Opening my menu and navigating back to my inventory, I select the box to open it.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO OPEN THE BOX NOW? -Opening now means the item will be set for the level you’re at. It can only be advanced by a master or grand master, and only if YOU are the crafter.
SELECT – YES OR NO
Selecting "yes," a box appeared at my feet, and everyone stared at it, puzzled. Unsure of what to do next, I reached for the box, only for a hand to emerge from it, slapping an item into my hand. It actually stung a bit. Then, the hand gave me a thumbs-up, and a flag popped out from the top of the thumb, gold and waving with the word "Legendary" on it. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the box vanished without a trace.
“What the actual…” I started to say before bursting into laughter at the sheer absurdity of it all. Everyone else laughing as well began opening their boxes. I looked down in my hand inspecting the item it had slapped there.
STARLIT ECLIPSER – A legendary celestial blade of unmatched power. Its handle, forged from the rare and unbreakable [Singularity Stone], is adorned with intricate golden veins that shimmer like constellations. At its core, the [Galactic Heartstone] encapsulates a swirling galaxy, a cosmic spectacle of stars and nebulae in eternal dance. The blade itself remains hidden until the caster channels the essence of their celestial soul to activate it, revealing its true form. Only those with celestial abilities can wield this weapon, drawing upon the profound energies of the cosmos.
STATS – ATTUNEMENT REQUIRED –
-To attune to the [Starlit Eclipser], the wielder must undergo the [Celestial Convergence]. Absorbed by the [Galactic Heartstone], they are transported to a mysterious astral plane where they must confront three hidden trials. The nature of these trials is shrouded in mystery. Only by overcoming them can the wielder’s essence merge with the Heartstone, unlocking the blade’s true power.
Can you guess what happens next? Yeah, that happened. Next thing I know, I’m standing on a flat surface, surrounded by stars and nebulae. A portal materializes about thirty feet in front of me, colorless, devoid of any light, and absolutely terrifying. A voice, emanating from nowhere and everywhere at once, intones, “You have entered the [Celestial Convergence]. Three trials await you. Only by overcoming these challenges will you be deemed worthy to wield my handle.”
The voice paused. As I looked around the platform, trying to find any clues or mechanisms to initiate the trials. The voice resounding again in my ears, “within these trials, you will face challenges of great significance. -ERROR: These trials have been corrupted. Run now…- Only by overcoming them will you prove your worth.”
What the hell was that? I thought to myself.
“To unlock the portal and summon your first challenge, you must solve the Puzzle of Shadows.”
As the voice fades, the portal’s colorless surface begins to shimmer. An intricate mechanism becomes visible, a large panel adorned with rotating dials and movable sections, each marked with various symbols and runes. A new set of instructions appears in my notifications.
Identify the Symbols of Emotions: Four symbols glow faintly on the panel, each representing one of the core emotions: Anger, Fear, Sadness, and Joy.
Arrange the Symbols: Each symbol can be rotated and moved into different positions. Your task is to arrange these symbols in a specific sequence that reflects the nature of Hate.
Symbol Alignment: The panel has a set of instructions etched into it, hinting at the emotional progression that leads to Hate. Align the symbols in a manner that reveals the true nature of Hate, uncovering the inherent connection between the core emotions and the manifestation of Hate itself.
Activation: Once the symbols are correctly aligned, the portal will react.
Hate? Interesting challenge. Is this to cure me of any hatred, do I have to be purified of it to wield a celestial weapon? I mused while inspecting the mechanism.
The symbols start shifting on their own. Randomizing their order.
The voice echoes one final time, “Hate is born from the extremes of all emotions. Find the balance and unlock the path.”
The symbols were in the shape of a horizontal wave, maybe symbolizing the way you change emotions like a high and low, now I just needed to figure out what each symbol meant. They were strange runes; it would be too easy if they were emojis wouldn’t it. I groaned out loud as I stared at the runes, if I’m being honest, I just wanted to sleep right now. But nooo, I had to do stupid puzzles instead. The first rune had a downward-pointing triangle with a wavy line beneath it. The second rune was a diamond with lines radiating from it. The third rune had an upside-down arch with a line extending down from it. Finally, the last rune was a jagged, lightning-bolt-like symbol with lots of chaotic lines and edges.
