Ash groaned as he woke, limbs stretching with a satisfying crack. The night had been unusually peaceful—one of those rare moments where the stars felt like they were watching over him instead of mocking him. His heart was light. For once.
He turned, expecting to see a familiar set of silver eyes.
"Where did that damn wolf wander off to?"
With a yawn, he stood and made his way to a nearby waterfall.
The falls were... breathtaking. The water tumbled from such a height that its source was lost in the misty veil above. Ash stepped into the cascade, letting the freezing water hammer his body.
It stung, but it cleared his head. Focus. Stillness. Breath. He closed his eyes and dropped into a cross-legged posture beneath the deluge. He began to meditate.
Then—PAIN.
It surged through his chest like fire, searing into his right eye.
"AAARGH! Fuck, what is happening?! I swear I'll rip this eye out!"
Then—stillness.
As if something had heard him, the pain vanished. His right eye pulsed, then glowed crimson.
INITIATING: THE ALL-SEEING SUBJECT: ASH RIVENHARTSTATS REVISING...
STATUS REPORT
Name: Ash Rivenhart (Temporary)
Age: 12
Pact: Lightbringer (Activated)
Class: Hybrid Descendant
Post-Meditation Stats:
Strength: 14 / 100
Agility: 18 / 100
Endurance: 22 / 100
Intelligence: 40 / 100
Willpower: 46 / 100
Magic Potential: 70 / 100 (Partially Unlocked)
Soul Resonance: 50% (Seraphine's Echo Imprinted)
MAGIC UNLOCKED: PARTIAL
ACCESS GRANTED SKILLS AVAILABLE: SHADOW DISCIPLINE
Designation: Soul Reaper – Hela's Chosen
Rank: Initiate of Shadows
🕯️ UNLOCKED SKILLS
1. Silent Steps (Passive – Always On)
Movement noise nullified.
It cannot be tracked by normal sight or hearing.
Active even while sprinting.
2. Veil of the Departed (Active – Shadow Trigger)
Temporary invisibility while holding breath or remaining still in shadow.
Duration scales with Willpower.
Vulnerable to magical senses and echolocation.
3. Phantom Blink (Active – Short-Range Dash)
Teleport to any visible shadow within 10 meters.
Leaves behind a smoky afterimage for 1.5 seconds.
Cooldown: 12 seconds.
Ash stared into the translucent stats floating in the air, dumbfounded. It felt surreal... until a rustling sound broke his focus.
He spun—Fenrir stood there, a massive bird clenched in his jaws. With a smug look, the wolf dropped it.
"Ahem. I've hunted. We can't train on an empty stomach, can we?"
Ash chuckled. "You're the best, Master. I'll start a fire."
He gathered wood and sparked a flame. Fenrir unsheathed his claws with a flick—SHING—slicing the bird into neat chunks in a single motion. Ash had already skinned it; now it sizzled over the fire, crisping to perfection.
After their meal, Ash stood. His eyes blazed with determination.
"Let's do this, Fenrir. I want to fight that Revenant again."
Fenrir raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Gained a bit of spine, have we? I see some growth in you, boy… physically and spiritually."
He paused, then narrowed his eyes. "Wait a moment. You've unlocked Hela's path."
Ash smiled. "Thanks to you."
Fenrir nodded, pleased. "Alright then... show me the Lightbringer sword style."
Ash blinked. "Wait—how do you know about that?"
Fenrir scoffed. "Naive. I'm a god's mount, boy. I don't need the All-Seer to look through your soul."
Ash winced, scratching his head. "Right… well, I can't. I don't have a sword anymore. I lost my dagger in the last fight."
Fenrir burst out laughing. "Gods, you are twelve."He grinned. "Imagine a sword. Focus on it. Visualise every inch—then move your hand like it's already there."
Ash sighed but complied. He raised his hand, picturing a double-edged longsword—sleek, red-bladed, with a faint black mist coiling around it.
