Agony surged through Nathan like a bolt of lightning, but it vanished in less than a heartbeat, leaving him gasping for air and clarity. The searing torment dulled into a manageable ache, granting him the space to breathe and think again.
"Are you okay?!"
Subaru was already at his side, ever the dependable one, offering his hand as he always did, steadfast and unwavering.
"I-I'm alright now!" Nathan replied, brushing himself off as he got to his feet.
The pain had waned just enough to allow him mobility. His thoughts cleared, and the overwhelming sensation began to fade. But then came the next shock.
"What the hell was that thing?!" Rory demanded, voice sharp as he turned to face the direction of the assault.
Suspended midair was a grotesque limb, a grotesque, squelching tentacle, earthy brown and slick with mucus. Rory's gaze traced it back to its source, his eyes widening in disbelief as the entire abomination revealed itself.
There, resting grotesquely on the ground, sprawled a monstrous creature in the shape of a larva. Its body stretched across a ridiculous amount of space, slumped like a giant, breathing tumour. Protruding from its sides were countless tendrils, each one writhing like serpents in air.
"That's the Whispering Wake?!" Rory shouted, a mixture of disbelief and horror in his voice.
It looked like something that hadn't yet reached its final form, a creature merely waiting to hatch. Its sheer size suggested power, but its immobility betrayed something else. Could this really be an embryonic stage?
As absurd as the thought sounded, Nathan felt an uneasiness in his chest. A creeping dread.
What if... what they were seeing now was only a glimpse? A cocooned form, not yet awake? Not yet complete?
Madness. And yet, some dark intuition whispered that it might be true.
Nathan's spine prickled with fear. Then, clarity struck. If this was indeed its larval state, then the odds might still be in their favour. He seized the thought and clung to it like a lifeline.
'It's vulnerable now. It can't move. Other than those tentacles, it's just a hulking slab of meat. If we get close enough, we have a shot!' he reasoned.
"Follow my lead!" Rory bellowed, surging forward with a hammer in hand, courage charging his steps.
Subaru hesitated for just a moment, glancing toward Nathan. He still believed Nathan was the rightful leader of this expedition. This trust wasn't spoken, it was unshakable in Subaru's eyes.
Nathan gave a firm nod, then followed behind Rory, albeit a step slower.
As he dashed ahead, the earlier moment returned to him, the mysterious voice that had echoed in his mind during that moment of peril.
"Forced temporary talent awaken! Error."
He hadn't imagined it. The words had rung with unmistakable clarity.
Back then, his talent had awakened. If only for a moment, it had surged to life, and in that fleeting second, he had glimpsed the tentacle's trajectory and managed to shield Rory from death. A single spark of power, yet enough to change fate.
Usually, a talent awakening amid the tutorial phase was unheard of. It only happens once you have completed the tutorial. But for Nathan, it had happened nevertheless! Nathan didn't hear wrong.
Was he the different case? He couldn't say. Did he perhaps meet up with some requirements to force a talent to awaken amid ongoing tutorials? Again he couldn't say.
What he did know for sure is that it happened! If only for a brief moment, Nathaniel Lockwood had awakened his talent.
But how? And more importantly, could he do it again?
'How did I trigger it?' Nathan pondered, heart pounding. He ducked low, barely avoiding another whipping strike that could have torn his head clean off.
In that moment of awakening, what had he felt? Raw, unfiltered fear, the kind that swallowed thoughts and drowned hope. He had teetered at the edge of despair, only to claw his way back through sheer will.
'So… Do I need to feel that same terror again? Sink into it, and fight to rise? Is that the key?'
It was a shaky theory, unconfirmed and wild but right now, it was all he had.
While Nathan desperately wrestled with the idea of willingly plunging himself into fear, another tentacle came crashing toward him from the side. He braced, raising his sword to shield himself, but the strike overwhelmed his guard. The sheer impact sent him hurtling back, his heavy frame crashing onto the stone floor, rolling several meters before coming to a painful halt.
"COME ON!" he roared, more to himself than anything else. He needed to feel it, he had to summon the fear. The soul-rattling terror that had once engulfed him had to return, or they were doomed.
He cast his gaze around. Subaru was holding the line as best he could, his shield absorbing the blows while he retaliated with swift counters. Despite his efforts, a few strikes still landed, staggering him with each hit.
Rory fared slightly better, his lean build allowing him nimbleness that Nathan sorely lacked. He darted between slams, swinging his hammer with skilful timing to parry or strike back.
Only now did Nathan recognize the advantage of a less bulky frame that allowed for mobility. Speed. Survival.
"COME ON, NATHAN!" he howled once more, trying to ignite something within. Anything.
And then it came. Four tentacles raced toward him like projectiles. There was no escape. His limbs screamed from exhaustion. His sword felt heavier than lead. He couldn't dodge, couldn't block.
He had one last hope.
"NATHANIEL LOCKWOOD!" he bellowed, invoking his own name like an incantation. Like it would tether him to life.
The fear took root. Not panic. Not anxiety. But the true, primal dread, the kind that unravels you from within. The realization of death, of powerlessness, of finality. He let it consume him. He welcomed it.
Because if he didn't, he would die.
[Ding!]
[Force Talent Activation in Progress...]
A glimmer of hope.
'Yes!' His heart surged with triumph, but the moment didn't allow celebration. Death was still incoming.
[You have force awakened the ability: Thought Acceleration!]
[You have force awakened the ability: Perceptive Reflex!]
[You have force awakened the ability: Probability Deduction!]
[Congratulations, tutorial participant, Nathaniel Lockwood...]
[You have force awakened the talent: Hyper Cognitive!]
The world halted!