Morgen Clan
In a specific part of the world, a young man stood before a large audience.
His face, sullen.
The man put his hands behind himself as he postured straight. He was on some kind of podium, at the center of a vast hall.
A row of seats enclosed the podium, and seated on the exquisite chairs were various illustrious men and women. They eyed the young man with an icy demeanor, so cold that if looks could kill, the young man would have been frozen.
However, to the young man, the faces of illustrious men and women were censored psychologically, something he recognized as his response to his current situation.
His entire world was gray, and not a single speck of radiant light blessed his sight. The grim outlook complimented the emotionless, yet sad expression he wore on his face.
As he stared deep into the unknown, one of the illustrious men spoke.
This man's seat was directly in front of the young man. When he spoke, he displayed the autocratic tone of a leader, as it should be.
"Rhazien Az Mor, you have failed."
The young man, revealed to be Rhazien, looked at the man that addressed him.
He rasped with a sour tone, "Great Elder Jadon, if I'm blessed with another chance, I won't let you down again."
His plea for a second chance erupted a series of murmurs. The elders were perplexed about what to do with this young man.
According to their customs, his punishment would be grim.
…Such fate imposed on a young man was not something that could be casually ordained.
Great Elder Jadon spoke again, "There is no second chance. You failed the baptism. The Blood Pool doesn't lie. No matter how many chances you get, the outcome will remain the same. You have failed to find your darkest self."
The great elder paused for a brief second, before saying harshly, "I will say it again. Rhazien Az Mor, you have failed."
Every word that came out of the great elder's mouth bit into the cold skin of Rhazien.
"...and my punishment," He looked straight at the great elder
As a vampire from the Morgen Clan, failing the baptism never meant the end. There should be no punishment, if he was just a normal vampire, that is.
Another elder spoke with a sad tone, "Child of Lucina, what a shame? You were Lucina's last hope, albeit a half-blood. The last son of the Az Morgen. Yet, you failed, just like your other siblings. Your mother has denied the clan of a noble line. That is a crime which you chose to bear. Am I right?"
"Yes, Elder Mordecai. I shall be the representative of the Az Morgens."
"You came here on a silent night… does your mother know of this decision?" asked Great Elder Jadon.
"No. My parents do not need to know," answered Rhazien.
They didn't know when he left home. They didn't know of the thoughts that swirled in his head when he learned of the crimes of his family. There was no need for them to know now.
"Great Elder Jadon, may I have one final request as your nephew?"
The great elder's voice softened as he asked, "What is it, Rhazien?"
"Whatever happens from here on shouldn't reach the ears of my family. Rhazien Az Mor died during his baptism."
"Ahh–" A look of shock donned on the great elder's face. He shared this expression with the rest of the elders.
Finally, his surprise settled down and he revealed a smile, "Very well."
He made a light cough and adjusted his tone. Then he made his last address.
"Rhazien Az Mor, your punishment has been decided. Banishment to The Pit!"
Rhazien trembled as soon as he heard that. The Pit was synonymous with a vile location in his mind. A truly dark place.
If that was his place of exile, then there was no hope for him…
Unknown to everyone present, a ghost-like humanoid creature floated above the hall.
This creature was Seth!
He had no idea how he got here. He couldn't even make sense of his surroundings.
Yet, somehow, he was impossibly attracted to the man named Rhazien Mor.
He kept staring at him with curious eyes.
In a surprising turn of events, Rhazien turned his head upwards. He quickly met the eyes of Seth.
He whispered a word that only Seth could hear, "Have you seen enough?"
….then the whole world vanished.
.
.
.
.
His mind awoke!
Seth kept thinking back on what he just witnessed.
'That young man… he died, eventually. Strange, how do I know this?'
A stream of information became evident in his mind as he found himself spouting things he would have deemed as utterly nonsense prior to his strange experience.
He ruminated, 'Rhazien Az Mor… I see now. Everything makes sense. I am Rhazien Az Mor..and I am also Seth Ravenswood.'
It shouldn't make sense.
It wasn't logical.
…but he could feel it. Despite all notions of logic denying it, he could feel it.
He was Rhazien Az Mor, and the strange experience he witnessed was a memory of his past.
He was also Seth Ravenswood.
How did this complex truth come to be? He did not know, but the truth was the truth.
Suddenly, a robotic voice sounded in his head.
『Traveller 2.5 has completed Soul Merge. He has awakened.』
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Tutorial Quest Achieved:
✱'Survive' completed. Reward➔ System Guide.
✱Hidden quest 'Slay the Beast' completed. Reward➔ Three stat potions.
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╔
Achievement Unlocked: The Second Slayer
✱Congratulations, you are the second traveller to slay a Forsaken Howler.
✱Rewards: Five(5) Sors Token.
╝
Along with these announcements came a mental representation of the information.
In Seth's mind, he could see a two-dimensional object, similar to the one that appeared back in his apartment.
It was through these panels did he understand what happened to him.
'Soul Merge, huh? F*ck, well that explains a lot!' mentally screamed Seth.
The soul of Seth Ravenswood had merged with the soul of Rhazien Az Mor. That was why he knew personal things about Rhazien that he shouldn't know.
Even his dreams were memories of Rhazien. It was also why, during his battle with the beast now known as the Forsaken Howler, he acted too strange.
Seth cast the issue aside for now. He focused on the system guide.
The game's system was too vast to comprehend. The number of functions it had was seemingly infinite. Seth would need days to comprehend all of them.
Right now, he could only grasp the beginner concepts before moving on.
Seth mentally spoke, 'Status!'
Immediately, a panel appeared in his mind. This panel was much different from the usual.
╔
Name: Rhazien Az Mor (Seth)
Level: 1 (52/100)
Race: Vampire (Half-Blood)
Class: Basic Traveller
Titles: Impure Child Of Morgen, Beta-Traveller
Traits: Vampire, Traveller
ST: 5
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Attributes:
Strength: 6
Agility: 9
Constitution: 4
Wisdom: 2
Stat Potions Available ➨ 3
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Skills:
✱Passive Skills:
➔
✱Active Skills
➔ Vampiric Drive.
╝
Just as he was about to ponder over this panel, his mind was quickly brought back to the real world when his body collided with something.
He opened his eyes!
Suddenly, he remembered everything that had gotten him to this moment… his fight with the Forsaken Howler, his encounter with the hunters.
Yet, why was he currently in a dark place?