《M O R T》


 Prologue

    For once, his senses failed him, and the years he spent on hellishly training his body to redeem himself to the people he failed to protect was all for naught. He couldn''t be blamed, for despite all the power he gathered, a man couldn''t continue fighting a horde that amounted to thousands without fatigue. His limbs felt numb and his body was riddled with cuts and bruises that increased the exhaustion threatening to engulf him entirely. His mind was malfunctioning but his willpower allowed him to hold onto his consciousness as he slaughtered the surrounding enemies.


    A drop of sweat galloped down to his chin, his enemies decreased until finally, there was but one left. Standing beyond ten metres, its metallic halo glistened underneath the sunset, the clouds swirling and mixed with the colours of orange, red and yellow reflected on the battlefield below that was dyed in the blood of the survivors of the apocalypse that killed beyond billions. Weapons scattered and some pierced through the ground, bodies adorned with grand but now rusting armour laid still for eternity together with the statues of those unfortunate enough to be in the range of the creature''s ability to petrify. Its feathery wings extended, expanding along the horizon. But its size did not intimidate him.


    Yet he made one fatal mistake, and the brief second of letting his guard down when he felt relieved that it was just him and the final boss, costed the life of the person who supported him from the beginning of the downfall of the world, and the only remaining survivor of humanity alongside with him. He was abruptly shoved to the side of the hard, rock ground. With his senses, he would of been able to avoid it, but he was overwhelmed with fatigue and focused his attention only on the angelic demon in disguise.


    His body dragged along the surface as the power in the shove was not small. His body ached more than it should have and when he finally stopped and peeked at the culprit while supporting himself with his hands, the beating in his chest that symbolised life ceased momentarily when he caught sight of the face that had captured his heart.


    Time slowed and dreadful silence entered his ears as scarlet threads danced in the wind, tracing along the lines with his grief burdened eyes, his gaze met with worry-filled emerald pupils that had a mix of relief and adoration. Pink lips hooked up to form a distorted grin due to the pain in her abdomen, her eyes told him not to worry, but backfired and only increased his buried rage. His muddled head cleared at the thoughts of his only safe haven leaving him for good, and before he knew it, his heart started beating and its pace increased with each moment. The excruciating pain of heartbreak and her now frail body collapsing broke his daze and his legs worked in a speed so fast it became after-images¡ªdefying the numbness and breaking the limits of speed.


    Lifting his cracked lips, he raised a battlecry filled with grief¡ªresounding through the battlefield¡ªas he focused on the protruding blade in her abdomen, dyed in crimson, just like her beautiful, fiery red hair.


    The creature turned its head to the man, its hood hiding the features of its face, and dressed in a cloak from head to toe. It tossed the woman to the side and shifted its other arm into a blade before entering a battle stance. The man''s abysmal eyes shifted and his irises turned into a bright shade of purple, his pupils crimson. A trail seemed to follow the movement of his eyes, and it sent a chill to the creature''s spine as its senses increased with high alert. But without time to react, the man clenched his fist and with a speed so abnormal, it collided with the creature''s face¡ª


    Is, what the man had thought.


    But it lived up to its reputation and had blocked the man''s attack right before it could touch. But the man did not allow himself to be shocked and reacted faster than the creature could think. His knee made contact with its stomach and the force of his attack caused the dust to scatter and it was sent flying for more than a hundred metres with the ground below it being destroyed from the pressure.


    Without hesitation, he sprinted to the woman sprawled on the ground with her blood sinking into the cracks behind her. A giant hole was visible in her abdomen and her organs destroyed. He embraced her with trembling arms and his eyes darted frantically, tears he hadn''t felt for years gathered and aligned themselves along the bottom lid of his eyes. Her pale face, her scrunched brows and her quivering lips made his heart slowly fall apart and his chest sunk. Her eyes were dim, flickering between life and death. Her breath quickly fading into oblivion. Grasping her cold hand, he placed it on his cheek, the warmth he held dearly was inevitably escaping her body. With her last breath, a tear slid down her cheeks as her half-closed eyes slowly shut, muttering an inaudible voice but due to the silence, he was able to pick it up.


