I should probably explain. Right now I was in a room, my room actually. Not the one I had woken up in but rather another one, the one I'd be staying in from now on.
It felt weird, really weird, many things. For one this body was weak incredibly so, probably because I had been sustained through what Knossos - I wasn't ready to call him grandfather - called IVs. The second thing which was weird was the fact that I was a sleeper, something I didn't quite understand, after all I had a core, so why wasn't I awakened? But it didn't take me long to figure it out. I couldn't use essence or at least not yet.
It seemed like this Earth only used the Spell to ascend. They had no clue that they could ascend by themselves, something which I hadn't divulged to Knossos, for various reasons. Either way I'm getting sidetracked. The point is that this Spell seemed to make ascension work in reverse for becoming an awakened.
Normally you would gather your essence, feel it, gather it, and finally form your core. You also had to find a way into your soul sea by yourself. However the Spell formed your core, allowed you entrance to your soul sea but it didn't allow you to fuel your body with essence. So I'd probably have to find a work around to advance to awakened, and if not then I'd have to go through a Citadel in this winter solstice where I would be pulled by the Spell into the Dream Realm like Knossos had said.
The room itself was strange compared to what I was used to. Everything seemed too clean, too polished. The walls were made of some material I didn't recognize, smooth and white, nothing like the rough stone and wood of Tyson Village. There was a window that looked out over a city that stretched farther than I could see, one bordered by walls. The bed I sat on was softer than anything I had ever felt, it was quite a stark change all things considered.
I had asked Knossos about all of this during our conversation, and he had explained that this world was far more advanced than the one in my nightmare. They had something called technology, machines that could do incredible things. It was overwhelming, to say the least. Everything I thought I knew about the world had been turned upside down.
But perhaps the most unsettling thing was the silence. In Tyson Village, there had always been sounds - the crash of waves against the shore, the calls of seabirds, the voices of neighbors going about their daily lives. Here, the silence was almost oppressive, broken only by distant sounds I couldn't identify.
I shook my head, trying to shake off those thoughts, closed my eyes and was once more in my soul sea. My core was in the same state it was after I was given my flaw. Now that I'm talking about my flaw, I also know what corrupted meant and it would be best if I could keep my core as it was.
The corruption was still there, that black seed taking up nearly a fifth of my core. I could feel it sometimes, like a cold weight in my chest, constantly urging itself forward, constantly fighting against my will.
Now however I thought of something else.
Status.
Strings of runes appeared in front of me as if by magic, glowing softly in the darkness of my soul sea.
I looked at the first string.
Name: --
I could guess as to why this was the case. Sinbad wasn't my name - it was the name of the body I had taken over. Knossos had told me that my actual name was Tristan, but it wasn't showing on the string of runes either so I guessed that it was my choice. It was my name after all, and my name was Sinbad.
The moment I thought that, the runes shifted.
Name: Sinbad
It felt right. Whatever life Tristan might have lived, it wasn't mine. My memories, my experiences, my growth - that had all been as Sinbad. The son of Bardr and Esra, the boy who had listened to Darius's stories, the young man who had faced the Lightning King. That was who I was, regardless of what body I inhabited.
I looked under those runes.
True Name: Stormbringer
Rank: Dreamer.
The lowest rank, according to Knossos. A level below Awakened.
Soul Core: Dormant
Soul Fragments: [0/1000]
This had all been explained to me by Knossos so I didn't bother with it, however I did look at the next string of runes.
Memories: [Dragon's Garment], [Baal's Blade]
These were the memories I had gained from slaying the dragons in the Tower. I saw them circle around my soul core, Knossos had also explained what these were to me. I thought of Baal's blade when suddenly a new string of runes appeared in front of me.
[Unite memory [Baal's Blade] with Soul core] [Yes] [No]
I thought about it for a moment before deciding not to. I had no clue what this all meant, but I did think it had to do with my aspect, Memory's Vessel. Better to understand more before making irreversible choices.
I looked down at the other string of runes.
Echoes: -
Empty for now, but Knossos had explained that Echoes were different from Memories. Where Memories came from creatures you had slain, Echoes came from objects of power, things that had witnessed or been part of great events. Perhaps I would find some eventually.
Attributes: [First Class Singularity], [Free Sailor], [Spark of Divinity], [The Storm], [King's Candidate]
I smiled. Yes, this was one of the things that mattered to me, and one of the questions I held. After all I had asked Knossos about corruption and he told me it couldn't be stopped, so I questioned to myself how had I?
I thought of the first attribute.
[First Class Singularity] Attribute Description: You are a miracle born from this world, you do the impossible and as such you are the creature loved and despised above all else.
"Huh," I muttered. "Well that's something I guess. Could this have been the reason why I was able to stop the corruption? I mean it does say I can do the impossible, but the being despised above all definitely doesn't bode well."
The implications were troubling. If I was destined to be despised, what did that mean for my future? Would people instinctively hate me? Would I become some kind of pariah? But then again, it also said I was loved above all else. Perhaps it meant I would inspire extreme reactions in people, either devotion or hatred, with no middle ground.
I decided to look at my other attributes.
[Free Sailor] Attribute Description: A sailor once said "Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be, for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance. My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wroth and tears. Looms but the horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
Master of my fate. Captain of my soul. Yes this was it, this had been the attribute that allowed me to contain the corruption, and it was right. I was the captain of my soul, no one could invade my soul willy nilly, not even this corruption.
The words resonated deeply within me. They spoke of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds, of maintaining one's identity and will even when everything seemed lost. It was exactly what I had done when the corruption tried to take hold. I had refused to let it define me, had pushed back with sheer force of will.
[Spark of Divinity] Attribute description: Every fire starts from a spark. Somewhere deep within your soul, a radiant spark shines with divine light.
Great, divinity was always good. It suggested potential for growth beyond normal limits, perhaps even the ability to challenge gods themselves one day. The thought was both thrilling and terrifying.
[The Storm] Attribute Description: You have inherited the lineage of the Storm God.
So this is what the Spell meant by awakening my divine lineage, but that did mean that Knossos and the rest of the House of Night also had it? I'd ask him later. The idea that I carried the blood of a god was staggering. Storm gods were typically associated with change, with upheaval, with the power to reshape the world. It explained my affinity for lightning and water, my ability to read the waves.
Finally I looked at my last one and the one attribute I knew I had 'gained'.
[King's Candidate] Attribute Description: You are one with the potential to later on become the great king, you bear the responsibility of many, and you can't receive the spoils of others after all what king receives that which he doesn't deserve.
It seemed like this is what Yunan was talking about, but I wasn't sure how it could help me. The description was interesting though - it suggested that I wouldn't be able to simply take things from others, that I would have to earn everything I received. Perhaps that was why I had been able to resist the corruption where others couldn't. I had earned my power through struggle and trial, not simply been given it.
The responsibility of many. That was a heavy burden to contemplate. Did it mean I was destined to rule? To lead? To bear the weight of countless lives on my shoulders? It was what my father had always said - that I would be the man who changed the world. Perhaps he had been more right than he knew.
I thought about Yunan then, that strange traveler who had appeared at just the right moment to guide me toward my destiny. Had he known what I would become? Had he seen these attributes somehow? I mean he had brought me to the Tower in an instant, so who's to say.
However one thing was clear, even though all my life has been a nightmare, it had made me who I was.
I was Sinbad the Sailor.
"Now time to look at this aspect," I murmured finally, turning my attention to the next string of runes.
A/N: Welp here are the attributes, now give me your power stones, if we reach 100, I'll upload an extra chapter.