Randidly watched and endured, supporting his image as it ground away so much of itself to find its next form. There were points in the long stretch of agony where he felt doubt about both the methods and the possible result. But he suppressed those as quickly as they could arrive.
His emotional sea churned constantly, but he didn’t want all that potency to affect the resulting shape. He needed his new Grey Creature to be purely what it wanted to be.
So he narrowed himself to just the slow passage of the cloak of darkness and the flickering specter that wore it across the chaotic aurora. He would not flinch, no matter the cost. No matter how the waves of the Sea of Dreams shimmered and tightened around the image’s body, no matter how it battered at the forged cloak of darkness. No matter how dim the consciousness within the image became, so long as it didn’t completely collapse, Randidly waited.
Moments eventually arrived when the consciousness did shiver and then vanish underneath the constant emotional bludgeoning. Yet always when his panicked senses dug through the ripples to find any trace of the effort he poured into it, he would find the image still persisting, still pushing its way through. Gradually, the disparate threads of its awareness flowed back together and ignited cognition. Flame rekindled, its unsteady gait resumed.
Randidly’s gaze flickered after about three hours of repeated agony. A moment of clarity reached him. It does not seek to temper itself, but just the opposite: its adding flaws. Or perhaps its better to say unpredictability by just mixing everything together. Chaos will be soon housed within its form.
Understanding the goal made the journey easier. He simply rode the tides of pain, never wavering in his vigil. His support began little more than his awareness. A solemn monolith in the distance, almost severed from the consequences of what occurred below.
Right up until the end, he remained stoic. But as the resistance thinned, Randidly Ghosthound showed a wolf’s smile.
Almost twenty-four hours after the baptism in the Sea of Dreams had begun, an image walked out the other side. For its first liberated step, the image stumbled; the sudden lack of resistance or pressure caught it by surprise. Yet its barefoot slapped loudly against floating platform circling the sea of dreams. It took a few half steps, unsure of its footing. But each movement dragged more of its expansive cloak of hammered midnight out into the ocean.
Uneasy and fitful, the Sea of Dreams retreated. What remained standing there was mostly the cloak, to be fair. Those scales of darkness, whispers, and dreams the Grey Creature had spent so long refining had proven their worth. The constant assault from the Sea of Dreams had melted their edges too, until all those scales flowed together in a liquid-y almost fabric.
The whispers as the cloak touched the ground remained, however.
Within the depths of the cloak, thick mists obscured any sort of definite features. Specters occasionally reached out and adjusted the edge of the cloak, pale hands or talons, but they always faded quickly. The only constant were the eyes it had inherited from Randidly.
But its gifts don’t come solely from me, Randidly licked his lips as he felt the ripples drifting out from this new figure.
When it had finally gathered itself and pulled its cloak more closely around its ephemeral body, the new image raised its head. Those emerald eyes burned as the image surveyed its liberated existence in front of it. When it raised its head to laugh, the echoes of a thousand specters laughed along with it, an expanse of possibilities flickering around its body.
“I’ve advanced,” The image whispered.
Then the notifications arrived.
Recalculating…
Recalculating…
Warning! Your image Kismet of the Evolving Creature (P) is experiencing extreme damage! Please be careful, for the Grey Creature might be permanently wounded by prolonged exposure.
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Recalculating…
Synchronicity detected! Incorporating elements…
Warning, the core tenants of your image have changed! If you attempt to proceed with an evolution, there is an extreme likelihood of failure! Please reconsider. See your closest Village Spirit-
Detecting the fragments of refined night and whispers… Recalculating…
From within the core anchors of your physical Stats, the Apostate Moirae begins to laugh!
Incorporating ancillary elements… adapting to known legends and influences… unspooling meaning…
Congratulations! Your image is evolving!
The rotations of Randidly’s Nether Core intensified. His next breath came out in a gasp; honestly, he would have assumed it was impossible for his Nether to move any more quickly. The substance of his Nether began to groan as it was forcefully refined and purified by the rapid churning. He flexed his hands.
