Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Shade hesitated and looked into the darkness around him, trying to find the source of the rumbling sound, but suddenly froze and covered his chest, feeling a tingling sensation in his hands, his heart beating rapidly, because among the three Holy Emblems, trembling dark water created an even darker region before him. The light of the three Holy Emblems gradually hid within the water, and bubbles quickly emerged from that dark region, floating upwards.

Appearing amidst the dense bubbles was a rotten piece of black flesh, and within that disgusting filthy flesh, a streak of golden glow emerged under Shade’s gaze, illuminating the surroundings like the sun descending into the deep sea.

Steam mist couldn’t appear in the sea, yet the water was truly boiling behind him due to immense heat. Amid the dull sound of whistles and bells, the massive rotating Ring of Fate fully emerged. The oddity lay in the fact that Whisper—[Gluttony] flickered with a dazzling eerie silver Desecration Aura.

The rotten chunk of flesh, embedded with golden glow, actively approached Shade, seemingly wanting to devour him. But under the Desecration [Gluttony]’s glow, as Shade reached forward, the unknown rotten flesh was smoothly absorbed into Shade’s body.

At this moment, he couldn’t afford to dwell on such an eerie scene, nor on the mild nausea that seemed to make him stronger. He was focused on the disappearance of the flesh and the floating streak of golden glow in front of him. A smile uncontrollably appeared on his face as he reached out to the golden glow.

[Do you remember what to say?]

"She" gently asked.

Shade felt as if someone embraced his neck from behind, with silky silver hair brushing gently against his cheeks. Silver moonlight lit up behind him as the gentle voice spoke, simultaneous with the touch of warm water at his ears.

He didn’t know if this was real or just an illusion belonging only to him, hence he chose not to turn around, suppressing the desire to do so, and instead reached out to grasp the streak of golden glow:

"Of course I remember—you are me."

"And I am you."

A silver arm entwined with Shade’s right hand, together grasping the divinity left behind from the ancient Divine War. The roar of the Dragon sounded again in his ears, yet this time truly only as an illusion.

Massive power flowed through his arm into his soul, no longer the first time absorbing divinity, Shade adjusted his breathing, gradually adapting to this newfound power. The dark waters began to disintegrate, the seal of the Ocean Gods reached its end after losing the Sealed Item.

He felt still embraced gently, and unable to resist turning around after adapting to the new divine power, he saw only his Ring of Fate.

[The descendant of the Primordial Dragon, bearing the most noble identity and power. Yet as bygone dusk approaches, as the doomed future unfolds, the noble descendants fall into utter madness. Unwilling for destruction, refusing to leave, they devour their kind to gain the power of that ancient Dragon God. But they just don’t understand, even the Primordial Dragon will ultimately slumber with the world.]

[Outlander, you absorbed the old god "Dragon Devourer"’s divinity; you learned about the old god "Dragon Devourer"’s desecration.]

"So, the Evil God [Dragon Devourer] was the firstborn of that Ancient God. No wonder, when the Ocean Gods confronted them here back then, it was definitely not just the three I’m familiar with."

The silver light representing the Desecration Element surged from his body to the Ring of Fate behind him, the massive ring seemingly illuminated by the Divine Light. Without any surprise, when the rotating ring absorbed this new power, the third Spirit Rune belonging to the Seventh Ring was already inscribed on the ring.

[Outlander, you inscribed the silver Desecration Spirit Rune—Dragon.]

After a slight pause, "She" chuckled softly; before Shade could understand the reason for this strange laughter, "She" gently reminded him:

[Outlander, you absorbed the flesh of the Nameless Dragon, Outlander, you acquired Arcane Technique...]

"Wait, something feels wrong."

Shade suddenly clutched his chest, the speed at which his heart beat in the searing chest had already exceeded two hundred per second, continuing to accelerate. He felt his body rapidly heating, unable to maintain his posture, his body sank deeper into the ocean.

The body heating was definitely not an illusion, as the skin’s contact with seawater produced numerous rising bubbles due to the extreme heat. The heating accompanied by the bones and muscles throughout him felt like being shredded bit by bit, a sensation Shade had experienced repeatedly.

He clutched his chest, holding his throat, sinking faceup into the ocean, eyes bulging as he looked towards the surface, knowing there were those waiting for his return:

"This couldn’t be..."

