《I'm not a returnee!》 prologue In the year 2012, many people thought the world would end¡­ in a way it did, at least our understanding of it. On January 1st, people all over the world started their day listening to a news story on a new supernatural phenomenon and while it took the world by storm, would only escalate and remain unsolved for years to come. The so called ¡°Fade¡± phenomenon was quite simple to analyze yet impossible to explain, and it gets its name by the sporadic disappearance of thousands of children and teens overnight. The first theories revolved around a massive human trafficking ring, due to the age of those who disappeared. These theories quickly dissolved due to the lack of evidence and continued disappearance of children no younger than 10 and adults no older than 20. On the first day of every new years, more would disappear. In 2012 it was estimated to be about 5,000, the next year was 10,000 and was continually doubled as the world fell into panic and fear, fear that it would be there children taken next. It wouldn''t be until 2015 when 40,000 people ¡°faded¡± that the world would receive its first answers, as unbelievable as it was. About 3,400 of the first generation ¡°faded¡± would return. They told stories of other worlds, different worlds then there own, some told stories of worlds like earth where technology was well developed and yet strange. Some experienced a far different life were instead of technology, it was magic that reigned supreme. Many were interrogated by their government, others were interviewed on Tv and shared their story were many noticed inconsistencies, most notably the time spent in there new world. Some had spent almost six years, while some spent only one or two. But there was only one thing they all had in common: all there worlds were at war. ** ¡°Lux, get up!¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. He says that but I really don''t want to. Maybe I can bargain for a few more hours? No that won''t do, perhaps just an hour would be acceptable¡­ let''s just play it safe. ¡°Just let me sleep thirty more minutes.¡± My brother doesn''t speak, I guess I have his consent then? No, that''s not right. He''s angry isn''t he? Yep. Definitely. ¡°Lux I swear to¡­ look i''ve already given you an hour, you missed breakfast already.¡± Seriously? Well shit. ¡°Look Sindri, I don''t even see the point of getting up now so just let me sleep in alright.¡± ¡°What the hell, this was your idea remember? Or did you already forget how hard it was to convince father?¡± Well he''s got a point, that was pretty hard to move the old man. I suppose I should get up, it''s a pretty big day after all. That''s because today i''m going to enter my first A rank dungeon. A+ to be exact. Not something that should be possible for me just yet considering my official rank is only B- but well, it shouldn''t be a problem. My brother is going to be leading our group and his rank is fittingly also A+. In fact he''s almost at the elite S rank so our group shouldn¡¯t have a problem with him, not to mention the other trustworthy members who will be there with us.. And so ¡°Just five more minutes.¡± ¡°That''s it, i''ve seriously had enough.¡± Ok that''s got my attention, seriously i''m sitting up now. Sindri is ominously standing at the foot of my bed, I can''t make out his expression because he''s silhouetted by the morning sun but I know that whatever he looks like doesn''t bode well for me. While I cant see Sindri, I don''t need to to describe my own brother. He¡¯s 22 years old and has a tall and lanky build, about 6¡¯2 in height with dark blue eyes and the signature Vormest silver-white hair though his is more on the grey side. I''d say he''s pretty handsome though the only thing he''s got on me is his height and his age. This is all irrelevant though considering Sindri¡¯s hand is on fire. ¡°Sindri please listen. Just don''t do what your about to do.¡± ¡°Im sorry Lux.¡± Ignite Ah, I guess i''ll burn to death. Leaving for the dungeon Sindri and I said our goodbyes to the family and met up with the rest of our group, a rather tough and experienced bunch of dungeon delvers or in other words dungeoneers. They are among the most elite of those in service to our family and between the twelve of them the average rank is A with one being the same rank as brother: A+. Once we finished our preparations we saddled our horses and headed south, eventually exiting the southern gate of Vormest city. ** ¡°Oh come on it wasnt that bad was it? You didn''t even get hurt, what''s there to be so glum about.¡± This bastard, really how dare he. ¡°You know exactly why i''m upset.