(4) The Child Born of Death
"I should have asked about the system in more depth. I don't know how to turn it on..."
"Think about it then wait. That's a rather fair way to access the screen. It would be problematic if it was only voice activated."
"-That's a really odd name. I guess I don't come from the same country as before, not that it really matters.
I've been placed in India, okay, my family is a double-edged sword. Their plan for my placement is simply insane; It's based on too many assumptions. Next, their reasoning for providing this background, pros and cons, an overview of what to expect from my setting, blessing, and general future direction. I expected nothing less than a substantial number of notes filled with their expectations, but this list just goes on, and on. I'll give this glorious piece of work the time it deserves, later. For now. Let me check my main status...-"
<->
Affiliation: Death.
Blessings:
- SOUL SANCTUARY lvl.1.
*RESOURCE: Bank.
} Simple Creatures, [Lesser Intelligence]:
0/100
} Advanced Creatures, [Average intelligence]:
0/10
} Superior Creatures, [Similar Intelligence]:
0/1
"-I wonder what separates the intellect of a soul -", A more detailed understanding of the blessing filled his mind as he focused on the skill in greater detail. A sense of DeJa'Vu filled his heart.
"-That description is poignant. But, to see how the description takes after my innermost thoughts, I can only assume this particular blessing is my preference? To control others of lesser intelligence? Or does it simplify pre-established terminology into terms I can relate to? That would mean the blessing does something I wouldn't understand but attributes actions and value to words I do know. Either way, I should see the rest of the status board...-"
<->
[Classes]:
[Equipment]:
[Skills]:
"-The free skill or piece of equipment Is based on a skill or ability that left the largest impression on us in our first lives huh. This is a pretty good skill considering it's most likely a replica of Maven's Lift. If it wasn't based on emotional impressions, I would have chosen something else to be more efficient in this new life.-"
The faded outline, who recently found out his name was Aaradhya, compared the theoretical application of [Spirit Walk] to the power in his memory. Maven was a main character in a famous children's cartoon in his youth. The Ladt was a detective that developed a penchant for speed and intelligence to overcome adversity, creating railways of energy that she could travel across to increase his speed and power, using them as blades or traps when needed to escape situations that wit and speech were unable to overcome.
"Asd. Tra rsjucl myutot ceodie. Tew dovaje nghure hsz dustpahd. He chensz nwa fre snim ou onne..."
"-What is that?-", the faded soul was hit, like someone plunged and twisted a knife. Weirdly enough, the sharpness dulled to a bludgeoning motion as a fog enveloped his mind and clarified many things. Memories flooded his brain in that same drowsy sleepiness someone would have when just woken up, where a dream or nightmare was still fresh on the mind.
"-*Grunt*, Big g and everyone else… Focus. Focus... I am. A story? In a story? What am I doing? -", memories clashed and entwined, threatening to break his mind entirely under the stress as the parted fog clashed.
"-Nonsense. All of this is nonsense. Think clearly as you've always done. I am William Laeke. Not Wilferd Laeke. I died much older than that fool... -", memories that matched up in nearly every aspect separated in this violent clash. A fog and abyss parted from each other in this endless expanse of ghastly thoughts. The abyss instantly filtered the fog into a diamond-like solid that twinkled as it fell downward into untold depths.
"-I am currently being reincarnated, this is real, oh my, this is real! Backup and gather. I have to follow Death's instructions to survive this ordeal or I'm going to end up like Wilferd. On the streets, struggling to survive. Ah, but what is this mindscape? Is is a part of my blessing? If it is, shouldn't there be a notification for it? -", William parted the fog around him. One side showed his life and the other showed Wilfred's, the original Aaradhya. For the time being, he kept his concentration up to keep the fog separated. A few moments were all he needed to make out the insanely minute differences in the fog as the memories solidified and fell into the abyss.
In the distance though, the balanced swirls waved in different directions, like a balloon that had been punctured. Something found its way into this fog.
"-... ultimately, remembering my past only happened because of some outside influence. Something or someone is disturbing my mind and soul. But, I didn't get anything from my blessing because it was not through my own effort that something happened. On that note, the story explained the situation outside so I'm in a rather precarious dilemma. If I don't do something now, I will be mistakenly found and carried away by that old man like Wilfred. Tch, who's to say I will unlock the same perk that popped up in the story though- ", William grit his imaginary teeth.
