'What just happened?'
Elizabeth stared up, stunned. Two suns now burned above her soul sea, pouring blue radiance over the mist‑shrouded expanse.
'Why do I have two soul cores?'
People only had one soul core. One soul, one core, that was how it was supposed to be. Yet here she was, standing beneath two of them.
'ha....I really need to stop expecting anything related to a divine aspect to be normal.'
Nothing about her journey so far had been normal from the very beginning. At least she understood the rules about what was consider 'Normal' well enough to recognize when they were being broken.
She drew closer to the first sun, studying it carefully. Its radiant blue light filled her with strength. Her soul sea was beautiful, yet she could not help but feel as if something was missing, something that was supposed to be there but was not. She ignored the feeling for now as she looked up at the three small shadows orbiting the blazing sphere, following smooth, in a patient flow.
The moment she laid eyes on them, she understood what they where. They were her Memories. One took the shape of a graceful bow, another of a beautiful long sword. The last was a gold‑like liquid, most likely the one she had received after slaying Rethen, it drifted around the sun in a gleaming glow.
'I wonder what that one is.'
It did not look like a weapon type Memory. was it something like a tool? Whatever it was, curiosity flared deep within her about the scared memory she had received. She was eager to summon her runes and read its description, but just as her attention was drawn toward it, something else caught her eye.
There was a fourth Memory.
'Huh… that's strange. I used three out of Rethen's four fingers, right? So why am I seeing another Memory?'
Then she remembered something, the spell had announced she had received a Memory twice. Frowning, Elizabeth focused on the unfamiliar shape, trying to make out its details. When she understood what it was, her eyes widened slightly.
'That's my dagger?'
It was the not so simple dagger she had used to distract Rethen just before delivering the killing blow.
'But I thought it wasn't a Memory…'
Why had it become one in the end? The question barely had time to form before the sight of her soul sea wavered. The twin suns began to fade from view, and in the next instant, the blue mist and distant light were gone.
She was back in the void of stars.
[Awakening Aspect Ability…]
The spell's voice rolled across the darkness like distant thunder. Elizabeth felt her heart leap in excitement. Her innate ability was already incredible. What would her Aspect Ability be, now that both Aspect and ability were of Divine rank?
She couldn't help it; her imagination leapt ahead of her. How devastating would it be? How would it reshape her fighting style? How brightly would she shine with it?
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Water Body.]
Her smile faltered for a moment, then steadied into a sheepish one. Sometimes, power was rarely what it seemed from the name alone, maybe... just maybe, it wasn't that direct. Without wasting time, she summoned the full spread of her runes.
Name: Elizabeth
True Name: Siren of the Last Haven
Rank: Dreamer
Heaven Cores: [2/7]
Fragments of Heaven: [71/2000]
'Fragments of heaven?'
The counter that should have shown how many soul shards she had absorbed now displayed "Fragments of Heaven" instead. It raised a dozen questions, but none of them were as urgent as the line above it.
'Ha... just what in tarnation am I turning into?'
Heaven Cores: [2/7]
Core Rank: Monster
As far as she knew, only Nightmare Creatures possessed more than one soul core, and it seemed she was just like them. Their ranks were defined by how many they had: Nightmare Creatures with one soul core were called Beasts, the lowest rank; two cores, Monsters; three, Demons; four, Devils; five, Tyrants; six, Terrors; and seven, Titans. The apex of their ranks.
And her core rank matched that of a Nightmare Creature.
"That explained the second soul core. Does that mean I can get more? Just like a nightmare creature." she mumbled, a wide grin spreading across her face.
'My Divine Aspect keeps surprising me more and more.'
If Nightmare Creatures grew stronger with every additional core, then having more than one had to come with advantages. But how exactly could she gain more? Did it have something to do with these fragments of heaven? And how could she acquire more of them? At present, she had seventy-one, though she wasn't entirely sure how she had obtained them. She couldn't wait to examine the change in detail.
Her gaze traveled down the runes.
Memories: [Pinkey of Rethen], [The King's Glory], [Drop of Ichor], [Last Hope]
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Split Spirit], [Siren of the Sea], [Spirited]
Aspect: [Avatar of Skies]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Abilities: [Water Body]
Aspect Ability Description: [You can turn your body into water at will. When near a source of water, you can absorb it to strengthen yourself and manipulate it.]
Her attention lingered on the Memory list, on the last memory's name that had appeared.
'Last Hope, huh.'
A fitting name for the dagger that had decided the battle against Rethen. It truly had been her last gamble.
Then she turned to the description of Water Body. It wasn't as explosively destructive as she had secretly wished, but it was far from disappointing. Becoming water meant gaining intangibility, it could allow her to slipp through attacks that would other wise be unavoidable and making herself immune to most forms of harm. Standing near a body of water would turn that environment into a wellspring of strength as well, since she would be able to control the water she absorbed.
Although she liked watching things explode and enjoyed the direct satisfaction of overwhelming force, she was not disappointed by her Aspect. She knew better than to underestimate a Divine Aspect. This was a foundation she had to test, explore, and stretch to its limits before passing judgment. The true potential of an ability only revealed itself through use.
'Like my brother used to say, there is no weak aspect, only a weak user.'
She was sure this ability was not weak, it came from a Divine aspect which there was no record of anyone possessing one. Right now, however, the practical applications did not fully click in her mind. That just meant work lay ahead.
[All power has a price.]
[You have received a Flaw.]
Elizabeth stopped breathing for a moment, and she felt her heart skip a beat as the spell's voice echoed through the void of stars. This would define her weakness. Her own personal Achilles' heel. She prayed it wouldn't be as catastrophic as some of the horror stories she had heard. Though she had also heard that a flaw could be just as catastrophic depending on how powerful her abilities were, and boy where hers beyond powerful.
The answer came a Moment later.
[Your Flaw is: Tide Born.]
Flaw: [Tide Born]
Flaw Description: [Morning pulls you backward, turning you into a younger you. Midday stabilizes you into your truest state. Evening pushes you forward, leaving you as an echo of your future self.]
She read the runes, then tilted her head slightly in confusion as her heart beat quickly picked up the pace, a frown forming as the meaning sank in. It took a few seconds, but when it did, she exhaled slowly.
"Well… this might be troublesome." She let out a sigh that almost passed for a laugh.
She felt her heart freeze and a lump slowly form in her throat. For some reason, the flaw reminded her of an old riddle from the past, One that still circulated the world even now.
'What has four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night?'
If her flaw resembled that riddle too closely, she was in serious danger. If, every morning, she regressed into a toddler unable to walk on her own, she would be helpless when it was time to enter the Dream Realm.
Helpless meant dead.
She clung to hope that it wouldn't be that literal. Anything but that. If sunrise turned her into a child, she would be left defenseless enough that even a Dormant creature could end her. Her mind scrambled, chasing any idea that could soften the impact of this new weakness. What could she do?
Before she could settle on anything, the spell spoke again.
[Wake up, Siren of the Last Haven. Your nightmare is over.]
The star‑strewn void began to brighten around her, the light growing until it swallowed everything.
****
Side note
I feel like I didn't do a great job in explaining what her flaw well enough, I might revise the description later. Thank you for reading!