Chapter 48: Rejoice!

Sia frowned. "I felt nauseous… but that was it."

Nausea returning wasn't great, but much better than a hypnotic death chant from beyond.

"Still," Thea said, voice firm. "I think we should be cautious. At least one person should be nearby to stop you."

We all nodded.

To check for changes, Sia called out, "Status."

And froze.

Her breath hitched, just barely, almost imperceptible. Her fingers twitched at her sides, pressing against the rock like she needed something solid.

"I…uh, guys?"

She swallowed hard, like something was lodged in her throat.

A tense silence stretched between us.

When she finally spoke again, her voice was steadier, but no less unnerved.

"Something's up with the system."

A stiff breeze stirred through the cavern, rustling the edges of our clothes. The cool air did nothing to shake the tight grip settling in my chest.

"Is it bad?" Elric asked.

"I don't know," she murmured, still staring at her status screen. "My system rank is gone."

Her gaze moved up and down, scanning, processing something.

"I have a new category." She hesitated, voice laced with confusion. "Species."

Thea leaned in slightly. "What's weird about that?"

Sia squinted. A bead of sweat traced down her temple.

"It's…" she trailed off.

I grinned. "What? Is 'natural redhead' a species now?"

Her eyes snapped to me.

Not amused.

Not even close.

Annoyance? Maybe.

Disbelief? Definitely.

Still, she answered.

"Not human… Unbound."

Another brief silence stretched between us.

"Mine hasn't changed." Thea's voice broke the quiet as she called out for her status.

Yet another thing the Precursor Energy had changed.

"Feel anything different?" I asked curiously.

Sia shook her head.

"Good."

I paused, letting the moment settle over us all.

Then, I took a breath.

"I feel like there's something important that needs to be said."

They all turned to me. Serious. Focused.

Perfect.

I cleared my throat.

"Elric…" I glanced around, making sure I had everyone's undivided attention.

They waited.

Then, with all the gravity I could muster.

"Is dating a subhuman."

…Man, there were a lot of silences today.

I saw Sia's fingers twitch toward the ground.

Small movements. Calculated.

Oh.

She was grabbing pebbles.

"Now, Sia," I started, hands raising defensively.

Too late.

Dirt filled my mouth.

Pebbles bounced, offensively but harmlessly, against my clothes.

I sat there, sputtering out the taste of damp rock and regret, thankful I had at least closed my eyes in time.

Through my own coughing and spits, I barely caught Sia's final words.

"You're subhuman."

I shot her a defeated look, still trying to clear the dirt from my mouth.

Thea sighed, patting my back gently before shifting gears. "What do you mean your system rank disappeared?"

She handed me a flask of water, which I took gratefully, leaning on her while Sia seemed to be choosing her next words carefully.

"I mean, the category is gone," she said simply.

Lyra frowned. "That's it? Just gone?"

Sia shook her head. "Actually… I have a new mission. But there's no system rank, no level… just a mission."

I raised my hands before this conversation spiraled into a headache.

"Alright, I think we've discussed this enough for now. It'll be much easier to understand what's happening once it happens to everyone, right?"

I glanced around. There was silent agreement in their expressions.

"Cool. Then let's make you guys not human."

No one argued.

We all sat down, letting Lyra be the next to face off against whatever thing was watching us from the abyss.

The process played out just like before.

She refined. We formed half-cores. Then, at the final moment, we solidified them together.

Then she sparred with Elric.

And again, he was far more patient and gentle than he had been with me.

I squinted at the injustice.

But soon, Lyra sat back down, closing her eyes to shatter the last remnants of her pseudo-core.

A voice.

Not furious. Not howling. Just… watching. Waiting.

"I see. You have all made your choice."

The words resonated through the air, not a whisper, not a scream. Just a presence.

There was no shaking.

Just a resounding observation of our determination.

Even Lyra's eyes only widened for a brief moment before the fear vanished.

She exhaled. "I saw the eyes."

We all nodded.

The pattern had been established.

And now, we all knew, there was no turning back.

I stretched, rolling my shoulders. "Who's next?"

The group moved, focusing on restoring our Grand Channels to optimal levels.

"I'll go," Elric stated.

"Then Thea," he added, glancing at me. "Then you. I want everyone at their peak when you start. Without a system, who knows how you'll change?"

I chuckled. "Maybe I just get to stay human, unlike you four."