The literary image of an infant being burned inside of his mother's corpse as she turned to ash, left a bad taste in his mouth. The only reason Wilfred didn't die in that situation was because the person holding the cremation rite looked inside and saw him being covered by some glittering energy beyond normal understanding. The cremator believed Wilfred was the incarnation of Agni but even then, the character fell into a coma only awakened years later, horribly late to the game of the god and at a severe disadvantage due to some severe burn wounds that claimed one of his arms and disfigured half of his body. But getting back to the issue at hand, Wilfred's version of Aaradhya burned for hours, barely survived due to the spiritual energy flooding out of the kiln, then struggled to catch up and surpass the others.
"-I will absolutely not be in the same situation! What can I possibly do to prove myself to these inhuman animals? *Thoughtful hum*...-", with knowledge of some aspects of his blessing, William assumed there should be a viable solution to his current predicament. Death wouldn't leave him in an impossible position, that is, if the story's small little description of their true personality was to be believed.
"-Since it's like this, I should try to use my blessing as they suggested, even if it might not work since I have no experience in something like this-", William focused and dragged his thoughts through a field of mental haze.
"-I should take a moment to observe and calculate-", as he tried to access more of his power, the less awake felt. The fog extended beyond his view but as it did so, it thickened around him. As the fog became denser, he felt less connected to his body. Wilfreds memories and thoughts also clouded his judgement as they influenced his resolve but Willaim pushed through with the intent to survive. He likened himself to a moth chasing a flame, but unlike a moth, he pulled back from wantonly trying to approach his target. Insteand, he fell back and took stock of his expierience as his imaginary foot dipped into the endless darkness below.
"-I get it. The memories of Wilfred's Aaradhya have overlapped with information I was given to help guide me forward. As I access them, I become more proficient in using my blessing, simultaneously, I lose who I truly am. This tightrope would be exhilarating if not for the fact that my personality and being could die once more...-", William ignored the "dissipation of self" and followed the outside influence instead.
The fog was frighteningly thin and easy to mold to the point where each step revealed a new memory. A few seconds later, the memory turned into a blue grain of sand that dropped into the depths below. This change reflected a change in his understanding and thoughts as two lives worth of experience and thoughts fit together like a puzzle.
"-Ah. So, I'm here in the story. My mother is already dying and my actions are currently being dictated by the amalgamtion of memories above me. What a disorientating feeling. Though now, I assume I need to repeat the script to get what I need? *Ahem* - "
He found the source of the disturbance in the fog a few meters ahead of him, a woman's glowing body flickered in a world of boundless darkness. Like a flame, she illuminated everything around her in a golden light, but her body released greenish particles that dissipated into the fog or floated up into the sky where it vanished from William's view. Every few seconds, a single grain of blue sand would fall into the inky waters below.
Similar to the story, he took a cautious step forward. Wilfred's Aaradhya couldn't tell the difference, but there was, as small as it was, a difference between him and William. His caution served well as a tiny blue platform left an imprint of his foot in the darkness since he was prepared. Maven's lift, or rather, Spirit walk showed its passive nature in this moment as the blue crystals in the depths shattered and floated up to his feet. Wilfred's Aaradhya instantly fell into this Abyss as he approched the disturbance.,
"-That is my mother soul. Should be at least-", The abyss under foot, rippled and thinned out with each step he took to get closer. The splashing water dissipated his mother's soul even faster as the dark substance washed over some parts of her body. William, having skimmed over Death's plan, confidently walked over to the soul and skipped over the first major hurdle Wilfred had to deal with. Upon falling into the abyss, he had to deal with his past memories a understand himself, only clawing his way out after his mother nearly completely dissipated.
"-Mother? I understand what happened to you, I'm sorry it did, but I promise, I'll make it up to you...- " The image of two moments overlapped in William's mind.
First, a ghoulish green fire broke his mother's golden soul and burned it into blue particles that dived into the depths of the abyss. As they did, they turned blue and cradled Wilfred's Aaradhya as they lifted him back up to the fog as a mothers last wish.