    "I...Love...Y¡ª"


    All movement from her body ceased and coldness engulfed her. The blood stains on her had dried and turned into a dirty shade of brown, her body lost all colour. Here laid the love of his life, resting in an eternal slumber.


    Never to return.


    He, too, closed his eyes and let the tears drop down to her lifeless palms, both hands grasping tightly to her wrist. He''s seen many deaths, including the deaths of his closest friends, but none of them brought him to so much tears and endless pain than the death of his beloved. Love was powerful, but never lasting.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    All things come to an end.


    Muffled sobs escaped his lips and he wept for the dead woman, ignoring the approaching creature, the very culprit of her death. Rage built up within his burning chest, his nails dug into his palms and his teeth dug into his bottom lip until crimson oozed out. But his exhaustion was starting to overwhelm him so he placed his palm against the stagnant air and something started to materialise out of nothing. A small oddly shaped bottle appeared and he took it into his grasp, the creature stood at a close distance and a neutral voice, unable to be identified as either male or female, spoke.


    "Foolish human, death has been brought upon you."


    He ignored the words of the creature and forced open the lid of the bottle before gulping down its contents. He¡ª, no, all of humanity had the ability of ¡ºStorage¡», where one could store and retrieve their items through a hologram only they could see like an inventory in games. But some items had a time limit before they became unusable and if one still tried it anyways, the consequences could be dire depending on the item. The potion he drank had a total of three hours left, and the effects could be said to be drastic. His fatigue was cleared and his numbness gone, his body healed but scars remained. Almost, if not all, of his strength and energy were restored and soon, he was at a state where he could fight, but not for long. He needed to end this fast since that was his last and only potion.


    He went to his battle stance as an aura of gold emitted from his body and more so from his hands. His eyes narrowed and glared at the creature with utter hatred before shouting in a provocative tone.


    "Come at me."


    A simple sentence, but it enraged the creature, how dare a puny human challenge it, a superior lifeform.


    It let out a menacing screech that managed to crack the surface of the ground beneath them, dust scattered and before he knew it, it stepped forward with pressure, collapsing the ground beneath its foot and leapt in a speed not visible to the naked eye.


    Its arms shifted into the same metallic blades that pierced through the woman he loved, it enraged him just by looking at it and he too, took out his weapon of slaughter from his back, encasing it with the same golden aura, causing the runes carved into the blade to glow. Swinging down his sword quick enough to counter the creature''s attack, it blocked his blade with its arm and slashed with the other, aiming at his vital areas.


    But he reacted quick and another blade sheathed itself from the bottom of the handle, a metallic sound rang through the wasteland and he blocked the oncoming attack before kicking it on the chest. It flew back with force and dragged itself on its knees with its bladed arm piercing the ground¡ªbodies and scattered weapons flew or were damaged even further¡ªbefore coming to a complete halt. A glow came from beneath its hood and the edges of its blades seemed to turn to stone, pushing itself forward, it aimed at his vitals once again. The man blocked all oncoming attacks but the sheer force behind each slash sapped most of his energy and he knew he had to finish this fast. But the slight moment of distraction was enough for the creature to land a small cut on his skin, and the effect was it turning into stone along with pain not as torturing as witnessing the death of his lover.


    This allowed many openings on his body and the creature managed to land several hits on him and smashed him with its wings hard enough to send him flying several metres away. It flapped, ready to ascend to the sky and use one of its many skills but the man could not allow it to do so for if it did, it would guarantee certain doom and his death would be set to stone.


    He focused power onto his legs, pressuring the ground beneath until it broke and collapsed before launching into the air and grabbing onto the creature''s legs, it screeched. It used it blades to slash at him but his dodging allowed it to hurt itself and its wings faltered at the moment of pain, he aimed his sword as the creature flew around in a panic similar to a helicopter about to crash with its broken propellers. With precision and aim, he managed to bore a hole through one of its wings and it let out a devastating screech as he used it to push himself forward and retrieve his weapon, watching coldly as the creature crashed into a pile of bodies.


    He sprinted over to the fallen angel, a demon in disguise, and with two swings, cleanly sliced off both its arms and pierced his weapon through its wing and into the ground to prevent escape. It whimpered and flailed on the ground in pain and struggled, a hoarse voice gasping for air. Its hood had long fallen over the moment it crashed, and what met his eyes was a face he could never forget.


