---
THUD!!
Caspian fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he clutched the air as though trying to grasp the fading remnants of sothing precious.
His breaths were ragged, his chest heaving with the weight of emotions that refused to settle.
"I... I want to go back there," he choked out.
Tears stread down his face, his mask long forgotten on the floor of the church.
The mory of their smiles lingered in his mind—Elias's laughter, the soft lullabies Amy sang for her child to sleep, the warmth of their love as they celebrated each mont of life, no matter how small.
Caspian had spent fifty years with them, lived their joys and sorrows, watched their children grow, and seen their lives unfold in a way so vivid, so real, that it was impossible to believe it wasn't his own.
They were strangers when it began, but now they were family, even if they never knew him.
And now they were gone.
"Why?" Caspian whispered.
"Why show their lives? Why make feel this way?"
Bloodmoon, embedded in his soul, had seen everything alongside him.
{Child, their lives were beautiful, weren't they?}
Caspian nodded, tears blurring his vision.
"But why? Why let live it, only to take it all away?!" Caspian scread.
Before Bloodmoon could reply.
"Ding"
_____________
[System Notification]
Requirent for Awakening Blessing:
~Sacrifice the mories.
______________
Caspian stared at the screen, his breath catching in his throat.
"What?" he whispered. "Sacrifice... their mories? What does that even an?"
Bloodmoon's voice cut through the silence.
{It ans exactly what it says, child. To awaken your blessing, you must let go of everything you've seen, everything you've felt. Those fifty years... they must be erased.}
"No!" Caspian shouted, his fists slamming against the floor.
"I can't! I won't! They're... they're like family to !"
Bloodmoon sighed.
{Caspian, you know this is the price of power. The blessing of yours demands sacrifice.}
"But why them?" Caspian cried. "Why does it have to be them?,"
{No, they don't, And neither do you. But this is the path you've chosen. Power doesn't co without pain, child. The question is... are you willing to pay the price?}
Caspian clenched his fists, his mind racing.
He could still see Arthur face.
Elias face and the pride in his eyes as he watched his children grow.
He could hear Amy gentle laugh.
How could he erase them?
How could he willingly let go of sothing so precious?
"I can't," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I can't do it."
Bloodmoon's voice softened, a rare occurrence. {Caspian, they were never truly yours to begin with. Their lives were beautiful, but they were never yours to hold onto. They were a gift, a lesson. And now you must honor them by letting them go.}
"But it feels so real," Caspian said, his tears falling freely. "It feels like I've lost my family all over again."
{Perhaps that's the lesson, child. To gain sothing, you must first learn the art of letting go.}
Caspian stared at the glowing system screen.
"It's not fair," he whispered.
{No, it isn't,} Bloodmoon agreed.
{But fairness has never been the way of the world. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it.}
Caspian's hands trembled as he reached toward the system screen.
His vision blurred, his chest tight with grief.
He hesitated, his fingers hovering over the confirmation.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."
With a final, shuddering breath, Caspian pressed the screen.
_______________
[System Notification]
mories Sacrificed.
Blessing Awakened:
~ MORY OF THE FALLEN.
_______________
The world around him seed to shatter, the vivid images of Arthur,Elias and Amy, and their family fading into nothingness.
Their laughter, their love, their lives—all of it was gone.
Caspian stood still
As he returned to his usual self.
Despite the passage of ti, sothing gnawed at him, an invisible thread tugging at the corners of his mind.
"I don't know," Caspian muttered. "Sothing feels… unfinished."
{You're not wrong. I feel it too. A void where sothing used to be.}
Caspian frowned.
He couldn't quite place what it was, but the feeling of loss lingered, intangible yet undeniably real.
Suddenly—
Ding!
___________
Blessing Awakened!
Blessing: mory of the Fallen
____________
"Oh," Caspian said, blinking.
"That's right. I… I sacrificed sothing to awaken this blessing."
His brow furrowed as he tried to recall what it was, but the mory slipped through his grasp like water through his fingers.
"What was it?" he whispered to himself.
{I don't know,] Bloodmoon admitted.
{Even I can't rember. It's as if… we've both been made to forget.}
Caspian shook his head, trying to brush off the unease.
"Let it go. What's done is done. Let's figure out what this blessing actually does."
With a thought, he focused on the glowing window.
____________
•mory of the Fallen
~Core Concept: By defeating enemies, you absorb fragnts of their mories, embedding their skills, knowledge, and life experiences into your unconscious mind.
Abilities:
~mory Sacrifice: Sacrifice the mories of fallen foes to gain points.
~Skill Embedding: Skills and techniques from the fallen are directly implanted into your mind.
However, they start at Level 0, requiring practice and effort to master.
~Unconscious Resonance: Instinctively understand the basics of a skill, allowing you to wield it imdiately, albeit clumsily.
______________
Caspian read through the description, his eyes narrowing as he digested the details.
"So, if I kill soone or a monster, their skills beco mine?," he asked.
{To an extent,} Bloodmoon replied.
{Their mories are sacrificed for points, but their skills aren't directly handed to you on a silver platter. You'll have to train, refine, and master them like any other.}
Caspian rubbed his temples. "Great. It's like I'm starting from scratch every ti."
Bloodmoon chuckled faintly. {Not quite. The skill is already embedded in your unconscious mind. You'll know what to do, even if your body isn't used to it yet. It's more instinct than practice.}
"That's… actually kind of amazing."
{It is,} Bloodmoon agreed.
{But it's also a responsibility. You're carrying fragnts of lives, Caspian. mories, skills, even regrets. They'll linger in your soul, shaping you in ways you can't predict.}
Caspian exhaled, his shoulders heavy.
"I sacrificed sothing for this power, didn't I?"
"You did," Bloodmoon said quietly.
Caspian clenched his fists, determination rising within him.
"Fine. If this is my path, I'll walk it. No matter the cost."
As he turned to leave, a small glimr caught his eye—an epheral flash of a smiling couple, hand in hand, fading into the depths of his mind.
But before he could grasp it, the vision was gone.
"Let's move," Caspian said.
Bloodmoon remained silent, a shadow of unease passing through the blade's soul.
In the silence, only one thought lingered in both their minds:
What had they truly sacrificed to awaken this blessing?
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