Chapter 5: Broken Divinity
(--------------------------------------------------) -> line break
(...) -> small moment of silence
"Talking"
'Thinking or mental conversations'
[Chanting]
{System}
Don't shy from commenting on a typo or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
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(Nephelont's Autobiography. Year One)
I started creating this... yearary? A daily note is a diary. Isn't a yearly note a yearary? It doesn't matter. I'll just call it autobiography for my mental health.
Anyway, I started writing this autobiography to spend my free time, and to cope with the eventual mental breakdown that I may face if I didn't remember who I am clearly.
Let's start, then.
The things that I do with DH are limited. I only use it to remain in my dragon form an hour or two a day; if I don't regularly transform, the sudden, unfamiliar shift in both size and power will make for a worse situation than without the skill at all. I decided to use DH on a daily basis; that will make it much more familiar than when, for example, I use it on a monthly basis.
"Always know your abilities before using them in a fight. You do not want to disorient yourself" that's what father told me.
Now, my dragon form went up to 1.8 meders (~ 5 feet 7 inches) including the tail.
I noticed that, as I grew older, my dragon form started growing things that shouldn't be there in my design. My scales were a little... "gilded" so to speak. They took on a more golden sheen than I wanted but nothing noticeable at a passing glance.
Well, I didn't want any other color but pure white. I'm thankful though, the golden sheen could be scraped off, that and... umm... mommy said they look better now. Guess I ma' keep 'em scales golden.
Hair, weirdly enough, started growing around my spine, to the tip of my tail. It isn't like some hard keratin construct, like my scales, but something as soft as my human form's hair. Its color is ashen silver for now.
I hope it doesn't look binary when put together with my scales. I will wait for it to grow some more before drawing any conclusions, though.
My claws gained some edge. Though, I'm not satisfied with how low their sharpness is. I guess I can wait for them to be sharper as I grow. Oh, they also became hooked. The hooked tips are still smooth half spheres.
My eyes are... weird. The irises would, on occasion, have light-grey and lime-green spots flashing in and out. That also happens to be the case for my human form.
Oh oh, I finally saw my human form in a mirror that was being moved. I looked like a fat baby Bell with pale blond hair and one golden eye, the other eye, as you have already guessed, is crimson red. My face, however, was frozen in an "Aiz expression" by default, if you know what I mean. I love it.
My only complaint is that I'm too hairy, really. Hair grew out of my ears. The "extra" hair started falling off after I became 5 months old.
During the year, I discovered that DH could affect my human form to some extent. I had a full set of baby teeth AND could walk without support, all that by the age of 8 months.
Normal kids start either walking or growing teeth. By the time both processes conclude, the child is generally at the age of 2.5 years. Consider that that's for fast kids.
Returning to the topic of my walking, to be honest, I did face-plant a few (a lot of) times. But hey, everything has a start. My body is getting the hang of balancing on two legs, rather than on all four limbs.
I hope I don't have to walk on three limbs later.
...
Did I just jinx myself?! I will have to get ready, just in case.
Anyway, I asked the system about my dragon form differences with the design I wanted.
It mentioned two things.
First, the hair was a mutation. On the other hand, my eyes and scales' colors got affected by my appearance as a human. Pretty interesting.
One last thing, I want meat. Mommy saw my teeth. And the first thing she does? Of course, that would be to take anything chewy away from my awaiting maw. I promise you I will get my meat-filled meal, I will.
Now, enough about me, let's talk about other things.
I finally met Eucleia when I wa... let me correct that, when WE BOTH were 6 months old. She is excessively cute and loveable. I immediately hugged her. The lovely girl hugged back.
Her hair is mostly a blazing red, except for the strands that would later cascade the sides of her face. They were a beautiful cyan color.
I had a foreboding feeling when I first saw her right eye covered in bandages, so I "asked" uncle Welf why are they covering her eye. My bad feeling was spot-on, as uncle Welf informed me of a "deformity" she got at birth, one that is like Hephaestus's own. He also immediately informed me that she can see through the bandages, to my relief.
I was always curios about Hephaestus's supposed "deformity"'s nature. Now, I can wait till Eucleia willingly reveals her covered eye to me.
Nothing major happened other than these things the first year.
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(Nephelont's Autobiography. Year two)
You remember what I wrote for the first year? Congratulations, because I forgot to mention that we agreed to the next: No one outside Hestia familia members, Hephaestus, old man Ouranos, Spooky Scary Fels and Dubious Hermes should know about the specifics to my true nature, what I told them of, that is, until I'm strong enough to stave off any coming danger and/or mad magicians who are overly obsessed with magical research.
