9: Assessment

[Prepare yourself for the assessment...]

Grey found himself in a space between dream and reality. It was an infinite black void illuminated by a myriad of stars. Among those stars, countless threads of silver light wove together into a beautiful and inconceivably complex web, forming various nexuses and constellations. It was truly breathtaking, immeasurable.

'What... happened?'

Without giving Grey time to process what had happened, the spell spoke again in his ear.

[You have received a memory: Odyssey]

[You have received a memory: Tear]

Grey couldn't understand anything that was happening. A moment ago, his soul was being consumed to power the sacred dome and activate its function that would kill every corrupted being, and in the next moment, he found himself receiving two memories within the spell.

To him, he should have died at that moment. He had felt his soul being drained of every possible energy, and his consciousness had almost disappeared.

Grey was slowly processing everything that had happened.

'Did it work? The golden dome really activated with my soul. I thought I would die... But, what was that? I feel like I'm forgetting something important...'

In the end, he realized that sacrificing himself to forcibly detonate the divine energy contained within his soul had borne fruit; he had killed all the nightmare creatures.

In the end, before his soul could disintegrate, the monster died, and his nightmare ended just before he could perish.

"That was... intense."

The spell spoke again, pulling him out of his thoughts.

[Aspirant! Your trial has ended.]

[A defenseless cursed child at the beginning of his profane life was captured by a resentful kingdom that wanted to execute him. He escaped death's grasp into a cursed forest where a corrupt terror was sealed, stole the hero's spear, and released the creature. Aided by a man of great ideals and overwhelming strength, he reached the legacy of a dead goddess and used his own soul to power the legacy, killing all creatures and living beings in the city, redeeming his sinful birth and freeing the kingdom from a terror that had plagued their land for hundreds of years.]

[You have killed an awakened beast: mountain prowler]

[You have killed 45 mundane humans whose names are unknown]

[You have killed a corrupt terror: profane abyssal watcher]

[You have killed an awakened human: Eos of the nine.]

[Final assessment: glorious. Your resilience is unparalleled.]

Grey stared at the spell's runes for a while, unsure if his assessment was good or bad.

'Resilience? It sounds like something good, right?'

He had no knowledge of the standards normal sleepers followed, so his reaction might have seemed quite dull.

Grey didn't know much—in fact, he knew nothing. His mind was a blank slate that would be filled over time, for better or worse. Perhaps he didn't know it yet, but his aspect could evolve and put an end to his bad luck.

Although his power wouldn't increase much with the initial awakening, it could still work wonders if it was of a high rank.

Aspects were ranked in ascending order of power as follows: latent, awakened, ascended, transcendent, supreme, sacred, and divine. In contrast, nightmare creatures were ranked as latent, awakened, fallen, corrupt, great, cursed, and unholy.

The spell spoke again from all possible directions.

[Dreamer Grey, receive your blessing!]

He was no longer just a simple challenger.

[You have been granted a True Name: Lineage of Ruin]

Grey only marveled at his name for a moment, at least until he realized that "Ruin" gave him a strange feeling that didn't seem to hold anything good.

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

Hesitant, he answered yes, not knowing what would happen.

Expectantly, Grey waited impatiently for the spell to speak again.

[The cursed child of inactive rank is evolving...]

[New aspect acquired.]

[Aspect rank: Divine.]

...!

Grey stared at those words with his mouth agape. Although he didn't know for sure, anything that contained "divine" in its name was admirable. The simple word could only describe something at the level of the gods, and Grey now had a divine aspect.

'Eos mentioned that the father of the boy I controlled was born from a man who ascended to 'Divinity,' so the 'Divine' rank should be pretty good, right?'

[Aspect name: Nephilim.]

His astonishment turned to confusion. Wasn't "Nephilim" the same as his attribute? Somewhat perplexed, he opened his runes and checked his new aspect.

Aspect name: Nephilim

Aspect rank: Divine

Aspect description: [Once there were terrible creatures born from an unholy union between the divine and the profane. The Nephilim were the most beautiful and the most devastating of all. As a Nephilim, you possess a potential that can bring hope to a dead world or a calamity that could destroy it.]

Innate ability: Adaptable body

Description: [Your body adapts to the predominant energy that imbues your being.]

Grey had heard and seen correctly. He had a unique aspect, and it seemed to be something with exaggerated potential. Its description said it could be hope or destruction, though Grey didn't care much; there was still a slight discomfort at the thought of destroying a world.

Although he liked that his aspect itself told him he had great potential, knowing it could be used to destroy the world left a bitter taste.

Even though he had no memories of the waking world and could be said to have "lived" longer in his nightmare than in his world of origin, the idea of destroying it still bothered him.

