Jay sat on the hospital bed, dressed in patient clothes, his body carrying the sharp scent of medicine. He had been asleep for days. Now, he stared blankly at the large window in his room.
In his mind, he had contemplated jumping from it more times than he could count. But every time he tried, the fear of death overwhelmed him. An instinct for survival always took over.
'Maybe I'm just a coward,' he muttered to himself, frustration growing inside him.
"If you're thinking about jumping, you won't die from this height—especially with your ability. It's only the tenth floor," came a voice. Albedo, sitting calmly in a chair beside Jay's bed, spoke while delicately cutting an apple with a knife.
'He can read my thoughts,' Jay realized, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
"Well, kind of," Albedo replied, confirming Jay's fear.
Albedo, meanwhile, was equally surprised. 'Strange... my mind-reading Skills are working on him,' he thought.
"W-what?!" Jay stammered in shock, his voice cracking.
After a moment, he composed himself, though his voice was still shaky. "I... I apologize, Lord Albedo."
"No need," Albedo said calmly, not looking up. He finished slicing the apple and ate it, never offering Jay a piece.
"By the way," Albedo said, reaching into his pocket, "I found this. Thought you might want it."
He placed a round sunglass on Jay's bed and stood to leave. Before stepping away, he added, "If you're interested in becoming stronger, why not become my disciple?"
Jay stared at the sunglasses, memories of that certain incident flooding his mind. But this time, he didn't cry. He clenched the sunglasses in his hand.
"If I become your disciple, Lord Albedo… will I be strong enough to protect someone?"
"That depends on you," Albedo replied. "But with your innate ability, I'd say you could do much more than that."
Jay, hearing those words, slowly put on the sunglasses.
'Please… watch over me, Mr. Hank.'
"I'll do it," Jay declared.
"Then you'd better start calling me Master," Albedo replied with a small smile before turning to leave.
*******************
In a vast domain blanketed with windswept grass, a massive boulder stood in its heart. Its surface was draped in a white cloth, adorned with countless talismans, each one fluttering faintly as if alive with spiritual power. The stone loomed in silence, unyielding, radiating a quiet, impenetrable aura, as if daring any who stood before it.
Noah stood just a few feet away, gasping for breath. His chest heaved as he fought to steady himself, the fatigue evident in every tremor of his body. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his skin had peeled away, blood trickling down the blade's handle, staining it red. Pain rippled through him, but his eyes remained fixed on the stone with a gaze full of unshakable resolve.
His body screamed for rest, but he ignored it. Spiritual energy surged through his spiritual veins like a coursing river, gathering slowly in his hands before flooding into his sword. The blade gleamed, encased in a shimmering aura-his Sword Aura-layered in power. His muscles tensed as he swung.
[Battle Art: Empty Blade]
The strike tore through the air, an arc of energy slicing toward the boulder with a force that seemed capable of splitting the earth itself. With a metallic clash echoing through the air, Noah felt the impact of his blade striking the large stone reverberate through his body.
Yet, when the dust settled, the stone remained untouched, not even a scratch. Noah's gaze flickered across its surface-there were faint marks, scars left by others who had trained before him, but none from his own strike.
Disappointment surged within him. His grip faltered for a moment, his eyes narrowing in exhaustion. The weight of the Domain pressed down on him, stifling his cultivation, reducing him to the strength of a mere Non-Awakened. He wasn't ready. Not yet.
But deep within, a stubborn flame refused to die.
"No... I'm not done yet."
His voice, though soft, was edged with fierce determination. He forced himself to stand tall, steadying the sword in his trembling hands. Once more, spiritual energy flowed through him, more intense this time, as if in response to his resolve. He swung again. And again. And again.
This was the test of the Sword God's Domain-a grueling trial designed to strip a swordsman of everything but their swordsmanship. In this place, cultivation meant nothing, only the purity of the Sword Aura mattered. The goal was simple yet nearly impossible: damage the unbreakable stone, forged to withstand even the greatest Sword Auras. If a swordsman succeeded, they would receive the legacy of the Great Rasura, his Will of Ascension.
Noah's strikes became relentless, his body moving on instinct despite his exhaustion. Each swing echoed with the memory of his fight with Jin, a rival whose strength had pushed him beyond his limits. A slow smile crept onto his face, fueled by the memory of that battle.
"Jin," he murmured between heavy breaths, "here and now, I, Noah Camael, acknowledge you as my eternal rival."
With each strike, his Sword Aura grew thicker, more intense, more alive. The emptiness of his blade slowly filled with emotion—anger, happiness, fear, courage, and finally acknowledgment. It thrummed with purpose, resonating with the full spectrum of his feelings.
"I understand now.... The Empty Blade isn't about emptying oneself of emotions, but about channeling them into the blade, filling it to completion."
[Inherited Art: Empty Blade Reversal]
In one fluid motion, Noah swung his sword, pouring every ounce of his energy, every emotion, into the strike. The Sword Aura, now thick and radiant, collided with the boulder.
For a brief moment, silence.
Then, with a deafening crack, the indestructible stone split cleanly in two, severed by the overwhelming force of Noah's will.
Noah stood motionless, his sword still raised, his eyes locked on the broken boulder. Slowly, a sense of calm washed over him. He had passed the test, not by overpowering the stone, but by understanding the true essence of the blade.
The legacy of the Great Rasura was his.
*******************
In a dimly lit room, countless candles flickered in a perfect circle, their flames dancing like restless spirits. At the center of the circle sat Luke, naked, vulnerable. His neck, usually hidden beneath a scarf, was fully exposed, revealing the grotesque scar that marred his skin. It looked as though his head had once been severed and crudely sewn back with coarse, unnatural threads.
