《Darkness: Dawn of Gods [WRITATHON CHALLENGER, APRIL 2025]》 Prologue: The Darkness and The Legends There was once a man who stood against hatred, known as the Darkness. Fighting his friend who had fallen victim to Darkness, he hoped to get rid of it for good. But hatred doesn''t just vanish- it lingers, waiting for the right moment to rise. It had been a few years since then. But the hatred rose yet again. Dark clouds shrouded the battlefield, pouring rain soaking the ground beneath Takou Ayaru, also known as Gold for his golden powers. Surrounding the field was a dense forest, trees swaying violently in the storm, almost as if they trembled from the presence in front of him. Before Takou stood Isey Houa- or rather what remained of him. From his glowing purple eyes ran down lines of that same color, twisting and curling, making him look unrecognizable. And his smile. One that could only be described as demonic. His once familiar presence was gone, replaced by a sinister force. The Darkness. Forced to confront it, Takou clenched his fists. His voice was firm, trying to hide quavering. "Why... Out of all the people, why you, Isey! Why''d you take the Darkness?!" The Darkness only chuckled. A hollow, distorted voice that echoed through the rain. "It''s too late, Gold." Takou''s eyes narrowed. It confirmed that Isey was gone, lost in darkness. "Thanks to this brat''s weak soul, I have awakened." The grin on the Darkness'' face grew. Its mouth stretched inhumanly wide. Takou remained silent. The words of the Darkness meant nothing to him. There was no point in trying to save Isey- taking down the Darkness became a priority. He raised his hands, forming an intricate golden seal behind him. The air around him crackled with raw power, golden light clashing with the presence of the Darkness. The ground trembled under their feet. The Darkness laughed, tracing its corrupted face with its fingers. "Trying to seal me in here again?" It sneered. In the blink of an eye, it appeared next to Takou, leaving behind an afterimage. Takou still stared at the position where the Darkness stood. "How foolish." It whispered into Takou''s ear. "Don''t you remember how our last battle went?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Takou stood tall yet completely still. His eyes now locked onto the Darkness standing next to him. "Last time¡­" His voice was steady. "I wasn''t willing to lose my own life. But now, I''ll give up everything to make sure you won''t win." The Darkness leaned backwards, staring at Takou. "Hmph. Is that so? I remember it going down way differently." "But it doesn''t matter." The Darkness patted its chest, flashing a toothy grin at Takou. "I am hatred. I cannot be defeated, even if you seal me. Because one day, there will be someone to free me¡­ and on that day, I''ll sit atop your grave and step on your tombstone," it chuckled, its laughter soon turning to a roaring cackle that reached the skies. But then. Just as quickly as the Darkness moved, Takou jumped away from it. With his face full of disgust and the rain growing heavier, Takou was ready to put an end to it. Midair, he shouted. "Eternal sealin-" He wasn''t able to finish the sealing. In a flash, Takou was slammed into the ground by the Darkness. The impact shook the area. Birds within the forest flew away, the pouring rain was sent upwards, and a crater formed. The Darkness stood towering over him. On this day, The Legend known as Takou Ayaru died. "My powers haven''t completely returned." The Darkness said, looking at its hand. "What a worthless ending to someone with such a legendary tale." But then, a voice rang out through the storm. "Isey!" The Darkness barely turned in the direction of the voice. It was Akylu Sierd, one of The Legends. A grin grew on the Darkness'' face yet again. "The Legends..." It repeated, running its tongue across its lips. "A group created to unite the strongest in this world." With its demonic eyes and smile, the Darkness turned towards Akylu. "Yet you people are no match for me... No one is." The Darkness spread its arms, purple particles dancing around its body. "I''ll slaughter everyone! And stand at the top of the world!" Akylu tried to ignore those words. He sprinted towards the Darkness, tears forcing their way out of his eyes, his chest tight. He wanted to put an end to this. Even if he knew he wouldn''t match its power. But in an instant, the Darkness vanished. Appearing in front of Akylu, it kicked him down. Shadowy purple arms crawled out of the ground, wrapping around Akylu''s neck. The Darkness didn''t say a word. Neither did Akylu; he just stared at the Darkness, knowing he''d die. And then- snap. Just at the moment of Akylu''s death, Kajo Tamta, another member, came from behind. Commanding the power of nature. He commanded a variety of foliage around them. The grin on Darkness'' face was long gone. The other members of The Legends were weak. Nothing compared to Takou. In just one move, Kajo''s head flew off his neck. His body hit the ground before his head did. Pire Lasta, the last standing member, gathered up his power while letting Kajo fight. He let out a cry, shooting icicles from his fingertips towards the Darkness. One hand in its pocket, the Darkness raised its hand and created a barrier-like mist. Icicles clashed against it, but melted at impact. Pire fell to his knees. His power was completely useless. The Darkness made the barrier disappear. "Boring." It said, ready to flick its fingers. "I-I''m sorry... Takou-" The Darkness cut Pire off, flicking its fingers. Pire''s head blew off his neck. With the bodies of The Legends all around it, the Darkness was about to walk away. But that''s when it sensed power, exceeding everyone except for Takou. Its eyes widened, and for the first time in a while, the Darkness'' heart started to beat fast. A figure appeared, standing next to Takou''s body. Excitement swelled in its chest. But that''s when, without warning, the person kicked the Darkness across the field. Someone as fast as Darkness had appeared. And that person kicked the Darkness again and again. Each time the Darkness slid on the mud. He let out a breathless chuckle. "You... I like you." Now focused, the Darkness grabbed the person, pushing him to the ground. Seeing the face of someone definitely in high school, his eyes closed, and his brown hair dripping with water, the Darkness laughed maniacally. "With the strength