《Sin of Babel》 [0] Welcome Stupid, stupid, stupid! Norman chanted so in his heart as he slowly walked through the dark caverns, his eyes darting around in abject fear, hoping no horrors would come out and strike him. It''s only a matter of time before something comes, but a boy like him can hope for miracles, no? He could only blame himself for being in this Singularity. Had he run back home instead of standing up and shouting back like an idiot, James and his stupid gang of bullies wouldn¡¯t have thought that it¡¯d be fun to throw the ¡®dumb nerd¡¯ into the Singularity that newly formed behind their school. No, it extended far before that. If only he didn¡¯t decide to call them out, he wouldn¡¯t have been their target for the rest of the school semester. If he¡¯d only told his caring mother instead of his father then he wouldn¡¯t have the fear of speaking up seared into him. If only he¡¯d stayed quiet and avoided them, everything would¡¯ve been fine, just like they used to be. Now, all he¡¯s left with was his clothes, and feeling like he¡¯d faint in any moment. He sighed and shook the thoughts away. It¡¯s far too late to wonder about ¡®what ifs¡¯. He¡¯s here now, and he could only deal with the consequences¡­whatever they may be. Slowly, he continued his trek through the unlit caverns, pressing his hand against the rocky walls as guidance as to where to go. The sounds of his steps ring through the empty halls, echoing all around and back to him. Distantly, he could hear something splashing, most likely water droplets falling from the rocky ceiling. He didn¡¯t quite expect to feel extremely cold. Then, he heard something tumble onto the ground, and his leg tripped against a jagged rock on the floor. He crashes forward, and it¡¯s then that he noticed something wet and slimy sticking on his face. With slow dawning horror, he brought up his right arm to touch his cheek, only to then not feel anything. Because there wasn¡¯t any hand to move. ¡°A¡­Ah¡­¡± Blinding pain and crippling weakness hits him all at once. Ironically enough, the darkness around him began to lift, and he could see three figures surrounding him, their skin an almost emerald green. Their bodies were short and stubby, and their heads were obscenely big, making it look like something a 5-year old would draw in his free time. L¨¹gmen, children of sin and lurkers of night They had no face, no mouth, no eyes, but the knives in their hands were enough for him to start crawling backwards. Everything began growing numb, and the sound of his growing heartbeat filled the entirety of his mind. Then, he hit the wall, and the three monsters surrounded him, their knives dangerously gleaming in the dark. Strangely, the scene felt familiar, and he found himself slowly easing up, the tension in his bones melting into the darkness. It was¡­comical almost, like a panel in a comic book. Soft tears gathered in his eyes, but he didn¡¯t allow them to fall. One of them stepped forward, its arms raised and knife pointed downwards. In that moment, his mind flashed back to the beginning of the second week, when he¡¯d been sent crashing onto the wall, with James and his stupid gang around him, their mouths twisted in manic glee. He could remember how they laughed and shouted as he sat there, crying, hoping for something to change. He thought he was going to die that day. I don¡¯t want to die. He lived and came back the next day, but not before his father shouted and ranted about all his hypocritical shit. He wanted to talk back, to say that he did nothing wrong, but fighting him would bring nothing, so he kept his lips shut and silently left the house. I don¡¯t want to die. Everything continued. Any prospect of friendship vanished as his treatment continued, and he¡¯d began to find peace knowing that he¡¯d once again found his routine. Things began to blur together, and the torturous treatment he received began to grow shorter, mixing together as he went through the day. I don¡¯t want to die. But then James had to go and insult his mother. The lid he¡¯d kept shut from the beginning had burst open, and he¡¯d shouted back with all the strength he could before it was drained away. Satisfied as he was to see the moment of shock pass through his face, the things he did after hardly made him feel any better. Ah, so that¡¯s why. Then, everything made sense. Everything he did, everything he experienced was to lead to this moment. He could feel at ease, seeing everything falling back into a pattern. In that moment, the three monsters turned into James and his gang, and the knives poised at him into fists and books. He could almost imagine the wicked smile of glee at their faces as they closed him down, stabbing their knives into his flesh and ending his life.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡± He heard a part of him say, and he agreed to it. But he¡¯d remember the home he once had, the mother he¡¯d found comfort in, the father he¡¯d once shared his stories with, and the sister he once confided in. And that¡¯s why, I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE The knife was driven down, but he¡¯d moved behind it the moment its arm began going down. Taking inspiration straight from James¡¯ book, he kicked the L¨¹gmen onto the wall and began stomping on it, his attack growing stronger from his rising adrenaline. Then, a sick crunch echoes through the dark, and the skull inside its obscenely large head cracks. Before he could get his breath back, heat rushes through his system as he¡¯s suddenly pinned down by another L¨¹gmen, its knife stabbed deep into his back. Painfully, the L¨¹gmen twisted the knife, drawing an even larger injury, but it gave him enough time to scoure the rocky floor and find the first L¨¹gmen¡¯s fallen knife. With his remaining hand, he twisted his body and jammed the weapon deep into the side of the L¨¹gmen¡¯s head. The second L¨¹gmen falls, bleeding from its head, dead. The last of them steps back slightly, its stubby legs shaking in what he assumed was fear. He didn¡¯t have enough blood or energy to care, so he simply bent forward and stabbed it in its neck. It fell, and he gave the knife one last kick to send it through its neck and into the ground. Silently, he wondered how the hell he managed to do that, but he didn¡¯t have enough time to ponder before his anemia caught up and he fell onto the ground. I did it. He smiled, and everything went dark after that.
