《Irregular Awakening》


 Chapter 01 - Nascent

    Today¡­ Feels odd. There¡¯s no real basis for this, it¡¯s been the same as every other day. there¡¯s nothing exceptional about today. Yet it feels.. Wrong. The wind hitting my face felt different, There¡¯s an unexplainable tension in the air.


    ¡°...H¡­.st¡­..li¡­?¡±


    I don¡¯t know why I feel like I do today, but there has to a reason doesn¡¯t there? The clock is moving yet I don¡¯t feel like any time is moving at all it¡¯s.. Eerie.


    ¡°I¡­ list..¡±


    If i¡¯m just being paranoid, then I¡¯ll have wasted my time pondering over this. Yet if I find out there really is nothing wrong, I won¡¯t believe it. I¡¯ll continue to find different impossible or arbitrary explanations for it.


    ¡°Are you listening? I¡¯ve been talking to you for twenty Minutes! Yet you¡¯ve just been staring into space.¡±


    The boy sitting next to me talks to me everyday, Sometimes I reciprocate but most of the time I don¡¯t. It doesn¡¯t seem to matter to him however, he just continues either way. It¡¯s comforting somehow though.. He¡¯s like a tether to reality.


    ¡°Sorry.. What were you talking about? I just haven¡¯t been fully here today.¡±


    He¡¯s odd, everything he talks about is nonsensical, none of it makes sense. Nobody else likes him and nobody else talks to him. I¡¯m not sure myself when he first talked to me and when I talked back, or why I even talked back. But right now, that doesn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°Alright! So basically what I was talking about was Psionic Powers. The supernatural man! There have been reports on the news all the time about people who think they have them, or claim they have them at least. So I did some research, and I found something out.¡±


    The boy leans in quickly, a hint of fanaticism can be seen in his eyes. ¡°Not all of it is fake..! There are actually records of people with abilities. For instance, in South America there are records of a man who could control and create fire on a whim. And in Africa there are stories told about a man who could create weapons with a wave of his hand.¡±


    It¡¯s just more of his everyday ramblings. He might be interested in this for about a week, but just like everything else he¡¯ll drop it after he gets bored. Yet¡­ Today has felt so odd, so irregular maybe I should pry a bit deeper.


    ¡°There are records for a lot of things, but that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re true. What¡¯s got you so enamored with this? What evidence do you have that¡¯d completely prove that these powers exist, or existed.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He darted his eyes back and forth, making sure nobody was listening in on the conversation, and then leaned in even closer than he was before


    ¡°It¡¯s because I met one¡­ A real man with psionic, supernatural powers! It blew my mind¡­ I¡¯m meeting with him after school today, he said that he can help me unlock my own ability! I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be against someone else coming with me either.. So how about it. Do you want to see something out of this world, something that¡¯ll change your life forever?¡±


    There¡¯s this unexplainable urge deep inside me to yell no and refuse him in an instant. It¡¯s as if all the uneasiness and tension of today has culminated inside of me and reached its peak. If I say no, then that¡¯ll be the end, my everyday life will continue. If I were to say yes there¡¯s no guarantee that the man we meet would even have powers, and if he did there¡¯s no guarantee I¡¯d have the talent or ability to even have my own power. And even if I did have a power then what? I¡¯d be dragged into a world I¡¯d want nothing to do with. It¡¯s better to just refuse.


    ¡°Sorry, stuff like that just doesn¡¯t interest me.¡±


    The boy looks a little sad and sighs. The school day continues and eventually everyone heads home


    He didn¡¯t talk at all after rambling on about the supernatural and psionic powers. It¡¯s weird, usually he talks the entire day without stop. This entire day truly has been odd. Maybe I¡¯ll just take a nap and get over this.. Yeah a nap sounds good.


    He gets home to his apartment and does just as he says and takes a nap, time quickly passing.


    I slept for way too long.. My throats parched and I was suppose to refill the fridge. I hope the convenience store hasn¡¯t closed.


    He leaves his apartment, walking down the narrow street lit by the Full moon. An eerie glow fills the world around him


    This feeling.. It¡¯s just like earlier today. The airs filled with tension, it¡¯s unnatural.


    A boy runs out of an alley ahead, his breath ragged and his body covered in blood. He¡¯s limping and a hunk of flesh is missing from his thigh.


    That¡¯s¡­ What¡¯s he doing here? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to meet with that guy who had Psionic powers. What could cause those kind of injuries¡­ Did he actually meet somebody with special powers?


    The boy looks down towards the street, but there¡¯s no one in sight. He starts whimpering in fear.


    Why¡¯d I duck behind this building..? He¡¯s bloody and hurt shouldn¡¯t i go help him? Yet this feeling..


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he live around here.. He always know what to do¡­¡±


    The boy continues to whimper, when a growl is heard from behind him. His eyes open up with fear and he opens up his palm revealing a pale white jade


    That growl set every hair on my body on end


    He peaked around the corner of the building he was hiding behind, silently watching the boy until a sight he¡¯d never forget enter his eyes.


    ¡°I give up, you w-¡±


    A claw made of bone stabs through the boys back, and emerges through his chest. An eldritch creature appears from the shadows connected to the hand. It¡¯s head resembles the skull of a deer, its body stood upright on two hooves, it¡¯s waist covered in fur that hid undulating muscles. Retracting it¡¯s hand from the boys chest it then begins to look around the boys body. The white Jade was knocked out of the boys hand and arrived before the building, pulsating with a small white glow calling out for somebody to retrieve it.


    What¡­ What.. What¡¯s going on.. This¡­


    He reacted without thinking, quickly grabbing the Jade and running back to his apartment. The beast continued to look around but could find no other traces of life, as if He was never here in the first place. It could only roar in rage and retreat to wherever it came from. Returning to the apartment, He looked down at the white Jade in his hand, a look of panic and confusion in his mind.


    I don¡¯t understand. What was that thing, what is this.. What the hell¡­ WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?

 Chapter 02 - Potential

    Calm down. Calm down.. What I saw couldn¡¯t have been real. But if it is.. Then couldn¡¯t it come find me? No, if it had good hearing it would have heard me running away.. And if it had good sight or smell it would have seen me take the jade or it would have smelled me in the alley. I should be safe here.. Unless the jade has some kind of tracker..?


    He looks down in uncertainty towards the Jade in his hand, it¡¯s white glow from before no longer as lustrous as before. Yet it still is calmly soothing, and He once agains begins to think straight.


    It shouldn¡¯t have a tracker in it, that beast would have already come for me. It must be important to it somehow.. But why was.. Why was he killed for it?


    He runs over the scene in his head over and over again, the claw made of bone piercing the boys back. The words that he was trying to say hang heavy on his mind


    He was going to drop the jade.. And it sounded like he was trying to admit defeat. But why did he think that beast was just going to let him go? Unless.. There was somebody else working with that beast.


    He continues to play through countless scenarios in his head, trying to figure out just what happened. Eventually his mind gets too exhausted to continue, and he falls asleep. The Jade beside him continues to dim and dim. Until not even a glimmer of the glow from before exists. Near the area where the boy was killed, a lone man seemingly enshrouded in darkness frowns.


    ¡°This is odd¡­ the jade was taken away yet there¡¯s no evidence anybody was here other than that boy and Raum. Hmm¡­. this is bad. It looks like things are about to get a bit hectic.¡±


    Morning begins to dawn and He begins to wake up, his mind still in turmoil.


    If there was someone working with that monster, he¡¯d probably do some recon in the area. So.. I need to go to school today, I need to go about things normally.


    He packs up his bag for school and leaves, continuing his normal daily routine. He pauses for a moment as he feels the jade in his pocket not knowing whether to take it or not. Eventually he gives in and keeps it with him. He then tries to go about his day as normally as possible, not wanting to seem suspect. He gets to school and sits down, only taking a glance at the empty seat next to him.


    He¡¯s gone¡­ I can¡¯t waste time worrying about him. He was coming to find me, he put me in this situation.


    The day quietly passes, nothing extraordinary happens. It¡¯s the same day to day life.


    So He heads home and stops at the convenience store, picking up what he was going to yesterday.


    Thinking about it, this Jade in my pocket doesn¡¯t seem to be special at all. It doesn¡¯t do anything, and it lost its luster from before. Maybe they didn¡¯t kill him for it after all, and it¡¯s just a coincidence he had the jade at the time he was killed. Maybe it was a family Heirloom or a bribe to help stimulate or awaken an ability inside him.


    He goes to sleep, clenching the white jade in his hand. The jade once again begins to glow, and slowly it starts to sink into his palm, looking as if his body was absorbing it. In his dreams He slowly opens his eyes, as an archaic voice echoes outStolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It has been thousands of years since someone has met the criteria to be summoned to this world.¡±


    He is shocked awake by the voice. He looks quickly around him in all directions, wondering where it¡¯s coming from. But all he sees is a shattered wasteland devoid of life.


    Could this be a dream? It feels so vivid and that voice sounded so real. If it isn¡¯t a dream then where am I, and where¡¯s that voice coming from, it sounds like it¡¯s all around me.


    ¡°Descendant of Adam, hear us now. You are the third inheritor. Ten Millennia ago we searched for the first, and now we have found you.¡±


    Ten Millennia? And what does he mean by inheritor?


    ¡°Do not be afraid, and do not be confused. We will answer any questions you have.¡±


    Is this actually real and not a dream? If so, then first, I need to ask about the Jade.


    ¡°Alright, then I have three questions for now. First, what is that Jade I picked up and how are you related to it?¡± **The voice waits a moment before continuing to speak.**


    ¡°We cannot answer what the Jade is, but we can answer who we are. Is that acceptable?¡±


    ¡°You said you could answer any question, Why can¡¯t you answer the question about the Jade?¡±


    ¡°Knowing the answer would put you in Mortal danger, and that is why we cannot tell you.¡±


    Put me in mortal danger? Just what is this thing, and how could just knowing its origins put me in danger?