¡± ¡°No, really I don''t. It''s not like you haven''t done worse to me before.¡± The nerve of my older siblings, do they think just because i¡¯m younger i''m easy to bully? ¡°Sindri, you lighting me on fire is beside the point.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, the problem lies in the fact that you absolutely ruined my favorite comforter.¡± ¡°... Of course it does.¡± ** ¡°Lords! We will soon be arriving at the dungeon.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. A large man came alongside us on his horse, matching speed with me and Sindri. The large man in question is a particularly loyal member of my family, being raised by us since he was an orphan. He had no name he could remember so we named him Ezekiel or Zeke for short. He is in fact an honorary member of house Vormest as well as being the other A+ rank member of the group. Though to me he''s just like another older brother being the same age as Sindri. ¡° Zeke you know there''s no need to keep up formalities outside the city walls.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, i¡¯m sorry lord Sindri.¡± ¡°Are you now?¡± ¡°Not at all, really.¡± While Sindri rolls his eyes Zeke rode up ahead. I can''t help but snicker, serves him right. Oh and I plan to hold this grudge for at least three more hours. It would have been longer but riding a horse always improves my mood. ¡°Man time flies when you¡¯re in a saddle huh, it''s already been five hours.¡± ¡°What a ridiculous thing to say, i''m surprised the sun isn''t just about setting it felt so long.¡± ¡°You know a wise person once said ¡®No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle¡¯.¡± ¡°You know you''re actually the last person that should be lecturing me.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± He''s got a point. ** Arriving at the dungeon, we set up camp to rest for the night and go over the plan one last time. Two of the members finished up dinner and the group ate around the campfire, well most of the group. Me and Sindri eat together in a private tent to the side of the camp. Even though it''s tiring and we don''t want to, it''s necessary to keep with etiquette on certain things. ¡°Lux¡± ¡°Mhm¡± ¡°Lux please, it''s important.¡± I lift my head and gaze at Sindri from across the bowl of stew im currently enjoying. ¡®I should ask Rendall to be my chef, he''s got a knack for this¡¯. Oh, Sindri is getting upset. I really can''t have that again. ¡°Ahem, you were saying Sindri?¡± ¡°Listen, I know we are well prepared for this dungeon, but the Corpse Taker is no joking matter. This place has an abnormal amount of Dungeoneer blood on its hands, or well floors. Even for a A+ rank dungeon, this will be espec¡­¡± SLURRP ¡°Are you kidding?¡± ¡°It''s really good.¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°You want some of mine?¡± ¡°... I''ll eat my own.¡± Sindri likes to nag, possibly worse than our mother but well I guess that''s where he gets it from. Because of this it''s honestly better to shut him up early, in fact i''m deathly afraid of how long that safety sermone would have gone on if not for my decisive action. It shouldn''t be a problem though, i''ve researched everything I could find on this dungeon myself after all. I wouldn''t have been able to convince father I was capable otherw... SLURRP ¡°.....¡± ¡°Damn this is good.¡± Corpse Taker (1) ¡°Alright guys I won''t bore you anymore with the plan, you already know what to do. Just stay alert and look out for one another, so is everyone ready?¡± ¡°¡±¡± YES ¡±¡±¡± ¡°Good, then let''s go.¡± After listening to Sindris pep talk, I follow behind him at the front of the group into the dungeon. To describe this dungeon, the Corpse Taker is really just a dark cave hiding behind the ruins of an old fort. The leading theory behind dungeon creation, or at least the one I was taught as a kid is that Dungeons often come into fruition due to the tragedies of the past. In this case, apparently a horrible battle was fought here. Something along the lines of a great betrayal that won''t let the fallen soldiers rest or at least that''s how the legends go. It is said the dungeon is filled with these very soldiers, thus its name. I always get a little rush when entering a dungeon, a giddy-like excitement for the upcoming fight. My family always says that i''m weird for taking joy in dungeons because it''s more common for dungeoneers to take the job solemnly, only taking the profession because the risk is almost always equal to reward. But I can''t help my emotions, or rather my instincts. ¡°Lux sigh when will you grow up, your practically bouncing off the walls.¡± ¡°Im just stretching, relax.¡± ¡°Did you actually just tell me to relax.