Norman awoke to a painful ache in his back. It took him a while to break out of his post-waking daze, but memories came rushing in, and he immediately sat up, before regretting it as he felt the wound on his back open slightly. Hey, at least I¡¯m alive. He heaved a long sigh. He¡¯s¡­alive, somehow. He was pretty sure the loss of a limb would kill him, especially with how much blood he¡¯d saw he lost. Granted, he still felt weak and numb, but having acute anemia was still much better than straight up being dead. Then again, whether he could survive until he reaches the very end is debatable. He gave the knife beside him a short glance, before he picked it up and stood up. He hadn¡¯t been inside a Singularity before, but surely there must be more of those green monsters, right? And so began his first dive into a Singularity, with him navigating through the slowly expanding caverns. The further he went in, the more fluorescent blue crystals began to appear on the walls, giving the previously dark caverns a gentle blue glow, something he was extremely grateful for, since he had eyes and the L¨¹gmen don¡¯t. So he could easily sneak up behind them and shank them in the back. Over time, the entire experience turned into a power trip for the boy, taking all of his repressed feelings and shanking them deep into the backs and faces of the L¨¹gmen. Though they did seem to have enhanced hearing, so they¡¯d still occasionally realize he¡¯s creeping up on their back, but he managed to kill them first¡­most of the time. Obviously, he didn¡¯t have any prior training before this hell of an experience, so his knife swings were sloppy, and there were a lot of instances where he missed the L¨¹gmen. His kicks were surprisingly strong however, most likely because he had a lifetime worth of running to strengthen the thing. Then, as he stepped through a small opening at the end of the long cavern, he came out into a large expanse, an opening lit by the many sharp glowing crystals growing on the walls. And there, at the center of the room, was a particularly large L¨¹gmen, its size nearly twice of his. Slowly, it turned its head to him, and the rest of its body followed, and he nearly went catatonic when he saw the tens of human heads sticking out from its belly, their faces twisted in perpetual horror and fear, their mouths slightly hung open. Was this why there was so little information about this? Because this damned L¨¹gmen ate all of them before they could escape? His eyes roamed over all the faces, and his blood ran cold when he noticed one certain young girl, her eyes black and tear tracks visible on her cheeks as her mouth remained opened. He knew who that was. He¡¯d talked to her several times, and he remembered her sudden disappearance from the school a month ago. Everything clicked into place then. He leapt forwards, running up to it and stabbing its leg before it could move. Its body jittered, and he quickly pulled the knife and jumped back as the monster began slamming its fists down, cracking the stone and sending clouds of dust into the air. The L¨¹gmen then came charging out from the cloud, and he managed to twist his body away from the incoming cleaver. But it did leave his side open to be kicked by it, and he was sent flying into the crystal-filled wall, crashing him deep into the stone and stabbing the sharp crystals into his back. His previous wound was reopened along with many new ones, and he could only cry out as he slowly extracted himself from the wall. He freed himself, and just in time to roll to the side to avoid the L¨¹gmen¡¯s incoming cleaver. With a clear target, he rushed forward and drove his knife into the L¨¹gmen¡¯s arm, painfully twisting the sharp weapon before kicking its handle through the arm, blowing a bloody hole through it. It jittered again, and in pain, it dropped the large cleaver. It clangs loudly, and with its enhanced hearing, the large monster flinched, giving him another opportunity to retrieve my knife and jam it into its other arm. He reared back his leg, and with as much strength as he could give, he kicked the handle upwards, sending the knife spinning upwards and severing its other arm. He was also pretty sure he sprained his leg in the process. He could confidently say it was worth it though. Seeing the giant L¨¹gmen bumble around as it stared at its dysfunctional arms was oddly satisfying. It then tripped, and it flopped down onto the floor, its belly facing upwards toward the ceiling. With a slow sigh, he picked up his knife and limped his way towards and up onto the downed L¨¹gmen. He stepped up onto its belly, ignoring the many faces it had on it and stared into the L¨¹gmen¡¯s face. He could almost see its none-existent eyes twisting in fear. Oh well. He jammed the knife deep into its head, and with his left leg, he stomped the knife down deep into it. It squirmed one last time, its legs flailing around, before it finally died. It¡¯s over. And as everything began to fade away, he smiled once again, wondering if all the people who died to this thing would be proud of him. [1] To Hope and Return
¡°So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.¡± ¨C Isaiah 41:10
There was a time when he didn¡¯t bother to think. He¡¯d go out and do whatever his heart led him to, and as fun as it¡¯d been, it led to some stupid things that he¡¯d wish he could go back and fix, before bonking his idiotic younger self on the head. Those truly were the golden days, when everything was still bright and clear, everything separated in a clear black and white. He¡¯d go to school, do stuff, come home, and he¡¯d meet with his family again. They¡¯d have fun together, force him to do his homework, eat, and kiss each other goodnight before they retreated to their beds. But every dream ends when the dreamer wakes, and he¡¯s always forced back into reality, his dreams growing shorter and shorter each time.
