《DarkSomnia》 1: Old Man Jericho ¡°Interesting, ain¡¯t it, kid?¡± the old man sputtered, spittle flying out of his mouth. Eliam Edward sighed, trying his best to ignore the poor old man¡¯s advice. He understood that the old man was just trying to help him, but it was unnecessary. At this point, he figured that Jericho was aware of this and just bothered Eliam for the hell of it. Jericho¡¯s hunched-over figure visibly sank as he sighed, ¡°Damn kids these days. I hope you¡¯ll never end up hopeless like me.¡± Eliam scrunched his face. Why was he going around and calling himself hopeless? Jericho may have been annoying, but it was somewhat concerning to see him so down. Jericho stumbled out of the grocery store, leaving Eliam to wonder what had happened to him. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t do so for long as the next customer walked up from the checkout line. ¡°Can¡¯t you hurry up? I have kids at home waiting to be fed!¡± the middle-aged woman hissed. It took everything Eliam had not to tell her to shut up. Why couldn¡¯t people recognize that everyone had their problems? It wasn¡¯t his damn fault that she had decided to prepare dinner for her family last minute. He finished typing in the serial numbers for all the produce she brought him, and the woman left in a huff. Sometimes, Eliam was tempted to go slower than usual simply to aggravate the person more. He never did, but he could only imagine their reactions would be entertaining. ¡°Eliam! Glad to see you working hard!¡± his manager, Sam, said as he walked by. Eliam fought the temptation to roll his eyes. Instead, he gave Sam a tight smile, which seemed to satisfy him. Thankfully, his shift would be ending in a few minutes, and the next person would take over. He much preferred the morning shifts such as these as they allowed him to have the rest of his day to relax. Whenever he had night shifts, he ended up sleeping in and waking up just to go to work. As soon as the clock ticked to one, he saw his replacement walking over. Melany was a blonde and petite woman who seemed to be much too mature to be working as a grocery clerk. Eliam knew firsthand how little he got paid here, and he couldn¡¯t imagine that it would be much better for her. ¡°How¡¯s your day been?¡± she asked as soon as she noticed him glancing at her. ¡°Fine,¡± he responded dully. What else was he going to say? She nodded and promptly took over his spot. That was the one thing he did like about Melany. She didn¡¯t try to stall like some of the other employees. He gave the usual heads-up to Sam and quickly left after that. There was absolutely no reason to continue staying after his shift. He walked out to the back parking lot and got into his beater Chevy Silverado. It wasn¡¯t in great condition, but it worked well enough. He couldn¡¯t afford anything else anyway. He plugged the keys into the car and started it up to nothing. He tried again, and this time, the loud engine chugged away. He pulled out of the lot and onto the street. It would be a boring ride home, as always. *** As he pulled into his driveway, he noticed an extra car. That was not a good sign. He quickly hopped out of his car and walked into his house. ¡°Oh¡­ uh, Eliam, you¡¯re home early¡­¡± his mom stuttered. Next to her was a deceitfully friendly-looking man. His father. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. He glared at her and stormed upstairs to his room without a word. What a joke. She had promised him that she would stop letting that man back in here. Yet, he always came back. His mother continued to listen to his father¡¯s meaningless promises that he would stop drinking. Sure, he wouldn¡¯t for around a week, and then he would go right back at it. It wouldn¡¯t be long after that until he started screaming at them again. ¡°Eliam¡­ is that you?¡± a soft voice called out to him. He turned to find his younger brother peeking out from his room. Unlike Eliam, his father¡¯s presence didn¡¯t anger him. It scared him half to death. ¡°Yeah, it is Max,¡± Eliam said with a sigh. ¡°Is he¡­ still here?¡± Max shuddered. Eliam nodded. ¡°Relax, I¡¯ll make sure nothing happens, alright?¡± Max nodded, although it was clear he wasn¡¯t convinced. Eliam knew this, yet there was nothing he could do. He sighed as he dragged himself back to his room. It was tiny, but at least it was his own. It wasn¡¯t always like that, but ever since his sister moved out, he was able to have his own space. His sister was older than them and shared a similar sentiment. Right as she turned eighteen, she moved out immediately. He hadn¡¯t spoken with her since. Eliam was planning to do the same. He may have been seventeen; however, his birthday was in just a few days. There wouldn¡¯t be any celebrations or anything of the sort. Well, maybe he¡¯ll take his brother out and do something. Besides that, he will just be preparing to move out and get an apartment on his own. He had been saving up for a long time, and he had enough to sustain himself for a long while. The image of his brother filled his head for a moment, prompting him to release a sigh. He almost felt like he would be abandoning him. He doubted his mother would put an end to her miserable pattern with his father, not even for her kids. Max would have to live through that all alone. Well, it¡¯s not like Eliam was dying or anything. He just wouldn¡¯t constantly be there to support Sam. ¡°Eliam?¡± Max said, right outside his door. ¡°Jesus Christ Maria, I¡¯m just having a sip! Fuck!¡± his father¡¯s voice echoed from below. ¡°And so it starts¡­¡± Eliam said to himself with a sigh. He was about to put his headphones on when a slight knock at his door startled him. ¡°Eliam¡­ can I come in?¡± Max¡¯s soft voice asked. Eliam frowned as he let Max inside. Max may have been ten by now, but his parents¡¯ arguments still scared him half to death. ¡°You can¡­ but you gotta get used to it, Max. What are you going to do when I leave here?¡± Eliam asked. Max stared at the ground, fearing dancing at his shoulders. He knew that Eliam would be leaving soon. ¡°I know I have to be stronger, Eliam¡­ but I can¡¯t! Please don¡¯t leave me here alone!¡± Max cried. Eliam grimaced but shook his head all the same. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, bud. It¡¯s not just you who¡¯s slowly going insane here.¡± Max¡¯s face welled up with tears as he turned to face the corner. Perhaps he would have left; however, the argument their parents were having banished such thoughts from his mind. ¡°Fuck you bitch! You were probably hoeing around while I was gone. Don¡¯t even try to lie to me!¡± his father roared. ¡°Excuse me, Christian? What the fuck is wrong with you? I work my ass off for these kids of ours while you sit around and drink! Go fuck yourself!¡± his mother screamed back. Eliam sighed as the argument continued for hours. *** ¡°What do you mean the coupon doesn¡¯t work? Your app said it would!¡± The old woman cried. ¡°As I said, the coupon expired two months ago. It no longer works.¡± Eliam said with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s ludicrous! The person that I usually go to always lets me redeem it!¡± she continued. ¡°Well, they are wrong,¡± Eliam said. ¡°Bring me a manager!¡± the woman growled. Eliam sighed and called in Sam. Moments later, Sam walked up to them. ¡°What can I help you with today?¡± he asked with a magnificent smile. ¡°He won¡¯t let me redeem my coupon!¡± she said with a huff. Sam took a look at the coupon she was holding and smiled. ¡°Hm, I¡¯ll have that redeemed for you right away! Eliam subtly rolled his eyes. He wasn¡¯t surprised at Sam¡¯s blatant disregard for policy. He wanted to maintain the store¡¯s image. Unfortunately, this meant screwing Eliam over in the process. ¡°Thank you, sir¡­ you¡¯d better teach your employees what your rules are. This one seems to be in the dark. ¡°I will make sure to do so.¡± Sam laughed. The woman nodded and left in a hurry. After waiting for the woman to leave, Sam glanced at Eliam, gave him a quick smile, and went back to his business. Of course, he wasn¡¯t actually going to be lecturing anyone. He turned his attention to the setting sun. He had been called in to work a later shift today. Apparently, someone called out of their shift, making Sam desperate for someone to fill it in. Despite preferring mornings, Eliam still needed money, so he readily accepted. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t the best idea since Eliam didn¡¯t get much sleep that last night, but whatever. Still, he wanted the big paycheck since he would be turning eighteen the next day. Thankfully, the rest of the night went smoothly, and Eliam was even able to be sent home early. He hopped into his beater car and left the empty parking lot. His thoughts continuously went back to the fact that his father was still staying with them, and his mother continued to let him have his way. She always went from banning his father from alcohol to allowing a little bit. Soon, that would turn into whatever he wants as long as he swears he can ¡®handle¡¯ it. What a joke. As he drove, Eliam caught a glimpse of a familiar face on the sidewalk. It was Jericho. What was that old man doing out this late? He slowed down to get a better look at him. He wasn¡¯t worried about holding up traffic as there was no one on the streets as far as he could see. It was rather late. He watched as Jericho walked down the street in a hurry. He was a hell of a lot more mobile than whenever he saw him at the grocery store. Suddenly, another man came into Eliam¡¯s vision. He seemed to be trailing behind Jericho suspiciously. Was the old man being chased? Eliam considered calling the police but wrote it off. He had no proof of anything yet. For all he knew, the two men were completely unrelated. That thought process was quickly shut down. As the man got closer, Jericho swung around and slammed his fist into the man¡¯s face. There was no time to dodge or anything of the sort. He was down just like that. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Eliam shouted to himself. Was that really Jericho? He tried to get a closer look, but it was dark. He couldn¡¯t confirm anything. The blaring sound of a horn snapped Eliam back to his senses as he focused back on driving. Unfortunately, he was currently on the wrong side of the road, and there was a huge truck right in front of him. There was no time to move. The truck slammed into Eliam¡¯s car and crumpled it completely. Eliam jerked forward straight into the airbag while the car roof nearly collapsed onto his head. Hanging on to a shred of consciousness, he glanced over at Jericho, who was staring at him with a frown. ¡°Shit,¡± he muttered as he felt his brain shut off. *** A gust of dry air slowly awakened Eliam. It was odd because the last time he checked, he was in Florida. He picked himself off the floor, his hands pushing hard on the rugged terrain. Around him were countless cliffs and canyons, all of which were completely barren. There was not a single plant anywhere in sight. Directly behind him was a massive cliff, only adding to the atmosphere. At this point, Eliam figured that he must have been dreaming. There was no way that he had gotten transported to wherever the hell he was. It simply wasn¡¯t possible. Unfortunately for Eliam, he didn¡¯t have time to be dreaming like this. He was supposed to be moving out soon, and he would much rather do that. He was well aware that dreaming didn¡¯t work like that, but he didn¡¯t care. He was leaving. Unfortunately, all the worthless tricks he had seen on TV seemed not to work. All pinching himself did was put him in a lot of pain since he did it considerably hard. As soon as he realized he was stuck, he decided to start walking around. There was no point in stagnating in one spot. He took a few steps forward and realized that he had three choices. He could go into the canyon straight ahead of him, to the cave that was to his left, and to the relatively tighter-looking canyon to his right. He figured that he might as well go straight. It seemed to be the most open and had the most potential to lead to something relatively interesting. He sighed as he moved forward, waiting for something to happen. He hardly remembered dreaming in the past. Soon, the canyon he was walking in started to get tighter and close off. Eliam kept edging forward, fearing that this long walk was for nothing. Yet, as he continued, he eventually saw a small hole where the canyon converged. He silently slipped through it and gasped. He had expected to enter some sort of small dark cave, but instead, the area was insurmountably large. Bright orbs of light were embedded into the sides and roof of the large opening to provide light. In the center was a large cathedral that seemed akin to the gothic ones he had seen only in pictures. It was grand. That was simply the only way he could find to describe it. He slowly walked toward the cathedral and observed its surroundings. Everything was completely still and seemingly lifeless. He gradually neared the large entrance and went inside. The design of the inside was just as magnificent as the outside. He couldn¡¯t see as much detail as he would have liked as it was all rather dark inside, but he could see enough to tell that it was breathtaking. As he continued, he noticed statues of various people and creatures. He wasn¡¯t sure what they were, but he could tell they were not human. There was strange writing that likely described what they were, but he couldn¡¯t read it. How did his brain come up with all of this? The level of detail he was observing was insane. The only dreams he remembered from his past were blurry images of places he went to or saw every day. Never anything like this. Soon, he neared the end of the building. There was an empty altar, along with more intricate statues. There was also a large mural on the wall. From what Eliam could tell, there was a group of colorful people fighting off a humanoid creature with strands of darkness flowing off it. There were four people in total, and each of them had something unique about them. One used a katana with some sort of blue beam coming off it. Another utilized a humongous great sword that almost seemed impossibly large. Another was pointing a bow at the creature, with small spears of light emanating from it. Finally, the last person waved around a distinct wand. Out of the wand spew a great wall of flames, encircling the creature. It was all very interesting, but Eliam was becoming increasingly concerned. There was so much detail behind everything he was looking at. Clearly, there was also lore behind this odd existence since there was a plethora of writing everywhere, but he just could not read it. Although he may have reached the end of the cathedral, that was just on this floor. Eliam could see staircases that led to another above this one. He could also see a single staircase behind the altar that led to some sort of space below. He decided to continue his exploration on the second floor first. Basements were always creepy to him, and he would have preferred to avoid that encounter. Eliam climbed up the fancy stairs and ended up on a sort of balcony that overlooked the first floor. There was even more artwork up there, but besides that, it wasn¡¯t anything different from what he saw on the first. He sighed as he glanced at the stairs that led to the basement. He really didn¡¯t want to go down there. Yet, there was nowhere else to go, and Eliam also didn¡¯t want to walk back to the intersection where he started. Plus, it was all just a dream, so what was the harm in going? He sighed, prepared himself, and walked back down until he was right in front of the stairs that went downward. Telling himself it was all a dream, he slowly made his way down. Surprisingly, the quality of the architecture around him did not deteriorate. Actually, it almost seemed to be getting even nicer. After a few minutes of descending, he finally reached the bottom. He entered a hall that had an opening at the end of it. However, there were various rooms before that. He spent some time investigating each one of them but did not find anything interesting. Only dusty tools remained in them. Feeling a bit frustrated at the lack of anything substantial, he ended up going straight to the exit at the end of the hall. As soon as Elaim entered, he almost seemed to be in an entirely different place. Specifically, his surroundings had become very dungeon-like. Great, this was just what he had feared. He turned to go back; however, right as he did, a subtle shaking started. He looked at the entrance, and suddenly, a bony hand shot out of the ground. Slowly, the hand pulled itself out, revealing a bare skull. Eliam stared at it for a second before quickly gathering his senses and hightailing it out of there. In hindsight, he should have probably gone over or around the skeleton to retreat out of the dungeon. Unfortunately, his instincts took him the opposite way. As Eliam ran, more and more of those skeletons started to pop up. The dungeon started to open up into multiple twists and turns, so he just went in whatever direction. A stream of fire suddenly blocked the path he was going, causing him to nearly stumble into it. He gulped as he heard a storm of rattling behind him, no doubt a large group of skeletons coming his way. He clenched his fists as he took a few steps back and jumped over the fire beam, missing it by only a few inches. He turned back only to watch the skeletons do as he did and jump over the beam. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± he cried as he began to sprint again. This odd dream had quickly turned into some sort of nightmare, and Eliam was not okay with it. Another hand shot out of the ground, causing Eliam to trip. This ended up saving him as a razor-sharp boomerang came ripping toward him from some sort of gleaming shadow creature in the distance. He quickly smashed the hand holding him onto the ground, but it held onto him tightly. He frantically slapped at it until it finally let go. He continued to run desperately, hoping for just something to go right. His only hope was to find the exit or perhaps loop back around to the entrance. Suddenly, a loud screech shredded Eliam''s ears as he instinctively rolled to the side. It was a good thing he did since a large crash sounded in the place he was just at. He quickly pulled himself up to come face to face with a huge skeleton rat. He screamed as he backed away and fled into a small tunnel the rat couldn¡¯t follow him into. He kept running until he fell through a hole in the floor and landed on his ass. ¡°What the fuck! Just let me wake up already!¡± he cried, knowing that it was of no use. He took a moment to breathe since nothing seemed to be attacking him and slowly pulled himself back up. He gingerly walked through the tunnel until he once again entered a large clearing. The room was largely empty besides a door in the corner and the blue handle of a katana sticking out of some sort of altar. He slowly investigated the area, praying that he was finally safe. He had no idea how he had managed to escape that literal hell hole alive, but he had a feeling that he would not be able to repeat that run. If it were not for his ungodly luck, this nightmare would have gone in an entirely different direction. He glanced at the sword for a moment, but it was pretty clear that pulling it out would be a trap of some sort. He would most definitely not be going anywhere near that sword. In fact, that door looks much more appealing to him. He scampered off toward it, and right as he was about to pull it open, something odd happened. ¡°Hmm, you aren¡¯t going to try to take it?¡± a curious feminine voice sounded. Eliam slowly turned around to find himself face to face with a sharp-eyed woman. She was dressed in priest garbs and had light blue hair cascading down her face. Her eyes were yellow and almost lifeless. It didn¡¯t help that her skin looked like it had seen the sun for ages; she was sickly pale. Eliam knew that was a silly thing to think, yet he couldn¡¯t help it. Something was definitely very off about her. ¡°I have no interest in that sword or this place¡­ or anything here for that matter. I would really like to just leave!¡± he stated. The woman stared at him for a moment, likely surprised at his confession. Soon, her look of surprise shifted into one of amusement. ¡°What makes you think I would just let you leave like that? You do know where the sword is after all. I apologize, but it would be foolish for me to let you live with this knowledge,¡± she responded. ¡°I don¡¯t intend on telling anyone. I simply would like to leave and forget about this place,¡± Eliam said. The woman grinned. ¡°You could easily be lying. You could even simply choose to change your mind. I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re too much of a liability now. Congratulations, you found the secret. Now, prepare yourself¡­¡± ¡°Secret? Wait¡­ hold on!