Chronicles Of The Seeker

As they stood in front of the massive stone door, Aqua couldn't help but feel a mix of fear, awe, and a strange sense of disconnection from the world itself. This door—entering it meant never returning as himself again. Yet, oddly enough, he felt no discomfort. Slowly, he stepped forward toward Katherine.

"So, are we entering now, or do we need sorcery for that to happen?" he asked.

Katherine didn't answer. Instead, her eyes glowed a bright red as she stood still for a while, unmoving. Then, just as suddenly, her eyes returned to normal.

'What the hell was that? '

Katherine sighed, turning her gaze toward the stunned, handsome man standing beside her—his pale skin illuminated by the eerie light.

"That's my trait. It allows me to catch glimpses of the future, the past, or replay events," she explained.

"That's a very useful trait." Aqua pondered for a moment before continuing. "Is that what you meant by Esoterism?"

He didn't care if he exposed his ignorance. He just really wanted to know, no matter how much pain the knowledge might cause him.

"Not exactly. But you do know that telling someone about other Orders before they discover them on their own triggers the madness effect, right?"

'Madness effect? ' Aqua didn't know much about Seekers or their strange terminologies, but he had a guess at what she meant.

"You mean... the constant headaches and loss of memories?"

Katherine smiled. "Yes, though I wouldn't even consider that the true madness effect yet."

As if trying to avoid further questions, she immediately pushed open the massive stone door. A gust of eerie wind rushed past them. The door itself was ancient, carved from some unknown stone with strange engravings, its weight evident at a glance. There was no keyhole, but the moment Katherine touched it, a loud click echoed down the hollow stairway.

"Okay, kids. Get in."

The inner sanctuary was a vast, circular chamber that seemed to have no walls—only an endless void, floating in the abyss of space. At the center stood a ritual altar, crafted from ancient metal, wood, and crystalline veins of an unknown energy. It hovered over a bottomless chasm.

Whispers echoed throughout the chamber—some almost human. Aqua knew that these were most likely the voices of either the infected Variables who had perished here... or worse, remnants of those who had been used as ingredients for the ritual.

Katherine's voice turned cold, her eyes vacant and hollow.

"I want to make one thing clear before we start," she said. "Your lives are in your hands—not mine, not anyone else's. If you decide to turn tail and run, no one, absolutely no one, will stop you."

None of them moved. Their eyes burned with conviction.

"Alright then. No one should blame me for their misfortune." She exhaled, scanning the empty space around them. "There are five things required to become a true Seeker.

"First is the status of a Variable.

"Second is your compatibility with Kami and natural forces.

"Third is a test of sanity—since madness is the greatest threat Seekers face.

"Fourth is the trial of your true self.

"And finally, the last step is your resonance with an Order."

The information was overwhelming but understandable.

Aqua quickly analyzed the steps. The first test likely involved sensing Kami energy, a trait exclusive to Variables. The second probably related to gathering the necessary ritual materials. The third was exactly as Katherine described. The fourth... he wasn't sure. And the final test involved selecting an Order and acquiring a Trait.

"The rest, you'll figure out on your own," Katherine continued. "There are eight Orders of Kami, each with unique aspects and madness mechanisms. As you saw, the Esoterism Order deals with knowledge, secrets, and forbidden truths. Seekers of this path gain abilities related to understanding, unraveling, and manipulating hidden cosmic principles. My trait, is one example. But I won't lie to you—the madness evolution for my Order is... a bit much."

She stopped speaking abruptly. The young Variables had begun shrieking in pain.

"I think that explains Orders well enough. As for ranks, the only ones you need to know for now are Apprentice, Expert, and Master—each with nine sequences of power, getting stronger from 9th-1st" She sighed, rubbing her face.

"We're wasting too much time on this unnecessary talk."

"So... are we going to start the ritual now?" Mikey asked hoarsely.

"What other choice do you have? Sooner or later, a Chronicle will call for you—even if you're just taking a bath. Entering one without a ritual is instant death. No ifs, no buts. And you three are at your last rope. Very soon, you'll forget who you truly are and become nothing more than hollow, mad shells."

She gestured toward the altar, signaling them to sit.

Aquarius had nothing more to say—the situation was unfolding faster than expected.

The three of them sat at the altar, forming a circle. The next moment, a table appeared before Katherine, filled with ingredients and liquids in conical flasks and strange containers that Aqua couldn't even name. She traced a vaporous mixture around them, then placed five substances, each representing a different natural force, like pillars around them.

Almost instantly, the strange circle began drawing the voices together. A heavy fog descended.

Aqua felt a strange feeling of incredible fear from the fog. A feeling of lose, death and madness.

Through the mist, Aqua heard Katherine's voice.

"Slice your palms and spill your blood."

A dagger was placed in his hand at the beginning of the ritual. He did as instructed, as did the others.

The moment his blood hit the altar, a burning sensation engulfed his entire body—familiar yet far more intense than anything he had ever experienced.

His eyes clenched shut as he tried to perceive his surroundings.

When he opened them again, he found himself in a vast, silent void filled with twinkling stars—stars that felt like they were watching him.

A strange sense of reverence crept over him. He wanted to worship them.

'What the hell am I thinking? '

Shaking off the trance, Aqua surveyed the astral-like world.

'Orders... Seekers... Outer Beings... '

He didn't fully understand any of it, but he knew one thing—he wanted power.

'Power to never be controlled.

Power to never have to rely on tricks just to survive '.

Aqua sat cross-legged in the air, closing his eyes, searching for the burning sensation and resonance.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally sensed something faint. He focused on it.

A sudden rush of unknown energy filled his body, enveloping him in deep purple light. His senses sharpened. He could feel everything in this world.

Above him, one of the stars burned with murderous intent. The moment he acknowledged it, he looked at it with the same intent and fury not knowing what does stars truly were, the star immediately recoiled.

Relaxing his body, Aqua noticed sparks of light forming in front of him.

'Oh... I can do what those other guys did now. '

The sparks twisted together, forming a large book resembling a grimoire, it was an ancient-looking book covered in the same strange script as the stone door. Yet, somehow, he understood the words.

CHRONICLE JOURNAL

Opening it, he found the first page blank. He flipped to the next. Which was written in the same strange language.

Name: Aquarius (Alucard)

Rank: Apprentice Seeker (Black Core – 3rd Sequence)

Soul Name: SpellBound

Order: Error

Sanity: Stable (...For now)

CORE TRAITS:

[MIRACLE: You can make the impossible possible]

ABILITIES:

[Spectral Veil] – Can blur his existence, avoiding detection and peering into others' existence for a short time.

[Kami Assimilation] – Can consume remnants of fallen beings to strengthen his core.

[Creation] – Can control all core energy.

'What the hell do these half-assed abilities even mean?, And the trait 'Miracle ' it doesn't even make sense'

He sighed and flipped to the next page, hoping for something more useful.

Instead, an image appeared—the same horror he had seen on the ship.

Name: Slumbering Fog

Rank: Fiend (3 Cores)

Chronicle Type: Ancient

Soul Type: Ancient Fiend

Sanity: Drifter

CORE ABILITIES:

[SHRIEK] – Causes pain and fear to anyone who hears its voice.

[IMPENETRABLE SKIN] – Thickened flesh that borders on invulnerability.

[UNKNOWN] – Yet to be recorded.

Aqua was dumbfounded.

'This is a fucking wiki book...'

Flipping through, he saw the names and faces of those he had encountered who had connections to Kami.

Then, one name stood out—a name that shouldn't have been there.

Noah Abraham.