Authors Note: I made one change from the previous chapter, Apollos attribute Light Soul was mentioned in the previous chapter to allow him to gain up to 7 cores, the same ability only known to divine aspect holders. Initially I had Apollo as a Divine aspect owner, however I have changed that to a Supreme aspect. I have many reasons for this but for now I will just briefly explain the change that will occur.
Instead of allowing him to gain multiple cores, he will have 1 core. His 1 core can be fully saturated then undergo an evolution to become more efficient and hold more essence. This ability will have a similar effect, just on a much lesser scale than what the divine aspect provides.
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[Welcome To The Dream Realm Apollo!]
The moment the words echoed in his mind, Apollo awoke in a world entirely unlike the sterile confines of the academy room.
Coming to, he opened his eyes to a vast world full of darkness. Above him stretched a starless sky, utterly devoid of moonlight or celestial glow. Below him, more of the same: a barren void. There was almost no presence of light, only the soft, haunting rhythm of waves slapping against unseen shores.
'The Forgotten Shore...' He thought to himself. Even after so many regressions this place was easily his least favorite.
He had spawned atop a massive piece of coral—dry and elevated. That alone meant survival on the first night was possible. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips as he remembered Sunless once telling him about how he had spawned underwater.
What a shitty way to start.
Apollo's plan was set, he was going to spend this regression differently than most of his previous, focusing solely on gathering strength. Come morning he would begin this life's journey.
With that in mind, he lay down on the coarse coral surface and let his eyes drift closed, stealing what little rest he could.
...
The night passed and morning came swiftly. As the sky brightened Apollo felt a surge of energy within his being. He felt his muscles tighten as if ready to exert more power. And he felt an overwhelming sense of comfort within the light. It was much different from the emptiness of the dark night. Now he was within his element. Looking down from his coral he watched as the dark sea rescinded.
From beneath the waves, jagged crimson coral emerged—sharp, predatory in form. Massive sea monsters retreated with astonishing speed, fleeing toward deeper waters as the tide rolled back. The sight might have been humorous if the creatures weren't such nightmares.
Once the water was fully gone what was left behind was a wet wasteland full of the hungry coral, corpses of creatures which failed to survive the night scattered here and there. Apollo watched on as Carapace Scavengers began to crawl up from the mud, hungrily searching for carcasses.
Having experienced this moment so many times before, Apollo knew the exact amount of them, and exactly where they were hiding. Looking to his left he saw one which was injured, having lost an arm.
Seeing the injured scavenger triggered something deep in Apollo—a pulse of memory, sharp and sudden, crashing over him like a wave.
In a heartbeat, the past unfolded behind his eyes.
His first day on the Forgotten Shore.
He had been curious then—stupidly curious. Naïve in the way only the newly Awakened could be. Fascinated by the otherworldly silence, the jagged coral, the haunting emptiness of the sky. He'd descended from the coral perch without a plan, without caution.
And then it struck.
The same injured creature.
It came from below, from the shadows between the coral spines. He hadn't seen it. Hadn't sensed it. One moment he was marveling at the texture of the reef, and the next—
Split in half.
The pincers clamped down with monstrous speed, bisecting him through the torso. He could still vividly remember the searing white-hot pain as his body hit the sand in two pieces, his insides spilling out like wet ribbons. The beast didn't hesitate. It had dragged him into the muck and fed on him alive.
He remembered the sound of his own bones snapping. The wet chewing. The helplessness.
He had screamed until his throat tore open.
And then—he died.
Only to wake again at the beginning.
Shaking off the memory, Apollo's eyes returned to the scavenger.
It looked so small now.
But he knew better. That thing had killed him once. Devoured him in the dark. That memory was burned into his soul—etched into the very essence of who he was.
And now?
Now he would return the favor.
The little guy was always his first target, both because it was the best option to gain quick essence, but also just because he really wanted to.
His first death had really done a number on him mentally so he always made sure to avenge his previous self.
But it wasn't time yet. Other scavengers were still nearby. He had to wait for them to move on before striking.
He took the time to summon his Soul Serpent and look at its runes.
Spirit: [Soul Serpent]
Spirit Rank: [Dormant]
Spirit Class: [Monster]
Spirit Attributes: [Soul Weapon], [Light Guide]
Apollo knew of only two serpents in existence: his own, and later on Sunny acquires one as well. However, the two couldn't have been more different. The Soul Serpents are bonded with the soul of their master, taking on properties of said person. As he summoned the echo he commanded it to take its weapon form.
He watched as the tattoo in the shape of an ouroboros sun slid off his chest and began to solidify in his hand.
As it took shape he couldn't help but admire it, even though he had seen it before it was always beautiful.
