Rot Heart: A LitRPG of Rot Magic in an Ancient World (Book 1 completed)

Div had put all his strength, will, and understanding of rot-attuned mana into his pull. It was more than he thought himself capable of, but he had done it, he had severed the Rot Heart tendrils from En.

It wasn't just him, it was a team effort. En had done his part.

While Div watched, En absorbed their Rift Pioneer title into his half of the tree, he also monitored the Rot Heart to see if everything was fine.

The only irregularity was the massive surge in energy. The heart was beating stronger than ever before. Even though it was completely hidden within Div's tree, he could see the bark moving with each thump.

His breath grew ragged. He couldn't close his eyes. His chest rose with power and energy.

As Div's eyes were locked on his brother, En disappeared from the inner world. Only his tree remained, but its aura was dim, weaker.

Sundered Mind has evolved into Bound Genesis.

Rift Pioneer has been consumed.

[En?]

No answer. A deep feeling of anxiety threatened to take over Div.

Had something gone wrong?

He had evolved, but where was En?

Did they succeed?

[En? Where are you?]

Still no answer.

But his tree was still there. Even if it lacked the weight the broken half used to carry, the plant looked healthy.

Div focused on it.

Bound Genesis - Evolved - Lv1

Did En turn himself into a skill?

[En?! Please!]

What had happened? How was this possible? One moment En was there, the next he had completely disappeared.

Was he… gone?

Had reaping the Rot Heart away from his brother killed him?

No, it didn't make sense. But then…

Almost panicking, Div left his inner world. He needed help. He had to run to Theaphilia, Brigaseta, maybe even Vedovessa. Anyone who could, maybe, tell him what had happened.

Yet, as soon as he opened his eyes, Div froze.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, right in front of him, was… himself?

He rubbed his eyes.

No, he wasn't hallucinating.

Upon taking a closer look, the young man sitting in front of him didn't look exactly like him. First, he didn't have a single scar on his body. He was clean, his skin smooth, as if he had never fought a battle. It was also darker. Or rather, Div's skin was paler.

But the biggest difference was the complete absence of rot-attuned mana emanating from the person sitting in front of him.

"Could it be? En? Is that you?" Div asked, incredulous.

Maybe it was the sound of his voice that woke him up, but En chose this moment to open his eyes.

En jolted, eyes snapping open. He looked around wildly, at the walls, the ceiling, at Div, then down at his hands. He flexed his fingers slowly, then quickly, then all at once. He touched his face, his chest, his thighs.

"What the—what is this?" His voice cracked. "Div? I…"

He tried standing and stumbled backward onto the bed. He let out a sharp laugh. "Oh. This is me. This is really me."

Div watched him, stunned, as En looked at his hands again, flipping them over and over as if they might vanish.

"I thought I'd be... less?" En said, voice trembling. "I always thought if we did this, I'd come out half-formed, missing something. But I feel..." He closed his eyes. "I feel great. Div, we're two separate people."

"En…" Div said, slowly taking this new sensation in.

"This is my body," En said, still looking at himself. "My own body…"

"What did the world tell you?" Div asked. He stood up, unable to stay still.

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"Bound Genesis," En said. "You?"

It was the same skill. Were they still linked in some way?

"And your bloodline?" Div pressed. "How is your inner world looking?"

"Rift Pioneer, it turned into a bloodline. I don't know what it does yet. I can't believe that's real."

"It's so weird," Div agreed. "You're not in my head anymore. It's… quiet."

En nodded gravely, it would take time to get used to this new state.

"I lost Scornforged," he said. "And all the rot-attuned skills have reverted to their original state. I'm surprised we have not lost levels, to be honest."

"Yes," Div said. "There has to be a downside to this. We basically split our soul in two."

Div felt a little dizzy. But maybe it was just the shock. Time would tell if the separation had lasting effects. He passed his hands on his face.

Unexpectedly, Div felt lost. That was it, they had evolved. Years of studying and research to find a solution to their split mind had led to this success.

They were still young. Barely sixteen. Few reached the Evolved Rank at such a young age.

And yet…

He didn't understand the new skill he shared with En.

Somewhere in it, there was a link to En. He could feel it. But what did the skill do?

He didn't know.

One thing was sure, merging back with En was impossible. When he tried prompting the skill for answers, it relayed this truth back to him. It was clear, limpid. They couldn't walk back their separation.

Div asked En what he thought, but his brother didn't have a lot more insights.