After his timely excursion into the Singularity, with him waking up at the back of the school in the dead of night and an arm missing, he headed straight home and promptly dropped unconscious onto the sofa. Thankfully, both his parents were out of town doing¡­something, so they wouldn¡¯t have the shock of seeing their son missing an entire limb from their body. They would come home eventually though, and they¡¯re in for the shock of a lifetime. He didn¡¯t come to school the day after, or the day after that. He spent the time laying on his bed, idly staring at the ceiling and mulling over everything that¡¯s happened. Namely how¡­surprisingly successful his first dive into a Singularity was. He had nothing then. No weapon, no training, no armor, no powers to help him, nothing. And somehow, somehow, he¡¯d survived and killed what he assumed was the boss monster of that Singularity. It was honestly incredible now that he was looking back at it. And he was pretty sure he came out of the damned place bearing some new gifts. The thing he immediately found out was how fast his injuries were healing. His body didn¡¯t suddenly have super regeneration or anything, but most of the injuries on his back healed after a good night of sleep, leaving behind scars that mixed in with the other scars he¡¯d gathered through his life. Then there was his seeming invulnerability to heat. This one he figured out when he accidentally tipped his hand into a pot of boiling water. He didn¡¯t feel anything then, and even when he placed his hand over his active stove, he didn¡¯t feel much. It was discomforting actually, especially because he couldn¡¯t have any more warm showers. But what could that gift be? He¡¯s looked through the internet to see if any other ¡®Divers¡¯ had similar powers, but from what he¡¯d seen online, he¡¯s alone in this matter. Norman sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. Trying to speculate would bring him nowhere, and he was so, so bored after two days of doing nothing. He needed to move, to use his body lest it break from atrophy. Like going into another Singularity, maybe? Like hell, he decided a day ago. It was stupid! Going back to another Singularity after you almost died in one sounds like an absolutely terrible idea, one that¡¯s probably going to lead to him actually dying. Time went, and as the clock ticked on, his conviction slowly eroded away. No matter what he did, the idea always snuck back into the forefront of his mind, and he couldn¡¯t help but remember his experience in that dark caverns, fighting for his life as he tore down monsters after monsters. It made me feel strong, he realized. He felt far stronger than he¡¯d ever felt in the last years of his life. With his life on the line, all the words and beatings he¡¯d received felt like nothing, and the only path to go was forward. He felt¡­free, in a sense. And he wanted to feel that again. He grit his teeth. There really was no getting this out of my head, is there? Getting up from his bed for the first time in hours, he walked over to his study desk and grabbed the kitchen knife he¡¯d placed there a day ago. He walked down the stairs, took one quick swig of water from his glass, and went out of the house, carefully keeping his knife under his jacket as he walked the fairly empty streets. Singularity E ¨C 007238. It¡¯s the ¡®current¡¯ newest Singularity found in his city, having been found by a few construction workers a few months ago at the back of their designated working area. The inside was said to be a hall of stone bricks, the style reminding them of a medieval castle back centuries ago. The three went inside, and two came out. One died inside, and the other two managed to tell the local government of it, before one of them died. M?rra, evil spirits possessing ancient armors of a time long past, taking the form of the warriors who once wore such armors. Powerful and agile, not limited by the normal confines of a physical body, and highly resistant against physical attacks. Though strong, their spirits have bonded for far too long, and they have become corporeal, allowing them to be destroyed along with the armor they possess. But it still makes them a high threat, especially in a town without many active and strong ¡®Divers¡¯. The longer a Singularity goes unfinished, the more volatile it becomes, and like a star, if its balance falters, it¡¯ll collapse onto itself, before blowing up the area around it, spilling its contents out into the real world. It¡¯s the main reason why no one¡¯s allowed to visit Greenland anymore. Crossing the streets, he noticed the sudden influx of people, and the many whispers floating around. Following the tide of the crowd, he follows the sidewalk and reached a fairly small empty plot of land, with metal pipes and construction tools placed haphazardly around a flickering blue portal. Why is there so many people? ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t know kid?¡± Norman blinked and turned to his right, looking at the mustached man who¡¯d answered him. ¡°A group of thugs ran inside with a girl to escape the police. The police have been here for an hour, and no signs of them coming out.¡± The man frowns. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll come out alive.¡± ¡°But¡­why would they kidnap a girl?¡± He asks softly, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse. ¡°Who knows. Said the girl looked important, but other than that? They¡¯ve got nothing.¡± The man turned to the gate and scowled. ¡°If only some of those damned Divers can come here then everything will be fine.¡± It was a complaint, but he heard something else hidden in it. Worry, fear, anger, and hope. Why would he sound so compassionate for some girl who he doesn¡¯t seem to know? ¡°Sir¡­do you know who that girl is?¡± The man went silent for a moment, before scoffing. ¡°No.¡± Ah, I see. It was a fa?ade, a mask he put up to hide what he truly felt inside. A small lie to comfort himself. He knew it. He¡¯d heard it many times. He¡¯d done it many times himself. What the man¡¯s relation to the girl I, he didn¡¯t know, but the eyes he had when he stared at swirling gate, he knew it too well. It was of a parent waiting for their child to come home. ¡°Wait, kid!¡± He could hear the man shout, but he ignored him, pushing past the group of people and reaching the police line that¡¯d been erected. ¡°Excuse me, but please step-¡± A policeman said, but he took off his hoodie, showing his missing right arm to the world, and the man went silent, and so did the crowd. With no one holding him back, he hops over the police line and stares right into the swirling mass of light blue, before taking out his knife and jumping in. Everything blurred, and in seconds he was on solid ground once more. But the dirt he stood on was no more, instead switched by the cold unfeeling brick of stone. Walls of stone brick stood around him, and the hallways lit by the torches placed upon the walls. Much of the d¨¦cor the seemed to have been here were gone. Well, at least the information¡¯s accurate. Honestly, what was he thinking, jumping right in with people watching him? Speculations were going to start running through the town, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before they found out who he was. But that man, he wanted, needed to see that girl come back alive. It made his heart ache, reminding him of the time that he fell down to the weight of the world, running away from the home he¡¯d grown in. Police officers found him several days after his disappearance, and his father only saw it fit to put him under even more punishment. However, his