My magic is not restricted with a few slots, a chant, predetermined effects or a set cost, after all.
I tried my magic just for fun and to kill time, and... it occurred to me, just like that. It has as much potential as my own imagination and science combined can get.
Just theoretically speaking, I can manipulate magnetic fields. Just that alone is huge. Don't get me wrong though, I still don't have enough proficiency in it to test that, it is just pure theory. I also discovered, during the only time I used magic up to date, that my roar and I can act as a catalyst to channel the incantation, maybe sorceries if I get my grabby magical hands on one. The same way other dragons did it in-game.
So, back to the point. I can't allow just anyone to know, especially Riveria. She is most dangerous. She may not endanger my life, but she will bug me to have magical experiments with her. Maybe I can tell her when I'm older; I can get training from her.
Now to what happened in my second year. Mommy finally asked Riveria what she sees me as. She said that she sees a grandson in me. As you wish, Riveria. From now on, you are dubbed granny nine lectures.
I gave up on garnering her attention for me romantically. It was easy. All I had for her was my fetish and a passing interest. After knowing how she sees me, I retreated easily enough.
I also "started" forming words, not sentences yet. That is so I can make them more used to me talking earlier than other kids. It also helps that Eucleia too started forming words by imitating me. We already could be seen together at least half of the week. I swear, that cunning uncle. Anyway, Eucleia talking will divide their attention, partially, away from me.
I started "trying" to jump scare Lil'E every chance I get, I just avoided mornings for a reason. Oh, yeah. Her half-asleep mind is way foggier in the morning than any morning mist I saw in both lives. Considering that, in my past life, I lived at a coastal area, the mist was so bad sometimes to the point of near-complete ocular obstruction. That says something.
How I know that?! I saw her tumbling down the stairs groggily.
My parents saw no reason to continue trying to hide me for reasons. They started taking me out in a tour around the city every now and then, not just the safest route to Hephaestus's.
I obviously requested things from Hephaestus when I could, like three different katanas. No, I'm not going Zoro, yet. They differ in the length of their blades, intended for various situations. One is a wakizashi, with a blade around 35 cm in length (~ 1 foot and 1.78 inches). Another is a katana, with a blade length of 80 cm (~ 2 feet and 7.50 inches). The last of the bunch is a nodachi with a blade measurement of around 370 cm (~ 12 feet and 1.67 inches). Now, I know the last one was obscenely big, but I'm storing it for really large foes, if I ever face one, say like a Goliath, an Amphisbaena, a Udaeus or a Balor. Its blade's length is justified.
I asked the system about my inventory's limit. The reply came that the inventory has infinite space. I worded my question differently the next time and got the answer I wanted. The inventory's capable of dragging items stored inside of it through space-time travels.
The items stored inside don't experience thermal change, only time affects them. If they were stored within the inventory at their perfect temperature, they will keep that temperature and last longer. If their only spoiling condition is a thermal one? They are as good as eternally viable.
I better stop writing now. Eucleia is about to arrive, I need to take my human form to play with her.
She is a bright child, in both mind and personality.
That one time when I was down, she was hugging me the entire time and whispering softly. It sounded like a melody imbued with the innocence of a pure child. It sounded more like a lullaby, more than it has any right to be coming from a young child.
If that behavior is not something normal children have, then she might end up a saint. And she shows signs of higher intelligence. She can recognize someone who is down and imitate a lullaby from memory to soothe their heart.
I will continue writing this later.
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(Nephelont's PoV. 1 year 8 months)
Why did I write that line though? It isn't like someone will actually read this autobiography. Either way, it is the time to play with sweetest Eucleia.
We are already about a year and two thirds old. We can walk without falling much. So, I will start training my body by playing football with her.
I requested a football from resilient materials to withstand our strength when we get older.
My father and I are now playing in the manor's garden, waiting for the Crozzo's to arrive.
"Your "football" is interesting. Mind us playing with it later?" Why would my father need permission to use a football? He can just order a new one for himself or even use mine if he just told me. He doesn't need my approval before deciding to play. Mind you, I appreciate him asking first.
"You knou you coud dust tell mie you will use it" I reminded him.
"Haha ha haha, you made a ruckus the last time you didn't find the thing you wanted where you put it before" Father had a dry laugh hearing me.
"You... didn't nied to... poent dat owt" He is looking giddy. I can feel my ears burning.
By the way, since no soul is around, beside some snooping b****, I'm using my human form to talk.
I'm butchering the language; believe me I know. It's just that I'm still getting my human form's tongue used to the alphabet. Some words are just coming out minced.
