Chapter 22: Fractal
As Judith said before the battle began, fighting the Remnants was a high-risk/high-reward situation. The Remnant Guards were much stronger than monsters of the same territory and level.
Judith could have handled the Crystal Golem on her own, but against the Remnant Guard, they needed all their strength, and at one point, Kreyn was on the verge of death.
But it was worth it.
"The Echo...?" Liam tilted his head, puzzled. "It looks like a bubble."
Instead of answering, Judith rushed to Daren to help him up. After using his ability, he could barely stand, but that didn’t stop him from lighting a cigarette.
"You know smoking is bad for you, right?"
Daren glanced at her, limping forward.
"Shut up. After what happened, even a bottle of whiskey won’t be enough for me."
Judith rolled her eyes, but nothing could spoil her mood.
Soon, all four of them were standing around the remains of the horned skull, now nothing more than empty bones, since all its energy was in the Echo.
"So, what should we do next?" Kreyn asked.
"Well... I’ve only encountered the Echo once before. I can’t say I have a lot of experience with it, but I know one thing."
Judith smirked.
"Release your auras and prepare for your rewards! Each of us will receive something worthwhile!"
They exchanged glances, and soon four streams of energy shot upward like pillars of light. For Daren and Liam, it was purple and blue, and for Judith and Kreyn, it was red and black.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The Echo trembled as the shimmering bubble shattered into four bright flashes. Each one got something of their own, but the size and quality of the flashes varied.
A large white horn appeared in front of Liam. It was nothing more than a valuable item, a material that could be sold or given to a blacksmith to create a useful item.
"Is this mine?" Liam took the horn and looked around.
He didn’t know what to expect from the Echo and wanted to see what the others had received.
For Daren, it was something surprisingly personal — an old, black lighter with dusty edges.
"Hmm?" Daren raised an eyebrow, then grinned widely. "Is this a bubble or a treasure chest? Well, I’m not complaining."
Click.
He opened the lighter as a powerful stream of purple flame burst out, more suited to burning down a forest than lighting a cigarette.
To a certain extent, the Echo was a wish-granter. It took into account each participant’s contribution to the battle, their power level, their desires, and the region where it took place. Obviously, the Echo had limitations, but it tried to bring the reward as close to the wanted as possible.
Whooooosh.
With a bright flash, a two-handed sword appeared in front of Judith, broken in half, exactly like the one used by the Remnant Guard but several times smaller.
Sure, the most important weapon of any Origin was his Catalyst, nothing could change that, but the Artifacts had a wide range of uses and could seriously increase the power of one or another Origin.
"Hell yeah! I knew you couldn’t do it without me, otherwise, I wouldn’t get the grand prize!" Judith exclaimed vigorously, grabbing the sword by the hilt.
Liam touched his lips, baffled.
"You? The grand prize? Judith, we haven’t seen what Kreyn got yet."
"Ha!" She laughed. "He can’t be—!"
Judith’s eyes widened as the largest flash hovered in front of Kreyn. After all, he was the one who killed the Remnant Guard and delivered two powerful strikes. It was no surprise that the Echo decided to give him the main reward, at least to everyone except Judith.
"Damn! Why you? I’ve only known you for a few hours, and you’re already pissing me off!" She stamped her foot.
Kreyn grinned. "This is just the beginning. Get ready for more, or you won’t be able to handle the pressure."
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The flash in front of him trembled as a strange, rapidly changing symbol popped up. It was a blue sign made up of simple lines, both straight and curved. It was stable, but didn’t stay in one shape for more than a second, as if offering endless possibilities.
Daren, Liam, and Kreyn didn’t know what it was, but Judith’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
[The Fractal was received and ready for use.]
The words flashed across Kreyn’s eyes.
[The Fractal is located in outer space. Use the Fractal before it disappears due to energy instability.]
"You... You..." Judith’s teeth chattered. "You got the Fractal?! Bastard! Why are you so lucky?"
Kreyn turned to her and pointed to the blue symbol.
"Hey, looks like I have to use it. I understand it’s a valuable thing, but what exactly does it do?"
Judith bit her lip. "Tsk. You don’t even know what you got! Whatever, with the Fractal you can change the Spark of your Epos. Well, considering the level we’re at, it’s an opportunity to change your ability."
"Hmm."
Kreyn rubbed his chin thoughtfully while the Fractal trembled. He had to make a decision as quickly as possible.
"What about a Record? Can I change that one?"
Judith gave him a bored look.
"Agh? The Record, what do you mean..."
Then, her face paled as she realized what he had said.
"Well, well," Daren muttered, puffing out a cloud of smoke. "Looks like someone just realized who they’re dealing with, right?"
Liam scratched the back of his head, feeling proud that he was on the same team as Kreyn.
"Judith, you should have seen what happened in the prison. It was something else."
Tremble.
The Fractal trembled as Kreyn turned to Judith.
"So?"
Judith gulped.
"I’m not sure, but if you really have a Record, then I think it’s possible. Just do it already!"
Without hesitation, Kreyn threw out his hand, touching the Fractal.
Ripple. Ripple. Ripple.
A tremor ran through the space as a bright flash blinded Kreyn for a split second.
The next moment, Kreyn opened his eyes, but he was no longer at the plain, nor were Liam, Judith, or Daren there.
He was alone.
Only endless darkness surrounded him, and a faint light in the distance was his guide.