Omniphage of Apathy

[Codex Enchantments]

[Invisible Veil of the Ingenious Prince]

[Effect: You can cloak yourself in perfect invisibility for a duration of nineteen hours. This ability renders you undetectable to all beings, from mortals to the most advanced of Nexuses, allowing you to move undisturbed.]

[Cooldown: This ability can only be activated once every two days. It is a powerful tactical tool, especially when you need to retreat or gather intelligence without being seen.]

[Bonus: While invisible, your mental acuity sharpens, allowing for faster decision-making and the ability to perceive hidden threats more clearly.]

______

This was the ability of a perfect assassin. With this, he could easily collect information without being seen. He didn't even care about the cool down. Two days?

It's not as if he would use it all the time. What's more, nineteen hours of pure invisibility?

Awesome!

He looked at the second enchantment. He expected himself to have this but still...

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[Water Flood]

[Effect: Summon massive waves of water to inundate your surroundings, reshaping the battlefield or washing away obstacles. The volume and force of the flood are only limited by your essence reserves, though this comes at a great cost.]

[ Each wave draws heavily on your essence, so its use must be measured and strategic. However, your connection to water allows you to regenerate essence over time if you are in proximity to bodies of water or under the influence of the Water Runes.]

[Bonus: In situations of extreme pressure, the water floods can reshape the terrain, providing both offensive and defensive opportunities. Additionally, the water's potency increases proportionally with your emotional state—the stronger your resolve, the stronger the flood.]

_____

This ability was only possible if he was dealing with a lot of enemies. In individual battles, it would be impossible to unleash it. According to his mother, a single second in battle counts. However, the last one was incredibly overpowered that he thought that luck was on his side.

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[Sovereign of the Waters]

[Effect: You possess the unique and rare ability to control access to water across all of Spheraphase. You can bless any being with the power of water be it from runes, a mystic or magical circle or an elemental ability.]

_______

He didn't know much about the last enchantment but he knew he would need it soon.

[How did you learn how to use water when I have never seen you use it?]

"Because it felt like instinct," he answered Phaenora .

[...]

"Mmm... how do I put this? When I was experimented on in a lab facility, one of the ways they tested my immortality is through drowning."

He paused for a while before he continued.

"I learned to swim on my own and... my body didn't let me die. Every time I was unconscious, it would... force itself back on and I would continue dying again and again until... I learned how to swim."

[...]

"I've experienced many methods of death and almost survived them all. It was horrible but I didn't let them traumatize me. My instincts just... took over, you know? Levitating water around, use it to shield myself from the explosion, survive the heat... it was all instinct. And luck."

Vastarael knew that he was incredibly lucky.

If Stephos decided to just end his life instead of roaming around, hunting him down like easy prey, he and Adelasta would have died. Stephos was just too confident in his power and thought that he wouldn't do anything to him.

And he didn't. He only had to buy time and it almost killed him.

Also, he didn't know the limits of his Omniphage ability and now, he knew how it worked.

He could naturally absorb energy from the atmosphere and also from anyone he killed. This gave him enough essence to use his runes with ease. If the monsters were not dead underwater from the impact and the pressure, then he would have died.

His plan relied on pure luck and gamble but... he made it.

He escaped his fate once.

Then came his Destiny; Suffering Before Reward.

He saw it in action; survive a god for nineteen hours while his body strained to keep him alive for overusing his energy, almost die and survive and then reap the rewards.

Which was a Codex, which he didn't know much about.

"For now, I need to get stronger. I need to talk to my mother about—"

Vastarael's words trailed off as he noticed a small movement from the chair beside his bed. His sharp eyes caught the slight shift of Adelasta's head, her soft red hair falling across her face as she stirred. Her hands, still holding the orange corea and a red pillow twitched slightly before she let out a quiet, almost inaudible groan and blinked herself awake.

For a moment, she looked disoriented, her cold orange eyes scanning the room before settling on Vastarael, who was now sitting up. His gaze softened as he watched her wake. She blinked again, realizing where she was and immediately straightened her posture, her usual composure slipping back into place like armor.

"You're awake," she said, her tone crisp and cold, as if she hadn't spent days sitting by his bedside. Her gaze flitted over him briefly, taking in his healed yet exhausted state. "About time. You looked half-dead when they brought you in."

Vastarael smirked, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Half-dead? Come on, give me some credit. I just fought a god and turned a few city blocks into an aquarium. Pretty impressive, right? They call me the Ingenious Prince now."

Adelasta crossed her arms, the orange core still cradled in one hand, and raised an unimpressed brow.

"If by 'impressive,' you mean reckless, then sure."

He chuckled weakly, wincing slightly as the motion strained his still-recovering body.

"You're as charming as ever, I see. And you? Are you okay?"

She didn't respond immediately, her gaze dropping to the orange core in her hand. Her fingers tightened around it for a moment before she looked back at him.

"Why did you give this to me?" She asked bluntly, her tone colder than the frost of winter. "This could have made you stronger. You fought Stephos for... nineteen hours, and you still handed this over to me. Why?"

Vastarael sighed, leaning back against the pillows as if the weight of the question was too much for him in his current state.

"I already told you. You're from the Viaca family but you don't have powers like the others in your bloodline. You had to focus on weapon mastery instead and you're brilliant at it. But this… this will make you stronger. Stronger than ever before."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, skepticism flickering across her face.

"And that's all?"

He tilted his head, studying her for a moment before flashing a faint smile.

"You're my betrothed, Adelasta. It's my job to make sure you're protected, even if it means giving you something like that. Also, I like gaining rewards using my own hands. My mother killed him so it doesn't count."

Adelasta stiffened, her lips parting slightly as if to respond, but no words came out. Her grip on the orange core tightened, her knuckles whitening as a strange expression flickered across her face.

"I didn't ask for your protection," she muttered, her voice quieter now, tinged with an edge she didn't fully understand herself.

"I know. But I gave it anyway. If you don't want it, you can give it to me. But think first before doing so because the second I take it, I will not give it back to you."

For a long moment, silence hung between them. Adelasta's cold exterior seemed to crack, just slightly, as she looked down at the orange core in her hand, its faint glow reflecting in her eyes. Her fingers brushed over its smooth surface.

Finally, she stood, her composure snapping back into place as if it had never wavered.

"You should rest," she said firmly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're not strong enough to be talking like this yet."

Vastarael gave a small, tired laugh, watching her move with that same practiced grace.

"Yes ma'am."

Adelasta paused at the door, her back to him. For a moment, she hesitated, her hand resting on the frame as if she wanted to say something else. But then she shook her head, her voice sharp once more.

"Don't be reckless again," she said without looking back.

And with that, she left, the faint sound of her footsteps fading into the hall. Vastarael watched her go, the hint of a smirk lingering on his face.

"She's worried about me," he murmured to himself, before settling back into the bed with a sigh. "I mean, she practically did nothing while I helped her. It must have destroyed her pride. Oh well..."

But even as he closed his eyes, her expression stayed with him. That brief moment of vulnerability, hidden beneath her icy demeanor, was enough to stir something within him. Something he couldn't quite name.