Tales of the Endless Empire
Chapter 190: New Race

Thalion screamed in agony as the elemental’s core forced its way into his body. Acting swiftly, he tore open a wound in the center of his chest and pressed the darkness crystal inside. He wasn’t certain he had the strength to do so otherwise, and it was crucial that the fusion of both the elemental and the crystal occurred simultaneously.

His body, with its relentless healing ability, instinctively tried to expel the crystal, but Thalion pushed against it with all his might. Power surged from the crystal, flooding his veins with blistering intensity, as though molten lava coursed through him.

His limbs stiffened, resisting even the slightest movement. With sheer force of will, he maintained the ritual, forcing the elemental’s core deeper within. An ordeal far more excruciating than he had anticipated. Now he understood why, under normal circumstances, multiple healers would be present to keep the beast alive during such a process.

The elemental, enraged by its imprisonment, retaliated with newfound ferocity. From within, it lashed out, launching jagged, bladed assaults against Thalion’s insides. Though the compression from the ritual continued to restrain it, the entity still managed to strike intermittently. He had no means of defending himself from within his own body, but fortunately, his monstrous regeneration compensated for the damage, instantly knitting together every fresh wound.

The pain, however, remained unbearable. It clawed at him, relentless and unyielding, yet he had no breath left to scream. The sheer magnitude of power coursing through his body left him paralyzed, his muscles locked in place by an overwhelming surge of energy.

He held the ritual steady until the elemental’s core finally reached its intended destination within his ribcage and not a second to early , as the agony had nearly surpassed his ability to endure. With one hand still securing the darkness crystal, Thalion barely clung to consciousness. The pain was leagues beyond what he had expected. He had braced himself for suffering, but not on this level. As the fusion reached its next stage, a fresh wave of torment crashed over him like a wrecking ball. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, entirely incapacitated.

He could feel the elemental’s mind slamming against his own, struggling for dominance. So far, his will remained superior, keeping the entity at bay. In contrast, the elemental appeared far less distressed. As its core gradually intertwined with Thalion’s flesh and veins, it sensed the immense energy radiating from the darkness crystal within him. Recognizing an opportunity, the gluttonous entity lunged, sending out a tendril to grasp the crystal and just in time, as Thalion’s unnatural healing was already pushing it out of his chest.

Stunned by the immense power flooding his system, Thalion could no longer hold the crystal in place. The halted ritual had freed the elemental, and it wasted no time in carving a path through his body, seeking the crystal’s energy for itself. At that moment, Thalion teetered on the edge of unconsciousness. His agony was indescribable. It felt as though the darkness crystal was reforging his entire being from the inside out.

When he had fused with Eagly, his bones had been broken and rebuilt repeatedly. This time, it was far worse. His very skeleton seemed to liquefy, reshaping itself before melting again, as if caught in an endless cycle of destruction and rebirth. He could feel the darkness he had spent so long cultivating being violently expelled, consumed by the ravenous elemental. At least it wasn’t entirely wasted, Thalion thought bitterly, barely clinging to awareness. Dark spots clouded his vision, blurring what little he could see beyond the searing pain. Even his eyes burned as if being reforged.

Then, the partially fused elemental succeeded in pulling the crystal through his body. The surge of energy intensified, reaching unimaginable heights. It had likely intended to feast upon the crystal, but such a luxury was no longer an option. The fusion had already bound it to Thalion. The moment its core touched the crystal, the entity seemed to realize this, and an agonized shudder rippled through it.

Yet compared to Thalion, the elemental was enduring far less torment. He couldn’t comprehend why. Its entire core was undergoing transformation, yet its suffering was minimal. Perhaps its composition formed from pure darkness lacked the fragile nerve endings that made pain so excruciating for him.

Despite its lesser suffering, the elemental was undergoing profound changes. The darkness crystal reshaped itself into a prismatic core, now encased in the remnants of the elemental’s original essence. The moment this transformation was complete, the pain momentarily dulled, as much of the rampant energy had been redirected into forging the new core.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

When the fusion stabilized, a fresh surge of power erupted through Thalion, consuming him entirely. His body convulsed as an overwhelming force tore through his form. He watched in horror as parts of his right arm disintegrated into pure darkness, the inky substance dripping onto the ground like liquid void.

This was the last thing Thalion saw before his eyes melted away, consumed by the overwhelming power surging through his body. Darkness swallowed his vision entirely. Simultaneously, the pain reached an unfathomable peak, and he barely registered how the elemental greedily devoured the pools of liquid darkness that had spilled onto the ground.

This was bad, but there was nothing he could do about it. He writhed, helpless, as it felt like his entire body was dissolving. And yet, despite the agony, he could sense an undeniable surge of strength coursing through him, likely the crystal still flooding his form with relentless waves of power.

The torment dragged on for what felt like an eternity as the connection between him and the elemental grew stronger. Multiple times, the entity attempted to push deeper into his mind, though Thalion sensed no malice in its intent—only confusion, as if it were trying to understand what it had become. His mental defenses held firm, unwavering like a fortress against a storm, effortlessly repelling its tentative probes.

Unlike with Eagly, the hole fusion process took significantly longer, and unlike before, he had no way of channeling the raw energy into abilities that might have eased the pressure. At the height of his suffering, when it still felt as though his chest was melting away, the elemental finally began to stabilize.

Dark tendrils coiled around his bones, mirroring the way his remaining muscles clung to his shifting form. It was like ice meeting a searing-hot stone, and for the first time, it provided him with some relief. Enough to keep him from slipping into unconsciousness. More than that, it felt as though his body was finally adapting, learning to endure the extreme energies coursing through it.

