Orebrul:
------------------ 2 weeks before collapse:
I sensed him before I could even see him. His presence inside this dungeon, far above where I resided.
He must be about 20 layers above me, perhaps 30. For someone without magical powers, he certainly makes himself known...
My eyes narrowed as I studied the aura of the person above me.
It's almost like he's... no way.
I closed my blood-red eyes and focused on him, using the energy of {The Ring of the Forgotten Sovereign}, I peered into the very space he occupied and looked at him.
His shoulder-length jet-black hair was matted with dust and grime, making it look greasy and horrible. His physique was nothing special, and muscles were average.
However...
His eyes. His technique. They were something else entirely. His azure eyes had a darkness in them that I hadn't seen in decades. A determination and vigour that seemed like it could never be quenched or dispersed by any hardships that fate could give to him. His technique was just as scary. His movements were minimal, but any experienced fighter knows that these kinds of movements can only be achieved through constant practice and real combat experience.
I trembled.
Me? I trembled? Just what kind of experience does a boy of his age have to go through in order to get that kind of presence and aura? It's so refined... so condensed... this is no ordinary boy... his name is Lough Freed... interesting...
I felt the urge to talk to him now, but I resisted and waited. Perhaps he would be the one to awaken the power of the ring. I had no doubt that he'd be able to withstand it... however...
A wave of sadness cascaded over my ecstatic emotions as I thought about my previous master.
How he'd been similar to this 'Lough Freed' child, until he came into contact with the ring. He quickly rose to become the strongest mage in the world and had completed every single path except for the eigth and final one.
But this power went to his head, and he challenged the Gods to one-on-one combat...
He lost...
His legacy as the strongest mage in history was tarnished as the Gods erased him from every story and tapestry, thus creating 'The Forgotten Sovereign'.
No one, except for me, knows the true identity of the Forgotten Sovereign, let alone the fact that he even existed in the first place. He had good intentions but executed them poorly.
His dream was to free this world from the grasps of the Gods who governed it and used it as their playground.
My mind cast back to his final moments and his final words.
"Orebrul... promise me... whoever finds this ring next... don't let them go down my path... let... them... decide..."
And those were his final words before he passed away. My saddened emotions swirled and intensified.
He was a fool till the end... in a good way...
I sighed and drifted off to another slumber, still encased within the ring, and awaited for someone... anyone, to come and awaken me.
------------------------------ Day of Collapse
I awoke to a loud and startling rumble, and I immediately sensed the boy, Lough Freed, falling through the layers at an accelerating and rather alarming rate.
5th layer... 10th layer... 21st layer!
I willed power from the ring and pushed out as hard as I could, causing the cave, with which the ring sat within, to shake under the sheer power I was using. I activated {Regeneration} and {Muffled Footsteps} in an attempt to lessen the impact and heal as much damage as I could from the initial crash.
My mind began to get hazy as the amount of power I pushed out increased at an exponential rate, and my mental fortitude couldn't continue much longer.
As he reached the 29th floor mark, my brain power faltered, and I stopped the flow of magic into the ring. From that moment, I could only hope that what I'd done was enough to keep him alive and kicking.
After many heartbeats and, with bated breath, I waited for his presence to reignite itself and tell me he was alive. I heard his heartbeat, and then a second later, I felt what little left of life essence he had remaining, and I knew I'd succeeded.
No human with no magical power could ever survive a 5 layer drop, let alone a 27 layer drop. I let out my held breath, in my head of course, since I was still encased inside the ring, and I watched carefully as he studied his body, clearly in a multitude of pains from every bone and muscle in his body.
Then, with shock and horror, I watched as the geode cracked and shattered underneath him, sending him head-first through the air and down towards the ground.
My panic eased as I noticed water beneath him, but I still had a sickening and lingering doubt in my mind at the chances of his survival.
I then realised that, without truly knowing, I'd grown quite attached to this boy. Something about him drew me in, and I had high hopes for him, and I prayed that this 'Lough Freed' would be the one to find the ring and claim it, which was increasingly likely as he was the only one who had found this place in the last 50 odd years.
I watched as he rested on the bank of the 'lake'. His eyelids shut faster than a flytrap's jaw, eliciting a small chuckle from me. As he drifted to sleep, I decided I'd do the same in order to regain my strength as I had a hint of a feeling that I may be needing it.
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Lough's awakening triggered my own, and I watched in anticipation as he cluelessly wandered the lands inside the geode. He looked high and low for signs of an exit, and I couldn't help but laugh at his feeble attempts or thoughts of attempting to get out through the hole he came in by.