of a body like this, I''ll be able to rule over the world!" "Become my host." The mouth of Isey burst open, his eyes lifeless, and purple power flew up into the sky. It eventually fell and entered the high school student who challenged the Darkness. Chapter 1: The Fated Day The society of those with powers and without powers has been built on wars and conflicts. The powerless rule the world, and those with powers are hunted. These rules weren''t always forced onto the people, not too long ago these two sides, those with abilities, called the Resonants, and those without called Graceless lived in peace. One day, a man quickly rose to become a leader, Lucian Daichi. He claimed that those with powers are a plague to humankind, and will lead to destruction. His words gained popularity and through his innovations Graceless had a chance to fight back. He designed The Hunters, Graceless in hazmat-like suits using artificial elemental powers. With that, he waged wars and eventually the world headed towards a brutal civil war. Graceless won, and with that they became the leaders. In this new era, power what it once was doesn''t exist, and only powerless get to live in a world created by both sides. ### In the city that was filled with towering buildings and busy streets, posters of Lucian Daichi, with the words, "We can stand against those with powers by uniting as one," lived Yamikuro Asaki, walking beside his childhood friend Elara, hands in his pockets. Yamikuro''s dark blue eyes inspected each corner and alleyway, looking for something. One of the Resonants was on the run. "You''re really going to do this?" Elara asked, yawning a little. "Of course," Yamikuro said without hesitation, "He needs my help." Elara sighed, "You''re an idiot, you know that, right?" "You tell me that every other day." They turned a corner, and in the shadows was a young man, out of breath. His clothes ruined with bruises on his body. On a closer inspection, these were the clothes of prisoners, and his hands were still in cuffs, nullifying his abilities. "S-stay back!" The man yelled, trying to get away. "We''re not here to hurt you," Yamikuro said in a calm down, raising his hands, "You need to get out of here before the Hunters find you-" Footsteps were heard, coming towards the alleyway. The Resonant got up and lumped towards Yamikuro out of desperation. "Show me your cuffs, I may be able to free you." Yamikuro reached into his pocket. But before he could do that, the Hunters stepped into the alleyway, facing towards Yamikuro and Elara. "We''re done for." Elara''s heart was beating out of her chest, the Resonant hiding behind her. "Well, what do we have here..." One of The Hunters spoke. "If it isn''t that criminal again, you''re lucky that you''re not a Resonant. You would''ve been the priority to be executed." The other laughed. Yamikuro glenched his fists. "Killing your parents was it?" Without a word, Yamikuro handed the equipment to Elara, reached towards the broken pipe, grabbed it, and ran towards The Hunters. Startled, one of them just started loading their weapon, when Yamikuro landed a blow with the pipe. The other stepped back, and started running, but Yamikuro''s accuracy was precise, throwing the pipe he hit The Hunter in the back of the head, knocking him down. Meanwhile Elara was freeing the cuffs off that man, and she succeeded just in time before more Hunters were heard. "We have to run!" She yelled. "I know that, let''s go somewhere crowded!" Yamikuro yelled back, as he grabbed onto her sleeve. As they ran, they reached the city square- only to be in time for an execution of another Resonant. A crowd gathered, watching as a Resonant knelt before the execution platform. Just then, Lucian Daichi stood before them. "This is what happens to those who don''t follow the rules." Lucian declared in his usual calm, yet eerie tone. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Yamikuro felt his blood boil, he hated everything about this. "They''re just killing someone for being different." Elara, standing there with a straight face didn''t react. "This is just how things are." Yamikuro turned around and was ready to leave. Before Lucian could give the execution order, a loud explosion shook the area. Smoke filled the air, and once it cleared, a girl stood on the platform, the Resonant standing free beside her. Yamikuro''s breath caught in his throat. "Who''s that?" Elara was equally as shocked. The girl leaped down, grabbing a sword out of thin air and swinging it around, flames swirling everywhere. One of the Hunters managed to hit her left arm, but she shook it off. "Not today," She said, taking down the Hunter, and facing Lucian. All Lucian did was smile as Hunters showed up all around, surrounding the square. When she saw the Resonant disappear, most likely escaping, she leaped into the air, and also escaped. Yamikuro ran after her, not thinking. "H-hey, Yami! Where are you going?!" Elara yelled, before losing him in the crowd. Trying to follow where she went, Yamikuro found the girl sitting in an empty park, hidden behind trees and bushes. Her left forearm was hurt, and a destroyed device laid on the ground. "Why did you follow me?" The girl asked, surprisingly confident near Yamikuro. "I''m not here to fight... I''m curious is all." He said. "Curious?" "Well, I''ve never seen someone fight back against the Graceless." "Yeah? I couldn''t stand to watch someone I know die like this." After looking at Yamikuro closer, her eyes widened. "You''re Yamikuro Asaki, aren''t you?" "I am... Where''d you hear that?" Yamikuro raised his eyebrow. "You''ve saved countless of people living here, and helped them find a way to The Hideout." The girl forced herself up, "To be honest, you inspired me to take action against the Graceless... I''m Isabella, by the way." "I''m Yamikuro-... Never mind. It''s a pleasure to meet a fan of mine." Yamikuro chuckled a little. "Don''t be stupid, I''m not your fan," Isabella sighed, "But you''re seen as a hero for the weak ones." Looking at the broken device, her expression changed. "How am I meant to get back there now?" Yamikuro reached towards the device and picked it up. "So this is what you all use to travel, huh. I can''t tell what it looked like before getting smashed like a pancake." "I''m typically good when it comes to fixing stuff, but this is beyond repairable. You''ll have to get a new one." Yamikuro handed