《Paradise of Abyss》 Your Own Paradise In the middle of a gloom cave, ignited with a scattered fire from the magic that humans use to fight with monsters. With a countless amount of corpses lying on the ground. One man is crawling toward a huge looking monster. "Aziel! You know... better.. than anyone... Stop this! I''m... begging you... Aziel..ehuk! ehuk! Hrgh.. hrgh.." a man with long black hair that reached his shoulder shouted his heart out to a monster looking person who was standing firmly in front of him. The man lay on the ground helplessly pressing his body with his right hand. A stream of blood can be seen flowing in between his right hand. He doesn''t have any energy left to crawl. As a last resort to leave a message of hope to the one standing in front of him. A wound from his body doesn''t seem to let him breathe longer than he can. A hope that even he can''t see to thrive before his last breath. A hope that just a matter of time will be buried with his own life. "HRGH... HRGH..." the monster, who looks as big as three men combined, filled with thick hair like a lion on his whole body, breathe just like an anxious human. In the difference between the two of them physically, there''s no such difference in the style of their breath. One searching for a desperate air hanging between his own life and death, one inhaling nervously making decisions between others life and death. Smeared with bloody red blood all around his tuff body with as sharp as a razor claw decorated with red liquid probably the imprint of his victim''s life. "Stop this Aziel! Please... You can build... Our own... Paradise... Just like... You always dream of..but this is not the right thing... " The man doesn''t want to waste his last word for anything except convincing the monster with his desperate words. Tears coming down his eyes as he feels the sore of his wound. No, that''s not the reason for his tearful eyes. "Aziel.. hsk.. hsk... I''m sorry... If only.. hsk.. hsk... I''m paying attention.. then... this..will not.. hsk.. hsk.." The monster''s eyes widened, the fatigue man''s words finally stole his attention, "HRGHH... HAHA... HAHAHA... They all.. deserve this... What I''m doing right now! What I''m doing at this moment! It is the rightful thing equivalent to their sins!" "I know that! We all.. hsk.. know that! But.. hsk.. that doesn''t mean! That never means! What you want to do right now is right! Think about it! Consider it! Aziel! You! The proudest among the proudest! The strongest among the strongest! You are! You are! My friend... You are! Slowly becoming something you hate! Ehuk! Ehuk!" with all the energy left in his impotent body. He shouted with all his heart about the monster. No, not about the monster, but the friend who he admired the most who slowly became something he loathed. The monster left speechless with the man''s word. The nervousness of his heart that he felt when he wanted to execute his plan, starting becoming a doubtful piece of heart who starts thinking whether what he''s doing is right or wrong. But that doubt doesn''t seem to change his unyielding mind, who already set himself to keep going on the way he wants. "HRGH... I never.. love myself.. either...It''s not a hard thing..to hate it.." "Aziel.." the man suddenly kneels in front of the monster, "Don''t worry.. friend.. You will.. There''s another chance for you.." he said with a bright smile on his face. "Manifestation.." a white circle suddenly appeared on the ground around him. An elegant ray of light radiates around the circle. A blowing little wind suddenly emerges from the circle. Stroking his hair gently like a breeze from the beaches. "Oi, oi, oi what are... What are you doing! Oi! How? How do you have any mana left?!" the monster panicked. He tries to get closer to the man but a force from the circle blocks him from going through. "Veto.." the man said calmly with such a low tone voice that it would serene the mind of anyone troubled. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Oi! Veto? You! What is that?! Tell me what that spell is for! Oi! Stop this! What you want to do! Oi asshole!" In contrast to the man, no calmness can be seen in the monster. As clueless as a baby who was just born into this world without knowing anything. With a mind full of rage. He punches the force and tries with all his might to break the force but just reaches a dead end. The force is unbreakable even though he already gives everything he can to break it. A man who is regarded as the strongest among the strongest falling into the pit of helplessness right in front of one wounded man whose time in this world is numbered as time passes. "Hrgh... Hrgh... Hahaha... Goodbye.. my friend.. search your own... Paradise.." the man who before looked like he had nothing up his sleeve, said with the happiest smile the monster ever saw in his entire life. The monster just looked from outside of the circle while his two hands were still trying to knock the force before falling into the silence of powerlessness. The only thing that moves is the tears that suddenly fall from his eyes without him realising while the man kneeling in front of him started moving his mouth... "Alter.." ------- "Keep going, you slacker! Go to your gate! Fast! Fast! Fast!" a fierce-looking man orders a bunch of people who seem like slaves to him. They walk with a group of four to five people to a huge mountain in the middle of a dead forest. The forest without any green with a mist filling the air. Just a dead tree surrounds the mountain. "Ahh, I just barely rest. What a pushover," a boy with straight red hair who leaned his body to the big tree awakened from his rest. "Hey! Hey! Wake up! Wake up! Time to work!" with his annoyingly loud voice, he calls out to three people beside him who look like his coworkers. "Arghhhh! I just fell asleep! Can''t you give me more time to rest?" one of the boys said unconsciously as an excuse to stay in his sleep. "The captain already yelled at us! Hey! Hey! Wake up or we will not get dinner like yesterday!" the boy said with a desperate tone craving for his dinner. "Heh, shut up already, Keira.." one of the boys finally woke up and told the alarm boys to keep quiet with a flat voice. He sits down to reconnect himself to reality after roaming in an illusion called a dream. He tidied up his middle-parted hair. "Hey, Glen, help me wake these two!" the boy named Keira said with his dinner on the line. Suddenly, Glen got up from his sitting position. He took a bottle of water that idle near them. "Yeah, throw the water to them! Nice idea Glen!" Keira praises Glen''s common idea that everyone with a brain would think of. Glen slowly walks toward Keira with the bottle in his hand. "Hey? What Glen? Oh, you want me to open the bottle cap? Hmm, I know you are not strong enough... Just give me then. I will open it easily-" "PANG!!" Before Keira can even finish his line, Glen swings the bottle toward Keira''s head. "ARGHHH!!" Keira couldn''t help but scream in pain loudly. "Heh, don''t be so over. It''s not that hard.." Glen said carefreely without feeling any guilt. "Hah! What happened?! Why do you scream like that Keira?" The boy with the excuses suddenly woke up from his sleep after hearing the annoying