Chapter Eight
A young Sa’nasi cub sat at the edge of a cliff, the abyss below shrouded in darkness. She hummed a soft, lulling melody that her mother sang to her each night, its soothing notes carrying her away to a dreamlike state. The gentle breeze carried the scent of the village's Anima flowers, a sweet fragrance that filled her senses.
Her mother placed a pristine white Anima flower, a symbol of innocence, behind her right ear. It was a rare treasure in their village, a fragile hope that brought the villagers together in times of hardship. Picking them was a sacred ritual, and the whole village gathered to choose the cub who would bear the flower.
But this year was different. The harsh winter had left the villagers struggling to survive, their hopes dwindling. Yet, an Anima bloomed overnight, a miracle that rekindled their spirits. The young cub was chosen to carry the flower, and she felt a sense of pride as her mother led her to the cliff's edge.
Giggling with joy, she continued to hum the melody, unaware of the tragedy that was about to unfold. As her mother left, tears streaming down her face, a sudden, wet sound shattered the peaceful atmosphere. The ground beneath the cub's paws was painted red with blood, the Anima flower now tainted with the innocent's life force.
The flower drifted down into the abyss, a haunting image of the fragility of hope in a world of darkness.
✾✾✾
Diegen bolted upright, his heart pounding in his chest as he gasped for air. His mind was still in a fog as he tried to shake off the vivid images that had plagued his dreams. He had been reliving the terror of that pitch black abyss, the pitiable villagers, and the innocent cub. It all felt too real.
He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked around, his eyes adjusting to the dimly lit cavern. The sight of the glowing underground lake in front of him helped to ease his nerves. The bioluminescent fish swam in circles around the waterfall, their neon colors casting eerie shadows on the walls. It was a peaceful scene, but Diegen's mind was anything but peaceful.
“Is it because I’m lacking some sort of vitamin?” he wondered aloud. The lack of sunlight and his 100% fish diet were probably affecting his mental state. Or perhaps the isolation was starting to take its toll.
An indeterminate length of time had passed since he had found the lake. His PPC had long run out of battery, and there was no sun in the sky to help him tell the time. It had to have been several weeks at the very least, which meant that he was bound to be presumed dead by now.
Diegen wondered if he should start making the sixty-hour trek back to the portal he’d come out of. It was a risky move, but he couldn't stay here forever. He needed to find out what was happening in the outside world. Was Haven recovered? Were his friends safe?
But he had to consider the possibility that there very well could’ve been more monsters around than the one that had come from the portal in the first place. He may not have encountered a monster on his way here, but he wasn’t willing to risk his life twice on that bet.
With nothing else better to do, Diegen began practicing his dagger-play again. He slashed and thrusted the empty air, starting with single strikes and gradually combining them into more complex sequences. These patterns just emerged when he started moving, as if his body had a memory of them even though his brain didn’t.
“Hey body, why do you know how to do something that I don’t?”
Now that he had some time to think, he really questioned everything that had happened in Haven. All of it was quite strange. His abrupt ascension to Astraldom, his sudden ability to use the dagger, and now his body was practically moving to muscle memory of movements that he had no recollection of using.
He wondered if it was the result of one of those two abilities that had yet to reveal themselves to him, but some part of him knew that wasn’t it. There was something strange going on, and he wasn’t sure whether he liked it or not.
The biggest change, however, had nothing to do with his body. He didn’t remember his mind having been so sharp before. For the past five years, he’d lived in a state of persistent emptiness, and it was difficult for him to do anything, really. He forgot things often, felt irritable and frustrated on a daily basis, and spent more days than he cared to admit just glued to his bed or to whatever game could capture his attention for more than a couple hours.
Now, it was as if a veil had been lifted. His emotions felt more real, his senses felt sharper, and his energy felt boundless.
He found that he enjoyed training, and not just to a moderate degree. He couldn’t remember the last time that he’d exercised for the sake of exercise, but it was cathartic. His body entered a rhythm that danced with the beat of his soul. The sweat pouring from his body and the pain of effort was proof that he was alive.
It had became a daily ritual. Wake up, train, eat, sleep, repeat.
