As if the sky had fallen and the heavens crashed down to earth, large panes of glass fell from the wall, seemingly having reached far beyond the eye can see. Each piece tore through the sky before erupting into light like a dying flame, only to shower the world in glowing specks of myriad coloured light. Like a ripple, Sebastian’s Vitality spread through the wall as far as the eye can see, bringing untold destruction upon it. The bladesman himself was left standing alone, exhausted and lackluster.

There was silence throughout the crowd, awed both by the strike unleashed and the scene brought about by it, their eyes stuck on the light of the heavens as it dispersed over them. Very few managed to bring themselves from their shock to realize one thing.

Even Ken in his shocked state lazily turned his head towards the wall, feeling the immensely different level of mana surging towards them from beyond its depths. Those even closer to the event practically felt it wash over them as it rapidly filled the city of West Cairn.

Sebastian though, his eyes were set on the scene in front of him, a sight that made his expression freeze and his face pale at the sight of it. Ignoring the injuries that burst open from the overuse of his strength, a side effect of using the Seed of Vitality before Ethereal Execution, the man was practically a statue as he stared at the scene in front of him.

Towering trees that gave off ancient auras, plants unrecognizable in all shapes and colours, covered by snow that reached upwards of his knees. A clear line cut off the environment of the city and what was once hidden beyond the Myriad Colours Wall, demarcating what seemed like two different ages, the modern and the primordial. His instincts practically begged him to back away from the forest.

[Sebastian Albrecht has broken the seal]

[The Earth has been restored preemptively]

[They have been alerted]

No sooner had the words finished appearing within his vision did the world begin to shake, a booming roar echoing throughout the atmosphere as if the world itself was grabbed and shook by a giant. It was filled with unbridled rage, yet a hint of pain and disappointment seemed hidden within.

Even as the mana from the primordial forest washed over him, the person closest to it’s entrance, Sebastian felt as if his mind and soul shook loose from his body. The roar blurred his vision and forced him stumbling back

The presence felt pure, untainted by the filth of the world even as they imposed their will upon it, like a mountain upon a rock. Yet, the Prime Aspect had the world behind it, and the world refused to bow to any one being, displaying this very intent as it hoisted Sebastian up, forcing him to stand against this roar.

[They have been alerted]

[He has descended]

[Sebastian Albrecht has been bestowed the title ‘Sealbreaker’ and the benefits that follow. Sebastian Albrecht has received the baptism of the broken seal]

[Ethereal Execution forcefully ended. Host received backlash from overexerting themselves]

[Do not kneel]

What-

The presence descended once more upon the world. The members of the crowd had all dropped to their knees, unknown to Sebastian if it was because of terror, force, or worship of the presence above them. It felt eerily similar to the Myriad Colours Wall, and it wanted his body to bend to it. His crystalline blue bones creaked and ached, his muscles straining as the pressure pushed him down like gravity.

“Sinner, how dare you-”

The words echoed throughout his skull, though they abruptly cut themselves off before anything meaningful was said. The voice itself was androgynous, but Sebastian felt the familiar tone to it. The utterly blind confidence and narcissism that hid within, lacing it like venom. As if done pondering, the voice resumed a few moments later.

“I see. No wonder the seal was broken. He’s still alive.”

The voice scoffed, the righteous fury it previously held now gone, replaced with a cool sensation of control; a tone Sebastian hated even more. He gritted his teeth and forced hot air through the holes in his cheek as he struggled, refusing to allow his body to kneel even as he got closer to the ground.

“And no wonder you’ve done so well. He likes those with the sin of in-”

“Enough!”

Sebastian roared out, the ice mana flowing throughout the winter air suddenly drawn towards his body. Chains manifested around his arms and led towards the Earth, as if tying him down. Even still, those very same chains seemed to give him the strength to stand against the omnipotent pressure above.

“Who are you to call me a sinner!?”

The Warden screamed out, his voice hoarse with fury and indignation. His creaking, aching body slowly relaxed, his legs unbending and his spine straightening out like the strongest blade. He stared up above into the sky, past the towering trees and the void beyond. Sebastian’s eyes almost appeared as if they were staring into another, carrying a chill within that threatened to freeze everything within sight.

The voice did not respond, and silence filled his mind. The pain of his body forcefully resisting, the booming voice within his mind, the raging mana that propped his body up without a care for the consequences; he ignored it all in his fury.

“All those who are left have sinned, be it through their weakness, their pride, their anger or their pain. Those left on this planet are waste. And you, Sebastian Albrecht?”

Sebastian shivered,the thing above him disappearing, the mana within the air calming down and the ethereal chains returning to nothingness. All that was left was the bladesman standing tall, staring at the sky in silence. All of this was lost on Sebastian though, as he merely felt the presence move behind him instead, as if whispering into his ear.

“You know that your greatest sin was fear.”

