Shadow slave: In The Eye of The Beholder

Silas sat on the edge of his bed, the cool morning air brushing against his skin, but the chill in his chest was deeper. The echoes of the Beholder's voice still lingered, reverberating in his mind. He rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream, but the weight of it clung to him.

"A simple life form…"

The phrase repeated over and over in his head, there was many other things he wanted to reflect on, to the experiences that the beholder shared with him, the mention of the dead gods, or the being that had killed them. 

Apparently, such a being still existed and could potentially descend if awoken. 

Silas mind drifted back to the image he had seen of the god killer, but as soon as he did a horrible terror assaulted him, his heart pounding against his ribcage, his hands shaking. despite the fear that suddenly held him he attempted to remember its face, but he simply couldn't. It was if the sight of the god killer was erased from his mind. 

Only the immense emotions of fear and dread lingering.

With the fear boosting him he quickly hopped out of the covers with newfound energy, the beholder had urged him to gather a 'simple life form' before he entered the dream realm. the problem being that he would soon enter it today, so he would have to be quick. 

He glanced at his morning side clock, it was 5.30am, he had only two hours to sneak out of the academy to find the life form the beholder was supposed to possess, Silas quickly brushed through the options he had available in the time limit. 

Bugs would be too fragile of a pick, losing connection to the beholder with a single missed step would be foolish, the selection of animals that could be big enough was incredibly limited, most were extinct with the majority of living species in possession by the rich of society.

There were rats as an option, though the thought of having one of those vile creatures beside him was displeasing, so there was only one other option really left, and was probably the best out of the three. 

A bird, it would have survivability with being able to fly, so it would be harder to sever its connection, he just had to find and catch a bird as quickly as possible. 

Silas now with his clothes on quickly dashed out of his room, his steps hurried to his goal of the academy gates. Though as he was making his dash some concerns rose. 'They probably wouldn't let a sleeper on the day of the winter solstice out of the academy. so, I'll must be careful and stealthy'

Silas brows furrowed, but immediate rose up, he had forgotten something simple that would make the task of sneaking by trivial, a small smile making its way to his face, as he reached inwardly towards his soul. 

Blue shimmers covering his body before the luminous light was constructed into lustreless black silk, threading itself into existence as the intertribally patterned cloak covered his form, [Ashen Veil] being summoned from his soul sea, the goal being its enchantment [Ebony Silk].

pulling the edges of the cloak closer towards him Silas continued to make his way out of the maze that was the academy halls, with [Ebony Silk] his presence was harder to detect the more the cloak covered him, and Silas had only his face and ashen grey hair peeking out of the hood, the rest of the cloak reaching his shins.

He managed to avoid some attention while doing so, but the cloak wasn't all he had at his disposal, using [Beholders Eye] he observed passing strings and was able to decide to quickly sneak past or let the other members of the academy walk by. 

With the final bit of stealth being surprisingly created by using the other enchantment of [Ashen Veil], [Way of Wind]. He had experimented with its capability in his weeks at the academy, and discovered he could alter the wind to slightly supress sounds. 

After all soundwaves were carried by matter, be it solid, liquid or gas, so being able to alter wind allowed him to quit his rushed footsteps by a slight margin, although every tool at his disposal allowed the journey out of the academy to be sped up drastically, saving the time he desperately needed.

Silas continued to make way into closer and closer to the exit, with the enchantments along with [Beholders Eye] he had not been spotted yet thankfully, although the use of [Way of Wind] was something he hadn't really considered before. 

There was plenty of ways to use it effectively, but the surprising thing was he was able to use it at all. Sleepers couldn't control their soul essence at all to activate active enchantments such as [Way of Wind], he had only found it out from overhearing his peers, it had never occurred to him that he broke past the established rule. 

But after investigating some more he found out why he was able to, it had turned out that [Empowerment] was not a simple boost in strength or mental fortitude, but a sort of well of power that acted like soul essence, and even with a sliver of [Empowerment] he was able to use the cheap requirements to activate the enchantment.

He had used [Way of Wind] before when he had just woken up last week, to see if his drowsiness could hold back [Empowerment] enough to be unable to use [Way of Wind]. He had found out that it was truly the reason. In his tired state he could not even move the wind to his will the tiniest fraction 

There was also his ability to even look at the enchantment descriptions in the first place, for that he could only guess between the altered eyesight of [Soul Sight] or [Beholders Eye]. 