it to Isabella. "If only it was that easy... I don''t even have a way to contact anyone in The Hideout." "Haha, it''ll be fine, don''t look so down. There''s plenty of you still in this world, you''ll surely find someone that has this device." Just then, Hunters were heard talking near the bushes. "Where could she have gone? Lord Daichi has gone on a wide range search for her." "I wonder why." The other Hunter replied. "I thought Resonants were pacifists or something, why''d she have to cause such a scene." Sneaking out of the bushes, Isabella ran as fast as she could. Yamikuro didn''t notice it until she was gone, but he quickly picked up the broken device, which she dropped, and tried to follow her. Noticing Isabella run out the park, he followed. "Sheesh, you sure run fast." Yamikuro panted, as he caught up to her on the rooftop. Isabella was caught off guard, "How did you-? No, I don''t recommend you follow me. This is a dangerous mission, and someone like you shouldn''t throw your life away." "The government has their eyes on me anyway, and I think they''re trying to capture me as well but I''d be the only Resonant to be captured and killed like that." "I''ll help you get to The Hideout, and then..." "Why are you doing all of this?" Isabella cut him off. "Why? ...It disgusts me to see someone like Lucian be in control of all these lives, and for what? But why am I going out of my way to save all of you, I guess this is just what I do. I''ve never thought about it like this, to be honest... Although I think it started ever since I had that dream." "That was also around the time when my parents died, I was the prime suspect, I still am to this day, their bodies just disappeared and I remember them questioning me for so long until they gave up." "...That''s terrible, but how do you know they''re dead if their bodies were never found?" "The killer left behind clues, mostly stains of blood. I was the only one who was with them during this time and they thought it was suspicious I didn''t hear anything during the night they got killed. A few nights before that, I had a dream where I fought against a man, glowing purple, with dead bodies everywhere on the ground. After his powers burst in me, I woke up, feeling dizzy, tired and heavy for days." Isabella''s eyes widened, "What if it was real?" "What do you mean?" "I''ve heard many myths and stories, and one of those talk about a being known as the Darkness. A dangerous power that-" "Power? No, that''s not possible. I don''t have anything like that." Yamikuro stopped her. Before they could continue their conversation, a drone flew up to them. Noticing it, Yamikuro turned his head the other way but Isabella grabbed onto his hand and dragged him to the stairs, inside the building. "Oh no, what do we do?" Yamikuro stuttered, his hands shaking. "We have to jump down." Isabella looked towards the door they came from. "Huh?" "My powers still work fine, I can get us down there." Taking quick breaths, Isabella grabbed onto Yamikuro''s arm again and burst through the door, ready to jump. But that''s when a helicopter hovered over them. "Do not make any sudden movements! We will shoot if you don''t listen!" A Hunter said through a speaker. "Damn it..." Isabella quietly said as she raised her hands, accepting defeat. Yamikuro was about to do the same, when time suddenly stopped. Feeling multiple hands reached to him from his back, voices called out for him. Yamikuro tried to decline but that''s when he felt head splitting pain, and his heart beat out of his chest. "Yamikuro!" Was all he heard while everything went dark. Waking up gasping for air, he faced the starry sky, moon shining onto the roof he was lying on. He looked around for the Hunters and Isabella but that''s when he noticed bodies upon bodies on the ground. "What the hell?" He said out loud. Yamikuro stood up, stepping over the dead Hunters, trying to look down at the street below him. It was quiet, with nobody walking around. Was he dreaming? "Darkness wielder, what pleasure it is to meet you." Someone said behind him, sitting on top of the rooftop enclosure. Yamikuro turned around, sweat dripping down from his body. "Who are you?" "A god." He said, a wide smile appearing on his face. Chapter 2: Sphairos "I''m a god. And my name''s Sphairos." He said, his smile growing bigger. Unable to get words out, Yamikuro just stuttered. He then slapped himself, trying to wake himself up, but that didn''t work. Holding his cheek, he stared at Sphairos. "Don''t worry, I don''t have to kill you... If you''ll work with me. Let me extract the Darkness from you and I''ll be on my way." "The Darkness...? No, you have me confused for someone else." Yamikuro took a step back. "Do I? How do you explain the countless bodies laying all around, this must''ve been done by someone with powers strong enough to even take all of them down." Yamikuro''s eyes widened, when he thought about Isabella. "Could this have been her doing?" He looked around the bodies to see if she stood out, "Where even is she?" "I was here, watching all of it. You also killed the girl that was with you, Darkness wielder." "What?" Yamikuro''s stomach dropped, his heart racing even faster. "As they suspected, you''re not in control of your power. I''ll just take it before you cause any more harm, alright?" Sphairos stretched, getting ready to move. "Stay away from me!" Yamikuro yelled, backing up to almost the edge of the roof. Closing his eyes, and taking taking a deep breath, four orbs appeared around him. "So it has to be this way. Fine by me." Reaching out to one of his orbs, Sphairos jumped to Yamikuro''s level. "This is the orb of gravity. I assume you know how gravity works, right?" Extending the orb in front of himself, Yamikuro got pulled in, allowing Sphairos to reach out to him. Choking out Yamikuro, the orb disappeared out of his hand. Yamikuro had to think quick, not being able to activate his power, he reached into his pocket, grabbing the broken device left behind by Isabella, he stabbed Sphairos with a sharp part of it. Sphairos let Yamikuro go, grabbing onto his own hand and screaming in pain. "Damn you, Darkness wielder!" Yamikuro wanted to run, but to where? He was stuck on top of a roof, with no way to get down, Sphairos stood in front of the door that lead to the stairs. After recovering, he reached out to another orb, and threw it without warning. Managing to dodge it, the orb hit the building behind him. The building that once stood tall was just gone, disappearing into thin air. Sphairos seemed disappointed, standing still, almost as if he was toying with Yamikuro. He grabbed yet another orb. