A shadow began to form atop a building. Upon arriving, Deuz sat on one of the edges and gazed down at the lights illuminating all of New Caven.
—Haaaah... It feels good to finally be free from living with all of them— Sighing with happiness and relief, the shadow opened his status window— With how rushed my ascension was, I didn't even have time to check this:
[«Name: Deuz»
«Age: 3,518 years»
«Title: Shadow of Forgotten Vengeance»
«Rank: Dominator»
«Ascension Points: 0/600»
«Abilities»
«Innate Shadow: You are the last true shadow. Thanks to your long life, your innate abilities have been refined to levels your species could only dream of. As the last true shadow, all other shadows recognize you as their one and only legitimate leader»
«Tyrant's Perception: Your senses forged under the cold, silent temper of shadows allow you to see what others cannot see, hear what others cannot hear, and feel what others cannot feel. You can even influence others' perception»
«Shadow Tyrant (Grade S): To achieve his purpose, the Shadow Tyrant will devour even knowledge itself - all to grow stronger. Grants the additional ability to briefly and lucidly glimpse revelations of fate itself»
«Current Knowledge (56/100)»
«Eye of Shadows 25/100: Can see through any lie, illusion or deception. Reads opponents' intentions just by looking at them»
«Tyrant's Crown 50/100: The Tyrant obtains a crown that enhances his base power. The crown's effect is amplified by how many beings the Tyrant has slain. Current enhancement: 1.5»]
—(So that's my new ability. Releasing Masuku allowed me to obtain more knowledge than I expected, though it's normal - after all, its mere appearance confirmed several of my theories. In any case, this new ability is very powerful. It definitely makes me feel like I have an S-rank apprentice ability like Shoun... With this crown, I think I have chances of beating him in a situation where we're at the same rank. That it's only "chances" and not something certain completely irritates me. I wish I could have killed him, but this thing still binds us)— Deuz looked at his chest, where a beam of light emerged, apparently pointing nowhere, but the shadow knew exactly where - or rather, who it was pointing at—(Our destinies are linked, and until I have the capability to break that connection, it will be impossible for me to kill him... It's already a miracle that I can be aware of my destiny. The other Codex bearers can only be half-aware of theirs when they reach rank 4, and truly certain at rank 5. As for me, I've known since I became a Seeker. The part about "seeing what no one else can see" is quite literal).
For a moment, Deuz paused his train of thought, remembering everything about his abilities, causing a new smile to spread across his face.
—(It's amusing to think how I deceived both groups using different abilities with each. With the four useless humans, I used my first ability to feign a complete skillset... Even if I could use all my abilities, it probably wouldn't have changed much - my first ability remains by far my most powerful one. Fortunately, I had just ascended at that time. With my apprentice ability to glimpse bits of the future, I knew exactly how to mold my persona to easily appeal to Shoun and the others - though I probably could've done it without that ability! After all, they're such gullible airheads! As for the three fools, I had to play a significantly weaker role, so my second limited ability was more than enough, though I had to borrow the concept of Kaze's ability... In retrospect, it was bold of me to use the name "Kai" for my persona, since even back then I knew he was most likely watching me).
Deuz began scanning the sky using his second ability, trying to find even a trace of what he sought, but quickly gave up and abandoned the process.
—(Pointless. It's too elusive for me or anyone to find. It's obvious now that every clue about its existence was planted by itself... Tch, thinking about Kai makes me feel insignificant)— Wanting to drop the subject, Deuz pulled two books from his shadow, the same ones he and Shoun had taken from the Mausoleum of Gloom—(It's curious how of all the books Shoun could have chosen to take, he picked two that tell the story of my people. Fortunately, the translation took just enough time for me to complete the preparations for Masuku's release... I'm still intrigued by what the existence of the Mausoleum could mean. Is it perhaps a sign that I'll achieve my goal? I'd be happiest to succeed in eliminating humanity, but I know it's not that simple, especially with the existence of the Pagoda of the Second Horizon, which makes everything even more confusing. In any case, first I must sever this damned fate of mine, and then I'll finally be able to focus on my plans)—Deuz looked down at New Caven one last time from the heights. With his keen vision, he could see thousands of humans going about their daily lives - returning from work, going out to have fun, shopping, all these actions made the shadow's face twist into an expression of pure hatred—(Humans... You're the worst scum this filthy planet has ever spawned. I'll personally make you pay for what you did to my people... for what you did to her. And unlike you, I won't leave any loose ends).
With one final spit of contempt toward all humanity, Deuz rose from his seat and began sinking into the shadows.
—(I must prioritize my ascension! When I reach rank 4, perhaps I'll have a chance to break these chains binding me. And when that time comes, those four will be my primary targets. I can't let them interfere any further!).