When Kaelis opened his eyes, he found himself suspended between dream and reality.
A black, endless void surrounded him, illuminated only by a myriad of stars. Among them, silver threads of light formed an intricate tapestry, weaving constellations and nexuses in a network of impossible beauty. It was a… surreal vision.
And yet, even in the face of such magnificence, Kaelis floated inert — a body without a soul.
His mind was in ruins. He felt the weight of countless lives staining his hands.
He had become an executioner.
Even knowing he hadn't had full control over his body, the guilt consumed him.
"I… I couldn't… I couldn't even spare the righteous of that cursed city"
"Does that make me… a monster?" — he thought.
He didn't want to think. Not at that moment. The First Nightmare still echoed within him, and exhaustion crushed him.
With effort, he closed his eyes, trying to silence his own mind.
That's when the voice of the Spell made itself present — no longer gentle as before, but immense, as if the universe itself were speaking to him.
[You have received a Memory: Armor of the Divine Twilight.]
[You have received a Memory: Sword of the White Priest.]
"Two memories?" — he thought, with a flash of surprise. — "I guess I can feel a little happy about that."
The rewards brought rare relief. At least the hell he had faced hadn't been in vain.
Memories were treasures. Weapons, artifacts, blessings — each one forged from the echo of something that once existed. And those… belonged to powerful entities.
The white priest… Kaelis knew, with visceral instinct, that he could never have defeated him in his current state. Victory was only possible thanks to the power of the Heart God himself. And the other one… he was something beyond comprehension. A spark of the original divinity — just a fragment of the Heart God's soul, and still far too terrible for Kaelis to dare understand.
From the Spell's point of view, Kaelis was just a sleeping human. Receiving memories of such caliber would be a colossal advantage upon entering the Dream Realm.
He wanted to examine them, but there was no time.
The evaluation had ended.
[Aspirant, your judgment has come to an end.]
[You were the vessel of a corrupted faith. Many perished in the trials of the Heart God — but only you survived.]
[The Cathedral fell before your justice. The sacred city was erased by the brilliance of your divinity. Not even the profane priest resisted your wrath.]
[You defeated a Cursed Titan: Fragmented Soul of the Heart God.][You defeated an ascended human: Anselm Vireas.][You have received the blessing of the God of Souls.]
[You have achieved the impossible.]
[Final evaluation: Glorious. Your sacrifice is unmatched. Your divinity shines upon the world.]
Kaelis frowned at the last sentence. Sacrifice? He didn't want to sacrifice himself — he just had no choice. Even so, there was pride in those words.
"With an evaluation like that, my chances of getting a powerful Aspect… are enormous."
But his full strength would still depend on the awakening of his soul core, something that would come later. The rank of the Aspect, however, would already change everything.
[Dreamer Kaelis, receive your blessing.]
[You have received a True Name: Angel of the Broken Vow.— Oaths were made by your parents, by the Church, by the Gods. All were betrayed. Now, you are the final answer. A vengeful promise incarnate.]
Kaelis remained silent.
A True Name… he had actually received one.
Few even survived the First Nightmare. Fewer still came out with a True Name. But he… he had achieved the impossible.
His heart raced. His family — Zoe, Michael, his parents… everything could change.
"We'll never have to worry about food, school, or shelter again…" — he whispered.
And it still wasn't over.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Do you wish to evolve it?]
"Of course I do!"
[Dormant Aspect Veiled Angel is evolving…]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
[Aspect Name: Fractured Seraph.]
Kaelis held his breath.
"A… divine Aspect?!"
It was hard to believe. The impact of the revelation left him stunned, almost forgetting he was still floating in that ethereal plane.
He touched his face, rubbed his eyes. He was conscious. It was really happening.
With a mental command, he summoned the runes. The description appeared before him:
[Aspect: Fractured Seraph]
[Rank: Divine]
— The Fractured Seraph represents the threshold between salvation and judgment. A divine vessel that did not ascend… but fell. It still bears traces of its original angelic form, even with shattered wings and a cracked soul.Runes of judgment run across its skin like living tattoos. Its eyes burn with arcane symbols. Its golden blood flows slowly, emitting a dark mist — alive, conscious.
[Ability: Fractured Manifestation]
Type: Angelic Transformation
Duration: Short (dependent on endurance)
Cooldown: High
"The light in you was corrupted. It fractured. Broken by choices, scarred by sacrifice. Upon assuming this form, you are not merely divine — you are the gods' most beautiful mistake."
It was a lot to take in.
But Kaelis felt a burning joy. All the suffering, the pain, the weight of guilt — now seemed small in the face of the promise of a different future.
A Divine-ranked Aspect.
Only the greatest warriors of humanity — the Transcendents, called Saints — had enough power to dream of something like that. And even they rarely dared to challenge higher Nightmare Creatures.
Divine memories? Sacred Aspects? They existed only in myths and legends.
And yet, Kaelis had claimed one.
He smiled. Pride. Arrogance. Hope. All mixed together.
But before he could dive into this new future…
[The First Seal has been broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]