The scene before Ruddy changed as he found himself in a greyish, dried land full of dead trees and a hollow, dark moon above. It looked like a dead land.
"Is this my soul sea?" Ruddy questioned as he looked around the place.
Soon, his eyes fell on a glowing star inside the hollow moon, and when he focused on the star, runes appeared before him.
—
[Umbral Censer] Relic
Rank: Legendary
Description: A container of endless ash with the scent of the Shadow god's divinity.
Enchantments: 1
—
"That proves it…" Ruddy spoke with a nod as a frown appeared on his face.
"Why is it so dead… and why does it look more like barren land than a sea?"
His frown deepened as he looked at the dead trees.
Right then, the whole place started to tremble. It was slight at first, but soon it became heavier and heavier.
Ruddy fell on his butt as he spoke.
"What the fuck is going on?!"
The trembling stopped. Ruddy felt something warm and soothing in his lower abdomen, which soon spread all over his body. He looked u,p and then he saw a white flame had been born within the hollow moon.
"Is that my soul spark?" Ruddy mumbled in astonishment.
The white flame grew brighter with each passing moment until it vanished, and a red flame took its place. The flame spread within the hollow moon, turning it into a crimson one instead.
"Whoa…" Ruddy looked at the transformation with wide eyes.
The crimson moon cracked as it started to bleed red. The red blood fell on the dried ground, and it spread.
Ruddy stood up and stepped forward; wherever he placed his foot, blood seeped out.
Moments later, the blood reached his feet, his ankle, and it finally stopped at his knee.
Ruddy looked at the blood sea with a shocked expression because it didn't smell like blood matter-of-fact, it didn't smell like anything.
He didn't know if it was because the blood was odourless or because he was the heir of the blood god. Ruddy didn't ponder it for much longer and just looked around.
He walked towards one of the trees, its trunk had turned crimson… Ruddy thought maybe the trees would turn crimson too, but they didn't. The tree's bark started to turn black like shadows, and crimson leaves sprouted all over its branches.
It happened to one, then to another and soon, all of the trees began to transform.
Astonished by the changes, Ruddy looked at the crimson moon. It had stopped bleeding red, and shadows were slithering around it like serpents.
"That must be due to [Shadow Blessed]," Ruddy concluded as his soul sea turned complete.
Ruddy's eyes then landed on hazy figures at the far end of the soul sea.
"What are those?" He questioned with a frown. After all, he was supposed to be alone within his soul sea.
Ruddy stepped forward and began to walk on the crimson sea.
Moments later, he stood in front of four figures with widened eyes.
The first figure was a crystalline wolf, but with red and black, its crystal-like fur was like flowing blood and shadows.
The second and third figures were human-like, but they had hair and eyes of shadows, and their whole body were as if flowing blood red.
The last figure… it was something he would never forget… it was the dormant demon. Its hair, eyes, fangs and claws were like shadows while its body was the same colour as others.
Ruddy was left speechless. He didn't know what to say or what to feel about this. These figures were the ones whose blood he had absorbed using his Blood Heal in the Trial, and now these figures were going to plague him, curse at him as they stared him with their hollow eyes and expressionless faces.
"Hah…" A sigh escaped his lips as he turned around and called out to the runes.
—
Name: Rudric (Awakened) | Lightless Crimson
Trait: Scion of the blood.
Sub Trait: [Tainted], [Shadow Blessed]
Other Abilities: [Eyes of the Scourge], [Shadow steps], [Shadow hide]
Soul Corridor -
Relic: [Umbral Censer]
Soul limit: 1/2
Soul Spark: 1/7
Blood Essence: 0/1000
—
"Awakened finally…" Ruddy smiled as he read the runes.
Right then, the gentle and pleasant voice of God's Will rang in his head.
[Congratulations, Warrior Rudric, you have been awakened.]
[You can now enter the trial rifts in pursuit of the -Truth- ]
Ruddy read the runes with a slight smile as he nodded to himself.
"Truth, Huh… I don't think so… After all, I just want to live a life full of peace now." Ruddy said as he left his soul sea.
Within a park, Ruddy sat at a bench as his body trembled.
"Is he turning to ash?" One of the two guards said as he pointed his flashlight at Ruddy.
"I don't know… I haven't seen someone turn into ash before." The other guard said with an anxious look.
"I hope he survives… he looks like someone who has suffered. Don't you think?" a guard questioned, and the other one replied with a nod.
A few moments later, A sleek black armoured SUV stopped at the gates of the park.
Its door opened, and a lady with long brown hair tied in a bun, blue eyes, sharp eyebrows, with a lean and mature body stepped out. She had worn a dark-blue skintight leather bodysuit with its zipper open right above her chest with black heels.
She looked towards the guards and started walking towards them.
A curly pink short-haired girl of nearly the same height as Ruddy. She donned a dark blue leather jacket over a dark brown shirt with floral printing and a plain dark blue skirt. She had a small, cute-looking face. She stepped out after the lady. Her slightly pink eyes were wide as she ran behind her.
"Ma'am, No…" She yelled, but it was too late.
"What are you fools looking at?" the lady said as she looked at the two guards with narrowed eyes.