Aiden didn’t hesitate.
With a sharp focus of his intent, he reached deep into his soul core to call upon his highest-ranking Memory.
‘[Wailing Mask]!’
A surge of dark, ethereal energy manifested around his head.
Over the steel visor of [Immortal Shell], the mask formed instantly.
It was a cold, pale face crafted from an unknown, bone-white porcelain, twisted into an eternal, tragic grimace of agony.
The moment the mask locked onto his face, Aiden’s vision transformed.
Despite the twilight fading fast and the suffocating gloom beneath the dense forest canopy, the world through the eye-slits became starkly defined.
The pitch-black shadows dissolved into sharp, high-contrast monochrome contours.
He could clearly perceive the subtle, fibrous pulse of every vine, the grain of the dark bark, and the sprawling root systems weaving through the pale soil five meters below.
Then, a whisper hit his mind.
It started as a faint, distant murmur, a sound like a victim whimpering in the dark.
Within seconds, it sharpened into a distinct, chilling echo of anguish.
It was the sound of a human soul being torn apart, weeping and screaming in absolute agony.
The sound did not travel through the air.
It resonated directly within Aiden’s mind.
Aiden gritted his teeth, stabilizing his pulse against the psychological intrusion.
As a former commander who had witnessed the horrors of war, his mental fortitude was formidable enough to withstand most forms of psychological pressure.
Yet the sheer misery embedded within the Sacred Memory was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
‘Focus.’
He forced his eyes to map an immediate escape route.
Through the enhanced vision of the mask, he surveyed the forest floor around him.
He noticed a narrow gap approximately ten meters to his left, a patch of pale soil where the neighboring trees had failed to extend their fibrous root-snakes completely.
If he could break free from his prison and land cleanly in that clear zone, he would have a tactical corridor to sprint toward the distant, massive wall.
The target was identified.
Aiden willed the active ability to trigger.
Memory Ability: [Wail]
Ability Description: [The mask can release an invisible wail that disrupts the minds of those who hear it, disturbing their concentration and stirring buried fear and unease.]
The faint whimper in his mind suddenly erupted into an overwhelming torrent of sound.
AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH—!
A shockwave of sheer, unadulterated anguish burst forth from the pale face of the mask.
It wasn’t a physical gust of wind, nor was it a simple sonic boom, it was a devastating wave of psychic force and spiritual resonance that ripped through the quiet forest.
Inside Aiden’s head, the screaming reached a deafening crescendo.
It felt as if a thousand dying souls were howling directly into his mind, clawing at his memories, his sanity, and his sense of self.
The terrifying sound threatened to shatter his cognitive control, driving a spike of unbearable pain through his temples.
He bit his lip hard enough to taste blood, using the sensation to anchor his mind against the psychic tempest.
The effect on his environment was immediate.
The monstrous tree holding him froze instantly.
Its fibrous bark shuddered violently as if struck by lightning.
The dark tendrils wrapping around his chest, arms, and legs convulsed under the spiritual assault.
CRACK!
Unable to withstand the psychic force, the tree snapped its branches backward in a blind, instinctual reflex.
The wooden cage shattered, and the tight coils binding his limbs unraveled, releasing Aiden completely.
For the first time in a week, his body hung free in mid-air.
Below him, the dormant forest reacted to the psychic shockwave with absolute chaos.
The surrounding pale trees began to thrash erratically.
Their skeletal limbs slammed into one another, while their subterranean roots burst from the soil, twisting and writhing as strange, high-pitched screeches echoed from the pores of their bark.
Then, terror struck.
He tried to dismiss the skill.
He willed the mask to close its spectral mouth, to silence the scream, to stop the activation.
Nothing happened.
The screaming inside his head did not quiet down, it grew louder, sharper, and far more violent.
AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH—!
‘Why isn’t it stopping?!’
Aiden’s vision blurred as intense pressure built up behind his eyes.
The skill had locked up.
The Sacred-rank Memory was far beyond what his current Sleeper state could properly control.
The Wail continued to resonate through his mind, feeding on its own momentum while steadily draining its host to sustain the effect.
Along with the overwhelming mental assault, Aiden felt a sudden, terrifying void opening inside his body.
Something far more vital than physical stamina was being drained from him at an alarming rate.
His Emotion Essence.
The [Wail] skill was acting like a ravenous siphon, drawing from his reserves in massive, relentless waves.
His limbs grew heavy, his breathing became labored, and a profound weakness spread through his body as his Emotion Essence rapidly dwindled.
The drain was astronomical.
Aiden’s sixteen-year-old body could not possibly sustain such consumption for long.
‘Shit Shit!
It’s going to drain my Essence completely!’
The screaming continued to tear at his consciousness.
The surrounding trees continued to thrash in wild frenzy.
And Aiden felt his strength rapidly fading while he was still suspended in mid-air, falling toward a chaotic forest floor that had completely awakened.