Marching End

Those words that Oculo said resonated inside Altair's ears like a constant banging drum, although he did not understand what the "Final Eclipse" was, his heart immediately understood what's going to happen making him dread instinctively.

"Oi oi, what do you mean by the final eclipse Oculo?" his mind still unable to understand what Oculo spattered Altair could only ask.

Oculo gave him a serious look and stared outside, thick mists of crimson icy air fogging the view of the mountain peaks in the far distance clasping it in peaceful but utter malevolence. Closing his eyes and breathing out Oculo shifted his stare towards Altair.

"Altair... the end of this realm is slowly marching towards us forsakened, the final eclipse is the omen of its obliteration and when it befalls this underworld then that means you are not going to finish your trial, and you are going to be stuck here for eternity fated to be with the land of your kin until it finally deteriorates and crumble to dust. Once the eclipse is finished and an incomprehensible amount of time have passed you are going to become a full-fledged forsakened demon Altair, a creature whose sole purpose is to suffer an immortal life bearing the pain of your fiendish brothers in this cursed hell." Oculo explained.

Altair paled.

It has only been more than a day since he have arrived in this place, and yet it all seemed like a lot of things have happened already. Everything felt like it is moving fast out of control, from just wandering the empty remains of a dungeon, to falling down on a bottomless chasm, to being pursued by an abominable beast in a field that obscures everything, to meeting Oculo the only human in this realm, to falling down on the glaciating lake, to being trained by the warrior whose blows brings him to death's door everytime he got hit, all of these have happened in just a span of two days, and now something is slowly looming over him again, the final eclipse.

This time it was much more dire and dreadful knowing that the opportunity of escaping this hellish realm is slowly closing up on Altair he could only remain still in silence.

If that much could happen in just two days, what more could happen in the many years to come if he were to be really trapped in this place forever? Agony, he can only imagine the endless and excruciating agony that he will have to deal with on a daily basis.

However, Oculo said to him that it was still marching slowly towards the both of them, that could possibly mean that there is still a way to escape the deathly phenomena.

"There is still a way to finish my trial right? I do not even have an idea on what to do to finish it and I was sent here with no assistance at all it's quite unfair to be sent here like this more so without my own will, I feel as if I am a prisoner."

Oculo stared at the man who failed to hide his emotions of worriness that smothered his face all over.

"There is a way, however I myself do not even know if it were to turn out the way I expect it to be, it might just become a fatal failure in the end but it is not like we- err.. you have any options left. It is either this unsure way to escape with the likely chance of a very painful failure or your certain permanent stay in this place, it is all up to you-"

Not letting Oculo finish his words Altair who had a look of utter desperation in his eyes interrupted him eager to finish his damned trial before the eclipse closes every door of opportunity of him being able to finish it.

"Spit it out Oculo, I am sure it is not as bad as being stucked in this hell forever, I refuse to become as vile as these creatures in the many years to come, fuck that, tell me what is this way of yours." uttered Altair who is forcing out an emotion of anger to pressure Oculo into revealing the way.

This pressure however is totally unneeded as Oculo was already certain that Altair would react the way he reacted just this moment. Sighing in exasperation he again took a look at the mountains which were fogged by the icy mists, its peak reaching out for the heavens and its chained mountains although smaller seemed like it was leaning on the heaven-reaching mountain to stop it from touching the starless skies, the view was astonishing but the imagery was obscure at the same time, nobody really knows if the mountains were that way from the beginning or if the existing imagery really holds a meaning, nobody other than Oculo himself.

"When the peak of the mountain reaches the skies where the moons devour each other, a gate to a new world opens, when the summit touches the heaven it solely wanted to touch it shall open a passageway to a world of life."

Hearing that bizarre quote if one could call it, Altair knew what's to come.

"Really Oculo?"

Oculo looked at Altair with a weird smile on his face.

