"When did I absorb a soul? I don't remember doing that." Lesley replied in a defensive tone, he didn't go around reaping souls like a Grim Reaper or something.
[The assimilated soul belongs to a human.]
[Warning! Sanity dropping!]
"A human? I...when did I?" Lesley gripped his head as he tried to remember anything remotely like that. He didn't hear the warning, or see the spiralling green pigment in his eyes grow chaotic.
[Les, Calm down. The absorption of the soul was beyond your control or capability to stop.]
"You know when it happened? Tell me, now." Lesley asked Phix.
[I can not. Your Sanity is dropping too rapidly, further trauma would be unwise and harmful.]
"I said,fucking tell me! I don't care about what you say! I need to know...who I killed." Lesley swallowed a lump in his throat and waited.
[The human was called Tobias. He was a guard. He-]
"The Jacuzzi." Lesley muttered and fell back onto the bed, shutting his eyes.
He still felt bad about that whole situation, especially the way he had no control over his actions. Lesley had used a strange power to lure a guard into a jacuzzi and then he had started to drain the life out of him. Literally.
He could still remembered the fear and pain the man's eyes, but he could do nothing then to stop or help. Mel had stopped him before it was too late, or so he thought. When he found out the guard died Lesley became somewhat depressed, and sometimes at night the memory tormented him.
Learning that he had not only caused the man's death, but drained his soul. It truly made Lesley feel horrible and overwhelmed with self-disgust. It probably made no sense to be angry about something you couldn't control but the effects of his actions still hurt.
[Warning! Sanity nearing 50!]
[Lesley, calm down. The man is not gone because of you. The chaotic synchronized fusion of your three souls made you unstable and your personalities tainted. Death used the Chains of Creation to surpress your souls and keep you under control. However, your souls were too powerful and so you were chaotic.]
"That doesn't matter. He's dead and his soul is...it's like I ate him or something." Lesley put his hands on his face, groaning in anger, guilt and disgust.
[I am sorry. The ways and paths of Powers are brutal, where family, friends and innocent lives suffer the most. It is a cruel fate and a hard choice to become a Power, even worse for those around you who are... fragile.]
"I chose it. " Lesley took a deep breath.
[Title trait 'Aggrievd One' activated!]
[Sanity stabilizing and recovering]
"Huh? I don't feel as bad anymore." Lesley looked at his hand and clenched it, his anger and guilt growing numb
[Your Title trait gives you the resolve to see through your pain and struggles, using them as fuel for your goal]
"Oh, okay." Lesley sat up and crossed his legs in a monk stance. "I still regret what happened but I...am willing to accept that bad things are gonna happen. I live in a freaking apocalypse, I don't have high expectations."
After a moment, Lesley carried on studying his Bloodline interface, wanting fully understand what changes have happened to him. Next up were his Bloodline abilities, there were only two but they seemed pretty good.
[ PHOENIX ATTUNEMENT] Boosted his Spirit by at least 30 points, which he guessed was good. Honestly, he wanted someone with magical attributes around, so he can compare, because this felt like shooting in the dark. What if his Magical attributes were average or something?
The next Bloodline ability made him pause and look at Mel. The zombie was still clawing at the door, he's been doing that for nigh on ten minutes now. The steel door, stayed strong and the only damage was done to Mel's fingers, which had broken nails and black blood claw marks were on the door.
"Hey, Phix, how do I use the [ PRIMORDIAL PERCEPTION ] ?" Lesley asked his eyes glued on Mel. He really wanted to see the zombie's stats, after all the physical strength he'd shown since they met.
[As a bloodline ability, [ PRIMORDIAL PERCEPTION] does not need practicing. It is an instinctual feature of your being, like wanting to hold something or turning your head. Focus on the subject and think about wanting to see their Stats and Attributes ]
"Okay." Lesley smiled a bit as he used his ability on Mel.
[
|•|
Name: Mel
Species: Undead
Title {s}: Lost Lamenter
Rank: Mid level Zombie {Aether body}
Class: None
|∆|
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 20
Agility: 15
Stamina: {Limitless}
Vitality: 25/25
Sanity: 30.0
|∆|
MAGICAL ATTRIBUTES:
Spirit: 20
Zombie Core: Awakened {Aether body}
|∆|
UNDEAD ABILITIES:
[NECROS BITE] A single bite to infect the living with the blight of undeath. Zombie delivers Necros poisoning with each bite, weakening it's victims and turning them into the undead. Join us![Level 1]
[ZOMBIE DASH] With unlimited stamina comes unlimited running capabilities. Zombie can increase speed to chase victims or run away. They don't ever run away. [Level 1]
[LIFE SENSE] Whether it has a nose or not, doesn't matter. All undead can smell Life energy a mile away, and run eagerly to feast. Zombie have acute senses for tracking Life energy in a one mile radius.[Level 1]
|•|
]
Lesley looked at the interface with narrowed eyes and then back at the zombie by the door. He was happy he had used his ability for the first time, but...
