Solvan Grim's life had been a canvas of hardship, painted with the dark hues of poverty. His childhood was a blur of uncertainty, with the absence of a father figure leaving an unfillable void. As he grew older, the puzzle pieces of his past began to fall into place, revealing a mother who had been left to raise him alone, a product of a fleeting affair with a man who had abandoned all responsibility.
Despite the odds, Solvan's mother had become his rock, his guiding light in the darkness. She had fought tirelessly to provide for him, scraping together whatever meager resources she could find to ensure he had a roof over his head and food on the table. Solvan felt an eternal debt of gratitude towards her, a sense of obligation that drove him to work tirelessly towards a better life.
Years of self-training and perseverance had finally paid off, as Solvan landed a job as a journalist at a well-known organization. The chapter of poverty was slowly closing, and the prospect of a brighter future beckoned. However, not everyone was as fortunate. Austin, the person whose body Solvan now inhabited, had struggled to make ends meet, selling whatever scraps he could to survive.
Solvan felt a pang of empathy as he skimmed through Austin's memories, discovering that they shared a birthday, May 29th, albeit in different years. This new world operated under the Demonic Calendar, currently in the year 84, a system established after the first Gates spawned, marking the beginning of the Demon invasion.
As Solvan delved deeper into Austin's memories, he stumbled upon a magical phenomenon that had been granted to Austin after completing the first trial a month prior. A sixth sense stirred within him, a feeling that was both familiar and elusive. Focusing on this sensation, Solvan noticed strange runes appearing at the center of his vision.
They seemed three-dimensional, yet intangible, and remained fixed in place even as he turned his head. The runes were written in the Roen language, a linguistic system common in Austin's world. Suddenly, a flood of information poured into Solvan's mind, and he found himself understanding the language in mere seconds.
The runes revealed a plethora of information about Solvan's new identity.
Name: Solvan Grim
As soon as Solvan read the first line he froze. Wasn't he in the body of Austin Reeves? Was The System–the operator of the Demonrealm–really able to differentiate between two people in the same body. Austin hit a profound postulation! Could The System be responsible for his transmigration?! Solvan had no evidence so he instantly threw the thought away before continuing his inspection of the runes. Where did he leave off?
Name: Solvan Grim
Age: 25
Potential Title: Supreme Scholar
Rank: Awakened (Level-one)
Spell – Sage: Description – "Knowledge is Power. As such, it is to be used wisely."
'Knowledge is power, eh?' Solvan thought. The description had a strange poetic feel to it. But it was a rather vague description, nonetheless.
Basic Ability – "Secrets are Knowledge, and Knowledge is Power. Uncover secrets, gain control. Those who share their hidden truths become bound to your will, believing their choices are their own."
The basic ability peeked Solvan's interest. Judging from the description, it seemed that all he had to do to make anyone his unknowing slave, was to learn their secrets. A truly amazing ability! But learning someone's secrets wasn't as easy at it seemed. He could go years without learning the secret of a single person! It seemed as if he would not get many opportunities to test this ability.
Attributes – [Bookworm], [Dreamer], [Omniscience], [Sagacity], [Mark of Supremacy].
Descriptions – [Bookworm]: "Your mind is tempered by the fire of knowledge, and strengthened by the depths of understanding," [Dreamer]: "Dreams may claim your mind, but your senses remain awake, sentinel to the world," [Omniscience]: "Your mind is one of unyielding recall, where every moment is forever preserved," [Sagacity]: "Your mind is one of measured thought, where logic and calm deliberation guide every decision," [Mark of Supremacy]: "You bear the markings of supremacy, thus, all actions are weighed down by sins of The Supreme. Your actions shall either ascend you towards Supremacy, or descend you towards Profanity."
SYSTEM'S REMARK: "Your mind is truly one belonging to a scholar. It pains me so, to know that the marks of The Supreme have forever marked you. Do not fall into the depths of darkness like He once did. Your mind shall aid you on your journey, Solvan Grim."
The entire last section of the attribute descriptions and the System's remark was truly mind boggling. All sorts of information, though vague, were contained in those words. It seemed that there was a higher force at play, one who descended into darkness, The Supreme. And it seemed that Solvan bore His markings. What did all this mean? It felt as if more and more mysteries were popping up every second. Another thought that raced through Solvan's mind involved The System.
Judging from the words in The System's remark, it seemed that there was the possibility of The System being a sentient being. One that could think. One that was intelligent. The most mind boggling part of it all was that The System seemed to know his name. From this, Solvan was closer to believing that the system was truly responsible for his transmigration! This world is truly mysterious…
Solvan's [Sagacity] attribute came into play, as he decided that the logical thing to do was to put a stop to all these thoughts based on meager assumptions. Thinking any further would not do him any good. 'Whew…that's a lot to process,' Solvan thought.
He took a look at another cluster of runes.
Artefacts – [Book of Scholars]
Shadows – None
Solvan shot all his focus towards his only Artefact, before a set of runes spawned under It, containing it's description.
[Book of Scholars]
Tier: Three
Description: "A book belonging to the Supreme Scholar."
'Well that was straight to the point,' Solvan thought as he read the description. He moved his eyes to the ability's description.
Ability: "–Locked–"
This is intriguing. He was unable to access the ability of the only Artefact in his possession. What else could he call this, other than bad fortune.
He noticed the line indicating the Artefact's Tier. It read three. Meaning that the "Book of Scholars" was a Tier three Artefact!
Solvan knew from Austin's memories that all Artefacts were placed in one out of four tiers depending on their capabilities, with Tier-one being the lowest, and four being the highest. The "Book of Scholars" was a Tier-three Artefact, meaning that its ability had to be something truly amazing. The problem was that the ability was locked. Most likely meaning that Solvan would be unable to use the ability as well.
Solvan began processing all the information he had received in the short time that he had been in this world.
The next moment, he remembered the runes that were written in the notebook. The runes appeared to also be written in the Roen language.
Just as Solvan was about to investigate further, a feminine voice echoed from the other side of one of the doors, calling out to Austin. "Austin, are you here?" The voice served as a gentle interruption, Solvan realizing who the voice belonged to as Austin's memories kicked in.