¡± Eliam cried as he watched the woman walk up to the blue sword and pull it out. With a flash, the pale woman released the sword from the altar and pointed it at Eliam. Her eyes narrowed at her target, and she moved. Eliam didn¡¯t even have time to blink. In an incomprehensible amount of time, the woman crossed the room and impaled him in the chest. He stumbled backward as blood started leaking from his mouth. He tried to speak, but the amount of pain he was going through was nothing like he had ever felt before. He couldn¡¯t form a thought, let alone words. ¡°Pathetic.¡± The woman pulled the sword out of Eliam and whipped it to the side so as to fling the blood off the blade. Eliam stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before falling to his knees. He found his thoughts becoming slower as warmth leaked from his body. He was dying. Wait¡­ Wasn¡¯t this just a dream? Eliam smirked as he felt himself slipping away. Yeah, that¡¯s right. It was all just a dream. A really bad dream. 2: The Dream That Keeps on Dreaming Eliam awoke with a gasp and wasted no time taking in his surroundings. He was by himself in a foreign bed with a plethora of tubes and other contraptions connected to him. He was in the hospital. He took a moment to recollect his thoughts and quickly remembered that he had gotten into some sort of car accident coming back home from work. What a way to celebrate his 18th birthday. A couple of knocks sounded at the door to his room, and it quickly opened up. His mother walked into the room and visibly lit up when she saw him awake. ¡°Eliam! You¡¯re awake?¡± she asked, although it was clear he was. He nodded and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when he saw his brother trying to get a better look at him. The hospital bed was high, and Max wasn¡¯t quite tall enough to see it. ¡°I¡¯m glad¡­ we were all worried about you,¡± his mother said quietly. ¡°Yeah! Mom and Dad didn¡¯t even argue while you were here at all!¡± Max said. His mother looked away awkwardly for a second but recovered all the same. ¡°I understand that you just woke up, but I was wondering if you were all right with us taking you back home today. We don¡¯t have enough money to keep you here any longer and¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Eliam said. He perfectly understood and didn¡¯t blame his mom. Their insurance wasn¡¯t all too good. He wasn¡¯t aware of how long he had been in here, but it must not have been cheap. His mother nodded with a sigh. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go deal with whatever paperwork that needs to be done. You¡¯ll need to sign a few things since you¡¯re eighteen now, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to figure it out.¡± After that, she left Eliam and Max to use their own devices. Well, it was just Max since Eliam couldn¡¯t do much. After some time, his mother came back and handed Eliam some papers to sign. He did so despite a few of the nurses coming and telling him that he should stay for longer. He simply ignored their advice and finished what needed to be done to get out of there. Once they finished, everyone packed into their mom¡¯s small car and drove home. It was mostly a silent ride, and Eliam wondered if they would ever question him about the accident. He wasn¡¯t keen on explaining the whole thing, but he figured that they would be curious. For some reason, his mother couldn¡¯t manage to keep eye contact with him. He wasn¡¯t sure why but assumed it was because of the whole accident thing. On the other hand, his brother seemed enthusiastic about the whole thing and was fidgeting in excitement. Was he happy that Eliam got hurt? He brushed it off as some sort of misinterpretation and continued to stay silent for the rest of the car ride. His mind floated off to that weird dream he had. He still remembered the entire thing, which he found odd. He had never really been able to do so before. His mother pulled into the driveway, and he sighed as he noticed that his father¡¯s car was still there. He knew that Max had stated that they had stopped arguing for some time, but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how long that was. ¡°Christian will be glad to know that you¡¯re okay,¡± his mother suddenly said. Eliam did his best not to glare at her as she looked away. He was sure that his father didn¡¯t actually care much and that his mother was just saying that. After all, if he cared that much, wouldn¡¯t he have come as well? As soon as they entered the house, everyone could smell the strong scent of booze. It was clear that the lack of arguing wasn¡¯t because his father had decided to put his alcohol problems aside. His mother just stopped pressing him about it while Eliam was gone. ¡°Hey, bud! Glad to see you okay!¡± his father murmured as Eliam walked by. He ignored him and went straight up to his room, which his father didn¡¯t like because a flurry of footsteps could be heard behind him. A strong hand gripped his shoulder and flung him around. ¡°I said I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay!¡± His father said with a menacing smile, alcohol breath blowing in Eliam¡¯s face. ¡°T¡­thanks,¡± Eliam said. His father nodded and went back downstairs to further gorge himself on alcohol. His mother said something to his father, but she wasn¡¯t going to push the issue further. A few moments later, Max knocked at Eliam¡¯s door. ¡°Come in,¡± he said with a sigh. He was in the middle of powering on his computer to play some games and relax, but it seemed that wouldn¡¯t be happening quite yet. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling better, Eliam!¡± Max said with a smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ me too. How long was I gone for?¡± he asked. ¡°Hmm, I think around three days. I heard you got in a car accident, but Momma told me not to bother you since you were sick,¡± he responded. Eliam nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Are you really going to be staying for longer?¡± Max interrupted. ¡°What? No?¡± Eliam said in surprise. ¡°But Momma said you were going to¡­¡± Max said with a frown. Was this what he was excited about? Eliam narrowed his eyes as several worrying questions popped into his head. He slowly motioned for Max to move to the side as he left his room and marched to his mother¡¯s bedroom. ¡°What is this nonsense that Max is talking about? Why does he think I¡¯m staying?¡± Eliam asked. Of course, his mother knew he planned to leave as soon as possible. He hadn¡¯t exactly been quiet about it, after all. His mother refused to look in his direction. ¡°I¡­ We didn¡¯t have enough money to pay for your bills¡­ we had to find some alternative way to pay¡­¡± A look of horror came over Eliam¡¯s face as he started to realize what she meant. He quickly pulled out his phone and checked his bank account. Almost everything was gone. ¡°What the fuck? What did you do?¡± he cried. ¡°I said we had no money! What did you expect me to do? Drown us in debt?¡± she yelled back. Eliam clenched his fists in anger. How could they do this to him? With this amount of money, he wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere, and his parents knew that. He knew that allowing his mother to be attached to his account was a mistake. He slammed the door to his mother¡¯s room and stormed off to his room, but not before his father could get in between him. ¡°The fuck do you get off talking to your mother like that?¡± he growled. Eliam rolled his eyes. ¡°Ah, I see you convinced her to do this, didn¡¯t you? What? So you could buy more booze with money that¡¯s not yours?¡± His father snarled as he brought his fist back to hit Eliam. Although he saw it coming, he was not fast enough to dodge. The punch slammed into his face, throwing him to the ground. ¡°You like that, bitch!¡± his father screamed as he prepared to pummel Eliam once more. This time, Eliam was quick enough and dodged the next punch. He rolled out of his father¡¯s attack range and quickly got back up to his feet. He stormed off to the front door. He was getting the hell out of here, money or not. As he left, he could hear his little brother crying, his mother screaming at his father, and everything all going to shit. He didn¡¯t care any longer. He was leaving, even if it meant living on the side of the road. He slammed the front door open and stormed out, not even bothering to close it. He could hear his mother calling out his name, but he ignored her all the same. He was done. Thankfully, he had his keys on him, so he was able to hop into his car and drive off. It was in his name, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about any legal stuff. He didn¡¯t know where he would go, but he did know that anywhere was better than there. After driving for hours in some random direction, he ended up in a public parking lot. He sighed as he stopped his car and stared at the windshield. ¡°I guess I gotta sleep,¡± he murmured to himself. He dragged himself to the back of his car and laid down on the back seat. He didn¡¯t have a blanket or cushion, so he would just have to deal with it. He stared at the roof of his car for what seemed to be an endless amount of time until finally, he felt sleep overcome him. *** A gust of dry air woke Eliam up as he slowly awakened. It was odd, almost like he had done it before. He slowly picked himself up to find himself staring at the same canyon he had been yesterday. Eliam wasn¡¯t exactly caught up on dream research, but wasn¡¯t it pretty odd to get the same one twice in a row? He looked around at the different paths he could take and found that they were the same. He could go down the large canyon, into a cave, or down a tighter canyon. He stood there for a moment, wondering if he should go through with this again. The memories of his last trip came back to him, and he still remembered getting stabbed. Now that he thought about it, that was very painful. He hesitated to take a step yet did all the same. He didn¡¯t know how to get out of this horrible dream any other way, but he didn¡¯t feel like standing there for hours waiting for it to happen. This time, he took a right and went down the much tighter canyon. This canyon seemed to be much shorter than the other one and quickly led him to a cave with a small clearing inside. On the other end of the clear sat a chest with various carvings and structures around it. Unfortunately, a platinum statue of an armored man stood in the way. Eliam took a deep breath and took a step forward, toward the chest. As soon as he did, the statue flinched and turned to look directly at him. It pointed the large sword it held at Eliam and suddenly started sprinting. He panicked and turned around to run out of the cave. He only made it about four feet before he heard a large swooshing sound and watched as the top half of his body slid off the bottom half. He felt an intense pain for a moment before everything went dark. *** Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Eliam shot up, slamming his head into the roof of his car. He tightly clutched his chest, taking in big gulps of air. He frantically surveyed his surroundings, only calming down when he concluded that he was back in his car. What the hell was going on? Yet again, he could vividly remember the dream he had. The pain of being split in half was still fresh on his mind. He rubbed his aching head as he pulled himself into the driver''s seat. The scene of the parking lot brought back the events that had occurred yesterday. Eliam shook his head to himself as he started the engine and pulled out. Why did his mother tolerate their father? It simply made no sense. She was the one ruining their family. He continued to drive in the opposite direction of his home. He wasn¡¯t sure where he was by now, just that it was far away. His options were pretty horrible, but he knew he had to probably get a job somewhere. He needed to recuperate his lost funds. Unfortunately, that meant he would have to live in his car for a while. He hadn¡¯t been completely drained, but his assets were in the realm of a few hundred dollars. For now, he needed that for food and gas. His tank was already getting rather low. He pulled into the first gas station he saw and shut off the engine. He dragged himself out of the car and put his card up to the kiosk. After a few moments, a beep sounded, and the card declined. Frowning, Eliam tapped the card to the kiosk once again. A few seconds passed, and the same beep sounded. ¡°What the hell,¡± he grumbled. He locked his car and walked into the nearby gas station. Thankfully, he was the only customer inside. A slight shuffle brought Eliam¡¯s attention to the counter. A tall, greasy man stood behind it, with some sort of cheesy uniform on. Long strands of black hair stuck to the man¡¯s face, scabs plastering his wiry frame. ¡°Hey, uh, your card reader outside isn¡¯t working for some reason,¡± Eliam said. After a few seconds of silence, the man grunted. ¡°Alright, kid, tell me which pump ya at, and I¡¯ll charge ya here.¡± Eliam nodded and stepped forward, holding out the card. The man snatched it and slid it through his register. A few moments passed, and the man shook his head. ¡°Declined, kid. It ain¡¯t our machines.¡± The man held his card out back to Eliam. ¡°Listen, sir, that isn¡¯t possible. I just checked yesterday¡­¡± Eliam paused. His heart jumped into his throat as he glanced at his pocket, where his cell phone was. ¡°Listen, kid, I ain¡¯t have all day. Can ya take your card and leave?¡± the man asked. Eliam nodded and accepted his card back. He stalked back to his car and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He quickly went back to his banking app and entered the required credentials. His eyes quickly scanned over the number displaying the money in his account. It said zero. He nearly slammed his phone to the floor but hesitated. If he did that, then he would have no way to get another. Eliam glanced at the fuel gauge to see how much longer he could go. He had less than 40 miles left. He checked his phone for the nearest town within 40 miles, and nothing came up. A loud groan escaped his lips as he felt his head limply hit the seat rest. After coming to terms with everything, Eliam stepped out of the car and walked back into the gas station. The greasy man was giving him a questioning look that seemed to be only a few steps away from being hostile. ¡°I hate to bother you again, but¡­ it seems I¡¯m out of cash¡­¡± Eliam winced at the man¡¯s growl. ¡°Is there any possibility I could some gas still? I don¡¯t have enough to get anywhere.¡± ¡°Boy, what the hell does this place look like to you? We don¡¯t do handouts,¡± the man snarled. ¡°I understand that, but¡­ I¡¯m really in a tough spot right now. I should have had money, but it was taken from me, alright? I just need a little help,¡± Eliam muttered. The man scoffed, ¡°Listen, kid, I ain¡¯t got shit for you. Now, get the hell out of here before I make ya.¡± Eliam sighed as he turned around to leave. He wasn¡¯t sure what he could do. His mind wandered to the idea of his mom picking him up, but he quickly shook his head. He would never be going back there, even if it meant trekking to the nearest town by foot. ¡°Wait,¡± the man sputtered right as Eliam was pushing the exit door open. ¡°I¡¯m not giving out no handouts, but if ya need a job for a couple of weeks, I can provide one for ya. I¡¯ve been needing someone to watch the station during nights.¡± Eliam glanced back at the man. ¡°Can I leave my car here? It¡¯s kind of where I¡¯m sleeping right now?¡± The man paused. ¡°Sure, but pull it out back behind.¡± Eliam nodded and thought for a moment. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accept.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Good. The first shift starts tonight at nine. Better get some sleep before then.¡± He paused. ¡°I¡¯m Josh, by the way.¡± ¡°Eliam¡­ Eliam Edward.¡± he nodded. Truthfully, he had been worried as to how he was going to manage. This opportunity, although rather odd, was at least a chance to save back up without really spending anything.¡± He parked his car behind the gas station as instructed. It was already two, so he had to prioritize getting as much sleep as possible before his first shift. He propped himself back into his spot and laid down. At first, he had trouble even closing his eyes as his mind wandered to the dreams he had been having. He knew that was all they were, yet they felt so real. It was likely some side effect of that car crash he had. Who knew what the hell had happened? Eliam probably hit his head or something. He brushed it off and eventually forced himself to keep his eyes shut. It wasn¡¯t long after that sleep took him. *** Eliam yawned as he sat up, his palms scraping across the hard floor. The sun radiated heat onto his face, which was odd considering it was supposed to be dark by now. He rubbed his eyes as he took a few looks around and found himself in the same canyon as the last two nights. He was back. He stood up, now thoroughly worried about why he had come back here. He knew that dreams were not supposed to be this deliberate. They weren¡¯t supposed to feel this real. What was worse was the pain. He still remembered the first two times he had been forcefully ejected from the dream. It had been through death. They weren¡¯t normal ones either. The first time, he had been stabbed in the heart, and the second involved his entire top half being sliced off. Needless to say, it was incredibly painful. He took a few moments to observe himself. There was no visible damage anywhere. He was not injured, aching, or anything else. He was perfectly fine. He glanced at the three different paths he had to choose from. He could either go straight, to his right, or his left. Unfortunately, two of those paths ended in his death. His eyes glazed over the path to the left. That was the only one he had not explored. He felt himself shake as he took a few steps toward it. He didn¡¯t believe that he would be back here, but now that he was, the fear of pain was real. It wasn¡¯t even dying itself. It was how he would likely do so that scared him. If pain was possible, then wasn¡¯t torture also possible? The last thing Eliam needed was to be stuck in his dream world, tortured for who knew how long. Eliam shook his head and continued walking to the left. There had to have been some sort of time limit. Surely, there was no way he would be stuck here without dying. As Eliam walked, an intricate door came into view at the end of the canyon. He slowly walked up to it. It was rather large but still manageable. He turned the knob and pushed it open. He was greeted with another set of stairs that descended into darkness. He gulped as he carefully made his way down them. He had nowhere else to go. This was the final path. After moving downward for a couple of minutes, he entered into another grand room. At the center was a large statue of a moving figure holding a blue katana, similar to the one that had killed him a few nights earlier. He stepped foot into the room, eager to search for a way forward. That would prove to be a mistake as a whispering noise filled his ears. He quickly sourced the noise to some sort of nun-looking person who was walking out from behind the statue. Covering their face was a mask, one that had a sad face carved into it. ¡°Uh, hello? Sorry if I trespassed or something. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here,¡± Eliam called out. The whispering only grew louder as the nun took a step his way. Eliam slowly backed up, terrified to make any quick movements. The nun continued to creep closer, whispering some unintelligible noises at Eliam. By now, he was terrified, so he turned away from the nun and started to run back toward where he came from. The whispering stopped, and there was nothing but the sound of Eliam¡¯s footsteps for a brief moment. That was until a piercing scream filled the air with so much force that it caused Eliam¡¯s eardrums to burst. He felt himself screaming as he fell to the floor, clutching at his ears. Moments later, a hand wrapped around his head and pulled. *** When Eliam opened his eyes, he took a moment to breathe, testing if he were truly still alive. He sat up, very nearly overwhelmed with what had just happened. He knew that something was wrong. What he was experiencing wasn¡¯t just some nightmare. People weren¡¯t supposed to remember their nightmares, let alone the vivid pain he felt. He shuddered as the image of his head getting ripped off replayed in his mind. Whatever that thing was, it couldn¡¯t have been human. The whispering, the strength, the sound. It was all so unreal. He shakily checked the time. He only had a few minutes before he was supposed to start his shift. He pulled open his car door and fell as he was getting out. His legs took the brunt of the fall, opening up large gashes on both of them. Eliam groaned as he wiped himself off. He dug through his car until he found a few bandages and wrapped them around his legs. After all of that, he finally made his way back to the gas station. ¡°The hell happened to you?