He had no sense of how much time had passed, but the number of times that he’d woken up easily passed a hundred. Eventually, however, he felt that something was missing in his training. While his strikes moved smoothly and skillfully after weeks of practice, they felt weak and meaningless compared to the times when he had fought against the monsters.
One day, as his mind was wandering during his training, he thought about the prime he had faced off against, and a spike of anger flared in his chest as he remembered how the Gulatroxian had treated Asmophel. Suddenly, his slash gained a different kind of momentum, making a sharp cutting sound as it arced through the air.
He stopped, wondering what just happened. That slash was stronger than any slash he had performed in this place before. He tried the same slash again, but it came up short, feeling like the thousands of other slashes he’d done already. What was he missing?
“Right, I was thinking about that bastard. Hmm… maybe I can try this…”
He imagined the Gulatroxian Prime standing before him. He remembered the tone of pleasure the Prime had when he mocked him and the fallen Asmophel, the smug smile on the Prime’s face as he kicked Asmophel’s body, and the disgusting way the Prime licked Asmophel’s blood off his sword.
The smell of the air at the time was acrid and harsh. The air was filled with the sounds of fire and crumbling concrete, overlaid with the sound of his own heartbeat. He could feel the same rocky ground beneath his feet as he stared at his enemy, who was standing over the fallen body of Asmophel.
The rage in his heart ignited, and Diegen thought that he could feel his dagger tremble with excitement. He slashed once, intending to maim the imaginary Gulatroxian in front of him. The enemy in his mind casually dodged it, but the slash was sharp. He followed it up with a thrust to the Gulatroxian’s heart, which the Gulatroxian avoided with a simple twist of the body. At the last moment, however, the dagger burst into flames, and Diegen recoiled as the dagger clashed directly into the wall in front of him, sending him stumbling backwards.
“Ow!”
The dagger clattered to the ground as he held his throbbing hand. But as much as it hurt, he was fascinated.
“What was that?”
Of course, no one responded, but Diegen wasted no time in picking his dagger back up. He studied the wall, which now had a charred and blackened crack in it. That got him excited. If he could pull off that kind of power with every strike, that would totally change the game.
He gripped his dagger tightly, feeling his heart racing with anticipation. His mind raced as he prepared to draw out the power that lay within him. He knew that the burst of energy he had felt earlier had come from his anger, but he also knew that there was a deeper, more potent rage within him that he had been suppressing for years.
He took a deep breath, his eyes squeezed shut as he searched his memory for the one person who had caused him the most pain and anguish. And then he saw him, the young Sa’nasi with the smug grin, the one who had hurt him so deeply that the wounds had never fully healed.
Diegen's hand trembled as he opened his eyes, flames dancing along the edge of his dagger. He saw his younger self sitting before him, and he felt the cold fury rise up within him, burning with a steady, relentless heat.
But then, just as quickly, the flames were extinguished, replaced by a wave of crushing grief and shame. Diegen felt as if he was drowning in a sea of emotions, his body trembling as he struggled to keep his head above water.
He collapsed to the ground, his dagger going cold in his hand as he hugged himself tightly, shivering with the weight of his pain. The mysterious lake beside him seemed to reflect his inner turmoil, its waters dark and murky, swirling with an unspoken sorrow.
He lay there, alone and vulnerable, until the exhaustion and the weight of his emotions finally overtook him, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
✾✾✾
Diegen was filled with hesitation as he thought about touching that particular memory again. The thought of reliving it filled him with dread, and he felt a knot form in his stomach. Instead, he focused his training on his hatred towards the Gulatroxian. Each time he attacked, he poured every ounce of his anger into it, aiming to cause maximum damage with every strike. While it didn't have the same intensity as his other memory, it still provided him with plenty of fuel.
Gradually, the fiery anger that had once consumed him cooled, transforming into a steady, burning rage that he could summon at will. With this newfound ability, he could ignite his dagger and unleash even more powerful attacks. Though he had yet to land a blow on the imaginary Gulatroxian, he was able to keep the Prime on his toes with a flurry of consecutive strikes.
Diegen soon discovered that using his dagger in this way drained his shimmer, the energy that fueled his Sixth Sense. He could feel a steady flow of shimmer traveling from his lower abdomen up through his arm and into the dagger. With his new ability, he could keep the dagger lit for up to half an hour at a time, but he had to take breaks to recharge his shimmer or risk suffering from exhaustion-induced headaches.
