Crimson skies loomed over the world, thick with the scent of blood and the weight of destruction.
A General stood on his mount, absorbing the essence of the moment.
In the distance, he saw men charging, using the bodies of their fallen as a path.
He heard the soul-shaking clash of steel and the sounds of hope and despair intertwining to form a wretched melody.
This was war.
He stood at the forefront, spearheading his men to the end.
Closing his eyes, he sighed. Death reached for him from the shadows, but he was already familiar with its touch.
Determined, the man gripped his spear harder and tugged on the strap of his beast.
Gritting his teeth, he thrust his weapon forward as he roared.
"My Men! We will move forward! To hell with whatever crosses our path! Our end is in our hands–our end is as we will it to be!"
Like thunder, he bolted toward his adversary, his beast's stomps shaking the earth beneath them.
"Charge, men! CHARGE!!"
"To hell with whatever crosses our path!" They replied, following their general. "Our end is as we will it to be!"
A chain of screams burst from the general's back, invigorating him.
It was in the midst of these screams he gained hope.
It was in the midst of these screams he died.
- - -
In the dark chamber, a young man suddenly sat upright, revealing golden eyes.
If one looked closely, they could see a deep red energy within them.
Huff… Huff… Huff…
Heavy breaths came in intervals as Jules clutched his chest, as if trying to confirm his heart still beat.
Despite the darkness, he looked down to his palms as if they were flowing with blood.
But it was merely the stains of blood and mud that were present.
I...died?
Jules wondered, the memory of being consumed by darkness fresh in his mind.
The feeling of his sword flowing through flesh was rich in the mind as was the feeling of being killed.
This mixed with a foreign emotion—a fear of dying, and a strong urge to see his wife and children.
People he couldn't even picture in his mind.
[You have merged with Grade 1 Heart of Archangel of War.]
[Heart Skill "Crimson Sigil" has been acquired.]
[Heart Skill "Blood Manipulation" has been acquired.]
[The "Noctharis" bloodline within you has been enhanced.]
The system's beeps pulled Jules back. Memories rushed in—of what happened just before his mind went blank.
Following those memories were prior ones of the mission.
Memories always triggered reactions. Those from the past ten hours brought with them warmth and relief.
The feeling of surviving… of being acknowledged by people.
The feeling of having someone worry about him… and the desire to see his caring mother.
These new feelings fueled Jules's desire to truly live this life!
I'm not a war general. I'm Jules Evanava, Heir of the Noctharis Clan!
To hell with whatever reality you're trying to feed me, I know who I am!
Jules created a line that separated that General from him, if not, he could lose himself.
This was the repercussion of absorbing a Heart of the highest grade without preparation.
That damned heart was this sentient? It moved on its own!
Still, what kind of memory was that? I died! Damn… I should have expected no less crazy from an Archangel!
Clicking his tongue with the intention of not dwindling on that, he glanced at the system notifications and a smile crept onto his face.
I'll attribute whatever skills I got from the Heart to an Artifact's skill so their hidden traitors will worry less about my strength!
As Jules wanted to pull out his new sword from his inventory, he noticed his body was not only healed, but it was also stronger.
The Heart boosted his physical strength!
"Now, I can start using heavier swords soon…" Jules muttered.
He pulled out his sword, sliding the part that fit into his bag and wrapping the exposed blade in a cloth he'd torn earlier.
The mana concentration here is high, but the chances I'll be able to come back here isn't high.
They might not trust where I obtained the Artifact, so they'll probably request to see where I found it.
After throwing his bag over his shoulders and sheathing his shortsword, he made his way out of the underground tunnel.
Crawling out of the hole-like entrance, Jules let out a long sigh.
He was tired… but this was only the beginning.
The night was calm, the sky painted in midnight blue. A delicate crescent moon hung, its cool light basking the earth. Stars scattered across the sky like glitter spilled on black parchment.
The cool breeze hit Jules as he wore a calm, weary expression—but behind his eyes lurked malice and bloodlust.
As he moved, he noticed something.
'My mana perception has increased again…and it seems it applies to my mana control too.'
He didn't notice earlier because he attributed its increase to the sheer amount of mana concentration in the cave.
After walking a bit, Jules saw movements.
Several blurry shadows were moving towards him…fast.
Jules didn't falter as he waited for them to approach him.
Five people suddenly stopped around him, dust rising in the wake of their arrival.
The familiar brown-beard man, Dan, and the four from earlier came into Jules's view.
Dan sensed an odd aura around Jules, but assumed it came from the strange item on his back.
Meanwhile, the four weaker members looked uneasy, their expressions tightening in discomfort.
"Vice-captain," Jules greeted, "Thank you for waiting for me."
Bowing slightly, Dan replied, "We are merely doing our job. Are you tired? I can actually carry you back."
Most of the Leviathan's beast companions were aquatic so they could only opt to move without them on land.
Jules chuckled as he declined, "I'm alright after using some potions, but my head still hurts—so I'll be counting on you to lead me back."
The brown-bearded man said nothing more and led Jules back to the Evanava family house.