[Final Appraisal: Good.]
Dein's jaw dropped. All he had been thinking dissapeared as he flared in anger.
"Good? Really? Just 'Good'? I've been beaten, stabbed, cut in half and was eaten alive and all you're going to say is 'Good'?"
He can't believe it. After everything he went through. Everything he has to do in order to escape that nightmare and all the Nightmare Spell has to say is "Good"?
He doesn't know where on the spectrum of appraisal that is, since no one has really been able to learn all of it, but Dein is sure "Good" is not good at all!
It may even be the lowest for all he knows!
'Tsk! I forgot how much this bastard hates me'
Dein sighed. Well, what there is there. It's not that 'Good' will determine everything, he still has his aspect and other rewards.
Soon enough, the Spell spoke again.
[Dreamer Dein of Hearth, receive your boon!]
He was not an Aspirant anymore, but a Dreamer now.
'Now… moment of truth…'
Dein held his breath… will he receive a true name in his very first nightmare like the most exalted heroes of humanity…?
The silence stretched for a long time…
And then…
[You did not receive a true name.]
Dein almost fell to his back. "Then why mention it at all you bastard!"
He rolled his eyes. Whatever! True name isn't that important anyway. At most it's just a title, although only the best and the strongest has one. It may have some benefits as people will start treating you with respect that a bearer of a true name deserves but other than that, it was useless.
At least, that's how Dein sees it.
He sighed. Nevermind that, the most important parts of awakening is the aspect. Where his powers lies.
Sure enough, the Spell spoke again.
[You're Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
Dein held his breath. "Yes…"
[Dormant Aspect: Wasted Gremlin is evolving]
This time, the Spell took quite some time. To the point that Dein even wondered if he'll get a divine aspect or what for how long it's taking.
Well, to be honest. A divine aspect wouldn't be bad. After everything he had gone through in his first nightmare no less. And to think, no one in the world have one yet. Being the first Divine Aspect user in the world would surely fit a Legacy such as Dein.
'hehe… just kidding. Anything higher than Awakened will be fine'
That said, after everything that's happened. He's sure to get an ascended aspect at the very least...
Right…?
Just then, the Spell seems to answer with an amused tone.
[You have acquired a new aspect…]
[Aspect Rank: Awakened.]
"Oh, come on!"
Really? After everything and not even an Ascended Aspect? This is just unfair treatment to Dein at this point.
Dein clicked his tongue. To be honest, receiving an Awakened aspect isn't bad. It's actually the norm. Of course, the norm isn't bad but Dein isn't the norm. He's a Legacy for Spell's sake!
It wouldn't be good if he became just another normal Awakened.
But that's how everything seems to be going for him.
'Sigh… I guess the spell doesn't give Legacy special treatment…'
Well, it make sense. It's not like Legacy clans are created by the Spell. Only Aspect Legacy were created by it, the rest, humans are responsible.
Anyway, once again, Dein has no choice but to accept the truth.
'Let's just see what my new Aspect is'
The Spell spoke again.
[Aspect Name: Awakened Gremlin]
Dein immediately summoned the runes.
Aspect: [Awakened Gremlin]
Aspect Description: [You are a wasted potential, a gremlin who once failed the expectations of it's creators. However, after being thrown away like a toy, you faced countless trials. Beaten and mangled you were eaten alive and in the depths of it, you managed to catch a glimpse of your potential.]
Innate Ability: [Boundless One]
[Your soul is endless. It's vast and yet it's nothing. It yearns to be filled even though it can never be. With every fragment of a soul. A new one can be born. And with every seal unlocked, your potential grows endlessly.]
Boundless… what? Dein stared intently on the runes describing his Aspect.
It seems the light he saw when he got eaten is supposed to be his 'potential'. However, what Dein does not understand is his innate ability. It said his soul is endless. But he doesn't understand what that means.
For all he knows, a soul is always infinite and finite at the same time. Encompassing only the body but can grow stronger with each rank. So how is his different?
And also, with every fragment of a soul a new one can be born? How? How is Dein even going to get a fragment of someone's soul?
The easiest answer would be, through Soul Shard. A piece of a dead being's core. There's not a lot of use for it right now. Mainly it's used to saturate an awaken's soul core, making them much stronger and more potent. Due to this, Soul Shard's are also used as currency from time to time.
So if that's the case then getting a 'new soul' will not be as hard. Especially with his clan.
So… there's gotta be a catch right?
And as if the Spell had heard his thoughts, it begun speaking again.
[The First Seal has been broken]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
In the next moment, Dein felt his whole body shudder as he fell to the ground. Clutching his chest and gasping. In his mind, three voices scream with startled cry. It was as if their very own soul, the four of them, were shaking inside Dein's body.
