Gates of Penance-Chapter 27: Agony and silent embrace

Nacht was in pure utter agony.

He felt something vile crawl its way into his soul, bulging from underneath his skin and bubbling from underneath his eyes. Even though he couldn’t quite see what was causing him to go mad, he still began to claw at his decaying flesh and bloodshot eyes.

He was being exposed to the infection and the pain was unbearable.

The agony he was currently experiencing felt far worse than anything that he had ever felt or ever could have felt. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

It had gotten to the point where he began to wonder if he had already died, but the harsh truth was that he hadn’t. In fact, not even a couple of seconds had passed but it felt like it had already been more than an hour.

Amidst the indescribable pain and fear that had become his reality, he noticed something frightening.

The ability that Alister had used on him refused to allow the decaying rot that was the infection to touch his power core and seep into the deepest depths of his soul. The chains that restricted his core, fought back against the infection, keeping him alive.

’Just let me die already!’

He let out a tortured laugh that sounded like an incoherent scream.

It was funny, only moments ago he had wanted to live more than anything, and now he wanted to die more than anything.

The sheer amount of the infection that was entering his body was too much for an enlightened, let alone a mundane soul like his to survive. It wouldn’t even turn him into an abstract, it would kill him instantly.

Finally, when his mind was on the cusp of shattering, Alister’s ability failed and he felt something touch his core.

The pain vanished.

A familiar voice entered his head.

{You have been bestowed a rune.}

The horrific mark on his back began to heal with an abyssal black rune engraved on it, then hidden underneath his skin.

Nacht’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he let out a silent scream.

He felt the weight of a thousand silent sins and the loss of all hopes as his mind began to go silent.

The rune glowed a lightless black as it began to synchronize with his core. Indescribable power suddenly pierced his empty bones and hollow flesh. It was as if a missing cog in a machine had finally been found, making the system complete.

He was becoming an enlightened.

Nacht was already unconscious. His mind gave up on him, but his body was still in penance, and was still gazing at the mystical blinding light of the dead star.

Suddenly, Nacht’s mind woke up with the tantalizing flame of desire, his mind was no longer silent, his hearing had returned, and his body was alight with newfound strength despite its current condition.

’What happened.’

He rubbed his eyes but the visage of the blinding star had burned itself firmly into his irises, refusing to go away.

Nacht was left in confusion with no knowledge of what just happened to him or how he gained a rune in the first place. In one moment he was suffering unbearable pain, and in the next he was in the comfortable embrace of silence. Nevertheless, he had other things to worry about.

’I have to escape.’

He tried to stand but collapsed back to the ground. Eventually settling for resting his back against the pedestal like he had done before.

Needless to say, his body was practically immobile. Despite gaining a rune and becoming an enlightened, his body was in a far worse shape than it was before. He could still feel his body synchronizing with the rune which meant that he couldn’t yet use any of his enlightened power.

In essence, he was the same as before he became an enlightened... weak. However, he didn’t have much time to ponder his shortcomings. After all, a new guest had arrived, bathed in the all consuming flames of the arena.

An onyx knight in melted armour sat atop of a pale horse underneath the light of the blinding star. Half of the knights face is melted to the bone, its nose is gone, its onyx armour melted to ruin atop of its burned flesh.

It looked human and may very well have been a human at one point in time. Still, it did not take away from the fact that it was now an abstract. This was both bad and good news for Nacht.

’I can still succeed.’

There was still a chance for him to leave penance!

He tried to move but instead he winced in pain. His body was too far gone. He could only watch in horror as the ghostly pale horse disappeared and the knight began to make its way towards him.

The abstract reached down and picked up his saber which had been left on the ground. He felt his connection with the sword turn dull and when he tried to recall his saber to his core, he felt nothing.

Nacht watched in shock as his ivory saber turned pitch black in the knight’s hands, and now emitted a faint heavy aura.

He watched helplessly as the abstract made its way towards him.

’...Not again.’

He was in disbelief about how much bullshit he had to go through in order to survive, let alone pass the first gate. Was losing an arm and a leg not enough? Was having both his mind and body destroyed by the infection not enough? It seemed like his bad karma was finally catching up to him.

Perhaps this was his punishment.

The knight in melted armour finally reached him. It looked down at Nacht’s disabled body in what he thought was disgust, an emotion which should be impossible for an abstract to feel. Despite this, Nacht looked back fearlessly at the monster even as it pierced his heart with his own blade, pinning him to the pedestal behind him.

He felt his life flicker, but in the very same moment, his rune flickered to life as well, with no input of his own.

Nacht felt an unknown presence infiltrate his body through the activation of his rune, causing him to shudder.

The abstract staggered and let out an abhorrent shriek. It let go of his sword and fell to the ground screaming.

Nacht had seen this phenomenon before, hell he had felt it first hand only a moment ago.

The abstract was turning into a hollowed husk.

It only took a few moments, finally a soothing voice entered into his mind.

[You have annihilated a tier V blight, Lost Vessel.]

Nacht’s lingering strength faded and his body went limp.

He was dead.

The blinding star at the epicenter of the arena shined brighter and decimated what was left of the crucible, incinerating Nacht’s body along with it.

[Your penance is over.]