"So, you have chosen your first treasure," Noctis said, his voice echoing in the vast space. "Interesting. To think that your first pick would be the Cosmic Shadow System… how unfortunate."
Modret blinked, slightly taken aback by the remark.
"Uh, is that supposed to be a bad thing?" he asked, tilting his head with curiosity.
Noctis paused, then shrugged nonchalantly.
"This treasure once belonged to the Shadow God. He was among the strongest gods in existence, which made him one of the first to be targeted during the Divine Collapse. I found this relic in the ruins where he was buried. My guess is that it might just be a useless fragment now."
Modret's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face.
"You never tried testing it out?" he asked, his tone laced with intrigue. Perhaps Noctis was unaware of the treasure's true worth.
"Of course not," Noctis replied with a hint of amusement. "As a god, I cannot use the abilities of another god." He waved the topic away as if it were irrelevant.
Hearing this, a faint smile tugged at Modret's lips. Maybe he wasn't as unlucky as he had initially thought.
As expected of a treasure once owned by a god. Even one dismissed as worthless was priceless in Modret's eyes. He exhaled slowly, releasing the tension from his chest.
No longer dwelling on the Cosmic Shadow System, he turned his focus to the sea of stars above him. His gaze hovered around them, his hand following suit, trembling slightly with indecision.
To his eyes, all the stars looked identical. Each emitted a brilliant glow, radiant and ethereal, reflecting like galaxies in his irises. There was no clear distinction between them.
"How difficult," Modret muttered under his breath, furrowing his brows. Then, his eyes locked onto one particular star, not too far from the last.
"I select this one next."
Noctis shifted his attention to the star Modret had pointed at, and a small, almost mischievous smile formed on his lips.
"It seems your luck is extraordinary. This one is a unique bloodline," he said with a low chuckle.
Modret's expression brightened instantly. He had thought he'd picked wrong again.
"How unique is this bloodline?" he asked, unable to hide his anticipation.
Noctis was quiet for a moment, the space around them briefly filled with a strange, lingering silence.
"It is far more terrifying than you can imagine. You will naturally explore its properties after you reincarnate."
Modret sighed and rolled his eyes. Yet another mystery left unanswered.
It seemed he would not know the true nature of any of the treasures he acquired—not until later. Still, he felt confident that they would prove invaluable.
Without further hesitation, he turned back to the stars, pondering for several minutes before choosing another.
Each decision was becoming heavier. He only had seven selections. Every treasure claimed meant one less chance at something else.
As he chose his third treasure, Noctis cast a strange glance in that direction. A peculiar expression passed across his face.
"Should I call you lucky or unlucky?" he asked with a small, ironic smile.
"Uh… what do you mean?" Modret's voice trembled slightly. An uneasy feeling twisted in his chest.
Just as he feared, he had likely wasted a precious slot.
"This treasure, if it can even be called that, is something I found on the Celestial Battlefield. The place was already reduced to nothingness, destroyed completely during the ancient war. But somehow, this singular rock remained floating in the void."
Noctis tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Perhaps it holds value, or perhaps… it does not. You'll have to leave that to fate."
Modret felt a sharp pang of regret. He had truly wasted a choice on a mere rock?
How could his luck be so terrible?
Out of all the countless stars gathered in this space, he had chosen that one?
He frowned, shaking off the disappointment, and turned back to the rest of the stars. There were still choices to be made.
…
"Good. The seventh treasure you chose should be extremely useful. Now I am relieved. Even if you fail to save us with the others, there is still a silver lining in the sky."
Modret turned to Noctis in a daze.
"What just happened?" he asked, stunned.
Noctis chuckled lightly and waved his hand.
"Oh, that? I sealed the memories of the final four treasures. Your luck seems to have exploded. Every single one of them is terrifying in its own right. To prevent you from becoming a target, I sealed the knowledge of them. In time, those memories will naturally return."
Modret narrowed his eyes, suspicion blooming in his heart.
Could it be that he hadn't consciously chosen anything at all?
It was difficult to believe that his luck had suddenly improved so drastically. There had to be more to this than met the eye.
Had he perhaps stumbled upon some hidden truth? Did one of the treasures allow him to uncover a secret so dangerous that Noctis had to erase his memories?
Modret felt as though he had brushed the edge of something immense, yet now he was powerless to explore it. The memories were gone.
"It is truly pitiful," he thought. "To be nothing more than a chess piece in the hands of others."
He clenched his fists. He hated the feeling of invisible chains, binding him from all directions.
"Well, now it is time for your reincarnation," Noctis said, his tone matter-of-fact.
The moment had arrived.
Modret's heart pounded in his chest. A surge of anticipation and fear flooded through him. The world he was to be reborn in awaited.
"Uh, about that. Will I reincarnate with my memories intact?" he asked, lifting his eyes.
Noctis nodded. "Yes. You will retain your memories from the moment of birth. It is essential for your growth."
"Birth?" Modret raised a brow in surprise.
"Of course. What else did you think reincarnation meant?" Noctis laughed, then quickly shifted the topic. "Now, decide the level of world you want to reincarnate into. You have ten seconds."
"What level of world?" Modret frowned. "Are the levels similar to those in Celestial Descent?"
"Yes," Noctis confirmed.
Modret's frown deepened. Should he select an average world? Or one of weak strength, where he could dominate with ease?
The decision bore down on him, pressing heavily against his chest.
He dared not even consider Hell Sage difficulty. In that level, everyone was destined to die except the main character. It was hopeless to think of surviving.
"Time's up. The decision has been made for you," Noctis's voice sliced through his thoughts.
Modret froze in disbelief. That couldn't have been ten seconds. It had not been long enough.
"You will reincarnate into Abyssal Sage level difficulty," Noctis said with a faint hum of amusement.
"What?" Modret gasped, his eyes widening in horror. He stared at Noctis as if he had lost his mind.
What level was Abyssal Sage?
That had never even existed in the game. At Hell Sage difficulty, he barely scraped by, surviving only through sheer will. But Abyssal Sage? That was beyond anything he had imagined. A true death sentence.
Suddenly, Modret's vision began to blur. Noctis's smirking face became distorted, fading into the distance.
He could barely hear the last few words that escaped from the god's lips.
Was it "try not to die?"
Or perhaps, "entertain me well?"
Modret felt like he had been dragged into some cruel scheme. But why him, of all people?
Was there something special about him?
His thoughts drowned as the darkness closed in, pressing around him from every side like a cold, suffocating ocean.
He was being pulled deeper and deeper into an endless abyss.
And yet, far off in the distance, he saw it.
A light.
The light at the end of the tunnel.
It reached for him, beckoning, praying, pleading for him to grab hold…
And he did.
.
.
To be continued…