The Oracle Paths

1046 Side Mission n°2

Jake remained still for a long while after the process concluded, his eyes blurry as he probed the internal shifts within himself, wearing an expression of intense focus. Eventually, his gaze sharpened like a blade being drawn, and he relaxed.

"Not too shabby. Virtually no change in my Oracle Status, but I can definitely sense a power-up in my soul force-plus, there's something... different."

As for the Oracle Status in question, it was nearly identical to before, with only minor adjustments:

[Cosmic D Starveyrves Soul lvl1 (+1): Able to feed on any energy to continuously strengthen and regenerate.

[Attributes (Very strong): Cosmic, Energy, Life, Space, Time.

[Soul Class: Aetherdream Inceptor

[Graces: Child of Lumyst(+1).

[Glyphs: Blacksmith (Platinum),

[True Wills: Self, Crushing, Growth, ...]

Evidently, the Oracle had opted for a slight interface rearrangement in light of new data. From top to bottom, the intrinsic properties of his soul were listed in order of their respective importances.

His Attributes represented not just his affinities but his very nature.

For most Evolvers, these were synonymous with strengths and

weaknesses. For example, a soul with a weak Fire Attribute might

more easily endure and even thrive in a hot climate without being

incapacitated when the temperature drops. In contrast, a soul with a

perfect affinity for fire would be labeled a Fire Soul.

While such a pronounced attribute granted numerous advantages in the corresponding element, anything deviating or opposing it would make the soul lethally vulnerable. For instance, an attributeless soul could move freely in water, provided its inner quality and the local Aether density were sufficient. A weak Fire Soul would be snuffed out instantly.

On this front, Jake was once again an anomaly among his peers. To his humble knowledge, very few Evolvers had Attributes as all- encompassing and hard to counter as his own. Make no mistake, future foes, there were no realms where Jake's Soul

could not flourish.

Soul Class needed no explanation. The Oracle Status didn't even mention it. Jake could only sense its existence through his Artefact Incarnation ability.

The tab regarding Graces was new, though. Given that it was listed above Glyphs, he deduced that their impact was more profound than the latter, of which he had hundreds after grinding nearly every available module in his Purgatory. This presented a treasure trove of potential Soul Classes should he ever decide to switch.

'Child of Lumyst, huh? Does that mean it's specific to Twyluxia?' Jake wondered, a tinge of disappointment coloring his thoughts before he swiftly dismissed that assumption.

The (+1) made it abundantly clear that this was a qualitative and lasting change tied to the enchantment. Unless multiple types of soul enchantments existed and it was possible to reset them-which remained a real possibility-it was safer to assume its effects were not limited to this world.

Indeed, when Jake checked the details of his first Grace, he initially groaned in disappointment upon reading the first half. But his frown flipped into a grin when the shaman clarified one of his concerns.

[Child of Lumyst: Your soul exerts a weak attraction on wandering souls that are part of Twyluxia's reincarnation cycle or bear the Lumyst mark. The probability of successfully completing a spiritual enchantment on yourself with Lumyst Water is slightly increased. The souls of the enemies you defeat add to your Lumyst Aura, reducing the restrictions imposed upon you by Twyluxia's world-laws.]

Jake's skepticism centered specifically on the last aspect of this Aura of Lumyst. The Oracle System was maddeningly cryptic on the subject.

All that his bracelet revealed was that the Aura allowed for the fusion of numerous warrior Intents and Wills into one, all supercharged by every additional soul that joined in, and was refined by the Aura itself. Each Lumyst Aura was a unique blend, tailored to the individual motivations of each soldier on the battlefield.

When Jake had voiced his concerns, the shaman had immediately clarified that its essence wasn't necessarily an overwhelming and materialized Killing Intent, as many wrongfully assumed. In the end, though, it was more or less the same thing since the base principle of any war was to defeat or kill one's enemies.

What truly piqued Jake's interest about the Lumyst Aura was that its effects weren't merely confined to intimidating enemies, nor were they limited to the realm of Twyluxia. Unlike his Child of Lumyst Grace, his Lumyst Aura could attract and refine wandering souls autonomously. The more potent it was, the more overwhelming its spiritual pressure would be, making it nigh impossible for nearby spirits to resist its gravitational pull.

The cherry on top? The Lumyst Aura could also amplify his base attributes, offering offensive, defensive, and supportive benefits. All in all, it was a kick-ass skill, gained for free without shedding a drop of blood or sweat.

Well, almost free. One could still die in the process.

At the bottom of his skill list, 'Aura of Lumyst' now made an appearance. For now, it had no levels or perks, its description summing up to:

[Aura of Lumyst: Enemies Killed: 0, Souls Harvested: 0. Stat boosts: 0%]

In essence, it was as good as not having it at all. The silver lining? He now had a damn good reason to throw himself into combat.

"I can already picture the frenzied madness driving all these natives and Players to slaughter each other. No one can resist such a dark allure... Jake mumbled with a dash of cynicism, oblivious to the fact that he'd voiced his thoughts out loud.

The shaman and the officer winced, their faces tightening at his words, but neither sought to contradict him. After all, it was the unvarnished truth. Long before the unification of the Dusken Throne by the Soulmancer King, tribes had been warring over the very same reasons.

The thirst for power-it was both the greatest aspiration and the ruin of many men. Maybe all intelligent beings were governed by this urge as soon as they became sentient. And when one found they could grow no more, could seize no more power, disillusionment set in, followed by the onset of despair.

Mortals faced many such grim epiphanies, from their first scrapes teaching them they weren't invincible in childhood, to their first wrinkles reminding them they weren't immortal either. Some accepted this truth early on, while others lived in denial their whole lives, resorting to plastic surgery and other reparative delusions, until their insignificance was brutally reinforced by the death of a loved one or a terminal illness diagnosis.

As superhuman as Jake had become, and as cynical and arrogant as he might appear-especially in these early, deceivingly laid-back stages of the Ordeal-he had never forgotten that there were entities far stronger than him out there. As far back as he could remember, he'd always been acutely aware of his own mortality, refusing to partake in any activity where his life wasn't entirely within his control.

The difficulty Ruby had once faced in persuading him to go skydiving in a virtual reality game spoke volumes about his old mindset. And deep down, not much had changed. Despite his undeniable strength, he felt perpetually inadequate, forever chasing an elusive horizon of power.

And now, his concerns weren't limited to just his life; his friends were part of the equation, too.

'Let's wrap this shit-show up. If the Dusken Throne and the Radiant Conclave can't find a way to kiss and make up, they can all vanish for all I care. Whether it's the edicts of the Soulmancer King or the greedy resource hoarding by the Radiant Conclave, if they can't find common ground, guess it's up to me to end this goddamn war myself!

Jake was just marinating in his own dark thoughts, a cauldron of anger and resentment bubbling inside him toward the two Mirror Universes that forced all their Players into a deadly game for their own twisted agendas. He was half-serious, but apparently, his Oracle didn't see it that way.

For the second time in mere moments, the Oracle System slapped him with another Side Mission. The moment Jake read the prompt, his face instantly fell, contorting into an ugly snarl, as if each word he read were nails on the chalkboard of his soul.

If he had even a sliver of doubt before, now it was crystal clear-the Oracle was targeting him.

[Side Mission n°2: End this war by uniting Twyluxia under your dominion.]

The message hung in the air like a guillotine blade, positioned to fall. It wasn't just a mission; it was a death sentence wrapped in a riddle, hidden in enigma. A Pandora's Box of chaos that, once opened, could not be undone.

And Jake knew it.

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