Magister Insanity

I felt something stirring inside me.

With a startled cry, I clutched my chest, staring into the darkness, trying to make sense of it. It wasn't painful, or even unpleasant, but it was unlike anything I'd ever felt.

It was as if something within my chest was forming, waking, charged with a strange, unfamiliar energy… yet it wasn't coming from anywhere outside.

— What's happening? Is my body… burning?

Somehow, though, when I paused and breathed, there was a faint comfort to it: a subtle warmth, almost pleasant.

But that sensation didn't last. In the next instant, the feeling in my body completely changed from warmth to utterly excruciating pain.

The energy spread chaotically, reshaping my body with brutal insistence.

Have you ever taken apart an electronic device and replaced its components? That was the closest comparison. But unlike an inanimate object, my body screamed with pain as it was torn down and rebuilt by some invisible, mysterious force.

I wanted to scream but I had no voice.

How long was it?

Eventually, the unknown energy finally reached and rebuilt every part of my body: shoulders, stomach, arms, legs, bones and even my internal organs.

After some time had passed, the burning finally cooled down. The heat was replaced with a soothing coldness. That coldness washed over my body, taking away all the aches and discomforts, even the ones had been accumulated there over the years. Then it moved up, reaching the brain and, finally, my eyes.

My vision strangely sharpened.

Thanks to that, I could now see even the darkest surroundings with startling clarity, every detail sharp and unmistakable.

Apparently, my body — or rather, my spirit form — stood on some kind of barren expanse.

The landscape stretched endlessly in all directions, devoid of anything noteworthy, save for a withered tree at its center. It was completely drained of life and color, as though thoroughly sucked of everything vital, leaving only a husk behind. The tree's gnarled branches twisted skyward like pleading fingers, yet there was no wind to sway them, no sound to accompany their silent agony.

Illuminating the desolate expanse was a black sun rimmed with flickering red, casting an unsettling glow across the unknown world. It seemed the only source of light in this void.

Gloomy. Lonesome. Endless.

Those were the vibes I was getting from this world. But what exactly should I call this place?

Frowning, I thought the so-called introduction was severely lacking. If this was a video game, the players would be frustrated.

"Where's the support team?!" They would say.

A smile appeared as I remembered the dayz when Soulverse first came out. Everyone was going crazy.

[Awakening dormant powers…]

'This is the moment of truth, huh?'

I tried to keep my excitement in check, though the topic of powers was undeniably intriguing. After all, who wouldn't be curious?

My Legacy had evolved to divine rank, which meant I could gain something rare… valuable, even. But knowing my luck so far, it was just as likely I'd end up with something rare and completely useless.

'Fuck.'

Resigned to my fate, all I could do was wait, patiently, as much as I could, for whatever was coming.

[First Sequence Ability acquired.]

[First Sequence Ability: Soul Eater.]

Soul Eater… now that sounded interesting. But could I check its details here?

I focused and attempted to summon the runes. To my surprise, it worked. Streams of information filled my vision:

Name: Sonny Crowe

Mythic Code: Black Solace

Rank: Dreamless

Origin Sea: —

Echoes: [Survivors' Shroud], [Silver Casull], [Jingle Bell.]

Traits: [Photographic Memory], [Spark of Divinity], [Starless].

Legacy: [Shadowborne]

Legacy Rank: Divine

Legacy Description: [You have inherited the shadow of a fallen god. Once, this omniscient deity stood at the pinnacle of all things and everything was part of its being. But the other gods grew wary and struck it down, casting 'him' from the heavens into the abyss. They could not, however, destroy its shadow. Now, that shadow has fused with you, reborn through darkness, a fragment of divinity made your own.]

'Not that much has changed.'

My Origin Sea — whatever that was — was still dormant and my rank remained Dreamless.

Wait… I checked again, and the slot where it was supposed to say [Dormant] for my Origin Sea had suddenly disappeared.

Shocked, I stared blankly at the empty space.

I was flustered but what was I supposed to do?

