[Prepare for appraisal...]
Lunar found himself in a space between dream and reality. He saw an endless black void illuminated by a myriad of silver strings. Each string interwove with the next, forming various nexuses and constellations. It was a breathtaking sight.
After a moment of inner thought, Lunar came to the conclusion that he was seeing the inner workings of the Nightmare Spell. He remembered the stories and illustrations made about this wonderful sight, but nothing compared to the real thing. He also couldn't help but notice that it looked like a neural network.
Though, Lunar wasn't in the mood to ponder if the Spell was a living thing. Rather, he was eagerly awaiting his appraisal.
As if answering his thoughts, the Spell spoke.
Here in the void, the voice was no longer familiar. It seemed more like the universe itself was speaking to him.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[A faithful follower ascended the Obsidian Castle. He was presented with absurdity but did not falter before the impossible. His skin froze, his bones broke, and he was assaulted by poison, yet he did not stutter. Unwavering, he conquered the menacing castle, entrusting his life with a treacherous demon before benefiting from that faith. Bliss was hidden in the –Unknown–, and yet, she listened.]
[You have received the blessing of Bliss.]
[You have achieved the impossible!]
[Final appraisal: Glorious. Your tenacity truly knows no bounds.]
Despite knowing how little the final appraisal mattered, he couldn't help but feel satisfied by the Spell's praise. After such a harrowing experience, the analysis was reassuring. He felt like his chances of evolving his Aspect to a Transcendent — or even Supreme one — were relatively high.
[Dreamer Lunar, receive your boon!]
He smiled.
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Blessing of an Endless Night]
His jaw dropped to the floor. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, but the message was still there.
A True Name! He received a True Name! He had never even heard of a person receiving a True Name after their First Nightmare.
Well, he had, but —
Before he could contemplate further, the Spell snapped him back to reality.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
"Oh — uh… of course."
[Dormant Aspect Faithful Puppet is evolving...]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
[Aspect Name: Bound Illusionist]
...
Lunar fell to the floor in disbelief.
It said "Divine" right?
He raised his hand to smack himself, wondering if he had heard it wrong. But no, it still said "Divine."
Not only had he gotten a True Name, but he also awakened a Divine Aspect. This, without a doubt, was the highest possible appraisal he could have gotten.
It honestly couldn't get much better than this.
Lunar silently summoned his runes, finding the lines that described his Aspect.
Aspect: [Bound Illusionist].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a perplexing illusion blessed by the treacherous Demon of Bliss. As a Divine Illusion, you possess many inexplicable abilities. You are a walking facade who can store memories away as illusions. However, you are bound by the worst of them, unable to look away.]
Innate Ability: [Equivalent Exchange]
Ability Description: [You are a vile illusionist, but not an unfair one. You may, at any time, strengthen yourself, but you must first sacrifice something of equal value.]
That was a lot for Lunar to digest.
First of all, he was an "illusion" now. He wasn't sure what that meant, but it didn't sound like something that would hold him back.
On the other hand, the end of that description left him bitter. The Spell's wording was unclear, but it sounded like something would haunt him. His dreams? Memories from the past? Maybe even entities he'd find in the future…
Lunar couldn't help but feel a little displeased.
'Shouldn't something like that be a Flaw?'
…
But he shook it off, returning to his Aspect's rank.
To the world, anything above Ascended was considered extraordinary. In fact, the highest rank he'd heard of someone awakening was Supreme. He had never, even once, imagined someone acquiring a Divine one! And Lunar just did.
His Innate Ability was interesting, too. He could make certain features of himself stronger by weakening others... Could he make his eyesight better after sacrificing taste? If so, then he could abandon inconsequential senses to strengthen important ones.
It also sounded temporary, meaning that he could reverse any negative side effects once the battle was finished.
Overall, Lunar was more pleased by his boons than displeased by their drawbacks.
After a moment, the Spell began to speak again.
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
Lunar felt something awaken inside of him. Unfamiliar with the sensation, he clutched his chest, letting out a startled groan. Searching for answers, he shot his head in every direction, staring into the darkness. But he found nothing.
The feeling was not painful or unpleasant, it was intense — overstimulating, in a way. As if his soul was being shaken awake, infused with a strange new energy.
However, that energy didn't come from an outside source. It was coming from within. As if it had always been there, sleeping.
This energy spread through his entire being like water flooding a town. This powerful torrent swept across his body, making his mind and emotions much sharper. Then, his body began to change. He felt as though a miniature star was burning in the center of his chest, its heat in the form of strength rather than weakness.
Slowly, this warmth spread from his chest to his stomach and shoulders, and then eventually to his legs. Lastly, it reached his hands and feet, encompassing his entire body.
His muscles, organs, bones, and blood vessels were being rebuilt. Lunar felt his body being reborn and revitalized. He could tell, even without moving, that he was becoming stronger, faster, and healthier.
With each second, his body transformed more and more.
It was profound.
After some time, the star burning in his chest cooled off, replaced by a soothing tranquility. Any aches, lingering illnesses and discomforts built up over the years were taken away.
Finally, it moved, reaching his brain and eventually his eyes. His perception strangely doubled, allowing him to see much farther into the vast emptiness. And through that vision, he was now able to view something different.
A silent, illusory sea illuminated by a lonely transparent sun.
—
—
—
Authors Note:
- You might notice that in this chapter and maybe in later ones, that these: "..." are either closer together or farther apart. Please ignore that, it happens because I make the chapter on google docs then edit it on Webnovel. Google Docs has a tendency to make ellipses into one symbol while Webnovel separates them into three separate dots. Its barely noticeable so you can also ignore this paragraph.
- The wording here is very similar to how it was said in the original. That's because I was studying how G3 worded the awakening and expressed it in similar ways.
- Did you enjoy the chapter?
- Word Count: [1178]