In fact, not just his soul. His mind and body seem to shake as well. As if being ripped apart to be replaced with something… better.
As if piece by piece were being changed little by little by something that has already been there.
Strangely though… it wasn't painful, nor was it unpleasant. Just something strange and unfamiliar.
The unfamiliar sensation of something moving within Dein's body surged. It flowed like a water, washing over his skin, then to his flesh, his bones, until it reached his organs. Then everything suddenly flew up and coalesce in his mind, he felt his emotions becoming clearer and his mind becoming sharping. After a while the unfamiliar energy suddenly shot towards his body once again.
Filling him with unknown strength and vitality.
Finally, everything became stable…
But not quite yet as Dein begun feeling a burning heat in the center of his chest. The heat slowly flowed to every fiber of his body. This time, much slower and firmer. As if massaging his very being.
He gasp as euphoria filled his mind.
With the heat massaging his body, Dein felt stronger, faster, smarter, more confident. He felt… better.
As if all his hardwork is being payed off. He was no longer just a future Legacy Scion. He IS a Legacy Scion! He can now stand side by side with his sister and the rest of the clan. He can fulfill his fate!
With that, the heat slowly solidified in his chest. Turning into a star. It was an imperfect circular star. It was fractured from four different sections and then stitched together. It was as if four different soul were forcefully fused together into one.
'Haaa…'
Dein exhaled as the heat in his body cooled down at a startling speed. His vision seem to double and when he finally recovered, he found himself in a different place.
'huh?' he thought, standing up slowly.
Beneath him lay a giant ocean of nothing. He almost gasp when he saw the abyss beneath him but he did not find himself falling. Instead, he's standing still as if there's solid ground under his feet.
'curious…'
"What is this place mister?"
A voice echoed in the abyss. When Dein turned to his side. He found the familiar little girl curiously looking around.
But before he could speak, another much more serious voice answered instead behind him.
"It appears to be our soul…"
"O-our soul? H-how can we even enter such thing?"
The scaredy voice followed.
Hearing their voices, Dein doesn't know if he should be feeling happy or not. He's finally going to meet the Serious and Scaredy after all! Not the voices but hopefully how they look as well! How does he greet the them? Should he be angry they're staying rent free in his body?
What should he say…?
It was the thought running in Dein's head as he turned around.
"You two, I finally get to see yo– what?"
In front of him two people who looked as identical to him stood. Looking at him with strange expression. The three of them stared at each other for a while. Until Dein finally clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tsk… why the hell does the two of you looks like me?"
The two stared at him confused as well.
"W-what do you mean?"
Scaredy asked and Serious brushed him off.
"He meant why we looked like him." Then he turned to Dein "And the answer is, idk? Probably because we lived in the same body? Moron."
Dein was shocked to hear that. Of course, he already surmised that that's the reason, despite his growing disappointment. Still,
"Why do you get to insult me bastard?! And don't use that as an excuse! The Little girl looked nothing like me!"
Dein hissed, pointing at the girl behind him. Meanwhile, Serious scoffed at his argument.
"Hah, probably because you have an inner girl inside you!"
Wha? Dein can almost feel his eye twitching at Serious's remark. Who the hell does this guy thinks he is anyway! Little girl inside him? No he has not! Well… technically yes, but still! As Dein losses his mind in Serious's stupid words, Scaredy followed it up. Truly making him snap.
"Whoaa, zesty…"
Hearing that, Dein almost losses his mind. "Oh shut the fuck up! We'll talked about this later!"
Scaredy closed his mouth. Making an apologetic gesture. "S-sorry…"
Dein sighed. This people really. He still has no idea who they are and why they're inside his body but he'll think about that later. As for why the little girl looked much different from them three… he'll think about that later as well.
For now, Dein looked up, everything around him are pure abyss. Not darkness, just pure nothingness. The only things that is different is the the imperfect and stitched up core floating up above. It's like a star Illuminating everything in the abyss of his soul. Inside that star, countless dots of red seem to fly around before bouncing off the side of the core and flying again.
The red dots moves so fast it looks like countless straight lines forming a circle inside the core. Dein ignored that, looking at the fractured core and the four stitches on it. In fact, even his soul sea has one, broken in four different sections before being stitched up to pull it together.
Dein looked around to see the beings living inside him again. He sighed.
"It seems… it seems the four of us is really just being held together by some crude stitches"
He seems to finally understand little of the implications of what it means to have four souls inside one body. It was like his soul could be destroyed at any moment. Dein suddenly remembered his Innate attribute [Looming Fate] and the other three suddenly felt his mood darken.
[Looming fate] Attribute description "In ruins wake, truth stirred. Its voice whispered, but never was it heard. Yet, in ruins wake, the truth would grow, not today, not tomorrow, but in looming fate, the truth would ruin your soul."