scream from Keira. "Ergh... It hurt Glen! Why are you doing that?" Keira said while rubbing his head to remove the pain even if it was useless. "Heh, I thought you just asked for my help to wake those two. You''re welcome.." Glen said in satisfaction after striking Keira who disturbing his sleep. "That''s not your intention huh," Keira said as a sign he was unsatisfied with Glen''s actions. "Well, killing two birds with one stone is not a bad idea," Glen said to justify his action. "Hah? All that noise for waking me up? Arghh, I just want to sleep! Is it a big demand?" the boy who desperately needed a sleep said with his curly hair disturbing his view? "SHUT UP NAVIR!" Glen and Keira sync their minds and words telling the sleepless boy to shut up. "You! All three of you! Why are you still there! Get up and work your ass off!" a fierce-looking man came near them while shouting his orders. "Hey, hey the captain incoming! Hurry run!" Keira said in a panic. All three of them run quickly into the designated area that the captain orders to go to. "Eh? Hah, one.. two... three... Someone missing right?" Navir said while they were running but he couldn''t identify who the missing one was. "Heh, where Aziel?" Glen realises after looking at all his friends at a glance. "Shit... He is still sleeping beside me when we run," Navir said after realising it. "You go first, I''ll bring him with me," Glen said, instructing that he will catch up to them. Glen runs back fastly to the place where they rest before. The captain said ''three of us'' before, maybe he doesn''t even realize about Aziel too. Ahh, there he is. Glen found Aziel who had already woken up from his sleep and was sitting under the tree. On the way to approach Aziel, Glen suddenly stops after Aziel is aware of his presence. "Oi, Azi-" before he finished saying his friend''s name. He was struck by strangeness. The boy named Aziel looked at him with tears running down his face. Wake Up "Ergh..erm.." a boy wakes up from his dream. Looking confused about the unfamiliar surrounding area after he looked to the left and right. "Where.. am I..erm..huh?" While he is still thinking about the situation he is in or the place he is at, something is bothering him in the eyes. The flow of water falling from his eyes without his consent makes him uncomfortable. "Huh? Why?" He tried to rub his tears using his hand. Unable to do it neatly, he chose to use his sleeves instead. "Oi, Azi-" a voice coming from his right. The boy turns his face toward the voice that calls him. With a never-ending rain that he can''t control falling from his eyes. "Heh? Why are you crying Aziel?" Glen asked the crying boy in front of him. "Glen... Glen? What... What are you doing here? B-but how?" Aziel was shocked after seeing Glen. His eyes widened as seeing something surprising and impossible just like a dead person who came back to life. "Heh? What''s wrong with you Aziel? Are you still dreaming or what? Let me see.." Glen comes near Aziel who is still sitting under the tree. He raised his hand in front of Aziel, looking like he wanted to pat him on the head. "Bang!" Glen''s slow hand gesture suddenly turned into a fast force, helped by the weight of gravity, and crushed right into Aziel''s head without any mercy. "Ouch! What the fuck? Why do you do that?" Aziel protests after suddenly being hit by Glen for no reason. "Heh, it looks like you are not dreaming right? Now get your ass off. We get to work now.." Glen said without any feeling of guilt after hitting Aziel right on his head. "Work? What are you talking about?" Aziel seems still confused and can''t understand a thing from Glen. Wait... Why does Glen look so young? Huh? Wh-what? Aziel suddenly realised something peculiar about himself. Something is just not supposed to be right now. He examines his own body from part to part. Even though he actually can tell from the size of his hand already that something just is not right. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Huh? Huh? What''s happening here? What the hell is happening here? Why am I? Why do I look younger than I should be? What happened to my form? "Heh? Stop acting weirdly, I know you desperately don''t want to work. But I''ll not fall for your dumb trick okay. Don''t tell me you are sick or something like that," Glen said. Why am I like this? Why is Glen like that? Where is this place? I don''t remember a single thing about this place. Have I ever come to this place before? No...I never. Wait...that man¡­that man... that man! He must be... He must be the reason for all this! That man... who is he again? What is his name? Wait... Why? Why can''t I remember his name? What''s his name again? We are in the cave...the Klaven Cave...then...he does something.. Urgh! Glen... Glen! Glen must know something! "Oi, you, where is he? Where is he?" Aziel suddenly acts aggressively toward Glen and holds his collar, asking Glen to spill out the name of the man that he forgot. "Heh? You''re having a nightmare huh? Relax. Do you eat some weird stuff or what?" Instead of answering Aziel''s question, Glen keeps his cool and talks about something unrelatable. "Don¡¯t try to play dumb...you know what¡¯s happening right? You must have planned this with him. Answer me... Where is he!" Aziel keeps repeating the same question to Glen. "Heh.. you are so consistent... Who is he? Navir? Or Keira? They both already go to work, you dumbass... Now, I know you aren''t satisfied after I hit you, but we can settle this later okay. Let go of me now.." Glen acts as calm as the sea even when Aziel acts like that. "Navir? Keira? Those two.." Wait... What''s happening here? Why are those two still alive? Glen too... Wait, if there''s three of them.. then... "Another one... Where''s another one? Me, you, Navir, Keira! There¡¯s another one..there are five of us... Who''s another one? Where is him?" Aziel asks pressingly. "Heh? You are really out of your mind huh? There''s just four of us all this time... Who''s another one you refer to? Ohh, I see..you must be dreaming of your imaginary friend or something like that heh? I pity you, you can meet him when you fall asleep later tonight. Now it''s time for work," Glen said toward Aziel''s face. "Hey, you two! Why are you still here! How many times should I tell you? If your team does not reach the target today! No dinner for you!" Suddenly the captain found them again and fired his warning from afar interrupting their conversation. "Shit, let''s go already." Glen easily took Aziel''s hands off his collar and grabbed Aziel''s left hand with his right hand. He runs fastly while forcing Aziel to follow his pace after the captain shouts to them for the second time already. ¡°Oi...Oi! What are you doing? Answer me first!