Chapter 17

[Prepare for appraisal…]

Dane found himself in a space between dream and reality. Endless darkness lay before him, illuminated by innumerable stars. Between said stars, countless strings of silver light wove themselves into a heartstoppingly beautiful and complex tapestry of constellations and nexuses.

Dane knew that what he saw were the inner workings of the Nightmare Spell, both by knowledge and intuition. He took a deep breath, and a smile tugged at the left side of his cheek. He made it…somehow. Pride welled up inside, making his smile larger. He had made history on this day.

The Spell had attributed the death of the Terror to him, perhaps because he had roused the dead god who had killed it for him. He had also killed many of those hellish undead. Whatever his Aspect's rank was going to be, it would not be any less than Transcendent. That, he was sure of. He would find a way to kill the damned Spell if he wasn't rewarded with that much for all he went through. A Terror was no dreamer's opponent.

[You have received a memory: Mercurial Maw.]

A memory! He received it from the death of the Effigy of the Iron Serpent, whatever that meant, and that was an Awakened Terror. His memory would be of the Awakened Rank and the sixth tier. It would be beyond helpful for a sleeper like him.

The powerful voice of the Spell voiced once more. It was so unimaginable and limitless now inside this starlit world. He waited with bated breath.

[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]

[A lost wanderer found his way up the Cordis Hill. He exchanged words and blood with the dead and the living. He dragged his broken body up the forsaken tower of a temple and made himself known to Heart's Ring with nothing but his will. The Heart God was dead, and yet he heard the wanderer.]

[You have defeated five dormant beasts: Tainted Corpses.]

[You have defeated three dormant monsters: Sullied Corpses.]

[You have defeated an awakened terror: Effigy of the Iron Serpent.]

[You have received the Heart God's blessing.]

[You have received the Heart God's curse.]

[You have achieved the impossible!]

[Final appraisal: monumental. Your defiance spits in the face of death itself!]

If the Spell was a woman, Dane thought, he would fall for her. Damn, it was a sweet talker. He had never heard the appraisal of 'monumental' before. He was surely going to get a good Aspect.

[Dreamer Dane, receive your boon!]

He was no longer an Aspirant. He was getting closer to taking the reins for his family's sake.

[You have been bestowed a True Name: Heart's Bane.]

"Yes! Frolicking flippity frogs on a rainy day! Yes! Bloody hell, yes!" he laughed. He had been bestowed with a True Name! Not even every Saint had one. This was a tremendous achievement. Very few people ever got True Names from their First Nightmare! He was a part of the best even among Legacies now. Even the children of Sovereigns could not all boast of having True Names.

[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]

"Yes," he answered, full of cheer.

[Dormant Aspect Wanderer is evolving…]

[New Aspect Acquired.]

[Aspect Rank: Divine.]

[Aspect Name: Wandering Phantom.]

Dane's mouth opened. 'What?!' Divine? His Aspect was Divine?

But that was not the end of it.

[Your Attribute has been destroyed.]

[You have acquired a new Attribute.]

[You have acquired a new Attribute.]

Dane blinked, unsure of what was happening. A Divine Aspect? An attribute being destroyed? Even as a Legacy, he didn't understand a damn thing at this moment.

He summoned his Aspect's runes immediately.

Aspect: [Wandering Phantom].

Aspect Rank: Divine.

Aspect Description: [You were born of flesh and blood, skin and bone. Yet, despite all the beautiful adornments of your flesh, when you shed your mortal coil and become a spirit, your heart betrays you a wanderer.]

Dane felt queasy looking at the runes…at how perfectly they described him. It was his most powerful desire; to experience.

He found more runes below.

Innate Ability: [Phantom Anchor].

Ability Description: [As a Phantom, you lack the means to sustain yourself completely. Thus, your Soul Core is one with your Heart, and it is the link that anchors you to existence. If your Heart is, then you are. If your Heart isn't, then you are not.]

…that was a lot to take in. 'Anchoring' him to 'existence'? So, if someone pierced his heart, he would be wiped from existence? 'How scary,' he thought with mockery. Anyone would die if their Heart got destroyed.

But it was still intriguing. His Soul Core and his Heart were one? Did that mean his soul core was physically manifested inside his body? He was not sure what benefits or…consequences that would have.

'No problem, I'll just be like any other Awakened and wear heavy armor…and fortify the heart for good measure,' he joked.

He summoned the runes for his Attributes. He was curious about the two new ones and wanted to know which one he had lost. He hoped it wasn't [Beholder of Souls]. That one was a godsend.

Attributes: [Beholder of Souls], [Storm Forged], [Cursed Soul.]

So [Nightwalker] had been destroyed. He could not understand why.

He summoned the runes for [Storm Forged] first.

[Storm Forged] Attribute Description: "Your heart once weathered a storm of emotion. Now, it has learned to ride with or against the waves, and the waves will follow it.]

That wasn't very clear, Dane thought. He would have to study it later when he woke up. He summoned the runes for the last Attribute.

[Cursed Soul] Attribute Descriptions: "Your soul is cursed to bear not one but two Flaws."

"What the…," was all that could escape his lips.

Two flaws?! One was bad enough for any Awakened, even fatal to some, and he would have two?!

Anger pushed words out of his mouth. "That guy cursed me…you spiteful little shitstain of a god."

[The First Seal is broken.]

[Awakening dormant powers…]