Elias reached out and grabbed the Sapphire Pendant.Unlike the daggers, the Miracle Maker pendant radiated a calming, almost benevolent aura. Its metal was a polished, silvery white with intricate designs around the gleaming sapphire. It was a simple, yet elegant piece. As he held it, he could feel its cool, smooth surface against his skin, a strange contrast to the warmth of his Flow.
He focused his will and expanded its internal circuitry. The pendant's base array was a three-armed spiral, the symbol of the Existential Class. This made sense considering it's namesake.
What did surprise him, however, was the web of Binding and Transmutation arrays that were woven into it. They were not designed to perform specific functions when activated by the user but instead passively changed instructions, holding a seemingly endless number of effects, all of which seemed to be in a constant state of flux.
"What is that?" Eli asked, his eyes wide.
"I think," Elias began, his voice filled with a scholarly tone he had inherited from his tutors, "this pendant really does create miracles."
He held up his hand, and the arrays expanded, a glowing, ethereal blueprint.
Elias had never seen anything like this. Still he did his best to explain it to Eli, thinking that wording his thoughts would help him process things better.
Based on what he was seeing,this artifact had the ability to make changes to reality in accordance with what its user wanted. The Binding Arrays bound itself to the users soul and used half of their life force as fuel for the Transmutation Array which would realize whatever alteration the user made.
It could be used to change disease into health or change the odds of an outcome into ones favour.
"Honestly I didn't know Transmutation Arrays could affect something as conceptual as luck or probability. Then again arrays are the basic language existence ran on like how code is used to operate a computer so it makes sense." Elias said.
" What's a computer?" Eli asked but Elias' mind was still occupied with analyzing the artifact.
He could see how it would be seen as a miracle maker.
"But what were the characteristics that gave this artifact such a powerful function?" Eli asked.
Elias thought about it for a while and mentally looking thtough his memory,he sought out the Trait that fit thefunctions of the bracelet. More specifically,which traits authorities fit. He was aware that Ascension and Evolution were different. But the fact that their artifacts could be grouped into classes meant they also where grouped into the four classes according towhat abilities they showcased in life before being killed and turned into artifacts. If that was the case then the best way to get an idea on what characteristics they had was to look through the Traits under their class and see which in fit the most with their function.
In this case there was only one,
'The Hanged Man.'
"It all had to do with Fate and Destiny." Elias said.
" Hmm,how so?"
"Fate and destiny are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct connotations. Fate refers to a predetermined course of events that is often beyond an individual's control, implying a sense of inevitability. Destiny, on the other hand, implies a sense of purpose or direction that is inherent to an individual or group, often suggesting a more personal or inherent trajectory. While fate is often associated with external forces, destiny is linked to internal drive and potential. This distinction highlights the nature of predetermined outcomes. If you look at the main Transmutation Array," Elias pointed at the pattern interlocking with the three armed spiral.
" You'll realize that all other arrays in this are to change between two states. Either from 'A' to 'B' or 'B' to 'A'."
" In others word, it's correct function is to alternate between Fate and Destiny to produce the users desired outcome." Eli concluded.
The energy running through it was color blue , flowing clockwise within it. Elias' eyes widen as he realized he was holding on to a Grade 3 artifact.
'This thing is on the same level as a Paragon!'
After a while,the look of shock on his face changed to one of contemplation as he shrunk the pendant back into its original size.
The Miracle Maker was a weapon of incredible power, an artifact that could change reality. For a moment he was contemplating keeping it for himself and getting Aina a new gift but that was impossible. After the stunt he pulled he knew his big sis would keep a watchful eye not to let him slip again and even if he managed it a second time he had no funds. He had inadvertently gifted Lyle all the money he had in him and going to ask his parents would raise suspicion. With a heavy heart he let go of the Pendant which returned to hovering around him.
' Who knows,maybe I can trade Aina for something else in future." He thought hopefully.
He then reached out for the last artefact, the Kitsune Mask. He paused as he took it in properly for the first time.
The Kitsune mask was carved from aged wood. Its porcelain-white face is smooth and serene, etched with faint delicate lines that mimicked the flowing fur of a fox. Scarlet red lacquer traced the mask's features, painting fiery blaze across the eye sockets, the pointed ears, and the grinning maw that revealed only it's upper and lower fangs. It had three scarlet strokes on its forehead,the ones on either side slanted inward and the one in the middle shaped a bit like a flame. It also had three golden rings attached to its left ear. Aside how it looked it felt...different. It had no aura. It was just a mask. As he held it in his hands, it felt cold and lifeless. He tried to expand its internal circuitry, but nothing happened. He tried to affect it with his Flow but it absorbed it without a trace. He tried to affect it with his Anti-Flow, but the world suddenly turned black.
He found himself in a separate space, a void of nothingness.
" Eli?" He called but got no response.
He was completely alone. He tried to move but he couldn't. He looked around but saw only darkness. Suddenly,two huge orange eyes peeled at him time beyond the veil sending a feeling of cold dread through Elias' being.