Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"I can tell that it is made of the same material as the handle," Isa said. "Sorry for saying that, but I know for a fact that running a way from something unpleasant isn't a good idea."

"... I suspected as much," Rain thought and then sighed. "I won't say that this is a family heirloom, but are you fine giving me this?"

"I was supposed to be giving you something of equal value compared to what you gave me, but this can be a curse as well," Isa said. "It is a powerful relic that will increase your abilities, but it will also torment you a fair bit."

Those words bothered Rain a fair bit, but he needed to gain as much power as possible. Since most of the water dragons were there, it was their best chance to decrease their numbers massively. At the same time, they could recover another relic and finally bring closure to at least one of the aspects of the war of one hundred years ago.

In any case, as soon as Rain grabbed the sword, he felt his body being overwhelmed by a malevolent energy. Rain experienced a sensation akin to sinking, as if an immense weight, comparable to a concrete block, pushed him to an endless sea. In this sea, the waters were not just of a singular emotion or feeling but a tumultuous expanse embodying a multitude of intense and conflicting emotions.

As he descended further, Rain found himself submerged in a surreal mental landscape, one that was starkly different from his own consciousness. This landscape was devoid of light, engulfed in darkness that was absolute and profound. It exuded an aura of coldness that permeated the very fabric of this mindscape.

Within this expanse, Rain was surrounded by a maelstrom of emotions—rage seethed and boiled like a tempestuous storm, lust pulsed with an intensity that was both captivating and unsettling, laziness hung heavy like a suffocating fog, pride loomed large and domineering, hunger gnawed with insatiable voracity, greed clawed at everything within reach, and envy cast a shadow of resentment and covetousness.

"... To think that a human would finally put their hands on me," An ominous female voice echoed in the dark room. "That dirty bitch finally died? No… I can see that she is still around and she gave me to you. Do you desire power?"

"This is a cliched way to start a conversation," Rain said while looking around. "You must have considerable power if you can push me toward your domain even after being sealed for tens of thousands of years."

"You can use a domain too… that is why I can't read your mind. The presence of those inside the domain are interfering as well… five of them are completely unders your influence as for the other two… I see…. you are someone who managed to Reincarnate. You had the courage to sacrifice your power for another chance in the future. Was that it?"

"Yes," Rain said.

Rain found himself confronted by the spirit residing within the new relic, and this entity seemed to be making a series of assumptions. To gather more information and perhaps gain some leverage, Rain decided to engage with the spirit, playing along with its assumptions in the hope of finding more details or insights. However, this tactic didn't prove effective for an extended period.

"Why are you lying?"

Despite his attempts to entertain the spirit's assumptions or cater to its expectations, it soon became evident that this approach was reaching its limits. The spirit remained guarded and resistant, refusing to divulge more substantial information or failing to cooperate further, leaving Rain at an impasse in his attempts.

"None of your business," Rain said. "Who are you and why is this place like this? I am not very patient with people like you, so you would do better in cooperating with me."

"... I will tell you once I deem you worthy of my power, until then, I will just watch,"

In the next moment, Rain found himself back to the warehouse. Isa was still waiting for his response, but Rain just shrugged.

"Just like the other relics, this one is a tricky one," Rain said. "She said that she won't do anything until I am worthy to her. What can this relic do?"

"My father never told me and this woman never tried to seal away her own power when I was nearby, she always tried to lure me with the promise of power," Isa said.

"I guess this won't be useful for a while… wait a minute, the others are bothering me," Rain said and then returned to his mental landscape.

When Rain arrived there, he found a new room in there… one completely covered in darkness. He assumed that it was where the spirit of the Sword was supposed to be… it was annoying that she could do that by herself. Regardless, the others looked rather nervous. Even the absent looking spirits. They looked rather pale… for spirits.

"... It looks like you found another person like us, but many times worse than Nigel," Larisa while her skin was crawling.

"Can you please keep her away from here?" Nigel asked. "I won't deny that I have been doing some bad things, but I don't think that I deserve this kind of punishment. It almost feels like a dragon has become a neighbor."

"That should be a good lesson for you, then," Rain said. "You have been annoying from the very beginning."

"Are you fine keeping that thing here?" Larisa asked. "That thing absorbed the dragon's blood so much that her relic looks like that… It is an amalgamation of vile energy. We were willing to give up on our humanity to defeat them, but not to the point that we could become worse than them."

"I guess that explains why she is so strong even though she has been sealed for tens of thousands of years…" Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Did she kill that many dragons from that period, or did she find pieces of them over time?"