Chapter One

[Ultimate skill: ----- Print has been activated by the presence of the empty one and revealed itself.]

It was his first night at Dead Men Academy.

"This sight gets me every time." Park said.

He was now walking in a vast white space. Two single streams flowed from above. It gave an illusion of Tear falls. A little further ahead was a black table and a set of two black chairs. Right above it, hovered a brown piece of paper in cursive writing.

It was always a marvelous sight to behold.

You see Park was blessed with what the institute called a realm. A space where they directly interacted with souls. All the recruits were confirmed to have one during the welcoming ceremony. It was one of the criteria that the academy used during the screening phase.

[Do you wish to attempt assimilation?]

[Y/N]

Park was currently undergoing the Mandatory Attunement Process.

"This...will hurt," he said as he begrudgingly extended his hand towards the dark wisp that stood before him. 

[Y]

[The user has made first contact]

[----- Print will now be initiated]

The wisp extended a clump of tiny little rotting baby hands from its belly that gently clasped Park's outreaching hand in greeting. 

"That nast...."

Before Park could even finish, the wisp's many hands burrowed into his hand up the arm and across his entire being. 

[Exclusive Chapter: Soul Harvest will now begin]

[1%...]

[Unraveling the contents of the soul]

[Trigger has been detected]

Unbelievable pain spread through Park's whole body as tiny bumps travelled across his skin leaving behind an inky trail as dark as the Sommerfret's shadows. 

[Attuning will now begin]

[1%...]

[Suffer in silence, bathe in glory (I) is strongly in effect]

Park's screams were muffled out in this realm. Only pain and silence. Park's eyes rolled back as he started levitating still in the wisp's grasp. 

[The Print's Influence has affected the Attuning process]

[The User's true frequency is being forged]

But then.... 

[10%]

"Plea...plea...se... Sa... Save... ee.. thhthh emm..."

[20%]

Did it talk? But they were supposed to be empty? They shouldn't have any existence.

[30%]

Park struggled to witness this rare occurrence even when the Soul Harvest was currently underway.

[40%] 

Park couldn't move, only twitch as he was held in place by forces unknown to him.

[50%] 

His white eyes only showed a mix of indescribable emotions.

[60%] 

But the one thing that actually made Park really struggle was that voice...

[70%]

The voice that the wisp used felt strangely familiar.... 

[80%]

He might have been hallucinating because of the pain that was coursing through his veins. 

[90%]

But was that his ------?

[100%]

[The Soul Harvest has been finalized]

Fate was truly cruel to him.

[The assimilation has been successfully terminated and the link has been disconnected]

"MMMPH! MMMPH!" said Park as he tried to as much as utter a word before the now vanishing wisp. 

Park had tears well up in his eyes as he remained at the mercy of the otherworldly forces at play. 

Park helplessly struggled as the wisp was currently breaking into shards of light. 

Then the wisp smiled. 

You've grown so much Park. 

 With this the last shard of light ascended. 

The mysterious hold on him vanished.

[With the last light gone]

[A new darkness grows]

[The Forge is finally complete]

[Achievement earned!]

[Suffer in silence, Bathe in glory (II) has been unlocked]

[Tenacity has risen]

Park's body slumped on the floor.

He couldn't imagine. 

[Stamina has bottomed out]

The scene slowly transformed from the bright realm to the Cadet's training room. 

And there he laid Park Jones in a heap, in a slumber of sorts. 

And from his eye the last teardrop that graced the cold marble floor.

[The true frequency awakens]

[Congratulations]

[@#$! has enjoyed the small feast]

[@#$! has awoken]

[@#$! is attempting to reveal its true name]

[An external force has declared the user not yet ready to bear the weight of the name]

[@#$! is losing its memories]

[@#$! is losing its existence]

[@#$! is puzzled and asking why the entity is doing this]

[@#$! is trying to fight back]

[@#$! has failed and has been temporarily put to sleep]

[A new mark is being formed on the user's skin]

[!@#$% is hoping for a fun time]

[A new name will be generated]

[Ink has been designated as the new name]

Sometime passed.

Park got up from the floor and started walking.

[Special skill Zombie Hour is now in effect]

[Body is now moving on instinct]