Thirty-One: Death Guard
Dusken's vision cleared, and he found himself seated on a small rock in the middle of a vast blue sea. He was no longer wearing rags, instead, he was dressed in traditional, samurai clothing.
He was adorned in a loose, light-coloured robe with wide sleeves. His wrists and forearms were tied with crisscrossed wraps, giving him the air of a seasoned combatant.
A dark sash tied around his waist kept the robe close to his body. Strapped to his back was his dark sword, completing his appearance as a young warrior.
His clothing consisted of a loose, light-coloured robe with wide sleeves. Crisscrossed wraps secured his wrists and forearms, giving him the air of a seasoned combatant.
Dusken observed himself, a strange light flickering in his dark eyes.
He took in his surroundings: endless water in every direction, except for a single point of difference — a castle looming in the distance. The area around it was shrouded in darkness.
Low-hanging black clouds swirled above the castle, pierced occasionally by streaks of dark lightning. The sight was ominous and foreboding.
'That's probably where the core of this inheritance lies. That voice said we only have five hours to fight for the inheritance, or die,' Dusken thought, his gaze shifting to the sky.
The sun was setting, but unlike the warm orange hues of an ordinary sunset, this sun was a deep blue, casting the world in an ethereal azure light. Dusken's mind, however, was preoccupied with finding a way to cross the ocean and reach the castle that held the legacy of Nothing.
Lowering his gaze, he stared at his reflection on the water's surface. His pale face stared back: short white hair, dark obsidian eyes, and an ashen complexion that seemed almost ghostly. His build appeared slightly more mature than it had been.
'So, that's how it is, huh. gods truly are overpowered,' Dusken mused.
When he had entered the trial, his body had transformed, aging him beyond his ten years. He had initially suspected he might have taken on another's form, but now his theory was proven wrong.
The god of darkness had aged him to approximately fifteen within the trial, explaining why he hadn't recognised the other candidates.
All of them, like him, had been ten years old when they entered. Now, at fifteen or sixteen, they were almost unrecognisable.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Dusken summoned his soul script.
[Name: Dusken
Innate Name: -
Rank: Awakened
Level: 1
Abyssal Points: [92/1000]
Spell Cards: 1
Scrolls: 1
Material Cards: 3
DeathNote: 0
Entities: [Open]
Talent: Abyssal Star
Talent Rank: Ultimate
Talent Abilities: [Darkshadow Manipulation]
Side Abilities: [Scion of the Abyss]
Innate Abilities: [Dark Flame]
Legacy: None]
'Interesting. Ninety-two abyssal points from thirty. War is indeed a very resourceful endeavour,' Dusken thought. Without the battle, his progress would have been negligible.
His attention shifted to his material cards.
'Oh, from one material card to three. Not bad, not bad at all.' He nodded inwardly, his gaze returning to the word "Entities" on the screen, which appeared to prompt him to open it.
The soul script could display as much or as little information as Dusken desired. He could consolidate categories, such as "Talent Abilities," into a single word like "Open" to save space and simplify navigation.
He commanded the script mentally, and it updated itself.
{Entities: [Ebon]
Entity Type: [Death Guard]
Rank: Awakened
Level: 1}
'Hmm, interesting. It seems there's more to this Death Guard than meets the eye,' Dusken thought, reading further.
{Ebon's Information: [An entity created by an Abyssal Star borrowing the authority of an Abyssal Demon.]
Ebon's Abilities: [Death Hunt]
Ebon's Side Abilities: [Shadow Mind], [Shadow Pool]
{Death Hunt Ability Description: [This guard can locate its master's enemies and hunt them down.]
'This ability isn't designed for direct combat but is devastating if used strategically,' Dusken thought, a dark smile playing on his lips as he recalled the youngsters who had ambushed him.
He continued reading.
{Shadow Mind Ability Description: [This Death Guard has a strong mental connection to shadows and is tightly linked with them.]
Dusken recognised this as the perception Ebon had shared with him earlier. The thought made him curious—did Ebon possess its own consciousness? If so, could it rebel one day? Or would it remain subservient forever?
A smile curved his lips. Even if it were true... so what?
His gaze returned to the script.
{Shadow Pool Ability Description: [This Death Guard's poisonous nails can transform lifeforms into pools of shadow.]
That concluded the information on Ebon, his so-called Death Guard. Dusken pondered on some things. Not all of Ebon's abilities were here.
The ability it had used to bind his shadow wasn't here. The ability it had used to affect his mind wasn't here and there was also the fact that its wings had disappeared.
He also wondered whether its creation was solely a result of his talent or if the god of darkness had intervened.
After all, Nothing was also the god of death. However, what about an Abyssal Demon? Who was that being? Was it an entity of the abyss or a servant of Nothing?
In a way, was he the son of the abyssal demon? After all his side ability was Scion of the abyss, making him the son of all abyssal entities.
Shaking his head to dispel the piling questions, he decided to summon Ebon.
As the thought crossed his mind, his shadow began to shift, and something crawled out of it. The form gradually solidified into a kneeling Ebon.
Dusken scrutinised the creature. It looked much the same as it had in life: black hair covering its body, dark, narrow eyes, thin, bony hands, and strong, muscular legs.
The difference now was the black smoke emanating from its form, making it appear even more menacing.
Cautiously, Dusken stretched out a hand to touch the Death Guard. He flinched instinctively, expecting the black smoke to harm him, but it didn't. Instead, the sensation was strangely neutral.
'Hmm, all good. The only thing I don't know is how it grows stronger or levels up,' Dusken thought.
When Ebon had killed the beastman earlier, it had been Dusken who received the abyssal points, not the Death Guard.
Turning his attention back to the vast expanse of water and the distant castle, Dusken contemplated the challenge ahead. The journey would be anything but easy.
'How do I cross this ocean to reach the castle? Once again, I'm stranded,' he thought with a shake of his head, letting out a silent sigh.
"Don't tell me I have to swim," he muttered under his breath, scanning the endless water. With no obvious alternatives, he suspected swimming might indeed be his only option.
Still, he hadn't yet checked his new material cards. That could wait. Time was slipping away, and the five-hour deadline loomed over him like an insurmountable mountain.
As the final ray of the blue sun vanished below the horizon, the stars in the sky suddenly shone as they formed a beam.
The beam fell towards the surface of the sea and immediately they came in contact with each other, the sea roared to life.
Its calm surface transformed into a roiling expanse as the waters surged towards him.