Fallen Chronicles

"Two chapters in one! , And a huge thank you for the 3,000 Powerstones (つ ͡ᵔ ▾ ͡ᵔ )つ. As promised, I'll publish an extra chapter for every 500+ Powerstones, so get ready for 6 chapters tomorrow "

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Roca's inner triumphant thoughts came to an abrupt halt, even letting out a cry of surprise.

When he shifted his supremely arrogant gaze from those unable to raise their heads in the presence of the Forgotten Spirit behind him, and looked around...

One person at the scene stood out distinctly.

It was that noble young man!

He alone stood ordinarily, and what was more unacceptable to Roca was that the man dared to look towards him and even directly gaze at the Forgotten Spirit behind him!

'How could this be!'

'This is the power of the 'Old Alliance'!'

'It is the ancestors who lived in the horrific wasteland world of five hundred years ago!'

'How could someone from today's 'inferior' greenhouse era, devoid of Tainted Miasma, stand upright and calmly face a Forgotten Spirit!?'

Anger surged in Roca. Just as he was about to act, he suddenly had to quickly refocus his emotions and concentrate all his energy.

Because

He could feel that the Forgotten Spirit behind him... was about to open its eyes.

'Opening its eyes' is the final step of the entire blood sacrifice summoning process, and arguably the most crucial one. During this time, the Forgotten Spirit will briefly possess consciousness, revisiting the awareness it had five hundred years ago.

As the summoner, Roca had to seize this brief moment, the only opportunity he would have to communicate with the Forgotten Spirit, to gain as much recognition as possible from the ancestor.

The more recognition he could gain, the higher the compatibility would be, and the more power he could harness from the Forgotten Spirit in subsequent possession battles.

Roca concentrated his mind, even closing his eyes, shutting off all his senses, all for better communication with the Forgotten Spirit.

Finally.

The cat-man Forgotten Spirit behind him slowly opened its eyes, and the ancient aura from five hundred years ago peaked at this moment. Roca began to fully sense his Forgotten Spirit.

The first emotion that came from the Forgotten Spirit was a brief confusion.

This was normal, as it's the initial emotion of all Forgotten Spirits when summoned.

Soon after, Roca felt the Forgotten Spirit scanning its surroundings and very quickly focusing its attention on one point, surely him.

It was normal. After observing the environment, the Forgotten Spirit would definitely focus on him, the summoner, and no one else.

Roca even felt a bit smug.

Being noticed so quickly and with such focus by the Forgotten Spirit meant that the ancestor was very interested in him! No... it meant the ancestor valued him greatly!

Up to this point, everything was normal, just as taught by the 'Old Alliance'.

But then...

Roca became confused.

Surprise? Joy? Astonishment? Concern? Self-mockery? Anger? Happiness, happiness, happiness, happiness?

'Why The Forgotten Spirit was conveying so many emotions in just an instant!?'

''...''

Roca had never heard of such a thing!

Even the Forgotten with "bloodline inheritance" shouldn't be able to make their summoned Forgotten Spirits have such intense emotional fluctuations towards them!

'Wait don't tell me that...'

'Am I truly so uniquely talented, so highly valued by the ancestor!? To the point of such... joy!?'

Roca trembled with excitement.

Until...

The Forgotten Spirit spoke.

Was it a sigh, like compensating for some regret?

The Forgotten Spirit: "Sigh..."

The Forgotten Spirit: "Finally, Master decided to take off his cloak"

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Roca: "Master!?"

Roca: 'The Forgotten Spirit called me master!?'

Roca: 'And what about a cloak? What cloak!?'

Roca didn't recall wearing a cloak.

And he was even more puzzled by the Forgotten Spirit's words.

Removing a cloak seemed too simple to bother a Forgotten Spirit, an ancestor from 500 years ago.

Roca was baffled.

'How am I supposed to communicate with the Forgotten Spirit if I couldn't understand the ancestor's thoughts?'

But soon, he wouldn't have to worry about that.

Because

"Ah!" Roca suddenly screamed in agony as the sensory connection he had painstakingly established with the Forgotten Spirit was abruptly severed as if cut by scissors.

What frightened and confused Roca even more was that this was the action of the Forgotten Spirit, caused by the very spirit he had summoned.

The people of the Old Alliance had warned him about this.

Indeed, there were some unlucky ones whose summoned Forgotten Spirits resisted due to incompatibility, or because the spirits were too strong for them to control, leading to rebellion, loss of control, and rampage.

'But why would he which had shown such joy and positive emotions at the beginning, resist me?'

Roca, with his sensory connection forcibly severed, felt as if his brain had been stabbed with a needle. Despite the intense pain, he forced his eyes open, wanting to communicate with the Forgotten Spirit behind him...

'Wait, what!?'

'Where is the Forgotten Spirit!?'

Turning around with difficulty, Roca found nothing behind him. The ancestor he had summoned with great effort was... gone!?

'No!'

'It's... it's...'

'He… go to the noble young man!?'

"You!!"