    ¡°Then fine, I retract my question about the Jade. But I still want to know who you are.¡±


    The Archaic voice once again begins to speak, this time sounding as if thousands of voices are coalescing into one


    ¡°We are the discarded spirits that died when the Tower fell, we are those who wish to see ourselves avenged. You do not have to avenge us, for as long as time we will wait until we meet one who will.¡±


    That doesn''t tell me much, but I should assume that¡¯s the extent of what he can tell me.


    ¡°Now my second question, why did you choose me to be the Inheritor, What makes me different from everybody else?¡±


    ¡°There are three criteria for becoming an inheritor, and one can only be chosen if they meet all three. The first requirement, is that the inheritor must be a descendant of Adam, a human. The second requirement, you must be in possession of the jade for cycle of night and day. And now for the third. However, those two requirements are not the main factor that decides who will be chosen as the inheritor. The third requirement is that of potential. The Inheritor must have zero chance of awakening a Heritage left by God or Satan.¡±


    Zero chance of awakening a Heritage left by god or Satan? What is he talking about..


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t understand what you mean, what is a heritage left by God or Satan?¡±


    The voice takes a moment to answer, thinking about how to answer him.


    ¡°In your time, they would be called Supernatural abilities. Not all abilities are a heritage of God or Satan, but the large majority are. Your body holds no potential for these abilities, it would be impossible to awaken or use them.¡±


    So I have zero potential.. That¡¯s fine. I prefer it that way, a star that burns twice as hot will burn out twice as fast.


    ¡°Now for my third question, what exactly is it that I¡¯ll be inheriting, and do I have the option to turn this inheritance down?¡±


    I don¡¯t want something that¡¯ll complicate my life, but If this jade truly is this important then I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be countless dangers in my way. I may need this power if I want to live my life without fear.


    The archaic voice once again begins to speak.


    ¡°The inheritance you shall receive will be different from that the First and Second received. The First inherited Pride, and the Third Day. The Second inherited Sloth and the sixth Day. You shall inherit Greed and the First Day.


    Greed and the First Day? I don''t understand, what does that mean.


    ¡°What are Greed and The First Day. I don¡¯t understand¡±


    ¡°You will have to uncover the truth for yourself. To answer the latter part of your question. No, you can¡¯t deny this inheritance. The Jade has already fused into your body, you are it¡¯s sole owner as long as you are alive.¡±


    Fused into my body? How did that thing even get inside me, and where is it?


    ¡°Do not panic, it shall not affect you and people will not be able to tell you have it. It has completely fused with you, it is you and you are it. Now tell us Thy name and this dream shall end.¡±


    All of this can''t be real, there''s no way. First that monster showed up, now this.


    ¡°My name is Sokar, my namesake is the Egyptian god Seker, god of the Memphite Necropolis.¡±


    As he says his name, a small brand appears on the back of his hand, resembling the Eye of Ra, and another over his heart, resembling an Ouroboros.


    "The inheritance has been completed. You have been recorded as the Third, if you wish to learn more about our plight, or if you wish to gain more power, search for the world essences."


    The archaic voice slowly quiets, and the landscape around Sokar goes black

 Chapter 03 - Learning the Basics

    Sokar awakens from his dream in a cold sweat, his mind racing with uncertainty. Slowly he shifts his vision towards the back of his right hand, and the sight again sets his mind racing.


    No way¡­ That dream was actually real?


    The Eye of Ra proudly lies on his hand, looking as if it had been there since the day he was born. Sokar quickly jumps out of his bed and runs into his bathroom, taking off his shirt and staring at a mirror on the wall. His eyes quickly locks onto his chest, where a brand of an ouroboros lies.


    So all of that was actually real? This is hard to believe but¡­ the evidence is all there. I need to calm down and think. That dream was real, nothing will change that. I should focus on what I was told. That voice, the spirit of the Jade said that I would receive supernatural abilities. Though, I don¡¯t have any idea how to use them.


    Sokar begins to go about his normal morning routine all the while mulling over how to use his ability. While he was lost in thought a cool feeling began to fill his body, which Sokar quickly took notice of.


    This feeling, it¡¯s filling my entire body! It¡¯s like nothing I¡¯ve ever felt before.


    As the cool feeling begins to circulate throughout his entire body, the archaic voice from his dream echoes throughout Sokars head.


    ¡°Focus on the feeling flooding through your body, and try to direct it to one of the brands on your Gabody. That is how you will summon your power.¡±


    That was the spirit of the jades voice! I¡¯m lucky I haven¡¯t left the house yet, I can test this out right away. I¡¯ll start with the Eye of Ra.


    Sokar begins to focus on the feeling inside his body, and then simply with a thought the feeling begins to move through his body towards the Eye of Ra. The feeling begins to funnel into the brand, and above Sokars hand a small ball of light the size of a fingernail forms.


    Woah! It looks like the sun, and it¡¯s putting off a bit of heat too. I don¡¯t really think this could protect me though¡­ Maybe if I put in some more it¡¯ll change.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He begins to funnel more of the feeling into the brand and the ball of light begins to get bigger and bigger. After about half of the feeling enters the brand, the ball of light now the size of an apple explodes in a blinding flash of light.


    GAH! What the hell!? Ugh¡­ That came out of nowhere, there were no warning signs at all. I guess that could be useful, maybe? I probably won¡¯t need a flashlight anymore, at the very least. Well, time to test out what the ouroboros can do.


    Again Sokar begins to focus on the feeling on his body, this time making it move to the brand on his chest. The feeling funnels into the ouroboros and an invisible hand forms in front of him that¡¯s the same size as his own. The hand grows until it¡¯s about double its original size, and all of the original cool feeling had vanished.


    This is incredible, even though I can¡¯t see it with my eyes, yet I can tell that it¡¯s in front of me. It feels like a third hand, and I think I can move it.


    Sokar looks around the room, and spots a water bottle sitting on his living room table. The invisible hand begins to move, and it grabs the water bottle and lifts it, bringing it over to him.


    It feels so natural to use it, it¡¯s like I¡¯ve had the ability to do this my whole life. All of that feeling from before is gone though, how can I replenish it.


    After a minute the feeling returns, however it doesn¡¯t spread out as much as before.


    It¡¯s back, but it doesn¡¯t feel like there¡¯s as much of it. Maybe if I wait it¡¯ll come back?


    After another 5 minutes the invisible hand disperses, and the water bottle it was holding falls to the ground.


    I guess it has a time limit, that¡¯s good to know. Well, as this feeling begins to replenish I should think about what these abilities are. I received two abilities, the First Day and Greed. My brands both represent one of my abilities. If I had to guess I¡¯d say the First Day is represented by the Eye of Ra, considering that it created light when I funneled the feeling into it. And that would mean the ouroboros represents Greed. The only thing I really don¡¯t know about is this feeling, what exactly is it? I don¡¯t think the spirit of the jade will tell me, it probably would have already.


    Time passes and the feeling continues to fill up his entire body, until eventually it reaches the same quantity as before.


    It¡¯s back to the same as before I used any of my abilities! It doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s increasing anymore though, is this the limit of how much I can have in my body at once? That took about two hours, I wonder if there¡¯s any way to make it refill faster or increase the max amount I can have? Well, those are questions for later. What I should focus on now is¡­ What exactly to call this feeling. Just calling it the feeling would sound weird, I should give it a proper name. Though what that name should be, I have no idea. Hmm¡­ Both of the brands on my body are Egyptian in nature, so the name for this feeling should be Egyptian too. I guess the most suitable name would be Ka, the vital spark of the egyptian soul! That definitely sounds way better than just calling it the feeling.


    Sokar continues to test out his abilities throughout the day, testing out exactly what he can do with his abilities. As he tests it out he learns that he can create multiple hands of Greed if he temporarily stops funneling his Ka into his brand and then continues after a moment. He also learns there¡¯s no upper limit for greed, it can take all of his ka and will continue to grow in size unlike the First Day which has a limit. While Sokar continues to test the applications for his abilities, a man in a scarlet suit stands in the depths of Isolde city over a bloodied corpse with a look of disgust on his face.


    ¡°Having the audacity to exist in the same world as god with your level of purity... How disgusting! But now¡­ I¡¯ve saved you! Your life was a miserable existence yet you still cried out at the end as if you thought you had any value. Despicable, truly despicable! When will I find someone with worth¡­

 Chapter 04 - Hanging by a Thread

    Chapter 4: Hanging by a Thread


    Cafe Lustrous, an extremely popular cafe located in the downtown of Isolde City. It offers both indoor and outdoor seating, which gives customers an opportunity to take in the beautiful city. At a table in the outdoor seating, a boy with a sullen face and athletic tape wrapped around his right hand sits alone.


    This is awful...


    Two days had passed since Sokar had awakened his powers. Yesterday, he spent his time testing the limitations of greed, and his findings were not toh is pleasing. Sighing in frustration he brings out a small notebook from his pocket and opens it up to the first page, which lists his findings about Greed.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Greed


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Lasts for 12 minutes when using all of Ka.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Can lift around 350 Pounds when using all of Ka


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Disperses completely if more than 75 feet away


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It¡¯s too limited, if that monster tried to attack me, I¡¯d be done for sure. If only the Ka wasn¡¯t as scarce as it is, then even with the range I could stand a fighting chance. I wonder if the First or Second had these same problems.


    An idea suddenly pops into Sokars head and his eyes widen, before he¡¯s interrupted by the waitress bringing his drink.


    ¡°Heya there Sokar! Here¡¯s the usual, dark roast coffee with two sugars!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Alice.¡±


    Sokar reaches out for the drink and Alice looks at his hand with concern.


    ¡°Sokar! What happened to your hand, did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°Ah.. yeah, I sprained it saturday. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡±


    Looks like the athletic tape is doing its job. I can''t let anybody see the brand for now, it''d just bring way too much attention


    ¡°That¡¯s awful! Sokar you¡¯ve gotta be more careful, I don¡¯t know what we¡¯d do without our best customer!¡±


    Alice looks into Sokars eyes with a worried face. Eventually she sighs and begins to continue her work. After she leaves Sokar continues to mull over Greed¡¯s limitations.


