Unknown(Pov)
Raizel moved with quiet purpose, guiding Cassie — the blind girl — by the hand toward the far side of the small island. The rising sun was just beginning to stretch golden fingers across the stone and sea, painting the forgotten shores in soft hues of fire and mist.
As he was guiding her he said nothing, but he knew what he was doing.
There was a certain creature that is going to arrived at dawn.
As light broke over the horizon, Sunny and Nephis stirred. Nephis blinked herself awake, then immediately froze, her face reddening. She realized with dismay that she had spent the night asleep on Raizel's lap. Embarrassment bloomed in her chest, but Raizel remained impassive, his gaze already on the brightening sky.
Nephis quickly shifted herself, as she moved towards, who asked for the incident that happened at the night.
As the two girls were chatting.
Sunny awoke moments later, his eyelids fluttering open as memories of the previous night came rushing in.
'I almost died.'
He sat up with a sharp breath, his eyes scanning the area. Raizel. Nephis. Cassie. All of them were alive, as he was about to speak.
"!...!..!" When a sound.
A faint, rhythmic beating, almost like thunder far away.
'Wings?'
Sunny turned his head toward the sky, squinting against the sun's glare. He raised a hand and pointed toward a small black speck in the distance.
"Hey… what is that?" he asked, voice still rough.
Everyone except Cassie turned their heads, following his gaze.
The dot grew larger, sharper.
Then it came — descending like a predator upon its prey, landing near the ruined corpse of the Carapace Centurion with terrifying grace. Wind exploded outward as the massive creature touched down, stirring dust and broken stone in its wake.
The thing was enormous — easily twice the size of the slain monster. Its body was pale and sinewy, disturbingly human-like in musculature, but built like a lion. Two powerful hind legs braced it, while six clawed limbs protruded from its broad chest, twitching and scraping against the ground. Its talons shimmered like obsidian.
Long, black feathers adorned its neck and stretched out into vast wings that blocked the morning sun. Its head was that of a bird — a raven, specifically — but grotesquely oversized, with bulging eyes and a hooked beak that glinted like polished onyx.
None of them spoke. No one dared breathe too loudly.
They watched, hidden behind shattered rocks and jagged stone, as the beast began to feast. With savage elegance, it tore through the Centurion's thick armor as though it were paper, cracking bone and chitin with ease.
Once it had its fill, the creature snatched several scavenger corpses in its talons. Then, with a thunderous flap of its wings, it ascended back into the skies — the force of its departure whipping their clothes and hair as if a storm had passed.
It flew west, shrinking into the distance like a fading nightmare.
There was a long silence.
"Raizel…" Sunny asked, still staring at the sky, "Do you know what that thing was?"
Raizel remained quiet for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
In his mind, the name surfaced.
'Spire Messenger.'
'This thing come very quickly then it original time.' Thought Raizel as he already know what this creature was.
But to everyone, he simply said, "I have no idea."
Sunny accepted the answer with a slow nod, though he knew better. Raizel always knew more than he let on, but not like he can get an answer from him.
Still, there was work to be done. He returned to his practice without complaint, gripping his sword and beginning his usual regimen — two thousand strikes. A ritual. A discipline.
But today, something was different.
Each swing cut the air with greater sharpness, more fluid precision. His body felt lighter. His strength surged deeper. He could feel it — a strange, unfamiliar power stirring beneath his skin, pulsing faintly like a sleeping heart.
It wasn't natural.
He paused for a moment, panting lightly, and glanced toward Raizel.
He knew exactly where this new strength came from.
From that blood.
The blood that had saved his life.
'Just what are you…?' Sunny thought, narrowing his eyes.
But Raizel, as always, stood still and unreadable — a statue carved in cold marble, with secrets buried too deep for even the sun to uncover.
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Raizel turn his gaze at Nephis, who had a blank expression on face. Her state has gotten a bit better after she woke up, but from her trembling hands he know that she was far from better.
He then turn his gaze too Cassie as she was just looking at the distance with no light in her eyes.
'Let them think what they want to think.' with this he stood up and decided to walked towards the western edge.
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Raizel(pov)
"sigh."
A breath escaped my lips as I stared at the towering crimson spear in the distance — far too distant to touch, yet tall enough to pierce the heavens.