But there wasn't time to dwell on that now, he had finally reached the entrance to the academy, though as he passed through the wide-open doors he was met with the true entrance to the academy, giant reenforced walls that even fierce titans could not break through. 

Silas gazed on the gargantuan structure and sighed, there was a chance he could manage to climb over it, but there were cameras that would alert the staff of someone trying to bypass its security, so he had to pass the smaller doors at the bottom of the massive gate.

He had entered the same way before to arrive at the academy, but to exit you would need to either talk to a guard or have a key, whether a physical one or a digital one to scan in order to unlock the doors. The academy was able to enforce such security due to its size of being a small city, since people had few reasons to leave often, they were able to narrow down the security without much consequence. 

Silas felt small in front of the towering heights of the gate and academy buildings, but in comparison to what he seen in his earlier dream, it seemed so insignificant to the un possibly giant door, or infinitely tall throne, a mere testament to the difference between gods and humanity. 

They seemed proud to boast of their strength, acting as if people of today were immune against any threat the spell could throw at them, but even the strengths of saints were a joke in comparison., Silas now having seen what true divine beings encapsulated. 

Humanity stood no chance at all and would most likely never be able to. 

He brushed past his anxiety and made his way to the door, he wouldn't be able to destroy it, only master's would be capable of accomplishing the feat for the reenforced alloy, so he had to unlock it. Silas possessed so such keycard or identification that would be able to scan, even if he did his record of leaving would be recorded and questioned.

Instead, there was another option, the designers of the door were incredibly old fashioned, for some reason they had left an actual keyhole to also unlock it, this flaw being his only chance to bypass the security, it would be too risky and time consuming to snatch a key, so Silas had other plans in mind. 

He reached for inwardly for his soul, the memory of [Vile Stalk] shimmering into reality. The bow hummed softly in his hands as the enchantment [Thousand Crops] activated, sending a tingle through his fingers. Wheat strands, thin and shimmering, sprouted from the bow, slithering like tendrils into the keyhole with slow precision.

The stalks kept growing but left Silas to be patiently waiting for them to fill out the large keyhole presented, on alert he quickly glanced backwards to check if someone had managed to arrive at in the space of time, he wasn't fully paying attention, though with [Beholders Eye] golden threads flickered in his vision, a clear sign that someone—or something—was drawing near.

His heart pounded in response, the urgency tightening like a knot in his throat. If he didn't finish soon, whoever was on the other end of those threads would find him."

If he didn't finish soon, he would be spotted and held for questioning for his attempt at sneaking away, if he was caught it would be impossible for him to get a vessel for the beholder, until he returned as an awakened, so no matter what he needed to not get caught. 

Although he wasn't sure exactly why he needed the beholder to be able to communicate with him during the dream realm, the urgency the god held had alarmed him, and with the terrifying experience of the god killer on his mind, anything to help his as well as humanity's only chance of standing against it would be necessary. 

"Come on. Come on!" Silas clenched his jaw, willing the wheat to grow faster. The threads were close—too close. He couldn't afford to get caught, not now. His will spiking up, [Empowerment] responding in kind as its essence was passed to the [Vile Stalk] fuelling the enchantment like fertiliser, a desperate attempt to speed up the process. 

With the few necessary seconds Silas felt the pressure of the [Vile Stalk] in his hands increase, the wheat had fully grown into the keyhole and taken the shape of the key, attempting to grow past the boundaries of the intricate lock but failing, as soon as he felt it he twisted the golden-brown bow in his hands, hearing a satisfying *click*

Silas pushed the heavy door, and immediately dashed out of the slight gap, the only mention of his presence leaving as the lustreless black silk of the [Ashen Viel] flowed in the accompanying breeze, Silas letting his anxiety melt quickly looked back through the gap in the now opened door, he could see from a distance the academy workers finally emerging from inside and to the space before the gate. 

With a quick command, Silas reached out with his will, feeling the breeze shift under his control. He nudged the current toward the door, urging the wind to carry the heavy alloy entrance shut behind him, the weight of it faint but manageable.

Now in the unfamiliar inner-city Silas quickly took hold of his surroundings, there was barely anyone up this early, though he had attracted a few gases after he had rushed out of the gate, but that was to be expected, it would take time for them to report their sighting of a strange teenager wearing a cloak escaping the academy franticly, and by that point he would most likely be in the dream realm. 

He searched for a place to get away from the looks and found an alleyway between two of the taller buildings in the area, he sprinted to the dark separation between the buildings, one of them had fire exits for its residents to escape in case of the worst. 

