Nero sat cross-legged on the mat of damp, stinky straw. Some of it dug into the flesh of his thighs, making him feel a little more than just uncomfortable. But it was fine.

The Book of Mephistopheles sat open across his lap and Gungnir laid across the ground behind him, the once mighty spear that had slain hundreds of Abominations, now laying in a puddle of dull piss-yellow straw juice.

The pages of the Devil god's book glowed faintly with their own subtle luminosity, illuminating the small cell just enough for him to read the small print without straining his eyes.

Beyond just the runes, there was also a lot of gibberish and strange things he couldn't understand within the book

Diagrams of strange things and even stranger creatures. Odd names he couldn't quite pronounce, strange items, and even details and descriptions of things that didn't seem to line up with what he was following.

Whenever he saw things like that, he simply had to put it out his mind, although it did stick with him for some odd reason.

Beyond that, he had been studying the runes for days now, committing each and every symbol to memory, even scribbling some particularly hard to memorize ones on the walls.

He also had to understand their meanings and applications, pushing the boundaries of his very limited education. After all, most of what he had learned, including how to read and write, was taught by his mother. He wasn't particularly fluent in either and yet, he ambitiously pondered over literature that would make the temple monks scratch at their bald heads.

Still, he was making decent progress.

But the more he learned about runes, the more questions arose about his own abilities.

Although they were called skills by the Oracle, Vineheart and Shadow Shift were not things he had learned specifically learned. In fact, he mostly had no idea what they were.

Shadow Shift was a "skill" that had appeared after he had killed that shady Abomination with an affinity with the dark shadows that had attacked him within the Purple Evergrowth forest quite some time ago. It had simply appeared.

Vineheart had appeared after he had consumed that seed within the dead Godtree as well. They had been consequences of things he had done, and not particularly created from things he had actively done.

So it begged the question;

What exactly are these skills?

His recent understanding of runic language was eye-opening enough for him to understand that it was not a random occurrence.

From what he could tell, they were different from spells and enchantments as well. Much more different than he had initially thought, in fact.

Nero closed the book and set it aside. Then he focused inward...

Into the depths of himself.

The dull thuds of his own heart beating within his body filled him with a rhythmic sense of calm.

It was illusory, and he doubted if it was actually real, but he thought he could feel the presence of the Vineheart within his physical heart even now, existing as a constant presence in his chest. As for what it appeared as physically, he had no idea what it would look like. A crown of thorns seated above his heart? That seemed rather ineffective, no?

Still, there was something he did know. And that was that its effect was passive, requiring no conscious effort or Ein Sof expenditure to maintain.

On the other hand, Shadow Shift was different. It required he take some actions for activation, a conscious decision to transform his body and let it melt into the shadows for a brief burst of speed. And by melding into the shadows, he could also gain stealthiness, making it a rather special "skill" he had picked up, perfect for pulling off quick and timely strikes from the darkness— perfectly suited for an assassin.

But why?

Nero frowned, thinking. While both abilities didn't necessarily come from the same source, they both had similar origins. He had been granted them by the Oracle.

He had a feeling of a regular human had been through what he had gone through, the outcomes would have been different and they would not have received such "skills". If anything, the best case scenario would be them escaping mostly alive.

'Coul my status as the 'Heretic' be a determinant?'

He decided to ask.

The void-space formed around him instantly, the damp cell disappearing as he found himself standing in an endless black expanse. The Divine Oracle manifested before him as it always did, a presence without form within the void, a voice that fell without lips from the terrifying looking concentric circles above that looked like the eye of some unimaginable entity.

Staring up at the divine eye, Nero cleared his throat,

"I'd like to ask you a question. I know that spells are rather different from skills. However, to what degree and extent, because they do seem like the same thing and yet, they are not, which is quite confusing..."

The Oracle was silent for a moment.

Then a beam of light fell from the center of the divine eye above him, startling Nero.

Instantly, Nero saw a bunch of images were projected right onto his mind,

{A spell is an external construction. It is the essence of the Ein Sof shaped by mortal or divine souls and hands through thought or actions, usually incantations, gestures, or runic inscriptions to evoke the powers of this existence. The caster imposes their will upon reality, forcing energy into a specific form to achieve a desired effect. Spells can be learned, practiced and perfected, and were granted onto the humans first, by Azazel, the Angel, and then God of Sorcery and Magic. They exist outside the body and must be construed each time they are used}.

Nero nodded slowly.

That made sense.

He remembered the exorcism spell beam Aisha could use and ho she had to chant out the words every single time.

Suddenly thinking about the girl filled him with a strange sadness...

He had never even gotten to say goodbye to her.

Or Lucy.

He grimaced as his expression darkened.

Then he shook his head.

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