The first thing Luca saw when he first opened his eyes was a void—pure, ancient darkness with tiny lights that blinked like stars.
A dark blue current ran through it. A wave that flowed like the currents of the ocean.
Its depth ran beyond what the conscious mind could perceive.
It was ironic, because this was the physical manifestation of the consciousness—the third eye.
Luca inked furiously as everything returned at once.
His senses. His motion and even breathing.
It was like he was whole, but he didn't feel like he was.
The sight had made him feel significant.
It was a thought that had formed without a slight hindrance. Like it was natural.
He felt the urge to bow and worship, but the boy controlled it to a standstill.
From his research through the forums on his phone, he already had an idea of where he was.
"The third eye," Luca muttered under his breath.
"So this is what they meant by its wonders."
The third eye was a link. A small world within our heads where our thoughts run through.
Here, we imagine. We dream. We think. We worship.
And this was the anchor for all Egoists.
Luca looked around slowly, and next to him, he found it. His Ego Core.
A massive white core stood in the centre. Glowing with such vigour that it made the world bend to its currents.
Tiny dust particles flickered around it. A silent hum spread around and into his ears.
Luca's eyes widened softly. A smile on his face as he took the sight in.
"Most Egoists say their cores are first small. Usually the size of half of their bodies."
But he was clearly superior– at least three times bigger than him.
It was a testament to the amount of Ego he contained.
"100% Ego Synchronisation," he muttered slowly.
At that moment, the world hummed and a voice boomed to life.
[TRANCER LUCAMIR ELARIC HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AN EGOIST]
[HIS REWARDS WILL NOW BE CALCULATED]
[SLAYING 61 MILD NULL BUDS AND 66 GRADES ONE TO FIVE NULL SPAWNS]
[YOUR PERFORMANCE EXCEEDS ALL RECORDED PAST PERFORMANCES]
[CODE 05-701 WILL NOW BE PERMANENTLY RECORDED IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE ABYSS. YOUR NAME WILL BE KNOWN THROUGHOUT ITS INHABITANTS]
Lucamir arched his brow at that information.
"Known? What does that mean? Inhabitants of the Abyss? Are people living in a place like that?"
He wondered as a frown formed on his face.
"Why?"
But the Trance continued, as if it had never heard him.
[YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED TWO TITLES…]
[FIRST TRUE EGOIST] (DIVINE)]
[SEVEN SINS (CELESTIAL)]
[YOU ARE THE FIRST TO GAIN SUCH TITLES!]
Lucamir's eyes nearly bulged out of his scalp.
"Two titles?! Two?! And their ranks… Oh my gods, their ranks?!"
He couldn't help but gawk at his own rewards.
Titles were difficult to come by at all, and most that did were usually washed-off versions of the true thing.
So most times, when a title was granted for the first time, it was usually at the peak of the ranks.
Title ranks as well as many other things related to the Egoist are Dormant, Nascent, Awakened, Ascended, Transcendent, Celestial and Divine.
These titles had effects. Special effects that influenced their growth.
[YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED AN EGO WEAPON]
[TRIAL SWORD (DORMANT-0%)]
[EGOIST LUCAMIR IS FREE TO NAME HIS EGO WEAPON WHEN SUMMONED FOR THE FIRST TIME]
Luca gulped.
"Hah! I guess all that nonsense fighting and near-death experiences bore fruit!"
If the Trance had ended when it did, would he have gained this much? Lucamir wasn't certain.
But the boy had begun to thank the 21st god, whomever it was for these rewards!
A trial within a trial was known for its high risk, high rewards, but never did Lucamir imagine he could reach this extent.
"Then there's my synchronisation as well… is that also a gift of the Abyss? Or was that the gods doing," he muttered as his brows furrowed.
It had undergone a bizarre growth and perhaps he would find out why soon or not. He shook those thoughts away.
His reward held more importance.
Ego weapons were another difficult thing to come by normally. But they weren't rare.
An ego weapon was special because it grew with the user. Most high-ranked Egoists possessed at least one. And some have a pair, a weapon and an armour piece. This is different from the initial weapon given at random to the Trancers during their trials.
For Lucamir, an Ego weapon would have been impossible to come by unless he was lucky enough in the Abyss to discover one.
So, seeing this was a satisfactory boost to his growing need for power.
[EGOIST LUCAMIR'S CORE HAS BEEN UPDATED]
[YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED 2 MINUTES OF FREE TIME, AFTER WHICH YOU WILL BE SENT HOME]
Lucamir tilted his head. "Wait, how about my archetype?"
Name; Lucamir Elaric.
Archetype; Undefined.
Ego Rank; Explorer, 2nd Stage
Ego Core; Particle White (1%)
Ego Synchronization; 100% -/+
Ego Manifestation; 20%
Null Resistance; 100%
Titles; First True Egoist(Divine). Seven Sins(Celestial)
Bloodline; None.
Traits; Mercuryborne(Transcendent), Doggedness(Dormant-Mastery(5%) )
Talents; Identification Talent(Dormant-Mastery (20%) ), Sword Talent(Dormant-Mastery (5%) ), Core Talent(Dormant-Mastery (0%) ), Bond Talent(Dormant-Mastery (0%) ), Fist Talent(Dormant-Mastery (0%) ), Focus Talent(Dormant-Mastery (0%) ), Bond Talent(Dormant-Mastery (0%) ), Stealth Talent(Dormant-Mastery (0%) ).