"It seems that my son acts like a really childish adult. Although, my son, I must say this. Your everyday battle with your worthy opponent, the morning sun, is truly legendary"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. THAT EMBARASSING DARK SECRET..." Both of us stare at each other silently for a moment...
"Did I just speak normally?!"
"Did you just speak normally?!"
... only to ask each other the same question.
"Wait, father. I must feel the changes that occurred within me. I'll tell you right after" He nodded, expectant of the results.
System?
{Yes, master}
How did I speak fluently?
{Currently activated skill: Dragon Hearted. State: partial transformation. Parts currently transformed:
- Vocal Cords
- Throat
- Tongue
- Teeth
It is possible to unknowingly transform when flustered}
This is something I need to live with, huh. Why the teeth, though?
"Father. My vocal cords, tongue, throat and teeth are transformed right now. It's likely to be a controllable partial transformation, hehe" How cool is that? I can look like a dragonkin!
Let me try this.
"One too thwee fow. Phew, I can tun bac to a homan combletly" I so want my tongue to be fluent again.
I know that some people may find this hard to believe, how easily I mix up letters that are not close to each other in spelling. Try going over your first language's alphabet all over again, from scratch after losing all muscle memory. That's gotta be hard.
Okay. Let me try to replicate the feeling.
I felt a very distinct feeling when I had the partial transformation moments ago. It's a new feeling to me, I don't know the name of it either.
In spite of not knowing its name, I should still remember it. There it is. I must grab at it, prod and tug it until I have it gripped.
There... Just a little bit more... THAT'S IT.
Now, it's time to test my voice.
"One two three four... YEEAAAHHH" I start doing a victory dance.
*clap**clap**clap**clap*"My son is a genius" Father complemented me.
"Am I cool?" I feel me cheeks splitting from my smile.
"Yes, you are, son" Father lifted me in the air, glad that I achieved one of my personal goals successfully and had fun while doing so.
"Hehehe" I have a complex feeling after hearing my father praise me. Though I would settle on relief? Or glee? It's more like a mixture of the two.
I don't remember my father (previous life) praising me for any hard work I put into HIS orders, even if I exceeded his expectations. He would rather ignore me even when I got an entire grade higher than what he wanted me to. He then went and rewarded my younger sister for getting a grade lower than mine. I hate that douche of a man. He did it the same day, and dared do it in front of me.
By the by, does a...
"There they are" Said my father.
Oh, how did I forget to mention it?! The reason our existence, Eucleia's and mine, has been known for months now, around 7 of them.
How? A certain peeping tom revealed it to the public while they remained "hidden".
An uproar occurred. And how could it not? The first known demigod was born and their parents kept them a secret. A lot of the gods and goddesses of Orario protested to have custody over the child, Eucleia, and some went as far as to try challenging the Hephaestus familia into a war game. Of course, they lost.
Do you know what the idiots did afterwards?
They pressured the Hephaestus familia with everyone who wanted the demigod child for themselves against the smiths in a fight to death.
Our solution was simple, really. Hestia's, Take's, Miach's (Cassandra and Daphne) and, unexpectedly, Goibniu's, Loki's and Dubious Hermes's familias banded together. Almost all those who were willing from the ranks of those six familias transferred to the Hephaestus familia temporarily. It was a slaughter. None were left without a crippling injury from the opposing familias' allied forces. Some of their members even died after the war game ended, suffering from poisoning. Why were any of the Hephaestus side carrying poison with them though? I neither know nor care.
Why did Goibniu, Loki and Dubious Hermes help, I hear you ask? Loki helped at the request of mommy, or "Her Aizypoo". Mommy's reasons are beyond me. Old Goibniu said he was helping a fellow blacksmith who he respects. You don't have to believe that. Some of his familia members are in relationships with some of Hephaestus's members. He was just shy of admitting it. He was helping his members keep their happy families. Dubious Hermes, well, he was just being Dubious Hermes. He said it was a secret, but I have a feeling that my absentee great grandpa had something to do with it.
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(At the time of the War Game. Zeus's PoV)
"ACHOO"
Is a beauty thinking of my handsome face somewhere in the world?! Is she coming my way right now?! I must meet her!
Sigh, I hope that Bell's son can have Hephaestus's daughter in his harem.
"HE MUST MARRY HER. HE MUST FORM HIS HAREM IN BELL'S PLACE" I scream to the world, raising my arms to the skies above in elation. My grandson's child has the chance at bedding a divine lady, lucky him.
*RUMBLEEEEEEEE*
What was t...?!
"zeeeusss~, my perverted husband~, I have finally found you~" Her voice?!!! But it's impossible! I hid well away from her.
