Re: Timeless Apocalypse

Anatha’s voice was underlined by waves of worry and confusion.

Despite their little banter, both of them were in an extremely good mood. After spending so long trapped and chained down, to finally be free was a fruit so sweet they could hardly get enough of it.

And beyond that, Godwyn had managed not only to find his last disciple almost immediately but also to find ’her’ once again.

There was absolutely nothing in the world that could potentially mar his mood at the moment.

’Unless...’ Anatha felt her heart tense.

For long moments, Godwyn didn’t answer, and as the seconds passed, his gaze became colder and colder.

Eventually, he sighed. "It seems the youngest got himself into deep trouble."

"Deep?" Anatha was in disbelief.

Even the corruption that consumed Uriel’s soul hadn’t been enough for Godwyn to care much, as if it were meaningless.

She couldn’t possibly imagine what could make him react so fiercely.

"Has he killed a Chosen Champion already? Surely we can send the—"

Godwyn shook his head. "He wouldn’t be able to kill a champion yet. Not without a Heart."

He groaned, then pushed himself to his feet. Standing straight, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

"I’ll be back—"

He exhaled, then vanished.

"—I have to kill a few Spirit Gods."

...

[Korynth’s Hateful Inn—Alpha Suite]

Samael’s room was identical to Uriel’s to a tee.

He sat cross-legged on his meditation mat, his bed pushed a bit further away, closer to the wall, giving him space to place the crystals in a circle around himself.

After placing them exactly how his brother had instructed, he smiled, then refocused. He closed his eyes, placing his hands in a resting position near where his core would be.

He began to breathe in and out in a rhythmic cycle that rapidly plunged him into a deep trance before he could even notice.

With each breath he took, more and more aether accumulated within his body, forming a stream of azure energy that flowed in and out of every layer of his being.

PAH!

The azure energy shook, then split off into a second stream—bronze and lustrous, more regal than gold and warmer than the kindest of flames.

Fumes of gentle azure and royal bronze danced around the boy, the world shaking and resonating with his form.

The fabric of the world twisted, and wisps of primordial energy seeped into his body. Unlike Uriel, though, Samael didn’t have an inhumane body, nor did he have anything close to his aether control talent.

Even a small wisp of primordial energy should’ve killed him.

WHOOSH!

But the formation of crystals didn’t let it happen. The moment the energy entered his body, the formation activated and tore it out of him, breaking it down into seas of lesser yet more suitable energy.

The oceans flooded into Samael, all surging toward his solar plexus, where two small beady marbles could be seen—one as azure as the skies and another as bronze as the sun. Somehow, he had a natural dual-core foundation.

And they were far from simple.

SHAH!

The cores greedily drank in the seas of energy, growing larger and larger by the second, and as that happened, Samael couldn’t help but unhinge his jaw and scream out in agony.

"ARGHHHH!"

The pain was surreal. The feeling of his bones shattering, skin stretching, and flesh tearing was agonizing in a way he’d never experienced.

Even as strength flooded his body and he felt himself close to a true awakening, tears couldn’t help but blur his vision.

Pain was rapidly accompanied by rage and determination as he bit his lip hard and his gaze steeled. ’I can’t!’

’I can’t give up!’

That small spark of determination was all that was needed for his awakening to truly begin.

[Your Weave-System has awakened!]

[Your True Core has awakened!]

Water and earth aether exploded around him—a dance of gold and blue, like a field of brass-forged stars dotted across a radiant cosmic sea of bright blue.

As yet another oddity, Samael awakened his elements just as he awakened his true core and weave-system.

Smooth as his awakening was, it became even smoother.

Earth and water aether seeped into his frame, forged across his body just as the primordial energy began to fade, having finished its task.

And like this, with his body perfectly primed and elements awakened, his sparks roared to life.

Samael’s eyes snapped wide open, their sunset-orange hue glowing as brightly as a dying star, dyeing the room in their glow.

[Your Natal Spark has awakened!]

[You have entered the G Rank!]

The pain that had been consuming Samael faded. And, as if a veil that had blinded him his whole life had been lifted, he felt a gate within himself open.

[Elemental Mutation is occurring!]

Sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing—Samael felt all his senses explode and morph, shedding their previous nature to ascend to a new plane of perception.

As this happened, he also felt a deep connection within him take shape, binding what he called his flesh to the world itself.

’I have...two sparks?!’

He didn’t have time to be shocked when he noticed the notification about his elements. He blinked, and the earth and water aether around him shattered.

Then, they merged into one another and...

[You have re-awakened and forged a Unique Element!]

[...!]

Samael’s eyes widened. ’Re-awakened? And forged? What the hell—’ his thoughts were interrupted once more.

[Rewards have been granted!]

BANG!

Earth and water melted into one another to form a crucible, hammered by his sparks and purified by his cores to birth something new.

Or rather, to awaken something old.

’...’

But just as the truths of his new element were about to flood his mind, Samael froze, and a roar echoed across his mind—so guttural and violent it seemed straight from the abyss.

But the roar was laced with a Will that seemed to recognize him and thus spare him. No, it didn’t simply spare him. The will within the roar infused into his body and opened yet another gate within him.

"...?!"

Samael was at a complete loss, so many gates and avenues of power being opened to him, overwhelming him after spending years powerless.

He’d spent so long begging for it that now that it was finally here, he couldn’t believe that...it was simply too much.

Elements, unique elements, weaves, rewards, cores, gates, Wills—it overwhelmed him.

WHOOOSH!

Samael passed out just as the spectral manifestation of a spirit appeared behind him, softly cushioning his fall.

The spirit resembled a...Spider.