The fourth rune had to be anger, and the second rune had to be joy, that just left the other two runes I had to figure out what they were. The first rune felt like it had to be fear to me, I just felt uneasy looking at it. That means the third rune was sadness, which made sense. It did kinda look like a sad face to me. After mentally noting the runes, I pointed to each one and said aloud what I thought they were, and they pulsed with the stars in agreement.
Now I just needed to organize them properly. Joy is a high, you feel good, and you feel like you’re floating when you are full of joy, so I put that in the upper left corner. Anger had to be the other high, when you’re enraged you have high energy and ready to unleash it on anything or anyone if you don’t control it. Both runes flashed to a solid color, joy a golden color and anger a blood red color, the stars around me seemed to pulse, pleased with my placements. That leaves sadness and fear, I put fear in the lower left corner and the stars seemed to dim with dissatisfaction, so I moved it to the lower right corner instead. Finally, I moved sadness to the lower left corner and the stars pulsated with glee, and an abyssal energy blasted down from above on the portal and a demonic fist emerged out of the portal so fast I couldn’t react in time, and it sent me spiraling towards the other side of the platform. I thudded against an invisible wall, blood spurting from my mouth.
I looked back up at the demon that just rocked my world, and all I could do was laugh in pain and anger. The face was an exact replication of my mother’s ex-boyfriend from when I was a child, while its body was a disfigured form of bones protruding and skin that looked overcooked and stretched over tightly woven muscle. Its voice rang through the area, a raspy yet deep and rumbling tone that also sounded as if it had been drinking, “Boy, I said your mother is trash and so are you, you little fucking idiot! Hey! Did you hear me?” It yelled at me while lumbering its way over to me shaking as if it could barely stand up and stumbling left and right.
“You have got to be kidding me, not only is it that piece of crap, but it’s even playing like he’s drunk?” I said annoyed. I will never forget the abuse this bastard put me through, I felt rage boiling deep inside me. I wanted my entire life to find this asshole and beat the crap out of him, now was my chance, I felt my jaw clench and tears run down my face as I stood up blinded by rage, blood clouding my vision. I sprinted towards him thrusting my fist at his jaw, his head rocked backwards blood spittle following. I swung lefts and rights, uppercuts and jabs, and knees at him. Rage consuming me, the demon unmoving from the spot and not falling or going down, laughing maniacally.
“Remember when I ripped your mom's leg out of the car window and slammed it against the frame? So much fun wasn’t it!?” he screamed with sadistic pleasure, which just enraged me further as I finally slammed him to the ground. I began kicking him, then sat on his chest swinging with every ounce of strength. I had tears streaming down my face while I screamed in anger at the top of my lungs just to drown out his voice, that dark evil sadistic voice. I hated this man with every ounce of my being, but I couldn't keep this up. My energy running low, I finally start coming to realizing this demon had not taken a single swing at me. I tried to understand it, I jumped back off of him. There was blood everywhere but not a scratch on him, nothing. As if I never even hit him, he began getting up. Still laughing, I backed away towards the edge of the platform.
Stumbling backwards I fell onto my butt and stared at the demon. That miserable face, so many memories, horrible memories, I can never… wait, is that what I have to… I thought to myself
“Damnit all! How can you expect me to do that?! After everything he’s done to my mother and me?!” I screamed, my voice breaking and growing hoarse with the intensity of my rage. Tears of frustration welled up in my eyes as I felt the weight of my pain and anger crashing over me. I began to sob, whether out of anger or sadness I don’t know, I became overwhelmed with fear that I may die here. He was still slowly stumbling towards me about halfway through the platform. I knew what to do, but I didn’t know how to do it. Pulling myself together, I looked up at him. He was just a few feet away from me now, his face was distorted with joy and hatred.
“I forgive you…” I said in a whisper, nothing happened. So, I said it again but louder, and with more meaning.
