Control…

How could I not realise something so simple?

From the beginning, I never yearned for power over Spacetime. Creation and Destruction, Life and Death… They were all a byproduct of my true power. The power to control my own life. The ability to change my fate and rewrite my Destiny. And most importantly, the power to protect the ones I loved the most.

That’s right… The five rings were just catalysts for me to focus my power. To concentrate on it so that I wouldn’t run out of control.

I stepped away from Lilith, ignoring her befuddled expression as I did so. I raised my right hand and focused on the five rings. They were connected by a metallic chain and congregated onto the single bracelet on my wrist. Glistening and glimmering, the five rings resonated with my heart’s desire, and they each unleashed their auras.

Imperium, the Spacetime ring. It glowed with the azure light of a bright afternoon sky. Space warped around its azure hue, creating an oppressing pressure for anyone who couldn’t withstand my power.

Genesis, the Creation ring. Colours of the rainbow brought a harmonious essence to that single ring. When one peered into its gem, they would be enthralled by its miraculous hue and feel like they were staring into the birth of the Universe itself.

Interitus, the Destruction ring. Crimson, turbulent energies spewed from my index finger as the embodiment of chaos and destruction resonated from the simple ring. Dyed red through constant interaction with my magic power, the ring itself felt like wearing red hot magma that burns and destroys anyone who isn’t strong enough to control it.

Vita, the ring of Life. Soft and filled with vitality, this beautiful ring glowed with a deep emerald colour which gives a vibrant, life-like appearance. Its aura was just as sweet as it was tender, while anyone who approached this ring would instantly be filled with vitality and healed of their wounds.

And finally…

My newest ring.

Letum, the ring of Death.

Dyed entirely black, it was the final key to unlocking my powers. As if it was doused in a putrid soup of liquid death, the ring was just as terrifying as it was dangerous. Darkness and fear would overwhelm any who dared snatch a peak, and their souls would be harvested without me knowing.

These five rings worked in harmony and unison to create the entity that was Jin Valter. They were all part of my soul; their powers came from my unique Vampire Aspect. In the past, when I was unaware of my power, these five rings had proved helpful in channelling and controlling my nascent power.

But now that I have figured out what it was… There’s no need for me to use this devolved version anymore.

“Jin? What are you doing?”

“Lilith, stay calm and watch.”

“Huh?”

I closed my eyes and said nothing else.

Raising my right hand straight up, I ‘looked’ into my soul. All this while, I had been simply looking at the surface. I wasn’t going deep into the true nature of my power, and I had only been dabbling with what I thought was my true power. But that all changed today.

Delving deeper, I found a mysterious phenomenon. My soul was essentially complete, but there was a single seal at the deepest recesses of it all. A seal that was held together by five chains.

I’d never noticed this abnormality in my psyche before. Perhaps, I didn’t know where to look, or it was subconsciously blocked out to protect my mind from collapsing. No, it should be the latter.

The power to control everything, from Spacetime to one’s Destiny itself… It was an overpowered and broken ability that no sane person could ever begin to comprehend, let alone take control of.

But I was different.

I had the body of the Progenitor. A soul of a monarch. And the support of four transcendent Goddesses. My future was already set in stone.

I would rise above everyone else and become a hegemonic being in the Universe. I would take control over my fate and dictate how my life would be. I was going to… control everything.

Without hesitation, I pierced my fingers into the seal and started the destruction process. Bit by bit, the chains on the seal were shattered, and in the physical realm, the chains on my rings were being broken too.

“J-Jin! Your rings!”

Lilith was attempting to warn me, but I didn’t take heed. As a Vampire, willingly breaking one’s Soul Armament was tantamount to suicide. It was akin to severely injuring your soul and, at the same time, crippling the source of your Vampiric powers.

But I didn’t care about that.

The Soul Armament was simply a means to an end. It wasn’t the true identity of my Vampire Aspect. It was just a manifestation, an illusion…

What I wanted… was the real thing.

“Break for me!!!”

Sweat dripped down my forehead and drenched my clothes with a horrid stench. At the same time that I was breaking the seals, impurities were being expelled from my body. Grime was collected on my skin and discharged rapidly as my body deconstructed and reconstructed.

If I weren’t a Vampire with transcendent healing, what I was doing would have killed me.

But even if I wasn’t, that wouldn’t have stopped me.

Putting all my strength into that seal, I made one final push. And sure enough…

Clink!

Something cracked.

I wasn’t sure if it was my body or my soul, but something within my consciousness snapped. With my eyes closed, I entered a dreamlike trance. I felt like I was drifting with the motions, dragged down by the river of the Universe.

