Hi! I'm Who Cares? and I write webnovels because I think that they are the future of written content. This thread hosts the chapters for my first novel; "RE:WRITE" and I would love to hear your opinions about the story, your reactions, your speculations for the future and well, anything else you might want to talk about! You may also read this story at: My Website (fastest upload) Royalroadl (second fastest upload) Wattpad (uploads sometimes) and I will love you forever if you vote for me at topwebfictions.com - it takes less than 5 seconds, no sign up, vote for as many stories as you like and voting refreshes each week so please vote again! Without further ado, here you go! Synopsis: Be forewarned, you are not about to read an awesome story about an awesome protagonist who can, and will, fix everything on a whim. No, what you are about to read is a story about a world called “Erath” and the people who inhabit it – willingly or unwillingly. A story about love and friendship in a world that seems opposed to both. About struggles, aims and ambitions in a world that renders everything meaningless. And about power, the human condition and our aspirations both as individuals and as members of society. This story will not leave you satisfied. It will not make you feel better. You will not want to be any of the main characters, even though they are all so ridiculously powerful. It might make you cry, it may make you laugh and it will certainly make you think harder than you have in a long time. Because you see, this story is about a lot of people. A boy with a troubled past and immense power at his fingertips. A Goddess trying to make sense of her emotions, even as she struggles to find her place in the world. A Hero with a sketchy past and a role that does not match her nature. A Demon Lord who yearns for power but doesn’t know why. And all the people they meet on their journey. This is not a light tale but nor is it a dark one. For those who wish to think, there are breadcrumbs scattered everywhere. For those who wish to read without delving too deep, all I ask is that you read with an open mind and an open heart. Who knows, perhaps just like the characters in the story, you too will end up realizing that… Absolute power is pretty depressing. Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Mature, Romance, Psychological, Tragedy. Other tags: RPG world, Metaphysical, Moral Ambiguity, Multiple MCs, Multiple POVs, Mystery, Overpowered MC, Philosophy, Stories-within-a-story, Symbolism. Warning: Tagged 18+ for Strong language, violence, some gore, lots of sadness, heavy imagery, way too much symbolism and multiple POVs! The format for chapter titles is as follows: Overall chapter number, Point of View _Chapter number: Chapter title Table of Contents: 0.0 Re:Write_Prologue: Waves 1.0 Zero_Chapter 1: Cracks on the Ceiling 2.0 Zero_Chapter 2: Sunlight 3.0 Zero_Chapter 3: Campfire Stories 4.0 Zero_Chapter 4: Smile 5.0 Zero Chapter 5: Ugliness 6.0 Zero_Chapter 6: Starry Skies 7.0 Ignis_Chapter 1: Haze 8.0 Ignis_Chapter 2: To Protect 9.0 Ignis_Chapter 3: Anger 10.0 Candela_Chapter 1: In my head 11.0 Candela_Chapter 2: Queen’s Gambit 12.0 Candela_Chapter 3: Zugzwang 13.0 Grayscale_Chapter 1: Snow 14.0 Grayscale_Chapter 2: Clouds 15.0 Grayscale_Chapter 3: Shade 16.0 Candela_Chapter 4: Zwischenzug 17.0 Ignis_Chapter 4: Sadness 18.0 Zero_Chapter 7: Warmth 19.0 Zero_Chapter 8: On a Hill 20.0 Grayscale_Chapter 4: Silver 21.0 Ignis_Chapter 5: Care 22.0 Candela_Chapter 5: Sicilian 23.0 Grayscale_Chapter 5: Coin 24.0 Zero_Chapter 9: Headache 25.0 Candela_Chapter 6: Smothered 26.0 Grayscale_Chapter 6: Ash 27.0 Ignis_Chapter 6: Pity 28.0 Candela_Chapter 7: Lasker 29.0 Grayscale_Chapter 7: Graphite 30.0 Ignis_Chapter 7: Frustration 31.0 Zero_Chapter 10: Raft 32.0 Zero_Chapter 11: Box 33.0 Grayscale_Chapter 8: Flint 34.0 Grayscale_Chapter 9: Pewter 35.0 Grayscale_Chapter 10: Dove 36.0 Grayscale_Chapter 11: Porpoise 37.0 Grayscale_Chapter 12: Slate 38.0 Grayscale_Chapter 13: Lead 39.0 Grayscale_Chapter 14: Fog 40.0 Grayscale_Chapter 15: Fossil 41.0 Grayscale_Chapter 16: Smoke 42.0 Zero_Chapter 12: Intentions 43.0 Candela_Chapter 8: Castle 44.0 Candela_Chapter 9: Fork 45.0 Candela_Chapter 10: Tempo 46.0 Candela_Chapter 11: Intermezzo 47.0 Candela_Chapter 12: Transposition 48.0 Ignis_Chapter 7: Amusement
0.0 Re:Write Prologue: Waves Spoiler: Read chapter The sun blazed, sending relentless waves of heat and light onto the thousands of people lined up below. The faint sound of crashing waves was carried over by the hot summer air. Angry red banners fluttered in the hot summer wind while swords and armor glittered beneath the sunlight. Tens of thousands of soldiers wearing red armor and crimson shields stood alongside thousands of armored warriors sitting atop horses draped in red. Behind them stood a horde of hooded figures wearing red robes, who emitting pulses of hot, searing energy. On a small hill overlooking the sea of soldiers was a massive red tent with a large red flag raised over it. While the rest of the army was a cacophony of shouts, neighs, grunts and clanking armor; the inside of the tent was engulfed by a stifling silence. Inside the tent, the king stood with his hands stretched to either side of a map of the battlefield. The map was covered by pins of various colors: red, blue, white, black, yellow and gray. But the king wasn’t looking at the map and neither were the several ministers, generals and commanders that stood next to him. Their eyes were unfocused, as if they were all lost in thought despite being in the middle of the largest battle in human history. They had all heard it, at the same time in fact. One word, resounding through their minds and causing them to freeze due to the shock caused by the power of the voice as well as the reverence they attached to it. A voice that most people only ever heard at their initiation into the Church of Fire. But even though they had only heard it once in their entire lives, none of them doubted that it was her voice. The voice of the Fire Goddess. Two armies of similar sizes stretched far to the right of the army of the Fire Kingdom. These were the armies of their allies; the Light Kingdom and the Water Kingdom, respectively adorned in white and blue. In front of these armies stood a giant stone bridge stretching into the distance. On the other side of the bridge were the three armies of the Dark, Air and Earth Kingdoms. However, the command tents of all of these armies were in a similar state. They had all heard a voice in their head, the voice of their respective Goddess. And all of these voices had told them the same thing. Stop! So they immediately stopped everything that they were doing. But their shock soon gave way to confusion. Why did their Goddess make them stop just as they were about to begin the war that their Church had prophesied? Wasn’t this war decreed by the Goddesses themselves? However, despite their confusion they still sent out orders to stop their armies, while nervously wondering whether their enemies would use this opportunity to attack. For now, they could only wait for their scouts to bring back news that they hoped would clarify the situation. - The continuous sound of crashing waves was interrupted by the sound of a horse’s hooves hitting the stone as a yellow robed rider thundered across the stone bridge. Zoe Hill was a scout from the Earth Kingdom who had been ordered to observe the enemy’s position and report back to her commander. Her hair fluttered in the wind as the horse galloped across the stone bridge. She’d slow down when she was closer to the other side, but she wasn’t concerned about being found yet because she wasn’t even halfway across the bridge. Suddenly, her horse’s ears flicked to the right just as Zoe turned her gaze in the same direction. Another pair of horses were galloping across the bridge. After noticing the color of their armor, Zoe stroked her horse’s neck to calm it down and directed it to slowly move towards the scouts from the Dark and Air kingdoms. As her horse drew near, the other scouts also directed their gazes towards her before adjusting their horses so they would draw nearer to Zoe as well. When they were all close together, Zoe gave them a quick nod before turning her gaze forward. “Has your communications prism also gone silent?” said the man dressed in black robes. Zoe nodded. The man turned his gaze towards the front as well. When her prism had suddenly gone silent, Zoe had initially assumed that it was a malfunction but she quickly realized that although no messages were being sent by the commanders, the prism itself could still send messages, which meant that it wasn’t broken. The people on the other end had just gone quiet. The thought made her heart skip a beat. Central command has gone silent? Wouldn’t that send the whole army into confusion? Just as the thought went through her mind, the other scouts exclaimed loudly before pulling the reins of their horses to draw them to a stop. Zoe also pulled on her horse’s reins and as the horse settled down, she quickly shifted her gaze towards the other scouts, expecting an explanation for why they were stopping when she hadn’t sensed any presence nearby. She realized that the others were staring straight ahead towards the center of the bridge and so Zoe turned her gaze in that direction as well. And she froze. In the center of the bridge stood a purple robed figure. The figure had it’s back towards Zoe so she couldn’t tell who it was but that wasn’t what surprised her. This figure had no presence at all. She couldn’t sense any magic from it! And yet here it stood, right in the middle of the ancient Bridge of Babel. But the entire world knows this is where the final battle is going to take place! Doesn’t this person realize that this is the battleground for the largest battle of all time? Zoe stood motionless for several minutes, barely daring to breathe. Just who could this person be? Moreover, they were wearing purple robes? Which force does that represent? Definitely not the Celeste nor the Pandomins. Maybe a mercenary or bandit group? But why would a mercenary or a bandit be here? Especially now of all times? Just as these thoughts were going through her mind, a bright flash made Zoe raise a hand to cover her eyes while desperately holding onto the spooked horse’s reins with the other. She felt a tremendous pressure bear down at her at the same time. Shit! She wrestled with the reins while tightly clasping the horse’s body with her legs and barely managed to calm it down. She rubbed her eyes and slowly blinked them open as the blurred images began to take shape. Several new figures surrounded the purple robed one in a circle. Zoe felt an unbearable pressure from those figures despite being so far away, making her wonder where so many powerful figures came from and why they would all come to the freaking middle of the battlefield! - She could barely make out the distant sound of crashing waves. She was standing on a hill overlooking an army but she seemed to be looking somewhere far away. A growing sense of sorrow gnawed at her heart as she recalled the man she had loved but she sighed as she realized the futility of her feelings. It’s too late now. She felt something buzz in the her robe’s pocket. Puzzled, she reached in and took it out. Her hand began to tremble and her eyes widened when she saw the small, crystalline prism in her hand. How could this...? No! No! NO! She burst into the air in a flash of light and began flying towards the center of the bridge. This isn’t possible! He can’t be here! Fuck! But if he is... will he stil- Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of another flash of light rushing ahead of her. She shook her head, this wasn’t the time for idle thoughts. She needed to see it with her own eyes. She appeared in the center of the bridge just as several other figures materialized from flashes of light. But she didn’t even look at the powerful beings that had appeared so suddenly. No, she couldn’t help but look at the purple robed figure standing in front of her. The other figures stared at the person in purple robes as well. He was a young man with black hair and slightly tanned skin. He was wearing a pair of simple, black framed glasses. His ethnicity was hard to make out and his face wasn’t particularly remarkable either. He looked like an average, 18-20 year old student or apprentice and his aura was virtually non-existent. Yet, all of the other figures held their breath. Various emotions flashed on their faces. Traces of shock and disbelief. Some anger, sorrow and frustration. But mostly, there was a sense of overwhelming guilt and fear. But the purple robed youth wasn’t even looking at them. His cold, brown eyes were directed towards the sky and his face was devoid of emotions. Even when the others had materialized around him, he didn’t show the slightest indication of acknowledging their presence. She stared at the youth in front of her as her eyes began to swell, but no tears would flow because they were held back by shame and guilt. He continued to stare into the sky, ignoring the people around him even as they experienced multiple, conflicting emotions. She couldn’t tell how long they just stood there, wondering when he would stop ignoring them. And dreading the moment that he would. She tried to say something, tried to break the silence, make him react to her, to respond. But the words died down in her throat and she couldn’t even manage a sound. Then, as if mocking her inability to speak, the youth sighed and closed his eyes. The others tensed up and held their breath. He opened his eyes and looked straight in front of him. He looked straight at her. Her mind tensed and her heart skipped a beat, but the cold gaze almost immediately moved on to the person beside her. She felt her heart go cold and she bit her lips to stop them from trembling while holding back the tears that threatened to overflow. He slowly looked at everyone that surrounded him, his gaze never lingering on anyone. They all felt the sharp coldness of his gaze as sweat began to flow down their backs but they didn’t dare to move at all. They were some of the most powerful people in the world, any one of them would have commanded the love and respect of millions of people but under his gaze they couldn’t help but feel insignificant. They couldn’t help but feel afraid. He lifted his gaze towards the sky once again and sighed. He closed his eyes and his lips moved to form a word. But she knew what he would say before he even said it. She had heard him say that word countless times but it had always carried different emotions back then. It had made her feel confused, shocked and awed when she heard it for the first time. She had felt the power behind the word. Felt the thrill of knowing what it meant. Who it represented. And even when she was wallowing in despair, that word had brought her feelings of comfort and relief. But now it terrified her because she knew that this time, it wasn’t meant for monsters or villains. She was the enemy this time. She was his enemy this time. This time, it was meant for her. She couldn’t fight back the tears anymore. A sphere of emptiness began spreading around the purple robed man. As the emptiness began to spread, she thought about saying something. She thought about telling him how her heart felt like it had been mutilated and tortured, how her nightmares woke her up every day and how miserable she was even when she was awake. She thought about telling him about her sorrow, guilt and love. She thought about apologizing. But she couldn’t. She didn’t deserve to say anything. The emptiness washed over her and yet surprisingly, she felt relieved. She felt a huge weight lifting off of her chest just as she was engulfed by the void. Guess we can’t run from fate after all... - Zoe Hill saw the purple robed figure lift it’s head back towards the sky. She wondered why the others weren’t moving at all. It didn’t seem like they were talking. In fact, all she could hear was the sound of the waves crashing against the bridge’s stone pillars. Then, a spherical, black emptiness erupted around the purple robed figure and it was unlike anything she had ever seen. It definitely wasn’t dark magic, because she couldn’t sense any magical energy from it. In this world, darkness wasn’t the mere absence of light, rather, it existed as a separate form of energy. So the black sphere wasn’t magic nor was it anything substantial. It was simply emptiness. Zoe stared at this inexplicable void as a cold sweat trickled down her back. She needed to leave, now! As the void swept over the robed figures, Zoe felt the pressure that had been pressing down on her vanish completely. However, she didn’t have the time to think about that as she pulled on her horse’s reins and urged it to gallop back across the bridge. As the thunder of her horse’s hooves resounded through the air, Zoe chanced a glance behind her back. The void was surging rapidly and soundlessly, absorbing even the air around it and the stone below it. She also realized that the void wasn’t really a sphere because it didn’t seem to be three dimensional at all. It just looked like a giant circle, rapidly expanding in all directions. However, she could still see the purple robed figure standing in the center. Fucking hell! She kicked her horse and urged it to move faster, but the void was rapidly gaining on her. The other scouts hadn’t responded as quickly as her and were soon swallowed by the void. Her horse thundered across the stone bridge. She could hear the distant sound of waves crashing against the bridge’s supports. The waves slammed and crashed into the stone with all of their might but the stone pillars would continue to stand, unfazed by the efforts of the waves. Her horse suddenly reared and she was sent flying off of its back. She crashed onto the hard stone, her left leg smashing against the ground. She writhed in agony for a few seconds but quickly collected her thoughts. A broken leg is the least of your problems right now Zoe! Fucking focus damn it! She looked over her shoulder at the void that was stretching towards her. She could barely tell how close it was, but she was sure that it would catch up to her soon. Shit! Move Zoe, move! She gritted her teeth and picked herself up. She stumbled and limped her way towards the other end of the bridge, shooting furtive glances behind her at the void. She tripped. Blood flooded her mouth as she fell face first onto the hard stone below. She was panting and her every breath was accompanied by a sharp pain in her chest. Shit. So...tired. She coughed out blood and spat it out to the side. She endured the pain of moving her neck and turned her gaze towards the void. [Well fuck, guess there’s no running from this huh? So...tired...maybe a little rest wouldn’t hurt after all... And just as the void engulfed her, she heard the word that the purple robed youth had said. The word that the other robed figures had heard and the word that everyone in the entire world would hear as the void consumed them all. Even the waves were engulfed by the void. The only sound left was the echo of the word... “REWRITE”
1.0 Zero_Chapter 1: Cracks on the ceiling Spoiler: Read chapter I stared at the cracks running across the ceiling. They spread out from the corner of the ceiling directly above the bed where I lay, making it easy to follow them as they snaked across patches of crumbling gray paint and plaster. I raised my hand towards the ceiling and watched my fingers curl into a fist right below the center of the cracks. My vision blurred as the images of the fist and the cracks superimposed for a brief moment. What if...? And then I slammed my fist back onto the bed. Fuck! Stop dreaming! You’re pathetic, pitiful and powerless. You couldn’t stop them from taking away your life’s work and ruining everything! I sighed and let my gaze fall from the ceiling onto the only thing in the room that was almost as useless as me - my old PC. It was an ancient machine that wasn’t even worth the effort of scrapping and the only reason I hadn’t thrown it away was because it was my very first PC. It was also the PC I used to make my very first Role Playing Game or ‘RPG’. Heh, I thought I’d come a long way since then but I guess I haven’t huh? I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift back in time... Kos Kara, Escalon, Wyvern’s Quest, The Last Fantasy ... all of my masterpieces. My childhood dreams turned into reality. And yet, I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t stop them from fucking them up! - I walked through the heavy wooden doors. “You called for me Mr.Smith?” I said. “Kai! Welcome, welcome. So good to see you. How’ve you been? Living it up in the new mansion I’m sure?” said Mr.Smith, flashing me a quick smile. The small wooden plaque on his desk identified him as the CEO of Palcrox, the largest video game company in the world. “Hehe, course I am! Had to celebrate our new deal right?” I said, smiling back at him. “Of course, of course. In fact, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about today” he said, while leaning forward on his chair and putting on his ‘business’ face. “You see, we’ve consulted with some of our top analysts and editors and they’ve proposed a few edits that I’d like you to go over. Nothing too serious, but I would really appreciate your input on this. It is, after all, your game.” “Right.” I said, wiping the smile off my face and settling down on the seat across Mr.Smith. I grabbed the file he passed me and began looking through it’s contents. “Add repetitive motions to increase hours of game-play...need catchier soundtrack...tone down story...plot too thick...focus on action...” I murmured, going over some of the recommendations the experts and analysts had so graciously given to me. “Uh, Mr.Smith-” “Hold on for a second- Yes?” he said, picking up the phone that had started to buzz with an annoying jingle. “Yes, yes. The fifteenth sequel is in the works. We’ll release it on time and fix up all the bugs in the first ten patches or so. We already have people working on the patches so rest assured. Bye. ” “Right, sorry about that Kai, you were saying?” he apologized as he put down his phone. “Mr.Smith, I’m sure you realize that Kos Kara is a fantasy RPG. The story is meant to be thick and immersive and nobody likes endless hours of grinding, even if it does increase the hours of gameplay.” I said “Well Kai, our experts believe that modern audiences don’t care about stuff like that anymore. I understand that you’re one of the few game developers out there who still sticks to the old formula, and that’s worked for you so far. But you’ll fall behind your rivals if you don’t change with the times. Adapt to your audience. You understand right? Besides, we aren’t asking for big changes, just a few tweaks here and there. They’re all there in the file so just keep reading.” he said, in a measured, professional voice. I continued to read the rest of the file as a growing sense of unease rose up my stomach. However, I ended up agreeing with Mr.Smith’s arguments and besides, the proposed changes weren’t that big, right? I’d just have to adapt a little and move on. So I gave him a smile, shook his hand and said yes. But I didn’t go to the mansion. The mansion was huge, beautiful and magnificently designed but I didn’t like it. It was empty, lonely and fake. So I went to my parents’ house instead. Back to my old room. And that’s when I saw the first crack on the ceiling. - I sighed as I stared at the PC sitting in the center of the room. I sat up on the side of the bed, the wet sheets squelching beneath me. No point thinking about all of that now though. You’ve already decided haven’t you? I stood up and carefully made my way towards the PC, making sure to avoid stepping on the white lines and symbols drawn on the floor. I turned it on and picked up the book that lay on the table beside it. I sat down on the chair in front of the PC and waited for it to boot. I stared at the cracks again. - “Mr.Smith, don’t you think the edits for Escalon are a little too heavy?” I said, barely managing to hide the anger bubbling inside me. “Now now Kai,we’ve been over this before. Our consumers are gravitating towards simpler games and we need to make sure that this game is well received.” said Mr.Smith, while waving his finger from side to side as if he were lecturing a child. “But this changes everything about the game! You want to take out the multiple endings and the open world mechanics as well as all of the side quests!” I exclaimed, standing up from my seat. “Kai.” he said, sternly. “I’ve been in this business for 20 years now