WHOOSH. Black smoke swirled, and the blade materialised—gleaming red-hot like molten iron.
Ash grinned. "It feels... perfect."
"Then begin," Fenrir said solemnly.
Ash stepped forward. He raised the blade, the hilt aligned with his forehead. Eyes closed, he began to move—slow, circular, deliberate. The blade traced a red glow through the air.
"First Form – Solar Steps!"Ash dashed forward. The earth beneath his footfall erupted—magma crackled beneath each step, glowing before hardening into obsidian.
"Second Form – Heaven's Arc!"He swept his sword in a wide arc. The edge shimmered white-hot, and a luminous crescent shot out, slicing through several thick trees like they were paper.
The forest fell silent.
Even Fenrir was impressed.
"Alright, that's enough," Fenrir said, stepping back. "You've inherited the Lightbringer's flame. But right now, you can only wield the first two forms safely. The others will tear your body apart."
Ash nodded, accepting the truth without resistance.
"I'm ready," he said quietly. "Let's finish this. I want to face that Revenant again."
Fenrir smirked. "I was about to say the same thing. But this time, Ash... I won't interfere."
Ash looked up, eyes sharp. "Good. I don't need you to."
They returned to the grave.
It didn't feel quite as suffocating as before, but the air was still thick with rot and memory. The soil was cracked and dry like even the land remembered what had been buried there.
Then the ground trembled.
The Revenant Knight emerged, armour clanking, eyes hollow and seething with undeath. The stench of decay wrapped around him like a cloak.
"So… you've returned, the shadow of Seraphine," the Knight hissed. "But this time, you won't leave alive."
Ash's lips curled into a smirk. His heartbeat slowed. His blade shimmered into existence, pulsing with crimson light.
He took his stance, lifted the sword high, and shut his eyes.
"Second Form – Heaven's Arc!"
He swept the blade in a flawless arc. A flash of white fire carved the air, clean, divine, and impossibly fast.
The Revenant didn't have time to react.
The blow split him clean in two.
A groan tore from the Knight's chest as thick smoke poured from his bisected form. Not blood, not rot—purification.
His voice softened into something no longer monstrous.
"Ahh… my beloved commander. You were right to believe in him... The seed you nurtured has grown. He's become more than we ever imagined."
The Revenant's fading gaze turned toward Ash.
"Your name, boy?"
Ash stepped forward, then knelt.
"Ash Rivenhart."
The name struck like a blade.
The Knight shuddered. "Rivenhart… That cursed name. That blight..."
He struggled to hold himself together, but something in him shifted.
"We begged her to forsake you. To abandon the child of her betrayal. But she... she saw what we couldn't."
He closed his eyes. A faint smile crept across his ruined face.
"She believed you would be her salvation. She was right."
The smoke coiled around him now, dissolving the last remnants of his rage.
"You are Ash... Lightbringer."
With those final words, the Revenant's soul unravelled. He faded into light, smiling—his burden finally laid to rest.
Ash's right eye flared again—hot, searing pain lancing through his skull.
Whirrrr...
A mechanical hum echoed in his head, followed by a shimmering screen of light.
[CONGRATULATIONS — FIRST ENEMY PURIFIED]
Heavenly Arc has evolved into the purification Arc.
When the host strikes with the intent to purify rather than destroy, this sword form will automatically activate.
—
MAGIC POWER UNLOCKED
You have begun attuning with Hela's Authority.
Shadow-born abilities are expanding... the soul channel is deepening.
—
Host physical attributes remain underdeveloped.
The body must undergo disciplined training to withstand growing power.
[DAILY TRAINING QUESTS INITIATED]
Push-Ups – 30 reps × 2 sets
Squats – 30 reps × 2 sets
Pull-Ups – 30 reps × 2 sets
Running – 10 KM × 2 rounds
Completing daily quests will raise base stats over time. Neglecting physical discipline may result in skill stagnation or body breakdown under magical load.
The screen vanished. Ash clenched his fists. His body still ached from the fight, but now it had a purpose.