¡± Aziel desperately wants an answer from Glen but he can¡¯t even release his hand from Glen''s grip, forcing him to run at Glen pace or he will fall and be dragged to the ground. ¡­ "Hey! What took you so long?" Keira complained to both of them while waiting in front of the gate or something like that. Those two... Alive... What''s happening? What is that? Where is this place? Aziel can''t help but wonder about the place Glen brings him to. He doesn''t remember in any of his life memories of the place he is standing on right now. They are climbing a look-alike cone mountain that has a path around it with exceptional width that can be traversed by around 5 people at once. The peak of the mountain can''t be seen by the naked eye. Even though they just went through quite a long distance from the bottom. They are not even going one-quarter of the mountain height. The atmosphere seems dreadful, the sky is red just like a bloody sea. The air feels like smoke from burning waste. The tree only leaves a trunk without any green leaves that are pleasing to the eye. There''s no beauty in the view from his own eyes. "Where am I? What am I doing here?" Aziel talks so loud that Glen heard it from behind. "Heh? Are you still dreaming? We are in the abyss right now. Our workplace. I see you are still stuck in your fantasy, doesn''t it? Want me to give a handful of hits again?" Glen said carefreely. "What? Wh-what are you saying? Abyss?" Aziel feels lost. His whole body trembled as much as his heart shaking after hearing the word that Glen said, ''Abyss'', that one word makes his legs get weak. Finally, he falls to the ground in disbelief of what he just hears, "I am.. in the... Abyss?!" To the Gate "Huh? What''s wrong with you Aziel?" Navir asks Aziel who''s still kneeling? Am I really at the Abyss? Is the Abyss real? Isn''t that only a myth made by us to scare people? Aziel had a flashback from his memory. ----- "Let''s name it Abyss," a man with long hair said toward four other men in a circle. They have a conversation inside a small room of a wood inn. "What exactly is it for?" Aziel with a blue low man bun hair asked. "It''s just like hell in the world. Those who don''t want to follow orders will be thrown into that place," the man explained. "Is it really necessary to? We can just kill them hahaha!" Keira who looks like a grown-up man said. "Heh, and just reduce our manpower? That''s why you are not the man to define this Keira," a grown-up Glen said. "Hey, watch your mouth-" "Hahaha! You are really stupid Keira," a curly hair man said, probably Navir. "Heh? You just wake up from your dozing. I''m pretty sure you don''t even know what we are talking about," Glen said. "Hahaha! Hah...erm...hahaha whatever it is!" Navir just laughed to ward off embarrassment. "It''s not like we will do it for real. We will just make a rumour among our people," the long-haired man said.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Will they believe it? They are not kids," Aziel doubts that plan. "You don''t know what rumours can do nowadays. If we play the right card, it can even make an army retreat before a war," Glen said. "Yeah, it''s all about how we plan the rumour to be. For this case, I already ordered one man to act. You all can rest assured," the long-haired man said. ---- Wait...that''s all we ever have a conversation about the Abyss. Everything from that is executed by the long-haired man that I still don''t remember his name. Goen doesn''t remember him either. What about Navir and Keira? "Hey, what are you doing? We are already late! If we can''t reach the target for today, then we can''t have dinner for two days in a row!" Keira is still complaining about the dinner, "Come on, get up Aziel!" "Leave him be.. he is just having a nightmare.." Glen said while heading toward the gate and stood still in front of it, "I will open the gate first." "Manifestation... Unlocked!" an incantation from Glen followed by the opening of the gate that he stood in front of. "Grrkkkkk" the gate open slowly the moment Glen''s incantation finish. A white bright light radiating from the other side of the gate hinders anyone from looking at the place behind it. "Nice! Let''s go, for our dinner!" Keira is the one who is so excited about this because of his dinner at the stake. "Huhh, I''m so tired of doing this again... I just sleep a little.." Navir was lazy as always, using the lack of rest time as his excuse again. Aziel has a mixed amazed and bewildered expression on his face after watching the gate opening. "Come on, maybe you can clear your mind after seeing the other side.." without Aziel realizing, Glen already stands in front of him while stretching his hand to help him get up. "What is that gate? Where does it connect us to?" Aziel asked? "Hey...did he have amnesia or what?" Keira complained. "We do our job there like usual. Don''t you remember?" Glen asked. "Job? What kind of job?" I don''t remember seeing that kind of gate before. This is too real to be a dream. What should I do now? It''s not a good idea to run, as I don''t know where this place is. Aziel glanced at every single one of them. Maybe I should just follow them for now...I should collect as much information about this place first. Then I will plan what I should do. Whatever it is, the spell that that man used must be the main reason for this, ''Veto'' and ''Alter''... "Okay, my mind is a little bit messy. But I''ll do what I can¡­" Aziel said while grabbing Glen''s hanging hand. "Yeah, that''s the spirit. Never mind about your mind, it is always a mess though," Glen said. "Now, for real! For our dinner!" Keira again shouting the same things while they walked toward the gate. The gate that Aziel doesn''t know will direct them to where. Steadily he follows his friend''s footsteps in sync to the unknown place that he never stepped foot in before. Glen led at the front, followed by Navir and Keira at his back, and Aziel was the last man among them. Bit by bit, one step at a time, he passed the gate after his friends went through first... Gate ¡­ Aziel saw a dark space with nothing in it when he went through the gate. It feels like his body control on its own leads him through the end of the gate. At the end of it, they teleported to some random house in the atmosphere Aziel seems familiar with. The starry sky lights the gloomy night. The house is surrounded by a field of paddy. The field of paddy is located between one house to one house. The paddy separates the house from the other house. The breeze from the paddy field makes Aziel feel cosier than the world he was in before that called the Abyss. This is...the world we used to live in right? Aziel monologues with himself. Right after they arrive there, the four of them camouflage themselves by hiding in the paddy around the house. They are wearing the same black uniform with a thin silver line across the front that makes it easier to camouflage themselves. All of them silence themselves without talking even a little. Aziel, who still can''t pick up what they have to do there, just follows the other''s action. He isn''t sure whether he should tell them about everything or not. "What are we doing here?" Aziel breaks the silence by whispering toward Navir who is hiding at his left side. "Huh? Doing our troublesome work of course... Huhh, I''m tired of doing this already...I just want to sleep!" Navir accidentally speaks out a bit loud. "Oi! Shut up!" the stupid Keira who sits at the left side of Navir just want to remind him to stay silent but just make things worse with his loud warning. Glen, who sits at Keira''s left side, pats Keira''s back a bit and just gives a silent sign with his index finger on his lips. He indicated it to Navir and Aziel also. After a while, Glen gives a sign to move forward. They walk through the paddy field and stop when they reach nearby the house. Then, Glen gave number two signs with his right hand. Aziel, who doesn''t know the meaning behind it, just stays still while Glen and Keira already go toward the front door of the house. He wants to follow them but is blocked by Navir. