The thick green mist parted before Jelani like a membrane between realities, admitting him into something that his mind struggled to process initially. The space seemed impossibly dark around the corners of the chamber, its dimensions shifting subtly with each pulse.
Silver pillars lined the center of the chamber, their surfaces writhing with shifting runes.
But it was the figure at the chamber's center that threatened to break Jelani's grip on sanity. The being was double his height and wore ornate armor with dark robes draped down its back. Above its head was a halo of pure green energy.
A helm crowned its head, adorned with horns that were curved and sharp at the ends. On the face portion of its helm, a set of six eye slits had been carved into the metal, each one burning with harlequin fire.
Behind the figure, a mass of neon green energy writhed and twisted. Eyes opened within the mass of energy with eerie pupils. Some were vast and compound like an insect's. Others were vertical slits with a piercing gaze that seemed to calculate and judge.
Tentacles of pure energy extended from the mass, reaching into spaces within the chamber that were hidden in shadows. They moved as if sentient and some of the tentacles seemed to stretch towards him for a brief moment.
"Wh-why c...can't I-" the words died in his throat as pressure clamped down on his body. The archway behind him deactivated, its bright mist turning into a dark gray stagnant cloud, trapping him here. His chest constricted as primal terror took hold.
Suddenly, reality shifted. The mass of eyes and tentacles collapsed inward to a single point behind the figure before vanishing. Light filled the space through the large open balconies at the edges of the circular chamber. Then the pressure released, leaving him shaking but upright with a better view of the being in front of him.
image [https://bashify.io/img/cbf889c5a9b1d050c0a4c3804044a775]
He could now see they were at the top floor of the tower. From his vantage point he could view the area around the mountain. They were surrounded by the dark forest and its web like canopy of branches for miles in every direction, its far edge colliding with the black sky at this world’s horizon.
"You stand at the threshold of transformation." The voice manifesting directly in his mind was neither masculine nor feminine.
The tone of the voice was like silver and had the weight of age.
"I am Azaron, and this domain exists outside the reality you know."
The figure's helm shifted slightly, those burning eyes studying Jelani with an intensity that made his body itch.
"Your trial performance suggests potential, but potential is merely the first step on an infinite staircase. Are you ready to form a pact for some of my power?"
Jelani forced his racing thoughts into order. Every instinct told him to show strength, to maintain his dignity. But he wasn't stupid enough to play tough with something that could probably unmake him with a thought.
"What are you really?" he managed, glad that his voice only shook slightly.
"How do I know I'll still remain in control of myself once I'm awakened by you?"
"An understandable question," Azaron replied, each word carrying a contemplative weight.
"What defines 'you'? The collection of memories and experiences? The patterns of thought that drive your actions? Many on your world would disagree on what the self is but rest assured. You will remain in control of your actions and thoughts under our pact,"
Azaron moved forward, their steps leaving micro tears in reality that sealed themselves moments later.
"To answer your first question, I was mortal once, in an age before your species became civilized. My world, like yours, sustained life until the Nephaelim arrived with their vortexes and their promises of ascension. I was born into a group within my society that faced persecution but still, I rose to the pinnacle of power, "
A ripple passed through the chamber, and Jelani glimpsed images of worlds burning, the silhouettes of a winged humanoid draconic race summoning vortexes, and the mindless gaze of an army of glowing creatures showed up on scrolls that suddenly appeared in front of him.
"They are architects of a grand design, harvesting energy from species across the cosmos to fuel their eternal expansion. Those who survive their system culling become soldiers in wars across many realms."
"At the start of the trial, your knight mentioned you breaking free, how did you do it?" Jelani asked, his natural curiosity warring with survival instinct.
"I broke free at a cost that caused my mortal self pain ages ago. I was their slave for eons while I secretly amassed strength," Green fire flared in Azaron's eyes.
"I grew strong within their system until I could shatter it. Now I offer you the same opportunity, but with my system to expedite your growth." The being's next words were direct: "I have not brought you this opportunity with the expectation you become some virtuous hero. The reality of our aims may force you into many gray areas. The terms and cost may be more than you wish to pay."
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Jelani took a careful breath. "First, I need to know what exactly is your power? This whole place feels unreal, everything points to a powerful entity and being here ."
"My power has evolved over eons to encompass the breaking of all things – physical, spiritual, conceptual. And then with the shattered pieces I create something new," Azaron raised a hand, and reality cracked around it like glass then reshaped into a flower like mosaic.
"As my warlock, you would gain abilities that fuse this essence with multiple class specializations. The blade skills of a warrior, a sorcerer's mystic arts, a sentinel's defenses, an artillerist's range."
"And the catch?" Jelani asked, because there was always a catch.
Azaron's form solidified, becoming more present, more real. "A contract. One that requires you bring me souls from the enemies you defeat.”
The concept of giving up his own soul was something he knew was off the table for him but extracting the souls of other people felt just as wrong. “This is leaning more towards some dark sided stuff and I’m honestly not liking that requirement. What would you be using these souls for?” he asked, while instinctively trying to maintain a neutral tone.
"The fundamental currency of power across the universe is found in the soul of a being, its source." Azaron's voice resonated through the chamber. "Many mystical civilizations harvest source to fuel their arts. When you must kill your enemies or slay monsters – and you will have to kill – it is more efficient to collect this energy rather than let it dissipate."
The concept hit Jelani with a dose of reality that he was still resistant too. Growing up, he'd heard enough about souls from his religious family to feel instantly uncomfortable. "There's got to be another way," he said, fighting to keep his voice from getting harsh. "I understand sometimes people gotta die, but taking their souls? In my world, that just crosses the line into sounding demonic," He trailed off, searching for better words.
