Aldr looked at the corpse and sighed.
'Now, how would I go about devouring a soul? Nevertheless, even touching one.'
He scratched the side of his face and thought for a bit, but came up blank. Even if he had done so in the past, he didn't have a great memory.
'Ah...there's a simple solution...'
He smiled and coated his hand in a small amount of his willpower.
'...this is my will, as I will it to be.'
It was his will to do so, his will to grip the soul of the raven, and his will to devour it.
The vermilion sparks crackled through the air as his arm started to pass through the body of the raven, like it was some intangible force. And then he found it, like the energy of a star cleansing his hand. He brought his palm down and gripped the corrupted soul of the raven.
And then something came to him, like a memory, from the distant past.
A teenage boy with white hair and jade eyes that seemed to be disconnected from reality walked into the ruins of a temple. The walls seemed to shudder by his entrance as he glanced at the hallways with a distant look in his eyes.
And then an ancient shadow emerged from the darkness, looking towards him with transparent eyes, before forming into the shape of a simple floating cloak.
"You approach the realm of death, boy."
The ancient voice of the shadow boomed throughout the shadows, yet the boy still looked towards the ancient shadow with unbreakable composure.
"I'm aware. I've come seeking death."
The ancient shadow did not have a face, yet it seemed to smile. And the boy seemed to shudder slightly.
"I am death. Are you pleased now?"
The boy did not seem satisfied with the answer, his dried lips curling into a slight frown.
"You are death?"
"You don't seem pleased. Do I need fit the visage of a god?"
"...not exactly, no."
Death's smile seemed to be embroidered into the shadows of the temple.
"Hm, well, a god must split themselves into several visages. This is one of my own, a lonely ghost in a forsaken temple."
Aldr raised an eyebrow, curious as to the mention of a visage.
"Then, if you are truly death, answer me question."
Death lingered silently for a moment before letting out a hum of approval.
"Ask away."
Aldr paused, his gaze hardening as he looked at the forlorn visage of an Eikon.
"How do I kill a god?"
Aldr gasped as he was plunged back from the memory, crystalline pieces of the raven's soul floating into his body.
'When did I...'
He took a deep breath and focused on absorbing the soul of the raven, digesting it rather quickly.
[You have consumed a soul.]
[Skill created: Devour]
[This soul has already long been corrupted, you have gained nothing.]
He sighed and stared at the sparks before waving them away.
'So I can't absorb the souls inflicted with that plague.'
Aldr was displeased with the failed attempt, but he had no choice but to move on, especially with the more pressing matter.
'That memory...how...'
He stared at the now soulless corpse of the raven and glared longingly.
'They didn't recover the corpse of the other thing, Absent something...'
He scratched the side of his face before walking to his tent, his bare feet and legs now covered in damp mud.
He sat down on the smoothly carved chair the saintess had summoned and let out a sigh, staring up at the ceiling of the tent.
His body felt incredibly sore still, his mind weakened as well. But he focused back on the memory.
'No doubt…that was me, the first time I came here.'
Yet he couldn't help but think something was odd about the memory, the presence of an Eikon. Ancient stories told that the Eikons were unforgettable beings. And yet, he forgot.
'Why don't I remember...? No, why did I forget?'
In another room, Stone Monkey sat clad in his grey robes across from Hunter, whose eyes seemed to pierce through him, though the calm ocean waves of his did not seem to break. Until Hunter spoke.
"I don't recall you having blue eyes. Last time they were reddish, no?"
Stone Monkey scoffed.
"Long gone. I lost my name as well, yet you still seemed to keep that damned bow."
Hunter grimaced slightly.
"The bow doesn't respond to my identity. Unlike your-"
"Watch your tongue."
Stone Monkey snarled, baring his fang like teeth.
"Ah, you're still stuck up on that, are you?"
Hunter chuckled, gripping the bone club beside him and standing up.
"...I guess grieving has never been your thing."
Hunter left his words ringing through the eerie silence before leaving the tent.
Stone Monkey just leaned back and let out a soft sigh, running his hand through his long brown hair.
'Damn fate...'
He pressed his lips together and then tried to utter a few words in the air, yet nothing came out of his mouth, because the words he uttered did not exist, or didn't exist anymore at least.
'Why do I even try...'
The world had been long been divided into parts. The center of the known world held Elsire, the last standing bastion of humanity.
To the north, the dreadful Frozen Tundra, a beautiful landscape that interconnected seamlessly with the Stone Mountains to the east. It's ground was layered with ice, so thick that not even a sword could pierce fully through the layer. Yet only a few know the abominations beneath the ice. As even when the ice has consumed it all, life found a way, and trees grow from the ice.
The west was an unchartered land, covered by a veil of mist. The abominations inside the mist were simply too powerful. And to the south there lied the true entrance to the roaring desert, a place empty as it is grueling and warm, hiding countless beasts beneath the sand. And even more secrets beyond it.