He had felt it happen over a full day, the details and desires and work he had poured into the Grey Creature being repeatedly pummeled and seared to the point they became faint memories. Yet that prolonged and grueling experience held none of the quiet sorrow as the Grey Creature now splintered into a thousand pieces within his chest. His Soulspace shook.
I couldn’t have gotten here without you. Randidly pressed his eyes shut his right hand came up and he wiped away a single tear, shed for all blood it had spilled so he could survive.
When he opened his eyes, all the pieces merged back together and crystallized into their new form.
Congratulations! Your Skillset Kismet of the Evolving Creature (P) has evolved into Dread Homunculus, Nyx Reincarnated (GD)!
Congratulations! Your Skill Chimeric Impunity (M) has combined with Maelstrom Entity Approaches (T) and evolved into the Cloak of Utter Night (P)(U)! Skill Level set at 950!
The Cloak of Utter Night is one of the two regalia of the Primordial Goddess Nyx, Mother of Titans. Skill can only be used by Randidly Ghosthound, who obtained the favor of Nyx by becoming the only self-made Moirae within the whole of existence. The essence of this darkness was born directly from untouched chaos and is the substance closest to the void. All attacks passing through the Cloak of Utter Night will have their power greatly reduced. All enemies who gaze too long at the Cloak of Utter Night are afflicted with weakness and fear. Prolonged exposure will drive enemies mad. The essence of utter night weakens the fabric of space, making impossible movements possible for the user. User’s movements will be slightly faster than they would otherwise be. Effects increase with Skill Level.
Recalculating…
Incorporating elements of other images! Due to resonance, the Skill Wicked Waltz of Tartarus (T) has been removed from the Stillborn Phoenix Skillset and become part of Dread Homunculus, Nyx Reincarnated!
Your Skill Wicked Waltz of Tartarus (T) has combined with The Wandering Deity Demands (T) to evolve into Erebus’ Baleful Waltz (P)! Skill Level set at 980!
When Erebus dances, all of Tartarus rises to join him in his bleak steps. However, their insubstantial bodies possess not the weight to step. His is a joyless and vast solitude. They are ghosts, drifting and nearly weightless. He is a single individual, but he contains multitudes of these specters. The numerous shades do not serve him, per se, but are cursed to forever mimic Erebus, even if they do not understand why they do so. When the user strikes, the infinite shades of Tartarus will surge in support. Although each may be incredibly small, the benefits of millions of such ghosts soon add up. User’s attacks and defenses will overflow with brutal violence and power. Effect increases with Skill Levels. The amount of specters that will rise to imitate the user’s movements increase with Skill Level.
Continuing evolution…
Congratulations! Your Skill Grit of the Ascendant Bane (T) has evolved into Humonculi’s Monstrous Tenacity (P)! Skill Level will be maintained.
The Homunculi are a group of artificial humanoids created in an attempt to scientifically harness the wonders of life. In the case of the Dread Homunculus, the attempt resulted in such success that a being which has no concept of the word death has been loosed upon existence. Upon taking sufficient damage, it is possible for portions fo the homunculus’ body to break down or to shatter. However, the unholy energies of the rite that birthed this being leave a mark that will never fade. Given enough time, the resonance between the pieces will call them back together to reassemble the homunculus. User’s resistance to all sorts of damage has greatly increased. The body’s ability to surpass its limits is increased. The musculature of the user has been refined and optimized. Effects increase with Skill Level!
Continuing Evolution…
Congratulations! Your Skill the Grey Creature Glimpses Providence (P) has combined with the Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock (M) and evolved to become Nyx’s Successor Births Fate (GD)! Skill Level set at 990!
Of the many accomplishments of the Primordial Goddess Nyx, perhaps the greatest was her creation of the Three Fates, the Moirae. These three strummed the lives of all under their purview, manipulating their life and death. With the power of a self-made Moirae, user can briefly channel the spark that birthed fate and karma. While holding onto that small fragment of divinity, user has an unprecedented ability to recognize and handle information. The past, present, and future are laid bare. The user has a small ability to generate impossibilities by wielding that spark of power. In addition, Skill can be used passively, to increase user’s ability to handle information. Effects greatly increase with Skill Level.