These are my Talents (2)

In the boundless void, only three colors remained—purple, gold, and black.

The ancient figure before Ariase exhaled softly, his form flickering like a dying ember.

Then, with a final gesture, he released the last of the Talent Glyphs.

Hundreds of glowing symbols scattered into the emptiness, swirling like space fragments.

As the old man faded into nothingness, the remaining glyphs dimmed, their radiance dispersing like whispers in the dark.

Soon after, a glowing white mystic circle materialized beneath Ariase's feet, illuminating the void with an ethereal brilliance.

The Talent Glyphs converged around him, aligning themselves in an intricate pattern of a spiraling nebula.

One by one, their hues faded.

The purple, gold, and black glows dulled, leaving only the mystic circle's radiance to pierce the darkness.

At that moment, threads of fate emerged from Ariase's body.

Thin, shimmering strands extended from his being, stretching outward, each one leading to a different Talent Glyph.

They floated around him, each one waiting to be chosen.

Ariase let out a slow breath.

"Why does it have to be like this? This is just like a generic Gacha game… you never know what you're going to get. How unlucky."

Thousands of threads surrounded him, each one offering a different future.

His mind raced—should he analyze them? Should he try to feel out the best one?

…No.

He sighed as he said, "Screw it. I give up. Let's just leave this to fate!"

Clasping his hands together, he offered a quick prayer for luck.

Then, without hesitation, he reached forward and grabbed two threads at random.

With a sharp tug, he yanked them both, eyes squeezed shut.

But curiosity got the better of him, he slowly opened an eye to peek.

A faint, pulsing glow traveled up the first thread in his right hand.

A vibrant purple hue surged through it, tracing its path like liquid energy.

Ariase's eyes narrowed as he scowled.

Not to be ungrateful, purple was good, but it wasn't gold or black like what the old man promised.

'Tch, I better at least get one gold talent, or else... I won't settle for just complaints. Now, how about the other one...'

Bracing himself, he turned his gaze to the thread in his left hand.

The moment he saw it, relief flooded his chest as his lips parted in sheer exhilaration.

A golden glow radiated from it, brilliant and undeniable.

His body tensed with excitement as he clenched his fists, trying to contain the rush of emotions surging through him.

"Whew, a gold talent… I actually got one!"

Joy flickered across his face as he let out a breathless chuckle.

Though a part of him regretted not obtaining a black talent, Ariase couldn't deny the joy surging through him.

A purple and a gold talent glyph was something only one in a million Filipinos would ever awaken.

He tightly gripped the two spheres:

One glowing purple, containing his purple talent glyph, and the other radiating gold, holding the golden glyph.

As the remaining talent glyphs scattered, they coalesced once more, reforming into the old man.

With a sigh, the elder shook his head, "I thought your luck would be better, but it seems you still fell short. You didn't get a black talent, after all."

Ariase's brow twitched.

A forced smile crept onto his lips as he thought, 'I know, old man. Ever since this entire awakening started, my misfortune's been stacking up... so please stop adding more salt to the wound already.'

Then, his eyes widened as he remembered something in an instant.

The old man could read his thoughts.

Suppressing a cough, Ariase quickly covered up, forcing an awkward chuckle.

"W-well… getting a gold and a purple talent at the same time is still good. I couldn't ask for more," he said, gulping. "I really have to thank you for this opportunity, old mister."

Ariase, still smiling, internally prayed the conversation would move on.

Seeing that the old man didn't react or seem angry at his earlier thoughts, Ariase sighed in relief.

"Now that you have your talents, crush them using your right hand, and they shall be imprinted onto your Ancestral Spirit Mark," the old man instructed.

Ariase gave a firm nod and grasped the purple sphere containing his first talent glyph.

'Please be something good...' he thought, holding his breath.

With a sharp inhale, he gripped the sphere tightly.

Crack.

A creaking sound splintered across its surface.

Then, the sphere shattered.

From within, a radiant glyph emerged into the air—a leaf with golden sunrays beaming from its surface.

Ariase instinctively reached out, and the moment his fingers touched the glyph, an intense energy surged through him.

His skin shifted as intricate reticulate venation formed along its surface, starting from his right arm and spreading across his entire body like living patterns.