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "What are you doing? Stick to our plan.." Navir whispered to Aziel. Aziel, who is still confused, just follow Navir''s order and sit with him there. A minute later, "Let''s go.." Navir said to Aziel as he walked toward the back door of the house quietly on his tiptoe. The house is built of grey stone walls with uneven surfaces. The roof consists of heavily overlapped tree fronds. when viewed from the outside. The square house is very small with an area of only about ??20 feet wide and long. Now, Aziel and Navir are standing beside the house''s back door. ¡°Oi, what should I do? Why do we act like we are thieves?¡± Aziel asked. Hiding around the house, keeping quiet while doing it and surrounding the house from front to back, is just what a thief would do in Aziel''s mind. He follows them without knowing their objective and still wonders about it until now. Every time he asks, his friend just says it is part of their work. ¡°Shh..just do it like you always do..¡± Navir said and suddenly started counting, ¡°One.. two... three..now!¡± ¡°Bang!!!¡± Right after he shouted ¡®now¡¯ Navir started to smash the door with his hand making loud noises from the impact. The door broke right in the middle of it but still not open. Navir took his hand off from the door. It leaves a hole as big as Navir''s hand in the middle of it where Navir lands his punch. Aziel was shocked after seeing what just happened, ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s their sign..¡± Navir said. ¡°Huh? What sign?¡± Aziel asked. "Tap! Tap! Tap! Aziel can hear footsteps from inside the house. " Someone is coming¡­" Aziel said. "Banggg!!!" An even louder sound of a door being blasted can be heard by them. "What''s happening here?" Aziel, who was shocked by the blasting sound, covers his ears. ¡°AHHHHHH!¡± a voice of a grown woman screamed from inside the house filled Aziel and Navir hearing. ¡°Now, that¡¯s our sign to shine! Let¡¯s get the job done!¡± Navir said while placing himself in front of the door. "Bang!" Navir kicks the door so it can open for them to enter. Without waiting for Aziel, Navir rushed into the house. Aziel without thinking too much also entered the house. To his surprise..blood with concentrated red colour already spills everywhere in the house. Flows like a small river on the ground, splashes like a tiny round spot on the wall. The smell of blood fills the space of the small house. Aziel eyes focusing on two bodies lying on the ground. The body where the source of the blood comes from. One is a grown-up woman with long dark brown hair and in her embrace is a girl with the same hair colour that is probably her beloved child. Standing beside the unmoving two humans is Keira with a bloodstream down his left hand while Glen is just sitting on the chair in the house like a boss watching his subordinate doing the dirty job. It takes Aziel a while to realize an old-looking bald man is leaning himself on the wall while cornered by Navir that set foot into the house before him. Navir lifts his right foot and places his brown shoe soles into the man''s face. The man becomes numb sitting there like a hopeless prey. Aziel¡¯s body becomes motionless witnessing the atrocious scene right before his eyes without a single word come from his mouth. Job "Huh, you only left this old man for us? How can I satisfy myself only with him?" Navir said while standing right in front of his prey. ¡°Relax, the kid is still alive...she is probably told by her mother to pretend to be dead. You can play with her later, settle the big one first,¡± Glen said confidently. ¡°Oh...I see, whatever, I will enjoy this first¡­ Now, how can I help you old man? What type of death do you like the most? Hahaha!¡± Navir said just like a psychopath who is thirsty to kill. Aziel is still processing in his mind about the situation. He doesn¡¯t know how to react. What the hell are they doing? Why do they attack this innocent family mercilessly like this? They are not the ones I knew before¡­ Are they not the same person? They will not do something like this...what happened here? "Wh-what you all just did?" After getting his senses back, Aziel questioned the things he just saw. A horrific scene of a family getting killed. And what the most shocking thing is, they do it without any guilty feelings like it''s an everyday job. "Hey? What''s wrong with you Aziel? Did you hit your head? This is our everyday work as the Abysser," Keira said. "Weird, usually you are the one who is always enthusiastic about this? It''s your forte, right? See...the blood coming from their body...isn¡¯t that beautiful?" Navir said while holding the old man with a silver knife directed to his neck. The sharpness of the knife-edge makes blood come out slowly with just a small touch... "Huh? Wh-what are you talking about? Abysser? My forte? I don''t understand... I don''t understand anything!" Aziel shouted his heart out. He can''t comprehend anything that the others tell him. He doesn''t have any memory of what the others talk about. He holds his head with his right hand like someone who feels dizzy. "Huh, have you lost your mind or what?" Keira asked.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t worry Aziel, you must burn out from this. Hear me out...once you start doing things like you always do, you will forget about other things. Now, I will act as a good friend today and give this old man to you. Enjoy it...¡± Navir gives his knife to Aziel. Aziel numb hand just holding the knife while trembling. Glen just sat there without saying anything either. Fear can be seen crystal clear in the old man''s eyes. He sweats profusely and his body shakes terribly. Not a single word came from his mouth. "Wh-what do you want me to do? Kill him? I will not do this kind of shit!" Aziel throws the knife into the ground with anger filled himself. "Hey! Watch out where you throw it! What if it struck me¡­" Keira said while searching for the knife back. "Hmm, I want to be good today...but if you don''t want to, then I''m glad to enjoy my prey hehehe¡­" Navir said terrifyingly. "Krkk!" A sudden sound of a chair being pulled out filled the room. Glen stands up from the wooden chair and walks slowly toward Aziel. On the way, he steps over the two-body on the ground without feeling any guilt. Now, he stands right in front of Aziel. His height is a little lower than Aziel, but his aura says otherwise. With his sluggish face, he faced Aziel without saying a single word. "Dush!" A punch landed on Aziel''s left side of his face out of nowhere. Aziel, who was caught off guard, fell off after receiving the hit. Glen forces Aziel to get up back by grabbing his shirt. This time, he swings his left hand toward Aziel on the right side of his face. "Dush!" The satisfying sound from the impact filled the room. Aziel once again fell off to the ground like a hopeless