For a moment, nothing seemed to be happening.
Ethan just stood there with his palm gently pressed against the crystal, waiting for something to happen.
But even after a long time, nothing seemed to be changing.
The temple remained as silent as ever. Even the energy that once flowed through his body returned back to the crystal.
He frowned slightly.
"Did I fail the awakening?"
But just as this thought crossed his mind, the entire structure of the temple began to tremble.
At first, it was very small, but it quickly grew to the point where even the pillars and the marble floors started to crack.
Far beyond the temple, at the very center of all existence in the origin universe. laid the Origin Star, which is the life force of the entire universe.
For the first time in who knows how long, the star trembled a little bit.
Common people around the universe may not notice it, but the powerful beings of every race instantly felt the change that happened in the Origin Star.
But none of them could understand what's truly happening. The only thing they knew was something significant had either happened or was about to happen.
Just then, from the very core of the Origin Star, an ancient voice slowly said,
"He still lives."
No beings in the universe heard it, but it was as if the universe itself acknowledged something.
Oblivious to everything happening around the universe, Ethan stood inside the temple, confusion clouding his face.
"What's this shaking? Is something wrong with this place?" But before he could think any more, his consciousness sank.
Darkness.
When Ethan opened his eyes again, he was no longer inside the temple. He was standing in a place that is completely surrounded by darkness.
Not even a single speck of light could be seen in there.
Black water covered the ground up to his knees. It didn't ripple or flow; it just existed. Everything around him was pitch black, and yet somehow he could still see clearly.
He raised his hand and saw them, "O...kay.... So I'm in total darkness but still possess night vision."
He sighed. "Sure, why not?" He started walking through the black water.
There was no sound made of his movements.
He didn't know where he was going, but he just felt that something was calling to him. Then suddenly, Ethan stopped walking and saw someone was standing in front of him.
It was a boy similar to his own age, almost the same height and face, but what's surprising is the boy looked exactly like how Ethan used to look before the training.
He looked soft, weaker, and malnourished.
"Why does he look like me?" Ethan muttered.
"Or am I the one who looks like him?" Thinking that, he slowly walked closer until he stood face-to-face with the figure.
"All right," Ethan said casually, "either I have completely lost my mind, or you are... Really, him?"
"So, which one is it?"
The boy looked at him calmly, with a gentle face and eyes that carried kindness and purity, he said.
"I am Blue."
"Yeah, I already figured that out." Seeing how casually Ethan is reacting, a small smile appears on Blue's face.
Ethan wanted to ask many things of Blue. But then he noticed something behind him.
A sword, which floated in midair.
The blade of the sword is pitch black in color, just like the darkness beneath him.
Faint golden rune-like patterns ran all over the blade. It was a double-edged, single-handed long sword with a golden hilt.
But what made it more terrifying is that it was bound or restrained by countless chains wrapped around it from every direction. The ends of the chain disappear into the darkness.
Ethan felt some sort of deep connection when he looked at the sword.
"Wow," he slowly said, "I really wanted to talk to you so much. But that thing behind you," he swallowed.
Blue slowly turned and asked, "Magnificent, isn't it?"
"It is magnificent and kind of terrifying."
Blue chuckled softly and replied, "I don't fully know what this sword is, even though this thing exists inside my body."
"I truly never understood what it was, but I should be grateful for its existence."
"What do you mean by you should be grateful for this thing"?
"It's because of... this sword that I have survived for this long."
Then Blue suddenly asked, "Have you ever heard the saying that everything in this world has a price?"
"Yeah," Ethan replied. "Kind of things people usually say right before everything is going to go terribly wrong." Blue nodded,
"And the price I paid was my entire life."
There was no anger in his voice. It felt like he had already accepted whatever happened to him.
"I don't know who my parents were, and I don't know where I even come from."
"When I became aware of myself, I was already here, alone, with nothing but this single sword."
He looked at Ethan and asked, "What do you know about me so far, Ethan?"
"Only the things that Sister Mary told me about."
"Sister Mary, huh?" Blue gave off a faint smile. "She is too kind for this world."
"True," Ethan confirmed.
Blue continued talking. "I was cursed, Ethan, by some powerful being just when I was born. You should have already heard about my condition when I first arrived at the orphanage, right?"
"The reason why they all thought I was going to die is because of that curse. It's a curse that could destroy a receiver's soul."
"As I was just a baby back then, I don't know how it all happened, but somehow my soul slipped into this place, my very own sea of consciousness."
"And that was also the only reason why I escaped death back then."
"But how could I survive this long?" He turned back and looked at the sword.
"The curse energy that was inside my body, for some unknown reason, was afraid to enter this place."
"Because of the sword?" Ethan asked.
