As the spear tore through the air and gained momentum, time seemed to have stopped around them.
A sharp crack sound echoed near Aether as he took a deep breath, not even realizing he had been holding it in. His expression changed, not into a pleasant one.
The spear shattered the transcended shard laying in the monsters hand, Aether felt a big amount of power absorbed into his core.
However there was a problem.
Aether had never intended to throw the spear at the soul shard! He had wanted to finish off the centurion so he would not have to deal with it afterwards.
So Aether did the only thing a sane man would do.
He ran
The mud under his feet kicked up every time he repeated the motions of skating, faster and faster each time. Wind whistled past him as he surpassed the limits of mundane humans, darting forward like an arrow that had been shot.
He could feel the tremors through the mud, the centurion had gained its footing and was now chasing him!
***
Aether POV:
My palms were sweaty, and the deep sense of unease that gripped my body seemed even more prominent.
And I was right to feel that way.
My legs were burning in agony as I put much more force into them than I usually did when using [Silk Step].
And then suddenly I caught a glimpse of the shadow of the centurion that was approaching me.
A shiver ran through me as the cold wind caressed my skin violently as I suddenly stomped down to stop my momentum, sliding through the mud and finally stopping.
There in front of me a wall of red corals stood.
A dead end.
The hulking centurion was approaching me with a fast pace, sending tremors through the mud, shaking the earth beneath it.
I gripped my garment, slowly wrinkling it in the process. There, I could feel the beat of my heart as I looked behind me.
It was fast.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
And loud.
"Ha..."
My breath followed its rhythm.
It went faster.
And faster.
faster....
"Haa... Haa.. Ha..."
I was hyperventilating.
My palms were sweaty and sweat trickled down the side of my face.
'Get a hold of yourself!'
Biting down on my teeth to draw some blood, I tried to calm myself. The mind link between me and the centurion was still active. The monster was angry at me for taking its precious shard. It was determined to kill me.
Slowly calming down my heart, I looked around for any exits that I could flee from. However the only way out was a direct conflict with the centurion which had very chances of it resulting in my doom, painful or painless.
***
A saber appeared in his hand as he concentrated his attention on the centurion. Aether was actively trying the achieve the state of 'flow.' He was trying to cleanse his mind out of nervousness.
So then, he proceeded to take on the personality of a character he had played in the past. A character that was very familiar with that state of the mind. The tremble in his pupils calmed down and his loudly beating heart slowed down.
And then he completely focused his attention fully on the mind link between him and the centurion. Compared to the beasts he had faced, it was smarter, however it still followed a simple line of actions.
'I see through you.'
As the Centurion finally was near him, Aether skid forward.
Two bone scythes crashed into the place just where he was a second before, sending mud flying up into the air from the impact. Aether had avoided the attack by skidding left. Brandishing his saber, he swung in a wide arc against one of the scythes with the enchantment of the Saber.
Only for it to leave just a deep wound.
The second pair of scythes came flying at him from both sides, reading it beforehand he ducked and avoided them completely. The monster then proceeded to trash his body forward and crash against Aether.
However it did not know that its mind was being read like a book. Every though it had, every action he took. It was not only its anymore.
Aether was feeling the sense of fluidity between his mind and his body. Time felt like it had slowed down, his sensed felt like they had heightened. His actions and awareness synced to create an effortless momentum.
Several crashes were sounding everywhere around him. They were the scythes of the monster, however Aether did was not paying them any attention anymore.
Because it felt like he was controlling them himself, he was so immersed in the mind link that he felt the body of the centurion, its senses, its thoughts.
The centurion's body did not belong to itself anymore.
Aether danced through the scythes, swinging his saber at them when they landed on the ground, damaging them as much as he could. Even if he could read its movements beforehand his body still could not keep up to avoid all of the attacks.
Several shallow cuts had formed around his body, the armor had protected him from being damaged even more. Aether's body was running out of time, he needed to finish it quickly.