mother had only cried, apologizing as she hugged him for dear life. He would never forget the eyes she had when they met again. Suddenly, the door a distance away burst open, and a bodiless set of armor stepped in, the empty eyes behind its visor glowing red. M?rra, born of sin and spirits of greed. It stood before him, its sword poised and aimed for his head, but Norman feared not. He¡¯d survived horrid creatures before, with his body bleeding and life draining, with no light to guide him and no weapon to aid him. And there is a parent waiting for their child to come home. He leaped forward to a run, ducking under the M?rra¡¯s sword before kicking it straight on the chest. The possessed armor slid back, and he stifled a groan of pain as he felt his bones screech slightly. The M?rra shrieked, and with the ferocity of an animal it rushed forward, its sword stabbed forward towards his abdomen. But it was predictable, and he turned his body to the side to avoid the blade. Pointing his knife¡¯s edge forward, he swiped up, and tore the gauntlet off from the armor. The metal came crashing down, together with the sword it¡¯d held. It stopped moving, probably shocked, before it shrieked again. Then Norman drove his knife through its visor, and the M?rra stopped moving altogether. ¡­I see. With the M?rra¡¯s death, he confirmed some things, namely how his body was better than he remembered. He was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t able to kick a hulking mass of metal back a few feet and break apart a gauntlet made of metal with a knife. He also didn¡¯t remember his legs having enough power in them to dent metal by kicking it.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. How and why that was possible, he didn¡¯t know, but it was probably the ¡®gift¡¯ he received for completing that previous Singularity. It¡¯s fairly common knowledge that completing a Singularity would grant the Divers a ¡®gift¡¯ of sorts, whether in the form of weapons, knowledge, or strange powers. Speculation could be left for later however. For now, he had a girl to find, and he wasn¡¯t sure how deep her and her kidnappers had gone into this Singularity. That familiar surge of power came again, one he¡¯d so desperately wanted to feel again, and he smiled. Let¡¯s do this! He ran through the opened door, And right into the line of fire, with tens of arrows descending down on him. Shit. Thankfully, he noticed it fast enough to stop his run and jump back through the door, letting the arrow stick into the stone floor before him. The first wave over, he ran back through, his knife held readily in his left hand. The armored archers reached for another arrow and notched it on their wooden bows, filling the air with the creaking of old wood. Another volley is fired, and he managed to avoid any major injuries again, though some of the passing arrows did scrape him by. The archers began to notch another arrow again, but Norman had closed in enough, and stabbed his knife into one of the archer¡¯s head, before knocking down another to his right and stomping down hard on its head. Both helmets cracked, and their motions ceased. Shrieks filled the room, though he could see that they were clearly panicking, their archery unsuited for such close combat. A smirk began growing on his face as he kicked and slashed down the many M?rra archers, basking himself in the feeling of power each fallen M?rra granted him. Soon, the power trip ends, and the room is littered with many unmoving armors, their helmets either cracked or stabbed through. After a quick search through the litter, he continued through the next door to meet with a group of M?rra knights. Unsurprisingly, he had some trouble, having to balance 5 possessed armors skilled in close combat. He managed though, slowly chipping away as he took them down one by one. He did receive a nasty slash to his back when he was knocked down, but it gave him the opportunity to kick the M?rra¡¯s helmet up and crack the thing, ending its life. It was from there that the tide of the battle turned to his side, him kicking and stabbing them apart. His kitchen knife did shatter at the end of that skirmish however, but he was lucky enough to find another knife strapped onto the side of one of the armors. More rooms came after that, all he cleared, though not all he came out unscathed. Even with his new enhancements, dodging a hail of fifty arrows or so was impossible, though coming out of that with an arrow stuck in his right shoulder as the only major injury was a blessing on its own. And, hey, he didn¡¯t have a right arm anymore, so that injury didn¡¯t disable much! He also didn¡¯t expect there to be M?rra mages as well, though it was quite amusing to see their ¡®Fireballs¡¯ do nothing against him. The M?rra mages who shot ice and wind weren¡¯t so amusing however, and he found himself needing to strain himself to defeat them. Their long-range was bad enough, but the barriers they could cast around them made them even worse. Though they should really have learned to make their barriers go down to their legs. It made their feet a very easy target for him to knock down. But, that aside, the deeper he went into this maze-like ¡®castle¡¯, the more empty rooms he came across. There were robes and pieces of armor littering the floor, along with several holes peppering the stone. Whoever had kidnapped the girl came in with guns, and was probably not far. Norman picked up his pace, speeding through any filled rooms he found. After a while, he was only running through open doors, with no enemies waiting to attack him. The silence was quite eerie actually, and he found himself slowing down, carefully looking around the room for any M?rra waiting to jump on him. Then he began to see puddles of blood, fresh blood, and stifling the rising disgust in his stomach, he continued on, knowing he was close. Slowly, the sounds of rapid gunfire began to fill the silence, accompanied by the manic shouts of men. He sped up, and he came up to one large wooden door. It was unlike the others. Where they looked natural and sturdy, this one looked regal, decorated, like a door leading towards an important area of the castle. He took one long breath, then another, before proceeding to kick it open. All movements stopped, and it gave him time to survey the situation. And frowned. He did not like it. He could see a horde of M?rra knights attacking the ragged-looking men in brown and black clothing, with a line of M?rra archers and mages at the back, their own attacks readied. Unlike the previous M?rra, the ones here held newer, more polished equipment. Around the room, several bleeding bodies were strewn about on the stone floor, some cut apart into pieces. Only three of the ten men were still alive. The battle soon continued, and the sudden continuation caused the men to flinch in shock, giving the M?rra knights ample time to strike, stabbing two of the three and ending them. One last man remained, and as he attempted to run to him, an arrow struck him in the head, the sharp object piercing right into his skull. He fell down, bleeding, and dead. He vomited then and there, despite not having eaten for the last ten hours or so. He was¡­partially used to seeing blood now, but seeing the terror on their faces as they bled out, their life slowly leaving them? He couldn¡¯t handle it. But he soon noticed a bright yellow dome sitting around the fallen thugs, slowly flickering as it began to fade away. The light dispersed, and inside, was a girl, her hair a shining white and her eyes a glittering gold. Then she turned to him, blood running down the side of her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. Ever so slowly, her lips curved to a hopeful smile, As a rain of arrow and fire descended upon her. Like hell. A flame lit within him, and he leaped forward with speeds far faster than he¡¯s previously achieved. He dropped his knife, and wrapping his hand around her, he barreled forward and out of the way of the blast. They rolled and crashed onto the nearby wall, though he made sure to shield her from most of the impact. The battlefield fell into another lull. Slowly, the girl opened her eyes, fearful, hopeful. He smiled, if only to assure himself that they¡¯d get out of this alive, but it seemed to have put some of her fears to rest. He looked back to the horde of M?rra, and he knew he couldn¡¯t fight them all, especially not together. He had to escape. ¡°Hey¡­¡± He said as he sat up and kneeled, ¡°Get on my shoulders. We¡­we need to run.