Kane blinked, utterly shocked. He had gained a Rebirth Fragment just by eating this fruit. The realization sent a jolt through him, a mix of disbelief and exhilarating possibility. He looked at the other three, their faces still content, and asked, "Did you gain anything?"
At the same exact moment, Nephis, her eyes wide with a quiet astonishment, murmured, "I just absorbed a point of soul essence."
Without a word, all three of them turned to Cassie. The blind girl was enthusiastically devouring her fruit, red juice flowing down her chin and dripping onto the ground, a picture of pure, unadulterated joy. Stopping for a moment, she smiled, her teeth stained crimson. "Actually, I received mine a few bites ago."
Kane immediately summoned his runes, his eyes fixated on the display, needing to cross-check his status once more.
Rebirth Fragments: [115/1000]
'It really did increase!' Kane thought, a surge of triumph washing over him. 'No wonder the demon was eating these fruits. I've hit a jackpot.' With newfound fervor, Kane began to eagerly devour his own fruit, the sweet, ruby flesh tasting like pure victory.
Late in the evening, when the sun had already dipped below the horizon and the dark sea had once again transformed the Ashen Barrow into a lonely island in a vast, churning abyss, the three of them were preparing for the night. They had moved their camp to rest between the massive, gnarled roots of the great tree. With newfound energy coursing through them from consuming the miraculous fruits, all their previous worries seemed to fade into the background, replaced by a sense of contented peace.
With no viable way to move further west, Kane, Nephis, Sunny, and Cassie had decided to rest for a few days before making any drastic decisions. They deserved a short vacation, a reprieve from the relentless dangers of the Dream Realm. The Ashen Barrow, despite its bleak name, was a perfect place to recuperate. There were no monsters in the immediate surrounding wasteland, it was large enough to protect them from the horrors of the nightly sea, and now, thanks to the Soul Tree, they had plenty of food. This period of rest would allow them to recuperate, grow stronger, and prepare to face the future Nightmare Creatures that undoubtedly awaited them.
In their camp, Kane had meticulously created a bed of fallen leaves. Ever since he had lost his family and landed in the treacherous outskirts of this realm, he hadn't truly had a place of his own. He had been living like a nomad, constantly on the move, always on guard. This makeshift bed of leaves, simple as it was, felt like a luxury. He lay down on it, facing upwards, a rare sense of tranquility washing over him. Lately, his life had indeed improved. He had grown strong enough to protect himself, he had formed genuine bonds with Sunny and Cassie, and to a certain extent, even with the ever-stoic Nephis. He finally had people he could trust to watch his back and a stable food source. Kane thought, 'Finally, some peace, all thanks to this tree.' As sleep began to claim him, he mumbled in half-consciousness, "It is sad that nobody is there to protect this tree." With that thought, Kane drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
In the morning, Kane was woken up by the gentle rustling of leaves above. Opening his eyes, he saw soft rays of sunshine filtering through the scarlet crown of the Soul Tree, painting the world in tranquil shades of pink. The sight was beautiful and serene. It felt as though none of the dangers and terrors of the Dream Realm could reach him here, nestled safely within the tree's embrace. A soft breeze touched his skin, bringing with it a refreshing coolness and the earthy scent of fallen leaves.
Kane sat up and saw that the others were already awake. He greeted them, then, a thought nagging at him, he asked, "Uh… did anyone remember why no one stayed on watch last night?"
Nephis, after a moment's pause, replied, "Uh… no. I guess we were too tired? Plus, it's so safe here. Why deprive ourselves of sleep?"
Kane nodded slowly. "That seems right. Anyway, we have Sunny's Shadow. That should do."
Nephis murmured, "..I guess."
'She seems off,' Kane thought, noting the slight hesitation in her voice. She seemed to have forgotten about his question already, returning to whatever she had been doing before. All four of them were easily distracted these days, their minds growing increasingly hazy.
Sunny broke the silence with a sigh. "So… what are you guys going to do today?"
Cassie turned to him with a wide smile, a teasing tone in her voice. "Nothing! We're on vacation, remember? So we're just going to rest and relax."
Kane, a slight frown on his face, insisted, "We need to go out from this tree, right?" Sunny, beside him, seemed lost in deep thought, his usual quick wit absent.
At that moment, Cassie scowled, adopting a comically strict expression. "You guys, Kane! Sunny! Both of you are not allowed to plan, plot, scheme, or give ideas. Just sit back and enjoy the day. Alright?"
Sunny, surprisingly docile, replied, "Alright." Kane, a comical smirk on his face, gave a mock bow. "Yes, my Queen." Cassie let out a melodic laugh, her spirits bright. "It better be." Recently, their relationship had settled into this comfortable rhythm of flirty comedy and laughter, a welcome lightness amidst the grim reality of their existence.
After some time, Sunny, still pondering, spoke up again. "Remind me, why did both of you climb the Soul Tree yesterday?"
Kane tried to remember, but found his mind blank. Nephis, after a brief pause, replied, "Uh… I don't really remember. To get the fruits?" Kane added, "Maybe to view the tree as a whole." Neither of them found any abnormality in their lack of recollection.
