It was endless.

His mind and consciousness brushed against the Crypt’s plethora of information, choirs of whispers crowding his ears like different orchestras performing all at once. The well of power gifted to him by [LOSTBELT] suddenly expanded. And became more.

What was initially a drop of water was now a jug. No, a gallon. A bucket. Wave. Torrent. River. Ocean—

Reality stared back at him.

Lukas and Reality entwined with one another. It wasn’t friendly or antagonistic, nor was it light or dark, or pain or pleasure. Instead, it was two warring existences. The anomaly that was Lukas could relate with the Crypt of Fiendish Worms. But the human that was [LOSTBELT] found it as difficult as describing a new color.

Instead, he got this.

Assimilated Omphalos: Crypt of Fiendish Worms

Assimilation Successful.

Analyzing Reality-Balance Foundation...

Reality expanded around him, and with it came new information. Skills. Prototypes. History. An Essence capable of generating lifeforce to such an extent that it was downright hilarious. He could empower thirty khorkhoi at the same time and not break a sweat. Yet for all that extravagance, there was nothing.

Nothing at all.

An emptiness existed behind its manifestation, without drive or motivation. Not unlike a blank canvas. It was just a well of unfathomable power, untapped and ready to serve whatever Master laid claim to it.

And this was just a Class-3 anomaly, not a singularity or a realm. And certainly not a Lostbelt.

Lukas immersed himself deeper.

The Crypt’s Omphalos did not push back. Instead, it welcomed his advances.

“I— WE—I— WE— WAS RIGHT!” the voice repeated for a while before it finally got it right. “I WAS RIGHT!”

For a single moment, Lukas could visualize the mound before him twisting and turning into itself.

“WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS TOGETHER. YOUR KNOWLEDGE. MY POWER. YOUR EXPERIENCE. MY STRENGTH. YOUR SKILL. MY—”

“I thought I already consumed you,” Lukas frowned.

“YOU DID!” the voice cackled. “BUT I AM NOT THE KIND TO GO GENTLY INTO THE NIGHT! NO, I AM BECOMING YOU. BECOMING US. I AM YOU. YOU ARE ME. WE ARE US. US IS THE FUTURE.”

Analysis Complete.

Begin Upgrade? Y/N

“Uh… yes.”

Upgrade — ACTIVE.

Fusion of Energy Reservoir — ACTIVE.

Analyzing weak points. Running check on control surfaces. Self-Autocorrection activated…

Lukas touched its mind— or whatever passed for a mind for an Omphalos. It quickly became clear that he was in no way ready to appreciate the complexity of what he’d just absorbed. His number of Monster Prototypes was now growing at an impossible pace, numbering in the thousands, and still he sensed that this was just a small fraction of what he, an anomaly, was capable of.

He saw Truth. The real Truth of the world. The power of Absolute Creation. There was so much that he nearly buckled under the strain. Nearly. Instead, he held strong and firm.

Is this… is this the power of a God?

The voice laughed in the horizon. “GOD? WHY GAZE IN WONDER AT THE POWER OF ELDRITCH BEINGS WHEN WE CAN BECOME SO MUCH MORE?”

Lukas couldn’t help but nod. Wasn’t that the goal behind all this? Ever since he’d tasted a crumb of power when Inanna possessed his body, since he felt her cosmic energies create destruction the likes of which he’d never seen before, he had wanted it. Sought it. Yearned for it. Having power meant not having to depend on anyone. It meant freedom. The ability to truly make his own decisions.

I, too, was mortal once, Inanna had once told him. Deep within the ice and malice of the Goddess of Murder, beyond the whimsical plays that had often caused turmoil in his life, beneath all the sarcasm and torment and agonizing training montages…

The real Inanna had once been mortal.

She was someone who had walked through the Gates of Fire, purifying and searing herself at the same time. She suffered through endless torment just to become more. To stand up against Ashura.

And she hadn’t stopped there.

It made him wonder whether he’d also become like that someday. Not long ago, he had been prey. But now, he was the apex predator of this anomaly. And with the power of the Crypt at his fingertips, how far could he go before it too would corrupt him?

Lukas looked down at his palms. Those hands belonged to a beast of titanic strength. Now that he was free of the lifeforce brimming in his system, clarity returned. And with it, contemplation.

Perhaps the process of becoming horrible wasn’t about temptation to sin, forbidden delights, and poor impulse control. Nobody who ever became evil wanted something like that in the first place. At first, they had good, practical reasons— hell, probably even noble ones.

But the bill always came due.

People were naturally bad at handling power. And sooner or later, they started to believe only they knew best. That it was them who controlled their power, and not the reverse. For Lukas, lifeforce had turned him from someone wanting to survive to someone that could, with time, leave death and destruction in his wake. Just like Inanna.

He who fights monsters… must fear becoming one.

His heart rebelled against his grandfather’s old adage. Strange, since people always suggested listening to their hearts. But emotion-laden advice wasn’t what he needed at the moment.

