Time and Adaptation.

This chapter is longer than usual—10k words, in fact. I kind of got carried away and ended up writing more. Also, I wrote the first part of the chapter with pen and paper due to the lack of my computer. Let me know if you liked how it turned out.

Well, I think that's it. If you want to support me or just read 3/7 chapters ahead, it's possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate you reading my stories. Thank you very much!

That said, have a good night and happy reading!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori

[...]---[...]

POV: ???

My first instinct was to breathe, something that was denied to me. Trying to move also bore no fruit; something held me down. When I tried to speak, I couldn't even hear my own voice...

That is, if I really tried to speak, I couldn't say for sure, I couldn't feel my body. The environment was empty, without movement, without noise, without sound...

I moved my eyes, or so I thought, everything was confusing. I couldn't see anything. The environment was void, without color, without images, without light...

I felt a shiver run down my spine, or maybe not, I wasn't sure of anything. The environment was empty, without warmth, without cold, without temperature...

My thoughts were confused. Where was I?… No… That wasn't the right question…

How long had I been here?…

A minute? I couldn't say. An hour? My thoughts were confused. A day? My perception was distorted… How long had I been trapped here?…

How long had I been imprisoned, chained? I moved my arms, or tried to; everything was confusing… So confusing… What was holding me? What were my chains made of?…

I tried to probe the environment. Void. My senses were dulled, nothing existed around me. Void. None of my energies could move. Void. Energies?… Void.

What had I done to deserve such imprisonment? What sin had I committed to deserve such torment?… Void.

In fact… Who was I again?…

… Void.

I felt something take over my mind with this realization, my thoughts. Voi- Wrath!

"Who dared to chain me?!"

The sound of my voice didn't propagate, there was no medium for it, but the intention did, even if only for a few meters. I'm sure that if my voice could be heard, it would be something cruel.

I took a deep breath. I tried. There was no air to breathe. I improvised.

I forcibly swirled my energies inside my body. They all moved slowly, but they moved. I used them to substitute the air: Mana and Spiritual Energy, the names came to me instinctively.

I clashed them together as they moved, collided them repeatedly, each time faster, each time more violently, until I began to feel my body slowly energize with the energy created from the collisions.

It was like an old machine coming back to life after years of disuse: rusty, dusty, slow, but still functional.

Always functional…

I took a deep breath. There was no air to breathe, but I breathed anyway. Air didn't matter, it wasn't necessary, not anymore.

I forced my eyelids to open, inch by inch. It made no difference; I was still blind. Even though I was sure that this time my eyes were open, the only thing in my vision was darkness.

Voi- No!

I twisted and commanded all the energies that existed within my body towards my eyes. It didn't matter what they were, I commanded them, and they moved.

Little by little, one step at a time, slowly, my vision returned. The world was faded, gray, without color, but I could see again: not light, but the stagnant energy around me.

Light wasn't necessary, not anymore.

My attention went directly to the river in front of me, unnaturally stagnant; the waves, the water droplets in the air, were frozen, all in a forced manner.

… The man in the water's reflection still had his eyes closed. Was that me?

I could see the desert beyond the river; like the waters, every grain of sand was gray, stagnant, frozen in the air, not allowed to move, ordered to stay still.

… As I was.

My eyes moved quickly when something shifted in the corner of my vision. They hurt with the movement; I felt something snap in my forehead before my vision was taken over by static. I ignored the pain and breathed again.

My body energized, warmed up, regenerated. I could see again; whatever damage there was to my vision, it had disappeared. I refocused.

What was moving were two beings, not humans, I knew instinctively. Something inside me whispered: I lacked the information on how to kill them.

I ignored the familiarity I felt when looking at the two beings, especially the small amorphous ball in the hand of the woman with pointed ears, and concentrated on something, a lamp, resting on her thigh.

Divine; that was what the lamp was, not created by mortal hands, I knew instinctively. Something inside me screamed: that was the culprit of my current situation, of my imprisonment.

My whole being froze for a moment, as if I was back to square one, the moment I woke up in this damned place. Everything calmed down, went back to being stagnant, immobile...

If before the anger I felt was something hot, bubbling, wrathful, now no more. My anger had frozen, even if my body hadn't, which seemed to be getting hotter and hotter, even immobile, like the single moment before an explosion.

My voice came out as a murmur, without sound, but with a clear intention, a unique feeling behind the words...

"I will destroy you…”

… Hatred.

When I tried to move, to take a step towards the lamp, I felt my chains again, but this time more aggressively. My whole body ached; it was as if dozens, hundreds of small knives were pressing into me from all sides, forcing me to stay in place.

One step. I knew that. All it took to break my chains was a single step… So, I ignored the pain.

I ignored how my body ached, heating up more and more until the heat became unbearable. I ignored how my vision failed amidst the static, as my headache grew worse and worse.

Ignored everything.

No matter what it was, I used it. I used every ounce of energy, every muscle, every instinct, every emotion, every thought. I used it all as fuel...

...All for one single step.

Then it happened. Like an epiphany, I realized: I realized why everything was motionless, what authority held me captive, what my chains were made of...

"Time, that..."

...What held me was time, the lack thereof.

"...is no longer necessary."

Then, my body moved. One step, and everything around shattered like glass.

At the same time, I heard three identical noises coming from somewhere I couldn't identify, though something told me I should. I ignored it, just as I did the pain, just as I did the fatigue, physical and mental, I ignored.

The woman with pointed ears would likely protect the lamp; I could feel her connection to the object, subtle but existing.

A fight was a luxury I couldn't afford; I could feel exhaustion catching up with every step, every movement in this timeless place demanded too much...

My teeth clenched and a fire covered me completely. At the same time, I felt the pressure around me easing, albeit minimally.

... The woman would have to die in one blow then.

I couldn't risk it. She wasn't human; I didn't know her weaknesses or how to kill her, but her body was similar enough for me to have an idea.

I pulled part of the Shadowflame covering me into my hand and condensed it into a small ball before stretching it into a sharp spear. It was weak, a subtle murmur, but something inside me warned: this alone wouldn't kill the woman, much less destroy the lamp.

