Awakened

 A familiar sight focused in Aldric's view.

An explosion of colour as far as the eye could see. A myriad of stars surrounded by countless others. Each with a string of light combining them to their neighbour. It was as if the entire observable universe was on display and concentrated within a single frame. The further in that you looked, the more that you saw.

And Aldric was floating in that endless expanse.

Between dream and reality.

It was just as beautiful as the first time that he had seen it. It garnered the feeling of appreciation. Appreciating the design of such a compelling sight.

A voice echoed in the empty expanse.

[The Second Seal is broken.]

[Awakening dormant powers...]

A feeling of freedom enveloped him. 

Coursing through his veins was pure distilled energy. Unleashed from the unshackled dark cores.

Aldric could feel it in its entirety now. 

Before, he could feel the weight of something in his soul. Increasing as he got stronger as well as when he received his second core. However, it had always felt hidden and elusive. In his soul sea, he could see it but not feel it.

But now, it was as if he had gained a new organ. An organ that was pumping out essence throughout his entire body. Enhancing his strength and physicality by orders of magnitude. It was exhilarating.

While a typical sleeper did have a physique that was much more durable than even the strongest of humans, this was just a secondary effect of having a soul core. Enhanced by the lingering presence of a core. However, Awakened ranked humans could actively manipulate the essence in their bodies. Limited only by their imagination or skill. 

An analogy to represent this would be in heating a home. As a sleeper, imagine having a fireplace as your main heating source. Sure, it would heat the room; however, the rest of the house would be just as cold if not for a small change in the ambient temperature. Increasing by a small margin. The flame itself would be out of your control. You, as a bystander, hoping to catch some warmth from it.

This would be much better than sleeping outside in the cold.

Compare this to having a central heating system. With pipes carrying hot air to warm up each and every room. From the bathroom to even the hallways. With the ability to control the heating in every room through switches or valves. With this, you could control the temperature of your room to the error of a single degree or less. The difference would be unfathomable. This is the equivalent of an Awakened human's ability to manipulate soul essence.

Aldric entered his soul sea and could immediately see the effects. The once dim and spaced-out starry void was now bright and full. Lightening the dark clouds around him. 

Looking down at the chamber of darkness hidden beneath the clouds, he could now compare it to the seal of the dark sea. 

Hidden in that chamber was a familiar red orb, taking refuge in the deepest pits of his soul. 

Looking back up, his dark cores themselves were now completely different. 

Before they took the form of a black hole, with an even horizon around it. But that changed. 

As if it were unleashed, the black hole had exploded into a supernova. Leaving behind a miniature galaxy in its place. Roughly taking the same amount of space as its previous form, the thing that separated it from the surrounding area and that stopped it from bleeding outwards was a boundary of darkness. Covering the supernova in a circle.

Looking in his peculiar soul core, he could see a set amount of stars shining brightly. All a vivid white colour. 

'Can I use that to keep track of how much essence I would have left?'

The idea came to his mind. Of course, he would be able to feel it; however, a visual representation wouldn't work against him. 

Moving on, he looked behind him and noticed a similar sight. His second core had changed forms. However, there was a slight difference. The stars that made it up were not white in colour but black. Not completely black in that they would not be noticeable but a more pale black light. Similar to how Sunny's core was described. Countless black suns came together. 

Aldric had an idea of what the difference in his dark cores represented. However, there was something else on his mind.

This boon was amazing to have and feel; however, he was waiting to hear something else. Something that was unknown to him.

[Awakening Aspect Ability...]

His mind was entirely silent. Awaiting the direction that his abilities would take after this revelation.

[Aspect Ability acquired.]

[Aspect Ability Name: Dire Ordinance.]

The name did not make sense to Aldric. He knew what they meant, but together, they did not help him speculate on his new ability. 

Focusing on his runes, he read its description.

Aspect Ability: [Dire Ordinance.]

Ability Description: [You can imbue your will onto the darkness inside of you.]

The extreme vagueness of his ability did not hamper his excitement. He was sure that whatever this ability did would be extremely powerful. After all, it was tied to his will, right?

A smile formed on his face.

It seemed that the spell would not stop giving today.

With all the memories he had received from the siege as well as the memory from the Dark Sea's Firstborn. Added to the change that Bael had undergone. 

It was a good day.

With that thought in the forefront of his mind, the spell spoke out one last time. 

[Wake up, First Class Singularity!]

And instantly, the expanse of stars had disappeared.

From dream to reality. 

**********

Thank you for reading. 

Chapter 1 of the new volume is now out. 

Indra_: The gate required one person to stay behind. To act as a medium to fuel the spire.

Till the next one.