I could feel everything.

From the Genesis of time to the end of Creation. The movement of the dimensions and how the Universe governs itself. In the face of the Universe’s grandeur, I was nothing more than a speck of dust. And yet…

I reached my hands out and touched the ‘flow’ of everything. If it were any mere mortal, they would have gone insane from overexposure.

Everything was at my fingertips.

The dawn to the end of the Universe. It was all there.

I now understood what future me meant by completing the time loop. Everything has been preordained through this mysterious ‘flow.’ Me being born to Jael and Elna Valter. My meeting with Irina and the four girls. The Outer Demon that damaged my soul…

Everything was preordained by this ‘flow.’

And with Thanatos delivering the final key, my soul was complete. The time loop has been sealed, and nothing can change fate anymore.

I raised my fingers to the sky and allowed all of the Universe’s energy to gather at my fingertips. My soul was soothed, and my body was refreshed. Fate has completed its loop, and my timeline was secured. I looked all over the serene yet glorious ‘flow’ and couldn’t help but remark:

“How beautiful…”

Closing my inner eyes, I awoke in reality with Lilith’s concerned face pressed against mine. Looking like she’d just seen a ghost, Lilith wiped the tears from her face and screamed:

“Jin Valter! Are you crazy! Do you know you could have died?! What are you thinking?! Breaking your Soul Armament like that?!”

“Alright, alright…” I whispered softly into her ears while giving her a gentle caress. “You don’t have to worry; I won’t do it again.”

“Of course you won’t do it again! I won’t let you!”

“Haha, more like… There’s no more Soul Armament to get rid of.”

“H-Huh?”

I chuckled and raised my hand, revealing the broken chains of my Soul Armament. Only the five rings remained after I’d destroyed the seal. They were still glistening with light, but there was no power hidden within the gems. Right now, they were nothing more than glorified jewellery that served only one purpose.

“W-What did you do?”

“I awakened my true power. The Vampire Aspect that you’ve been talking about.”

“H-Huh?”

“Have a look!”

I gestured with the back of my right hand, allowing Lilith to see the engraved mark on it.

A circle of light.

At times, it was mesmerising blue. Others, it possessed the colours of the rainbow. Sometimes, it flickered wildly with the fiery hot colours of magma; sometimes, it was peaceful and emerald. There were even times when it glowed with the ominous colours of death. But that wasn’t all…

Magenta, beige, yellow, tuscan…

Every colour in the book was hidden within that perfect circle.

“… This is your Vampire Aspect?” Lilith looked confused for a moment.

Every Vampire Aspect was meant to be unique and special. Irina’s Winter Sovereign mark boasted a unique design of a snowflake with the dominance of a monarch. Lilith’s Elysian Melody was intricate yet dominant, making it beautiful to watch and touch. Even Ysabelle’s ‘Obsidian Phoenix’ and Rosa’s ‘Dreaming Forest’ had beautiful designs everyone could admire.

And yet, mine was just a simple circle.

“Look closely.”

Adoring her frustrated and confused look, I gestured for her to look closer. While unsure of my intentions, Lilith did as I said, and her eyes gazed deeper into the glorious colours of my Vampire Aspect.

Unknowingly, Lilith’s consciousness got sucked into the majestic power, and she was gradually mesmerised by the power that hid within. Her head wobbled around like she was being hypnotised, and she gradually became drowsier by the second. Ultimately, I had to snap her awake with a kiss, allowing her to recover from delving deep into the abyss.

“W-What was that.”

“That’s my Vampire Aspect. The power to control everything,” I explained very briefly. “Everything in the Universe is mine to control. Spacetime, Creation, Life, Death and Destruction… They are just one part of my power. In the future, I should be able to control Destiny, reality, and much more…”

“That’s just…”

“Broken? I think so too.”

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Now, it made sense why future me could dominate the Universe. If this was my current power, imagine how strong I would get in two billion years?

“But there are more important things to handle now.”

“… More important things? Like what?”

I smiled and removed the five rings from my finger. I think I understood why my Soul Armament took this shape in the first place. I placed them on the desk one by one until the one representing Creation remained.

When I returned Lilith’s soul to her at the Moonreaver Dimension, this ring activated. It was the ring that gave me the strength to defeat Sirius, and it was also the ring that represented my love for Lilith.

Pulling out her left hand, I happily resized the ring to fit her fourth finger and said:

“We have yet to finish our ring ceremony, my dearest.”