Thea arched a brow. "Who said you were human in the first place?"

I blinked.

"Hey!" I protested. "Tha—"

"All the humans I've ever known had systems," she interrupted, smirking.

I opened my mouth but no argument came at the moment.

The others had already begun sparring.

I rushed toward Thea, ducking a wide swing from her arm. "I guess you're the only one here dating a real freak of nature then." I grinned only centimeters away from her.

She returned the smile.

"You're right about that… freak."

With a light push, she sent me back before darting forward to keep the match going.

We moved together, exchanging blows and steps in focused silence, the rhythmic dance of combat keeping us locked in motion.

Eventually, we collapsed onto the stone, panting.

My mind was starting to swirl.

We had been at this for a while now. No breaks, no time to breathe, but the circumstances demanded progress.

And despite my feeble, protesting brain begging for mercy, we kept going.

We all sat in a circle again. This time, focusing on Elric.

The same process played out.

Refining. Half-cores. Completion.

It ended when Elric finally spoke. "It only stared at me."

I perked up, hopeful. "Maybe you charmed him, and we're off the hook?"

A small laugh came from beside me.

Didn't have to look to know it was Thea.

Finally. Someone laughing at my jokes besides me.

I opened my mouth, ready to double down on my comedic gold.

A hand covered my mouth.

Gently.

"Peter," Thea said with patient exasperation, "let's get started. I'm next."

That, apparently, was funnier than my joke.

A round of giggles erupted from the group, far too entertained by the sight.

Yeah. I guess it probably looked a bit strange from the outside.

Like a teacher politely asking a child to stop fooling around in class.

With a dramatic groan, I slouched closer to her.

"I need a break."

Lyra's voice was soft, but firm. "Let's wait until we all finish."

I nodded begrudgingly.

A hand squeezed my knee.

"Just a bit more."

…Fine.

And so, again, seriously, how many times had I said that today? We followed the process.

Gathering energy. Converting it.

And sitting in a cute little circle like children.

Finally, Thea exhaled and spoke.

"Just stared at me too."

I sagged. "Okay. Please, let's—"

"Nope."

Thea cut me off gently, but firmly.

"Last one."

I immediately went for a tactical retreat. "How about we talk about your systems now?"

Seriously. How did they have so much focus?

I looked around, desperately hoping someone, anyone, would back me up.

To my shock, everyone actually looked interested.

Thea opened her mouth, no doubt to shut down my escape attempt, "I think we should fini—"

"Actually… Thea, I could use a break from this."

Lyra's voice was soft but resolute, a faint trace of exhaustion creeping in.

Sia and Elric nodded, rolling out their shoulders and stretching.

I guess just because we could stay awake longer didn't mean we could train forever without consequence.

Thea lowered her head beside me, pouting.

Oh?

An opportunity.

I leaned in slightly, voice casual but teasing.

"We still need to make plans outside of Body Refinement."

She didn't lift her head.

Yeah. She was fishing.

I smirked. "I'll need a ner—grandmaster to discuss the next steps with."

A long, dramatic sigh.

Then she shifted lower, lazily resting her head on my lap.

I froze.

Her hair, soft and slightly damp from sweat, slid over my knee and thigh as she adjusted herself, getting way too comfortable.

"I was getting tired too," she murmured, still pouting slightly as she settled in.

But seriously. Was she trying to make me…

"Status."

Three voices from across the circle cutting off my thoughts.

I guess no one felt like indulging our theatrics anymore.

I glanced down expectantly as Thea muttered the same word, her breath barely brushing against the fabric of my pants.

My right arm hovered awkwardly in the air, fingers twitching slightly. What was I even supposed to do with them?

Before I could decide, a soft sigh came from my lap.

"I have to teach you how to cultivate, breathe, and now this?"

She grabbed my hand with her smaller one and pulled it down herself, placing it exactly where she wanted it.

There were a few quiet snickers from the others.

Naturally, I had to retaliate.

"I'm sure I can teach you some things myself."

She scoffed, voice barely above a murmur. "Like what?"

I bent down, lowering my voice just enough for only her to hear.

Her entire body tensed.

Her fingers twitched slightly in my hand.

Then, her face went beet red.

Oh. I actually feel bad now.

She didn't move. Didn't speak. Just lay there, processing.

With how sheltered she was, I was probably corrupting her innocent mind a little too much.

…Just a little.

Elric groaned. "Time and place, Peter."