"Your hesitation speaks to your mortality," Azaron replied. "it’s understandable but consider the reality you face. Vortexes will continue to spawn monsters that must be eliminated. Enemy awakened will try to kill you, whether from the Ishtari or your own kind. The only choice you truly have is whether their deaths serve a greater purpose."
Jelani's mind worked to rationalize this. It wasn't so different from organ donation after death, he thought. Taking something that would be lost anyway to strengthen those who survived. The comparison felt hollow, but it helped him process the idea.
"What exactly do you want from me?" he asked. "Beyond collecting souls from those I have to fight anyway?"
"Grow stronger. Secure control over your region. Build the power needed to challenge the Nephaelim's hold on your world." The being's antlers caught a glint of light. "I offer aid, not chains. Your methods remain mostly up to you."
"That's very open-ended," Jelani challenged, his natural suspicion flaring causing him to accidentally be more combative. "I'm starting at a disadvantage against radiants with years of experience. What makes you think I can compete, even with your power?"
"The system that empowers your world's radiants is deliberately restrictive," Azaron explained. "Warriors can only enhance physical combat. Sorcerers are bound to specific magical arts. This ensures none grow too powerful to control." Green fire flared in the helm's eye slits. "I offer you access to learn multiple abilities from different classes and access to an armory of equipment that will make you invincible if you reach the required ranks. Moreover, you will gain more experience from each defeated enemy towards raising your stats."
"And the cost?" Jelani pressed.
"Ten souls per month to start. Remember, these need not be human – monsters and Ishtari possess souls that will suffice for the objectives we will take on. After ten failures to meet the objectives our contract will be broken.”
Jelani considered this. The soul harvesting still felt wrong, but he could justify it with the deaths of monsters that needed killing anyway. The other terms seemed almost too loose. "What's stopping you from changing these terms later? Adding new requirements to make me into some kind of spectral slave,"
"Our pact will be signed and forged within an unbreakable link," Azaron's voice carried a note of authority.
"And consider – if I desired a puppet, why grant you consciousness at all? Your independence, your drive to question authority, these are precisely why you stand here." The being's form shifted, becoming more solid.
"I seek to break the Nephaelim's hold on reality. Mindless thralls are good for combat but aren't ideal for navigating societies with nuance,"
The logic made sense, but Jelani wasn't fully convinced. "So I stay in control of my choices, collect souls from what I have to kill anyway, and focus on getting stronger. What aren't you telling me?"
"Much." The answer came with brutal honesty. "There are aspects of power your current mind cannot comprehend. But unlike the Nephaelim, I offer this truth openly. Your growth will reveal new possibilities, new choices, new consequences. The only certainty is change."
Green energy spiraled around them as Jelani weighed his options. The soul harvesting twisted his stomach, but he'd already killed monsters to survive in this trial. At least this way, those deaths would serve a purpose beyond pure survival. And the promise of unrestricted power...
"I accept," Jelani said finally. "But I do this my way. No random killing, no harvesting souls unless they've earned death."
“The pact is made,” Azaron communicated into Jelani’s mind then raised his one arm towards the ceiling.
The chamber's ceiling split open like an iris, revealing a moon that seemed closer than should be possible. Its light struck Jelani with physical force, and emerald energy began to spiral around him in tightening bands. His heart thundered against his ribs, each beat fighting against waves of pressure pushing against his body until he dropped to one knee.
A circle of ancient symbols ignited beneath him, casting his shadow in a dozen different directions at once. Light erupted from his chest, a hot harlequin green that burned with intensity. The chamber's pillars began to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat as something within him answered power's call.
"Your nature shapes your weapon," Azaron's voice resonated as a blade of green flames began to pull free from Jelani's chest. "The desire to weaken those who threaten you, to break the bonds others would place upon you – these are not flaws, but foundations."
The blade's form began to solidify, starting from its tip. Deep silver metal crystallized out of fire, darker and denser than normal steel. Alien symbols carved themselves into its surface with unnatural precision.
"Your pragmatism, your willingness to do what others won't," Azaron continued as the hilt took shape, "these forge the edge of your resolve."
The hilt formed in a gothic twisted black metal, angular and aggressive. A chain materialized, linking the pommel to the guard in a pattern that looped around like the trigger guard of a gun. Small harlequin flames began to dance along the blade's edge, hungry for something more substantial than air.
"This is your hexblade," Azaron spoke as Jelani grasped its hilt. "It will grow as you grow, weaken what you choose to break, harvest what you choose to harvest."
Power surged through Jelani's body like lightning finding ground, awakening nerves he never knew existed. Everything felt sharper, clearer, more real than he was used to.
A status scroll materialized:
Name: Jelani Von
Class: Warlock
Rank: Awakened
Source Weapon: Hexblade
Ability: Siphoning Edge
Status: Normal
"Our pact is sealed," Azaron stated as the archway flared back to life with churning mist. "Where shall I return you?"
Jelani thought of the radiant in the ski mask who'd shot him, of the corruption polluting his city. His new blade hummed in response to his anger. "Send me back to where you found me. I can figure out the rest from there."
"So be it." The grayed out clouds within the archway behind him shifted and then became light green mist. "We will speak again when necessary. Remember – time is of the essence and real power will only be earned based on your efforts."
Jelani nodded, then stepped toward the archway. Each movement felt different now, more precise, more lethal. He wasn't just Jelani Von anymore, the young man who'd died trying to save a kid. He was something new, something dangerous.
As he passed through the mist, one thought burned in his mind: it was time to leave his mark on his city.