[Author’s Note: Hey guys, I’m just trying something a little new here… and I’d really love your honest feedback on it. Seriously—was it confusing? Irritating? Weird? Or did it make sense? I just want to know the truth, no sugarcoating.
And ahem just so you know… if you don’t answer me, I won’t be making exceptions when it comes to the Power Stones next time.
Yup, I’m totally blackmailing you here, my dear readers.
Ahahaha 😱😏]
YOUR’S POV (The Vision)
The night… darker than even the deepest black.
“Hufff… Hufff….”
Hot, ragged breaths burst out, heavy and desperate, as the vision stared down at trembling, blood-soaked hands… the skin pale, fingers twitching uncontrollably.
The veins bulged, pulsating wildly, as if something inside was fighting to escape.
No—no, it wasn’t just the veins… the hands themselves were spasming, jerking on their own, completely out of control.
No matter how hard it tried… it didn’t stop… it couldn’t stop!!
“Huff… Huff….”
The vision slowly lifted from the convulsing hands and looked up—what lay before it was a crimson nightmare.
A massacre.
Torn and mangled Monster bodies lay scattered like broken dolls across the blood-drenched path.
It wasn’t a road anymore… it was a trail carved through death. Every single step forward had been soaked in red.
A suffocating scent of blood filled the air, thick and metallic… sharp enough to claw into the lungs.
The air was heavy, stained.
The smell penetrated deep into the nose, into the mind… violating every nerve. The hands trembled harder, shaking uncontrollably… as if the body remembered the horror, the destruction… and refused to forget.
As if… as if…
“Awwww!!”
Suddenly, the vision turned sharply at the sound—a broken cry echoed from the side. Trembling, gasping. And there… there they were.
Survivors… People. Children. Huddled together, broken and bruised, bleeding and terrified.
Somehow still alive.
Alive… but their faces… their faces were twisted in pure fear. Eyes wide, skin pale, lips quivering. Their bodies shook as if the cold of death had already touched them.
They were staring… but not at the carnage. They were looking at the vision.
“N-No…”
A choked whisper escaped from the vision. The bloodied hand raised slightly toward them, and instantly, they recoiled—flinching in terror, as if expecting another blow.
The hand… trembled.
It trembled violently, blood dripping from the fingertips… thick, dark, and warm. The vision’s breathing grew heavier.
The vision dropped to its knees, slowly… shoulders slumping… and then, its gaze turned glassy.
Drip…
Tears welled and spilled from the blurred eyes.
But then—
TRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
A violent vibration tore through the Empire, shaking the ground… The sound echoed from the direction of the Main Temple.
The vision turned toward the sky, where a sudden blinding light erupted—piercing through the clouds—while the ground itself began to quake beneath its feet.
TRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!
Something was activating.
Something ancient.
Something unstoppable.
The air crackled with energy.
The vision flickered for a moment—its form wavering—before darkness swallowed it whole.
A blackout.
And then—
The Main Temple.
No… a shattered shell of what once was the Main Temple.
Everything was broken. The towering walls lay in ruins, the majestic doors splintered and torn from their hinges… The divine air that once protected it—gone.
In its place… silence.
A strange, low rotating sound echoed from within. The vision approached, step by step… heavy… hesitant.
And then—death.
Death…
That was the only thing left.
The entire Temple was soaked in it. Every corridor. Every hall. Nothing but corpses.
Apostle.. High Priests… Guardians…. Every single one of them… slain.
Their robes torn, their faces frozen in agony.
“S-Saintess…?… H…” the vision whispered… turning slowly… to her.
She stood still.
No, not stood. She wasn’t standing.
She wasn’t moving at all.
She was dead.
Eyes open… but lifeless. Blood on her lips. Her body slumped forward like a puppet with its strings cut.
“O.. Oh… my go–“
But the breath hitched, frozen mid-word, as something else caught… gaze.
“S-Sera…He”
A trembling voice choked out the name.
There—on the ground—lay the Archpriestess.
Her body lay motionless, twisted unnaturally.
The vision’s sight blurred further, as more tears surged to the surface. A strangled voice kept repeating her name, again and again—”S-Sera… Sera… Hehe…”—like if it said it enough times, maybe she would open her eyes.
“NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”
A scream of pure anguish ripped from the vision’s throat, loud enough to shake the dying air.
“Oh? Someone is still alive?”
A voice—casual, amused—cut through the air.
The vision turned sharply. But—
A blackout.
And then—
“Huff… Hufff…”
The vision gasped for air, eyes wide as it stared at the figure before it.
A man stood calmly… with a jagged ‘X’ scar across his face. He touched his lips with a gloved hand, surprised.
“You…? You actually made me bleed?”
