The fragment dissolved into Nova's core, spreading warmth through his small frame. A sense of completion washed over him, like finding a missing puzzle piece he hadn't known was gone.
[Soul Fragment of Nova Krogs resonating… Fragment absorbed.]
[Fragment trait "Relentless Stamina” obtained]
[Warning: Maximum number of traits reached. Future traits require you to switch out existing ones to make room.]
‘...
2025-02-25 17:36:32 +0000 UTC View PostNova picked up the Drake Heart first, feeling its weight in his palm. The metallic surface was warm to the touch, pulsing with an inner fire that seemed eager to be released. He closed his eyes and began the refinement process, channeling essence into the heart as he had done with the iron keys so long ago.
The heart's power flooded into him, far more potent than simple iron. Liquid fire coursed through his meridians, threatening to burn him from the inside out. But Nova remained perfec...
2025-02-24 15:48:23 +0000 UTC View PostNova stepped into the bedroom after climbing the creaky wooden stairs, with Annelie following close behind. The small room smelled of fresh sea air from the open window. Millie and Quinn sat cross-legged on the worn floorboards, pushing tiny wooden carts back and forth between them.
At the sound of footsteps, they both looked up. Quinn's weathered face held a gentle smile, looking more spirited than usual. Millie bounced to her feet, nearly knocking over the carts in her excitement.
... 2025-02-21 16:40:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe cathedral in Collport looked just like it had when they left, with white marble and intricate golden sculptures decorating the front. That wasn’t very surprising, considering it had only been four days, but Nova still felt like it was odd.
Merchants and townsfolk bustled past the open square, dressed in simple clothes rather than white robes. The sight lifted a weight Nova hadn't realized he'd been carrying.
“Does it feel nice to be back home?” Sar asked. Her hand traced...
2025-02-20 19:18:08 +0000 UTC View Post
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the tall windows as the trio sat cross-legged in a circle on the bed. The white sheets rustled softly with each movement.
Nova kept his eyes closed, focusing intently on the subtle energies around him. Across from him, Annelie's face scrunched in concentration as she attempted the invocation. Millie sat between them, fidgeting slightly as she practiced her meridian cleansing exercises.
“I think I can sense you now, Annelie.” No...
2025-02-19 16:54:41 +0000 UTC View PostIn the sweet comfort of a fresh robe after a nice, warm bath, Nova sat in a meditative pose in Annelie’s bed. His eyes were closed, focusing on the sensation his essence was returning to him.
“Do you feel the Soul Power better if I do this?” Annelie asked, suddenly tensing her muscles in front of him. She was sitting in the same pose across from Nova. And by her side, Millie was doing the same.
“Not at all… It’s still just a faint fog. I can feel the difference between...
2025-02-18 17:55:32 +0000 UTC View PostWhite light filled the room as the Signus burst from his dimensional prison. The essence in the air was so dense it lit up around him, forcing Nova to squint his eyes.
“What the hell happened?! Where are the Cardinals?” The Signus's voice boomed through the chamber, enhanced by magic that shook dust from the domed ceiling.
Nova put his hand up, unsure if the Signuas had spotted him standing nearby. “I can explain everything, Signus. But you won’t like what yo...
2025-02-17 15:41:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe trio made their way through the winding corridors of the cathedral's heart, with Annelie leading them deeper into restricted areas. Her silver amulet glowed softly in the dim light as she pressed it against each new door they encountered.
The passages grew narrower as they descended, with no windows letting in light. Only magical torches on the wall illuminated their steps, being lit as they neared. Their footsteps echoed off bare stone walls that seemed to pulse with old magic.
... 2025-02-14 15:21:00 +0000 UTC View Post“What have you done with the Signus?" Nova asked, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the dining hall. The question had burned in his mind since his first meeting with the Cardinals.
Shivere's lips curved into a thin smile. "He's sealed away in his little dimension until I leave the city. After that..." She spread her hands in an elegant shrug. "Well, that depends on how fast he can break free."
Nova felt the weight of the possessed audience's attention, hundreds of ...
2025-02-13 13:32:42 +0000 UTC View PostNova leaned back in his seat, feeling disconcerted by the strange behavior. Everyone on the table stared at him with wide eyes now, even Annelie and Millie.
“Will you let him in?”
Their chanting was strange and out of tune, but it was timed perfectly—like an amalgamation of all the young voices at once.
