It happened in the blink of an eye. First, everywhere went blank and then, there he was, in a completely different place.
The scenery before him was gloomy, with mist swirling about. There were lights hanging in the sky but were mostly shrouded by the fog.
[You have entered the space of the Frost Tower's keeper]
A notification appeared before him but he ignored it completely.
Everything was dead quiet. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, except for the fog.
Icard breathed however. He exhaled calmly, standing before the towering structure before him. It was all so cold around him--it was all ice.
"You have returned, Icard" a figure spoke from the top of the tower. "Finally"
The figure stood, looking down at Icard, with his hands behind him.
"You succeeded. You completed the Trials of the Apocalypse" he continued. "You have saved your world. You are a hero"
Icard remained quiet amidst the praises. The figure addressing him narrowed his eyes, which glowed in the gloom.
"I see. Of course, the sacrifices must have been costly--but that is what makes a true hero"
Icard walked calmly toward the tower where this figure stood as he spoke.
"You have saved billions. That much is enough reward for your suffering"
Icard walked up to the tower. He wore a grey leather robe, exuding his composed gait. His short hair revealed a face void of expression.
He then touched the foot of the tower. As he did, the frost gently creeped up his hand a bit, glowing with a tinge of green and blue.
The figure could tell his words were falling on deaf ears.
"Icard" he muttered.
Icard inhaled calmly before he finally spoke.
"Let's make a deal, Erient" he said without looking at the figure overhead him.
Erient, the one who spoke all this time, sharpened his gaze on Icard.
"You wish to make a deal?"
"Yes" Icard said, then took his hands off the tower. He looked at his partially frozen left hand and clenched his fists tightly. "I'll give you anything. All I want is--to send me back to the beginning of the Trial"
Erient was taken aback by Icard's request.
"Have you gone mad, Icard?" he said. "You cannot possibly wish to restart the Trial"
Icard smiled. But behind his smile, Erient could read the pain in his heart.
"Honestly, I don't care" he said. "I have gotten quite powerful now, you know. Even the outer gods acknowledge my existence amongst the others but--"
Icard stopped abruptly.
Erient already knew what this was all about.
"Is it because of her?" Erient asked. "I trusted that you would heal from that, but it seems the wound is still fresh"
Icard's head was slumped then, staring at his left fist.
"I'm empty, Erient. I cannot be immortal this way. I would rather die"
Erient chuckled.
"You would give up your immortality to follow a woman to the grave? How foolish" Erient said. "Icard, take my advice--give this a few hundred years and you will shed your humanity. By then, all this won't matter to you anymore"
"I don't want to" Icard said, then unfolded his fist. He walked away from the tower then to get a direct view of Erient.
The figure standing atop the tower seemed to be made of darkness itself, contouring the space around him.His eyes glowed and a rod-like feature protruded from his head.
He looked ancient but Icard was very much conversant with him. He knew Erient well enough to know just what it would take to strike a deal with him.
"You can take it, Erient" Icard said before Erient could say any other thing. Icard grinned knowingly. "You can take my Celestial Essence - my immortality"
Erient's eyes widened, hearing it for himself. He had remained composed all this time but now, Icard's offer seemed to have shaken him a bit. He tried to maintain his godly demeanor as Icard's offer was very enticing.
"Now I know you are insane" Erient said but Icard remained grinning.
"Come on. Take my essence, and let me restart the Trial" Icard pressed on.
"Do you know just what you are willing to give up?!" Erient scolded.
"I know it well, Erient. I sacrificed her to get it" Icard said.
Seeing Icard was really serious, Erient laughed. He couldn't resist the offer. Not when he could ascend even higher by claiming another's Celestial Essence. This was something he couldn't pass up on.
"You are quite stubborn, you foolish human" he said, excitement building up in his voice. "But, oh well, I shall entertain your foolishness this time!"
It worked. Icard's smile faded then.
All he had accomplished, everything would be lost in a moment. The Frost tower before him was his root. He had suffered greatly to reach the top and far beyond it. He wanted to hesitate at least but he wasn't in control anymore.
He just wanted to see her face again.
"Alright. I shall send you back to restart the Trial. The outer gods may notice this but they will have little power over me if I have your Celestial Essence" he said.
"We shall sign another contract now"
Before Icard, a floating window appeared. On it were runes arranging themselves in patterns. Icard read the instructions.
[Please place your left hand here]
He did so.
[You are about to sign a contract. Do you wish to continue?]
"Yes" Icard muttered. Then another window appeared.
[You are about to sign to the terms of a Keeper.
Requirement: Celestial Essence of godhood
Warning: You will lose the stated god-tier attribute. Do you wish to continue?]
"Yes" Icard muttered again.
His hand was still placed atop the first window. The runes still arranged themselves, building up to a certain pattern while he made the arrangements.
[Warning: Other god-tier attributes may become unstable. You may lose all your god-tier stats...]
"Proceed" he said before reading everything.
Then, the runes finally arranged themselves completely.
The first window then vanished. In its place, an orb materialized.
This was it.
"Are you sure you wish to do this?" Erient asked, fighting his urge to go on ahead and take Icard's essence.
Icard looked at the orb for a while before touching it.
It took a few seconds. While he made contact with it, the orb changed colours, from white to green to red then golden. As it did, he could feel something being drawn out of his body.
Till it was all gone.
The orb now glowed with a golden aura. Erient still couldn't believe it. The Celestial Essence was a prize that granted immortality and ascent. Never had he heard of any person trading their Essence for anything.
It was like--their very lifeline keeping them in the realm of godhood.
"It is done" he said. "As I thought, I really cannot comprehend you, Icard" Erient said, his voice sedate.
He stretched his right hand before him, his form twisting space as he did.
"You will return to the base of the tower you have suffered to climb" he said. "I shall be waiting for you down there"
Icard looked on, waiting to be transported back to that day.
Then, a white glow emanated from his hand and enveloped Icard completely.
His consciousness tweaked and his mind wobbled for some time. Everything was still white.
His memories were being tampered with. But he wouldn't forget. He trusted Erient.
He felt like he was being accelerated beyond anything imaginable. Like he was being drawn into something that stretched his mind greatly.
It took some time and then - it all ended.
Erient was gone. The tower was gone.
All that was before him was darkness. Then a stuffy feeling--like he was being cramped up in a small space.
'Where--where is this?' he asked in his thoughts. He could tell he was in a box perhaps. And this box was constantly shaking, like it was being transported.
Outside, he could hear chaotic noises; roars, explosions in the distance, gum shots, war cries. But then, he was calm.
He moved his body, knocking on the box from inside. He had to escape this confinement first.
However, as he struggled with the box, someone opened it.
The day sky was clear. And blocking it partially was the head of a boy his age, staring into the box at him.
Icard recognized him immediately.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "You kept behaving like an idiot so we had to knock you out" he explained further.
Seeing him, Icard noticed he looked younger than when he saw him last.
Icard thought back to the strange sensation he had just felt before he regained consciousness now and there, he remembered.
He remembered everything.