Accursed Heritage

"W-what do you mean by about to be?"

June felt a bit intimidated by the words he had heard from Dusk, slightly backing away.

"Listen to me very carefully June… you being here is not a stroke of luck. No, everything that has happened to you today was simply meant to be, it was fated to happen."

Did he mean that everything — from getting swept into The Ark, to being chased and pushed into the belly of a Great Serpent — all of it, was meant to happen..?

"You see, in the Ark, there are four Heritages. These Heritages pass through the cosmical abyss of both realities, choosing a human with an awakened soul as their wielder. The fourth, though, is a secret to humanity."

He paused and his smile disappeared, saying:

"You need to listen very carefully to this, you understand? No interruptions or questions until I'm done."

Dusk waited for June to give confirmation, which he did by nodding.

Shortly after, he lifted his hand and began counting his fingers that were covered by his gloves.

"The first is called Heritage Of Ash. It correlates to Vexon, the Fallen God Of War." 

"The second is called Heritage Of Fate. It correlates to Faye, the Fallen Goddess Of Fate." 

"The third is Heritage Of Hell. Correlates to Hexyz, the Fallen God Of Death."

"And finally, the fourth and last… Heritage Of The Void. Correlates to the Voidspawn, and is a secret. Humans believe there are only three, but there aren't."

Dusk stopped for a moment, taking in a deep breath.

"Now, each of these four Heritages, as I said, chooses a human with an awakened soul as their rightful bearer. As far as I'm aware, back in the Mortal Realm, only two have been chosen. Heritage Of Ash, and Heritage Of Hell. As for Heritage Of Fate, well, it's neither confirmed nor impossible. The Heritage Of The Void, though… is possessed by me, Dusk."

June's brows lifted in response to Dusk's last sentence. 

However, he didn't interrupt.

"Only… unlike the other Heritages, mine is different. It's… an Accursed Heritage."

For once since June had met Dusk, his joyful expression had slightly cracked… 

"Which is why you're here. I've made sure you ended up here, guiding you using the power of my Heritage and Element. The Great Serpent was never going to kill you; I wouldn't have let it. Neither the tree, which frankly wasn't part of the plan and had been a bit annoying to deal with. Anyway, June, my Heritage requires me to choose a Legacy. That's the reason you're here."

Dusk brought up his hand and pointed to June before saying:

"I chose you."

June's heart seemed to skip a beat as he absorbed Dusk's words, the twig in his hands trembling.

With concerned eyes, June asked:

"C-chose me… but why..?"

Dusk sighed, replying:

"It could've been anyone in that orphanage, really… anyone. However, when I saw you… I saw myself in a way. Your eyes, really, were the deciding factor."

Dusk aimed his own two fingers at June.

"I could see the hate you had for the world, and the hopelessness nestled deep within the depths of them. That, and you were alone… an orphan with no loved ones, you were perfect." 

June's eyes widened, realizing exactly how grave things were truly getting.

'This means he was the one responsible for the breach inside the orphanage…'

"What… happened to the rest of the people that were sucked in."

June prepared himself for Dusk's answer, already having an inkling of what it would be.

Dusk whispered with his head hanging low:

"Dead… I killed them." 

June's shoulders slightly dropped hearing Dusk's answer. 

'Dead…'

Of course, he didn't have a close bond with any of those people, but they were good people nonetheless. 

For once, there were humans who looked out for the less fortunate — for him. 

They built an orphanage outside the Districts despite the controversy that awaited them. 

In fact, they received a lot of hate for it... a tremendous amount of it. But regardless, they shrugged it off and continued watching over the kids who were abandoned and forced to grow up without love.

"I'm sorry June, I really am. But, if I didn't… well, the world would have suffered greatly for it."

They sat in silence for some time after that… maybe about a few minutes.

Eventually, June asked:

"What do you mean by… suffered greatly?"

Dusk looked back over to June, hesitating before clearing his heavy throat.

"The wielder of The Void is cursed… they are — I am required to choose a Legacy worthy of it after exactly eleven years. And if I don't… then I will die and become a sprouting seed of corruption, creating a large breach that directly connects the Mortal Realm to the Voidspawn."

He cleared his throat once again.

"I don't know much about the Voidspawn, nor do any others, but it's not something that can be described with words alone. All I know is if it were to happen, there would undoubtedly be another Interrealm War, and this time, the world would perish."

That was… heavy, to say the least.

So not only was the wielder required to give up his Heritage, but if he didn't, he'd turn into a vessel for a breach. This breach would then apparently lead to the decimation of the world — his world.

"Then, in a way, I am forced to accept the offer…"

June uttered beneath his breath, clenching the twig in his hands.

He turned to meet Dusk who looked back at him with remorse.

"Either way, you have to… if not for the world, then for yourself. I've made it so that you cannot refuse."

June's brows furrowed, wondering what he meant by that. 

Picking up on it, Dusk soon continued:

"Sure, I could go find another Legacy if you were to refuse, but that'd be too much of a hassle, and frankly, rather careless. So, I've constructed the means of your current situation in a way you cannot refuse. The only chance you have of escaping the Trial is by slaying the Great Serpent. Only, you're not capable of doing that. But, if you were to become the Legacy, you'd easily complete the Trial."

June didn't know how to respond to that; he was left utterly speechless. 

He wasn't sure whether to despise the man or not, especially considering Dusk's own precarious situation and what was at stake for him.

What he said meant that everything that had transpired was because Dusk had wished it to be.

Before long, June asked:

"How would becoming the Legacy grant me the achievement of completing the Trial?"

He was genuinely curious. Wouldn't power — despite how strong it is — require years of training and absolute focus? 

He couldn't just receive it and automatically become a genius on how to use it; that was just bad writing.

Dusk soon replied, chuckling a bit before saying:

"I guess I forgot to mention it. Indeed, I told you what happens if I don't pass on the Heritage. But, I forgot to mention what happens if I do."

He paused momentarily, smiling.

"... For starters, I die."

'W-what..?'