The room shook as a loud, deep rumble echoed, seemingly coming out of nowhere and everywhere at once. The entire building, which I still hesitated to really call the Corridor, vibrated along with it, like a gigantic resonance chamber. Even the flow of water at my feet was stopped by the shaking.

The sound seemed to dominate everything, truly, halting even Light and Darkness in its wake. Both visibly tried to resist. Black tendrils furiously wiggled, and rays of light shone chaotically, in obvious defiance. For a moment, it even seemed like the unthinkable duo might win. But, that moment was soon over, and The Boom thundered again, further subduing both forces. Then, again and again it came, reducing the opposing elements to the tiniest of specks.

They were still there, I could tell as much, ever available if I suddenly decided to take either of them on their offers. But... I guess, in a way, seeing them cower, for lack of a better word, gave me the impression that no longer did either of them even dare to take a single step out of line. Not as long as The Boom was still asserting its metaphorical dominance.

The latter’s pulsations became a regular thing, by the way, with a new one showing up every couple of seconds. Perhaps, it was a bit like a particularly slow heartbeat. There was a steady beauty to it, though, a primordial rhythm of sorts. Even the somewhat ominous inky waters by my feet seemed almost joyful as they danced along, ebbing back and forth as The Boom continued its unchanging song. It was, I somehow knew, the same song it had shared with the rest of creation since the very beginning.

Closing my eyes again, I focused on tuning myself to that sound, feeling that there was a hint of something there. A deeper meaning. An inherent truth hidden in that rhythm, perhaps.

I would be hard-pressed to tell exactly how long I silently stood there for, my very bones vibrating along with the unfathomable pulse that somehow obscured even the passage of time. It could have been just a few minutes, or perhaps half an eternity. Whatever the case, eventually, some manner of understanding finally dawned upon me.

Unlike its predecessors, The Boom didn’t ask anything of me for its help, for there was nothing it could want from me. Nor, did it offer anything else, for, aside from keeping the siblings in check, there was nothing much it could do for me either. It just... was. And its steady beating was an invitation to, at least temporarily, partake of that same, unassuming blessing; no promises or strings attached.

Before I even became aware of it, I found myself grinning. A basso profondo joined The Boom at that moment, holding a single, steady note that went along nicely enough with its regular beating. Then, eventually, our voices became one and the same. In that state of harmony, I belatedly realized that, in fact, our voices had always been one and the same; I had just been too deaf to hear it.

For whatever reason, our song somewhat reminded me of brine and saltpeter. Of the sea and unending caverns. Of gold and white marble...

Whatever reminiscence my mind had tried to bring to the forefront was quickly buried once again, though. As I was about to delve into those insinuated memories, my voice, our voice, was suddenly joined by a thousand others.

I couldn’t tell, for the life of me, exactly where they came from, but each and every one of them contributed to the whole. As if they just naturally belonged. And yet, something about it kept bothering me. It wasn’t a bad feeling, per se, just...

After a moment, once understanding finally dawned upon me, I couldn’t help smirking. The choir’s hymn wasn’t new to my ears, not really, anyway. As a matter of fact, it was the same deep song I had heard while falling, what felt like an entire lifetime prior.

Despite myself, an amused chuckle escaped my lips, bringing a sudden end to my own song. The others kept singing, though. But, even though their tunes hadn’t changed, somehow their singing now felt like a reluctant lamentation. That, too, seemed strange to me.

However, I wasn’t able to dwell on the idea. An instant later, I felt the world shifting around me once more. When I opened my eyes once again, the entire scene was nowhere to be found. Instead, I was back in the waking world, lying on the ground in a broken body.

What just-

The change was so sudden that my brain had a hard time adapting to it. I repeatedly blinked, several times, trying to focus, but my entire being seemed to be out of sorts. It took me a while to come to terms with what had happened. And, even after I did, I could have sworn I was missing something. The most important part even. No matter how hard I racked my brains, though, I couldn’t seem to remember exactly what it was, nor even what it related to. In the end, I could only give up on it.

Honestly, after a fashion, the entire experience felt like nothing more than a silly dream, anyway. The words floating before my very eyes were a testament to the contrary, though.

 

Congratulations! Finding comfort in Light, you have decided to pursue the righteous path of Order by choosing to Affiliate to #$%#-

Failed!

Congratulations! Captivated by the temptation of Darkness, you have decided to forego all pretense in the pursuit of Power by choosing to Affiliate to #$#$#-

Failed!

Override... Allegiance: Self.

Congratulations! After a moment of thorough self-inspection, you have decided to Align with the Principle of #$%%$-

Congratulations! After taking the reins of your wrath, you have decided to Align with the Principle of #$%%$-

Failed!

Override... Alignment: Antinomy.

 

Error!

 

Calculating...

 

In all honesty, I had to read the runes several times before they began to make any sense. Even then, I was too mentally tired to do any actual, productive thinking. So, ignoring the multiple questions that could have stemmed from both the prompt and the experience behind it, my mind went for the proverbial lowest-hanging fruit. Namely, the glaring fact that I was well and thoroughly fucked.