¡± He made sure to keep most of his bubbling fear and worry out of his voice. The girl nodded, and after getting herself suited on his back, he took a deep breath, stared down the M?rra knights, And ran. He burst forward, past and under the M?rra¡¯s swords, dodging the incoming volley of arrows, and jumping and backing away from the rain of wind and fire. He quickly made it to the door, and with the horde of M?rra hot on his trail, he retraced his path back towards the Singularity gate. ¡°¡­Tell me if anything¡¯s coming, okay?¡± I said as I ran, and though I don¡¯t turn back to see it, I could feel her nod. Noise filled the previously silent hallways, and he bit his lip, stifling the pain his injuries were causing. Though not numerous, the wounds he¡¯d gathered through this expedition were agitated, and the added weight on his back helped tear them open even further. But complained he did not. He couldn¡¯t be weak now, especially with a large group of M?rra knights chasing him. As much as he wished to go faster, he didn¡¯t have the energy to do that, and his legs were already tired as they were. Any faster than this, and he might tear a tendon or two. Then again, he was running as fast as a car, somehow, so he wasn¡¯t going to complain about that. After what felt like hours, hope could be seen in the distance, in the form of a swirling blue portal. But as he began to close the distance, the sound of cutting air was heard, and he only had a moment to hear the girl¡¯s warning cry to twist his body. His eyes caught the sharp steel sword heading this way. Before pain filled his being, as the weapon stabbed deep into his abdomen. He nearly fell, but he held strong. With some effort, he pulled out the sword, pushing past the pain and threw the sword back. And it¡¯s with satisfaction that he watched the sword stab and blast through the M?rra knight who¡¯d attacked him. Had he watched further, he would¡¯ve noticed that the sword he threw was glowing orange. But, with his retribution served and task completed, he let himself collapse into the portal, letting them both fall into the swirling mass of light blue before any of the M?rra knights could reach them. The world twisted, and the pain in his stomach blasted through his system. He fell unconscious as soon as he hit the dirt.
¡°Mom, why are they carrying big sis away¡­?¡± He¡¯d once asked, his na?ve mind still not knowing of mortality. His mother didn¡¯t say anything, but she¡¯d dropped down to her knees and cried, and he could do nothing but try to comfort the grieving woman. It was the moment when everything began to break. At some point, the word ¡®family¡¯ meant nothing to him. There was only him and his mother, with the world out against them. He stood silent for her, keeping everything he¡¯d suffered under a tight wrapping of lies and smiles, but doing so hurt him. It cracked his heart ever so slightly each time he¡¯d lied, and he¡¯d find himself inching closer and closer towards the kitchen top every midnight. His mind would wander back to his deceased sister, and ponder on what might¡¯ve gone through her mind as her life slowly left her body. Was she sad? Angry? Happy? Relieved? He¡¯d wonder so as he held the kitchen knife against his arm, idly watching the blood running down the sink from the new cut he made on his arm. It wasn¡¯t healthy, but he couldn¡¯t help it. The feeling of relief it brought him in his darkest moment was what kept him going. Perhaps that was why he had such an affinity with knives?
Slowly, Norman opened his eyes, squinting slightly as he let his eyes adjust to the light. The blur in his vision slowly faded, and he saw a clean white ceiling above him, propped up by the clean white walls around him. He pushed himself up, and the white blanket falls away to reveal the green hospital gown he¡¯s in, along with the IV tube latching on his left arm. He stared at it for a moment, before turning his eyes towards the window to his right, and the starry night sky waiting outside, the moonlight casting a thin shadow upon the floor. ¡­Where¡­is this? He was obviously in a hospital, but what hospital? He¡¯d been to the local hospital in his town several times, so he knew what it looked like. But this place was cleaner, more sterile, and the outside scenery was completely unfamiliar to him. He sighed and dropped back onto the bed. His second ¡®Dive¡¯ was done, and it was¡­hard. That final horde of M?rra really was terrifying now that he looked back on it, and he was thankfully smart enough to retreat instead of fighting them. But¡­ He smiled. He did it. The girl who¡¯d been kidnapped by those thugs was alive, and he¡¯d managed to bring her out of the Singularity. Granted, his back felt like hell, and even with the painkillers he could feel in his system his abdomen still felt like shit. But she was alive, and so was he. Now, all that¡¯s left to do is for someone to complete the Singularity before it explodes. And when that explodes, everything will disappear. The prospect made him uneasy. He had a sneaking suspicion that the horde of M?rra he met wasn¡¯t the last, and that there was something far bigger and stronger waiting at the end of that maze-like castle. There were no effective Divers in the town, and he couldn¡¯t see any reason for any other Divers to divert their time and come here. This town was¡­ordinary. It had no attractions, no special places, no historical remnants, nothing. It was but a humble little town, and a small town like this probably couldn¡¯t afford to pay a Diver from outside to come here. Which left him. Could he complete that Singularity? Perhaps after some time building up his body, but the Singularity¡¯s been active for several months now, and who knows how long it¡¯ll last before it goes supernova? E-Rank it may be, but the crater it¡¯d leave after its explosion far surpassed the size of any crater humanity¡¯s research could ever create. He clutched his chest, biting his lip as he stifled down the suffocating feeling in his chest. He vividly recalled the faces of the dead he¡¯d found, the fear that forever remained on their faces. He could clearly remember the horror etched into the faces of those killed by that large L¨¹gmen, and the desperation frozen on the faces of those thugs. What if he ended up like that too, his life cut short by some abomination of sin. Would he scream for help like they did? Would he try and run like they did? Would he- ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Norman blinked and turned to the right, seeing the door to his room opened and the mustached man he saw earlier standing at the doorway. The clean suit he wore was changed with a doctor¡¯s coat, and a small clipboard was held in his left. He¡¯s a doctor? ¡°And still fairly hot as well.