Chapter 13: Merciless Shadow

“Shitty place.”

Edric wasn’t used to living in a place of such filth and poverty as the Withered District. His noble persona was almost barfing at such low standards that the people of the Withered lived in. Not because he felt bad for them, but because he would have to live in the same conditions as them for a while,

how disrespectful.

The stench of rot and damp earth clung to his nose, as if the Withered itself wanted to stain him. Every uneven stone beneath his boots felt like an insult.

Edric of the Virmon family, a very important family in the Blue Rose, and he was the heir of his family, so nevertheless he was a very influential figure in the district. If something ever happened to him, especially in a place like the Withered, it wouldn’t be overlooked.

But then something didn’t add up; what was such a noteworthy figure doing in such a disreputable place, and alone, nonetheless?

Well, for the latter, it was quite simple. Pride.

He was cocky and very prideful, just like any high noble. But at least his cockiness was justified, hence being a seeker.

He doubted there was someone in this trash dump who would be able even to scrape a powerful seeker like he was.

There was only one person who could harm him, and that was himself.

Now, for the former, his mother’s birthday was in a few days. A golden opportunity to gain more of his parents’ trust. He thought that if they trusted him enough, his father would give him the throne earlier.

So he needed a present.

He first thought of finding a jewel at some shop in the Blue Rose, but none served his taste. So he decided to visit the Withered’s blessing. Their trading center.

The only reason the Withered District was still standing was their complex trading center, with relics from many books, and even some from our own, artificially created.

Relics are items gained from killing, from shedding blood. But only of those not from our world, but the many small stories inside the infinite library.

The costs of a relic depend on its class and knowledge ranks. But also their abilities.

Even if two relics have the same class and rank, their value will not be the same. Some attributes are valued more than others. A relic type also influences its price, with charms being the costliest.

Luckily, Edric wasn’t a cheap person, and could probably afford any relic that would attract his attention, no matter its worth.

But before actually buying his gift, he had to arrive at the trading center.

Which proved to be quite troublesome.

It wasn’t his first time in this lowly place, so Edric knew his way around, or at least knew.

Just like the Blue Rose District is ruled by a king, who is also the king of the whole kingdom, the Withered also has a king, or at least had. He was also known as the King of Misery. A long time ago, when the Withered schemed a rebellion against the Blue Rose, he sadly passed away at the hands of the true king.

But as a last gift to his people, he unleashed his power on the Withered District and made the streets shift and change by the day.

To this day, his Affinity is still unknown, but by what he left, the most plausible option is that his Affinity was related to change and alternating.

If he were able to shift a whole district even after death, who knows what other things he could have done?

But that’s the power of a Harbinger.

It made Edric tremble, thinking what would have happened if someone else had stepped in and not the prince. It would surely not have ended as well.

If the King of Misery had faced any other person, he would have prevailed in his rebellion, but to his bad luck, he met someone who overpowered him in every category, a breaker.

If the king was a devil, then his opponent was a god.

The infinite library was created as a world where the truth is held, and the Codex a way for humanity to find that very same truth. A reader’s core class depends on how aligned they and their Affinity are, sync being provided as a counter. When they ascend, they get closer to the truth hidden inside the infinite library. The truth of the gods.

For example, readers are those who read and delve into stories for the truth. After ascension, they become seekers, and therefore now seek the truth, just like Edric was.

After these two, there are five more classes.

Bearers are those who have sought the truth and lived the day to find it, now bearing the truth with them.

After becoming a bearer and bearing the truth inside your own soul, the next step in a reader’s ascension is to spread the truth. Therefore, becoming Harbingers.

Harbingers are a symbol in humanity, a symbol of hope. And for most, it is considered the last step in an average reader’s life. Because it’s the last rank where they still bear their humanity.

Those who decide to continue ascending are seen as corrupted and a symbol of madness. A hunger for power.

After seeking, bearing, and spreading the truth, there is one obvious step, but making this step is like sealing your own humanity to the Codex.