    Scattered along the freshly blood stained ground were similar locks of scarlet hair, emerald eyes narrowed in pain and pink lips separated, gasping for air. A sweet and pained voice clawed at his fragmented heart and the determination in his eyes wavered.


    "My, love..."


    But that brief distraction, once again, brought another mistake. The creature, using the face of his deceased lover, gave him a sickening smile and said with ''her'' voice.


    "You''re going down with me."


    His pupils dilated and he reached his hand to the creature in an attempt to stop it, but was too late.


    "No!"


    Reaching into its cloak, it took out a transparent cube that emitted an ethereal glow and a mystical feeling, shattered in the heat of the moment when its grip tightened around the cube. The main reason why he fought this creature in the first place, the very heart of the planet was destroyed.


    Another promise broken, and he failed yet again, to save.


    With its dying breath, its face shifted back to its original, a face devoid of any features for it never had one to begin with. It took the form of many humans and creatures, which was no wonder why it was able to escape humanity''s pursuit many times in the past.


    And with one swoop, he decapitated it and its head flew across the ground, a trail of blood from the direction it flew from. His eyes lost the sheen it once had, dull and emotionless, losing colour and shifted back to its original black. He failed yet again, he always did.


    The ground shook, like a heavy earthquake. The planet''s core was broken and destruction was inevitable. The once tranquil spiritual energy that gave humanity power never before seen was disturbed and the air around him fluctuated. He sat on his knees and stared into the void, awaiting his doom, until in front of him materialised a portal. A possible escape route, but he did not move. After all he''s done and went through, he no longer had the will to continue living with everything and everyone he cared for gone, what was the point?


    But a certain memory flashed into his eyes, her voice echoed into his mind.


    "Promise me, when I disappear and leave you, you''d move on, and continue to live, and find someone you''ll love, just like you did for me."


    He still had one more promise to keep, and it was from the love of his life. To keep moving forward until his inevitable death, and to move on from the past.


    He snapped back to reality and stood on his feet, walking towards the portal; similar to a blackhole, and around him were many other blackholes formed through the fluctuations of the spiritual energy around him. But right before he entered, he halted and turned to the corpse of his lover. He did not want to leave her here to be destroyed along with the planet, it was time to give her a proper burial and hopefully, he would be sent into a place where he could bury her and let her rest in peace. He quickly made his way to her body and carried her bridal style in his arms before entering the portal without another look behind him.


    He anticipated what awaited him from the other side of this portal.


    But for now,


    It was time to mourn.

 Chapter 1.0: Directions Please?

    A large, checkered round table sat upon the center of the vast, colorless space. Numbering in millions of squares, it resembled a battlefield of black and white akin to that of a chessboard. From pawns to kings, numerous peerages were placed upon the table; making their moves ever so slightly. A golden thread wrapped themselves around a few king pieces, connecting to other kings; a symbol of alliance. All the kings were of different color, a huge difference to the original chess pieces. The king''s followers corresponded to the king''s color, showing that they belonged under that certain king''s rule. Witnessing the battle between Kings, stood multiple figures surrounding the round table that was protected by a faint barrier. But their focus was not on the battlefield, and instead, were indulged in their discussion about the mysterious presence that intruded into their domain a week ago.


    A deep hoarse voice, with wrath engraved into its tone spoke up.


    "I say we eradicate the intruder!"


    A few figures nodded their heads at the suggestion, some remained tranquil while others shook their heads in protest. One particular figure spoke up, its voice young yet mature, and filled with dignity.


    "A foolish decision made despite experiencing the difference in strength."


    "A threat is still a threat, it is best we combine our powers together and dispose of this entity." A husky and chilling voice retorted.


    "I''m afraid it''s not that simple." One of those who remained silent spoke up, its voice ethereal and soothing, but the authority within silenced those who spoke and those who were about to.


    "What do you suggest, Wisest?" The three figures asked with a submissive tone.


    Silence took place around the table, the tension seemed to rise as they awaited for the figure''s response. Two of the three hoped for the order to dispose of the intruder.