A thick, oily black liquid oozed down from the corner of his mouth.
Another blackout.
And then—
“Arrrhh! Fuck!!”
The scar-faced man—the Master—was reeling backward. Dark black Blood gushed down his face. He gritted his teeth, snarling.
The vision stared at him, fists clenched tightly, fingernails digging into flesh… The pain, the loss, the memories… everything surged like a tidal wave.
And then came the rage.
Hot… Violent… Consuming.
“YOU WILL NOT SEE THE END OF TODAY!! HEHEHE!!”
The words exploded like a thunderclap, filled with fury with an uncanny laugh!
“Oh yeah? Let’s see, you lowly priest!!” the Master screamed back.
A blackout… and then—
Thud!
A powerful fist crashed into the Master’s face, twisting his features brutally. The impact echoed like a thunderclap as his face contorted and cracked under the force. black liquid sprayed midair as his body flung back.
A blackout… and then—
The vision swayed, blurred with red blood… own blood! The sight flickered, the edges of everything distorting. The vision staggered, movements growing sluggish, breath shallow.
“What? Is that it? Over already?” the Master asked with a mocking tone, his voice strained despite the smile. His face twitched, aching from the damage. But still, he laughed—cruel and amused.
Yet,
“Hehe…”
A blackout… and then—
BOOOOM!!
An inferno erupted. Flames exploded outwards, engulfing everything. The entire vision was set ablaze, devoured in searing light.
A blackout… and then—
“Arrh…” the Master groaned.
His face—gripped tightly by a hand. His body writhed, struggling to break free, but he couldn’t move an inch.
The grip was absolute.
He gritted his teeth, eyes flaring with disbelief and panic.
Sweat dripped down his temples as his body screamed in resistance.
“T-This… this is not possible…”
The vision stared at Master, and with an emotional and pure ice cold voice, filled with divine emotion and unshakable resolve, the vision declared:
“Heed me”
~Ding~Ding~Dang~Ding~
Suddenly, the sacred bells across the Empire began to tremble. They rang, unbidden, their chimes echoing like ancient voices waking from slumber.
They answered the call.
“I will kill… and I will let live…”
A blackout… and then—
The Master screamed in silence as his body was suddenly consumed by white flames, pure and holy.
The fire didn’t burn—it devoured.
“I will harm… and I will heal…”
A blackout… and then—
“None shall ever escape from my grasp. None shall ever vanish from my sight…”
The Master thrashed, his body convulsing, as his flesh began to wither, peeling back as if his very soul were being seared from his bones.
He was being unmade!
“ARRRRHHH!! STOP THIS!!” he roared in agony, his voice hoarse and shattering.
But the vision simply stared—unblinking, unmoved.
The voice, now deeper… colder… continued:
“Be crushed.”
A pause.
“I welcome all who have grown old… all who have been defeated. Devote yourself to me. Learn from me. Obey me… and rest.”
A blackout… and then—
“Do not forget the song.”
“ARrrhhhhh…NOOoOooooooooOOooOo…”
A blackout… and then—
“Do not forget the prayers… and above all…”
A pause. The air held its breath.
“Do not forget me.”
The flames turned blinding. The entire vision bathed in sacred white fire. Nothing remained visible—only the Master’s silhouette burning, still held tightly by the hand crushing his forehead, refusing to let go.
“I am light…” the voice whispered, almost tender, yet inescapable.
“And I shall relieve you of all your burdens…”
A blackout… and then—
The Master’s eyes—wide with terror—locked on the vision. His lips trembled, his body breaking down into ash and smoke.
“Y-You… Mons…t…er…” he choked, barely audible, as he dissolved into nothing.
“Beg for forgiveness now…” the voice intoned again, one final time.
“And I shall mark you.”
A blackout… and then—
“…For it is only through death that one may receive the gift of eternal life…”
Aether, sitting on the bed, drenched in sweat, said with a cold and emotionless voice, His hand was raised before him—fingers stiff—as if still clutching something… someone.
His eyes were wide open.
But there were no pupils.
Only pure white.
Spark…
A flicker. A small flame—white, divine—danced at the center of his palm.
“A-Aether…?” a soft voice spoke beside him. Gentle… but trembling with fear.
He flinched.
As if something inside him cracked open.
He blinked—once, twice—and with a sudden jolt, his eyes shifted back. The pale white faded, revealing his natural ice-blue pupils, now flickering with confusion.
“…Where am… I?”
!~Ding~!
[❗New Title Acquired: Echoes of Souls]
!~Ding~!
[‼️New Skill Acquired: Sacred Flames of Ethereal]
!~Ding~!
[⛔Notice: Sacred Flames of Ethereal cannot be used unless your Ethereal Domain reaches its limit. It cannot be used!]