"Yes, you will have to traverse in the crimson valley, and then trek its highest mountain to reach its summit that is slowly but surely reaching for the skies. To be honest, its easier said than done, traversing the valley devoured by the crimson mist is an equivalent of walking with a hoarse breath when the air you had to breathe was a corrosive acid that will more than definitely dissolve your organs, sure the fog bizarrely doesn't burn your skin in any way but what of that matters when one breathe of its acidic air is all it takes to kill you? If that much isn't enough the monsters that lurk in the fog are way more worse than that rotting werewolf that chased you on the grassy fields back then, to top all of that the farther you go the more abominable the monsters become and not to mention stronger, so yeah it is impossible to travel in that place alone."

Altair who was listening can't help but feel the despair surging throughout his whole body.

"That's if you are alone."

Oculo who said those words can't help but proudly grin and take a look at the helpless state of Altair.

"You see not to brag or anything but I am actually quite strong you know? I have traversed those lands for quite a lot already and have quite a lot of knowledge about everything that the place possesses, its dangers, its demonic creatures and how to defeat them, what creatures to avoid and the routes we can take to if not safely at least arrive at our destination with a fewer mortal wounds. You ever notice why it is so quiet and peaceful in these parts of this hell? Yep that is all me, I hunted all the creatures that inhabited this part of the place down to extinction for their meat and flesh, how else do you think I survive in this damned lands? Anyways continuing, due to their extinction I occassionally hunt in that crimson lands for something to eat and oh boy were they really tough."

Oculo's words are slowly fading when Altair indulged himself in his own thoughts.

'Am I prepared? Am I really ready to die? Do I really have what it takes to survive? I guess I will find out.'

Even in despair Altair was trying to find the slimmest of chances to reignite the flames that were in his heart back when he used to be so fearless and remorseless when killing someone, that was something that is lacking in him when he finds himself in every dire situation he most often encounter in this forsakened place.

If he ever want to survive, he needed that instinct back in him again not letting the fear or the helplessness of the situation best him an assassin that was feared by the world.

If he ever want to exact his revenge on the gods that brought him the life he lived back on Earth and brought him here he have to be inhuman, relentless, adaptive, and brutal.

"So yeah there's that, if you are fine we will be starting the journey tomorrow there is no time to waste." Oculo noted.

"Alright then." A bit chilled Altair could only respond.

Not a moment was wasted and Oculo took a glance at the mass of weapon in his weaponry and the plethora of impressive armors in his armory to ready the equipments for this long and unarguably arduous journey that the two will be taking.

Oculo searched and searched for a particular item and noticed that one weapon was missing from one of the weapon holders. He was confused but did not linger in it for too long.

'What are the chances? Am I right?' Oculo could only think to himself.

'Perhaps I just misplaced it or something, dear me I am so irresponsible. There is no time to look for it however.'

Searching the whole weaponry for a specific item took Oculo quite a while, until he finally found something.

"Ah here it is."

Taking the mysterious blade off the weapon-holder Oculo unsheathed it in one elegant motion, there revealed a zweihander that is not meant to be wielded by large guys such as himself. Its blade proportions imperfect but still amassed a quality that could potentially cut steel with the right techniques, on its rain-guard both of its sides has a simple yet flawless pattern of steel feathers that resembles that of an exotic bird that Altair does not know of. Its grip made from a black weaved material which followed the giant man's hand shape and size making it seem like Oculo is crushing it effortlessly, its pommel has a symbol of the mysterious bird's skull its eyes empty and sorrowful and it had a beak that was somehow sinister as it looked like it is smiling which contradicts the emotions of the empty hollow where his eyes were supposed to be placed, the pommel did not only seemed like it was unbreakable but also tells the wielder the correct way that the zweihander must be held which superficially makes the weapon look more aesthetic but also maximizes its efficiency which is of utmost importance to every warrior that wields a blade on a battlefield where even the slightest mistakes spell death for every single one of them.

"Ah this weapon is so light, here take it Altair this is the most suitable weapon for you out of everything else in my collection I am pretty sure, come take it for yourself."

Brimmed with excitement Altair restrained himself as much as he can from openly expressing his joy of finally getting a weapon.