I turn my head to the right, only to find her looking over my shoulder. Murder was obvious in her ogling, crazy eyes. The incarnation of my damnation. A crazy, disheveled woman. She is ghostly pale and scrawny, like if someone famished her. A rabid old woman who was hunting me for years, trying to find me to take and corrupt my Bell. A WOMAN THAT OPPOSES THE SACRED EXISTENCE THAT IS THE HAREM!
RUN FASTER, LEGS! TARTARUS IS ENCROACHING ON US!
Hera is here. That rumble was my divine essence warning me of my impending doom.
'Good luck, my old friend' I suddenly hear Ouranos's gloating voice.
'THEN HELP THIS FRIEND OF YOURS, WILL YOU' I can clearly feel him smirking while observing my crisis with glee.
"I'LL GET BACK AT YOU, OURANOS. I PROMISE YOU" After running for my dear life, that is.
(AN: His fate was left unknown after that, to the befuddlement of Dubious Hermes, who couldn't contact him)
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(Back to the present. Nephelont's PoV)
"Good morning, uncle, aunt" 'Hephaestus wanted me to call her aunt' "Good morning, Eucleia" I wave my hand in greetings.
"Good morning" Was their collective reply.
A certain exuberant missile slammed into my chest, falling to the ground with me in a tight grip.
"Kounéli" Don't mind her. She just found it due to call me that.
"Eucleia? Would you kindly tell me what that means?" I'm curious. What has she been calling me this last month?
"I do not know. It just felt right to call you by that nickname" She is still clinging to me. She is practically glued to me now. The last time she visited, she didn't let go till it was time to leave.
"Anything else to call me by?" I want her to change that. It just sounded unnecessarily cute for some reason.
"Iepure" That somehow sounded worse.
"Can we return to Kounéli, please?"
"Umm" Thankfully she isn't very stubborn with this.
I look at aunty Hephaestus. She shrugs while holding back a smile. I glare with the full power of my evil eyes at her. She sure knows something.
I don't bother asking uncle Welf. You see, that cunning uncle of mine has his back turned to me. His unreliable back is hunched while one of his hands is on aunty's shoulder. His other hand was probably on his mouth to suppress a laugh, judging by its position and his shaking shoulders.
"Okay. Then, mind telling me why you cling to me everytime you visit? I especially love the hugs. But why?" From hugging to handholding, lewd, unprotected handholding, she always found a way to stay beside me.
"It brings me comfort to stay by your side, Kounéli" She was happy because I love her hugs. Evidenced by her hold over my body getting that tiny bit tighter.
Again, what does that nickname mean?
(AN: Here, I can give you all an answer. It is an English spilling of a Greek word. It means rabbit, lol. The other word, Iepure, was a Romanian word, also could mean rabbit)
"Adorable" A sudden extra hug arrives from nowhere. Mommy attacks yet again. But aren't we laying on grass right now?! Are we adorable enough for her to have no self-restraint?! Her golden, silky hairs and white dress might get dirty like this.
Sometimes, I really think she's an airhead.
"Yes, you are adorable enough" I... I can't decipher how this "mother's intuition" works. I give up.
"You would not understand it for a long time"
.....
"Eucleia, playtime" I announce with all the enthusiasm I still held to from my childhood.
"Yay, playtime" Eucleia appears equally enthusiastic. We were abruptly unfurled
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(A few hours later)
We've been playing around for how long now?
Doesn't matter. It's nary a moment before noon. The "adults"'re preparing for lunch while we play in the back gardens.
It's now or never.
"Eucleia, I want to try circulating our mind between each other" She was very attentive. She heard me while focused on the game we are playing now.
"I do not mind that. But how are we going to exchange mind?" How cute. She doesn't know how.... I don't know either. I just want to try something naughty.
"We take a lotus position with our palms facing" I told her how are we gonna do this.
After taking the lotus position, we stretched our hands. Eucleia grasped my hands by interlocking our fingers. Did she really think that this is how it needs to be? I don't see a problem with this. I'll leave her to do it however she wants.
"Are you ready, Eucleia?"
"I am ready, Kounéli" I'll know what it means one day.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am"
"I'll begin the circulation" I notify her again, just in case.
We both glowed. I glowed red, while Eucleia glowed divinity. Look, I don't know what an everchanging color is called, okay? That's good.
I started by trying to push the mind in my right hand through her left hand, and pulling the mind in her right hand to my left hand.
The pushing and pulling were gentle. If I hastily try to move the mind by force, we might get an unknown case mind deficiency. We don't want that.
The mind starts to circulate back and forth in a slow rate, a very slow rate. It looked like it was still for a moment.
