Putting aside the possibility of being attacked New Era, I cleared my first ruin in a while. A basic class-1 ruin wasn’t much of an obstacle and only netted me, 250 souls, putting my grand total at 1250.

At this point, I don’t think there was much to be gained by killing weaker monsters. Gathering experience was always a good thing, but the creatures I killed went down pretty easily.

Before leaving, I opened the grimoire and read its contents.

The penumbra has finished digesting. Due to the qualities of the items it consumed, it has produced a weaker manifestation of a weapon known as the ‘Dagger of Premonition.’

While this dagger is your possession, you will be warned of any perceived danger, including extreme bloodlust and hostility as well as lower forms of stealth and false appearances.

This weapon has an innate concealing effect and can take the form of a ring.

If you wish to use the full manifestation of this ancient weapon, thereby gaining greater effect, the blade must be consumed with higher quality items. If the process is unsuccessful, the blade will be destroyed.

To retrieve this weapon, summon the penumbra.

The penumbra is currently sated, feeding it any more will incur the development of the ‘Greed’ attribute.

After reading the grimoire, I immediately returned it to the blood mark on my hand and focused on the penumbra.

I was still in the dark on how to best control it, but since I was told to summon it, I simply formed the intention in my mind and hoped it would take notice.

My efforts weren’t in vain as the mysterious shadowy limb emerged from my abdomen and presented a small dagger to me. Both the handle and blade curved giving the weapon a slight J-shape which didn’t mean anything to me seeing as I wasn't skilled in using daggers. No, what interested me was the fact that it could be used in the form of a ring.

I accepted the dagger the penumbra offered and changed its form as the dark limb retreated into my navel. Its appearance became that of a worn-out ring with a surface full of scratches.

Anyone who was aware of me being gifted would easily guess the ring I had was an artifact since there weren’t many times people with gifts wore accessories that were just for show. In that sense, some artifacts acted as a replacement for high fashion and were a show of status.

“Well, let’s get back home,” I mumbled.

There was something more pressing I needed to deal with, but the Dagger of Premonition would alleviate my worry of New Era popping up somewhere I didn’t expect.

...

Filling my living room was copies of different texts.

Whether it be passages from the Egyptian book of the dead or the theories of the soul from Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. There were also plentiful theological references included. I would be lying if I tried to say that Evanora skimped on anything.

There were also various small trinkets, rings, and charms that dealt with healing in some way. The fact that most were made from natural things like bones, wood, braided hemp, stones, and countless other things, I assumed that they had to have been created by witches at some point.

After all, there were gifts that allowed others to “create” or imbue things with enchantments and special qualities.

That aside, I was preparing for something I felt was dangerous.

“Halt the beating of my own heart,” I muttered as I recalled Penelope’s instructions.

A common theme among most of the material I read spoke for the duality between the soul and physical body. That was something I had already guessed, but additional confirmation was never a bad thing.

I took a glance at all of the artifacts given to me by Evanora, but kept them out of reach since the penumbra was likely to reach for them. I decided I would put them on since I couldn’t exactly have the autonomous shadow arm drain them of vitality.

I carefully began to retrieve the artifacts, taking one at a time, keeping a tight grip all the while. I figured out that the penumbra couldn’t, or at least wouldn’t, take artifacts I managed to wear. I imagine that if I fed it properly, I would be able to control it better.

After equipping myself with enough accessories to shame a gypsy, I sat in a cross-legged position and closed my eyes.

First, I got a feel for the beating of my heart. Honing on the steady rhythm allowed me to better imagine the flow of my own blood. An unending constant that was powered by each heartbeat. I thought to slow the entire process down and I felt my heartbeat slow.

Rather than panic, it was an almost relaxing ordeal until a sense of fatigue set in. I felt light-headed and could barely maintain my concentration after some time had gone by.

Fearing I would pass out before I was able to finish the ordeal, I forced my heartbeat to a standstill with all the focus I could muster.

It felt like a sledgehammer hit me when it finally occurred. There was a sudden release much like a taut rope being cut in one motion as my body lost its tension.

And then, I felt cold.

…

My body felt as if it were sinking into endless quicksand, bogged down by some unthinkable weight. It didn’t occur to me what was happening at first, like seeing something odd in a dream. And just like a dream, once the realization hit, there was a sharp jump in what was occurring.

My slow and peaceful descent had shifted into a high-velocity fall straight into an abyss.

When I finally hit solid ground, there was no impact. In fact, it was only now had I felt the weightlessness of my own body. Had I felt it before, I think the fear of falling might’ve been cut down a little.

Taking a look around, there was red as far as I could see. The ground was the color of blood and red fog seemed to fill every direction except forward. Behind thin clouds of red, there was a star. No, it only resembled a star, but I understood it was my own soul, or at least, a representation of it.

As I moved closer to the sphere emitting a pale light, its radiance began to grow exponentially until it was nearly blinding. I raised my hand to shield my eyes from its light while making out a tether that connected my soul to the undulating pond of scarlet below it.

Easing closer, I felt that there was a certain unnatural force pushing me away. Each step increased the resistance, but I continued to silently struggle forward. With one hand outstretched, I blindly reached for the tether.

I knew I had it in my hands when the mute chaos had come to a stop. The light that prevented me from seeing anything dimmed once more and I could clearly see the tether within my hands. I had to question whether or not this was a real experience or perhaps my mind attempting to make sense of it all? The answer wasn’t as important as going through with the final step.

There was an unseen weight to my hesitation. I had come this far and I shuddered to think about what sort of mess my physical body might be in by now. Still, something told me that destroying this tether wasn’t something that could be done casually.

‘Here goes nothing,’ I thought as I began to rip the tether.

The link connecting the sphere and the blood beneath it snapped unceremoniously, causing me to doubt my previous assertion about it.

With the destruction of the tether, the blood beneath the glowing sphere trembled ominously before it parted and I fell to a lower level.

My plummet was a short one, as I landed into a large pool of fluorescent blood. The opening above me disappeared and I was left in a cramped space with the only light being from the blood that brushed against me.

‘Lifeblood,’ I thought.

The lifeblood seemed to pulse and I was filled with the urge to drink it. In order to complete the ritual, I suppose I needed to.

I grabbed a palmful of it and drank, but an indescribable agony was broadcasted through my every nerve. It felt as if someone injected molten glass into my veins, burning everything inside of me. The pool lifeblood seemed to awaken and dragged me underneath. I struggled with no gains, feeling the intensity of the pain multiply with each second that passed. As if that wasn't enough, while I drowned in the lifeblood, it soaked into every pore of my body.

I struggled to maintain myself in the middle of it all and eventually, I decided to give up. The moment I wanted to choose death over the ungodly pain that infested my every nerve, it came to a stop.

And for the last time, I fell.