When Kieran opened his eyes, he found himself floating in a space that resembled a galaxy. After touching his face, Kieran confirmed he had returned to his original body, but something felt unusual.
Compelled by his current situation, Kieran turned his sights within his body and found that his Mystic Gate was nowhere to be found. Such a phenomenon was strange to him.
Eventually, a question rose in his mind.
'Did that last blast possibly shatter my tether, forcing me into a place without any description?'
Despite floating listlessly in the current space, Kieran didn't receive any indication of this being a realm with a name or special place. This only occurred when the area a player traveled within was nameless and unrecognized by the system.
Ultimately, the energy before Kieran's eyes swirled while an independent message appeared.
┌───────────────────
«Trial Progression»
Discernment: 100%
Unveiling: 100%
Fabrication: 97%
Trial Completion: 91% (At least a 70% Completion Rate is required to complete the trial)
└───────────────────
'With all that work I've done, I've barely entered the 90th percentile?' Kieran thought.
His frown deepened the longer he gazed at the translucent screen floating before his eyes.
Kieran felt he had taken the entire trial seriously without slacking. Not only did he studiously comprehend the meaning of the syllables to the best of his ability but even endured enough pain to mentally cripple someone.
Yet all of this amounted to only a 91% completion rate?
For this to be true, Kieran felt the trial's evaluation process abided by an incredibly perverse judging criteria.
However, as Kieran frowned and borderline scowled, the energy before him intensified, coalescing into a translucent being with eyes matching that of the environment surrounding them.
"You're quite the intriguing young man," the being of pure mystic energy spoke, startling Kieran.
Although it happened before his very eyes, Kieran could barely perceive this translucent figure. Part of him wondered if it was a phenomenon caused by the unknown entity or if this bizarre space disrupted his senses.
"I am intriguing?" Kieran repeated the compliment as a question, simultaneously attempting to adjust his vision.
"Don't infuriate yourself trying to sense my existence. This place between material and immaterial is not something an Intermediate Being can adjust to. I have brought you here to talk as it is the perfect place for me to act," the being of energy said.
After listening to their words, Kieran blinked and recalled a few descriptions. "Are you perhaps Illum?"
"Illum?" the being of energy's voice peaked, displaying slight emotion. "I am not Illum, however, I do know of Illum. I am the avatar of Eni, so you may address me as so if you please. I have no intentions of forcing you to do anything."
'Eni!'
Kieran's eyes widened with his mouth agape. "When you say the avatar of Eni, does that mean you are Eni?"
"Incorrect. I am not Eni, I am his avatar. The true Eni resides beyond the firmament. I am merely one of Eni's many avatars walking the realms. But, your comprehension level and open mind is one that has caught my eye," Eni's avatar said.
Kieran digested what Eni's avatar said, but found it somewhat difficult to come to terms with, "If my comprehension level is adequate, why hasn't the trial concluded?"
"Because I have one more challenge for you—the Sixth Syllable of Eni. I want you to comprehend it before my mystic coalescence dissipates. If you can manage that, you'll reach an initial comprehension level that few of my Lineage of Ancient Wisdom has achieved."
'Few? Eni's avatar must be talking about Hekaina and any other Enchantress before her. I doubt Hekaina is the first if something like the Hecate exists,' Kieran inwardly mused.
Though Eni's words sounded as if the Sixth Syllable posed a great challenge, it wasn't one he wanted to shy away from.
"I'll comprehend it," Kieran vowed.
"Understood. But, I must warn you. My coalescence cannot last more than 5 minutes if I manifest a syllable. Thus, that is how long I'll give you," Eni's avatar voiced, slowly lifting his left hand.
A miniature symbol appeared in his palm, drawing Kieran's eyes to it.
'Though I can barely sense my Mystic Gate as my soul must have incompletely returned, it isn't necessarily an issue. If it's mystic energy… I should have become somewhat accustomed to its signature,' Kieran thought.
Kieran closed his eyes and regulated his breathing as if he was meditating. As the seconds passed, Kieran's breathing soon attuned with a strange pulse from his body.
The pulse zeroed in on the Sixth Syllable of Eni floating above the avatar's palm. Before sensing its embedded concept, Kieran focused on discerning its structure.
'An outer oval shell with a sectioned rhombus within.'
Gradually, Kieran lifted both his hands, manipulating what little mystic energy he could sense in this strange place.