After a moment of back and forth, a certain foreign energy started seeping in with the mind. It finally started. My doubts are confirmed true. It is possible to acquire divinity(?) through this.
I close my eyes to visualise the process more clearly, and to also lessen the chance to be distracted, thus lose focus. Losing focus here is gonna breed a disaster.
Ouch. That was a big sting of pain. For what reason though? The pain didn't stop after the first sting. It is increasing in intensity by miniscule amounts.
"Eucleia, this is for your safety. The moment this starts to hurt, tell me to stop immediately" I say with difficulty. It's hard enough to breath right now. It's even harder to talk.
"Umm" She only hummed in acknowledgement. She's feeling very uncomfortable already. I should expect her to feel pain soon.
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(Nephelont's PoV) (AN: Bear with me for a moment as I will rant a bit. I hate webnovel, it's official now. This is the 3rd time my work has been abruptly erased. These next parts of the chapter have been erased twice alone, not to mention that an entire chapter was deleted before. All that happened without my approval or consent. If the next parts of the chapter seem very bad, it's because I may try to patch them from memory. That will make them messed up. I hope I... got them right)
I don't know how long we have been in this position. The pain has reached excruciating levels for me.
"It is starting to hurt" Her breath is labored, tired. Her breathes are rapid and deep. Her fortitude is commendable for her age.
I should start by lowering the mind's flow rate.
Think of a river's flow. Picture its flow slower by the second. Slower. Slower.
Mind has stopped flowing. As the divinity(?) was dragged by it the entire time, it stopped seeping in as well.
"Phew, we're finally done. I'm tired" I panted while sprawled on the ground.
"Really? I feel energized"
The divinity I sapped from her didn't seem to harm her own. Rather, she became... how should I put it? Yeah, that. She started radiating the same aura as the one I felt from deities. The same as that of Hestia's and Hephaestus's.
Is this normal? I'll a...
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...
"** **** *** *****" This's too dark, actually. I can't see.
"N* ***d ** **i**" Where am I anyway?
"*o **ll t* **e*k" Who's the one talking?
"** v**c* *o c*y ***f*r***" Sorry, but what're you saying?
"B*** o* g** an* *o**" Your voice's not high enough? No, that's not it.
"*o* ****l s**l th* b***d*** **g** t*** ***g**s t**i* ******" Half of what you said sounded like gibberish to me.
"**u *re the **ss*l" Why does it sound ominous?
"Y** ar* *** Ho**** *n***t" Your voice sounds distant and unclear.
It makes me feel anxious.
Where am I?
Is this a space where someone could explain the words of that mysterious voice? No, I don't feel any presence.
What was that, then?
Why did it sound familiar?
The voice itself was the familiar part, no?
Was it a dream?
Was it a nightmare?
Does it have a meaning?
Does it not?
Is it merely a past life memory resurfacing?
Is it entirely made up by my mind playing tricks on me in my sleep?
Would I remember it after waking up?
would I forget this dream/nightmare?
...
Is it... important?
Only time will tell.
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...
Why do I feel like I'm waking up from sleep?
What was I doing before that? I don't remember.
My right arm feels heavy. Did I sleep in the wrong position again?
Wait, I'm sleeping on my back.
I try to open my eyes only to be greeted by the sun.
"Agghh, sun, my rival. Our battle shall reach an end one day" My worthy rival can only be the sun. No mortal is gonna be my opponent when I reach full power.
"Heeh? He really has a battle with the sun. It's as you say, Bell" All I heard was dread.
"I guess this is a nightmare. I'll wake up if I try to sleep in the middle of this nightmare" I'll cover myself with the blanket. Maybe, just maybe, they'll leave it at that.
Just as I was about to cover myself...
"No you don't, young man" ... uncle Welf peels the blanket off me.
I decided it was a good idea to look at my numb arm, only thing I see there is an angel... oh, that's Eucleia.
"When did I start seeing her as an angel?" We're less than 2 years old for crying out loud. It's inappropriate of me to look at a child, a young one, like I'm looking at an adult.
"Give me a moment to collect myself" I want to see things with the system.
"Fair. We will give you some time. You will answer to some very important questions once time is up. Understand?" That was aunty Hephaestus. I don't blame her for using such a sharp tone. I may have messed up her one and only daughter, after all.
"Okay" I nod and close my eyes for a moment.
By the way, we're all whispering. We've a "sleeping" beauty here.
Bad Nephelont. That's what a creep would think. You shouldn't think of her mature figure when she's still a young child.
"Calm down, son. It is not time yet" Mommy, if you can read my mind, know that I won't argue with that part. I need to calm down.
"Un"
...
