Temple(2)

Casimir woke up at what he could only assume was his usual waking time from back when he was in the military—4 in the morning. Much to his surprise, he could hear activity outside of his residence. It seemed that those who stayed in the ruins were early birds, the lot of them. As for him, he did not know what to do. He had just arrived at a place alien to him. He had not intended to join the challenge of the Conqueror King.

'Perhaps I should wait for Adeline to come and get me,' he mused, acknowledging his unfamiliarity with the rituals and traditions of the awakened settlement.

While lost in his thoughts, he considered his way forward. He hadn't been in the awakened world long enough to know that one could obtain a heritage by challenging tombs such as these. What was the challenge even about? He had a lot of unanswered questions and inadvertently let out a sigh.

'Nothing new under the sun, I guess...'

His mind raced back to the fighting style he had obtained from Gedeon's tome. Perhaps he would find some inspiration to advance past his current roadblock. He sat in a meditative pose and began to recall his fight with the umbra trawl. Looking back at it, maybe the description for his new blade was not necessarily inaccurate. In an ideal world, a superior monster would not be felled by a mere tier-one warrior, especially when it held the home ground advantage. However, this world was not an ideal one, and unfortunately for the monster (or fortunately for it), it had come across something far worse: an heir of oblivion.

'An heir of oblivion,' he thought, recalling the unique power bestowed upon him. His thoughts traced the contours of the underwater brawl, recognizing that his victory over the superior monster was not something that happened every day. In the dance of life and death, his aura, marked by destruction, proved to be a formidable force.

'Not many of those running around, can't really blame it, can I,' Casimir thought, as a small chuckle escaped his lips. He analyzed his fight, and much to his disappointment, there wasn't much that he could take away from the underwater brawl. In hindsight, the fight was really nothing special. It had been quick and decisive, a matter of life and death decided in split seconds. Beyond that were his respective clashes with the totem apes and the rabis cani. Much better purpose in helping him, and he searched for enlightenment regarding the dance of Deidamia. His first form had yet to improve, and he still did not understand the purpose of all the movements that seemed almost counterintuitive when performed.

However, as his thoughts transitioned to the subsequent clashes with the totem apes and the rabis cani, Casimir found a more profound purpose in those confrontations. The initial disappointment regarding the lack of insights from the underwater brawl began to dissipate. He realized that the encounters with the Totem Apes and the Rabis Cani offered more than brute force struggles; they were avenues for enlightenment, especially concerning the mysterious Dance of Deidamia.

The first form of the blade art still eluded complete understanding. The seemingly disjointed and counterintuitive movements puzzled him, leaving a veil of uncertainty over the purpose behind each step and strike. Casimir decided to delve deeper into the intricacies of the dance, embracing a meditative pose to unravel the mysteries within the pages of Gedeon's tome.

As the first light of morning bathed the ruins, Casimir's focused contemplation led him to a moment of realization.

'Wait a minute...'

The movements, initially perceived as disconnected and chaotic, served a specific purpose—one that revealed itself in the face of simultaneous adversaries. The purpose of the first form became clear: to fight multiple enemies at the same time, where each movement had no bearing on the next, much like the chaotic nature of a mob fight.

A subtle smile crept across Casimir's face as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The dance wasn't about conventional grace; it was a survival tactic designed for chaos. The glyph seemed to hum in acknowledgment, resonating with the revelation he had achieved. The ether within his soul space responded with a surge of energy, congratulating him on his progress. He was delighted. It had taken him a good three months now to completely understand the first form of the Dance of Deidamia. Considering it was the first form he learned, he considered it to be the easiest. That didn't bode well for the remaining forms he was yet to unlock, but it was a start. He didn't claim to be a martial genius or someone deserving of the name sword saint, but he was very sure he was one of the talented ones.

He inspected his glyph and was delighted to find he had been gifted for his progress.

[You have completed mastery of the first form of The Dance Of Deidamia]

[Congratulations; you have obtained success in your struggle for understanding. What you have achieved is not an easy feat; you have been rewarded by the essence of the sword art. Continue on your path, brave ascender... May your fate be greater than your misfortune]

Name: Casimir Nagid

Fable: Gedeon's Last Prince

Aura: [Destroyer]

Soul Core rank: I

Origin [Primus]: Arcadia's ruin

Abilities: [Hearth of desolation]

Artefacts: [Iron maiden][Gedeon's ichor][Tranquility][Gedeon's tome][Blight Scale][Cestane Armour]

Heritage: none

Ether: [464/1000]

Casimir inspected the rest of his information, and much to his delight, he had received ether.

'That explains the sudden rush of energy I felt,' He thought. He nodded his head approvingly, and satisfaction painted his features. He had received a lump sum of it too. His gaze then shifted to the last remaining consumable displayed by his glyph.

'Blood of the gods huh... shouldn't taste too bad right?'