"Hello --- ----, I don't know what you're saying right now, and I want you to know that while recording this message, I'm in great danger. So I need to be quick. Are you going to ask anything?"
The Yuell in front of him looked just like him, yet it felt more like a silhouette. His voice sounded like hundreds of whispers echoing in his ears. Moreover, it wasn't just coming from in front of him—the whispers felt like they were coming from behind, from the sides, from above and below. It was as if the sound had no source. It was everywhere.
"You... I'm sure I never recorded something like this in the past. Who are you?"
"Oh right, this is a recording, so I can't hear or answer your questions. I'll just explain everything one by one."
"--------------------------------------------------------------"
Yuell was sure he heard something, but... it was broken. Incomprehensible. He should've been able to understand it, but it was like something was missing. Forgotten... Still, he didn't even want to think about it.
Minutes passed like that. In the darkness, surrounded by incomprehensible whispers of his own voice and his own silhouette. Then suddenly, the whispers intensified—becoming unbearable. His ears rang, almost ready to burst. The noise never stopped, and the whispers seemed to be destroying him from within. For minutes, hours, maybe even days, he remained in the darkness with the whispers. He couldn't make sense of the passage of time. Slowly, he began to lose his mind.
But before going mad, he used his newly gained ability to leave himself a new recording:
"How about facing danger? What's the worst that could happen?"
Then the whispers took over, and Yuell went insane. Another day had ended...
...
As always, Luo was at Yuell's home. Yuell had fallen asleep resting his head on Luo's shoulder, and now he finally woke up. In the Inksworn Depths region, daylight came only at certain hours, and the time he woke up wasn't one of them—everything outside was still shrouded in twilight.
Yuell yawned and grabbed his canteen. He drank quickly—he was often very thirsty in the mornings.
He remembered something... He had encountered that giant owl sentinel and won the fight, hadn't he? Then when he turned around, had he seen something? Probably not—he didn't remember what it was. But he did remember a voice: "Luo, run now and never come back!"
But what had he seen when he turned around...
Ugh, it would definitely be better not to question it. Why was he even questioning it? It was definitely a mistake. Instead of questioning... maybe playing with Luo would be more fun, huh?
But he couldn't wake Luo up just for that... Let's see... were there any fish left from yesterday?
Oh, two whole fish! How many did he even catch yesterday to still have two whole ones left?
That was great news. Waking Luo up just to play would've been selfish. Instead, he could say he needed him to roast the fish, and then they could play after.
He walked over to Luo and nudged him. Luo opened his eyes and looked at the little boy. Yuell pointed at the fish in his hand. Luo took a deep breath and blew a pure white flame onto the fish, then closed his eyes again.
Seems like Luo really needed sleep—he had already fallen back asleep.
"Okay, I've changed my mind. I'll just eat the fish."
Yuell picked up the two fish. The flame didn't spread beyond them, so he could easily set them on a large stone. His eyes once again caught sight of the word "Yuel" etched into the stone. No one here ever called him by his name, but he had one. After all, he was the only human here. He pretended not to care and skewered the fish with two long sticks.
Then he planted the sticks into the ground and sat in the corner.
Maybe while the fish cooked, he should take a look around?
...
Wait, what was that bone over there? It was incredibly long—if he had found it outside, he would've brought it back to use as a spear. But he didn't remember ever bringing such a long bone back. He definitely had to make a spear out of it.
He approached the bone and lifted it up to examine.
"This thing... it must belong to some kind of insect-type Dhune... and it's a Level 2 Dhune!"
Finding a Level 2 Dhune piece was great news—it wasn't every day he stumbled upon one.
He put the long bone back where he found it...
Wait, what was that? As he placed the bone back, he noticed a hammer just beneath it.
"Okay, maybe I could forget a bone. But how could I forget a weapon I crafted myself? Could this place be a --"
"Wait, what was I saying?"
Yuell was in shock—he had forgotten what he was talking about while talking to himself. He might be the first person to do that.
He felt a moment of sadness. Then he turned around to check on the fish... they were nearly burnt. After all, Luo erased their soul traces so they wouldn't smell, and in his flame, they roasted without producing a burnt scent. That made them easy to forget.
Still, it wasn't too late—they were still edible. While they were in this state, he poured the last of his ink from the canteen to extinguish the fire. Then he happily ate his meal.
After breakfast, he went to enjoy the view, then resumed his daily routine. Go home, play with Luo, go fishing... The day was simple and monotonous, but he managed to catch five fish. He also found a Level 1 Dhune corpse along the way, which motivated him.
He usually ate two meals, but since he had caught extra fish the previous day, he had eaten that morning and was now on three meals.
As he returned home after catching five fish, he thought about making tea. He was sure he had heard his own voice—but he was also sure he hadn't spoken. He couldn't have said that... Still, he didn't want to think about it.
Later, when the crystals shone bright enough to illuminate the ground...
He went to the great plains. He walked toward the branches of the only tree in the middle of the vast field and plucked a fruit. He ate it facing the view.
Then he heard a voice.
