Solo Leveling X TBATE | Looking For Purpose (Rewrite)

Aether & Destruction Mana

Arthur POV

I woke up after getting pummeled by two scythes. It wasn't the void, I was somewhere else.

Suddenly a familiar voice called me it was Sylvia's 

"it must've been the message she mentioned a year ago when I hit above white core the message would pop out" I thought. After the message ended

"Sylvie," I thought.

"Before you get all weepy, look to your right," a clear, cynical voice resounded nearby.

For some reason, I was not threatened by the voice, so I turned to my right to see an iridescent stone the size of my palm.

My eyes widened, and out of sheer instinct, I dove toward the colorful stone and grabbed it to take a closer look.

"I-is this..."

"Yup, It's your bond, "the voice said curtly before a black shadow appeared in my peripheral view.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The name's Regis," he replied.

"What are you?" I asked.

Greetings, my pitiful master. I am Regis, the mighty weapon that has finally manifested and crawled out of your metaphorical ass. " He replied.

"Why..." I seethed.

"Why what?" It looked back in confusion. Its expression was so lifelike, so... sentient, that it infuriated me even more.

"Why?!" I roared, taking a slow and painful swing at Regis.

My hand slipped through its snarky face, the momentum causing me to lose balance in this debilitating body. I toppled forward, slamming my face hard on the cold, smooth floor of wherever the hell I was.

"Don't do that!" The will-o-wisp snapped before muttering,"... I feel violated."

Rage continued to bubble up and rise as I stared at my left hand, the exact spot on my palm where Regis had come from. "Why? Why the hell are you here now? After years of draining my mana and doing what you want, why do you appear now? "

"If you were a weapon I could've used in my last fight, I could've helped more rather than turn into this pathetic state." I continued as anger boiled within me.

I said, "I needed you back then, I needed you in the war, I needed you so many times, yet you've never appeared."

Dawn's ballad cracked, so I needed a weapon to help me fight, I continued.

Regis remained silent as I let all of the emotions out of my system. I was angry at Regis, but I was doing the same thing—using him as an excuse for my failures.

After some time had passed, my tears ran dry and my parched throat started letting out raspy stutters trying to take in more air.

Regis' voice sounded from a small distance. There's a pool of clean water here. Drink before you cry yourself into a mummy. "

I hesitated, not knowing whether I even deserved water when the small iridescent egg glistened in the corner of my eyes.

"Yes, that's it. You can do it! Do it for that rock! " Regis cheered, hovering around me like a fly I couldn't reach.

Pushing aside all of the emotions that weighed down on my body, I dragged myself in the direction Regis led me.

My milky pale arms looked foreign to me, even as I moved. I felt like I was still in a full suit of armor despite being almost bare.

Time crawled alongside me as I slowly pulled myself across the smooth floor, my biggest source of motivation to get my strength back to shut Regis up.

"Come on, pretty boy, you're almost there," he continued.