Individuality
Hearing Ember's voice was able to cool down my blood right as my veins began to bulge. All of a sudden it felt like everything in my vision swirled around me at rapid speed. When the rotations stopped I felt nauseous and dizzy, and somehow found myself standing at the beginning of the first level once again. There was no sign that any sort of violence or altercation transpired here.
"What the hell am I doing back here and where are all the corpses?!"
It was infuriating to return here and I had to refer to my once amazing friends as corpses because it was too painful to speak of them.
Ember responded systematically,
"I forcefully brought you to a separate space within the dungeon that no one else could enter. After accepting the inheritance the effects of the spell wore off, thus forcefully expelling you from that space and returning you to the first level of the dungeon. Also, as previously stated, the blood you spilled attracted a multitude of beings that I'm sure found a feast. Not to mention the amount of blood you spilled at the very end. "
Ember seemed to snicker at the end of its sentence.
It all sounded foreign to me at first but somehow it seemed to make sense after just a few seconds of thought. Ember must be able to sense or at least have some vague sense of what I'm feeling because the clear voice spoke once more after heaving a sigh.
"Your confusion is to be expected. I now know you are not the brightest star but if you recall I did mention that I would be imparting some basic knowledge upon you ..."
I was flabbergasted as my jaw dropped before I exploded in a fit of anger.
"Are you serious right now?! You expected me to pay attention to your rambling while going through that torture you call an inheritance?!"
There was a long pause before Ember responded.
"You may have a point... "
Ember didn't continue speaking but before I could vent some frustration out on the listless voice I felt a warm sensation near my navel that was sending infinitesimal vibrations throughout my body. I closed my eyes in an attempt to get a grasp on whatever sensation was rippling through me at the moment. It was so very strange. There's not an object or anything else in my stomach, but something is throbbing with vitality like a heartbeat. When I focused on that oh-so-faint reverberation, it felt like the warmth that it contained would flow out and circulate into my veins like a tiny stream.
A familiar but excruciatingly loud voice echoed within my eardrums.
"INHERITANCE ACCEPTED."
"DEMONIC BLOODLINE, FAINT"
"DANTIAN DETECTED"
"MANA CORE NOT DETECTED"
"COMMENCING CRAFTING OF ESSENCE CORE"
Zzz... ZZZzzzttt...
After Ember's voice stopped bellowing, an ephemeral black and white sign was directly in front of me as if it had always been there. I jumped back in shock at first but had to lean closer to read what was being displayed once I realized there was no immediate danger.
Name: Niko Godspell Level: 0
Race: Fledgling(Can Evolve) Fatigue: 0
Title: N/A
Aspect: N/A
HP: 300.0
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Demonic Energy: 20.0
Essence: 0.0
Soul Sea 100.0
-
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Strength: 10.0^ Vitality: 15.0^
Agility: 10.0^ Intelligence: 6.0^
Sense: 8.0^
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Remaining Points: 0
Remaining Essence: 0.0
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[PASSIVE]
Aurora's Inheritance LV: 1
Ancestral Physique LV: 1
Demonic Sight LV: 1
[ACTIVE]
Demon's Rage LV: 1
"... Ember... what the hell am I looking at ?! I don't know what any of this means besides the obvious like strength or intelligence and I thought you said that I was a demon. Why does it say that I'm some sort of Fledgling instead of a Demon?"
I waited a moment before Ember's voice rang out with an ethereal but much more effeminate tone.
"What you are seeing is the oversimplified portrayal of the entirety of your being, your individuality if you would. My master was always fascinated by the abstract ways the different energies in our realm coalesce and become something inconceivable to the mundane. This is an amalgamation of that ingenuity and is quite marvelous if I do say so myself. As for why your race is Fledgling and not Demon, it is because of the impurities in your bloodline. You seem to have the faintest trace of demonic bloodline I have ever seen and to be honest any other demon would have been a better candidate for discipleship. Oh, as you can see, your intelligence is desperately low so please do think about everything I just said carefully."
Ember's voice was practically bursting with flattery for whoever created it and it almost made me miss the double slap of insults that came at the very end. I couldn't help but rub my temples in frustration. I know I'm not the smartest of people but not being able to even refute Ember's words because of the proof right there in front of the both of us was just adding injury to the insults. I just sighed and began to ask more questions.