    "It is best we wait, let the entity roam around unless it decides to go against the laws of the world, or worst, destroy it."


    Most nodded albeit some filled with reluctance and fear of the ''Wisest'', but the figure who spoke first about eradicating the entity protested.


    "Preposterous! Are we gonna risk the world''s safety for a single entity?"


    "Are you questioning my decision, Strongest?" The voice''s tone seemed chilly, and further increased the tense atmosphere.


    "Surely we can deal with a single entity, can we not, Wisest?" The second figure who sided with the first spoke up.


    "A bunch of battle-minded fools. Just as Youngest had said, the difference in power is far and wide, and even I may not be sure if all of us combined can defeat, let alone, suppress the entity."


    The table was yet again, engulfed in silence upon registering the words of the Wisest. Wisest was always decisive, and if even Wisest was unsure of their success in defeating the intruder, what else could they do?


    The second figure who rejected the first''s idea of eradication, spoke up.


    "What is our possibility of success if we followed Fastest''s plan and included Greatest?"


    With a firm and apprehensive tone, Wisest spoke up.


    "Approximately fifty percent."


    Gasps escaped the lips of multiple figures, if even Greatest was included; it only amounted to fifty percent. It was a dire situation indeed.


    "I suggest we let Greatest decide the final course of action." A high pitched voice spoke up.


    The figures all nodded and turned their heads to a certain individual who had stayed silent throughout the entire discussion, and the only one who had kept their gaze upon the black and white battlefield. Lifting their head, its eyes pierced through the souls of those gathered around it, chills crawled up their spines as a few swallowed their saliva in anticipation and fear.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    A great deep voice of high authority, overlapped with another that was feminine and high pitched spoke up.


    "We shall follow Wisest''s plan. But shall the entity involve itself within or out of the Game, observe and keep tabs of it and only take action if it decides to interfere with the rules of the Game."


    Strongest spoke up, his pride could not take it. How could a single entity possibly threaten him, or all of them?


    "But Greatest¡ª"


    "All in favor, say Aye." Greatest spoke up with a bit of intimidation, directed towards the figure who dared go against it. Clearly leaving no room for refusal.


    Strongest swallowed his frustrations and suppressed the fear building inside.


    "A-Aye."


    Followed by the rest of the figure''s voices of agreement, the table was now engulfed in silence and all their gazes were fixed back onto the battlefield.


    -


    "For fuck''s sake!" A dry voice croaked out its complains, belonging to a middle aged man swinging a broken pipe into the heads of the strange creatures swarming around him. His short black hair messy and all over the place.


    "Behind you!" A mature, feminine voice warned one of the three men. She placed her pale and sweaty palms up into the air before streaks of light covered her hands, and shooting out into the creatures in front of her, electrocuted, burnt, and dead. She used one of her hands to push back a strand of blonde hair in the way of her vision. She turned and twisted her body before landing a kick into the head of one of the creatures behind her, sliding past its eyes as it screeched in pain; doubling the effect since she wore heels. It''s a wonder to how she could fight in a horde of monsters with those pain-in-the-ass heels equipped.


    "Minerva!" A woman of short stature pointed her palms against the surface, the surrounding air started to drop down in temperature and before the creatures could make their move, ice began to form from the concrete ground. The creatures who surrounded the woman were met with unfortunate fates as the ice crawled over them and soon froze them from head to toe. Materializing an ice rapier out of air, she twirled and swung her sword into the vital areas of some creatures before her back landed against a familiar face, the blonde woman.


    Sending each other a smirk, both started making use of their abilities, the cute sight of the woman''s short brown hair bobbing up and down made a certain man observing chuckle. His pale eyes narrowed at the approaching creatures before piercing his petrified arm into the head of a creature. Witnessing the destroyed head of the disgusting frog-like creature up close made him frown in distaste. A closer creature waved its mutilated limbs around in an attempt to attack the man. Stomping onto the ground with his foot, a wave of sharp stones emerged from the ground and pierced through multiple other creatures that trailed behind the one in front of him.


    Not far from the scene, a duo of both a man and woman with similar features fought alongside with each other in equal strength. Standing side to side, they intertwined one of their hands and reached out before purple flames encircled and engulfed their arms. Not for long, hundreds of the surrounding creatures were entrapped within the flames, their wails resounding through the ruined streets before inevitably dying from being burnt to a crisp.


