Aspect: [Hanged Man].
Aspect Rank: [Divine].
Aspect Description: [The Hanged Man Pathway represents Degeneration, but also sacrifice and responsibility in a positive sense. They are the Master of Degeneration, the Incarnation of Corruption and the Maker of Flesh and Blood. Through Grazing, they can be considered Omnipotent with the potential to be Omniscient.]
Aspect Abilities: [Secrets Suppliant, Listener, Shadow Ascetic, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, Hanged Man].
[Secrets Suppliant: A Secrets Suppliant is bestowed with a decent amount of knowledge regarding sacrifices and some knowledge on Ritualistic Magic. The knowledge attached to the potion given will more or less cause distortions in a Secrets Suppliants' cognitive perspectives and thus make it easy for them to lose control. Secrets Suppliants have a high Spiritual Perception which they can use it to detect some mysterious and horrible existences.
They can use their strong Spirituality to perform Divination and Ritualistic Magic, but it's not as accurate as Pathways that specialize in this field. Their High Spirituality also allows them to detect auras of relatively powerful Awakened (provided that those Awakened did not conceal their aura beforehand).]
[Listener: Every Listener can Listen directly into the whispers of the secret entities; thus, they frequently come into contact with information from powerful, distorted, and unique entities. While they can obtain powerful, twisted, and unique abilities, if they cannot advance in Sequence, it would be difficult for them to survive for more than 5 years. Every Listener is a lunatic - even if they look normal on the surface and behave normally at ordinary times, they are always crazy on the inside.
Even if they don't actively use Listening, one will hear more than ordinary people and most of the Low-Mid Sequence Beyonders within a normal area. When the source of the sound is close enough to them, a Listener will be more affected and will receive more dangerous information. At this stage, this Beyonder power is always active (in a passive state). At later Sequences, they can choose whether or not to proactively use it. Their spiritual sense is also further enhanced.]
[Hanged Man: The True God presiding over the domain of Degeneration/Depravity, an amalgamation of Black Shadows and Writhing Flesh, possessing five heads and the corresponding Shadows. "He" holds partial authority over the domains of Shadow, Darkness, Degeneration/Depravity, Corruption, and Mutation, while also embodying the concepts and partial Symbolism of Sin-Bearing and Sacrifice.]
Flaw: Hanged Man
Flaw Description: When damage or pain is suffered by others in your vicinity, you will suffer it in their stead (only applies to those recognised as allies, but can affect both Humans and Echoes).
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I blinked. "The Hanged Man Pathway, as expected. And... Scapegoat?" The implications were immediately clear. He was designed to endure suffering, to take on the burdens of those around him, whether he wanted to or not. The Spell claimed the Flaw would only work on those designated as allies, but I was sure the final decision was in its' own hands, not mine or his.
Sasrir studied the text as well, his expression one of cold analysis. "Sequence 9 Secrets Suppliant, Sequence 8 Listener, Sequence 7 Shadow Ascetic. The Flaw is logical. I am your shadow, your negative aspect. It is fitting I would also be your shield for such things."
"But you skipped Sequences," I pointed out. "You started at Sequence 7. Can you even progress?"
"That is the question," he murmured, pacing a silent circle in the small room. "The conventional method would be to 'digest' the previous Sequence Potions retroactively. But we possess no Potions, or even Beyonder Characteristics. This power was not imbibed; it was woven from your essence and my... nature."
He stopped, looking at his own hands as if seeing them for the first time. "The alternative is that this is not a Pathway in the traditional sense, but a reflection of your own power's interpretation of it. In which case, progression may not come from 'Acting' but from 'Awakening'—from simply accumulating more power and allowing the Aspect to mature naturally, as any other Awakened would."
A wry, almost mocking smile touched his lips. "Of course, this assumes the 'Acting Method' is even a viable concept here for us. Your own progression to Telepathist was a reward, a final gift from the Curator to set you on the path. We have no proof it is a system we can replicate. We may simply be... Awakened. With unusual starting points."
The thought was sobering. My cheat code might have been a one-time welcome package. Everything from here on out might be just as hard for me as it was for everyone else.
"Then we operate on that assumption," I said, the planner in me taking over. "We proceed as if we are standard Awakened. You train your abilities, I train mine. We accumulate power, Essence, and Memories. We see how—or if—the Aspect develops further."
Sasrir gave a slow, graceful nod. "A prudent course of action. I will bear the pain, and you will wield the vision. We shall see what grows from this division. Of course, we do still have the problem of how you will explain a Sleeper with a startling resemblance to you suddenly appeared in your room, with no identification in any system."
Ah...right. I was so distracted by what was happening, I never actually thought about how I was going to explain the existence of my newfound comrade. Sneak him into the group? Might work for a few days, but someone would catch on quickly enough, if only because Sasrir was so damn conspicuous.
The wings had vanished when he entered the real world thankfully, but the ever-present cloak of shadows over his face and upper body was damn attention grabbing. As for his claim of us being nearly identical? Well, I couldn't see his face so I'd take his word for it. Anyways, we couldn't both walk out of here.
"Attach yourself to my shadow for now, I'll let you out when I need you. Can we talk mentally?"
"Yes, but my senses will be blurry and distant while in shadow form. I won't be able to read your mind, so you'll need to explain things clearly to me. There's also the threat of someone sensing my gaze from your shadow. The Shadow Ascetic has been detected before."
"Understood. Well then, see you later."
...
With that, Sasrir vanished once again and I regained my shadow. After stepping side-to-side to see if any reaction came up, I stopped when nothing happened. Sasrir hadn't made himself known in my head either, so I guess he was either sleeping or simply couldn't be bothered talking. I leaned towards the latter, if he inherited my antisocial tendencies. I took a deep breath and exhaled it, returning to my normal, unflappable state of polite kindness. Sasrir's words had put the reminder in my head that I may not be able to advance through the Acting Method anymore, but I couldn't feel any digestion in the First Nightmare until it suddenly happened. If I had made any progress as a Telepathist, I was none the wiser.
I thought about the absence of a True Name for Sasrir but it wasn't too surprising: the Spell was extremely picky about that sort of thing and I doubt the Curator was invested enough to meddle so deeply. If my Dark Angel friend wanted to get a True Name, he would need to earn it in the Dream Realm. Still, I wondered what he would get. The Hanged Man? The Deputy of Heaven? Left Hand of God? The Shepherd? My mind ran wild with references and possibilities for a bit before I shelved them away in the part of my brain reserved for nonsense. That would come later, nobody could even know he existed, what was the point of having a True Name to brag about?
Shadow Ascetic was a true Mid-Sequence Beyonder with a hell of a punch if used correctly. Summoning shadow monsters, destroying souls through shadows, tangling up foes, subjecting them to their own madness...it was definitely a combat Attribute. In a fight, ten of me would be necessary to beat him, if not more.
My constitution received a certain improvement, but I really had no advantage or even equalizer in any regard. Is this how Sunny felt when he got Saint? Lagging behind your own Echo? Heh, maybe if I get to the Forgotten Shore after all I'll nab that stone beauty. Honestly a waste on Sunny.
I checked the clock and realized it was almost time for dinner. Cracking my shoulders with a yawn, I left my room and made my way towards the cafeteria. I still had many months left before the Dream Realm called me in, and I still had much to learn.
With Sasrir around, I could consider things I would normally overlook or perhaps shun, and I had a gut feeling he would quickly become invaluable in the future. Well, that made sense: he was another me after all.
And I always liked to take care of myself.
....
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