Grey was lost in these deep thoughts about what he would do in the future until he was suddenly pulled out of his head once more by the spell.

[The first seal has been broken.]

[Awakening latent powers...]

Grey felt something awakening inside him. With a cry of surprise, he clutched his chest and stared into the darkness, trying to understand what was happening. The sensation wasn't painful or unpleasant, but it was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was as if his soul was being shaken and awakened, infused with a strange new energy.

However, that energy didn't come from any external source; it came from within him, as if it had always been there, dormant.

The energy filled every fiber of his being. Grey felt his emotions become clearer and sharper. Then, his body also began to change. It felt as if a miniature star was burning in the center of his chest, radiating waves of heat that slowly spread to his stomach and shoulders, then to his arms and legs, then to his hands and feet.

Under that heat, his bones, muscles, organs, and blood vessels were being rebuilt and revitalized. Grey felt as if he were being reborn. He was becoming stronger, faster, healthier.

It was euphoric.

With each passing second, his transformation deepened. A new confidence settled in Grey's heart. He was no longer that pitiful little thing chained up, only able to move quickly to avoid being killed.

After a while, the star burning in his chest finally cooled. The heat was replaced by a comforting cold. That cold flooded Grey's body, taking away all the aches and pains that had accumulated there over the days. Then it rose, reached his brain, and finally his eyes.

His vision changed, and now he found himself standing on what appeared to be a dark three-meter round platform, its surface smooth and slightly yielding under his weight.

The platform was also viscous and resembled the mold he had seen in that cave, although this seemed firmer and more resilient.

Around him, stretching to the visible horizon, lay a crimson sea in which more of these surfaces floated like the one he was now standing on.

'What is all this? Is this my soul? It seems very... sinister.'

After looking more closely at the apparently endless expanse of his horizons, Grey looked up.

The sky seemed tinged with red while what appeared to be crimson clouds floated in the distance.

At the center of it all, a blot of complete darkness that seemed more like a void devoid of all existence of black color floated in the sky.

"Is that my soul core? It seems very... wrong. As if something in it is terribly wrong, I don't like that."

Behind his strange and sinister soul core, he could see a bit of a pure white light extending its glow and seeming to embrace that darkness.

That glow, that light, was being overshadowed by the vile darkness of his core.

Grey saw two white orbs circling his core and thought those could be his memories.

The spell's voice suddenly pulled him out of his soul sea and back into the empty darkness from before.

[Aspect awakening ability...]

"Let's see what else I have."

Whether he had a Divine Aspect or not, his immediate future depended on the first Aspect Ability he received. His role in the Dream Realm would be based on his characteristics. If it were a combat ability, it would be more useful on the front lines of the bloody battles against Nightmare Creatures. If it were linked to sorcery, he would probably become a powerful but fragile long-range fighter.

If it were something to do with utility, he would be a vital part of the behind-the-scenes workings of the Dream Realm. Utility Abilities were also extremely valued in the real world, where the Awakened performed many tasks that kept it running.

If he were lucky, he might even become a healer. Healers were very scarce and, therefore, highly sought-after specialists.

[Aspect ability acquired.]

[Aspect ability name: Opposites]

Grey quickly summoned the runes.

Name: Grey

True Name: Lineage of Ruin

Class: Dreamer

Dual Core: Inactive

Soul Fragments: [0/1000]

Memories: [Odyssey] [Tear]

Attributes: [Predestined] [Genius] [Flame of Divinity]

Aspect: Nephilim

Aspect Rank: Divine

Innate Ability: Adapted Body

Description: [Your body will adapt to the opposing force that predominates within it]

Aspect Ability: Opposite

Description: [You can imbue your being with either a dark and brutal energy or a pure and refined one. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.]

'...?' Grey looked at his runes again with a frown on his forehead, noticing that his attributes had... decreased.

'My Nephilim attribute disappeared... Is it because my aspect has evolved to "Nephilim"?'

With no time to fully understand things or analyze his new abilities, Grey heard the spell interrupt him once more.

[All power comes at a price.]

[You have received a flaw.]

Flaw: Danger of Power

Description: [Power unleashes something deeper; if you don't hold on to who you are, you'll lose yourself in the darkness that feeds your strength.]

'...?!'

In disbelief, he read his dreadful flaw over and over again.

'If I don't hold on to who I am, I'll lose myself? But who am I supposed to be? How can I hold on to something I don't even know? This is wrong...'

Before he could understand things further or explore the meaning of this, the spell shouted again.

[Awaken, Lineage of Ruin!]

***

Note: What do you think, should I have split it into two? At first, I thought about it and did so, but they would have been too short (less than 1000 words), so I decided it would be better to combine them. Let me know if there's any mistake or inconsistency, and I'll correct it.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to give power stones if you're enjoying it 😁