These are my Talents? (1)

Ariase no longer cared about the number of talents.

As long as he was bestowed at least one talent, he would accept it wholeheartedly.

He had already resigned himself to not awakening the average number of talents.

Even if he only received one or two, he would simply pour all his focus into mastering them.

That was enough. That was his fate.

But... is it really?

...

The Elder Spirit of Nature merely smirked as she watched Ariase immerse himself in his newfound power.

"These humans are all the same... No matter how many years pass, they become engrossed in such little power..."

She shook her head slightly.

"But... when they discover the true purpose of these gifts… will they still smile like that?"

A sigh left her lips. Then, with a flick of her fingers, she spoke loudly.

"Enough with that, place your hand on the tree now. It shall bestow you the talents you desire."

Ariase swallowed hard before pressing his palm against the ancient bark.

The moment his skin made contact, his hand sank into the tree's surface as if it were liquid.

He didn't resist as he had grown used to these bizarre sensations.

And just like that, his vision blurred.

...

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in yet another dimension.

Countless starlike substances floated in the vast void, each encased in a glass-like container, shimmering steadily in an array of colors—white, blue, red, purple, gold, and black. 

The sight was mesmerizing.

He instinctively reached out to grasp one, but no matter how much he tried, they remained out of reach—so near, yet impossibly distant.

Suddenly, a laugh echoed through the void.

Startled, he scanned his surroundings until his eyes landed on a breathtaking sight—the Talent Glyphs, the starlike substances, began to converge, merging into one.

Before his very eyes, they took the form of an old man.

At first glance, he appeared normal.

But strangely, something about him was off… something that felt deeply connected to Ariase.

Every breath he took carried an ancient aura of omniscience.

When the old man finally turned his gaze toward Ariase, his eyes were like miniature worlds, vast and unfathomable.

Then, the old man finally spoke, "It's been 11 years since I last met someone like you… A being who has witnessed the Genesis."

The moment those words left the old man's lips, Ariase's heart pounded violently in his chest.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead, his body tensing involuntarily.

His voice came out unsteady, a mix of nerves and anticipation.

Racking his brain for methods to turn the situation around.

"Don't be so tense, kid. And... stop thinking of ways to lie. It is futile," the mysterious old man said.

"I guess… there's no use lying now, seeing that you can even read my mind, huh?" Ariase took a shaky breath, full of unease.

"How… how did you know that I witnessed it? And... what do you mean by 'someone like me'? Who—"

Before he could finish, the old man smirked with amusement.

"You're different from the others," he said.

"Most either tried to run… or even attempted to kill me. Fools, all of them. As for the reason why I knew—"

In the blink of an eye, the old man vanished from his spot.

'Not again… Why do they always vanish? Is this their kink? Watching people get caught off guard?' he thought while scanning his surroundings.

Ariase sighed in frustration, turning in circles, trying to find any trace of the old man.

Only to reappear right in front of him.

"Such bold thought for someone who has lived for just almost three decades."

The old man raised his finger and pressed it against Ariase's forehead.

"...Didn't you ask why I knew who saw the Genesis? It's because of this..."

A surge of unimaginable energy erupted inside him.

A torrent of creation energy burst from his very being, twisting and reshaping his soul.

The sheer intensity made him scream in agony, his entire being writhing as if it were being torn apart and reforged at the same time.

But beneath the excruciating pain, he could feel it—something within him was changing.

His fragmented existence, the broken pieces of his soul, were slowly knitting themselves back together.

It was healing… faster than he had ever imagined possible.

Minutes passed like an eternity.

Then, with a final exhale, a mist-like breath escaped his lips—a breath laced with the essence of creation itself.

His soul… It was whole again.

The old man observed him with a small nod.

"You endured well."

His voice carried a hint of approval.

"Had the Genesis Essence seeped any deeper, corrupting your soul further, you would have perished—forever erased, without even a chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Ariase, still catching his breath, clenched his fists as realization dawned upon him.

"So… the thing that shattered my soul… was Genesis Essence?"

