Chapter 5 - chapter 5

Reaching out past their out-stretched hands, Nero grasped the contrasting black and white crowns. There was no outward reaction to his treachery in the formless faces of the figures, but the moment he pulled the crowns from above their heads, a final chaotic ripple shook the black and white world surrounding them. And just as fast as the structures had appeared, they disappeared. And the dark world once again pulled forward. But this time it didn't pull his formless body. Instead, it pulled his mind and expelled him from this hallucination. Opening his and wreathed white motes of light. Nero felt drowsy, his vision blurry and yet fully aware at the same time. His now completely naked body felt stronger and healthier than it ever did in his whole life. Taking in his surroundings once more, he recognized the inside of the cathedral. Still feeling drowsy and dizzy, he moved his arms, clenching and unclutching his fist. He couldn't explain the way his body felt the strength that followed through him was unnatural un him, but it also felt right… as though this was his life's goal all the way up until now, To become this version of himself. Noticing, the white motes around him start to dissipate, and once again he was left in darkness. But now his eyes peered through it with as much ease as looking through clear water. He could see every detail inside the abandoned cathedral. But there wasn't much to see; it was all just destroyed wood and rubble. Which was still a subtle surprise. Since this catastrophic event couldn't be called a battle nor could it even be called a bloody massacre…it was just extinction. But Nero had no mental space to ponder these things further. He needed to know what had changed about him, what he had gained from using the shard. The healing of his battered body and his increased strength and perception were obvious confirmations that he had awakened. But There was an easier, more efficient way to get the information. It was common that magically awakened people had some sort of sixth sense that allowed them to decipher various things about themselves and their magical abilities. Nero had no knowledge of how exactly to do this himself. But he thought if it was some kind of sense then he could find and use it just like his other 5 senses. Closing his eyes, he searched for some kind of other sense. But to his disappointment, it would be as simple as closing his eyes and waiting for some image to pop up. Letting out a sigh, he asked himself if I was a sixth sense that contained some kind of information. How would I be used? Suddenly, the memories of his time in the dream-like place surfaced in his mind. The way he could move, touch and feel but was formless. Felt like a different kind of sense in a way, giving him all the actions of a body while not having one. Closing his eyes once more, he reached in his mind for the formless feeling he had in the dream-like place. After about 5 seconds in the back of his mind, golden strings began to form letters in an unfamiliar language. The image was hazy and unclear, so he drug the image to the forefront of his mind. And soon the golden words were as clear as water in his mind. The language was unfamiliar but somehow he understood it. There were only 2 small columns of information. The first one read, (abilities: subject of light and darkness). Nero smiled outside of the darkness of his mind; His treachery against the two beings of light and darkness didn't go unrewarded. Moving his mind to the next column, it read (magic affinities: fire, water). Nero had no particular reaction to this information. He knew so little about magic and the elements he had no idea of the usefulness of those specific elements outside of heat and hydration. Sighing, he opened his eyes. The information given to him left galaxies of information to be interpreted. What exactly could he do with the "subject of light and darkness" ability? How exactly did it work?… But this didn't surprise him; not many people spoke of this ability given to the magically awakened. It was merely a starter for a person's growth and that's all he had expected it to be.