¡± Josh asked as Eliam entered. ¡°Nothing,¡± Eliam grumbled. ¡°Whatever, kid. All ya need to do tonight is to watch over the station and make sure nobody steals anything. Oh, and also work the register¡­ do you know how?¡± Josh said. ¡°Uh, I think¡­ can I look at it?¡± Eliam asked. Josh motioned for him to come around to the back of the counter. Eliam wobbled over, hissing as he grazed his knees along the wall of the counter. The way the register was configured was similar to how he was used to at his previous grocery store job. ¡°So?¡± Josh asked. ¡°I think I can work it easily enough. I just have a few questions,¡± Eliam replied. After thirty minutes of basic training, Josh bid Eliam farewell and moved to leave. ¡°Oh, and ya shouldn¡¯t need to use this¡­ but just in case something happens, the panic button is underneath the counter¡­ Only press that if ya are in a true emergency.¡± Josh gave him a quick wave and left. Eliam stood there for a moment, taking everything in. He was by himself, living in his car and working at some random gas station. Yet, he didn¡¯t regret a thing. Maybe he did feel bad for his brother, but that was beside the point. He was finally free, and nothing felt better than that. For the next few minutes, he watched as cars would pull in to grab their gas and leave. Eventually, his first customer came through. They immediately went up to the counter and grinned. ¡°Can I get a pack of cigs and twenty-five on the diesel?¡± the customer asked. Eliam nodded, immediately moving to grab a cigarette pack. There were a plethora of brands to choose from; however, Eliam was told that Marlbros was the typical brand. Eliam put them down on the counter, and the man didn¡¯t say anything, so Eliam assumed he had chosen correctly. He tapped a few numbers into the register and nodded to the man. ¡°The total will be 34.19,¡± Eliam said. The customer narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and slammed three bills on the counter. He left without saying another word. Eliam glanced at the total amount, and it was exactly 35 dollars. The man may not have liked the price, but he wasn¡¯t a thief. He gathered up the money and put it into the register. He proceeded to pocket the rest of the change as Josh told him to do so if anyone overpaid and left. It was like this that the night continued on and eventually ended. Nothing of note happened, besides a few angry customers, but Eliam assumed that was normal. Josh was back by 5 in the morning, so Eliam was allowed to go and sleep then. Eliam slowly laid back down in his car, staring at the roof of his car. He was deathly tired but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to go to sleep. Not after recalling those dreams he had been having. The thought of staying up crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head to it. He would be a zombie by the time of his next shift. There was no way he would lose this job by messing something up because of a lack of sleep. He took a deep breath and tried to relax himself. After a few moments, he started to drift off. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t be subjected to that dream anymore. *** Eliam awoke to the heat of the canyon, frustration building up in his body. Why was he back? He jumped up to the ground with a growl and glanced in every direction he had to go. They were all the same. Three directions. Three deaths. There was nowhere else to go. A spark of fear clenched his heart as he realized that he would have to encounter those nightmarish creatures again. Elaim shook his head and did something he had not done before. He sat down. He would not be getting chopped in half or ripped apart again. Instead, he decided that he would be waiting for this shitty dream to come to an end naturally. It had to, right? 3: The Dream Did Not End Eliam waited hours for the dream to end. He wasn¡¯t positive about how long since there was no clock, but he knew that it must have been at least that. Still, nothing changed except his desire for food and water. He wasn¡¯t even sure if it was supposed to be possible to feel such in dreams. Eliam stood up, abruptly, stretching out the bandages on his knee. He groaned in pain while wondering why the hell they were still there. Weren¡¯t dreams supposed to take creative liberties? Why was he injured just like he was in the real world? He shook his head as he walked straight down the canyon as he did when he first got here. He still wasn¡¯t keen on going back into that dungeon, but he was going to dehydrate. He was already becoming increasingly thirsty, and he knew that he would not be able to go very long without water. Considering how many times he had already died, he figured that he would also be able to die from a lack of water. Once again, he entered the small cave that opened up to reveal the grand cathedral. Seeing it again made Eliam curious as to why the place was so hidden. Did the creator not want people to see the amazing work they had produced? Eliam took a moment to revel in its beauty before going back inside. It was the same as the first time he had seen it. Still, it was almost even more impressive. The art was immaculately detailed and had a lot of work put into it. At the end of the building was the mural of that battle akin to heroes fighting off the great evil. Eliam glanced at the entrance to the basement and sighed. He didn¡¯t want to go back down there. The horrifying images of bones scraping out of the ground caused him to shudder. Instead, he decided to check out the second floor once again. Perhaps he had missed something the first time he had gone up. Eliam carefully walked up to the second floor. Various artwork and statues came into view. None of them seemed too special, at least until he observed them up close. There were four paintings, each depicting different people holding familiar weapons. Immediately, Eliam could tell they were the same people he had seen in the mural below. He carefully observed each painting, stunned at how detailed they were. One displayed a gruff man, shielded with a heavy armor set. He was holding a large blade that was impossibly black. It almost seemed to be absorbing the light around it. The next was a red-haired woman in what Eliam could only describe as witch garbs. She held a dazzling staff in her hands while maintaining a confident smile. The next painting displayed something rather interesting. A blonde-haired woman in a cloak was shown, a small scowl playing on her lips. She was holding a bow and had a quiver of arrows strung around her shoulder. What made this picture special was her ears. They weren¡¯t round like they should have been. They were rather pointy. Eliam shook his head, wondering why he would have been dreaming this. He soon groaned as he realized he probably shouldn¡¯t have been dreaming any of this at all. The more time he spent in this place, the more it felt oddly real. The final painting was of a young man dressed in deep blue armor. He had a positive aura about him, one that the painter had done a very good job showing. His smile was radiant, kind, and above all, happy. The man had been a good person. Eliam walked a little closer to the painting, his thoughts running fast. He could only imagine what it felt like to be someone like that. To be successful, accomplished, and most of all, happy. Eliam carefully inspected everything else on the second floor, but there wasn¡¯t much to it. The main display was the paintings and everything else was less interesting. He sighed, preparing to go back down to the first floor. It was then that a strange flash of light caught his eyes from one of the paintings. Specifically, it had been from the one of that oddly bright man. He walked back up to it and took a long look. Everything looked completely normal, yet he knew that nothing in this painting would have caused that flash. Eliam pressed his face against the wall the painting was hung on and looked from there. The area in which the man held the sword was lifted, every so slightly. Eliam quickly ran his hands along the painting until the feeling of cool metal brushed under them. He located the specific location and pressed down. A small clinking noise could be heard before a large rumbling sounded. The wall behind the painting moved open, revealing a hallway that led into darkness. Eliam froze, wary of going down such paths. He remembered all too well what had happened each of the other times he had chosen curiosity. Yet, a glance at the accursed basement caused him to clench his fists and walk inside. He could feel himself running out of energy. Eliam slowly walked down the hallway, studying the detailed architecture that went into designing it. Unlike when he had gone into the basement, the overall feeling of the cathedral remained. Finally, he entered a small, circular room. At the center was a casket. The bottom was a deep blue which slowly faded into something of a delicate white. It was almost like one of the glaciers he had seen in a video. Eliam approached the casket and paused. Should he really be doing this? Wasn¡¯t this some kind of form of grave robbing? He shook his head and continued to push the top off. Whatever was inside here was his only clue to what this place was. After significant effort, the top crashed to the ground, revealing a skeleton covered in deep blue armor. It was the same armor that had been shown in the painting of the man. Eliam gasped as he realized what this was. Could this place be built for this man? He wasn¡¯t positive, but it kind of seemed to make sense. This was some hero¡¯s final resting place, hidden away from the world to protect it. Eliam glanced back at the armor and hesitated. He knew it was wrong, but if this truly was worn by that man, then it must have been powerful. Conveniently, the thought of this whole thing being a dream hopped into his mind. If that were the case, then it wouldn¡¯t matter what he had done. Eliam smirked as he grabbed the armor and tore it off the skeleton''s body. The set encompassed four pieces. A helmet, a chest plate, leggings, and boots. Each held the same deep blue shine and resembled some sort of futuristic samurai style. He picked up the helmet and pressed it onto his head. As he did, a wave of strength surged into him. He felt his body grow nimbler, faster, sharper. Another force that was oddly unfamiliar strengthened as well. He felt a smile playing at his lips as he fumbled with the next piece, readying himself to put it on. Suddenly, Eliam felt his body lose strength, and he collapsed onto the floor. He tried to scream but felt nothing come out as blood started leaking from every crevice of his body. He clawed at his head to take off the helmet, but his arms were sapped of their strength. He couldn¡¯t move. For the next few minutes, Eliam struggled on the ground like a dying bug. The pain was immense, but soon, even that went away. He was cold and tired. The helmet slipped off his head as his life drained fully. He was dead. *** Eliam awoke in a flash, a layer of sweat sticking to his face. He froze for a few moments before pressing his face to his hands. He held back tears as he recalled the immense pain he had just gone through. He didn¡¯t want to go back to that hellhole ever again. He was done. Everything in that place wanted to kill him, and in incredibly painful ways at that. He rubbed his eyes, trying to prevent more tears from coming down his face. In the end, it was just a dream. At least, he kept telling himself that. What else would he call it? Eliam pulled out his phone and pulled up some random video to keep his mind from wandering. He needed to relax. He took a deep breath as he clicked on the first thing that seemed entertaining. He tried to focus on it, but his mind kept dragging him back to that dream. Why did he remember it so well? The pain, the scenery, the images were all so real. It wasn¡¯t like anything he had ever experienced before. He shook his head, a fresh wave of tears rolling down his face. The deaths he had gone through had been so real. He felt like he had actually died. Laughter rang out from his video, bringing it back to his attention. He needed to relax. He was spiraling. A couple of deep breaths later, Eliam brought logic back to his mind. It had just been a dream. Sure, it may have seemed real, but it wasn¡¯t. It simply wasn¡¯t possible for it to have been anything else. He nodded, having finally convinced himself to relax. Eliam took one last deep breath and focused on his video. He had slept for a while, but there was still plenty of time to relax before his next shift. He figured he would watch a couple of videos and then experiment with some social media platforms. Eliam knew it was possible to make money from them, and he wanted to try. He had nothing better to do anyway. Hours passed, and soon, it was time for him to start his next shift. Eliam greeted Josh, who gave him a quick nod and left a few moments later. This time, Josh had left him a small list of things that needed to be done around the station. There wasn¡¯t much instruction, but they weren¡¯t really hard tasks. It was mostly just cleaning or stocking items. The added tasks allowed for the night to go by quickly, and soon Josh was back. He waved Eliam off, and like that, Eliam ended up back in his car. He was lying on his back, attempting to go to sleep. However, each time he managed to close his eyes, the view of the canyon filled them, and he immediately fully woke up. He was terrified of going back there. He spent hours like this, struggling to go to sleep. Eventually, he sat back up and resorted to watching random videos on his phone. Time continued to pass, and eventually, the time came for his next shift. Eliam groaned as he dragged himself out of his car and into the gas station. Josh gave him a strange look. ¡°You don¡¯t look all too good,¡± he said. Eliam glanced at him. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Before Josh could leave, Eliam asked, ¡°Could I have an energy drink? You can take it out of my pay or something.¡± Josh rubbed his temple. ¡°Yeah, go for it¡­ Are ya sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ and uh, yeah. I¡¯m good. Just didn¡¯t get too much sleep, that¡¯s all.¡± Eliam moved for the energy drink as if it were his life essence. Josh chuckled, ¡°Yeah, them night shifts can be rough. I¡¯ll see ya later, kid.¡± Eliam nodded as Josh gave him one last look and left. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure if he was going to be able to make it the whole night. A few hours went by, and Eliam started to really struggle with staying awake. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the fear of the dreams he had been experiencing. Otherwise, he was positive that he would have fallen asleep by now. A couple of customers had pointed his fatigue out to him. Some were more worried way while others just wanted to make small talk. Eliam struggled through each conversation until, finally, he spotted Josh coming in. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He gave him a nod and zombie-walked to his car. As soon as his back touched the car seat, not even his fear could prevent him from falling asleep. *** Eliam wanted to scream as he awoke not in his car but in the same canyon that had been torturing him for over half a week. Why was he back? Why did his body demand that his consciousness keep returning to this place? He kicked the hard floor in anger, immediately regretting that decision when a flood of pain filled his foot. Everything here wanted to hurt him. He groaned as he looked around at the familiar three routes he could take. He stormed off toward the cathedral, knowing that it was the only place he could go to that wouldn¡¯t have him dead in moments. He went inside and immediately back up to the second floor. He pulled himself over the railing that prevented people from falling and jumped over. In mere moments, he split his head against the floor and died. *** Eliam awoke back in his car, a wild smile on his face. Sure, he may have died, but it was in an infinitely better way than what he had experienced before. It was painless and quick, too. If this shitty dream was going to plague him then he would just end it as fast as possible each time. He smirked as he prepared to film another video for his socials. So far, he has gotten a few hundred views on each one he has done. It wasn¡¯t enough to earn him any money, but one day, maybe he would get there. After creating a decent backstock, the time came for his next shift. He walked back into the gas station, waved goodbye, and got to work. A few hours into his shift, a gray-haired woman stumbled inside. Eliam carefully observed her as she walked around, rubbing her hands all over everything. Eventually, she took notice of him and smiled a little too widely. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there, boy. What is a youngin like you doing out at this time of night?¡± she asked. Eliam frowned as he considered his options. It was unlikely that the old woman could hurt him, although he was still rather unsettled by the whole thing. ¡°Just working,¡± he replied. ¡°Oh, sweety, you can tell me more than that? Can¡¯t you?¡± The woman grinned. Eliam ignored her and asked, ¡°Can I get you anything?¡± The woman growled, unhappy that she did not receive any answer. ¡°No.¡± She took a step closer to Eliam, causing him to run his hands across the panic button. He didn¡¯t want to have to use it, but he would if necessary. Thankfully, the woman hissed at him one last time and left, marking the end of the encounter. A few hours later, Josh returned, but Eliam didn¡¯t bother mentioning what happened. Ultimately, nobody was hurt, and the woman was probably just mentally ill. Eliam made some small talk with Josh and went to bed. *** This way, a month had gone by with Eliam working at the gas station. Each time he dreamt, he faithfully executed himself by jumping off the second floor of the cathedral. Besides that, his time at the gas station had gone well. There hadn¡¯t been another odd situation like the one he had encountered previously. He yawned as Josh walked in, marking the end of his shift. He handed Eliam an envelope, which was full of money. It''s Eliam¡¯s earnings. ¡°I¡¯m glad ya here, kid, but how long do ya plan on keeping this up?¡± Josh asked. Eliam gave him a puzzling look. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, ya young and have a life ahead of you. There¡¯s no point in wasting it here,¡± Josh said. Eliam smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not wasting anything. You¡¯ve been good to me. I don¡¯t plan on staying here forever, but I think I¡¯m satisfied for the time being.¡± Josh sighed but ultimately accepted Eliam¡¯s response. ¡°Whatever, kid, go get some sleep.¡± Eliam nodded and waved goodbye. As he was walking to his car, he felt a buzz in his pocket. He pulled his phone out to his screen flashing about a call. The person trying to do so was his brother, Max. Eliam¡¯s body tightened as he considered hanging up. He was just about to when he remembered how abruptly he had left. He sighed and answered. ¡°Eliam¡­ Is that you?¡± a small voice asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s me, Max,¡± Eliam whispered. A pause took hold of the conversation as both sides considered what to say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Max said. ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Eliam responded. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°I knew it was wrong¡­ but it made me happy that you might have been staying,¡± Max admitted. ¡°But I should have known it would have never worked out.¡± Eliam narrowed his eyes, a few tears falling from them. ¡°Yeah¡­ there was just no way I could have stayed there any longer.¡± Again, nobody spoke for a few moments. This time, Eliam could hear a few sobs in the background of the call. ¡°Are you going to come back?¡± Max asked, trying to disguise his crying with stoicism. Eliam stood there, tears draining off his face. He clenched his fists as his voice cracked. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, Max.¡± Another few seconds of silence passed, and Eliam felt his heart jump to his throat. ¡°O¡­Ok, I understand¡­¡± Max said. A storm of noises sounded from Eliam¡¯s phone as he frowned. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± a scream emanated. Eliam¡¯s eyes widened as a multitude of screams clashed together, distorting the audio on his side. His face morphed into anger as he heard his brother screaming in the mix. A few moments later, the call ended with a beep, and Eliam was stuck standing there, speechless. He stood there for minutes, his mind completely blank. He seemed incapable of thinking; all he could focus on was his anger. His parents must have been stopping Max from contacting him. That¡¯s why he had barely just called now! Suddenly, Eliam let out a scream of rage as his feelings overwhelmed him. He threw open his car door and started screaming into his seat. He slammed his fists into his seat and wrestled with the headrest. Finally, after nearly an hour of rage, his energy diminished, and he crashed against the backseats. He was still angry. He wanted to do something, but there was nothing. His parents would probably not welcome him back, and it¡¯s not like he could take Max away from them. He growled as he felt his rage coming back to him. A wave of fatigue washed over him as he tried to get back up. He tried to fight it, but it was all too strong. Moments later, he fell asleep. *** Once again, he awakened not in his car but in the hot canyon. Eliam growled as he jumped to his feet and stormed off to the cathedral. He shot up the stairs and grabbed hold of the railing. He was practically over before he paused. When he looked down, he could see the entrance to the basement. In his heart was a desperate anger that wanted to be unleashed on something. He wanted a fight. He pulled himself back behind the rails and walked down toward the basement. He was still apprehensive about going down there. Logically, it would be incredibly stupid, but he wasn¡¯t feeling very logical right now. He just wanted to beat something to pieces. He stormed down the very stairs he had when he first started having this dream. He knew he wasn¡¯t very different from a month ago, but he felt as if he was. As soon as he crossed into the dungeon part of the basement, he felt the ground shake beneath him. Moments later, a hand shot out, aiming to grab his ankle. He hopped out of the way and watched as the skeleton hastily pulled itself out of the ground. They eyed each other for a few seconds before the skeleton launched itself at him. In a flash, it was right over him, a red light glowing from its eyes. Eliam stumbled backward, barely dodging the rapid sword swing that would have decapitated him. A wave of anger washed over him as he thought how unfair all of this was. With a loud roar, Eliam took the skeleton off guard by charging at it ferociously. It waved around its sword as if to dissuade him, but Eliam didn¡¯t care. Despite the sword cutting into his arm, he tackled the skeleton to the ground and started to pummel it with his fists. After a few swings or so, a red bar appeared above the skeleton¡¯s body, seemingly displaying its health. He had only done a tenth of its HP. Eliam growled, accepting the impossible challenge. The skeleton finally managed to kick him off, causing him to slide further into the dungeon. Three more pairs of hands shot out of the ground and Eliam knew that he was screwed. He glanced toward the exit and made a beeline toward it. The skeleton noticed this and tried to stop him by standing guard over it. As soon as Eliam neared, the skeleton waved its sword around wildly. Eliam dodged each strike and jumped back into the shady hall before the dungeon. The skeleton turned to chase him. Eliam groaned as it easily entered the hall. He was really hoping it wouldn¡¯t be able to. He dashed backward, multiple skeletons now coming after him. He sprinted up the stairs and back into the main room of the cathedral. He could hear the rattling of the bones coming after him. At this point, it was looking like he was going to be dead no matter what he did. He couldn¡¯t run forever, and even if he could, he didn¡¯t have enough space to. Still, he didn¡¯t plan on just giving up. A crazy plan entered his head, and he knew that it would be his only shot at survival. He dashed out of the cathedral and back into the canyon where he would always start. As soon as he could, Eliam took a sharp left into the room with that bronze statue. By then, the skeletons were starting to gain on him. He was also running out of the energy to keep going. Eliam threw himself into the chest room, immediately attracting the bronze statue¡¯s attention. It pointed its sword at Eliam, but this time, four more skeletons joined the mix. Eliam threw himself to the ground as the bronze statue clinked toward them. He sighed in relief as it ignored him and went for the skeletons instead. That relief quickly began to dissipate as it started to decimate them. One of the skeletons tried to block, but the statue broke through its sword and split its entire body in half. The other three were unlikely to have a better time. As Eliam attempted to crawl out of the small cave, one of the skeletons was launched at him by the statue. Its impact caused him to lose his breath for a moment and gasp for air. The skeleton was still alive, but its body had been torn about by the blade. The HP bar above was incredibly slim. Still, it grabbed onto him tightly and attempted to swing at him with its broken arm. Eliam tried to pull it off but failed. He glanced back at the massacre the bronze statue was causing and decided to just leave. As soon as he fully exited, he began to slam the skeleton hanging onto him onto the ground. It was rather maniac, but Eliam didn¡¯t know how else to kill it. After doing this three times, the light in the skeleton''s eyes died down, and it fell apart. Eliam stood up, gasping for air as numbers appeared in front of his face. ¡°What the¡­¡± He gaped. A +800 printed itself over his vision as his eyes widened. Complimenting was a bell sound followed by the words ¡°Level Up¡±. Suddenly, a whole interface appeared in front of him. There were a plethora of different numbers, words, and bars representing different things. Stat points available: 3 Eliam Edward Level: 4 HP: 70/100 MP: 50/50 Life: 10 Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 3 Intelligence: 3 Three bars showed in the bottom left of his vision, one reflecting his HP, another his MP, and the last his stamina. There was another at the top left, which reflected something called his essence. Also in the top left was his level, which was shown to be four. The essence bar near it was around two-thirds full. Below that was something talking about stat points to allocate. Currently, he had three points he could assign. He glanced at the options before him, taking them all in. This was all just like some sort of video game. Suddenly, a loud clinking noise started toward him. It seemed that the bronze statue had already finished with the skeletons and was coming for him next. He quickly glanced back toward his status and hesitated. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do. If he died now, would he lose all of his progress? Would he lose stat points or leveling? The clinking grew louder, and Eliam knew that death was inevitable. He glanced at the dexterity stat, and an idea popped into his head. Maybe, if he were faster, he could get away. He plugged all three points into it and turned to run. By then, the bronze statue was nearing in on him at a rapid pace, one that he would not normally be able to beat. Eliam smirked the other way. Unfortunately, as he ran, he realized very quickly that he wasn¡¯t going any faster. The statue quickly caught up to him and grabbed hold of his head. Eliam screamed as the statue tightened its hold tremendously. Moments later, a loud pop occurred, and Eliam¡¯s skull bent into itself. *** He awoke back in his car with a gasp, clutching his head. Dying never got any easier, especially with the stupid dream that found unique ways for him to experience it each time. Still, this time, he had a tight smile on his face. While the pain of his last death was still fresh on his mind, the status screen he had discovered was as well. Finally, he had found another clue as to what the hell was going on and how he could solve it. 4: Status Upgrade Eliam stared at the entrance to the cathedral dungeon, planning out his next steps. His status was the same as before, except for one major factor. He still had the points he had put in dexterity, but his essence was gone. The bar for the next level was back at zero. The other issue was that he didn¡¯t know what dexterity did. Originally, he had believed it would improve his speed. That turned out to be wrong. This was a problem considering that if he wasn¡¯t able to use those points, then they were wasted. He wasn¡¯t positive, but something told him that he wouldn¡¯t be getting many chances to reset them. His only other theory involved using certain types of weapons. Unfortunately, he needed one of those weapons to test that. Eliam sighed, feeling as if he were out of luck. The main issue was that he didn¡¯t fully understand what he was dealing with. He could comprehend all the stat stuff and that it would supposedly make him stronger. What he didn¡¯t understand was what each stat specifically did and how other equipment like the armor or katana worked into this. He paused at the thought of weapons. If dexterity was a damage stat, which he wasn¡¯t sure of, then would it affect his base attack? Or was that strictly for strength? He swung his fist out of curiosity, and strangely, it felt somewhat stronger. It wasn¡¯t in a brute force sort of way but in another. It was lighter, faster, and seemed more impactful. Eliam smiled at this revelation. He still wasn¡¯t positive, but he had something to go off of. He did notice that his stamina bar went down with that punch. As soon as he stopped throwing them, the stamina bar immediately began filling up, but at a noticeably slower pace than it would take to attack. This meant he could not attack or run forever, but that was a given anyway. Until he obtained some armor or a weapon, Eliam reckoned that stamina would not be a problem. He turned toward the entrance to the dungeon and walked inside, awaiting the first skeleton. In moments, its hand shot out of the ground, and Eliam wasted no time in pummeling it. The red bar immediately appeared this time, and Eliam could tell he was doing significantly more damage than the last time he had tried this. After three hits, the skeleton''s health bar had gone down two-tenths rather than one-tenth. By the time the skeleton fully pulled itself out of the ground, Eliam had taken away nearly half of its health. Unfortunately, now that the skeleton was free of the ground, the fight was going to get much harder. Eliam dropped to the ground, barely avoiding the skeleton¡¯s wild swing. He punched the skeleton¡¯s legs, causing it to drop to the ground. He grappled it down and continued to pummel it as much as he could. As he was doing so, the skeleton brought up its sword and pulled down, plunging it straight into Eliam¡¯s leg. He cried out in pain as he tried to pull it out. This prevented him from continuing to punch the skeleton, which allowed it to yank itself free. Seconds later, Eliam was able to take the sword out of his leg in this time. As he held it, he could immediately tell that it would be useless to him. He would be better off using his fists than trying to swing this around. If he had more time, he could likely check with his status, but he didn¡¯t. He chucked the sword to the side and dodged a punch from the skeleton. He then exchanged blows with it until finally, its health bar dropped to near empty. It was then that Eliam jumped onto it, grabbed its head, and ripped it off its body. The skeleton collapsed, and another +800 showed along with the bell. Two more level-ups appeared as he gained the ability to assign two more stat points. He quickly pulled up his status in excitement. He was finally getting somewhere in this twisted dream! Yet, after that thought, he paused. Was this a dream? It had already been odd before, but it was almost incomprehensible at this point. It was more designed and consistent than any dream he had ever heard of before. The more he had it, the more he began to believe that he was a part of something more. He shook his head, deciding that there was no point in pondering such things. He had no way to find such answers, and if he wanted to change that, then he would have to get stronger. With that figured out, he glanced back at his status. He had two more points to assign, and he had an idea as to where to put them. Stat points Availible: 2 Eliam Edward Level: 4 HP: 50/100 MP: 50/50 Life: 10 Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 6 Intelligence: 3 One swing had decreased his HP by fifty percent. If he had been hit again, then it is likely he would have died on the spot. With that in mind, Eliam dumped the next two points into the life stat. As he did, he felt a slight change in his body. It wasn¡¯t too crazy, but he could tell he was stronger. Afterward, he marched forward into the dungeon. Three more skeletons started pulling themselves out of the ground, and Eliam paled. He had forgotten about them. After getting past his hesitation, he sprinted up to one of them and started pummeling it. Unfortunately, there were two other skeletons to worry about this time. Once they popped out of the ground, they immediately began to attack Eliam. He was able to dodge one of them well, but it got a lot tougher when there were more than that. After getting a sizable gash on his arm, he jumped backward, putting some much-needed space between him and his enemies. He quickly tried to come up with some sort of plan, but he had none. He crushed his fists together and roared. He felt a hint of fear touch his heart, but he ignored it. If he wanted to become stronger, then he would have to become comfortable with death. Eliam charged forward, immediately ducking under one of the skeleton''s swings. His body twisted to dodge another, and he grabbed two of their skulls and rammed them together. After stunning them, he kicked two of them backward, giving him a brief window to fight just one. He dodged its strike and punched it in the throat. It took a few steps back, clutching at where Eliam had hit it. That was a mistake. He took advantage of this moment to grapple the skeleton to the ground and started pounding on it. The other two tried to swing at him, but all they managed to do was harm the skeleton, boosting the overall damage greatly. Soon, Eliam slammed his fist into it for the last time, and the color faded from its eyes. The bell sounded, and another Level Up appeared from the 800 essence gained, along with two more skill points. Eliam put the points into dexterity with little thought and continued to pursue the other two foes. The skeletons swung at the same time, forcing Eliam to take a glancing hit to his arm. He winced as his HP went down in the low tens. If he hadn¡¯t put those points into his HP, he would likely have gotten his arm cut off or something. Still, he managed to dodge the strike, and he wasn¡¯t going to lose the opening they had created for him. With his head down, he rushed the skeletons and pushed them both to the ground. He used both of his fists to pummel them both at the same time. As soon as one of them began to get back up, he kicked it down. Moments later, he put down both of the skeletons, gaining another 1600 essence, and of course, the ring of those level-up bells. Eliam wore a satisfied smirk on his face while he pulled up his status. He was beginning to figure out why video games were so addicting. He now had three more stat points to disperse and was already 70% to the next level. He put all three of them into dexterity and pushed on. Sure, it may have been risky to continue so recklessly, but he was feeling mighty confident after his recent victories. He marched forward into the dungeon, only pausing when he felt his foot press down on something ever so slightly. Eliam frowned as he looked down to find that he had triggered a pressure plate. Moments later, a with clicks sounded, and Eliam noticed dozens of holes in the wall. ¡°Aw, shit,¡± he muttered. An endless stream of arrows poured out of the wall and straight into Eliam. He tried using his arms to shield himself, but it was not enough to block them all. After a few seconds, one of the arrows lodged itself into his throat, and he fell backward, gurgling up blood. Another few seconds passed, and he died. *** ¡°Okay, so let¡¯s maybe not be so reckless this time,¡± Eliam said to himself as he walked into the cathedral. He took the familiar steps into the basement and didn¡¯t hesitate to walk into the dungeon. As always, the same skeleton appeared. Eliam wasted no time in pounding its skull in. He was now able to kill one of the skeletons in around ten hits, allowing him to finish it before it was ever able to leave fully. He obtained the familiar +800 essence sign and leveled up again. He smiled, wondering if it would always be this easy. He put the point into dexterity and kept going. The three skeletons from before appeared, and he once again went into battle. Luckily, the skeletons were largely similar in how they fought each time, which made them incredibly predictable opponents. After a few minutes of fighting, Eliam put all three of them down, getting a nice +2400 essence and even more level ups. He was level 16 and gained four more points to put down. So far, his stamina had not been a problem at all. His attack was still a little less than what he would have liked, but he could easily say that his biggest problem was HP. He nodded his head at his thought and put all four points into it. He pulled up his status and nodded in satisfaction. Stat points available: 0 Eliam Edward Level: 16 HP: 160/160 MP: 50/50 Life: 16 Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 12 Intelligence: 3 Once he was done, Eliam continued. This time, he was much more careful to watch for traps and where he stepped. He would rather not die in such a pathetic way again. Unfortunately, this would prove to be easier said than done, as some of the traps were hidden well. There were several plates hidden throughout the various paths, and he wondered how he had managed not to set any of them off when he had first come through here. Thoughts aside, everything was going decently until another skeleton crawled out of the dirt. Eliam smirked, ready, or at least until he saw what he was going up against. This skeleton was fully equipped with a set of heavy armor and a large double-sided battle axe. All and all, the look the skeleton gave was quite menacing. Still, Eliam prepared himself for the upcoming battle as it would not be easy. Once the skeleton fully emerged, it immediately charged him. Eliam smirked and dodged the slow blade of the axe. He then socketed the skeleton in the chest, not damaging it in the slightest. The health bar didn¡¯t even show up. Eliam¡¯s face paled as the skeleton prepared to throw down its axe again. He tried to jump out of the way but wasn¡¯t quick enough. The axe slammed down into his leg and didn¡¯t stop until it hit the ground. Needless to say, his leg was gone. Eliam began to scream in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching at his stump. The skeleton mercilessly marched up to him and raised the axe over its head. The last thing Eliam heard was a smooth slice, and everything went dark. *** Perhaps things weren¡¯t going to be so easy after all. That thought was all Eliam had on his mind as he walked toward the cathedral for what felt like the millionth time. He walked past the same rooms, the same design, the same art, all the way to the entrance to the dungeon. He pummeled the sole skeleton that was already coming out of the floor and moved on to the place in which the next three would come. As he fought them, one of them caught him off guard, causing him to trip. He stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding a blade to his neck. He paled as he finished off the skeletons. He was getting too careless. While fighting, he had ignored the notifications that he had leveled up. This time around, he had gained 4 more levels, leaving him at a grand total of level 20. Since he didn¡¯t know what would happen to the points if he died, he immediately spent them on life and dexterity. Specifically, he put two in each. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Eliam glanced down the hall that led to the armored skeleton. For some reason, it was on a completely different level than these guys. Clearly, the armor wasn¡¯t just for show. He walked back and forth, trying to come up with some sort of strategy to fight it. He could always die and continue to farm these skeletons, but he felt as if he would be losing a lot of time doing that. Eliam pulled up his status and carefully analyzed all of the clues it gave him. That was when he noticed his endurance. He had never paid close attention to it since he never needed to worry too much. He knew that would eventually change when he needed to wear armor and actually use a weapon. He froze, realizing that he had just thought of his answer. Sure, the skeleton had loads of armor and a strong weapon, but its endurance would be drained every time it moved. Originally, Eliam had run in there without thinking, and that had gotten him killed. He smiled a little too widely as he marched back down the hall. After almost triggering a trap, he patiently waited for the skeleton to appear. As it did, he backed up, forcing it to come to him. As soon as it fully pulled itself out of the ground, it immediately charged Eliam. However, it was much slower than the other skeletons. Eliam grinned, ecstatic that his hypothesis was right. He allowed the skeleton to get close to him and jumped back as it swung. The axe carved through the air and slammed into the ground with a rumble. It had been swung so hard that it was now lodged there. Eliam took advantage of the skeleton, trying to pull it out, and started a rampage of attacks against it. Even though he had hit it a plethora of times, its HP was still nearing 80% full. The skeleton finally whipped the axe out of the ground and brought it back over its head. Eliam rolled to the side as the axe smashed into the ground once more. He snorted as he rushed in to attack the skeleton again. Unfortunately, the skeleton did not swing as hard as last time because the axe was out as soon as Eliam got close. He panicked and slid, which turned out to be the right choice as the skeleton swung the axe horizontally. It barely missed the top of his head. Eliam pulled up to the skeleton and started swinging, dealing another ten percent to its health bar. He waited for the skeleton to swing, but it was hesitating. Slightly concerned, Eliam also paused; however, he quickly realized that it was out of stamina. He grinned and continued to punch the skeleton. Once it regained enough stamina to attack, its health was 50 percent. Eliam rinsed and repeated this strategy until the skeleton''s health bar was down to a sliver. With one final push, he rushed it and slammed his fist right into its face, dropping its final HP to zero. He grinned as the bell noise sounded in his head but frowned at the number it displayed. He had only received 800 essence from slaying that skeleton. How was that even fair? It had been significantly more difficult than the others. He continued to grumble as he assigned his two points to his dexterity and moved forward. The only idea he could come up with was that the skeletons he fought were the same, and it was the armor that made the difference. In that case, he would be at a severe disadvantage, considering he didn¡¯t have any. His mind went back to the set of armor he had found hidden in the cathedral. There was no doubt that it was powerful, but at a deadly cost. Eliam had died mere moments after he put just the helmet on. A slight shuffle from behind him caused Eliam to jump forward. Moments later, a skeleton in a dark cloak appeared behind him. This one hadn¡¯t dug itself out of the ground; it simply appeared out of nowhere. Eliam prepared himself for the unexpected fight and charged, not wanting to give the skeleton a chance to do so itself. He crashed into it, easily knocking it to the ground. He punched the dagger out of its hand and smacked down on it. After around ten hits, the skeleton¡¯s eyes dimmed, and it died. He sighed in relief as he gained another 800 essence and leveled up. This guy gave the same amount as well. He plugged the extra stat point into his dexterity and kept on going. Killing that skeleton seemed to confirm his theory about gear not having an impact on essence. He still wasn¡¯t sure about all the details, but it seemed like skeletons were just skeletons and gave out a certain amount of essence despite their gear. As he walked down the path, a skeleton started pulling itself out of the ground from behind him. He turned around to find another one of those heavily armored skeletons facing him. He groaned as he prepared himself for a long fight. He was about to dodge the incoming skeleton when a sharp pain started in his leg. He crumpled to the ground, noticing a sharp arrow sticking through it. He groaned as he glanced at a skeleton holding a bow in the distance. What a cruel trick. Moments later, his head was sliced off. *** Eliam stared at the sky, his back flat against the floor of the canyon. He had just had a long shift at the station and was trying to enjoy himself. At this point, Eliam could soundly say that this was no dream. Whatever this was, it was something bigger than he could have ever comprehended. If he wanted answers, then he would probably have to become strong enough to defeat either the blue-haired woman or that creepy nun thing. At this point, both of those feats still seemed impossible. He still struggled to comprehend how that woman had moved so fast. The other important factor was that she was the only other person he had seen in this place. She was also the only being that didn¡¯t immediately try to kill him, even if she did in the end. Perhaps she could be reasoned with. Unfortunately, getting to her would require Eliam to fight off the skeletons in between. As he was finding out, that would not be such a simple task. How he had managed to run through the first time was beyond him. He threw himself up and dragged himself in the direction of the cathedral. As he did, the path to the right caught his eye. The bronze death statue was there, but there was also a chest. One that he had never searched before. He knew that the bronze death statue was strong, but Eliam was starting to become competent in his own right. Also, if the item in the chest was valuable, then it could make all the difference. He fully turned toward the path and hesitated. He would likely die multiple times before even standing a chance. He would need to learn how the statue fought, its weaknesses and strengths. He clenched his fists and moved forward. At this point, he needed every buff he could get. The dungeon under the cathedral would only be getting harder, and he needed to even the odds. Eliam carefully made his way down the path to the small cave. He stared at the statue for a few moments, wondering what he could do to harm it. The armor looked impenetrable, but he knew there must have been something he could do. He stepped forward to analyze it further; however, it noticed him and pointed its sword in his direction. Eliam paled but held his ground. He was stronger. The statue charged him and swung. Eliam fell to the floor, barely dodging it. He then slammed a punch into the statue''s legs. All this succeeded in doing was damaging his fist. He rolled back, dodging another strike from the statue. Next, he watched it do something odd. It held its sword back for longer than usual and then struck toward Eliam with rapid speed. He dodged it, but the swing itself slammed into the ground and created a small shockwave, causing Eliam to stumble. The strength of that attack had been unbelievable. It wasn¡¯t like any of the armored skeleton attacks, but something much more powerful. The statue easily pulled its sword out of the ground and swiftly moved toward Eliam. He was beginning to think that he was in over his head. He needed to do something otherwise, he would be dead in a matter of moments. The statue had to have a weakness somewhere. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he looked, there were obvious signs as to where. Another swing caused Eliam to stumble back to dodge it. The statue quickly recovered and swung down. Eliam didn¡¯t have enough time to fully get out of the way, and his arm went flying. He cried out in pain, headbutted into the statue¡¯s hand. He was quickly brushed away and left with his face in the floor, waiting to be killed. However, Eliam had a smile on his face. Even as the sword swung into his neck, he maintained his demeanor. The statue¡¯s hand had cracked. The weakness was in its hands. Moments later, Eliam¡¯s head was sliced off. *** Eliam smiled devlishly as he walked to the bronze statue¡¯s cave. Upon entering, he immediately charged. The bronze statue proceeded to reenact the same motions as always, meaning that it still pointed its sword at Eliam despite the immediate threat. He wasted no time in punching the statue¡¯s hand and watched it crack heavily. Another punch shattered it, and the statue dropped the sword. Eliam moved to punch the next hand, but he was too slow. The statue had already recovered. He jumped backward but wasn¡¯t quick enough. The statue slammed its fist into him, and he slid backward. It was surprisingly weak. His HP displayed 157/180. It seemed that the statue relied on its sword for a lot of its power. Eliam dodged the statue¡¯s next strike and swung his fists at its other hand. The second punch shattered it, and the statue fell to its knees. Eliam sent one final punch to its forehead, and it crumbled into pieces. He smiled wildly as a +900 essence showed up. This guy had given more, although not by much. He shrugged and pulled up his status. There were no other enemies nearby, so he figured it would be a good time to check. Stat points available: 1 Eliam Edward Level: 24 HP: 180/180 MP: 50/50 Life: 18 Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 17 Intelligence: 3 He had one point to assign. He quickly put it into dexterity to make it match nicely with his life. Despite having won, he was curious about the statue. Specifically, that power attack it had done. He had never seen anything else like that. Was it something unique to the weapon or a feature? He shrugged, having no idea nor a clue. He would try to learn more after he died and came back. Eliam paused, somewhat concerned with getting used to dying. Sure, he seemingly had infinite lives in whatever this world was, but that would be true in his actual world. The last thing he wanted to do was something reckless there. He sighed, deciding to put this topic off for later. At that point, he wanted to investigate the chest he was finally able to dive into. He walked up to it and carefully lifted the top off. He was somewhat worried that there would be some sort of trap or something else of a similar nature. Instead, there was a small ring inside. Eliam carefully picked it up, wary of any curses or special effects that it would cause. The helmet incident was still fresh in his mind. Fortunately, after holding it for a few moments, nothing happened. It appeared to be safe, at least for the moment. He twirled it around in his fingers, wondering if it did anything. His status didn¡¯t seem to show anything. He slipped it on one of his fingers, and that quickly changed. He felt an immediate boost in dexterity. His status showed this to be true. Stat points available: 0 Eliam Edward Level: 24 HP: 180/180 MP: 50/50 Life: 18 Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 18 (22) Intelligence: 3 Equipment: Ring of the True Hero¡úA ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence. Eliam gleamed at his new dexterity. He figured that his actual with the ring was 22 while his own by itself was 18. He was also confused about his intelligence since he was supposed to get added stats to that. He figured that it must not show decimals, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he got any fraction bonus or if he needed to pass a certain threshold to get any at all. Either way, if he put a point into it, he would likely receive the 25% bonus. He wasn¡¯t crazy about video games like some people he had known, but he did know that this was a significant power boost, especially considering that it was a sole ring. Finding this was a huge boon. He left the cave and headed toward the cathedral. His next goal was to find out how to get back to that blue-haired woman and ask her some questions. He paused at the beginning of the dungeon to ensure that he was ready and entered. He crushed the skeleton in five hits and the next three in a similar amount. As always, these guys never failed to satisfy him in terms of levels. He received a nice boost of 3200 essence, which translated to four more levels. He did notice that with each level gained, it became somewhat harder to level up. Things would eventually slow down, but not yet, it seemed. He put two points into life and the other two into dexterity and kept going. It wasn¡¯t long before he encountered the armored skeleton again. This was the one that was alone, so he wasn¡¯t too concerned. That didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t going to be careful. He took care of the skeleton as quick as he could, but ended up inadvertently moving a little further down the hall when doing so. Sure enough, the assassin skeleton struck from out of nowhere. Thankfully, Eliam was prepared and dodged the strike. He punched the skeleton in the head, and it stumbled backward. A few swings later and it crumpled. Satisfied, he was about to turn to continue his campaign when the skeleton¡¯s body caught his eye. Up to this point, he had been ignoring them since he wasn¡¯t able to use the first few skeleton¡¯s swords. Upon further thought, he realized that this may have been an oversight. The skeletons were wearing armor, and this one in particular had a weapon. He picked up the dagger and immediately knew that he could use it. He did the same for the cloak. With this new equipment, he opened up his status. Stat points available: 2 Eliam Edward Level: 30 HP: 300/300 MP: 50/50 Life: 20 (30) Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 20 (25) Intelligence: 3 Equipment: Ring of the True Hero¡úA ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence. Unholy dagger¡ú 10 damage added with dexterity and 100 bonus damage if target is hit in the back. Unholy cloak¡ú +10 life, -10 damage intake. Unseen¡úTemporarily makes the user invisible while out of combat. MP cost¡ú25 Eliam gaped at the sudden increase in stats and the other bonus he received. Needless to say, it was impressive, and he felt rather stupid for not having realized this sooner. He also took the time to put his two extra points into dexterity. Once he was done gawking, he looked forward to the next battle with a newfound confidence. He was also trying his best not to dwell on the fact that he could have had a much easier time around if he had paid better attention. So, Eliam pushed forward and straight into the battle in which he encountered his most recent death. This time, as soon as he heard the skeleton behind him, he sprinted forward. Sure enough, another skeleton popped itself out, and with a bow at that. He pulled out his newfound weapon and slashed at the skeleton¡¯s face. It visibly staggered, allowing Eliam to unleash a flurry of three more swings. It was just after four swings that the skeleton collapsed and died. He then turned his attention to the armored skeleton behind him. It was charging wildly at him, likely burning up a lot of its stamina. Eliam easily dodged and managed to maneuver himself behind it. He kicked its legs in, causing it to fall forward onto its face. Eliam then plunged his dagger like a madman. After the fourth swing, the armored skeleton died. Eliam looked at the weapon in shock. He specifically went for the back because he knew it would cause more damage, but to that extent? He was laughing as he put the two points he received into his dexterity. He looked further into the hall and watched as it split into multiple paths. He took a moment to try to remember which way he had gone while he was running, but it was hopeless. There was no way he was going to remember, considering the panic he was in then. So, he walked forward and took a left. The saying may have been that right is always right, but he felt differently. He cautiously walked forward. He may not have remembered which way he went, but he did remember the various horrors he had seen. From flame throwers to large skeleton rats, he knew there was much more to this dungeon than just regular skeletons. He also remembered that the way to the woman was not obvious. He had to fall through a small hole to proceed to the room, which was naturally unituitive. The hall opened up into a large room, and he knew that he hadn¡¯t gone in the right direction. He let out a groan as a gate slammed down behind him and several skeletons thrust out of the ground. He readied his dagger, but he knew that things were not looking good for this run. At the back of the room, he could see multiple skeletons with bows and even wands. At the front was a layer of the armoer skeletons, and in between were other skeletons, except they wore a different armor. Eliam wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if multiple assassin skeletons were waiting to jump on him from behind as well. He glared at all of them and prepared for death. For a moment, everything was still. In the next, he roared as he charged into the fray. He killed a single skeleton before he was instantly ripped apart. 5: Through The Dungeon The first thing Eliam did as he awoke in the canyon was check his status. He had killed one skeleton before dying but had completely forgotten that he would need to assign the skill point. He was deathly worried he would lose it! Stat points available: 1 Eliam Edward Level: 33 HP: 200/200 MP: 50/50 Life: 20 Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 24 Intelligence: 3 He sighed in relief as he read that it was still ready to be assigned. He put it in dexterity, but he knew that he didn¡¯t need to assign them right away. If he needed to, he could wait. He did notice that all of his equipment was gone, which was to be expected. Of course, he had hoped it would stay with him, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense with how everything respawned and seemingly went back in time. That meant he would have to retrieve the ring from the cave. Considering that bronze statue''s weakness, this wasn¡¯t a huge deal, but it was another risk. He walked toward the cave and stared down at the bronze statue. He wondered how it came to be there. Did someone create it at one point? He entered, and the statue activated, pointing its sword at him. By then, Eliam was already in the middle of punching its right hand. This time, he shattered it in a single hit. The statue stumbled backward as if it didn¡¯t know how to process being handicapped so quickly. Eliam wasted no time in shattering the other hand and watching it crumble. He picked the ring back up and headed back toward the cathedral, where he would enter the dungeon. He wasn¡¯t sure how long it would take him to find that spot with the woman again, but he did know that it was possible within ten minutes of sprinting. The main issue was the twists and turns. Also, the entrance was rather hidden. He entered the cathedral and then the dungeon, where he annihilated the first four skeletons. They had no armor or particularly special abilities, so by then, it was a walk in the park. He had an inkling of a feeling that they were never supposed to be difficult; he was just severely underleveled before. The next four skeletons weren¡¯t very difficult either, considering he already knew what was coming for each battle. First was the armored skeleton, next was the assassin one, and then the pinch between the armored and the ranger. Of course, he had also been sure to pick up the assassin skeleton¡¯s gear along the way. After all of that, he was back at the crossroads. He glanced back at the left path, which had been a deathtrap. He groaned just thinking about it. He dragged himself off to the right, annoyed that his gut instinct had been wrong. Apparently, right really is always right. As he walked, the hall widened into something a little bit larger. Around him were various coffins, crypts, and other fun things. He braced himself for danger. There was no way that there would just be this long, wide hallway with absolutely no dangers lurking about. Sure enough, as soon as he took a few more steps, a skeleton at the end of the hall dug itself out of the ground. It wasn¡¯t holding a conventional weapon but a staff. Eliam didn¡¯t know what it was going to do, but whatever it was probably wasn¡¯t for show. It was also wearing robes, ones that gleamed with a slight blue energy. Eliam paled as he realized what it was. A skeleton mage. He ground his teeth, realizing that he had made a mistake in stopping to see what it was. If he had sprinted at it, he would have been able to stop it before it was able to attack him. Now, he was at a severe disadvantage. He started sprinting as the skeleton waved the staff in the air and sent a spark of blue his way. He slid to the ground, barely avoiding the sharp spike of energy. It impacted the floor not even a second later. Eliam glanced at the damage it had caused and paled. There was a visible dent in the stone floor. If that had hit him, then it would have been game over. He focused back on the mage skeleton and continued to rush him. This time, when it waved the staff, a rush of flame sparked at the grounds and then rushed toward Eliam. He dived out of the way, but it looped back around and rushed toward him from behind. He grasped at the ground to get a better hold and pushed himself up. He started sprinting away from the fire, but it was catching up to him. He was not going to make it to the skeleton. He knew he had to do something drastic; otherwise, he would die regardless. He pulled out his dagger and chucked it at the skeleton, praying that it would hit. Thankfully, it struck true, and the skeleton stumbled. This gave Eliam enough time to close the distance between it and pulled his dagger out of its body. He pushed the skeleton to the ground and slammed the dagger into its skull, severely warping it. It tried to fight back, but it was clearly not meant for close combat. Without the space and time to perform its magic, this skeleton was borderline useless. Eliam finished it off shortly and sighed. A +900 appeared in his vision. By then, he had multiple level-ups and, therefore, stat points he could assign. It had been tiresome to stop and so before each fight with the rabble, but now that he was in new territory, it was probably better to not be so risky. He opened up his status and looked to see what he could do. Stat points available: 9 Eliam Edward Level: 42 HP: 300/300 MP: 50/50 Life: 20 (30) Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 25 (31) Intelligence: 3 Equipment: Ring of the True Hero¡úA ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence. Unholy dagger¡ú 10 damage added with dexterity and +100 bonus damage if target is hit in the back. Unholy cloak¡ú +10 life, -10 damage intake. Unseen¡úTemporarily makes the user invisible while out of combat. MP cost¡ú25 Her boggled his eyes at his progress. Level 42 was an insane jump from where he had been before. He also had 9 more stat points to delegate. He smirked as he added 5 to his health and 4 to his dexterity. He began to wonder if he should start considering other options in terms of how he delegated his stats. He didn¡¯t want to become a lopsided warrior, as that would probably stunt his progression later on. Eliam moved forward, encountering more twists and turns. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t manage to end up in a death trap as he did before, but he did encounter some dead ends. Eventually, he found a familiar rotating beam. It was the very same one that had spit fire out at him all that time ago. He easily jumped over it, ecstatic that he was making progress. He had been sure to memorize the direction he had taken so he would be able to get back. As he walked down the hall, a hand suddenly pulled him out of the ground and held him in place. He easily shattered it to pieces and then froze as if he were forgetting something. His eyes widened as he threw up his dagger in front of him. Not even a second passed when a boomerang whistled toward him. He blocked it, but not without being pushed back tremendously. A few giggles sounded in front of him as he watched a shadow dance around with the boomerang in its hand. He charged it without hesitation, but as soon as he got close enough to swing, it simply disappeared. The whistling of the boomerang could be heard behind him as he whipped around and barely managed to block it in time. If it weren¡¯t for the dagger, he would be dead. He saw the shadow creature once again dancing in the distance, but he knew chasing it down would do nothing. There had to be something at play. He doubted that the creature was immortal, or at least he wanted to believe it wasn¡¯t. Eliam carefully analyzed the creature dancing around carelessly. It seemed shadowy and almost see-through. Instead of running toward it, Eliam went in the opposite direction. He heard a slight whine from behind but ignored it. Suddenly, the creature appeared in front of him, not so playful anymore. It growled as it waved the boomerang around. In a flash, it launched it at him. Eliam dodged it since he had predicted the attack and charged. The shadow creature disappeared upon impact, but Eliam noticed an essential clue. The boomerang hadn¡¯t returned to where the creature had been but to a dark corner of the hall. The problem was how the creature moved. Eliam wasn¡¯t sure if it would be able to easily escape him, even if its true form was somewhere in the shadows there. He nearly charged out of a lack of good options. That was until he remembered something about the cloak. With a smirk, Eliam himself disappeared. In the few moments he had, he sprinted toward the dark corner and stabbed down into it. For once, he felt contact. Slowly, the form of the shadow creature appeared, except now it was much clearer what it was. His blade was in the back of a dark furred monkey. That also explained how he had been able to kill it in one hit. As soon as he stabbed the monkey, he also felt his invisibility wear off. He had finally used the Unseen skill his cloak had. For the first time, his MP bar was less than full. He had also leveled up again, as always. This enabled him to make his dexterity an even 30, satisfying him greatly. He nodded to himself and trudged on. A few more skeletons popped up, but he quickly took care of them like it was nothing. He had fought them so much at this point that he didn¡¯t see any of them as a threat anymore. At least when they didn¡¯t spawn in hordes. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The halls he walked were starting to feel familiar. That familiarity soon died out as a large creak emerged from further in front of him. A large skeleton rat sniffed around and then stopped upon seeing him. Eliam gulped as they stared at each other for a few moments. Second later, the rat screeched out a horrible noise and charged him. He stumbled backward and used his Unseen skill in a panic. He moved behind the rat and stabbed in as hard as he could. It screeched in a rage as it swiped at him with its paws. One of them managed to graze his shoulder, and an immense pain erupted throughout Eliam. He growled as he jumped on top of it and stabbed it from above. The rat screeched as it keeled over and died. For as menacing as it was, it sure wasn¡¯t tough to kill. Eliam glanced over at a small tunnel that was barely wide enough for him to fit. The dungeon continued in other directions, but he knew that this was the place where he had fought the woman. He walked inside and hopped down the hole that went straight down. Once he landed, he checked his status, preparing himself for the fight ahead. Stat points available: 2 Eliam Edward Level: 45 HP: 300/350 MP: 0/50 Life: 25 (35) Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 30 (37) Intelligence: 3 Equipment: Ring of the True Hero¡úA ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence. Unholy dagger¡ú 10 damage added with dexterity and +100 bonus damage if target is hit in the back. Unholy cloak¡ú +10 life, -10 damage intake. Unseen¡úTemporarily makes the user invisible while out of combat. MP cost¡ú25 His status was looking much different than it was when he first started. He still didn¡¯t think he stood a chance against the blue-haired woman, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. He needed answers and a way to get out of this canyon. She was the only other sentient person he had seen in this place. He tried waiting a little to see if his MP or HP regenerated. Neither did, prompting him to sigh. It seemed that he would have to rest somehow for that to happen. He decided to put two points into health since he might need to tank some hits. Although, he wasn¡¯t sure if even a hundred more points would help him here. He looked toward the large room in front of him and walked inside. The magnificent blue katana was inside the altar, the same as it was the last time he came. He glanced around, wondering where that woman even came from. There was nowhere she could have hidden. He shrugged his shoulders as he walked to the door, except he ensured he kept an eye out. As soon as he neared the doors, a woman jumped from above, which had to have been a fatal fall. Furthermore, she made no noise when doing so. ¡°Hmm, you aren¡¯t going to try to take it?¡± a curious feminine voice sounded. Eliam turned to face the blue-haired woman, her yellow eyes staring at him curiously. ¡°No, but that¡¯s not going to stop you from killing me, is it?¡± Eliam asked. She smiled, a little too widely. ¡°Ah, of course not¡­ but I must say, you intrigue me. You have come down here¡­ to simply leave?¡± Eliam shook his head. ¡°No, actually, I¡¯ve come down here to see you.¡± The woman narrowed her eyes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have questions¡­ many of them. Would you entertain me for a brief moment?¡± Eliam asked. ¡°Entertain you? I suppose there is no harm, but why did you mention me specifically? How would you know I am down here? My presence was never known to the world.¡± The woman frowned. ¡°Have you never left?¡± Eliam asked. ¡°I have not.¡± Elaim sighed. ¡°That is miserable¡­ I am sorry.¡± The woman snarled. ¡°Miserable? This duty is of the greatest honor! To guard the hero, Sagmin¡¯s sword is a responsibility many would have begged to have.¡± Eliam¡¯s sad look didn¡¯t fade away but only deepened. If that¡¯s what she believed, then there was likely nothing he could do to change her mind. ¡°My apologies. I meant no disrespect. This¡­ Sagmin¡­ who was he?¡± The women relaxed slightly. ¡°One of the heroes¡­ who defeated the demon fiend Quarlak long ago. He may have perished in his battle, but his legacy will forever live on in this sword.¡± ¡°What of Quarlak?¡± Eliam asked. ¡°Banished¡­¡± The woman sighed. ¡°But not dead.¡± ¡°Why does no one finish him off?¡± Eliam wondered aloud. ¡°Because such a task is impossible!¡± the woman screeched. ¡°Evil incarnate can not be defeated so easily.¡± ¡°And you guard the sword¡­ why do you not try to create a group to defeat the fiend once and for all?¡± Eliam said. The woman hissed. ¡°As if it were that simple. His influence has tainted this world, and none can be trusted.¡± ¡°And you believe I am tainted as well¡­ that I wish to inform this Quarlak of the position of the weapon?¡± Eliam said. The woman thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Yes, if Quarlak were to find out and the weapon destroyed, then all would be lost. I cannot allow that to happen¡­ and that is why¡­¡± She walked toward the sword and pulled it out. ¡°You must die.¡± ¡°Your name?¡± Eliam asked quietly. ¡°What is it?¡± She looked at him sharply and pointed the sword at him. ¡°I am Nemina Novak, descendent of Sagmin the hero!¡± In a flash, she was next to him, but this time, Eliam was ready. He dodged her strike and swung his dagger at her. She jumped back from him with a look of slight shock on her face. However, she did not let that stop her. She sheathed the katana, but her hand never left the handle. Instead, she crept forward, seemingly ready for anything. Eliam knew that getting anywhere near her in this state would probably be suicide. So, he did the unpredictable. He chucked his dagger at her, and she moved. In a mere second, the dagger was cut into two halves, her swing leaving only a blue arc behind it. Unfortunately for her, Eliam was already on top of her. He tackled her and was about to punch her when he felt his body stiffen. It was almost getting colder. He tried to jump back but his legs didn¡¯t listen to him. Instead, he fell over, leaving him wide open. ¡°How?¡± Eliam croaked. Nemina frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like relying on my aura, but it seems that was the case. No matter, you fought decently. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Eliam shouted, desperate for more answers. What the hell was an aura? Nemina took a step forward and stabbed Eliam in the heart. He croaked as he collapsed and died. *** A sigh escaped Eliam¡¯s lips as he awoke in his car. He was hardly even thinking about his most recent death, just about what Nemina had revealed. Supposedly, she was protecting the hero¡¯s sword from some evil supervillain that was bound to return. He kind of understood why she was so protective. It was true that if the wrong person left there alive, then everything could be compromised. The one caveat was that he hated that he was included. Despite this, he still needed to find a way out of the hellhole, and honestly, fighting Nemina seemed like a superior alternative to the nun thing. Whatever it was still creeped him out tremendously. Eliam could still remember the shriek it rang out and how it busted his ear drums. He shuddered at the thought and pushed it out of his mind. He would find a way to beat Nemina, and then, he would find a way out of the canyon. Those were his main goals for the time being. Unfortunately, he was not sure how long they would take. There was no doubt in his mind that Nemina had many tricks up her sleeve. Before this last fight, he had never heard or seen anything about an aura. He wasn¡¯t too surprised since he largely had to figure everything out on his own, but it was still something else to look out for. He wondered if he could get one as well. Having such a boon as to be able to freeze people who neared was overpowered. Eliam dragged himself out of the car and to the gas station, which was conveniently right next to him. He walked inside and waved at Josh. After a quick conversation, he was left alone for the start of his shift. He had been here for a while now, and he had saved up quite a bit of money. He was still nowhere near how much he had owned before he left, but it was something. Since he left, he hadn¡¯t spoken to any of his family members much. He tried to call Max back a few more times since the one time they had spoken, but the call was always ended before it even rang. It was likely that his parents had forced Max to change his number. Eliam sighed, saddened that he had lost contact. He sometimes wondered if made the right choice, running out like that. He still believed he did, but if he could change anything, it would be to somehow help Max out. After thinking about it a little more, something similar happened with his sister. One day, she just left. When Eliam tried to ask where she went, his mother had told him she abandoned them and that she was never coming back. Eliam felt himself spiraling into rage before forcing himself to calm down. If that was true, and his sister was still willing to see him again, then he could probably find her. The door to the station rang as a customer walked in. To Eliam¡¯s surprise, it was that creepy old woman from before. Once again, she rubbed her hands all over all of the merchandise, prompting Eliam to ask, ¡°Do you need something?¡± She turned to him, feigning surprise. ¡°Oh, no. Just an old woman looking for some comfort.¡± Eliam¡¯s face warped into disgust. The way she had said it was off. Hell, her entire person was off. ¡°Well, I am going to have to ask that you stop touching the items,¡± Elaim demanded. The woman frowned. ¡°Am I not allowed to see what you have to offer?¡± Eliam wanted to rebute but ultimately sighed. There was no point in arguing with someone mentally ill. After the pause, she went back to molesting the merchandise, which was beginning to annoy Eliam. ¡°Listen, if you don¡¯t leave, I am going to call the police,¡± Eliam said. The woman froze and slowly turned around. ¡°What?¡± She took a few steps toward him in a very unsettling way Eliam couldn¡¯t quite explain. His hand moved to the panic button, readying himself to press it. The woman¡¯s hand entered her pockets, and he prepared for the worse. She moved her hand out, and he tensed up, but all she brought out was a wrinkly ten dollar bill. ¡°I would like a lottery ticket, please.¡± She grinned at him. He wanted to snap at her but ultimately got her the ticket. She glanced at it and then left without saying another word. She was gone, but Eliam had a bad feeling this would not be the last time he saw her. He wondered if Josh could do anything about it. A sigh escaped his lips as he finally relaxed. How could some people go on living like that? *** Eliam returned to the cathedral after getting the ring from the bronze statue; however, he was not going to travel to the dungeon quite yet. He was actually on the second floor, staring at the armor set on the skeleton. The last time he had put it on, he instantly died. He was hoping that this time, he was not so unfortunate. He shakily grabbed the helmet and laid it on his head. This time, he had his status pulled up so he could see everything that happened. The equipment section soon filled with details of the armor. He also noticed something else substantial. His health was draining. Stat points available: 0 Eliam Edward Level: 45 HP: 370/390 MP: 110/110 Life: 27 (39) Mind: 10 (22) Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 30 (37) Intelligence: 3 Equipment: Ring of the True Hero¡úA ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence. NovaFrost Armor Level 1¡ú Only those worthy of being called heroes can wear this armor. Continuously drains life force to function. Leveling can improve its function. ¡ú +50 Life, +50 mind, +10 dexterity, +10 intelligence -50 damage intake Frost Aura¡ú Freezes anyone who dares to come near you. Eliam frowned as he noticed how fast the armor drained from his HP. It was no wonder that he died so fast when he was still level one. He quickly took off the helmet and set it back down on the skeleton. He wouldn¡¯t be able to touch this armor for a long time. As he was, Eliam would probably only last a minute maximum with the full set. He sighed as he turned away from the armor and left the room. He was hoping that it would have been helpful in his battle against Nemina, but it seems he was wrong. That was not to say that it was not powerful. It certainly was. The armor boosted almost all of his essential stats and provided him with an aura. Furthermore, it was only level 1. He didn¡¯t know equipment could level up. Still, using it was beyond his scope at this point. He needed to get stronger. He walked back down to the dungeon and began his battle against the skeletons, only to slip while doing so. Two of the skeletons jumped on him, and he promptly died. 6: A Chilly Cycle Eliam was back at the dungeon, kicking himself for that stupid death. He had wasted an entire day by going and getting himself killed like that. This time around, he crushed the stupid skeletons relentlessly. Honestly, he had probably overdone it, as parts of their bones had been ground into dust. He kept going until he reached the armored skeleton. He easily dodged its slow swings and kicked it to the ground. He then punched it multiple times until it died. Next, he grabbed the assassin skeleton, who was just about to attack him, and threw it to the ground, where he ripped the knife from its hand and shoved it into its throat. He then reunited himself with his Unholy cloak and dagger. His rampage proceeded down the path he had originally taken to get back to where Nemina was. However, he was not going to go fight another pointless battle with her. First, he was going to scour this entire dungeon to get every last advantage he could get. He was also going to level up as much as he could. He slammed the mage skeleton into the ground and then easily killed it with a single thrust of his dagger. The usual level-up occurred, but something different happened this time, which caused him to pause. The bell sound was grander and lasted for much longer. Not only that, but something very interesting popped up in his vision. It said he had received an aura. His eyes widened as he practically shot up open his status. Stat points available: 5 Eliam Edward Level: 50 HP: 370/370 MP: 50/50 Life: 27 (37) Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 30 (37) Intelligence: 3 Equipment: Ring of the True Hero¡úA ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence. Unholy dagger¡ú 10 damage added with dexterity and +100 bonus damage if target is hit in the back. Unholy cloak¡ú +10 life, -10 damage intake. Unseen¡úTemporarily makes the user invisible while out of combat. MP cost¡ú25 Aura: Razor Sharp¡úAir itself is sharpened, damaging foes and projectiles around you. Bypasses defense. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what his aura meant, but it sounded powerful, especially since it ignored armor. A brief image of a skeleton being reduced to shreds before it even reached him filled his mind. Needless to say, it was an exciting thought. He also had five more stat points to assign. He immediately moved to put them into dexterity but hesitated. He already had so much there, and his other stats were starting to lag behind. His life was alright, but what about his mind, intelligence, or endurance? They were all still how he had received them. He sighed and placed 3 points into his mind and 2 into endurance. It wasn¡¯t much for either, but it was a start. He turned back toward the path deeper into the dungeon and grinned. It was time to play with the shadow monkey. Eliam didn¡¯t want to waste his Unseen skill on it this time, so he decided he would just see what would happen if he didn¡¯t use it. He blocked the first boomerang and immediately made a beeline in the direction of the dark spot where the money was hiding. He arrived in moments, and the creature was about to move into another shadow when it screeched. It suddenly appeared out of nowhere, dozens of cuts rapidly covering its body. Eliam hesitated for a moment before stabbing the poor monkey to finish it off. His aura was no joke. He pulled the dagger out of the monkey, and it died with a squeal. He received his 900 essence right after. After a brief moment of comprehending what had just happened, he moved on to the skeleton rat, which was another easy kill. For whatever reason, the rat only gave the 400 essence, which made him pause. It had given more before. Suddenly, he thought back to all the skeletons he had killed today. He hadn¡¯t been paying close attention to the essence he received from them since he was so used to killing them. Did his growth get stunted? He would find out in his next battle. Instead of going back down the hole to Nemina, Eliam pushed forward. He knew that there was a good chance he would end up in another trap, but he also knew he had to take risks. There was a possibility there was equipment lying around that would make a big difference in his fight against Nemina. Three more skeletons popped out of the ground, but they were all armored. The slight difficulty increase didn¡¯t matter as Eliam tore through them with ease. Just like the skeleton rats, each kill only gave him 400 essence. He was no longer receiving the full 800. If that weren¡¯t bad enough, he knew that he had some leftover essence from killing the other enemies. Still, even with that and the newly received essence, he wasn¡¯t even halfway to the next level. Eliam paled as he realized how much his leveling would be slowing down. It seemed that getting an aura hit some sort of checkpoint that slowed his leveling. He wasn¡¯t sure if this had something to do with the skeletons giving less essence, but at this point, it wasn¡¯t important. Things were going to get harder from here on out either way. Still, he was stronger than ever before. He kept moving, curious as to what resided at the end of the dungeon. Soon, he entered a large room with a throne in the middle of it. A man was sitting on the throne, seemingly unguarded. His face looked sleazy, and his eyes were hollow with greed. Slick robes were draped over his body, displaying his skills as some sort of mage. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s you who has been slaying all of my denizens,¡± the man said. Eliam narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Your denizens¡­ are you the one summoning the skeletons?¡± The man nodded, an amused look dancing in his eyes. ¡°I am. I have been using them to search this wretched place for the hero¡¯s sword.¡± ¡°The katana? Why do you want it?¡± Eliam asked. The man¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Want it? Oh, heavens no. I must destroy it¡­ for Quarlak.¡± Eliam frowned as he stared the man down. Were the skeletons not part of the cathedral? Was this place even supposed to be a dungeon? A plethora of questions ran through his head. ¡°But you seem to know where it is, now don¡¯t you?¡± the man asked. ¡°Know where what is?¡± Eliam snarled. ¡°The katana, you¡¯re familiar with it. Well, if you would be so kind as to show me where it is,¡± the man asked. Eliam shook his head. ¡°I am afraid you are mistaken.¡± The man rolled his eyes as if he instantly knew Eliam was lying. ¡°Boy, I can read you easier than a book. Tell me where it is, and maybe I will let you live. The alternative is becoming a zombie, and then I will force you to tell me where it is, regardless.¡± Eliam readied his dagger as the man smiled widely. ¡°I was hoping to be diplomatic, but I have no qualms with turning you.¡± The man stood up from the throne, a staff appearing in his hand as he did so. A sickly green aura radiated off from it as he pointed it at Eliam and muttered something. A wave of green energy shot toward Eliam, and he tried to dodge. Somehow, the energy turned to follow him and was about to hit him when it was sliced apart. Eliam¡¯s eyes widened realizing that his aura had just saved his ass. The man frowned. ¡°What an interesting aura. I have never seen one such as that before. When you are my slave, you will no doubt be a great asset to me.¡± The man launched another beam of energy at Eliam, but this time, he was ready. He charged toward the man, preparing to swing at him. The green energy was cut to shreds by his aura, and he swung at the man. He was blocked by the staff. The man boomed some sort of chant, and this putrid ooze leaked from the staff and moved to the dagger. However, as this was happening, the man shouted in pain. Eliam jumped backward, barely moving his weapon away in time. It was a good thing he did so, as everything that had been touched corroded away in seconds. He glanced at the man, who now had dozens of cuts all over him. None of them were fatal, but it didn¡¯t look like they felt too great. The man¡¯s health bar was lowered. Not a ton, but a good tenth just from his aura. ¡°You little¡­¡± the man hissed. He raised his staff and chanted away. A large shriek sounded as the dirt below him crashed open. The skeleton of a creature Eliam had never seen before came out of the ground. The man pointed at Eliam, and the creature screeched. It ran at him on all fours, stumbling around. Whatever this creature was, it was dangerous. As soon as it neared Eliam, multiple scratches started to cover it, but that¡¯s all they were. Small scratches. It barely dented its health bar. Eliam knew that it was too quick for him to dodge, so he was forced to clash with it head-on. As soon as he did, he regretted it. The skeleton beast easily threw him backward, dealing nearly 50% of his health in one hit. Eliam dragged himself back up, but the beast was already headed in his direction. He didn¡¯t want to use it this quickly, but he had no choice. He used his invisibility and disappeared, prompting the beast to slide to a stop and sniff around. The man narrowed his eyes as if waiting for any sudden movement. He ignored the beast and rushed the man. As soon as he neared, his aura activated, and he reappeared so much for his Unseen skill. The man¡¯s face filled with pain as Eliam¡¯s aura lowered his HP; however, he held strong, knowing that Eliam was short on time before the beast came running back Eliam heard the beast roar as it began to chase him down. However, this was not before he moved to stab the man, except it was a feint. He slipped behind the man and stabbed him in the back. The man¡¯s eyes widened as his HP dropped dramatically. That, plus the few seconds of Eliam¡¯s aura, meant his HP was dangerously low. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°You! How are you this strong?¡± he hissed. Eliam jumped backward, barely avoiding the beast¡¯s charge. He was about to use his second Unseen skill when he noticed that his MP was getting dangerously close to the halfway point. This didn¡¯t make sense, as he only used the skill once. He should have had plenty of MP for another. The man growled as he pointed to Eliam, sending the beast charging in his direction. Eliam feigned panic but soon disappeared again. The man hissed as he rapidly started casting some sort of spell, but it would never hit Eliam. Moments later, he threw his dagger well out of range for any spell. It pierced the man¡¯s head, and he fell to the ground, dead. The beast hissed as it started crumbling to dust. Eliam stayed tense until a +1000 showed up on his screen; however, something else did as well. The words ¡®fiend slain¡¯ were displayed in front of him. This man had been something more than just another person. Eliam silently went through the man¡¯s belongings. Largely, everything he used was not meant for his fighting style; however, the amulet he was wearing was of interest. After putting it on, Eliam could tell that he had looted it from here. Amulet of the Hero¡úForged by the blood, sweat, and tears of a fallen hero. +25% mind, +25% endurance. He glanced forward and noticed that there was a small path that continued forward. He followed it, noticing the countless skeleton corpses lining the floor. It really was that man who had been controlling them. The path out of the cathedral wasn¡¯t going up but further down. It was also largely dirt, as if it weren¡¯t supposed to be there. Maybe it wasn¡¯t. Eliam wasn¡¯t sure where it was going to lead, but it was not looking like it would be a much better place. Soon, the path opened up into something he could have never imagined. In front of him was the entrance to a massive labyrinth. The walls were of stone, and the floor was hard as rock. The lighting was faint, allowing for only small details to be seen. Eliam could not see where the labyrinth ended nor where it began. Startled at this revelation, he paused. He wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to take on this place yet, especially considering his inability to defeat Nemina. If he couldn¡¯t beat her, then who knew if he could beat some of the monstrosities that surely roamed this place. Eliam turned to leave but was startled to find that only a wall stood behind him. He was about to panic until he found that he could straight-up walk through it. He sighed as he felt safe in the corridors of the dungeon. That may have sounded weird, but he was familiar with it. That damn labyrinth only induced panic. He sighed as he walked back to where his battle with that man had taken place. It seemed that Nemina hadn¡¯t been wrong to have been so on guard. The problem was that she was blind in her proctivenes and had allowed for the entire basement of this cathedral to be turned into a dungeon. This made Eliam wonder if it was possible to reason with her. He didn¡¯t enjoy having to fight her, and even if he could, he didn¡¯t want to kill her. She didn¡¯t seem like the bad guy here. That could not be said for the man, as he had been a necromancer of some kind. Somehow, Eliam felt as if he could conclude that the man was not supposed to be good. Before going back to Nemina, Eliam decided to do a quick run-through of the dungeon to ensure he had gotten everything possible. As it turns out, he had actually managed to explore the entire place, at least every spot that was visible. Hell, if he knew if there were any secrets he was missing. He had even gone back to that death trap where all the skeletons had ambushed him. There was a chest at the end, but it conveniently gave him an unholy set of armor. Yay, he was incredibly excited about that. With a sigh, he had nowhere to go besides the labyrinth or Nemina. Both options seemed like suicide, but he would only be wasting time idling. He slipped down the hole to where Nemina resided and walked inside. Instead of waiting for her to come to him, he shouted, ¡°Nemina!¡± She dropped down from wherever it was she came from and glared at him. ¡°How do you know me?¡± ¡°I dunno¡­ but hear me out, you¡¯ve got a bit of a skeleton problem,¡± Eliam said. She gave him a puzzled look, practically confirming his theory. ¡°What? Impossible, skeletons can only exist in the presence of a necromancer, which classifies as a power accessible to those that worship Quarlak. Someone of such a nature could never reside here.¡± ¡°And what makes you so sure of that?¡± Eliam asked. ¡°There are measures in place to prevent such,¡± Nemina responded coldly. ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Like I would tell you¡­ Anyway, I am not here for discussion. You have come for the sword, and you have found it. Now, I will¡­¡± Nemian started. ¡°Yeah, no. Are you aware that the cathedral connects to a huge labyrinth?¡± he asked. Nemina froze, visibly in shock. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, so I don¡¯t know what your security measures are, but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not supposed to be there,¡± he said. ¡°You lie,¡± she hissed. ¡°I would have noticed someone creating a whole path to the Nircozonian Domain¡­¡± ¡°Nirco¨Cwhat? Listen, I¡¯m not trying to manipulate you. I had to fight skeletons throughout the entire cathedral basement to get here. Some man was controlling them and¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± she shouted angrily. ¡°You trample into my domain, and you speak of lies! I am tired of listening to this impossible foolishness. I will slay you here and now!¡± She marched toward the sword, and Eliam groaned. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just listen, you stubborn bitch!¡± By then, she had already lost all reason and had pulled the sword out. She pointed it at Eliam and, in a mere moment, flashed across the battlefield. He dodged the initial attack and jumped backward, trying to avoid getting close to Nemina. He needed some sort of way to avoid her frost aura, or else he wasn¡¯t sure how he would fight her. As he was contemplating his next action, she rushed him. He used his dagger to parry her attack and swiped at her. Both of their auras quickly affected each other, and they both jumped back. She hissed at him, a drop of blood running down her face. ¡°How annoying.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can say the same about yours,¡± Eliam smirked. She growled at him as she sheathed the katana. He prepared himself, ready for that strange attack she had done in her last battle. However, she didn¡¯t inch forward this time but rapidly swung the blade. A beam of ice magic rocketed toward Eliam, and he was completely unprepared. It went straight through his aura and slammed into him, causing him to stumble backward. He felt blood rushing up his throat as he watched Nemina rush toward him. ¡°You, fool,¡± he muttered. He noticed her slightly frown at his declaration, but ultimately, his words would change nothing. He knew his death was inevitable, but he would not go down easily. Once she neared, he growled and stabbed into her with his blade. Unfortunately, this meant that Eliam had also been impaled. With the last of his strength, he clutched on to her, allowing her to feel the full brunt of his aura. She began to scream as his vision faded. He almost felt bad, at least until he remembered that she was mercilessly killing him. *** Eliam sat on the second on the second floor of the cathedral, his legs swinging off the edge. He was annoyed and feeling quite hopeless. Sure, he could simply continue to the labyrinth, but he didn¡¯t want to. He wanted to help Nemina, but he simply couldn¡¯t think of a way to get her to trust him. He needed a way to convince her that what he was saying was real and that it wasn¡¯t him who was the enemy. The problem was that no matter what, trusting him would be a risk, and she was completely opposed to that. No matter what, he would probably need to defeat her. Even then, he wasn¡¯t sure she wouldn¡¯t try to suicide kill him or something. He sighed, unable to think of any real solution. He knew that she wasn¡¯t just some evil, irrational being, or at least he hoped so. He pulled himself up and walked toward the dungeon. He had a few ideas in mind. He ran through the dungeon, killing every skeleton in his path. Unfortunately, the combined essence of 7100 was not enough to push him over whatever limit the next level was, so he stayed at 50. He dropped back down into the hole and walked out into the familiar room. He had never tried grabbing the katana, and he never would. If it was anything like the armor, he would probably die as soon as he touched it. That or something worse. Instead of doing anything, he simply sat down, waiting for Nemian to show. He wanted to see how long it would take her. After around five minutes, she dropped down, staring at him. ¡°What is it you are trying to do?¡± ¡°Annoy you?¡± he said blankly. ¡°What? You have already done that by coming here in the first place,¡± she replied. She was already beginning to walk toward the sword. Eliam groaned. ¡°Can we not sit and talk? I am not with Quarlak. I do not desire the sword, it would probably kill me if I touched it anyway. I am not trying to desecrate anything. Is conversation truly impossible?¡± Nemina turned toward him. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You are aware that a necromancer lurks in this place?¡± Eliam pointed out. She paused. ¡°Do not try to deceive me with your lies. Such a thing is impossible.¡± ¡°Yeah, not when there is a tunnel to the Nircozonian Domain.¡± ¡°What? That is impossible!¡± she shrieked. ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Yes, you are!¡± she hissed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe me, but don¡¯t be surprised when he comes knocking with hundreds of skeletons,¡± Eliam said. ¡°I¡­I will kill you!¡± she screamed as she pulled the sword out of the altar. ¡°You are a stubborn fool, apparently incapable of critical thought,¡± Eliam hissed angrily. ¡°I am not!¡± she screamed. ¡°I am the successor of Sagmin, the hero! I¡­ I will protect this place until I die!¡± ¡°And you already failed! A necromancer searches this place for you, and it is only a matter of time until he finds you! I¡¯ve no doubt you will fall once he raises enough skeletons!¡± Eliam growled. Nemina was shaking in anger, tears forming on her face. This may not have been the state Eliam wanted, but at least it was something different. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go and see if I am lying or not and then make your judgment? If I am wrong, then you can kill me.¡± Eliam proposed. Nemina froze, thinking about it. After a few moments, she shook her head. ¡°I do not care if I am stubborn or a fool. I will die before I am tricked by one such as you.¡± Next, she rushed him, and Eliam groaned, preparing for battle. *** Eliam jumped down the hole, dragging the rat with him. He practically chucked it out into the middle of the arena, ensuring that Nemina could see it. She jumped down, enraged. Eliam was about to explain, but she immediately grabbed the sword and rushed him, yelling something about how he raised it. A fight that he would lose ensued. *** The next effort involved baiting the actual necromancer down there. Eliam wasn¡¯t sure if this was even possible, but he would try. He began this attempt by rushing for the necromancer, grabbing his attention, and then running away. Unfortunately, rather than come after him, he sent that maniacal beast to chase him. Unfortunately, Eliam was not strong enough to defeat it on his own, so he decided that it would have to do. He sprinted back to the hole and jumped down, only to realize that the beast was no longer following him. Eliam groaned aloud as he rushed into the battlefield, awaiting his next death from Nimena. *** This time, Eliam would be smarter about how he tricked the necromancer. As soon as he neared the throne room, he walked straight in and declared, ¡°I know where the sword is!¡± The man looked at him curiously. ¡°Oh? And what makes you so sure?¡± ¡°Well, if you would follow me, then I will show you. There¡¯s this altar where it¡¯s residing in,¡± Eliam explained. Finally, the necromancer stood up and motioned for Eliam to lead the way. ¡°I see you easily took care of my minions. That should not have been such an easy feat as I fear it was for you,¡± the man muttered. ¡°Yes, well, it was necessary to reach you¡­ What is your name?¡± Eliam asked. ¡°Nolmus Xarcan, I would have assumed you would have known of me¡­ I¡¯m quite famous.¡± Nolmus smirked. Eliam rolled his eyes and pointed to the tunnel. ¡°It¡¯s down there.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ why don¡¯t you go down first?¡± Nolmus asked Eliam rolled his eyes and hopped down. Nolmus followed, and soon, they both entered the large room with the altar. As soon as Nolmus saw the sword, his eyes glimmered. ¡°Ah, I see you were not lying¡­ you have my thanks¡­ now, die!¡± he yelled. At least, until he was stabbed in the back by Eliam. Nolmus choked up some blood and then died when he was stabbed again. As soon as he died, Nimena jumped down and stared at him. ¡°You would betray your allies?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t an ally; he was a necromancer here to destroy the sword,¡± Eliam pointed out. She froze, realization slowly dawning on her. ¡°A necromancer?¡± ¡°Yes, and he was raising an army of skeletons to search for the sword. He was going to destroy it,¡± Eliam said. ¡°And you worked with him?¡± Nimena quickly asked. ¡°No, of course not. That is why I killed him,¡± Eliam responded. ¡°He said you showed him the way?¡± Nimena said. ¡°Yes, to show you that there was a necromancer here!¡± Eliam snapped, seeing that Nimena was inching toward the sword. ¡°You are likely trying to set me up. You wish for me to let my guard down.¡± Nimena said as she walked toward the sword. Eliam groaned as he cried, ¡°No! I am not trying to destroy the fucking sword! I am trying to stop you from attacking me each fucking loop!¡± She gave him an odd look and growled, ¡°I need no saving. Now, you will die.