The old man nodded, "Indeed. I'm glad I'm speaking to someone sensible for once."

Yet, even as he spoke, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

In his hand, he held a glass sphere swirling with countless, chaotic streams of energy—energy that pulsed with the power of Genesis itself.

His eyes narrowed slightly as a troubling thought crossed his mind.

'But this…' he studied the sphere with a quiet sense of interest.

'The sheer amount of Genesis Essence he absorbed… to think he managed to withstand this much and didn't die immediately.'

'Just what kind of existence is this boy? Wait... is he perhaps a Candidate?' he pondered.

The old man let out a cough as he instinctively closed his eyes, conjuring an ancient technique unknown to humans.

A moment later, a massive, otherworldly eye materialized above Ariase. 

It loomed over him, radiating an overwhelming presence—its gaze piercing through his very essence.

Ariase staggered slightly.

The sheer pressure of that gaze… it was as if something far beyond human comprehension was analyzing him, dissecting the core of his being.

The old man watched, unfazed.

"I know you have a lot of questions." His voice was calm, yet firm. "But let's put that aside for now."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Now that your soul has been fully healed, I'm giving you two choices."

His fingers traced a pattern in the air as he spoke.

"First option..."

He gestured with one hand, and six faintly glowing glyphs appeared.

"You can awaken six random talents—the exact number you were fated to receive from the moment you were born into this world. Or…"

The six glyphs shattered into dust.

"I can alter your fate."

A faint, golden thread appeared between his fingers.

"Using your own Fate Threads, I can reshape your destiny, allowing you to call forth two talents of a higher grade. Who knows? You might even receive a black talent, a grade higher than gold."

Ariase stiffened, "Black talent? I thought the gold grade was the highest?"

The old man chuckled.

"That's what most believe."

His voice carried a hint of amusement.

"But black talents are different. They are mostly gifted to the Anitos, your Gods. In the entire history and generations of Filipinos, only four have ever awakened one… and one of them was like you, someone who has witnessed Genesis."

Ariase's thoughts raced.

This was a crucial choice.

If he picked the first option, he would awaken six talents, but their quality would be random.

Even his uncle had only gotten a gold talent because an Ascendant had blessed him and his generation with stronger souls and luck.

But, Ariase didn't have that same blessing, there was a high chance that some of his talents would be… useless.

On the other hand, the second option… was a gamble of fate.

He would only receive two talents, but their quality would be far superior—possibly even black grade.

He took a deep breath as he thought, 'Less talents, but greater quality…'

He closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed.

"…I better not regret this. Old man, I-I choose the second option."

The old man's smile widened, "Good choice."

He took a step forward, raising his hand. "Now, it's time to sever your fate. And remember, once I sever your threads and filter out the lower-grade talents, you must choose what chooses you. Don't seek what must be sought."

Ariase barely had time to process those words before the old man clapped his hands together and placed a firm palm against Ariase's chest.

At that moment, an explosion of colors erupted from within him.

Countless threads, varying in size and hue, emerged from his body—each one representing a possible future, a lost memory, a destined path.

They pulsed with energy, an overwhelming river of fate woven into his very being.

The old man's hands moved in an intricate pattern, weaving through the chaotic strands and carefully filtering them.

Some flickered and dimmed before snapping away, severed from Ariase's existence.

It didn't hurt, but each severance left behind a peculiar hollowness, as if something vital was being stripped away.

One by one, the weaker fates unraveled.

Until, finally, the remaining threads intertwined into a single, radiant orb.

The old man released it, and as it fell, a circular barrier of flowing threads manifested around them, pulsating with raw energy.

Then, without hesitation, the old man extended his hand, and from within his body, he let out the Talent Glyphs.

Like stars set loose in the void, they filled the space around them, glimmering with every conceivable color—white, blue, red, purple, gold, and black.

The sheer magnitude of their presence was staggering.

Yet, with the barrier in place, only a select few remained trapped within—white, blue, and red glyphs.

They hovered in place, unable to escape.

The selection process had begun.

And now…

Ariase had to make his choice.