The carriage fell silently through a veil of darkness, plunging Dimitri into an oddly comforting free fall.
He watched calmly as the cliffside above him rapidly disappeared, replaced by an endless, murky expanse. For a moment, Dimitri wondered if this sensation of weightlessness would last forever—if perhaps he'd float aimlessly in the void, forgotten by time itself.
A sudden shimmer disrupted his thoughts. Below him, a translucent layer rippled into existence, an ethereal veil waiting patiently.
"How considerate," he murmured dryly.
He struck the barrier moments later. Pain bloomed explosively, every nerve lighting simultaneously. His bones shattered instantly, flesh shredding on impact. Before the scream reached his throat, death embraced him gently, as if it had been waiting all along.
Darkness flooded Dimitri's consciousness, oddly familiar and disappointingly predictable.
[Congratulations. You Have Died.]
"Thank you," Dimitri replied flatly into the void. "I'm honoured, perhaps."
The reason why he asked his father to send him to the Endlands was this. And it seems his decision was the correct one.
'I should die… to form an alignment.'
[Alignment formed successfully.]
[Endless Death: Every death of yours will become your power. The more unique and gruesome the cause, the stronger the power you gain.]
The Endlands was a strange place. Only dead people could enter here, and people believed that's why no one had returned until now. However, Dimitri deciphered this place with a simple question:
'Why did this place only accept dead people?'
The Endlands was connected to the Star Line, so the rules to conquer this place were similar to those of the Star Line—absolute and universal. As per its laws, every challenge must give equal chances for success and failure.
Dimitri had no idea how the 'only dead people can enter' rule gave equal chances, but he still allowed himself to be the experiment. That seemed to be a correct decision.
The voice asking him to die wasn't a mere hallucination, but rather a way for him to form his alignment.
A smile appeared on his lips as he watched his heart slowly being replaced by a deck. The deck had countless slots, all of them locked behind a transparent screen—except one.
When he focused his attention on it, it suddenly zoomed in, and he instantly understood the contents in it, albeit not fully grasping the terms.
[Dimitrios Diamantakos]
Alignment: Endless Death (Nth Variable)
Rank: Seeker (1/7)
Ring: Red (0/100)
Deck(s):
•Deck 1: Endless Grave
[You have obtained a card.]
A glittering card materialized before him, shimmering faintly in the dark.
[Card Obtained: Sanguine Liquefaction]
About: Flesh melts, bone dissolves—form is fleeting, blood eternal.
Quality: Legendary
Current Quality: Common (0/100)
Effect 1: Transforms your entire body into liquid form.
"Wonderful," he mused.
Forming an alignment would replace a person's heart with a deck. The number of builds a deck could form depended on the variable number of his alignment. Dimitri's case was different.
His variable number was Nth. He had no idea what that meant or what was going to happen now. But he knew it was something strange and anomaly—and he should hide this as his biggest secret.
A build could hold fifteen cards, but they had to share the same properties to be in a build without conflicting. No one had allowed to taught him these things because his family only started official training after alignment.
However, his father was a bit talkative, so young Dimitri had learned many things he wasn't supposed to know. That included details about this place.
Patriarch father nepotism, he thinks.
The darkness around him stiffened, he was pulled out of it.
Dimitri gasped sharply as life surged back, sitting upright in a swirl of dust and debris. He glanced around, noting the mangled remains of the carriage scattered about. Patting himself, Dimitri found his body felt wrong.
He had a feeling that every part of his body was in a completely free state, as if they were all independent—free to do anything.
"This might actually become entertaining," he muttered, stretching experimentally.
He took two careful steps forward, feeling oddly confident. On the third step, however, he heard a soft click beneath his foot.
"Oh, lovely—"
A sharp blade erupted from the ground, skewering him directly through the chest. Blood filled his throat, choking off any further remarks. Dimitri gazed down, almost fascinated by the crimson bloom soaking his shirt.
"Of course," he choked out bitterly, slumping forward. "Perfect timing…"
Death claimed him swiftly once more.
Back in the comforting void, Dimitri sighed impatiently.
[Congratulations. You Have Died Again.]
"Yes, I noticed," Dimitri said drily. "Any new wisdom?"
A second card shimmered into existence before him.
[Card Obtained: Blood Arc]
About: Why need weapons when your body is one?
Quality: Legendary
Current Quality: Common (0/100)
Effect 1: Transform any surface you touch into a weapon formed by your own flesh and blood. You can sense the surfaces that might force you to summon this card.
Dimitri read the effect once more, a realisation touching him as he murmured:
"So indirectly, this card helps me to sense dangers?"
No one answered. But he was sure. Because the times he would be forced to use this card… would be the times he was walking into a trap.
How convenient. This might actually prolong his survival beyond thirty seconds.
The darkness released him once more.
Dimitri awakened again, stepping carefully away from the blood-soaked blade trap.
He felt a faint humming in his mind—a subtle warning that made him instinctively sidestep a loose patch of ground that had previously looked perfectly harmless. Now, countless sharp blades had erupted from it.
Dimitri paused thoughtfully.
"Useful indeed," he remarked quietly, proceeding with exaggerated caution. "Let's try lasting more than a minute this time."
A rustling sound interrupted his cautious walk. Dimitri turned toward a cluster of dead bushes, squinting suspiciously.
"Is someone there?" he called lightly. "Might I suggest we avoid unnecessary bloodshed? It's terribly inconvenient."
A hideous creature burst forth—a twisted mass of limbs. It lunged without hesitation, something hard ripping savagely into his throat. Dimitri sighed inwardly, almost resigned.
"Well played," he murmured wetly. Blood flowed freely, staining his vision red as he collapsed.
Death welcomed him warmly once again.
[Congratulations. You Have Died Again.]
"You could at least pretend to pity me," Dimitri said sourly.
A third card flickered into existence, radiating spectral energy.
[Card Obtained: Viscous Maw]
About: Bite back the maw biting you.
Quality: Legendary
Current Quality: Common (0/100)
Effect 1: Summon jaws behind or beneath the one bathed in your blood.
Dimitri noticed something strange about the cards he was obtaining.
'Why are all the cards I'm getting legendary?'