The declaration drowned out every other sound in my head, finally giving me some sort of semblance of calm as my composure slowly returned, and with it, a foreign, invigorating feeling that I was completely unfamiliar with hit me.
My body felt strange.
No…
It felt new, healthy and normal.
Most importantly…
There was no pain.
No annoying, frustrating, scratching pain. No sudden bursts that woke me up in the middle of the night with sweat trailing down my body, further enhancing the sensation.
Hahhh…
A sigh of comfort left me while the creature in front of me slowly pulled back and kneeled on the floor. It's body tense with reverence.
The voice sounded out once more. It was filled with awe and a trembling reverence.
"Bane, you are a blessing. You are the carrier of Infinity, Eternity and Wisdom. Your words will be the words of the Esteemed Ones, Your eyes will be our wisdom. Your arms will be our weapons, and Your health will be our Eternity. I beg of thee to accept my allegiance, then my body, my will, my life will be yours. All I- no, all we want from you is to destroy the creatures of the Void and create Balance once more."
As its words rang out, the collective voices in my head came to a stand still. It seems all of them had come to a silent agreement. This time they didn't cause as much of a ruckus as when I first came here. I got the feeling that it was out of respect and reverence that they didn't speak.
All of these events confused me to no end, the words they spoke, the way they spoke. And the sounds in my head. It was too much stimulation for someone like me who didn't have the slightest idea what they were talking about or what they wanted of me. I knew I was now officially in my nightmare. However, besides that, I didn't have a clue as to what to do, I didn't have any knowledge to go on for survival. All I had in my arsenal was the webtoons I had seen on display or the stories I had heard from the other denizens of the outskirts. Though that wasn't much to go on unfortunately. But complaining again and again about my fortune will do nothing but worsen my state of mind, and I'd rather die from my actions than die a fool who didn't know what to say.
So I opened my mouth, or at least tried to. No response came, matter of fact, the soft feeling of my tongue was nowhere. Which made me very uncomfortable. I tried to look around but I couldn't. I could only see what was in front of me, and now that I noticed the wide view of vision that I was so, so familiar with was gone. Replaced with a very narrowed, tunnel vision. I became disoriented, my head swirled as I reached out frantically for my face.
only to be met with a white, robust, muscled arm with thick fingers ending in black nails. My hand, my heart, my body and my thoughts became rigid. too stunned was an understatement.
'What is this?' I could only question, a question which wasn't answered. A question which will remain unaswered. My eyes wasn't working as I was used to, neither did my head. My whole body felt foreign. I tried to take a step forward, only to stumble a second later, feeling the weight of a heavy appendage going down my back. My body suddenly felt very heavy as my limited vision spun on itself, falling face first into the ground.
Thud!
I groaned in protest.
'Damn it!'
The creature appeared a bit startled at my fall before it hastily came to my side and picked me up onto my feet. Putting my arm on its shoulder, it guided me out of whatever room or place we were in. Its voice Resounded in my head again, a hint of shame under it.
"Forgive me, my liege. The fact that you're a Bane made me treat you as one. You have just been born. Newborns find it difficult to communicate or control their bodies. I'm sure you can understand me and I'm also sure you can't respond properly. Don't worry yourself, you will be aptly trained by me, Iron. A king of infinity."
Hearing Iron's words that turned confident at the end, I let out a secret sigh of relief. It seemed it will take some time till I became familiar with this new body and complicated mind. So all I did was give a nod of understanding at its words.
It smiled softly at my answer, how I knew it smiled? I don't have the slightest clue but I guess this is one of their kind's way of telling their emotions or expressions. After all, the only noticeable expression on its face was the huge disturbing grin that never twitched.
As for my legs, they felt much more solid. As if they wouldn't break no matter what hit them, perfectly holding up my probably heavy body. My point of view was also way higher too, meaning I was taller compared to my normal body. It was all so different, unfamiliar and strange. Like a dream.
My strength too, I could tell I was already stronger than I ever was. The amount of strength I possessed was easy to be drunk on. I wondered what my Aspect was.
Yes, my Aspect.
My Aspect.