The next step is breaking the truth, reshaping it in your own ideals. Bestowing your own authority over both the infinite library and the world.

Few have reached this level, but those who have are the same people who are ruling the world. There are seven kingdoms on Earth, all being ruled by a breaker.

The last two steps of an ascension inside the Codex are to this day unknown, but with the help of relics, the names of these last ranks are known to the world.

Devourer and Sovereign.

I doubt the day would come where one awakens as the latter, but what I do know is that if that day were ever to come, it would be the end of the world.

Edric clenched his fist, his eyes narrowing with determination.

He still had a long day to go if he wanted to be strong. He was only a seeker, and has hardly even begun to gain sync to reach enlightenment, so it will be a while until he can bear the truth.

But he was going to do it, he was going to get strong.

Though now he had to put his thirst for power aside. He was here for a gift, not anything else.

So like I said, with the streets of the Withered changing themselves day by day, it was almost impossible for anyone to traverse the district. It was a living hell.

“How do people even live in this place?”

Edric said, kicking a small rock with the front of his boot out of frustration.

How many shady and dark alleys has he walked through now? It was getting really irritating.

“Can something interesting happen?”

He asked, and the world swiftly answered.

In the deep shadows, where light is a myth, he heard a familiar voice.

“Murderer”

Edric staggered, almost falling on his back. His eyes were shocked, like he was seeing a ghost, the wind brushing against his pale skin.

That voice belonged to his dead brother.

He swallowed.

“Who… What are you?”

He screamed, slowly crawling away, while his eyes didn’t move one bit from where the sound was coming.

He waited a few seconds, but no one responded.

He sighed, blaming it on a hallucination due to his sleeping routine he has recently neglected.

But as he was about to get up and continue his adventure to the trading center, with the corner of his eye, he saw his own shadow move, laughing at him.

“What, don’t you remember the voice of your own brother?”

Edric stared in awe at his shadow. Was it talking to him, but how? That wasn’t possible. His shadow couldn’t possibly be talking to him; it didn’t even have the same voice as him.

“Damn it, is this a dream?”

He pinched himself, but then felt his soul waver as he realized this really wasn’t a dream.

The shadow put its hand on his hips as if looking down on him, a noble.

“No, you wretch, this isn’t a dream.”

The shadow leaned to get to his level so they could be face to face.

Now with their faces being so close together, he felt his heart beat with insane speed, fear traversing his whole being.

“What, don’t tell me you didn’t think that your actions wouldn’t come back to haunt you. This is your salvation.”

After those words, the shadow backed into its original place, letting a cloaked figure appear from behind it.

Edric didn’t know what was happening…

no, he very well knew what this was.

It was the sin of killing his own brother that came to bite him.

He had tried to forget about it, hiding behind his proud noble persona. But in reality, he was a child scared of people finding out about his sins.

Edric wasn’t always the heir of his family; his younger brother was.

Out of envy and his hunger for praise, attention, and power, he took the life of his own brother with his hands.

And now, the reaper had come to take revenge, to forgive his sins, by death.

Edric stared at the figure, a tired smile appeared on his face, now calm, but almost dead.

His eyes lacked their usual light and were hardly opened; his face was gentle, as if awaiting death with open arms.

As the figure got closer, he summoned a relic, a small knife of the seeker class, but one that would be enough to let the figure penetrate his skin.

As it accepted the weapon, he closed his eyes, rethinking his life.

How fast things had changed. Before, he was frustrated because he couldn’t find the way to the trading center, and now he was accepting death with open arms.

It felt pathetic; he almost wanted to fight back.

But the smiling image of his brother smiling while running to hug him told him this was the right decision. At least this way, he would be forgiven and wouldn’t have to bear the fear of people finding out about it anymore.

And in the next moment, he felt his head fall off his shoulders.

[…]

[You have slain a Seeker Echo human, Edric Virmon]

[Your knowledge grows stronger.]

…

…

…

Aether shrugged, looking at the bleeding body of the noble.

“Hypocrite”

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