RISE OF THE HOLY DEMONIC GOD

[29th April]

Rey woke up from a restless sleep, much like the training he endured in the white space, knowing that he wouldn't be able to rest with those entities inside him.

As he sat up in bed and opened the window, the cool wind hit his face, bringing his blurry vision into focus.

He saw the sun rising into the sky as the city brimmed with the noise of people and vehicles.

Rey decided to freshen up first, taking a shower and changing his clothes.

He went downstairs and found his mother and sister eating breakfast. He joined at the table to eat his meal.

During breakfast, Rey asked a question that had been troubling him since he went to sleep.

"Mom, sister, may I ask you something if you both don't mind?" he said, stopping mid-meal and looking at them, who seemed quite normal.

"Yes, what do you want to ask, son? If it's urgent, tell me now or we can talk about it later after I come back home," Jasmine replied, as she started to put away her plates to clean them before leaving for work.

"M-mom, why aren't you asking me what happened to me? My body has changed completely—my hair, my eyes, my voice, and even my skin, which is hard to overlook. Even my left hand, which was plain until now, has a weird tattoo on it. But you haven't asked me anything. I remember when I asked you to let me get a tattoo, you instantly disagreed, but now this massive tattoo is on my hand, and you aren't even asking about it. Don't you think I might not be your son, but someone else disguising as him?" he asked, voicing his major concern.

"What are you saying, son? I told you if it's meaningless, don't ask now. And you're asking such unimportant things. We'll talk later, okay?" she said as she started to walk away.

"MOM! Please don't leave right now. Even if it's not important for you, it's important for me," Rey said as he slammed his hand on the table, which shook quite a bit, almost ready to break but didn't.

"Hah~, son, you know that you're real. Even I know that you're real and that's it. Even if the shell is changed, a mother won't mistake her child for a stranger. And in my eyes, even though your whole body has changed, your way of speaking and your eyes are still the same," Jasmine replied as she started to walk away.

"But what if... even those things change inside me one day," Rey said hesitantly, as he knew the curse inside him would eventually consume his emotions and way of living.

"If that happens one day, don't worry. Even if you become heartless, and we will find a way to bring you back. Right, Emmy?" she said, as Emmy, who was eating her fill, nodded with her mouth full of food.

"Yes, we will bring back brother. And honestly, you look like a model right now. Can I take a photo with you so I can make my friends jealous?" she said with her phone in hand and eyes sparkling like stars.

Rey didn't think much of his sister's words, but there was a smile on his face knowing that his family had faith in him.

Before leaving, Emmy took a photo with him forcefully.

Once both were gone from the house, Rey's mood changed instantly.

After cleaning the dishes, he went upstairs, closed the door behind him, and drew the curtains in his room.

"So, should we try out the thing we prepared during training last night?" he said, remembering the training Veylen gave him over his ability, gaining quite the idea of how to and use it.

He came to the center of his room, sat down in a cross-legged position, and closed his eyes in the dark room, which helped him focus little more quickly.

He first started to feel the Mana inside of him, which was quite large in appearance, but he knew that even this might not have been enough to use the ability for the first time if he didn't have the <Eternal Darkness Body> of Victor.

"Let's try to do this in one go," Rey said as he closed his eyes and started to feel the mana again.

He began guiding it around his body, trying to find his ability. As the mana reached every part of his body, there was maybe some change, but the mana was quite docile with him.

He also knew that it was the effect of the mutated ability. So, he continued to circulate the mana around his body to try and find the ability, but nothing found, just as Aiden had said.

He had to go much deeper to find the ability, and he did. As he became immersed in circulating the mana, he grew more and more focused, eventually finding himself in dark space, like the space outside the white space.

This was perhaps the space inside his inner mind, where somewhere deeper within, the white room resided.

He didn't need to go further, as this area was where his ability resided.

He then started to search around the area to find the ability, while his mana was being consumed as he moved around. But his mana regeneration due to Victor was quite high, which prevented mana depletion from becoming an issue.

So, he had some time to move around and waste a bit more time.

After searching for half an hour, he still didn't find it and was considering going beyond this area when his eyes caught sight of something that was quite difficult to see.

An orb-like thing, which appeared quite transparent and could easily be ignored if not looked at properly.

He moved towards it, and luckily, he found what he was looking for.

The ability core of his <DARKNESS> (EX+), which was very difficult to find inside as the whole orb was transparent and dark from within.

He approached it and tried to hold the orb, but his hand passed through it as if it there.

He nodded, confirming that this was indeed a real ability orb as it couldn't be picked up by hands, even in the inner realm.