'Fate… it's doing everything it can to push those two together, isn't it?'
Last night's incident was proof enough. The plan I devised had been flawless. Not a single variable left to chance. I had calculated every step, made sure Nephis wouldn't need to rely on her Aspect at all.
'And yet…'
Thanks to Sunny's blundering carelessness, everything nearly fell apart.
Just thinking about that slave makes my teeth itch.
'How does someone like him manage to screw up so consistently?
'...If only he wasn't the main character.'
Another sigh.
I looked up at the red spear once more, watching its silhouette glow against the early light like a divine warning.
'Well… fate can try all it wants. But I'll make sure of one thing — Nephis won't need anyone but me.'
As those thoughts passed through my mind, I heard soft footsteps approaching.
'Speak of the devil.'
I didn't bother turning. I already knew it was her.
Nephis stopped beside me without a word and sat down on my right, close but not too close. I could feel her glance my way.
Quiet and Hesitant.
'She wants to say something,' I thought, almost amused. She wouldn't have come otherwise.
'It must be something related to how i know about her aspect or flaw should i say, and the fact that i tried to stopped her from healing Sunless.'
As i was thinking about this when unexpectedly, she leaned her head on my shoulder.
The weight was light. Careful.
We said nothing.
Just sat there, watching the horizon.
Two people with too many scars and too few words, clinging to the silence like it was the only thing holding us together.
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Unknown (POV)
"…Nephis," Raizel said, his voice as beautiful and cold as ever.
"Hm?" she replied, quietly.
"Why did you save Sunny last night?"
The question hung in the air like a blade. Nephis shifted slightly, her body tense.
After a pause, she answered.
"…He's an ally."
'Ally, huh?'
Raizel's expression didn't change, but his thoughts stirred. That word sounded too convenient.
"But didn't you tell me once, 'Be careful, Raizel. That pervert might be an enemy'?"
At that, a flush of embarrassment colored Nephis's face. She remembered — painfully so — the words she'd spoken back when she first met Sunny.
She turned her head, clearly trying to avoid the question. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the moment.
Nephis turned slightly. Sunny was walking toward them, his expression unreadable. He stopped beside Raizel, then sat down in silence, following Raizel's gaze to the horizon.
A long moment passed.
"…Thank you," Sunny finally said. "Both of you. For saving my life yesterday."
Raizel didn't respond. Nephis glanced at him, then at Sunny. After a breath, she said, calm and composed:
"There's no need to thank us. We're allies."
'Allies, again.'
Sunny gave a faint smile and nodded, though something lingered in his expression. Then, after a pause, he spoke again:
"…Nephis. It's your Flaw, isn't it? The pain you feel when you use your Ability?"
There was a pause. A quiet moment of hesitation.
Then Nephis nodded.
"Yes."
Sunny looked at her carefully. She was sitting still, her posture composed. The wind tugged gently at her short silver hair.
"What does it feel like?"
"…Like burning alive."
"…Like burning alive."
To his surprise, Raizel answered at the same time. Their voices overlapped.
Nephis turned to Raizel in shock. Her eyes narrowed, confused.
"How do you—"
"It's my Flaw," Raizel interrupted, cutting her off before she could finish.
Both Sunny and Nephis fell silent, unsure how to respond.
Raizel sighed.
'They don't understand. Not yet.'
But they would, and Raizel knows this, if not now, then in the future they would come to know.
But it didn't matter if they did know his flaw. Even if they knew everything, they couldn't stop him. Couldn't defeat him. Couldn't overpower him.
Not in this life and not even in the next life.
"I feel pain," he said quietly. "Not my own. The pain of others. Ten times stronger than what they feel."
A stunned silence followed.
Nephis stared at him, horror slowly dawning in her expression as her mind connected the dots.
"…S-so last n-night, when you s-stopped me—"
"Yes," Raizel said simply. "If I hadn't… my soul would've been shattered."
A lie, delivered without a flicker of emotion. His soul was too powerful as it could never be destroyed by anyone. (Soul protection) attribute will make sure that his soul is protected, as the tiny damage that was caused by Nephis Flaw was almost fully healed, the barrier surrounding his soul was also strengthen.
Nephis looked down, shoulders trembling. A small tear dropped silently onto the ground.