I made the spear spin, rotate, as fast as I could. Insufficient.

I pulled more of the surrounding fire and condensed it along with the rest into the spear. Insufficient.

I fueled the fire with as much Nightmare Energy as I could. Insufficient.

I focused my Semblance on the spear. Insufficient, but close. The woman would die, but the lamp wouldn't be destroyed.

Something inside me was angry at the divine, screaming to be used; I pulled that part and intertwined it in the spear as well. Done.

I felt my fatigue increase and the pressure around me grow, but I ignored it. I couldn't lose focus now.

I took a deep breath and took position: I leaned my body slightly back and twisted my wrist. A strike. I knew how to move, my body knew. A thrust and it would be done.

Before I could strike, my eyes were instinctively drawn to the words the small amorphous ball was writing. It was as if my body had already been used to reading them before anything else.

"I... haven't told Devas yet about Aunt Alice being a goddess... Do you think he'll be mad at me if I tell him?..."

One word made me hesitate.

"Devas?..."

In moments, all my memories returned. My body froze, not stopped by the absence of time, but the force of myself.

Damn it... I almost screwed up here...

I brought my hand to my head and dispersed the Shadowflame-created spear. Why the hell was I about to kill Jinn? No, actually, why the hell was my mind so messed up?...

What the hell was this?... Why didn't my title activate?!

Was it because it was a training exercise? Or because I wasn't in danger?

I sought answers for a few seconds, piecing together as much of my fragmented memories after waking up in this place. Piecing together shards of glass and sticking them together with spit would be easier.

It wasn't really an answer, but the conclusion I came to was: while my self tried to adapt to the time stop caused by the knowledge relic, the first thing that came back to function was my brain, responsible for controlling everything else.

The problem was that it wasn't all of my brain that came back to function, but only its essential parts... Memories weren't really essential, at least not at that moment.

That one back there, which almost killed Jinn, was my self moving only with its instincts...

"Fuck…"

That could have gone very, very wrong...

I sighed and commanded the Shadowflame to cover me again. At the same time, I activated my Semblance alongside the Divine Anathema to ease the pressure I felt.

Damn tiredness... Heat too. It felt like I was holding a mountain on my back while containing a sea of flames inside my body. Everything hurt, damn it, how did this shit go so wrong?!

I turned my eyes to Millia and Jinn when I saw the latter's move. I had to concentrate a little to read them thanks to the headache.

"Do you think that because of how he talks about the gods?" Jinn asked Millia, who nodded. "I won't answer your question yet, Millia, but I'll ask one of mine, okay?"

Another nod. Jinn continued speaking.

"You said Devas looks like your father. Tell me, would your father get mad at you for this?" Another nod from Millia, this time a denial. "You've known him longer than I have, Millia. Tell me, do you think Devas would get mad at you for this?..."

Even in this shitty situation, I couldn't help but scoff before starting to laugh. Damn it, how was I even breathing?

I shook my head, dispersing those thoughts. It didn't matter, well, at least not now. First, I had to answer the silly question Jinn had asked.

The sound of my voice wouldn't reach the two as it normally would, so I would have to convey my words in another way...

I closed my eyes for a second and concentrated, moving my mana to the 'barrier' that separated the place where Jinn and Millia were from the rest of the world.

The space around the barrier was strange, thinner and more brittle, almost like the Vault, but different. Time there also seemed more... artificial in a way, I could instinctively tell, as if it were a soap bubble floating in the air.

I forced my mana against the 'barrier', not against all of it, but at a single point. It took a few seconds and a wave of dizziness washed over me, but my mana passed through to the other side after some effort.

Damn, that had cost more than I expected... But it was done.

"No, I could never be mad at you, Millia."

Jinn looked around for a few seconds with a surprised look before standing up with Millia still in her hands and turning in my direction.

"Devas?" She asked. "Is it really you?... No, it's obvious that it is. How?... How are you moving?"

"I heard Devas's voice, where is he? Devas? Are you there? Are you okay?!" Millia shaped the words quickly and turned, 'looking' around.

She couldn't see me, could she? Technically, slimes' vision was almost like sonar, even if a magical sonar and at this moment, was out of reach of that sonar.

"I'm in the same place as before, Millia. You just can't see me, but I'm fine." Or almost fine, actually...

My whole body was hurting and it felt like I was on fire, my head also had better days, particularly those in which it didn't seem like it was going to explode, but it's okay. I was also low on mana, spiritual energy, nightmare energy, and aura, but, apart from all that, I was fine.

"As for your question, Jinn... I have no idea. It just happened." I scoffed. Her wide-eyed look of surprise and shock was kind of funny.

Of course, I had some idea of what had happened, but that was for later.

Explaining everything I had felt and done in the last few minutes would be laborious and, frankly, I didn't want to do that, at least not now. Later, when I felt I wouldn't be crushed, cut to pieces on all sides, or burned to ashes just for existing, I could explain.

Damn it, I didn't even know if it had really been 'in the last few minutes.'...

Besides my memories being still confused, even if this time it was from exhaustion and not because parts of my brain were turned off, measuring time where it did not exist was at least complicated...

What a tire... Let's just finish this, I need to sleep.

[…]

POV: Jinn

Perhaps even the sight of my creators would pale in comparison to the sight before me. Devas was...

At that moment, Devas was like a stain, a flaw, a hole in reality. Everything around him had color, even if frozen in time, but he did not.

From the soles of his feet to the top of his head, the man's entire body lacked color. It wasn't just a simple black color; no, it was a complete and total absence of color, of light. An absolute darkness.

Not only that, but with every step he took, the 'nothingness' seemed to follow in his wake. A dark path, much like the non-color that covered his body, trailed behind him.

It was like watching an eraser wipe away a drawing, leaving nothing in its wake. Devas was that eraser, and the drawing was the light.

"Are you really moving with time stopped?" I didn't mean to speak, but my thoughts were so overwhelming that the words escaped my mouth without my permission.

Devas smiled. I could tell only because his teeth were one of the few things with color on his body. They were completely white and sharp.