"What about everything else? Can you go into a bit more detail? The things like demonic energy, essence, skills, and what it means to evolve my race ?"
This time there was no pause or hesitation in Ember's response.
"Demonic Energy is something that all beings with a hint of demonic bloodline possess. It can empower your stats and skills depending on the amount of energy used. Essence is something that will become easier to explain once you begin training but I will try nonetheless. You can consider essence the rawest form of energy an entity can contain, even if that entity is demonic energy or mana itself. The skills listed are things you are already capable of doing and have even done so subconsciously before now. If you focus on the name of the skill, information will be displayed regarding it. You are a mere fledgling for now, but you can become something even more than a devil. If you focus on your race, information will also be displayed. Please, take a moment, we will have to begin moving forward soon.
It was truly a lot of information to take in at once but the most important thing is that I can access this information at my leisure and become accustomed to my body. I sat cross-legged and began to focus on my individuality, causing the display to reappear once again. After focusing on the race portion it expanded to reveal what I needed to know.
Race: Fledgling (Can Evolve)
Description: Lowest class of demonic bloodline. Typically outclassed by many inconsequential beings, containing the smallest amounts of demonic energy.
Requirements for evolution.
Lv 10
Demonic energy: 1000
My eyes almost burst out of my skull when I saw the big 1000 fading in and out of existence with monochromatic colors.
I have no idea how I can turn 20 into 1000 but for now, I'll move on to the next section. I began to focus on demonic energy feeling a little excited as I learned more and more about what I could be capable of.
Demonic Energy: 20.0
Description: Contained within beings of Demonic descent. Used to empower stats, skills, and weaponry based on intensity and duration.
I focused on what must be my dantian and it begin to slowly trickle energy throughout my body. The sensation was almost indescribable. It felt like I could do anything, be anything, and never have anything taken from me again. I violently shook my head trying to focus on my individuality and not the overpowering sensation that I am a being above all else. As expected the demonic energy has decreased from 20.0 to 16.9. I will have to practice to determine how much energy will achieve what result.
The excitement was beginning to get to me causing my heart to beat against my rib cage in glee. I began to focus on the essence tab. According to what Ember said, this might be even more important than my demonic energy.
Essence: 0.0
The eldest of the ancient Devils, Aurora, pondered deeply on the energies that seem to connect the realms. Looking deep within a myriad of beings, the essence is discovered to be the purest form of energy and can be found in anything in existence or with purpose. Uses exceed mundane capacity, gaining an understanding of fundamental laws.
I shook my head. That provided absolutely no insight into what I'll be using it for but I do know that it is just another form of energy like my demonic energy, albeit much purer. The part about mundane capacity and fundamental laws made me furrow my brow and moved onto the soul sea.
Soul Sea: 100.0
The sea of consciousness is directly linked to mental fortitude and one's soul. Empowers a multitude of arts, such as, ascending, forging, and spells. May also protect against those with weaker souls. It felt like something suddenly clicked into place like my mind was missing a puzzle piece. I will have to think more deeply about this but for now, I began to focus on the skill section moving from bottom to top.
[ACTIVE]
Demons Rage LV: 1
Description: Double all stats and skill effects for the duration of the skill. 5DE/Sec.
[PASSIVE]
Demonic Sight LV: 1
Description: Demons have improved vision in all aspects, being able to perceive what may not be perceived. Always active.
Ancestral Physique LV: 1
Description: Despite a putrid lack of demonic heritage, a physique befitting of ancient devils has manifested. Blessed with increased vitality and physicality.
This must be why I have somehow been able to survive despite being thrown into fatal altercations time and time again. As my eyes drifted toward the very top of the skills section I could feel beads of sweat fall from my chin. This was, after all, some ancient Devil's Inheritance, perhaps even a last will.
Aurora's Inheritance LV: 1
Description: The eldest of ancient Devils, Aurora, has pursued higher realms of existence to the point of madness. On her pursuit more enemies than insight was acquired, causing many to chase down and attempt to stifle her power. Fearing impending doom, the only creation to contain essence was left behind to pass on key knowledge and foster strength in a worthy candidate.
Grants the ability to perceive and manipulate essence.
Increased mastery shall shatter mundanity.
Mastery 0.0%