The ringing of the bell was incessant. The bell cried like the funeral bell of a man on death row.
All around were charred and gruesomely dismembered bodies. Grand machines of all kinds lie around, some broken, some shattered beyond recognition. If you looked closely they might resemble the saucers and ships of modern alien myth. The sky was blood red and devoid of stars. There were smoking craters spattered around and the ground was a dry and thoroughly scorched earth.
Within the smoking wreckage was one man.
Strewn out around him were the bodies of comrade and foe alike, but he stood facing the blame of the empty night sky alone.
A pure white moon the color of lotus petals shone down, illuminating his pale white hair, and his wide, amber eyes.
He turned his back to the red night sky silently.
The mourning bell grew faint until it became silent.
The nameless man's solemn voice rang out, clearer than any bell.
One word.
"Empty."
The crushing emptiness swept it into the void, unheard.
He released his clenched fist.
"Empty."
The dry ash in his hand slipped through his fingers and dissolved in the wind.
He let his arm drop to his side and collapsed on to his back, his lifeless eyes staring at the moon.
"Why do I feel empty?"
The red starless void surrounded the white moon on all sides, threatening to suffocate it. He ached like a hole had been ripped through his chest. It felt like something had been taken from him. Something important.
A thick smog passed over the moon, covering it completely from sight.
"Who am I?"
He couldn't remember. Whenever he tried to, his attention got drawn to that hole in his chest. Almost all his attempts to find out his own name proved fruitless.
After pondering a long time, he found that, there was one thing. Something so instinctually ingrained into him that he could never forget. Perhaps this would answer his questions.
"Status"
???
Attributes:
Will: Red
Soul: White
Class (1 slot):
None
Subclasses (2 slots):
Vigor Alchemist (Legendary)
Requirements: 500 spirit, Intuition and Wisdom
Zeroth Psychomancer (Mythic)
Requirements: 500 Spirit and Intuition
Strength: 634
Endurance: 601
Dexterity: 747
Wisdom: 863
Intuition: 992
Spirit: 452
Charisma: 353
Luck: 329
Blessings:
Spoiler: Spoiler
Initiate (Common)
...
Dragon Slayer (Epic)
-(+50) Strength and endurance
-(+25) Charisma
...
Abyssal Gazer (Uncommon)
-(+10) Intuition
...
Acknowledgement of Ares (Epic)
-Access to the Hall of Champions
-(+35) spirit and strength
...
Azriel's Approval (Unique)
...
Inheritor of Solomon's Legacy (Mythic)
-Ownership of the Tome of Solomon
-Access to the Zeroth Psycomancer and Vigor Alchemist classes
-(+50) Spirit, intuition and wisdom
...
Curses:
Spoiler: Spoiler
...
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Abyssal Gazer (Uncommon)
-(-10) Wisdom
Sworn Enemy of Circe (Epic)
-Hunted by followers of Circe
-(-20) Wisdom and Intuition
...
Contempt of Hades (Unique)
...
Soul Damage (Mythic)
-(-600) Spirit
Spirit Contracts (1 slot):
Spoiler: Spoiler
Spectral Mirror (Epic)
-Reflects all elemental arcana of 3rd circle and below back to the caster
Eyes of Veritas (Epic)
-Can appraise beings and items
-Can see through all deception below Epic rank
Indomitable Spirit (Legendary)
-Immunity to instant death
-Immunity to all mental afflictions below Legend rank
-Immunity to hostile life force manipulation below Legend rank
Spellbooks:
Grimoire of Elrich the Elementalist (Legendary)
Requirements: Arcana related class of Epic rank or above, 50 Intuition and Wisdom
Tome of Solomon (Mythic)
Requirements: Zeroth Psychomancer class
Notifications:
Your soul has recieved devastating damage.
Spirit -600
Your soul attribute is now white.
You no longer have a name.
Swordmaster (Epic) class has been removed due to soul damage.
Grand Magus (Epic) subclass has been removed due to soul damage.
Spellsword (Unique) subclass has been removed due to soul damage.
Vigor Alchemist (Legendary) Subclass is unavailable due to insufficient requirements.
Zeroth Psychomancer (Mythic) Subclass is unavailable due to insufficient requirements.
Grimoire of Elrich the Elementalist (Legendary) is unavailable due to insufficient requirements.
Tome of Solomon (Mythic) is unavailable due to insufficient requirements.
Of the epic sprawl of text, one thing caught his attention:
Dragon Slayer (Epic)
"Savanah". Inexplicably, a word left his mouth unconsciously. This alien yet familiar name contained many complex emotions. Warmth filled his chest, just as a deep sadness made that same chest heave irratically.
