referred to the fierce Jupiter Titan from his memories as a little punk. Could this fellow be an acquaintance of Jupiter? He seemed so familiar with him, even referring to him as T'Zhané.
"You will naturally come to know the answer to these questions," replied this 'Sly' dryly, again bewildering Jody, who hadn't spoken.
'Sly' let out a long sigh. He felt a bit of deja vú when noticing Jody's reaction to his thoughts being seen through.
He sneered and said, "I am surrounded by incompetence. At any rate, your soul projection is beginning to fade. Remember well, boy. The fate artifact you choose must be a grimoire! You can recognize it as an ancient-looking tome or anything with a draconian ouroboros. You will understand when the day comes. You should feel an innate connection. Do you know anything other than contracting a grimoire will limit us significantly? Grimoires are one of the five Source Artifacts the divine Fate Truth forms.
"Each grimoire possesses knowledge of the Universal Truth! The best one for a hero! With your fate, I'm sure you'll be able to secure a grimoire."
'Greed more? More greed? Wait for what?' Jody had no idea what this voice in his heart was talking about. Who exactly is this guy?
'Furthermore, where are we? Wait, a gift? Perhaps this guy is not so bad. Besides, with the condescending way he spoke, he sounded like…'
"Hero? Ah! It's you! Wolf boy!" exclaimed Jody, which was accompanied by the giggling of the other voice, 'X.' Jody wondered if that voice was the dragon he saw or the sword. "Wolf boy, so you're still here! What's going on? What happened after the dragon ate us? Is this entire world inside the dragon? I had thought that it was a dream. Is the one with you the dragon or the sword?"
"You must become the dragon. On the Destiny Platform, you will be given myriad options based on your potential, but none of them will be more compatible than a grimoire! You are not the same as typical warriors. If you do not choose a grimoire, then I cannot help with the dragon." 'Sly' seems to completely treat Jody's question like a wind that blows past his ear.
He didn't even stop his thought, and he just kept going, "Without a grimoire, it will be near impossible to return to your home before your realm of power reaches certain unspeakable heights. A grimoire is a must if you wish for strength in a short amount of time! If you want to be a true Holy Sage!
"Only those chosen by divine artifacts can be considered Holy Sages. Titanic strength will be of critical aid, but do not underestimate the experts of this era! Of course, formulating a technique created by the Legion of Pharaoh may be incredibly difficult, but it will make you incomparably powerful. Far more than what the legacies of this world can do. However, it is not necessarily more than what you and I could achieve together!
"If you wish to conquer the stars and return to your home, being a heaven slaughterer will never be enough! The ancient Titans were long past dead in the land I came from! ALL OF THEM! Not a single warrior named Titan remained, but do you know who there was an abundance of? Hero Holy Sages and Great Saints! Saint Beasts and powerful Infinity and Eternal Fey! Even the mighty heaven slaughter race was forced to practice Saint Formula due to the risk of annihilation!
"Think about it, kid. You don't need to waste too much time on this. It won't be too late when you get a little older. Fight by my side, and we will break through the skies and soar through the heavens, conquering those who dare to challenge us!"
Suddenly, an enormous green blaze full of little black flames erupted in this pitch-black world and roared into existence. The flames quickly merged into emerald-glazed flames. Jody somehow felt nostalgia and déjà vu. An intimate feeling suddenly revived inside of him, making him trust the words of the wolf boy from before. Inside the flame, a gigantic wolf silhouette erupted into existence before Jody's eyes as it let out a world-shattering howl that rocked Jody's consciousness until it scattered away.
A magical nirvanic glyph shaped like a wolf with angel wings was branded onto his innermost soul. Golden-neon light wrapped around the brand as it settled into permanence.