My Fate System

The incident on the ship was resolved after Lex regained her sanity, but it told Nikolai of another reason he was walking a lonely path. For him, the darkness felt like a home, but that wasn't the case for others.

The dark energy invaded their hearts and pulled out their darkest fears and flaws, rooting them in their mind. A touch with the explosion of his darkness made Lex's mind grow unstable.

Nikolai knew this wasn't a typical event but one induced by the Abyssal Art awakening. However, it made him more contaminating to the people around him, and he could see the fear in Yuxi's eyes as she helped the Gunmaster stand.

"There are more and more reasons for us to separate, huh?" Sergio stood beside him and sighed. Then, against Nikolai's wishes, the alchemist grabbed his shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry, boss! If it's only this issue, then there must be a potion to solve it!"

Nikolai could tell that the alchemist was genuine, but he pulled away as he shook his head. The alchemist's arm froze midair as he slowly lowered it.

"I don't plan on changing, nor am I planning on running away," Nikolai said to him with a frown. "This darkness is a part of me, and I'm not planning on treating it like a disease."

"I didn't mean..." Sergio shook his head before going silent. "I understand," he gave a nod as he walked toward the two girls. "Then I guess the end is near."

"It is," Nikolai stared at the stars above him, and he could tell they were approaching the forgotten island. Finally, their journey is coming to an end.

  ***

Three days later, Nikolai spent sitting on top of the mast, flashed by without the group realizing. He glanced down at the three people having their meal as they chatted about the battle they fought earlier.

"One of the birds stole a vial from my hand. Luckily it was an explosive one!" Sergio said with a laugh. "I guess he was just tired of living, poor fella," he sighed.

"It's a better plan than just standing there to be blown into nothingness," Lex smiled before she gulped down her soup. Then, Yuxi and Sergio began talking in sign language.

They invited him to eat with them, but Nikolai refused. It wasn't that he was edgy, but he simply had no appetite after using the Abyssal Art. However, there was a different kind of hunger awaiting him.

It scared him that the only way for him to be satisfied was to devour humans, but it wasn't as disturbing as it first was. There was only the dread of being a time bomb for his companions, as he might devour them if he didn't find another human soon.

There were still two days left before he needs to the curse festers, so he hoped that he would be done with the island by then. Nikolai looked at the map again, and he could tell that they were close.

"Here, Boss!" A plate appeared beside him on the watchtower, and Nikolai simply sighed and placed the map away. Sergio gave a bright smile as he held the plate of handpicked delicacies for him. "I'm sure that you must be hungry after that show!"

Sergio was referring to Nikolai's power obliterated the flying monsters, making the group shiver in fear. The Abyssal Art utilized his mana's bane of elements to destroy the world's phenomena and structure, bringing chaos.

Arts made mana more specialized, and they were one of the few things that depended on a person's hard work and understanding to grow powerful.

"I'm not hungry," Nikolai shook his head, but the disappointment on the blonde young man's face made him sigh and take the plate. "I'll try to eat it."

"Hehe, you won't be disappointed!"

After he said so, Sergio jumped down to have another lesson about sign language with Yuxi. Lex sat on the side, tweaking with a few machines she created. As for Nikolai, he stared at the food before placing a veggie in his mouth.

It was delicious, but it also made him feel like throwing up. There was something wrong with his stomach, and he could tell that he was changing. This change began after the awakening of his bloodline, but it was increasing by the day.

'Am I no longer human?' Nikolai turned to see Sergio stealing glances at him to make sure he was enjoying the food. Then, after a sigh, Nikolai began eating without the food reaching his stomach.

In the corner of his pocket dimension, the bites began to appear. It was a deceptive move toward his friend, but Nikolai didn't want to make him worry, as they must have noticed he wasn't eating for the past few days.

As he expected, Sergio grew cheerful after Nikolai finished the meal. He felt sorry that he wasn't as genuine as his friend, but they were never meant to be the same.

Then, he saw the edge of land from within the clouds. Of course, anyone who saw it would dismiss it as simply a shadow, but Nikolai knew that there must be a flying island somewhere around.

"Gunmaster," he didn't say her name. "Fly us higher than before, as high as you can," Nikolai said after he jumped down to land in the middle of the deck.

"Aye, aye, captain."

Lex went into the core room, and Alias began to rise higher than before. Unfortunately, the ship started growing unstable the higher they rose, and mana currents left marks on the hull. However, Lex's control was precise, and it made sure the ship didn't topple.

As the clouds clouded their view, Nikolai could feel the presence of condensed mana in front of them. He squinted his eyes as Alias rose more, but an ominous feeling overtook his heart.

"Slower!"

Alias began to slow down, and they rose higher without advancing. Slowly, they were leaving the clouds until Nikolai saw what gave him the ominous feeling.

A barrier appeared in front of the group, and clouds surrounded it. As Nikolai saw it, a feeling of despair bloomed in his heart. There was no mention about this barrier being in this place, and if he as he guessed it to be, then his efforts would be for naught.

"What do I do next?"

Lex came out and asked him, but Nikolai didn't know where to go from here. He looked at the barrier stretching into the distance, revealing no gaps whatsoever.

"Let's try to destroy it," Nikolai suggested, wanting to see if it was indeed as he guessed. Lex nodded and walked toward one of her crates, taking out a giant gun that looked like a portable cannon.

"You better cover your ears," Lex said as she took out a helmet and wore it, surrounding her head. She carried the gun toward the edge of the railing and aimed at the barrier.

The rest of them retreated away from the gun as she began to load it with mana crystals. Then, she pulled a few triggers, and the temperature started to rise. Lex took a firm hold of the gun as she looked at the barrier from beyond her helmet.

"3, 2, 1..." she counted down slowly. "Fire!"

A trigger was pulled, and a weapon was fired. The light blinded the group's vision as Alias was pushed far away from the barrier. Nikolai saw the shot leave the gun as the deafening sound shook their core and feared that it wouldn't break the barrier.

The mana explosion tore through the clouds, creating a tunnel through them. It reached the barrier in an instant, but it felt as it moved ever so slowly.

'If this doesn't work out, then this barrier is one constructed by that skill.'

A couple of skills shook the world to its core, and they were all of the Legendary Tier. They were called Absolutes because they cared not about strength nor rank as long as their conditions were met.

The conditions were bizarre and had nothing to do with the user's mana, which is why they were manifestations of omnipotence. Whoever used these skills could contend against higher ranks and might even emerge victoriously.

This was what Nikolai needed: a power that could help him until he grows powerful. However, he knew he was weak, and he could only use preparations to win against the powerful.

'Yet now,' Nikolai watched the mana blast strike the barrier, and a giant explosion occurred. 'It seems the property that I seek is the one hindering me the most.'

The explosion began to disappear, and the three walked toward the railing to see the result of such destruction. However, against all expectations and power, the barrier stood firm without a hint of a crack.

'At least it's true,' Nikolai thought to himself as he grabbed the railings. 'Whoever has this skill can be called The Invincible. The name is befitting,' he remembered the name of the skill he desired.

Absolute Shield.