and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that video games aren’t nearly as magical as they seem. It’s all about catering to our consumers while balancing the cost of production. And to do that we need to cut out the unnecessary elements. Besides, this way everyone can focus on the addictive battle mechanics, the gorgeous graphics and that amazing main story-line that you wrote!” We continued to argue for several hours before I returned, dejected, to my old bedroom. I had to give in. At least I still have control over the main story. I thought, while gazing up at the ceiling. The cracks had spread. - I leaned back on the chair and started reading the book for the umpteenth time. It’s so hard to find real books these days. Everything’s written on computers now, though I probably wouldn’t mind it as much if fiction wasn’t dying out. Why the fuck does everyone want to stick to the real world just because science is so interesting? Nobody gives a damn about imagination anymore because reality itself has become so unbelievable. I sighed again. I turned to the computer and grabbed the mouse. Yeah, it was a really old computer. It didn’t even have a standard holographic interface. I brought the cursor on top of the only application on the screen. The first RPG I ever made, and also my favorite. After all, it was an uncorrupted representation of everything I believed an RPG should have. Open world mechanics, multiple endings, a deep and thought provoking story-line. Although the graphics were pretty basic, the world itself was huge and complex and you could probably spend hours just exploring everything on the map. The story had a simple enough premise. There were six kingdoms, each representing a particular element and following a particular Goddess. The water, fire and light kingdoms represented the Holy Union and the earth, air and dark kingdoms represented the Dusk Alliance. Both of these sides were locked in an eternal battle decreed by the Goddesses but were in a stalemate that could only be broken by the player. But what really made me love this game were the choices it gave you. You could choose to be the Hero on a quest to lead the Holy Union against the Dusk Alliance. Or you could choose to be the Demon Lord bent on conquering the Holy Union! And it was one of those old school RPGs where you’d be asked a bunch of questions to determine your personality type and then assigned a unique special ability that no other character had! I sighed again. If it’s this game then I’m sure I won’t have any regrets. - I slammed the door open. “Mr.Smith! What is this...this!” I shouted while widly swinging the small box in my hand. “ Wyvern’s Quest, it’s...it’s...a fucking endless runner! It’s worse than T*mple Run!” “Sit down Kai” he said offhandedly, not even raising his eyes from the papers he was signing. “There’s no need to shout you know? And please don’t swear in the office and calm down, okay?” “I will not fucking calm down Mr.Smith! Look at what you did to my game! And you didn’t even fucking tell me god damn it!” I said, slamming the game on his table. “I think I told you to stop swearing and sit down, Kai” he said sternly, looking up from his papers and giving me a disapproving look. “And I think you’re under a misunderstanding here, this isn’t your game. It’s our game. Palcrox owns this game, you just helped design it.” I stared at him dumbly and then I bit my lips until I felt the taste of metal. “Mr.Smith, no, Leer, I thought we had a mutual understanding regarding the integrity of my work. If you felt that something was unsatisfactory, you could have at least run it through me?” I said. “Now look here kid” he said tersely. “Why do I have to run our game through you? Besides, these changes were essential. Your first couple of games were popular enough but they didn’t make nearly as much profit as they could have if we’d implemented what our analysts were telling us. And after the concessions you forced out on your last game, our analysts estimate that we lost millions of dollars in profit and-” “But those estimates were based on the assumption that the same number of people would buy those games. Those people wouldn’t have bought those games in the first place if those changes had been implemented!” I exclaimed. “Don’t you dare interrupt me again son!” he shouted, getting up from his seat. “Our version of Wyvern’s Quest is estimated to net several billion dollars in sales, in-game purchases and ad revenues! If you want to survive in this industry, no, in this world, then you have to fucking adapt! Got that son?” “But...but-” “No buts! All of your rivals are netting big bucks for our competitors and the shareholders are getting on my case for choosing you to lead our team. So shut the fuck up and make the games that people want!” I stared at the red faced, balding old man sitting in front of me and sighed. I almost forgot. People don’t care about culture and art anymore. Nobody cares about stories. Shit. I turned my back on the CEO of Palcrox and left the glass doors of the company’s headquarters. The cracks had spread to the walls now. - I stood up from the chair. This page right? The page I was looking at had a giant circle full of runes and symbols, just like the one drawn across the room with white chalk. At the center was another circle inside which I stood next to the PC. Let’s see now, better design a new character. Don’t want to get caught up in the actual story line so I probably shouldn’t work myself into the plot.In fact, let’s skip the entire story itself. It would be pretty boring if I knew how everything was going to happen after all. Hehe, I wonder what other people would do if they could make themselves into whatever they wanted? I began to design my character. I was powerless in this world, but I WILL NOT be powerless any longer! - “Please Mr.Smith, this is the last one. I put everything in it. If you’d just do this for me this one time, I promise to do exactly as you say. Please!” I said. But I knew it was hopeless. “Ha! Don’t underestimate my contacts kid. Did you really think I didn’t know that you’ve tried to sell this game to every video game company in the country? And now you’ve come grovelling back to me” he sneered. “Hehe, nah kid. Nobody will buy your game and I know you had to sell your mansion a couple of months ago. You’re on your last legs and you know it. Take my advice kid, take the cubicle down the corridor on the fifth floor and start working on Angry B*rds 50. Your Last Fantasy ain’t gonna see the light of day, so you best just give up already.” I stood up and turned around, never meeting his gaze. I didn’t want to see the smug face he was probably making. “Yeah, I guess I will give up” I said. “Ha Ha! That’s the spirit boy! The last cubicle on the right, we’re almost done though. Just need you to debug it.” he said I didn’t reply. I opened the door of his office and walked down the corridor to the elevator. I don’t remember how I got back to my room that day but I do remember the cracks. They were everywhere. - Done. I took a deep breath. I closed the book and put my hand in my pocket and took out a lighter. Either it all ends today, or it begins. I lit the lighter and brought it under the book. The pages crackled as it caught fire. I threw the burning book onto the bed that I had soaked with gasoline and watched as it erupted into flames. The whole building would burn in a few minutes. Hehe, I hope Mr.Smith likes my parting gift. I thought, as the flames spread all around me. The cracked ceiling finally began to crumble as chunks of plaster and cement began to fall. I closed my eyes and said the trigger word I’d memorized from the book. The symbols and runes began to move and glow as the circles lifted off of the floor. There was a bright flash as I lost consciousness. - Leer Smith was in a happy mood today. He’d finally gotten the famous game designer, Kai Zero, to submit to him. Even though his ideas were very outdated, he was a real celebrity in the gaming community. Palcrox’s reputation would surely rise right alongside their stocks. Those old fools on the board of directors will have to give me a bonus now! HA! Thank you Kai, ya little bastard, hehe. His phone began ringing. “What is it?” he said, annoyed by the interruption. “Sir, it’s an emergency! Someone’s cracked our system and deleted all of our files! All of the data has been wiped clean, even the backups on isolated systems!” the voice on the other end shouted. “What! How could that-” his eyes went wide. “What about the files on my computer? Those files are absolutely necessary for the company’s future!” He scrambled to turn on his computer. The holographic screen flickered as the machine came to life. And in the center of the otherwise empty screen was a hand raising its middle finger.
2.0 Zero_Chapter 2: Sunlight Spoiler: Read chapter The first thing I saw when I woke up was the sunlight pouring through the treetops. Guess it worked huh? I smiled. I picked myself up and stretched. I smiled again as I imagined what Mr.Smith must be going through right now, but I quickly put that thought out of my mind. This was my world now. There was no point in thinking about that place anymore. The first thing I decided to do was to check whether my character, or rather, my new body was exactly as I had planned. I looked at my hands, checked all of my joints and did a few stretches to make sure everything was working properly. I also inspected the purple robes that I was wearing over a set of simple leather armor. Status, I thought. A translucent, purple screen appeared in front of me. Let’s see, Kai Zero...16 years old...Male...wow, these stats are ridiculously low. Level 5, really? I chuckled. I would probably be pretty ordinary if it wasn’t for what was written in the “Abilities” section. ‘Re:Write’, the ability to rewrite anything and everything in this world. Hehe, guess this is the biggest cheat code ever right? I laughed, probably a bit too loudly, but well, it felt good to let go of all the shit I was going through back on Earth. Here on ‘Erath’, I was finally free to do whatever I wanted. Oh, ‘Erath’? Yeah well, I made this game when I was eleven and I was never good with names either so yeah, this world is called ‘Erath’. I scrolled down the screen with a thought. Let’s see, the ‘Skills’ section is empty but... Ah, the debug button is here too, perfect! In the lower right corner of the screen was a small red button with a “D” written on it. The debug button activates the debugger application that I developed to save time while debugging games. The Re:Write ability changes things through the system but the debugger changes them through an alternative application. I only included it to save time in case any bugs pop up in the game because even though I could probably fix them with Re:Write, that would mean rewriting the code directly and that would take a lot of time. Alright then, now I just have to make sure that everything is working properly. Let’s start with these crappy stats. I closed my eyes and focused. I didn’t really have to do that but since Re:Write worked based on my thoughts, I decided to do it properly for now. I just have to think about what I want to change and how I want to change it... However, to help myself focus, I decided to think of the code along the lines of: <re:write.target.effect> <re:write.self.change stats to max>, I thought. There was no energy ripple nor any bright, flashing lights, but I knew it’d worked as I felt a surge of power flow through me. I checked my status and as expected, my HP and MP were at 9999, my Attack, Defense, Speed, Vitality and Intelligence were all at 999 and my level was also at 999. These were the highest possible stats in the game. Good. Although the ability could have given me stats higher than the maximum stats in the game, it correctly interpreted “maximum stats” to mean “the maximum stats possible in the game” which was my real intention. So it really does work based on my thoughts and not the words I use to express them. Not only did this mean that I didn’t have to be careful with my words when describing the effect I wanted to apply, but also that I didn’t have to know any names or have an image in my head, I just needed to be able to identify my target somehow. Even vague descriptions like “that thing that just went past me” would be enough. The rise in stats also seemed to have raised my sensory abilities as I heard a faint rustle in the bushes behind me. I turned around and saw a large, tusked figure crouching among the leaves. A wild boar? Perfect, let’s test this out now. I picked up a rock and threw it at the boar. It went straight through its skull, smashed through several trees behind it and hit the ground with a large Thud sound. A huge flock of birds flew away from the trees around me as the boar’s corpse fell. Uh...I guess it worked a little too well... I noticed that the boar’s corpse didn’t vanish like in the game so I decided to clean it up so it wouldn’t attract other animals or monsters. <re:write.boar corpse.erase> I thought. The boar’s corpse vanished without leaving any traces. I could probably be a very effective serial killer, heh heh heh. Having tested my physical strength, I decided that it was time to find the nearest human settlement. <re:write.self.view=map> A large map of Erath stretched before my eyes. There were two continents joined together by a large stone bridge. The map only showed the names of cities and countries along with other important locations and natural features, even though I could probably see people as well if I wanted to. Good thing I’m not a pervert, this thing could be pretty badly misused... I focused on my location. Apparently, I was in the northern part of the Light Kingdom on the Southern Continent. The closest human settlement was a village named Reneste, which didn’t exist in the original game. This proved that I had successfully avoided the main storyline by coming to the future although I didn’t know how far ahead I had come. Alright, this is a pretty useful code. Better save it as a ‘favorite’ then. Since Re:Write was based on my thoughts and intentions, if I wanted to save a code for future use, I could make it easier to use by attaching it to a special phrase or word. I called them ‘favorites’. I set the Map code as a favorite and began thinking about my next move. Erath was a very diverse land so I didn’t have to worry about sticking out just because I was from another world, but my ability would probably turn a lot of heads so I should get used to it first. And so I decided to walk over to Reneste even though it would probably take a couple of days. Well, it wasn’t like I had something to do anyways. AAAAAAAAHHH!!! A scream resounded through the air. <re:write.self.position=towards the scream> I thought, as I vanished from the clearing. - Sunlight fell on the ground bathed in red. Sunlight fell on the scarlet droplets flying through the air. Sunlight fell on the crimson sword as it chopped through someone’s neck. No, not someone’s neck. Her father’s neck. Her father’s corpse fell on top of another corpse with an arrow sticking out of its forehead. That was her mother’s corpse. Yet when the sunlight fell on her own body, it reflected off of her perfectly white dress that didn’t have a single drop of blood on it. A shining white glare amid a sea of red. She stood there, unable to move, unable to cry. Although a scream had escaped her throat when they were ambushed and her mother was sent tumbling off of her horse by an arrow, right now she couldn’t make another sound. The sounds of clashing weapons, exploding magic and death filled the air but she couldn’t hear any of it. This can’t be true...it’s just a bad dream...daddy he...he’s joking right? Mommy too...right? We were just talking about dinner...we’re going to have steamed fish...and daddy will complain about eating nothing but fish again and mommy will tell him to stop...to stop...to... Sunlight fell on the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “Now what the hell is going on here?” A loud voice carried all across the clearing and stunned everyone, causing them to stop fighting. She shifted her gaze towards the voice and stared at the completely ordinary looking boy that had suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield. Sunlight fell on his purple robes which seemed to shine brighter than the white gown she was wearing. - Damn, it’s a bloodbath in here. This stench makes me wanna puke, urgh. Well, it seemed that I had managed to catch their attention so I decided to ask about what was going on. An arrow shot past my ear. “That was a warning shot. I don’t know who you are but leave, this doesn’t concern you” said the large, bald man who had shot the arrow. “Unless you wanna fertilize the forest like those guys” he sneered as he pointed towards the two corpses lying in front of the crying girl. Right, it looks like the crying girl was the one who screamed. I probably shouldn’t have rushed over like this but that scream was impossible to ignore. It was so pitiful and agonizingly sorrowful, like someone had just had their soul ripped into pieces. But honestly, I expected someone being attacked by monsters or something, not humans fighting each other. The bald man was growing impatient because of my lack of response. It’s not like the arrow hadn’t made my pulse quicken for a second but I calmed down as soon as I realized that it probably wouldn’t be able to hurt me at all. I looked at the bald man. He was wearing light iron armor and held a strung crossbow towards my face. His face was covered with scars and his armor was scratched and obviously well worn. <re:write.self.view=observe> I focused on the bald man and a pale white screen appeared over his head. His name was Odog Baner and he was the leader of this bandit group. He was a level 15 swordsman and his stats and skills matched what would be expected of someone of his level but his equipment was pathetically weak. Old wooden bow? Rusty armor? I never designed equipment this weak but it seems like the people of this world have gone beyond the game that I had designed. But that also meant that bandits had appeared even though I never designed any in the game. I saved the code that allowed me to check the status of the target that I focused on, as ‘Observe’ and shifted my gaze to the girl that had screamed. Her name was Clare Skye, she was only 12 years old but already level 3, which made me feel very insecure about the initial level I had when I came to this world. She held the title of ‘Reneste Village Chief’s niece’, which was a surprisingly simple title to have since your titles basically represented your public identity. By the way, I didn’t have a title because I didn’t have a public identity yet. She was wearing a white dress that made her look like a priestess but her crying face instantly destroyed any divine presence she had. She was really just a kid after all. “I asked first you know, what the hell is going on here?” I said, looking back at the bald bandit leader Odog. He scowled at my question and didn’t reply, so I looked at the crying girl, Clare. “How about you, could you tell me what’s going on?” I asked in a gentle voice. Her lips quivered for a moment but it seemed like she was too grief stricken to say anything so I decided to analyze my surroundings myself. The whole place was stained by blood and several corpses lay on the ground. A few dead horses lay near the two corpses next to the girl. I observed the corpses and realized why the girl was screaming. “Listen kid, get the fuck out of here now or else I’ll skewer your tiny brain.” Odog threatened, unaware of our ridiculous difference in power. Unaware that I did not like being called a kid. Unaware that I knew that he had just killed a little girl’s parents right in front of her eyes. And unaware that all of this brought back painful memories. - She stared at the purple robed boy. She wanted to tell him to leave, because it was obvious that someone that young would die here. Just like...her parents. The thought made her heart ache again. She wanted to make sure that at least the boy would survive, but she couldn’t move her body and she couldn’t even respond when he asked her a question. No! She thought. I need to do this. At least this much...please... But just as she was about to force herself to speak, the boy looked at the corpses in front of her and a shadow fell over his eyes. Although he quickly brought his gaze towards the ground, she managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes. Sorrow, despair, anger, helplessness. She saw those emotions in his eyes. The same ones she was feeling right now. Odog, the infamous leader of the Black Dog Bandits finally snapped and shot his crossbow at the boy. She screamed as the arrow flew through the air and pierced the boy’s forehead. Or rather, that was what should have happened. Instead, the arrow shattered upon touching his skin and there wasn’t even a scratch where it had hit him. The boy’s expression didn’t change and he continued to stare at the ground. - What the hell! Thought Odog, as his arrow shattered upon touching the boy’s forehead. Who is this crazy bastard? He felt a cold sweat trickle down his back as he took a step back. Even though my skills...and my special abil- He was cut short by the sound of arrows being released and even a few magic spells being fired. A fireball hit the ground at the boy’s feet and made a cloud of dust rise up around him so they couldn’t tell whether the arrows and magic had worked. Or rather, they could tell, but they didn’t want to believe it. And sure enough, as the dust settled, the boy stood unharmed. But his gaze was colder, as if it could freeze a human soul with a glance. Why? Why did a monster like this have to come now? I was so close, with this the job was over and I’d go back to Jenny. I knew I shouldn’t have joined my old bandit group. But, how else was I gonna get enough money for- He met the boy’s gaze and came to a startling conclusion. He was going to die here. But oddly enough, he didn’t feel afraid. No, he was afraid, but he also felt like he didn’t deserve to be afraid after all that he had done. Sure he had a good reason, a reason worth fighting for. But he had done unforgivable things. In the corner of his eye, he saw the girl crying over the dead bodies of her parents. Yeah, I don’t deserve to be afraid. He sighed. He met the boy’s gaze again. I’m sorry Jenny, looks like I won’t get to see our kid after all. But I guess it’s better that they don’t have a no good dad like me... - She saw the boy look at the bandit who had given up all hope of living. From the look in his eyes, it seemed like he wanted to torture the bandit leader to death. The intense hatred in his eyes made her shiver. But he eventually sighed and closed his eyes. “Who are they?” the boy asked The bandit leader looked at him in a puzzled way and when the boy opened his eyes, the bandit leader seemed to have come to a realization as he calmly whispered something that she couldn’t hear. The boy nodded and asked “Any messages?” “Tell them...that I...that I’m sorry. Oh, and tell them not to try to go after you but if they do, please spare them. It’s all my fault you know.” the bandit leader replied, in an unnaturally calm manner. The boy nodded once again and she waited. She knew this was it. But there were no explosions, no massive explosions of mana or flashing lights. One moment Odog, the infamous leader of the Black Dog Bandits that had terrorized Reneste, was looking at the purple robed boy and having a conversation with him. The next moment, he was gone. And then the boy shifted his gaze at the other bandits and they began to disappear too. Her own guards had already died. The bandits were just finishing up as the boy had appeared. Soon, the entire battlefield was empty except for the blood and corpses that stained the ground. The only living things left were the boy and herself. When the boy shifted his gaze towards her, she flinched. Was she going to disappear as well? But she didn’t. Instead, the boy began to walk over and looked at the corpses in front of her. She ended up following his gaze. And she saw the face of her mother, arrow protruding from her forehead, a smile forever frozen on her face. She saw her father’s decapitated head, his eyes opened wide in shock. And she felt the wall of emotions that she had been holding back, crash into her. Sorrow. Despair. Anger. Helplessness. They were too much for her and she couldn’t help but lose consciousness. As the boy rushed over to support her, he noticed that her dress didn’t have any bloodstains or dirt on it and it still glared brightly in the sunlight.