¡± The man said with a frown, looking at the monitor by my bedside. Not that he could feel it, since it seemed like he could no longer feel heat. ¡°Are¡­you alright? Anything hurts?¡± ¡°¡­N-No.¡± He croaked out, and the man walked into the room, placing a careful hand on his forehead. ¡°38¡ãC. It¡¯s been stable for 10 hours¡­¡± The man stared at him a while longer, before suddenly backing off, a shy smile on his face. ¡°¡­Ah, um, sorry. I tend to get quite deep when I¡¯m examining something.¡± ¡°My name is Steven Jones. Just Steven is fine.¡± He said, a small smile present as he held out his left hand. How thoughtful, Norman thought as he brought up his hand and shook it. The grip was¡­surprisingly gentle, like that of a mother¡¯s. He found it oddly fitting. ¡°I¡¯m¡­Norman Gray¡­uh, just Norman is fine.¡± ¡°Norman it is.¡± He said, smiling, and bowed. Norman blinked at the action, and any replies he had faded when he began to speak. ¡°Thank you.¡± Steven sniffed softly, and it¡¯s not long before he realized that the man was crying. ¡°When Gabriel was stolen, I panicked. And when she was forced into that Singularity, all my hope was lost. There weren¡¯t any known Divers in the town, no one I could trust to bring my baby girl back, to bring her safely without question.¡± ¡°But you¡­you ran in there, and you came out with her on your back. I¡­¡± ¡°¡­Thank you, Norman.¡± He was struck silent. It¡¯d been so long that he¡¯d heard such heartfelt words, and slowly, his lips began to curve into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mr. Steven. I¡¯ve¡­only just met you, and I don¡¯t know much about you and that girl, but¡­¡± Mother¡¯s cries echoed through the room, apologizing, begging for me to stay. ¡°The feeling of losing someone¡­I understand that, and I don¡¯t want anyone to feel that. So¡­¡± Steven looked up to him, and there on the boy, he saw a smile, a smile a child as young as him should never have. ¡°Stay strong¡­both for yourself and her.¡± So that your family may live on The man smiled. ¡°I will.¡± [2] To Return and Depart Who was Thomas Gray truly? A joking, funny husband? A strict but kind father? A drunkard drowning his worries in the bottle? A judging, uncaring individual? Perhaps a grieving parent? Honestly, Norman didn¡¯t know his father very well. Which of him was really him? Or were all just facets and masks he used to hide himself? The more he tried to remember, the more confusing everything became. He didn¡¯t hate him really. Sure, he held contempt for the man who forced him down, but ¡®hate¡¯ was too strong for a word. He still provided for his family, kept his mother away from harm, and still gave some time to his wife despite the busy schedule he had. He acknowledged him, but he didn¡¯t quite care. So Norman ignored the man he¡¯d become now, and let him submerge himself in his dreams, reminding himself of the man his father once was.
Steven Jones was a kind man. Norman had come to better know the man in his days resting in the hospital. He was an early graduate from medical school, and he now works as both a doctor and a surgeon. He was very respected in the industry, with most of the doctors and nurses he¡¯d met having only good things to say about him. He¡¯d adopted a daughter a couple years back, a girl with natural white hair. She was diagnosed early with lung cancer, but was also gifted with a ¡®Gift¡¯, allowing her body to heal and causing a battle within both forces in her body. Gabriel Jones lived in constant pain, and Steven had made it his task to help her. What spurred his decision to do so, Norman didn¡¯t know, but he could easily see how much he cared for his adopted daughter. Currently, just like he was, Gabriel was resting in her own room. He asked the man if he knew why she was kidnapped, but he shook his head, not having a clue why the relatively unknown girl was targeted by those armed thugs. But just as he learned a lot about Steven, so did he learn about himself. His body was constantly burning. Each cell he had was working on overdrive, creating more energy than anyone else, and that was why his body was in a constant fever. He didn¡¯t feel it because, perhaps due to the new development, his body had adapted to become heat resistant. However, more research was needed to find out how and why his body had changed so drastically overnight. Overall, his stay at the hospital was a nice change. He didn¡¯t have any school, no one he needed to look out for, and nothing much to worry about. It did leave him quite bored, but the sole TV in the room provided some enjoyment for him. Then, three days after he first woke, the news came up with the worrying news of the recent Singularity he visited starting to destabilize. It wasn¡¯t the most worrying news, especially since the hospital he¡¯s in was a town away, but further inspection revealed that the Singularity was evolving at a rapid pace, and if left unchecked, it might increase a rank or two in danger. (Apparently his wounds had contracted several nasty infections, and Steven called an ambulance to bring me to the closest hospital with intensive care, which was a town away from his home) As expected, the media went wild, and worry began to spread about his town being the ¡®next Greenland¡¯ and how the new evolved Singularity will ¡®start the apocalypse¡¯, but he saw that the government was sending out several professional divers to take care of his town¡¯s evolving Singularity, so he didn¡¯t worry too much. And, hey, if it explodes, stupid James would die in the explosion, right? That morbid thought aside, after another uneventful three days of rest, he¡¯s finally allowed to walk around. He wasn¡¯t quite allowed to leave just yet, and even if he did, he didn¡¯t have a way of getting home anyways. Not that he wanted to go back now though, especially with the current buzz going around about his town. So he spent that time wandering, taking a look at the new town he¡¯d ended up in, and occasionally paid visits to the girl he saved. Gabriel was¡­familiar. He didn¡¯t know her before their meeting, nor were they familiar with one another, but her situation was something he could sympathize with. She didn¡¯t have bullies, a broken family, or a missing right arm, but her everyday life is a struggle against her ailing body, a fight against the cancer that ravaged her body. It was nice to have someone to relate to, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. It was also the first time he got to see her gift do its work. A familiar golden glow shined from her body, but instead of forming a dome around her, it gently flowed in and out of her, tending to the parts it needed to heal. Fittingly, the name of its gift was also ¡¯Gabriel¡¯, named after the archangel Gabriel. The gift does two simple things: Healing and Protecting. If she desires it, she can form a golden dome of light around her or create a gentle glow that heals anyone in a certain vicinity. If she so happens to become seriously ill or injured, the gift will act on its own and begin healing her, though at the cost of neglecting the others. Either ways, Norman now spent most of his time in the hospital, idly wandering as he waited for Gabriel to heal. It¡¯d take a while, but after she¡¯s recovered, Steven promised to bring him back home to his town. The news didn¡¯t bring much comfort to him, but his parents were going to come back in a month¡¯s time, so it wouldn¡¯t do any good for him to be missing when they returned, right? A part of him hoped to stay with Steven and Gabriel actually, but he was couldn¡¯t get enough courage to ask him so.