Roca's eyes widened, and only at this moment did he realize a terrifying possibility.

'Could it be that the Forgotten Spirit, from the moment it 'opened its eyes', had never focused on me, but on him!?'

'Those intense emotions, and that inexplicable sigh of regret, were they all actually directed at...Him!?'

Overwhelmed by fury and the backlash from being rejected by the Forgotten Spirit, the jackal-man's orifices bled profusely, and he blacked out, collapsing unconscious.

"You really went hard on him, huh…"

Renji glanced at the blood-spitting, pitiful Roca, and addressed the Forgotten Spirit, or rather, his old friend, with a sigh.

The Forgotten Spirit shook his head and said with regret, "I can't kill him directly, or I would disappear too. Otherwise, I would never allow such a lowly creature to challenge you, Master Ashen"

"So..."

The Cat demihuman Forgotten Spirit paused, seemingly hesitant, nervous, and afraid of a certain answer, yet longing for it. Finally, he couldn't resist asking.

"It's been a long time, Your Highness. Do you..."

"Remember me?"

The Forgotten Spirit's eyes were fixed on Renji, freezing time in that moment. But this serious atmosphere quickly faded away.

Renji didn't answer directly but instead told a brief story.

"There was a well-known weakling in the cat tribe. While children of his age mastered awakening skills and activated their bloodline powers, he lagged far behind, always at the bottom in training. If he were of any other status, it would have been fine, but he was the chieftain's son, so he faced double the mockery and ridicule from his tribe. Even the girl from a neighboring tribe, betrothed to him, looked down on him. Eventually, even his father, the chieftain, gave up on him. In a fit of anger, the young cat-boy decided to leave home, vowing to return one day and prove himself to everyone."

"I'm not wrong, am I, Karl?"

The Forgotten Spirit listened intently and silently. He first nodded, then shook his head.

Karl: "You're a bit wrong. That chieftain's son didn't leave home in a fit of anger. He didn't have such ambition or courage. He was actually expelled for being an oddity, a useless weakling. His existence was just a waste of food for the tribe. But speaking of which... he was lucky."

"He was picked up by a kind-hearted person before being eaten by wild beasts. This person not only took him back to a settlement but also provided him with food, equipment, and taught him how to unlock his true potential, guiding him on a new path. He indeed returned as a hero in his tribe's time of crisis, saving his people and astonishing those who had once scorned, belittled, and despised him."

As he spoke, Karl, the cat Forgotten Spirit, slightly tilted his head, a gesture usually made by stubborn people trying to hold back tears. Then he realized, as a Forgotten Spirit, a projection from five hundred years ago, he could no longer cry.

What should have been a sad story left Karl feeling relieved and even fortunate.

Otherwise, he feared he might cry in front of his Master.

That would be too embarrassing.

What Karl didn't know was that Renji, his Master Ashen, also felt somewhat fortunate.

Fortunately, the Forgotten Spirit summoned by Roca was of very high quality, a five-star 'Disaster Rank' Karl.

For characters like that, no matter what, if they were reset, you would definitely have an impression, especially since almost all initial five-star characters have their own complete set of character backgrounds and settings. Karl, for instance, even had follow-up emergency missions that could be triggered.

To prepare for this moment, he spent several nights sorting through the 'Old Alliance' materials. Thankfully, it wasn't in vain. If Roca had summoned a three or four-star, he might have really been in trouble.

But

"Is that all, Karl? I thought you would question why I took away your power back then."

"Sigh, I did want to try that, but unfortunately, my profession is in the special ability category. I can't be as brainless as those guards or completely driven by emotions like the priests"

Karl let out a mock sigh, his scholarly nature unintentionally overshadowing the other two professions, a typical habit among those with special abilities. Quickly, though, Karl turned serious, speaking to Renji with sincerity:

"So, I'm very clear that what My Master did was right. My potential had its limits. If exchanging me could advance others with more potential, I was willing."

"Moreover,"

"Master Ashen, don't underestimate me. You indeed took away my power, but you couldn't take away the precious experiences of following you, the way you taught us, your consistently correct decisions."

"After being demoted and sent back, I couldn't reach the heights I had under your command, but I was able to regain half of my original power through dedicated cultivation. And far from the frontlines, in the safe rear guarded by you, I could focus on research, enjoy a peaceful and beautiful life. That was something countless people in that wasteland would have dreamed of!"

"Furthermore, Master, not just me, but many others chose to become teachers and instructors like me. We tried to emulate you, to cultivate talents for our settlements, cities, and empire. This is also... our way of contributing. We hoped this organization could be your shadow, ready to step forward when you need us most. It's the last bit of stubbornness from us 'abandoned' ones, hoping to surprise you, Master!"

"But now it seems,"

The Forgotten Spirit, Karl, turned his gaze towards the blazing city, engulfed in the chaos of Roca's plan, the innocent people enveloped and permeated by Tainted Miasma, the blood and fire, the cries, fear, and looting.

He sighed.

"It seems our organization... might have misunderstood something"