Chapter 128 – Imbued Rank [1]

Cassius and Isolde stared at each other for a while in that same position, their minds still replaying the event they had just experienced.

To say they were surprised would be an understatement.

The first question they asked themselves was: what was the nature of their Vision? Something from the past? From the future? Or something else entirely?

Why had the ticket deemed it the one thing they needed to see at this particular moment?

’Maybe...’ Cassius thought, frowning slowly, ’maybe because it knew that experiencing that vision would unlock the evolution conditions for my skill?’ He wondered, then shook his head slightly, not quite believing it was something so simple.

From how the Vision had unfolded, Cassius understood he was supposed to grasp something from it. Yet no unexpected insight came to him, except that he had witnessed one of his ancestors slaughtering dragons before being rendered limbless for reasons he still couldn’t fathom.

’This is confusing.’

The only thing Cassius was certain of in that moment was that he needed to get stronger. And as soon as possible.

He exhaled.

"I won’t ask what you saw." Cassius said, sparing a glance at his wife. "But was it enough to justify your next move?"

"Now more than ever." Isolde nodded with resolve, her mind on the notification about the Mother of Assassins and the strange woman with the purple wolf she had seen in her vision.

Was that woman Alstar, the Mother of Assassins?

If so, what could she have meant about coming to see her with her own body? And there was still the matter of the woman’s mention of a name...a place Isolde supposedly knew.

There was only one place Isolde could think of that would be worthy of mention by a Goddess.

’Earth?’ She wondered, heart pinging suddenly, then she shook her head almost immediately. ’No. It can’t be Earth. How can anyone in this world know of Earth? It must be something else.’

But what?

Too many unknowns, once again.

Since waking up today, Isolde had been bombarded by one unknown after another, proving, more and more, how little she actually knew about her own world.

That ignorance would be perfectly fine for a mortal seeking a mortal life, with no ambitions higher than earning enough to care for a family.

But for her? That ignorance might get her killed one day.

And one of the ways to acquire knowledge was to be strong enough that one’s very existence naturally attracted answers, and to have enough connections across the world to join the dots.

It seemed the couple had arrived at the same thought simultaneously, because they both turned their attention back to the System panels and willed themselves to see the evolution conditions.

For Cassius:

[Evolution Requirements for Bloodflame: Three Cores of Fire Dragon at Exalted rank, a drop of blood of Lady Amate Desdemona, and Redwood of the Smiling Blood Tree.]

He stared at those requirements, eyes blinking repeatedly, then almost cursed in anger the moment he registered the need for the blood of his 333rd Ancestor, Amate Desdemona.

How was he supposed to manage that?

’Unlike the Hood, the bodies of our ancestors always disappear after death.’ Cassius thought, stroking his chin. ’As if something never wanted to leave any trace of their existence in the world, beyond whatever memories remain of them.’

And even those memories, over years and years, tended to shift, losing the essence of what they originally were.

Time had that ugly habit of altering everything, from its genuine state into something corrupted and withered.

However...

’If the System lists it as a requirement, then there must be a way to obtain it. The question is how.’

At that, Cassius suddenly recalled the information he had received after clearing Ananke’s Fractured Land, about an Echo of a Desdemona left behind inside the Academy’s test grounds.

’Well... maybe.’

The flame of hope began to kindle slowly inside his chest, giving him one more piece of motivation to seek out that Echo.

’In one month...’ He mused, knowing with how fast time had been passing lately, that day would arrive in the blink of an eye.

To prepare himself further, Cassius stood up, stepped off the bed, and sat on the floor with the Tier Two ACS in his hand.

He glanced at the clock on the wall, realising they still had enough time before anyone came to wake them for breakfast.

He turned his attention to his wife and smiled when he caught the hard, annoyed look on her face.

"Let me guess...ridiculous requirements?"

"You can’t even imagine." She sighed, dragging a hand down her face. "Just to start, what in Vorn’s name is the Stitched Flower of the Old Monk?"

"Do you really expect me to know?" Cassius laughed, and Isolde clicked her tongue in frustration.

She sighed, shook her head, and looked at the ACS in his hand. "You’re ready to rank up then?"

"Aye."

"Will you do it here?" She asked, looking around the room with an arched eyebrow. "You might cause enough disturbance to alert your family."

"Most probably." Cassius shrugged. "But I can no longer wait."

Isolde shrugged in return and nodded. "Go on then."

She settled behind him on the bed, looking down at him with quiet curiosity, wondering what kind of skills her husband would obtain this time.

Cassius didn’t wait.

Using the blood control he had begun to understand during his last battle against Emrys, he gathered a single drop of blood at the tip of his finger and let it fall on the ACS.