    I need to find a way to improve Greed. But... I have no idea how, or if it¡¯s even possible to. The Spirit of the jade probably knows, but it hasn¡¯t talked to me since the brands manifested. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anyway to contact it. My only hope is the World Essences the Spirit talked about, but I have no idea what a World Essence even is.


    Sokar leaves the cafe and heads to his apartment, still thinking about Greed, the jade, and the World Essences.


    The Spirit said that I was the third inheritor, and that what I inherited was different from the First and the Second, but we all received abilities in the same category, we all received a Day and a Sin. What about my Ka? The Spirit didn¡¯t say anything about it, all it said was that I would receive the First Day and Greed. For the First Day and Greed, I atleast have at least a faint idea on what they are, but the Ka is completely foreign. I have no clues or leads about it. There¡¯s something else I¡¯ve been confused about too, the brands I recieved. The First Day and Greed originate from the bible, why would the brands on my body be Egyptian? It just doesn¡¯t make sense. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Sokar continues to lose himself in thought as he heads back to his apartment, meanwhile at Cafe Lustrous a man arrives wearing a scarlet suit. His eyes scan the cafe, looking for something. He places an order and takes a seat, his eyes continue to scan the room until his order is brought by Alice.


    ¡°Here you go sir, enjoy!¡±


    His eyes go wide for a instant but he quickly composes himself, smiling at Alice he thanks her for his order. She turns away and continues her work, and a deep frown covers his face and he begins to mutter to himself.


    ¡°So close. So close¡­ Her essence is almost pure enough, but something has started to pollute her. She must have come into contact with something un-pure, a heretic. Damnit¡­ I don¡¯t have time to search the city for another with this quality. I need to find the source of the pollution, as long as I destroy it her essence will return to its pure, untainted form. Is it possible the source of the pollution is around here?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes begin to probe around the room, looking deeper into previous people he wrote off. A look of bewilderment fills his face, quickly replaced by anger.


    ¡°This is impossible! Over half the people in here are suffering from the same pollution? I need to find the source. Since not all of the customers are suffering from it, it shouldn¡¯t be something in the store. It must have came and went earlier. It looks like I have to resort to using my blessing.¡±


    The man takes a small wooden cross from his pocket, inscribed on it is several small symbols and writings in a foreign language. He mutters a small prayer under his breath and the cross begins to burn away.


    ¡°Show me the path, show me the way to the heretic!¡±


    As the cross becomes ash, a small grey thread begins to form, visible only to the man. The thread ties itself around the man¡¯s finger and quickly flies away, looking for the source of the pollution. The thread eventually finds its mark, Sokar. It ties itself around his finger, but he continues to walk without a clue, having no idea the trouble coming for him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found it! I¡¯ll rid the world of this stain, and then god will forgive me.¡±


    The man leaves the Cafe, following the thread towards Sokar. Meanwhile Sokar finally arrives at his apartment, still oblivious to the incoming danger.


    This day has been a waste, I still haven¡¯t gotten any idea on how to improve Greed. And when it comes to Ka, I have more questions than I started with.


    Sokar sighs and removes the athletic tape from his hand, allowing the eye of Ra to once again become visible to the world.


    The First Day... I haven¡¯t put as much thought into it as I have Greed or even my Ka. I just don¡¯t see anyway it can really be useful, but I need to keep testing with these abilities, I need to improve as fast as possible. That monster might still be looking for the jade.


    Sokar begins to focus on his Ka inside his body and moves it into his brand. A small ball of light no bigger than a seed forms, floating above his hand and giving off a soft glow and putting off a bit of heat.


    It¡¯s the same as before, it¡¯s just a ball of light. It might be useful to light up a dark room, but woul- huh? What... What is that?


    Sokar is shocked by the sight on his right hand, as a small grey thread tied to his index finger inexplicably comes into view.


    When did that get there?


    Sokar tries to grab the thread on his finger, but when he does his hand simply passes through the thread, grasping nothing but air.


    What? I¡¯m not just seeing things am I?


    He slowly moves more Ka into the Eye of Ra, and the ball slowly grows brighter and brighter revealing more of the thread floating in the air


    Just how much of this thread is there? It cuts off at a certain point in the air...


    Once again, he moves Ka into the Eye of Ra. The ball grows brighter and brighter, revealing more of the thread. Sokar stares in shock at the ever increasing amount of thread and absent mindedly continues to focus Ka into his brand. Eventually the ball explodes in a flash of light, once again temporarily blinding Sokar.


    Damn, again!?


    Sokar composes himself after his mistake and looks at his right hand confusedly, seeing no traces of the grey thread that was just there. He looks around him and also notes that the grey thread that was floating in the air is now also gone.


    So the First Day really was making it visible, maybe it isn¡¯t as useless as I first thought it was!


    Sokar again moves the Ka into his brand, recreating the ball of light. But this time, no grey thread is there to be seen.


    It¡¯s gone? Was I just seeing things that whole time? Damn, maybe this stress is getting to me.


    *okar looks confusedly at the ball of light, pumping more and more Ka into it, seeing that the grey thread doesn¡¯t appear, he closes his eyes and focus¡¯s the remaining Ka into his brand, making the ball of light once again explode in a flash.


    I suppose it really was just my mind playing tricks on me.


    Sokar decides to take the rest of the day to rest and heads to sleep. Meanwhile a few blocks away from his apartment, the man in the scarlet suit looks at his hand with extreme shock.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone... The blessing granted to me by god was destroyed!? How, how is that possible!?¡±

 Chapter 05 - A Servants Honor

    The man in the scarlet suit stands in front of a huge door, his body covered in sweat and his eyes bloodshot. His body shakes as he goes to open it, and tears slowly begin to leak out of his eyes.


    ¡°I failed¡­. It¡¯s over for me¡±


    He pushes the door open revealing a group of three people looking up towards a man sitting on a heavily adorned throne decorated with gold and jewels. Their faces are filled with admiration and awe as they look up towards the domineering man. He smiles at them, enjoying their admiration. Eventually he frowns and looks at the man in the scarlet suit, and then he begins to speak.


    ¡°You are... Felix? What are you doing here, shouldn¡¯t you be on the hunt for someone with pure essence? You still have two days to look for someone suitable, explain yourself.¡±


    His voice is light as a wisp and carries a friendly tone, yet every word he says strengthens the pressure piercing Felix down to his soul.


    ¡°I did find one of suitable quality but¡­ she is polluted.¡±


    The man looks down at Felix with contempt in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not uncommon for people to have some pollution to them, just use your blessing and search for the source of it. Must you make me really repeat what i¡¯ve already told you?¡±


    Felix takes a deep breath, his entire body clenching up in fear.


    ¡°Yes I know but¡­ But the blessing was destroyed somehow. I had found it and began to head for it, but the thread disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Y...Yes.¡±


    Felix looks up at the man, waiting for his judgement to be passed in silence. The other three continue look at him with the same admiration from before.


    ¡°Well, if it was destroyed then someone like you really couldn¡¯t do anything against that pollution in the first place. You could still be of use to me however.¡±


    He lifts his hand and opens his palm, a swirl of light begins to form above it, which then becomes a wooden cross engraved with small glowing white symbols. One of the three looks at the cross and his face quickly moves to a frown and he begins to speak.


    ¡°Lord Oswin.. Are you truly going to give something like that to him? He¡¯s failed to get you the essence you were searching for, and he¡¯s killed several already on the search, if this continues¡­¡±


    Oswin looks down and smiles towards the one who spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad my Seraphims are looking out for me, but have no worry. Felix is unpure that much is true, but he believes in me to the absolute core of his being! It¡¯d be rude of me not to put him to use.¡±


    Felix feels tears begin to well up in his eyes and he quickly prostrates himself in front of Oswin.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you! I thank you from the bottom of my heart, I want to serve you and better myself under you, god! I will find the heretic who dare harms your blessing and I will smite them for you.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Oswin smiles after hearing Felix call him god and begins to tell him about the blessing he¡¯s given to him.


    ¡°Now unlike the previous one, this one isn¡¯t able to track sources of pollution. Only use it when you come into contact with the source! You must not use it before then.


    Felix leaves and Oswin smiles to himself, admiring his own generosity.


    ¡°What a kind man I am! I do hope he can use it properly, if not then oh well, that¡¯s simply his fate.¡±


    Oswin chuckles to himself and continues to sit on his throne, wondering just what will happen. Meanwhile, Sokar sits in his classroom bored.


    Today¡¯s been so simple.. It¡¯s like before I got the Jade, everything is the exact same. Well... almost everything.


    Sokar glances at the empty seat next to him and sighs. He turns his attention to the head of the classroom, listening to the class and forgetting about everything else.


    ¡°And so, what we can conclude from this is that blinding yourself and turning away from your problems will cause them to grow instead of disappearing. If we as people do not face what we need to and instead run away, we will never progress. ¡±


    Time passes and eventually the school day ends. Sokar leaves the school, heading to Cafe Lustrous. As he leaves the school, he overhears two people talking.


    ¡°Hey, There¡¯s been this weird guy wandering around here today. Have you seen him? He wears this scarlet suit and he¡¯s been staring at people really intensely! He¡¯s a real creep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I saw him too, he was muttering something about pollution. Maybe he¡¯s some kind of activist?¡±


    A weird guy in a scarlet suit.. It¡¯d probably be for the best if I avoid someone like that.


    Sokar arrives at Cafe Lustrous, ordering his drink and taking a seat.


    My daily routine hasn¡¯t changed that much, yet everything feels completely different.


    Sokar waits for his drink in silence, thinking back on the past couple of days.


    It really has been hectic, and I feel like just now it really hit me. My life might have taken a turn that it can¡¯t turn back from.