The only other parts were his eyes; only his irises had color, a deep orange, like two suns surrounded by what seemed to be the void of nothingness.

"I am, and I'll be honest here, this shit is exhausting, big time." Devas' voice echoed from all directions.

I could hear him from all sides. It was like when he used nightmare energy to speak, but at the same time different... It seemed to come from far away, distant... Something beyond.

I could even feel his intent in the words, his weariness, relief, and even his slight amusement at my shock. I could tell it was because of my shock and surprise.

I hesitated, but couldn't help comparing this form of communication to how my creators spoke... His voice seemed to come from above.

How did he do it?... How could he communicate with us while being on a completely different axis of time?!

"Tired? Aunt Jinn! Make everything go back to normal!" I felt Millia poking my cheek, hopping lightly on my shoulder, and turned to see what she wanted. "Quick!"

I glanced at Devas' current appearance one last time before using my connection to the relic to return Millia and myself to the normal time axis, bringing everything around us back to normal.

The first thing I felt as time resumed was the heat emanating from Devas' body. I thought it might be from the Shadowflame, but no, the heat came from his own body.

The air around us became hot and dry. Even with the river just meters away, the moisture vanished in an instant, as if I were in a parched desert at noon, with the sun just a few feet away instead of in the sky.

Normally, temperature didn't affect me much, but there was something primordial about this heat that made everything around feel stuffy...

The heat lasted just over a second before vanishing as if it had never been there.

"Hot! What was that?" Millia jumped on top of my head before hopping to my other shoulder, forcing me to turn my face to read what she wrote. "Are you okay? Did you get burned?"

Devas remained silent for a few seconds, motionless, before taking a deep breath and coughing. The movement seemed almost mechanical for a moment.

As he coughed, I could see droplets of blood and a faint red vapor escaping from the corner of his lips.

Was that blood vapor?...

"Damn, what a crappy feeling..." Devas pounded his chest before coughing one last time. I noticed his voice had returned to normal. "I'm fine, Millia. The heat doesn't affect me much, and the Shadowflame takes care of helping me with anything."

"You're injured." I stepped closer along with Millia. "Let me see."

I wasn't experienced in healing, but I had more knowledge of how to heal someone than anyone else in the world.

"I'm fine." Devas raised his hand and rubbed his eyes for a moment. I just pointed to the ground where his blood had fallen. It was already dry. "That's just healthy coughing blood, trust me. I'm okay, just a little tired."

"Potion!" Millia created and pointed a tiny finger at Devas. He made a face like he wanted to argue before sighing and pulling a potion from his inventory, bringing it to his lips.

"Here, done. Happy?" Devas sighed.

I didn't mention it was one of the big potions, if he was really fine, why not just take one of the smaller ones just to relieve Millia's concerns?

"What happened?" I asked.

"Specify. Many things happened." Devas replied before pulling a water bottle from his inventory and taking a sip. "... Much better."

I noticed that under the Shadowflame covering him, all the man's clothes had disappeared, except for a ring on his right hand.

"You're naked." I pointed out. I couldn't see much because of the flames, but I could see the outline of his body.

"I realized that a while ago." His voice was partly tired and partly sarcastic. "I'll put on clothes as soon as I feel they won't be incinerated."

Devas fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"Next time I have any idea involving any kind of temporal manipulation, feel free to beat me until my thoughts return to normal."

"You know your normal thoughts, they're not normal, right?" I asked. It took just a few hours of living with the man and watching some streams to realize that. "You're not normal."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Devas scoffed.

"Whatever makes you happy." I shrugged with a slight smile. Devas ignored me and continued.

"I'm also completely normal, the only normal person amidst the madness that surrounds me."

"Wouldn't that make you the only abnormal one?"

"Exactly! The only abnormally normal!" Devas laughed. I noticed again the faint red smoke coming from the corner of his lips, but this time I saw it disappear, consumed by the purple flames around him.

Devas continued before I could ask.

"What time is it?" He said, looking at the moon.

"It's almost three in the morning." I replied before tossing his cellphone back to him. The cellphone didn't even fly a few centimeters before disappearing into the man's inventory.

"Uhm?" Devas turned around. His eyes were still orange. "I thought more time had passed... Well, it's still late, shall we go?"

It was clear he wanted an excuse not to continue the conversation at the moment or at least make Millia go back to the Slime Staff to go to sleep.

It took a while to convince Millia to return to the Slime Staff; the little one wasn't very tired and was quite worried about Devas.

She seemed hesitant about the previous question too.

"Devas... About Aunt Alice?..." The words quickly took shape.

"About the Empress of Light? What about her?" Devas laughed and reached out, giving two taps on Millia's top body. I could see he had a lot of Aura coating his hand and something told me it wasn't for protection.

"Don't worry about that. I told you, Millia, I would never be mad at you." Devas lowered his voice as he spoke. "Never forget that, okay?"

Millia nodded without writing anything, but I could almost see the slime's happiness. A few minutes later, the little one had returned to the Slime Staff to sleep.

"How are you? Don't lie this time." I demanded an answer. Devas stared at me for a few seconds before sighing.

"Will you stop if I say I'm fine?" My look conveyed my intentions. "I figured not... I'm injured, my body's a bit messed up."

"How messed up?" I asked.

"Enough that it'll take some time for me to heal. Nothing really worrying, just tired." Devas sighed again.

"I can literally see your blood coming out of your mouth as vapor." I pointed to his face. "It's coming out of your nose, ears, and eyes too."

It was subtle, but whenever he breathed, a faint red smoke came out of the holes in his face.

"I said my body's a bit messed up." He shrugged and raised the hand that had the ring. "I've taken measures, the Heart Valve is already healing me and the potion I took earlier sped things up too. I should be fine before sunrise."

I took a step forward and extended my hand, Devas took a step back.

"I can heal you."

"I know you can." He didn't disagree. "Just as I know it can and possibly will end very badly. I've just managed to calm things down in here; throwing your mana into the mix could very well be like throwing water into a boiling oil pan." Devas explained

"Something happened to your energies," I stated, and he didn't deny it.

