Rebirth-Transcending All Beings-Chapter 54: Departure [1]

"Vergil! Vergil, wake up!" A figure grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "Vergil!"

Vergil jotted awake from the abyss that clung to his mind like a dream that was never meant to happen.

Blinking twice, his eyes that once carried a fire willing to consume all were now empty — leaving a cold yet distant frost.

He remained silent, but the stillness held more agony than a thousand cries ever would. And all at once, the mechanical voice rang in his head.

[User has gained the skill Burden Carrier (SSS)]

[User has gained the title: The One Who Carries Burdens]

[Only partial passive skills have been obtained]

[No active skills can be gained]

[User has gained 5 passive skills]

’Be quiet!’ Vergil’s voice echoed in his mind, the system falling silent as if understanding his pain.

Vergil didn’t move,

Vergil didn’t move, his breath hitched, turning into a shallow wheeze — his eyes trailing to the pooling red beneath his feet.

There was no body, no warmth or magic traces. Just a pile of bones that formed the body.

Vergil knelt slowly, gathering her remains; a burden that felt at once crushingly heavy and impossibly light.

"Can’t even see her face." She murmured hoarsely. His Authority had devoured her completely and for a brief moment, he was able to see her again — not as a spirit nor as an illusion.

But a grandmother whose smile was now etched into his soul.

"Eleanor," he spoke quietly.

She looked up. "What is it?"

"Go back to Elvira’s house," he rose slowly to full height. "In one of the drawers, you’ll find two letters. Recommendations to the academy."

"I thought we..."

"She wrote them before all this," he stared into the distance. "And the circumstances have changed."

Eleanor blinked in surprise as Vergil continued talking.

"I need you to meet me at the village gates in an hour," Vergil’s lips tugged at hollow smile. ’Say your goodbyes and bring the map, it should be in the same drawer.

She hesitated, wanting to ask more. But the look on his face stopped her. "Alright."

They parted without another word.

Vergil walked alone, walking towards a graveyard. The ash and bone were covered in a cloth he found.

The path was uneven, cluttered with broken stone and debris but he never stumbled.

Not once.

Each step he took was slow and deliberate, as if he carried the weight of his world in his pale hands.

The graveyard stood untouched, overlooking the ruined village with a serene presence.

’How fitting.’ Vergil thought to himself as he knelt before an empty patch of earth.

Using his hands, he dug slowly into the soil until a shallow grave was formed. And gently he placed the cloth within.

He stared at it for a while.

"Thank you." He forced the words out, hardly audible as a thousand more tried to expel themselves — but guilt choked them away.

And for the first time, he bowed his head down in both respect and reverence

"Goodbye — grandmother," his voice remained hollow. "I don’t think I’ll be seeing you in the afterlife."

A faint breath escaped him.

"But I’ll visit while I’m still here."

He walked towards the village gates, opening his system interface to check what he obtained.

[Passive Skills Obtained]

Arcane Mind — Rank A (Max)

Enhances concentration and casting speed. Greatly improves memory for magical theory.

Mana Efficiency — Rank S

Reduces mana cost of spells by up to 60%, scaling with the familiarity of the spell casted

Calm Spirit — Rank B

Grants resistance to mental attacks and fear effects.

Spellcraft Mastery — Rank A

Boosts effectiveness and stability of all learned spells.

Sharp-Eyed Instructor — Rank C

Students near the user learn 25% faster.

Vergil exhaled. ’Grandmother was really incredible, no wonder she was considered a genius.’

And his eyes locked onto the final skill he obtained from the Authority of Predation.

Burden Carrier (SSS)

Allows the user to consume the memories of a deeply bonded individual or a willing target. The user experiences the target’s life and emotions and may inherit fragments of their abilities. Active skills are lost, leaving only partial passive abilities. The emotional burden may cause insanity.

Vergil stared at the text for several seconds. "What a beautiful, yet cursed skull."

Even without the active spells, he hadn’t lost everything. All of Elvira’s memories were engraved in his mind.

He remembered the way her mana flowed and the intricate patterns of her spells. "A lot of her spells are fifth circle and above." Far beyond his current ability, yet one spell intrigued him more.

