The chamber shifted around Cora.
The path leading from the Pillar of Flesh unfurled like a carpet of woven starlight, dissolving behind her with each step forward. Ahead, suspended in a vast pocket of twilight space, was an enormous loom of golden-threaded light—glowing strands twisted through midair, intersecting and vibrating with subtle sound.
There was no static menu.
There was fate made mechanical, possibility woven by intention.
This was the Weave of Fate.
The loom stood like a celestial harp between two towering figures:
On the left: a burning warrior, cloaked in flame and shadow.
On the right: a celestial sage, veiled in starlight and flowing code.
Between them, thousands of glowing threads crisscrossed in a living web, constantly shifting. Some burned bright. Others flickered in and out. A few twisted violently as if resisting the pattern.
Each thread represented a skill discipline, an instinctual path, or an unlocked power arc.
But not all were available. Some remained dormant—waiting for the right essence to ignite them.
As she stepped closer, the threads react to her, flaring violently violet and green.
The loom knew her essence.
The Assistant's voice appeared again, calm, but hushed—as if aware of the weight of what this place was.
"This is the Weave of Fate. Your story, stitched before it is told."
"Here, you will choose how you begin… not what you are, but how you move, fight, survive, and shape the world around you."
It then went into an explanation on how it worked.
"The threads represent paths—some traditional, some forbidden. You may choose two disciplines to begin your journey. These will define your starting skills, but not your limits."
"Do you wish to wield fire from your veins? Speak to shadows? Or command things that should not have names?"
"Each thread you touch begins to bind to you, adapting based on your Essence, your previous choices, and your body's form."
The Assistant paused in its explanation to take notice of Cora's new form and Eldritch Bound essence that was leaking off her.
"As an Eldritch Bound Aetherborn, these are your Skill Disciplines you are able to choose from if you wish:
1. Unreality
Type: Chaos magic / displacement
Abilities: Warp surroundings, bend physics, temporarily un-exist
Signature Skill: Flickerstep – Teleport a short distance and leave behind a false, flickering copy
2. Whispercraft
Type: Mind manipulation / illusion
Abilities: Implant thoughts, distort truth, make enemies see things that aren't there
Signature Skill: Sow Doubt – Cause enemies to hesitate, forget current action
3. Bloodroot Binding
Type: Nature corruption / flesh control
Abilities: Create tendrils from the environment, drain health, control mutated wildlife
Signature Skill: Grasping Mire – Turn ground into a writhing mass of black roots
4. Starforged Will
Type: Reality shaping / celestial inheritance
Abilities: Deflect fate-based attacks, rewrite damage, bend time slightly
Signature Skill: Rewrite – Once per battle, negate any one condition or death
She reached out toward the threads—her fingers shimmering slightly.
When she touched one, visions burst behind her eyes: flashes of futures where she has mastered that path, each offering power—but demanding cost.
Choose two:
First: Your primary method of survival
Second: A complement or contradiction, allowing synergy or chaos
These choices set her starting build—but the weave was ever-expanding. She could later unlock, rethread, or even break the loom, creating a class no other player has.
"Be warned…" the Assistant whispers, slower now. "…Some combinations… were not meant to exist. But you are not a thing that was meant to exist either."
"So choose." Then it vanished once more.
Her fingers hovered over the lattice of light and memory. Most threads shifted away—unwilling. Others trembled, beckoning.
Then two threads began to tighten around her presence, as if they've already been waiting.
She touched a strand woven from silence—black with a sheen of violet oil, humming with unread thoughts. The moment she connected, her mind fractured—not painfully, but it was permanent.
Visions rushed in:
A guard turning on his own ally, confused by whispers only he could hear.
A noble confessing secrets to her shadow, thinking it was his wife.
An army frozen mid-charge, caught in a phantom illusion of an erupting chasm.
The thread burned briefly, then burrowed into her, curling like a serpent beneath her skin, resting near her spine.
Discipline Unlocked: Whispercraft
A branch of magic of the Eldritch Bound. A twisted version of the Vampire race's [Mind Control], you do not cast spells. You insert suggestions.
Your power is not in fire… but in doubt.
Signature Skill Gained:
Sow Doubt – Infect a target's mind with uncertainty. Causes confusion, hesitation, or misfire of abilities. Some NPCs will lose their confidence toward you—even if they don't know why.
Her hand then drifted toward a sinewy, pulsing thread, thick and alive, twined with thorn and glow. As her fingers grazed it, her arm spasmed—but not from pain. From recognition.
This magic wasn't casted. It's grown.
The Weave responded violently—writhing. The entire loom dimmed around her as if repulsed… or impressed. The strand surged into her body, and immediately, she felt the roots under the chamber floor shifting—reaching toward her. Accepting her.
Visions flooded in again:
Forests screaming, vines binding screaming knights.
A living tree, eyes carved into its trunk, whispering names in reverse.