Damn... He was right. It was already absurd how Devas managed to keep all those energies balanced within his body without anything exploding, and now that something had gone wrong, trying to help would only make things worse...

We stayed silent for a few seconds.

"I don't know about you, but I'm tired." As if to demonstrate, Devas yawned. "I'll send a message to Theodore saying I'm going to sleep."

As he spoke, Devas began pulling out various items from his inventory, all adorned with various Runes and Mystical Symbols.

"A barrier?" I studied the matrix he assembled in an improvised manner. "This one's different from the other one." The one he had set up for the Shadowflame test.

I still wanted to know what Devas had gone through in that test for the flame to grow so much, but I didn't have the courage to ask. Actually, no one did.

"It's a barrier against fire and heat. I don't want to end up accidentally burning down the entire forest while I sleep." Devas explained as he placed several small stones between the trees.

"How hot is your body?" I asked.

"I have no idea, but very. I'm using the Shadowflame to consume the heat, but without it, I'd probably leave scorched footprints as I walk." He finished setting up the matrix and pulled out two sleeping bags.

"Do you want a tent?"

"I'm not going to sleep." I didn't really need to, even if I could. "I'll stay awake in case something happens."

I replied as I watched him climb into the sleeping bag with his body still engulfed in flames. It was incredible how much control he had not to set fire to the fabric.

Devas stared at me, his orange eyes focused on me. I couldn't discern the emotions within them, but after a few seconds, he nodded.

"Wake me up if anyone calls."

"Not if the forest or your sleeping bag catches fire?" I teased. He chuckled lightly and pulled the cellphone out of the Voidbag, handing it back to me.

"No, if something catches fire, just put it out and let me sleep." Devas yawned with a slight smile and closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Jinn."

"Goodnight, Devas." I replied.

Before the 'ght' of 'goodnight' was fully pronounced, I could tell he was already asleep. Even asleep, the Shadowflame continued to cover his body, preventing anything from burning.

I looked at his sleeping face for a few seconds.

I have no idea... It just happened.

"You could be less confusing, you know..." Devas didn't reply to me; if it weren't for the slight rise of his chest, he could be mistaken for a corpse.

I smiled and sat down on the sleeping bag next to his.

"Actually, no... I love a good mystery..."

[...]

POV: Devas Asura.

I remained lying down when I woke up, eyes closed, just listening to the breeze, the crackling of the Shadowflame, and the waves of the river in the distance. My body didn't ache, which was good; it didn't even feel like it was on fire, and my head was clear too, no pain.

Damn! What a shitty idea!

What the hell was my memory-less self thinking colliding Mana with Spiritual Energy? Son of a bitch, trying to do nuclear fusion with two different energies still within my own body? Was I suicidal and didn't know it, by chance?!

Fuck it, at least it had partially worked, even though I had also partially cooked myself inside. What a deplorable feeling.

I'll need to refine this technique, even if it's something that demands a lot from the body, it was still too strong and useful to be set aside...

Before Jinn realized I had woken up, I pulled my consciousness into my Spiritual Realm. It was relatively simple at this point; I didn't even need to exert myself.

Moments later, when the sound of waves changed to that of the sea, I opened my eyes.

"No matter how many times I come here, I'll always complain about this childish and miserable body." I grumbled and got up from bed and went to the back of the house, to the garden.

"Still alive, Tyrian?" I shouted as I approached.

Tyrian confirmed what I already knew by running and kneeling in front of me.

"Always, as long as my lord exists, this me will continue to serve him with all that I can." He bowed his head to the ground. "My Lord, what do I owe the visit to this small land that was granted to me to work?"

"How's the plantation?" I ignored the many titles he called me and asked. "Give me a general summary. No need to detail."

"The second batch of potatoes is almost ready. As you ordered, my Lord, I've started planting some fruit trees and other vegetables; all are growing beautifully in such blessed soil."

I tapped my fingers on the wooden fence I was leaning on. Nero appeared moments later, walking along the fence until he reached me and rubbed his face against my hand.

Needy little thing...

The idea of pulling the 'Spiritual Potatoes' out of my Spiritual Realm had failed, but I still maintained the garden for two reasons.

The first reason was in case something changed; just because the idea hadn't worked didn't mean it wouldn't in the future.

The second reason was that the main island looked more beautiful with a garden. I had always wanted one when I was younger; I just never had the time for it.

"Let me know if there are any significant changes." I would probably notice myself, but having Tyrian take care of things made it easier.

After petting Nero one last time and waving to Tyrian, who was kneeling, I turned to walk toward the second island.

I ended up pausing halfway there and sitting on the edge of the bridge that connected the two islands. I let my legs dangle as I pulled up my status screen in front of me.

Even with the hellish headache I had yesterday, I still remembered the three 'sounds' that had occurred. These sounds were 'PINGs' from the stream.

I had an idea of what they meant, but I wanted a description of the changes that had occurred.

-//-

[Human (Origin) - Rank: B > B+] [NEW!]

Description (1): (+)

Description (2) [NEW!]:

Adapting to any situation is what has brought humanity to the level it has reached.

No matter the weather, the location, how difficult survival was, humanity always managed to survive; and with you, it couldn't be any different.

Air becomes unnecessary when the collision of two distinct energies, mimicking the functionality within a star's core, sustains your body in place of oxygen.

Light becomes unnecessary when you can see the energy of the surrounding environment with your own eyes.

Time becomes unnecessary when it becomes a current, a prison. It's not easy, much less perfect, but with enough effort, time becomes fragile.

One step, one race... Human.

After all, evolving, adapting to any circumstance... Isn't that what it means to be human?...

Function: Your entire being propels itself to evolve, to adapt, to rise to the top, to show what it means to be HUMAN.

Air becomes unnecessary.

Light becomes dispensable.

The chains of time become fragile.

-//-

Holy shit...

"How many generations did I leap in just one night?" I muttered. And that wasn't even the best way things could have happened yesterday.

In fact, the word I would use to describe what happened would be: Improvisation.

It wasn't perfect, far from it, as the description showed, but with what I had at that moment, I really managed to move while time was stopped...