    ¡°¡°Heya there Sokar! Here¡¯s the usual, dark roast coffee with two sugars!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Alice.¡±


    ¡°You look a bit down today Sokar, what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing really, just still a bit upset about spraining my hand.¡±


    I still feel bad about lying, but it¡¯s for the best.


    ¡°Oh! Yeah, that makes sense I guess. Sokar have you heard about that weird guy around here today? He¡¯s been staring at people and freaking people out, it¡¯s really bad for business.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Yeah I heard about him on the way here, people were saying he¡¯s some kind of activist, he was muttering about pollution or something.¡±


    ¡°Want to know what¡¯s weird? The guy was here, like two days ago almost right after you left! He got here and left really quickly, he gave me off a really bad vibe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a guy like that just seems like he¡¯s asking for trouble.¡±


    Alice and Sokar end their conversation and she goes back to work, and Sokar slowly finishes his drink, finally leaving.


    It¡¯s getting dark out early these days, I need to start heading back sooner than this.


    Sokar heads back to his apartment, the street empty and barren, only being illuminated by the street lights.


    I haven¡¯t used The First Day and Greed at all today, I can¡¯t get complacent, I need to continue testing them ou-


    ¡°I¡¯VE FOUND YOU!¡±


    Huh?


    Sokar quickly turns around, seeing a man dressed in a crimson suit.


    Hey¡­ Isn¡¯t this the guy Alice and those people were talking about?


    ¡°You! You¡¯re the source of that pollution! You¡¯re a stain on the earth itself, and it¡¯s my job to exterminate you!¡±


    What? This guy really is an activist!


    ¡°Hold on for a second! I think you got the wrong guy, I recycle and I don¡¯t litter. How could I be the source of the pollution?


    ¡°Recycle..? Wait¡­ now I get it! You can¡¯t even see it can you, that aura leaking out of you staining everything in sight.¡±


    A stain leaking out of me? What the hell is this guy talking about?


    ¡°Ignorant to your own crime, how laughable! With the blessing given to me from god, I''ll wipe away your crime along with your life!¡±


    Wipe away my life? This guy... is he seriously planning to kill me!?

 Chapter 06 - A Servants Gambit

    This is bad, this is really bad.


    ¡°Hold on! What are you even talking about? What pollution am I the source of, and why do you want to kill me!?¡±


    Felix stares at Sokar with intensity, but then takes a deep breath and calms himself


    ¡°I suppose it would be wrong of me to send you to the other side without properly informing you of your sins. Listen to what I¡¯m about to say in earnest so you know just how awful a crime you¡¯ve committed, and then repent in the afterlife.¡±


    If he decides to attack me after this I¡¯ll retaliate with greed. I don¡¯t really want to show it off, but it might be necessary.


    ¡°You¡¯re putting out a vile aura, your very presence taints and pollutes the essence of those around you.¡±


    What does that even mean?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I¡¯m not doing anything! I¡¯m just living the same day to day life I always have. Vile auras, polluting essences, I don¡¯t understand any of that!¡±


    Felix seems to mull something over in his head and once again begins to speak.


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to start from the basics, I¡¯m doing this out of the good of my heart so listen closely before I cleanse your unworthy soul from this earth. An essence is something everyone has, it¡¯s comparable to what most people believe to be a soul, everyone¡¯s born with a special quality, and the one I¡¯m talking about is called purity. Purity is the potential to use and control ancient heritages, powers left by the old God. The special quality of your essence though... I¡¯ve never seen anything like it to be honest. I did think the pollution was a bit different than the usual kinds, but I couldn¡¯t have imagined in my wildest dreams that something like this caused it.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but how can you see it, the essence.¡±


    I need to get him to keep talking, maybe he¡¯ll reconsider. Not just for that reason either, the spirit didn¡¯t explain any of this to me, I need to know more so I can keep myself safe.


    ¡°Hmm, alright. I can see your purity with a technique, one from a long long time ago. It¡¯s not like the other ones I know of, it doesn¡¯t require any certain level of purity. Even someone like you with no purity could probably learn it if given time, well that doesn¡¯t matter now. This really has been a fun chat, but we need to end this. I¡¯ll give you two options, the first is to force me to use the blessing given to me by god and and the second is to die to my knife.¡±


    Felix takes a combat knife out from his back pocket and smiles at Sokar, waiting for his answer.


    ¡°Wait! Aren¡¯t you being a bit rash here? There has to be another way to solve this, do you really have to kill me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being a bit rash? Everytime without fail you all bargain and beg before you¡¯re gone. Why? Don¡¯t you all understand I¡¯m helping you and all the people around you!¡±


    He¡¯s insane... Does he really think he¡¯s helping people by killing them!?


    ¡°Ok, I understand now. I won¡¯t take up any more of your time.¡±


    Felix smiles and walks forwards with his knife in hand, his smile getting wider and wider. He grips both hands on the handle of his knife and prepares to lunge forwards at Sokar.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you decided not to put up a fight. It¡¯s really quite simpler thi- HUH?¡±


    The second Felix lunges forwards, an invisible pressure pushes his arms down to the ground. The knife in his hand quickly falls out of his hand and slides towards Sokar.


    ¡°What is this!? You¡­! Are you an esper!?¡±


    I¡¯ve got about 12 minutes of him being on the ground like this. The question is what should I do? Do I... kill him? No, that¡¯s too much. But if I don¡¯t do something he¡¯ll just keep trying to come at me won¡¯t he? I don¡¯t have much time...


    ¡°You scum... Don¡¯t think you can escape your fate!¡±


    A deep red glow begins to emit from the inside of Felix¡¯s suit.


    ¡°To force me to use this blessing that I¡¯ve just been given¡­ You¡¯ll pay for your insolence!¡±


    What is that?


    The red light grows brighter and brighter, and a grey viscous flesh erupts from the origin of it, tearing through his crimson suit.


    This can¡¯t be good.


    The grey flesh begins to writhe and morph, first a set of misaligned wings begins to form on his back, already torn and broken. The rest of the flesh begins to take form, condensing until it takes a humanoid shape the same size as Felix brimming with muscle. Two slits open up its face revealing two eyes with black sclera and white iris¡¯s. Finally, a ring of white light forms above its head giving off a odd contrast with the grey monstrosity just formed.


    What... the hell?


    The monstrous Felix turns and begins to stare at Sokar. He then raises his head towards the sky and his body shudders.


    ¡°MMMPHHHHHHHHHHH¡±


    A low muffled noise can barely be heard coming from near where his mouth would be.


    It¡¯s like he¡¯s trying to scream...


    Felix looks towards Sokar, and with a push off the ground he launches towards him brandishing his fist.


    This is way too fast!


    Sokar quickly wills Greed to fly at his chest and it strikes his chest with its palm, sending him flying back, just barely making it in time before Felix lands his attack. The ground where Sokar was shatters under the impact of Felix¡¯s fist.


    That was way, way too close! I need to pin him down before he can do anything more.


    Greed launches forwards grabbing Felix. It tries to move but its movements are temporarily halted.


    What am I gonna do... I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to listen to reason now, If he¡¯s even really still that guy from before. Damnit¡­ I¡¯ll grab the knife and plunge it into his chest. That¡¯s the only thing I can do now, it¡¯s too fast for me to run away. I¡¯ve used all of my ka up for max power greed too... I don¡¯t have a choice.


    Sokar grabs the knife on the ground, and as he does he tries calm his heart, preparing himself to end Felix¡¯s life.


    Now... do I plunge this into the heart.? Does he still have a heart now that he became this thing? Or would he still be able to survive even if his heart was pierced... I don¡¯t have time to worry about this.


    Sokar steadys his arm and walks up to Felix. He tries to break free of his constraint, but the force Greed exerts is too much for him, and all he can do is glare with anger.


    ¡°I... Don¡¯t know if you can understand me after becoming... whatever you are. But if you do, I want you to know you left me no other choice but to do this.¡±


    Sokar plunges the knife forwards towards the grey flesh, it quickly sinks in, but then stops as it hits something hard.


    This... doesn¡¯t seem right.


    With both hands he puts both of his hands at the end of the hilt and begins to push the knife deeper and deeper into the flesh, until he hears an audible cracking noise.


    Huh?


    The grey flesh begins to writhe and melt, slowly uncovering Felix¡¯s original form. A cracked cross with dull white symbols falls from his chest, clattering on the ground. Felix¡¯s body lies on the ground unmoving, but still breathing short breaths.


    He¡¯s still alive. I should be happy I¡¯m not a murderer but... Before he made it sound like he killed other people before he tried to kill me this time. If I let him live, He might do the same to other people.


    Sokar looks down at Felix¡¯s body with concern, and then looks at the cracked cross next to his body. He bends down and grabs it with his hand.


    Was this the thing that protected his heart?


    As he grabs it, the white runes begin to glow and then float off the rune, shooting into Sokar¡¯s chest. The cross then turns to dust in his hand, and falls between his fingers.


    Huh..? My Ka, it¡¯s refilling way too fast! There might even be more than there was before!


    A smile creeps across Sokars face but then it immediately turns back to a frown.


    This is incredible, but... Now I have to worry about what to do here.


    Sokar stares in silence at Felix¡¯s body, and then the knife in his hand begins to float towards his body carried by an invisible force.


    I won¡¯t do it with my own hand... I can¡¯t do it with my own hand. When he was that monster it was different. But now he¡¯s defenseless. It¡¯s... easier if I use greed.


    The knife is flipped over and aims itself down towards Felix¡¯s body.


    My daily life of ease and relaxation, it really is all over.


    The knife quickly plunges straight into Felix¡¯s chest, taking away his life.

 Chapter 07 - Requiem

    Sokar sits quietly in his apartment 6 hours after he killed Felix, staring at the knife on his table with a blank look on his face.


