Alista Tudor found himself floating in the space between dream and reality. It was an endless, velvet-black void, illuminated only by a mesmerizing display of distant stars. Between these celestial bodies, countless strings of silver light were intricately woven into an impossibly complex net, forming luminous nexuses and vast constellations. The sight was truly breathtaking.
"Like mentioned in the story," Alista murmured, gazing at the cosmic spectacle, his breath catching. "It is truly spectacular."
As he waited in the silence, a voice—the cold, metallic resonance of the Nightmare Spell—spoke.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[A nameless Suicide Soldier who was designed to carry a top-secret message was relentlessly chased by a Huntress. Both monsters and humans were slain by him. He utilized the temple of a deity, cunningly turning it into a trap to kill the destined Huntress and the Monster with his own hands.]
[You have defeated the Dormant Beast: Flame Ravens]
[You have defeated twelve Dormant Humans: Unknowns]
[You have defeated Awakened Human: Orphne of the Nine]
[You have defeated Awakened Tyrant: Colossus Fire]
[You have achieved the Impossible.]
[Final Appraisal: Glorious. Your chaos knows no bounds.]
Alista frowned. 'Chaos,' huh? He waited for the inevitable reward.
[Dreamer Alista Tudor, Receive Your Boon.]
The Spell's voice rang out again, conferring the first reward.
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Blood Emperor.]
Alista's eyes widened. "Blood Emperor, huh? It seems I am getting the True Name of the original character. Isn't that too coincidental?" He knew the significance of the title in the broader context of the worlds he was familiar with.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
'What kind of a question is that?!'
Alista Tudor responded without hesitation. "Yes."
[Dormant Aspect Suicide Soldier is evolving…]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
"Awesome," Alista exclaimed, a genuine thrill finally breaking through his cynical veneer. "Now, what is the Aspect?"
[Aspect Name: Black Emperor.]
Alista's mouth fell open in disbelief. "What the...?"
[Aspect Description: You are an Emperor who rules around loopholes and Chaos. People will obey and worship you. Your existence bends the very laws of the world, but chaos will always follow you.]
Innate Ability: Majesty.
Ability Description: [You possess an Aura of an Emperor. People and Creatures will be affected depending on the difference in Rank. The weaker they are than you, the more they will obey.]
Alista blinked rapidly, reeling from the revelations. "Wait, how did I get a Lord of the Mysteries Pathway as an Aspect Ability? How is this even possible?" he questioned the void. "Moreover, if it is based on my current True Name, shouldn't I get Red Priest as my Aspect?"
As Alista struggled with the implications of the cross-over of fictional world concepts, he heard the Nightmare Spell's voice, cold and final.
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening Dormant Powers...]
Alista felt a euphoric rush of energy—a deep, physical change surging through his body. When the sensation subsided, he peered into his Soul Sea. His Soul Core was no longer dormant; it was a solitary, bright star brimming with an extraordinary, vibrant energy.
"Maybe it is due to being a Divine rank," he mused, accepting the extraordinary as his new normal.
The Spell's voice delivered the next piece of information.
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Bribe.]
Alista immediately opened his Status runes to check the full details.
Name:Alista Tudor
True Name:Blood Emperor
Rank:Dreamer
Soul Core:Dormant
Soul Fragments:[22/1000]
Memories:[Flame Armor], [Hunter's Sword]
Echoes:—
Attributes:[Instincts], [Lawyer], [Battle Analyzer]
Aspect:[Black Emperor]
Aspect Rank:Divine
Aspect Ability:[Bribe]
Ability Description:[By giving their targets an actual or symbolic Bribe, they would be able to achieve several domineering effects over their targets.]
"So, I got the Sequence 7 Bribery ability, huh," Alista noted. "That is extremely good. Now let's hope the Flaw isn't too severe."
He didn't have to wait long.
[All power has a price.]
[You have received a Flaw.]
[Your Flaw is Mad King.]
Flaw: [Mad King]
Flaw Description: [Your hunger for strength is extreme, even if it destroys you.]
Alista was genuinely shocked. "What the hell is that?" He realized the dangerous implication. "It increases the hunger for my search for strength even though it kills me... Whatever. I need more time to test it." Alista waited for the final command from the Spell.
Before the Spell could finish, Alista was abruptly transported to a different location.
He stood inside a majestic cathedral built entirely of pitch-black stone. Every column, arch, and massive dome surface was intricately embedded with the bones of different races. In the center stood a terrifying cross, more than a hundred meters tall, which seemed to contain countless sealed souls. It was a cathedral of corpses, yet it was filled with an unsettling sense of holiness rather than horror.
Alista recognized the place immediately: the Corpse Cathedral, a sinister location from the lore of the worlds he knew.
Standing before him was a figure—a male who typically appeared in a simple white cloak, complete with a golden hair and beard, and wearing a silver cross on his neck, looking like any ordinary priest. He was often described as having pure and innocent eyes like a child.
Alista Tudor recognized the person in front of him but could not believe it. It was Adam, the 'Spectator' and the 'Creator'—a supremely powerful figure from the Lord of the Mysteries universe.
Panic flared in Alista's mind. He knew about Adam's superior domain over the Mind and his ability to see and shape reality.
Suddenly, Adam spoke, his voice gentle but resonating throughout the vast, bone-encrusted cathedral. "Alista Tudor, huh. That is a reasonable development."
Adam took a step forward, closing the distance, and gently touched Alista Tudor.
Alista heard a final, unexpected voice—not the Spell's, but an internal shift.
[You have received a new attribute.]
[Your Attribute is evolving.]
Adam offered an innocent smile, a terrifyingly simple gesture given the surroundings and his power.
The scene dissolved. Alista Tudor was instantly transported back to the familiar, less terrifying waiting area, hearing the final command.
[Wake up, Blood Emperor.]
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