SSS Unknown: Dark Knight's Legacy

Gripping his head in agony, Unknown slowly regained consciousness. His mind, clouded by the searing pain, struggled to focus. When his senses finally sharpened, he realized he was lying on a soft surface, staring up at a vast, unbroken expanse of pristine white. 

The room was eerily empty—no furniture, no people—just an infinite sea of white that stretched endlessly around him.

'...These memories aren't mine…'

The thought felt as if it didn't belong to him, yet it echoed with an undeniable truth, like a foreign fragment of his soul. The images that danced in his mind, filled with vivid recollections of another life, didn't match his own. 

The person in those memories—Leonore Kylian—was so disturbingly similar to him, yet a deep sense of disdain filled him when he thought of him.

'Why does he resemble me so much?'

'What was all that talk about world peace?'

The memories of Leonore weighed heavily on him, each one filled with sacrifice and misguided ideals.

'Was it really worth it? Sacrificing so many, including yourself, for a dream of world peace?'

'Do you realize how many lives were shattered by your actions? How many people you loved were hurt because of your choices?'

'If you had the power to wish for anything, why couldn't you come up with something that would actually make a difference? Something that didn't require so much bloodshed?'

'At least, at the very least, value your own life!'

It felt strange, standing in judgment of someone else's decisions when Unknown, too, had made similar choices. 

Why was it so easy to criticize Leonore when he couldn't bring himself to do the same when it came to his own choices? Especially in moments of crisis, when conviction blurred his vision, and he could do nothing but move forward.

As these conflicting thoughts swirled in his mind, a voice, sudden and intrusive, echoed in the silence around him. It was a voice both alien and somehow familiar, as though it had called to him from the depths of some long-lost memory. 

The sound caused an involuntary shiver to run down his spine.

"How does it feel to see the memories of your past life?"

Unknown flinched, his body instinctively recoiling. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to force the voice out, but when he opened them again, the room had shifted. 

Before him stood a figure, but it wasn't a person—it was just a vague, formless light, a burst of white radiance that took no recognizable shape. The voice, however, remained, seeming to echo both male and female at once.

"God?"

"That's right, Unknown," came the calm, almost mocking voice. "How does it feel? To be confronted with the journey of your past life in the dungeon?"

Unknown was paralyzed for a moment, unable to grasp what he was seeing or hearing. Was he truly standing before a god? His mind rebelled against the absurdity of it, but as he looked around, he realized that nothing in this strange space made sense. 

This place, these events, everything seemed like it had been pulled from the fabric of some surreal dream. Why should anything surprise him now?

Unable to keep silent any longer, he spoke, his voice strained from the weight of his confusion.

"I hate it."

"Really?" the god responded without hesitation, almost as if expecting this reaction. "I thought as much."

Unknown's chest tightened as frustration surged within him. "Why show me these memories? Why bring me here?"

The god's form flickered, its shape still indistinct. "I didn't come to see you," it replied. "And those memories weren't influenced by me."

"I see..." Unknown muttered under his breath, trying to make sense of the cryptic response. He wanted to ask more, but the god had already answered his main questions. The situation, though absurd, seemed to be one he had to accept—at least for now.

After a brief pause, Unknown finally asked, his voice quieter now, "Does my suffering amuse you?"

A brief silence followed. The god's presence hovered around him like a heavy mist, its next words dripping with an unnerving indifference.

"What if I say yes?"

The god's response was so matter-of-fact that it sent a shiver through Unknown's entire being. He could almost feel the god's gaze piercing him, analyzing him, seeing through every part of him. 

The indifferent answer only heightened his sense of helplessness. The idea that the god took some form of pleasure from his suffering made his blood boil.

Yet, even as anger and frustration filled him, there was a strange calm that settled over him, like he had come to terms with the absurdity of it all. 

"…Heh, at least it's still entertaining…"

Unknown's lips curled into a bitter smile, but the smile quickly faltered, replaced by a grimace as the weight of his words hit him. His heart felt cold, hollow. The god—that thing—had been watching him from the very beginning, his pain, his struggles, nothing more than a source of amusement.

A twisted, cruel entertainment.

He had fought, bled, and sacrificed so much. Yet to this being, it was all just a game, a form of amusement, an endless cycle to be watched from some higher plane. He could feel the bitterness rise in him, but he kept it at bay, refusing to let the god see any further weakness.

It was a hollow victory, realizing that his suffering had never truly been his own, that it had been orchestrated and observed for amusement.

His heart burned with indignation, but even that was fleeting. What could he do? He was nothing but a pawn in a game far beyond his understanding.