    ¡­Why, why did I bring this thing with me? I should have just left it there. I killed him, I had no choice but to, right!? It was to protect myself. No, not just myself, others too! If I didn¡¯t do that then he would have killed more people, what I did was the right thing. But... I could have turned him into the authorities, couldn¡¯t I have? No, if I did what if he transformed into that monster again and killed the authorities, or what if he came after me afterwards? Innocent people would have died because of my mistake. And even if he couldn¡¯t, he had to have been working with other people. He knew too much and was talking about whatever that new god is, he had to have more people with him, they would have broken him out. Killing him was not the wrong choice, it was the only option I had. I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, anybody else in this situation would have made the same choice.


    Sokar slowly begins to move his hand towards the knife.


    I just need to get rid of this, once I get rid of it everything will go back to normal¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re putting out a vile aura, your very presence taints and pollutes the essence of those around you.¡±


    Felix¡¯s words from just a few hours ago once again ring in Sokars head.


    No¡­ Even if I did completely erase everything, even if I did that it wouldn¡¯t matter. There are more people out there with an ability to see essence like him i¡¯m sure. And if there are then, then..! They¡¯ll continue to try and destroy the life I love so much. Damnit... DAMNIT!


    Sokar bangs his fists on the table in front of him in a fit of rage, and lowers his head down.


    If he didn¡¯t come here that day, if he didn¡¯t bring that stupid jade here then none of this would have happened, my life would have continued on unchanged. It¡¯s all his fault!


    The boys face of horror and shock as the claw pierced his back flashes in Sokars mind, his face filled with anger quickly changes to grief.


    No. I¡¯m just making excuses, aren¡¯t I? I murdered, killed somebody out of self preservation and all I¡¯m doing is trying to find somebody to blame for my own faults. I¡¯m just running away from reality. I killed somebody¡­ This entire time I¡¯ve been worried about whether it was the right or wrong thing to do, but I¡¯ve blinded myself and kept ignorant to the glaring fact in front of me, I took everything from him. His future, his relationships, his passion, everything he will be, everything he was. All of it was wiped away by my hand.


    As Sokar laments over his choice alone, Oswin sits on his throne listening intently to a young woman speaking to him.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s been a long time since we found an extreme essence, and Felix left before giving us any info on where he found it. We¡¯re gonna have to find out when he gets back after dealing with the pollution. Speaking of which, what do you think caused it this time? I¡¯m gonna guess one of the fallen was up to something again.¡±


    Oswin looks down at her and waits a moment before speaking, his entire body giving off a royal feel, one of superiority.


    ¡°I can¡¯t agree with you here. The fallen have never shown the ability to sever heavens thread, and yet Felix said whatever source he was following did. I think it¡¯s something unique, singular. Of course it is possible a new fallen has appeared that has the ability to sever heavens thread, but I don¡¯t believe it will be a fallen.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As Oswin speaks a gate appears out of thin air next to the woman, and a man carrying a body on his shoulders walks out of it. As he walks through it, the gate disappears and the man drops the body on the floor.


    ¡°Lord Oswin, I apologize for intruding, but...¡±


    As the man speaks he points down at the body.


    Oswins stares at the body for a moment with a cold gaze, and the corners of his lips move into a smirk.


    ¡°Felix.. You poor fool. I can¡¯t believe you. You were so engrossed with me and my cause, you truly believed in me and saw me as a star, lighting up the eternal night that was your pitiful life. Yet you¡¯ve burned out so quickly. But, maybe this is for the best. You were a sinner Felix let¡¯s face it, you killed innocent girls who were of inefficient quality. I suppose it may be my fault, you compared them all to me and in your eyes they were just specks of dirt that didn¡¯t belong in my presence. Ah Felix, poor poor Felix.¡±


    Oswin shakes his head and the man who appeared from the gate with Felix¡¯s body begins to talk.


    ¡°What should we do? He wasn¡¯t much of a loss, but he was still one of us, and they also took his blessing.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... what to do indeed. Do I send one of the seraphims? No, this is too small of a matter for them to deal with. Ah! Call Abbadon and tell him to bring his protege.¡±


    The man opens up another gate and walks through it, just leaving the body of Felix on the ground.


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s an eyesore, would you get rid of it Cassiel?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Oswin.¡±


    The woman grabs the body and leaves the room, leaving Oswin to himself. After a little while another gate opens up, this time 3 men walking out of it. Of the three men, one dwarfs the other two, his height almost doubling theirs.


    "Ah, Abbadon! Must I call upon you in order to see your wretched face? It''s been months!"


    Oswin looks towards the large man with a playful look in his eyes.


    ¡°Lord Oswin, Declan is willing to follow any orders you will have. If you need me to fight come get me, if not don¡¯t bother me again¡±


    The large man walks back through the gate not giving Oswin a moment to reply.


    ¡°Hmph. Well, Declan I have a job for you. One of us has been slain by an outside force and it¡¯s your job to find whoever is responsible and deliver divine punishment. I trust you won¡¯t disappoint me¡±


    ¡°Yes! Oswin!¡±


    Oswins eye twitches as Declan calls him by his first name with no honorific.


    ¡°Yes... Well be off then. Ask somebody else to fill you in on the situation.¡±


    As Oswin orders Declan to hunt down the man who killed Felix, Sokar still questions his choices from yesterday, looking at the knife he holds in his hands.


    I can¡¯t take away the fact that I killed him. It¡¯s not something that¡¯ll ever go away. It¡¯s permanent, an uncleanable stain on my hands. I don¡¯t want to forget either. I need to remember this forever, I need to remember that this feeling is disgusting, that it encapsulates what¡¯s wrong with killing someone. I don¡¯t want to kill someone again but if I ever have to again, then at the very least I want to feel this feeling again. I don¡¯t want to become numb to the death of people by my hand.


    Sokar closes his eyes and slowly remembers what happened yesterday in his mind.


    Yesterday after the fight, when I grabbed that cross, runes flew into my chest and my Ka underwent an explosive growth. I wonder, just how much has it increased by? I¡¯ll use the First Day to test just how much it¡¯s increased by. Unlike Greed it has an actual cap on how much Ka I can funnel into it.


    Sokar begins to focus all of his Ka into the Eye of Ra on his right hand. One ball of light forms and explodes, then a second forms and explodes. Finally, a third ball of light forms and explodes in a burst, using up all of the remaining Ka.


    So its increased by half of the original amount. It doesn¡¯t seem like that much, but the increase has changed my options dramatically. Yesterday, I focused all of my Ka into one hand of Greed, but that¡¯s not smart. If there were more than one of them, or if he could have resisted the pressure Greed had on him then I would have been completely out of options. If there are going to be more people like this I have to figure out how to use this ability optimally, all I used yesterday was brute force.


    Sokar opens up his eyes and stares at the knife in his hands, tracing the edge with his finger.


    This¡¯ll be a memento, something I keep close to me at all times to remind me of what I¡¯ve done. Yesterday I made a choice that there¡¯s no coming back from. The only thing I can do now is move forwards.


    Sokar recalls the day his friend died and he received the jade.


    I¡¯ve been completely engrossed in myself, terrified that something bad would happen to me, and even blaming somebody who died looking to me for help. I didn¡¯t deserve that level of trust he had for me¡­ I¡¯m the worst. Seeing death after a life of normality... I didn''t have time to swallow it. One thing after another, I just can''t deal with it.


    A tear falls down Sokar''s cheek. He finally breaks down from the built up stress, and suffers through the night realizing the severity of everything that''s happened to him.

 Chapter 8 - Coming out of the Shadows.

    A week has passed and yet¡­


    Sokar lies on his couch with his arm over his forehead, absently looking at the ceiling of his apartment.


    I thought I resolved myself to move forwards toward the future and stop focusing on the past. But that¡¯s a lot easier said than done. I don¡¯t know anything about World Essences, and I have no idea about the people chasing me down.


    A bottle of water floats over to Sokar¡¯s hand, then the cap seemingly unscrews itself and he raises it to his mouth to take a drink


    Ah... I should probably stop using Greed like this. It¡¯s a bad habit to make, wasting so much of my Ka for menial tasks. If something actually does happen then i¡¯ll be all tapped out and won¡¯t put up much of a fight at all. But at the same time, If I don¡¯t use it often maybe I¡¯ll get rusty. What a true predicament I¡¯m in right now.


    Sokar chuckles to himself and continues to stare at the ceiling, not thinking of anything in particular and just letting his mind roam. His state of tranquility is soon broken, as a soft humming noise rings out.


    Did someone message me?


    A phone floats off the table next to Sokar¡¯s couch and places itself in his hand, he then lifts it above his face and looks at the new message he got.


    Unknown Number - Hey! This is a message going out to everybody in the city so make sure you take this seriously! Whoever dealt with that guy in the crimson suit, you need to respond to this message! And don¡¯t think of trying to fake it you losers, because I¡¯ll know


    What? There''s no way this can be real, I should check that city message board and see if other people are talking about this before responding.


    Sokar clicks on an app on his phone that sends him to a message board where everybody from his city can discuss current events. He notices that the commotion from the text has already garnered discussion.


    BlazBlueX - Yo! Did you guys get that weird message too? The one that was sent out to the whole city from that unknown number.


    Inperfectcell - Yeah I did, kind of weird isn¡¯t it?


    Chaos35 - Yeah, I don¡¯t even give out my number to people I know in real life, how would this random dude get it?


    Mistoton - That guy in the crimson suit was that activist going around freaking people out wasn¡¯t he? I¡¯m not surprised something happened to him.


    Why would you have such stupid usernames on a city messageboard?


    Sokar continues to watch the message board as more and more people join in to talk about the strange message.


    It looks like it really was sent to everybody in the city.


    Sokar exits out of the app and takes a deep breath, before opening back up the message.


    I¡¯ll respond to this. I want to find out more about the guy I killed and the people he was working with. They¡¯ll come to me eventually as long as I still have this essence he was talking about anyways. Instead of being chased down from the shadows, I¡¯ll meet them on an open playing field!


    Sokar types out a message and sends it towards the unknown number, staring at his phone in earnest.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Sokar - The cross he had, the monster he transformed into. Is that sufficient evidence to prove that I was the guy who ¡°dealt¡± with the guy in the crimson suit?


