After an annoying climb, Northern leaned on the doorway of the last chamber, panting.
The last chamber was perched at the very point top of the cliff, it in fact looked like the first to have been sculpted out.
Intricate patterns adorned the exterior stone walls unlike the others, and there was a door—unlike the others.
However…
Northern frowned.
…the door was opened.
Slowly, Northern pushed the door wider and entered, saying:
“So, this is where you’ve been.”
The stalwart Terror turned its head to look at Northern and with a dismissive gaze, turned back to its front.
Northern arched his brow and wanted to make an issue out of it bit hesitated.
There was something about Night Terror that made the air serious.
‘…or is it because of this?’ Northern thought as he stood next to the terror and raised his head to beheld the massive statue.
Unlike the other maidens, this statue was different, filling the air with am imposing aura despite being a lifeless cut out of stone.
It’s eyes were hollow, empty, it looked like the sculptor had missed that part.
But if Northern was going to define it.
“Emptiness…void.” He mumbled.
He didn’t know why but it connected so much with him.
‘Why?’
The question rang in Northern’s head.
Why was he feeling so drawn to this thing. What was it that was in him that was resonating to these murals.
Then he turned his head to look at Night Terror.
The monster was just as engulfed as he was. It spared no glance to the side and just stared into the hollow eyes of the statue.
‘I guess he is as drawn as I am’
Northern smacked his lips irritatedly.
It kind of sucked to find out there was nothing special about him.
This was just a magnificent memory that bewitched whoever saw it.
Those eyes… they were dark… evil… empty… yet beautiful.
‘Am I going crazy?’
Maybe the effect was starting to take place again. Northern looked at his hand wraps.
They were so cool that an air of mystery was added to him. Maybe that was why he wa so confident in their abilities to do their job.
Of course, unlike most other weapon abilities that needed to be activated, this worked normally. He didn’t need to actively supply it soul energy.
Well, not that he could even if he needed to.
Which was why these hand wraps were very impressive in Northern’s eyes. But if it turned out that Northern’s ‘all-so-perfect’ hand wraps were actually being ineffective…
He shook his head rigorously.
‘I don’t know why but I feel like this is not an attack.’
What if he was just being tricked again, it wasn’t like he saw the madness coming through.
‘Oh, well… I guess I will just be consumed again.’ Northern allowed a small smile.
It was utterly useless to worry about the things that were out of one’s control.
So was Northern’s belief.
He stepped backwards to envisage the entirety of the statue.
Just like the rest of the maidens, the man was also kneeling. But his felt… powerful.
Northern took a deep breath in, seeping in the might of the statue as he did then he breathed out.
The statue was kneeling on one leg, with both arms spread. It was like the man was carrying an overwhelming weight and it was forcing him to his knees.
However, there was no weight on it… except the cliff itself.
‘Could it be carrying the entire cliff?’ Northern wondered.
In fact, when he looked at it, that was what it seemed. Like the sun destroyer was being forced to carry a weight much larger than it could bare.
Northern scoffed. ‘What weight could be so heavy for a man that destroyed the sun to carry?’ he mused.
Perhaps the weight of the world?
At first it seemed funny but a second later it wasn’t so funny anymore. The more he watched the statue the more somber he became.
Both of them stood there in grave silence, motionless and staring into the hollow eyes of the sun destroyer.
Night Terror on the right, Northern on the left.
They sta…aa….ared… for a while.
Then something glinted into their eyes from the depth of the void of the man’s eyes.
Night Terror’s eyes widened and his claws without delay thrust into the right eye of the man.
Luckily, Northern did not lag behind. He had also seen the glint and the moment Night Terror smashed his hand into the right eye socket, his hands also followed, smashing into the left.
His fist tinged a little but that concerned him less… because there was something at the end of his fist.
He slowly turned his head to Night Terror, the stalwart monster too doing the same.
Then both of them withdrew their hands. Clasped within Night Terror’s crude claw was a small orb… it was just like a soul core except much smaller.
It was pitch black, seeming to contain a swirling sea of darkness.
Northern frowned a little as he looked into the orb. Then he understood something.
‘This is it!’
The thing that was drawing him in… it was the void that was in man’s eyes.
Void after all is a dangerous sea of darkness that seeks only to consume all, leaving only echoes of despair.
If so was he…
Northern paused, he had not finished thinking but seeing Night Terror swallow the orb of darkness was so shocking and disturbing that he had to pause whatever he was thinking about.
Night Terror turned its four malicious gleaming eyes to him, radiating with a palpable greed.
Northern frowned. “No you don’t.”
He threw the orb into his mouth before Night Terror could do anything and swallowed down, staring at the monster with an evil smug grin.
Night Terror glared at him indifferently, silence ensuing between them for a couple of seconds.
Then a tremendous torrent of pain fell on both of them, pushing them to their knees.
Northern let out a guttural cry, for Night Terror it was a power growl that seemed to shake the very earth.
Both of them tried to scramble through the ground with their arms and legs but something had gripped them by the heart.
And was spreading its root into their soul.
For Northern, he could feel it so much… a tremendous sea of darkness spreading throughout his soul. Threatening to consume any and every thing.
Since he had no soul core there was literally nothing to consume.
The pain he had to endured was that of the vast soul energy he had received from touching the crystal during his evaluation being overwhelmed and corrupted by the void that was spreading throughout his soul at a speedy rate.
It was a burning pain, it made his body feel so weak that he slumped to the ground and lay there like a dead man. Unable to move even a finger as the darkness of void overwhelmed his soul.
Then he heard a voice:
<An anomaly is being sensed in your soul>
<Anomaly will be purg#%%#%##….>
[Due to absence of soul energy, the voice of Ul has been weakened]
[Due to the presence of a new kind of energy, Copycat system has gained enough influence to override the voice of Ul]
[Copycat system has overriden the voice of Ul]
[Congratulations, you have received a NAME]
[You have received three new attributes]
[A genetic attribute has been found in your soul]
[You have gained one new attribute]