Without the black ocean to display his status, Ash couldn’t read the text himself and was forced to rely on the warm voice of the soul space. The final line had already confirmed what the core said earlier: his soul abilities were completely locked away.
But something else immediately caught his attention.
"What stage is body in?" Ash asked aloud.
The voice responded without delay:
[Tachyros, you are currently at the Dormant stage.]
Ash’s expression darkened. It wasn’t because the soul space called him Tachyros, strange as that was. It was because the whole situation was fundamentally wrong.
’Why does this guy get special treatment?’
Tachyros hadn’t even reached the Awakened Stage, yet he had already received an ability and was somehow able to enter his soul space.
Ash glared up at the core floating above him.
’Why the hell is there even a core in here when he’s still at Stage 0?’
Stage 0, also known as the Dormant Stage, was the state in which mortal beings remained until they gathered enough soul essence to ascend. Only upon ascending to Stage 1 could an individual awaken their soul space, manifest their destined cores, and claim their abilities. Yet here was Tachyros, somehow breaking every rule Ash knew about souls.
The voice echoed sharply through the expanse:
[The Divine Core does not wish to process your useless thoughts. It commands you to remain silent.]
Ash rolled his eyes.
’How am I supposed to stop thinking in the middle of all this madness?’
[The Divine Core demands that you resolve your ignorance elsewhere. You are disturbing its tranquility.]
’This thing acts arrogantly just like that damn fire core... like it’s at the top of the world.’
[The Divine Core reminds you that it is literally floating above you.]
Ash let out a tired sigh, choosing to ignore the core’s commentary. Ash knew this vessel was strange, but this was ridiculous. It was his first time hijacking a body... and this Titan—
Ash paused, narrowing his eyes. Thinking back, he hadn’t been able to read the text himself, but he was certain the soul space hadn’t mentioned anything about Titans.
’That’s weird...’
To make sure he remembered correctly, Ash spoke again.
"Vessel."
The voice answered instantly:
[Vessel: Hybrid]
Ash’s brow furrowed.
"Hybrid? What does that mean?"
[Hybrid: Godborn / Titan]
The scowl returned in full force.
’Wait... how? Two? People just get to be two races now? What is this?’
Vessel classifications were supposed to tell him what species someone belonged to. Two classifications were practically unheard of. Unless... could his parents have been different species? Was that how it worked?
Ash rubbed his temples. He knew what a Titan was, but Godborn? That was one more thing he didn’t need to deal with right now.
"Fine. Show me the descriptions."
The voice droned on:
Vessel: [Titan]
[Titan] Description: Titans were the first children shaped by the hands of the Changing God. Of all mortal races, theirs is the bloodline most likely to give rise to the Godborn, as if divinity lingers stubbornly in their blood.
Vessel: [Godborn]
[Godborn] Description: Individuals of any race marked by the Divine Trial. Their very essence becomes a natural conduit for authority beyond the mortal plane. This marks them for potential godhood... and for the blades of those who hunt such rare flesh to consume its potency.
Ash stared up at the black sky, trying to make sense of what he’d just learned.
’Marked for godhood... but hunted by predators who want to eat them for power. Why would a divine path carry such a grim reality?’
[The Divine Core notes that the path to godhood is not for the weak.]
Ash glanced back up at the crimson orb.
"So... if Tachyros had the potential to become a god, does that mean the gods of the past were once mortals like him?"
The soul space fell quiet for a long beat before the voice answered flatly:
[The Divine Core declines to answer.]
Ash nodded to himself. Surprisingly, this core was slightly more tolerable than his old ones. Those had either mocked his failures endlessly or ignored him completely.
Thinking of his past cores brought a sharp pang of memory, and with it came the terrifying recollection of those cursed things bound to them. He had heard the system call out the Roots earlier, but he hadn’t paid close attention. Now, he needed to be sure.
"Roots," Ash said softly.
[Roots...]
Soul Roots: [Doom of the Divine Path], [Marked by the Trial]
Core Root: [Ghost Of All Realms]
Ash blinked.
’Two? Can someone have two Soul Roots?’
By now, nothing surprised him anymore, but at least these weren’t the old ones. A wave of profound relief washed over him. The curses that had bound him in his previous life were gone. The Roots that had targeted his family and guaranteed the deaths of his loved ones were gone too.
A disbelieving laugh nearly escaped him.
’They’re gone. Those damned curses are finally gone.’
By all accounts, he had won. He had escaped fate’s cage. He was finally free.
Yet this victory tasted like ash in his mouth. How could he celebrate freedom when he had failed his only purpose? Protecting his brothers had been the sole reason he endured years of suffering. Now that Max and Tyrin were gone... his survival felt hollow. Freedom had been purchased with the lives of the only people he had ever cared about.
Ash shook his head violently, forcing the dark thoughts back down.
’No. Not now. You can’t break down here. You need answers first. This doesn’t feel like an afterlife... it’s too real. If my mind got yanked into this world, maybe Max and Tyrin got pulled in too. You have to believe that.’