A light gust swept through his surroundings, gradually converging between Kieran's hands.
The first thing to appear was the external oval shape that housed the syllable's more complex components. After creating this shape, Kieran took a moment to comprehend why it was this structure specifically.
'It is said in some texts that this shape is the sturdiest structure when pressure is applied while in the right position. However, if I look deeper, focusing primarily on the syllable's internal components, there's more to it.'
Kieran meticulously formed the lines that filled the syllable's interior but didn't start over if he felt something was lacking.
Due to his current circumstances, Kieran couldn't afford to be obsessive otherwise it could cost him the run.
Not to mention, the lacking mystic energy wasn't enough for him to constantly deconstruct and reconstruct the syllable's structure.
As the minutes passed, Eni's avatar became increasingly translucent, alerting Kieran of the looming deadline.
At this point, the syllable was only halfway completed because he had yet to imbue it with the proper concept. The lacking source of mystic energy led to Kieran's fabrication speed taking an enormous blow.
'Almost there…'
Though the syllable appeared halfway done on the surface, that wasn't entirely true because Kieran spent this time considering what the deeper concept of the sixth syllable could be.
And after recalling the few texts he read in the past and coupling them with how the interior structure supported the admittedly weak parts of the symbol, Kieran arrived at a conclusion.
"I've understood it. It is responsible for augmenting, reinforcing, or strengthening all that passes through it. Like the fifth syllable, the sixth syllable is another auxiliary power except it is focused on assertiveness rather than impartiality," Kieran voiced.
At the same time, he broke his meditative state where he wielded his Spirituality to the best of his abilities.
"Excellent work, young man. You are correct. The sixth syllable is dissimilar to the fifth syllable in regards to their properties, but the underlying theme of their abilities isn't too far apart."
Afterward, Kieran embedded his findings into the Sixth Syllable of Eni's structure and completed his fabrication of the character. While far from perfect, it was satisfactory in Kieran's eyes because it was enough to begin the assimilation of his Mystic Gate.
Ding!
〈System: You have comprehended the «Sixth Syllable of Eni»!〉
〈System: Fabrication progress has reached 100%!〉
〈System: The «Trial of Ancient Mysticism» Trial Completion has reached 100%!〉
The messages before Kieran's eyes made him release of sigh of relief. It was over! He could finally rest his mind from being in such an overworked condition.
Spirituality, the principles of mysticism, using the spirit as a medium—it was all very taxing for a normal human mind even after awakening his Mystic Gate inside the Ancient Rune Oasis.
"As I have promised you, by completing this test, you have entered a place where few of our lineage have successfully stumbled upon. Furthermore, it was accomplished without being a member of this race," Eni's avatar voiced.
The intrigue in his eyes grew as he continued to speak. "Your circumstances have led me to presume your potential is transcendental. As a result, I would like to grace you with an opportunity. One that will eventually help you upon a path to meet with those above."
Another rune-like character manifested above the palm of Eni's avatar. "Without the eyes, mind, and soul, one may not seek for the veil will always enshroud them. The imbalance of your wounded soul inhibits further understanding, thus I must help you.
"This is a Nurturing Mystic Divinity Spark," Eni's avatar said. "It will assuage the wounds to your soul and promote a deeper understanding. It can be seen as one of your rewards."
The Nurturing Mystic Divinity Spark floated from the palm of Eni's avatar, merging with Kieran's forehead. A pleasant sensation overwhelmed his body, but in return, Eni's avatar grew increasingly faint.
〈System: You have received an exclusive dormant Shattered Divine Artifact: «Nurturing Mystic Divinity Spark»!〉
Reading the information on this item made Kieran shudder.
Not only was the Nurturing Mystic Divinity Spark an Artifact, meaning it was an irreplicable item created by an individual, but its rating was also incredible!
A Shattered Divine Artifact!
Despite being far from comparable to a true Divine Artifact, Kieran was elated by the possession of this item. 'I don't think the ranking stems from it being weak, I believe it's because the spark is literally a piece of a whole.'
As Eni's avatar mentioned before, it was merely one of many. Part of Kieran suspected this spark was the avatar's source. In other words, he may have just gotten closer to an unimaginable being.
"Your next reward."
〈System: The «Nurturing Mystic Divinity Spark» is resonating with another item.〉