He sat in eerie stillness, the room heavy with tension. A strange symbol, drawn in dark red liquid, marked his abdomen, its meaning lost in the oppressive silence.
Suddenly, a voice, low and malevolent, shattered the quiet.
"Give up already. You can't resist me forever. Sooner or later, I'll take your body."
The demonic whisper reverberated through the room, and the candle flames flickered ominously, growing dimmer as though suffocated by the presence of something ancient and evil.
Luke clenched his fists, his jaw tight. "Shut up… that day will never come. I will never... never kill anyone." His voice trembled with defiance, each word a struggle against the darkness clawing at his soul.
The voice chuckled darkly. "Really? You almost killed that creature last time. For a moment, I thought your body was already mine."
Luke's eyes flared with resolve. "That will never happen," he spat, his voice stronger now, fueled by the promise he had made to himself. "I swear it."
The shadows seemed to recoil from his words, but the battle was far from over.
*******************
On a small, secluded mountain near the holy city, the sound of relentless strikes echoed through the still air.
Kora, a short boy with unruly green hair, stood alone, his fists pounding into a towering tree. He had trained here every day for years. Despite his effort, he had never been able to perform any Art or Skill. Worse still, he hadn't leveled up since he Awakened three years ago. Others grew stronger, but he remained stuck, an anomaly in a world of power.
With one final punch, his fist connected with the thick trunk, sending the massive tree crashing to the ground. He stood panting, frustration etched on his face.
"Damn it. Failed again."
He had been trying to channel his spiritual energy into his fist, but once again, he couldn't do it. His energy wouldn't respond, slipping away like sand through his fingers.
But failure didn't faze him. Without missing a beat, Kora dropped to the ground, immediately starting a set of one hundred push-ups. After that, he was off, sprinting for twenty kilometers down the mountain trail, his legs burning but his spirit unshaken.
"Even if I can't use Arts or Skills," he muttered under his breath, "I will still become the strongest."
His voice was low, but the fire in his heart roared louder than ever. Determination fueled him as he pushed his body to its limits, training long into the night until he finally collapsed, unconscious, on the cold earth.
When morning came, he awoke sore and bruised—but with the same fierce resolve. Without hesitation, he began training again. Nothing could stop him—not failure, not pain, not even the impossibility of the task.
*******************
"In the dark, moonless night,
A single ray of light took flight,
With a burst, so loud and bright,
Fireworks blazed, claiming the night.
I sit beneath the empty sky,
Searching for the moon that I
know's not there,
Memories stir, long left behind,
In the city where lights unwind.
The Festival begins again,
A spark of joy, where shadows end."
Jin sat on a bench atop the hill, gazing over the sprawling city beneath him, bathed in a sea of twinkling lights. Above, the night was alive with fireworks, bursting in vibrant colors, painting the sky with a fleeting brilliance. It was the Festival of Lights, where people celebrated the darkest night of the year by lighting the heavens with explosions of joy.
He watched them, his gaze fixed on the skies. Near midnight, the crowd below would release floating lanterns, illuminating the sky in a breathtaking display. Slowly, people gathered around the park, eager to witness the scene.
Jin's mind drifted back to when he celebrated the festival with his mother and sister. He remembered how they'd light sparklers together, their faces glowing in the light, only for the sparks to fizzle into the night, leaving behind a fleeting trail of warmth. A faint smile tugged at his lips, the bittersweet memories lingering.
His attention swift to the translucent screen floating before him, hovering in the air like an apparition only he could see. He'd been trying to figure it out for a day now. His experiments revealed several truths—no one else could see it, and no one else seemed to possess anything like it.
"Must be that bastard's doing," he muttered. "I'll find out soon enough."
His eyes flicked to the countdown displayed on the screen, set to expire at midnight. As the hour approached, the park grew crowded, its vantage point one of the best for viewing the fireworks. Multiple bursts ignited the sky, a cascade of vibrant light forming radiant flowers above the city.
The countdown hit zero.
Hello Master. Please grant me a name, the screen displayed.
'A name?' Jin stared at it, unsure. He thought for a moment. 'Let's call you Ru... No, I'll deny that for now.'
The Name Granting phase has been temporarily cancelled at your request.
'What are you?' Jin wondered aloud.
You have an unread message.
'A message? Show me.'
In response to his thoughts, the screen revealed a message left by Future Jin.
How have you been, me? As promised, I've created a new soul for us. But I didn't stop there—I also built this system, like the ones you read about in novels. Oh wait... I forgot, you don't know much about this world yet.
Jin's brow furrowed, irritation bubbling. 'You bastard...' he thought.
Since we've lost our Mathematician, I created this system to stabilize your growth. All the Skills, Arts, Abilities, and Artifacts are stored here, waiting for you to unlock them by meeting the requirements. It's modeled after a system I liked from a novel... you should read it too. I think you'd enjoy it. If you want to understand how it works, start playing games.
'Games? Like cricket...?' Jin muttered in confusion.
The message continued.
This system will unlock your memories and reveal the truth about everything as you grow stronger. As for me, Jin... Promise me, don't become the failure I was. I hope that you'll become someone worthy of being her son.
"You fool..." Jin whispered, his emotions conflicted.
The message ended, and the screen shifted to display his current status.
---
Name: Jin Asmodeus
Age: 28
Race: Human (Noble)
State of Existence: Deep Sleep
Spiritual Energy - 48
---
Body: Greater Tempered Body
Mind: Chrono Mind
Soul: Forgotten Black Void
Will of Ascension: None
---
Traits: Undying Soul
Adaptation
Understanding
Null All
Limitless
Copy
Protection of
Stigma of Crimson
---
Paths: Path of Sword
Path of Martial
Path of Magic
Path of Illusion
---
Innate Ability - None
Unique Skill - Seer of Unseen, Equal
Skill - None