“I forgive you Jerry, for all of it. I don’t like you, and I don’t think I ever will, but I do forgive you.”
The face began to warp into a new face.
“Oh, for fucks sake!” I said with irritation as I dodged the fist coming towards my face. It was one of my old high school best friends.
“Come on really, I was just a kid! I didn’t know any better!” I shouted to the mass of stars surrounding me.
I immediately knew what this one was about, but not how to handle it.
“I can’t believe you would do that bro.” It said in his voice, it still had that raspy tinge to it, but not near as deep as the previous version was. The demon was sprinting at me this time, swinging on me and kicking at me. I frantically dodged around the platform trying to figure out how to solve this fight.
“Look man, I was a kid. I didn’t understand what I was doing, it was just twenty dollars!” I said while dodging a roundhouse kick to my head.
“It’s the fucking principal man! You stole money from my mom! Fuck you man!” He shouted back furiously. Taking a feint left swing at me, I fell for it and was kneed in the stomach all the wind leaving my lungs, I felt hand grab my shoulders and launch me through the air at the other side of the platform. With my health down to thirty percent now, realization hit me. I quickly opened my inventory and pulled all the gold, placing it on the ground in front of me. He just strode through it taking another swing at my head, I dodged to his right flank. Panick rising in me I quickly try thinking of anything else I could do.
“I’ll give you whatever you want man! I’m sorry I stole from your mom; I was an asshole okay!” I yelled sounding far calmer than I felt. He stopped moving instantly, and cocked his head like a dog when they hear a strange noise. A notification popped up in my peripheral.
GIVE UP A RANDOM ABILITY?
SELECT – YES OR NO
“Son of a…” without further hesitation I selected “yes”, and the demons face began to distort again. Knowing what was going to happen this time, I stepped further away from the demon. Readying myself for whatever it could turn into next.
“Oh, come on man!” I said with exasperation. Looking at a distorted version of my own face, the image was smug and disgusting to look at. He walked with a purpose, like, too much purpose. You ever see someone that tries to look cool when they walk, but they insert entirely too much “cool” into the steps… yeah, that’s what the demon was doing. It was uncomfortably hilarious.
“Look you don’t understand what I’m going through!” It shouted. Horror struck me as its head turned and my wife’s face was on the other side. Tears streaming down her face, “Babe, I promise I’m just trying to help you. I don’t want to see you drown in this; I love you.” She said sobbing.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
My head rocked back at the realization of what was happening, tears welling up in my eyes, I walked backwards. Shaking my head with my eyes closed tightly, I didn’t want to see or hear this again. I was such a jerk to her back then. I almost lost her because of this.
I was not always good to my wife, like any relationship it took a lot of work to get to where we are now. I would insist on ignoring her advice and blow it off, because I was scared of change. You know that stubborn pride every man has when they are set in their ways. Except, I pushed her away aggressively, not heeding her advice or emotions, thinking I was fine.
“Shut up!” He shouted angrily.
“Babe, please… I can’t do this anymore” She responded sullen.
“Please don’t leave, I’ll change…” it said with a tone that was very unconvincing and with an evil smirk.
“I did change! Fuck you! That is not what I said!” I screamed, enraged with the way this demon was twisting my words against me.
“I was wrong for the way I treated her, and I never truly apologized to her. Don’t talk to her like that, she’s the best woman you will ever know. That I… will ever know…” I said to myself more than the demon. A violent rumble began shaking the platform I was sitting on. I quickly looked up to see what was going on while wiping the tears from my face and eyes with my sleeve. The demons face was contorting and forming into a disgusting disfigurement that fit the body better than any face that was on it previously. It’s sharpened yellow-brown teeth showing due to the lips being gone, empty eye sockets with tiny balls of flame sitting in the far back of them staring through my soul. Hair strands poking from random parts of its otherwise dry stretched skin on its skull. The name [Core Demon Lvl N/A] appeared above its head.
