Time seems to slow down; every second felt like a mountain of agony. But Ash didn't have to wait for much because the verdict came, and fortunately, it was in his favor.
"I will allow it... huhu! He has satisfied us enough."
Hearing this, it took all of Ash's effort to stop himself from laughing hysterically.
"Thank you for your mercy, my lords... I will never forget it."
Even though he was cursing their seven generations, there was nothing but words of flowers on his tongue.
"Haha!! That's right, they are marvelous... now leave the stage for others..." Saying this, Monarick signaled to the guards to accompany him to his cell.
"Now let's call out the next set of guests, shall we..."
Following the guards' footsteps, Ash was moving out of the colosseum when a voice rang from behind. The host was saying something to him.
"Prepare to be ready, for I will select an even more special guest for your next dance."
Hearing Monarick's words, Ash didn't reply and let the darkness overwhelm him.
Behind the cover of his mask, his lips curled up in a smirk, for he knew that this would be his first and last time. He would either die trying or leave this hellhole before the next summoning.
Having some peace to himself, Ash turned his attention to his body and observed the injuries he had sustained.
'A head injury... fucker...this still hurts.'
Even though it hurt, Ash didn't regret his decision to disable the shield at the last second. The colosseum's host was already suspicious, and if he had come unscathed from that attack, there was a high risk of getting caught.
'My ribs are broken as well... sigh! There are so many other wounds. How will I manage to escape with this body? Will I be able to move far away?'
Feeling the pain with every puff of breath he took, Ash clenched his fist and traced his escape route in his mind.
Tak! Tak!
The sound of their steps echoed in the silent hallway, forcing Ash to take a deep breath. The constant pondering of strategy made him forget the pain that came with each breath.
'Let the item be something healing-wise…'
Praying, he called upon his Nexor and gazed at the new addition that had appeared beside the ember section.
'Imp, tell me everything about this ember.'
At his words, a little creature appeared out of thin air and sat on his head. Snapping his finger, he made a screen appear in front of Ash.
Ember: [The Long Lost Gift]
Ember Description: [Once, a man lost everything in the hope of a better future. The journey for redemption had him lose even the last semblance of humanity.]
Ember Rank: [Primor]
Ember Tier: [I]
Enchantments: [Pure]
Longing: [...]
Blessing: [....]
A quick look and Ash understood the gist of everything, but the last two sections, Longing and Blessing, made him turn his head toward Imp.
'Hey, little guy, can you explain what these things are…'
Nodding, Imp flew around before explaining things.
[When a creature is near death, there is a chance of their extreme desire manifesting. These desires express themselves as longing…]
'Like a last death wish?'
[No, not exactly a last death wish… it can be their last wish… mostly it is, but it could also be their extreme desire. Their inherent ability and many more things like that. A simple way to understand this is that longing defines one's life or the regret of their death. Hmm! Did it make sense to you?]
Imp asked with a hint of doubt.
'Yeah! I understand… I'm not that dumb you think me.'
[Sigh! You have to be at least this much to be my bond.] Puffing his chest in pride, Imp continued, [The blessing is the… well, blessing you receive from completing their desire.]
'Ohh! Got it…'
Nodding, Ash once again looked at the shimmering screen in front of him and read from the start. He found the description a little sad but didn't dwell on it.
'Let's see what I got…'
Reading the word pure, he feared the worst. And its description soon proved him right.
[Enchantment Description: The last wish of a daughter protects your soul. When worn, you are a little resistant to rot.]
'So, it's not related to healing… what a bummer…'
It was bad, but Ash didn't lose hope; there was still a blessing left. If the longing were something easy, he could complete it and salvage the situation.
But soon he was to realize how naive he was.
Longing: [One day, the man killed a monster, but instead of malice, he found a ring hung upon its neck. With trembling hands, he reached for it. The truth dawned upon him there; the corruption had swallowed more than what is known. Crushed under its weight, he lost even the last remnants of hope.]
Reading these words, Ash found himself in the position of the soldier. The grief and the horror he must have realized after understanding the truth about the monsters.
The truth that he was killing his own species. The truth that his efforts mattered not in the face of insurmountable corruption. The truth that a spark couldn't defeat an abomination.
'This isn't the time to be philosophical…'
Shaking his head, Ash took a deep breath. The pain coursed through his chest as he gazed upon the blessing.
Blessing: [Rid the world of its corruption, and you will be blessed with the ability <Flame of Purity>]
Reading the words, Ash couldn't help but roll his eyes at the absurdity of the task.
'Rid the world of corruption... huh! Talk about dreaming high... I mean, even if I low-ball everything and don't consider a million other things, I at the very least have to fight an Abomination rank corrupted creature. Something four ranks above me… well, I can at least be pure for all of eternity then.'
Shaking, he closed his Nexor and had to come to terms with the fact that he had to work with his injured body.
Tak! Tak!
Ash remained silent for the rest of his way, doing nothing and letting his mind rest.
"Go… rejoice… You can eat today."
Entering the cell, he glanced around before sitting beside the giant. His lips curled up in a smile as he saw the bearded guard disappearing into the darkness.