You know what? I'm gonna start accepting that as a rule of nature.
Mommy started fluffing my hair affectionately for apparently no reason.
Hey, system.
{Yes, master}
Can you make me remember a dream?
{No. My primary function is to explain things my master asks of me. Repairing your memory of a dream is beyond my functions}
Unfortunate. Then, Abilities.
- Ariel (variant)
- Dragon Hearted
- Cute Appearance
- Shard of Broken Divinity (corrupt):
A corrupt shard of a broken divinity. It interrupts other divine attributes until only its own remain. If removed, other attributes of divinity will be restored.
It had no attribute before. When it was absorbed by you, it was given one.
Divine Attributes: Void (primary), the free winds and the ***** ***.
Effect #1: Acquisition of Arcanum (minor, limited).
Effect #2: Suppress Light when an Arcanum coating is active, regardless of the user's will.
Effect #3: An enlargement of total mind reserves (x2).
Effect #4: Unknown.
Effect #5: Unknown.
Effect #6: Unknown. (Locked)
Effect #7: Unknown.
Effect #8: Unknown>
What is the third attribute?
{The third attribute is not revealed to me either, master. I believe it will reveal itself when the time is right. If master could deduce the third attribute, it will appear in the ability description}
I have a bad feeling. Buffs/Debuffs.
(AN: Yeah, the idiot got completely distracted and forgot the 5 unknown effects 😅 )
- Falna:
Provides a minor quality boost to bodily functions and natural limits, also allows the collection and use of excellia.
Using excellia, you can both increase your parameters (stats) and gain skills.
Notice: A debuff countering this buff's numerical parameter enhancement is in effect. Only the default minor parameter enhancement (non-numerical) is active.
- No Limit:
So long you train, you become better.
Duration: Infinite>
- Useless stats:
Stats are only a limitation to your growth. You will abandon them and improve without any stats' limitations.
Stats will not affect your growth in any capacity.
Duration: Infinite.
- Void's loathing:
By forcefully tearing a divinity that manifested to be of the void from its rightful owner, you garner the loath of the void.
Mindless void entities will try to harm or kill you when they know where you are, no matter the distance and for no reason.
Self aware void entities will have a negative impression of you at first.
"FEAR FOR YOUR LIFE"
Duration: unknown>
...
I can't get peace of mind even if I'm only a young child, sigh.
I'll avoid the headache ahead of me by revealing my secrets to them.
I know someone might want to roast me for "revealing secrets", "being naive", "not being cautious enough of others" etc. But think of this. Mommy thought nothing of my reincarnation and took care of me like if I was a normal child. She gave me the chance I selfishly wanted and was happy for my happiness.
That also applies to the others who knew. They deserve some more trust, especially knowing their personalities. They won't treat me in a bad way just because I kept a secret or two either. I can put my faith in them.
"Where have they gone to?" I opened my eyes and asked at the same time.
The ones not present are aunties Mikoto and Haruhime alongside Lil'E.
"They have been in the dungeon since yesterday morning. They are challenging a lower floor without Bell's help" Hestia answered in a concerned tone. She proceeded to take a deep breath of air and release it. While that happened, I looked around, and except for mommy and the still "sleeping" Eucleia, everyone had either disapproving or somber looks. It's more peculiar in Hestia's case. No matter what I've done in the past, she never got somber with me.
"Do you know what you have done?" She is still showing that somber tone in her voice.
"I only circulated mind through our bodies, linking our mind reserves to be one for but a few moments" I honestly answer. I leave some of the truth for later.
"What you did was messing with what little divinity my daughter has. Count your lucky stars that you did not harm her. I am only forgiving you because of three things. First, Eucleia pleaded for your safety. Also, because what you did, even though reckless, ended up helping her to partially unlock and control her divinity. Lastly, what we discovered after Eucleia also fell asleep, your life has been linked to hers. If we did anything to you, her life might be in danger" Aunty Hephaestus, especially, was upset with me.
"I am going to reveal some more secrets to you. I trust that none will talk about it outside this room, as those are graver than my skill and my reincarnation combined. They have the potential to destroy the balance of power in this world" They noticed how I talked in a more official manner, compared to my usually very unofficial accent.
"You too, Eucleia. I know that you have been awake for a while now" I was rubbing her soft, silky hair while saying that. I just knew that. I don't know how that knowledge came to me either.
"From when... did you know that I... was awake?" She asked shyly. She must've been embarrassed for getting caught eavesdropping, while pretending to sleep. Or is it because of something to do with her newly acquired divinity?
