Scott took deep breaths, his visage slowly returning to normal. The throbbing in his eye subsided, and the earlier burning sensation had disappeared. He didn't care about the mysterious figure or their message; not having to battle in his disoriented state was enough relief for him. Scott stared at the flashing system messages, forcing himself to his feet.
"Chaotic Voidscape..." Scott's brows creased as he read through his domain effects. Even without reading them, he could already sense the power of the domain. It was as if a part of himself that had always been there had finally been revealed.
Scott turned his attention to his new rank, and his brows furrowed even further. Challenger? One would think this was a fucking league or something. Scott frowned at the thought. Knowing that the gods had designed multiple games for their amusement, it wasn't farfetched to believe they intentionally named it so.
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Scott watched the blackened notification disappear, but he didn't put too much thought into it. Instead, he turned his attention toward his companions. Slim and Zara remained enshrouded in their cocoons, while Ember and Orion slowly regained consciousness, their reddened skin recovering.
Scott approached them, his gaze lingering on the strange markings on their necks. Ember’s markings resembled the aftermath of a concentrated lightning charge on one’s skin. Crimson, lilac, and blackened lines crisscrossed elegantly, forming figures or words he couldn’t decipher no matter how hard he stared at them.
Orion’s markings, on the other hand, comprised scattered runic engravings in white, akin to braille. Unlike Ember’s, Orion’s markings constantly rearranged themselves into new formations, never repeating the same pattern.
What the hell are those things? Scott thought to himself. He reached toward the back of his neck but felt nothing on his skin, though he vividly remembered the burning sensation from earlier.
The voidweaver then turned his attention toward Slim and Zara, who showed no signs of leaving their cocoons. Hastur’s gaze couldn’t penetrate the sturdy barrier, and Scott couldn't fathom what they were experiencing inside.
“That wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I’d like to do it again,” Orion’s slurred voice echoed. The mage staggered forward, smiling.
“Are you good?” Scott's voice came from behind, and Orion turned toward him. The mage glanced at Scott from head to toe, his smile brightening the longer he looked. “You’re a challenger now,” he giggled. “Congratulations,” he said.
Scott frowned, recalling Orion’s strange warnings while they were still partaking in the ranking games. “That’s why you told us to do everything possible to increase our ranks, right?”
Orion nodded. “Yes,” he began, taking a step forward. “Sadly, we were kicked out of the games before we got to the juicier parts. Apparently, there are ranks above number one, but that doesn’t matter anymore,” the mage said, his gaze lingering on the levitating cocoons.
“Do you know more about what being a challenger entails?” Scott asked, not one to dwell on matters beyond his control.
“Basically, we have been acknowledged as possessing the qualifications to fight for authority,” Orion began, his gaze still focused on the cocoons. “Unlike domains or Rules of Absolute, not everyone is capable of wielding authority, since oftentimes, said authority is dispersed by the gods or lesser gods themselves.”
“Are you saying we’d have to be some god’s lackey to wield authority?” Scott quizzed, wrapping his arms around his chest.
“Usually, that is the case. However, while the gods are indeed the custodians of their designated authority, it doesn’t mean that is the only way to gain access to it. Take Slim for example: should a day come when he’s able to embody the very essence of death itself, then there’s nothing stopping him from tapping into the authority of death, regardless of the opinions of its current custodian. Naturally, should such a thing happen, don’t expect the custodian of said authority and the other challengers to watch or even let you enjoy such privileges,” Orion explained.
Scott’s brows creased even further as he digested the mage’s words. For the first time since arriving at the Tower of Champions, he truly felt like he had stepped onto a stage with beings capable of feats beyond his wildest expectations.
“Did you see anyone briefly when you became a challenger?” Scott asked, recalling the strange figure he had seen earlier.
“Oh? You saw one too?” Orion asked, turning toward the voidweaver. “Mine was an annoying little pipsqueak. I can’t wait to meet her again,” Orion giggled.
