Sunny had always wondered what was her innate Attribute — the one that was at the center of all the rest, the core of her being, just like his [Fated] trait. He often thought that it was tied to drive, battle prowess, or will.
But it was not.
Instead, Neph's innate Attribute was called [Dreamspawn] and tied to her nature as a child of a Hollow mother. In a sense, she was connected to the Dream Realm — and the Nightmare Spell — from before she had even been born.
Her core trait was duality.
If his guess was correct, that duality was further expressed after Nephis had conquered her First Nightmare and received her Aspect, as well as a new Attribute — [Nephilim]. Once again, it described a half-blood creature: half divine, half profane.
Half deific, half… Unknown?
Suddenly, he remembered how Changing Star had stopped and stared at the depiction of a radiant being engraved into the walls of the ancient mine below the Hollow Mountains.
Was that creature one of the nephilim? Or a fallen angel, from whom nephilim were supposed to be born? After all, the similarity between that creature and her own powers was hard to deny.
And then there was the last Attribute, [The Fire].
Sunny rubbed his face.
A Lineage Attribute, somewhat similar to his own Blood Weave. Finally, the meaning behind that word became clear: Lineage Memories akin to the [Drop of Ichor] were able to impart Awakened with unique Attributes that, unlike the usual ones, seemed to be hereditary. They could be passed down through a bloodline, and at least one of the great Legacy clans — the almost destroyed Immortal Flame — possessed one.
Did all great Legacy clans — like Song or Valor — possessed one, too? Was that what allowed them to rise to the very top of humanity and claim their place as great clans, in the first place?
'Those bastards have so many secrets.'
Sunny also couldn't help but notice a slight difference between [Blood Weave] and [The Fire]. While the latter was described simply as "lineage", the former was described as a "forbidden lineage".
What exactly made Blood Weave forbidden? Was it because it didn't come from a proper deity like Sun God, but from mysterious Weaver, who was a daemon? Had no one except for gods been allowed to leave behind a Lineage?
The Blood Weave was also described as a "partial" lineage, while The Fire was not.
"Questions, questions…'
With a sigh, Sunny turned to the runes once again.
Aspect: [Light Bringer].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a creature of light that was banished and doomed to exist in the darkness. You bring radiance and warmth to wherever you go, but with it comes indescribable longing.]
Aspect Ability: [Soul Flame].
Ability Description: [Your soul burns with the purest of flames. That flame can both restore and destroy, and is both a blessing and a curse.]
Innate Ability: [Halfbreed.]
Ability Descriptions: [You can directly absorb a portion of the soul essence of any Nightmare Creature destroyed by your flames, as well as of any human.]
Flaw: [Pristine Soul].
Flaw Description: [You must suffer to use your power.]
Sunny dismissed the runes and was motionless for a while, thinking.
The name of the Aspect, Light Bringer, could be translated in several ways. The first rune could mean both light and fire, and the second meant either to bring or to bear, depending on context. So it could have been Fire Bearer as well, not that it made any difference.
The rest he had already known or suspected, so it didn't surprise him much. Only the strange Innate Ability, Halbreed, was somewhat new. Nephis had mentioned once that she was capable of doing something like that, but without sharing any details.
It was also funny that the name of her Flaw was Pristine Soul, while his was Clear Conscience. What a pair they were, one lost from light, the other the source of it.
…One a master, the other a slave.
He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes for a second.
What else was there to note?
The [Soul Conduit] Attribute was gone. It seemed that the artificial sun or the Crimson Spire itself had sustained too much damage and collapsed, thus removing it. He had escaped just in time.
'I guess there's not a lot of secrets left between us now.'
Sunny was sure that there was a new rune that Nephis could summon, one reading "Slave". Just like he now had access to all the information about her, she was going to learn everything about him.
The unique nature of his cores, the shadow fragments, the true identity of the Marble Saint, the Weaver's Mask… she was going to know it all.
That could potentially complicate…
Before he could finish that thought, however, the Spell spoke again, its voice filling the black void with melodious whispers:
[The Second Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
'Oh, crap! I almost forgot!'
Sunny stared into the void with wide eyes.
He was about to Awaken.