Ascension: Cursed Blood-Chapter 34: Reward and bad outcomes

The rifts weren't what destroyed the world. The Arcane Scripture did, but after the First Wave, it no longer showed itself.

The First Wave was the beginning and the end of everything. The runes brought destruction, unleashing hundreds of rifts and hordes of soulless, rage-blinded monsters. The First Wave had only one 'gift' to mankind - the Rune Brand.

Then, the Arcane Scripture no longer appeared in this world, leaving the trials for Tainted and Awakened at the Astral Dimension, another world full of pain and hope.

Rifts appeared from time to time, mostly in the forbidden lands. The Arcane Scripture had nothing to do with it, it was the fault of the Tainted and Awakened.

Kain blinked a few times, looking at the black sword hovering over the bridge, the treasure guarded by the wandering runes.

"What is that?" he gulped.

"Hah, it's your first clearing of the rift, right? Although I'd say in this case we just closed it before the portal had a chance to open. It happens sometimes, not always, but it does. So you can consider us lucky."

Again.

A strange feeling consumed Kain.

Was he lucky again?

Could it be that it wasn't the curse, but that he had provoked his misfortune and treated his luck terribly? Both now and with the stone throne.

'Hah, fuck no.' he internally shook his head. 'These events happened because of actions, they could have been predicted. Luck cannot be controlled.'

Well, Kain was clearly not the one to say that.

Tap.

Kreyn slung his rifle on his back as he clapped Kain on the shoulder.

"Come on, boy. That sword isn't going to run anywhere, but don't you want to look at this Artifact?"

Most of the monsters went back to the rift, the ones that didn't make it scattered around the city. They were few and feared Kreyn like fire, but it was still a problem that the Keepers should have dealt with, not him. He fulfilled his task.

"By the way. Why did the rift open?" Kain asked following Kreyn. "Someone called you to warn you about it. Someone knew it was going to happen."

Kreyn nodded. "Yeah, but they don't know why. Well, while there could be several reasons, I think in this case it's a Tainted, or some Contender, screwed up with the Ascension Rune."

"Hmm?" Kain raised an eyebrow. "Like, someone couldn't find it?"

"Nah." he shook his head. "There's no time limit on that. You can search for the Ascension Rune for ten years if you want, though I don't know anyone who hasn't died in that long while remaining a Tainted. It's all about the timing.

"If a Tainted dies or something gets in the way during the process, the runes and all energy are destabilized. This causes the Tainted to die, and a rift opens up somewhere."

"The location is chosen at random?"

Kreyn scratched the back of his head. "No, not really. It all depends on the region. The runes wander like the wind, but they have their patterns and don't stray too far from the original location. That means some Contender from the third dome recently died right at the moment of receiving the Ascension Rune."

"Damn, that's rough. It's like someone pushed you into an abyss right before the finish line." Kain shuddered, for a moment, he imagined that Valkyra would catch him right in front of the stone throne.

"Well, sometimes you can fall into the abyss yourself." Kreyn shrugged, unconcerned.

"What does that mean?"

Kreyn sighed heavily. "The Ascension Rune doesn't just need to find you, it needs to accept you."

"What? Is it possible that the Ascension Rune will reject you? That's terrible! It all comes down to mere luck!"

"No, don't be ridiculous." Kreyn said sharply. "Those are sad stories. It means that the person lost all will to continue fighting and even live, though he managed to find the Ascension Rune. Then, the Ascension Rune fulfills the will of the Tainted and basically kills him."

"Shit."

"Yeah, there's no other way to put it. The worst fate for a Tainted."

Soon, they got to the sword.

Kain ran his gaze over the weapon, amazed.

"Is this how Artifacts appear?"

Kreyn waved his hand. "Sort of. One way, though it's the main one, for Artifacts to come directly to our world."

"What would happen if you didn't shoot the crystal?"

"The rift would have fully formed and moved into the portal stage. The first wave of monsters would come out of the rift, dozens at once, you've seen it all with your own eyes, but you need a portal to keep going.

"There won't be so many monsters, but they will gradually come out and fill the areas in search of runes and blood. Moreover, the longer the rift exists, the stronger it becomes and grows. My shot broke through the barrier first, and only then the crystal."

Kain nodded deeply. If it wasn't for Kreyn, there was no way he could handle the rift.

"Alright, enough of the upsetting stuff. You've learned enough, it's all over, now let's get to the fun part!" Kreyn stated.

The artifact floated in the air, runes circling it like loyal protectors guarding the treasure from the unworthy.

As soon as Kreyn got too close, the runes gathered into a seal, preventing him from going any further.

Kain blinked several times, puzzled. "What is this? The lock? Are the runes trying to stop you?"

"Yeah. That rift was the First Threat Level, so we could only get the Tier I Artifact. And, here we are. This artifact is right in front of us."

Kreyn reached out, touching the seal.

"To open the seal, you need a key - runes. The runes must be the same or more powerful. That means I can open this seal, you can too, because you are a Tarnished, and that equals the power of this rift. However, if there were some Contender here, it wouldn't work."

Then, runes ran down Kreyn's arm like the summoning of the Codex.

The seal shattered, myriad fragments crashing to the ground.

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At the same moment, the sword came down, plunging into the worn bridge with its blade.

Kreyn took the sword by the hilt, a stream of runes flashing deep in his eyes.

"Oh, not bad, not bad at all. Would you like to see it, Kain? But, I warn you. I will take this sword and sell it! Hahaha! I did most of the work after all!"

"Hah." Kain shrugged. "Thank you for that one. Every new Artifact is like a lottery. You don't know what you're going to get, but you always want to find out."

...

At the same time, a squad in white and blue outfits ran among the ruined streets. The Watch Tower C-3 loomed in the distance.

The site of the rift opening was not far away, as well as the new Keeper who would present himself to the Rune Society in a new light.