"Hm, aren't you angry or outraged?" the god asked, its voice probing, like it was expecting some form of resistance. "Don't you wonder why everything turned out this way? Why I made you start here, in this endless cycle?"

Unknown didn't answer right away. His gaze hardened, a storm brewing behind his eyes. The questions the god asked were sharp, meant to cut deep, to make him question himself even more. But Unknown refused to let himself be broken further.

"Aren't you curious why I did it?" the god continued, as if coaxing him to open up. "Do you think you deserve all this suffering? That it's a punishment?"

"No, I…" Unknown muttered, the words catching in his throat. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Was this punishment? Was he being tested, judged for some past life he couldn't remember? Or was this just the nature of the world? Survival—wasn't that all he had been doing?

"Maybe I was just trying to survive…" the words came out like a whisper, devoid of conviction, as though he was trying to convince himself. 

But deep down, Unknown could feel the cracks in that reasoning. He had done so much more than just survive. He had fought. He had sacrificed. But for what?

The silence stretched, growing thicker with every passing second. The god's probing words felt like chains trying to tighten around his chest. There were no easy answers. No clear path forward.

"But…" Unknown's voice wavered, but a flicker of resolve sparked within him. "I just want to escape. I want to leave this place and start over. Live a new life. Free from all this… all this suffering."

The admission came out more easily than he had expected. The desire was so raw, so pure, that it felt almost like a plea. But there was no turning back now. He wasn't asking for forgiveness or redemption; he was simply asking for a chance to live differently.

The god's voice shifted, its tone turning colder, but tinged with something more like resignation.

"…Fine." There was a finality to its words. "But if you wish to escape, you must accept all your memories, including those of your past life."

Unknown froze. His body tensed, the weight of the decision hanging heavy on his shoulders. The thought of accepting those memories—the memories of Leonore, of everything he had been—made him want to recoil. 

To lose himself in those past lives, to be consumed by them, would mean losing everything he had become. He would no longer be Unknown; he would be someone else entirely, someone defined by the actions of a life he had no control over.

He clenched his fists, his mind racing with panic. Could he really do it? Could he bear the weight of all those memories?

"…I see." The god's voice softened, almost as if it pitied him. "You still don't want that to happen, do you?"

Unknown didn't answer. He didn't have to. The god had already seen it in him.

Then, to his surprise, the god's hand reached out, patting him on the head like one would a child, as if trying to comfort him. The touch felt warm, almost affectionate.

It was weirdly friendly.

With a voice filled with divine authority, the god spoke again, "Find yourself a name, Unknown. Write your own destiny."

A flood of warmth and light washed over him, and for a brief moment, Unknown felt like he could breathe again. His soul, once fragmented and in pain, was slowly pieced together, healed by the god's words. There was still hope. He didn't have to be defined by the past. He didn't have to let the god dictate his future.

"I know you can do it," the god continued, its voice soft but powerful. "You've always fought for the right to live. You've always fought to fulfill your ideals. Isn't that what you've always done?"

With a snap of its fingers, the god's presence began to fade, and the blinding white space around them shattered, disintegrating like glass. For a moment, everything was lost in the light, but as the god's presence finally vanished, Unknown was left with a new sense of clarity.

He could still make his own choices.

He could still carve out his own destiny.

And with that, the final fragments of the divine space fell away, leaving only a brief silence before everything returned to darkness.

Status Panel

Name: Unknown

Class: Berserker

Level: 60

HP: 2950/2950

MP: 120/120

Attributes:

Strength: 65→ (5+6*12) = 77Agility: 78→ (6+7*12) = 90Endurance: 65→ (5+6*12) = 77

Skills:

Fighting Tendency (Passive)Accel+Limit BreakMagic Vision

Ability: Madness Mutation + →Duality Mutation. Skill rank S+

Further change will occur depending on the user's action. Increased mutation rate, increase base multiplier stat by 1

Ability: Skill Ascended 

Skill Points: 0

Sword Arts:

Quick Slash, Sweeping Slash, Aura, Triple Slash, Double Slash, Stinger,...

...Error

…Error

…Error.

System…

Error

404 ….System not found.

The once-thriving system, the guiding force that had monitored and adjusted every aspect of Unknown's journey, flickered violently and began to fade. A deep, unshakable darkness seemed to consume the very fabric of it.

As the final line of code, the last piece of structure was wiped away, Unknown felt a chill in his spine. The weight of the silence pressed in on him, but more unnervingly, something ancient, primal, and malicious was stirring deep within the void.

And then, a familiar voice spoke.

"Hello, Master!~~"

Its cheerful tone rang through his mind, replacing the monotone, robotic voice of the system that had once guided him. For a moment, Unknown's heart skipped, the sound stirring something deep within him. 