“Who could they be?” Scott asked, his attention shifting toward Ember. The dragonkin was on the verge of awakening.
Orion shrugged. “I don’t know, and I’m not really bothered… no, that was a lie. What I meant was that it doesn’t really matter who or what they might be. We’ll find out eventually, won’t we?” the mage turned toward Ember, noticing that the dragonkin would soon awaken. “Maybe your girlfriend will have more information for us,” he said with a grin.
Scott rolled his eyes, approaching the dragonkin. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he said softly, but not in his usual impassive tone.
Orion chuckled. “Sure, I believe you,” he said with a sly wink.
Scott turned his attention away from the mage, focusing on Ember. The moment he arrived next to the dragonkin, her eyes snapped open, lilac lightning shimmering within her iris. Both champions locked gazes, neither moving nor speaking, and a palpable silence lingered. A moment later, Ember raised her right hand, cradling Scott’s face, and he let her. The shimmering lights in her eyes subsided, and clarity returned to her face.
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“Hi,” she said with a smile. “Congratulations.”
Scott’s brows shot up. “What for?” he asked.
Ember’s delicate hand slowly descended toward the voidweaver’s neck, as she said, “I can tell that you’ve reached completion. So, you must have awakened either a Rule of Absolute or a domain. Whichever it is, it’s worthy of being congratulated.” Ember’s hand moved up and down Scott’s neck tenderly, as the warmth in her eyes grew tender. “I can still remember our first meeting. You have come a long way since then,” she added with a warm smile, pulling Scott into her embrace.
Not his girlfriend, he says,” Orion muttered softly, giggling as he watched the duo. Both Scott and Ember heard the mage’s words, but neither spoke nor reacted.
A moment later, Scott pulled himself out of Ember’s embrace, and the trio focused on the cocoons.
“Does anyone have any ideas what’s going on with them?” Scott voiced his concerns.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” Ember suddenly said. Scott and Orion turned toward the dragonkin, their gazes demanding answers. “They’re undergoing their second advancement right now,” she said, leaning a little bit on Scott.
Orion’s brows shot up in realization, his curiosity growing. “Shouldn’t it have happened when they crossed level 50?”
Ember nodded. “That’s usually the case, but there are extremely rare instances where such abnormalities arise,” she explained coolly. “According to the records left behind by my elders, a delayed advancement usually occurs when a champion strays from their initial class markedly. The system needs time to reassess the champion, hence the delay. Once the assessment has been completed, the class advancement would spring up at the next possible level increase.”
“Oh? That’s interesting,” Orion muttered, eyes burning with interest. He took a step toward the cocoons while retrieving a small scalpel from his inventory. “So, those records, do they mention anything about what happens to the champions? How much are we expecting their classes to differ from the previous one? Would there be changes to their physical and mental states? Do they gain special abilities or stats unique to delayed advancers? Do—”
“Orion, one question at a time,” Scott interjected, glaring at the mage.
Ember wore a smile as her gaze shifted between Scott and the smiling mage. “Unfortunately, I didn’t read too much into those records. What I do know, however, is that champions who pass through a delayed advancement always come out markedly stronger than before. Regarding your other questions, I honestly couldn’t say. At this point, we can only hope they’re still the same people we know,” she said.
Orion nodded, taking measured steps toward the cocoon housing Zara’s form.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to collect samples right now,” Scott suddenly warned. “Don’t do something reckless. We don’t know what would happen to them if there were any external interference.”
Orion paused in his tracks, a thin smile on his face. The scalpel disappeared into his inventory, and he turned toward Scott. “Of course I knew that. I was only going to take a closer look,” he said, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes.
Ember and Scott both rolled their eyes simultaneously. “Sure, that’s what you were going to do,” Scott said, then he suddenly changed the topic. “Were you guys conscious earlier?”
Ember’s features turned serious, and she instinctively averted her gaze toward the corpse with half of its head ripped off. “I was, but I don’t know about the others.”