man. Aziel can''t react much because he never expects Glen will do something like that. He was completely stunned by Glen''s action. This is just not the same Glen that he knew before. "Hey, this is not the time for this...our target for today is 5 people you know, we don''t have much time left," Keira said toward Glen calmly because he doesn''t want to make things worse. He knows yelling doesn''t lead them to their objective. "Heh...you said something wise when your food is on the line Keira," Glen mocked Keira. "Huh? Do you think what he said is wise Glen? All he cares about is his food," Navir suddenly interrupts. "Why do you suddenly turn deaf Navir?" Glen makes fun of Navir as he already said Keira acts like that because of his greedy stomach on the line. Aziel is still laying on the ground just watching the situation they are in. Glen didn''t land any punch nor force him to stand up after the second one. "Srss¡­" amid their conflict, a sudden light comes from every single one of them except the household. Their body slowly fades up piece by piece turning into the light that is floating toward the sky. Like dust blown away by the gentle breeze. Aziel like always, being left in awe of the phenomenon. "Shit, times up already¡­" Glen said while just standing still like someone who accepted his fate. "What? I barely do anything!" Navir complained while standing beside Glen. "No...nooo! My dinner¡­" With his hand raised toward the sky like someone who prays for hope, Keira is also in the same state as others. The old man just watched in confusion, horror and hope that they would disappear from there. A second later, all four of them left the house without a trail left behind. ---- Room "Srss..." In a blink of an eye, they teleported to the centre of one room with the state they are in before they turn into light. Aziel and Keira sitting while Glen and Navir standing. All of them stay silent without saying anything. Aziel acting like a fish out of water. He turns his view back and forth, right to left in the unfamiliar room. The room has nothing in it. An empty room that looks like a pyramid design from the inside. With width, length and height for about five normal human heights combined. The room isn''t dark, it is filled with a bright light that doesn''t have a source. No window can allow the light to enter. It''s like the room itself has its light. "Where are we?" Aziel breaks the silence. ¡­ But no one answers his question. "Oi! Where are-" before he could complete his question, he realized something unusual. Glen is not moving even an inch. Like a human who turns into a rock. Much more to a doll. He was standing there like a replica. Aziel glances at others and he realizes it''s not just Glen that becomes like that. Navir and Keira also stay motionless in the state they were before being teleported into the room. "Is this some kind of magic? Who''s doing this? But...the way they were reacting before, they know this will happen right? Yeah, they talk about time running out!" Aziel talks with himself. He checks the condition of others. There''s no harm found in their body and their body doesn''t turn hard. It is still in the condition of a normal human, warm and tender. "Aziel!" A sudden hoarse man''s voice calling his name. Aziel looks everywhere but he can''t find anyone in the room beside the four of them. "Aziel!" "Sin¡­ plus 0!" "Virtue¡­ plus 10!" "Guerdon¡­ Nothing!" "Retribution¡­ Number 25!" "Dispersed!" Aziel heard everything the voice said clearly even though he had no idea what it was for. The voice fell into deep silence. Once again, the only sound that filled the room was Aziel¡¯s movement and breath. He wanders around the room hoping to find information and clues about that room. Looking for a space that he can go through to exit this room. West, east, north and south he explores yet not the slightest hint he can discover. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Grkkkkk!¡± a familiar sound of a door being open catches his attention. But there¡¯s no door or gate he can spot through his eyes. ... ¡°Grsss...:¡± But this phenomenon can be seen clearly by Aziel. A black-looking object like dust flows through the air. Little by little, rise into the sky. The boy can¡¯t help but wonder where it comes from. He follows the flow of the dust backwards, looking for the root of the weird-looking things that seem like ash from a waste being burnt when he stares at it closely. It is his hand. Being too preoccupied with the room, he forgot to look upon himself. Burn slowly into dark ash. Late to realize, then still late to react. It takes him about ten seconds to stare concentratedly on his hand before the information of the pain arrives in his brain to react. His hand shook immensely. He was sweating in pain, breathing in agony. Inch by inch his body swallows by the unknown burn. ¡°Arghhhh! Argh! Argh!¡± Scream in pain, hoping for it to reach someone or something to help him as his full hands are already gone. Inch by inch, his two hands turn into ash, making it impossible for him to help himself. Inch by inch, his body rotten to the core, devouring his organs one by one. Inch by inch, his legs separated from the already gone body, left stranded waiting for the burn to consume it. Inch by inch, his head fell into the ground, rolling without direction, stopping when the force was already gone, letting his eyes view the room horizontally. As everything was gone, his mind was still intact with his consciousness, feeling every single bit of the pain of the burn from the tips of the toes to the tips of the hair. In just a second, Aziel completely vanishes to ash from the room leaving the others that still lost their will to move freely. ¡­ ¡°Ergh...ermm..¡± A cloudy sky spreading without borders filled his vague view. A rough soil sensation can be felt behind his back. A texture of a mattress that nobody wants to lay off for their rest. ¡°Retribution number 25!¡± a voice that is different from before shouted. Suddenly, his body moved on its own. Standing up straight in the middle of a wide brown soil field without end. There''s no one there except him. He just realised his full body was still intact, unlike the time he got burned. Actually, there is not even a burn effect on his body. But he still remembers the pain of it clearly. "Where...am I?" No memory comes to his mind when looking at the vast area. After standing for a while involuntarily, suddenly an image of three people showed up as a shadow. One is like an ageing man, one is like an adult woman and one is a young girl. After a moment, Aziel realizes something, he has seen these people before. They are the family that he and others trespass their home in the gate. But their image looks like a shadow and can be seen vaguely. "You, slave of mine...for wasting the time for someone to kill, wasting the chance for someone to add their sin...shall feel the pain of protecting the one you choose. For you to do it without intention, I shall give my judgement. The retribution for your virtue now shall be passed¡­" a deep voice of a man came outta nowhere. The shadow started moving and stopped right in front of Aziel. They make scary poses for some unknown reason. Aziel tries to move his body