You worthless worm, the voice in my mind seethed, I’ll consume your regrets memory by memory, and when I take control of your body, I will feed your own flesh back to you leaving you in a state awake enough to feel every bit of the agony while you cannot stop yourself from doing it. The pain was excruciating, and I clamped my hands against the sides of my head, crying out in agony as the voice echoed relentlessly. But, before I do that, I will make sure your friends will suffer forever knowing of you.
Desperately, I screamed through the pain, “Get out of my head, you piece of…” My voice faltered as I glanced at the demon again. Its face began to twist and contort. With the pain subsiding, I opened both of my eyes, releasing my grip from my head. It was clear the demon’s strength was waning.
With newfound determination, I advanced towards the core demon, my steps echoing with a resolve that seemed to shake the very fabric of the [Galactic Heartstone]. The demon’s form flickered and wavered, fear evident in its eyes as its once-immense power dwindled. The flames that burned within its eyes now flickered weakly, reflecting the diminishing strength of its hold over me.
The demon’s voice trembled, struggling to maintain its menacing tone. “You can’t escape your past. I am your darkness, your fears, your regrets.”
I stopped a few feet away, the oppressive aura of the demon no longer affecting me as it once had. With calm and unwavering clarity, I said, “You will not haunt me any longer, demon. You have grown weak. I have waited a long time to face you down.”
As I spoke, the demon’s form seemed to shrink, its power visibly waning. The dark energy surrounding it twisted and distorted.
The core demon’s voice cracked; its once-terrifying presence now reduced to a pitiful wail. “No! I am part of you! You can’t defeat me!”
I took another step forward, my voice steady and resolute. “You are nothing but a reflection of my past.”
With those words, the demon’s form shattered into fragments of darkness, its power disintegrating into nothingness. The oppressive weight lifted, leaving behind a profound sense of liberation and triumph.
“Congratulations new friend, I am sure many great adventures await us!” the resounding voice said.
The stars surrounding the platform became so bright, I had to shield my face with both of my arms while closing my eyes tightly. The light seemingly just shut off, and there was darkness. Opening my eyes again, everyone was standing in the same spots as when I looked down, still opening their boxes as if time had never even passed. A notification popped up; I ignored it for a moment, still processing what just happened in there.
“Babe, are… are you ok?” Trish asked gently kneeling next to me.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m ok. Just uh, checking this weapon out is all, love.” I said with a smile that I knew she could see right through. She knew that meant we would talk about it in a more private setting at a later date. She gently gripped my arm with loving affection and proceeded to open her box.
Finally able to gather myself back together, I proceeded to open the new notification.
YOU HAVE SUCCESFULLY SPIRIT BONDED WITH [STARLIT ECLIPSER], CONGRATULATIONS!
[Starlit Eclipser]
Effects will increase as you grow your spirit bond with the weapon. Bonuses round up to the nearest whole number.
BONUS STRENGTH – 275% - 5%
BONUS DEXTERITY – 250% - 5%
BONUS INTELLIGENCE – 300% - 5%
BONUS WISDOM – 280% - 5%
BONUS LUCK – 250% - 5%
BONUS EFFECT – Eclipse Nova: When activated, the Starlit Eclipser can create an Eclipse Nova, momentarily blotting out the light in a 100-foot radius 25-foot radius and enveloping the area in a starry twilight. During this time, the wielder's attacks gain increased critical hit chance. Allies within the eclipse receive a protective shield that absorbs 100% damage 10% damage, while enemies are blinded and take continuous damage over time. The eclipse lasts for 20 sec. 7 sec.
-Note: These bonuses may also have their max percentages increased with a proper blacksmith.-
“Damn” I said out loud, not really meaning to. The others didn’t even notice as they were staring at their own legendaries. These stats had potential to be absolutely incredible.
“I’m glad you are happy master.” that resounding voice said, which made me almost jump out of my pants.
“What the hell?” I said looking down at the handle.
“Hey now, I resent that. We got rid of that demon, I am at full… ish, celestial power now. Thank you very much!” responded the blade sounding offended.
“I uh, wait, that demon was… possessing you?” I asked curiously.
“Well how else does a demon get into something they are not supposed to be in. Please do not tell me I was saved by an idiot.” The blade retorted, sarcasm dripping with acid.
