Opening his eyes with a sigh, Elias stared at the ceiling with an icy cold gaze. He had finally succeeded in awakening his rune.
Yet, Elias knew that it was only the beginning. Even if the rune of the End had awakened, it still didn't allow him to defend himself. He still needed to find a manifestation to be able to protect himself.
Turning his attention inward, Elias focused on where his aperture should have been. Instead of every cultivator's usual colorful orb, he found a black hole—a dark, empty void that absorbed all light.
This void was the Rune of the End. It's true form once activated.
As he stared into the void, Elias experienced a strange sense of comfort and peace, a rare event considering the rune usually suppressed most feelings.
Yet, this tranquility wasn't why he kept his gaze fixed on the void. The broken, dark letters lingering in the corner of his vision held his attention.
The more he examined those letters, the more a sense of familiarity and nostalgia washed over him. It felt as if he were reconnecting with a long-lost part of himself, an aspect of his existence that had been dormant until now.
Ignoring the whisper of something beyond death, Elias focused on those letters. Each letter was chaotic, meaningless yet clear as day, and written in a thousand languages no mortal mind could comprehend.
The words were a jumble of symbols and characters, incomprehensible gibberish. Yet, somehow, they made sense to him.
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[Rank: 1]
- [Lifespan: 82.01 years]
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[MANIFESTATIONS]
- [Rank 1 Manifestation slot]: [Free]
- [Additional rank 1 Manifestation slot price: 50 years]
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- [Rank up cost: 100 years]
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"... It has been so long since I last saw these words," Elias whispered, his voice barely audible. He had indeed seen these words countless times before. After a long moment of silence, Elias shook his head and sighed.
He had long wondered about his purpose, but now that he had finally awoken his rune, he could no longer avoid the question: What was his actual goal in life?
Until now, he had been trying to survive, but for what? Why was he trying to survive? What was the purpose? Why didn't he just let Liandor do whatever he wanted despite knowing his plans? He had no goals, ambitions, or dreams.
For Elias, life felt like an endless, empty corridor stretching out. Whether he lived like a beggar or a king made no difference to him—both lives seemed and were essentially the same.
He ultimately chose to end his first life after winning Forgotten Games. He wasn't interested in living a long or exciting life. He felt like he had already lived for an eternity through different characters. It had been enough for him.
Moreover, he couldn't feel pain or joy and was not interested in those fleeting and ephemeral sensations.
As he pondered this for a long moment, a realization dawned on him.
He had no desire to live a happy or fulfilling life. He only had one desire. A desire that had been with him even before he was reborn and that kept him alive in his first life. Deep inside, he knew why he tried his best to survive and become stronger until now.
"I want to see the end of this world and witness the final act it has to offer," he thought.
It was as simple as that. He was not interested in the so-called 'happiness' or 'pleasure' others sought. He only wanted to experience the end, to see the conclusion of this world.
Yet, this desire was not driven by curiosity ...but a deep-seated hatred for the world. Elias wanted to see the world's end because he despised it. This was the only thing he desired: to see the world end.
One might think the rune of the end was manipulating him by giving him this desire, this hatred. But Elias knew better. He was confident the rune had nothing to do with it. As a matter of fact, the rune suppressed all his feelings, including hatred.
His hatred was just so intense that it could not be suppressed completely, if not at all. The rune did not influence his mind or push him into anything whatsoever. His hatred for all and everything was not the rune effect but his, to begin with.
Turning his attention back to those cursed letters, Elias' gaze lingered on the broken letters. He could see the number of years he had left
'...But If I want to see the end... Some sacrifices will be needed,' he thought as his gaze slowly turned cold, almost lifeless…
Little did he know, a true monster had just awaken.
As Elias examined the letters floating in his rune, a knock on the door interrupted him.
"Young master Elias, your family has returned. They are asking for your presence," a servant announced.
Elias frowned slightly. 'They are already back?' he thought. He had hoped for more time before meeting with his family. With a swift motion, he got up from the bed and walked towards the door.
Opening the door, Elias found a middle-aged man dressed in a plain gray robe standing on the other side. The servant's eyes widened slightly upon seeing him, and an uneasy feeling seemed to take hold of the man. Instinctively, the servant took a step back, avoiding Elias' gaze.
"Y-young master Elias, you should hurry. Your family is waiting for you in the dining room," the servant said, forcing a smile.
Elias did not respond and simply walked past the servant, heading towards the main hall. The servant watched him leave, a strange unease welling up within him. 'What was that? Why did I feel so uneasy suddenly? Nothing changed, though...' The servant shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "It must have been my imagination," he muttered.
As Elias made his way to the dining room, his mind was filled with numerous thoughts. Approaching the room, he could hear muffled voices coming from inside. His family was already gathered. Entering the dining room, he saw his entire family sitting around a large table, their expressions solemn.
Looking around, he noticed that his brother Raymond was absent.
"Mother, Father, Grandpa! You're back! I was waiting for you. Where is brother? How was the awakening ceremony? Is his talent high?" Elias asked, his voice filled with concern and excitement.
"Raymond is currently in his room. He is still recovering from the awakening ceremony," Liandor replied, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Recovering? What happened? Did something go wrong during the awakening ceremony? Is he okay?" Elias asked, feigning concern expertly.
"Sit down, Elias. We have something important to discuss," Ray said, his expression darkening.
Elias nodded and sat down beside his mother, who kept looking at him with a strange expression. Somehow, she seemed to have noticed something wrong with Elias.
Liandor's tone turned serious, a mix of anger and gravity."We have something important to discuss. Don't interrupt me," Liandor repeated, emphasizing the importance of the conversation.
Without saying anything, Elias nodded.
"The awakening ceremony was a disaster. Raymond's talent is extremely low... He is not even a rank 0 talent, but an unranked potential," Liandor said, his voice filled with frustration.
There was a loud silence.
'Unranked potential... I see. So this kid's talent was probably extremely low even before even taking candies from me. Great, that would make things easier after he dies.'
The Potential of All aperture consisted of 12 ranks. Most people would assume that a rank of 0 black potential would be the lowest, but it was actually the second lowest.
The actual lowest was the unranked potential.
There was a significant distinction between unranked potential and other ranks. While a rank 0 potential indicated a damaged and quasi-unusable aperture, an unranked potential meant having no aperture at all.
This absence of an aperture, despite the individual being awakened, would be disastrous for the cultivator.
Since an awakened individual naturally absorbs aether from the surroundings, having no aperture would mean that the absorbed aether would circulate uncontrollably within the body, slowly leading to the individual's death.
This condition resembles the rank 10 perfect potential aperture but for a different reason.
In the case of rank 10, the aether absorbed is so pure that it cannot be contained within the aperture. Instead, it escapes, circulating in the body in a way that also results in a slow and painful death.
Both unranked and rank 10 potentials, though on opposite ends of the spectrum, would share the same fate.
"Ah ... W-What? So that means ..." Elias stammered, feigning shock and surprise.
"... Yes. Raymond will die soon if we do not find a way to save him," Ray said, his voice barely above a whisper.