Should I be concerned? I didn't even know what an Origin Sea was, let alone its significance. Maybe it simply wasn't necessary anymore.

Of course, that was just me deluding myself into thinking that way.

This was probably what the Voice had meant by "make sure you don't regret it," though it was hard to despair over something I didn't even understand. Still, it stung to realize just how unlucky I was, so unlucky that something likely important had simply vanished from my information.

I thought about crying, but no tears fell.

Instead, I sighed helplessly.

'An introductory guide would be incredibly useful right about now. Well… at least there's some small improvement on this front.'

Of course, not everything stayed the same. My initial legacy, [Temple Shadow], had evolved into [Shadowborne]. As for traits, [Mark of Judgement] had transformed into [Spark of Divinity], and [Nighthawk] had evolved into [Starless].

This was definitely progress. Yet it was the description of my newly evolved legacy that truly caught my attention.

'An omniscient deity that was taken out by the gods. More importantly, I inherited his shadow?'

The thought was almost terrifying. At some point, during or after my transmigration, the mysterious entity must have either replaced my shadow or merged with it entirely. Judging from the ability's description, it seemed I had become one with that shadow, granting me a narrow escape from death yet again.

On the other hand, there was reason to worry.

If his shadow could lend a portion of its power, couldn't it do the same with his consciousness? Did that mean my body might be overtaken by a foreign entity?

And why, in the first place, had the other gods targeted him?

'That's not important.'

Indeed, it was too early to jump to conclusions. There was countless old sayings about this as well.

Thus, if such a problem arises in the future, I would know what to do.

Pushing that thought aside, I focused entirely on the runes.

First Sequence Ability: [Soul Eater]

Ability Description: [You can freely control the Soul Devouring Shadow and wield it as both a blade and a shield. Consuming a soul carries a chance to acquire its individual abilities.]

Souls Stored: —

Souls Consumed: [0/3]

The description was… unexpectedly precise.

My shadow could devour the souls of others. More importantly, consuming a soul carried the chance to steal its abilities. Even though I could only consume a total of three souls for now, the potential of this ability was immeasurable!

Imagine facing an opponent who could counter your ability, and then, by consuming a soul, drawing an ability that could counter theirs in return.

No matter how you looked at it, this was the ultimate uno card!

Haha! I was so happy that I didn't mind kissing someone's feet right now.

Then, my eyes finally noticed something else.

First Sequence Curse: [Sin of Gluttony]

Curse Description: [Your shadow has a unrelenting hunger. Feed it to suppress its berserk state or else, you might perish.]

Shadow Hunger: [Your shadow is currently full.]

I tilted my head.

What is this? A curse?

Could it be some kind of debuff? No. This was far worse than a simple debuff.

'Tsh. I should have known something like Soul Eater wouldn't come without drawbacks.'

What was I expecting from the shadow of a deceased evil god?

Does this mean I have to start killing people right now? No… it shouldn't be that.

As if the guilt of taking one life wasn't enough, now I might have to take more. Wouldn't this turn me into some kind of serial killer?

No. Let's calm down and think about this thoroughly. Most likely, I'd be hunting demons and feeding their souls to the gluttonous shadow.

Thankfully, the runes weren't that specific, which left some room to maneuver. There was no need to abandon my humanity and turn into a serial killer. Taking one life was murder, yes, but taking more than that was the mark of a monster.

And if I became a monster… how could I ever look my parents in the eye?

'Hopefully, my shadow wouldn't be a picky eater.'

Wait... If I phrase it like that, then won't I be raising a flag and setting myself up for failure?

How many times has something like this happened already?

And I don't even want to know anything about its berserk state.

"Ugh."

Everything was overwhelming, impossible to process all at once. The path ahead stretched into absolute darkness, and a pounding headache was already clawing its way up.

Just then, the voice spoke again:

[Prepare for your resurrection...]

The world trembled....

[Awaken from your slumber, Black Solace!]

... And everything darkened.