Something was changing within Kaz—something he had never felt before. His hair felt stronger, healthier, as if it were pulsing with life. His pale caramel skin seemed to glow with new color. His body tingled with a strange energy, as though it were being rebuilt from the ground up. His bones felt denser, more solid; his skin smoother, almost unnaturally so. It was as if his entire body was being reborn—transformed into something new, something powerful, something unknown.
The feeling was a rush. Before rifting, Kaz had always felt tired, dragged down by the weight of the world and its endless burdens. But being chosen by the Rift Curse came with its perks, even if the world you were sent to was hell itself. So many had died to the curse, but Kaz had defied the odds. He did the impossible—grabbing a Prime Trait from a Lineage Stone while teetering on the edge of death. He was falling into the abyss, his body broken, his spirit hanging by a thread. And at the last second, she came—the Desert Queen, that horrendous scorpion, a creature of nightmares who tormented everything in her path.
It fell to him. Kaz knew he would die in that moment, but he didn't care. Death didn't scare him. Nothing did. The only thing that mattered was killing the creature that had hunted him, stalked him, and tried to end his life at every turn. No god came to save him—only his wit. And that was enough. It was his mind, his will, that carried him through, that kept him alive.
And for that, he was rewarded.
Even if he couldn't yet use all the perks he had gained, he held something far more valuable than any trait or blessing: the power to grow. With that alone, his potential was limitless.
If those born with Sage Traits were considered among the rarest beings to exist, then Kaz... Kaz was rarer. He was something entirely new. The rarest being to ever live.
Well… that's what Kaz wanted to believe, at least.
He thought he was the only one who could possess a trait on the same level as a Prime. But then there was Ryuma. That bastard had been with him right up until Kaz found his Lineage Stone—the moment that triggered his return home, just before the battle with the Desert Queen.
Knowing Ryuma, he was probably furious that he didn't get to face her himself.
Kaz couldn't help but wish he'd never seen him again.
In that cave, just before they were separated, Kaz had felt it—Ryuma wanted to fight. Not survive. Not escape. Fight. The guy was truly insane.
Kaz finally decided to visit his sanctuary for the first time—the place deep within where his Soul Crystal had begun to form. It was supposed to resemble the way he viewed his scripts, only deeper... rooted in the very core of his soul. And he was right.
On the outside, his body remained still. But on the inside, he could see everything.
The world within him was a vast, purple void. In the center, a massive shard hovered where his Soul Crystal should be. Kaz wasn't surprised by its incomplete state; he knew it wouldn't fully form until he claimed his second Lineage Stone. Still, the sight took his breath away.
Tornadoes twisted through the void, and debris from broken buildings drifted weightlessly in the air. Just beyond his line of sight loomed a shattered planet, pieces of it hanging like forgotten memories in the dark.
His sanctuary was beautiful… but utterly chaotic.
around his soul shard, where small items were his talismans, his jia, in the eyeless sense that could sense blood lust and nearby creatures and an armour, it must've been the silent marionette
before he could take a good look at the armor. Suddenly, the curse pulled him out of his sanctuary
[Awakening Trait ability...]
A Prime Trait was excellent and all—but without a strong Trait Ability to match, things could get difficult. That ability would shape everything: his fighting style, his strengths, even his role in the future. Kaz could only hope for a powerful offensive ability—something that would help him survive his first entry into Eden.
According to the stories, a novice's first time in Eden was always the most dangerous. They were sent to an uncharted region, a place untouched and unknown. Once there, they had to locate their Lineage Stone—the key to escaping and fully forming their Soul Crystal.
There were no guides. No safety nets. Only survival.
So his first ability is beyond important
[Trait Ability Acquired]
[Trait Ability Name: Chaos Control]
Kaz's heart pounded in his chest as the words burned into his vision. Chaos Control. He rushed to his scripts, hands almost trembling as he pulled up the description.
This was it—the moment that would define him. Knowing the name was one thing, but understanding what it did... that was everything.
He scanned the lines eagerly, his eyes locked on the glowing text. Whatever this ability was, it would determine how he fought, how he survived Eden, and who he would become.
Please, he thought, let it be something insane.
Name: Kazeem Steel
Truename: Far From Order
Rank Novice
Greed crystal: shard
Crystal fragment: [5/1000]
"My rank… it's still Novice?"
Kaz blinked, surprised. He had expected more—hoped for more. Maybe the progression of his Soul Crystal followed a different path than his Trait rank.
Still, it didn't make him any less significant. It just meant he would have to go through the entire process all over again.
And that was terrifying, to say the least.
He hated the Scorching Isle with every part of his being. That place was hell—blistering, merciless, and unforgiving. The thought of returning, of enduring it again, made his skin crawl.
Worse still, he'd have to go through it more than once.
This was only the beginning.
" lets see what the curse got for me"
Talisman: [eyeless sense][Lonesome star], [Silent marrionet]
Hollows:
Trait: Son of chaos
Trait rank: prime
Trait abilities: chaos control
Trait description: you have a slight influence with the world around you
He didn't really understand what it meant, not yet. But it meant something, and eventually, he'd have to figure it out.
"Nice... I guess," Kaz muttered, still processing.
But the curse wasn't done with him.
[Every Prime Trait carries one Sin and one Commandment.]
[You have been given the Sin: Greed.][And the Commandment: Rest.]
Kaz froze.
Greed? Rest?
His mind spun with questions. What did that even mean? Were they strengths? Restrictions? Curses hidden inside power?
Whatever they were, one thing was clear—they weren't optional.