"How about facing danger? What's the worst that could happen?"
That voice... it was his again? Strange. Even though he wasn't speaking, he was hearing voices.
He wasn't saying them, but... thinking about it felt... irrational. Maybe he should just act on instinct instead?
Really... what's the worst that could happen if he faced danger?
Yuel took one bite of the fruit, looked at the view again, then placed the fruit back on the ground where he had picked it up. Today, he planned to face danger.
He would go as far as his eyes could see.
Yuel first exited the large plains and tried to move forward—but he couldn't. He couldn't go beyond the point he had seen while admiring the view. At a certain distance, the colors started glitching, the environment pixelated. When he realized he couldn't go further, he had no choice but to turn back.
By then, much time had passed and the sky had suddenly darkened. In the skies of the great plains, a hunter appeared—a giant owl. He wasn't lucky in the encounter, and Luo wasn't with him. Yuell was killed before he could even understand what had happened.
...
Wake up
Go enjoy the view
Play with Luo
Go fishing
Eat fruit
Face danger
The same scenario played out hundreds of times. But all were forgotten.
...
Yuell yawned and stood up. He remembered something from yesterday. He had fought with the owl, yes—and then something approached from behind, and he shouted to Luo...
But he didn't want to think about it.
"Wait."
"That thing, is that the owl's head? When did it get here? I don't remember coming home—something's off here!"
But he didn't want to think about it. It was like something would destroy him if he did. As if his life was as meaningless as an ant's, and a god had commanded him to live this way.
He couldn't defy a god. Not until he reached that level...
So how would he do that? He didn't want to think about it, but he was smart enough—and the conclusion was simple.
If he was truly facing a titan playing with his mind, then his Bloodscript must have been activated. If his mind was erased, then the traumatic, soul-etched memories that could activate his power would've also been erased. A great battle where he risked his life... maybe even Luo's life...
He couldn't continue the thought—not because he didn't want to, but because he literally couldn't. Still, just that alone proved that if he had a Bloodscript, then everything he just thought must be true.
He took off his clothes, leaving only the bottom piece. He hoped the Bloodscript wouldn't appear in... sensitive places.
A Bloodscript is a power awakened by strong emotional events within the Undergarden, usually moments of collapse. When awakened, it appears as tattoos across the body. The shapes of the tattoos relate to the nature of the Bloodscript.
Ancient language is written across the tattoos, giving clues about the content of the Bloodscript. It's also said that each Bloodscript is linked to an ancient intelligent and powerful entity—a kind of titan—that once lived in the Undergarden. Because when you touch your Bloodscript, you can make a pact with that "thing" inside you.
When he removed his clothes, he saw a large line and spiral patterns extending from his left collarbone to his left ear. There were some spirals and lines on the collarbone, and ancient language written over them.
He turned his head further. It wasn't easy to read—it wasn't a familiar language and the angle was awkward. It was nearly on his back, and few people could turn their head that far.
Yuell somehow managed to read it. Four letters. "whi-is-phe-er." Whisper.
In the ancient language, it could mean either maddening ambiguous voices or divine voices leading to salvation. In simple terms—it meant whisper.
He touched the tattoo with his left hand to activate the Bloodscript.
He found himself in a black void, an infinite darkness. In front of him stood his own silhouette.
Then the silhouette spoke:
"Hello --- ----, I don't know what you're saying right now, and I want you to know that while recording this message, I'm in great danger. So I need to be quick. Are you going to ask anything?"
After that, Yuell tried to control his power and closed the recording. He didn't want to listen to it because it activated automatically when his power awakened. If he was repeating the cycle and was still here, it meant this recording hadn't helped before.
He had recorded about three messages. He could review all of them, but the first was highly suspicious. The reason none of the others had succeeded might've been because they followed the first one.
Wait—a new idea.
His power was whispers. Then why not make himself a kind of assistant? Something that wouldn't forget, that would think for him, scan his memories, and guide him?
After all, he wasn't in the mood to think right now—and he couldn't even figure out why.
He had to make a helper from the whispers...
But for that, he needed mana—the best fuel in the universe.
There was a second "but." Because this world was a repeat, he wasn't even sure it was real. And even if it was, he probably wouldn't find enough mana.
So he had to sacrifice something from his own body. He had to make a deal with that "thing" inside him.
If he lost his legs, he couldn't walk. His torso had organs, and bones held the flesh. His right arm was for fighting—he couldn't sacrifice that. Hair probably wouldn't provide enough mana—and he liked his hair. He could maybe lose his left arm and still fight. But maybe losing an eye would be better. As long as he had one, he could still see. But... he didn't want a blind spot.
Then it was decided.
Yuell touched the tattoo with his right hand, making sure his index and middle finger landed on the ancient runes. Then he tried to express his wishes, transmitting his thoughts to the Bloodscript.
In the next moment, Yuell's voice trembled—because he had succeeded.
To use his Bloodscript at full potential, Yuell needed mana. But the only mana source nearby was his sleeping body. So he used it—and sacrificed his ability to speak.