[Prepare for Appraisal…]
'Can it really be?'
The starry void was vastly different than the red glow of the Heart's chamber. Slowly but surely, little pricks of light showed up in the darkness to confirm she was no longer in the ancient kingdom. It took her eyes a few moments to fully adjust.
It would take even longer for her mind to comprehend what had just happened. After months in the Nightmare, she had finally broken free.
It sounded too good to be true!
As if to contradict her, the Spell spoke.
[Awakened! Your trial is over!]
With measured cadence, it summarized her harrowing ordeal.
[A fair Noble entered as the sole heir of a kingdom ruled by a fire-fisted Queen. The young lady was determined to escape her fate no matter the cost. The crown found her anyway. During her brief reign, neither traitors, nor Tyrants, nor even a Terror could keep the young woman from protecting the people she was meant to rule. When the world fell apart, she held it together and replaced the Heart to become not only the Queen but also the Kingdom Keeper.]
Noble found the summary by the Spell interesting and strange. It made her look far better than she felt she had done.
'And it called me fair.'
Based on her students' recounts of their appraisals, Noble had long suspected that the Spell had certain preferences. Though what those preferences were was anyone's guess. It seemed that Noble's performance had garnered at least some praise from the bodyless voice.
The Spell continued without regard to her thoughts. It began to list all of her victims.
[You have defeated a Dormant Monster, Crag Beetle]
[You have defeated an Awakened Beast, Fractured Geode.]
The Spell's voice went on for some time.
[You have defeated a Fallen Demon, Mountain Regent...]
Once it finished with the hunt, it moved on to those slain in the final battle.
[You have defeated Dormant Beast, Soaring Sentinel.]
[You have defeated a Transcendent Demon, Kosi the Symncus.]
Noble tried to block out the words of the voice in the void, but they resounded like thunder in her head.
Kosi, sweet Kosi. It didn't matter that he was just a figment of the Nightmare. The feelings and affection she had for him were real. Losing him was always going to be hard, but having his name on her list of kills was almost unbearable.
Thankfully, the clinical recitation of her appraisal continued without pause. Creature after creature was named until Noble lost count. She was very glad there were no human victims among her casualties.
Even though finishing Ender meant justice for Kosi, Noble was glad that Nickel had helped exact that final vengeance. It was not her alone seeking revenge.
Finally, the Spell ended with the victory that mattered to her most.
[You have defeated the Fallen Terror, Bloom of Doubt.]
[You have restored the Heart to the Kingdom of Crestfall.]
[You have received the Attribute: Kingdom Keeper.]
[Your determination is commendable!]
[Final Appraisal: Amazing! A truly Noble Queen!]
Noble felt something odd in the way the Spell gave its final verdict.
'It really expected me to die, didn't it?'
Well, she had proved it wrong!
The voice in the void seemed to approve of her defiance, encourage it even.
[You have received a True Name: Child of Promise.]
There was no floor in the void, yet Noble felt a shock like she had touched the ground.
'A...what?!'
[The Third Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
Noble was about to Ascend. It had been years since she had exited a Nightmare. Back then she had been young and frightened.
Now she was, in a word, relieved.
Something inside her woke, causing a surge of power within her. Her body felt different, like it was being pulled apart and formed into something better.
Something stronger.
Noble's body and soul, which she could usually easily separate in her consciousness, suddenly began to mix and meld under the inferno of power now coursing through her.
Suddenly, Noble could sense her soul and body knit together. The two entities became one inseparable whole. The change was profound.
The level of control Noble had over her essence went under a qualitative change.
She was...powerful. The feeling was pure rapture. There was only one thing that could top the euphoria that she was experiencing just now. And with any luck, she would see that man's handsome face very soon.
So she let her body finish the transformation and imagined the happy times to come.
When the change completed, the fire inside her slowly cooled as a refreshing chill seeped into her bones.
Noble felt like a new person. In many ways, she was.
As Noble continued to assess her body, the Spell broke through her reverie.
[Awakening Aspect Ability.]
[Aspect Ability Acquired.]
Noble froze, awaiting the next words. Would she get something useful for her life? Good for combat? Or quirky and difficult to manage?
With the Spell, any or all of these were a possibility.
After a moment, the Spell finally whispered into her ear.
[Aspect Ability Name: Weight of Doubt.]
[Your Aspect Ability: Light as a Feather has Evolved.]
What a boon!
Noble summoned the runes to take a closer look at the flood of information she had received.
Name: Noble
True Name: Child of Promise
Rank: Ascended
Noble stared at the True Name, wondering at the meaning behind them. That is what the man had called her at the end of her first Nightmare!
Had it been a coincidence or had the Spell known then that it would bestow this name officially on her someday?
'I cannot believe that it was an accident. The Spell seems far too intentional to let something like that happen without its design...'
But there was no proof to back up Noble's claim. She would never know for sure, so she continued reading to the Attributes.
Attributes: [Clarity] [Quick Study] [Kingdom Keeper]
Aspect: [Mentalist]
Aspect Rank: [Sacred]
Innate Ability: [Window to the Soul]
Aspect Abilities: [Light as a Feather] [Hidden Feelings] [Weight of Doubt]
Noble focused on her new Attribute and Ability.
The new runes shimmered in the darkness.
Attribute: [Kingdom Keeper]
Attribute Description: [Those around you are safer while they are under your care.]
'That's promising!' Noble wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but the idea of keeping her family safe was more appealing than she could say.
The second set of information was just as interesting. Of course, her first two Abilities were familiar to her.
Aspect Ability: [Light as a Feather]
Ability Description: [The world around you must bend to your will. You can levitate and move objects as you see fit.]
This was the ability that had evolved. It took Noble a moment to realize what had changed. She could always move objects. But the wording before had been that the world "must respond to your will." Now it said bend. What exactly did that mean?
The next ability, for better or worse, remained the same.
Aspect Ability: [Hidden Feelings]
Ability Description: [Emotions are a tricky business, especially when you have the ability to influence others. Depending on your desire, you can lift others' spirits, darken their mood, or enrage an enemy into a frenzy.]
'At least I don't have to figure out anything new with that one.'
Now, below her other Abilities, a third item was present.
Aspect Ability: [Weight of Doubt.]
Ability Description: [A clear conscience can be lighter than air while a burdened one can sink like a stone. You can change the weight of objects at will.]
Noble read the runes and then read them again.
'I can already lift things and now I can change their weight?'
Was that a redundant power or a boost? Perhaps it was both. Or neither.
Time would tell.
[Your Ascension is complete.]
A smile came to Noble's face.
She had survived. And she was a Master!
The Spell whispered the words she had been longing to hear for months.
[Wake up, Noble.]
[Your Nightmare is over.]