Something tugged at his mind, like it was on the tip of his toungue, yet, to his frustration, it remained out of reach. He desperately tugged at the spool of thread, like a cat reaching for a string of yarn on the top of a tall shelf. Finally, that thread of yarn snapped and fell off the shelf straight onto his head. Bits and fragments of memories entered his mind, like a corrupted film filled with static.
"Nice to meet you ****"
...
"Before **** *** *** fan I used ** ** a college student, I always ******* ** becoming a doctor so that-"
...
"Haha, tell you what. Come back after you've slayed a dragon and maybe I'll consider it."
...
The nameless man felt moisture on his face. He touched his hand to his face and held it up to his eyes.
He was surprised to find that he had been crying.
Notification:
You are in the presence of a divine being.
You are of insufficient existence.
The pressure weighs upon you.
Suddenly an immense gravity hit the crying man like a sack of bricks, snapping him out of his meloncholic contemplation. His bones felt brittle and his body felt like it would collapse under its own weight.
With the willpower of an olympic athlete, he lifted his head off the ground and peered in front of him.
What he saw awe struck him.
A figure with skin the color of ash contrasted ominously with the blood red sky. His eyes were closed peacefully as he sat in a cross legged position. A three pronged instrument of some kind was planted in the earth by his side and a white snake was coiled around his neck. The air around him seemed to glow and shimmer.
Looking at this being gave a duality of conflicting hallucinations. One of a still pond filled with coyfish swimming peacefully under the light of the pale full moon, the other an unstoppable raging flood consuming the earth.
Above his head was his identity:
Shiva (Aspect of Destruction)
But that didn't mean he knew what a "Shiva" was.
"Who are you?"
The ash colored deity spoke without opening his eyes. "I ask myself that question every day."
"Then do you know who I am?"
The deity ignored his question. "Look around you, do you not see the beauty surrounding you?"
The nameless man dropped his head back to the earth. "I find it scary."
"Why are you scared?"
"I don't know where I am."
"Ah, so you fear the unkown." The god chuckled lightly. "A common fear of man."
The ash colored deity made the first sign of movement since his appearance by waving his hand.
Quest: The Lonely King (???)
The current Champion of Shiva lives on the peak of a small, remote, mountain in retirement. Find him and convince him that you are worthy of inheriting his title.
Rewards:
A spirit contract of ??? rank
A class of ??? rank
A clue to your past
Failure:
None
Do you accept?
Y/N
"What is this?" The nameless man lifted his head back up to address the deity.
"A chance. I wish I could enjoy your company for longer, but I'm quite busy." Shiva stood up and picked up the three pronged instrument by his side. "You'll find the direction you want to go is over there." The God of Destruction pointed behind himself with his trident, towards a small mountain, barely visible with the night fog concealing it.
The air carried the faint smell of tea leaves as the wind picked up.
"Namaste, Nameless one. May you find peace in your mind and strength in your heart."
Shiva tapped his trident to the ground. There was a strong gust of wind and a brief stillness-
And then Shiva was no more.
Pressure lifted, the nameless man lay there for a moment, still.
He gave his attention back to the notification in the corner of his vision.
Do you accept?
Y/N
He sighed with a bone deep weariness. Why is that?
"Yes."
After remembering how the diety had called him "nameless one", he came to the conclusion that not having a name bothered him.
He thought deeply on what to call himself, but one name kept bubbling up insistently. The name carried many complex emotions, mostly anger. He tried to put it out of his mind and consider other options, but for some reason his obsession with the name would not go away.
"Damien." He tasted the word on his lips for a moment before deciding.
"My name is Damien."
Notification: Your name has been updated.
That settled, Damien picked himself up and took stock of his surroundings. Compelled foward, he let his feet guide him. He kicked over a gruesome corpse, and a cloud of ash swelled. Coughing, he reached down and picked up a broken blade and examined it:
Infragilis Voluntatis (Legendary) {Broken}
Effects: [Legendary Self Repair], [Legendary Durability], [Legendary Sharpness], [Greater Vitality], [Clear Mind], [Bulster Aura], [Unshakeable]
Abilities: [The Will Is Sharper Than Any Blade]
Durability: 0/9,999
It looked to be a nice blade before it had broken. But now the thin blade was chipped and filled with cracks. After deeming it useless he almost threw it to the side, but a sudden urge overtook him. He stowed the broken blade in the empty sheathe at his side.
Shaking his head to clear it, Damien turned and began to walk in the direction that incomprehensible deity had pointed.