He then condensed the mana, connecting it like a rope. He began to feel the ability and attached the mana like a string or rope like form.

What he was doing now was forming a bond with ability, which was his but also not at the same time yet without system guide.

The Mana rope attached to the ability now serve as the source and conduit to use the ability and borrow its powers.

As soon as he left the rope, he found himself back in his room, still sitting cross-legged.

His whole body drenched in sweat, his hands shaky, and his legs sore.

He was waiting for something he expected to arrive soon as the system notifications began to appear like Aiden told him.

======

[You've yet again made an achievement worth mentioning, you formed connection with your ability for the second time, still without any help from the system.]
[Your existing title, <Self-Learner>, is improved.]

<Self-learner>

Rarity: Common → Rare

Description: This title is bestowed to those who gain significant knowledge without formal assistance It is reserved for self-sufficient mavericks and geniuses who don't rely on conventional support systems. This title can be combined with other honors.

Effect:

↠ Enhance skill activation speed by 15% → 30%.
↠ Boost the probability of skill creation by % 35%.
↠ Elevate the likelihood of acquiring a skill by observing it by 5% → 15%.

======

"Good, now let me feel the ability which can be used by me, and quite good in a way," he said as he felt the link forming between and the ability and started to feel the change happening.

The area around him didn't change much, but the floor beneath him started to shake like some liquid material.

The darkness gathered around his foot and started to climb up like some floating sand.

The way it was moving was quite creepy, like some parasite climbing away.

Rey didn't lose his concentration and started to control the ability little by little. When the darkness reached his face's equal distance above, he stopped it from rising more. He was quite happy to finally control something without any loss. Maybe they were right back then about this ability.

He then started to control it again, making it move around the room, and it was moving around just like the way he was controlling it.

As he immersed himself in controlling the element, he didn't realize that Aiden, who was looking at his joyful face, appeared behind him and opened the curtain of the window with his ability, letting the light enter the room.

Rey, who was immersed in controlling, got light straight at his face, and his control loosened, causing the element to die down.

"Who opened the curtains?" he shouted as he looked back and found Aiden standing behind him.

"Why did you do that? I was controlling the darkness element quite well. Didn't you see it?" He said, sure that this guy didn't want to see him happy over something.

"It's okay to achieve something with an ability, but what if a situation arises where the darkness isn't present? Would you ask your enemy to let you fight in darkness?" he said as Rey's tongue got tied by his question.

"But..."

"No buts. Now that you're ready to control the ability easily in advantage, try it from now on in bright light," Aiden said as Rey's face turned sad, like he didn't even listen to his words. （;´д｀）ゞ

Aiden vanished, leaving Rey to train alone. Rey, left to his own devices, had to start over from scratch.

He began to focus again to bring out his ability again, seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. However, his efforts were futile. He could no longer manifest his ability, as if had ceased to exist.

As he sat on his room floor in disappointment, Veylen appeared before him. As he looked at him while still sitting in disappointment.

"Now, even you have shown up to make things more difficult for me, right."

"No, I am here to help you solve problem that has been troubling you all this time."

"How? I can't even form a shadow because this light, and Aiden wants me to materialize a dark element in light where there isn't even a tiny space for a shadow."

"Yes, you're right. There is no shadow around you, and Aiden is correct. What will you do when there are no shadows or darkness around you? Can you find a way to use your ability in such a situation?"

"But that's the question. If you want to make my question more difficult, go away," Rey said, turning away from him.

"You never listen carefully. I'm giving you the answer, but you're being impatient."

Rey said nothing as Veylen continued.

"The thing is that this is not possible right now in your current tier abiltiy. It may not even be possible in the first or even in second tier. But there is an alternative path, and that path is you, yourself."

"Huh? What new mystery are you creating now? It can't be done right now but you all want me to accomplish it like some easy trick, and what the solution me? What do you mean?"

"Look below yourself," Veylen said, frustrated by his inability to make Rey understand.

Rey looked down and saw his own shadow formed by the light.

"Do you see this? There is always a shadow present to help you. It's you, yourself. Your own shadow will help you control your ability even in light. But be careful, as one mistake may cause harm to you in some way."

Veylen departed without saying anything further, as if he believed that if Rey had not understood by now, it was futile to teach him further.

However, Rey didn't disregard Veylen's advice. He began to attempt forming darkness with his shadow, it worked, but the quality was not the same as like in darkness.

Nevertheless, the requirement for something was fulfilled as the notification appeared.

[You've....]

-<To be Continued>-

What has transpired now? Has he acquired something once more, or is a new dilemma confronting him? If you wish to discover, then join me in our novel adventure.