His flesh took on the texture of finely veined leaves, yet remained human, natural, and alive.

In an instant, knowledge about the purple talent glyph flooded his mind.

"So this is what it feels like to awaken a talent... It's completely different from when I first gained my elemental affinity," he said while exhaling a green-tinted mist.

"Back then, I didn't have the ability to control my element. But now, it's different—I can finally bend it according to the talent's will."

He flexed his fingers, watching the veined patterns on his skin pulse with energy before manipulating them to fade at his command.

'Oh man, this is really exciting! Photosynthetic Carapace is already this good… now I wonder what this golden talent will be?' he thought while looking at the golden sphere resting in his left hand.

Without hesitation, he crushed the sphere.

Crack.

The moment it shattered, four colors burst forth from the cracks.

A brilliant gold, deep blue, soft pink, and warm orange spilled into the void, illuminating everything around him.

Each hue carried a different sensation, striking him all at once.

A blistering heat like the peak of summer.

A bone-chilling frost like the dead of winter.

A refreshing breeze like the bloom of spring.

A hollow decay like the withering of autumn.

The fluctuating energy coursing through him sent shivers down his spine.

It wasn't just any power—it was the essence of changing time itself.

Even the old man's eyes widened in shock as he murmured, "H-how could it be... To think there was such a gold talent hidden among them. A glyph that harbors the essence of the time element…"

"I shouldn't have overlooked some of the talent glyphs during the filtration… If this kid manages to evolve it to Tier 5, it might even rival an ordinary black talent. It seems... the heavens have yet to abandon him after all."

Ariase reached out, his fingers brushing against the floating four-colored leaf glyph.

The moment he touched it, the glyph merged with his Ancestral Spirit Mark.

An overwhelming torrent of knowledge surged into his mind.

Intersecting tattoos of yellow, blue, pink, and orange streaked across his body, glowing like flowing veins of energy.

For an instant, he felt the passage of ever-changing time itself.

One season shifting into another.

One life giving birth to another.

One death changing the course of forever.

Life and death, growth and ruin.

One feeding the other.

It was an exhilarating feeling, one Ariase had never experienced before.

His body welcomed the power, yet at the same time, it felt as if something within him resisted its embrace.

Even more shocking, the halo at the back of his neck began to manifest on its own, despite him not summoning it.

Unlike before, when it was merely a green leaf-like ring behind his neck, the halo shifted, morphing into something entirely new.

It was now pulsing with five distinct colors—each radiating a different essence.

To the north, where the biting chill of Winter reigns supreme.

To the south, under the relentless blaze of Summer's scorching heat.

To the east, where Spring's refreshing bloom breathes new life.

To the west, where Autumn's fading decay whispers the end of a cycle.

At the heart of it all, lies the profound power of the Leaf, anchoring them all together.

The old man observed this transformation with an intrigued expression.

His ancient eyes narrowed as he muttered to himself, "If it's him, he might even contend with that girl, Zhyriess. With six of them in this era, perhaps the plan of the Son of the Primordial One will finally be completed within a few more generations."

His expression softened.

"And then… I can finally return to the First Garden."

The Ancestral Spirit Mark on Ariase's body solidified, now engraved with two high-grade talent glyphs—a leaf with sun rays and a four-colored leaf.

Ariase let out a breath, dismissing his halo as he inspected his body.

He could feel it.

Every fiber of his being had been strengthened beyond anything he had ever known.

His physique, his reflexes, even his mind felt sharper, clearer.

But before he could fully grasp the depths of his transformation, the old man stepped forward, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.

"This marks the end of your awakening, young man."

The old man glanced upward, as if sensing something.

"However… it seems our time is short… another human awaits their awakening. Don't worry I've prepared something for you outside—look forward to it."

Without warning, he pushed Ariase down.

"Wait! Just one question—!"

Ariase's words were cut short as he plunged into emptiness, his body sinking through the void.

A moment later—

Thud.

He landed back in the replica of the Garden of Eden.

Sitting up with a grimace, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

'Aish... What a waste! I wanted to learn more about the Genesis Essence,' he thought with a sigh.

He dusted himself off, taking in his surroundings.

He had returned.