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "What do you think this does, Darkness wielder?" Yamikuro didn''t respond, he tried to run around, to dodge the attacks easier, but he tripped on a dead body. At this moment, he wanted to give up. There was no way to get out of here alive, especially if he wasn''t able to activate his Darkness power. Looking at the night sky, he couldn''t believe the current situation. Yamikuro Asaki, the savior of Resonants, was one of them all along. He couldn''t help but smile at the thought of that. With his eyes closed, accepting his fate, he heard Sphairos scream, heat blowing over his body. "Isabella?" His first thought was. He got himself up, and saw her slashing her sword and Sphairos stood there, trying to look for an opening. "Isabella, you''re fine!" He said, his shakiness and unease getting better. Sphairos kicked her back, and quickly reached out for an orb. The orb, and Isabella''s sword clashed, sparks flying everywhere. Sphairos tried to touch Isabella with the orb but it was futile, the orb flew out of his hand, onto the streets below. Standing there, amazed, Yamikuro watched the fight unfold. Isabella had an upper hand, continuing to attack while Sphairos had bleeding cuts all over, and couldn''t do anything but tank the attacks. Noticing one of Sphairos'' orbs re-appear around him, most likely the one he used first, Yamikuro yelled, trying to be of some help, "One of his orbs is back, and it''s the orb of gravity!" When Isabella had to charge up her attack, Sphairos took the chance to jump backwards, grabbing the orb of gravity. "Damn you..." He said, out of breath and in pain, "You''re a human, so how? How am I struggling?" "He''ll pull you in, that''s the ability of that orb!" Yamikuro yelled. Reaching out his hand, with the orb, Isabella was pushed away. She flew through the rooftop enclosure, and onto another rooftop. "Wait no... Was it my fault she lost?" Yamikuro''s mind raced. "...Now you, Darkness wielder. I''ll kill you." Sphairos turned to him, struggling to talk. "Who would''ve thought I''d need to use energy to heal myself against some humans like you." He said, his wounds recovering, and his breath returning to normal. There cuts were still visible, but they weren''t bleeding, and Sphairos was able to fight again, like he did before. "I''ll kill you before that girl gets here." Sphairos grabbed onto his last orb he currently had and aimed it towards Yamikuro. "Rest easy, although I was expecting more of a challenge from you." Yamikuro''s heart beat out of his chest when he felt himself reach the edge of the rooftop. One more step and he would''ve fell to his death. It was either falling to death, or dying by Sphairos'' hand. Being known as a hero, Yamikuro wanted to go out as one. He glenched his fist, putting on a serious face. "I''ll kill you!" He yelled, running towards Sphairos. Startled, Sphairos laughed a little, "Where did that come from?" Getting close to Sphairos, Yamikuro started throwing hands, as expected Sphairos dodged all of them. And Yamikuro suspected that Sphairos was still toying with him, but he didn''t care. His anger had built up, and he was ready to unleash it. After almost landing an attack, Sphairos kicked him away. "I''ve had enough." Ready to throw the orb, he said his final words to Yamikuro. "I wish you had entertained me a little more, but at least I''ll complete my mission here." The orb, making impact with the ground, exploded and Yamikuro was sent flying. Seeing Sphairos smile, a tear flew out Yamikuro''s eye. With his eyes slowly closing, in his final moments he saw memories of his parents. Not thinking about anything else. "What a death... But we''ll reunite soon, won''t we. Mom, dad." Isabella, who struggled to get up from the other rooftop, saw Yamikuro and her stomach dropped. "Yamikuro!" She screamed, watching him fall onto the streets. Her voice faded as Yamikuro''s eyes completely closed. Everything went dark. Sphairos had won, Yamikuro couldn''t do anything against a god, his heart stopped, blood spilling everywhere. Chapter 3: Divine Meeting Around a day ago, somewhere in space all of the higher ranked gods gathered together. "I''m grateful we could meet again since the last incident," A god called Voltaris said with his long gray hair and beard, "I know that we all have stuff to take care of but something unexpected has happened." Looking at everyone in the room with his serious yet concerned face, he announced, "The Darkness has a new host." "There''s someone strong enough to be in possession of that power, again?" A young god named Terron asked. Animus, the god who was glowing of bluish green, spoke up, "I have sent my spirits in search of this immense power," A creepy smile grew on his face, "It is nothing to worry about. The darkness wielder is just a child. However, I do find it weird that this child is still himself, typically the darkness wielders do not adapt to it for months. His soul must be strongest out of everyone we have seen so far." Ahrimanoth, a god wearing a full body suit with a long jacket, suggested: "Because it''s a kid, we can surely send a lower ranked god to go and get the darkness." "I know someone we can send. He''s fairly new but he''s already proved himself to be stronger than most." Chronos, who had a headband over his eyes with three scars on each eye poking out, said. Illusia, a god with messy hair and a small top hat on his head responded: "Going there by ourselves would be stupid indeed, the balance of the universe can only be maintained if we stay in our places, not intervening with humans." In a relief, Voltaris sighed, "At least we got that out of the way," And then continued, "We still have to worry about a specific person and the plan, I just hope that person doesn''t find out about the darkness before we can get it back." "That person has most likely made plans on getting the darkness already," Terron felt anger within him. Animus added, "The balance of the universe will not matter if The Darkness falls into the hands of him. I am going to earth when the time is right." Chronos raised his voice, "Don''t be stupid. There''s no point in causing a scene when