¡± And he sure as hell did. 7: Just Trust Me Already! Eliam was back on the second floor of the cathedral, hanging off the side, trying not to kill himself. By then, he had tried nearly a dozen different methods in gaining Nemina¡¯s trust, but they all failed. Every time, she came up with an excuse as to why he was dangerous. He was beginning to think there was no way to convince her and that she would forever attempt to end his life. Yet, he knew there was one thing he hadn¡¯t tried or at least hadn¡¯t been capable of trying. He needed to defeat her. He didn¡¯t know how, but he did know that he would at least have some leverage if he managed such a feat. He stood up and went back down to the dungeon. He wasn¡¯t sure how he could even level up further. There was no longer enough essence to level up unless he tried to go against that death trap of a horde. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t think it would be remotely possible to win when he had dozens of projectiles and enemies coming his way. He assumed that was where Nolmus was keeping his skeleton army for when he found the sword. Presumably, he would then overwhelm Nemina with numbers rather than skill. Ultimately, the main issue was that Eliam had no idea how he could go about winning against Nemina. She was incredibly strong and faithful to her beliefs. He could go into the labyrinth; however, he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to do that. Truthfully, that place gave him the chills. Although, there was a good chance he would find some stronger enemies there. He groaned as he jumped down the hole and into the sword room. Surely, there was something he could have done to defeat her. Maybe she had a weakness somewhere. Moments later, she jumped down and stared at him. ¡°Why do you look so dejected?¡± ¡°Huh? The hell do you mean?¡± he hissed. ¡°Were you not looking for the sword? You look like you''re disappointed,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for the sword; I am trying to think,¡± he explained. ¡°About?¡± she asked. ¡°How to convince you not to attack me.¡± She gave him a weird look. ¡°Not possible.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Eliam asked. ¡°Well, because you know where the sword is. I cannot risk Quarlak finding it. A single person leaving, even if innocent, can easily relay that location and have it destroyed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late, Nimena. There was already a necromancer here before I even arrived. They¡¯re already close.¡± Eliam said. ¡°What?¡± her eyes widened. ¡°The sword isn¡¯t even safe here anymore,¡± Eliam said. A sad look came over her face, one that he hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°Then it will be safe nowhere. I will make my final stand here, starting with you,¡± she said solemnly. Nimena yanked the sword out of the altar and pointed it at Eliam. He readied himself and watched as she flashed across the room and swung. He nimbly dodged and pulled her forward, getting an easy first strike. He quickly jumped backward as if to avoid being frozen. Her first attack was always incredibly predictable, which made it easy for Eliam to counter. After her first attack, things typically got much harder and much less consistent. There were a plethora of different attacks she could use, and which one she chose depended on a variety of factors. It was random. He had also learned that her aura needed time to work, and if he pulled away in time, it reset. As long as he didn¡¯t get stuck near her for an extended period, he would be fine. Unfortunately, this meant he could not initiate a flurry of attacks. He kind of got one attack each time he neared. She sheathed the katana and inched forward. This was one of the more difficult attacks to manage since she could perform two in this state. She could either get up close and use the powerful and very unblockable slash, or she could send a beam of ice magic at him. He could tank at least one of the magic attacks, but only one. It also left him slightly dazed, and typically, she finished him off from there. Eliam disappeared from view and maneuvered himself behind her. As soon as he neared her, she turned in his direction and unleashed a powerful slash. It barely missed him, which was a first, and he stabbed her in the stomach. She cried out in pain as she rapidly sheathed the katana to attack again. Eliam used the Unseen skill again, barely managing to get away before his head was sliced off. Her face was warped with pain from his aura and his attacks. For the first time, her health bar displayed her as being below half HP. She growled as her eyes went blue, and the sword glowed subtly. She charged at Eliam with no sign of any of the previous skills she had used before. He raised his dagger to block her attack, but her swing shattered it. His aura was still doing damage, but she had gained more HP when she activated whatever it was she was doing. She swung again, barely missing Eliam¡¯s neck. She immediately swung back, grazing it this time. Whatever she had done had increased her endurance as well because she had not been able to attack this much or this quickly before. Without a weapon, it was only a matter of time until Eliam fell. He wasn¡¯t sure what he could do, but he still had to try. He dodged her next swing and then shouted, ¡°Why? Why must you sacrifice everything for this?¡± She glared at him. ¡°This is my everything! I have nothing else! My master is gone. My life is gone! Everything is gone but this sword¡­ and I will be damned if that is taken from me too!¡± She swung at him, and this time, he wasn¡¯t quick enough to dodge. It connected with his arm, and it went flying off. His HP was practically zero, and he fell to the floor. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be like that,¡± he muttered. ¡°Yes, it does,¡± she said almost sadly. ¡°We could have found a way¡­¡± he muttered as she stood before him, seconds away from ending his life. Nemina shook her head. ¡°You cannot find what does not exist. There is no way.¡± She sliced his head off, and he died. It was odd, she had never killed him that way before. *** Eliam sighed as he entered the labyrinth. He had decided to venture off into it and at least see where it went. He needed a break from trying to defeat Nemina, and he assumed that he might be able to earn some levels as well. He also acknowledged that once he entered, he would probably not be able to find his way out. Perhaps that was what worried him. The idea of being lost was never fun, even if he knew he would always be able to escape through death. With a deep sigh, he entered the labyrinth. It was only after a couple of turns that he felt lost. What was worse was that there was no life or noise. It was dead silent. Sure, that meant there was less danger, but it also meant no chances for leveling up. For Eliam, that was half the point of coming here. He continued to walk for hours, feeling as if he was getting nowhere. Not once did the scenery or noises ever change. He felt like he was trapped in an infinite loop. More time passed, and it wasn¡¯t getting better. He was completely lost and beginning to regret every step. This place was not meant for people to wander around in. Finally, he heard a shuffle from not so far away. He grinned, excited that there was something else. He sprinted to the location of the noise and gaped in horror. In front of him was a large floating eyeball. It turned to him, and its pupils dilated in reaction. Eliam wasn¡¯t sure what to do, but he figured it wasn¡¯t friendly. He quickly rushed it, but not before he started to feel his HP draining fast. He groaned as he threw his dagger at it, hoping to make it falter. The dagger hit its target, but all it did was bounce off the eye harmlessly. There was some sort of magic shield surrounding it. Moments later, Elaim felt the last of his HP drain, and he collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from all his crevices. He died a few seconds later. *** Whatever the labyrinth was, it was not to be messed with. That was what Eliam had gotten from exploring it. Not only was it beyond massive, but the one creature he had seen was on a whole other level from the ones in the cathedral. Why was it even connected if there was such a big gap? He sighed as he remembered that the tunnel was not even supposed to be there. It was likely that Nolmus had been the one who created it. He also would not have been surprised if he had some sort of way to navigate the labyrinth. Considering Nolmus worked for Quarlak, it probably had something to do with him. Truthfully, he was feeling rather depressed right now. He had worked so very hard only to end up in the same position as when he first started. He was stuck with nowhere to go. He could visit that nun thing again, but he doubted he would have a much better time against it than Nemina. He still recalled how horrific that scream was, and it scared him. Out of all the torturous things he had gone through, that was one of the worst ones. He walked through the cathedral, glancing up at the location where the Novafrost armor was. It was true that he would be able to yield it for at least a minute, which wasn¡¯t a long time, but it was still some time. It would give him a boost in his attack, his MP, and his HP. Also, it would give him a whole new aura. It seemed very similar to Nemina¡¯s, which meant that it might not have even worked on her. The other issue was how he would carry the armor. He wouldn¡¯t be able to wear it there, as that would quickly drain his HP. If he managed to bring all the pieces to the boss''s room, he doubted Nemina would give him enough time to put it on. Overall, it seemed like a hopeless endeavor. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He couldn¡¯t even wait to see what would happen if Nolmus attacked since there was no trace of food or water anywhere. He wasn¡¯t even sure how Nemina survived. He dragged himself back to the entrance of the sword room and sighed as he entered. Nemina dropped down shortly. Eliam didn¡¯t even acknowledge her. ¡°Uh, hello?¡± she said. He glanced at her emotionlessly. ¡°Take the sword and fight me.¡± She narrowed her eyes and did as she was asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who you are or what your intentions are, but know that I will not allow this sword to fall into your hands.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± Eliam said as he prepared himself. She looked taken aback. ¡°Huh? Then why did you come here?¡± ¡°To fight.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Eliam rushed her as soon as she pulled the sword out, not giving her a chance to use that teleport attack of hers. She parried his first swing and tried to take advantage of the opening he had provided. All the while, she took minor damage from his aura. He used his Unseen skill to disappear and moved behind her. Of course, she knew he would be doing that, so she was already ready for his next attack. She blocked it and quickly sheathed her katana. Eliam fell to the ground, dodging the powerful strike that she promptly released. All the while, he was still close enough for his aura to activate and damage her. She hissed in pain as she teleported backward and out of his range. They glared at each other before Eliam rushed in. She blocked his strike and sheathed her katana again. He used his Unseen skill again to get out of range, and since she was still sheathed, she could do nothing to stop him from stabbing her in the back. She cried out in pain as she hunched forward. She turned to him, her eyes now blue and her stats boosted. She sliced through the air with her sword, barely missing him by an inch. His aura was doing heavy damage, and she was beginning to become desperate. ¡°This damn aura!¡± she cried. Eliam ignored her and dodged her next strike. She was becoming more predictable, more flustered, and an easier target. Soon, she made a critical error. She blocked one of his attacks, and she went to swing, but her arms failed her. She was out of stamina. Eliam kicked her to the ground, and the katana spiralled out of her hand. She panicked, crawling to pick it up, but Eliam pulled it closer to him with his foot. She turned to him in terror as he neared her, his dagger out. ¡°No! Please, you can¡¯t destroy it!¡± ¡°Destroy it?¡± he asked. ¡°Please don¡¯t! I don¡¯t care what happens to me, just¡­ not the sword! My master, it''s the last thing he ever gave me. He entrusted me with something so special. So, please just don¡¯t¡­¡± she sobbed. Eliam moved his dagger back, prompting her eyes to widen in fear, and then sheathed it. He held out his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to destroy it,¡± he sighed. ¡°What?¡± she asked with wide eyes. ¡°I want you to get off the damn ground and come with me, out of here. This place is compromised; there¡¯s a necromancer here,¡± he explained. ¡°A necro¡­ but that¡¯s impossible!¡± she cried. Eliam shook his head. ¡°He came from the Nircozonian Domain. He is aligned with Quarlak.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± she muttered. She looked at Eliam strangely. ¡°And how do I know you aren¡¯t leading me into a trap?¡± He felt his chest tighten. This was it, she was going to become hostile. ¡°Because I would have simply brought the sword to them myself or destroyed it,¡± Eliam said. ¡°But what if you¡¯re trying to¡­¡± she paused. ¡°No, you¡¯re right¡­ I apologize,¡± she whispered. Eliam wanted to jump for joy. Finally, he had done it! After who the hell knows how long, he had finally convinced Nemina not to want to kill him! A whooshing noise sounded, and Eliam turned back to look at her. There was this green burn mark covering her head. Her eyes became hollow as she slumped over, dead. He felt emptiness at first and then anger. A lot of anger. ¡°Ah, I must thank you for finding this for me,¡± Nolmus said. He motioned to the sword that was lying on the ground, right in front of Eliam. Eliam didn¡¯t even bother glaring. He glanced at the sword and picked it up. A deep chill emanated from it, one that threatened to overpower him. However, once he pointed it at Nolmus, the feeling silenced as if it knew its existence was in danger. ¡°Oh? Are you trying to hand it to me? How kind of you,¡± Nolmus smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll have my little pet retrieve it.¡± The same beast that Eliam was never able to defeat rose out of the ground. Eliam cracked his neck as he prepared himself. The beast wasted no time in rushing him in the same unstable way it always had. This time, Eliam was ready. He pulled the sword back and sliced right down the middle, where the beast was running. It easily sliced through the first half of its structure. The beast howled as it started to fall apart. Eliam jumped on its head and stabbed it four times, bringing it down. Nolmus scowled as he sent a wave of that sickly green energy at Eliam, and his aura easily sliced it apart. His scowl only deepened further. ¡°Why must you get in my way? Do you not understand the will of Quarlak?¡± Nolmus screamed. Eliam ignored him and pushed forward, the katana feeling perfect in his hands. Nolmus¡¯s face contorted into rage, seeing that his end was near. ¡°Answer me, fool!¡± he yelled. Eliam would be giving him the satisfaction of an answer. As soon as he neared Nolmus, he brought the katana back and swung. Nolmus tried to block with his staff, but the katana went straight through and sliced Nolmus in half. Somehow, he felt the katana absorb the essence from Nolmus. This was confirmed when he didn¡¯t receive any. He pulled up his status to see why that was. Stat points available: 0 Eliam Edward Level: 50 HP: 370/370 MP: 65/65 Life: 27 (37) Mind: 13 Endurance: 12 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 30 (37) Intelligence: 3 Equipment: Ring of the True Hero¡úA ring of a forgotten time. +25% dexterity, +25% intelligence. Frostlight Katana Level 1¡ú Instantly freezes all who dare to touch it, besides a chosen few. Absorbs the essence of evil to upgrade. 50 dexterity damage, 50 intelligence damage are added with both dexterity and intelligence. Blink¡ú Teleports across the battlefield to reach your enemies. MP Cost¡ú50 Unsheathe¡úInstantaneously unsheathe the blade for a devastating blow that does 100% more damage. MP Cost¡ú 100 Frostbite¡úSend out waves of frost that deal purely intelligence damage. MP Cost¡ú 50 Unholy cloak¡ú +10 life, -10 damage intake. Unseen¡úTemporarily makes the user invisible while out of combat. MP cost¡ú25 Aura: Razor Sharp¡úAir itself is sharpened, damaging foes and projectiles around you. Bypasses defense. Sure enough, his status explained quite a bit. There was no bar for the katana¡¯s level like there was for his. Instead, he could kind of innately feel how much more it needed to level up. Basically, it was a lot. Still, this weapon was utterly insane, and the fact that it could get better made it even crazier. It was a shame that he would have to lose it when he died. He glanced at Nemina''s corpse and sighed. Everything he did to save her failed. Eliam glanced back at the katana and raised it to his neck. Time for another round. *** It was his fourth attempt at trying to defeat Nemina again. He died in all the others. Two times to Nemina and once to the bronze statue. He did not want to talk about it. Nemina rushed Eliam, her next swing barely missing him by a hair. He was becoming quite good at predicting how she fought. When he had first seen her, it seemed random and unpredictable. That was no longer the case. He maneuvered himself around her next strike and used his dagger to block the next. The katana shattered it, but he won in the end. He grabbed her wrist, holding the katana. She tried to pull away, but it was too late. Her eyes reverted to their normal yellow color, and she panicked. ¡°Relax, I just want to talk,¡± he said as he let her go. He was taking a risk by doing this since the katana was still in her hands. However, it didn¡¯t leave her at the brink of death so that she could be one shot by Nolmus. As soon as he did, she jumped away and pointed the katana back at him. He was about to sigh when she voluntarily lowered it. ¡°Why did you let me go?¡± she whispered. ¡°Because I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re a bad person. Am I wrong?¡± he asked. She paused. ¡°I am neither bad nor good. I must simply protect.¡± ¡°And I think that¡¯s a noble cause, but staying here all cramped up in this place ain¡¯t doing you any favors,¡± Eliam said. ¡°Wrong. I am well hidden here. You are the first person to have ever found this place,¡± she explained Eliam shook his head. ¡°Second. There was one before me,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± As if on cue, Nolmus walked out of the tunnel and revealed himself. Nemina gaped at him while Eliam narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you knew that boy, but no matter. I will have both of your heads, unless, of course, you hand over the sword,¡± he said. Nemina growled as she readied the sword, but Eliam shook his head. This was a bit of a stretch, but he was going to ask her if he could use the sword. With his dagger gone, he would be useless, and he wasn¡¯t exactly confident in Nemina defeating him with how weak she was after their fight. ¡°Let me use it,¡± he said. She glared at him and was about to give a rebuttal when she froze and looked at the sword. ¡°What?¡± She wasn¡¯t looking at Eliam but the katana itself. It was almost as if it had spoken to her. She looked away before handing the katana over to Eliam. He felt a smidgeon of a presence in the weapon. Yet, something caught his eye even more than that. The katana was still far from leveling up, but it had maintained whatever progress he had made during his last run. ¡°If you even scratch it, I swear I will end you,¡± she muttered. Eliam was already off, ready to defeat Nolmus. Nolmus wasted no time in summoning the beast thing. Nemina visibly paled when she saw it, but Eliam didn¡¯t hesitate to push forward. He dodged its first strike and rammed the katana into its spine. It screeched as it tried to pry itself away, but Eliam wouldn¡¯t have it. He ran the katana through the beast and split it in two. He smirked, having killed it in record time. Nolmus froze at the sudden death of his little pet. Eliam already knew that was the strongest summon in his arsenal. Such a quick death for it only meant a quicker one for Nolmus. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ how are you so strong?¡± Nolmus panicked. Eliam shrugged, obviously not going to relate to him his loop abilities. Instead, he opted to approach menacingly without giving a proper response. ¡°Stay away!¡± Nolmus cried, falling backward. He shot out a green spell at Eliam, which was promptly torn apart by his aura. This only served to worsen Nolmus¡¯s state of mind until he was nothing but a blabbering mess in front of Eliam. ¡°Pathetic,¡± Eliam snickered. He raised his katana over his head and moved. In a flash, Nolmus¡¯s head slid off his body, and he fell over, dead. It was done, finally. He turned to Nemina, who was gaping at him. ¡°So? Wanna get out of here?¡± He held out his hand, and surprisingly, she took it.