Name: [Aisling]
True Name: —
Rank: [Aspirant]
Soul Core: [Dormant]
Memories: —
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Sensitive Body] [Prejudiceless Mind] [Critic’s Soul] [Flower’s Vessel]
Aspect: [Hungry]
Aspect Description: [A Hungry One is an obsessive madman who only seeks to satiate hunger.
In any case, your talent is eating.]
“What kind of joke is this?”
“Joke?
I’m sorry it’s not much, but it’s all we have to survive.”
“Ugh… I’m fine.
Use it for yourself.”
“Really!?
How kind.”
The Kind One skipped a few times, happily conserving water.
Aisling wanted to calmly review his Runes, just as the Warrior, an older man with a massive two-meter sword on his back, shouted.
“It’s coming!
No time to rest.
Move your legs!”
The Warrior led the way, hurrying forward with the Apprentice close behind.
He might have seemed to make foolish decisions, but a long life and an instinct honed in countless battles allowed him to respond in the best way.
Aisling understood this, accepting the role he would play in this First Nightmare.
He looked at himself: he wore worn clothes, not torn, but very simple.
Just a single piece of cloth covering his entire body, secured with a rope around his waist.
The Kind One was dressed the same, along with the two younger brothers.
The Warrior, on the other hand, wore light equipment covering his vital points, with his Apprentice wearing an even lighter version.
They all followed the Warrior without complain.
At that moment, an enormous black worm, several thousand meters long, burst through the sand.
Its dark skin absorbed the incandescent sunlight; it also had several mouths of varying sizes along its body, though none as large as the mouth at its end.
With a single bite, it swallowed the remains of the caravan, generating a massive whirlpool that would remain for the next hundreds of years.
Everyone sighed with relief: they had gotten far enough away to avoid the consequences, thanks to the Warrior’s warning.
Following the path, Aisling took the opportunity to examine his Runes closely; more precisely, his Attributes.
[Sensitive Body]: Your senses are enhanced to taste.
Increased pain is also included.
[Prejudiceless Mind]: One cannot be compassionate; one must see things as they are, even with oneself.
[Critic’s Soul]: A soul tempered to protect itself from the mirror of mediocrity.
This is useless to me… Aisling thought.
He could feel a little better about the first; he didn’t understand the other two.
He didn’t feel any change in his thinking or anything deeper, such as having a sharper mind or some change in his accursed Soul.
Besides… was it really necessary to emphasize the pain part?!
He was angry at whoever had such a perverse sense of humor as to use such words.
The group continued on their way for several hours without taking the slightest rest.
With each step, Aisling better understood his Sensitive Body Attribute.
The heat was too stifling for him; he was in the worst condition of the group.
He cursed a lot in his mind, trying not to show his weakness.
His feet also hurt terribly; each step burned him on the scorching sand.
The sun combined with the hot weather was the worst problem there!
In Aisling’s mind, it would be too pathetic to die just from the heat, without even a Nightmare Creature in sight.
He felt a little annoyed with himself.
With the Warrior in front, they felt relatively safe.
Even so, they continued on their journey, their destination unknown.
Several hours later, the first one fell.
───
“He was the youngest; it’s normal that he couldn’t endure the journey, especially without resources or hope.”
The Warrior lamented, bowing deeply before the lifeless body of one of the brothers.
A dagger was stabbed in his chest.
At the moment of the tragedy, they were all walking, exhausted by the sun.
Just as it began to set, the young man took the Apprentice’s dagger and stabbed himself repeatedly.
He committed suicide in front of everyone.
The Apprentice was unable to react due to exhaustion; he felt overwhelmed and ended up being scolded by the Warrior for his lack of response.
Night fell.
It was harsh.
The cold air touched their bodies, and Nightmare Creatures stalked them relentlessly.
They crossed a large stretch of the desert, which Aisling knew was almost nothing in its vastness.
“Damn nightmare!”
Aisling threw himself to the ground, narrowly dodging a spawn of the black sandworm.
It was the same creature, but miniature; their presence wasn’t very noticeable.
Only when they were about to attack did they let out a piercing shriek that was disconcerting and made ears ache, but they gave a warning before leaping at someone.
With his senses heightened, his ears burned with each shriek; however, he was able to discern better and anticipate their attacks.
His whole body ached, he felt faint from exhaustion, and yet he forced himself to keep moving forward.