this situation can be dealt with a lower ranked god. You always act on your own and that has never brought us any benefit." "There''s no need to start arguments. We''ve already found a way to deal with this situation, me and Chronos will stay here to summon this lower ranked god." Voltaris commanded. "Alright then. See you all next time." Illusia said as he disappeared into thin air. Terron stood up from the chair, "So I assume this means our meeting is over. See you all some other time," He said, making a portal appear next to him and walking in it. Ahrimanoth walked backwards into the shadowy corner. "I don''t know when we''ll meet again but this lower ranked god better succeed." Stepping into the shadowy corner, he disappeared into it. Animus started glowing bright green, "I will not do anything as of yet, I have hope in this god." As he was talking he got brighter until he suddenly disappeared. Chronos then summoned Sphairos, a lower ranked god who commands the Orbs of Oblivion. He had just gotten back from a mission when he found himself suddenly appearing in front of two higher ranked gods, Voltaris and Chronos. At first he was confused as to where he was until he looked up and saw two gods, around twice his size, standing in front of him. Sphairos got on his feet and then bowed down to them, "What brings me here? If I may ask." "The Darkness has found a host and we have decided to assign you with the task of taking him down," Voltaris said in a commanding tone. "Wait, are you assigning just me to take down the darkness wielder?!" Sphairos exclaimed but then stopped himself, "I''m sorry. What I meant to say was, are you sure I''m strong enough, sir." "It''s a child who just recently got his hands on it. He shouldn''t be able to use the darkness to his advantage yet," Chronos assured, "Not to mention, you''re one of the only available gods for this job." Thinking the situation through, Sphairos felt pride in being able to impress his superiors and smiled, "Do you want me to bring him back dead or alive?" This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. #### "Welcome, Asaki," A soft voice from behind him said, "I''ve been waiting for you." Opening his eyes slowly, as if he had just taken a nap, Yamikuro yawned, "Hello." "Remaining calm after your previous events, you really are interesting." The man started elegantly writing in his book. Before Yamikuro was able to ask another question, he realized that the place he woke up in wasn''t something he recognized. The presence of this place felt eerie. Lying down, he saw towering book shelves that reached as far as eye could see, next to him was a tall door with a huge lock without a keyhole, and on his right, behind a table, sat a handsome man with long white hair, his eyes blue as ocean, who was writing. "...Where am I? And who are you?" "Have you begun to grasp the situation you''re in? Name''s Honor." He said, putting down his pen softly. "You have died, fighting a god, his power way out of your league." "What? Died- No... That can''t be..." Yamikuro stood up, but then it hit him. The memories of his encounter with Sphairos came back. "That''s right. I remember now... I was blown up. I''m really dead, and this is the afterlife?" "...That''s what I would say if you didn''t possess the darkness." Honor leaned forward on his chair. "I can resurrect you, and help you stand against that god, his orbs of oblivion are merely toys for a true darkness wielder." Yamikuro looked down, "I don''t get this Darkness thing everyone keeps mentioning. I thought I understood, but when I tried to use them... I failed, and died..." Nodding slightly, Honor said, "Come, sit down," Pointing at the chair in front of his desk. Walking up a couple of creaking stairs, Yamikuro sat down, letting out sigh. "I''m listening." "The Darkness... It calls itself hatred, a curse for humanity. The wielder of this power can single handedly wipe out the entire universe, but looking at you, I doubt you''d go that far." "It''s a curse...? But why do I have it?!" Yamikuro asked, looking into Honor''s eyes, "How did I get it?" "That I''m not so sure of, perhaps it was fate. I do hope you''ll remember how you got it. What I do know is that you''ll be the one to use the Darkness to take down the god that killed you." "I''m not a god that can control you, I only exist in this dream world after all, but I can guide you down the right path, that is if you''ll listen to me." Taking out a piece of paper, Honor handed Yamikuro a pen. "But before I grant you the ability to use the Darkness freely, let us form a pact." "A pact?" "With this, you''ll promise to use the Darkness for good, I know I said you don''t look like someone who''ll destroy mankind, but I can''t be sure of that. The Darkness is the most powerful after all." "How do I know I''m using it for good?" "None of us are perfect, and the Darkness does have a tendency to make people psychotic, and eventually lose control of themselves. If you keep your head up and don''t let things depress you, you should be fine. It''s a difficult task but I can only ask of this from you, Asaki." Yamikuro thought on it, but eventually grabbed the pen from Honor. "...I''ll form the pact." Honor smiled a little, "Incredible, just sign your name here." After signing his name, Honor stood up, being taller than Yamikuro expected. Walking up to Yamikuro, he reached his hand out to him. Suddenly, everything started spinning, and Yamikuro''s vision slowly turned dark. "I''m sure we''ll see each other again, Asaki." Yamikuro''s eyes shot open, and his body was completely healed. It was like he had fallen asleep on the streets, with a few Hunters that had fallen from the rooftop. Forcing himself up, he now had to find Sphairos. But before that, Yamikuro had to figure out how to use his newly awakened power. "Damn it... I forgot to ask Honor how to use my power...!" He started panicking. Just then, Sphairos jumped down to Yamikuro. Startled from Yamikuro standing, he didn''t know what to say. He had no orbs flying around him, most likely because they haven''t had time to regenerate. So how long was Yamikuro out? "How is it possible? you should be dead!" Sphairos yelled. Not responding, Yamikuro felt the power within him growing. An unexplainable feeling- one that only a Darkness wielder can experience. A smile crept on his face, with purple lines growing beneath his eyes. The wind picked up, dark and stormy clouds forming. Looking at his shaky hand, Sphairos caught himself struggling to move properly. What was this feeling he was experiencing? Yamikuro clapped his hands together, yelling, "Ascension: Gluttonous Realm!"
