Anamnesis of the "Greatest" Blacksmith

A desolate, jet-black abyss.

Suffocating in its endless expanse, silence echoed louder than any sound.

I existed alone in such a place.

I tried to make sense of my surroundings; a thought crossed my mind: am I dead? The notion of mortality lingered, but then a flicker of recognition sparked within me. No… I’ve been in this place before.

I remembered. This was a dream.

It wasn’t the first time I had this same dream—a dream I still couldn’t understand. It was repetitive, repeating itself for the past few days.

This void I floated in was unlike any other void I had encountered. It was imbued with an eerie sense of déjà vu, as if I had traversed its depths countless times before.

I scanned my surroundings, my gaze darting from left to right, anticipating the onslaught of fragmented scenes that had plagued my previous encounters with this dream. Yet, they remained elusive, refusing to materialize before my eyes.

“Ψγουøwβэιलсλoεæφλωiтloδλlμεæγgоœδdфαιεiχτδøεæiβεννηγαsοшrδэdэfδ.”

A strange and garbled message invaded my thoughts, a cacophony of discordant whispers that echoed through the recesses of my mind.

The words held no meaning to me; their significance was clouded in a veil of confusion.

Still, I had yet to figure out what they were even trying to convey. It was as if my subconscious was desperately attempting to convey something of utmost importance, yet the message remained frustratingly elusive.

“These voices… are really bothersome…” I muttered.

The quest for understanding continued, as I delved deeper into the recesses of my own mind, seeking answers that seemed just out of reach.

The familiarity of the void and the recurring nature of the dream only added to the sense of confusion that consumed me.

I closed my eyes tightly, desperately hoping to silence the chaotic whispers that were echoing in my mind. However, to my dismay, instead of fading away, the whispers only grew louder, intensifying the turmoil within me. It was frustrating, but I had to acknowledge the logic behind it.

If closing my eyes didn’t work, perhaps opening them would provide some relief.

With a hesitant breath, I slowly opened my eyes, fully expecting the stifling pool of utter blackness that had engulfed me to once again plague my vision.

◇

However, I found myself in a royal hall, surrounded by ornate tapestries and flickering torches. The walls were adorned with exquisite decor, each one meticulously woven with complex designs that seemed to come alive in the flickering light of the torches.

The whispers that had initially caught my attention now merged with the distant melodies of enchanting music and the infectious laughter of the guests.

“This… is different than last time…?”

Valuable artefacts and priceless artwork adorned every corner, showcasing the wealth and sophistication of the area. The air was heavy with the intoxicating scent of incense and perfume, adding an ethereal touch to the already surreal atmosphere.

I recognised this place as the Astorian palace.

The air was heavy with the scent of incense and perfume, adding to the surreal atmosphere.

I could move as if I were in reality. I could feel the soft velvet of the tapestries under my fingertips, hear the clinking of glasses and silverware, and see the flickering shadows cast by the torches on the walls.

“King Acheron, may I have a word with you?”

A voice from behind me called out, breaking the silence that enveloped the grand palace. The unexpected title of “king” echoed in my ears, causing a momentary confusion to wash over me.

I turned to face the source of the voice, only to find a butler standing there, his eyes expectant and his demeanour respectful. It was at that precise moment that the realisation hit.

I was the king.

Now, what would you think if you suddenly found yourself in a position of power and authority in a place that felt more like a dream than reality? How would you navigate this surreal situation while trying to maintain your composure and make decisions as a leader?

Well, I tried making sense of everything.

“Uhh, sure...”

The butler began speaking, but his words sounded ineffable and otherworldly. I was in a dream, after all. But this one felt more real and different than the last iterations.

In the midst of this surreal encounter, my attention was abruptly diverted by the sight of the blade hero, Kiyomi Ken, charging towards me with killing intent.

Her eyes burned with an intense rage, and her words, though fragmented and unintelligible, carried an unmistakable threat.

“—?!”

I couldn’t move.

A metaphysical force seemed to hold me in its grip, rendering me powerless and vulnerable.

She got closer.

And closer.

And closer...

The moment her blade struck, a profound transformation occurred. Everything around me flipped upside down—my regal attire, the very building I stood in, my sense of reality.

The building crumbled as if it were an illusion, revealing a vast, plagued battlefield beyond.

The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, and the sky was a sickly shade of green. The ground beneath my feet felt unstable, as if I were standing on shifting sands.

Bodies.

Human.

Elf.

Monster.

Bodies of every race you could imagine. All lying mangled and motionless on the ground, their blood staining the earth. Weapons were also scattered on the blood-soaked earth, broken and disordered.

