The transparent bead turned into a beam of light and instantly pierced into my forehead. I couldn’t dodge despite diving onto the floor of my room, rolling on the floor, and shielding myself with my pillows. In exchange for a bruised cheek, splintered elbows, and a messy bed, I achieved nothing.
Then, before I could react, I felt the world shift. My vision blurred, and an immense wave of nausea subsumed my body.
“Oh no, oh fu—!”
[Effect 2: Vow of Anonymity]
[Description: A manifestation of the origins of the insignia itself. The owner of this insignia will be bound by an identity that is not theirs with every use.]
It was happening, and I couldn’t even curse.
***
As my vision cleared, notifications were popping up in front of me.
[The Vow of Anonymity has been activated.]
[You are now bound by the identity,
[You have gained the following traits:
“Ugh,” A groan escaped my lips.
[Your trait,
A stinging pain pierced into my head just then. It was a horrible pain, nearly incapacitating my very ability to think.
My body swayed. I had to stop this pain from continuing.
Intuitively, I could feel the intent of my trait. It was forcing me to dress up in clothes that were more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing than the fur clothes that I currently wore.
I had to rush to the nearby clothing store to grab some cotton clothes and silken robes while bankrupting myself in the process.
“Shit,” Breathing heavily, I massaged my forehead. “This is going to be annoying.”
[Your trait,
The pain had ceased only when I had properly put on my clothes, fixed my hair, and stood up with the grace of a local noble. And that in itself took me more than two hours to pinpoint.
I dreaded the implications of my vow.
“The entrance exam is in three days. This identity of mine will last for way longer than that.” Lying on my bed, I fought off the lingering nausea of my headache.
There were still things I had to do.
***
[Fifth Moon, First Day]
A different moon now shone in the dark, early morning sky, casting a red hue throughout the land. Athelei looked up at this moon, marveling at its exotic sight. The blood moon was a sign of both brutality and life.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
An important part of one’s pursuit of power.
Thus, the Eternal Pursuit Academy would be opening its doors on this symbolic month.
Athelei left his inn early, with a heavy bag slung over his shoulder.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Innkeeper Jailee.” He said with a humble smile. “The day I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.”
“Do come again in the future, Lewis. And tell your friend — the one who disappeared — to pay you back as soon as possible. Don’t let that debt destroy your friendship.” Jailee’s voice was a hearty tenor as he swung his sword in the garden.
The whistling of the wind with each slash was artistic, and the heat of Jailee’s body was palpable from afar.
Athelei’s eyes were always shining when he watched in the past: Innkeeper Jailee was an Evolver. Jailee was in [Rank 1 — the Strengthened], allowing him to exert strength beyond that of a regular person, shattering boulders with the right tools.
Although Athelei had not seen him in action, his intuition as the universe’s author told him as much.
***
After an hour or so of navigating Hilva City, Athelei arrived before a vast orchard, where a crowd of people had gathered. Looking at the faces of this crowd, they were all around his age. From flowing robes, to leather armor, there was a large variety of backgrounds present. Some brought with them their favorite weapons, while others brought with them their guards.
Any youngster in Hilva City and the neighboring towns all dreamt of going to the Eternal Pursuit Academy.
Thus, the crowd was boisterous, teeming with both tension and excitement.
In the midst of all this, Athelei was annoyed. Every time he saw his traits, he felt anger rising within him.
[Name: Athelei]
[Identity: Lewis Kava (Enforced)]
[Title: Ambrosia, □□□□□□ □□ □□□ □□□□□□]
[Age: 16
[Level: 0]
[Class: N/A]
[Rank: N/A]
[Traits:
Lewis Kava, or at least the identity forcibly imposed upon him, was a young man who strove for aesthetics over functionality. He was there only to look good and dress well. Power was a secondary priority.
Moreover, the way he wanted to achieve his dreams was very… mundane and passive. To properly portray his identity, Athelei had been forced to sleep for at least twelve hours a day, spend three hours preparing for the day, and the rest would be on looking for nicer and nicer clothes to wear.
Such a personality was in direct conflict with his own plans.
“However,” Athelei’s anger subsided when he looked at his most prominent trait,
[
[Rune Knowledge » Purchasing Beautiful Robes: 2/100]
It was very dumb, but it worked.
It happened after Athelei decided to review his knowledge of the universe’s runes, and he ended up seeing a prompt.
[Your trait,
[You can only gain rune knowledge by purchasing beautiful robes.]
Seeing this, Athelei returned the notebook he had just purchased and instead bought himself a new set of robes. Unfortunately, only two counted as something ‘beautiful’ so he only gained two points in the interface.
However, these two points corresponded to a decent amount of rune-related insights.
Feeling the influx of insights in his mind, Athelei felt satisfied with his trait. It wasn’t as bad as he thought.
If only he had more coins to spend…
“Hah,”
Athelei sighed as the sun began to rise above the horizon.
Rays of golden sunlight spanned the entire sky, bathing the world in orange after mixing with the blood-colored moonlight. The mountains in the distance gleamed with yellows and gold, while the clouds rolled over with a beautiful tinge of red-orange.
The orchard’s fruits shone like multicolored pearls, hanging from different trees.
It was a mesmerizing sight.
A wonderful start of the day.