If one fell behind, they would be abandoned.
The remaining Boy clung to the Warrior to survive.
The Warrior was the one who kept everyone alive, even risking his own life for the others.
For several endless hours, Aisling managed to survive the first night.
His mind was becoming increasingly hazy.
Just as the sun peeked over the horizon, another one fell.
───
Walking without stopping was too hard.
When they were about to take a short break, they passed by an immense crack in the ground that broke the floor from one end to the other without any visible end.
Aisling was slightly marveled, remembering that those were called canyons, although none in the normal world would be so vast and terrifyingly mysterious.
Passing by the precipice, the Boy’s light steps didn’t attract anyone’s attention; they were imperceptible, even more so amidst the chaos of the desert.
No one heard him, no one saw him calmly walk to the edge.
Just where it all ends, Aisling heard a sweet whisper and saw the moment the boy smiled at him, without fear or sadness, and not even a trace of happiness, his expression empty…
“Wait…”
Aisling’s voice came out broken, dry from the relentless effort and lack of water.
Unable to convey his words, the Boy simply let himself fall into the abyss.
Just like that, another one left the journey.
Several days passed battling the desert before the third fall.
───
The group crossed the desert; thanks to the Warrior’s guidance, they remained safe, avoiding countless certain deaths and deadly creatures.
The Apprentice also displayed his strength.
Being a young man, he was the second strongest in the group after the Warrior and could fight the Nightmare Creatures on his own.
The Kind One had a slender body, but possessed a wealth of knowledge and was a fundamental pillar of strength, his positive attitude providing a crucial foundation for their resilience.
He was the most exhausted of the group, yet he never hesitated to share and always smiled.
Aisling was still surviving at the expense of others.
With his senses, everything was more painful, but he could react well to unforeseen circumstances.
He was also very surprised by his Aspect; it proved more useful than he had initially thought.
When eating the flesh of a Nightmare Creature, he noticed that his teeth were very sharp and that he could digest the meat more easily, something incredible in his situation, along with a stronger bite.
When he touched his teeth, he noticed that he had grown another pair of fangs.
He even felt how sharp they were.
The Kind One watched his actions with noticeable interest, approached, and struck up a friendly conversation.
“You have quiet powerful teeth.
Were you born with them?”
“No…
cough,” Aisling coughed, his mouth dry, “They were bestowed to me.”
“That’s very interesting.
Would you like to hear a tale?”
Aisling nodded, what did it matter if he was told something good?
It could be his bedtime story forever.
The Kind One recounted in a clear voice.
“Once upon a time, there were six figures in immense power who dictated the laws of nature, beings born of abundant grace.
And in the deepest and most horrible part of the world, disgrace was born.
Of course, it wasn’t Corrupted, but neither it was a being born from from Life.
It was a disgusting, ugly, weak, powerless creature, and it had no friends.”
“Your tongue is a bit loose.” Aisling commented, without much humor.
The Kind One laughed.
“The point was that this being was a living disgrace.
It didn’t inspire fear, nor happiness, he didn’t bother anyone, and it liked learning about love… Fascinating, don’t you think?” he continued, his mood uplifted.
“Do you know the grace?
When someone calls another person ‘unfortunate,’ they forget they’re referring to the loss of grace.
Everyone has grace, even this being possessed the most abundant grace.
But no one was willing to see it.
Do you know why it wasn’t liked by everyone?
Why so many labeled it a disgrace?”
Aisling remained silent.
Honestly, he didn’t care whether the Kind One answered or not.
The Kind One took him in patiently, with a smile, as if dealing with a child.
“You’ve faced the world’s repression.
You must have experienced that… The lack of empathy and a reprimanding consistency…”
“The discomfort,” Aisling interrupted.
“Discomfort is the answer; you don’t even see it, even if you practice it.
It’s horrible, yes; but it won’t kill me.
I’ve already decided this place will be my grave.”
The Kind One clapped softly.
“Then die.”
Aisling snorted.
“I still have life.”
They continued walking without speaking.
That was their first and last exchange of words… at least until the end.
A wave of Nightmare Beasts attacked them again.
Aisling felt a deep sense of relief in his heart.
The deaths of the siblings had been attributed to natural causes; too much stress and traumatic situations for children their age.
Those children would have become a burden sooner or later.
A little guilty, he also believed that these were the thoughts of the other members of the group.