3.0 Zero_Chapter 3: Campfire Stories Spoiler: Read chapter I still felt unpleasant because of what happened in the morning. The death and gore. The little girl caught in despair. The bandit who obviously had his reasons for his actions. And the fact that I had killed so many people. All of it made me feel sick. But oddly enough, it wasn’t the fact that I had killed them that disturbed me. It was the fact that it had been so easy that really made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want to see blood and flesh splattering everywhere, but my solution to that problem was even more disconcerting. I just erased them like I erased the wild boar’s corpse and they disappeared into oblivion. Just like that. I even saved the ability as a favorite called ‘Erase’ along with a code that allowed me to teleport wherever I wanted to, which worked when I thought of the phrase ‘Teleport to’ and then the location where I wanted to go. But I couldn’t get the bald bandit out of my head. Although he had reminded me of terrible memories, and what he did to the little girl was unforgivable, a part of me still felt guilty for what his family would go through because of his death. I’ll fulfill my promise to him at least. His family should be innocent, even if he was utterly unforgivable. Right, he was unforgivable. Under the light of the flickering campfire, I looked at the little girl sleeping under the blankets I had created and couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. I knew what her life would be like now. I knew the sadness and the anger. I also knew that she would ‘move on’ with her life, but she would never really recover from this. Life just isn’t the same when you see your parents get killed right in front of you. - The little boy was so excited that his parents had come to see his play. He didn’t have a big acting role in the play itself, but he was the main script writer and he was proud of his story and his parents had loved it too. They were praising him constantly and his father kept ruffling his hair while his mother held his hand. They had left the theater and were driving home and had stopped at a traffic light. His father asked him how he had managed to think up such a great story, and his mother rebuked him because she knew he was implying that he got it from his side of the family. After all, his father was an author who came from a family of famous authors and playwrights.His father wasn’t very successful but the boy was only nine so he absolutely idolized his father and bragged about him to all of his friends. Of course, he was also proud of his mother - a small time astronomer working in the town’s local observatory. He had won the respect of nearly every kid in his class when they had visited his mom’s workplace at the observatory and gotten to see the stars for themselves. But just as his mother was about to tease her husband about how the play was obviously inspired by their son’s love for astronomy, everyone froze. A young man wearing a black hood stood outside his father’s window, pointing a gun at his head. The boy was confused at first because he couldn’t understand how things could change so suddenly. He looked at the hooded man and although he couldn’t see most of his face, he could see his eyes. Cold, unfeeling. With unmistakable signs of what he would later recognize as drug addiction. Everything else happened in a blur and he cold never quite remember what happened. His father trying to tell the man to not be hasty. The man telling his parents to give him their wallets, watches and jewelry. The sun that continued to blaze even though a chill had crept over his heart. The passersby who turned their gazes away and didn’t even try to help. I don’t want to get involved. Things like this happened every day. I can’t be late for work. Excuses. The man finally getting impatient and snatching the wallet from his father’s hand. Looking nervously around to make sure nobody would interfere. But he didn’t have to be so worried. Nobody was going to do anything. Not even as the man reached over to grab his mother’s purse. Not even when his father tried to grab the gun when the man had stretched forward. Not even when shots of gunfire resounded in the air. And not even as his parents lay dying in their seats as the hooded man ran away. His mother tried to say something but the blood in her throat just made her choke. The ambulance arrived fifteen minutes later but it was already too late. - My painful recollections were interrupted by a ruffling sound. The girl didn’t get up even after she saw me sitting on the other side of the campfire. She turned away from me and looked up at the stars. “...” “Are they...is it...” she sniffled “It’s not a nightmare is it...” “No, it is a nightmare. Just one that really happened,” I said. No comforting bullshit or ‘it’ll be okay’ type of crap worked, because it wouldn’t be the same and you knew it. It was the first thing that came to your mind when you thought of it. That empty space in your heart where you remember everything you used to do with them feels empty because you know you’ll never feel that way ever again. “Where are they?” she quietly said. “Buried them back there. I can move them back to your home later if you want,” I said “No, you’ve already saved my life. I’ll get some of the other villagers to carry them over.” “...” “It’s alright, you can say it. I did too,” I said She hesitated but couldn't hold it in “...Why? Why couldn’t you come sooner... or...or later...” she cried Even though I could have replied that I came as soon as I heard, but I remember how infuriating that excuse had been when I had heard it. “I’m sorry.” “...” She took a few ragged breaths and then calmed down a little. “We were going to the fire goddess’ shrine. Wanted her help against the bandits that kept raiding the village. She only ever listens to families so we snuck out of the village with a small group so they wouldn’t find us.” she said, playing out the events of the day more for herself than for me. “We were talking about how this would all blow over soon. Daddy was grumbling about steamed fish and mommy was laughing at him and then...” her voice quivered and she stopped. I stoked the campfire and added more firewood. “Stupid fish. Stupid bandits. Stupid goddess! Stupid Clare! Just stood there like a stupid doll! Stupid, stupid, stupid...” she cried. I waited. The silence broken only by the crackling sounds of the fire. “Did you get them all?” she said “Yes,” I replied “Where are they?” “Dead.” “Just like that?” “Just like that.” “Did you hurt them?” I recalled the look in Odog’s eyes and replied, “Yes.” “...” Just the sound of the fire again. “Hey, um?” “Kai.” “Kai, could you, um, tell me a story? Daddy always used to tell me stories when I was smaller. But I told him to stop because I’d grown up...” she said, choking near the end. I was really surprised. Stories? I smiled. Guess this really is a different world huh. But seriously, this kid’s pretty strong. I didn’t want to talk to anyone for a week. But, a story for this kind of situation? I settled down on the other side of the campfire and looked up at the stars too and began telling her a story. - A little girl was dragged to the countryside by her friend. She didn’t know why the boy had called her all the way out here as he pulled her across the bridge over the stream. Come on, he said. You’ll miss it! Miss what? she replied You’ll see. They walked across the forest trail, the boy holding her hand tightly. If you’re so scared of monsters, then why’d you come out here? she snickered I-I am not afraid! He retorted I’m just making sure you don’t get lost! They crossed the forest and reached an empty plain. There were flowers all over the place and the red sunset made the scene look even more enchanting. Like a dream. It’s getting dark, we'd better head back, she said No way! That’s exactly what we’re waiting for, come on! he said as he pulled her along again. They came across a small green hill with only grass on it and the boy led her to the top. Here! he said, as he fell flat on his back. Here? she said, lying down next to the boy with a puzzled expression on her face. Look up there stupid! He snickered. She did. And her eyes grew wide open in wonder. There were millions of bright lights up in the sky. The moon hadn’t come up yet so all she could see... Were the stars. Wait for it, he teased And then a small golden streak flew across the sky. And another. And another. Soon, the whole inky black darkness was full of a sea of stars and golden streaks. The golden streaks flew across the sky, falling like rain. The girl’s eyes were locked onto the night sky and the stars and the golden rain. The boy looked at her and smiled, before turning his gaze back to the sky, dancing colors flashing on his eyes. Then the moon came out and the stars grew less dim, but it wasn’t a full moon so she could still make out the brighter stars and golden rain. But it made her remember something. I won’t be able to see this from the city then, will I? she said No, too much light. That’s why we had to go so far out. He replied. She looked down, dismayed by the idea that she couldn’t see this from her home. She couldn’t sneak out every night like this after all. But it’s alright, he said. We may not see them, but we know that they’re there. So if we remember how we saw them today, we can always imagine them this way when we look at the sky back home. We may not see the stars, but they can see us. And even if they can’t, we can always remember how beautiful the sky was tonight. - I finished the story as we looked up at the sky. There was no moon out tonight but there wasn’t a meteor shower either. But the stars were incredible. You couldn’t even really see the stars from the countryside in my world. Too much smoke spread all over the atmosphere. “You can see the stars just fine from the city you know” she said I gasped. Of course, they probably don’t have a lot of air or light pollution in this world! I scolded myself for overlooking this obvious fact. “...Kai?” she whispered. “Hm?” “Thanks” I smiled. “The stars are beautiful tonight aren’t they?” And just as I said that, golden streaks started pouring over the night sky. I heard Clare gasp in amazement. The sky was a sea of glowing stars and golden rain. I should probably mention that it wasn’t a coincidence...
4.0 Zero_Chapter 4: Smile Spoiler: Read chapter I woke up at dawn. I looked at Clare on the other side of the smoldering campfire and made sure she was asleep. Looks like it worked, I thought. Last night I experimented by putting a longer ‘nested’ code on myself. I set it so that I would wake up if anything came less than 20 feet close to us, if Clare woke up or if dawn broke. I sat up inside my sleeping bag and faced towards the East but instead of appreciating the beautiful sunrise, I began to think about several questions that had popped up inside my head after yesterday’s events. Firstly, when I saw everyone’s status yesterday I was quite shocked. Odog had an ability called “Reloader” that let him reload his crossbow really quickly, and most of the bandits had abilities like “Divine Ironing” or “Fast Laundry”, which were really quite depressing. Clare had an ability called “Sunshine” that made her feel bright and cheerful and spread it’s effects to anyone that saw her... I sighed. None of these were in the original game but even more surprisingly, everyone seemed to have abilities! In the game, only the hero and the demon king had special abilities which were based on the results of a personality quiz. Secondly, there were some weird skills that were making me a little nervous, but I guess I’ll have to think about them later. “You can stop pretending to be asleep now” I said, without turning around. Clare jumped, clearly surprised at being found out so easily, but my heightened senses made it pretty easy to notice when her breathing changed so I instantly knew when she had woken up. “I’ll make us some breakfast and tidy up the camp so you should go clean up at the stream down there” I said, pointing towards a patch of trees a few feet away. Clare hesitated a little before nodding and going towards the stream. By the time she was back, I had cleaned up the camp and made breakfast using Re:write. Clare was slightly surprised by the amount of food laid out over the table that had appeared out of thin air but she sat down on the seat on the other end. She only started eating when I did but I guess it’s understandable to be cautious in this sort of situation. “So Clare, will you be returning to your village now that the bandits have been dealt with?” I asked. “Yesh” she said with a mouthful of bread. She swallowed. “But um, Kai. I wanted to ask you a question, if that’s alright?” “There’s no harm in asking, so go ahead” I replied. “Well, I know it’s rude to ask about someone’s status but what did you use to beat those bandits? I’ve never heard of anything like it before! Was it an ability or a created skill?” she asked, eyes shining. Created Skill? Don’t tell me! “Uh, well actually I don’t know what created skills are...” I replied sheepishly “Eh! You don’t know about created skills? Um, Kai, you wouldn’t happen to be some creepy hermit or something right?” she raised an eyebrow “Haha, well you see, I come from a really far away place and we don’t have created skills there so of course I wouldn’t know!” I said. “Far away? Everyone on Erath knows about created skills you know.” she raised her other eyebrow too. “Oh, my home’s across the ocean so we don’t really interact with other people that often” I said with a perfect poker face. I’d always been a talented liar. “Across the ocean! How did you get past the storms and the whirlpools and the sea monsters?” she exclaimed. “Hehe, that’s a secret. So anyways, since I don’t know anything about this place I hope you can help me out and tell me a little bit about it.” I laughed “Sure, but I never thought I’d have to teach someone about something so basic. Created skills are skills that weren’t made by the goddesses but were derived from existing skills by humans. Skills like Appraisal or even extra spells like Flamethrower.” Magic spells are considered skills after all, but wait! “Wow, I’ve never heard of those skills before. What do they do?” I asked, hiding my nervousness. “Appraisal lets you see the status of other living things and flamethrower lets you shoot fire from your hands. Every kid wants to learn flamethrower you know, they’re always disappointed if they don’t have an affinity to fire magic and I can’t blame them because it really is pretty cool” she said smugly, since she could use fire magic. “Ha ha, This appraisal skill must be pretty rare though right?” I said “Not really, almost everyone has it. Even I have it you know?” She smiled mischievously. Shit! Even though I guessed it would be something like this and hid all of my stats with Re:write as soon as I saw Appraisal in their skills sections, don’t tell me she saw it yesterday? “Ah but don’t worry, it’s rude to check other people’s statuses so I didn’t even think of checking yours” she smiled Urgh, guess I’ll have to confirm this somehow. I thought as I used Re:Write to make Clare unable to lie for a minute “So you haven’t tried to check my status?” I asked “Of course no- Yes I have” she said, changing her words mid-sentence and widening her eyes in surprise. “What did you see?” I asked her “Nothing! Everything had a weird sign in front of it!” she exclaimed just as the effects of the Re:Write wore off. “What was that? What did you do to me?” She narrowed her eyes in anger but I could see a little fear in them as well. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “Sorry, sorry. Had to make sure. I really love my privacy after all. And hey, you have no right to be angry, didn’t you say that trying to check someone’s status is a rude thing to do?” “Oo, but- but-” she stammered “We’re even now so let’s just move on, okay?” I said, meeting her eyes and giving her my most charming smile. We stared at each other without blinking for a few moments before Clare’s eyes started to water and she looked away. “Heh” “Oo” I smiled and looked at the sun rising across the sky. “Anyways Clare, you said that you wanted to go back to your village now? Since I’m going that way anyways, I might as well escort you back home. Is that okay?” I asked She hesitated a little before sighing and nodding her agreement. With that settled, I cleaned up our breakfast and makeshift dining table with Re:Write and made the wide eyed Clare promise not to tell anyone about my abilities. We then began walking towards Reneste Village. - The road to Reneste village wasn’t very well maintained. Fallen logs and boulders would block the way occasionally and the towering trees around the path blocked most of the sunlight from reaching the ground so it would probably get harder to see in the late afternoon. Along the way I continued to ask Clare about Erath. “By the way Clare, I don’t know how long it took to get here so could you tell me what date it is?” I asked as we walked around a rotting log. “It’s the 8th of Solaron 998 PH” She replied, jumping across a small puddle. “We have a different calendar back home so could you explain yours to me?” I asked. “Wow, even the calendar’s different huh? Um, well there are 6 months in a year, each named after a Goddess and each month has 60 days” she said, turning to face me and walking backwards. “Hey, watch where you’re going. You’ll fa-” I said, just as her foot got caught in some vines and she fell on her back. I sighed and gave her a hand up. She dusted herself off and continued to walk as if nothing happened. “Well anyways, what does ‘PH’ stand for?” I asked, shaking my head at her actions. “It stands for Post Haze of course” she said, not even glancing at me while she said it. “Uh, Clare?” I said “Mn?” “What’s ‘Post Haze’?” She turned towards me with wide eyes, “Oo! You don’t even know that? It means after the Haze of course! Wow, I guess you were pretty dumb after all Kai?” She gave me a pitying look. “I know what ‘Post’ means damn it! I was asking about what ‘Haze’ means!” I said, indignantly. She somehow managed to open her eyes even wider “Wha! You don’t know about the Haze? Seriously Kai, did you just crawl out of the ocean or something? Oh right, you kinda did. But still!” When I managed to calm her down, she explained that the Haze is what the Churches call the time before the Goddesses created the world and everyone in it. It was one of the first things everyone in Erath learned so it was quite shocking that I didn’t know about it. When I told her that that was probably because we didn’t believe in the Goddesses back home, she opened her eyes so wide that I observed her status again to make sure she wasn’t using a special ability! “Kai! Are you maybe an Originist?” she said, with a hint of alarm in her voice. “No, what’s that?” I said, making a puzzled expression. She let out the breath that I didn’t even realize she was holding. “Um, well you see-” There was a loud thud as she walked right into the giant purple wall in front of us. “Wa wa wa, wy noh!” She complained, covering her nose with both hands. “Wha din yoo teh me bou teh wah!” I smiled and shrugged, “You were giving me this annoying look so I thought I’d let the wall straighten you out.” “Oo!” She brought her hands to her side and glared at me. Her face was a little red but she wasn’t bleeding so it was probably fine. As she began scolding me for my prank, I couldn’t help but wonder how this little girl had managed to cheer up so quickly. Was it because of her special ability or did the death of her parents not effect her as much as I thought it would? “Alright, alright. We better get going. Although, it is pretty weird that someone built a wall in the middle of the road. And why is it purple? Hm, it has a weird texture too, almost like-” I put my hand on the wall and stroked it. “Um, Kai?” Clare asked. “Yes?” I replied. “Why are you stroking the wall?” “Because it’s fun.” “Kai?” “Yes?” “You’re weird.” “...” Ignoring Clare’s confident declaration, I walked around the wall. It was at least 30 feet high and 20 feet wide and circled back inside like a spiral. Isn’t this...? “What was that sound?” Clare said, poking her head out from behind the last curve of the spiral. The wall ended with a large spherical bump. But this bump had long black rods coming out of it. “There it is again!” Clare said, running forward. Of course, I’d heard the sounds as well and it confirmed my guess about this ‘wall’. Clare went up to the end of the ‘wall’ and bent down. She searched under a small hole between the ‘wall’ and the ground. She turned around, cuddling something in her hands. “Waon!” said the tiny purple ball in her hands. “What is it?” Clare asked “It’s a Hell Kitty. A Rank A monster. The one in your hands is just a kitten but this ‘wall’ is what an adult Hell Kitty looks like” I said, gesturing to the ‘wall’ and smiling at Clare’s surprised expression. But her gaze grew dim and she stared at the ground. “Was it this little one’s parent?” She whispered. The smile fell off of my face. So she hasn’t cheered up or anything. She was just...trying to hide it. I’d eventually tried to do this too. Bury your feelings deep within and only show a smile on your face, and maybe while trying to trick everyone else, you might just manage to fool yourself too. I sighed but I didn’t reply to her question. I walked up to her. She’s so small. Barely reaches my chest... I patted her head once and moved my hand to the kitten in her hands. It had shiny purple fur, tiny paws and couldn’t even open its eyes yet. Heh, guess the three of us are pretty similar huh... “What should we call it?” I asked, stroking the purring kitten’s head. “Count Doom?” “No.” “Purple Heartbreaking Devil?” “No.” “Cataclysmic Charger?” “You’re totally ruining the mood you know?” “Waon!” I sighed. Clare smiled a little and the kitten purred as Clare stroked it. “Right, let’s just go with Waon then.” I said. “Waon! Waon!” - After burying Waon’s mother, we continued walking towards Reneste. After a while, the sun started to go down and we decided to make camp. Since that didn’t take long because of Re:write, I asked Clare what she wanted for dinner. “Golden Pasta!” she said, drooling. Hehe, that sounds like some expensive dish she might've seen at a restaurant or something. She’s been asking for that kind of stuff since lunch, when she found out that she could have anything she wanted. Well, no harm in indulging a little. I conjured up a steaming plate of ridiculously shining pasta. Is this even edible...? Apparently it was, because Clare started eating it with big mouthfuls. “Waon!” “Ogh wight! Waft dosh wahon eath?” Clare asked. “Don’t talk while you eat” I said, shaking my head. Right, let’s see...Observe I looked at Waon while thinking about information regarding its diet. Carnivorous...loves milk...yeah, it’s just like a real cat huh. I created some cat food and put it in front of Waon. “Waon!” it said, happily eating the cat food. - At night, I lay down the same precautions as last night and settled down on the other side of the campfire. “Kai!” “Yes Clare?” “You have to tell last night’s story again!” “Why not a new one?” “Waon hasn’t heard that one yet!” “...” And so I told last night’s story again, but I couldn’t help adding something in the end... - The little girl stared at the sky again. Hey, what are you thinking about? asked the little boy. I was just wondering...why doesn’t the golden rain happen every night? She said. The boy started laughing. Why are you laughing! She asked, annoyed. Isn’t it obvious? Why would they cry all the time, they’re not always sad you know! He said, smugly. Oh? Then what do they do when they’re happy? She said, hoping to wipe the boy’s annoying smile off. But the boy just looked up at the stars. That’s even more obvious isn't it? He said. They smile.