'My first weapon! What is it called?! I am pretty sure I have seen this in one of those video games! Was it sweehantir? Nah it does not matter, I finally have a weapon at least! Although it looks really heavy...'

With joy and excitement Altair received the zweihander like a knight being given his first rapier.

The essence that were flowing in the blade was like a calm river that endlessly flows on the blade's edge to the back part of the blade which recycles back to the front part of the blade again creating an endless serene cycle of dark and light essence. The white, black and gray essence were dominant in the blade and its core which is in the middle of the rain-guard was dyed in a pale gray light. Much the same as the Axe of the War God the core was also responsible for the natural flow of the weapon's essence throughout its every part which maintained the equilibrium of the weapon and not making it highly unstable.

Upon clutching the hilt of this unusual blade he can't help but feel like it is way too light for its size and the essence that were flowing seemed to have moved a lot more swifter which doesn't tell Altair much but the dominant color after he held the weapon became the color black instead of the gray one which was the color of the core, he is not quite sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing but nothing bad really happened so at the moment it doesn't matter. Speaking of the changes its size seemed to have shrunk? Or is it only Altair's illusions? He was too preoccupied on observing the drastic changes of the blade's magical properties to care.

[You have acquired a Partition.]

A voice announced exclusively to Altair with an apathetic but feminine voice.

'Partition? That's an item right?'

After those thoughts he felt like something inside his body was being reconstructed and that something was being added into it.

[Check your soul inventory.]

Diving into his own soul inventory he hurriedly checked the new Paritition that he have just acquired.

[Partition Type: Weapon]

[Name: Overworldly Edge]

[Partition Tier: Unclassified]

[Partition Description: When the Overworld failed to be a bastion of strength its edge was the only thing that remained of it and the Overworld has forever remained in oblivion, its edge however refused to be forgotten.]

[Enchantments:]

[Wielder's worth], [Adamantine], [Blade Concept], [Maelstrom], [???], [????], [?????]

[Wielder's worth: The weapon becomes lighter for the people that it deems worthy of wielding it.]

'I guess I am worthy huh? It is as light as a feather to me!'

Altair cannot help but be happy that a mysterious weapon decided that he was a worthy wielder of it.

He then continued reading the descriptions of its other enchantments.

[Adamantine: "When the wielder is at death's door the blade refuses the call of death, it instead retaliates and wants to bring death to death itself". The effect of this enchantment is highly dependent on the wielder's physical capabilties, capacities and fortitude.]

'If I had this blade when I faced those assassins I could have won flawlessly and not die. Such a shame.'

[Blade Concept: The blade is part of the wielder and thus is easier to learn and master. Its elements become more familiar to the wielder of the blade and essentially but slowly becomes one with the bladesman.]

'Neat.'

[Maelstrom (Active): Allows the wielder to target the souls of his enemies and destroy them, leaving a hollow space in the core of the enemies where the soul was supposed to be placed making it appear like a maelstrom.]

'Damn, that is downright horrifying. I don't have any idea how strong this enchantment is but I definitely will be needing to use it in this type of place.'

There are still other two enchantments, however it was locked and does not allow Altair to read into it.

'I guess this much should be enough...'

Satisfied he left the abode of his soul and regained his physical consciousness in the underworld.

"So? How do you like this zsewiha- This blade? Is it to your liking Altair?"

Altair who was holding the zweihander constantly inspecting it cannot help but admire the beauty of the blade.

"How do you know that this blade fits me well Oculo?" continuing to admire the zweihander Altair asked Oculo.

"Are you kidding? I am the master of every weapon that I have in my weaponry, same goes for the armors! I know everything about my weapons from their names down to their capacities and essentials! But that thing, boy that thing does not like me at all! I know that it is the Overworldly Edge but that is about it! I was somehow unable to grasp deeper into it but I am pretty sure that it has a weight-altering enchantment that relies on a wielder's worth or that type of horsecrap. I don't know the full potential of that blade but I was able to observe from its first wielder, it was capable of destroying souls which is unarguably the best thing one could possess in this place where the soul is essentially the lifeline of every enemy you could encounter. I myself wasn't able to make it work but I figured you might have a chance and what do you know? It seems like that bastard took a liking to you."