A few days passed by. Kane, Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie spent them idling away, unconcerned with anything in the world. Their tired bodies and minds desperately needed time to rest, and the Soul Tree provided the perfect sanctuary. They slept until noon, ate the delightful fruits that tasted like pure bliss, and sat around a crackling fire, talking or simply soaking in the warmth. Sometimes, they would play games or engage in other forms of entertainment, their laughter echoing through the quiet grove. Other times, they would keep to themselves, enjoying the almost forgotten feeling of privacy and solitude. Kane felt truly happy here, a sentiment he hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Luckily, the island was large enough for the three of them to stay apart if they didn't wish to be disturbed. Not that it happened often. At first, Kane had expected that lazing around doing nothing would very quickly grow boring, but surprisingly, it did not. He felt perfectly fine simply lying on the ground and staring at the gently swaying branches of the Soul Tree, caught in a blissful reverie. In moments like these, he would lose track of time, often realizing that entire hours had passed only when the sun was about to set.
The concept of time, in general, had become strangely hard to grasp. Kane wasn't entirely sure how many days they had spent on the peaceful island. He was pretty sure that it was less than a week, but couldn't remember the exact amount. Even though it did bother him, this growing forgetfulness, he found himself cherishing every moment of this tranquil existence. Not being able to remember something had become a common occurrence. All three of them were turning increasingly absentminded and forgetful. Sometimes, Kane would catch himself straining to remember details of his past life or notice the strangeness of their current behavior. But a minute later, he would forget about these concerns, easily distracted by some innocuous thought or occurrence. His memory was becoming hazier and hazier. The only clear things in it were how delicious and refreshing the magical fruits were, how pleasant it was to live under the shade of the Soul Tree, and how magnificent the tree itself was.
The Tree was beautiful, benevolent, and generous. It protected them from the cursed blight of the crimson labyrinth, kept the monsters away, and provided nourishment for both their bodies and their soul cores. Kane was becoming increasingly convinced that finding the majestic Soul Tree was a true jackpot, a divine gift in this hellish realm. The very thought of leaving its gifts behind and returning to the horrors of the outside world seemed less and less attractive. Why leave when they were perfectly happy here?
Yet, despite his growing contentment, Kane felt something amiss, a faint, persistent whisper of unease at the back of his mind. While Sunny and Cassie seemed even more engrossed in their newfound bliss, Kane wasn't the only one who felt a subtle wrongness. Nephis, who had been as carefree and tranquil as Sunny and Cassie in the beginning, slowly began to change as time went by. She grew strangely despondent and gloomy. It seemed as though she had reverted back to her old, distant, and unsociable self. Instead of chatting or relaxing with them, Changing Star ended up spending most of her time sitting on the western edge of the island alone, staring into the distance with bleak, haunted eyes. Kane had no idea what was troubling her, but she seemed grim, a stark contrast to their general state of blissful oblivion
Kane was about to ask her, to probe the depths of her quiet despair, but insistent lapses of memory managed to overcome his concern about Nephis, pushing the thought aside each time it surfaced. On one particular evening, as Kane sat under the tree, the recent memory lapses were worrying him more than usual. He had to consciously hold onto a thought for quite some time just to remember it. Now, he wanted to ask Nephis what was bothering her, as he suspected it might be connected to the same unsettling feeling within himself.
As he was about to go to her, an idea struck him. He would use his aspect to observe her mind, to try and understand the source of her despondency. As he prepared to switch his aspect, a sudden, vivid image flashed in his mind: various light threads. Then, he remembered Cassie's earlier, frightened message from his dream: "Kane, remember, it's threads." The pieces clicked into place. He suddenly understood the issue. He hadn't used his aspect since they had defeated the Carapace Demon. 'Why didn't I use my Aspect till now?' he wondered, a chilling realization dawning on him.
Suddenly, a sheer, excruciating pain exploded in his head. It felt as though thousands of sharp needles were being inserted into his brain, piercing through his skull. Kane stopped, his body writhing in silent agony for a moment. 'Only when I tried to use my aspect and realized that I haven't used it for a while, it's getting like this,' he thought, his mind struggling through the pain.
While the pain continued its relentless assault, Kane immediately forced his runes to appear, checking for any changes, any abnormalities. But as soon as he saw his Rebirth Fragments, his mouth gaped open in utter shock.
Rebirth Fragments: [250/1000]
'Uh… How… many fruits… did I… eat? Aaaah… and how… long… were we… stay… ing… here? Is this… truly… the cause… of… the pain?' As he tried to skim through his attributes, he found he couldn't focus on them. The pain intensified tenfold, a crushing wave of agony, and he immediately skipped past the rest of the display, unable to handle the overload at that moment.
Kane struggled to continue, fighting through the blinding pain. He forced himself to review his abilities, his aspect, his memories, and his Flaw. What he saw shocked him to his core, sending shivers down his spine. It was far more serious than he had thought, and he had indeed missed a crucial, terrifying part of it. Kane looked at his runes, specifically at one particular entry:
Flaw: [Burdened Heart]
Flaw Description: [The people you kill and people die around you, you will carry their ravings and hear it endlessly]
'Why am I not hearing the ravings at all?' he thought, a cold dread creeping into his very soul. The terrifying silence in his mind, once a blessing, now felt like an insidious curse.
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Hey Guys,Here is the Updated Lineages you Shall Cast your Vote
1.Shadow God
2.War God
3.Heart God
4.Storm God
5.Sun God
6.Beast God
7.Weaver
8.Demon of Repose
9.Demon of Imagination
10.Ariel
11.Nether
12.Demon of Oblivion
13.Hope
After deep thinking,I think Nether's Lineage can given to Kane,It seems to suit him.Most people are saying Demon of Imagination to become like Adam(LOTM) but I seems off.Kindly cast your vote and give advice.