5.0 Zero_Chapter 5: Ugliness Spoiler: Read chapter Reneste was a small village with a population of a little over a hundred people. Most of the houses were made of sun-baked mud bricks and only a few were made from wood. As we walked towards the village, we saw the tall wooden fence that encircled the village as well as the trench that followed the fence’s exterior. There was only one entrance to the village; a large passage of dirt and stone that filled the trench on one side of the village and cut through an opening in the fence. Two men wearing worn and rusty armor stood on the far side of the passage and were probably the guards. The guards noticed us as we got closer to the village “Halt!” said one of the guards, “State your business.” The guard’s fingers twitched around the pommel of his sheathed sword. “Uncle Eric? Sassui?” Clare said as we stopped on the other side of the passage. “Is that...Clare?” said the middle aged guard I assumed was Uncle Erik. “Clare! You’re back!” said the teenage guard while smiling, but he quickly began to frown “Is that guy behind you from the shrine and what’s with the weird cat?” “Yes, wel-” Clare responded, but was interrupted by Uncle Eric. “Before that! Get in here quickly Clare, the bandits have surrounded the village. It’s a miracle you managed to get here in the first place!” he said, beckoning us over as we walked across the passage. As we crossed the passage, we were able to see a well in the center of the village, which had been hidden by the tall wooden fence. Next to the well stood the largest wooden house in the village. “I know the fire goddess’ shrine hasn’t let us down yet, but I don’t see how one guy’s gonna deal with the Black Dog Bandits.” Sassui whispered to Uncle Eric, under his breath. “Shush! The goddess has always protected our village, believe in her.” whispered Uncle Eric. As we reached the other side, Clare jumped and hugged Uncle Eric. “Woah Clare! We’re both too old for this, don’t you think?” said Uncle Eric as he struggled to lift the little girl dangling from his neck. “Oh what’s going on here?” “Clare!” “Haha! The brat’s back!” “Welcome back Clare!” The villagers noticed that Clare had returned and came over to greet her as she let go of Uncle Eric. Some of the villagers looked at me warily but they kept a respectful distance. “Wah! Kitty!” said a little brown haired boy as he noticed Waon. “So cute!” said a little girl as she walked over and hugged Waon. “So smooth~” Waon was surrounded by a group of kids stroking its fur, pinching its cheeks and fighting to hug it. “Wa-Waon!” Waon struggled, letting out a pitiful cry. Waon looked at me with its big eyes, begging for help but I let out a soft chuckle and looked away as Waon drowned in a sea of children. “Are the others still praying at the shrine Clare? Your parents sure are pious aren’t they?” Clare made a pained expression as one of the villagers mentioned her parents and she began staring at the ground with a blank look in her eyes. However, she almost immediately raised her head and her grief stricken expression vanished as if it had never been there in the first place. But just as she was about to say something - “Clare!” shouted someone, their voice carrying all the way from the center of the village. Outside the door to the large wooden house next to the well, stood a middle aged woman with long black hair with a face that resembled Clare’s. “Aunt May!” Clare exclaimed. The middle aged woman rushed over and embraced Clare. “Oh child, I am so sorry...so sorry...I should have never let you go. We should have tried to fight them together...we could have...I’m so sorry...” She sobbed, holding Clare to her chest. Clare was startled at first but her expression changed as if she suddenly realized something. A shadow quickly passed over her eyes but it vanished as she gave the middle aged woman a sad smile. “It’s okay Aunt May, we had no choice. It was the right thing to do.” The villagers were confused by this exchange until a few of them open their eyes wide and asked “Chief, you don’t mean they...?” The Village Chief, Aunt May, slowly nodded her head, which wiped the smiles off of the villagers’ faces and created a somber atmosphere. Waon took the opportunity to escape the clutches of the children and hid behind me. However, what caught my attention was that the woman seemed to know what had happened to Clare’s parents. Confused, I Observed her status. Mayer Skye...level 8...title ‘Reneste Village Chief’...ability ‘Mother Bird’? ... I see, her ability allows her to sense the condition of her loved ones. But still, what’s with this shitty naming sense? “Oh right!” said Aunt May, stirring me from my thoughts, “Are you injured? Come inside Clare, I will tend to your wounds. And as for our guest...” she turned her head to face me. “Please forgive us for ignoring you, we were all very worried about Clare. It must have been a long journey, would you like to join us for some tea?” “I don’t mind, but should you really let a stranger into your house so easily?” I asked, surprised by her sudden hospitality. “It is alright, I can tell that you mean no harm and harbor no evil intentions towards us. Besides, I must thank you for protecting Clare.” said Aunt May with a gentle smile. I see, her ability seems to allow her to determine whether her loved ones are in danger and my presence probably doesn’t seem to threaten them. I smiled and agreed to her proposal as we made our way towards the Village Chief’s house, which was the large house next to the well. “Huk, Huk! Looks like someone got away from tha boss. Huk, the boss’ll be real mad if he finds out we let em through! Guess we’ll just haveta burn this village to the ground after all, Huk huk huk.” said an annoying voice from across the passage of the village entrance. I turned around and searched for the owner of the voice. A hooded man stood outside the village as a dozen or so figures emerged from the trees around him. All of them wore the mark of the Black Dog Bandits - a black silhouette of a snarling dog. The voice belonged to the dark haired man who walked over to the top of the passage while sneering at the villagers. “Halt you ugly scoundrel!” shouted Uncle Eric, who unsheathed a rusty sword and pointed it towards the man. The man scowled, but Uncle Eric was right, as he got closer and people saw his face under the hood, they realized that this guy was ugly. His face was twisted into spirals in two different directions on both sides. His nose was ridiculously large and covered with pustules of pus and blood. Large, red scars ran all over his face and his teeth were chipped and yellow. Some of the villagers cringed at his appearance and a few kids were so frightened that they hid behind their parents. The ugly man walked to the center of the passage, followed by his lackeys. “Huk, let’s see if ya can still bark like that afta I cut out ya tongue. Huk, huk, huk.” he snickered. Clare was trembling as she stared at the men, but she suddenly recovered as if nothing had happened. I was once again impressed by her toughness. However, for now I Observed the bandits on the other side. The ugly one’s name is Beer Wolf...formerly named Terry Oval...Level 11...title Black Dog Bandit sub-leader...ability Ripening?...His strength increases as he grows up but so does his ugliness. What a mixed bag, his strength is definitely higher than it should be at his level, almost comparable to Odog I’d say. I continued analyzing the approaching bandits and although none of the others were worth noting, I kept feeling uncomfortable as I looked at them. “I told you to stop!” Uncle Eric shouted, but then he started smiling. “Now Sassui! Let it fall!” As he said that, the dirt below the passage started trembling as it fell off the sides, revealing a wooden pillar that seemed to be supporting the “passage” above. A bridge hidden by dirt and rocks? They must be planning to collapse the bridge and trap them in the trench. I thought. But I was confused by the bandits whose smiles just grew wider. “Guhk!” Uncle Eric spat out blood as a sword pierced his chest. I couldn’t see the person who wielded the sword but judging by the direction of the sword, it could only be one person. “Sa...Sassui? Why?” Uncle Eric stammered as he fell to the ground, blood pooling around his body. The villagers showed expressions of disbelief and anger but the bandits strode to the village entrance with confidence. The villagers stepped back, most of them moved to the side as well, which let me see the ugly one laugh and put a hand on Sassui’s shoulder and say “Good job kid! Welcome to tha Black Dog Bandits, huk huk.” Sassui nodded, but he was avoiding the eyes of the other villagers. “As fer tha rest of ya, get down on ya knees and get yer hands in the air so we can tie ya up. And don’t try ta fight or ya won’t just be sold ta tha slave traders” Beer said as the bandits entered the village. Clare was staring wide eyed at Uncle Eric’s corpse. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were on the verge of overflowing with tears. This whole mess was making me angry and I felt like I had to do something so I decided to confront the bandits but- “How dare you! We will not submit to spineless cowards like you! I was wondering why you didn’t just attack us directly, but I never suspected that you would resort to such cowardly tactics.” The Village Chief said as she made her way to the front of the crowd of villagers. “You were afraid of getting hurt on the bridge, but do not think that you can avoid the punishment for your sins. You were foolish to come here without the rest of your vile group” “Huk, huk, huk. We would’ve burnt this place to tha ground a long time ago if tha boss wasn’t worried about tha ones that snuck out. He thought they’d bring help so he went to finish em off first.” The bandits walked towards the village chief. “He said ta not cross over till he was back but he also said ta get rid of any runaways, but the boys were drinkin and someone got ‘cross so I’ll just haveta explain to tha boss later. Now get on yer knees ya whore.” He rushed over to the village chief and reached for her head but the level 8 village chief couldn’t hope to match his speed so all she could do was widen her eyes in shock. “I think that’s enough for now, don’t you?” I said, appearing in front of Aunt May and grabbing the bandit’s arm. “Huk? Who are ya? Let go of ma hand!” He tried to wrench his hand away but it didn’t budge from my grip. I looked at him and the other bandits and felt an uncomfortable feeling in my chest again. I recalled Odog’s face and the uncomfortable feeling intensified. I sighed. Guess I’ll just capture them and let the villagers decide. - When the orphanage found him on their steps they thought he looked as beautiful a baby as any they had ever seen and they took him in. But after seeing his status, they realized why he had been abandoned. By the time he was five years old, he had an average face. He was the strongest kid in the orphanage, but he never bullied anyone and got into many fights against the neighborhood children who were picking on his friends. He always helped out at the orphanage and even the other villagers loved him too. He tried very hard to earn their love because he wanted them to love him even after he grew up. He especially wanted her to still love him when he grew up. He spent his days with her and the rest of his gang as they helped out at the orphanage, beat up the other gangs and played together on the village streets. By the time he was ten, his nose was a little askew and he had a scar or two but the other kids didn’t mind, since it just meant that he looked a little tougher. He still played with his friends and got closer to the other villagers but some of the adults would occasionally give him looks filled with pity. By the time he was twelve, his friends had learned the appraisal skill so he avoided them for as long as he could but she eventually caught him and saw his ability. She hugged him and told him to be strong and that she would never stop being his friend. His heart was filled with warmth. His other friends gave him the same look that the adults did for a while but they laughed it off as they continued to play together. By the time he was fifteen, the scars covered his cheeks and his skin started to get a little twisted. Most of his friends grew uncomfortable and drifted away but she beat up anyone that called him ugly. By the time he was eighteen, only she stood with him. But he knew even she was disturbed by his appearance and the thought hurt him. By the time he was twenty, he found out that she was going out with someone else and although he did feel a little pain in his heart, he ignored it because she was still his friend. By the time he was twenty two, she stopped smiling as much and came to see him less often. By the time he was twenty five, she married another man. She invited him to the wedding but he refused, knowing that her husband’s family would be disturbed by his presence. By the time he was twenty seven, she barely came anymore. But he didn’t mind, he knew she had just had a baby and needed her time. One day, she did come and showed him her baby but the baby started crying as soon as it saw him and she had to leave to calm it down. By the time he was thirty, the villager’s only looked at him with hate and disgust. He hid his face with a mask and only did the worst jobs that nobody else was willing to do but the neighborhood children still threw trash and stones at him, and their parents didn’t stop them. By the time he was thirty two, while the children were throwing stones at him, he saw her in the distance, talking to her husband and laughing. Not even noticing his plight, let alone stopping the children from hitting him. He fled the village and joined the Black Dog Bandits. He was always drinking, trying to forget everything that had happened to him. The bandits were cruel and made fun of his appearance too, but they didn’t look down on him. After all, he was a good fighter. He knew they wouldn’t come save him either, just like her but that was just the way things were in a bandit group so for some reason, he didn’t feel like they would ever betray him, since there were no expectations to betray in the first place. Since he was always drunk and his actions were as vicious as his face, they started calling him Beer Wolf. By the time he was thirty nine, he was back in his old village of Reneste. He couldn’t see her or her husband but he could still see some of the people who had tormented him for all those years. He held back because of Odog, who didn’t want him to hog all of the spoils, but he couldn’t stop himself any longer. Besides, although he couldn’t see her, she could still see her kid. The kid never threw anything at him, presumably because she was too afraid to look at him, but her face made him angry anyways. Since it reminded him of her. - I threw the ugly one back at the other bandits, who were stunned by my sudden appearance and strength but still managed to spread out and draw their weapons. “Put down your weapons and surrender, I promise that you’ll have a fair trial for your crimes.” I said. Odog and the other bandits I’d killed still prickled my conscience, because I knew they all must have had their reasons, their own stories. But their actions at the time had made me recall my own past and I killed them in my rage, however, I was a lot calmer right now. They were murderers and thugs but they still deserved justice. I thought this way because my moral compass was shaped on Earth, after all. “Huk! Get im!” the ugly bandit shouted, raising himself from the ground. I hadn’t thrown him very hard because I’d hoped to convince them to surrender. I sighed as the bandits rushed at me. I put a little strength into my legs and appeared behind one of them, then I knocked him out with a light chop to the neck. I appeared behind another bandit and knocked her out in a similar fashion. Beer Wolf rushed at me but I swatted him to the side. “Hehe, ready to give up yet? You know you can’t beat me right?” I smirked as I looked towards the other bandits in front of me. - Beer groaned. He was lying on his side, a sharp pain in his arm and his vision blurry. He saw the villagers standing on the sides. Some of them were shocked by the purple robed boy’s strength. Others were happy at the Black Dog Bandits’ situation. And some were looking at him with eyes of ridicule. His anger surged. You...you! Why! WHY! UNFAIR! Why’s it all so unfair... He thought, as tears welled up in his eyes. The villagers gave him looks of hate and disgust, the same looks they had given him for thirty two years. He looked at the purple robed boy who had his back towards him. He carefully reached into his own robes and tried to draw something out. He was boiling with anger. Anger at the boy that had stopped his revenge. Anger at the leader that had vanished to goddess knows where. Anger at the villagers that had tormented him for so long. And anger at her for betraying him and breaking her promise. He raised the crossbow. - I knocked out another bandit. The others were frightened but none of them surrendered. They looked at me with fearful gazes and got closer together. Going to rush at me all at once? Hehe, alright, guess it’s time to end this- THUD A loud noise came out from behind me. A woman screamed, something fell to the ground. I turned around and saw Clare on the ground, blood soaking the ground around her. I didn’t need to check her status, the arrow in her forehead gave it away. She was dead.
6.0 Zero_Chapter 6: Starry Skies Spoiler: Read chapter “Kai? You have to tell that story again!” Clare proclaimed. “Why?” I replied. We were camping on a small hill with the campfire crackling between us as usual. Clare was sitting up in her sleeping bag while cuddling a tired Waon in her arms. We were a only few miles from Reneste so Clare knew that the journey was almost over and was particularly insistent on hearing a story tonight. “Waon wants to hear it again! Don’t you Waon?” She said, picking up the yawning purple fur-ball and making it nod its head up and down. “Wa~on!” I sighed. Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I smiled and started the story again, “A little girl was dragged to the countryside by her friend…” – Memories of that last night outside Reneste floated around my head as I saw Clare’s lifeless body lying crumpled on the ground. I saw flashes of her smile. Then I saw its shadow on her pale, lifeless face. We’d only known each other for a few days… Yet, I kept thinking back to when she tried to wash Waon, only to fall into the river herself. I thought back to the time she burnt her tongue on soup even though I’d told her to be careful. To the time she brought a tiny Waon out from under a purple wall. And to the nights spent staring at the stars… Why? Why does it hurt so much…why do I feel so attached to her? Is it because she listened to my stories? Stories that nobody wanted to listen to for so long… What does she mean to me? I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. For some reason, whenever I had the bittersweet dreams where my family was still alive, I always pictured a little sister swinging from my parents’ arms. What would having a little sister feel like? What would I even do with her? Would I comfort her when she was sad? Laugh with her when she was happy? And would I… Tell her stories? I felt a terrifying pain in my chest and a flash of red in my head. I didn’t even use a code to help me focus. I willed it. And all of the bandits vanished. – May Skye was not an emotional woman. Her position as the village chief required her to keep her emotions at bay. But when she had seen the child, she couldn’t help but run over to hug her. Just the thought of the pain the little girl must be enduring had filled her with guilt and grief. May’s ability couldn’t tell the future, nor was it perfectly accurate. It only allowed her to vaguely sense whether her loved ones were in danger at that very moment. Back when she’d felt an overwhelming sense of danger for her brother and his family a couple of days ago, she had instantly regretted letting them leave on their own, even though she’d known that a small group was their best chance at evading the bandits and contacting the Fire Goddess’ shrine for help. At that moment, she had felt the irrational urge to set out to save them. But then she had felt her brother’s wife die and she’d felt him follow soon after. Their deaths filled her with pain and sorrow but she was also worried. What about the child? At that moment, she couldn’t help but curse the fire goddess, why did she insist on only listening to children who came to her with their families? What kind of sick condition was that? But all of her emotions were soon drowned out by shock. She suddenly felt that the child was safe, safer than the villagers in fact! And now, when she saw what was happening in front of her, it happened again. The helplessness she had felt as she saw the girl tumble to the ground, the sorrow that ripped through her soul when she saw those lifeless eyes and the pain that pierced her chest as she saw the ghost of a smile on the child’s face, were all consumed by shock and disbelief as the bandits simply…vanished. She couldn’t see the boy’s face as he walked up to the girl’s body, but as he picked her up and went inside the village chief’s house, May Skye felt something else light up in her heart. Hope. – She woke up feeling strange. She couldn’t quite understand what it was, but something felt…different. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in a familiar room but something still felt different, and the feeling made her uncomfortable. As she slowly realized where she was, she began to feel confused. Why was she here? Her memories were a little fuzzy, but she slowly began to remember. She remembered watching a purple robed boy fighting a ragged group of men and women. As she thought of the boy, she felt a warm feeling in her heart. But who was he? She remembered walking with the boy while holding a purple kitten in her hands. The memory was warm and fuzzy, just like… Waon! She thought, as she remembered picking up the Hell kitten from under a purple wall. She remembered…sitting around a campfire with the boy. The boy was telling her a story while looking up at the sky. It made her feel warm and safe, just like… Kai! She thought, as she finally remembered the name. But then she felt a chill. She remembered a woman with an arrow through her head. A man whose head was rolling on the ground. She remembered the death of her parents. And then she felt… Overwhelming pain, sorrow, helplessness and despair. It consumed her. Tore into her heart. Mauled her soul. And it felt…different. These emotions were far stronger than she remembered. She screamed, groaned and whimpered. The agonizing pain in her chest was unlike anything she had ever experienced. But why? Her vision grew blurry as she saw the door open and a hazy figure rush over to her. The figure tried to say something but she couldn’t understand what it was saying. She closed her eyes as the pain finally overwhelmed her. – I looked at my hands. They were trembling uncontrollably. But my heart was trembling worse. I…I did it…she was dead but then I…like it was..nothing? I slammed my fists onto the ground but they still kept trembling. Why was it so easy? Is that all life is worth? Is it really so worthless? So fucking worthless! A single fucking thought and… The floodgates had opened and a storm raged inside my mind because I had let that thought loose. In fact, that thought had been in the back of my head for a long time. It had been there when I came to this world and saw how easy everything was. It had been there when I was designing my ability back in my old world. It had been there…since that night… But I ignored it. No, I sealed it. Now that I think back to it, it was probably what pushed me over the edge in the first place. I mean, you’d have to be pretty crazy to be willing to burn yourself to death to activate an ancient spell to transport you into a game-world. But that thought excited me like nothing else had in my life. But it also sent chills down my spine. And now, it made me nauseous. I thought of the corpse that I’d laid down on the bed. I’d hesitated, of course. Even when I was almost completely overwhelmed by sorrow and anger, even when I saw the blood covered face, even when I saw the empty eyes, the lifeless smile and the hole from the arrow I’d pulled out, I still wondered if it was worth opening the floodgates. If it was worth unsealing that thought. But when I remembered the short time I’d spent with her, my hands started trembling and a storm kicked up in my mind. Waves crashed against the seal as memories flashed in the turbulent sky about the storm. Wiping her drooling face as she fantasized about expensive food, running after Waon, saving her from the bandits, consoling her for the loss of her parents. Telling her stories under the stars. I gritted my teeth. <re:write.clare skye.change state=alive> Then I saw her breathing again. There was no blood on her face, no hole in her head. She was alive, just like that. And then the floodgates opened and I left without a thought. And now, on a hill outside Reneste, I screamed. I thrashed about, smashing craters into the ground with my incredible strength. Both of my hands were on my head as if trying to push that thought out of my mind. But it was futile. I…I can bring them back can’t I? I…can bring back my…my… I started crying. Will I get to see their faces again? Will…will he be proud of me…of everything I’d done? Will he look at me and say that it came from his side of the family? Will she mercilessly cut him down with a retort? The seal was completely broken now. I raised my trembling hands… I…I can bring them back…I CAN BRING THEM BACK! …but… My hands fell. My ragged breathing calmed down. Would it be the same? I can write them into existence but would they be my parents? Or would they be copies based on my memories of them? Shadows of their real selves? Or worse…what if they were the real thing…what if I could bring them back…just like that? Are their lives so worthless? Was their death so worthless? Was my pain and suffering so…worthless, so insignificant? Like flicking a switch or pushing a button? Like pulling the trigger of a gun? I took a deep breath and asked myself. Haven’t you always dreamed of seeing them again? Of him tousling your hair or her holding you in her arms? I stood up and replied. Of course I have. But this…this is wrong. I can’t completely explain it but it feels wrong. I don’t know if my ability is imperfect and only brings back a copy or if it is perfect and brings back the real thing just like that…and I don’t want to know because either way, it feels wrong! I made my decision. I turned around and looked at the little village in the distance and sighed. Sorry Clare, but if I saw you … I’d probably know the answer. And I don’t think I’m ready to open the floodgates again just yet. I looked up at the night sky. – She woke up again. Her thoughts were a blur but she remembered pain, overwhelming pain. Pain unlike anything she had ever felt before. But she stopped herself from thinking about it, almost on instinct. As the pain subsided and her vision grew clearer, she stopped to take a few breaths and then did what anyone in a world where you can instantly check your mental and physical condition would do- she checked her status. Then her heart skipped a beat, twice. First when she saw her title. It had changed from ‘Reneste Village Chief’s Niece’ to ‘One Who Defies Death.’ But what was truly surprising was that the title had an extra effect, but she didn’t have time to check what it was. Because when her heart skipped a beat for the second time, she almost felt like she’d fall unconscious again. In the ‘abilities’ section of her status screen wasn’t her old ability ‘Sunshine’ but a new ability called ‘Starry Skies.’ Why had it changed? Titles can change but no one had ever heard of an ability changing. Did it have something to do with the pain she’d felt when she woke up? Did something happen? Did someone do something to her? She remembered…watching the boy fight the bandits and then…darkness? No, she felt emptiness. Did she…die? No that didn’t make sense, she was alive right now wasn’t she? But there was something else too, something she could barely remember. A voice. It said something to her. A single word, but she couldn’t remember it. But she could remember whose voice it sounded like. And then she understood. He had saved her. But rather than shock or disbelief she felt something else. Because if he could save her, couldn’t he also… She jumped out of bed and ran outside, ignoring the shrieking purple ball behind the door. She couldn’t find him in the living room so she left the house. Her Aunt was sitting on a chair next to the well so she ran over to her, gasping and stumbling. Before her surprised Aunt could say anything she asked her where he was. Her Aunt replied, and she froze. She looked up at the night sky. There was no golden rain, so the stars weren’t crying. But for some reason, they didn’t seem to be smiling either. – …They smile. The boy said. They were both silent for a few moments, quietly gazing at the stars. That was pretty lame you know? The girl laughed. N-no it wasn’t! It was cool! The boy said, pouting. Whatever you say, hihi. The girl teased. Hmph! The boy stood up. I’m leaving. It’s getting pretty late so I’ll let you follow me but you better keep up! Sure, sure. The girl smiled, also standing up. They started walking away from the hill but the girl stopped and turned around. She looked at the stars one last time and whispered… Goodbye…