So using the metal stairs Silas climbed with haste, each footstep thudding on the old metal steps, alerting some residents of the apartment gave him bewildered and shocked looks at the stranger ascending the fire exit, though that didn't matter, right now he simply needed to obtain a bird, now out of the academy stealth was put in the background, all he needed was to maintain a fast pace. 

Silas's breath came in short bursts as he climbed the final set of fire escape steps, the cold metal creaking beneath his boots. Each clang echoed through the narrow alleyway, sharp against the quiet dawn. He could hear the city below stirring awake, though the early morning still wrapped everything in a sense of drowsy calm.

Reaching the top of the building, Silas vaulted over the ledge and landed on the flat, weathered rooftop. The moment his feet hit the concrete, he paused, his chest rising and falling as he gazed out over the cityscape. The sprawling metropolis stretched endlessly beneath him, bathed in the gentle glow of the rising sun. The buildings, towering yet insignificant compared to the vastness of the sky, were painted in hues of soft gold and pale pink, the first light of morning flickering against the windows.

For a moment, the tension in his shoulders unwound. The sun hovered just above the horizon, its light warming the cool breeze that swept across the rooftop, ruffling the edges of his cloak. Silas stood still, letting the wind caress his face, the tranquillity of the morning a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside him. The city below seemed quiet, peaceful — As though it had no idea of the problems he carried; he was the only one who knew. Everyone else had the luxury of ignorance, unaware of the weight of his burdens.

They were blissfully unaware of what he had seen. Thanks to the Beholder, he now knew of the god killer—an understanding he wished he could unlearn. Every time his mind wandered back to that being, a part of him wanted to crumble and give up. The Beholder had said it was "corrupting this realm's reality," and in hindsight, Silas wasn't sure how to even process that knowledge.

What chance did his futile dreams of revenge or greatness have against such an entity?

Existence itself felt insignificant after glimpsing what lay beyond—the creaking vault of that door and the terror waiting on the other side. It was a sight that would break anyone. How could one face that and still find meaning in these smaller struggles?

Yet even now, Silas's will refused to bow. Fear clawed at him, trying to suffocate his resolve, but his desire stayed fierce. He wouldn't let himself crumble. He wouldn't surrender to the crushing weight of it all.

If he gave up now, he knew he could never face himself again. And so, he decided: no matter what, he would continue to riot against this world, against its fate for him, and against the god killer's looming presence.

So now he could focus on his goal, obtaining a bird as a vessel, it was quite useful now that Silas had the advantage point to look for one, though now that he thought about it there was a better method to capture one. 

He could use the seeds that sprouted of [Vile Stalks] wheat to lure the birds to him, the birds were surely a bit starved so any food would draw them like a moth to a flame.

------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later Silas found himself huddled in the corner of the building's roof, completely covered by the [Ashen Veil] it had taken some birds had arrived. 

He crouched low, the soft clinking of metal fire escapes now behind him as he crept forward with deliberate, calculated steps. His eyes, sharp with focus, locked onto the small flock of pigeons pecking at scattered seeds on the rooftop. Among them, a white dove caught his attention, its feathers glowing faintly in the early morning light. It seemed unaware of his approach, engrossed in its search for food.

He stilled his breath, the faint whisper of wind curling around him as he drew closer. His hands twitched, preparing for the moment. With [Beholder's Eye] active, he could see the faint golden threads flowing between the birds and the world around them, each movement part of a delicate, interconnected dance.

Closer. One step more.

The pigeons shifted, oblivious. Silas's heart quickened, but his movements stayed precise. And then, with a swift motion, he lunged forward, hands reaching out like a hawk swooping for its prey. His fingers closed around the white dove, its wings fluttering wildly in panic for a brief second before he secured it gently, cradling the bird in his palms.

The dove's heartbeat was rapid, thudding against his skin, but Silas was careful not to harm it. Its soft white feathers brushed against his fingers, and for a moment, he paused—caught in the serene contrast between the fragility of the bird and the chaos of the world he inhabited.

'Now it said I had to use [Empowerment] to transfer from me to the vessel, but how do I exactly do that?' Silas pondered as he glanced at his new prised possession, a timid white Pidgeon that stared at him with unintelligent eyes. 

He took a deep breath in, feeling the cool air brush through his lungs, reaching inwardly and attempting to draw [Empowerment] he felt the essence course through his body, but any attempt at expressing it on the fragile white bird was futile. 

Silas brow furrowed, there wasn't really a connection between him and the Pidgeon, so how was he supposed to supply his internal power to it?