    A response is almost immediately sent.


    Unknown - Ding Ding! Congratulations you passed! You¡¯re the suspect, the man who killed Felix! Now tell me where you are so we can fight!


    So his name was Felix...


    Sokar - I¡¯d rather not fight. Who are you, and what connection did you have with Felix?


    Unknown - Ha! You think you can just sponge me for information? Nah, that¡¯s not how this works. Listen just tell me where you are, I want to fight you already!


    Fight me? Is this guy for real?


    Sokar - Sorry, But that¡¯s not really gonna work for me. I¡¯m a bit busy right now, so let¡¯s meet up later. Maybe at that clocktower south of the river at 12:00. How does that sound for you?


    If I walk it¡¯s probably about an hour and a half away, but being far away from my home would be a good thing.


    About 5 minutes pass and another message is sent to Sokars phone.


    Unknown - Yeah, sure that works for me. It¡¯ll be more fun fighting at the place you pick after all. Homefield advantage.


    Not quite a home field advantage, but he doesn¡¯t need to know that.


    Sokar quietly passes the time, until about three hours before he¡¯s meant to meet up with the unknown messenger. He picks up the knife he killed Felix with and moves his finger down the edge of the blade, memorizing the shape and feel before resting his finger at the point of the knife.


    It¡¯s odd. I thought I¡¯d gotten over it but now that I know his name these feelings are all coming back in full force.


    He slides the knife into his pocket and begins to wrap his right hand in sports tape, hiding the eye of ra on his right hand.


    The First Day... At first I thought it was completely useless, but after some thinking I¡¯ve done these past two days I think I have a much better idea on what it''s for. Hopefully I get to put it to use tonight. Well it¡¯s about time to leave, better early than late after all. Who knows what¡¯ll happen when I get there.


    Sokar starts to head out but he¡¯s stopped by his phone once again buzzing notifying that he got a message. He quickly walks over and picks it up to look at it, and a smile slowly creeps across his face.


    Alice - Sokar! Christmas is coming in three weeks, and you¡¯ve been so down lately. I know you¡¯ve been home alone for a while, so I did some thinking. How about we throw a christmas party at your place to celebrate, so you¡¯re not alone on the happiest day of the year. I just want to do something for you, I don¡¯t like it when you¡¯re sad because when you¡¯re sad I¡¯m sad!


    Sokar - Yeah, I¡¯d love to do something like that! I don¡¯t really know that many people though, so who knows it might just be you and me here. Some party that¡¯d be right? Thank you, Alice. I¡¯ll be able to feel better after today, I¡¯m sure of it.


    Alice, thank you truly. You¡¯re the last beacon of normalcy I have in this world.


    Sokar puts his phone down and heads towards the clocktower he arranged the meeting at. He gets there thirty minutes early and is there alone, sitting in silence on a bench in front of the tower. Eventually someone sits next to him, a young man. His body is about the same height as Sokar¡¯s, and neat black hair is slicked backwards on his head.


    ¡°So... you the guy?¡±


    The young man says looking over at Sokar with suspicion.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to a bit more specific than that. Sorry, I just don¡¯t want any misunderstandings to occur between the two of us.¡±


    The young man eyes Sokar up and down before again trying to get him to confess.


    ¡°Are you the guy who killed Felix, that loser always wearing that stupid scarlet suit.¡±


    It looks like Felix wasn¡¯t thought of very highly, at least by this guy.


    ¡°Yeah, I killed him. He attacked first, but that doesn¡¯t really matter to you does it.¡±


    With a slight laugh the young man sits up from the bench, looking at the huge clock tower in front of them.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Frankly, I really don¡¯t care that you killed him. Felix was¡­ He was a bad person, he killed innocent people because of his blind loyalism to Oswin. But I¡¯ve been ordered to kill you, and that¡¯s what I have to do.¡±


    Ordered to kill me huh? So it¡¯s probably a whole group of people I¡¯m up against. This really just keeps getting worse.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite nonchalant about this whole thing, is killing somebody not a big deal to you?¡±


    Turning around, the young man turns his back towards the clocktower and faces Sokar


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a huge deal honestly. I¡¯ve never killed somebody before so I guess this is a test for me, a test to see if I have the guts to. I¡¯m really¡­ hesitant honestly. You don¡¯t seem like a bad person and Felix deserved to die. But, I don¡¯t think I can go back without killing you, so... ¡°


    A huge bell rings out and the clock towers face turns to midnight. A cross appears in the young man¡¯s hand emanating with a red glow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to get rid of you.¡±


    This red glow, it¡¯s just like when Felix¡­


    ¡°The man who killed you is named Declan, I hope that brings you some solace in death.¡±


    A grey flesh begins to erupt from the cross in Declans hand, surrounding his body. It wraps around his body, swallowing his body creating a blob of grey flesh. The flesh then begins to writhe and twist, condensing itself to the same size and shape as Declans body. Four wings burst from his back, resembling those of a bats. Two slits open up on his face, revealing two eyes with black sclera and blue irises. A mouth forms below, filled with razor sharp teeth. Finally, above its head a ring of white light forms.


    ¡°This is the major blessing, Heaven¡¯s Step!¡±


    This time, I¡¯ll solve it without killing anybody.

 Chapter 09 - Declans Descent

    He looks similar to Felix, but there are some telling differences. His mouth, wings and eyes are all different. I hope I can still just brute force my way through this.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve resolved yourself, you¡¯re really prepared to kill me? There¡¯s no going back from this, your hands will be bloodied forever!¡±


    The monstrous Declan stands still, staring at Sokar. His muscles slightly tense as Sokar again begins to speak.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to kill somebody, so why force yourself? Just talk to me peacefully and we can decide what to do from there! You don¡¯t have to bloody your hands at someone''s request!¡±


    Declan¡¯s body suddenly moves, raising his fist to strike at Sokar. As his fist nears Sokars body, he¡¯s suddenly sent flying back, crashing through a tree.


    ¡°Can you even understand me? Or are you like Felix, have you just let yourself become a monster with no reason!?¡±


    Declan stands back up, his eyes showing a hint of hesitance. His mouth begins to move, and his voice comes out distorted and gravelly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t understand you.¡±


    Once again he launches forwards at Sokar, but once he nears his body is smacked down into the ground.


    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you respond? Answer me!¡±


    Declan tries to once again stand, but his body is again pushed down onto the ground.


    ¡°If I respond, If I reply to your questions then it¡¯s possible I¡¯ll lose my resolve. I have to kill you, I need to!¡±


    Sokar finally stands up and walks to where Declan is immobilized.


    What could be driving him forwards? Felix was single minded and completely resolved on killing me, but Declan¡¯s different. He¡¯s hesitating.


    ¡°Tell me, why do you have to kill me. What will me being dead accomplish?¡±


    Declan pushes his hands down to the ground and ever so slowly his body begins to rise up.


    What!? He can still move while being pinned down by Greed?


    ¡°If I don¡¯t kill you I¡¯ll be cast aside. Killing you is the only choice I have!¡±


    The clock tower silently ticks as Sokar begins to back away from Declan¡¯s rising body.


    Even if I use another hand of Greed he still might be able to resist the pressure. The difference between him and Felix is insane!


    ¡°What would you do!? Would you betray the people who gave you everything just because you didn¡¯t want to do something as¡­ as simple as killing!? Are you actually saying you¡¯d throw everything away just to stay true to your ideals?¡±


    Sokar¡¯s face fills with pity as he looks at Declan.


    I can¡¯t relate to him really, I only killed someone because I thought I had to do it at the time, and that was a moments decision. What he¡¯s doing is being forced onto him by others, it¡¯s premeditated, he¡¯s had to live with himself knowing he was gonna kill somebody. If I was in the same place as him would I have made the same decision? These kind of questions, I don¡¯t think I could answer them saying I¡¯d do anything different. But¡­ Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Saying that you have to throw away everything, your thinking was flawed from the very start wasn¡¯t it? Stop acting like your life is decided by other people, If everything you have is going to be taken away if you don¡¯t follow their orders then you didn¡¯t really have anything in the first place! Stop letting other people make the decisions for you, try to kill me if you want to kill me, but make that decision for yourself!¡±


    Sokars voice pierces through the quiet surroundings. The pressure on Declan relieves itself, and he stands to his full height.


    I¡¯ve said what I can say, the only thing I can do now is see how he responds.


    The two stare at each other for what seems like an eternity, and eventually the silence is broken by Declan speaking.


    ¡°I¡­ Can¡¯t do it.¡±


    Declan falls to his knees and the grey flesh surrounding his body begins to melt away, revealing his original body. A cross falls to the ground next to him, one which matches the appearance of Felix¡¯s.


    He made the choice that I couldn¡¯t¡­ He¡¯s risking everything just to avoid killing someone.


    Declan stares at the ground while on his knees, not daring to looking up at Sokar. Sokar walks towards him and begins to speak


    ¡°Look at me. You made your choice so face it head on.¡±


    Declan slowly moves his head up, his face filled with grief.


    ¡°I can¡¯t kill you¡­ And now I can¡¯t go back to the life I used to have. Everything¡¯s been swept away.¡±


    Having his life swept out from under him, he¡¯s just like me. The reasons are different but the end result is the same, the life I lived and the life he lived, they¡¯re now changed forever. In the end the only difference is that his hands aren¡¯t bloodied like mine.


    ¡°Yeah. The life you used to live, it¡¯s probably never coming back. It was probably the ideal life for you, right? You were living everyday happy and content. But now, that life you used to live is out of reach.¡±


    Declan chuckles under his breath and frowns as he looks at Sokar.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just mocking me, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re the reason my life is being upturned.¡±


    ¡°That life you used to live is out of reach, it¡¯s far behind you. So the only option is to move forwards. I¡¯m just like you, so I know the best that mourning for your past is the worst thing you can do. You have to move forwards, trust me.¡±


    I can¡¯t stand it I guess, seeing someone in the same position I was in.