It¡¯s in those idle days that he discovered something else about his gift. He first noticed it when he overheard one of the nurses calling him ¡®a spirited boy¡¯. The sentence immediately didn¡¯t sit right with him. He wasn¡¯t enthusiastic or spirited by any means. He¡¯d always resorted to staying silent, hiding his presence until what was bothering him disappears from his line of sight. ¡­right? A day of observation proved it quite wrong. He¡¯d realized just how animated he¡¯d become when he talked to Steven or Gabriel, and how easily it came to him to smile. He¡¯d become slightly more sarcastic, if a little bit morbid. He found himself wishing that he could go out and jog once or twice. He finally found confirmation from Steven when he went and asked about it. ¡°Those who are gifted usually begin to change to better accommodate it. It¡­doesn¡¯t make them completely different, but more like¡­enhancing their personalities?¡± Steven had explained, before admitting that he didn¡¯t know too much about it either. It wasn¡¯t very well documented apparently, mostly because those with gifts usually didn¡¯t want to participate in the research. And with his heightened ¡®enthusiasm¡¯ comes something¡­quite awesome, to say the least. He didn¡¯t have complete control over it, but when he wanted to, he could overheat his body and even transfer the gathered heat into another object. Doing so tires him out rather quickly though, and his heat resistance doesn¡¯t transfer to the object he¡¯s transferring his heat into, so he¡¯ll need to be careful to not melt whatever he heated up. Just like Gabriel, his gift occasionally acted out on its own, mostly when he¡¯s rather stressed, and his body just begins to produce a large amount of heat. It¡¯s why the steel railings on the side of his hospital bed were melted, though he decided not to admit that to others. Overall, it was simply put, awesome, but it was something he¡¯d need to train further to make use of.
But the day of dread didn¡¯t wait. After another month or so of check-ups and recovery, Gabriel was finally healthy enough to be released, and as promised, Steven drove him back home. They exchanged phone numbers, just in case something happened, and they both bid farewell before parting ways.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It hurt slightly to separate from the people he¡¯d gotten so close to, but he drove the feeling down. So now he stood before his house, warily staring at the door at its front. His parents¡¯ car was already parked in the garage, and though he couldn¡¯t wait to meet his mother, his father was there as well. How would they react? He wondered as he looked to his missing right arm, the once ugly mess now neatly wrapped up in sterile bandages. Slowly, he took a deep breath, then another, and with a key in hand he unlocked the door and stepped through. And there, sitting by the dining table, were his parents, both their eyes turned to the sudden opening of the door. His mother¡¯s eyes widened immediately, tears gathering in her eyes as a smile began to tug on her lips, but- ¡°Norman.¡± His father wasn¡¯t smiling, face carefully still. Then, as he stood, his eyes began to narrow, and inklings of the rage he¡¯d come to know well began to show on his face. ¡°The school called about your absence last month. What were you-¡° Really? ¡°Shut. Up.¡± He bit out through gritted teeth. The olden gray visible flinched back, his eyes wide in surprise, but Norman didn¡¯t care. Out of everything you can say, that¡¯s the first? ¡°Shut. Up. Dad.¡± He vomited the last word out with far more contempt than he¡¯d ever had, and he could see his father¡¯s face beginning to slip back in anger. But he didn¡¯t care for what he wanted to say and walked forward, bumping to his side with enough force to send him crashing down onto the wooden floor. Silently, he walked up the stairs, not seeing the blackened wood of the floor he stood upon. And slowly, as his anger gave away, Thomas realized in growing horror that his son was missing an arm. But it was too late to say anything. Far too late.
Norman didn¡¯t want to go back to school. He really didn¡¯t, but his mom wasn¡¯t having it, and with all the force a mother has on her loving child, she drove him to his school and proceeded to drop him there. Thankfully, she was mindful enough to drop him at the back of school, where fewer students would come through. It was somewhat of a blessing though. His situation at home was¡­torn. He reconciled easily enough with his mother, and he gave a brief and slightly altered story of everything that happened, while also hiding his and Gabriel¡¯s gifts. His father was silent. Not that he cared however. He ate his breakfast as quickly as he could and waited outside for his mother to finish hers. He truly wanted to break the man, but he settled for silent indifference instead. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The janitors that saw him were obviously shocked to see him missing an arm, and he could only dread the teachers and the students¡¯ reactions to his missing limb. With another sigh, he entered the school building and began making his way to his classroom, ignoring all the looks and whispers around him. (Apparently the school thought he was dead, and they were shocked to see him alive. Funny) Just as the bell rang, he slid his classroom door opened and stepped in, drawing the eyes from everyone in the room. Their eyes were comically wide, and some students even had their mouths hanging open, but all sense of shock withered when their eyes landed on his missing limb, and stifling silence reigned. He smiled internally. That was fine. He much preferred silence. So he sat at his desk, and slowly, the teacher began the class, still stuttering and shocked from the appearance of the student she thought was dead. Almost everyone knew what happened to him by this point, and that put James and his friends in massive trouble and potential lawsuits. So, as normal as it could possibly be, the class began. And it was¡­nice. He liked learning in general, and without the worry of a certain gang beating him up he could fully enjoy the experience. He did wonder where James and his friends were, seeing as they were absent, but he filed the thought away for later. It was also quite amusing seeing the teacher being all careful around him, occasionally apologizing as she forgot about his missing arm. The teacher was oddly skittish around him. It confused him actually. The day soon ended without much disturbance. The other students went quiet around him, and the only one he truly interacted with today was the teacher. With no further tasks needed to be finished, he left the school and went west, though not towards his house. He¡¯d already said to his mother that he¡¯d be running late to check the Singularity he recently went into. Naturally, she disagreed, but after a while of convincing and promising that he wouldn¡¯t go in, she relented. As expected, the entire area was being barricaded, with