It immediately lit up with a blinding golden light that swiftly shifted into a light of pure crimson.

The ACS began to melt inside his hand, transforming into a small puddle of crimson liquid filled with power and mystery that made Cassius shiver.

That liquid sank inward, absorbed into his palm and entering his body. With his Perception at its maximum, Cassius felt it travelling straight toward his Birthright Mark.

His body began to heat up, and a transmutation took hold inside him.

The liquid reached the Mark and sublimated it, causing his Aspect — {Legacy} — to sublimate in kind. It expanded, able to accommodate more power and more Essence within itself.

That expansion unlocked more potential in the Aspect causing, in Cassius’s case, the birth of not one but two new Slots.

The sublimation didn’t stop at the Birthright Mark either. It spread outward through his entire body, pushing all his attributes far past 100.

Every single one of them, causing a wave of dangerous power to erupt from his body. The watching Isolde smiled wryly at the ridiculous aura her husband was emitting, a strength he had absolutely no business having at the moment of ranking up.

After a few more seconds, with Cassius shrouded in a red-like mist, everything settled. The mist cleared, revealing Cassius in his full state, his appearance visibly enhanced as his Charm pushed past 100.

Isolde almost whistled in appreciation.

"Finally." He breathed out, thick plumes of smoke billowing from his mouth as he looked at his body.

He opened and closed his fists repeatedly, sensing stronger, denser essence flowing through himself, nourishing him completely.

Already, Cassius was eager to begin training and get accustomed to this new level of strength.

A strength that wasn’t limited to his body alone, as it also extended equally to his mind and soul.

He couldn’t quite explain it, but the way he now interacted with the world had changed.

It felt like what a severely near-sighted man would feel upon finally getting his glasses. His sight became sharper, able to perceive and experience things that had been inaccessible before.

That sensation filled him with a strange, vibrant excitement.

Unable to wait any longer, he summoned his new stats and checked his Aspect to see how much Essence the next Skill selection would require.

A system panel flashed.

[STR: 115; AGL: 110; CONS: 140; PER: 113; CHA: 130; Essence: 130]

[Remaining Stat Points: 85]

[Aspect: Legacy — Blood Path]

[For the second usage, 100 points in Essence are required.]

[Slot: 1/3]

’100 points.’ Cassius mused. ’The first time I only needed 50. So by that logic, will I need 150 for the third usage?’

A smile crept to his lips. He was relieved to see he had enough Stat Points to add to Essence to draw both Skills on the same day, as long as he ingested a Recovery Essence Potion between the two usages.

And that was exactly what he planned to do.

He hurriedly added 50 points to his Essence, bringing it to 180.

He turned his head toward Isolde, who was watching with quiet curiosity, and smiled. "Look, my Aspect is quite special. Instead of awakening a skill directly, I get the opportunity to draw Skills from my own family members. My very ancestors. Isn’t that incredible?"

"I am numb, Cass." Isolde said immediately, shaking her head. "I can hardly be surprised by anything you do or have at this point."

"Is that so?" Cassius laughed, "Isn’t that too early?"

Isolde rolled her eyes.

And Cassius chuckled one last time, turned back to face forward and focused.

Using 100 points of Essence at once, he activated his Aspect, causing the same scene as the first time in Ananke’s Fractured Land to unfold before him.

Three crimson cards appeared. Their backs were facing him, each one producing a different feeling inside him. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Yet he couldn’t determine, based on feeling alone, which of the three was the best choice.

And when Cassius didn’t know, he had no shame in asking sincerely.

’Queen,’ He called out to his Goddess. ’Help me, please. Which one should I choose?’

[The first one.] Ananke replied instantly.

And Cassius, in absolute faith in his Goddess, chose the first card without further deliberation.

A crimson glow erupted. Both Cassius and Isolde cocked their heads at the same moment, feeling as though they had heard the sound of rattling chains.

Before Cassius could think further on it, his attention was pulled back by the voice of the System.

[You have obtained the Skill of the 33rd Ancestor of the Desdemona, Lord Damios Desdemona, The Holder of Chains.]

[Second Skill: Chains of the Accursed]

[Description: This Skill was created and forgotten since the Age of the First Revelation, only to be obtained by Damios, who evolved it past its limits into a realm never before seen in the history of Sunu Gaal.

This Skill summons a Portal toward a Realm of Chains — anywhere and at any time — as long as your Perception and Essence are sufficient. The Chains are made of Blood. They can bind, trap and absorb the blood of whoever they ensnare.]

Cassius smiled, and for a brief instant, bloody chains flashed behind his eyes, moving and dancing like living things.

"Queen’s blessing..."

—End of Chapter 128—