He stopped off by a tree for around three hours before setting off again.
Deciding to increase the power of the ring, I could sense the aura expanding and trailing its way towards him.
I watched, with a heavy heart crossed with doubt, as he buckled and fell to his knees from the pressure of the ring.
I knew he was determined and had willpower, but my eyes couldn't help but stare, shaking, as he stood back up and made his way over towards the source of the heavy pressure, the ring. He stumbled his way over and reached the waterfall that hid the cavern that contained the pedastal.
As he reached the waterfall, I retracted the pressure and, instead, reached deeper into the {Destruction} path to bring out the locked ice powers. My eyes glared at him as if challenging him to back away. In fact, I almost wanted him to back away. It would save him from the future that awaited him if he took this ring.
I couldn't help but smile as he still moved forward towards me. His eyes were dead-set on reaching the ring, and his steps were confident and resolved.
Truly... what kind of hardships... has he been through?! This guy is insane! To walk into an unknown place and search for a power that made him buckle to his knees! Amazing... but scary... and quite sad...
My praise didn't come often. There weren't many people alive who could impress me after what I'd seen in my lifetime. The abilities of my former master had proven too great and had shattered my perception of what was half-decent in this world. That said, however, this boy had exceeded everything I'd ever thought possible by humans. To show such resolve in the face of a power that could easily kill him if I allowed it to do so was plain and utterly suicidal.
Yet he didn't seem to care. Either he didn't value his life, or his reason for even considering it outweighed the former.
Lough reached the centre and reached out for the ring. That's when I decided.
This Lough Freed... he's worthy...
At that very thought and against my own will, the ring flew off the pedastal and shrank in size to accommodate his finger.
As soon as the ring slipped onto his right-hand middle finger, our minds interlinked, and a surge of memories, thoughts, and feelings rushed into me. It overwhelmed me, but clearly not as much as the ring's power overwhelmed Lough, as he began to stumble and I could sense his feeling of sickness as he turned pale and looked as though he was going to throw up.
Then he passed out, and I was pulled into a dark space. I looked around, confused, and then I spotted Lough with the same expression as me.
I steeled myself and prepared to tell him that he was weak, a verdict I wholeheartedly disagreed with, all in order to save him the pain that lay ahead in his future.
I unveiled my blood-red eyes, and I saw the colour drain from his face.
I told him he was weak and couldn't handle the true power of the ring because he was human. I expected him to agree. But he didn't.
He looked at me and told me about humans on the surface, how they could raze cities and towns in moments, as if I didn't already know! My mind wandered to my former master and I accidentally leaked the memory to the boy, and his argument cut off as he experienced the memory.
His face fell, and he asked if that was me, to which I replied yes. I then told him who I was. Orebrul, last survivor of the Yurvepian clan of the Serpentine. A hunted and cannibalistic clan that is now extinct, aside from me. I knew he would ask if I'd killed my kind.
"Hmph... what were you going to ask? Did I kill my own kind? Yes, I did. For survival, of course. My master helped protect me most of the time, however." Is what I told him. It was the truth. I had killed my own brethren. Slaughtered them. Had my former master kill some to protect me. It was rather selfish looking back on it now. However, it was all for survival. At least, that was my excuse.
The conversation continued, and I revealed my true form. My silvery scales gleamed, and my ivory fangs glistened.
Thus continued our banter, conversations, and shared memories. I finally acknowledged it. I hadn't felt this free and alive since my former master had first met me. This boy, I knew, would become something great. Something greater than me or my former master could ever hope to be. His warmth infected me, and I even showed compassion to him, something I'd locked away in my heart after the passing of my master. This revelation astounded me.
It truly did.
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Lough exited the dungeon, and I felt fresh. Palpable excitement bubbled within me as I saw the world through the ring, which, to me, looked like a stained glass. I could see, but no further than around 100 metres, but even through this tinted lens, I couldn't believe I was seeing the world in a different way.
A new way...
However, above all, my sense of relief at Lough's survival washed over me. I had to block our mental link so that he couldn't sense it. Otherwise, I would've been too embarrassed to admit I actually cared about the child. From here on, I knew that he would be a perfect companion.
A true friend...
But below all that... I couldn't shake the feeling... that there was a deep-rooted pain... a darkness. A sense of duty within him. One that made my non-materialistic body shiver with a cold fear. I didn't want to be afraid... but I couldn't keep my senses away from it.
Whatever trauma Lough had experienced, one that he hid from our mental connection, I would be there for him. Protecting him. Urging him on. No matter what.
I would not... let him face this painful path alone. That, I swear...
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