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Chapter 11 - Decision

Elian felt a flicker of delight. He had his Relic now. He could see Aether and he could use it to fight.

That meant he could survive.

But then, the doubt crept in. Was that really true? Could he really fight against those monstrous things lurking in the darkness, the things that defied reason, just because he had a single Relic and can use Aether now?

"No… I don't think so. There must be some training I need to do to master this power. I can't just think I can smack through everything now that I've got a Relic."

Elian took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His excitement slowly gave way to caution.

He couldn't let this get to his head. Power meant nothing without control.

"First I need to understand how it works."

He found a quiet corner of the chamber and crouched there, hidden beneath the jagged shadow of fallen stone. The sky's red hue filtered faintly above him but here he could be still and focus to think.

He closed his eyes and tried to recall the ember-red writing he had seen earlier—the ones that had appeared in his mind. He reached for them with his thoughts, searching for that strange connection.

To his surprise, it worked.

The glowing letters appeared again, not in the air this time, but within his inner vision like looking at the surface of water from below.

But they were different now. The writing not announcing anything, but displaying something else.

It shows details and information about the Relic he had just bonded with. Just like what he wanted to know right now. 

=====

Name: Sleeping Ember. 

Grade: ??? 

Status: Dormant.

Type: Charm Relic. 

Description: A fragment of something ancient, born from dying flame and silent shadow. It resonates with the soul of its bearer and binds to the depth of their soul. Warm to the touch. Able to burn beyond just flesh.

Effects: 

– Stabilizes fatal wounds by cauterizing damage with soul-flame.

– Enhances Aether Flow ability over time. 

- Give the bearer the ability to sense another Relic in close proximity and tame them to a certain extent.

Abilities: 

Shadow Merge: Grant ability to merge with shadows, make the bearer invisible as long as the Aether keeps flowing.Flame Brand: When activated, the bearer's attack gives the target a Soul-burn effect.Small Flame Creation: The bearer is able to conjure a small flame.

Warning: 

The true nature of this Relic is obscured. 

=====

Elian just stared at the glowing text for a while, his brow furrowed in thought. There was still a lot he didn't understand, and that alone made him uneasy. The warning at the end especially. It unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.

This Relic might be dangerous. He didn't even know the Grade yet.

He wasn't surprised, though, after everything he had witnessed so far.

Even so, he shifted his focus to the abilities listed.

"All of that looks strong. But I still don't know how any of it actually works. It must need Aether to activate those abilities.

"Then there's the Relic's effects. It can seal my wounds with flame. Not exactly healing but cauterizing. But still, it's better than bleeding out.

"It also enhances my Aether Flow ability, that's definitely good.

"And it lets me sense nearby Relics and 'tame' them. I guess taming means I can suppress their negative or corruptive effects, at least to a certain extent."

Elian gave a small nod to himself.

But even now, it didn't feel like enough. This couldn't be everything. There had to be more.

"This writing is supposed to also show me my state right now."

He shifted his focus away from the Relic and instead concentrated inward, on himself. His thoughts reached toward the power that had revealed itself earlier and willing it to show his condition, not just the Relic's.

The glowing ember-text pulsed, then reshaped itself into something new:

=====

[Ashbourne Status.]

Core State: Awakened (Rank 1: Flicker Core)

Aether Flow: Active—Stable. 

Aether Affinity: Fire, Shadow.

Relic Bonded: Sleeping Ember. 

Relic Grade: ??? 

Relic Status: Dormant. 

Vitality: Low. 

Strength: Low.

Stamina: Low. 

Aether Pool: 6 /15.

— 

Wounds: Stabilized. 

Perception: Enhanced. 

Abilities Available : 

– Shadow Merge. 

– Flame Brand.

– Small Flame Creation.

=====

Elian kept staring at the ember-colored writing floating in his mind, his frown deepening.

He was still confused—but at least now, he understood a little.

"The Aether Pool… it's what I use to activate those abilities. But my max is just fifteen? Is that normal? Or is it too low? Can others hold more than this?"

He shook his head and pushed the questions aside. 

He sighed and sat down, slumping against the stone wall behind him. His body still ached, but the pain had dulled into something he could ignore.

Then… he felt something.

A slow gentle current flowing inside him. 

He focused on it and checked his Aether Pool again. It was already filled by 7 / 15.

"It's regenerating while I rest." Elian nodded slowly, his eyes half-lidded in thought. "So if I give myself time, I can recover the Aether I spend. That's… good."

Because of that, he leaned back further, let his muscles relax, and decided to rest a bit more.

He needed it. His mind was still spinning with everything that had happened.

Now that he had awakened, now that he could feel the Aether and had a Relic to his name, he had two options.

One was to rest until the next cycle of the day arrived. When the sky turned softer, the red glow would fade and the world would brighten slightly. That would mark the end of this cursed night time. Maybe it would be safer to move then.

Or two, he could start looking for another Relic. After all, the Sleeping Ember gave him the ability to sense nearby Relics and even tame them to a certain extent.

If he could get another Relic, that meant he could come back stronger.

And in this world, strength was the only thing that mattered.

Elian sat in the silence, letting the Aether flow around him. His eyes remained on the crimson sky visible through a crack in the ruined ceiling.

"Maybe I should go and look for another Relic."

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