Zethir, Butcher of Order After accepting a favor from a friend, Zethir sets off on a dangerous mission. However, his mind wasn¡¯t set on completing his task, but rather, killing a corrupt royalty who abuses his son. However, before he could even point his blade at his enemy, they were ambushed by the nobles and forced to separate. In the end, he wasn¡¯t able to see his target¡¯s fate before he found himself fighting to the death with more enemies than he could handle. But before he could even marinate in the afterlife, he was pulled back into the mortal world where a mysterious person wants him to embark on another mission. That is, a mission to kill several hundreds, maybe thousands of people¡ªall in the name of ¡°justice.¡± And that was the beginning of his journey to become a figure feared not only by men, but also gods.
Chapter 4: Ascension An ascension, the peak of one''s power, has just awakened inside Yamikuro. Sphairos'' voice trembled. "You''re in control of the Darkness now, aren''t you?!" Yamikuro didn''t answer. His eyes were now glowing, and from them grew small lines downwards. The energy of Yamikuro completely shifted. The once weak Yamikuro was gone, replaced by a presence of a demon in Sphairos'' eyes. Sphairos felt an orb regenerate around his head. He quickly grabbed it and threw it, hoping it would hit Yamikuro. However, Yamikuro''s ascension activated fast. The orb disappeared. The area around them turned dark. Purple, shadowy arms in different sizes grew out of the ground, resembling trees and plants. The moon turned purple, casting a purple light that made it hard to see into the distance. The buildings, now covered in dead foliage, stood tilted. Hunters were gone from the rooftops. As Sphairos experienced the ascension, his body got shakier and shakier. He couldn''t get rid of this strange feeling, one he had never felt before. Was this what humans called fear? For the first time in Sphairos'' existence, he felt like an underdog in a battle. He wanted to run away from Yamikuro. But his body was stuck. The power of the ascension was too powerful. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t move. He was forced to experience whatever was coming for him. "Impossible..." He whispered, his voice shaky. Yamikuro remained quiet and reached out his hand toward Sphairos. Small purple hands appeared from the ground and flowed towards him like waves. Trying to force himself to move, Sphairos felt a drop of sweat fall from his forehead. He froze. Yamikuro hadn''t properly made a move on him, yet Sphairos was scared lifeless. Something he hadn''t experienced either. With his widened eyes, he slowly raised his head towards Yamikuro, almost as if he had accepted defeat. "Is this it for me?" Before closing his eyes, ready to die, a memory came back to him. It was a sunny day in the god world. Sphairos sat on a porch in his poor village. The streets were dirty, the houses were built out of clay, and he only had his little brother. His goal was to get himself and his little brother to the capital, where both of them could become higher-ranked gods. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The voice of his little brother called out. "Hey... Big bro." Sphairos forced a smile. "What''s up?" "You haven''t trained recently, have you?" "I''m sorry...-" Sphairos got cut off by his little brother. His eyes were teary. "Our promise wasn''t just about going to the capital...! We can''t die, knowing we couldn''t do anything! If we''re strong enough, we don''t have to be afraid of death!" Sphairos'' eyes shot open. "I can''t die knowing I couldn''t do anything...!" Sudden strength grew within him, and he could feel himself be able to move his body. Sphairos broke free and jumped high into the sky. Yamikuro''s eyes followed him. His vision started to get blurry. Sphairos let out a gulp. "What power. I almost forgot I was a god..." "But even so, I need to think my moves through carefully." Sphairos landed on the ground. When he did, Yamikuro moved both of his arms to his head''s level and spread them apart. The ground rumbled. Two shadowy hands burst out of the ground. Each on both sides of Sphairos. Yamikuro''s expression remained. That same lifeless look. "Die." Yamikuro lost control of his emotions, letting the deepest desire take control. He wanted to kill Sphairos; he wasn''t exactly sure why, but it''s not like he needed a real reason. Sphairos hurt Isabella and killed Yamikuro in cold blood. And now was the time for revenge. He clapped his hands together, and the big arms followed the movements. Boom! The shadowy arms stopped, pressure exploding outward. Sphairos held the two shadowy arms away from himself, trying not to be crushed. He let out a groan, pushing the hands further away. "I can''t die here!" Yamikuro''s face twisted in concentration. He forced the hands together, using as much power as possible. Thump. Thump. His heart started pounding violently out of his chest. Yamikuro¡¯s eyes widened as a spike of pain shot through him. His chest tightened, and he fell to his knees. Blood spilled from his mouth. The Darkness'' power was too much for him. Pushing himself too far would kill Yamikuro. The hands vanished. While the ascension was feeding off Sphairos'' power, it wasn''t enough, due to how weak Sphairos was compared to the Darkness. Sphairos saw his chance, and without hesitation, he lunged toward Yamikuro. "It seems that the side effects of using an ascension are catching up to you. Don''t worry, I''ll make your death painless; suffering from these effects can be everlasting." Sphairos smirked. Yamikuro struggled to breathe. Still holding onto his chest, he raised his left arm and created a wall of shadowy arms in front of him. "I... I can''t let you-" Yamikuro started to cough up blood, the pain grew even stronger, but he forced himself to keep using the ascension, "I can''t let you live... I''ll kill you right here." Sphairos felt something weird in his chest after hearing that. "So you''re set on killing me." "Fine by me. My mission was to only take the Darkness, but I don''t mind this ending with either of us dying." Sphairos sighed, but then his expression changed. His