7.0 Ignis_Chapter 1: Haze Spoiler: Read chapter At first I felt nothing. No heat, no cold. No pain, no joy. No sorrow, no happiness. I had my senses but I felt like I was behind a veil. I could see, I could touch, I could listen, I could smell and if I’d ever eaten anything, I’m sure I could taste, but I just couldn’t process any of it. It was like I simply didn’t care about anything. As if I was perpetually indifferent. Of course, I always carried out my duties, but in retrospect, those duties seem very strange. I was supposed to bless anyone that came to my shrine or heal anyone that came to my church, but almost nobody ever came. I vaguely remember blessing a knight covered in glowing armor or healing a shadowy figure wearing robes. But no ordinary people ever came to my shrine or to my churches. Even the priests and the priestesses only prayed to me whenever the shining knight or the shadowy figure spoke to them, and they never asked to be healed or blessed. They seemed just as indifferent as I did. Yet I never thought about any of this at the time because it didn’t matter to me. Nothing mattered to me. All I cared about was fulfilling my duties. But sometimes, I’d feel a change in my existence. As if someone was tampering with my soul. But then again, maybe I didn’t have a soul back then? I can barely remember any of this, because all of these memories were vague, indistinct and hazy. I couldn’t even tell the time back then, so I don’t know how long that state lasted. A few days? A few months? A few years? A few centuries? I didn’t know and I didn’t care. Then something happened. I felt a prickling sensation on my toes, which started going up through my body all the way to my head. For the first time ever, I felt something. I felt as if there was a cold, hard surface touching the tips of my toes. Then I felt something gently brush past my back, followed by something with a smooth, silky texture that rippled across my skin. I felt a slight chill, but it was soon replaced by warmth. Warmth that came from my own body. I could sense something else too. Something fresh and sweet that drifted into my lungs with each breath I took. These changes were shocking, to say the least, so I stood in the same pose that I’d always stood in and explored my newly discovered senses. Although sight wasn’t a new sense for me, everything I saw was certainly more distinct and the colors felt more lively. The red tiled floor, the red walls, the red ceiling, the red curtains and the red stone pedestal that I was standing on made the entire room pulse with an aggressive energy that captivated me. Red, such a powerful color. A while later, I felt a familiar sensation. It was as if someone was calling out to me from the bottom of the tower. Is someone seeking my blessing? No, this feeling isn’t coming from the shrine. It’s coming from... I frowned. I could sense the direction from where the feeling originated but I didn’t know what lay in that direction. Whenever I’d felt this sensation before, my vision would blur and then it would clear and I could suddenly see the inside of a church or the shrine but this time, nothing happened. And then I felt another, similar feeling. And then another. And another. And another. Soon, I felt as if someone was trying to pull my soul in a million different directions but surprisingly, I felt no pain. In fact, every pull made me feel stronger and sturdier and my senses become even more potent and refined. Ping! I fell off the pedestal. What was that? Ping! There it is again! I heard the sound a few more times and soon, there was only silence. Those were the first sounds I’d ever heard. Even when the shining knight or the shadowy figure prayed to me or asked for my blessing, I never heard anything. Their intentions just came to my mind and even when I responded to them in the course of fulfilling my duties, I never made a sound. Ping! This time, not only did I hear a sound, I also saw something strange. A pale red square hung in the corner of my eye but it slowly began to fade away. Worried that it would soon vanish, I decided to try to touch it. However, as soon as that thought crossed my mind, the square expanded and filled the lower half of my vision. Level up! Aia Genrion Ignis has reached level 354! Required experience to reach next level: 39400517 Although I somehow understood that ‘Aia Genrion Ignis’ was probably my name, I couldn’t understand anything else. Confused, I decided to ignore this new information for now and willed the screen to disappear. Ping! This is starting to become annoying. Is it possible to stop them? Surprisingly, it worked. Although I could see a pale red square in the corner of my eye, the annoying sound no longer came. I waited for a little while and when I was certain that I wouldn’t hear it again, I began thinking about what to do next I saw the window covered with thin, red curtains that were fluttering in the wind and so I walked over and pulled them to the side. I was stunned by a bright light that blinded me for a few seconds until I gradually got used to it. I saw a clear blue sky, with a glowing yellow sun shining above my head. I looked down and saw rows of red buildings around a lighter red road that seemed to lead up to the tower that I was standing in. I saw a lot of tiny, red-robed figures down below. Some were running around, others seemed to be walking in a daze and many weren’t moving at all. In fact, they seemed to be looking at the tower, or maybe...at me? Some of the tugs I was feeling seemed to be coming from these figures. I saw someone move towards the large, bright red doors on the far side of the road and then the doors were pushed open, allowing several other red-robed figures to enter. I turned around and saw a similar bright red door on the other side of the room. It was covered in strange runes and symbols that I couldn’t understand at all. I approached the door like the figure down below had done, and pushed. The doors began glowing and angry red sparks flew out from the center of the door as it opened. I hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep breath and walking down the stairs behnd the door. - Why would anyone build such a pointlessly long staircase? After walking all the way down the pointlessly long staircase, I saw another door like the one upstairs. There seemed to be voices on the other side so I stopped for a little while, trying to listen to what they were saying. “...miracle...must be...divine...pray...gratitude...go up...impudence...wait...she expects...praise be to...should we...maybe...fools...heretic...how dare...let go...how dare...why you...stop it...interfere...unsightly...” Unable to understand what they were saying, I approached the door and pressed my ear to it, hoping to hear what the voices were saying. Sparks flew, the door glowed bright red and I was suddenly looking at a group of red-robed men and women frozen in the middle of a brawl. A young blonde haired woman had her hands around the neck of a fat middle aged man. A black haired young man was pulling on a white haired old man’s beard and a short, bald man was trying to force the boy to let go. And of course, I stood with an ear pointing towards them in a pose that obviously betrayed the fact that I was eavesdropping on them. Feeling awkward, I quickly stood up in the same pose as the one I was in on the stone pedestal upstairs. Immediately, all of the red robed figures fell to their knees and bowed. “Oh great one! We humbly express our gratitude for your benevolence. Praise be to the Fire Goddess, master of the raging flames!” - I was sitting on an elaborately decorated red chair in the shrine’s gathering area. It was a large hall filled with rows of wooden benches facing the stage where I was sitting. I soon learned that everyone had experienced the same hazy state of existence as well as the sudden liberation of their body and senses. Since they were listening to everything I said, I decided to have them all gather together so that we could discuss everything that had happened. Judging by their endless praises and heartfelt gratitude, they seemed to believe that I had released them from that hazy state of existence and I didn’t deny it because I wasn’t sure if I had. After we collected all of our information, I found out about the “Status Window”. It was a pale red screen like the one I had seen, but it described your physical and mental condition. Although merely expressing the desire to check your condition would also open the status window, actually thinking of the term “Status window” or “Status” would open it more easily. After a few tests, we learned that a person’s “Level” corresponded to their overall power. Also, it seemed that my level was absurdly high, because the highest level that anybody else had was only 11. Your “Title” was your position in society and even the servants had titles like “Servant of the Fire Goddess’ shrine.” Moreover, everyone had a unique “Ability” that nobody else possessed. I had the ability “Wrath of Ignis”, however, some of the less fortunate people around me had abilities like “Celestial Firewood Collection” or “Mastery of Tongue Twisters”. As I sat listening to more people share their experiences, I suddenly felt a powerful pull towards my right. It felt so strong that I was sure that I would be physically pulled in that direction if I even thought about it... Oh... I crashed through the walls and sped towards the forest outside the shrine, unaware of the stunned expressions of the priests and priestesses that sat on the wooden benches below the stage. I was traveling so fast that everything was a blur. I kept crashing into trees and boulders and I could feel a dull pain in my right shoulder, which was bearing the brunt of my collisions. By the time I finally stopped, I was so dizzy and disoriented that I stumbled and fell on the ground. It’s all hazy again... When my vision cleared, I saw a little boy with an even younger girl in his arms. They stared at me in shock but quickly recovered and looked behind me with fearful gazes. I followed their gazes and saw hazy black smoke blowing in the wind. Yet no matter how hard the wind blew, the smoke didn’t move at all. What is it? Unbelievably, I felt as if the smoke was looking at me. And then, I saw it move. I was surprised, but another thought came into my mind. Why am I surprised by this? Why do i feel like smoke shouldn’t be acting like this even though I’ve never seen smoke before? However, this was just one of many similar questions that had popped into my mind today. Why did I know about these things despite not knowing when or where I learned them? Or who I learned them from? While I was lost in my thoughts, the boy pushed the girl behind him and stared at me and the living smoke. The smoke moved, seemingly provoked by the child’s actions. However, I couldn’t feel any malice or ill intent from it. In fact, I felt as if the smoke was very reluctant to do whatever it was that it was planning to do, but it couldn’t help but move towards us. Confused, I asked “What are you trying to do?” The living smoke stopped. Bubbles of air started erupting from its surface and I could hear a soft gurgling sound coming from it. Is it trying to say something? However, the little children behind me started quivering in fear and before I could stop them, they tried to run away. The smoke stopped making noises and flew towards the children, passing through a tree branch on the way. I felt something tighten in my chest. The branch withered and died. And I rushed in between the smoke and the children just as it almost touched the little boy. I felt a wave of coldness wash over me, followed by a stifling pain in my lungs. I gasped for air while flailing about, but the pain intensified and soon, I wasn’t able to breathe at all. What...what is this? I felt as if my lungs were constricting and my vision grew blurry. It’s all...hazy again...I don’t...I don’t want...to feel that way again... But no matter how much I thrashed about, my lungs refused to take in air and my body started feeling colder and colder. And then... I couldn’t feel anything. For a very brief moment, I felt like I was back on that stone pedestal in the room at the top of the tower. I once again felt as if I was behind a wheel, aware of my senses and of my existence but unable to move, unable to feel. I panicked. And then, I felt angry. Angry at the smoky creature that had reminded me of that time. Angry at the children who had called me to this place. Angry at myself for my inability to fight against this feeling of helplessness. And angry at the haze and whatever or whoever it was that had made me experience it. There was a blinding flash of red light and a powerful pulse of heat went through my body, driving out the cold. I felt tremendous power coursing through my body. I opened my eyes and saw a world painted in red. Or rather, it seemed as if everything I saw had a red tint to it. I looked up, and saw a frightened face. The boy had tears in his eyes and he seemed to be clinging onto my clothes. The girl was hiding behind the boy, but I was sure that she was crying as well. I turned around and saw the smoke creature a few feet away from me. It seemed to be trembling. The sight made me happy for some reason but there was another emotion in my heart, one that overpowered everything else at the moment. Anger. I rushed over to the living smoke and punched, but my fist just went straight through it. And that made me even more angry. It tried to get away but I followed it easily. I kept trying to punch it but my fists would always just go through it and hit the ground or a tree or a boulder. And although the ground was full of craters and the trees and the boulders lay in pieces, the shadow didn’t seem to have been effected at all. No! I will not give up on my revenge! You dared to confine me! You dared to imprison me! I will never forgive you! NEVER! I roared, letting out my anger and frustration. I felt a vague power on the edge of my senses and intuitively grasped it. A bright red flame emerged on my fists as I punched at the living smoke again. Although I didn’t feel like I’d hit anything with my fists, I knew that I had done it. Sure enough, as the dust settled I saw the living smoke lying in the crater that I had just created. It slowly dissipated, leaving a small black ball in the center of the crater. Breathing heavily, I looked at the crater for a long time before I felt my anger subsiding. However, as my anger disappeared, so did my strength and I instantly collapsed onto the ground. I felt an indistinct sound coming from a distance. I saw a blurry figure reaching out to me. But I couldn’t feel anything. I was behind the veil again. Everything was hazy. But soon, everything went black. I was unconscious, but I felt relieved. At least I wasn’t caught in the haze again.
8.0 Ignis_Chapter 2: To Protect Spoiler: Read chapter When I opened my eyes, I saw a rocky ceiling covered with vines. I sat up and looked around. I was in a damp, dark cave and couldn’t see anyone in front of me. Just as I was about to call out, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind me and covered my mouth. “Shh! There might be monsters outside, whisper if you wanna say something.” I nodded and the hands withdrew. I turned around and saw a scruffy, brown haired boy wearing a ragged leather jacket, a dirty blue shirt and a pair of muddy gray shorts. He was the boy I’d saved from that horrifying black smoke. “What was that...thing?” I whispered. “Dunno.” “Where are we?” “Dunno.” “How did you get here?” “Dunno.” “...” “...” I stared at his brown eyes for a while before my gaze drifted to the side. I saw the little girl from before, leaning against the cave walls. She had brown hair just like the boy but where the boy’s hair was short, rough and unruly, her’s was long and silky. Her clothes were in better condition too; her baggy blue shirt and gray shorts weren’t caked in mud and there weren’t any noticeably large holes either. I shifted my gaze back at the boy. “Who are you?” I asked. “Name’s Jeffi.” He said, then he pointed towards the girl, “That’s my little sister Yunni. My turn now, who’re you?” “Aia Genrion Ignis.” “Wow, sounds fancy! I’ll just call you Aia then.” “Uh...okay?” I frowned. This child is a little... “Oh yeah!” He said, interrupting my thoughts. “How did you do that Aia?” “Do what?” “You know! That scary red aura and those flaming fists! They were so cool!” I hesitated. “I don’t know...I just felt...angry.” “Angry? What for?” “That thing. When it attacked me, it made me remember...the haze.” “The haze? What’s that?” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you not remember it? Do you not remember being trapped in that state for who knows how long? Unable to move. Unable to feel. Unable to think.” “Oh...that.” His expression darkened. We were silent for a moment, solemnly recalling our experiences from the haze. “Where do you live?” I said, hoping to break the silence. “Dunno. We were in the middle of this forest for a really long time. Or maybe it wasn’t that long? I don’t even know why we’re here. I mean, why would a couple of kids like us be in such a scary place with all of these monsters roaming about? And I remember that we were smiling all the time, like we didn’t care about the danger at all. Some guy in shining armor or a shadowy figure in black would come by and talk sometimes but I don’t remember what we talked about. But this morning, I felt a cold breeze and I could hear the leaves rustling. But I couldn’t stop and enjoy it for long because then there was this loud roar and I just grabbed Yunni and ran as fast as I could but then we ran into that smoky thing and I felt like...like we were going to die. And then you showed up and beat it up!” He said, his eyes sparkling near the end. I thought for a moment and then decided, “I will take you back with me then.” “Do you know where your home is? How are we going to get there?” He asked. I felt a strong pull on my soul. Just in time. I grabbed Jeffi as well as the sleeping Yunni who was jolted awake. Before either of them could protest, I hugged them and allowed myself to be pulled by the tug that seemed to be coming from behind me. We started crashing through the trees while I tried my best to shield the two children in my arms. Soon, the forest was just a blur as we rushed off in the direction of the pull. - We were rushing through the forest and my back was sore from all the constant collisions with trees, rocks and sometimes even monsters. However, I suddenly felt the pull on my soul vanish just as we crashed into another tree. Our momentum carried us for a few more miles until we gradually tumbled to a rest in a large clearing. Either because I had already experienced it before or because we didn’t stop as suddenly as last time, I wasn’t very dizzy so I immediately sat up and looked at the children in my arms. Jeffi had fainted but Yunni’s face was frozen in an expression of fear. I tried calling to her but she didn’t respond at all. I concluded that they were uninjured and began surveying our surroundings. We were in a small clearing in what seemed to be a different forest. The trees here were taller and probably belonged to a different species. Although I didn’t understand why the pull had vanished so suddenly, I decided to think about that later. For now, the best course of action would be to walk towards the direction where I felt the most tugs, since that was likely to lead me to the shrine. “H-huh? Yunni? What’s the matter? Wher- Wa! Aia! What did you do? Why’d yo-” I quickly covered his mouth. “Shh!” He nodded and I removed my hand. “But what was that! Don’t do it again! You scared Yunni you know?” He pointed towards Yunni. The little girl blinked a few times, then nodded. “Hmn!” “I was taking you home.” “Huh? Is this your home Aia?” He looked around. “It’s...er...a little...” “This isn’t my home. We got cut off for some reason but we can walk the rest of the way.” “Do you know where to go though?” “Yes. Follow me.” I started walking. - “...hey Aia...ha...We’ve been...ha...walking for...ha...hours. We should...ha... rest. Yunni’s tired you know?” Jeffi said, pointing towards Yunni while gasping for breath. The little girl who was chasing a butterfly stopped and blinked. Then she nodded. “Hmn!” “So soon? Very well.” I stopped. “Huah! Finally- I mean, make sure to rest properly Yunni!” Jeffi said, before collapsing onto the ground. “How far is it now?” “I am not certain, but I am sure it isn’t much f- What was that?” I quickly turned around. AAAHHHH! “Yunni!” Shouted Jeffi, before he jumped off the ground and started running towards the scream. Of course, I started running too. I rushed through a bush and saw Yunni trembling while staring at the monster in front of her. It was a giant ape-like monster with four arms, each thicker than my entire body. Under the bright midday sun, its red fur was almost as glaring as its bright scarlet eyes. It stared at the trembling little girl in front of it, but didn’t move to strike. “Yunni!” Just as Jeffi broke through the bush, the ape monster growled and reached for Yunni with one of its hands. “S-stay away!” The girl shouted while running in the opposite direction. Just as the monster’s hands were about to grab her, I jumped at her and dragged her out of the way. The monster roared while beating its chest and smashing its fists against the ground. The sky was filled with birds that were flying away, spooked by the monster’s actions. It’s too loud! I need to finish this quickly. I flung the terrified little girl at Jeffi and looked at the monster’s bright scarlet eyes. It hesitated, noticing that my eyes were an even brighter shade of red. I grunted and then lunged at it. There was a loud crash and then a thicket of trees fell over. I’d missed. It isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I got up from among the broken tree trunks and winced as I felt something warm trickling down my left arm. Tch. I looked at the monster and saw its mouth twist into a smile and though it angered me, I also felt a little smile breaking out on my own face. It’s afraid... I lunged at it again, this time punching out with my right fist. It was shocked by my speed but barely managed to meet my fist with one of its own. Crack! Blood erupted out of its crumpled fist as it roared in pain. I was surprised by my own strength and stopped. And then I went flying into the trees again. Where did that come from? The pain in my left arm intensified, making me gasp as I picked myself up again just in time to dodge a tree that the monster had thrown at me. Blood dripped onto the ground beneath my left arm but I ignored the pain and looked up at the monster again. I rushed towards the monster, dodging the trees and stones that it was flinging at me. It grabbed a particularly large tree and uprooted it, then swung it at me with two of its arms. I leaned back to dodge it but my eyes widened as I saw its third arm coming at me. I was in no position to dodge so I raised my hands in front of my fists. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder again as I was pushed back by its attack, but I ignored it again while racking my brain for a way to end the fight. I could feel my anger rising but surprisingly, rather than obscuring my thoughts, it made them clearer instead. As I looked at the monster, I realized that the fist that I had blocked was also bleeding. I looked into its eyes, saw the fear and uncertainty within them as well as a little...unwillingness? The beast roared and this time, it was the one rushing towards me. I smiled, before kicking off the ground. It saw me in the air and its mouth twisted into a grotesque smile again as it swing the tree at me, confident that I wouldn’t be able to dodge. It was right. As the tree approached me, I grabbed onto one of its sturdier branches and pulled myself towards it. I felt the wind get knocked out of my lungs as I slammed into the tree trunk, but most of the force of the collision was absorbed by the branches. I felt the tree stop moving as the monster grew confused by my sudden disappearance. I felt it bring the tree close to its body again as it assumed a defensive stance. I smiled and jumped out of the tree, punching at the monster’s head with my right fist. I felt something get crushed just as I was showered in blood. Its body fell back by several feet before collapsing onto the ground while I fell on my knees, gasping for breath. As I stood up and my breathing started to calm down, I felt my anger drain out of me along with the mental clarity and focus that had unexpectedly come with it. I saw something move in the corner of my eyes and instantly turned to face it, certain that another monster had come to finish me off. But it was just a stunned brown haired boy and a frightened little girl. I calmed down and took a deep breath. “We should leave before more of them show up.” They flinched, before nodding and following me as I continued walking towards the shrine. - I cleaned the blood off myself as well as I could while Jeffi helped me bind my injured left arm with leaves and vines. Yunni was drinking water while watching us but when I met her gaze, she quickly looked away. We kept walking until it got dark but I couldn’t tell if we had gotten any closer to the shrine. “Aia it’s late isn’t it? We should make camp for the night so we can go to sleep. Yunni is...uw~a...sleepy you know?” Jeffi said, pointing at Yunni while yawning. The little girl’s eyes were drooping but she still managed to nod before falling into Jeffi’s arms. I stopped and looked at them, puzzled. “What is ‘sleep’?” “What do you mean ‘what is sleep?’ It’s sleep you know?” He said, looking at me as if I had gone crazy. He gently laid Yunni down on a bed of leaves. “I am sorry, I do not understand. Have you ever experienced sleep before?” “I-I dunno. Maybe? I just know what it is. I mean, it’s basic human knowledge you know?” I frowned. I really didn’t know what sleep was supposed to be and finding out that it was basic human knowledge made me even more confused. “What is it like?” “Er- Well, it’s what Yunni is doing over there.” “Is she not simply unconscious?” “No, she went to sleep because she was tired.” “Oh? Then is it like losing consciousness of your own will? Strange, I always assumed that losing consciousness would be an unfavorable experience.” I frowned, deep in thought. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get around to it when you’re tired enough. But seriously, you have amazing stamina don’t you? You fought two tough and scary monsters but you still aren’t tired. You’re amazing!” He said, his eyes sparkling again. “I...thank you.” I replied, surprised by the sudden outburst of admiration. Yunni made a small sound before turning over to her other side, and I happened to see Jeffi’s eyes as he looked at her. There seemed to be a very strange emotion in his eyes but I couldn’t understand it at the time. “Jeffi, why do you care for Yunni so much?” I asked. “She’s my sister. She’s family! The only family I have, you know?” He whispered to avoid waking her up. “Sister? Family? Are these things important to you?” “Huh? Of course they are! Don’t you have a sister Aia? Or any other family?” I was about to say no but then a few faces came to my mind. “Maybe.” “Maybe? You have to take family seriously, you know? They’re really important! You have to love them and take care of them. Especially little kids like Yunni. It’s my job as her big brother to protect her, you know?” “Protect...little kids?” “And always listen to what they say! Helping your little brothers and sisters whenever they ask is also a big brother’s job, you know!” “I see.” - As the night wore on, Jeffi lay down next to Yunni while I stood guard because I still didn’t feel tired at all. Jeffi’s words were still floating around my head along with some faces that I couldn’t quite recognize. “H-hey A-aia. C-c-could you l-light up a f-fire? Y-yunni is f-feeling c-cold, y-you know!” Jeffi said, his teeth chattering as he pointed towards Yunni. Yunni was wrapped up in Jeffi’s jacket and covered with long leaves so she was sleeping peacefully. “I do not feel cold though?” I said. It really didn’t seem cold to me at all. “Y-you’re strong Aia! B-but Yunni is w-weak s-so she n-needs a f-fire!” “Very well.” I replied. “Where is the fire?” “Huh? A-aia, you h-have to m-make the f-fire!” “And how will I do that?” “M-magic of course!” Magic? Oh! Status! A pale red screen appeared in front of me. I saw that my level had risen again without me noticing it. I scrolled down to the ‘skills’ section and found the ‘fire magic’ skill. It was at level 10 and when I focused on it, it opened a list of magic that I could use. I read through the different magics and decided to use the level 3 magic ‘Flames’ to light up a fire. I focused on the skill and said “Flames!” The space in front of me lit up in a roaring blaze that reached far above the tree tops. The forest around us started burning. Hot embers floated above our heads and fell onto fell onto more leaves, spreading the fire even faster. I quickly roused the sleeping Yunni and stunned Jeffi and dragged them away from the center of the fire. However, I suddenly heard a loud snarl from behind us so I threw the children ahead. Something slammed into my back, sending me hurtling towards the burning trees. Although I felt a dull pain in my back, I forced myself to turn around so I could see what had attacked me. Just as I did, a claw tore into the ground where my head had lain mere moments ago. I immediately kicked the beast off me and shakily stood up. I’d managed to fling the monster several feet away but it didn’t seem to be hurt because there were no cuts or bruises on its smooth golden skin. As it turned around, I saw a feline face with black stripes over the golden skin that also covered the rest of its body. It snarled at me, showing off its large, serrated teeth. I rushed at it. The monster was surprised by my aggressiveness and chose to swipe at me with its huge black paws. As its claws came down on me, I shot ahead even faster and got underneath its outstretched arm. I jumped up while punching as hard as I could and heard a satisfying crunch. The monster roared in pain and thrashed about but I had long since escaped its reach. As the fire grew more intense I quickly turned around and ran to the children. The monster noticed my actions and let out a furious roar that made me turn my head. A large ball of light was forming outside the monster’s mouth. I dug my feet into the ground and grabbed a large branch that I threw at the monster’s face. The branch flew straight at its target and pierced the monster’s eye. It howled in pain and fired its magic towards the side before collapsing to the ground. I knew it wasn’t dead and would probably come after us in a few moments, but the fire was raging so intensely that I had no choice but to turn around. But just as I reached out to the children, I felt a strong pull on my soul. My eyes widened as I stared at the frightened brown haired child who was holding his sister to his chest. No! I...I have to protect- I started crashing through the forest.