"Domination. Soon I’ll be able to use it."

A tired sigh escaped him before opening the palm where a glowing object rested. The blood jade pulsed softly with a crimson glow.

Vergil lifted it to eye level. "Now... you."

The stone almost seemed alive in his hand as he turned it around. "I would be stupid not to use you," he muttered. "Not after everything I’ve done to get you."

He wrapped his fingers around it, clenching it. "How much blood does it need?"

A soft chime echoed in his mind.

[Quite a lot.]

’OK — now put it in numbers.]

[I don’t count blood in numbers, but you have to give it all at once.]

He let out a humourless laugh before clicking his tongue. "Then I’ll wait."

The jade shimmered into a blue light, vanishing into his inventory. ’I need a better regeneration skill before I try that.’

The wind wafted through the ruined village, carrying ash through the air like bleak snow.

The skeletons of villagers remained where they had been eaten, many of their hands reached skywards — begging the angels to save them.

He passed by a small child’s remains that remained intact, he didn’t stop to eat, only moving forward. He wouldn’t use Predation.

His body didn’t yearn for it. He looked around, nothing but claw marks and a trail that led beyond the wooden wall — further outward.

’They finished their work and moved on," Vergil inspected as he moved towards an old friend. The ringing rhythm still vivid in his ears.

Yet the forge was silent upon his arrival, once alive with hammer strikes —.now all that remained was a ruination.

Tools lay scattered across the floor, the anvil, now being crushed by pillars of burnt wood and stone

Blood stains made its way to the furnace and Vergil saw him half a corpse lying against the stone.

But the thick arms and apron were unmistakably his.

"Gilbert," he knelt beside the remains."I’m sorry." He had treated him like family; now, all that remained was half a corpse.

He buried Gilbert beside Elvira before heading to the potion shop. The sign that once ganged loosely was now embedded into the soil.

The shop inside was destroyed completely, shelves burned and glass shards scattered both in and out.

Spilt potions stained the wood with a strange mix of colours

"Osric..."

No answer came. Just the creaking of wood moving further in. In the back corner, he spotted three intact tiles beneath a bronze shelf.

E-Rank Healing Potion.

C-Rank paralysis

C-Rank Elixir of Swift Wind.

He pocketed them into his inventory, hoping Osric was still out there — somewhere.

And he left the shop behind. Eleanor waited at the village gates, her hair swaying with the wind as she looked up as he approached.

"Eleanor," he said quietly. "Did you grab everything?"

Eleanor handed him two intricately detailed envelopes."I did."

Vergil examined the seal with a faint smile. "The academy.’ Then his expression hardened. "We’re using different identities."

Eleanor blinked. "Wait—what?"

Vergil raised his hand. "Authority of Transformation."

Morvax appeared once more behind him, wrapping his six inky arms around Vergil’s upper body like a living cloak.

His body shifted slightly, hair turning a chesnut brown along with deep chocolate eyes. His facial features differing slightly.

When the crimson red energy finally faded, he was a completely different person.

Eleanor stared in shock.

"Amazing."

Vergil flexed his fingers. "Let’s see if it works on others."

He stepped closer. "Stay still."

Before she could protest, he placed his hand against her cheek."Authority of Transformation."

Crimson energy spread across her skin.

Her silver hair turned brown. Her blue eyes darkened to black.

Even her facial structure softened into something more ordinary.

She stared at her reflection in a broken piece of glass. "...Is this really me?"

Vergil nodded. "This will help us. You’re a noble. I’d rather not attract attention."

"How long will it last?"

"Until I remove it."

She nodded slowly.

"You’ll also need a new name."

Vergil folded the academy letters and stored them. "Your name is Elle now."

He looked toward the horizon.

"Our story is simple. We’re orphans Elvira took in. We share her surname."

"Vayne."

Eleanor—now Elle—nodded quietly.

Vergil turned toward the distant forest. "What about Elena?"

Eleanor hesitated.

"Should we take her with us... or wait?"

Vergil thought for a moment.

"Let’s move."

Then he began walking.

Elle followed beside him. And behind them, the village began to fade away.