"I will tell you that later. For now, I will report the results of what I did to you and how I know of them already. Let us start with my ability that I use to view my other abilities, active effects, whether positive or negative and to know in detail how they work. This allows for me to know of abilities yet to show in my falna and use them. Now, I looked at the result of what I did with Eucleia. The results are good, but they also bring concern"
"Elaborate" I hope aunty Hephaestus warms up to me again after this.
"First thing I noticed is that I acquired a divinity of my own after absorbing the broken shard that flowed into my body. It has three of what it called "divine attributes". They are of the void, the free winds and another one that is hidden at the moment" Their expressions show how stunned they became at the news. It's unheard of for a mortal to be capable of acquiring divinity, after all. Well, mommy was stunned but kept on fluffing my hair. She is starting comb it now.
"The divinity I have is a corrupt shard of a broken divinity. That may infer the reason for why Eucleia's own divinity was not active, as this shard was perpetually blocking her divinity, actively trying to be the only part that remains. I also know that it was without any distinct attribute of its own, either. It only gained some attributes when it got lodged within me.
One of the things I am sure about is the effect of doubling my mind reserves. There are other effects that are not clear enough at the moment. I will not mention those as I am not yet certain of the specifics.
You also need to know that one of the effects that are currently active negates any meaning my falna parameters have. They are essentially pointless, that is unless I want to try my hand on development abilities. Also, eating a dragon monster's magic stone will grant me some random number increase. The increase is limited to a maximum of 3 points total" Maybe that was a bit too much of an info dump?
"Duh, of course your falna will have no meaning. You acquired a divinity. Divine beings cannot have a falna inscribed on them" Hestia is being snarky. I should tell her.
"That is not the case for me, however. Do you remember when I mentioned the world's power balance being at risk?"
"Yes? What does... that..." Her eyes became as big as plates with a gaping mouth from the shock of realization.
"Yes, my falna will still grant me skills and development abilities if I level up. Also, the initial parameter boost that was in effect the moment I received the falna is effective. Level-ups might still grant me some power boost. That will be subjected to a test to verify its legitimacy. But I must point your focus in the right direction. The effect that renders the parameter points useless is affecting me for special reasons. Others may rarely contact a similar condition" I'll let that sink in before I continue.
...
"As some of you must have thought, there is a chance that someone's divinity will appear as a skill in their Falna. If that happened, the dungeon is more than likely to ignore it, seeing as it is a skill"
Now to let that sink in and...
"Everyone beside Eucleia, get out"
... yep, shoo shoo. I want some quality time with her.
"But..."
"LA LA LA. I DON"T HEAR YOU"
"B..."
"I DON'T HEATH... ouch. I bit my tongue. I STILL DON'T HEAR YOU"
That may have been excessive, and it may have made them grumble too, but it did the job. They dragged themselves out of the room, leaving only me and Eucleia.
"So, where do we start? Should we begin with how your behavior changed all of a sudden after this incident?"
"Promise me that you will not tell mother, Nephelont" Whoa, WHOA, this is a name she didn't call in a while. Maybe I should pay more attention than what I usually do to anything in life.
"I promise you, on my blessed name, Nephelont, that I will not intentionally tell anyone of what you are about to say unless they already know. You have my word" I'll take this to my grave, I guess.
"You see, I cannot be a bride anymore" Kounéli.exe failed to execute.
... Kounéli.exe executed successfully.
"WHO SCARRED YOUR INNOCENCE? I'LL TEAR THEM A NEW ONE" I still whispered that. I made the promise to not tell anyone, after all. I don't want to scream that out and fail to keep my promise.
"..." Her voice was barely a murmur; I couldn't hear anything.
"Can you repeat that?"
"You did it. You did this to me" Kounéli.exe crashed.
...
...
... Kounéli.exe has rebooted.
"The memories of a 23 year old MAN merged with my own when I fell asleep. After that, memories from after his death played for me, memories where a child he is fond of appeared" Oh no, OH GOD NO. Those memories aren't safe for children to view. I went through one too many a dark path during the start of my puberty and through adolescence. Never, under any circumstances, should a child see what I did this early in life. It may... It'll scar them.
"They made me mature mentally, since I lived through the entirety of his life, all 24 years and 8 months. I now also know how both of us should not have been born according to the natural laws of this world. This may as well be an alternate universe, as you called it" I don't know anymore. Should I freak out and try mending her childish innocence, if any remained at all? Should I turn a blind eye on this? Should I try consoling her? Am I gonna be of any help to her mental state right now? Wh...