Something was definitely wrong.
"Phix, his stats are...a lot lower than I thought they would be." Lesley said honestly.
[His previous capabilities were a result of external influence by Grimaire. After removing her aid, and that of her Light Reaper, the zombie reverted to his original state.]
"So...this is how he used to be? I wish I could have seen his stats before, all of this." Lesley gave a disappointed sigh as he looked at Mel's stats.
Physically speaking Mel had an edge in stamina, it literally said it was limitless. Lesley noted with a smile that their strength was even and he was more agile than Mel. The vitality was close to his but lower by five points, yet it was higher than Jeff's stats had been.
"What is Sanity?" Lesley asked, because on one hand Mel was clawing the door like an insane mindless creature and yet his stats showed 30 Sanity points.
[Sanity is based on one's intelligence, thought abilities and mental endurance.]
"Is his supposed to be that high? Actually no, why is it that high?" Lesley wanted know, because honestly the door scratching was making him suspicious.
[That is a result from his Title trait]
"Oh yeah, the Title. I almost didn't notice it, what does it mean?" Lesley was curious about it.
[Lost Lamenter; The Dead know nothing and feel nothing, but you are different. Your soul has left a shadow in your Undeath, and you can only lament the lost life and memories you once had. Wander in misery, sorrow and thought, till you are but dust in time. Feel and dwell in despair. ]
"That's...wow, that's freaking sad." Lesley looked at Mel, no longer a conscious zombie he could talk to but a macabre undead with memories he could not share or express. Honestly, the title sounded like the details of a curse or something.
"Hey zombie! Stop scratching the door and sit down!" Lesley shouted at the zombie but it just carried on mindlessly scratching the door.
"Huh...I'm not surprised." Lesley decided to ignore it for now and get back to his Bloodline interface to check on his [MAIN LAW ABILITIES]
"The first one sounds cool, [NECROS ABSORPTION] could be really useful." Lesley felt a bit giddy now, these powers...were game changers if he used them right.
[UNDYING] and [DEAD AURA] were pretty straight forward and explained alot about why he had been nearly unkillable the last two months. His eyebrow twitched at the last ability being sealed until he levelled up his Spiritual cultivation.
What a bummer, he thought, and it only got more crummy.
"Why is my Minor law sealed?" Lesley asked Phix to explain it.
[The law of Reincarnation has special requirements to be unlocked]
"What are these requirements?"
[Requirements unknown]
"What? What do you mean you don't know?" Lesley asked indignantly.
[Reincarnation is a different law from Reanimation, as it's not your main law. It's not tethered to your soul like Reanimation, but still present. You will eventually find a way to unlock it.]
"You don't even sound sure. Unbelievable, whatever." Lesley skipped it and went to the last parts of the interface.
[Summon: The number of summoned Undead and Necros creatures under your dominion.]
"I can summon undead monsters?" Lesley let out a nervous smile, he didn't know how he felt about that. But, according to his Bloodline he didn't have a summoning method yet, so it was just an empty slot, like his [Items].
[Items: Mystic weapons and treasures can be kept in your soul space, where you can not lose them.]
"What are Mystic weapons and treasures?"
[ Mystic weapons/treasures are creations made with spiritual energy. They can boost a Power's abilities, techniques and even push them further on their path. They are ranked as follows;
|•|
1. Iron grade
2. Bronze grade
3. Silver grade
4. Gold grade
5. Diamond grade
|•|
Further grades removed due to low cultivation. ]
"Those sound kinda cool. Where can I find them?" Lesley would like a nice weapon, at present he was utterly weaponless.
[Mystic Treasures can commonly be found in Origin infused pocket dimensions. However due to your Plane's Mortal laws, such spaces are improbable to find and may only possess Iron grade Treasures.]
"Well, can't say I had my hopes too high." Lesley shook his head and looked at the last two things. "What does 'Accursed delicacy' mean?"
[Accursed Delicacy : Your body and soul are rich in Aether, more than most humans. Tender and enriched with nutrients, your flesh is a boon for any creature seeking to evolve in power. By instinct, they want to eat you up, flesh and bones.]
"I'm...a tasty snack!? What the fuck?" Lesley couldn't believe this! So now anything strong enough to ignore his [DEAD AURA] would rush in to eat him!
[It will not always be this way, since I said earlier, things have changed and will change again.]
"Explain!" Lesley wanted an explanation now.
[The timer on your interface is for the Planes Ascension and for the descent of more powerful laws. At present, you might be one of the few Powers in your plane and as such, you are a walking source of power.]
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Lesley asked," Because it doesn't."
[When the Plane Ascends and New laws emerge, many mortals will be able to walk on paths of Ascension and Evolution. So, just try to survive till then.]
Lesley looked at the timer sighed, three months of uncertain danger and peril... fucking fantastic.