Mahoraga's gaze wandered towards Sunny's unconscious body and let out a lazy sigh. "What a pain."
It had been almost twelve hours since their battle with the [Ivory Raider], the scorching sun had set and the land had fallen to chaos once again.
After slaying the Nightmare Creature, Mahoraga made his way through the desert with Sunny slung over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Without the nuisance, the journey was quite pleasant.
Mahoraga clicked his tongue.
Sunny had not moved once in hours.
Half his body was crushed, melted together with his armour. His head carried a large scar that split his forehead into equal portions. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, one might have mistaken him for a corpse.
Mahoraga clicked his tongue.
"Tch," he nudged Sunny lightly with the tip of his boot.
"Still alive?"
There was no response.
He pouted, acknowledging the silence with a small nod. "Mhm," he hummed, stifling a yawn as a bored expression settled across his face.
As impregnable as he was, even he needed rest.
The endless desert, the constant fighting, the suffocating heat of the day and the fact that he had to carry Sunny for another four hours — it had all begun to wear him down.
Normally they took turns resting. One slept while the other kept watch — a simple arrangement that had worked well enough in a place like this. But right now that arrangement had collapsed entirely — Sunny lay there like a corpse, completely useless.
Mahoraga let out another long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… I guess that means I'm on both shifts. Ah, if I somehow fall asleep and something eats you," he muttered to himself, "that's your fault."
After a moment of uneventful silence, he decided to take a look at his progress.
Name - Mahoraga
True Name - Circle of Samsara
Enlightened Core - [4/7]
Enlightenment Fragments - [875/4000]
Memories - [Dying Breath], [Oathbound], [Heart's Visage], [Ivory Shroud]
Echoes -
Attributes - [Cursed Energy], [Mark of Divinity], [Catalyst of Harmony], [Dreamspawn], [Gluttony]
Aspect - [Incarnation of Adaptation]
Innate Ability - [Cursed Spirit]
Ability Description - [You are a metaphysical being born of hatred and malovolence.]
Dormant Ability - [Wheel of Dharma]
Ability Description - [The cycle of life, death and rebirth; the path to enlightenment. As the wheel turns, enlightenment occurs.]
[Adaptations - 7/7]
Flaw - [Shikigami]
Mahoraga stared at the floating runes for a while, his eyes drifting lazily across the glowing lines.
"…Two?"
That was unexpected.
His path of progression was completely different than normal Awakened — instead of absorbing Soul Shards from slain Nightmare Creatures. He gained his fragments — Enlightenment Fragments from adaptation.
The more complex the adaptation, the greater the reward.
He hadn't expected to gain two entire fragments from something as simple as breathing in the sand. That was completely unexpected but also welcomed.
Mahoraga's gaze drifted towards the new memory he had gained. He tilted his head slightly and focused on the unfamiliar name. The runes shimmered faintly in response.
Memory: [Ivory Shroud]
Memory Rank: Asceneed
Memory Tier: VI
Memory Type: Armor
Memory Description: [Within a detached realm drifting between worlds, shadows that had lost their way to the Underworld found themselves stranded — wandering, purposeless, unable to reach what awaited them beyond. A benevolent man took them in. With the aid of a strange, sentient shadow as his companion, he built a waystation from nothing, a sanctuary for the lost.
It did not last.
When the Gods and the -unknown- went to war, their humble refuge was destroyed to prevent interference — burned away before it could become a variable neither side could afford. The man fell with it. His companion vanished.
What became of the helper, no one agrees. Some say it still roams the remnants of that realm, hollow with grief and burning for revenge against those who took its only friend. Others say it fled — wounded beyond reckoning — and in its long isolation began to create... spawning fragments of itself, raising them with a single purpose. To one day overthrow the Gods and the -unknown- both.]
Mahoraga sat up straight.
The last part, that helper — if it was still alive… it'd be a big problem for them to deal with. A being that could survive the combined attacks of both the Daemon and the Gods was quite… dangerous, to say the least.
Although he was strong, quite strong.
In the face of overwhelming power, the ability to adapt, to evolve meant very little — those things only mattered when there was something left to overcome. Before power on that scale, the difference between adapting and not adapting was negligible.
Mahoraga shrugged.
"Well… that only matters if we run into it."
The Nightmare Desert was vast beyond reason. Creatures of unimaginable power existed somewhere within that boundless expanse, but the chances of crossing paths with one by sheer accident were slim… probably.
He leaned back, loosening his body as he settled into the sand and took a look at the enchantments.
[Adaptations - 6/7]
[Adaptations - 7/7]
He switched out his adaptation to heat with the one that allowed to perceive enchantments.
[Ivory Shroud]
The moment his eyes focused on it, the enchantments revealed themselves.