Of course, that was only in a favorable scenario, with nothing attacking me at that moment, the 'suppression', so to speak, was more general and not focused on me.

Still... I couldn't help but laugh.

Fuck if it was improvised, fuck if it was a favorable scenario. Damn, I really managed to walk in the absence of time!

I let my laughter echo across the bridge and over the sea as I clicked on the second blinking icon.

-//-

[Sun Breathing (Devas Style) - Rank: B+ > A- (Partially Adapted) (Incomplete)] [NEW!]

Description (1): (+)

Description (2) [NEW!]:

A breathing style created to mimic the Sun, once partially, now, not so much. It's not perfect; there's room for improvement, but over time, the user may become capable of 'breathing' like a real Sun.

When two or more energies are mastered in conjunction with this breathing style, the use of [Fusion Mode (Fake)] becomes possible.

[..]

Function:

Greatly enhances all physical parameters of the user.

Greatly increases damage dealt to all beings with attributes "Moon," "Lunar," "Oni," "Demon," "Devil," "Malevolent," "Malicious," or "Foreign."

Greatly reduces regeneration of beings with attributes "Moon," "Lunar," "Oni," "Demon," "Devil," "Malevolent," "Malicious," or "Foreign."

Moderately increases damage dealt to all types of divine beings and greatly increases damage dealt to divine beings with attributes "Moon," "Lunar," or "Foreign."

Moderately decreases damage received from any type of divine being and greatly decreases damage received from divine beings with attributes "Moon," "Lunar," or "Foreign."

Moderately increases hostility of deities with attributes "Moon," "Lunar," or "Foreign."

Greatly increases favor of divine beings with attributes "Sun," "Solar," or "Fox."

[..]

[Fusion Mode (Fake)] [NEW!]

Description:

By colliding [Mana] and [Spiritual Energy] at high speeds within the user's own body, the user of Sun Breathing is capable of generating immense and constant heat, mimicking the internal workings of a star's core.

As collisions become faster and more aggressive, more heat is generated.

Function:

Constantly consumes Mana, Spiritual Energy, energy, and vitality of the technique's user in exchange for a constant and immense increase in all physical parameters.

[..]

~ In the end, all that remains is the hope for a brighter dawn. ~

~ The Sun is something that has accompanied humanity since the beginning and will continue to accompany until the end, whatever it may be. ~

-//-

It was an excellent improvement, even if accidental. Even the downsides weren't too aggressive, well, at least not for me.

Sure, losing energy and vitality every moment this [Fusion Mode (Fake)] was active was bad, but I had a few ways to work around that, besides my own passive regeneration.

Ignoring potions and my accessories, I still had the Life Crystals tucked away. It wouldn't be simple, considering how much this technique demanded from my body, but it was a good trump card to have if needed.

I slowly spun the ring on my finger while gazing at the sea. Normally, the Heart Valve wouldn't be here with me, in the Spiritual Realm, but something had changed.

In fact, it had been changing for some time now; this transformation was only completed yesterday, in fact.

-//-

[Heart Valve (Ring - Living - Evolving)] >>> [Devas Ring (Living - Constantly adapting.)]

Type: Accessory/Ability (Body Extension).Rarity: Green >> Pink. (Evolving)Prefix: [The Ring of the Lone Human of Terraria]

Durability: 616/639 >> 12283/12283 (Regenerable) (Evolving)Mana Core: 1298/28382 (Evolving)

Ability(1): Can consume and convert Mana into vitality and energy for the user.

Ability(2): Can consume and convert part of its durability into vitality and energy for the user.

Ability(3): Can store Mana in an internal core for later use.

Ability - [The Ring of the Lone Human of Terraria]:

The [Devas Ring] can only be used at its maximum efficiency when worn by [Devas Asura].

The [Devas Ring] can only evolve when worn by [Devas Asura].

The [Devas Ring] can only be used by [Devas Asura].

[..]

Description:

Formerly a Heart Valve, a unique organ found in the hearts of the few and nearly extinct Mimics of Terraria.

Mutated to suit its new bearer, the Heart Valve swiftly evolved due to the Mana of its new user, transforming into something beyond its original purpose as it followed in its bearer's footsteps.

Its user was something unique, the sole one of their kind on the entire planet. To follow them would only lead to the same path...

[..]

~ There was no other name to be given for such an accessory ~

-//-

It was almost expected that something like this would happen. I used the Heart Valve, or now called the Devas Ring, or just my ring, so many times that this thing, besides me, must have had the most contact with my Mana.

From the start, the ring was already alive and capable of evolving, combining these characteristics with constant exposure to my Mana, and there could only be one outcome...

"This damn prefix..." I muttered, half amused and half annoyed.

I could understand the name, even if it was somewhat strange and reminded me a bit of Lord of the Rings. Something that, by the way, I knew almost nothing about; it never interested me much.

But this prefix was just messing with me. Damn, that was hitting a sore spot...

I had to see if I could inscribe Runes and Mystical Symbols on this ring. It would be complicated, given that this thing was more alive than an object, but I had a few ideas...

I spent a few minutes swinging my legs on the edge of the bridge, watching the sea, before deciding to stand up and continue walking toward the second island.

I was greeted, as always, by the Nightmares. This time, a group of Beowolfs welcomed me. They acted more like a pack of dogs than the werewolves they were supposed to be.

It was funny how they even imitated the wagging of a dog's tail.

"Alright, settle down." I petted the nearest one under its neck, and the creature practically melted in my hands.

After hitching a ride on the back of one of the Beowolfs, I found myself in front of the black mud lake, looking at the Shadowflame. The flame had grown since the last time I was here, though not as much as the lake or the island itself.

"Let's see the changes that have occurred in you..." I murmured.

-//-

[Fragmented Shard of the First Shadowflame (Weakened - Inferior - Spark)]

[Max Bond!]

Type: Ability.Rarity: Green >>> Orange (Formerly Red) (Absurdly weakened) (Evolving)

Damage: 333 ~ ??? >>> 989 ~ ??? (Absurdly weakened) (Evolving)

Current Maximum Temperature: 683 >>> 1783 degrees Celsius (3241.4 degrees Fahrenheit) (Evolving)

[...]