Power flared around him, power he had bled and suffered for. He had smashed his will against this thing and came out alive. He had cast aside his old life and embraced the role of a hunter to the extreme. And now, his meal— his rightful conquest —was before him. For him to consume with relish.

And yet—

“WHY DO YOU HESITATE? YOU ARE A WORLD, AS AM I. I WILL BE PART OF YOU. BECOME YOU. EMBRACE MY POWER. BECOME ME. TOGETHER, WHAT CAN BE KEPT FROM US?”

“Yeah…”

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? The constant grinding of his soul, his psyche pitted against the darkness of the abyss. Maybe that’s what forged monsters in the first place. Not the power, but the tugging sensation that came along with it.

“The power is great,” Lukas admitted. “It feels amazing, even. With this, I can do so much. It’s just…” He paused. “There’s just one thing.”

“WHICH IS?” the voice boomed.

“A promise I made to someone.”

The word of a mortal, given to a goddess.

“When I was weak.”

A simple barter. Teach him to fight. To grow. To hone his power. And in return— her freedom.

“And all I had wanted—”

I have nothing to offer but my word. Look in my eyes and tell me I intend to betray you.

“—was to survive.”

And now, it was time.

Lukas opened his eyes. The image flickered. Reality was torn apart. The world changed.

To keep that promise.

SOULSCAPE

Name

Lukas Aguilar

Race

Anomaly

Level

2

Accessible Soul Capacity

47,628

Monster Prototype Array

91,437

“At this rate,” Lukas chuckled, “I may as well start renting soul capacity to others.”

He looked beside him.

And froze.

Inanna stood there, as real as everyone else. But that was impossible. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Tanya unmoving on the ground. Zuken was unconscious. Olfric was breathing, but only just. And Elena— Elena was looking at him like he was getting ready to ruthlessly slaughter her.

None of it mattered. He only had eyes for her. For Inanna. The goddess looked him up and down— a strange, acknowledging stare from a veteran to a pupil. It was as if he’d just passed another of her tests.

It made him shiver.

“How—”

“The word of a mortal,” Inanna interjected, her tone thoughtful. “I never imagined it could hold weight.”

“I told you,” Lukas murmured. “I keep my promises.”

Her eyes shone with mirth. “Indeed you did. A fruitful barter indeed. Perhaps I might interest you in another?”

“No thanks,” he replied, a little too quickly.

Inanna threw her head back and laughed. The sound of it was like eating hot cookies, melting into a warm shower, and snuggling a fuzzy puppy all at the same time. And yet, her voice boomed as always, making him wonder if he was still stuck inside his mindscape. That would’ve been odd, since any and all upgrades only happened when he was out in the real world.

He couldn’t help it. He had to check.

“Skills.”

HOST: SKILLS

SKILL

LEVEL

SOUL CAPACITY CONSUMED

Internal Lifeforce Manipulation

Level 4

178

Burst

Level 4

135

Tachypsychia

Level 3

79

Psionic Burst

Level 2

84

Neural Suppression

Level 2

46

Shatter Fist

Level 2

52

Protection from Mental Encroachment

Level 2

82

Empathy

Level 3

95

“So this is real…” he murmured.

“This is as real as you and I, I am afraid. Of course, you do not have to take my word for it, mortal. Go ahead. Test it out.”

She seemed to be in a happy yet melancholic mood, something Lukas found impossible to pin down exactly. The gaze she gave him was similar to when she had revived him by activating his Third Eye.

And yet, there was more to it.

But what?

He shook his head. “Show me what you’ve got on the Omphalos.”

OMPHALOS

WARMONGER PROTOCOL

Scan

Level 3

Analyze

Level 3

Spiritualist Constitution

Level 3

Soul Siphon

Level 2

Territory Creation

Level 1

“A new skill and upgrades,” Lukas murmured. “Who would’ve thought?”

Inanna smiled.

“Is this the moment when you tell me how you’re… here?”

Her smile deepened.

“No, I think I got it. This is an illusion. Only instead of my mind, it’s cast on the world. You’re casting it with your power. Which means—”

“Your power,” Inanna corrected. “I am merely borrowing a sliver of it now that you have gathered me the promised power for my ritual. Of course, only you and you alone can see or hear me.”

She came close to him and ran her fingers down his cheek.

“Or feel, for that matter.”

Personally, Lukas wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Not returning to his mindscape every time to see her sounded great in theory, but she was going to be an even bigger distraction. Especially with how his gaze already seemed to gravitate towards the softness of her lips, before trailing down to—

Her smile deepened even more, as two indescribably attractive dimples made their presence known—

Lukas caught himself before his mind went too far. He liked living way too much for that.

“So what happens now?”

“Now, we find my way home. With your power, I can cast a spell to locate my sister’s dominion across the realms and subastras of the universe, and we find our way there. The very first step to my freedom, and you, Lukas Aguilar, have granted it to me.”

A reel of indecipherable emotions flickered through her eyes, before Inanna closed them.

“I shall not forget it.”