Blessing

The longsword, both familiar and strange, bore a striking resemblance to Nephis' Dream Blade but was elevated to a far greater form. Its narrow, flawlessly straight blade gleamed brilliantly in sunlight, so bright it was nearly blinding, while the ivory hilt felt cool and welcoming, fitting her hand perfectly as if designed solely for her. The sword's weight and balance were flawless, and its simple, elegant design steer clear of unnecessary embellishments, exuding a pure and functional beauty. A chillingly lethal aura surrounded it, both cold and scorching, giving the impression of a living presence as it responded warmly to Nephis' touch.^[1]

The runes identified it as Blessing, a Memory with unknown rank and tier, and described it with a cryptic narrative referencing Nephis' self-immolation during her First Nightmare. Marked as a Shadowbound Relic, the sword required binding to her. When Nephis accepted, the Memory was destroyed, and she received a new Attribute. The breathtaking sword fulfilled Sunny's promise to forge her a blade worthy of slaying gods, merging seamlessly with her essence and becoming a part of who she was.^[1]

The sword Sunny forged for Nephis is a shadowbound weapon, seamlessly fused with her body and soul, allowing her to summon it at will. When infused with her soul flame, the blade ignites with an incandescent brilliance, transforming into a pure, radiant flame that appears as a rift in reality, capable of cleaving the world in half.^[1]

Beyond its devastating power, the sword possesses a shape-shifting ability, transforming into a stream of liquid fire or incandescent metal that flows along Nephis' arm and forms a silver bracelet, ensuring it remains both portable and unobtrusive when not in use. Its silvery blade reflects sunlight, brightening its surroundings, while its incandescent form radiates an overwhelming and awe-inspiring presence. Perfectly integrated with Nephis' abilities, the weapon amplifies her power and becomes an extension of her will, combining elegance, lethality, and versatility.^[1]

• Dormant Form: Resides within Nephis' soul, providing several passive boons:^[2]
  • Enhanced resistance to soul attacks.^[2]
  • Increased rate of soul essence replenishment and spirit essence absorption.^[2]
  • Allowed her to draw power from the dreams of those affected by her nascent Domain.^[2]
    • Neph's source element was the longing she inspired in other people, which amplified her spirit essence as more people were moved by her. The [Dream Blade] seemingly allowed her to harness power from their dreams, channeling spirit essence from those influenced by her nascent Domain, even during their sleep. This trait was not woven by Sunny, but it was either added by the Spell or the Blessing already realized the potential to learn imbued by Sunny to it.^[2]
• Awakened Form: Manifests as a tangible sword, granting Nephis access to the remaining enchantments ([Bound] and four auxiliary enchantments [Flame Conduit], [Purifying Light], [Change] and [Ruin]) while losing the passive benefits of the dormant form.^[2]

Designed entirely by Sunny, it was intended to tip the scales in dire battles, when everything goes wrong and Nephis was forced to her limits. It proved especially critical in conflicts with powerful foes capable of bending reality or damaging souls. The enchantment increased the power and lethality of the Blessing in proportion to the extent of damage sustained by Nephis' soul.^[3]

This trait aligned perfectly with Nephis' Transcendent Battle Art and was particularly effective against enemies capable of harming or destroying the souls of living beings. However, its ultimate purpose was tied to Nephis herself and her ability to burn her soul for tremendous power, as demonstrated in her self-sacrificial acts, such as during Twilight and her escape from Condemnation.^[3]

Equates the sword's Rank and Class to Nephis' soul.^[2]

The [Flame Conduit] is a straightforward yet impactful enchantment of the Blessing, featuring two key functions.^[3]

First, it serves as a fulcrum for Nephis' flames, compressing and focusing them to allow precise control or the creation of narrow, sharp flame jets or rays of light capable of slicing through even the most durable of tangible objects. This significantly extends the range of the weapon beyond the physical blade, providing a crucial advantage against larger enemies, as it allows Nephis to strike from a safer distance and hit targets that might otherwise be out of reach.^[3]

Second, it increased the efficiency of Nephis' Dormant Ability when applied to the Blessing. It worked by leveraging the blessed alloy and the soul sword's affinity to Neph's soul flame, boosting the overall strength of the augmentation by a few tenths without diminishing the Ability's inherent potency or incurring additional costs. While it did not double the efficacy, the increase was considerable, and its effects scaled with the amount of flame Nephis infused.^[3]

The [Purifying Light] is an enchantment of the soul sword that deviates from Sunny's original design. It enhances the soul sword's effectiveness against creatures tainted by Corruption. When used against such beings, the sword becomes stronger and more lethal, as if its light inherently opposes and eradicates the darkness within their souls. This purification is absolute and conclusive in its execution.^[3]

The [Change] enchantment provided the Blessing with the ability to alter both shape and form. Additionally, it allowed the Blessing to shift between various states, including steel, liquid metal, compressed flame, and pure light. The full potential and applications of these states required exploration by Nephis, but its most significant advantage was clear: the Blessing could merge with her Transcendent form when in its flaming or radiant states. This fusion imbued Nephis with the Blessing's traits and enchantments, functioning similarly to how Serpent fused with Shadow Shells created by Sunny. This feature offered Nephis flexibility in combat, allowing her to either wield the Blessing as a weapon in her hand or integrate it into her hand and radiant body as part of her Transformed state.^[3]

The [Ruin] enchantment was inherited from the black arrow Sunny had sacrificed to create the blessed alloy. Infused with a breath of the Shadow Realm and the killing intent of its enigmatic inhabitant, the Blessing gained a death will akin to the [Slaying Blade] Ability of the Soul Serpent, though less potent. While the enhancement of lethality depended largely on Nephis' own murderous will, it provided a significant boon, enhancing her ability to kill.^[3]

• The Blessing, like the Mantle, was strengthened by augmenting Nephis' body. As long as she was surrounded by the soul flame's radiance, its traits would grow stronger, whether the Blessing was in its dormant or awakened form.^[2]
• It retained some trait as a Memory while becoming an Attribute thus can be augmented by Crown of Dawn.^[2]

Main article: Forging of Shadowbound Relic

• The sword's physical vessel was forged using rare materials such as the Winter Beast's heart, blessed metals, an arrow of the Shadow Realm, Nephis' soul flame, and Sunny's blood.^[4] (For more information refer to: Forging of Shadowbound Relic)