Ability(1) - White: The Shadowflame is capable of consuming Materials/Energies/Sins to strengthen itself and return to its peak.

The stronger/stronger the Material/Energy/Sin, the longer the Shadowflame will take to consume it!

If the Material/Energy/Sin is at a much higher level than the Shadowflame, it will not be able to consume it or will consume it partially!

Ability(2) - Blue: The Shadowflame is capable of generating small tentacles that latch onto the target, hindering the extinguishing/displacement of the flame.

The Shadowflame's tentacles operate based on the sins of the target, clinging to them and consuming them to strengthen itself!

Ability(3) - Green: The Shadowflame is capable of restoring the Aura of "The Streamer" by consuming its own 'Vital Flame'.

The 'Vital Flame' of the Shadowflame can be restored by consuming Materials/Energies/Sins!

Ability(4) - Orange (NEW!): The Shadowflame has its damage and temperature increased against beings with attributes [Fallen], [Fallen Angel], [Angel], [Good], [Evil], and, to a lesser extent, [Divine].

Any being connected to the Christian Pantheon (DXD) will struggle to resist the Shadowflame.

Ability(5) - Light Red: [Locked!]

Ability(6) - Pink: [Locked!]

Ability(7) - Light Purple: [Locked!]

Ability(8) - Lime: [Locked!]

Ability(9) - Yellow: [Locked!]

Ability(10) - Cyan: [Locked!]

Ability(11) - Red: [Locked!]

Ability(12) - Purple: [Locked!]

[..]

Description: Serving a new and final master, the Shadowflame awaits silently for its orders within "The Streamer's" Spiritual Realm until its existence is needed.

Whether in battle or judgment, the Shadowflame will consume all enemies of its master until nothing remains but ashes, along with their sins...

[..]

~ I will accept everything... All of my sins. ~

~ Angels, Fallen Angels, Gods, it doesn't matter. In the end, everything returns to cinder... ~

-//-

"Finally, you have the temperature of a true flame." I joked. I could feel the happiness emanating from the flame.

This little guy was simple: the more food he had and the stronger he became, the happier he was.

I glanced over the Shadowflame's new ability. It was useful, especially if I were to go to DXD. The only issue was that the advantages were effective only in DXD...

"I'll need to feed it with some stuff from other worlds." I pulled the Shadowflame into my hand and molded it into a sword.

Even though I fed this guy with Aqua's hair, an advantage against Konosuba's Gods hadn't appeared, at least not an individual advantage, since I was sure that fit into the [Divine] part.

It seems that a larger quantity of materials was required for something like that to happen. This or a large number of dead enemies, but the first was relatively easier than the second...

I spun the Shadowflame in my hand and transformed it into a spear, the same as last night. It wasn't anything too detailed, just a common throwing spear, straight with a sharp tip.

Of course, not to mention it was made of purple fire. Hellfire, by the way.

If this thing had been unleashed on Jinn... the outcome wouldn't have been pretty. Even the lamp would have been damaged, if not completely destroyed.

It was a time-consuming attack; I would need several good seconds to form it, which in battle was practically impossible, but it was a good trump card in some situations.

There would be no battle if I blew up my enemy before they even saw me.

I spun the spear in my hand before throwing it into the center of the lake, where the Shadowflame casually floated out and returned to hovering. After one last look at the island, I closed my eyes to exit my Spiritual Realm.

When I opened them again, I was face to face with Jinn's blue eyes inches from my own.

"Good morning. Do you have no sense of personal space?" I pushed her face back with my hand.

"Personal space is overrated." Jinn laughed and stood up. I made a point to focus my gaze on her eyes, which made her pout before laughing and asking, "Were you in that inner world of yours?"

Then she noticed.

"Yes." I didn't deny it. "How did you figure it out?"

"Your Spiritual Energy shifts in a different way when you go there." She twirled her finger around me before pointing it at my head. "It's subtle, but easy to sense up close."

I had no idea that was happening...

I used the VoidBag to dress and stood up, pulling my sleeping bag, still intact, into my inventory. The Shadowflame was efficient.

I picked up my phone from the ground and checked the time.

[6:16]

It was a bit later than my usual stream start time, but still early. I thought I'd sleep more.

"Did anything happen while I was asleep?" I started walking. Jinn tossed the lamp towards me. I hung it around my waist as Jinn began to follow me, floating around.

"Nothing, no Grimm or human showed up." She shrugged and floated, resting her chin on my head and her hands on my shoulders. "No one called either."

"Are you a kite, by any chance?" She probably looked like one of those Chinese kites. Or, in this case, a Mistral kite.

"They've made a kite in my honor before." Jinn chuckled. "It was a school project in Haven. The kite was well made, they just got the color wrong."

"Red?" I guessed.

"No, green." She laughed. "But that was a good guess."

"It was the second choice." I shrugged.

Minutes later, with the stream already on, Jinn back in the lamp, and Dahlia and Havi awake, I bid farewell to Theodore and headed towards the edge of the city.

"Are we running to the Valley?" Dahlia asked me, a bit concerned. "I don't think I can keep up, Mr. Devas."

"Don't worry." I shook my head and pulled a Bull-Head from my inventory.

Dahlia and Havi stared at the Bull-Head with wide eyes. I could feel their surprise and respect shoot up just from that action.

At this point, it's better not to try to explain things and leave it as it is.

"Let's go, it's a long way. And we won't be stopping for bathroom breaks. If you need to go, go now." I joked and climbed onto the Bull-Head before settling into the copilot seat.

It would be about an eight-hour journey. I'll use this time to practice a few things.

"Aren't you going to drive, Mr. Devas?" Havi asked, looking at the pilot seat. He seemed worried, maybe thinking I'd make him drive or Dahlia?

"No, I'm letting a friend drive." Before I could finish my words, Jinn emerged from the lamp, fully dressed, and waved to the two of them.

Dahlia was surprised, of course, but waved back. As for Havi...

"Dear?!"

... He fainted.