I sat up immediately. "Says the guy who sullied the training room."

Silence.

They were definitely not looking at me shyly like Thea.

Just glares.

I cleared my throat quickly. "So, uhhhh, the mission?"

Hoping, praying, to shift the fire away from me.

…Literally.

"Clear or Escape the Labyrinth."

Elric's voice was flat as he read from his system.

"Rewards…unknown."

I blinked. "That's it?"

Four heads nodded in turn.

"So… new stat, new race, system rank completely gone, and now you've all got a mystery mission with unknown rewards?"

Another round of nods.

"And," Lyra added, glancing around for confirmation, "we all have the same mission."

That… didn't sound normal.

I exhaled slowly. "Otherwise, your system is the same?"

"Seems like it," Thea mumbled, still resting comfortably on my lap, her voice laced with drowsiness as she yawned.

"Okay. Simple then. We continue as usual and handle problems as they come."

I deepened my voice slightly giving it that decisive, leader-like tone.

A beat of silence.

"You mean like we did with those tree monsters?"

Sia, arms crossed, tone dry.

A mutiny. Already.

I stared at her. Then at the others.

Blank looks.

A snicker from my lap.

"…Maybe." I stated simply, casually ignoring any possible flaws in my logic.

More blank stares.

Thea, not even bothering to lift her head, let out another quiet giggle.

I sighed. "Fine. We prepare first. Then we take problems as they come."

I glanced around the group, scanning for any more potential uprisings.

"Let's finish off with you," Elric instructed.

A collective groan rippled through the group, except for Thea, who suddenly looked wide awake.

She sat up immediately, eyes sharp with anticipation.

I groaned again, slower this time, dragging myself to my feet. My body protested every movement, the fatigue from nonstop cultivation finally clawing at my limbs.

Still, there wasn't much choice. One more time.

Eventually, we circled up for the final time.

One by one, hands settled on me.

I closed my eyes, inhaling. The energy flooded in.

At first, it was... nausea then bliss. A rushing, euphoric sensation. Like sinking into something warm and endless, as if the very air around me was breathing life into my veins.

It was gone. Ripped away.

I snapped my eyes open, the sudden emptiness leaving behind an almost painful stillness.

Still, I had to finish.

I stood, faced Thea.

We took position. A light spar.

But even she was slower than usual. Her movements lacked sharpness, her usual flow dulled with exhaustion.

"Finally getting tired?" I teased.

She didn't answer immediately. Our movements were clumsy, half-hearted, more like a lazy dance than actual combat.

"Even I can't cultivate forever," she admitted.

A quiet laugh left my lips. "I'd like to sleep soon for sure."

She nodded softly, and just like that, we were done.

I sat back down, ignoring the dull ache in my body.

One last thing.

I focused. The remnants of the core hovered within me, waiting. I condensed a thin needle of energy, guiding it to pierce the center.

Then.

Black.

The world vanished.

No sound. No breath. No air. No anything.

The nothingness stretched infinitely, swallowing everything whole.

I turned. Nothing.

I moved. Nothing.

My voice barely scraped the silence. "Hello?"

Movement.

A presence. A great and terrible presence.

From the abyss, something shifted.

Slow. Purposeful. Colossal.

Something impossibly vast stirred in the dark, the very space around me trembling as if reality itself feared its awakening.

They opened.

Gargantuan eyelids, peeling apart, revealing a pair of crimson suns.

No.

Not suns.

Eyes.

Focused. Piercing. Absolute.

The very instant their attention centered on me.

A weight fell.

A force beyond comprehension crashed into me, crushing, suffocating, pressing into my being in a way that defied existence itself.

I hit the ground.

Or, at least, what should have been ground.

The void itself folded under the sheer intensity of that gaze, flattening me into it as if it were something tangible.

Every part of me, flesh, mind, soul, unraveled.

My heart thundered. No…it slammed against my ribs, beating like a war drum trapped inside my throat.

I wasn't breathing.

I wasn't anything.

A voice.

A command.

"You do not belong here."

The words tore through me.

They were not spoken. They were not heard. They were felt.

A decree, woven into the very fabric of my being.

Something deeper than sound, more powerful than thought.

Something primordial. Unquestionable. Absolute.

And I, I was nothing before it.

A mere whisper in the wake of a storm.

A speck drowning in an endless, cosmic abyss.

And it knew me.

