Flaw: [Bound Burden]
Flaw Description: [You must endure anything you enforce.]
Lunar stared at those six words, his expression flickering between uncertainty and understanding. At first, he was concerned. If he took it literally, then he would be doomed for life.
Thankfully, as a result of [Blissful Eye], he could better understand the Spell's words. Visually, the description didn't change, but his inference did.
He found that any sensation he inflicted upon another would, in turn, be felt by himself. His Flaw wouldn't physically harm him, but he would certainly feel it.
If he beheaded an enemy, he'd feel the pain of beheading. If he touched a person's neck, he'd feel the same shivers they did.
It had… many interesting implications that he'd have to conquer later. But he was overall thankful. After all, he had somehow acquired a Divine Aspect, so he expected an ambitious Flaw.
Lunar was just happy that he didn't get some self-sacrificial one like: [You get older while using your Aspect.] or something like: [You are blind.]
Fortunately, Lunar awakened an endurance-based Flaw. Therefore, he could do anything he wanted, so long as he endured its consequences.
"Haah…"
It wasn't the worst, but still...
Sighing, he shifted his gaze from the Flaw to the rest of his runes. His previous scan had been interrupted by a… painful eye replacement — but he was over that now.
Aspect: [Bound Illusionist].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Abilities: [Axis of Illusion].
Aspect Ability Description: [Redirection is also an illusion. You may anchor momentum in space, repurposing it for any direction.]
'Hmm…'
Lunar held his breath, rereading its description again. Once more, he understood the Spell much more than he should have.
According to his analysis, he could freeze his body in space, storing any previous momentum before redirecting it somewhere else.
For example, if he fell off a building, he could freeze his body in the air, propelling himself back up using his falling momentum. Though, because of air resistance, he wouldn't reach the same height he started at.
…Unless, of course, someone pushed him down and gave him excess momentum, but that was something he'd test out later.
Overall, [Axis of Illusion] was an amazing Aspect Ability. Even the redirection of an enemy's gaze would take an opponent off guard, even ones trained for combat.
Soon, very soon, Lunar would become a force to be reckoned with, and when that happened, he would begin his path to the peak.
Once his analysis concluded, the Spell spoke again, whispering into his ear with its familiar voice.
[Wake up, Blessing of an Endless Night!]
The Spell's black void warped around him, then faded away.
***
Lunar opened his eyes.
There was an armored ceiling above him. He traced the various bolts holding it down before lowering his gaze.
After clearing his First Nightmare, acquiring a True Name, and awakening a Divine Aspect, he had gotten a little detached from reality.
But now, he was back, sitting under the confines of a government facility. He would have felt refreshed if it weren't for the restraints holding him down.
He tried moving his arms, but his handcuffs prevented him. He kicked his legs up but the alloy chains held him in place.
Chuckling, he looked down, settling his vision on a relaxed feminine figure. She was gorgeous, even for Awakened. But… she was not merely an Awakened. She was an Ascended. A Master!
His eyes widened, a droplet of sweat trickling down his face.
She had strange looking eyes — overly reflective as if coated in gloss. Her hair was navy blue, drifting quietly around her shoulders. Her lips were a soft pink, touched by the charm of ascension. Her stationary mouth twitched into a smug smile as she watched him analyze her.
"Wakey, Wakey."
He was a little distraught by the childish remark, but nodded, watching as she raised her eyebrows.
"You have nice eyes, pretty boy. Is it part of your Aspect? Maybe an Attribute?"
'Ah… "pretty boy". I haven't heard that in a while.'
For his entire life, Lunar had been overly androgynous. His skin was incredibly soft, his body was slim, and his shoulders were by no means broad. Even his lips were rosy — it pissed him off a little.
And so, with his natural beauty, he naturally adopted the name "pretty boy". And now, this unfortunate nickname made a surprising return. He couldn't even defend himself! She was a Master!
As for what she asked, he had no idea how to answer. While Lunar was known for his enchanting presence, his eyes had never been the topic of interest.
"Uh…"
He quickly glanced into her eyes, hoping to examine his own appearance through her vast reflections. After a moment, he concluded that his irises were… rainbow-colored?
'???'
As though every single color had been unanimously splashed together, his eyes were absorbed in a colorful swirl.
He now understood her concern.
"It's neither," he lied without shame.
"Hoh?" The woman's smirk curled into a mischievous grin. "Liar,"
Lunar's eye twitched, a second bead of sweat appearing —
" — But that's fine."
She stood up, her sleek black suit settling from gravity. She wore dark fitted bottoms that tucked neatly into a pair of polished knee-high boots.
It was an… uncommon combination, yet the stunner pulled it off.
"I'm just some random Master, so I won't be the one interrogating you."
As she approached, her thin, ceremonial glove traced the edge of his mattress.
"That's the government's job. As for me…"
With practical movements, she began undoing the restraints holding Lunar in place.
"Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Lunar."
Her voice became more joyful.
"I'm Ascended Selene. You can call me Master Selene. For the last day, I've been watching you sleep — ah, forgive my wording."
He had heard about this. Whenever a mundane person fell victim to the Spell, the police station notified nearby Awakened to watch over them. This was, of course, for public safety.
He was a little confused about why the police were made mostly of mundane humans, but Lunar wouldn't bother with the thought. Right now, an eerie woman was standing less than a foot away. While she was somewhat ethereal, she was also scary.
He couldn't leave her hanging.
"I have a question."
"Mm? Go ahead."
"Why is a Master like you on watch duty?"
Selene gave him an amused look.
"To protect the public."
"..."
"Seems like you don't believe me… how troublesome. You see, I'm trying to move past my horrid reputation. After the… incident, it's been a little difficult for the public to forgive me."
She stepped back, watching Lunar push himself off the mattress nonchalantly, ignoring her previous words. He quickly stretched, revealing an absurdly slim waist that rivaled even her own.
Ignoring her own surprise, Selene continued.
"I'm a distant member of the Storm Clan, and you've become a special Sleeper of interest."
Her eyes lowered, darkening.
"So I must apologize."
Lunar raised a brow.
"Apologize? For what? Is the storm clan after me or something? Also special…?"
"Ah?"
Selene started laughing.
"No, no. Don't worry! Those stormy old hags know nothing about you!"
She patted his head, her gaze deepening as she stared into his eyes — for much longer than she should have. It was eerie.
"I have… an ability that showed me just how special you truly are. As for the apology."
She sighed, turning her back to him.
"I'm sorry for what I've already done."
—
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Author's Note:
– Did you enjoy the chapter?
– How do you feel about Master Selene so far?
– I'm working on dialogue, so I'd like some tips for it, and how do you feel about the plot? Should I slow stuff down or maybe speed it up? Perhaps its alright now.
– Would you like official illustrations for the characters? I can draw digital art for them, I'm not terrible. I've already, for the fun of it, made a sketch and lineart for a character I'm introducing later on.
– Please… please read the disclaimer. From here onward, it's incredibly important. If you don't read it, you'll probably have a lot of questions about lore, timeline, and characters.
– Word Count: [1362]