I groaned inwardly; Great, I have a blade with a shitty attitude. I thought to myself.
“Well, I, never!” it said, in an exaggeratingly insulted tone.
“Wait, you can hear my thoughts too?” I asked surprised.
“Oh, the stars… they have forsaken me!” it said dramatically. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“Look… light… handle thing? I am new to this world, and have a lot to lear...”
“Light handle?!” it quickly interrupted me, truly sounding offended now. “How dare you! You… You insolent little brat! I am Starlit Eclipser or Starlit! You will not call me… light handle… thing… again! Do you hear me?!” it said angrily.
I laughed, “Nah, here is how this is going to work, until you stop calling me insulting names you will be dubbed light handle.” I said still laughing, wiping a tear from my eye, I was laughing so hard. By this time everyone was watching me curiously and worried as if I was going crazy or something.
“I was just joking…” it said quietly like a child that just got caught stealing some candy.
“Anyone else get a talking weapon with a bad attitude?” I asked the group, mostly to poke fun at my new weapon.
“I spent eons. Eons! Looking for a wielder, instead I get possessed by some demented demon for the last century, now I get saved and attuned to this blithering idiot. Stars, what have I done to offend you?!” It said sounding like it was going to burst into tears. Can weapons even cry?
“Oh, come on now, you can dish out the jokes, but you can’t take them?” I said almost rolling over laughing at this point. The handle went quiet, I think it was giving me the cold… pommel? Guard? No? Not funny? Ok, ok I’ll move on then. Either way it went quiet and wouldn’t talk to me again for the moment.
“I get a hood that disguises me in any upper city or town, it’s cool. But he gets a talking weapon? Soo not fair.” Max said with a playful grin.
“I got a big ass hammer, but it doesn’t talk…” Mel said with a pouty face, I could tell she was joking though, the light in her eyes staring at the massive thing was akin to the look on a teenager's face when they get their first car and it’s a corvette.
“I don’t think I’d want a weapon that has a bad attitude, I’ll take the robes I got and be happy with it.” Leo said laughing.
Noticing Tricia’s excited expression as she admired her reward, I realized she was the only one who hadn’t spoken yet. Her face was glowing, and she was doing a little happy dance that resembled someone jogging in place.
“What did you get, babe?” I asked eagerly.
“Babe, oh my God! This is the best thing ever!” she said sounding as excited as she looked. “I got a portable wardrobe! I can keep it in my inventory full of clothes for any occasion! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Best day ever!” she screeched with excitement. That could actually be super beneficial if it could be used for everyone else as well.
“Wait, can you put armors and clothes in it for everyone?” I asked her.
“I don’t know actually, it doesn’t say. It just says it’s an endless wardrobe” she said, so I pulled off my shirt to hand it to her, she grabbed it and suddenly a wardrobe appeared in front of her. It was stunning to look at, the wood seemed to be from the trees that surrounded us. It had that purple reddish tint to it, with gold inlays spiderwebbed throughout the sides of it, a trim of a wood I have yet to see yet, it was a very dark blue with a silver pearlescent shimmer to the rounded surfaces of it. When I walked to look through the opening it seemed to go on forever, yet it never got dark, it’s as if it was lit all the way down by a feint candlelight.
She placed my shirt in the wardrobe, and it disappeared along with my shirt. “It works!” she said excitedly, then immediately started laughing. She made it appear again and pulled my shirt out, handing it to me. “It said ‘Tell your husband it was rude of him to put that disgusting thing in my space.’”
I smelled myself as I put my shirt back on, whew boy that was not pretty. “Tell your wardrobe that I apologize for the inconvenience.” I responded chuckling, and slightly embarrassed.
“We are not gonna just pass up the fact that Trish has a talking wardrobe, are we?” Max demanded joking, but serious at the same time.
“Well, it has to, that way it can help me pick what I need to wear for different occasions! It’s not like any of you brutes have a sense of fashion anyway.” She retorted sarcastically.