“Same,” Orion said, turning his attention toward Hurly’s corpse. “What an utterly fascinating and terrifying domain. He’s able to negate the abilities of others while also feeding off their emotions, trapping them within their own subconscious, unable to react as he does whatever he pleases. What an interesting fellow,” Orion muttered. However, a hidden savagery lurked within the depths of the mage’s eyes as he crouched in front of the corpse. The mage’s scalpel made its return, shimmering under the lights. Without saying anything further, Orion proceeded to retrieve several samples from the corpse while mumbling to himself.
Scott and Ember watched the mage for a moment before turning their attention elsewhere, Scott especially staring at the holographic insignias depicting the commands. The numbers underneath them had disappeared, and they were all grayed out too.
“It doesn’t look like we can leave this place until they finish their advancement,” Ember said softly, rearranging loose hair strands.
“It’s not like we have something else better to do,” Scott said casually.
Ember suddenly leaned on him, tilting his head upwards towards hers. “What are you doing?” Scott asked, meeting the dragonkin’s passionate gaze.
“What’s this thing I’m hearing about a girlfriend?” Ember asked, her hands going rogue on Scott’s body. Her fingers made their way to Scott’s lips, and the tenderness in her eyes grew even fonder. “You know that I want you, and when you want me, I’ll be here,” she whispered, her eyes that of a passionate conqueror.
“I…” Ember shushed the voidweaver with her fingers while shaking her head. “You don’t have to answer me right now. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere, unless you want me to,” she said, leaning closer to Scott. Both could feel each other’s breath on their skins, and a palpable silence seemed to loom within the area.
A crisp crack suddenly echoed, and Scott, Ember, and Orion turned their attention toward the cocoons. Both had a deep lattice of cracks on their surfaces, and copious amounts of divergent energies seeped out from them.
Orion sprinted away from Hurly’s corpse; his eyes focused on some of the cracked cocoon lingering on the floor. The data-obsessed mage gathered a few samples before retreating to where Scott and Ember waited.
“You couldn’t stop yourself, huh?” Scott commented mentally.
Orion chuckled, the scalpel disappearing into his inventory. “We are creatures of habit after all. I’m just a slave to the truth,” he declared.
Another loud crack echoed, and the cocoon housing Zara exploded into smithereens. Scott, Ember, and Orion focused on the feline, and their expressions stirred. A bloody apparition lingered above Zara, linked by several illusionary, bloody threads. The apparition gazed at the trio, and it smiled, then merged into Zara’s body. At that same moment, Zara staggered forward. Ember appeared next to her in a flash, preventing the feline from falling.
“How is she?” Scott asked.
“She’s okay. She should be conscious in a minute or two,” Ember said, her hand resting on Zara’s forehead.
Orion giggled softly. “I wonder what her new class is. I can’t wait for her to tell me,” he said. Then he turned his attention toward Scott, grinning. “You already know, don’t you?” he asked mentally.
Scott nodded; his visage still stern. Orion grabbed him by his shoulder, unable to quell his curiosity. “What is it?” he asked mentally.
“She’s a puppeteer; her class is Feral Marionette,” Scott said, a lingering sense of astonishment in his voice.
Orion sharply turned toward Zara, his smile widening. He opened his mouth to speak, but another explosion followed, and darkness suddenly enveloped the area. At that same moment, a macabre symphony echoed, and chills ran down the spines of Scott and his companions. The War Hammer of the Mad God forced itself out from Scott’s chest while Orion’s smile turned delirious as his staff appeared. Lightning glazed over Ember’s eyes, the trio stirred by the ominous and palpable darkness, fueled by the symphony which seemed to herald the descent of death itself.
“What are you guys doing?” Slim’s voice echoed, and the darkness disappeared. The skeleton stood behind Scott and Orion, his form several inches taller than before. His bones were pristine white while bluish mist swirled within his empty eye sockets. Scott's eyes were immediately drawn to the golden cluster shimmering above Slim’s skull, squirming in sync with the bluish mist. It was an odd, almost hypnotic sight, and he couldn't help but wonder what it signified.