Soren led Clyde into a dim room lit only by a pale blue lamp. The shadows clung to the walls, and the air felt cold, as if the light itself carried lunar energy.
Calmly, Soren began, "We only have four Divine Ichor cards left."He laid them on the table one by one. Each card glowed faintly in its own color, but more than that each one carried a symbol etched so precisely it looked carved by something far older than human hands.
"First," Soren said, placing a midnight-blue card, "the Abyss Ichor."Its symbol was a spiraling vortex, drawn with thin silver strokes, and a single eye at its center."It grants the ability to manipulate gravity at will" He set down the second card, glowing amber-gold. Its symbol resembled a circle formed from overlapping triangles and alchemical marks, all pointing inward like a sun collapsing on itself."Second, the Alkahest Ichor.The ichor of Universal Solvent Manipulation. With it, you can purify poisons, debuff and improve the quality of your baptism and you could break down materials at the molecular level so less chance of crafting the wrong baptism ingredient."
The third card shimmered silver-white, vibrating softly. Its surface bore a crescent made of layered soundwaves, like ripples frozen in metal."Third, the Echo Ichor.Its wielders could manipulate the vibrations and waveform around the air and could damage the internal organs such as tissues and bones if used correctly."
Finally, Soren revealed the last card glowing with a soft violet light, the glow pulsing slowly like a sleeping star. The design on this one was different from the rest: A circle of small constellation-like dots surrounded the card's center, forming a star map. Inside that circle, an infinity symbol stretched vertically. And above its center, a small six-pointed star was engraved, tiny but sharp, as if drawn with absolute precision.
Soren tapped the card gently."And lastly, the Hollow Star Ichor." "It's new, so it isn't flashy. The information we get is that the first phase of the hollow star grants its user Hollow eyes, it lets you see through disguised Howlings, and study spells at the molecular level. No real combat power but it sees the truth."
Clyde stared at the violet constellation card, unable to look away. "I pick the Hollow Star Ichor," he said quietly. In his mind he added, If I choose this one I don't need to do much, and I still get the thirty pounds. Soren raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Once you choose, there is no turning back. "Clyde nodded. "Very well," Soren replied.
Soren placed his hand over the Hollow Star card. The moment his palm touched it, the card shuddered, its surface splitting into fractal cracks shaped like constellations. A blinding violet flare burst outward, lifting the card into the air as if the Moon itself breathed life into it.The sigils on its face, the orbiting constellation ring, the infinity loop, and the central star, all spun in opposite directions, accelerating until they blurred into pure light.With a final shimmering pulse, the card collapsed into a swirling violet orb, humming like distant galaxies. Soren caught it gently. "It's awake," he whispered. "The Hollow Star recognizes you."He lowered the orb into a bowl carved from Lunarglass, filled with Lunar Water liquid collected from moonlit storms and Lunar Essence, a silvery vapor that never stopped moving. The moment the orb touched the mixture, the bowl began to thrum like a heartbeat."Take that knife," Soren said, voice steady. "Drip a few drops of your blood into the solution."Clyde's pulse quickened. Still, he obeyed. A single drop of his blood hit the mixture and the mixture began to hissed. Fog erupted outward in spirals. The colors within the bowl changed violently purple, silver, black, then back to purple, each shift accompanied by the faint echo of a whisper not belonging to man or god.Soren poured the mixture into a mold carved from Moonstone Quartz. Within seconds, it hardened into an orb the color of a dying star.
Then Soren said in a deep voice "Prepare yourself once I break this orb the fluid will baptized rewriting your current frequency and your job is to harness these frequency and the hollow star shall be yours" once Soren said that he breaks the orb
Immediately, his body convulsed. His muscles tightened. His breath caught. He fell to one knee as a cold shock raced through him. Murmurs thousands of them flooded his mind like voices trapped between dimensions. His Lunar Ichor the very essence inside him began to disperse wildly, rupturing like a storm inside his veins. "Soren something's wrong" Soren stepped forward, voice cutting through the chaos. "Listen to me, Clyde. Absorb the Lunar Ichor. All of it. Force it back and like what i just said you must harness these frequency.If you don't, the Hollow Star will consume you."