Currently, her golden body slowly chipped away and purposefully surrounded him as she gave him a hug. Her body had not erupted into flames nor had it been mostly dissipated, but this one action. This connecting of souls and melding of final thoughts made William accept two things....
By this point in time, Aaradhya's willingly let go of her final wishes as most of her body broke down into blue sand that fell into the abyss. Tiny green sparks of fire floated up and away from her back, similar to the wings of a cicada.
"-*Thoughtful internal hum*, the system called my mother a failed soul huh. I wonder what that distinction implies. But beyond that, it seems my actions have had an impactful difference on mother's passing - ", Aaradhya sighed as he accepted his new identity. Wilferd didn't know how to approach or even that he could interact with other souls this early on in the story so his mothers soul simply dissipated without giving him much of a benefit.
"-At least she knows I won't end up like the other children in my position and passed on peacefully -", he resolved the incompatibility with his newfound, conflicting emotions and decided to survive through any means, a belief that both he and the original hero shared. On that note, the system was refreshed.
Upon seeing that message, a tiny sapphire light shone out of the dissipating whirlwind of green embers. Aaradhya pulled it out and raised his brow as a yellow orb the size of a marble sunk into his skin.
"-Oh. That's interesting to say the least. But, regardless, I am sorry that the love for your husband and for the child that could have been your redemption, has gotten you killed. I wish that your true soul finds peace wherever it may be or go- ", Aaradhya spoke with true sorrow but being under a time limit, he forcefully recollected himself. Despite not being able to gather his mother's soul, he could still access the memory of it through his blessing, as if the universe created a copy that he could keep. And so, the fog in his immediate surroundings turned into the memories of his mother rather than Wilfred's. He could actually see outside, at least everything his mother saw in her last few moments alive.
"-So. That psychotic priest is my father... mother noticed that he was hiding tears behind that frightening mask. Those hooded figures must be various elders of whatever this cult is. Mother specifically disliked those two over there huh, I can see why. Their eyes remind me of stuffed vulture's. And those in robes at the back must be the core believers of this repulsive religion...", William physically recoiled at the prospect of such a following existing in his original world. Also, for reference, the only images he saw in his mothers final moments was a picturesque snapshot of a ceremonial dagger flash spectacularly before darkness. In that millisecond worth of time, he managed to pull out an impressive amount of information from the background. A testament to his observational ability and processing.
"-Death believes this place will let my blessings flourish. Disgusting. Practicing blood libel and torture to revive the dormant divinity within a human. An old faith that is based on a twisted mix of paganism, Hinduism, and Catholicism. I wish I could leave this place right about now, *mental frown*- ", Aaradhya went back to read the background information Death left for him and cross referenced his decisions with what Death explicitly planned out one last time. This moment would decide if he would follow Death or repeat the actions of the Hero he was supposed to embody.
"-The only way for me to survive in the long run, is with Death's support. For that, I have to do exactly what they want me to do and surpass that. At least until I have the power to overcome the first trial and impress them -", he concluded.
"-*Frown*-" Sadly, as much as I wish to accomplish everything, I cannot. Thus, I should take advantage of this fully fleshed out system. The other me failed to activate the 'Auto assist function', as early as possible. Aside from that, I should have a few minutes or so left before I pass out and follow in the fool's footsteps. Even in that case, the assistant will keep me alive and safe beyond just the passive activations of my blessing and skills...-", That said, he quickly changed his system settings to prioritize self-preservation in all circumstances. The effects were almost instantaneous.
"-Interesting-", He noticed the fog in the back of his mind rolled back along with an influx of notifications that told him how the system restricted his blessing and diverted his resources.
"-Alright. My blessing. How do I change the activation requirements? Emotional Response and Conscious Thought are at a 90/ 10 split? No, I want to get rid of any emotional input, it is inefficient and unpredictable," he immediately noticed the weight of his choice the moment he adjusted the slider in the system settings.
Before, he intuitively grasped the surface of how to use his blessing and skill thanks to the information of the story and what Death was allowed to give him. Now, that warm 'feeling' vanished and what replaced it was his cold, analytical, methodical, and structured 'notion'. Similar yet vastly different to a random feeling if you get down to the specifics.