    ¡°Move forwards? There¡¯s nowhere to move forwards to! By not killing you, everything is being taken away from me!¡±


    Sokar offers his hand forwards, and Declan looks at him in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way if you want. Don¡¯t sit there and mull over your own destiny, take your future by force!¡±


    Declan hesitates for a moment, but that moment of hesitation passes in a flash, and he grabs Sokars hand.


    Doing this will probably lead me into way more trouble than it¡¯s worth. But¡­ I can¡¯t really turn a blind eye to someone just like me.


    Three days pass and Sokar sits at his usual table in Cafe Lustrous, waiting for his order to arrive.


    These past 3 days have really been way too much of a hassle, but I guess that¡¯s my fault. Some good did come out of it though, My Ka has increased to twice its original amount after touching that blessing from before.


    ¡°Heya there Sokar! Here¡¯s the usual, dark roast coffee with two sugars!¡±


    Alice arrives and drops off his usual order with a smile.


    ¡°Thanks, Alice. How¡¯s the new trainee doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh! He¡¯s doing great actually, I¡¯m really glad you recommended him here, we were running low on staff to be honest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, I¡¯m happy to hear it.¡±


    Declan dressed in a waiters outfit stands at the entrance with a forced smile, waiting on customers walking into the store.


    ¡°Welcome to Cafe Lustrous how-how may I take your order?¡±


    Sokar smiles hearing Declan greet the people coming in, amused that the man who was once trying to kill him is now working at his usual Cafe.


    These three days hectic as they may be are pretty nice, I-


    A flash of pain winces through Sokars chest.


    ¡°Welcome to Ca-fe¡­ Lustrous¡±


    Through the door to the cafe, a man exuding an aura of superiority walks into the cafe with a smile spread across his face. The pain in Sokars chest continues to explode out.


    I.. can¡¯t breathe¡­


    Declan¡¯s face fills with terror as he looks at the man who just walked in, Oswin.


    ¡°Well hello Declan, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    An archaic voice echoes through Sokars head as he looks at Oswin and the pain continues to tear its way through his body.


    ¡°To think, so early in the inheritors life span one would show itself. It¡¯s been many millenia yet the telling signs are all the same, a World Essence has shown itself in front of us once more.¡±

 Chapter 10 - The City of Legacy

    Oswin smiles at Declan and walks over to a vacant table, taking a seat. He momentarily glances at Sokar and a look of realization comes across his face. Alice looks at the man and turns back to Sokar.


    ¡°Oh! Sorry Sokar I gotta take this, I¡¯ll talk to you later okay?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡±


    Sokar only barely manages to choke out those words and keep a cool exterior, but in reality his body is still in a dire amount of pain and his mind is panicking, knowing he heard the spirit of the jade speak moments ago.


    That voice was the Spirit! It talked about a World Essence. I was supposed to be looking for those but I have no idea what one is. Could one really be this close to me?


    Sokar slowly scans the Cafe looking for something that could be the World Essence the Spirit was talking about. His eyes stop wandering as he notices Declans face, one filled with horror. He follows his gaze until he comes to a lone man sitting at a table, Oswin.


    Who is that guy? Why does Declan look so scared of him? Is it one of-


    Another flash of pain hits Sokar and his senses are sent into disarray.


    I need to get out of here¡­ I have no idea how long this pain is going to last.


    Sokar leaves money for his tip and drink and slowly gets up, walking quickly to get out of the cafe. Momentarily his eyes meet Oswins, and the pain begins to flare up once more. Sokar manages to make it out of Cafe Lustrous without drawing too much attention to him, and he begins to inch forwards back to his apartment.


    ¡°The third inheritor¡­ Will you be the one?¡±


    The voice again reverberates inside Sokars head and the pain begins to overtake him. He barely manages to stay conscious he opens the door to his apartment. Finally he lets himself succumb to it and his mind slips away.


    Ugh¡­ I passed out after I got back home.


    Sokar opens his eyes, and as he looks around him shock fills his face.


    Huh? This isn¡¯t my apartment.


    Quickly looking around, Sokar takes notice that he can¡¯t see anything. A ball of light forms above his right hand, illuminating the room he¡¯s in. The newly lit room reveals itself to be made of stone and empty except for a single door.


    If I had to take a guess, this has something to do with the Jade. It¡¯s not the first time something like this has happened, although this time was considerably more painful. I don¡¯t think anything dangerous is gonna happen, but I should be on guard all the same.


    Sokar stands up and walks to the door. He waits a moment before opening it, readying his mind for what might be on the other side. Finally he opens it, revealing on the other side a pristine street with rows of buildings bordering it on both sides. The area is empty except for a single girl waiting opposite of Sokar. Her eyes temporarily meet his but she then quickly shifts them down towards the ground as if out of embarrassment.


    Well this is definitely different. I¡¯m starting to get too used to stuff like this, at this point I¡¯m expecting weird stuff to happen to me. I should talk to that girl and see what¡¯s going on, she looks like she¡¯s waiting for someone. I want to think about what happened at the Cafe, but right now I should focus on this.


    Sokar walks through the doorway towards the girl who¡¯s still staring at the ground, while he¡¯s walking towards her he looks at the street below him and his face fills with shock.


    Is this...Gold? That¡¯s pretty impressive, whatever this place is, it¡¯s gotta be pretty well off if it can pave its streets with gold. Wait, that¡¯s not important right now! I need to ask the girl about where I am.


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    ¡°Hey there! I¡¯m a bit new here, well to be honest I¡¯m not too sure where here is. I was wondering if you could tell me where I am. Ah, Sorry I forgot to introduce myself, I¡¯m Sokar¡±


    The girl doesn¡¯t answer at first, she only tilts her head up slightly to look at Sokar. Her face is slightly flushed red and she begins to talk.


    ¡°I- Well, You see¡­ Um¡­ My name is Eve.¡±


    She looks back towards the ground, avoiding any eye contact with Sokar.


    Is she mad at me? I did just come out of nowhere and started to talk to her, that¡¯s pretty creepy.


    ¡°Sorry, Eve. I approached you out of nowhere and came on a bit too forwards, that was rude of me.¡±


    Eve instantly looks up and begins to talk right away, though she still avoids making eye contact with Sokar.


    ¡°No! You weren¡¯t rude at all, inheritor. In fact, I am the rude one. I should have responded with more than just my name and I should have answered your question right away. This place is a place entombed inside your essence. You¡¯ve been called by the emperor, he wants to meet you face to face.¡±


    She called me inheritor, that¡¯s the same thing the spirit called me before, that means she, no this place definitely has something to do with the jade. She says this place is entombed in my essence, that¡¯s the thing Felix talked about. Wait, if this place is in my essence does it mean this place is inside of me? Seriously, this stuff just keeps getting weirder. Maybe this emperor guy that wants to meet me will tell me what¡¯s going on, though I expect I¡¯ll just have more questions after meeting with him.


    ¡°So, do you think you could point me towards where the emperor is? You look like your waiting for someone, so I¡¯ll be on my way after you tell me.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes the emperor is th- Wait! The person I was waiting for was you! It¡¯s my job to lead you to the emperor, please just follow me.¡±


    Eve quickly begins to head off staring at the ground now with a red face. Sokar follows closely behind her, looking at the sights around him.


    The roads are paved with gold and the buildings are made of stone, that¡¯s a pretty stark contrast, I should ask Eve about it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about this road, it looks like it¡¯s paved with gold. But that can¡¯t possibly be true, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is! It was paved recently in preparation for your arrival.¡±


    Just in preparation for my arrival, huh? Am I really that important...


    The two continue to walk forwards, eventually arriving at a bustling main street, filled with people.


    ¡°Inheritor, I ask that you don¡¯t stop walking as we go through the main road or else you might be overtaken and we won¡¯t make it to the emperor until nightfall!¡±


    I¡¯ll be overtaken? I¡¯m not sure what that means, but it definitely doesn¡¯t sound good.


    The two begin to walk down the main road, Sokar looking nervous as he looks back and forth, worried about what may come.


    ¡°Eve! Bring the inheritor to my shop, he¡¯ll enjoy it for sure!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, is that really him?¡±


    ¡°He looks just as cool as I thought he would, wow¡­¡±


    ¡°The boys a bit too scrawny for my taste, a week with me and he¡¯ll bulk up!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got bandages on his right hand, was he in a fight!?¡±


    ¡°It must have been quite an enemy if it could harm our inheritor! I bet he messed up the other guy for sure!¡±


    The two manage to push their way through the crowd, but as they walk forwards, Sokar looks back for a moment.


    All those people know who I am¡­? I was confused before, but now I really don¡¯t know what this place is.


    The two continue to walk, coming to a colossal stone gate with walls spreading out on both sides, blocking out any view to the other side.


    Woah, this is huge! What could be on the other side?


    ¡°Well¡­ This is as far as I go. It was a pleasure showing you around. The emperor is on the other side of this gate, you simply need to open it and you¡¯ll find him on the other side.¡±


    As Eve finishes talking she turns around and begins to walk away from Sokar and the gate.


    Eve¡­ I really didn¡¯t get to know her that well, but as far as I could tell she was a good person.


    ¡°Eve! Thanks for showing me here, if I¡¯m ever in town again I¡¯ll be sure to stop by and come see you!¡±


    In town again, is that even the right thing to say in this situation? I don¡¯t know where I am, or if I¡¯ll ever actually be back.


    Eve continues to walk away, acting as if she didn¡¯t hear what Sokar had heard, but if one were to look at her, they would see a joyful smile on her face.


    Well¡­ all I need to do is figure out how to open this gate so I can meet this emperor guy.


    Walking towards the stone gate Sokar plants both hands forwards, and begins to push forwards, but his efforts are fruitless and the gate doesn¡¯t move in the slightest.


    Well, that was to be expected. If I could move a giant stone gate with just raw strength I would be a monster. I guess it¡¯s time to rely on Greed.