Altair who can't help but gently smile upon this appreciation if he could ever consider it one simply responded with.

"I guess its pretty cool. Thanks for this, I guess I am a bit ready to start this journey of finishing the trail of those damned gods."

Oculo then looked at him with a strange expression and then said.

"What? You think that was all? Are you crazy? Sure you have an item for any means of crazy offense but what about defense? In this place if you get caught up slipping up even with the highest quality of armor you could still end up getting brutally slaughtered in our journey and you want to start without even having one? What are you a lunatic? Not even I will consider something as insane, so let me find an armor that is most suitable for you."

Silenced by Oculo's words Altair could only remain still feeling stupid.

'I really am crazy to let the excitement get the best of me, I should be prepared at all times in every way possible and not let my guard down at any times. Like Oculo said, one mistake is all it takes to spell death for anyone even with the most pristine and high quality equipments, I need to be as cunning and calculating as I was back then. I need to possess that quality again, take hold of that to not only bring death but this time to also avoid death. Using my cunning to avoid death is new to me so it is going to take a lot of practice and I need to get a better grasp of it fast.'

Upon finishing those thoughts Oculo finally revealed the armor that he was going to let Altair use in their journey.

"What do you think of this? It doesn't look that much compared to that blade of yours but take a closer look at this bad boy before you go judging it."

Handing out the equipment to Altair, Oculo gestured interest on how this armor will fit the thin physique of the young man.

Altair then received the partition.

[You have acquired a Partition.]

[Check your soul inventory.]

Without missing a beat Altair dove back into his soul inventory, this time instead of it being an empty void with only one ominous red star lingering in it there were three each with different colors although the dynamic of the three is quite inconsistent and unclear it was still a sight to behold.

A purple star then came close to Altair its whole essence disintegrated into a set of words.

[Partition Type: Armor]

[Name: Nameless Robe]

[Partition Tier: Unclassified]

[Partition Description: A nameless wanderer traversed every worlds that existed even still no one knew his name and he remained a nameless being of forbidden mystic.]

[Enchantments:]

[Synergy], [Fair Share], [???], [????], [?????]

[Synergy (Passive/Active): (Passive) Synergyzing it with the Nameless Mask gives the user a firmer grasp of the existence of essence but also does not allow the user to move the way he actually wants to move. (Active) When activated it temporarily grants the user a random effect that could be a curse or a blessing.]

[Fair Share: It gives the user a fair share of essence to use.]

'This armor... it is pretty weird I must say, it comes along with a mask? I don't remember seeing the mask when Oculo gave it away though... But I don't have to complain, this thing is of high quality so let me equip it.'

As Altair equipped the gray robe white particles formed all around his body to shape a faint mirage of a robe. Not a moment later the robe fully realized itself on Altair's body giving a fair share of defense and a sense of comfort to Altair.

The robe in itself looked like a hunter's garments with the gray parts being the silk clothing and the hard parts of the armor which were colored dirty white were made out of impenetrable leather which were then connected to the silky clothing by three distanced unusually thick threads in the torso. The robe's silky garments covered most part of the armor and so it was hard to see what's underneath but the underpants were light but a bit baggy and beneath it an impenetrable yet flexible leather rested on the lower part of Altair's body, his shoes doesn't provide a boost in speed and was definitely bizarre to wear partly because Altair is new to it but it aesthetically compliments the armor so there's that.

However Altair did not expect a new set of white particles to manifest itself into his own hands and when the formation of the particles were finished it weaved into a faceless gray mask.

'Interesting.'

[You have acquired a new Partition.]

[Check your soul inventory.]

Although Altair was excited to find out about what the mask does he knows better than to not waste any more time on it, afterall he can still learn more of it along the way of their journey.

"Alright I guess you are prepared, tomorrow we leave when the moons set."

And then when the moons finally set there was only what could only be described by words as carnage and bloodbath.