If I hadn’t previously gotten things wrong, the only reason I was still alive at the moment, despite the deplorable state of my body, was a certain magickery known as ‘Complete Stasis’, courtesy of the System. Incidentally, that was an intervention whose only alleged purpose, that of letting me acquire an ‘Allegiance’ and ‘Alignment’, had just been fulfilled.

Thus, leaving aside any considerations on how, exactly, my recent experiences translated to getting either of those things, I could only guess that I’d soon be paying another visit to the Corridor. Probably, about as soon as the System got done with... whatever it was currently ‘calculating’ at the moment.

It was hardly the first time I’d found myself in a scenario where my life and death were no longer in my hands, though, so I just fell back on my usual strategy.

Unsolvable-Problem Solving 101; ignore it until it either blows up or gets smashed away by sheer happenstance!

And ignore it I did, with utmost fastidiousness!

Instead of focusing on such useless concerns, I made use of the long, looong interim that ensued to revisit and make sense of my most recent experiences. After all, my interaction with ‘The Boom’ -and, yes, with a more clear mind, I could only cringe at the thought of my naming sense- seemed to have had some sort of deep meaning.

I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what it would entail for me, in the future. Provided the latter was still an option in my current life, of course... Although, even if that wasn’t the case, perhaps my new so-called ‘Allegiance’ and ‘Alignment’ carry on with me into death and my next life? For some reason, I couldn’t really discard the notion.

Hell, in the first place, what in the world does owing ‘Allegiance’ to ‘Self’ even mean? And what about my ‘Alignment’ with ‘Antinomy’?

Needless to say, those questions had been meant as at least quasi-rhetoric, nothing more than a target for my inner creative bastard to shoot on. For once, though, it seemed like the System was in a surprisingly cooperative mood.

 

Allegiance: Self

As The Whole, so is the Soul! As the Soul, so are we!

Oh, deceivers! Oh, spurious wardens!

How could we then bear to be held subject to your middling mandates!

Effect:

Seeker of Balance: Vessel is precluded from voluntarily initiating external manifestations of Pneuma. In exchange, all Inherent Skills are significantly strengthened.

Scion of Opposites: Vessel may connect with Nodes on either side of the Spectrum.

Objector of Order: Unlock access to the restricted Alignment ‘Antinomy’.

Savant of Cycles: Vessel obtains an instinctive understanding of the ebbs and flows of Pneuma and subtler forms of Substance.

Agent of Flux: Vessel may physically interact with Pneuma and subtler forms of Substance.

 

Alignment: Antinomy

The Law? Ha, duplicitous mongrel! Charlatanry and chicanery!

There are but Seven that matter, and none stemming from your lips!

Effect:

Contrarian Nature: Vessel cannot be Bound.

Bullheadedness: Vessel becomes permanently impervious to any handicaps or bonuses stemming from third-party Alignments or Allegiances.

 

Man, that’s a lot to take in, bu-

Even as my somewhat apathetic eyes perfunctorily scanned the prompts for a second time, my still-addled brain finally caught on to a little detail.

Wait, wait, wait! Time off! Stop!

Doesn’t ‘precluded from voluntarily initiating external manifestations of Pneuma’ just sound like some convoluted way of saying that I no longer get to cast magic!?

...

Of course it does! Fuck that noise! How do I get rid of this stup-

 

Congratulations! After finding your Alignment, you have finally connected with a Node!

Warning! Please wait while your physical form is properly attuned...

 

Your plea was the voice of a myriad muted throats! Your words spread far and wide, echoed by a thousand others!

It was, however, in the denigration of silence that you found its ears. It was in the midst of the lowliest tribulation that you found its Call.

 

Congratulations! You have opened a connection with Zekhron, the Threatening Depth.

Congratulations! By connecting with Zekhron, the Threatening Depth, you have acquired the Inherent Skill Sacrament of Mortality.

 

Skill: Sacrament of Mortality [Passive/Active] (I)

Nihility? Ha, Perjurer! Where are those who were before us, you ask?

Seek no more!

You Oath-Breakers may char our chronicles and tear our tractates! You may shatter our statues and crush our cities! You may butcher our bodies and deride our devotions!
Again, into the Red Dust! Ceaselessly, we rekindle! Anew, we inspirit!

Effect:

[Passive]

Memento Mori: Significantly increases any damage inflicted by User on targets possessing any of the following statuses: Impervious to Time, Immortal, Eternal, Endless Vitality, or Deathless.

Dust You Are: Targets felled by User may not be Resurrected nor Raised as Undead.

[Active]

Carnal Remembrance: For a high expenditure of Pneuma, User may summon an instance of Echo of the Transient. Cannot be recast as long as an instance of Echo of the Transient is already in existence.

Currently available Echoes:

  -

 

I’d normally have rejoiced at finally getting some proper magic of my own, I think. Even if it didn’t feel like it really belonged to me. Sadly, I couldn't do that. I was too preoccupied dealing with the waves of excruciating pain that had been assaulting me since before even the first word appeared.