"AGHHHHH!"

A detonation of pain.

A white-hot, all-consuming eruption inside my skull. Blinding. Deafening. Drowning.

My body, if I even had one, convulsed. But there was no ground, no air, no reality to anchor me.

Nothing but pain.

My own screams ripped through the void, but they didn't exist. I didn't exist.

The agony was not just felt. It was injected, burned into me, raw and endless.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't escape.

Flashes.

Not light. Not visions.

Memories.

Forced into me at once. Not one after the other.

All of them.

Collapsing into my mind like an avalanche, crashing down with a force beyond reason.

My home, the exact color of the chipped paint on my childhood walls.

The scent of morning dew from my old neighborhood.

The sound of my foster home mother's voice, not a memory, not a thought, real, alive, as if she was whispering in my ear.

Laughter. Tears. A million moments I had long since buried ripped back to the surface, too much, too fast. Too real.

I couldn't process it.

I couldn't bear it.

The food I ate the day before I left. The exact taste of every single bite, every grain of the hamburger bun, the warmth of the meal now turned to searing iron melting my tongue.

The touch of my school desk under my fingers, a sensation so precise, so hyper-real, I felt every grain of wood press into my skin.

My first step onto the streets that morning. The weight of my shoes against the pavement, the dull chill of the air, the rhythmic thrum of passing vehicles.

Living all of it.

I thrashed more. 

But the pain, the sheer, mind-splitting weight of sensation, kept going, fracturing me into pieces.

I prayed for an end.

But none came.

Memories folding into each other, layered and layered, until my mind was suffocating beneath the weight of everything that I ever was.

And then.

Relief.

Like a blade was lifted from my skull.

The storm vanished.

The void returned. Empty.

But the pain, the truth of it, was burned into me.

Tattooed onto my very existence.

A wound not on my body, but on my soul.

I shuddered. I would never forget that pain.

Never.

And just when I thought nothing could be worse.

The voice.

Colder than before. Stronger. Heavier.

And this time…final.

"A weak world with no one to guide it."

A slow, horrible realization began to curl through my bones.

Laughter.

Not warm. Not human.

Mocking. Twisting. Tearing.

It blasted into my ears, each note of amusement slicing through me like shattered glass. My form vibrating so violently that I thought I would break apart, unravel into nothing.

"I—I should reward you."

The voice was booming, dripping with amusement. Mocking. Teasing.

It was playing with me.

It was savoring the moment…drawing it out, because it already knew how much its next words would hurt me.

"I will reward your entire world."

The void froze.

My mind froze.

No.

No, no, no!

A pause.

Not for thought.

Not for hesitation.

For effect.

For me to realize.

For the terror to settle.

For it to seep into my core like poison.

"Yes…I will visit them myself. And bless them. Rejoice"

"NO!"

It tore from my throat like a primal scream.

My world, it wasn't perfect, it wasn't great, but it was mine.

And nothing, nothing this thing would bring could be anything good.

I felt its smile before I saw it.

A slow shift in the void.

His face revealed itself.

Not emerging from the darkness, no. It was the darkness.

The ruby eyes flared, their cruel radiance drowning the void in red light.

Silver hair, shimmering, perfect, reflecting the glow like polished metal.

His skin was so pale it was sickening. Drained. Hollow. A perfect vessel, lifeless inside.

A body sculpted into the peak of beauty, yet somehow so cold, so empty, so utterly devoid of soul that the sight of him alone made me want to scream.

Then he smiled.

A fatherly smile.

Gentle. Warm. Loving.

And filled with more cruelty than anything I had ever known.

"Most will perish."

The void shook.

"The beasts will kill them."

I gasped, but no air filled my lungs.

"My power will corrupt the others to slime."

No. Please!

The ruby eyes flared again, illuminating the void in searing, burning light.

And then, as if bestowing a great mercy, he spoke again.

"But the worthy will survive."

I felt it coming before he even said it.

I already knew.

And yet, it still shattered me.

"I will tell them who is responsible."

My entire being seized.

"Peter. Your image seared into them."

"The weak will curse your name."

The words settled into me. Burrowed deep.

A weight I couldn't hold. A burden I couldn't carry.

"The strong will worship you."

I was shaking.

But his voice. It softened.

Not in mercy. In cruelty.

"I say again."

A pause.

Just enough time for the moment to fester.

For the horror to sink deeper.

"Rejoice."