“I’m just going to point out how freaking helpful that is going to be down the road for all of us. We can have clothes for any season and not have to worry about losing bag space.” I said. Everyone else nodded in realization.
“We need to go harvest things from that giant snake, I think it finally stopped thrashing around. I haven’t heard any noise for a few minutes now.” Leo said after we were quiet for a few moments.
“Holy crap that took like an hour and a half!” Mel said in surprise.
“Everyone have their points consolidated?” I asked, everyone nodded in response. “Alright let's go get some loot!”
After we got all of our things gathered up, we walked over to the finally unmoving massive serpent. We began removing some of the scales and bones. We didn’t think the meat would be a good idea to take, but Mel took the eyes, Max took the venom glands for Leo, Mel and I ripped out the fangs, and Leo took some of the blood and some of the sinew for Max. Trish stayed back, she refused to take anything from ‘such a disgusting creature’.
“So, what exactly does your new weapon look like?” Max wondered.
I realized I had yet to actually activate it and see what it really looked like, so I pulled it out of my inventory. Further inspecting it, I found no way to make it activate. Then I wondered briefly if it had something to do with it being upset with me.
“Hey, uh Star? Did I…” I began to ask.
“Oh, for the love of… Look ‘Master’ if you need to activate the blade, why not try infusing some of your celestial powers. You really are dense aren’t you.” It said in a mocking tone.
“Well, I’m new to this realm entirely and have a lot to learn. I don’t mind occasional insults, but when I ask a genuine question, it feels like the crude behavior is a bit much,” I said, my voice tinged with hurt.
“I… You’re right, my apologies. I guess I have been alone with that demon for far too long and it has made me a bit… irrational.” Star responded apologetically.
“To focus your celestial powers to wield me properly, you must look inward towards the essence of your very being. This goes much further than casting one of your abilities, we may be connected now. But you must solidify that connection by bonding your essence with mine wholly. This will take time and meditation. Unfortunately, for now, I’m just a handle for you to hold onto until you can complete this connection.” Star explained.
“Ah, I see… Well, Star, that’s my weapon’s name. Said that it will take time to fully bond with…” I explained to the group.
“Hey, Star, are you male or female?” I asked, curious. The voice was both and neither. It was like a choir where every tone blended perfectly in harmony, entrancing yet perplexing.
“I am neither, yet I am both. I just am.” Star responded elegantly.
“Oh, is that because you are a weapon, or a pure celestial being?” I asked.
“We celestial beings are genderless. We are born of no parental lineage; I was once just a traveling star, or a comet if you will. I traveled the realms in search of answers, or just for the pure adventure of it. My light however was burning out, as I was on the verge of ‘The Darkening’ a smith of great skill asked me if I would like to live on and become a weapon against a future threat to all of the realms.”
Star paused for a moment before continuing. “Little did I know that it would be eons before I found a worthy companion. I floated endlessly through the realms after being infused into this weapon, until a century ago that blasted demon found me, it failed to attune to me, obviously. So instead, it decided it would be a better idea to possess me and keep anyone else from getting my powers, hoping to corrupt my very essence.”
It paused again this time beginning to sound somber, “He was becoming victorious, I was on the verge of giving up the fight against it. Then a box with a hand snatched me from space and I was slapped into your hand a few moments later. Do not think me ungrateful that you saved me from that fate, I don’t know what would have become of me had it won the battle, and you not been accepted into the trials.”
It went silent for a few moments after that and, I quietly said, “Hey, I may be a bumbling idiot. But I promise you, I'll do everything I can to make sure you never have to face that darkness alone again. We’re in this together now, and I won’t let anything, or anyone corrupt your light.”
I hesitated, then added, “I’m not sure how to be a worthy companion, but I’ll learn. I’ll fight for you, just like you’ve fought to survive all these years. We’ll figure this out together, one step at a time.”
After that conversation, we decided to pack up everything and keep moving, “I feel like we should head to the castle now.” Leo suggested. “Maybe work on professions. Not to mention, we all probably need supplies to make anything out of these items we gathered. The starting packs didn’t give me much more than the items required to gather materials I need, and all my vials are full now.” he added shortly after.