The saber was gone, replaced with an azure spear. Aether's eyes focused on one point, the crack in its neck, as his own body moved to avoid the attacks that seemed just harmless to him. And then, finally the invisible thread appeared. Aether's body shot forward and jumped high even if one of the scythes pierced his shoulder as pain exploded through his body. With a loud shriek he thrusted the azure tip and split the crack wide, driving straight through the centurion's neck
[You have slain an awakened monster, Carapace Centurion]
Both fell down onto the ground. Aether was breathing heavily as he collapsed, he had not been breathing the whole time due to the hyperfocused state he was in. And then.. he emptied his stomach onto the mud.
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
'Shit...'
Just like that he had received his first relic. However it had taken a lot from him, so he was in no mood to retrieve it for now.
His whole body was in fire. He had driven himself to the limit, but he knew that the sea was going to rise in a few hours. So he forced himself to get up after a few minutes.
Fortunately he did not encounter any creatures on his way back. He retrieved the five shards from the dead spiders and two from the centurion he had killed and absorbed them.
***
Back at the hill.
Aether was laying on the ground, the mighty moss backpack beneath his head. The dark sea had risen and the area was enveloped by darkness. He had patched out his wounds with the materials he could find around the hill, dismissing the upper part of the garment in the process.
Aether was staring up at the starless sky. Then, suddenly a set of runes appeared before him.
Aspect Legacy: [Codex of Axioms]
The Amount of Axioms understood: [1/7]
First Relic: [Claim.]
Aether first had acquired his legacy by reading into the minds of two distinct species.
To achieve the first axiom, he had thought he would need to read minds of many different species. But that was proven false as he had gained it today. The way to understand the first axiom was to delve deeper into the enemy's mind and become almost one with them.
It was a very powerful side to his aspect.
But that left his mind in a very exhausted and a vulnerable state. So it was not going to be a tactic he was going to use unless he was in dire danger like today.
"Claim."
[You have claimed an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[You have received a follower of the godless: Zheshi]
'A follower of the what..?'
What was even that?
Aether summoned his runes once again.
Name: Aether.
True Name: The Blasphemer.
Soul Core: Dormant
Soul Fragments: [470/1000]
Memories: [Fallen Captain], [Silk Step], [Azure Spear]
Echoes: -
The Followers of The Godless: [Zheshi]
Aether looked at the runes in astonishment. Was this another extension of his aspect? Without waiting he focused on the runes, new sets appearing before him.
The Followers of The Godless: [Zheshi]
Follower description: [Never trust the gods.]
Follower Rank: Dormant
Follower Class: Beast
'It's an echo? Why is it named like that then? And what was up with that description?'
Its not that he trusted the gods, he was simply interested why its description was like that.
Aether willed Zheshi into existence, immediately something appeared in front of him without delay.
A floating polyhedron appeared before him. It was continuously changing shapes and Aether could not tell how many faces it had. Zheshi was also glowing a green hue just like his soul core.
It was a truly fascinating echo.
Aether would have stared at it more, however since it was glowing he decided to dismiss it so that he would not get any unnecessary attention from the sea-dwellers.
He continued to read the runes.
Follower Attributes: [Guide], [Eyes of Godless], [Impenetrable].
[Guide]
Attribute description: Zheshi is able to hover around.
[Eyes of Godless]
Attribute description: Zheshi can share her 'sight' with her master.
[Impenetrable]
Attribute description: Zheshi cannot be harmed in any way.
'So I am this 'godless' then?'
Aether stared at the runes with a vey bright smile on his face. He did not know how much Zheshi could travel, but it was going to be very useful for scouting. And the fact that she could not be harmed was even more fascinating! He would not have to worry about her getting found and getting killed.
And apparently Zheshi was a 'she' according to the spell. How was even a polyhedron a she?
Not wanting to focus how Zheshi was a female, he turned his attention to the other set of runes.
Follower Abilities: [Analysis].
[Analysis]
Ability Description: Zheshi is able to analyze and share her findings with her master.
Aether would have to test this ability tomorrow. Now it could be risky to summon her.
Dismissing the set of runes, he drifted to sleep smiling, the shapeless echo of Zheshi resting in the depts of his soul core.