One benefit of this new ability was that he could now explore the dark tunnels with ease. While the bioluminescent fish could only provide him with light for a few minutes, his blazing dagger allowed him to explore for hours at a time, taking breaks as needed.
As he delved deeper into the tunnels, Diegen discovered that there were several diverging paths, each leading to a different exit from the underground lake. Some of the paths led to strange dead ends that looked like they had once been someone's home. Primitive walls, tables, and chairs made of moss-covered rocks hinted at an ancient Sa'nasi civilization that had long since vanished. The presence of the skeletons of his own kind, however, was a grim reminder of his solitude on this planet. Despite this, Diegen took comfort in knowing that he was still on Harenasa and not stranded on some unfamiliar world.
One particular dead end housed a skeleton that was a little different from the others. It was slightly larger, and each of its limbs ended in an appendage with not four, but five fingers.
“Astrals have been around for a long time too, huh?” He wondered out loud. “Just what happened here to all of you?”
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His voice echoed in the tunnel, which made it sound like several people were asking the same question at the same time.
Diegen then noticed that the finger had a dusty object on it and silently apologized as he pulled it off the skeleton.
—-
Stone Ring of Stealth (Rare)
Artifact - Ring
This artifact was once just a piece of stone that had been untouched for a million years. It was then carved into the shape of a ring using the core of a monster that specialized in stealth. Allows the user to become undetectable for one second. Can be used three times a day.
—
“Score!”
It was an incredible find. He didn’t expect to find an artifact down here in the middle of nowhere, much less a rare one.
Since he acquired the ring, Diegen wore it wherever he went. It gave him a sense of security, and he gained the confidence to venture deeper and deeper into the tunnels.
To activate the stealth ability, all he needed to do was to will it. He tested its ability using the fish in the lake, and the fish didn’t seem to even be able to tell that he was touching it whenever he used a charge. The artifact seemed to erase all traces of sound, sight, and touch, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if it also masked smell and taste.
He figured that he’d better save the ring’s charges for emergencies, in case he ended up running into an unexpected enemy during his explorations.
And thus it was that Diegen continued to train and explore every day, until a notification popped up in his vision.
—-
Congratulations! As a result of your continuous pursuit for strength, your strength has reached the stage of Discovery (Limit).
Name Diegen Faerfeld Rank/Level Astral, Level 2 Race Sa’nasi Path Way of the Soul Fork Unselected Strength Discovery (Limit) Endurance Discovery (Limit) Dexterity Discovery (Limit) Agility Discovery (Limit) Shimmer Discovery (Basic) Stealth Discovery (Basic) Skills Slash (Basic) Thrust (Basic) Innate Abilities Sixth Sense (Basic) ??? Path-Related Abilities ??? Unspent Ability Points 2
—-
“Finally,” Diegen said.
All of Diegen's stats, except for Shimmer and Stealth, had reached the Discovery (Limit) stage. Despite his continued his physical training, he seemed unable to advance his stats beyond that level, suggesting there might be some unknown restriction. He was also frustrated that he had yet to discover his second innate or path-related ability, despite nearly dying multiple times. Perhaps saving the world was the only way to reveal them? But he quickly dismissed such negative thinking. In the tunnels, complaining was useless.
With that in mind, Diegen finished his 'morning' meal and stretched, even though he had no idea what time it was. Time had lost all meaning down in the tunnels without a reference point. Today, he planned to explore deeper into the tunnels than ever before. There was a fork he had been avoiding because he had spent over three hours exploring it previously without reaching any end. Having explored every other section of the tunnel around the lake, he only had two options: to either take the path he had been avoiding or backtrack to the portal and see what was on the other side. Since the portal was far away, he decided to open door number one first, and if needed, he could always restock and try to make his way to the portal later.
Once he tied the ends of his sack of fish (formerly his t-shirt), stuffed his pockets with as much fish as possible, and set his dagger ablaze, Diegen ventured into the unventured. The first few hundred meters were much of the same, but soon he started to see further evidence of the ancient civilization that must have lived there. He found several cylindrical disks of stone that were likely wheels at one point in time. There were also tracks that were made by engraving a shallow groove into the rocky floor below.