several men and women standing by the shifting portal. The Singularity was now classified as C-000981. The Singularity made a whopping double rank leap, and it understandably put the country in dangerous waters. The world government quickly went to work though, and despite not being a complete diver fanboy like some of his other classmates, he could definitely identify several of the people standing there. They weren¡¯t super big shots like Fujiwara Yumi from Japan or Aleksandre Nikslov from Russia, but definitely powerful enough to handle a Rank C Singularity. Or so he hoped at least. Fortunately, no one spotted him, and he easily made his way back to his house in relative silence. And so another month went by with relative silence. He¡¯d spend the day in school, the afternoon secretly training in the unclaimed wood not far from his school, before heading back to his home for dinner and sleep. The monotony of it all was pleasing, and he quickly found time passing by as he went through his days. His life at home wasn¡¯t doing any better, nor did he make any effort to improve it. It was clear his father now held some caution around him, especially after seeing him accidentally light a plank on fire, but they remained always at arm¡¯s length, never communicating with one another. Though his mother was still her old, worrying self, and he much preferred it that way. All that aside, Gabriel¡¯s officially become what his mother called a ¡®callpal¡¯. It¡­was understandable, seeing as they could spend nearly an hour on the phone just talking about random things in their lives. She was his first friend, much like he was hers, which was why he could only sigh when he noticed the gleam in her eyes as she occasionally watched some of our talk sessions. ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡± I calmly reasoned, but my mother only laughed, much to my amused annoyance. On a much more exciting note, his body was making leaps and bounds. He could reasonably match the speed of a motorbike, though he was still learning how to control his steps, since he more often than not unknowingly cracked the ground he ran on and promptly face-planted onto the dirt. He couldn¡¯t quite test how strong he was, but he could at least lift a large metal pipe with some effort. He really strained his left hand however. His heat, or his ¡®flare¡¯ as he liked to call it, was¡­missing something. Sure, he had a better grasp on it, and he could will it better than before (though he still tended to lose control when his feelings take over), but there was just something missing about it, like seeing a puzzle missing several of its pieces. Which was understandable, considering how this was a relic from the heavens and all, but damn if it wasn¡¯t frustrating for him. Though with the recently evolved Singularity cleared by the professional divers and no new Singularities forming, he couldn¡¯t test out how much he¡¯d improved over the last month or so. But what surprised him the most was his quickly developing relation with Ms. Demora. She was his mathematics and homeroom teacher. They had no relation, no prior experience with one another, and so it was so shocking to suddenly get called into her office to see her break down in tears and apologize. As his homeroom teacher, it greatly weighed on her that she couldn¡¯t save him from James and his friends, who were now promptly in jail for attempted murder and violating human rights. Serves them right. Norman didn¡¯t know what to do then, but he couldn¡¯t help but see a little bit of his mother inside her, and any gnawing feelings he had on her faded away. She failed to help him, he lost an arm for it, and she was clearly regretting it. What else could he do but forgive? He was never one to hold grudges (though there were some clear exceptions), so he simply smiled and forgave her. The woman went still for a moment, but her stream of apologies quickly turned into a wave of relieved gratitude. And everything basically evolved from there. His life at the school became brighter with another person he could share with. They couldn¡¯t spend much time together, but when they did, they mostly discussed about Singularities; their histories, their types, their dangers, and all that. She was a massive Singularity nerd apparently. He didn¡¯t waste any time and swiftly introduced her to his mother, and as he expected, the two hit it off near instantly. It was amazing actually, seeing the two women become instant friends the moment they shook hands. It was also at that moment that Norman realized the extent of his gift¡¯s effect on him. (He had never been an outgoing person) But calm times would never last. ¡°Gabriel?¡± Norman asked through the phone as he wrote down the last answers to his homework. He leaned back slightly, loosing himself for the hour long conversations he had come to expect from the girl. ¡°Hey there, Norman!¡± He heard her say in her usual cheery self. ¡°How have you been doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been fine. You?¡± He heard her hum in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m still having trouble moving, but I¡¯m getting better! My gift apparently got stronger, and it¡¯s making my cancer go¡­apoptosis?¡± She said uncertainly, before humming again. ¡°Un. Apoptosis!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± ¡°Um¡­dad says it¡¯s when cells begin to kill itself.¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s¡­good, right?¡± After all, wouldn¡¯t her cancer cells begin to commit suicide as well? ¡°Yes! The cancer in my body has been going down! Dad says I¡¯ll be able to start recovery soon!¡± His eyes widened at that, followed by a wide smile. ¡°Congratulations.¡± He heard a happy hum on the other side, and he laughed slightly. But then he heard the door on Gabriel¡¯s side open, and the phone went silent. ¡°Gabriel?¡± He asked, but no reply came. He began to worry slightly, his eyes trailing to the kitchen knife he¡¯d hidden in his bag, but he then heard Steven¡¯s voice coming through. ¡°Hello? Norman, are you there?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± He heard Steven sigh. ¡°I¡­know that you weren¡¯t planning on reporting your status to the government and all, but¡­it seems like they managed to track you down first.¡± ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°One of the divers that went in was curious over the remains you left behind and went around asking, and managed to track down both you and Gabriel.¡± Norman was understandably miffed. He knew it was inevitable to be found out, but he wasn¡¯t expecting it to be so fast. Or did time just fly past so quickly? ¡°So, what should I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­pick you up, and I¡¯ll drive you there.¡± He then added. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, Gabriel will be with us as well.¡± ¡°¡­right.¡± With that, he closed the call and promptly flopped onto the bed, already feeling the tire of the future weighing him down.