9.0 Ignis_Chapter 3: Anger Spoiler: Read chapter I crashed into a mountain and the blurring scenery vanished. The darkness let me collect my thoughts. What do I do? How do I get back? I need t- The absolute darkness gave way to a flashing blur as I came out of the other side of the mountain. My thoughts scattered until I was no longer able to think coherently. Why did they have to call me now? Why couldn’t I resist their call? If I’d just been able to resist for a second or two... Why was I so weak and powerless? Why couldn’t I choose for myself? First the haze and now this? Was I a puppet meant to dance around at the whims of others? I couldn’t form these questions in my mind, but they tortured me nonetheless. I felt guilty. I was the one who used magic I didn’t understand. I was the one who lit up the forest and the night sky. That monster found us because of me and Jeffi and Yunni were in danger because of my actions. I felt despair and helplessness, because I couldn’t think of a way to save them. I didn’t know how this ‘summoning’ worked. Were they calling out to me? Was it some sick, perverted joke by a higher being? I didn’t know. But most of all, I felt anger. Overwhelming anger. Anger at whatever force or being it was that was controlling my actions. Anger at whoever it was that forced me to leave the children right when they needed me most. And anger at myself for putting them in that situation and failing to save them. Soon, anger began to consume my other emotions. I was angry at my helplessness. I was angry at my guilt. I was angry at myself for allowing those emotions to distract me from my objective. I felt my anger burst forth, as if it had manifested in my blood and was gushing through my body. Anger flooded through my mind and cleared it until there was only one thought left. I need to protect them! I tried everything. I lashed out with my fists, I flared the energy that I had used to fight the ape monster and I tried shouting as hard as I could. STOP! And I did. I tumbled for several miles until I managed to drag me feet across the ground. As soon as I stopped, I rushed back through the trail of broken trees and rocks. My anger was fueling me, driving me faster and faster through the forests and mountains. I’d left a fiery trail of destruction behind me but luckily it didn’t seem like I’d gone through a town or a village and the fire proved useful in showing me the way across the plains where there were no broken trees or shattered rocks to follow. - A sea of flames greeted me as I reached the forest where I’d last seen Jeffi and Yunni. I searched around, wildly cutting across the burning trees while shouting their names. The night wore on, the gentle moonlight ravaged by the light of the flames devouring the forest. Black ash and burning embers floated through the air, burning branches fell from above and the cries of animals and monsters rang through the night. But I still couldn’t find them. My anger intensified and so did my frantic searching. Were they already dead? Were their corpses being devoured by the flames? Were their ashes floating above my head? And then I saw it. A scruffy brown haired boy holding up a burning tree with his back. A little girl covered in burns lying on the ground beneath him. I rushed over and punched the blazing piece of wood away just as the boy’s body finally collapsed. I looked at what was left of his back, most of which was burnt to a crisp. I forced my trembling hands to turn him over. “...H-hey Aia.” His cracked lips barely moved as he whispered those words to me. “I-I am so sorry. I-” “...It’s alright. You...came back...that’s...that’s all that matters” “No! I should have never left. But I-I could not help it. It just-” Tears started falling from my eyes as I fell to my knees besides the boy. “I will take you back. We can heal you. We can-I can-I can still protect you!” “Not even a goddess can save me now...” I froze. “What do yo- since when?” “...Since the time you came crashing through the forest...when that monster cornered us...I don’t know why but I started praying...praying to the fire goddess. And just when I thought that we were...dead, you showed up.” “But I couldn’t-I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t protect you-I-I failed as a goddess.” “Nobody can do everything...if you hadn’t saved us back then, we would’ve died a long time ago. Besides...its too late for me but...Yunni...you can still save Yunni.” The corners of his lips twitched. “You’ll...have to be the big sister from now on. Take care...take care of her. Family is important you know? You have to protect her...help her...and I know you can do it. Big sis.” The light went out of his eyes just as he stopped breathing. I wailed, crying out into the night just as the first droplets of rain started pouring onto the ground. The flames on the trees went out, but I was still burning inside. - I carried Yunni back to the shrine. She cried along the way. Jeffi’s lifeless body was on my other shoulder. When I got back, I was told that they had attempted to call me by praying in front of my statue at the shrine and that they had heard my voice in their heads, telling them to stop. I raged at them for daring to summon me. For daring to pull me along like a toy. For daring to pull me away just when- But I soon calmed down. They didn’t know and it would be wrong to blame them. I forbade them from calling me like that ever again and stormed up to my room at the top of the tower. There was no bed so I went up to the stone pedestal and put my head on it. And cried. - I buried Jeffi outside the shrine, at the top of a nice, quiet hill. Monsters never came to that hill for some reason, possibly because it was too far away from any food source. I made it a forbidden zone for the people at the shrine and only Yunni was allowed to go there. I left some flowers over his grave and Yunni wrote some words on his gravestone. Here lies Jeffi, the best big brother anyone could ever ask for. - I didn’t want to see anyone anymore. The only one I ever allowed up the tower was Yunni but we barely ever talked. She became a junior priestess at the shrine and was learning how to take care of it. I always thought back to Jeffi’s last request so I tried being a good older sister to her but soon, it seemed like she was the one taking care of me. I didn’t need to sleep or eat or go to the bathroom. I just stayed up there on the top of the tower. I had already gotten used to the small tugs on my soul and barely noticed them at all. I was able to recognize who it came from as well, although the only person I knew was Yunni and I’d forbidden her from praying to me since she was supposed to be my younger sister. Of course, that became a problem because many of the shrine’s duties and traditions revolved around praying to me. So I abolished them and forbade them all from worshiping me. I was no goddess. I was just a broken girl who had lost her first friend. - I learned how to resist the larger pulls. I just had to direct some of that energy that I had used against the ape monster, in the direction of the tug. At least there wouldn’t be any more holes in the shrine’s walls. - Yunni came up again, she’d grown up and become a proper priestess by now. I hadn’t changed at all though, and she looked much older than me now. So now she looked and acted like the older sister. She tried to make me come down from the tower, but I only came down to visit Jeffi’s grave whenever I was feeling particularly sad. She tried to cheer me up and I gave her a hollow laugh. She went downstairs with a sad smile on her face. - Yunni is the head priestess now. They seem to have made a new title for her in fact; ‘The Red Shrine Maiden.’ At first I grew angry when I heard that title, thinking that they were making fun of her face that had red burn scars all over it but Yunni assured me that the color was her idea. After all, there were other shrines in the world. The ‘maiden’ part came because she never got married. Was it because she was always looking after me and didn’t have the time to find love? I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I was grateful for her company. We’d started having tea every month, after the calendar was setup. I’d met up with my sisters but that’s a story for another time. For now, Yunni was my only sister. My only family. She didn’t need my protection anymore because she’d made a name for herself on her own. She was powerful, both politically and with regards to magic. We were having tea one day when she turned around to get the sugar. And then I heard her cup fall to the ground. I quickly went to her and called for help. Nobody could hear me from up there but I had long since learned how to speak to my followers through my mind so a group of red robed priests rushed to the foot of the stairs just as I reached the bottom. We helped Yunni to her room and laid her on the bed. Her white hair was sticking to her wrinkled forehead because of the sweat that was pouring out all over her. I hadn’t been able to stop her from aging, and no matter what I did I couldn’t find a cure to her illness. And even though I spent a year looking for medicinal herbs and pills, nothing seemed to work. I grew enraged again. This time, I was angry at fate for taking away Jeffi and for trying to take away Yunni from me too. In my frenzy, I developed a new magic, ‘appraisal’ that helped speed up the search for doctors and herbs. But it was no use. - I lay next to Yunni, tears streaming down my face as I held onto her hand. She told me that I had been the best big sister she could have ever asked for. She assured me that Jeffi would be proud of me. She said that she loved me and that she would always be watching me. She made a request just like Jeffi had done in that burning forest sixty years ago. She told me to take care of the children of this world, and be their big sister. I cried as I promised her that I would try my best. She smiled. “...thank you...for everything...Big sis.” I saw her close her eyes as a wave of emotions washed over me. Sorrow, helplessness and of course, anger. Fate forced me to endure the torture of the haze. Fate forced me to be summoned at the whims of others. Fate took away Jeffi. Fate took away Yunni. But Fate could never take away my anger. I will fight fate one day and I will make it pay! I cried as she took her last breath. Yunni was gone. Now all I had left, was my ANGER.
10.0 Candela_Chapter 1: In my head Note: Just a heads up if you're still confused, the first word in the chapter title is the POV character's name. So for example, if a chapter is written from Kai Zero's perspective, it'll start with "Zero." Spoiler: Read chapter Again? I sighed and made a disappointed face. In my head, of course. I was standing in front of my school locker, mentally pitying the poor monkey who had filled it with some putrid, brown substance that I had no wish to identify. It was both amusing and disheartening to know that there were still idiots in this school who hadn’t realized that provoking me was akin to a self-condemnation. “HA HA HA HA! What’s that in your locker shit-face? Your mom’s tampons? Pfft. HA HA HA HA!” Well, looks like I won’t need to check the video cameras after all. I didn’t even turn around because I had already identified the voice. In fact, I had already deduced that Frank Stones was the only muscle brain with a skull thick enough to not realize how utterly stupid his juvenile prank was. But you see, I am a very nice person, so I selflessly took it upon myself to educate this buffoon before he got himself into any real trouble. My face contorted into an evil grin. In my head of course. - Frank Stone was feeling much better today. He’d been in a foul mood ever for the past week, ever since his friends had stopped coming to school for some reason. He’d called them a million times but they never picked up and when he went to their houses, their parents would tell him that they were sleeping or feeling sick or crying over their dead dog’s body. But he wasn’t buying it. He thought back to what they were doing before all this shit happened, but all he could remember was them stealing lunch from a few nerds or hitting on some girl. So it had been business as usual for the Kewl Kids Klub. The only other thing he remembered was one of his boys walking into a stone-faced black kid and the rest of his boys ganging up on the little fucker to teach him a lesson. But a teacher had seen them and broken it up before they could do anything. Black kid musta brought em some bad luck then. He resolved to deal with the little bastard himself, hopefully that would get rid of the bad luck haunting his boys. If not, then squashing a filthy bug should fix his mood up anyways. Besides, he’d always hated that kid, not just because of the color of his skin but also because the kid never said anything at all. For some reason, looking at his stoic expression always sent shivers down Frank’s spine. And so he filled the kid’s locker with dog-shit and made fun of him in front of everyone in the hallway and though he felt a lot better afterwards, something kept nagging at the back of his head as he went to gym class. Once the class ended, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and headed into the showers. He was just taking off his gym shorts when he heard his phone beep, indicating that he’d received a message. He walked over to it and smiled as he read who it was from. Melissa: Hey Frankie, wanna come over tonight? My folks are leaving for the weekend so we can have a lot of fun ~ iykwim He smirked and told her he’d come over to chill. He put away the phone after texting Melissa for a few more minutes. Fucking whore. Just won’t shut up will she? He finished showering and wore his regular clothes. Hm? Something smells strange, was there a gas leak or something? He walked out into the hallway and was just thinking about how to mess with that black kid again when he heard someone call his name. He turned around. “Joanne! Hey how are ya babe, are we still on for tomorrow night?” He flashed her his perfect smile. She slapped him. “J-joanne? Babe what’s wrong? Did ya not like the bag I bought ya or-” She slapped him again. “Frank Stone you fucking two timing bastard! Don’t you ever show your face around me again! Fuck you, damn it.” She slapped him again. Frank was shocked. How had she found out? Then he noticed the phone in her other hand. That’s Melissa’s phone! How the fu- Joanne slapped him again before storming off. He held his sore cheeks and stared down the hallway. Whatever! Fucking whore, you think I was gonna stay with you for more than a month anyways? Bitch. “Frankie!” “Hm, Melissa? How are ya babe? We still on fo-” He turned around to face her. “Aaahh! What the fuck are you doing?” “I heard everything. Fuck you, asshole!” “Shit! Why the fuck did you bring pepper spray to school?” “Because of fucking pigs like you!” She only stopped when the can ran out, then she stomped away after flinging the empty can at the wincing blonde haired boy’s head. Motherfucking bitch! Just you wait, I’m gonna fuck you up so bad you won’t be able to sit- “Frank Stone, please report to the Principal’s office, immediately. Frank Stone, please report to the principal’s office, immediately.” The principal’s office? For what? Don’t tell me that little bastard bitched about me to the principal just because of a little dog shit? Shit, I’m gonna fucking kill that bastard. Frank wobbled his way to the principal’s office, rubbing his eyes like crazy and lashing out at anyone that wouldn’t get out of the way in time. He entered the office after the secretary told him to go ahead. “You called for me ma’am?” “Ah yes Mr.Stone, I’m afraid we have some very serious things to discuss today but first, do you want to go freshen up a little? You look awful.” She lowered her spectacles as she analyzed the boy’s face. A slight frown creeping up on her face. “Nah, it’s alright Ms.Garfield. Just got something in my eye, is all.” He rubbed his eyes again. “Hmm, very well then. I’ve called you here because we have received some very disturbing images from an anonymous source. Here, have a look.” She pressed a button on her desk and a images were projected into the air above the desk. “Th-this is. No Ms.Garfield, ma’am, I’ve never- I mean I wouldn’t even think- These are definitely fake!” Frank stuttered, cold sweat pouring down his back. “Well, I’m afraid we also found a large stash of drugs in a secret compartment in your locker, and with these pictures showing you smoking hashish and inhaling cocaine as well as obviously selling them to others, We have no choice but to detain you until the police arrive.” “B-but Ms.Garfield, I don’t do drugs! There’s been a mistake, I-I-” “Mr.Stone, please stop lying to me. Your eyes betray the truth as does the stifling stench of drugs that surrounds you. Please wait quietly outside my office until the investigators arrive. Good day.” - I chuckled inside my head. Dealing with that muscle brained buffoon had been far too easy. I was sitting on the school’s roof, playing my favorite video game. I’d never attempted to make any friends, and in fact, I barely talked to anyone at all. After all, they were so insufferably stupid that conversing with them would not only be an insult to my intellect, but also an undoubtedly torturous experience for my superior mind. But then again, it did mean that I had no one to talk to. Life wasn’t challenging at all, ‘school’ was nothing more than a distraction and tormenting monkeys like Frank had long since lost its appeal. I was bored. Well, at least I have this. I thought, as I played my favorite RPG. It was a rare gem in an age where the only games you could find were mindless endless runners and shoot em up games. It’s too bad the guy who made these killed himself a few days ago. I’ve always loved his work, but I guess he was annoyed by these imbeciles too. I knew that he’d burned himself to death after his latest game was rejected by all the game companies. He’d already tried self publishing it, but nobody really bought it at all. Although I did regret not being able to play his last game, I didn’t feel sorry for him at all. In fact, I envied him. He had a purpose in life, a goal even. Something to drive him and motivate him. Even if he failed to achieve it in the end, I envied him for having something to fight for in the first place. Unlike him, since I had no idea what I wanted to do, I was always just drifting in my thoughts or immersing myself in video games and web fiction. I heard someone open the door to the roof and absentmindedly turned around to see who it was. Ah...fuck... It was Frank Stone and he had a gun in his hand. There was a loud bang and everything went dark. - I felt like I was drifting in space. I wasn’t sure if I was awake or if I was having a very strange dream. “Oi! Wake up!” I heard an annoying voice shouting at me. “Annoying? That’s it, I’m not being gentle anymore. WAKE UP!” Urgh! This voice is so annoying! Why won’t it shut up? What sort of fucked up dream is this? “Call me annoying one more time and I’ll-” Oh? You can hear my thoughts? Fascinating. At least it’s an interesting dream. “Shut up about the dream will you! You’re not asleep!” Oh? Well then, tell me annoying voice, if this isn’t a dream then what is it? “Again with the annoy- Look here! I already hate explaining this shit so shut up and listen. You were about to die whe-” Die? What do yo- Oh, now I remember. Frank, the gun, the rooftop. I see. So this is the afterlife is it? It’s more annoying than I thought it’d be. Are you sure I can’t choose oblivion instead? “Why you! Don’t interrupt me! You didn’t die alright! Your soul was summoned here before you could die an-” Oh? A summoning you say? And who are you supposed to be? Are you the one who summoned me? “...No, I did not summon you. I’m just supposed to show you the ropes.” But you didn’t answer my question. Who are you? “I’m a goddess of course!” Of course. “Why you! Listen, I don’t like this either alright. Just let me finish so we can both move on?” Fine. But I have a question. Where am I anyways? “I don’t know where you are right now. I can’t even see you. The only reason I can speak to you right now is because our minds are connected while you’re in that place.” Oh, so you won’t be able to talk to me after I leave. Thank god. “Why you! If you’re done asking questions, let me-” Ah, but you misunderstood my question. I meant, which world have I been summoned to? “Oh right, welcome to Erath!” Hmm? Sounds fam-I’ll think about it later. “What was that?” Nothing, just wondering what kind of blessings I’ll be receiving from you! A hero needs his cheats after all! “Blessings? Hero? Ahahahaha! Who said anything about a hero? I am the Dark Goddess Lunaris!And you are here as my champion.” Ah, I see, so I’m the Demon Lord. Demon Lord Runir Candela, doesn’t sound so bad. And what about my cheats? You can’t expect me to survive a world of magic and monsters with the skills from my previous life, can you? “Oh! I don’t expect you to survive at all, actually.” Excuse me? “Well, unlike my overachieving sister, I don’t like putting in a lot of effort into my champions.” So there have been more demon lords before? “Hundreds of them. Though the last twenty or so died in their first week.” Wait? You’re not serious are you? How can the Dusk Alliance win against the Holy Union without the Demon Lord? Who else could stop the hero? “Shut up! Don’t tell me how to do my job. Oh look, it seems like we’re almost done. But I guess I’ll give you some advice since I’m feeling nice.” Thanks. “Don’t mention it! Right, you’ll wake up somewhere in the Twilight Forest and then get viciously attacked by a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters. If you somehow manage to run away, you’ll be hunted down by the demon army-” Hunted down by the demon army? What for? Aren’t they supposed to be my subordinates? “Of course not, they hate the Demon Lords. They always throw them into a war that kills thousands and destroys their economy. In fact, most of the demon lords that died early were killed by the demon army! Now don’t interrupt. Let’s see, if you somehow manage to survive, you’ll probably be killed by the Holy Knights of the Union.” Great. What about the hero? “Well, the hero was summoned at the same time as you were but they’ll be a lot stronger than you. Your growth rate will be just as ridiculous as theirs but you won’t have the holy sword or armor nor will you get any help from me. Of course, my sister will be trying her best to bend the rules to favor the hero but I believe in letting you grow in the face of adversity!” Grow in the face of adversity? Aren't you just too lazy to care? Well whatever, this part was only supposed to last five minutes anyways. See ya! “Sure, sure, good bye!” “...” “Wait? Why did he know when this was supposed to end?” - I woke up in a dark forest and instantly heard a bunch of loud cries, roars and snarls around me. I stood up. I never thought I’d get to play my favorite RPG like this! Ah yes, since I’m going to be the demon lord, I’ll need a cool evil laugh won’t I? How about, mua ha ha ha ha! No, ku ku ku ku. Maybe, he he he he. No wait, I know! IYA HA HA HA HA HA! I laughed maniacally as my lips broke into a menacing smile. In my head, of course.