Her own shadow, stretched into roots that pull others down beneath the soil.
Discipline Unlocked: Bloodroot Binding
A twisted version of the Dryad race's [Root Bind]. You command what is ancient, and it obeys because it fears what you.
Signature Skill Gained:
Grasping Mire – Corrupt the terrain into writhing, thorned roots that slow, injure, and siphon health from enemies. Can also be used for binding, path-blocking, or ritual casting.
These two disciplines—Whispercraft and Bloodroot Binding—formed a strange balance:
One invaded the mind.
One invaded the earth and body.
Together, they formed a symbiotic control archetype: manipulation and domination, built for strategy, fear, and psychological warfare.
The loom closed its threads around her selections, weaving them into her fate.
The Assistant appeared once again and spoke, quieter than before:
"You chose to twist will and root… to bend minds and bind flesh. Others will fear you. They should."
"But power is never given freely. These disciplines… will reshape you just as you reshape the world."
System Notification:
Skill Archetype Created: The Blooming Whisper
Unique combination of control-based psychic manipulation and terrain corruption.
Custom synergy bonuses unlocked.
Hidden passive path discovered: Rootmind Ascendancy
Cora's eyebrows rose at reading this. 'Not even finished with character creation and I already found hidden treasures.'
"Hey Assistant, tell me about these skill archetypes, custom synergy bonuses, and hidden passive paths."
The Assistant nodded, "Certainly Aetherborn. I shall start by explaining what archetype creation is."
It then spent a few minutes informing her of three systems that were core to Elysium Nexus Online's deep build mechanics.
"Archetype Creation occurs when an Aetherborn selects two (or later, more) Skill Disciplines that, when combined, form a unique thematic identity. This identity is not chosen manually—it emerges from the synergy between selected skills, Aetherborn essence, and the order of acquisition."
Then it went on to explain how it worked.
"When two skill disciplines are selected, the game checks for thematic alignment, mechanical interplay, and narrative resonance.
If the combination meets certain criteria (predefined or discovered dynamically), the game automatically generates an Archetype Name and applies bonuses tailored to that playstyle.
For example:
Whispercraft + Bloodroot Binding
→ Archetype: The Blooming Whisper
→ A character who manipulates minds while controlling terrain with organic corruption.
"Do you have any questions about Archetype Creation or shall I continue onto Custom Synergy bonuses?"
Cora did infact have a one question. "What are the effects of Archetypes?"
"Archetypes aren't picked. They're revealed. Like secrets hiding between your choices."
They grant a custom title displayed in character info (visible to others in-world), unlocks a small set of custom passive abilities or synergy bonuses, and may trigger exclusive dialogue or NPC reactions, especially from lore-aware factions."
"These are just the effects that have been discovered in the world. Shall I continue with the next part of the explanations?"
Cora nodded, not having anymore questions as of that moment.
"Custom synergy bonuses are automated enhancements to how two (or more) chosen disciplines interact. They reward intelligent combinations, allowing a player to create new effects without needing to unlock a third skill tree."
"There are a few types of Synergy bonuses that are known:
Skill Interaction: One ability enhances or alters another.
For example, your Whispercraft's Sow Doubt causes Bloodroot's Grasping Mire to pulse damage faster against confused enemies.
Casting Shortcuts: Using one skill reduces the cooldown of another.
For example: Whenever you root an enemy, your next illusion becomes instant-cast.
"Shared Resource: Combined mechanics may pool mana, corruption stacks, or a unique shared meter."
Example: If you Create "Echo Roots"—it will share status effect that spreads both hallucination and entanglement."
"Some synergy bonuses are automatic and shown in your skill tree UI.
Others are hidden and discovered only by repeated usage patterns, story events, or specific Essence triggers."
Passive Paths are latent evolution routes tied to your Essence, Discipline choices, and playstyle. These are not chosen during character creation but awaken gradually as you play.
Think of them as invisible growth tracks that begin to unlock when your actions align with a deeper identity.
How it works is that the game monitors skill usage habits, moral choices or quest decisions, how you interact with NPCs and the world, and your essence classification and body mutation.
Once enough alignment is detected, you get a message like:
"The path stirs beneath your feet…"
When triggered, a Passive Path unlocks, granting, just to state a few: A permanent passive ability, a unique modifier to your disciplines, and Access to a hidden trainer, temple, or questline.
I will give an example of Passive Paths for you:
Rootmind Ascendancy – A path for Eldritch Bound users like your self who have Bloodroot + mind-based magic
Perks that comes with it are: Mind-spread – enemies entangled by your roots also share debuffs across the network. Memorybark – +10% damage against enemies you've previously frightened or confused. Narrative Trigger: Detach emotionally from a dying Native who thought you were their friend.
"Archetypes give you an identity. Synergies give you flow. Passive paths give you a legacy."
"Do you have any questions?"