"-Okay… well this is more difficult than I thought...=", Aaradhya tried his hand once more to understand the feelings he accessed to use the blessing and his spirit walk. The warm, almost fiery connection he used to approach and contact his mother's echo turned into an oddly discernable thread that he could sense and sort of see as a near invisible haze.
"-This is similar to plucking at the strings of a mangled harp. Odd-", he noted. His proficiency grew at a noticeable rate from the simultaneous usage and application of Death's notes and the memories of the hero. In the abyss, the blue sands shattered into even more or a grain. In fact, the sands collapsed so finely that it resembled more of a fluid than solid in terms of movement and consistency. Slowly, the liquid grew so small that is bubbled back up to the surface and stretched out until it made contact with Aaradhya. Following Deaths Instructions and the video like projections of Wilfred accomplishing the same feats, William knelt down and tried to pull at the string, but it slipped through his fingers like dust or like water.
Meanwhile…
"Skop tisz. Ahd rhrual ahd ealkd", one distinctly annoying voice managed to say.
"Eas. Buo eehd oi ahd ehis ouw", another odd but rather funny voice spoke out.
"SILENCE", a very powerful and very heroic voice yelled.
Up until now, Aaradhya ignored the droning buzz of voices he did not understand and focused on grasping the faint light that reached out towards the world beyond himself. He reconnected to the blue thread that poked out of the darkness but didn't try and feel out for it more after his initial pulling, rather, he evaluated nearly every facet of his actions and the reactions thereafter. Through that reflection, he noticed his body, or the spiritual body that interacted with the fog around him was a bridge on an individual level.
He took a figurative step back. The abyss was a spiritual representation of his subconscious, the depths of his mind and soul that he shouldn't or couldn't touch upon in normal circumstances. The blue thread was likely an extension of something more than a soul, which lay beyond his subconscious and at the core of his very being.
That said, the fog around his body and above the abyss, was likely the barrier between the outside and his own body, like how clothes protected people from the elements. For a moment, Aaradhya didn't know what to do since his goal was to pierce the fog and get that thread into the outside world, beyond his own body. Having no other choice, he attempted to grab the thread once more, but not with his hands. He cupped some of the fog into his hands, and quickly dipped the fog into the abyss. Almost instantly, like geyser, the blue threads exploded out and turned into a pillar that cleared out all of the nearby fog.
Interestingly, the fog that immediately hit the pillar erupted with a ghoulish green flame that ate away at the structure. Over the course of a few seconds, the fog in his immediate surroundings took on a blue green hue that was was surrounded by horrifying explosions of green flames.
With that, when he took another step back to observe himself even more, he noticed the fog thinned out in a few spots where it was mostly green, the blue carried a density unlike the green, but Aaradhya could see through it as if it were a part of his senses. Through the blue fog, he could just barely make out a colorless and dreary park and a wooden box somewhere in the distant fog. As the pillar rose and thickened, and as the fog adopted a deeper sapphire tint, his vision expanded along with the tint. Regardless of what he could see within the off representation of his soul and mind, he focused and immediately got to work as he cupped the blue fog and patched the holes by patting down its edges.
"That must be my father. How loud did he yell to get his voice in here so clearly? Thank you, you mentally unhinged shell of a man, for giving me the necessary time to save myself", Aaradhya moved on to the next step on his road to survival and evaluated everything his mother had seen and felt within her last moments until he could comfortably say, he knew what it felt like to live in her skin... as horrid as that sounded. Then, he used his pseudo experience to activate his blessing using the guidelines the Death laid out and the process described in the story.
Similar to stretching out a hand to help someone out, Aaradhya warapped his hands around the entirety of this smaller pillar of blue light, the spire was incomparably thinner and immeasurably longer than before due to the patching. He focused all of his attention on the cord as he guided it up and out of his body.
If anyone could see spiritual energy with their physical eyes, then they would have noticed that this thread shot out of an unborn baby's belly button, coiled around the umbilical cord and snaked its way all the towards the mother's body. That odd thread, in Aaradhya's world of fog, swirled and coiled in on itself so many times, so quickly that it left odd imprints of something in the dark beyond the glowing fog. Everything Aaradhyas could see beyond the fog, was painted in a blue hue and even that was only available whereever the thread touched.