‘What is happening here? Mass possession? Even Annelie has been caught… Is this the being Shivere has contacted? Asking to see me?’
“...Why does ...
2025-02-12 16:15:08 +0000 UTC View PostAnnelie got up, sitting on the edge of the bed. Millie slept silently near the lower half, undisturbed by their talks. She was used to sleeping around others, so much so that anything else felt alien.
“Our next steps,” Annelie repeated, looking at Nova. “How about we simply leave this place alone, whatever Shivere might be planning? If she ruins the church, won’t that solve most of your problems?”
“Yes. It might.” Nova walked over to the window with heavy curtains dr...
2025-02-11 15:46:38 +0000 UTC View PostNova and Millie lingered outside Annelie's door, scuffing their feet against the polished marble floor. The formation that kept the door sealed glowed with a faint blue light. Nova could feasibly decrypt it to let himself in, but doing so felt a bit wrong.
"...Should we go somewhere else, Millie? Ask if there are other rooms available?" Nova glanced down at the small girl pressed against his side. Blood still flaked from his clothes with each movement, leaving a light dusting on the flo...
2025-02-10 12:09:43 +0000 UTC View Post"Everything will be fine now." Nova put a hand on the boy's trembling shoulder. "The madness will fade soon. Just stay inside for a few more hours to be safe. Find your family, or if they’re possessed, notify the church."
The boy's face crumpled as tears welled up in his eyes. His shoulders shook under Nova's palm as weeks of fear and tension finally broke free. “Th-Thank you, little angel!”
'Ah, of course that’s what he’d think… I should probably stay to make sure...
2025-02-07 14:35:12 +0000 UTC View PostNova walked through the suffocating darkness with measured steps, following the thin white thread that stretched ahead of them. His mind kept slipping away from the present, tumbling through questions that refused to settle.
‘It was all a fabrication… Right? Can I really believe that? Why would it bother to alter my memory like that in the first place? Because its madness didn’t work on me? But then, why would it be able to alter my memory?’
“Nova,” Annelie wh...
2025-02-06 13:14:24 +0000 UTC View PostRage was never something logical. It never followed proportional laws. Someone could kill a million people, but as long as it was far away, Nova would only feel light anger, cold and calculable.
Instead, rage was exponential. The closer an injustice is done to someone, the more intensely it is felt. Despite all his lives, nothing had hurt him quite like this place—this island once filled with kindness.
Oh, how many plans he made that day as he stared into the depths, to get back...
2025-02-05 14:14:44 +0000 UTC View PostStanding in the dark ocean of his worst memories, Nova's arms tightened around Annelie's legs, anchoring himself to the present. Each small movement of the waves threatened to pull him deeper into memories he'd rather forget.
'I dream of this place too often to mistake it for anything else. But seeing it while awake...'
The cold spray chilled his face as another wave rolled beneath his feet. In his memory, the water had been warmer, heated by hundreds of bodies slowly coo...
2025-02-04 09:41:11 +0000 UTC View PostNova set Annelie down on the black ground with careful movements. Her eyes followed him as he gathered the silver coins now floating calmly in the air, drawing them toward him through the darkness.
The coins clinked together as his essence heated specific points, creating a loose framework in the air. A quick formation sketched in blue light held them suspended while he worked. Each coin found its place in the growing lattice, linked by thin streams of molten silver.
"The heat mig...
2025-02-03 11:54:44 +0000 UTC View PostNova felt his body turn rigid as the system message flashed across his vision, confirming what he already knew. Cardinal Darius was dead by his hand, through the contract's judgment.
Annelie’s face turned strange after hearing his words. “...What do you mean, killed him? Darius is dead?" The words came out barely above a whisper, like she feared breaking the heavy silence of the void.
Nova swallowed hard before answering. "He broke the contract. That could mean he intended to ...
2025-01-31 13:21:52 +0000 UTC View PostWith a heavy backpack and a pouch of silver coins on his belt, Nova stared up at the void above him. Its edges billowed freely in the space around it, only restricted by an invisible thread that held it half shut, stretching it inward.
‘... It kind of looks like buttho—’
“It kinda looks like a bu—”
“You don’t have to say it out loud,” Nova interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You can come out now.”
Annelie appeared from thin air...
2025-01-30 10:10:48 +0000 UTC View PostNova woke to the scent of fresh strawberries and damp hair. The bed shifted beneath him as two small forms settled to his side.
‘Mmh, how much time has passed? The sun is nearly gone already… This should be enough rest to keep me going.’