but fails miserably. Now, his body starts to move on its own. His hand that straight by his side before started to widen itself. At a glance, he looks like he wants to hug the family. The family starts to sit on the ground while holding each other trembling like seeing something frightening in front of them. Aziel can''t help but seem confused. He can''t even move. Why does the image of the family look like they are scared of him? "Dum! Dum! Dum!" A footsteps sound of a giant filled the field. Aziel can hear it walking behind him but he can''t even have a little glimpse of it. "Arghhhh!" "Argh!" "Arghh!" "Noooo!" "Stop!" "Please!" The moment the footsteps stopped. His eyes begin to move on their own. Aziel was served by a horrific view and the dreadful sound of a thousand humans who suddenly appeared one by one in the vast field. The quiet field was suddenly decorated by screams of pain and agony. Field Distanced from each other by a range of about two meters. An uncountable amount of humans filled the vast field. All of them were placed in their own domain alone without anyone besides them. But for some unknown reason, they scream like being tortured non-stop. Aziel can hear it from every direction even though he can''t see if there¡¯s anyone behind him. ¡°Retribution number 25! Commence!¡± The voice before starting to talk again. ¡°Aiii!¡± followed by a throaty voice that he can hear from someone who is standing right behind him. Aziel eyes are forced to watch the family in front of him. ¡°Wushhh¡­.BANG!!!¡± a sound of something being swung toward Aziel back followed by a smashing sound by the impact from it filled Aziel hearing. ¡°ARGHHHH!" Now, he found the answer to the loud screaming coming from another human. As he feels the cause by himself. Hard texture like a rock violently whipped toward his unfit young body. A certain someone behind his back mercilessly hitting his back but he can''t see it. "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" What makes things worse is that it never ends. As it continued, Aziel''s scream became louder and louder. Unable to move, his eyes opened so wide that he couldn''t even blink. Tears of pain already dampen the soil below him. I can''t move... The only control he had on his body was his mouth. Though the only thing he can blurt out right now is not even a word that someone can understand. He desperately wants to pass out to forget the pain but helplessly can''t. The pain he feels still runs through his mind without exception. He lost count of how much he was already being whipped. The family right in front of him seems to tremble by what they are seeing. Looking like a human who takes refuge from Aziel. Using Aziel as a human shield from the attackers. That''s the only thought Aziel had in his mind. He can''t think rationally. His mind went completely blank. But the thought about the family used him to protect themselves playing in his mind over and over again. "Am I protecting them?!" "They are using me?!" "Why am I doing this for them?!" "Why didn''t they help me?!" "Why? Why? WHY!?" "ARGHH!! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!! STOP USING ME!"Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. A scream of pain turns into a howl of anger. A piece of despised being dispersed toward the shadow in a human shape. Hatred toward them increased every time he felt the pain as he made up in his mind that they are the main cause of his suffering. The only things he can see and blame for everything. "ARGHHHHH!!!" ---- "...ziel! Aziel! Aziel!" A sound that feels far away becomes closer and closer. "Argh!" Aziel finally awakens in shock after someone repeatedly calls him to get up. Sitting beside him while crossing his arm is Navir. "Finally awake hah? What a pain in the mass to wake you.." Navir said. "Huh? Wh-what happened? W-why am I here?" Aziel gets up from the bed and wonders about his surroundings. He remembers just now he was at the vast field where he was getting tortured. Now he is lying on the bed in the brown worn tent. It''s not even appropriate to call it a bed, it''s just mouldy mattresses that are laid out on the ground. "You know what? I''m too lazy to explain it to you... Now get up already cause I wanna sleep there hahhhmm¡­" Navir said while yawning at the end. Now, Navir took the mattress from Aziel and fell asleep immediately. Aziel just gives it without arguing. Aziel standing in the middle of the empty tent that only had the mattress in it. He checked the condition of his body. My back...doesn''t feel the pain anymore¡­ Is that just a dream after all? But the sensation, it''s too real to be a dream¡­ I remember everything like it truly happened... "Hey, hey, look who''s looking good today," Keira comes from outside. "Huh?" "Don''t ''huh'' me! Help me with this firewood already," Keira pointed outside. Aziel doesn''t reply but he walks toward the outside of the tent. The light from the sun brightened the misty atmosphere. The exact same atmosphere he feels as he awakened before they entered the gate. As he exited the tent, he found a bunch of firewood with no fire and just stared at it pensively while standing like a tree. "Hey, the fire is not gonna be turned on by staring at it¡­" Keira said. "Oh...okay," for some reason, Aziel doesn''t feel like starting a commotion with anybody. The agonizing event he just experienced traumatized his mental badly. He prefers to stay silent all the time and just follow everyone''s orders. ¡­ The sunshine finally closes the curtains. The dark sight of the unknown place known as the Abyss finally arrives in Aziel''s view. Aziel and Navir sitting around the well-established warm campfire that they made before the absence of light. Yet Aziel''s mind is still absent from his reality. Gazing toward the burning fire hoping to find the losing piece to a puzzle of everything he experienced in the past two days. There are so many questions playing inside his head but he doesn''t know to whom he should direct it. Even he knows the answer won''t come unless someone answers it. "Ohh! Look at the roasted chicken!" A voice coming from another tent near them. A group of humans started to prepare to fill their stomachs while Navir looked at them with eyes full of jealousy. "Ahhh...I thought we could have dinner today¡­" Keira sighed. Aziel couldn''t care less of what Keira said. He is not even paying any attention to Keira. "Glen still hasn''t gotten back either¡­" Keira continues. That''s when Aziel''s mind starts thinking about something other than himself. He just realized Glen is not there with their group. The brain of the group is missing. That just answers the question of why he feels lost to who he wants to share his problem with. In his eyes, only Glen is reliable enough than others to answer his question. "Hey! Are you okay? It looks like you are always spacing out from the moment you wake up. What''s wrong with you?" Keira suddenly asked in a worried tone. That''s the frequent question he always gets since he woke up for the first time here. Yet he doesn''t know how to answer it. Should I tell the truth? That I don''t remember anything or I never come to this place or this is a sort of reality that happened because of the spell that that