'Wait! My Fucking aspect! I can't believe I forgot something so important. Did the darkness really affect me that badly? Anyway, wasn't there supposed to be a screen giving me information about it? What did they do in the webtoons that I saw? It was a word they said every once in a while. Come on my memory, don't betray me now.'
My head went into overdrive as I recalled my memories of the dramas, movies, webtoons, or anything that had a bit of a relation to the spell that I have watched or just brushed my eyes on.
'Come on, come on. What was it?!'
'Ah…'
The answer hit me a few seconds later.
'Right, that was it.'
I took a deep exhale…
Before firing off in my head a multitude of words.
'System, status, information, me, myself, powers, abilities, Aspect…'
One of the words apparently worked as shimmering runes started to coalesce right before me. Eventually settling into a page of characteristics and symbols I couldn't read but their meaning was well understood in my mind.
'I guess this is one of the spell' functions. One more thing to learn too is the language, to at least get an idea what it's about. That is, if I survive. So… let's see if my luck is going to fuck me up again or not.'
***
Name: Ariel.
True Name: —
Rank: Aspirant.
Soul core: Dormant.
Memories: —
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Shaping], [Blessing of infinity], [Blessing of Wisdom], [Blessing of Eternity].
Aspect: [Soldier of Balance].
Aspect Description: [A soldier Born from blood and war. The embodiment of Balance. Its will, Infinite. Its body, Eternal. Its eyes, full of Wisdom. Resistance to ————, it's feared and envied by the Gods.]
***
'Alright, that doesn't explain everything. But it still provided some context. First of all, I'm a soldier, meant to bring balance? I guess. Second of all, those three words that I have been hearing since I came hear. Infinity, Wisdom, and Eternity. Maybe they are some form of higher power? I'm not too sure but they are treated with the same reverence the people of the outskirts treat a stack of food that tastes like shit. And third of all, that sudden blankness in the description is quite strange and whenever I focus on it my mind becomes empty. A mystery for later I suppose…'
'Oh… also the gods… they were real? I have heard some crazy, drug addicts talking about them, or they were mentioned briefly in the movies or dramas. But that was it, they were just pieces of fiction. If I survive I will research all of these things and gather as much information as I can.'
Outside, on my unmovable facial expression, my wide grin twitched for a second.
'Aside from all that, I'm not completely helpless, and the fact that I'm a newborn means that there must be some sort of training drill awaiting me. Because as powerful as these creatures sound, they still have to begin somewhere. Especially for me who doesn't have any experience in such matters'
Lost in my thoughts, a gentle ripple ran through my head without my notice. Making me feel 'naked'.
And in the next moment…
'Urgh!'
My vision expanded immensely, bringing minute, minuscule details into my mind. I buckled onto my knees, stressed breaths rushed out of my mouth in tandem. The veins on my head throbbed and bloated up painfully. Hitting me with a tide of pain.
The tide of pain started to slowly chip away at my sanity. With it, an influx of knowledge of my surroundings drove straight into my mind, and I nearly passed out without even processing any of the information. But, underlying beneath the knowledge was…
An intent.
A terrifying one. Its whole purpose was to destroy me. It hated me, its hate was so deep, so ancient that I started to choke. The suffocation, the shivering fear, the cold, the thick sweat running down my back was intolerable.
Drip… Drip…
Something wet slithered down my face, hitting the floor. And it didn't stop, matter of fact, the stream of what I assumed to be blood continued with a stronger, unnerving intensity.
Then…
Iron's familiar voice rang out. Its tone guiding.
"Don't resist it my liege, it's a normal procedure that happens to every one of us, our minds are adapting themselves to the natural corruption of the Void. You should've felt it by now my liege…"
Its voice suddenly rose in intensity.
"The Void…"
"It wants to consume us."
A bitter chuckle sounded in my head.
"It happens to every newborn. Of course not all of them manage to supress it. I've watched a number of children losing themselves and… I hope you come out victorious because…"
Silence ensued for a second before its voice once again pierced through the madness that was accumulating in my head.
It sounded tired.
"You're our only hope left."