11.0 Candela_Chapter 2: Queen's Gambit Spoiler: Read chapter Void Ray! A beam shot out of my hand towards the giant spider monster hanging in the branches above. It didn’t even get a chance to cry out before its head was pierced by the beam. Strangely, no blood flowed out from the hole in the monster’s head, even when it fell onto the ground with a loud thud! Ping! Ah, I leveled up again! I finally hit level 200 then. Although it is getting tougher to raise my level in this forest. I walked away from the monster’s corpse, thinking about the week I had spent here. Although I could only hide and pick off the smaller monsters for the first couple of days, I’d soon become strong enough to beat most of the monsters in the forest. After all, this was the world of my favorite game, so I remembered all of the spells and their effects. Besides, I always chose the demon lord route anyways so I knew exactly how it worked. Right. If I remember correctly, level 200 was good enough to beat the main story-line but I should probably aim for at least level 300, since the secret bosses are insanely strong. And then I’ll go claim my army! IYA HA HA HA HA HA! ... It’s a good thing I only laugh inside my head... - A young man was standing on a balcony. His long black hair flew in the air as a gentle breeze brushed by. At the moment, the young man’s deep blue eyes were gazing off into the distance while his perfectly sculpted face was seemingly devoid of all emotion. Thus, although he looked like he was barely twenty years old, he gave off the air of a great scholar or sage. Suddenly, there was a loud boom in the distance. The young man frowned and turned his gaze towards the sound. Just as he moved closer to the edge of the balcony someone knocked on the door outside his room. “Come in.” he said. “Sir! I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, but someone just smashed through the city gates!” said a knight wearing a set of steel armor as she saluted him. The man frowned. The city gates were enhanced with magic and protected by the elite guard, destroying them was no easy feat. There was another loud boom, even closer this time. The knight ran out into the hallway. There were a few crashes, groans and cries of pain before everything went quiet. The young man was still standing on the balcony but his gaze was locked onto the door which the knight had left open. A figure clad in swirling black robes slowly walked into the room. “I am the Demon General Azoth. I would ask who you are but I already know.” The young man said as he kneeled towards the figure. The figure seemed to be looking at the kneeling young man, but it didn’t respond. The clouds covering the moon shifted, bathing the room in silver moonlight. Azoth looked up and saw a young, expressionless face. He realized that the face belonged to someone who looked even younger than he did but what surprised him even more was that for the first time in his life, he felt like he couldn’t see through him at all. “Welcome, oh great Demon Lord.” He said, bringing his gaze to the floor. The dark robed teenager didn’t respond, but when Azoth raised his head to look at him again, a shiver went down his spine. Even though his face remained expressionless, for some reason, Azoth felt as if he was smiling. - I was sitting on a chair at the end of a large oval shaped table. Eight people sat on the longer, curved sides of the table and on the opposite end facing me sat the man who had introduced himself as Demon General Azoth. “Your majesty, on behalf of your loyal citizens and the Ministry, I once again congratulate you on your safe arrival.” said a tall, bald headed knight wearing a set of glistening black armor. “It is truly fortunate that His Majesty managed to reach us safely, the previous Demon Lords all died mysterious and untimely deaths, leaving us at the mercy of the Hero. In fact, if it wasn’t for the oracles informing us of their deaths, we would have assumed that the Demon Lords were not being summoned anymore.” said the fat mustachioed man sitting on my right. So they know that the Demon Lords get summoned but they claim to not know how they keep dying. Didn’t that annoying voice say that most of the previous Demon Lords were killed by the Demon Army? “Of course! Now that my liege has arrived, we can finally return the favor to those filthy Light Kingdom savages!” spat the middle aged woman on my left. “Long live the Demon Lord!” “Lead us to victory sire!” “Crush the Hero!” The people on the sides of the table started cheering and shouting. “Sire, we have prepared a report on the state of the army and we can have them ready to set out in a fortnight.” said the old white haired lady sitting beside the bald, dark armored knight as she placed a file in front of me. “With His Majesty leading us, how could we possibly fail?” “Those savages will regret challenging us!” “We can finally avenge our fallen comrades!” “All hail His Majesty the Demon Lord!” They cheered again. Lead the army? Do they want me to fight on the front lines or something? Do they want to get me killed or are they just incredibly stupid? I mentally frowned. At first I was surprised by the fact that the Demon Lord’s long absences and untimely deaths had led the people of the kingdom to form their own democratically elected council called the “Ministry,” and I was sure that the Ministry had something to do with the previous Demon Lords’ deaths but these people were far too stupid to be a threat to anyone but a hot blooded battle junkie. I raised my hand a little and they all stopped cheering. I smiled inside my head and Azoth on the other end flinched. Interesting. Better not laugh maniacally inside my head when he’s around. It’s like he can see my smile even though I’m only smiling inside my head. Well, I guess there’s no point in hiding it then. A small grin broke out on my face again and this time I saw them all flinch. I picked up the report in front of me and tore it straight down the middle. “M-my lord, was it not to your liking? I’ll immediately compile a new one-” said the old woman but I raised my hand and she stopped. I swept my gaze over them. Now, I’m sure. These guys are just a bunch of stupid politicians. I stared at Azoth on the other end of the table. I nodded, indicating that he should speak. He hesitated then said, “My Lord, I believe the best course of action for now would be for you to leave to a safe place.” Oh? Concerned for my safety are you? I frowned. “I meant no disrespect of course, I am certain that you possess the strength to protect yourself but the previous Demon Lords were strong as well but they still died and we don’t know who or what killed them. Therefore, it would be wise for you to hide and increase your strength, sire.” This is confusing. If I become stronger, wouldn’t I be an even greater threat to his power? Does he only wish to retain his power for a little longer, perhaps intending to prepare for a way to deal with me upon my return? Or does he plan to get rid of me when I’m out of the public eye? Just another Demon Lord dying an unfortunate death. I grinned again and saw Azoth’s face pale. I pointed at him. “Play with me.” - I raised my hand and brought it back down onto the board. “d4.” Azoth frowned as he gazed at the pawn that I had just moved. “I’m surprised you have chess in this world though.” I said, looking at him while crossing my legs underneath the short table. “Yes, it was derived from a defensive mechanism in the original Demon Lord’s Castle.” “Oh, I thought that might be the case. I’ve always wanted to play chess on a giant board like that, is it still around?” “No, although it was a death trap, it was a terrible defensive mechanism. The first Hero just smashed through it and we never saw the point in fixing it afterwards.” “Pity, I wanted our game to be grander. After all, you’re the first person I’ve spoken to in years.” Apart from an annoying voice that spoke inside my head of course. I thought. “I am flattered.” “Sure you are.” I smirked. He finally moved his hands, hovering above a pawn before picking it up and placing it in front of mine. “c4” My fingers started tapping on the table. I looked up at him. “So what do you think I intend to do here?” “Lead the army to crush the Holy Union or set out to conquer a dungeon?” “Oh? And why do you think I would do something so dangerous?” Azoth frowned. “Your Majesty, that is what most of the Demon Lords have done in the past. After all, the Hero’s growth is supposed to start slowly but become much faster than your own later on. It is therefore advisable for you to set out to increase your power quickly and crush the Light Kingdom before the Hero becomes more formidable.” I looked at him but his face was unreadable. “Tell me Azoth, why must we go to war?” I said. He gave me a confused look for a second before replying, “For the same reason the denizens of the Dusk Alliance cannot harm you nor disobey your commands, sire. It is Fate.” “Fate?” I frowned. “I’m surprised that someone as smart as you would say something so irrational. I for one, like to make my own fate.” I moved another piece on the board. “d5.” He looked at me as if he was pondering something. “Your Majes-” “And stop it with the Your Majesty crap. Call me Runir, Runir Candela.” “Very well Yo- Runir, it seems that the ancient documents were correct. The people of your world are not confined by Fate the way we are. For us, Fate is an inviolable existence that binds us all to our positions and roles. Much like this game.” He gestured towards the chess board. “The pieces move at the behest of the player, each unable to escape the shackles of their role. Even the strongest of us are just pieces.” “I see. And does this analogy explain your hatred of me?” I leaned closer to him. “Hatred? No Y- Runir, I do not hate you. After all, you’re just the Queen. A powerful piece yes, but a piece nonetheless.” “Oh, I'm the Queen? Well then, whose the King?” “The Goddess, of course.” He said, leaning back in his chair. “The Goddess?” I frowned. “I assumed she was the player.” “Sadly no. She is at once the most powerful and the most restricted piece on the board. Most of the population believes that the Goddesses made this world and that the wars are a result of their internal arguments. But the ancient documents state otherwise. The Goddesses are mere pieces as well.” “...I see. But that begs the question, who is the player then?” “That would be Fate. Fate prevents the Goddesses from killing humans or interfering in our wars. Fate compels the Hero and the Demon Lord to fight each other to the death. And Fate prevents those who wish to prevent war and needless bloodshed from doing what must be done to stop it.” “And what must be done to stop the wars?” “Kill the Hero and the Demon Lord of course. Well, the Hero isn’t compelled to go to war, they are merely compelled to defeat the Demon Lord, so perhaps killing them is not necessary. One would also have to eradicate the royal families of each of the kingdoms to really stop the war, however, the Demon Lord must die.” “I see. Do you know how the other Demon Lords died?” “The earliest Demon Lords died in battle, mostly at the hands of the Hero. Some were assassinated while a few committed suicide. The last twenty three, however, died mysterious deaths that even I am not aware of.” “Hmm. Does Fate prevent you from lying to me?” “Yes, no human from the Dusk Alliance can betray you, even to the extent of a lie.” “Ah that reminds me! Why do we call ourselves the Demon Army or the Demon General and so on, when we’re all just ordinary humans? Wouldn’t it help our public image if we were called the Justice Army or something?” “Fate compels us-” “Yeah, yeah. Fate. Well Fate shouldn’t be a problem in my case.” “What do you mean?” I grinned. “I’m going to focus on governing the kingdom for now.” “Your Ma-Runir, I don’t think you understand. The Demon Lord’s Fate is to conquer the Holy Union or die trying. You cannot resist Fate-” I raised my hand to silence him. “I never said I wasn’t going to conquer the Holy Union. I just don’t want to fight a long, bloody war. You see, in my world, wars aren’t fought by large armies running into each other on a plain. No, it’s time for some modern warfare.” I grinned. “Your move.” We looked into each others eyes for a moment. He reached out his hand and moved his pawn to c4, toppling my pawn with a flick.
12.0 Candela_Chapter 3: Zugzwang Spoiler: Read chapter There was a knock on my door. I shuffled my papers and put them in a neat pile and grabbed my cup of tea and raised it to my mouth. “Enter.” I sipped my tea. “My Lord, the report from the Ministry of Agriculture has arrived.” said my secretary Delin, as he handed me a brown file. I sipped my tea and read the file. Yield of staple crops increased by 240%...land reclamation in the Anderan Wastes is in the second phase...research in fertilizers and pesticides is showing promising results with three new chemicals ready for testing...more funds needed for development of farming machinery with Air Kingdom mechanics...need authorization for importing necessary food supplies from Holy Union. I put down my half finished tea and began writing my orders. Proceed to stage three of land reclamation...begin testing chemicals on isolated land samples...Ministry of Finance will be directed to release funds to the Air Kingdom, however, insist on our own engineers joining their team... I chewed on the tip of my pen. It was true that we were making progress in Agriculture, but the Dusk Alliance just didn’t possess enough arable land. We were almost wholly reliant on the Holy Union and specifically the Light Kingdom, for our food supplies. Although I didn’t like the fact that they controlled our food, I knew that it was also true that the Dusk Alliance was far wealthier and better developed than the Holy Union. The technology of the Air Kingdom, the resources of the Earth Kingdom and the mercantile expertise of the Dark Kingdom ensured that the Holy Union could not afford to cut off trade with the Dusk Alliance, since that would cripple their economy and prevent crucial raw materials and technology from reaching their cities. I tapped the desk with my pen for a while before continuing. You may import necessary supplies from the Holy Union, however, utilize our connections in the LeAgua Company to ensure a good deal. I signed the letter and put it in an envelope which I sealed with the Demon Lord’s official seal. As Delin left, I leaned back in my chair and sighed. Being the Demon Lord is boring! It’s totally a desk job. Although it does have its perks. I got up from my chair and opened the door behind me. I climbed the staircase behind it and entered a small room full of books. I had been spending most of my free time here, researching magic and learning the history of this world. Surprisingly, it seems that the people of this world vaguely remembered the time when they were characters and refer to it as the “Haze.” But even more surprisingly, after nearly a thousand years of research and experimentation, they’ve managed to create their own skills and magic, in particular, seems to have been developed to a frightening extent. After spending some time poring over books and writing some theoretical variations of skills and magic, I went back down to my office and started signing papers again. There was another knock on the door. “Enter.” “My Lord, the delegations from the Air and Earth Kingdoms are here.” I nodded and got up from my seat and followed Delin down the hallway to a large conference room. Inside, sat a bald, middle aged man wearing a gray suit and an old, white haired lady wearing a yellow dress. “Greetings Your Majesty, I am Duke Felity of the Air Kingdom. It is an honor for me to finally meet you, my lord.” “Your Majesty, Countess Gratif humbly congratulates you on your safe arrival. You have certainly breathed new life into our societies and brought us prosperity in such a short time. I pray that you may live long and bring us even more glory.” I raised a hand to stop their praises and sat down at the head of the table. The bald man sat on my left and the old lady sat on my right. I instructed Delin to cast sound blocking magic around the room and guard the door. “Your Majesty, here are the designs for the new transport system you commissioned. Based on our estimates, we can connect the Demon Lord’s Castle with Latup and Figard within a year.” said the Duke as he handed me a blue colored file. “My Lord, the shipment of rare stones and minerals that you requested has been prepared, however, there might be a slight delay due to unexpected rains causing a landslide on the transport route. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will reduce the cost by five percent as compensation.” said the Countess as she bowed her head. I nodded to her and she raised her head. I read the report given to me by the bald man, nodded and signed it. I tweaked their design a little so that it would be more aerodynamic, and passed him the design for what was essentially a magic powered train. I then sketched a rough design for a digging machine based on my understanding of air and earth magic and passed it Duke Felity, who reviewed it and promised to show it to his team of engineers back home. I nodded towards the delegates and stared at them before leaving. Delin followed behind me as I made my way back to my office. - Collecting reliable intelligence was tough enough in my situation but collecting information on the hero was even tougher. All I knew was that the hero was slightly unusual and was getting stronger at an astonishing rate. As soon as I learned that she was getting stronger, I felt the urge to attack the Union with everything I had. I quickly resisted the urge by convincing myself that my course of action was superior. And once I went through everything in my head, I realized that that was indeed true. Delin came inside, informing me that my intelligence agents had been unable to recover any information about the hero or the deaths of the previous Demon Lords. As Delin left the room, I climbed up the stairs to my magic research room and scribbled a few more experimental magics before I sat down on the floor and took a deep breath. I guess I’ll have to go there after all... - I opened the large obsidian doors decorated with skulls and snakes. Inside was a large hall full of wooden benches facing a stage that had an altar and a statue on it. The statue depicted what looked like a little, black haired girl wearing a flowing black dress and sporting a mischievous smile. Yep, she fits that annoying voice perfectly. Or is it the other way around? “Ah, do we have a visitor?” said a voice from behind me. I turned around. “Y-your Majesty! Welcome to the Dark Goddess’ shrine. How may I assist you?” said a young priestess in dark robes. “Bring me to the oracle.” I said, not even glancing at the girl. After all, I had only recognized Azoth for his intellect, and didn’t care for these minor characters. “Yes my Lord, only...she is in the middle of a ritual right now and should be done in a few minutes. I apologize for the inconvenience, my liege.” she bowed. “No matter. Lead me to her.” “But the ritual-” “It’s fine, I won’t disturb the ritual. I’m just a little curious about this ritual.” I stared at her. “Lead the way.” She flinched at my gaze and hurriedly started moving down a small, dark corridor lined with torches. Strangely, these torches didn’t give off any smoke nor did their flames flicker. Just as I began analyzing these curious torches, the priestess stopped outside an old wooden door at the end of the corridor. She stood outside respectfully so I went ahead and opened it myself. I walked in just as the door closed behind me, submerging the room in darkness. I turned around and pounded on the door but it didn’t budge. In fact, I started to feel a slight itch on my hands. As if they had been hurt by... Magic! I hurriedly cast Dark Wall, surrounding myself with walls of darkness just as I felt explosions rock the floor beneath me. The explosions continued as the walls were pushed back, pressing me between them. What is this? I have to get out! I raised a foot as if I was going to take a large step and a shadow appeared under it. I stepped into the shadow and disappeared just as my Dark Walls finally crumbled. I reappeared outside the area being attacked. “Oh, so you’ve already learned Void Step? Well, it was within my calculations but it is surprising nonetheless.” said a calm voice from above. “Azoth? I thought you’d at least wait for another year.” I replied, just as calmly. “Already expecting it were you?” “Of course, it was obvious. You were constantly monitoring me, restricting my access to information and were looking for the opportunity to kill me because you still expect me to involve us in a bloody war against the Union.” I didn’t know where he was, so I spoke while facing the ceiling. “Precisely. I must say, it is truly regrettable that I must kill you. You’re the first person I’ve met who has stimulated my intellect so much.” “I feel exactly the same way.” “Really?” “Yes, it is regrettable.” I suddenly turn around and fire a void ray in the direction of the voice before stepping into my shadow again. I felt something zap over my head, incinerating some of my hair. Fuck that was close! But wasn’t that Light magic? I have to gather more information... As I stepped out of the shadow, I managed to see what was around me in the light of the white beam of energy that had yet to dissipate. I was in a circular stone pit, surrounded by a raised platform that ran all the way around it. On the platform stood several figures that I recognized. Delin my ‘secretary’, the head of my intelligence team, Duke Felity of the Air Kingdom, Countess Gafit of the Earth Kingdom, the other members of the Ministry and of course, standing at the end of the white beam that almost incinerated me, was Azoth. There was also an old lady in black robes who I assumed was the oracle as well as a few figures that I didn’t recognize. “Well.” I said, facing Azoth with a smirk. “Since you have me surrounded anyways, why not turn on the lights and let me have a final chat? I think I deserve at least that much after all that I’ve done for this place.” Azoth looked at me for a second before raising his hand. I tensed, ready to escape with void step. “Illuminate.” he said, as a small orb of light floated out of his palm towards the ceiling. I smiled. “Good. Well, I should probably congratulate you on a job well done. In fact, I still don’t understand how you did it. I confirmed what you said about the people of the Dusk Alliance being unable to betray or harm me and I know that you’re not with the Light Kingdom because they would have conquered this place a long time ago if everyone here was on their side. So tell me Azoth, who are you?” “I am just a man who wants to end these meaningless wars.” “Then we can end them together can’t we? I promise not to go to war, I’ll conquer the Union through economic and political means.” “I’m sorry Runir, but we both know that’s not possible. Sociopolitical or economic conquest cannot work in this world ruled by Fate. And you will not be able to resist Fate either. No one can.” “But you did, didn’t you? You killed the last twenty-three Demon Lords.” “Twenty-one. It was only when two consecutive Demon Lords died in the forest that we managed setup a system to execute the Demon Lords.” I met his gaze. “And that ‘system’ is this pit? You’re going to bombard me with magic? I expected something more refined from you Azoth.” I chuckled. “It may be a little crude,” he said, unperturbed by my taunt, “but it has proven extremely effective. These formations will prevent you from escaping” he gestured towards the symbols carved into the walls of the pit. “I am sorry Runir, but this is goodbye.” “Well, I guess there’s no helping it. Although you still haven’t answered my question. The Demon Lord is summoned every ten years, and you speak as if you yourself have killed the last twenty-one Demon Lords. You’re obviously much older than you look, and you’re allegiance is unknown. So I ask again, who are you Azoth?” “Indeed. It really is a pity that I have to kill you. I almost feel as if we may have been quite close if Fate hadn’t interfered yet again. In respect to our friendship, I will tell you this much. I was not born in either the Dusk Alliance nor the Holy Union and although I have pledged allegiance to the Dusk Alliance, it is only to prevent bloodshed and violence.” “You’re being pretty violent right now though.” I sneered at him. He smiled. “True.” He closed his eyes and opened them a moment later. “I believe that concludes our chat. Goodbye Runir, I hope that Fate is kinder to you in death.” All the figures around the pit prepared their magic and a rain of magic fell from the sky. Azoth himself fired a scorching red beam from his mouth. I stood there, facing their magic attacks as they sped towards me. I closed my eyes. “Ah yes, Fate. Well...” I opened my eyes and grinned. “Screw Fate!” - “Screw Fate!” The words echoed around the pit, drowning out the sounds of magic. The ground trembled. Azoth frowned, a slight sense of unease pricked at the edge of his mind. As the dust settled, the others heaved a sigh of relief as they saw a charred corpse in the middle of the pit. They started congratulating each other as a few went down to inspect the corpse. But Azoth didn’t move. The uneasy feeling in the back of his mind remained. Even when they confirmed that the pieces of cloth found around the corpse belonged to the Demon Lord Runir, and even when Azoth told the oracle to proclaim that the Demon Lord had died mysteriously again, he still felt uneasy. But he just couldn’t figure out why. He was standing on his balcony again, staring into the distance just like on the day when he had first met the Demon Lord. He turned around and saw a chess board in the corner of his eye. The uneasy feeling intensified. He walked closer to the board and knelt on the ground. Azoth had lost their last game, because Runir had unexpectedly sacrificed his queen to ruin Azoth’s positioning. His pieces had been scattered and Runir had ruthlessly pressed his advantage from there, cornering Azoth’s king in a few moves and forcing a checkmate. Azoth hadn’t bothered to clean the board, but when Azoth stared at it now, he felt a tight knot in his stomach. He walked away from the board and went out to the balcony again, staring at the horizon. The board had been cleaned and all the pieces removed, except for one. The queen. - The hot summer wind made it very difficult to breathe under the dark hood that was covering my head. I turned around and stared at the castle that lay far off in the distance I was sure that Azoth was probably standing on that stupid balcony again, perhaps he was looking in my direction right now? "Well played Azoth. Let's call this one a stalemate, shall we?" I turned away from the city and smirked inside my head as I disappeared into the trees.