[Outlander, you have entered a brief state of "Divinity Overflow." Be careful, excessive use of this power may lead to short-term unconsciousness.]

"She" seemed unable to sense Shard’s unusual pain at this moment and continued to smile gently.

(Mia is running...)

Five minutes ago.

Watching Shard jump into the water, the Witch could only retract the hand she had extended to grab him. Seeing her hand adorned with a bracelet, Bella Belindel felt a bit lost, but she quickly adjusted, knowing the most crucial thing now was to find a way to leave in advance.

The unidentified black lightning forced everyone and the Dragons fighting high in the sky to descend to a lower altitude, yet Shard’s stunning sword that guided the heavenly thunder did not interfere with the battle at the shore; hence, they resumed fighting.

The storm mixed with ice pellets and snowflakes had completely transformed into a blizzard with rain and ice. The small boat remained steady amidst the towering waves. After casting various concealing and defense techniques on the boat, the Great Witch of Destiny, with a birthmark between her eyebrows, used an Illusionary Body Spell to dry her body and clothes. She then sat on the small boat in the snow, mindlessly recalling the previous scene while divining with her cards.

A few weeks ago, after a Council meeting, she had discussed this man with Vanessa Benanis and Emma Sylvia. At that time, the Great Witch of Space had said, "This is indeed a very capable person, sometimes even excessively so; you won’t be too surprised," and Bella Belindel admitted she didn’t understand then, but she fully understood now.

Instinctively touching her right shoulder and then her lips, a smile appeared on her face, to the point where she had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud:

"Vanessa, Emma, do you have the courage like I do?"

Though the farewell kiss just now was brief, she still considered it an extraordinary "achievement" for a Witch.

Pulling back her thoughts, she looked down and flipped over a card she had shuffled absentmindedly. Without the mind to interpret the silver Dragon on the card, she reshuffled the deck while glancing at the old wooden boat beneath her.

As a professional Diviner, she couldn’t have failed to notice the peculiarities of this boat. Swarmed with countless thoughts, she put the cards aside and placed her hand on the boat’s side, using her inspiration to capture the boat’s inherent power.

Her mood suddenly calmed down, even excessively so. Unaware why, her inspiration was extraordinarily effective this time. Although she had her eyes open to feel everything, the background noise of the gale, waves, and dockside battle gradually faded, and she distinctly felt the once-rolling sea had calmed:

"Has the sea become still?"

Baffled, she looked around and saw the small boat steady on a dark water surface without a single ripple. The surrounding area gradually illuminated by the glow, came from the thousands of pure white souls passing by her, walking away into the deeper water with their backs to her.

She was stunned, her eyes and body turning as those departing souls did. Then, the silver light gradually illuminated her face, revealing a half-submerged silver Moon further out. That holy Moon, unchanging over centuries, guiding the souls to their destination and endpoint captivated Bella Belindel, making her unconsciously rise and step forward, wanting to leave the boat and join them towards that far-off Moon.

Fortunately, her right hand’s golden bracelet heated up suddenly, and the yellow orb inside her right shoulder trembled, snapping her back to reality.

She gasped heavily and collapsed back onto the boat, gazing around again at the vast snow, turbulent waves, and howling gale; nowhere were there countless souls or a half-sunken Moon. Sweat beaded on her brow, and the chill from that previous scene lingered in her soul, making her cold all over.

Sensing the Ring of Fate and Golden Steps appear behind her, she realized when it had happened. Luckily, the distance from the shore was great, and no one noticed. However, a new Spirit Rune—Miracle - Dark Moon—had already appeared on the Ring of Fate.

Once again, she touched her shoulder, feeling a deeper affinity for the Relic, understanding that what she had just witnessed was the Relic [Source of Chaos] resonating with the same source of power—this boat—thus granting her a new Spirit Rune. Then she glanced at the small boat she was now seated on, and countless past readings on death surfaced; she guessed what the boat symbolized:

"Isn’t this a bit exaggerated... Who exactly is he?"

Woo~

Amid the sounds of the raging gale and waves, a conch-like sound suddenly pulled the Witch from her complicated thoughts.

The calm Countess once again steadied herself on the boat’s side, her golden hair blowing in the sea breeze, mingling with the snow flying back, as she looked towards the distant Moon Bay Dock glowing brightly in a line.