He had heard this voice before, with warmth and undeniable familiarity.

It was Eclipse.

She had somehow, impossibly, devoured the system itself, taking its place with an unsettling ease. 

There was no mistaking the playful lilt in her voice, the same voice he had heard during that memory of Leonore. However, now it was somehow different—alive with an energy that hadn't been there before.

"Did you miss me, Master?" Eclipse's voice hummed in his head, like a sweet melody dancing through the void.

Unknown's heart pounded in his chest, the sensation of her voice in his mind almost too much to bear.

He could sense her presence clearly now, not just as a sword but as something more—something powerful, overwhelming, and undeniable. The weight of the divine system was gone, replaced by her. She was the new force that would guide him, shaping his fate.

"How...?" he breathed, still reeling from the chaotic changes happening around him.

Eclipse's laughter echoed in his thoughts, soft and melodic, yet tinged with something darker. "I've evolved, Master. I consumed the system's essence, its core… and now, I am everything. I can see all, know all. The power is mine, and with it, yours as well."

Her voice shimmered with a strange promise, teasing the air around him. Unknown's mind spun, trying to comprehend its impossibility. How had she done this? How could a weapon—a sword—become this?

But in the end, the answer was simple: Eclipse was never just a sword. She transcended that role. She was an entity unto herself, a force in her own right.

"I've freed you from the system's constraints," Eclipse continued, her voice softening as if speaking intimately with him. "Now, we can truly be free. No rules. No restrictions. We can carve our path through the world together, Master. Just you and me."

Unknown could feel the weight of her words pressing into his mind, mingling with his own desires, his ambitions. The bond between them was stronger than ever. 

But was this truly freedom? Or was it just another chain, this time forged by her, not the system?

With his heart pounding in his chest, he took a deep breath, uncertain of the path ahead but certain of one thing: Eclipse had become the new source of his power.

Then, he just had to confirm one thing.

"Eclipse..." He said with a casual voice.

"Yes, Master."

"Do you remember who I am?"

"Why are you asking such strange questions? Of course, you're my master..."

Her response was firm, filled with the unshakable confidence that she had always shown. But something felt... off. There was a hesitation in her tone that hadn't been there before.

"Wait, your name is... Why can't I recognize it?"

The question lingered in the air, like an unanswered riddle. Eclipse, for the first time, faltered.

"Check if you remember anything else."

There was a long silence, the kind that stretched on far too long, as if Eclipse was searching through the depths of her being, her very essence, trying to find the answer.

'.....'

After a tense moment, Eclipse finally spoke again, but there was a tremor in her voice now.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any memories of you or even of myself."

Unknown's heart skipped a beat. His breath caught in his throat as a wave of unease crashed over him. "Then why do you still call me master?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Eclipse's voice grew cheerful once again, trying to ease the tension. "God created me to belong to you!"

Her words were confident, but Unknown couldn't shake the gnawing feeling in his chest. He was meant to have a bond with her, but now, that connection felt more fragile than ever.

"The legendary super-powered Demon sword is now in your hands. Are you happy?"

"...I understand," Unknown murmured, his mind still racing. He tried to steady himself, pushing away the nagging doubts. "Nice to meet you, Eclipse. I am Unknown."

"Unknown, I remember now." There was a note of relief in her voice. "I'm so glad fate has brought us together."

She sounded genuine, as if every word she spoke had been pulled from the deepest part of her soul. Unknown could sense the weight of those words, even if they were a mere echo of a past life neither of them fully understood.

"From now until the end of the world, I will stay by your side."

Her voice softened with a promise that resonated deeply within Unknown's chest, as if this vow held more than just the weight of words.

"Even if everyone turns against you, even if death separates us, I will always pull you back."

It was a vow that echoed in the silence of the void, one that promised loyalty beyond time, beyond death. Her voice held the warmth of unwavering devotion, yet he could feel the cost of it, like a shadow creeping at the edges.

Her old memories had been erased—obliterated by the god who had shaped her into this being. She was now a creation without a past, without a true history. But despite that, in the deepest recesses of her soul, there remained a fragment—something that could never truly be lost.

And as her words lingered in the air, Eclipse revealed that fragment.

It was the final smile of her master, the one who had once held her close, the one who had looked up at the endless blue sky with hope in his eyes. That memory—the only one she could hold onto—remained in the deepest shadows of her being, a reminder of the love that had once been. 

A love that, no matter how much she had been altered, she would never forget.

Her connection to him, to Unknown, was more than just her purpose—it was a part of her essence, her core. And with that final, bittersweet memory, she vowed to stay by his side, no matter the price.