¡± ¡®That''s a fair point actually¡¯ while ruminating this our group enters the first chamber of the dungeon. I can see we have already started to awaken the sleeping beauties, a bunch of decrepit skeletons wearing tattered leather armor. They actually look quite scary in the dark room, their glowing blue eyes shining like ominous flames. ¡°Alright it looks like there''s only seven swordsmen and two archers, let''s go with a simple arrow formation with Zeke Spearheading.¡± I think Sindri plans to keep me at the back to support anyone who needs it, but I can''t help it I really want to fight right now. Afterall I didn''t go through all the trouble of getting here to be babysitted. Coming up with a plan I decide to go up to Sindri I tap him on the shoulder. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Wait what.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I said no.¡± ¡°But I didn''t even ask anything yet.¡± ¡°I can read minds.¡± ¡°Wait really!?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°....¡± Sindri has been messing with me a lot lately, I''ll have to return the favor. Preferably now. ¡°Sindri do you mind if I go warm up?¡± ¡°Sure, that''s fine.¡± ¡°That''s all I needed.¡± I can''t help the grin on my face, but there''s no time for that. I immediately start dashing towards the mob of skeletons, leaping over the dungeoneers in front of me. ¡°Wait Lux that''s not what I¡­ !¡± It''s to late for Sindri to call me back, i''m less than 10 feet from my first target. The Skeleton lifts his arms in a clumsy attempt at an overhead strike, but i''m faster. Jumping I spin kick the skeletons head launching its skull towards another skeleton, dispatching both of them. Using my momentum I land and roll over the first skeleton picking up its sword in one motion. The sword is poorly balanced and dull but it''s enough to block the incoming attack. Parrying the skeletons sword to the right im free to pommel strike its skull, shattering it. Skeletons only have one true weakness, their skull were the soul resides. This is normally a problem for rookie dungeoneers because they won¡¯t truly be killed until it''s destroyed, the only other option you have is to disintegrate the body with fire or pulverise every bone in their body. Looking around I analyze the remaining skeletons positions. Choosing to throw the sword at a skeleton archer in the back, I elbow a skeleton behind me before I can see what happened to the archer. Turning around I quickly stomp the fallen skeletons skull into dust before it can recover. Taking a second to breathe I hear my group closing in behind me, I should hurry this up before they can intervene. In front of me there are three melee skeletons remaining, in the back I can see there''s one archer still standing, the other is on the ground with the hilt of the sword coming out of its eye socket. Shouldn''t be a problem. Grouping the skeletons together I jump before they react, kicking all their heads off in one clean sweep. ¡®They never lear¡­ !¡¯ With an increased heart rate I catch an arrow in my hand, just two inches from my eye. ¡®That bastard¡¯ whether it was luck or intelligence he shot at me at the very best time, when I can''t move in the air. ¡® So much for showing off huh.¡¯ ¡°Lux! Are you hurt?¡± ¡°Im fine, I calculated everything.¡± ¡°....¡± This bastard on the other hand, will be anything but fine. I quickly throw the arrow I caught back at the skeleton, not at his skull though oh no no I threw it at his bowstring. SNAP The skeleton stared at his bow, now only useful as kindling, then looked back up at me dumbly. ¡° Heh heh heh.¡± Walking slowly towards the skeleton, which somehow manages to express terror without skin or muscle. I proceed to take its left arm right out of its socket, and begin to beat its skull in with its own arm. I can''t help but laugh hysterically at its horrified face. ¡° Heh heh ha HA HA HA HA¡­ Not so tough without your bow now are you?¡± ¡°Lux¡­¡± I can hear some of the dungeoneers behind my back. ¡°Is the young lord always like this..?¡± Now that''s just giving me a bad rap, but i''m not done just yet. ¡°Oh you¡¯re hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself¡­ ah you lost some teeth on that one.¡± I finally finish it and crush its skull. Getting up I turn around and see the rest of the group staring at me with dark expressions. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Lux.. this is why I can''t go anywhere nice with you.¡± ¡°It''s called relieving stress, you know. It''s very cathartic.¡± While the rest of the group is looking at me like Ii''m some disappointment, at least Zeke is giving me a thumbs up. That''s enough for me at least.