"You do not need go through a mental crisis. I made that jest for fun, but I seem to have caused you a lot of distress. I made it because of a selfish personal reason. But know that through these years of living inside your memories, I fell for the man who I came to call by a nickname I now understand. His childhood was horrible. His parents filtered who he meets and who he does not. They forced him to do things he did not want, although his father did not give any reason why his son should listen to him while his mother gave all the reasons why he should and let him choose to be free. Things spiraled from one to another until the man went down a dark path early in his life, certain wrong traits stuck with him as he grew up as a result. His feud with his unreasonable father was not helping either, which made him hate said father, who did not bother understanding his son. He hated that father but always respected him for giving him a chance at life. I fell for him after more than two decades of company and I am willing to help him change into a better person. I will help you so long you accept my help. What do you say, Kounéli?" She... sees me like that?
"If you saw my memories, you would know what I was suffering from the most and what I was expecting?" She would know, right?
"You suffered the regret of not getting married to the woman you are interested in, not because of her opinion of you but because of circumstances. What you were desperate for is a wife who stands at your side in a world where your own younger brother stole from you, in a world where you did not know who to trust beside your mother, elder sister and your twin cousins, who were brothers to you in everything but blood. On a lighter note, I know what gets under every one of your nerves. You do not have to worry; I am not doing any of them"
"You would also know that I am very possessive and could get jealous and overprotective easily?" I say as I hold one of her shoulders.
"Yes"
"Do you know that I may end up with more than you?"
"Yes"
"DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT IS OKAY? WOULDN'T YOU FEEL BETRAYED OR IGNORED IF I GOT ANOTHER ONE BESIDE YOU? WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW IN MY MEMORIES? YOU KNOW THAT I MAY GET MORE THAN YOU AND ANOTHER WOMAN. WHAT IF I NEVER STOPPED MARRYING MORE WOMEN?" I don't know why I'm about to cry right now. I'll hold it back.
"I know it by now. I know that you set a limit to yourself, that no matter what, you will not go past a certain number of wives in your entire existence. I will be satisfied if I was first in your heart. That is all I need you to give, and I will be happy. The way you imagined yourself flirting with your wife was innocence incarnate" She said the last part cheerfully.
"WHAT IF MY DEMANDS WERE OVERBEARING?"
"I remember something like that. In your past life, your mommy asked your help to move things that were heavy for her frail body. You helped without asking for compensation and without any questions of your own, like "Why should I help?". And by the end of it, she insisted to give something in return. Your Overbearing demand was the result of you not wanting to make her feel indebted to her son. You asked her to cook you a simple dish of scrambled eggs, even though she would have cooked it for you whether you helped or did not"
"Hmm?! Kounéli?!" I pulled her into a hug.
"I want to remain like this" That entire part was barely audible. The only reason she would ever hear it will be how close we are now.
*giggle*"I will not leave you, Kounéli" So she also knows why I'm hugging her this close. I feel better now.
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End of Chapter
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According to the wiki:
Wakizashi:
Blade length: 30 cm (~ 11.81 inches) up to 60 cm (~ 1 foot and 11.62 inches)
Katana:
Blade length: 60 cm (~ 1 foot and 11.62 inches) up to 80 cm (~ 2 feet and 7.50 inches)
Ōdachi/Nodachi:
Blade length: 90.9 cm (~ 2 feet and 11.79 inches) up to 377 cm (~ 12 feet and 4.43 inches)
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Author note:
Good day to you all.
You feel like the way I made them childhood sweethearts is rushed? Irrational? Do know that it would have been worse since I know nothing about how to start romance. If I waited for them to grow up, I may make this even more illogical.
Now, to a more pressing matter, from my perspective at least.
I realized some serious issue. Not with the way I'm writing the story now, no. It is with the upload schedule. I said previously that it will be any random Saturday when a chapter is ready.
The problem there was that I couldn't access my PC before at least Sunday. Couple that with the fact that my phone isn't the best editing tool. You see the problem yet? I will need to wait an entire week to upload on the next Saturday even though the chapter will be ready merely one day later.
Looking at the situation, I decided to change it to Sundays. I can edit the chapters on Sundays and upload them. Interludes are still coming out randomly, whenever I feel like uploading one. As an apology for this plunder, I tried my best to cram the contents of the next two chapters into this, that is why it became chonky. Keep in mind that this chapter is composed of three separate chapters together.
The plan for his childhoods is to be displayed in his autobiography. Some of the goofy moments I had with the chapters, like the "yearary" thing, will remain in the final drafts at times. I was going to name it a memoir. Good thing that I went and searched for the definition of a memoir first.
Some moments of his childhoods that I want to shed light on will be in more detail, taking a chapter or a few. You don't want to explore all his childhoods with nearly 9-11 worlds to visit, right?
As always, your opinions are appreciated.
Goodbye.