man who I forgot his name used? Which one is it? Will they understand the things that even I can''t understand? How should I explain the unknown? "Hey¡­ don''t you have a mouth anymore?" Suddenly, Keira confronts Aziel with a vile look in his eyes. "I can split that mouth from your head anytime if you don''t want to use it anymore¡­" Keira said with a devilish voice with annoyance written on his face holding a knife which he directed toward Aziel''s mouth. Conversation Aziel can feel that Keira is not joking. It''s a real threat aimed at him. "Hey, relax¡­ I''m fine, I''m just thinking about something else¡­" "Oh. really¡­" Keira steps back a little from Aziel. What''s wrong with him? I doubt it just because I don''t answer his question. "Hehhh...is there a fight that I miss?" Glen''s voice suddenly can be heard by them. "Oh, take a lot of time huh?" Keira said. "Like always¡­" Glen proceeds to lie down near the firewood upon his arrival. "Where do you go?" Aziel asked. "Hehh...main retribution of course...where do I go either?" "Main retribution?" "He really plays dumb right now! Allow me to cut his mouth already Glen." "Hahaha, calm yourself Keira...can you leave the two of us here? I need to teach Aziel a lesson too." "Yeah, he really needs one. He gets on my nerves every time he opens his damn mouth!" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "Huh? But you''re angry because I didn''t answer your question before¡­" "Shut up, Aziel! Let Glen teach your dumb brain! Your brain is now as good as a dead person." Huh...he''s really dumb, doesn''t he? Aziel thought in his mind. "Hahaha, now you should rest Keira. Let me take over from here¡­" "Listen carefully, Aziel! If you fuck up my dinner tomorrow...there''s no forgiveness for you anymore¡­" Keira directed his knife to his neck as a sign that he will do something to Aziel if he doesn''t get his dinner tomorrow. "Bang! Auch!" Keira fell after he stepped on a stone. "Pfttt.." Aziel and Glen are amused a little by Keira blunder. "Don''t laugh, you idiot! Huh!" He gets back on his feet and enters the tent. Heh, I see...it''s just because of the dinner...hahaha, how childish can you be Keira? Glen thought in his mind while smirking. "So...Aziel, let''s not make things longer! I will ask you three questions! You have no right to not answer it!" "Huh?" "First! Do you know this place in and out?" "Of course¡­" "Then what is ''In'' and what is ''Out''?" "Huh? Ah¡­ ''In'' is here¡­ ''Out'' is on the other side of the gate¡­" I just made up that, I hope it''s right. "Hahaha, what the fuck? There''s no term like that idiot! Hehh...I don''t know what happened to you, but I will explain everything a friend would do for someone who looks like they have dementia." Shit...knowing Glen, I should see something like a trick question coming. But if he really wants to explain everything I want to know, I don''t see that as a problem for me. "Huh? So what is this place?" "Stop right there! Now I can assume that you lost your memories. The Aziel I know will never want to hear the things he already knows¡­" "Huh?" Shit... "But I will let it slide for today. Because that''s not the point of our discussion right now." What''s in his mind honestly? "Bear in mind Aziel, I will not explain everything in one go. At this exact time tomorrow, I will make sure you have all knowledge about this place. Reflecting on experience is the best way of learning." "Huh?" Does that mean he will not explain it now? "So, rest yourself for today! And we will start early in the morning tomorrow!" "What the fuck¡­" "Hahhhh, I''m really sleepy right now...see you tomorrow, Aziel!" Glen enters the house instantly after ending his conversation with Aziel. Haish...doesn''t matter, guess I''ll just wait for tomorrow¡­ That''s clear my worries for him...Now I can take better control of the situation knowing he really doesn''t know anything. There are many possibilities of what actually happened to him...but for now, I have to get his head to understand our routine first so he will not be a burden for the team. Punching him before may make things worse, but that''s the only thing I can think of at that moment. Glen monologues in his mind. Lets Have A Breakfast The morning arrived with not too bright sunlight due to the thick fog surrounding the area. Aziel, who was sleeping outside the tent, opened his eyes in a semi-conscious state when he heard someone''s footsteps walking. He braced himself to wake up even though he still wanted to sleep. A familiar shadow he recognized was seen moving away from their tent area ¡°Navir?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, Aziel...what? I want to poop. Want to follow?¡± ¡°Huh? No¡­¡± ¡°Aight...¡± Navir proceeded to his destination alone. Never thought he was the first one to wake up...but fair enough, he was the earliest to sleep last night. Wait...he sleeps from the evening, doesn¡¯t he? Huh... ¡°Already wake up heh?¡± Aziel turned around and found Glen crouching in front of the already extinguished campfire. ¡°Huh? Since when you have been there?¡± ¡°Just now¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Preparing the fire for breakfast¡­¡± Oh, so Glen is the first one to wake up after all, now that makes more sense¡­ ¡°Eh? We have breakfast?¡± ¡°Of course, why not?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It''s just, we didn''t have dinner last night...or is breakfast always available without any conditions?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! That¡¯s our first lesson today! Breakfast! Now follow me!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Aziel follows Glen through the other direction from the Navir path before where there is a thick forest without leaves. The thing that thickened it was a crow that didn''t move an inch above the branches of the dead tree. There''s not a single ray of light passing into the ground. They have to use a fire torch that Glen brings as their direction indicator. ¡°Don¡¯t look at the crow too long, people say it will attack you if you do it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong if they attack me? It''s just a crow...¡± ¡°Hehe, the crow is not the problem, the sunshine that will pass through when there¡¯s no crow blocking is the problem.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°It will burn the forest to ashes¡­don¡¯t ask why, it''s just some rules in this world. This is the only area affected by it though.¡± ¡°So, the crow is there to protect this forest?¡± ¡°Wise...yeah that¡¯s the reason. But don¡¯t tell anybody. Our team is the only one that knows this.¡± ¡°Huh...okay then¡­¡± I suspect he knew about it because he investigated it by himself. In whatever way he does¡­ For some reason, he is more energetic than he was before he came back to us. I almost forgot that he punched me right in the face. Wait, that¡¯s weird...shouldn''t I feel anger toward him? But, I don''t feel anything...Yeah, I know we have been friends for a long time so I don''t really care if he wants to fight once in a while. But Glen never does something like that except there¡¯s the meaning behind it¡­. Without me realizing it, our conversation last night really made me feel better and comfortable to ask him the things I don¡¯t know without worrying he will be suspicious of me. Right after they pass through the forest that is not too long to pass by, they meet with a huge green lake. ¡°Now we have to catch our breakfast here¡­¡± ¡°Why is it green?