Sunny didn't speak. He just stared at Raizel, trying to process what he'd heard.
'To feel pain that isn't yours... amplified tenfold. How the fuck is he still sane?'
His mind flicked back to the battle—Raizel killing all the monsters in one or two strokes, unfazed, emotionless. But that not all as he has been carrying all three of them to safety afterward too.
'Last night when he was fighting the scavengers, when he throw them off the cliff.'
And through all that… he'd been in agony.
Sunny looked at Raizel. Then at Nephis. And finally, at the horizon.
'One burns alive to use her power… while the other one suffers the pain of everyone around him.'
He lowered his eyes.
"…I'm sorry," Sunny whispered, slowly.
Raizel turned toward him, his voice calm and cold.
"What are you sorry for?"
"I… I should been more careful. Nephis wouldn't have had to use her Aspect. *And you… you wouldn't have suffered*."
His voice trailed off at the end, barely audible.
Raizel glanced at Nephis, whose head was still bowed, then looked back at Sunny.
"Don't blame yourself," he said quietly. "It's just pain."
Nephis's head snapped up. Her eyes locked on Raizel's face.
'Just pain?' she thought bitterly, grinding her teeth.
She looked away, her jaw tight.
Sunny didn't respond. But his expression darkened, sorrow creeping into his eyes.
'Just pain', he repeated silently.
The three of them sat there for a long time, quietly. Nephis stared out toward the horizon, her thoughts lost in some place beyond words.
Sunny followed her gaze.
And Raizel — as always — remained still, unreadable, and alone in a silence only he could understand
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Seeing no one speak, Raizel decided to check his runes.
Name: Raizel Dark Solomon
True Name: - Prince of Darkness
Rank: Sleeper
Dark heart: 1/--
Dark essence:1050/2000
Memories: - Dark Suit, Epic, The change, Null, Azure sword(5), Azure axe(5), Azure spear(5), {Starlight Legion Armor}.
Echoes: - {Carapace Scavenger}.
Attributes: (Broken string), (Costume change), (Cold-hearted), (Dark), (Dreamspawn), (Elementokinesis), (Eyes of truth), (Genius), (Immortally), (Prince of Noble), (Soul protection), (Superhuman)
Aspect Rank: ---
{Aspect name: Child of Darkness}
{Innate ability: Dark absorption}
{Aspect ability: Illusion Manipulation}
{Aspect ability: Telekinesis}
Aspect Legacy: Legacy of Dark
Power of dark heart: Completion rate 65%
'Hmm it seems like i need a thousand more Dark essence to form a new core to form.' Thought Raizel while looking at his Dark essence, he know that his essence could have been a hundred more if he didn't use it on his Echo.
Raizel looked at his aspect legacy as he saw that his dark heat has increase to 15%, going up to 65%.
'Interesting.' Raizel couldn't help but think of what would happened if this were to go fully 100%.
Will he get a new heart or something inside of him will change.
Then his gaze landed at the memories, looking at numbers of memories he has gotten he decided to check them out.
The runes change again as he saw new runes appearing.
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Memory: {Azure sword].
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Memory Enchantment: {Warforged]
Enchantment Description: Forged for war, this weapon is slightly tougher and sharper.
Memory Description: {In the cursed land of Forgotten shore only steal remember.}
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Memory: {Azure axe].
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Memory Enchantment: {Warforged]
Enchantment Description: Forged for war, this weapon is slightly tougher and sharper.
Memory Description:{When the Fallen Legion fought, the axe were the first weapon to cut enemy in half.}
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Memory: {Azure spear].
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Memory Enchantment: {Warforged]
Enchantment Description: Forged for war, this weapon is slightly tougher and sharper.
Memory Description:{When the Fallen Legion fought, the spear were the first weapon to draw enemy blood.}
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Raizel sit still, silently reviewing the new memories. The weapons shimmered faintly with dormant power, each brimming with centuries of violence and silent oaths.
'There really are a lot of weapons…' he thought, his gaze drifting across them. 'But I don't need them.'
It wasn't pride. It was a fact.
Raizel didn't hoard power—he mastered it. One weapon was enough. One blade honed to perfection, in his hand, was worth more than a hundred in the hands of lesser men.
Still… he kept looking.