eyebrows closed in, and he lost his temper. "I''m not going back empty-handed!" Those were the words Yamikuro wanted to hear. Now it was set in stone. Either one of them was going to die. Yamikuro raised both of his hands yet again. Multiple arms grew out of the ground around Sphairos, ready to attack. Moving his hands around, the shadowy arms followed. Sphairos jumped, dodged, and ran, as the arms attacked from all sorts of directions. Getting hit again and again, Sphairos'' calm and collected personality changed. He felt his blood boil, and the fear of death was gone. "Damn it!" He yelled, "How am I losing to a human?! I''m a god! A GOD!" After a couple of breathless seconds, Sphairos collected himself. "I promised I''d come back. I won''t let this human toy with me anymore." He said with a sigh. Sphairos sprinted towards Yamikuro. Yamikuro, who was in an unstable condition, got kicked down by Sphairos. The area of the ascension started to slightly fade in and out of existence. Sphairos towered over Yamikuro. Yamikuro''s eyes wanted to shut together. But no way was Yamikuro going to lose here. With every ounce of power, he forced the ascension to stay. Yamikuro raised his hand, and an arm burst out of the ground. It punched Sphairos down to the ground. He slid on the concrete ground. His skin was peeling off. Sphairos was starting to feel exhausted, but he couldn''t stop. He let out a scream of anger and lunged at Yamikuro again. Neither of them was in battle condition; their movements were slow and sloppy. Both of them collapsed from exhaustion, but the area created by the ascension remained. Instead of giving up again, Sphairos crawled towards Yamikuro. He was set on getting the Darkness out of him. Raising his head, Yamikuro saw Sphairos. He pointed his shaky finger towards Sphairos. One last move. A deep and raspy voice guided him. "Use this to kill him." A purple sphere appeared in front of his index finger. It shone in the darkness of the ascension. Sphairos'' energy was still being taken away from him. And he stopped. This was an awakening for Sphairos. Death, something he feared deep down, was approaching. But Sphairos didn''t fear it this time. He knew that dying like this was inevitable. "Work hard to get to the capital, lil bro... Become a higher-ranked god, for both of us." The sphere shot out. Sphairos died with a smile, holding his ground against a Darkness wielder. Only a few in history have managed to do so. Sphairos'' head blew off his neck. His body started crumbling, caused by the Darkness. Yamikuro felt satisfied. He killed Sphairos. He won. And with that, his eyes shut together, and he passed out. Chapter 5: The Hideout Two men were in a dimly lit room. The blacked-out curtains blocked the sunlight. "Yamikuro Asaki..." A man pondered over that name, leaning back on his chair. "Are you sure that was him, Jacinto?" Jacinto nodded, his curly hair flowing in the air. "I''m sure, leader. I even confirmed it with one of the Hunters." The leader scowled. "Those government tools are good for nothing when it comes to keeping things confidential." "In any case, we can now begin the hunt for him... Working separately from the government." A girl who stood in the shadows spoke up. "I looked into him more..." "I know where Yamikuro Asaki lives." The leader couldn''t help but smile over this situation. "We''ll begin our search there." "The rest, come out of hiding." He said. From behind the leader jumped out multiple people. All of them posed in front of his desk. One rested his hands on his two katanas at his waist, his hair reaching his shoulders, and wearing a mask to cover his mouth. Another, tall and muscular, had a clean-shaven face and short hair. A third had coiled hair and tanned skin, sitting on the ground in front of the leader''s desk. The last was a woman, having short black hair with red tips, and her glasses reflecting the dim light. "That name... Asaki," The man with katanas said, "I''ve heard of it somewhere before." "Could he be the one who saved those we hunted?" The woman asked. "So who''s going to search the house?" The tall man asked. The leader stood up. "Jacinto and the girl in the shadows will go. The rest of us will stay behind, keeping watch." "I have a feeling that our paths will collide soon." The leader smiled, a Resonant whose name he recognized was now his new target; this was going to be interesting. ### On the streets of The Hideout, roughly a few days after the incident. Word broke out that a boy with purple powers fought against another Resonant. Their clash destroyed a part of the city, killing around a hundred Hunters. "Isn''t this the Darkness...?" A woman gasped, reading the word in the newspaper. Another, a man standing in the opposite direction, stuttered. "H-hey... Someone destroyed the normal world... What will the higher-ups think about this?" "Two Resonants fought? But why?" A tall man, easily over seven feet tall, with the body of someone who has trained for years, stepped near them. "What''s this about Darkness I''m hearing?" A man standing near him showed the newspaper to his face. "Caelum-! Look, isn''t this power described like you did about the Darkness?" Caelum''s face remained serious, and he grabbed the newspaper. "Let''s see..." His face didn''t change in any way after realizing what the power was. "It''s definitely the Darkness. Do we know who or where that person is?" The man standing next to him shrugged. "No idea. There''s nothing written or shown about his appearance." Caelum handed back the newspaper. "I''ll have to look for him. A Darkness wielder has really shown up after all." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Just a few kilometers away, in a hospital, was Yamikuro Asaki. He lay on the hospital bed, eyeing the TV. News about his attack spread around like wildfire. Yamikuro had too many questions, but no one to answer them. After being on the bed all day, he came up with a few conclusions and promises for himself. Firstly, the Darkness, despite its insane strength, was far too dangerous to use. He''d rather rely on his strength from now on. If possible, never use the Darkness again. The death of Sphairos was proof of that. He knew that deep down, his desire to kill Sphairos was true- but he''d never have gone through with it. The Darkness influenced his thoughts. Sphairos didn''t deserve to die. There had to have been a way for both of them to survive. Just thinking about it disgusts Yamikuro. Secondly, Yamikuro made a promise to himself. He''ll never kill anyone. No matter the hatred for them, killing someone would haunt him forever. And that feeling of disgust, sadness, anger, and regret was not worth it. Yamikuro gripped onto the blanket. That even stands true for Lucian Daichi, the man he hated the most. No matter what, Yamikuro swore to himself that he wouldn''t kill him. Thirdly, Yamikuro has killed a god. What would it mean for his future? There must be consequences for a human who kills gods. What if more of them show up? And at last, the appearance of Yamikuro has changed. After using the ascension, purple lines have appeared under his eyes. They''re not big, but noticeable. Due to the known fact about the attacker having purple powers, Yamikuro can''t just walk around carelessly. After going through everything in his head, Yamikuro stood up. He used the support of pillows behind him. He looked out the hospital window, the sun shining into his eyes. The place he was in was unfamiliar to him. This was The Hideout. He wanted to walk around in there more than anything. The buildings seemed to be themed around medieval times. The streets were wide, allowing a lot of people to walk at once without problem. It all seemed lively, compared to the normal world. Kids were running around laughing, market stalls were a common thing instead of supermarkets, people wore colorful clothes, and some even used powers to travel around. Behind the city were tall and wide mountains, with a couple of houses placed on top of them. Despite the medieval houses, the school and what could have been a government building were built using modern architecture and materials. Everything about this was better than the normal world. No Hunters creeping around, no traffic pollution, no executions, no fear. Everything was peaceful. Yamikuro''s admiration of this place was interrupted. "Knock, knock." A man said, standing behind the hospital door. "Come in," Yamikuro said in a quiet tone. The door opened. Into the room stepped Kazuhiko Ryoti. Kazuhiko was the man who saved Isabella and him in the other world. He''s also Yamikuro''s homeroom teacher- when he began attending school after recovering. Kazuhiko sat down in one of the chairs next to Yamikuro''s bed. "How are you feeling?" Yamikuro let out a sigh that slightly quavered. "I''m fine." Kazuhiko shook his head. "You''re not, mentally, at least. You''re able to get out of here today, though, which is a positive." Yamikuro stared out the window. His expression was unreadable. "Tell me, how should I live here? Everyone seems to say nothing but bad things about me." Kazuhiko started biting his nail. "I understand that all of this must be very confusing, but once you get free from these walls surrounding you, you''ll see that there are a lot of people who don''t care." "And most of them are just curious about your power." Yamikuro remained quiet, his expression not changing one bit. "I see." A doctor peeked into the room. "May I come in?" In a hurry, Kazuhiko got himself up from the chair and turned towards the doctor. "Yeah-, for sure, come right in." The doctor smiled. "Based on his quick recovery, Asaki can be released as soon as you guys are ready." Kazuhiko smiled. "See that? You''re free now." Yamikuro turned towards them. A slight smile appeared. "I''m glad." With the support of the bed, he got on his feet. After signing a few papers and walking out of the hospital, Kazuhiko offered Yamikuro a place to stay. "You can stay at my place tonight. And tomorrow you''ll start school, perfectly aligning with the beginning of the week." Yamikuro nodded, walking with his hands in his pockets. "Thank you." He breathed in the fresh air of The Hideout. Kazuhiko spoke up. "Before that, though, there''s a place where we can stop by to eat at." "Come on, follow me." He started walking. Yamikuro wasn''t ready for Kazuhiko to just leave him behind. He stuttered. "H-hey, hold on, wait for me." Pretty quickly, they arrived at the place. "...Dine Diner?" Yamikuro looked at the name, tilting his head. Kazuhiko smirked. "Yeah, but the food''s terrific. Come on." Walking inside, a smell of coffee and fresh bakery wafted through the air. At a quick glance, Yamikuro noticed the red, white, and black color scheme that was throughout the diner. A woman named Mai glanced up from behind the counter. Her eyes lit up. "Didn''t think I''d see you today." Kazuhiko leaned against the counter. "I thought I''d bring my student here. He could use a break right now." Smiling, she turned towards Yamikuro. "I''m happy to see yet another new face here." Yamikuro nodded politely while also smiling slightly. "It''s nice to meet you as well." Kazuhiko brought them to a booth near the window. Kazuhiko relaxed and leaned back on the chair, putting his arms behind his head. He seemed looser today. "You two dating?" Yamikuro asked. Kazuhiko bobbed. "Fianc¨¦, actually. We''ve had plans on getting married soon." "Congrats." Mai walked up to them, holding two plates in her hand. "You take a lot of pride in it, don''t you?" She giggled. She placed the plates on the table. One was stacked with pancakes, and the other was a huge burger. Kazuhiko leaned forward and reached to Yamikuro across the table, patting his shoulder. "Eat up." Yamikuro stared at his meal. "All of this, for me?" "Of course," Kazuhiko said. "You deserve it." For the first time in a while, Yamikuro allowed himself to enjoy something simple. The conversations between them varied in different topics, mostly nonsense. Kazuhiko complained about his workload but also shared his... questionable taste in music. Mai talked about her worst and best memories of working at this place. And Yamikuro chatted about his life and why he decided to save Resonants. Then Kazuhiko leaned forward yet again. "You don''t have to carry all of this by yourself, you know." Yamikuro stopped mid-bite. Kazuhiko smiled, but his message remained the same. "When you find some close people, don''t be afraid to rely on them. Trust me, you''ll suffer a lot more if you try and do all of it alone." Yamikuro hesitated. The words made him want to tear up. He wasn''t sure why exactly. He wanted to say something, but he couldn''t find the right words for it. Instead, he just nodded. After Yamikuro finished eating, they left, with the words of Kazuhiko carrying him ahead.