"I should have placed a bet." Jinn laughed and sat in the pilot's seat.

"A bet I wouldn't have taken." I scoffed. It was obvious Havi would react poorly to Jinn. "Don't worry, Dahlia, Havi's fine."

I reassured the worried woman and helped her tuck her fainted husband into a bed I pulled from the VoidBag.

"What number is he going to say when he wakes up?" I looked at Jinn.

"None, he's a smart man." She said with a playful tone. "It's rude to ask a lady's age, didn't you know?"

"I didn't think you'd care about that." I sat back down.

"I don't care at all." She laughed and started the engines. "But I do like having a secret or two, makes things more fun."

"Fair enough." I shrugged. "Do you actually know how to drive this thing?"

"I have the knowledge of how, but I've never tried it myself." Her eyes practically sparkled. "If anything, the worst that could happen is we crash and explode."

"Not too serious then." I nodded calmly. I wouldn't even scratch myself with the impact.

Dahlia seemed moments away from following her husband's footsteps into dreamland, but she held strong.

Eight hours later, several hundred Grimms slain, and another faint from Havi upon seeing Jinn again, we had arrived in Vale.

[...]

OMAKE-CANON. (Occurs after RWBY)

POV: ???

"Ugh..." I'm so hungry...

Waking up these past few days has been a struggle. At least when I'm asleep, the hunger subsides... Or most of it, anyway.

"FUCKING QUARANTINE!" I yelled before getting hit in the face with a pillow. "Watch where you throw that, you asshole! You could've hurt me!"

"It's a foam pillow. If you get hurt by that, it's your problem." My idiot brother mumbled, wrapped up in blankets. "It's four in the morning, go back to sleep, Ashley."

"I can't sleep with this hunger." I shot back before growling. The idiot had already gone back to sleep. "I'm going to find something for us to eat since you're too lazy, Andy."

I got up and went to the kitchen. I wrinkled my nose at the smell; the place looked like a pigsty, but cleaning up would require energy I couldn't afford to waste.

"Fucking water company..."

After filling my stomach with saltwater, not food, but it helped with the hunger, I began to search earnestly for any leftover food.

It took me a few minutes of searching until I found a can of tomatoes in the trash.

"You're a lifesaver, Ashley..." I muttered.

Before I could return to the room to show my idiot brother my incredible find, I heard a conversation from outside the building. Had someone finally come to end this shit?... Nah!

Probably just some idiot trying to help a friend who lived here. Let's see how this ends. The last one got shot in the head; let's see how this one fares.

"You know, I just want to know what's going on here. I've heard some rumors, but I wanted something more concrete." I heard someone's voice asking before reaching the balcony.

"I'll warn you one last time. Get out or I'll blow you away!" shouted the idiotic guard, completely ignoring the question. "Do you really want to die, you idiot?"

Quick! I'm going to miss the action!

A quick walk to the balcony and I had a privileged view of what was happening at the building's entrance.

The view was the same as always, the guard was the same too... I think? Damn, they were all the same, made the same too. But the man in the sights of the retarded guard was someone new.

He was tall, taller than my Andy and more muscular, not that it mattered. His hair was as dark as Andy's too, and the eyes...

"What are you?" The man with orange eyes muttered.

... Were looking straight at me.

I felt a shiver down my spine, one of the bad ones, worse than when Andy got mad at me. My whole body went cold, I felt my hair stand on end.

No matter how many times my body screamed: Run! Run away! You're going to die! I couldn't move.

I was completely paralyzed. Whether it was fear, dread, horror, I couldn't say... I just knew one thing...

That man with orange eyes is going to kill me...

"Bang!"

The sound of the gun firing made my body react. I felt like I could move again, like I could run, but I didn't, something stopped me again, this time it was shock.

"How rude."

The man with orange eyes didn't take his eyes off me as he spoke to the guard who, by now, had his mouth wide open and his eyes bulging. The idiot was shaking, the gun in his hand too, but I understood why.

It wasn't every day you saw someone catch a bullet with their hands.

Before the guard could run away, because shooting he wouldn't, I could tell by his look, the idiot was terrified, the man with orange eyes turned to look at him.

I sighed with relief when those orange eyes stopped staring at me, not the guard, who fell unconscious in a puddle of urine.

That was my cue, I turned around, taking advantage of the distraction of those orange-eyed man...

"You know, you're the first person I've seen with a soul the color of pitch. Well, at least in this world."

... Only to come face to face again with those orange eyes, this time, at the entrance to my balcony... ON THE THIRD FLOOR! HOW?!

Wait, in this world?...

"What are you?" I squeezed the question between my trembling lips before widening my eyes when I saw Andy's shadow behind the orange-eyed man. He was holding a cleaver.

I didn't have time to scream, to be honest, I didn't even know who or why. The moment the cleaver hit the orange-eyed man's neck, the noise that echoed wasn't that of cut meat, bone and muscles, but metal hitting metal.

Andy fell backwards with the force of the blow as the cleaver fell to the side, the blade crushed.

"You didn't even hesitate." The orange-eyed man turned to Andy. "Your soul is strange too... Is that a mark?"

The orange-eyed man looked around for a moment before sighing.

"Can we talk?" He stared at me with those orange eyes for a moment. "I promise I didn't come here with ill intentions. I just want some information and I'll leave."

I didn't believe a single word coming out of his mouth, but I nodded. What choice did we have? I signaled Andy not to do anything and started walking before he could respond to me.

Fuck! What a shitty day!

The orange-eyed man waited for Andy to get up before starting to follow me. I sat at the table and pointed to the chair in front of me, Andy's was beside me.

"Our tea is over." I said, not wanting to annoy him. It was obvious we had nothing, the house was a mess, but I thought it best to speak anyway.

The orange-eyed man glanced at our kitchen for a second before sitting down. The moment he sat down, the table filled with food and drink.

Chicken, steak, bread. I didn't even know some of those dishes.

The only thing that stopped me from jumping into the food and devouring it all until I turned into a ball was Andy.

"What do you want?" My brother held me back and stared at the orange-eyed man, I could feel his hands trembling. "Nothing is free and you clearly aren't normal."