Clyde clenched his teeth, sweat dripping down his temples.He reached inward into the storm and began pulling every thread of ichor back toward his core. The whispers grew louder, then faded. His trembling slowed. His heartbeat stabilized and so did the hollow star's frequency. A final pulse of violet light rippled across his skin and then silence. Clyde felt that his current lunar ichor is resonating with the hollow star's ichor constructing his newly founded strength. He stood slowly. The transformation had taken hold.
His eyes, normally the deep blue of star-filled midnight, flickered open. For a moment, they burned violet, glowing like amethysts struck by lightning. With those eyes, he could see the heat signatures behind walls, feel the temperature of the world around him, and sense the faint residue of life drifting in the air. Then, as quickly as it came, the violet faded back to his familiar blue though now deeper, more ancient, touched forever by Hollow Star energy.
Soren exhaled. He stepped back, studying Clyde with awe."You are now an Ichorborn of the Hollow Star."
Clyde threw his arms up, voice echoing. "I did it! I'm an Ichor now! "Soren allowed himself a small, calm smile. "Congratulations, Clyde." Then, as if shifting into the role of a teacher of ancient secrets, Soren clasped his hands behind his back and spoke with gentle gravity. "There are eight phases an Ichor must pass through. The first is the New Moon, where you stand now. With each phase, your power grows exponentially. And when you reach the final one" His eyes dimmed slightly, as though staring into a past only he remembered. "Your strength will rival that of a demigod." Clyde blinked, the excitement on his face twisting into confusion. "How do we advance through these phases?" Soren inhaled slowly, choosing his words with care. His voice softened. "To ascend, you must uncover the Baptism Formulas and your lunar ichor's frequency must synchronize with the frequency of the hollow star. Only with both can you climb the phases of the Ichor."The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Even the air grew still.Soren's posture straightened, his expression turning sharp, almost warning."Clyde remembers this above all. When you ascend, the frequency in the room must not be distorted and you must have the correct moon to rise, "If not" His eyes narrowed. "You will lose control and turn into a mutant."Before Clyde could respond, the door flew open with a creak. Aldric stepped inside, hands on his hips, his voice booming. "So? How was it? Did you become an Ichor or not?" Clyde didn't answer. Instead, he slowly lifted his gaze. His eyes glowed, deep violet, swirling with shattered starlight, the faintest constellations dancing in his irises. Aldric whistled. "Perfect. Then you're ready for your first mission." He gave a mischievous grin. "You'll be working with Marlowe Nox Crestfall."
With a heavy thud, he placed a long, wrapped object on the table."And I brought you a weapon for the job. This is the Hollow Edge." Clyde carefully unwrapped it. What emerged was a sword unlike any he had seen. Its blade was long and mirror-smooth, forged from Lunarsteel metal rumored to be folded under moonlight itself. It carried a faint blue shimmer across the surface, as if it had stolen a sliver of the night sky and forged it into a blade. Light, impossibly light. Too light for something so deadly. Clyde ran his fingers along the blade, feeling the subtle pulse of lunar energy within it. Aldric nodded, arms crossed. "Use it well."
Clyde followed the winding stone corridor out of the academy, still feeling the faint lunar thrum of the Hollow Star Ichor settling inside his veins. The night air was cold, sharp, and smelled faintly of damp moss and old magic. He spotted Marlowe Crestfall before he even stepped into the courtyard.Marlowe was sitting alone in the shadowed corner of a crumbling archway, a lantern flickering beside him. His posture was relaxed, almost too relaxed for someone about to hunt monsters. A thick book lay open in his hands, the pages covered in diagrams of anatomy and strange runes. But Clyde's footsteps hadn't even hit the last stair when Marlowe's voice drifted out, soft and steady: "Are you ready to hunt the Hollowlings now?" Clyde flinched.
Marlowe hadn't even lifted his eyes from the book. "Yes," Clyde answered, trying to sound braver than he felt. Marlowe finally closed the book with a quiet thud. His golden eyes met Clyde's, sharp and perceptive eyes that looked like they had seen far too much. Without a word, he gestured for Clyde to follow.