Yet these people relied upon on him. Would he give up on that trust by backing down now? Simply because it was difficult or painful? What kind of person would that make him? Even as he posed these questions to himself, he knew the answer. It would make him weak. He had entered this game looking for power and a sense of control over his own life. That was exactly what the Old Man was offering him.
Would he back down now, just because that power came with a price?
Jason raised his head, his determination solidifying. He knew what he wanted, deep down in the very core of his being. He wanted to help his friends. He wanted to help Angie. He wanted to claim his place in the world and defend it – whether it was in this digital world or in the real one. And he wouldn’t shy away from taking what he wanted. Not anymore. That was something the old Jason would have done. He would have backed down and hung his head while Alex tormented him and others took advantage of him. It was time for him to fully and finally lay his former self to rest.
“I accept,” Jason said firmly. “I accept your path – with both the power and the pain that it entails.”
The Old Man shook his head, chuckling softly. “The resiliency of the human soul is a marvel. If you would accept my path, you need only step into the waters of the pond to complete the ritual.”
Jason turned, glancing at the pool, ripples cascading across its surface as another droplet struck the water. He tamped down on the voice in the back of his mind that warned of the dangers of what he was about to do. This was not the time to back down.
He walked forward with confident steps. As he neared the edge of the pond, he hesitated for only a brief moment before placing a tentative foot into the water. The rocks beneath the surface formed a natural staircase, allowing him to step down into the pond. The water soon ran across his feet and between his legs, but it didn’t seem to soak through his clothing. Instead, the liquid simply felt cool on his skin. Almost… welcoming.
Jason kept moving forward, each step becoming more difficult as he moved deeper into the pond and the waters grew to his thighs and then to his chest. As he finally neared the center of the pool and the water ringed his neck, the Old Man’s voice sounded from behind him. “I expect great things of you, boy. Even from the beginning, I knew there was something special about you. Something in your soul that strikes a balance between the desires that control men’s minds and compassion for your friends and your people. I look forward to seeing where this takes us.”
Jason didn’t bother to turn. Taking a deep breath, he took a final step forward.
His foot didn’t land on the next step, and his head plunged under the water, the world swirling and twisting around him as he sunk below the surface. He reflexively held his breath, and he tried vainly to swim back to the surface, only to find his movements sluggish and uncoordinated – as though he was weighed down by an invisible force. Panic soon swept over him, and his movements became more desperate as he struggled to get back to the surface.
Long, painful moments passed, and the fire in his chest grew – his body demanding oxygen. As the last of his air ran out, and the burning his lungs became unbearable, he opened his mouth with a gasp. Water immediately flooded his mouth and nose, filling his lungs. Jason fully expected to drown.
Yet a moment later he realized he could breathe normally despite the fluid that filled his lungs and he began to relax. As the adrenaline filtered through his blood and his breathing evened out, he inspected his surroundings. Darkness hung around him, impenetrable and immutable. He couldn’t help but draw a comparison with the void-like darkness he had experienced several times when transitioning to the cavern. However, this place didn’t feel empty. He sensed that there was something lingering nearby – something besides himself.
After a long moment, indistinct figures began to take shape in the water around him, rapidly growing more solid and real. Dozens of people appeared, their bodies an ephemeral, ghostly blue. Dozens became hundreds. Then thousands. The apparitions of hundreds of years of the Kin stared at him, floating around him in the endless waters of the pond.
He saw men and women. The young and the old. Their expressions warred between pain and rage – sorrow and desperation. Yet he also saw happiness in many of them. Even as he focused on a single soul, images flashed through his mind. He saw their birth, their life, and their death in an instant. Yet that was only a single soul. Thousands upon thousands remained. They hovered around him, sharing their stories with him. Their victories and their defeats.
The images kept going in a frantic rush and Jason lost track of time, losing himself in the whirlwind of memories that flooded through his mind. And as the process continued, he could feel power raging through his body. It started as just a small icy tendril in the center of his chest but grew swiftly. Over time, the dark energy flooded through his veins in a tidal wave, raw and uncontrolled. He could feel the same gnawing, bottomless hunger he had experienced in the deathscape, and his very soul yearned for that power.
Even though pain radiated through his body, he wanted more!
He quickly began to lose control, his mind floundering as he struggled to stay focused on the memories.
Then a ghostly hand reached out, touching his arm. He turned to find a young girl staring at him with Riley’s eyes. Where her hand rested on his arm, his skin suddenly felt numb, the raging icy torrent abating. Then another hand rested on his shoulder. Turning, he found Frank watching him, a smile on his face. Then others joined them, hands pressing toward him from every direction. Where they touched him, the pain eased – and the desperate hunger subsided. It was still there, but it was manageable.
As the chill sensation finally faded, the ghostly apparitions backed away, watching him silently. A single figure drifted through the crowd, the other men and women parting to let him pass. As he neared, Jason’s eyes widened in shock.