Just above the abyss, Aaradhya wrapped the thread around his arms and slowly pulled it apart as he tried to expand the singular thread into two. It left him scream in pain as some blue light splashed onto his skin.
A frightening emptiness racked her body and for a moment, confusion left her in a state of shock. The only fragment of warmth left in her body came from he lower abdomen which turned her shock into fear and an overwhelming need move. An instinctual and primitive fear exploded as a single protective urge moved her cold and dead hands. Like a puppet being controlled by strings, she moved to protect the fading warmth that grew within her frail and rigid. Deep within her soul, she realized that her actions were not her own, rather, they were an echo or a dream given a final moment. Afterall, how could she be still be alive when the love of her life slashed her throat and stabbed her heart in one swift action.
Aaradhya's blessing silently gained a counter next to the Bank: Simple creatures' storage. Going from 0[100] ---> 1[100].
Aaradhya did not see the change in his status but rather, he felt something change within his soul. Luckily, the effects did not reach him yet...otherwise, his already feeble concentration would have shattered, along with his life. That said, the thread in the sky snapped and shattered all the way down to the line of separation between the world of fog and the abyss. The abyss automatically cut the line and closed up the geyser once Aaradhya couldn't control the thread. That said, the blue fog imploded as everything was sucked back into the abyss, allowing the fog to roll over Aaradyhas body as he was mercilessly thrown back.
"It seems that I have unlocked something rather important by forcing my actions"
*Ding*,
*Ding*,
"What? Second?"
A childish scribble of a name just rang out inside of his mind with a jingle, "GoST- God of Something".
After the lettering vanished, another message popped up in his mind that said, The points he received then prompted an interesting notification within his mind, "System, open the Store. I better not burn from this. My actions should've been enough to convince those fools outside," he seemed to pierce the viel and state beyond the cold and the darkness, beyond the fog, but before he could see the store, the abyss swallowed him whole. A sharp and cold pain racked his body and spiked against the back of his mind before it all simply... vanished. -OUTSIDE...- "I am sorry my heart. Please forgive me..." A tall and lean man with oddly delicate hands caressed the beautiful face of a woman that could be considered drop dead, as is gorgeous. A precious gem, a little less refined than the woman's impossibly beautiful features, shone on her forehead. She exuded elegance, beauty, and strength, but in this moment, all anyone would see of her is a sacrificial lamb. "My love. I go in peace and without regret. My soul and your heart will live on in our child so shed not a single tear for me. My life with you has been more than anything I could have hoped for...", the woman whispered. "...I...", the devil masked man could not gather the right words to say and chose to say nothing. "Give this child the love of a father and mother. He will do great and wonderful things...", the woman laid herself down onto a stone platform covered in silks, flowers, and countless jewels. An elder already said the necessary words of scripture to proceed. "Proceed with the sacred ritual. The time for divine rebirth is upon us," one of the annoying elders said with an objectively disgusting smile. This elder snapped his fingers and musicians lined up around the altar to play a fervent tune of love, life, death, and rebirth. Dancers lined up on platforms leading up to the main altar and writhed in madness. Without any outward hesitation, the ceremonial dagger within the devil faced man's hand reaped the life of the woman. Three strikes flew out within a second. Each one carefully planned and executed. Wrists, throat, and heart were sliced and pierced in one circular motion. The priest had a single goal: to cause an instant and painless death. His precision and speed were so spectacular that it was unlikely that the woman even processed all four strikes. The priest stood in silence next to the platform with blank eyes, like he killed himself rather than the love of his life. Nothing was on his mind other than his own horrid actions. Two minutes later one of the elders, the one who ordered the ritual, whispered, "This year ended in failure as well. Time to end it". The disgusting old man cleared his throat to speak out loud but stopped when another elder spoke to him. "Second elder. We should allow the full time to pass this year. As a consideration to the high priest's sacrifice," an old man with a funny voice said. More than just one or two other elders also spoke up to assist the priest. They all, however, knew that the chances of the child's survival would be slim to none if there wasn't a divine "Sign" right now. "Unwilling? This is a great honor for everyone, I don't see the reason to be lenient. I will end this now...", the nasty elder returned without even considering the emotions of the priest. This particularly nasty looking elder had never been forced to offer any of his unborn children or his Partner because he never had either to begin with. Most of the