Perhaps the elemental had come to see his body as its own. Perhaps it now recognized him as part of its core—its vessel. In truth, that was exactly what he had become. From that moment forward, the pain began to fade, gradually at first, then more rapidly, until all that remained was a dull thrum of lingering discomfort.

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Though he had no way of seeing himself, Thalion could feel that his body had changed. He was leaner, his frame more compact, yet it still felt as though some parts of him were missing. An hour passed before he could move again, and with each breath, the newly-formed elemental core pulsed with a chilling, unnatural coldness.

Even more surprising was the fact that the entity had not attempted to invade his mind since the last time. Instead, it had focused entirely on strengthening his body. Tendrils of living darkness wove through his form, reinforcing his muscles and bones, creating new conduits that allowed energy to flow through him with far greater efficiency.

Despite the ordeal, despite his weakened state, Thalion could already tell. He was stronger than ever before. Significantly so.

And yet, something was off. His eyes had yet to regenerate, just like his arm. That alone was concerning. Normally, his regeneration would have restored such wounds in mere moments. Had something gone wrong? Was his healing impaired? He wasn’t sure. What he did know was that, at some point, he had received a system notification. Even without his eyes, he could still access it.

Lying on the cold ground, his body still adapting to its transformation, he turned his focus to the message:

Through extreme means, you have managed to upgrade your body significantly

Your new race is: The Crippled Eclipsari

Thalion frowned. He had succeeded in evolving but what in the void was an Eclipsari? And why was he crippled? He had spent countless hours buried in the archives of the Golden Palace, yet he had never once encountered such a race. His confusion deepened as he pulled up the race description.

The Crippled Eclipsari (Ascendant)

Eclipsari are creatures of legend. They do not falter, nor do they fear. They conquer. Born from the abyss, they emerge from the darkness of the void, bringing its power wherever they tread. Yet they are not mere agents of destruction, but arbiters of balance and beings of unparalleled might. The Eclipsari stand at the apex of the food chain, feared across the multiverse not only for their raw strength but for their unmatched combat prowess. Even gods retreat from their domains at the mere mention of their name. Yet, they are not mindless beasts. Their civilization is vast, governed by an iron law where only the strong survive. To be Eclipsari is not merely to exist. It is to endure, to surpass. Every Eclipsari must undergo a series of harrowing trials before they are deemed worthy of life. It is for this reason that their numbers remain few, scattered across the endless expanse of existence. The trials are ruthless, their demands absolute, and only the rarest of Eclipsari manage to survive them.

If Thalion hadn’t still been reeling from the pain, he would have burst into laughter.

These Eclipsari were essentially the Viltrumites of the multiverse and now, he was one of them.

But that still left one glaring question. Why crippled?

He felt fine. Stronger, even. Sure, his eyes hadn’t regenerated yet, but that was hardly proof of being crippled. It was probably just a delay in his healing factor. Right?

All in all, Thalion’s body didn’t feel drastically different from before, only significantly stronger. That was it. Shouldn’t a new race have a more profound impact on his appearance? Perhaps he was overthinking it. Maybe he just needed to wait for his eyes to regenerate. The fact that it was taking this long was unsettling, but rather than dwell on it, he decided to use the time to review his skills. There had to be changes too.

As he browsed through his abilities, he immediately noticed that the termite-related skills had vanished completely, replaced by new ones fitting for a Crippled Eclipsari.

Umbral Spire (Ethereal)

The skill manifests jagged spikes of pure darkness, erupting from the ground, walls, or even mid-air to impale, ensnare, or crush anything in their path. These spikes are not merely physical constructs. They are infused with the very essence of darkness itself. Every strike corrupts and devours whatever it touches, feeding on its energies.

That alone was nasty but what made it truly terrifying was its Ethereal rarity. The description was relatively brief, but Thalion knew better than to judge a skill by its initial explanation. His experience with Heart of the Sanguine Thorn had taught him that much. At first glance, that skill had seemed underwhelming, but after extensive use, it had revealing an incredible depth of applications. If Umbral Spire was anything like that, then he had only begun to scratch the surface of its true potential.

Satisfied for now, he moved on to the next ability, a passive skill this time.

Sovereign of Shadows (Ascendant)

The user becomes a true master of darkness, bending shadows to their will as though they were an extension of their own body. This ability grants absolute control over any existing shadow. Furthermore, the wielder can now cast their skills through shadows, significantly amplifying their power.

The description was short too, but oh, was it powerful. It wasn’t entirely clear what "absolute control over shadows" entailed, but the ability to cast his skills through them was already an incredible advantage. Fighting him just became a nightmare for nearly every opponent. And then there was the most important part—the power boost. The skill specifically stated that abilities cast through shadows or darkness would significantly increase in strength. Given its Ascendant rarity, this was no minor enhancement. No, the boost had to be immense.

Finally, he turned to the last new skill.

Umbral Miasma (Mythic)

The user releases a thick, swirling mist that consumes all light and seeps into the minds of those caught within it. This eldritch fog is not merely a visual obstruction, it is a living force of shadow and despair, gnawing at the sanity of anyone trapped inside.

This had to be the mist ability he had taken from the termites. Though, he had no doubt that the elemental’s influence had twisted it into something far more terrifying. Phrases like "a living force of shadow" and his passive ability’s mention of shadow control were clear signs of the elemental’s hand in reshaping his skills.

Each of these new abilities was immensely powerful. There was no question about that. And yet, his eyes had still not healed. That was worrying. If he was going to fully understand his transformation, he needed to examine the rest of his skills.

Still, despite the uncertainty, he felt a growing sense of excitement. This transformation had been worth it. He was eager—almost elated—to uncover what else had changed.