'Tch. Can't predict the future anymore. Everything's too unstable.'
Even certainty was starting to feel like a luxury. With the timeline already twisted, having options couldn't hurt.
He began skimming the memory descriptions again. Each one carried a story… violence buried in poetic fragments.
'Interesting. Every one of them is different—subtle, but deliberate.'
His attention shifted to the enchantments. All the same: Warforged. Not flashy, but reliable—his kind of enchantment.
'Efficient. Durable. Clean.' He nodded once, approving.
Not that he expected much use for them. But still…
Raizel closed the memories and moved on to the next one, his eyes widden a bit as he looked at the last one.
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Memory: {Starlight Legion Armor].
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Armor.
Memory Enchantment: {Enduring}, {Heal}
Memory Description: {Born in the all-consuming darkness, seven valiant heroes made an oath to return light to the cursed land. Time has erased their names and their faces, but the memory of the defiant oath still remains.}
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'Hm. So this armor didn't end up in Sunny's hands after all.' Raizel's gaze lingered on the memory rune before dismissing it. In the book it was said that, Sunny had acquired that armor and later gifted it to Nephis.
But things had changed now. Raizel had it. Another ripple in fate's current.
His cold eyes shifted toward Nephis, as he spoke.
"Nephis."
She turned her head, tilting it slightly in silent response.
"Hm?"
"Give me your hand."
Her expression shifted into mild confusion, but without question, she extended her right hand toward him.
Raizel removed his black glove. His fingers met hers.
'Soft…' That was Nephis's first impression.
Despite his violent capabilities and cold nature, his hand was… soft. Smooth. Almost delicate. It felt like touching fine silk—warm and gentle. Nothing like her own hands, marked by countless spars. Covered in calluses, faint bruises, and healing cuts.
And then— Zzzp—
A small jolt surged through her. Her eyes widened slightly.
A faint shimmer of runes flared to life between their palms.
{You have received a new Memory.}
'A Memory?' Nephis blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected it.
Physical contact was required to transfer a Memory. He had just given her one. She instinctively tightened her fingers slightly… but Raizel pulled his hand away.
A small hint of disappointment crept into her chest as the warmth faded.
"I got it after we killed the Centurion," he said flatly. "It's armor. Should keep you from running around half-naked now."
Nephis stiffened.
Her face flushed with heat as a sharp memory surfaced—of that day, her body exposed, her legs parted, her pride gone.
Across from them, Sunny's brain exploded.
'Naked?!' he thought, blinking rapidly. He looked at Nephis, who had a faint blush blooming on her cheeks, then back to Raizel. His imagination filled in a scene he wasn't ready to process.
He turned away immediately, his own face turning crimson.
'Nope. Not thinking about that. Absolutely not.'
Oblivious to Sunny's spiraling thoughts, Nephis softly muttered, "...Thank you."
Her voice was quiet, almost gentle—barely audible over the wind. But Raizel heard it.
Without another word, she walked away from the cliff's edge, turned to face them, and summoned the Memory.
White light shimmered.
Piece by piece, armor began to materialize.
Snow-white greaves and vambraces appeared first, forming a sleek base layer over her black bodysuit. Then came the pauldrons and cuisses, fitted perfectly to her frame. A polished breastplate emerged last, engraved with seven radiant stars, covering her chest without hindering movement. Finally, a helmet with a flowing white plume took form.
The seven stars—identical to those etched into the ancient stone knight they had seen—gleamed in the morning light.
The armor was beautiful. Light, elegant, yet clearly built for war. It protected without restricting, and it somehow emphasized the striking contrast of Nephis's pale silver hair against the jet-black underlayer.
She dismissed the helmet, letting her hair catch the breeze, and summoned her sword. A few graceful, testing movements—pirouettes, angled swings—followed. The armor moved with her flawlessly.
Satisfied, she sheathed the sword into nothingness.
Raizel observed with his usual neutral stare.
"So. How is it?"
Nephis allowed a rare, faint smile to touch her lips.
"Much better."
From a short distance away, Sunny watched the two interact, shaking his head softly.
'Well, she has armor now. That definitely boosts our team's combat effectiveness.'
He looked at Nephis, now chatting quietly with Cassie, her plated armor reflecting the dawn light.
Yeah. Things were changing. And fast.