Host: Adrian
Title: –
Rank: Commonality
Tier: 5
Potential: [Empathy]
Attributes: [Scarred] , [Nightwalker]
[Scarred] Attribute Description: [The scar of the Nightmare is embedded deep in your mind, and even deeper in your consciousness. The distant past echoes within the Trace Rune inside you.]
[Nightwalker] Attribute Description: [The night embraces you like an old friend. It recognizes the feint scent of *** burning within your soul.]
Abilities: [Mend]
[Mend] Ability Description: [You have the ability to heal any physical wound, and regenerate any limb except the heart, brain and spinal cord.]
Affinities: –
Soul Core: Dormant
Essence: 264/2000
Vigor: 62%
'Argh so no title huh? I really wanted a cool mission.'
Adrian sighed and dismissed the runes.
Titles were not exactly rare, but not every carrier of the Weave were unlucky to have one. Most even dreaded being given a Title by the system. A Title was not exactly a boon, but it came with a responsibility that doomed most of Nightmare survivors.
It was a separate nightmare on its own.
The Weave gave every titled awakened an impossible mission for a chance to ascend to greater heights. Most titled awakened have been tempted in the past, but none had managed to survive their missions.
It was suicide, but that is exactly what gave Adrian drive and purpose in life.
It had been about three months since he awakened from the Nightmare, and he was craving a dangerous mission, bloodshed, and a near death experience. But since he did not have a Title, he would have to make due with what he had.
He had no idea where he was, but remembered some other guy grabbing him and shoving him into a portal. It seemed like there was some sort of commotion in the room, so he did not hold it against the guy.
He had been fully aware from the moment he went through the portal, but he had no idea where he was. It was not day, but not night either, which was very confusing. The concept of direction seemed to have been lost the moment he set foot on the unfamiliar grounds.
There was something else he noticed upon arrival though, the deafening screams and myriad of hopeless prayers assaulting his mind were noticeably louder, as if a certain entity was deliberately using the Noise as weapon.
As if losing his sense of direction was not enough, all while under the relentless assault of the Noise, he had to lose his sight as well. His eyes felt dull and functionless, almost as if they were not his to control anymore.
'What kind of Chaos Creatures is this?'
He knew for a fact that it was indeed a Chaos Creature, but he felt so overpowered, just the way he liked it. He smiled darkly and sharpened the only valuable sense remaining, his hearing. And soon, he heard what he was searching for.
A low growl echoes across the desolate lands, making him slightly shiver. He did not know whether it was from excitement, fear or anticipation, he liked the feeling nonetheless. He had no weapon, so he would have to use his strength to fight.
He could not see anything, but it felt like a hundreds of maws were closing in on him, attempting to devour his whole being. The region he had found himself in was surprisingly open, despite being sloped and uphill, he was glad to he able to move around freely.
So he used that to his advantage, and mobilized his body as much as he could. He commanded vast torrents of Essence to fill his muscles, amplifying his strength and agility. He moved like a maniac across the battlefield.
He had no idea what kind of creature he was up against, but he could feel its presence trying to press him onto the ground. It was not an ordinary Chaos Creature, and a Commonality like him had no business existing in the same region as it did. He resisted, and continued running around the battlefield like a madman.
His objective was simple, he was attempting to confuse that creature, and then launch a surprise attack once it is in a daze. He would have to finish it off with one strike, considering that time was really not on his side. The creature was not going to entertain his bullshit for long, it would get tired of it eventually.
He moved with intricate precision of a trained warrior, sidestepping every attack from the abomination. All was well for a few minutes, until he made a fatal mistake. His eyes were open, but all he saw was darkness.
He wondered what would happen if he poured Essence into his eyes, or channel his Ability directly into them. He got distracted, all because of such a foolish thought that is.
His own nimble mind would become his undoing.
He felt a sharp tendril pierce his abdomen, and staggered back a few steps. Before he could even heal the ghastly would, another talon wrapped around him, and pulled him closer to the abomination. The would was already healed, but another one opened up on his left shoulder, and another on his right thigh...
So many more tendrils shot foward towards his body, some piercing it and leaving hollow wounds, others wrapping around his battered body. He tried healing some of the wounds, but more were opening before he could close them.
And he was losing way too much blood.
He tried protecting his weak points with all his might, but he was practically immobile at that point. He caught a few talos and ripped them apart before they could do any severe damage, but moving even a finger seemed almost impossible.
He was disappointed.
Dying like that was terribly uncouth for a bloodthirsty warrior like him. He did not even engage the enemy on a one-on-one, hell he could not even see the enemy. All he could do was run around like a crazy person.
He was ashamed, ashamed of a lot of things. Ashamed of dying as a mere Commonality. Ashamed of dying unwitnessed by anyone, alone in a place he did not even know. It had been only a few months since awakening and now, he was going to die.
He could hear, what felt like hundreds of maws opening up to devour him. He closed his already unseeing eyes, ready to accept his fate. His life flashed before him, making him frown.
He saw his childhood, the sweet and innocent boy he was before. He saw the catalysts that fueled his profanity. He saw his hopes and dreams, and all that kept him going. The reason he lived on, despite the world being against him.
He saw his enemies, and his raging desire to kill them.
'No! I will not die! I refuse!'
His murderous resolve washed over the lands, convulsing even the concept of space itself. But the creature was unfazed, it just responded with a similar attack of its own. It made sense really, the creature was of a higher rank than him, and a dozen times more powerful than a Commonality.
So despite his desperate attempt to free himself, the creature still devoured him.
At least he was free of the creature's talos, and he could heal himself. But he met another problem inside the maw of the giant beast, its teeth and scorching hot saliva. He still could not see, but he could feel dozens of sharp teeth stabbing him with vigorous intensity.
As if that was not bad enough, the boiling saliva burned him alive. The agony was unbearable. Now that he had decided to live, he was really struggling. He was constantly healing dozens of wounds, and received more with each passing moment.
He poured all the Essence he had left into his Ability, willing his body to endure the onslaught for as long as it took. His Ability healed indefinitely, regenerated countless limbs in mere minutes, but it was still not enough. It was only a matter of time before a stray tooth tore through his skull and pierced his brain, killing him.
He was extremely exhausted. Exhausted from constantly battling the maddening screams inside his head. Exhausted of enduring the Noise all while battling and entity infinitely more powerful than him. So instead of fighting, he listened.
His mind cleared off all unnecessary thoughts, leaving only the Noise.
He felt the sensations of countless battles taking place across the vast cosmos. He heard the sky bleeding and felt its plea as the world collapsed in on itself. He saw Beings of eternal Darkness battling Beings shrouded in Divine Light. He heard screams capable of driving even Chaos Creatures mad. He heard a myriad of hopeless prayers from old civilizations, praying for salvation to the indifferent gods.
He saw the truth of Corruption and Desolation.
And so, Corruption swallowed him whole.
His last thoughts were fuzzy and unclear, but the last thing he remembered was being swallowed by the abomination.
Then his whole world went silent.
—————
—————
Adrian was drifting though a dark abyss, unsure of what was happening and who he was. He heard something though, a voice echoing in the empty expanse of his consciousness. It was smooth and melodious, but it also felt distant and alien, as if it did not recognize him anymore.
[You have slain an Ontological Glitch, Remnant of the Demon Queen.]
[You have slain an Anarchy Incarnate, Remnant of the Demon Queen's Spawn.]
[You have received a new Attribute]
[You have received an Affinity]
[You have received a Title]
He felt indifferent to the first four sentences, but when he heard about the last one, something deep within him stirred.