Dallas saw the wall fall, the colours that filled the sky, the blade light that caused it all and the man who made it. Quickly though he discovered a sensation within his body, a burning one right at his core. The feeling brought him out of his stupor. He knew what this was, the energy laying dormant there, the feeling of anxiousness. He wanted to laugh internally. An effort he spent days trying to conquer was defeated simply by breaking this wall.

The man didn’t even have to sit down to meditate as he quickly felt the energy within and imposed his own will upon it. It didn’t take long after that for the man to sense a string of bright red energy that he could send throughout his body.

[Host has discovered his innate vitality]

[Host has discovered his magic talent]

[Host has discovered his Fire Affinity. Adding Skill]

The discovery made him want to scream with joy, the whole process itself only taking a few moments, as if sped up by the wave of mana released by the wall. He wasn’t sure if the effect would have still happened if they waited a few days, but Dallas was definitely happy they didn’t.

His happiness was abruptly cut short however. The moment he began to move forward, an aura descended on him. Descended on all of them. He wanted to resist, but it was as if a landslide had fallen on him. The feeling of pain disappeared once he lost the ability to resist and he was on his knees; but he was still allowed to look forward apparently. As if it wanted him to see Sebastian at the front kneeling.

The sight that shocked him even more so though, was that the man wasn’t kneeling. Instead, he saw a man wrapped with chains, standing up against the falling sky. He even saw a faint shadow of something coiling around his figure and a few feet of the sky above, it too looking towards the sky.

“Enough!”

“Who are you to call me a sinner!?”

It frightened the fuck out of him when he suddenly heard the bladesman begin shouting towards the sky, filled with fury. He truly believed they were all going to die in this moment, as if they provoked an emperor as mere peasants.

And then it all just disappeared. Yet even then, when the presence had dissipated and the crowd was released from their invisible bindings, none yet stood. Either out of fear or worship, they remained kneeling. Only Sebastian remained standing.

It was in that moment that Dallas had the thought, looking at Sebastian’s back, that he was a madman through and through. Yet a little thing called belief formed in him as well. And then he saw the little blue snake slithering towards him.

Therin was a serpent. It knew this. It liked the water and the cold, it always had. When it saw the light abruptly fill the world, it only wondered why the light had no heat. It felt something grasp at it, as if a hand had tried to wrap around it, but the grip quickly loosened, as if bitten and scared away by a similar presence. One that felt almost like family.

It was only at that moment that Therin had really begun to think. It was at that moment it’s body grew longer, it’s scales grew more water-like in colour, lithe and graceful yet sturdier than any other. Yet, even with this intelligence it did not leave it’s lake. It felt a great cold exuded by it’s depths, one that strengthened and nurtured it. So it stayed.

As time passed and it gathered food on the banks one day, it again felt something new. An aura of cold much like it’s own, but also something else; an aura eerily similar to one it felt at it’s ‘awakening’.

So it approached; it was bestowed a name.

And it was allowed to follow.

It was fed, and it was allowed to stay with that presence, allowed to be nurtured by it and gather the world’s mana much faster because of it. Therin continued to grow and grow. It’s fangs grew sharper, it’s sight grew keener, it’s scales grew harder. It felt something within it awaken from it’s dormancy, as if it was a freezing streak flowing throughout its body and nurturing it- not it, but it’s blood.

And when that man was fighting the big fire animal, it helped. Therin slithered their way off of the cold man, onto the asphalt and up towards the distracted beast's legs. It slithered along its body and lay there, waiting like a viper for its prey. The serpent waited, and waited, and when the cold man finally slashed that weird metal thing out, it struck. It bit the beast's eye and got slammed away, but it’s scales absorbed most of the force. It hardly even felt a thing, and It expected it’s fair share of the meat, too.

It enjoyed the cold man’s mana baptism, and it was wrapped around his neck when he carried that weird metal thing once more towards the wall of light. It too was a similar presence towards the snake, one it felt during The Light. It hissed out towards the wall, but received no retaliation. Therin rejoiced in triumph.

Yet when the world fell, something froze the serpent in place as if the world itself was binding it. Therin wanted to hiss and struggle but it could do nothing. It could only wait and watch in fear as the cold man seemed locked in an unseen battle. Only was it after the bladesman shouted into the sky a couple times did Therin finally regain his movement, only to feel the man standing still, eyes glazed over. It tried to move him, tried to help, but it could do nothing.

So it went to find someone who could.

The crowd quickly began to stand back up as Dallas was led towards Sebastian, the snake slithering forward as fast as it could through feet and snow. All those who stood looked at each other briefly before looking towards the lone man standing still. They all made way for their leader, like a king wading through his subjects. Dallas had no time to feel satisfied though, he knew it wasn’t for him.

With a sigh, Dallas approached Sebastian and placed his hand on his shoulder. He shook him gently and earned no response, so he decided to be mean about it. Motivating his new Fire Vitality, the man felt strength like never before and decided now was a good time to test it. So he reeled his arm back-

And slapped Sebastian right in the back of the head full force.

“Wake up you crazy bastard!”