Eclipse opened his eyes, he was staring at the sky, ever grey, never changing, his body ached all over, if he could move his head he could see that his skin was pale— too pale, also his skin has cracks on them and he bleed ash.
His exousia had burned his insides anew, although his exousia burned everything impure which includes him, it was also purifying him in the process. The flame burnt so hot he felt cold all over.
After sometime he finally regained his ability to think.
"Where am I, I feel so sore". His memory appeared disjointed and so did the feelings of his body.
Then he remembered he was supposed to be fighting a Stain, the stain he was fighting before he blanked out.
"It seems I was fighting that Stain, one of the worshippers". He didn't react he continued lying down there until, then the feeling on his body returned. He could move his hand, he took a look at his hand. And saw the cracks that filled it, leaking ash in the process.
"Wasn't I supposed to be healed by now". He talked to no one in particular, with a grunt he entered into his soul Nexus.
On his nexus a lot have changed, the tree appeared taller, the trunk thicker and wider. The pale red mist that caused his Nexus to be in eternal twilight appeared thicker. But the most jarring of all was that his raging sea of fire appeared wider stretching into the horizon, looking at his soul shard which acted as a sun on his nexus, he could see that it was dull and unreflective, likely because of the exhausted Aether, the sky of his nexus had more cracks on it as if his soul had stepped on it. He stood there, strangely the roaring flames acted like a melody, he could now understand it.
He could tell the intent behind it, it was raging as he expected, but it was sad that he didn't call upon it much. It was like a son wanting to hear the reassuring voice of their father after passing his test. But all Eclipse did was ignore it and even fear it.
With dead glassy eyes he stared at the fire for sometime before he spoke in a raspy, scorched voice.
"Don't worry from now on, I will be sure to call on you". That was a promise never meant to be kept, as he didn't say it in his right mind, if the usual Eclipse was here, he would have cursed it and then flee from the scorching heat of his Nexus, it was hot in here.
Then by simply willing it, he left his nexus arriving back to the grey skies. After a moment his glassy eyes gradually began to fill up, he felt a rush of heat mixed with his burned emotions.
"Where is the stain". His eyes widened as he shot up, despite his body protesting. With a groan he looked around eyes constantly datting to and fro searching for a sign of the stain. Then he saw it— what it had become.
All that remained of the Stain was a burned heap of flesh, the flesh was blackened and scorched black, with to Aether shard glistening in the light— one black like coal, the other white as bone.
Seeing the flesh he visibly released but then a thought struck— what if it's not the only one hunting you.
His eyes widened, he quickly got up, his body hissing in pain.
"Damn it, my Exousia is messed up and what the hell is wrong with this clothes why can't it at least protect me from the cold". He looked down in frustration cursing his lack of armor or a better cloth, but the his breath froze on his throat— cause he was naked.
He was naked, the clothes he had looted — non-existent, his coat— non-existent. And to crown it all his skin was filled with cracks and some black substance.
"Is that..... Ash". Eclipse was confused how was he bleeding ash. "That flames is dangerous". That was the only explanation he could come up with. Then he looked away from his body and what he saw shocked him.
On the Crater he was in, the ground was scorched black, all around him the trees, the rock and the ground were licked black by his flame.
"What the hell happened here, did I do that". It was a pretty dumb question to ask cause it was only him and the Stain that was present, and it was only he that possessed the ability to wield flame.
He looked around in amazement at the ability he possessed. Then with strained effort he walked towards the charred carcass of the Stain then picked up the two Shard then crushed it, he could feel the rush on Aether on his body and the overwhelming relief that came from his still aching body. The cracks begun to mend.
Then with a Waze of his hand he summoned Echofang, as he was waiting for Echofang to manifest in to reality his mind drifted elsewhere.
'that Stain went after me even though I fell into the river and somehow survived, I can't hope it's the only one. I don't have the will to fight more of this thing, not unless I grow more powerful'. Eclipse internal musing was brought to a stop as he felt the cold grip of Echofang in his grasp.
He lifted the curved dagger and plunged it into the chest of the stain, ripped out the Heart crushed it and did the same with the other chest, he already relaxed body became even more relaxed.
His body healed completely leaving him with little Aether to spare the destruction done on his body was exceptional. But they was some strange he has been sensing, the any of his expended Aether didn't return, it wasn't supposed to be.
If he expended his Aether, his Soul shards would produce another one, the time varies from person to person depending on the latency of their of their powers. But now was no time to think it was time to run, run away in the opposite direction of that cursed chapel.
"Wait, what if I got something from the battle". Eclipse grew excited as he called upon his diary
Race: [High Human]
Rank: [Marked]
Soul Shards: [20/1000]
Exousia: [Annihilation flame of impermanence]
False God: [Detachment of the primitive world]
Innate Ability: [Rewind]
Soul Aspect: [Truth seeking orbs] [Fear]
Whisper: [Confessor] [Sermon]
Liege: [Nephilm]
True Name:[Nihilion]
Soul shards were the number of soul shard he had consumed, when he looked at it for the first time he was confused, he absorbed that amount of Soul shards before, until he did the rationalize the best possible outcome.
He killed the priest at the chapel which gave him [Confessor], but he didn't harvest any soul shard. Then he killed the mockingbird which was a Nether-borne beast, it gave him four core in total the soul shard have two numerical value which the heart having the same value— then the Stain he had just recently killed, he absorbed two of it's soul shard each having four numerical value each, such as the heart. It seems it increases by two in every stage and class.
But that wasn't on his mind he turned his head at [Sermon] and the description rolled out.
[Type]: [Tool]
Rank: [Asended]
[Class]: [i]
[Description]: [The stain was once a human in a distant time, and they angered their mother, but he never stopped prayer even when he was being condemned. An emerald bladed katana, wrapped in black white leather skin which may or may not belong to the Stain.]
[Enhancement]: [Preach]
[Enhancement description] : [The creature believed everyone was equal and deserved second chances, delivers the same amount of damage received by the wielder.]
[Hunting hymn] – [The voice of the worshippers whispers out it's sermon to any one unfortunate to be cut by it]
[Mourning star]– [The more it kills the more dark spirites it gather, consume dark spirites to heal injuries]
[Soul price]– [The creature was too nice or stupid to not hold a grudge even in death]
"Hmm it seems only creatures with a grudge at death require a soul price". Eclipse was honestly baffled, so the reason the creature fought that way was because it wasn't looking down on him but because it believed he deserved a second chance and thus allowed him to land a serious injury, only for it to go all out.
"It like it was saying, I fight the strong with this form of mine here have a taste". Eclipse couldn't believe that in this they current reality thought of equality still existed. "At least it worked for me, am not the one lying down dead". Eclipse wanted to bring his hand together and observe a moment of silence but he remembered who he was observing it for and the potential threat to his life.
With that he gathered himself and walked shakily outside of the forest, his skin still sensitive from the recent purification. All the while thinking.
"It seems my coat was destroyed in that fire". He didn't quite remember but he knew that at one point when he fell down the sword had slipped out of his hand, that was what saved the sword or else it would have melted. But his coat didn't have that same privilege.