other elders did sacrifice something precious at some point in life, willingly or not, so they all despised this old man who only got onto the council of elders because of his immeasurable wealth. "Little second...", A cherub-faced but annoying voiced elder spoke up and whispered, "Let's do it. We wouldn't want him to lose faith and cause any problems for us later on". The disgusting second elder nodded with a change of heart and said, "High priest, continue to use your strength to safeguard the sanctity of this most sacred of holy days. There may be some success yet". He spoke with a grand voice at the start of his speech and ended it with a hopeful spritz of joy as he motioned for the celebration to continue. The followers were swayed and also began to pray even more ardently. The priest, in the eyes of the elder, disrespectfully ignored the order and just stared at the woman's body. Another 3 minutes passed and all of the followers who had hopes for success felt momentary weakness when the limit for the ritual passed. There was no physical way for the child to be born without severe issues, if at all. "High Priest. It is time to end this. I, as the second elder of our beautiful faith, declare that this ritual has come to an end". The followers were escorted out by the enforcers of the elders. Then, out of curiosity, a single follower turned around. Like dominos that were set up next to each other, all of the followers stopped and turned to see their faithful priest stand and do nothing. In some eyes he bared himself in defiance, but to most he exemplified stalwart faith. Voices of dissent spread through the ranks and reached a crescendo as two more full minutes passed by. The followers became uncontrollable in a different but just as worrisome kind of way as a torrential wave of ideological fervor swept them up. The musicians didn't play what they were forced to practice, instead, they played the sorrow, anger, and prayer deep within their hearts. Emotions they didn't know as the fervor of the faith drowned out everything. The dancers moved to the chaotic rhythm as if it were normal music they danced to every day. "This is what I feared, first elder. The followers are blindly following the high priest instead of the council. It has been this way for some time now," The disgusting elder whispered to the cherub-faced man with a hiss. "I will fix this second brother *Ahem*. Stop this nonsense and end the ritual now high priest," The annoying, cherub faced, first elder yelled after clearing his throat. "Though I hate agreeing with you, this must come to an end, we cannot allow him to maintain his trespassing into the divine," the old man with the funny voice sighed, unable to actually tell the priest to stop. He truly believed the craziness that the religion offered but at the same time, he knew the grief and depth of the priest's actions as he once held that mantle and did the exact same thing. The second elder continued to command the priest to stop as the rest remained quiet. The raving of the followers increased in volume. It all reached its peak when the enforcers/ guardians/ religious crusaders/ and police of the faith tried to approach the priest with ornate but razor-sharp blades. In one clean swing, the priest severed the carotid artery of two different men. The rest stopped a few steps back and silently waited since they didn't want to actually die. "SILENCE...", the priest yelled in a heroic and deep voice. He was drenched in blood and wore the mask of a demon with bloodshot eyes. To others, an unquenchable zeal consumed the high priest. Only the woman whom he had personally slain would know that it was his way of crying, his way of releasing an endless amount of remorse. He'd personally slain his wife and child for a belief he knew was corrupt but could help holding onto as it was ingrained into his very bones. He raised his blade once more under the stunned gazes of everyone present, the tip pointed toward his own heart. Out of nowhere, the woman's bloodless arms cupped her own protruding stomach in an attempt to protect her unborn child even in death. The priest, hoping for a miracle right until the end, brought his dagger down and carved the woman open with the precise motions of a surgeon. He possessed far too much familiarity with the human body for it to be normal. Within a handful of seconds, and with a few extraordinary and semi-impossible movements, the child was removed from the woman's body. The priest's eyes seemed to glow after the child was taken out. Everyone else only saw a bloody and deathly pale newborn baby with blue skin and a priest with glowing bloodshot eyes. The priest said nothing and cradled the child with fresh silk sheets. Blankets that were always prepared for the ritual but never used, generation after generation. He left the altar with the child, leaving everyone stunned by what just happened. Most of the elders shook. Some from fear and others in anticipation. "THIS IS IT, FINALLY!", resonated through the elders as almost all of them shook. The followers cheered in a violent wave. After so long, they were the generation to summon their god. Most of the elders, however, knew that their religion (that existed for hundreds of years on a made-up divinity) would soon be rocked from the ground up with the first successful birth through the insane ritual.