    A creature managed to sink its razor sharp teeth into the arm of the middle aged man. Piercing through his skin and into his flesh, blood gushed out of his wound as he held his scream and smashed the head of the pipe into its brains. His stomach turned at the sight of the chunks of its brain splattered around his arm. Forcing it off of him, he tossed the corpse to the side and swung his pipe around in fatigue. His pale white shirt now dyed with the colors of both his and the creature''s blood. Signs of exhaustion overwhelmed him and he wanted nothing more than to surrender, but his life was on the stake and he could not allow himself to die after coming so far.


    At the corner of his eye, he spotted a cloaked figure leisurely approaching the group in the center of the horde. Rather than relief or delight, his eyes were filled with suspicion, he could not trust anyone in this world especially after experiencing the betrayal of his closest friends. Even if he had to fight to the death, it was better to die in the hands of a monster than be betrayed once again by someone of your own kind. Gritting his teeth, he averted his gaze and continued the battle against these frog-like creatures.


    The worn out cape of the ashy cloak swirled and danced as it trailed behind the possessor of the cloak. In the embrace of the figure''s arms lay a broken branch of cherry blossoms, naturally, his presence alerted the rest of the middle aged man''s group members. Their eyes were filled with suspicion as they attempted to fight while observing the mysterious cloaked figure.


    "Just a bunch of peasants..." The figure''s inaudible voice did not enter their ears as most of their attention were focused on the frog-like creatures.


    But soon, their eyes dilated from shock as the entire horde soon had their heads decapitated in mere minutes. The surroundings froze and their gazes traced the direction of the heads flying with dangling organs in sight, blood trailing not far behind. The moment the heads landed against the concrete surface, their leftover bodies followed and collapsed onto the ground with loud thumps. The impact snapped all of them back to reality before immediately sending questioning and suspicious gazes mixed with a hint of admiration and respect towards the cloaked figure. They all knew nobody in their group could accomplish such an incredible feat, and the only figure present aside from them was the mysterious figure who continued to leisurely make its way towards them. They became wary and their grips tightened around their weapons, preparing their attacks.


    The cloaked figure halted its steps as it turned its line of sight to the middle aged man.


    "Would you kindly tell me the directions to ''Eden''?"

 Chapter 1.1: Searching for Eden

    "Eden?" The man replied, his brain searching through its memory bank for the name of such location, but nothing came as a result.


    "I''m sorry but I don''t think I have heard of such a place." With sincerity in his tone, he did not forget to size up the figure in front of him with scrutinizing eyes. The person''s intentions were unclear and their mysteriousness only gave him more of a reason to increase his alertness around the figure.


    "I see..." The area entered a state of silence, an occasional breeze would brush past their cheeks and the only sound present was the howling of the winds tickling their ears. The quietness stirred some of them to a restless state, their fingers tightening its grip around their weapons as they patiently waited for any response.


    "Do you know of a place where I can gather information from?" For what seemed like an eternity, the figure finally spoke up and eased a bit of tension between both parties.


    The middle aged man however, continued to raise his guard up against the cloaked figure. Despite the person''s obviously deep voice, he could not assume his gender to be male for there have been others who were capable of manipulating their voices to disguise their true gender. If he were to release the slightest of killing intent he''d immediately take action for his own safety¡ªselfish as he may sound, nobody can be trusted in this world he lives in. Besides, every survivor knew of the best place to gather information from; it was common knowledge. So was this person ignorant? Even those who decided to roam the world alone without companions knew such information, and even had their own methods of gathering them.


    Underneath the hood, the mysterious figure''s lips hooked to a smile as their eyes observed the man who remained quiet to his question.


    One of his companions spoke up, a male with pale eyes which made him look to be part of those who lost their ability of vision; but seemed perfectly fine in gazing at the exact spot the figure stood on. He was taller than the middle aged man with above-average looks and disheveled caramel locks adorning his head, coated with glistening sweat.