13.0 Grayscale_Chapter 1: Snow Spoiler: Read chapter I wiped the sweat off my forehead, immediately regretting it as streaks of dirt and grime spread across my face. I frowned and lifted my shirt to clean my face before I realized that that would ruin the shirt. And I couldn’t let that happen because I’d prettied up just for today. I cleaned my face as best I could with the back of my hands while I walked down the busy street, getting jostled by strangers who didn’t even bat an eye as a short fifteen year old girl tried to push her way through the crowd. I was thinking about the plan while crossing the road and didn’t notice the truck barreling towards me. A loud horn spooked me and I jumped just as the truck rushed past me. My heart was racing and I was panting but I quickly calmed down, cursed the truck driver and moved on. After all, the plan had to be executed. - I stopped outside a supermarket and looked around. I saw the person I was waiting for and walked up to him. He was a skinny, brown haired boy wearing a grimy yellow t-shirt and patched up jeans but despite his impoverished appearance, his eyes had a spark in them that couldn’t be found in your average beggar or street urchin. “Dusty.” I said, nodding towards him. “Not gonna gimme one of ya usual hugs huh Lily?” he said, smirking at me. “Course not, gotta stay clean today.” I replied, not really facing him while I spoke. No passerby would be able to tell that we knew each other. “Right, you go wait by the back door. I’ll meet you back at the den when we’re in the clear.” “Gotcha.” he said, moving towards the alley besides the supermarket. I walked towards the supermarket’s front door and took a deep breath. I was nervous. No matter how many heists I pulled, I’d always feel my heartbeat quicken before a heist. Well, maybe calling them ‘heists’ was a bit of a stretch, we just stole a little money and food is all...mostly. I took a deep breath and opened the door, plastering an innocent smile on my face. - I walked through the aisles and stuffed a few snacks into my clothes. Kelly wanted cookies and Chen was crying for chocolate milk. Damn brats, they should be more grateful. I never had anyone to get me chocolate milk when I was growing up on the streets. I slightly chuckled as I grabbed some chocolate milk, thinking of the little boy’s reaction when he sees it. After grabbing everything I needed, I walked into the bathroom. I stood on top of the toilet and looked out through the air vent that we’d opened yesterday. “You there Dusty?” I whispered. “Yeah.” he replied, softly. I grinned and started taking out everything I’d stuffed into my clothes and throwing it out the vent. After confirming that Dusty had gotten everything and getting him to promise to not give the goodies to the kids at the orphanage without me, I walked out of the bathroom. Another perfect heist by master thief Lilith Grayscale. Hu hu hu. I smiled complacently as I reached out to open the doors but suddenly, a strong hand grabbed hold of my wrist. My eyes widened and cold sweat formed on my back as I realized that the man who had grabbed me was the shopkeeper. “Now where are ya off ta in such a hurry, lil miss shoplifter?” he revealed a smile full of crooked yellow teeth. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just looking around.” I said, trying to pull my hand from his grip. “Now, now missy. No need ta lie. After all, yer lil friend told us everything.” I stopped struggling. “What do you mean?” “Ye shoulda checked who you was stealin from missy. This is the Gecko gang’s turf and they don’t take kindly ta dirty lil urchins takin their stuff. The boy was smart ta tell us bout ya in exchange fer membership in the gang. ‘Course, there’s no tellin what happens ta him.” he pulled me towards the back of the supermarket. The other shoppers didn’t seem to notice that a large, middle aged man was dragging a little girl to a room alone. I tried to shout for help but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. After all, who would help a random street urchin like her in the middle of gang territory? No fucking way am I gonna let him take me back there! I kept struggling in vain but my eyes lit up as I saw something in front of me. I quickly grabbed it and smashed it into the shopkeeper’s hand. “Fu-” the man released my wrists as he held his bleeding arm with his other hand. I quickly tossed aside the broken soda bottle in my hand and ran towards the exit. Then I felt a terrible pain in my shoulder and I fell on the ground. The impact with the ground knocked the wind out of my lungs and my eyes started swimming. I barely managed to make out a few figures standing over me, just as the shopkeeper made his way back to me. He cursed and spat at me and then started kicking me in front of the store in broad daylight. But nobody gave a damn. Surprisingly, after the first kick, I didn’t feel much pain. In fact, my thoughts wandered to what the shopkeeper had said when he first grabbed me. Dusty...the little fucker...selling me out to the Geckos... Soon, the pain I felt at Dusty’s betrayal surpassed the pain from the kicks. As I felt my consciousness slipping, for some reason my vision didn’t start going dark. It went white. And that reminded me of something more painful than anything else... Snow drifting in the cold, winter winds... A woman shivering on the ground... A little girl shaking the woman, crying out to her, promising to get her some food... The woman’s eyes losing their light as she managed to give the girl one last smile... And more snow drifting in the wind as the girl kept crying over the woman’s body... - “Congratulations child!” I heard a voice say. Even though it sounded gentle, I felt goosebumps on my skin. Huh? What happened? Where am I? I opened my eyes and my vision became so white that I couldn’t see anything. Although the bright light didn’t hurt my eyes for some reason, I still closed them because it reminded me of... I felt exposed and vulnerable and it made me really uncomfortable. I’d learned to avoid standing out on the streets, or else you get beaten and all your stuff gets stolen. Some of my friends had even gotten raped. I was lucky. I learned quickly and I adapted. “Welcome Hero! I know that you are confused right now, but I am certain that I can dispel your unease and answer all of your questions!” This voice...what does it want from me? “P-please let me go. I didn’t do it! Please!” I said, trying to make myself sound as pitiful as possible. “Child, you are not in trouble. In fact, all of your troubles are over! This is a new beginning for you, an opportunity to live a life of honor and dignity!” “What do you mean?” “Child, try to remember what happened.” I tried and a flood of awful memories and emotions slammed into me. I winced as I remembered the pain. “I apologize, my remarks were insensitive.” That didn’t sound apologetic at all. I frowned. “Did I...die?” “No child, your soul was summoned here while you were at the brink of death. And now you have the honor of being a Hero!” “No. I don’t like standing out, it gets me beaten up. And I don’t like getting beaten up.” “Alas child, there is nothing I can do about this. Fate has decreed that you will be the new Hero, destined to vanquish the evil Demon Lord or die trying. Even I cannot oppose Fate child.” “Who are you anyway?” I asked. “I am the Light Goddess.” “Never heard of her.” “...well you will hear of me on Erath. Now because you took so long to wake up, it’s almost time for you to leave.” Finally. This stupid light’s hurting my eyes! I blinked and rubbed my eyes. “Nonsense! My holy light cannot harm you!” Sure, sure, whatev- wait, you can hear my thoughts? “Of course child, how else do you think we were communicating? You haven’t moved your lips since you arrived.” ...shit. - I saw a bright flash of light which thankfully began fading within moments. I was surrounded by a bunch of people wearing white robes. I was in the center of the circle, the center of the room. Everyone was staring at me. I panicked. I was standing out way too much. “Mighty Hero! Thank you for answering our summons!” said a white robed man as he fell on his knees. The others kneeled as well. My heart skipped a beat. I ran. The white robed figures were too stunned to stop me so I quickly passed through them. I was just about to reach an open window when a large, armored knight stepped in front of me. I tried to turn around but I was caught by several knights. I struggled for a bit before going limp. “P-please let me go. I didn’t do it, I swear!” my eyes started getting moist. “Do not be alarmed, Mighty Hero.” said a voice behind me. The knights turned around so I was able to see the person who was speaking. He was a partially bald, middle aged man with brown hair and a short, well trimmed beard. He was sitting on a shiny white throne and wearing a white cape and crown. I stared at him for a bit and then stared around the room. After noticing the glowing stones around the hall, the swords on people’s hips and the medieval attire that everyone was wearing as well as the person who was obviously a king, I stood stunned for a few seconds before I moved on. I’d always been good at adapting. Seeing the change in my expression, the king ordered the knights to release me. “Hero, I apologize for our rudeness and hope that you can forgive us. However, it is of paramount importance that you listen to our request. Our lives depend on it!” The king passionately said. I looked at the king and then swept the room with my gaze. After mapping the place inside my head, I nodded towards the king. “Mighty Hero! The detestable Dusk Alliance has summoned a vile Demon Lord to lead their forces of evil against us. But we of the Holy Union could not stand by and let evil prevail, so we summoned you, our greatest champion, in the hope that you would lend us your strength. Please, I beg of you, help us!” There were quite a few murmurs and mutterings when the king begged me to help but I ignored them. “What do I get?” I asked, nonchalantly. “Beg your pardon?” the king gaze me a puzzled look. “If I were to help you, what would I get in turn?” some of the people in the room gave me angry glances but I ignored them. “...satisfaction? Honor? Dignity?” “I can’t eat any of that.” “Hero, is serving the Goddess and saving lives not an honor in itself?” I shook my head and sighed. The king made a worried face. “Ah, of course! We will give you a large sum to aid you in your journey and besides, with your strength, earning money should not be an issue. And if we win, great riches and rewards will obviously be bestowed upon you!” I thought for a moment before nodding. “Splendid! Now, initially the Hero was supposed to leave for their journey as soon as they are summoned but we have long since decided to train the Hero for at least a month before they can leave, to ensure that they are strong enough to survive.” Perfect! I can run away and hide until I can understand this world better. “Of course, we will be providing an experienced teacher and bodyguard to protect and train you.” He gestured to the door behind him as a tall, red haired young woman stepped out from inside the other room. She stared at me and I stared back. Then she walked over and hugged me for some reason? - King Seleo smiled a bitter smile as he thought of the Hero they had summoned this time. The Goddess had found a truly troublesome child. The Hero grew at an astonishing rate, even for a Hero, but her personality was incredibly troublesome. She tried to hide whenever she could, stole food whenever she could get away with it and always asked for money and items with a pitiful look on her face. The king shook his head and sighed. “Your Highness! The hero-she-she-” a messenger rushed in. King Seleo had a bad feeling about this. “What happened?” “Your Highness, the hero- we can’t find her anywhere! She’s gone!” “What?” the King exclaimed. “Where could she-” “Your Majesty, your majesty!” another messenger rushed in. “What now?” “The sacred equipment-it’s-it’s gone!” the messenger panted. The King felt his mind blank for a second before an uneasy smile appeared on his face. The King knew that Fate would direct the Hero to her destiny eventually and that she had at least had the sense to take the sacred equipment with her. Only...how did she leave even though he’d stationed tens of guards all over the palace and especially around her room? Moreover, the sacred equipment was surrounded by a high class barrier. How did she...? The king shook his head. This hero...was truly quite troublesome.
14.0 Grayscale_Chapter 2: Clouds Spoiler: Read chapter Clouds drifted over the sun, shielding the city from the blistering heat that had plagued it for the past month. I walked out of an alley and blended into the crowd going down the streets of Cerena, capital of the Light Kingdom, after having finally escaped the castle. I heard vendors shouting praises for their wares, horses neighing as their riders walked them down the street and the general sounds of a bustling medieval city. Well that was surprisingly easy. I thought. Or am I just too amazing? Hu hu hu! And that wasn’t simple narcissism, mind you. I’d been planning my escape ever since I got here and had executed it perfectly. They never suspected a thing and I really just walked right out the front door! You see, when you train so hard that everyone thinks you’re willing to die for your cause, they never expect you to actually not give a damn about defeating the Demon Lord or whatever. When you wear bright, shiny clothes all day and waltz around in armor and makeup, nobody bats an eye when a grubby little maid leaves your room, even though no one saw her go in. If you keep stealing cookies and fruits and asking for money to buy candies, they never suspect that you’ve been swiping small change from all over the place and saving up a small fortune. And of course, when the Sacred Sword and Holy Armor can be summoned by the Hero whenever they want to, summoning them when you’re safely out of the castle isn’t a problem at all. Though they were pretty dumb, at least they taught me something useful. This past month had been grueling. I’d learned sword techniques, magic, skills and the History of Erath, and the knowledge and training had indeed proven useful. For example, the Sacred Sword and Holy Armor that I had acquired, were safely tucked away inside my ‘Inventory,’ which was a skill that only the Hero and the Demon Lord could learn. Of course, over the years people had created another skill called ‘Storage’ which was derived from ‘Inventory,’ so my skill shouldn’t stand out unless someone uses appraisal. In fact, it was because of the ‘Appraisal’ skill that I had to wait so long before escaping. I’d learned it quickly enough, but I didn’t want people to know that I was the Hero so I had to find a countermeasure for it first. In the end, I had to settle for a skill called ‘Obscure’ that made it harder for people weaker than you to see your status through Appraisal. Even though it wasn’t perfect, I couldn’t bear staying in that castle any longer so I escaped as soon as I learned Obscure. But why did I leave? They were giving me food and shelter after all, and it’s not like I’d get bored there either. But that old geezer’s eyes...they were disgusting. I’d seen eyes like those before. I’d seen them on the self-important politicians and privileged assholes that ran my old city to the ground; eating away the money meant for orphanages and homeless shelters. I’d seen them on people who wanted to use me for their own goals. Gang leaders that wanted me to bait some police officer, a pimp that wanted me to spread my legs for his clients or a police officer that promised to spare me if I ratted out my friends but would probably throw me in jail anyways. I hated those eyes and I couldn’t bear staying near him or being under his control. Besides, why the fuck would I risk my life to kill a Demon Lord? I didn’t give a damn about these privileged bastards and I didn’t owe them anything. I’d spent my History of Erath lessons mapping out a route to the nearest city, since I was sure that they’d come after me. I was their precious Hero, after all. So even though traveling to a new city would be dangerous, I reckoned that with my new sword skills and the crazy strong magic I’d learned, I’d probably be able to get to the next town safely. But first I needed to get some supplies. Luckily, I had the money that the king had given me as well as some that I had acquired from various sources, so I made my way to the marketplace. Someone bumped into my shoulder outside the marketplace. For a second, I felt like telling the guy off but he just kept on walking, not even giving me a glance. Strangely, I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. I’d been standing out so much for the past month that it made me feel uncomfortable all the time. Under all of those scrutinizing stares, I had to put up an act longer than any I’d ever had to for a heist. I walked into the marketplace and bought some food, a knife and a few other necessities. After I left, I saw a bunch of shady looking guys staring at me for a second but I wasn’t too afraid. Apart from the fact that I was probably stronger than them, I also knew their type. These guys wouldn’t come after a little girl, nobody did unless they were real perverts. It wasn’t worth the trouble since they usually didn’t have money, would scream for the cops without a second thought and weren’t much fun to play around with anyways. I walked out of the city gates wearing a brown hood and robes. I followed a merchant caravan for a few miles before they started giving me suspicious glances and I decided to part ways. - Cerena was built on top of a plateau, so I would have to walk downhill for a while before reaching the hills that surrounded the plateau. From there it was just a few days hike to the town of Fohil. I was walking down a stony, dirt road that was a shorter route to Fohil than the official road but also a bit more dangerous. But I was sure that I could handle anything that came my way. For now, the clouds were still covering the sun and the air under the trees was cool and refreshing so I couldn’t help but relax and gather my thoughts. I've left the castle but what should I do now? I obviously wasn’t going to go kill the Demon Lord but I really couldn’t think of a purpose or goal either. Did I want to go home? I was a lot richer here than I had ever been back home. I was also stronger and probably wouldn’t get beat up anymore. Would I go back to being a petty thief on the streets? Not likely. Back home, I used to steal for survival until I got so good at it that I started doing it for the thrill. The old lady would whack me with her stick when I brought snacks for the little kids but she’d still begrudgingly accept the supplies I brought. The mayor and the government were corrupt but nobody gave a damn. Nobody ever gave a damn for the poor, or for the little kid begging for food down the street or for the- I stopped myself before I started thinking about that night. What should I do here? I thought, as I took a deep breath. I don’t even know anyone in this world. Or rather, I do know some people but I don’t like them or trust them. I kicked a pebble lying on the ground. Well, my instructor wasn’t so bad. Though I don’t know why she hugged me the first time we met. Hmm, I never did hear her name though, did I? All we ever did was practice sword techniques and magic. Oh right, now that I think about it, wasn’t she supposed to be my bodyguard or something? Guess she was supposed to keep tabs on me. Good thing I left without telling her. But it really is lonely here... I’d been lonely before; back on the streets after my mom died and before the old lady picked me up. After that I’d always been with her or the other kids. Especially Dusty... I felt a slight pain in my chest when I thought about him so I shook my head and kept walking down the road. The sun was still hidden behind the clouds. - I’m being tailed. I thought, as I sensed someone following me. I didn’t know who it was but years of shaking off police officers, gangsters and angry shopkeepers had taught me how to deal with situations like this. But for some reason, I couldn’t shake off this creep at all. Worst of all, I couldn’t stop and rest because I knew they were right behind me but just as I was worrying about what I’d do at night, I heard a loud roar in front of me. Perfect. I jumped back as a silver ball of light shot past the place I was standing in before. I saw a large, gray haired ogre standing behind a bunch of smoldering tree trunks. It was a Light Ogre. Ogres were a very common monster found in every country on Erath, however, their elemental affinity would depend on the country they were born in and of course, this one had been born in the Light Kingdom. It roared and stomped towards me while shooting out balls of light from its mouth. I dodged its attacks and ran backwards, straight towards my stalker. I fired a few smaller light balls at it that didn’t even leave a mark on its thick, gray skin but they did manage to anger it even further. I was avoiding all the trees that came into my path but I suddenly put my back against a large oak tree and faced the ogre as if I was going to fight it. Just as the ogre started charging at me, I jumped to the side and let it barrel straight through the tree and into the stalker that was hiding behind it! Or at least, that was what was supposed to happen. Instead, the ogre suddenly stopped charging and opened its mouth. But instead of a roar, it started releasing particles of light that gathered in front of its mouth. It was preparing a level four Light magic spell - Laser! Shit! Gotta get out of the way! I tried jumping to the side but stumbled because my robe was caught on a branch! Not good! I hurriedly tried to activate magic but it was too late. A beam of light whooshed through the air straight towards me. I was staring wide eyed at the beam as my vision was quickly filled with a bright, white light. As white as snow... Still as pathetic and powerless as ever huh Lily? I chastised myself. But just as I’d resigned myself to death, there was a flash of darkness inside the white light that had filled my vision. The light was cut in two and incinerated the ground around me. In front of me stood someone who seemed vaguely familiar. It’s the guy who bumped into me outside the market! What's he doing here? He was wearing a dark, black robe that seemed to fade into the darkness. In his left hand he held a glistening black blade that seemed to suck the light from its surroundings. The ogre was surprised by the interruption and roared intimidatingly. “Shut it.” The black robed man waved the black sword in front of him just as the ogre came up to smash him with its fists. There was another flash of darkness and the ogre was cut in two as blood and gore sprayed through the air. I almost puked. I’d seen plenty of dead people on the streets and I’d seen some pretty fucked up corpses too but I’d never been showered by guts before. The black robed man turned around just as I fought back the urge to puke. A streak of sunlight broke the clouds. I saw his face. He was a dark skinned teenager, maybe just a bit older than me. His face looked calm but in a creepy way. Like he was wearing one of those freaky masks I’d seen outside the theater back home. He shook the blood off of his sword and sheathed it before meeting my gaze. He smiled and a shiver went down my spine. I took a step back and readied a magic spell just in case. His smile grew wider and I felt even more uncomfortable. His eyes...looked like they could see right through me. But that wasn’t possible, right? “Hello Ms.Hero, wonderful weather isn't it?” he said. Shit...