“Hey there, boy,” Rex said, a lopsided grin on his ghostly face. “I knew we would meet again, but, I’ll admit, I didn’t expect it to be under such circumstances.”
Jason struggled to respond – to say something. Yet he found he couldn’t.
“Don’t worry, you still have much to learn,” Rex said when he saw Jason straining to speak, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You aren’t ready to communicate with us yet. What’s important is that you know we are here. We will always be here. In those moments where you feel helpless and overwhelmed, we will be with you.”
“All of us,” he continued, gesturing at the legions of translucent blue figures around them. “We are Kin, and we do not forget our own.”
A sad expression warped Rex’s features. “But you cannot stay here. You have others to serve and to protect. I know that you will make us proud.”
With these final words, the world began to drift and swirl around Jason, stuttering and jerking erratically. He knew that he was being forced from this place and every fiber of his being strained to stay. He had so much he wanted to say to Rex – so many questions he wanted to ask. Had he been part of the Death Lord? Did Jason owe him one more time for saving his life?
Rex seemed to sense his struggle. “Do not worry, boy. Death isn’t the end. It is only a single step among many, a brief respite along the path we each follow. You will come back to us, and we will be here waiting.”
Then the apparitions finally faded from view, their bodies breaking apart in a swirling vortex of sapphire light. The energy danced and spun around Jason, swiftly fading away and leaving only darkness in its wake.
A moment later, Jason was standing once more in the room below the Keep. He staggered slightly at the sudden transition, dropping to his knees and his breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps. He struggled to process everything he had just witnessed – his friends’ memories, the Kin, Rex… The meeting with his former general had been the most painful in many ways. Their parting and his final words left a bittersweet taste in his mouth, filling him with a mixture of sadness and longing.
As Jason final
ly managed to get control of himself once again, he looked at his hands where they rested on the floor. He was forced to do a doubletake, noticing that his skin was now a stark white riddled with lines of dark energy. With some trepidation, he pulled back at the armor along his arm, noticing that the rest of his body was the same ivory color. The tendrils of dark energy formed complicated patterns along his skin – shifting and reforming even as he watched.
Jason felt at his face, exploring with his fingers. Everything felt normal until he felt at his forehead, his fingertips tracing the tips of small horns that now jutted into the air. Even as he realized that his body had changed, notifications suddenly crashed into his vision.
Quest Completed: Strength of Many
You have gone through much to complete the Old Man’s quest, putting yourself, your friends, and your people at risk. Yet even when faced with the price of your newfound power, you did not balk. Instead, you stepped forward confidently, accepting your place among the Kin. If there was any doubt that you were ready to become the next Keeper, that has finally been put to rest. You are now the embodiment of darkness, a living example of the power and wisdom with which the Kin were once ruled. Rise Keeper and accept your place among your people!
Race Change: Keeper (Shade)
You have been awarded +5,000 Infamy
Progress along the Path of the Dark
Friendly relationship with the Dark One
System Notice: Race Change
After undergoing the Old Man’s quest and accepting your place as the new Keeper, your body has undergone a dramatic transition. You are no longer human. Instead, you are now one of a long dead race known as the Shades, who were once living incarnations of dark mana. Take care, traveler. If your mana is reduced to zero, you will now die.
Race Change: Keeper (Shade)
Health removed and added to mana.
Mana gain from Intelligence and Willpower increased by x1.25.
You have been awarded +50 to Willpower
You have been awarded +20 to Intelligence
You have been awarded +20 to Endurance
Racial weakness to light mana
Damage and mana regeneration halved while standing in direct sunlight
Spell Update: Undead Devotion
As part of your transition to a Keeper, you have now unlocked one of Undead Devotion’s additional effects. When cast on a living or undead target, this spell will grant you temporary access to the individual’s memories. Higher levels of the ability will grant access to more guarded or sensitive memories and information.
Skill Level: Beginner Level 1
Effect: Access to surface thoughts for 60 seconds.
x10 Level Up!
You have (75) undistributed stat points.
New Spell: Dark Incarnation
As a Shade, you have the ability to convert your body into a cloud of pure mana, temporarily making you immune to physical weapons and attacks. However, this form will make you more susceptible to magic damage and can only be used sparingly. This is a spell of last resort.
Skill Level: Beginner Level 1
Effect: Your body is converted to a cloud of dark mana, increasing your mana regeneration by 125% and making you temporarily immune to physical damage. Effect lasts for 30 seconds.
Cooldown: 24 hours.
After looking through the prompts, Jason couldn’t resist the urge to pull up his Character Status. He was interested to see how the changes had affected his statistics.
“Jason!” a voice called from the other side of the room.
