Shroud Arcanum

Chapter 5: Chapter 5 - Death?

Reality seeped back into Liam, his consciousness returning in a slow, painful trickle.

His eyes flew open, his heart pounding in his chest. He took a moment to steady his breathing, staring wide-eyed at his surroundings. It was a stark contrast to the mesmerizing crystal forest.

He found himself in a strange place devoid of light yet still bright. It pulsed and throbbed as though alive, a shadowy ether that breathed and murmured with an uncanny resonance.

It was not a suffocating darkness but rather a tranquil emptiness, like being submerged in a serene, bottomless ocean.

Beneath him, the ground felt strangely solid, yet unreal. It was an odd sensation, as though he was standing on a layer of thick, opaque fog that had been solidified.

The ground was uniformly smooth and strangely cold to the touch, as though he was standing on a sheet of obsidian glass.

"Am I... am I dead?" Liam's voice trembled, disbelief evident in his soft-spoken words.

His hands, trembling slightly, moved over his torso and limbs, expecting at any moment to encounter the painful reminders of the vicious attack. "Where... where are the wounds?"

His fingertips found smooth skin, unmarred and untouched, as if the assault had never occurred. "How is this even possible?" He exclaimed aloud, his voice tinged with a mix of relief and bewilderment.

It felt as if reality had snatched him back from the very jaws of a nightmarish death.

However, the chilling memory of the crystalline creature, its radiant, deadly sword, and the excruciating pain it inflicted still lurked in his mind. The emotions were too raw, the experience too vivid to dismiss as a mere dream.

A shiver of dread snaked down his spine as he unsteadily rose to his feet, his legs strangely devoid of their earlier weariness.

His gaze then fell onto the mysterious countdown. 12:24:34. The digits flashed, an ever-present reminder of the ticking time he had been granted.

The realization that he had twelve hours sparked a mixed wave of relief, curiosity, fear, and exhaustion. He started to conjure his status window to learn more about his current situation.

___________________________________________________________________

Name: Liam Rainer

HomePlanet: Earth

Prana: 2/3

Engram: Young Titan Talon

Ascension: none

Soul Gear: Arcanum nano pendant.

Stats: Fitness 0.8, Int 1.2, Ment 1

*

Arcanum nano pendant(?)

Convergence: 1.0078/100

*

Woven from the secrets of age-old rituals, seers and scientists once embarked on a clandestine collaboration. Through their combined efforts, raw arcane energy was captured, condensed, and transmuted into shimmering nanoparticles.

These luminescent specks were then meticulously intertwined with state-of-the-art nanorobots, handcrafted by the finest minds of a technologically burgeoning age.

Legend whispered that the origins of the pendant were rooted in a quest to bridge realms, uniting the ethereal with the tangible. Every Arcanum Nano Pendant thus bore an imprint of the cosmos, an artifact echoing ancient chants and futuristic algorithms.

Upon forming a bond, the pendant would not merely nestle against the skin of its wearer. It would meld, resonating with their very life force, unveiling hidden paths and dormant powers, becoming an enigma wrapped in the mystery of both past and future.

*

Veil Passage

Allows one to step into the realm of the Shroud.

*

Zenith's Calm

serves as a steady anchor for the wearer, providing a calm and rational mind even amidst life's most tempestuous storms.

*

Binate Essence Channels

grant their users two extra surges of prana, a sacred life force.

(Warning: prana cannot regenerate).

*

Arcane Confidant

Give user personal assistant, currently deactivated.

( Warning: it comes with its own personality and cannot be deactivated. Use at your own Risk)

*

Enhance user stats

Depending on the current convergence rate, the pendant enhances the user's physical fitness and intellectual capabilities.

*

Presently, the enhancements are automatically balanced

Allocation: auto-balanced

0.5 Fitness

0.5 Int

*

Adaptive Form Change

morphed into various weapons or pieces of armor. The strength, size, and functionality of these forms are restricted by the current convergence limit, with a current maximum volume of one cubic meter.

Only one design can be registered at this level of convergence, and once registered, the design becomes permanent and cannot be altered.

*

Design:

–none-

-locked-

-locked-

-locked-

-locked-

*

Engram slot:

-empty-

-locked-

-locked-

________________________________________________________________________

As Liam read through the description, his eyes widened with surprise. The abilities it offered were beyond his comprehension; the idea that this has enhanced his body.

He had felt something during the battle, a surge of power and agility, but he had attributed it to adrenaline. Now, he realized, there had been more at play. He flexed his hands, feeling his muscles.

They felt different—stronger, more responsive. His mind, too, was clearer, thoughts coming with a sharpness and focus he hadn't felt before.

"How could something like this even exist?" his voice tinged with disbelief yet curiosity.

As he delved into the description, he shook his head at his stupidity, regretting not having used this ability to create a weapon or armor earlier. "I could have used this from the beginning," frustration bubbled within him.

But then, he paused, his eyes lingering on the description of the personal assistant's ability and its accompanying warning. It made him apprehensive. "Why would it require such a warning?".

It felt like he was on the brink of making a pact with some unknown entity, a bargain with unforeseen consequences. Doubts swirled in his mind.

He mentally revisited his situation: kidnapped, thrown into an abyss, faced with creatures of nightmares, and here he was, still able to calmly analyze his situation despite his mental fatigue.

It all felt like a nightmare. His survival instincts told him that knowledge was his lifeline now, and he couldn't afford to ignore any resource at his disposal.

Liam's eyes narrowed despite his reservations. He knew that activating the personal assistant was his best shot at understanding this trial, his circumstance and increasing his odds of survival.

Drawing a deep breath, Liam steadied himself.

He felt a moment of uncertainty, causing a brief hesitation. "Here goes nothing," he whispered, tinged with both hope and trepidation.

With a focused thought, he willed the activation, mentally bracing himself for the unknown response that might follow.

Activating arcane confidant.

Choosing the most suitable personality.

Personality selected: Playful Trickster.

There was a brief pause, a stillness, and then the air around Liam seemed to shimmer. He almost expected some grand manifestation or appearance, but instead, his ears were met with a jovial chuckle. It was lively, almost mischievous.

"Ah! Finally, someone woke me up! I was starting to get bored in here!!!"