The whispers became more intelligible; their words were no longer an amalgamated discord.

“You caused this…” They repeated, their accusatory tone hanging in the air.

I looked around. I caused this…? I thought, my mind racing to piece together what had happened.

“How could I have caused this? I’m not even that—”

I paused. The last situation was me as king. Now I’m in a valley of death and devastation. Are these all connected? Did a war happen here? Did I cause the war?

Despite not knowing the answers, the feeling of power and control lingered in the air—a sinister satisfaction that made me smile subconsciously.

The thought of being responsible for such destruction exhilarated me. Let it be proof and control that power rules over all, even in the face of chaos and ruin.

“Did… I survive this?” I asked.

The whispers, though chaotic in their words and replies, confirmed that I did indeed survive the war that had ravaged the valley.

Despite my lack of knowledge regarding the answers to the questions that plagued my mind, there was an undeniable presence of power and control that permeated the atmosphere. It was a sinister satisfaction that I couldn’t help but feel, causing an involuntary smile to form on my face. The mere thought of being responsible for such immense destruction sent a surge of exhilaration through my veins. It was as if this chaos and ruin were a testament to the undeniable rule of power and control, a force that had the ability to shape and reshape the world as it saw fit.

In the midst of the devastation, I found myself questioning my own survival.

“Did... I survive this?” I asked.

The whispers that surrounded me, although chaotic in their words and replies, provided confirmation that I had indeed managed to endure the war that had ravaged the valley.

Power and control really do rule over all, even in the aftermath of destruction. The realisation that I had emerged victorious from such chaos only fueled my desire for more power and control.…

The taste of triumph lingered on my tongue, igniting a hunger within me that craved for even greater dominion.

But as I stood there, basking in the aftermath of my triumph, the world around me began to fade.

The dark colours of reality faded into nonexistence, and the dream dissolved into darkness.

◇

I was back in the void.

However, this time, there was a distinct difference in the atmosphere.

A vivid and lurid white glow pierced through the darkness, capturing my attention.

I turned to see two floating scythes. One of them possessed a pristine white hue, while the other seemed to lack a defined form, its existence only indicated by a faint white outline.

They were scythes unlike any I had ever seen—not that I saw many in that life—emanating an inexplicable power that drew me in.

Two gemstones on either side. Each had an icosahedral shape.

On the side that lacked a discernible form, the gemstones appeared to be devoid of any physicality, their existence solely defined by the pure white outline that surrounded them.

On the other hand, the pure white side of the scythe was more straightforward in its appearance, requiring no further explanation.

As I stood there, captivated by the sight before me, a voice reverberated through the darkness, its origin unknown but its presence undeniable.

“Only the absolute ruler can wield the Proto-Primordial Nihility and the Proto-Primordial Pleroma.”

The voice sounded oddly familiar… Like myself, in a way? It was hard to determine where the voice was coming from, but I felt a sense of recognition.

Absolute power and control were my ultimate goals; the scythes seemed to be calling out to me, beckoning me to take hold of them.

Even though the whole situation felt surreal, I couldn’t resist the temptation to reach out and grasp the hilt of the pure white scythe. The moment my fingers tried touching it, they vanished.

Suddenly, a blinding light enveloped me, and I found myself in a different realm altogether. Floating.

Hovering crystals scattered around a cosmic void, emitting a deep purple glow, depicted scenes in their crystalline facets that made me feel as if I were watching my fate in a hyperdimensional paradigm (or perhaps decending into madness).

First, there were the bodies from the battlefield scenario.

Then there was me as the Astorian king. It was a strange sensation, one that I couldn’t quite explain.

But what truly caught my attention was the presence of my adoptive (demonic) family, their faces reflecting off the crystal’s facets.

And then there were the two scythes; their significance was both profound and enigmatic—the two scythes that seemed to represent everything and nothing themselves.

They opened a portal before me.

I felt a magnetic pull. I couldn’t float away from it.

The portal got bigger and bigger. A modern-looking world filled with tall concrete buildings and crowded streets peeked through.

“Wake up, it’s not time yet... You will remember this as a dream once again…”

I was about to float through before time halted. No, more like, it ceased to exist.

The voices echoed in my mind, urging me to wake up from this dream-like state.

I tried to resist, for some reason, but the pull was too strong. The voices grew louder, urging me to return to reality.

“Wακε υp… γου ηεεδ το go βαcκ… I ωιll gυιδε γου.”

That’s when I felt a sense of urgency and confusion as I struggled against the force pulling me back. But in the end, I succumbed to the inevitable.

Eventually, with that final command…

I shut my eyes and allowed the darkness to, once again, consume my vision.