Chapter 65: The Mask Awakens

[14th Everdusk 2103]

What I saw left me speechless.

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as realization crashed over me—

The tool I had used all this time… was

this

powerful?

To think I had only scratched the surface. Just barely brushed the edge of its true potential...

__

[

Name

: Mask of concealment

Grade

: Ephemeral Rank (Upgradable)

Type

: Legendary Artifact (Growth-Type)

Bond System

: Soul-Bound

Stage:

1 (Veil of Shadows)

Description

: Forged from the essence of shadows and ancient arcane secrets, the

Mask of Concealment

is a legendary artifact that adapts and evolves with its bonded wearer. It is said to be the ultimate tool for deception, infiltration, and survival. Its surface is smooth, dark as the void, and ever-shifting, subtly changing as it grows in power. Only those who form a soul-bond with the mask can wield its full potential, allowing it to transform in both ability and appearance.

The mask feeds on the experiences and growth of its wearer, unlocking greater powers over time. Its full potential is said to rival the most powerful relics in existence.

Abilities

:

{Stage 1: Veil of Shadows}

Status Concealment

Effect

: Completely hides the wearer's true stats, skills, and abilities from any detection or appraisal skills.

Status Mold

Effect

: Allows the user to alter displayed stats, creating the illusion of different classes, power levels, or weaknesses to deceive enemies or allies.

Memory Devour

(

Proficiency

: 0%)

Effect

: Consumes fragments of memories from those the wearer touches, allowing the user to extract knowledge, memory, or secrets.

Limit

: Can only store up to three memories. (Upgradable)

{Stage 2: Phantom's Guise}

[Locked]

Face Change

(

Proficiency

: 0%)

Effect

: Instantly changes the wearer's facial features to mimic anyone they have seen.

Advanced Feature

: Can store up to five faces for instant reuse.

Face Store

Effect

: Stores up to ten unique faces, each accessible at will. Faces can be altered or discarded as desired.

{Stage 3: Eclipse of Identities}

[Locked]

Transformation

(

Proficiency

: 0%)

Effect

: Grants full-body transformation, altering height, build, gender, and even aura to perfectly match the target.

Limit

: Duration of transformation scales with user level but can last indefinitely when fully mastered.

Voice Modification

(

Proficiency

: 0%)

Effect

: Perfectly mimics any voice the user has heard, including tone, pitch, and cadence.

Advanced Feature

: Allows the creation of entirely new, customized voices.

{Stage 4: Mask of the Eternal Void}

[Locked]

Aura Cloak

(

Proficiency

: 0%)

Effect

: Completely suppresses or alters the user's aura, allowing them to appear as weak, powerful, or even undetectable.

Illusion Weave

(

Proficiency

: 0%)

Effect

: Creates realistic illusions around the wearer, projecting false surroundings or multiple false images of themselves.

True Veil

(

Proficiency

: 0%)

Effect

: Allows the user to erase their presence from sight, sound, and even memory for a limited duration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Passive Effects

:

Adaptive Evolution

The mask adapts to the wearer's environment with stealth to hide the mask on the face to use it however host want, while granting resistance to mind-control, charm, and fear-based effects of user rank.

Soul Synchronization

The mask's power is directly linked to the soul-bond. The deeper the bond, the stronger the abilities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had

twelve

distinct powers.

Ten

main and

two

secondary.

Yet, in my past life… I had only accessed

two

of them.

Even more, I had never even known about

Memory Devour

.

“System,” I asked, “why was I only able to use two abilities this entire time?”

{Host, the reason you were unable to access the third ability is due to an incomplete soul-bond. The bond was weak—barely formed—thus the mask could not synchronize fully or relay all of its functions.}

{Would you like me to begin the

true

bonding ritual?}

“Huh? Seriously? You can do that now?” I blinked. “Back in my past life, the system demanded fifty levels to soul-bind a

basic

growth-type weapon!”

{This ritual requires no level exchange. Only a small amount of your blood… and a fragment of your soul.}

{Do you wish to proceed? [Yes/No]}

I didn’t even hesitate.

{[Yes]}

{Ritual initiation in 10 seconds. Please remain still and wear the mask.}

I slipped the mask on.

The countdown began.

{1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10}

{Extracting blood sample...}

A sudden sting hit my forehead—sharp and precise.

It felt like a needle had burrowed straight into my skull. I wanted to yank the mask off, but the system's warning kept me frozen.

{Blood bond complete. Initiating soul-bond. Warning: Incoming pain.}

And then…

"AARRGGHHH—!"

It felt like molten blades were slicing into my soul.

{Soul fragment secured. High pain levels detected. Initiating numbing protocols.}

{Host should avoid standing.}

Almost instantly, my entire body went numb.

Panic surged—my limbs refused to respond. I couldn’t breathe properly. Couldn’t even blink.

And then the mask…

It

melted

.

Like black liquid, it slithered across my face—no longer solid, no longer removable.

I tried to touch it, but there was

nothing

there.

Minutes passed.

Sensation returned.

I sat up, heart racing, and instinctively reached for the mask.

But it was…

gone

.

“System, where’s the mask? Did something go wrong!?”

{Negative. Bonding was a success. The mask has now become a

part

of you. It cannot be removed—it is integrated into your being.}

{System will now undergo a full reboot for rehiblation purposes. Estimated downtime: 13 Weeks, 5 Days, 12 Hours, 5 Minutes, 51 Seconds.}

{Good luck, Host.}

System Offline.

There was no sound. No screen.

Only silence.

But in that silence… I felt it.

Knowledge. Clarity.

Power

.

The mask was now mine. Entirely.

I

thought

about it—and in a flash, it appeared on my face.

At first, transparent. Then solid—inky black with crimson tendrils pulsing across its surface.

It felt like it belonged there.

When I took it off, it didn’t

vanish

. It

dissolved

, like smoke between my fingers. A single thought was all it took to summon it again.

A tool worthy of legends… and now, completely mine.