He walked towards Flaw, pushing the debris aside and helped him up. I assumed Alter Egos were stronger than their masters, but I was wrong. I need to be careful next time; I can't be endangering the life of Flaw and mine. I cannot afford to assume. Amon reflected on the situation.
Although Flaw had been ganged up by the corruptions, no injuries were seen on his body, no wounds, no ripples or tears. In fact, he looked rather fine, and better than before. That's strange, does he have some kind of regeneration abilities? Let me check his status. Amon thought.
"Status"
A bright window appeared before his eyes.
== << [| STATUS |] >> ==
Alter Ego: Flaw
Age: 0
Unique Aspect: Infinite regeneration | Comprehension | Growth | ????????
Path: ???????
Dominion: ??????
State: Good
Realm: Mortal | Rank: F | Level: 2
== << [|------|] >> ==
"Its actually good." Amon murmured. His eyes murmured as he checked the unique aspects. "Huh…"
"We need to get going," Amon said, turning to move. Flaw fell into step beside him.
They crossed the bloodied corridors, stepping over fallen corpses, and searched the other rooms along the way. Finally, they reached a staircase tucked into the corner.
The metal steps were rusted and cracked, groaning under even the slightest weight. Amon's eyes flicked over each one warily, calculating their strength. He quickened his pace, skipping some steps entirely, moving with cautious urgency up the unstable stairwell.
As they went up, Amon kept wondering about his clothes. These clothes aren't suited for battle, He thought, looking at his bloodied robe; If changing clothes were as easy as changing Identities, I would have done that sooner… Perhaps I will change to some clothing more suiting to this new role, when I go back home.
They now reached the second floor. Doors were lined up in rows before them, all opened. No chandeliers were here, no couches, no kitchens, no tables, only the fresh smell of the dead, and silence existed here.
"Go into that room and search for anything that resembles a necklace. If you find anything, teleport to me immediately." Amon commanded, his index finger pointing sharply toward the door at the end of the rows.
Flaw moved without hesitation, slipping into the room Amon had indicated.
Amon exhaled, a faint sigh escaping him. "Alright… now it's time for me to do my part."
He folded his hands into a precise writing gesture, tracing words on thin air: I have a compass that leads me to whatever I seek.
Instantly, a black compass materialized in his palm. Its needle quivered for a heartbeat, then swung with uncanny certainty, pointing directly at the door in the middle of the row. Amon's eyes narrowed; the path ahead had revealed itself.
Amon felt a shiver crawl up his spine as he pushed the doors open. They shrieked suddenly, the sound sharp and jarring, sent a jolt though his nerves.
"Urgh… why did Val leave me for God's sake?" he grumbled, easing the tension from his shoulders.
The candle followed him as he went in, lighting up the room around him. This room was unlike any other he had seen before; A ground of hard soil, with runes, sigils, and marks carved to it.
What Amon saw made him freeze.
Seven skeletons gathered around a Circle.
The circle was carved from dead flesh and from the blood of dead animals.
Three eyes overlapped at its centre, layered one within another, each seeing a different truth. Six wings were fused into a single sigil, three on the right were angelic, white and pure wings were on the right and the three wings on the left were infernal, dark and grim.
Dots, runes, scars, and markings crawled across its surface, symbols, words that could not be comprehended were etched to the ground. Three triangles interlocked, pointing inward and outward at once.
Around the circle lay blood; Dark red, thick and ancient, saturated with sacrifice. It pulsed faintly, as if remembering the lives it had consumed. The seven skeletons stood veiled, their forms obscured, their presence heavy, golden crosses adorned their necks. Each radiated a different aspect; seven colours, seven authorities, seven fragments of divinity.
Above them loomed structures like crosses, towering and silent. Upon each cross hung a skeleton, broken and offered, withered away with time and nailed by fate itself.
These were neither sacrifices nor victims in the usual sense; they were something older, more enigmatic, their purpose unresolved, left for another time.
The sight sent shivers through Amon's spine, sending a jolt through his nerves. Damn, I can't just stay here, I've got a task to complete. He brushed the feeling off, looking elsewhere for any clues, he searched the place for any item that resembled a necklace but found none.
Just as he was losing hope and bracing himself for the next fear that awaited him in the other room, he caught sight of a necklace hanging from one of the crosses. No skeleton was nailed to it; only a small chain bearing a central pendant: a glass casing filled with a golden liquid.
He stretched his hand outward and grabbed the necklace from the cross that was hung on the dim walls.
"It seems I have completed the task-" Amon spoke in relief, only for a growl to be heard.
"Grrruurhrurhhhhhh!" The skeletons began to shiver and recoil, the bones began to vibrate, shaking and creating cracks in the crosses. One of them burst outward and charged him, carrying a slender sword, it swung it at his head.
Amon instinctively took several steps back. Inventory! he commanded. A bright, void-white cube flickered into existence before him, its form shifting and unstable. He plunged his hand into it, seized his gun, and fired three shots in rapid succession. The dull thud of impact and the final clatter of the skeleton's death echoed through the room.
The other skeletons began to shake uncontrollably, as if a necromancer were trying to summon them. They vibrated violently until the crosses shattered into pieces, then lunged at Amon. They carried no weapons, only a malicious intent to kill. Amon widened the distance between them and fired another seven shots in rapid succession; each aimed at the head.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
The gunshots rang out in quick succession, followed by the heavy thuds of collapsing skeletons.
He released a sigh of relief as he looked around his surroundings, making sure no skeletons would ambush him. He turned his gaze to the skeletons around the circle and fired fourteen shots in rapid succession; each one aimed at the head and the heart. I know they're not moving, but I need to be sure; I don't want the skeletons ganging up on me again! He frowned.
He turned his head, and left the room, closed the door shot, and put his gun back into the white-void cube. "Flaw, come here," He commanded as soon as get downstairs. Immediately, Flaw appeared beside his feet on the bloodied carpet.
"Inventory," Amon commanded, placing the necklace, and the compass into the void-white cube. They pushed the gigantic black doors open and stepped outside the house, leaving the grim interior behind.
The stood in the brown grass of the courtyard, surrounded by graves, and little gates. Suddenly A being appeared before them in swift motion; It was Val.