Chapter 580: Chapter 573: What is your essence?

“Please, do explain,” Ihuarah pressed Sofia.

“We were tricked from the beginning! First you, then me. Tricked by the rules into not thinking like real Apostles of Sorrow!”

“The rules?” Ihuarah put a hand over his face, thinking deeply.

For twenty seconds, Sofia watched Ihuarah think with a widening grin.She was certain he would come to the same conclusion as she did.

Finally he seemed to realize something. He gasped. “I-... There was no need for a helper to begin with,” he said, “that is right, this is possible for any child of Sorrow to triumph over alone… All with a single spell.”

Sofia nodded happily. “The most basic of them all,” she said approvingly.

“If you can only choose one…” Ihuarah continued.

“And if you happen to choose wrong…” Sofia replied, moving a step closer to the flying shrouds.

“Then there is a very simple solution… I cannot believe that I got so blatantly blindsided…”

“That’s right. All you need to do…” Sofia grabbed the closest shroud. It fell limply off from her hand and to the floor. That was not the artifact. “Is to show a little [Regret].”

The other two shrouds shot from their trajectory and disappeared under the sarcophagus’ lid.

She had lost.

Time magic doesn’t exist.

[Regret] : alter the past to make a different decision in the previous five seconds; costs 10000 mana per cast, 10 seconds cooldown. Left leg blood vessels must be undamaged for the skill to correctly resolve.

But what if it kinda does?

Sofia disappeared from where she stood. She reappeared next to Ihuarah.

By all means, this was no time magic, after all, Ihuarah perfectly remembered everything that had just happened, BUT, at this instant, there were three shrouds flying in circle around the sarcophagus.

“Did I pick wrong?” Sofia asked with a giggle.

“Why, Sister in Sorrows, you must be mistaken,” Ihuarah answered, stopping to unleash a maniacal laughter. “Our god be my witness; you clearly haven’t picked yet.”

Sofia was counting the seconds.

She let an extra ten flow by, just to be extra sure, useless that it was. Then she stepped forward again, and picked a shroud.

Fifty fifty.

The world disappeared. Instantly, everything had turned gray.

Sofia’s vision gradually expanded. A gray cathedral?

A veiled woman was sitting on the altar, her back facing Sofia. Slowly she turned her head around, it was hard to see her face behind the veil, but Sofia felt like she saw a bright smile.

“Use it well, my daughter.”

Like struck by lightning, Sofia was brought back to reality. The shroud she had picked flew out of her grasp, and, like a regal cape, folded and draped itself over her shoulders.

“Magnificent!”

Sofia turned around, her smile as bright as a demon’s could be. “Magnificent indeed.”

“Now there is only one thing left to do,” Ihuarah said first, excitedly dashing to the exit.

Sofia followed. They made their way to the hole as fast as possible, and both started jumping up.

Sofia soon stopped, Ihuarah stopped too. “We’re high enough,” he said.

“Identify!”

[Shroud of Ackenohh]: Burial garment of Ackenohh, he who welcomed death.

My time has come

Cherish yours

Effects:

‘No time for regrets’ - The cooldown of [Regret] is reduced to two seconds and its scope to one second. You can now use [Regret] while in Numb Sorrows form.

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‘I win, you lose’ - You can no longer cast [Misfortune]. Its effects are strengthened, and replace your demonic aura. Always active, no upkeep cost.

‘Keepsake of Sorrows’ - This item will take your name upon your death.

Restrictions: Childrens of Sorrow only.

Part of a two piece set with ‘The Wheel of Progress’.

Full set effect (inactive) : ‘Karmic Loop’ - Your aura’s strength and area of effect are greatly increased.

“Keepsake of Sorrows…” Sofia whispered, running a clawed finger along the edge of the shroud. “I’m sorry, mother,” Sofia said, marking a dramatic pause, “this effect will never be of any use again.”

Ihuarah silently read the description, he was speechless.

“Are you second-guessing your decision to let me have it?” Sofia jokingly asked.

“Certainly not, it is simply… It feels like one of my life goals has been accomplished. A strange sentiment, truly, one I hadn’t felt in a long time.”