There were more skeletons along the way, each of which he took care to inspect in case they had artifacts in their possession. They didn’t, but he did find a cracked stone tablet that one of the skeletons were holding. It was etched with some kind of written language that he couldn’t read. Maybe it was a list of some sorts, because the contents were organized in four columns and the writing was a lot smaller and compact. The tablet also looked to be quite damaged, because a lot of the writing was scratched out.
Despite the eerie feeling of the skeletons, Diegen couldn't help but feel hopeful as he continued exploring. He wondered why a civilization that was advanced enough to create tools and communicate with written language died out like this. He doubted that it was due to a monster attack, because other than for wear over time, most of the skeletons seemed to be in perfect physical condition. None of the skeletons looked like they had been mangled by a monster triple their size, so to speak. Honestly, it seemed to him like they suddenly died where they stood, which gave him some cause for concern.
But he pushed his worries aside and kept exploring, finding more wheels, more skeletons, and eventually, piles of rock. Rocks of various sizes were arranged in organized stacks of small rocks, medium-sized rocks, and large rocks. He guessed this had to be an underground quarry of some sort.
His suspicion was confirmed when the tunnel began to widen and thick rock pillars began to appear along the center of the tunnel, which would’ve helped to keep it propped up as the workers excavated the surrounding stone. The tunnel was at least three times as large as he had ever seen it, and more of that ancient, scribble-like writing was etched all over the walls. This time, it looked far more organized, and there was even a crude diagram drawn that was reminiscent of a blueprint on one of the pillars.
It appeared that this ancient civilization had been far from simple Sa’nasi from the stone ages that Diegen had thought. They were clearly versed in mathematics and architecture. Culture too, seeing as how he was beginning to see sculptures of Sa’nasi Astrals inside rectangular impressions cut into the wall. These sculptures were incredibly detailed and could likely rival the kind of quality that was possible with 3D printers of the modern age.
Despite the throbbing headache caused by shimmer exhaustion, a new spring entered his step as he thought about what this could mean. Here, he could potentially find treasures from an entire lost civilization. If he could ever make it out of here, there was a non-zero chance that he might emerge a wealthy Sa’nasi.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder at the prospect of what he might discover. Maybe he would find clues to the downfall of this ancient civilization or even uncover their secrets. As he rested in a small space behind one of the sculptures, he let himself imagine a future where he emerged from this trial as a rich and powerful Astral, with the knowledge and treasures of a lost civilization at his disposal. With that thought in mind, he felt a glimmer of hope that he could overcome any obstacle in his way, and that he might even find the courage to return home one day. This hope helped him to bear with the freezing cold in the absolute darkness.
Once he recharged his shimmer, Diegen quickly ignited his dagger and allowed the warmth of the fire to nuke his frozen bones.
The silver lining of the cold was that the fish he brought with him would stay preserved for a decent while. He had long begun to cook his fish before eating them, which was less of a health consideration and more of a taste preference. He skewered one with a stone rod that he had brought with him and roasted it over the fire of his dagger.
While he waited for it to cook, a memory from his childhood flitted into his consciousness. He thought about the one time he had gone camping with his family in the canyons to the west of the Lower Districts and cooked fish over a fire pit. At the time, fish was a delicacy that they couldn’t afford, but one of their family friends had recently returned from a business trip off-planet with a few and decided to share.
He remembered the first bite of that soft, juicy meat. It was piping hot and he had to blow several times to cool it off, and his father had laughed while his older brothers were fighting for their second piece of fish already. His younger sister, who was beginning to teeth at the time, had an adorably joyful expression as she chewed the small piece of fish their mother had fed her.
They didn’t have much at the time, but they were happy.
Sniffing, Diegen bit into his fish. It had always tasted bland before, but today it was markedly saltier.
Soon, he was rested and fed, meaning that it was time to continue his exploration.
He crawled out of the hole behind the statue and patted it on the shoulder as he left. “Thanks for guarding the door for me, good sir,” he said. “Keep up the good work.”
The underground quarry continued on for a while longer, and he saw the same things over and over again. Pillars, skeletons, writing on the walls, sculptures, more pillars, more skeletons…
Two tracks of grooves ran down the length of the quarry, on either side of the pillar. It was when the pillars stopped showing up and the two tracks merged that Diegen thought that he was finally making progress. The tunnels narrowed again, and it was a short while until Diegen found what he’d been looking for.