In his grasp now was a sleek, elegant sword—around 80 centimeters in length, double-edged and straight. The cross guard, modest and made of gold, curled into subtle rounded tips, its surface engraved with delicate patterns. The handle was wrapped in soft silk, providing both comfort and control. A rounded golden pommel finished the weapon, understated yet regal.
The sword emitted the faint glow of the light element.
While the serpent was only a dormant monster right now, it would grow much stronger in the future. You see, what made Apollo's serpent special was that it could grow by consuming soul shards and the corpses of fallen enemies. After a certain amount consumed it would evolve its class, for example going from a tyrant to a terror, or going from a terror to a titan. As for its soul rank, it would increase as Apollo's increased, meaning it would go from dormant to awakened once Apollo achieved the same feat.
For now though, all of that was in the future, what mattered was right now and what Apollo needed to do.
With the scavenger isolated, Apollo began his descent.
Using the agile ease of a seasoned Dream Realm veteran, he navigated the coral's treacherous grooves, mindful of every handhold and foothold. Making sure to keep his eyes trained on the ground beneath. He knew this area by heart—knew there were no threats beneath—but habits formed over hundreds of deaths were hard to break.
Once down he carefully made his way through the maze-like labyrinth of coral until he reached the injured scavenger. Quickly rushing towards it hoping to attack before it could react.
While closing the distance he activated his aspect ability, Light Control. As he did so the faint glow being emitted from Serpent grew much brighter before being condensed down into a line coating the edges of the blade. This was the most basic technique Apollo had created using his aspect, by condensing the light into a minuscule space and placing it on the edge of the blade, his attacks would become much sharper and deal much more damage.
As he was closing the distance the scavenger seemed to feel his presence as it quickly turned around, attempting to enter a defensive position. However, it was just too late with its reaction as Apollo swiftly swung the blade in a horizontal swing, aiming for one of its legs.
The leg was extremely tough, both the outer shell and the inner muscle were hard to cut, but with the help of his aspect he was able to cut off one of the eight legs from the knee down.
Right after he instantly kicked the beast, using the force to push the scavenger back while jumping back himself in order to avoid its grasp.
The scavenger recovered quickly, its beady black eyes locking onto him. It roared and lunged towards him, favoring its wounded side.
With the light element enhancing his muscles and his aspect enhancing his sword, Apollo was just too fast and deadly for the creature.
Dodging a pincer throw Apollo made use of the momentum, side stepping and unleashing an attack towards the creatures stomach. The speed and weight of the monster added to the lethality of the attack.
It was a clean cut through the side. Apollo watched as blue blood began to ooze out of the beast. It had been a few minutes since the start of the fight and surely other monsters would have been alerted to the battle occurring. He had to finish this quickly.
The scavenger flailed wildly, slashing and snapping. Apollo parried, ducked, blocked. His eyes remained focused, reading its every move.He waited for the perfect opportunity then, using his aspect he created a blinding flash of light just before he swooped in for the final attack.
The plan was executed to perfection, blinded, the scavenger hastily threw its pincer towards where Apollo had been. Apollo simply ducked beneath the attack, allowing it to travel past him then, with an upwards cut he severed the creatures final remaining arm.
Feeling the pain it began trying to escape, but there was no escape for it this time. Apollo quickly circled behind the creature, stabbing his sword into a soft place in the carapace. The creature convulsed slowly before falling to the ground.
As soon as it died Apollo felt a small bit of soul essence flow through his being. He quickly commanded Serpent to consume the corpse before the others came.
He watched as the sword slithered to the ground turning into a tiny golden snake, its scales shining slightly with light. Freakishly its head began expanding, opening to a much larger degree, swallowing the body whole. Then as if it didn't just consume a 3 meter long corpse, its body returned to that of a small snake, though now it had a full belly.
As it was doing so, he heard the spell announcing his kill.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your soul grows stronger.]
As serpent finished it looked back up at Apollo, a glint appearing in its eyes as if asking if he were proud of it. Apollo bent down petting its head before allowing it to crawl up his arm, turning back into a tattoo.
It would need a short period to digest and gain strength from the defeated enemy.
"Good job buddy." Apollo said, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Looking up he noticed two scavengers, on the smaller side approaching the conflict. Likely having been outcompeted by other larger, stronger scavengers for the water monster corpses. He could try to run but he was done running, in this life he wanted to really push himself.
Getting into a fighting stance Apollo looked forwards, resolve shown clearly within his gaze.
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Authors Note: If you are wondering what Apollo's Soul Serpent Weapon Form looks like, look up Charlemagne's Sword Joyeuse. It is inspired by this design, minus the gemstones.