“Eheh, glad I could help. I think that’s what I felt when I finally found Saria. I don’t really have any goal like that now, though.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Perhaps it is my turn to help you, in that case?” Ihuarah suggested.

“You got me this divine item, isn’t that helping plenty already? Besides, you have another woman you should take care of first, don’t you think?”

“Fair points both. If your issue is only to find a purpose, however, was your plan not to get stronger and deal with Scripture?”

“Those are almost two separate plans, I still want to aim for a perfect completion of every system trial… And the asshole god will have its turn for sure… But these goals feel a bit… Shallow? Maybe shallow isn’t the right word… More like… I want to do it, but it’s not… I’m missing a greater purpose, I feel like.”

“One could argue defeating a god is a great purpose already, but if that still feels shallow to you…” Ihuarah suddenly stopped his sentence, looking straight down at the bottom of the hole.

“Something wrong?” Sofia asked, looking down in turn, seeing nothing strange.

“I could swear I saw a person with long white hair down there,” Ihuarah said in a hushed tone, “When I really looked there was nothing. Perhaps the overwhelming emotions are playing with my senses…”

“Long white hair, you say? Are you sure?”

“It was but a fleeting sight,” Ihuarah said.

“You might have seen right. I can’t explain, but that alone should tell you everything you need to know. I’m going down to check, you go back up and let the others know we got the shroud,” Sofia ordered.

“Are you certain you know what you’re doing?” Ihuarah asked.

“No doubt. If anything happens to me, Pareth and Bookie will know what to do to come find me. But chances are I’ll be back soon,” Sofia continued before letting herself fall back down.

Soon she was alone in the room at the bottom of the hole again, she looked through the door to the walled-up cavern of the upper stratum.

One of the walls now featured a hole, as if something had broken through, and just as Sofia noticed this, she saw trailing white hair disappearing beyond the wall.

That’s Him.

Sofia tried to dash after him, but a sudden violent cramp forced her to stay in place, barely managing not to fall face first to the ground. Crap. I descended too fast. I couldn’t properly re-adapt to the mana concentration…

Using any spell in that state could be dangerous, so Sofia just waited for a bit to let the pain pass and to let herself get used to the environment again. When she was ready, she walked up to the broken wall.

The hole opened up to a long natural cavernous tunnel with a few stray rocks and not much else.

A soft voice came out of nowhere, murmuring in Sofia’s ears, “So you want a greater purpose, Saintess?”

Sofia wanted to turn around, but she couldn’t. She managed to squeeze out one word, “Orator…”

“Have you guessed why Time needed to die? This Lord supposes not. Nevertheless, you already have a calling.”

“I- I do?”

“Yes. Great things are coming. You fancied yourself our Saintess, did you not? When the time comes, you can be our voice, if you are ready.”

“H- How?”

“You need the essence and the knowledge both, [False Lord]. My quest shall be your blessing’s crowning achievement. Yet you miss the mandate from one of us still. The time is right. Try it again now, the name.”

Sofia could move again. She turned around, and of course there was no one here.

“Try the name again… Really?” Sofia asked the Orator, “You were the one warning me against it!”

There was no answer. The Orator had left.

“And right now?”

Saintess of the Deep…

Sofia looked back at the door, thinking about the others who were likely to be all waiting for her.

“Aphenoreth, if I should stop, now is the time to warn me.”

There was no answer again. She sighed. I always knew it, but my curiosity is going to be the end of me.

Pareth, Bookie. I’m going to do something really dumb. For your safety, don’t come. Just trust me. I will be back soon. Probably. I love you.

She took a deep breath, an intoxicating quantity of mana rushing inside her. She felt Pareth and Bookie urgently teleporting to her, cutting through the fabric of space, but they were too late to stop her, the word was already leaving her mouth.

“Edrazeketh.”

It was like something in the world broke. After pronouncing a simple word, Sofia Aphenoreth ceased to exist.

The echo of her voice bounced around the cave walls, Pareth and Bookie were left behind in the dark cave.

The skeletons only needed to share one look. Bookie extended a hand, Pareth grabbed it.

Bookie clutched hard on Pareth’s hand, but he did not hesitate for even a second. “Edrazeketh.”

There was thus only darkness and silence to be found in the cave.