His senses picked up the faint shimmer of a barrier formation wrapped around his body. Through the familiar magic, he could see Millie chattering away to Annelie, but not a sound made it to his ears.
...
2025-01-28 22:50:44 +0000 UTC View PostThe forge roared as it tried to heat the black stone, slowly increasing in temperature. Nova had already activated the Goldhearth and forging formations, and now he stood ready with his hammer.
‘It’s nearing the sweet spot now. I have to be careful so it doesn’t lose it’s celestial properties. Hopefully I can at least melt them a little bit.’
Shiver and Collier both watched in silence, perhaps sensing the focus on Nova’s face. He wouldn’t hear them either wa...
2025-01-28 22:49:06 +0000 UTC View PostSince they entered, the main hall had been transformed from a magnificent place of prayer to one with cracked marble and giant chains hanging from the walls. The atmosphere had turned cold under Petyr's frozen gaze, still marred with rage.
Shivere stood between the other Cardinals, nodding at Nova’s words. Exhaustion marked her face, but her back was straight. “What are your terms?”
Nova raised one small finger. "First condition—you protect me and Millie while we're here."...
2025-01-27 21:43:01 +0000 UTC View PostNova smiled at Cardinal Shivere’s question, and even bowed lightly to her. In terms of intellect and personality, she seemed to be head and shoulders above the others.
“We know it is weak to celestial energy. The moon represents the celestial, and its light can be used against beings like this. This light can be gathered, focused, and stored—as long as you have the right equipment.”
“What will we need?” she asked, putting up two fingers on her own.
“The only im...
2025-01-24 19:22:56 +0000 UTC View PostNova and Annelie returned to find the grand chamber transformed. Heaps of metal covered the marble table—piles of iron braziers and bands, stacks of copper ingots, and mountains of silver coins that shone under the warm light from the chandeliers.
Sar and Helen were no longer present, but a few priests had joined the room, carrying the metals to the table.
"Welcome back," Cardinal Victoria said, rising from her chair. I trust you found what we need."
Nova nodded, studying ...
2025-01-23 21:09:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe massive doors swung outward silently, revealing the eerily empty streets of Damascus. Nova carried a bag of materials in one hand while gripping the hilt of his new hammer with the other—to an experienced blacksmith, as good a weapon as any.
The morning sun still lit the city, but its warmth felt wrong somehow—filtered through whatever force kept the rift stable.
'The Cardinals didn’t seem quite as incompetent as I feared. At least they listened. It would suck to be ...
2025-01-22 21:35:12 +0000 UTC View PostNova drew a slow breath as the door opened. The coming conversation would likely require patience he wasn't sure he had.
‘I hope Annelie can keep me in check if I go too far. She knows them better than me. But if they’re not ready to solve the issue…’
The doors finished their arc with a deep boom that shook the ground. Warm air washed over them as they stepped into the Cardinals' domain.
Thick stone walls curved upward to form a domed ceiling hig...
2025-01-21 20:12:51 +0000 UTC View PostAfter banishing the void entity from Millie's body, Nova and Annelie prepared to look around the church to see where they could be useful.
Annelie stood from the bed, brushing off her white robes. "Millie, do you want to stay here?"
"Where are you going?" Millie clutched the blankets to her chest.
"We're going to look around and see if we can help the church, " Annelie said in a gentle voice. It will probably be stressful."
"... Can I take a bath instead?"
Nova s...
2025-01-16 22:17:49 +0000 UTC View PostNova moved with practiced care, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. "Watch closely," he told Sar as he placed a hand on Millie's forehead. The glowing chains followed his guidance as he eased her down to the marble floor.
Two fingers pressed against her neck, checking her pulse while his essence flowed through her body. Just like with the governor's granddaughter, he sensed the void entity twist away from his probing energy.
"First, the silver." Nova arranged the coins in a...
2025-01-16 22:16:36 +0000 UTC View PostAnnelie stretched her arms overhead with a massive yawn, sinking deeper into the couch. Meanwhile, Nova stared absently out the window as memories of his first life drifted through his mind.
"Did you remember anything?" Annelie lowered her arms, blinking slowly at him.
“... You might be right, about me being the reason you reincarnated." Nova rubbed his eyes, also feeling the effects of the late night. "I was just wondering if I met anyone who did the same for me.”
“An...
2025-01-16 22:15:54 +0000 UTC View Post