"I can sort of sense where you are in relation to my position," En said. "But it's underwhelming for an Evolved Rank skill. Surely, there is more to it."

Div and En tried a few experiments, but the result left them more confused than anything.

They couldn't communicate in their heads anymore. They couldn't merge back together. They couldn't feel each other's pain anymore.

All they could see was the weak sense of direction the skill gave them. Knowing in which direction the other was at all times could be useful, but it didn't feel worthy of an evolved skill.

"That's not all," Div said. "Aside from a little more mana in my Rot Heart, I don't really feel stronger."

"I actually feel weaker," En said, going further. "I lost a skill, and I don't have an attunement anymore. Wasn't evolution supposed to strengthen our bodies?"

They were worried the split had weakened them. It would make sense, their souls were not whole anymore.

"We have time to figure it out," Div said. "Our freedom is worth more than a bit of strength. We can always evolve more skills later."

"You say that as if it was easy," En smiled. "But I like the confidence."

"After everything we went through, we can allow ourselves to hope," Div said.

"Now, we need to announce the news to the others."

"Ugh," En said. "That's going to be weird."

Over the last two years, the knowledge of their split mind had spread around Camboaci. By now, there wasn't a single soul in the village who didn't know. But it didn't mean that they could just walk outside as if nothing had changed.

"We have our own bodies, En!" Div said, the reality of the situation finally settling in his mind. "It's real. It's happening."

"No more rot, no more constant discussions," En said. "We're free."

"Free to pursue rot magic," Div said.

After the evolution of Sundered Mind, another good news had popped into his mind.

Skill Acquired: Rot Magic – Basic – Lv1

Finally, he had acquired the facetless Rot Magic skill. Div couldn't wait to select Facet of the Rot Mage. Surely, En felt the same about his new bloodline, about his next facet.

"I need some time," En said. "It's been so long. To succeed in our evolution so suddenly is a little overwhelming."

Div breathed out, releasing tension he didn't know existed. En was right, they needed some time on their own. To come to terms with their new life.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Div felt a knot in his chest. His throat ached.

"En, what did we do?"

"Div?"

"What did we do?!" He shouted, clenching his fists. "Why? Why did we split? We could have lived together. We did. For years. It wasn't so bad. Was it?"

En accepted his brother's outburst. He took a deep breath and stood up, pulling Div into a hug.

"It's okay, Div," he said, holding him tight. "We will always be together. This is what we wanted. We can stay close, and have our autonomy. This is for the best."

Div sniffed. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he let himself go.

"What if we weren't meant to be apart? What if we were never two people, just one, split by accident, and now we've forced something unnatural?"

En sighed, "What's done is done. This is what we wanted."

"I know," Div sobbed. "I'm sorry, it's just… I feel the void in my chest. In my head. Right where you used to be."

"Me too," En said, his throat tightening. "I know. It's been three years. Three years of constant company. Of course, we're feeling the separation, the new distance between us."

Div calmed down a little. They got what they wanted. It was too late to turn back. And, En was right, not sharing the same body didn't mean they wouldn't see each other again. It was healthier this way.

They could live their own lives, have friends, feelings, passions independent of what the other wanted.

Still, he mourned.

"Do you remember?" Div asked. "When our mind split and we couldn't breathe. When every movement felt impossible. When we hid from the others in fear of what they would think of us. When we fought over our facets, our magic. All this time, it's been you and me. I know I agreed on separating, but I can't help but think about what else could have been if we worked together."

En looked away for a moment, his eyes clouded with a mix of sadness and understanding. "I remember," he said softly. "And I, too, wonder if we pushed too hard to change what wasn't broken. But living half a life in one body… it wasn't just about magic or power. It was about being. We were trapped inside ourselves."

Div swallowed hard, his chest tightening. "I know. And yet…" He shook his head, fighting back the rising panic. "What if freedom means losing what made us whole? What if we traded something sacred for something uncertain?"

En stepped closer, resting a steady hand on Div's shoulder. "We don't have all the answers yet. But whatever happens next, we face it apart—yes, but not alone."

"Okay," Div said, pulling himself away from En. "Let's do our best. We have a lot to think about."

En nodded as Div dried his tears.

But before they could do anything else, Carmeta knocked on their door.

"Div, En," Carmeta said. "I heard you shouting. What's going on here?"

Div and En looked at each other. Their gazes met and lingered. Simultaneously, they nodded.

"Come in."