"I think so," Blue continued. "Even though I escaped death back then, a soul cannot survive long without a body. And the curse was still lingering inside my physical body, waiting for my return."
Ethan frowned. "Then you never really died?"
Blue shook his head and said, "Oh, I did.
"Can you please explain?"
"I lived here alone for many years. And countless times, I don't even know how many times I almost lost myself to that loneliness."
"Whenever I went insane from the isolation, the sword pulled me back. It wouldn't let me die. I don't know why, but I feel like the sword needs me as much as I need it."
"But at one point, I couldn't take the loneliness anymore, so I made a decision to go back to my body."
"I thought the curse might have faded through time, but it never did. It was deeply hidden in my body. And just when I returned to my physical form, it got activated again, and…"
"That became the death of me." Silence filled the dark sea.
"The me that you are seeing right now is just a fragment of my soul that I left before dying.
"You know, for someone who only lived for fifteen years, you talk like you have eons of experience."
Blue smiled faintly. "Loneliness teaches you many things, Ethan."
"Right," Ethan sighed and said. "So let me summarize it. You are a tragic soul trapped in your own body with a cool but terrifying sword, and somehow I am the weirdest part of the situation."
Blue laughed quietly. "Life is unfair."
"Oh, please," Ethan said. "I already know that."
"I was abandoned as a newborn, cursed and slowly rotting by getting trapped in here."
"And just when you thought you escaped, you died." Blue nodded.
"After I died, the curse also vanished, and you possessed my body."
Ethan scratched his head. "Dude, I honestly don't know how that happened. One second, I was dying in my world, and the next second, I woke up in your body."
Blue looked at him calmly. "What happened has already happened, so let's not talk about it anymore."
"What's important is the awakening. The awakening does not just affect the body. It refines the entire being, including your soul."
"And when that happens, this fragment of me will disappear. Not completely, but instead, I will merge with you, and then there won't be Blue and Ethan. There will only be you."
Ethan's expression changed slightly.
Blue noticed it and said, "Don't worry, Ethan. Even if I wanted to take control, I can't. This is just a fragment."
"Your soul, which is already powerful, will dominate mine when we get merged. You will devour me."
Ethan said, "You are making me sound like I'm some kind of villain."
"Wait, if what you said is true, then how come you know all these things?"
"The sword shows me; I can see everything that is happening outside from here. After all, this is my sea of consciousness."
Blue smiled softly. "I have two requests."
Ethan hesitated because he didn't want to agree blindly to what Blue was going to ask of him, but contrary to what he was thinking, something inside him felt a little heavy.
He felt that compared to Blue's life, his own life felt like an easy walk in a park. He also felt bad for him.
"Fine, let me hear what they are." Blue nodded.
"My first request: live your life, Ethan."
Ethan blinked confusedly.
"I have seen your memories, the memories you have from your past life, and I know for sure what you want."
"Just like me, you yearn to be loved. You wanted a family around you, the warmth and happiness that they would give to you."
"So that's why I ask you to live your life to your fullest."
"Don't care about anything or anyone. Live it as you like. Not just for yourself, but also for me, too."
Ethan stayed silent.
"And my second request..." Blue's eyes hardened instantly.
"Find the truth about me and where I came from. And find out if there is still someone who is searching for me or expecting me."
"His expression turned cold for a moment. "And if revenge is what's waiting for me, don't show them any mercy."
For the first time, seeing Blue's eyes, Ethan felt fear.
Blue smiled gently again. "Goodbye, Ethan Hart of Earth."
He started to dissolve into smoke.
"Wait," Ethan reached out, "I still have a lot of questions."
Before he could finish, the space trembled violently.
The sword also shook and tried to get out of its restraint, but the chain tightened around it and made it stay in its place.
Outside of his consciousness, in the Temple of Awakening, Ethan was still unconscious and standing in front of the crystal.
Just then, a small, blue, and translucent screen appeared around Ethan.
[System Initiating] …]
...
[Error…] [Error…] [Error …]
...
[Rechecking Soul Signature …]
...
[Warning: Multiple Consciousness Traces Detected]
[Attempting Separation… Failed]
...
[Merging of Souls Commencing…]
[Merging Successful]
[Subject - Ethan Hart]
[Status: Irregular]
[Soul in Disarray]
[Calculating Awakening Result …]
...
[Error…] [Error…] [Error …]
...
[??? Is Detected in Subject's Sea of Consciousness]
[Overriding Standard Awakening Parameters]
[Engaging Forbidden Protocol]
[True Name Created Successfully]
[Ruin Axiom Aurelion]
[Awakening Completed.]
...
[Detected Host is Unconscious, Teleporting Host to His Previous Location]