'Maybe I must access its soul. Pidgeon's have souls, right? if i use [Soul Sight] that might help in guiding [Empowerment]'

His pupils sharpened as [Soul Sight] took effect, he could see a sort of ethereal fog in the Pidgeon instead of a soul core that awakened had possessed, so there was something there, with the image before him, [Empowerment] had an actual goal that he could guide it towards. 

He attempted again, though he focused deeper and deeper, [Empowerment]'s essence was too small to burst out of him and into the bird, for when he felt the pathway it was like he had brought a bucket to fill a sinkhole, he could certainty affect it but would need a lot more to infiltrate its depth. 

Irritation grasped at him, apparently, he didn't have enough will to surge through a Pidgeon! such will have driven let him survive all this time, his desire would not be defeated by an inferior pheasant.

Silas gritted his teeth and let his memories replay, his reasons for his rebellion, his suffering, his anger, his sadness, and desire to make himself known to the world, The spark inside of him surging in response. 

He thought to the face of caster who had ignored him, and the immense joy when he made him bleed, completeness and pure zeal of defiance that powered him, tipped of with the immense fear of the god killer, if he had failed here, what could he do against such a horror in the distant future other than to watch like the beholder did as it killed everything in its wake. 

So, he couldn't, he wouldn't fail here. 

[Empowerment] responding to his will, bursting forward, in the moment Silas felt superhuman, he opened his eyes, and saw luminous blue flames adorn his hands and surround the confused Pidgeon. 

Like before when he nearly succumbs to [Frenzy] he had managed to expel and manifest [Empowerment] although not nearly to the same scale, using the fire he forced it to travel into the blue mist that was the bird's soul. 

The more he pulsed the flame inside the more drained he felt but he continued, the blue fire swelled around the mist and began to mix and meld into a sphere, the effort eating away at Silas as he continued to fuel the shift, he bit his lip to try and bring himself out of fainting from exhaustion, blood trickling down to drip on the white feathers of the dove. 

With [Soul Sight] Silas finally realised what exactly he was doing, he wasn't simply just making a vessel that would be ready for the beholder, he was creating a soul core! although significantly smaller due to the bird's size, he was still forming the radiant sphere. 

The fire fully swirled into the form, yet it wouldn't solidify, Silas grunted as his legs began giving way, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get it to manifest into the core, he was mere moments from collapsing under the feat, the only thing keeping him consciousness being the pain he felt when sinking his teeth into his lip.

Though Silas felt a soothing presence emerge, to his Suprise he saw golden energy travel from his arm into the pigeon's soul, entering the mix of the soul essence and cooling it, finally solidifying the resilient structure. 

As soon as it formed Silas fell to his knees, the golden energy he had just sawn was probably how the Beholder had connected to him, it seemed the god had been hiding away in his soul, maybe needing a completely new and pure soul to make easy entrance to. 

Silas wiped away the blood on his mouth and gazed to the dove, it looked mostly the same, except its feathers looked cleaner and sharper, though the most striking was its eyes, they had gone from the pitch black into the multiple-coloured pupils that Silas had while using [Beholders Eye], They looked far more intelligent that what was prior, the improved dove now starting to give light pecks at its tired creator.

Silas looked at the bizarre creature with thought, 'Is the Beholder really possessing it now?' although it had gotten the same mark it didn't act like the god he had interacting with before, maybe it might answer if he spoke?

"Hey Beholder, are you in there-!" but before he could finish the bird dissipated in a spark of shimmering light that soon rushed into his chest, the familiar voice of the spell whispering into his ears. 

[You have received an echo: Cherub] 

Silas eyes widened, had he really heard right? an echo? sure, it was of a pigeon but any echo was a definite boon, Silas soon found a smile painted on his blood-stained lips, though another feeling interrupting him, it suddenly felt like something that was latched onto him faded away, the same feeling coming as runes emerged before his eyes. 

[You have paid back debt!]

[Beholder - ███░░░░░░] - 30%

-25%

[Beholder-█░░░░░░░░]-5%

In the solace silence of on top of the apartments roof Silas was left speechless, not to mention utterly exhausted from creating the pigeon's soul core, so for the moment all his body wanted to do was rest, and maybe look at the attributes his new echo had. 

But he shook his head, he had to make it back quickly to go into the dream realm, so with a groan he got up and let the breeze carry his hood off, revealing his grey eyes that gazed into the city's horizon, it would be a while till he would be in the waking world again.

With his preparations now set, he was ready to soon dive into the unknown.