Ego weapons; Trial Longsword (Dormant-Mastery (0%) ).
Ego Accessories; None.
Bonds; None.
As Luca read through, his eyes slowly widened with each curve.
"A Named Trait?" He muttered softly. "At the transcendent even?
Triats were just as important, if not, more so than titles. They represented the abilities of the Egoists.
Their form attributes and even physical properties made them stand out from others.
He knew once he read their descriptions, he would get a clear idea of how it functioned and in what way it would add to his strength, but Luca was focused on something else entirely.
And that would be the bizarre number of talents.
If Traits were the foundation of and Egoist power, talents were the building built upon it.
They were skills. Each is anchored to a type of archetype.
Archetypes varied from Knight, SpellCaster, Sniper, Brawler, Shifter, Harmonics and Rogues.
Each was assigned one or two talents at the start of an Egoist's journey. These were Specific Talents, exclusive to a specific archetype. And as they grow stronger, they attain more talent assigned to their Archetypes.
This didn't mean Archetypes were limited to their Specific talents alone, it was possible to learn variants or the same talent, though, its growth rate would be slower than the original user.
There were also other talents like identification which wasn't specific to an Archetype and could be used by all. These were called General Talents.
Those could also be obtained, but everything would cost money. Money that Luca currently wouldn't have.
"It's not like I'm lacking in talents as it is… but some here are Specific talents… and there are only two General talents."
The way Luca saw it, and observing his archetype as well, he could only come to one conclusion.
"Can I use all Archetypes?"
This was more than weird, this was an anomaly.
All Egoists were granted one, and on a few occasions, there are Egoists born with two and extremely difficult ones, three.
But all seven? Impossible!
"If the government were to find out… they'll do more than just lock me down."
Then came his fears. The whole reason his parents had risked it all for him.
"There's still a chance they can ignore me, but I'll have to be as disappointing as possible."
That simply meant he would need to hide his strength. His true capabilities from the public.
The thought caused him to bite his lips.
"I can't even revel in my success. I can't live my life as it is! Heck, those bastards won't even let me see my parents."
His gaze whipped to his synchronisation.
Talents were hidden. He just needed to avoid using multiple talents and focus on one or two.
Give them the impression that he either had the Knight or another archetype he would decide on along the line.
But synchrony was one thing that was recorded as soon as he awoke.
And a 100% synchrony was basically begging the Federation to pin him down under their laws.
It wasn't biased though. Egoists were people who tend to be true to their names. And when left unchecked, the very foundations of the world would be flipped to satisfy their selfish desires.
Without an affiliation, all solo Egoists are labelled as rogues until apprehended and placed under control.
If it weren't the Federation, then the Royal Household, the Noble houses and the Guilds.
Luca could stick with the federation for a while and then change affiliations when he's reached a level of strength… but once the federation finds prospective powerhouses, they immediately pin them down.
"How do I hide my synchrony?" he wondered when he noticed strange symbols on his interface.
He narrowed his eyes. "It can't be…"
He pushed his intent into the symbols. The one that looked like minus and he watched, immediately, his number downgrading to 99.
His eyes widened immediately.
He pushed his intent on the plus and it climbed back up to full.
A smirk formed on his face.
"Is this my lucky day?"
On the contrary, anyone who has reached a 100% Synchronization can reduce or increase how much they wish to display.
But no one had discovered this, simply because a 100% was an impossible feat. No one on earth was even close to reaching it.
Quickly, he pushed his intent on the minus and watched rapidly… how his energy dropped until finally, he was satisfied.
Ego Synchronization; 5% -/+
"Your typical starter Egoists, said to have a potential of 1st tier Reckoner."
They were easily overlooked. And they changed affiliations just as easily.
Luca bobbed his head with a satisfied nod when the world chimed with that same voice. A primal, yet, regal voice devoid, yet filled with blemishes.
[TWO MINUTES IS OVER]
[EGOIST LUCAMIR ELARIC WILL NOW RETURN TO THE 47TH COMOS, EARTH SUPREME]
Luca waited patiently as the world began to fade. Whips of black and white peeled off his consciousness as Luca felt a pull that washed over him.
He gave in to it with a smile, but suddenly, that smile turned to a deep, agonising frown.
His eyes flared open and his body jolted.
The world flickered and changed. A sudden powerful warp that caused Luca's bones to crack.
Everything froze as the scenery changed.
A tomb appeared. Surrounded by a chilling void that croaked with a vastness that was neither malevolent nor benevolent.
Ancient splendour trickled around like pixie dust. While its black totems hummed with the chant of mountain monks.
The scenery warped and changed.
Now, surrounded by walls and a warm light.
The world was painted in amber. It's touch silky like milk as it surrounds Luca in a comfort that feels too chilling for pleasure.
The sounds of giggles and playful chatter reached his ears.
But the only thing he saw was warping shadows and a throne of black iron and something more. A greatness and allure that would leave many artisans on their knees in worship.
The shadows– seven, danced around the man seated on the throne.
But Luca knew that was no man.
He was seated as the world tended to his every desire, with a deep wisdom and unfathomable power that throbbed like a beating heart in his ancient golden eyes.
Luca gawked at the sight.
The man smirked. An amused tone on his face.
"Don't keep me waiting."
And Luca vanished.