Looking away from his Character Status screen, Jason found Frank and Riley standing at the stairwell. This was the first time he had actually looked around the room, finally noticing that Morgan had disappeared and that no blood stains marred the floor. He had been so caught up in his own thoughts and reviewing his notifications that he hadn’t noticed these details. He could only assume a few hours had passed since they had undertaken the ritual.
“Are you okay?” Riley asked as they approached. She must have noticed the way he was glancing around the room in confusion before staring at his friends. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I guess I sort of did,” Jason murmured, his thoughts returning to Rex once again. “I’m… just trying to process everything that happened.” As he finished speaking, Jason pulled back his hood, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.
As he looked up again, he noticed his friends staring with wide eyes. “What? Do I have something on my face or something?”
“Not quite. Well, actually kind of…” Frank said, stumbling over his words.
“You look like… honestly, I’m not really sure what you look like,” Riley said in an odd voice, stepping close to him and inspecting his face carefully. Her fingers ran over his horns, and Jason suddenly felt distinctly uncomfortable with how close she was standing. “Your skin is tattooed, but the patterns keep changing. It’s… it’s actually not a bad look on you.”
“Um, thanks?” Jason replied awkwardly. Riley suddenly met his gaze, and she blushed, pulling her hand back and stepping away from him.
“See, Jason always gets the cool new race changes and toys,” Frank muttered from nearby, a grin curling his lips. “I guess this means we’re now talking to a new Keeper?”
“That seems to be the case,” Jason said, glancing back at his prompts. “It appears I don’t have health anymore – just mana. I also received some new ability that turns me into… something? I haven’t had a chance to use it yet.”
“Well, don’t leave us in suspense,” Riley said with a curious expression.
“Yeah, we just let you kill us and all,” Frank added with a grin. “You kind of owe us a demonstration.”
With a shrug, Jason began casting Dark Incarnation. The requisite gestures and incantation tumbled into his mind in a rush, his fingers twining through an intricate dance. The spell casting was short – likely indicating that the spell was intended for emergencies – which made sense given the brief invulnerability to physical damage.
A moment later, Jason’s limbs began to dematerialize into a swirling black mist. His fingers literally disintegrated in front of his eyes, and it took quite a bit of self-control not to panic. As the strange effect overtook the rest of his body, Jason struggled to deal with the odd sensation. He could still sense his limbs, but they felt wispy and ephemeral, moving far faster than he was accustomed to.
As an experiment, he tried walking across the room, imagining corporeal legs stepping across the stone floor. In an instant, he slid across the room – moving much faster than he had anticipated. The shift was a bit disorienting, but he suspected he would get used to it with a little practice. Looking behind him, he could see that he had traveled the length of the room in the span of a couple seconds. It looked like his new form was quite fast – at least while casting Dark Incarnation. He couldn’t help but wonder if his incorporeal body might also be able to hover or fly in short bursts. That might allow him to reposition quickly during a battle.
A few short seconds later, his body re-solidified, his limbs regaining their heavier and more comforting weight. “So, what do you think?” Jason asked his friends.
“That’s seriously cool,” Frank replied, his eyes wide. “It looked like you turned into a black cloud for a moment and you sort of streamed across the room when you moved.” A grin curled his lips, and a thoughtful look flitted across his face. “You know, we could probably scare the shit out of some people with this new power.”
Riley smacked Frank lightly on the back of the head. “We didn’t go through all that trouble just to pull pranks on people.”
Frank frowned slightly. “Sure, but when an unholy ritual gives you lemons…”
Shaking his head, Jason asked Riley, “How did you guys know I was down here?”
Riley shrugged. “It’s not too mysterious. We respawned a while ago and tried messaging you, but the system indicated that you were unavailable – which was weird. We’v
e been checking our friends list, and you suddenly popped back online a couple minutes ago. So, we figured you’d show up here.”
“You were gone for a while,” Frank added, moving closer and inspecting Jason’s face and skin. “A few hours in-game at least. We were actually going to need to log off if you didn’t come back soon.”
Riley sighed. “Speaking of which, it’s getting pretty late, and I’ve got some homework to do.” A thought seemed to occur to the archer, and she glanced at Jason. “What would you say to meeting up tomorrow?”
Jason shrugged. “Sure, that sounds fine. I was planning on logging back in anyway.”
Riley hesitated, looking a little uncertain. “No, I was talking about meeting in the real world. Maybe we could meet for lunch at that bubble tea place.”
“Wait? Like in the real world? Without people hunting us or dumbass gods breathing down our neck?” Frank asked in mock shock. “I’m not really sure I can handle that.”
Jason couldn’t help but laugh. “You know what? That sounds good. I think I could use a little break from the game anyway. It might be good to spend some time in the real world.”
“It sounds like a plan then!” Frank said, glancing to the side at his system UI. “I’ve got to run, though. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” With that, the barbarian vanished in a multi-colored flash of light.
“I probably need to head out too,” Riley said. She turned and looked at Jason, her expression serious. “Are you really okay?” she asked again.
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