Catalysts, including the Blanks, were special not because they were weapons full of energy suitable for fighting monsters and other Awakened, but because they were recognized by the Genesis Core.
The Blank that Torg created for Garet was no exception to this rule. If Garet wanted to obtain the full power of his Blank and one day grow it into a Catalyst, he had to create a Bond between the Blank and his Genesis Core.
It was an automatic process, but sometimes a Blank could resist, namely the Soul that became its foundation.
"GRH!"
A discharge of crimson flame and black lightning crashed down on Garet, causing his hand to tremble.
"Don't you dare loosen your grip!" Torg exclaimed, but did not come closer.
If he intervened, he would ruin everything.
"No matter how much it hurts, endure it! If you break the connection now, your Genesis Core will no longer accept this weapon as it will find the two of you incompatible!"
Garet gritted his teeth while his fingertips went numb.
"Tsk, easier said than done!" He cried out in pain, but continued to grip the hilt tightly.
Xir said nothing, as this was an important event in Garet's life that would reveal his nature.
'Not everyone has to tame their Blank like some kind of wild beast, but...' Xir muttered inwardly. 'He chose this Soul himself, no one forced him. It was meant to be this way.'
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
When the pain seemed unbearable, the Genesis Core trembled. It had a way to subdue the raging Soul.
[A forced Bond begins through Dusk and Dawn.]
Garet's eyes flashed as the pain disappeared, and his consciousness was transported to another place — in his inner space.
The blue sky and floating clouds changed to darkness, where the Soul of Inferno Wing appeared.
It was an emergency measure when the Blank did not want to obey, despite the Awakened's will. In this case, the urge of the Awakened stepped in, basically arranging a contest between two forces.
Garet, the Genesis Core, and Zenith were only spectators in this battle of raw power.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
A bright red light burst forth from nowhere, growing stronger with each passing second until it reached the solar eclipse disk with billowing flame.
'Is this... Is this the Rapture?' Garet did not expect his urge to be so frightening. 'But why? Shouldn't it be something vibrant?'
Rapture meant intense joy or bliss, which Garet definitely experienced while fighting for his life, but also overwhelming transcendence — at that moment, Garet ceased to be a mere human and ascended to a new level.
Now, his urge towered over the Soul of Inferno Wing, like a cruel sun before a lost star that thought too highly of itself.
The Soul of Inferno Wing darted around, first trying to lash out at the Rapture, then fleeing in the realization that victory wasn't in sight.
And when the Soul of Inferno Wing accepted its defeat, the Rapture disappeared, returning inner space to its normal state.
Whooooooosh.
Subdued, the Soul of Inferno Wing flew into the Genesis Core, as the dark orb trembled. Electrical discharges ran along it, for a moment revealing the cubes that made up the Genesis Core.
Flaming runes burned onto the cubes as the Genesis Core closed.
[Soul of Inferno Soul was held down. The Bond was completed.]
Garet received no further information, at least not until he blinked and returned to the real world.
The first thing that caught his eye was his sword.
[Name: Dormant Eclipse
Stage: First Genesis
Type: Weapon
Projection: Dark Cleave
Bond: Established (Forced).]
[Dark Cleave: Use the power of your sword to cause an uncontrollable dark slash, the power of which directly depends on the heat and spilled blood.]
Silence.
For a while, only silence remained, until...
"Ghm." Torg coughed. "Garet, are you okay?"
Garet gulped with a slight nod. "Yes... But what was that? You didn't say it would be so intense..."
"Agh." Xir shook his head as he approached them. "That's the forced control. The Soul you chose turned out to be surprisingly strong, not in terms of energy but in its will, refusing to give up even after Torg made it part of the sword. So, the Genesis Core had to intervene, and you saw your urge in its pure form, right?"
Garet nodded, understanding what Xir was talking about.
"Yeah, but is it normal for my urge to be so dark?"
Xir and Torg exchanged glances. Only Garet knew what he had seen in his inner space, but they had enough experience to understand the reason for his concerns.
"Don't think about it that way. Your abilities don't reflect who you are as a person. The same goes for your Zenith, energy, Genesis Core, and every component of your power as an Awakened."
Tap.
He poked Garet in the chest.
"Think about your actions and desires. That's what will allow you to remain a worthy person."
Garet nodded, then his gaze fell on the sword, and he smiled broadly.
"Alright, where can I use my ability?"
"Hahaha!" Torg laughed. "Now that's fighting spirit. How about your first mission? It's time to take your first step as an Awakened and contribute to this city!"
Not all newcomers went through such a difficult connection with their Blank, but now Garet had a weapon and a general understanding of what was happening in the city and the world.
Projection of his Blank was nothing but an ability of his weapon. Since it was a Blank and not a Catalyst, the Projection depended more on the Soul. However, in Garet's case, due to the intervention of the Genesis Core, his urge also influenced it.
Now, Garet had to rush straight into battle, but for that, he needed a mission.
"Hmm..." He tapped his foot impatiently. "How about this?"
He pointed to a card in the center of the Thorn Board. The card had a brief description of the mission, but most importantly, there was a small bronze shield below the middle, indicating that it was a Bronze Tier Mission.
"Let's see..." Melisa said, peeling the card off the board.
Torg stayed in the forge, he had a lot of work to do, and Xir returned to his home. The last time he slept was several days ago — he needed some rest.
So, Garet stayed with Melisa, who had to register his first mission and explain everything to him.
[Search for Stone Groug
Type: Search
Tier: Bronze
Goal: Find Stone Groug and return the Green Flower Bracelet stolen from the caravan during the monster attack at dawn.
Reward: 100 shield coins
Time to complete: unlimited or until the request is canceled
Penalty: none.]
Garet narrowed his eyes, carefully reading each point, unable to comprehend how so much could fit on a single piece of paper.
"Stone Groug... Damn, he looks menacing."
In the center of the card was a photo of the monster — Garet's target. A tall and powerful creature, significantly different from the wolf and the red beast he had fought earlier.
"Yes. Most of them are Second Order Monsters. Sometimes there are weaker or stronger ones, but I don't think that's the case here."
Garet blinked several times in confusion.
"Second Order?"
She nodded.
"You know that a monster's strength is determined by its Manifest. It's the same as the Genesis for the Awakened. These are your levels, and both the Awakened and monsters have sub-levels for a more accurate understanding of their power level. There are five orders in total."
Melisa pointed to the monster's photo.
"So, to be completely accurate, the Stone Groug is a First Manifest, Second Order monster."
"I see... Damn, so that means I'm at the very bottom!" Garet clenched his fists.
Melisa chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Hahaha, what did you expect?"
Then, she gave him a piercing glare.
"So, are you taking this mission or not?"
Garet's eyes flashed with fire and a desire to prove himself.
"Of course!"