The orange-eyed man tapped his fingers on the table for a moment before answering.

"What I want is information. I have something to do in this place." He explained casually. "As for the food, well, I prefer to talk to people who aren't about to faint. You can consider it my payment for the information."

"What information?" Andy asked in my place. I was using all my concentration not to jump on the food.

"What happened in this place." The orange-eyed man gestured around. "Why are you trapped here, the basics."

"And then? After we answer you, what will you do?" The orange-eyed man stared at Andy in silence before answering.

"Then I'll leave."

I didn't believe that for a moment. But if I was going to die, let it be with a full stomach and hugged to my brother.

I didn't wait for confirmation and started eating. I grabbed the first thing in front of me, a piece of chicken. Damn, it was by far the best thing I had ever eaten in my life!

"Ashley..." I heard Andy sigh. "So be it then..."

I didn't pay much attention to the conversation Andy and the orange-eyed man were having, I used my time for something much more important, like eating.

After a few minutes, I think, the conversation was interrupted by the shitty music the neighbor played almost every day. Before anyone could speak, a thunderous noise made the building tremble.

The sound was grotesque, rough, like a scream of something dying or being tortured. The voice that came next was worse.

"MORTAL WHO SUMMONED ME, ANSWER ME, WHY IS THE ENVIRONMENT FILLED WITH ENERGIES?!"

There was no before and after. One moment he was sitting in front of us and the next he was standing, meters away, in the neighbor's apartment, holding a dark stain, full of red eyes with his hand.

I could only see this scene because everything between the man and the neighbor's apartment had completely disappeared.

"I knew I smelled shit. I thought it was the garbage from this whole building, but it seems I was wrong, what stank was demonic." The orange-eyed man's voice was no longer calm.

"Your sins are great, did you know that?..."

Something in his voice was comforting, warm, like a hug from Andy on a sunny day. But at the same time, it was dark, cold, cruel.

Why were the shadows trembling?...

"Tell me, demon. You speak, I listened, don't pretend you didn't. What did you come here to do?" The orange-eyed man looked at the blood circle on the floor and scoffed. "This idiot didn't summon you with this shitty ritual. You appeared because you wanted to, so why?..."

The room heated abnormally. For a moment, I could see purple flames covering everything and burning everyone. Was this hell?...

"...Don't lie, I will know."

I felt a shiver run down my spine again and I was sure, the literal demon in the room wasn't to blame.

The demon with red eyes didn't speak at first, didn't move, either to try to fight or flee. Something told me that the latter would always be the best option against the man with orange eyes.

Oh, so sweet and naive... You could never run away ~

I didn't know where that thought, that voice, was coming from, and I didn't want to know.

Then, slowly, with a low tone, like an obedient slave speaking to his master, the demon with red eyes murmured like a devotee:

"Forgive me, O my master and lord. My eternal Lord. I failed to recognize you, and this mistake is grave. I beg you to punish this humble servant for his transgressions."

The man with orange eyes fell silent. The whole place fell silent; if he didn't speak, I knew, no one would.

So no one spoke, and everything fell silent.

[…]

POV: Devas Asura.

You know, when I came to this condominium, I really didn't think this shit would happen. It was supposed to be a simple mission: go, investigate the shit that's happening, and leave after getting some information.

I didn't even plan to do anything today. Just getting some information would be good for me, but damn it, of course not!

First, I find out that the whole place stinks. In fact, this whole damn city smells of something dark and sickening. Half the people here seemed to have some kind of mental disorder.

Damn, I would guess there's something in the water, but from the news I've seen, that's already been confirmed.

Then this woman with pink eyes, seriously, I haven't seen a soul so rotten and dark since Tyrian. I almost wanted to congratulate the woman, of course, before exorcising her and blessing her.

If I, of all people, wanted to try to bless someone, it was because the shit was ugly.

Her brother wasn't normal either. Ignoring that he didn't hesitate to try to kill me, as if it were natural, he was marked, his soul was marked with something dirty.

Someone had sacrificed the guy for something, a demon maybe, or some kind of lesser god. Maybe he had accidentally made a pact himself, I couldn't say, but something had gone wrong and he was marked in the process.

A strange damn duo I stumbled upon unintentionally; the way they looked at each other was weird as hell too, but that was the least of it in this situation.

The conversation I had with Andrew, I found out his name in the middle of it, was useful. I didn't get much information, but the few things I got were somewhat relevant.

Then everything went to shit when a literal demon showed up. He was kind of weak, at least the part of him that was here; I could see he wasn't fully manifested.

I didn't think for a second that that thing was friendly. The amount of sins stacked up that creature had were countless.

The only reason I didn't start him with Sun Breathing and burn what was left with Shadowflame was because I wanted to see if he had useful information.

Still, if he tried anything, I would kill him. There was no escape for that thing; if it moved wrong, all that would be left would be ashes.

Then he mistook me for his master. Whether it was the devil himself or something else, I didn't know, but damn...

What a strange fucking place!

[...]---[...]

Well, about the chapter: I wanted to make something that made more sense, at least in the context of the story.

I wanted to describe roughly how Devas adapted to the time stop, how things happened. Basically, the first thing to come back to him was his brain, or in this case, the important parts.

"Memories are not important..."

Shit almost went down, Devas moving purely on instincts is kinda scary. And well, upgrades!

I've wanted to do something with Sun Breathing for a while now, but didn't have the chance, well, until now. Devas' race is still human (Always will be...). As for [Devas Ring] and Shadowflame, well.

The ring is something that has been with Devas since the beginning, chapter 8 if I'm not mistaken, even though he only used it in Kimetsu. Alive, parasitical still, being exposed to so much of Devas' Mana, for so long, well, changes happen.

As for Shadowflame, the flame is what it is. With each rarity increase, another ability and the flame gets stronger.

Finally, the omake...

I think it's obvious (to those who know) which characters these are. I ended up playing this game a while ago and felt like writing about it.

Well, the second part of this OMAKE is already on (P)(A)(T), by the way.

I think that's it. Good night everyone and happy reading!