“It must be.
Otherwise, they would have had a greater chance of dying.”
Sweet murmurs caressed his mind; they were very noticeable, but they felt so natural that it was difficult to distrust them.
The Apprentice touched his temple, opened his eyes suddenly, and then squinted, leaving them lifeless.
He looked around as if searching for something.
Aisling noticed his actions and followed his gaze.
The Apprentice and Aisling locked eyes.
Surprised for some reason, the Apprentice drew his dagger and slit his throat.
He bled to death before anyone could do anything.
During the following days, no Nightmare Creatures were found.
───
The desert remained so endless and desolate, and the next to fall was the Kind One.
With a smile, the Kind One took Aisling’s hand.
“I still have my use; I knew that from your answer.
I can’t afford to fail the mission.
You’re the provision of someone who has nothing left to prove.
Is feeling sorry for yourself normal, and is lamenting a sign of your humanity?” The Kind One smiled, amused.
“The world must die to be reborn.”
“Answer?
Provision?
Reborn?”
The Kind One placed the Apprentice’s dagger in Aisling’s hand and stabbed it with all his might into his chest.
He died instantly before Aisling could react.
[You have slain a Dormant Human, Follower of the Enemy of the World]
[You have slain an Awakened Demon, Great Seed of the World’s Lover]
[You have received a Memory…]
With no time for mourning, the only ones remaining were the Warrior and Aisling.
The world was so lonely, devoid of life and danger, but also devoid of hope.
The Nightmare Creatures hadn’t appeared, and the food had run out.
In a desperate act, Aisling recalled the Kind One’s words.
“I will use you to survive.”
The Warrior watched Aisling slice through the Kind One’s body with the dagger and begin to devour it.
The meat was raw and had a horrible metallic taste, but something compelled him to keep eating.
The more he devoured, the better he felt; his mind became clearer and more lucid.
He didn’t know how long he’d been lost, but he counted stars and the blazing sun bathed him.
His body ached more intensely, as if a mirror had shattered, bringing him back to reality.
He looked at the Warrior and noticed a red flower tattoo on his back.
He felt danger coursing powerfully through his entire body.
Without wasting a moment, he steeled himself and drew his dagger, stabbing the Warrior in the back.
The Warrior tensed and tried to pull it away, but it wouldn’t budge.
Something in his mind felt lighter.
Suddenly, caught between a whirlwind of emotions, he smiled.
Drawing his sword, he plunged it into the Warrior’s chest.
[You have slain an Ascended Human: Hunter of the Enemy of the World]
[You have defeated an awakened demon: Seed of the World’s Lover]
He understood.
Aisling tore off his rags; large red lines covered his body, and red flowers sprouted from his skin.
The most shocking thing was that they weren’t hidden.
He looked at the Warrior’s body and noticed that it was covered in red flowers growing from every limb.
Everyone possessed those Nightmare Creatures, and no one noticed.
He looked at his Runes again and noticed an Attribute he had overlooked.
[Flower’s Vessel]: You are loved.
You will be lost and suffer a cursed fate as the offspring of the love, a love that will destroy the foundations of the world.
By the Flower’s command, you are not allowed to die.
I am not… allowed to die?
Feeling a glimmer of his free will returning, he no longer hesitated.
His gaze filled with rage.
Drawing the sword from the Warrior’s body, mimicking his actions, he pointed the blade directly at his heart.
They used everyone, and they used me.
I lived a vile nightmare.
Just to not die?
From the beginning, I was meant to be the cause, and in the end, I’m just going to be left as a toy?
I won’t allow it!
I neither want nor desire to live, and neither do I eagerly seek death!
His hands trembled, trying to steady the sword.
But he couldn’t afford to yield such a cursed creature as the bastard who bumped into him and knocked his food to the ground.
He deserved a modicum of dignity!
Life and death are overrated.
Cruel world!
Useless world!
I no longer need your condolences.
By my own command, I reject your authority!
The sword pierced his chest.
Using his last bit of strength, not only physical but also to maintain his will, he managed to break the heart.
[You have slain a Cursed Tyrant: World-Loving Flower]
With the Flower’s death, a beautiful and loving laugh resonated in the deepest and most unknown part of his being.
And between the abyss of life and death, he continued to hear the voice of the Spell.
[Wake up, Aisling!
Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal…]