Except it wasn’t really what he was hoping for.
Cast in the flickering light of the fire from Diegen’s dagger, he saw a seamless wall at the far end of the tunnel.
A dead end.
Diegen stared agape at the wall, refusing to believe it. He ran up to it and tried pushing it, but it didn’t give even a bit.
“No, there’s gotta be something here.”
But no matter how much he searched the wall, there wasn’t anything there.
He hammered his fists on it, a surprising amount of frustration building up in his chest. Even though he hadn’t really thought about it consciously, he had been excited at the prospect of finding something. Anything.
It didn’t have to be the exit. It didn’t have to be a lost city. It could’ve just been an extension of the quarry. The only thing he wanted to do was to keep moving forwards, but apparently even that was too much to ask.
He collapsed onto the ground and began to sob. He didn’t even want to think about having to go back. Dark thoughts clouded his mind, and the fire surrounding his dagger flickered out.
In the pitch black and cold end of the tunnel, Diegen wondered if he’d been a fool to be hopeful at all. With all of the death that surrounded him, how could he even consider the possibility that he, a lone Sa’nasi, would emerge alive?
He remembered the Goddess Avaritia telling him about his destiny or something ridiculous like that. His destiny, it seemed, was to spend his entire life eating fish alone by a forsaken lake in the middle of nowhere.
He gripped his dagger tightly and wondered whether it was time to face reality. A quick end here was better than a hopeless pursuit of something unattainable, right?
The dagger felt cool to the touch, and it felt like all of the wrong decisions he had ever made in his life were like hands placing themselves on his, egging him on to push it into his own chest.
The possibility of being released instantly from everything hung in the air like a succulent fruit. Numerous voices in his head whispered to him how delicious it would taste if he would just… take… a…
“No!” Diegen yelled, letting the dagger clatter to the ground. He buried his face in his hands and shook as he cried.
He had cried down in the tunnels before, but not like this. His tears contained the very essence of his soul. They represented his unbending refusal to give up, even when all signs pointed to his demise.
Even after spending a year alone in the cold and dark, Diegen’s desire to live burned brightly.
It was then that a series of blue notifications popped up in his vision. Diegen let himself ignore them for a while, but he eventually collected himself, wiped the tears away from his eyes and read the messages.
—-
Congratulations! You have successfully endured hardships beyond normal means when most would have given up a long time ago. Your path-related ability, ‘Threads of Fate’, has been revealed.
—-
Threads of Fate (Basic)
Fate reveals itself to you in subtle ways.
—-
Diegen's eyes widened in disbelief as he read the prompt.
"Is this what it takes?" he muttered to himself, feeling a sense of weariness wash over him.
With a sigh, he slowly sat down in a cross-legged position, trying to make sense of the ability that had appeared on his status window. The text description didn't provide much information, but at least he was finally rid of one set of those infuriating question marks.
As he felt around in the darkness for his dagger, his fingers brushed against something that felt loose, like sand. When he finally located his weapon and ignited it, he saw an indentation on the ground in the shape of a paw. Strange golden threads began to rise from the paw's digits, and Diegen couldn't help but feel bewildered.
"Threads of Fate, huh?" he muttered to himself, remembering the name of the ability. "I guess this is what it does."
He brushed off more of the dust where the threads were coming from, finding four deep grooves where the claws would be. It took some time to blow all the dust away and clean the grooves, but eventually he managed to clear them out enough to insert his fingers. When he wrapped his fingers around the edge, he felt small stone protrusions underneath.
He pressed them and heard a distinct click in the wall. The golden threads tugged at his hand to turn to the left, and while it took some effort, he managed to do so, and the stone wall grated slightly to the left with a sliding motion.
"Well, I'll be damned," Diegen muttered to himself as the wall finally came to a stop. "Looks like this path does go somewhere after all."
He couldn't help but feel foolish for his earlier breakdown. Of course there had to be something beyond the dead end.
He grunted with effort, using the mysterious mechanism in the floor to open the passageway. The wall kicked up a cloud of dust that stung Diegen’s eyes as it slid open. He coughed and waved his free hand in front of him to clear the air.
When it did eventually clear, he could barely believe what he was seeing.