    "There''s a large ruined city located north-east from here. It is known to be both a trading and resting point for all survivors and one of the safest places around despite the increasing dangers as the game progresses. You can gather intel from there." A friendly atmosphere radiated from the man''s figure as the cloaked figure received a warm and welcoming smile from the man.


    The middle aged man hid his glare directed towards the taller man, he wondered how such a dense and kind person could live to this day ever since the beginning of the game. Kindness is a double edged sword and more so is beauty, it can be wielded as a weapon or it could be used against you and the consequences could be dire. In fact, his entire group consisting of both handsome and beautiful people was a risk and he could feel his heart palpitate whenever time passed by, who knows when these ticking bombs would explode.


    "...I am grateful for your assistance, I''ll be on my way then." The figure lowered their head towards the group, before turning to face the north-east and proceeded forward with calm steps. As the group observed, the figure seemed to treasure the branch in its arms, caressing it and holding it in their embrace with so much care.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Aside from the middle aged man, another person remained suspicious of the cloaked figure. She had witnessed the twitch of the person''s finger upon her companion speaking about the game. They seemed disturbed, was it a trauma? Questions flooded her mind and the answers flew further away the more she pondered about the matter.


    "Wait!" The sudden shout of the pale-eyed man froze the figure on the spot.


    "Would you like to join us? It''s safer with people to accompany you and besides, we have the same destination." His suggestion made the middle aged man shoot him an exaggerated look.


    Was he a fool or a fool in disguise? He seemed too kind and welcoming to the point it irked him. He was someone he deemed the most dangerous out of all the members in his group, he just couldn''t decipher him and it was terrifying. Now he''s inviting a person who had the ability to dispose of them easily, judging from the prowess they showed in subjugating the horde in just a few minutes. He desperately wanted to leave this group but it wasn''t the right timing, he was still too weak to handle things himself.


    He had hoped the figure would refuse but despair came in mere seconds.


    "Of course."


    Oh how he wanted to drown himself in his own piss.


    "Great! I''m Quinton, you can call me Quin. The old guy is Morgan, the twins are Sean and Wendy. Blondie is Katelyn, and this cutie here is Delilah." He introduced everyone before gesturing to the short haired woman who looked unimpressed with him which only made his grin stretch wider across his cheeks.


    "Mort." A single word escaped from the cloaked figure''s lips. The name made the blonde woman, Katelyn''s, emerald eyes glitter. The corner of her lips hooked to a small smirk.


    "A suitable name for someone with that power."


    The figure seemed a little uncomfortable under her gaze but stood their ground, holding onto their composure as interest was evident in their tone.


    "Never thought I''d find someone who knew the meaning."


    This raised many questioning looks from the others, "Are you perhaps french?" The cloaked figure laid its gaze upon Katelyn.


    "Oui, Monsieur Mort." Her dimples made her more appealing to look at, but nobody missed the playful look flashing past her pupils.


    "What exactly are you both talking about?" A younger and husky voice spoke out, belonging to the twin brother, Sean.


    "Mort, it''s old french for ''Death''." Katelyn rolled her eyes at the impatience of the youngster, throwing out that simple statement everyone but three of them; Katelyn, Mort and Morgan, made out voices of realization.


    "Alright, we don''t have much time left so I suggest we hurry our pace before the game resumes." Delilah interrupted everyone after breaking from her daze, her British accent obvious from the way she spoke.


    Everyone nodded their heads before starting their journey, the countless questions in Mort''s head remained unanswered. It seemed Mort stumbled upon a game unknowingly, would he be forced to participate or would he just observe from the sidelines? The circumstances from the past and the present were so similar. He silently hoped their future did not end up like those from the past. Ever since he entered this world, he was thrown into an unknown environment of danger but not as high as he expected. The stranger he met upon his first encounter with another human mentioned the place called ''Eden''. According to the stranger, Eden was similar and named after the ''Garden of Eden'' in the bible. If he wanted to find the safest and most peaceful place devoid of any danger, Eden was the location he was looking for. The only problem present was gathering information and looking for any individual who could confirm its existence and knew where it was located at.


    Even if Eden did not actually exist, he would continue his search for a place of similar conditions, and he would not rest until he finally discovers an existing and suitable location solely for the branch of cherry blossoms resting upon his embrace.