Memory Enchantments - [Durable Scales], [Heat Dissipation], [Thorns], [Shedding]
"Wow," four enchantments were quite a lot for an ascended memory.
Durable Scales - This memory manifests as a layer of tough, impossible to pierce, interlocking scales
Heat Dissipation - The scales absorb and disperse heat across their surface, protecting the bearer from extreme temperatures.
Thorns - The scales are lined with short, hollow spikes that draw blood on contact.
Shedding - The armor can be shed in an instant, discarded like a second skin. Destroying the memory releases everything it held in reserve — a final, violent gift.
Shedding would prove useful in certain situations,
During his fight with the [Ivory Raider] a few hours earlier, for instance. Had his Aspect Legacy not awakened at that critical moment, Mahoraga wasn't entirely sure the battle would have ended in his favor.
Even then, the battle had absolutely drained him — collapsing into the sand immediately after it and being incapacitated in this desert was a danger in itself.
Speaking of his Aspect Legacy.
Aspect Legacy - [Cursed Energy Manipulation]
The name was quite long if he had to say so himself.
As soon as he concentrated on the Aspect Legacy, new runes shined to describe it.
Aspect Legacy Description - [The lowest emotions of mankind, now tamed and controlled. An insidious power that flows from grief, hatred, and despair — the rot that festers in the hearts of the living. Only the malevolent Circle of Samsara, having descended to the very depths of hopelessness, could have looked upon something so vile and seen a weapon.]
Cursed Energy Manipulation Mastery Level - [0/7]
First Relic: [Claim]
Second Relic: Unearned
Third Relic: Unearned
Fourth Relic: Unearned
Fifth Relic: Unearned
Sixth Relic: Unearned
Seventh Relic: Unearned
Holding his breath, he concentrated on the runes describing the first relic and whispered, "Claim."
As Mahoraga watched, the runes glowed brightly for a few seconds, and then changed.
First Relic: Claimed.
And a moment later, the Spell spoke softly into his ear.
[You have received an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[You have received a Shikigami - Harbinger of Perfection.]
[Do you wish to give a name to the Harbinger of Perfection?]
Hmm… a name?
Mahoraga pondered for a moment, rubbing lightly at his chin. Naming things had never really been his strong suit. He glanced toward Sunny's broken body lying a few feet away in the sand.
Not asking him.
Mahoraga sighed.
Perfection, huh, he tilted his head slightly.
If the Spell had named it that, then it meant that the Shikigami had something to do with his dormant ability.
"Dharma."
The moment he muttered his name, he felt a mystical and bizarre connection forming between him and Dharma. It was a strange yet comforting sensation as if the two were bound to be together. At the same time, his runes appeared in front of him, allowing him to take a peak at what his new companion could do.
Name - Dharma
Shikigami Rank - Dormant
Shikigami Class - Devil
Shikigami Description - [Heaven, witnessing the struggle of its newest experiment to reach perfection, willed a new being to existence — a companion that would accompany and aid their lonely creation in its journey to reach flawlessness.]
Just as he was about to examine the rest of Dharma's information, his gaze shifted away from the floating runes and settled on Sunny's motionless body lying in the sand.
Mahoraga narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then he scoffed.
He raised his legs and kicked Sunny in the side, "You ain't fooling anyone."
A quiet groan escaped Sunny's throat as his chest rose sharply. His eyelids trembled before slowly opening, revealing dull, unfocused eyes that struggled to adjust to the darkness.
"Your shift," Mahoraga mentioned flatly.
"You're unbelievable," Sunny muttered hoarsely, "I was in a coma for almost what? 4 hours? And you can't let me rest?"
Mahoraga blinked slowly, then shrugged, "You aren't dead."
Sunny stared at him with dull, exhausted eyes. For a moment it looked like he might simply pass out again. His breathing was rough, every breath was shallow as pain rippled through his ruined body.
"That's your standard now?" he rasped.
Mahoraga nodded, "Its a reasonable standard."
Sunny let out a slow, pained exhale and dragged a trembling hand over his face, wincing as he dismissed his armour, "I can't move."
Mahoraga glanced at him for a second, "Sounds like a you problem," and swiftly folded his arms behind his head and leaned back into the sand as if settling into a comfortable bed.
Sunny's eye twitched, "Mahoraga."
"Mhm."
"If something shows up, I'm throwing you at it."
"Okay."
Hearing his cold answer, Sunny had the sudden urge to shove that bastard into the sand and let the desert do the rest — watch the dunes swallow that relaxed face while he choked on a mouthful of grit.
The image was incredibly satisfying… and tempting.
Unfortunately, he couldn't even lift his arm.
So he just remained motionless on the ground, sighing.