¡± Aziel touches the lake surface. Gln doesn''t answer a thing. Aziel looked at him and found that he covered his ears using his hands. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh, you''re done talking? Now shhh¡­¡± Glen gives a sign to Aziel to shut up. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone what colour you see the lake, even I or anyone in our team.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°That''ll have to wait for later, Aziel. Just don¡¯t tell anybody okay?¡± ¡°Oh...ok¡­¡± I wonder why? Even he covers his ears. Did he expect me to ask him instantly? Seeing my action that went to touch the water, maybe he already expected it. And apparently, everything must be kept a secret. ¡°Good thing there¡¯s nobody around here right now. Maybe we are the only team that doesn¡¯t get dinner or they are too tired to go fishing.¡± ¡°How are we gonna go fishing? There¡¯s no fishing rod...oh, we use the branch?¡± ¡°Who the fuck use a fishing rod? It¡¯s not even a fish we will try to catch.¡± ¡°Oh, then what is it?¡± "Manifestation! Tracking!¡± Glen stretched out his right hand toward the lake. An incantation circle appeared on his hand. ¡°Oh...our prey is not so deep from the surface...why don¡¯t you take a look, Aziel?¡± Magic Even when the world changes entirely, and they don''t remember anything from the actual past, the way magic works is still the same. "Manifestation...tracking!" We have to start it by saying ''manifestation''. All magic can be used in daily life by saying the incantation out loud after that. All acts can be improved in efficiency through magic. Tracking, running, swimming, even sleeping. Magic can be used to improve strength and benefit from one act. You can run faster, see as far as possible, swim rapidly or even sleep sufficiently. It''s called basic magic that doesn''t include three prime magic. There are only three types of prime magic. Elemental, creation and destruction. And there are countless branches that humans have found from years to years from the main three. Knowledge without boundaries. Anyone can use magic as they have been supplied with their own mana since they were born. The source of magic. There''s no discrimination in mana level from their born. Either a child of a servant or child of a King, all babies have the same mana levels. The only difference is how they learn to get better with their mana. Of course, you can get a better education as a child of a King. But that doesn''t mean the other commoners can''t overpower them if the equivalent or extra effort is made. There''s no limit on what magic someone wants to learn. But there''s a limit to how much magic one person can master. You can learn everything simultaneously, and be average at everything. Or you can concentrate at one, and master it better than anyone, but be left behind in another type. But the gift doesn''t come without a price. Mana is not something as cheap as the air that humans take for granted. As humans live their lives and use magic freely, the Case of Arimia came to remind them of the price for using mana recklessly. Wait¡­ there''s a possibility that this is some kind of another timeline, or I''m kinda travelling back into the past¡­ I can minimize the possibility by asking them if they know about the history...and of course, the Case of Arimia is one history that everyone should know well. And if they don''t have an idea about it, that''s mean... ¡­ "Do you see it?" "Huh? Oh, yeah. That''s our prey? The silver one?"Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Yeah, why? Scared?" "Huh? To whom you directed that? I can finish it in under one minute." "Heh...even though that''s not really impressive, I can''t wait to see it. Here, take this." Glen throws a small knife at Aziel. He grabbed it easily. ¡°Huh...Manifestation!¡± Aziel ran toward the lake and jumped high to dive into it. ¡°Siren!¡± He shouted in the air An incantation circle appears around his leg and his head. His lower body changes into a mermaid tail look-alike instantly. The red tail is decorated with black lines. He dived into the lake elegantly like a mermaid. He swung his tail up and down swimming at his own pace in the lake regardless of any obstacles. A common lake creature like a fish can be seen clearly with his eyes but that¡¯s not his objective today. He will go for the bigger prey, a monster that looks like a silver-coloured long fish with two fangs as big as himself and a pair of big black eyes. The magic Aziel is using is creation magic, where he turns himself into a random monster he wants. In this case, he chooses a siren so he will have the ability to swim fast under the water by using the tail. Not only that, but he also can use whatever advantages the siren has such as vision underwater with their eyes and the ability to breathe underwater by copying their gills. This is just a common monster that we can find in the sea. What''s it called again¡­ahh...Ferka. But to find it in the lake, that¡¯s rare¡­ I will use its length to my advantage. Huh...no, surprise attacks are more efficient¡­ ¡°Now, 10 seconds start right now¡­¡± Glen is standing on land watching Aziel in action. The monster is still swimming leisurely without noticing Aziel''s existence. Aziel is swimming around 20 feet from the monster. Where¡¯s the flow¡­? There it is¡­ Aziel changes the path into the right side of the monster parallel to it by still keeping the 20 feet distance from it. He swam effortlessly with his eyes closed. Once he had already passed the monster, he suddenly made a u-turn toward it with the same pace. Right now he swims right in front of it and will collide anytime. Right at the time they were face to face with each other, Aziel opened his eyes. He moved slightly avoiding collisions and spun around the monster''s body with his knife in his hand. He slices the monster''s body easily according to his swimming current, splitting it in a whirl line. "Hrrghhhhhh!" The monster screeched in suffering. Struggling in pain. "Hrghhh!" A minute later, it stops moving as its suffering comes to an end. Aziel grabs the dead monster and brings it to the surface. "Clap! Clap! Clap!" "Nice job, that''s really under a minute. Following the flow of water to camouflage your existence so the monster doesn''t notice you...wise as always." Glen clapped for Aziel who got the work done. "Huh...easy task." "Hahaha, now let''s get back." This is weird, I can utilize a siren...does that mean every magic that I already master, I can use it here? But...if this travels back in time, doesn''t that doesn''t make any sense? Because I didn''t master a siren when I''m at this age...Is all the change that happens to me only my external appearance? What kinda tickles me off, doesn''t Glen feel suspicious of me? I''m acting kinda stupid back then, I should not using my magic without thinking about every possibility¡­ They have a safe trip to the tent and finally arrive with Glen and Aziel both carrying half of the Ferka''s body for their breakfast.