Jacob crossed his fingers in his mind and hoped he wouldn't regret his decision. He gritted his teeth and steeled himself, looking at Death with conviction in his eyes. He bowed towards Death. "Please, teacher, guide this humble disciple!"
Death's eyes gleamed as he burst into a maniacal cackle his voice thundering throughout the cave and far beyond. "Good, very, very good! From this day forth, I, Death, have accepted my very first disciple. Let it be known far and wide." As Jacob clasped his ears in trepidation, pondering whether he had erred, an extraordinary phenomenon took place, enveloping the entirety of their universe.
In the vast expanse of the cosmos, what appeared to resemble the aurora borealis unfurled infinitely, as every celestial body within each solar system simultaneously underwent a solar eclipse, regardless of the presence of a sun. Wormholes quivered, and black holes acquiesced.
Every living being in every corner of the universe heard Death's proclamation directly in their minds, resonating like an ethereal echo. Many powers that had long been dormant became active once again, with an insatiable urge to seek out the source of the voice that had disrupted the cosmic tranquility.
The powerful entities who were aware of Death—those ancient beings, the custodians of fate and judgment—actively began reaching out to each other, forming a network of communication to convene an urgent meeting.
The significance of this matter weighed heavily upon them, compelling these formidable forces to deliberate on the implications of Death's declaration and what it might mean for the very fabric of existence itself.
The Grand Commander, presently engaged in a meeting with Archmage Duke Dennis, lifted his gaze upon hearing the voice of Death, his expression turning somber. All entities privy to the existence of the enigmatic Death were increasingly perturbed, pondering just who could possibly be deemed worthy enough to be accepted as that eccentric individual's disciple.
Jacob, oblivious to the unfolding chaos, continued to shield his ears as he gazed up at the eccentric individual he had reluctantly accepted as a mentor, contemplating his prospects for enduring yet another year of existence. Death, seemingly cognizant of Jacob's musings, chuckled as he began to make a move.
"I am pleased child. You should know that the very act of becoming my disciple has forever intertwined your fate with mine. Come now, let me correct these mishaps that have taken place in your being. No disciple of mine can ever be used as a scapegoat or somebody else's vessel" said Death.
Death pointed at Jacob, and he began to glow in an ethereal light. Jacob watched in astonishment as the status screen he had so recently come to know transformed into a blood-colored, armor-wearing fiend and began to be pulled toward his mentor's palm.
Shock coursed through him, for he had never imagined that the consequences of what he had been told were truly so severe. The vivid crimson hue of the creature contrasted starkly with the tranquil ambiance of their surroundings, heightening the sense of alertness toward his situation. Jacob's mind raced, struggling to comprehend the implications of this terrifying transformation.
He felt a profound weakness take hold of his body as the strength and dynamism that had once coursed through his veins dwindled to little more than a figment of his imagination.
"So Sovereign, do you still intend to pretend in my presence?" inquired Death, directing his gaze toward the fiend. L himself regarded the Scarlet Sovereign with astonishment, for he had been blissfully unaware of the Sovereign's existence, which had lingered all along.
He had received meticulous instructions and an exceptionally detailed outline on how to restore the sovereign to his former state of existence, utilizing a vessel capable of containing his formidable power. Yet this... this was to much. It only served to amplify the trepidation and veneration that L felt toward Death.
Death regarded L and then the Sovereign before him, a sardonic chuckle escaping his lips as he enveloped them both within his grasp, his intentions shrouded in mystery. An unsettling shiver coursed through both the Sovereign and L, prompting a clammy sweat to break out upon their brows. They instinctively sensed that whatever machinations Death had in store would not bode well for them.
Death then redirected his gaze at Jacob and touched his forehead where a cocoon was pulled from his mental space.
"You attempted to circumvent my constraints through this child, yet he has now ascended to the status of my disciple. For your audacity and guile, why not dedicate the remainder of your days in servitude to my disciple?" Jacob sensed that the profound connection he once shared with the chimera beast had dissipated, giving rise to an entirely new bond. He felt an overwhelming sense of dominion over the creature.
"Now child, your veins and mana ducts were altered to handle the descension of this despicable fellow when you were strong enough to handle his remnant soul and the technique you had been using was slowly altering your genes on a molecular level to further increase your compatibility with this fellow" Death spoke as he began to alter Jacob's physiology.
"I'm going to redirect your mana pathways to harmonize more effectively with your newly acquired bloodline mutations, enabling you not only to advance your cultivation but also to facilitate the concurrent evolution of your bloodline, thereby augmenting your strength exponentially. You shall become unparalleled among your peers within the same realm. As for what lies beyond, even I am eager to witness the extraordinary feats you will achieve under my tutelage."
As Death meticulously altered Jacob's corporeal form, he gestured with an elegant sweep of his hand, causing a tattoo of a rose entwined with a sword to materialize and be deftly extracted from his very being.
"These are also remnant powers of that decrepit fellow to facilitate his descension" Death elaborated.
Jacob was both captivated and apprehensive, contemplating the ramifications had he not encountered this enigmatic mentor.
The tattoo he had thought granted him strength and represented his power, in reality, was a malevolent device designed to seize control of his body, while the sword he believed he had unwittingly crafted from the blood essence of the foes he had defeated was, in essence, a manifestation of nothing more than a distorted illusion bereft of any authentic strength of his own, all for the sake of reincarnating some ancient being.
As Jacob pondered his fate, Death continued with his alterations to his very being. At first Jacob was frightened by all that he was experiencing and the plot of the Sovereign and L, but he then thought of who his teacher was and what he was capable of. He went from being frightened to becoming very angry that he had almost been tricked out of quite literally his body.
As Jacob experienced a myriad of emotions he was forced to exit his reverie when his teacher's voice reverberated once more, "I said, I, Death, have attained my very first disciple. Am I to believe that you do not bear gifts for this exemplary disciple of mine!?"
Jacob pondered who his teacher could possibly be conversing with when they were alone. He was sure they were alone, or at least he believed he was sure. He narrowed his eyes and began scrutinizing every corner of the room.
Without warning, Jacob's physique became utterly still, and he began to sense an extraordinary strength coursing through him, even though he remained motionless. What he did not realize was that his instructor was addressing the fundamental laws that govern the universe, and as a result, he was experiencing a remarkable enhancement of his genetic heritage and identity, elevated by the cosmos itself!
Death nodded his head in satisfaction when the process was complete, while the Sovereign in the palm of his hand, who recognized what was happening, became terrified. He tried to self-detonate but how could he when Death himself held him prisoner?