Ash turned his attention back to the crimson orb. Since he now inhabited this body, he needed every clue he could get. Why was he sent here? What made Tachyros so special?
"Show me the descriptions for the Roots."
Soul Root: [Doom of the Divine Path]
Soul Root Description: Your pursuit of godhood will be the death of you.
Souls Aware: 120
Ash stared into the dark space.
’What?!’
He didn’t know what to process first: the sheer number of Souls Aware or that absurd description. Just as he was preparing to accept a quiet, ordinary life, fate had managed to hand him another hidden trap.
’Oh, so this is fate new plan. Make me powerful, then use that power to kill me.’
Fortunately, he’d spent most of his life fighting fate. The solution was obvious. He just needed to never pursue godhood.
’Yeah... I can do that.’
The voice chimed again:
Soul Root: [Marked by the Trial]
[Marked by the Trial] Description: You are chosen for godhood by the Divine Trial. But the path to realizing it will shatter you completely before it remakes you.
Souls Aware: 999+
Ash almost fell over.
"What the... Nine hundred and ninety-nine?"
That was the highest number of Souls Aware Ash had ever heard of. Did Tachyros really go around broadcasting his Soul Roots?
And just like the Awares, the description didn’t make sense.
’Chosen for godhood, but if I chase it, I die. And if I survive the attempt, I get broken? Oh...’
Ash couldn’t make sense of it.
He rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
’Sometimes I think these roots are designed by bored deities who just want to watch mortals struggle. Fine. I’ll take the hint. No godhood for me. My goal is simple now: survive, explore this planet, and figure out if there’s a way back to Varagos... If I can.’
The voice chimed one last time:
Core Root: [Ghost Of All Realms]
[Ghost Of All Realms] Description: You belong to no realm, yet you shall walk through them all.
Souls Aware: 999+
’Another one?’
Ash’s attention immediately returned to the core.
’What the hell is going on with the Awares? Is this an error?’
The voice spoke:
[The Crimson Core considers your questions too foolish to warrant an answer.]
Ash frowned, but then his eyes narrowed.
He didn’t know what was going on anymore, but he pushed the thought aside.
Then again, the Root’s description...
’Belong to none, but walk through all? What does that even mean?’
Roots loved to speak in riddles... half dire warning, half pretentious poetry. His first instinct was to ignore the ones that didn’t pose an immediate threat, but Ash had learned the hard way never to ignore a Root, no matter how vague it sounded. Ignoring a subtle detail in his previous life was what had cost him his mother.
He stared at the floor of his soul space, summarizing what he’d learned.
’So... I’m trapped in the body of a Titan-Godborn hybrid doomed to die if he tries to ascend, carrying a Root that marks me as a stranger to every realm. Ah... What a mess you left me, Tachyros.’
[The Divine Core regards your presence with absolute disgust.]
Ash looked up at the core.
"Hey, I didn’t ask to be dropped into your vessel. Blame whoever pulled me here."
Before he could continue, an abrupt, powerful tug yanked at his consciousness. The desolate wasteland dissolved rapidly, color and sound rushing back in a disorienting wave that felt like being dragged back to life against his will.
Ash snapped his eyes open.
Cool night air rushed into his lungs, and the crackling campfire cast a deep orange glow across the darkness. A heavy, warm hand rested on his shoulder.
"Young lord... you shouldn’t sleep sitting up. I’ve already prepared the beds for you both. Should I carry your sister over?"
Ash stared at Altent, his lips parting slightly, but no words came out.
Once, he might have felt the urge to confess everything, to tell this kind warrior that his young lord was gone and a stranger from another world was wearing his body. But after reading those new roots, such a confession seemed suicidal. If these Titans realized their lord’s body had been stolen, what would they do to the intruder?
Ash already knew the answer. It was the exact same thing he would have done if someone had stolen his brother’s body.
’I’d tear the thief apart with my bare hands.’
Ash’s gaze shifted down to the small girl who was n fast asleep against his side. Whoever she was, she mattered deeply to this vessel. If Ash was going to survive while playing the role of Tachyros, he needed to learn her name, and fast.
A sudden, sharp rustle in the surrounding brush shattered the quiet of the camp.
Altent’s head snapped toward the treeline.
The weight of his hand vanished from Ash’s shoulder as the warrior smoothly reached for the massive greatsword resting against the rock beside them.
"Everyone, up. We have company."
Two figures stumbled out from the treeline.
Their clothes were shredded into blood-soaked rags, their skin smeared with mud and dark, coagulated gore. Both were breathing in ragged, frantic gasps. One wore the torn remnants of a fine, embroidered tunic, while the other’s cloak hung in soiled ribbons, her boots torn away to reveal raw, bleeding feet.
Their eyes darted around the clearing in sheer terror before locking onto the golden glow of the campfire, as if it were the only sanctuary left in the world.