    Focusing his Ka, Sokar creates two hands of Greed about the size of his body. Both hands rush to the gate, pushing with all their force. The gate begins to open and Sokar quickly rushes through the opening.


    Well that wasn¡¯t too hard, though now my ka is completely tapped. If this guy has any bad attentions I won¡¯t be able to defend myself. Even with the new amount I still run out too fast.


    On the other side of the gate is a peaceful scenery, grass covers the ground and flowers are spread out in a neat and orderly manner. A stone church sits within the peaceful scenery, looking as if it¡¯s just as natural as the greenery.


    Well, I¡¯m gonna guess the emperor is in here.


    Sokar heads to the church, and as he enters he¡¯s greeted by a shocking sight. An emaciated corpse sits atop the church altar, with sunken lifeless eyes that stare endlessly forwards. The corpse''smouth begins to move, and an archaic voice echoes out.


    ¡°Welcome, Inheritor.¡±

 Chapter 11 - An Inheritor鈥檚 Duty, A Friend鈥檚 Choice

    Sokar jumps back in shock hearing the emaciated corpse talk. After a moment he regains his composure and realizes that he¡¯s heard the voice before.


    ¡°That voice, you¡¯re the spirit aren¡¯t you!¡±


    The corpses mouth again begins to move, and it¡¯s eyes seem to fill with a bit of life.


    ¡°Yes. we are indeed who you call the Spirit. You must be wondering why we called you here, Please allow us to explain.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m really curious as to what could be important enough to make me feel like my body is being torn apart.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. We called you here for a very simple reason, you have come into contact with a World Essence. Our wish is for you to collect the World Essences, and so for you to come into contact with one so early in your existence as an inheritor is extremely fortuitous. So it¡¯s our request that you pursue it.¡±


    "World Essence? I don¡¯t recall seeing anything like that. Actually, I don¡¯t even know what a World Essence is."


    ¡°To explain it simply, a World Essence is a manifestation of a concept. The one you came into contact with today, the Holy World Essence is the product of human faith and belief. As for where you encountered it, it was in the cafe you regularly visit. A man came in, and your new ally Declan looked extremely shocked to see him. If you ask him you will probably find the man in possession of the World Essence.¡±


    ¡°You could see all of that? Then, that means you also probably saw¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, we did. It was not our wish for you to have to make a decision which you were not ready for, and we truly apologize for the trouble your inheritance has brought on you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while, and I need to ask you. Is the aura coming off of me that pollutes other people¡¯s essence, is that because of the abilities you gave me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. All we can tell you is that it is a result of Greed. Any other questions about your inheritance cannot be answered.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t refer to yourself as a singular person, why is that?¡±


    ¡°We cannot say.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you answer my question?¡±


    ¡°We cannot say.¡±


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    ¡°Why are my brands Egyptian while my abilities have names that stem from the Bible?¡±


    ¡°They are simply the representation of what you believe represents the concepts of Greed and the First Day the best.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that the inheritance you gave me would eventually lead to me killing somebody.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you were to live as the Inheritor, the chances that you would have to kill eventually were very high.¡±


    ¡°Am¡­ I a bad person?¡±


    The spirit is taken aback by the question and does not answer for a moment, but responds with unease in its voice.


    ¡°No. You are not a bad person, the life you took was a vile one, you have no reason to be ashamed of your actions.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ The reason I killed him wasn¡¯t because he was a bad person, it¡¯s because he was threatening my peaceful life. Sure, I used the excuse that he was a bad person to take some of the weight off what I did, but in the end the only thing that¡¯s true is that I took his life out of self preservation. Even now I tried to find a way out, a way of taking the blame away from me. For a moment, just a moment I thought that it was your fault that I killed him, but that¡¯s not true. It was my choice, it was my fault. I killed him.¡±


    Sokar looks to the ground, a look of self defeat washed over his own face.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m scared that if I follow what you want me to do, again I¡¯ll find myself in that situation. I don¡¯t think I can go through it again.¡±


    The Spirit doesn¡¯t respond and the church is washed in silence. Sokar stands still, believing that the Spirit is regretting that he was the Inheritor they chose. As time passes, eventually the corpse on the altar stands. Its body begins to write and morph until it eventually takes the form of a life filled young man with hair as grey as ash. Sokar looks up in confusion, and the man takes a step off the altar towards him. He reaches his hand out and grabs Sokar¡¯s right shoulder, and begins to talk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the way you¡¯re thinking is wrong. It¡¯s natural for you to be afraid of going back to that situation, but you need to move forwards. You said it yourself didn¡¯t you, mourning for your past doesn¡¯t have any value.¡±


    The man smiles brightly and then leans in close to Sokar¡¯s ear.


    ¡°And even though I¡¯m not supposed to do this, I¡¯ll give you a little gift of knowledge to keep you going forwards. Acquiring a World Essence won¡¯t only appease us, it¡¯ll be able to keep the people around you safe as well. People would eventually come to hurt the people around you, whether you had our inheritance or not. The only way you can absolutely guarantee that they¡¯re safe from those influences is to gather the World Essences and improve your inheritances.¡±


    Sokar¡¯s vision begins to go white as the man talks to him.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for you to go, this visit wasn¡¯t very long was it? Next time hopefully you¡¯ll be able to chat with all of us individually, not just me.¡±


    Sokar jolts awake on the floor of his apartment, and his body is covered in sweat. He tries to get up, but falters slightly still dizzy from the shock of what just happened to him. He quickly closes the open door in front of him and looks at the clock, nothing that the time matches up to how long he was in what he believes to be the jade.


    My Ka is still refilling from using Greed from before, does that mean my actual body was in the jade? No, don¡¯t think about that right now. I need to focus and think on what to do, should I search for the Holy World Essence or not, that¡¯s what I should focus on. Everything that happened to me is done, right now this is the only thing I can control.


    Sokar falls onto his couch and sits in silence, arguing with himself about what answer he should choose. After intense thought, he finally reaches his conclusion.


    If Alice got hurt because I didn¡¯t stop these people could I forgive myself? Declan too, what about him? The guy who came in today with the World Essence is probably his former leader, what if they try to kill him for betraying them? The only option I have now is to put my faith into the Spirit of the jades words and believe that taking the Holy World Essence really is the right thing to do. But I can¡¯t stop at just the World Essence.


    Sokar gets up from his couch and grabs his phone, he quickly dials Declans number and waits for a response.


    I¡¯ll rip them apart at the seams and assure that they won¡¯t be able to do anything after I¡¯m done.


    Sokars phone call gets through, and Declan begins talking immediately in a panicked voice.


    ¡°Sokar thank god you called me, I need to tell you about the guy who showed up at the cafe today! He-


    Sokar interrupts Declan as he¡¯s speaking and begins talking himself.


    ¡°Declan, I need you to tell me where I can find your former leader. I¡¯m gonna wage war on him and his entire operation.¡±

 Chapter 12 - Setting The Stage

    Sokar and Declan stand in a dark alley together, Declan visibly sweating and fidgeting while Sokar has a bored look on his face.


    ¡°Listen are you sure want to do this? Oswin is a dangerous guy and he has a lot of people under him. If you openly go against him I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen. When he was at the Cafe today he didn¡¯t say anything to me, he might be letting me off the hook!¡±


    ¡°If Felix killed people and your boss let him get away with it then it¡¯s possible that there are more people like that under him. I need to stop any possibility of that happening.¡±


    That¡¯s only partially the truth, Declan doesn¡¯t know that I want the World Essence Oswin has. I¡¯m really surprised he volunteered to come with me though, I would think he wouldn¡¯t want anything to do with this.


    ¡°Sokar! They¡¯re coming.¡±


    Sokar and Declan hide behind a dumpster in the alley, and peek out from behind it to look at two men entering the alley. They stay in hiding as they listen to the men talk.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true! Lord Oswin is so regal and he seems so powerful. You¡¯re telling me he¡¯s only 20 years old?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! He only started this group like 2 years ago and he¡¯s been slowly expanding it ever since.¡±


    The two stop in front of the dumpster unaware that Sokar and Declan are listening in on their conversation.


    ¡°Speaking of that, what¡¯s with the group not having any name? He calls those four guys seraphims and calls himself god. But we don¡¯t have a name for the actual group, that¡¯s weird right?¡±


    I need to knock both of them out at the same time. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m capable of doing that if they use that blessing Declan and Felix use though.


    Sokar quietly whispers to Declan and Declan stands up from behind the dumpster with both hands in the air.


    Let¡¯s hope this works.


    The two men look at Declan with shock and slightly move back away from the dumpster.


    ¡°Declan!? What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    Declan takes a gulp of fresh air and begins to talk panickedly.


    ¡°I came to make amends! I made a mistake and I accept that, I want Oswin to pass judgement on what my fate should be¡±


    The two men begin laughing and the one to the right steps forwards.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°You want Oswin to pass judgement on you? Then your wish has already been granted! Oswin has given us the order to suppress you if you ever come back!¡±


    The man grabs a blessing from his pocket, one that looks incredibly similar to the one Felix and Declan used.


    Bingo.


    ¡°Say your last prayers, Declan!¡±


    As the man finishes his words the blessing in his hand is torn out of it and floats in the air defying gravity.


    ¡°What?¡±


    A Greed with only 1/4th of my Ka in it was enough to tear it out of his hand, that¡¯s good!


    The man on the left doesn¡¯t move for a moment out of confusion. He quickly fumbles and grabs towards his pocket, but his movements are too slow. His body flies back as the imprint of a palm forms on his chest.


    I thought I¡¯d have to use more than just 2 basic hands of Greed, but it looks like they¡¯re gonna be enough.


    The remaining man on his feet rushes at Declan and swings his fist, but Declan dodges and counters with a quick blow to his chin knocking him off his feet.


    Nice punch, Declan!


    The man just knocked down by Declan pants heavily and tries to get up, but his head is smacked down into the ground by a hand of Greed. He slips into unconsciousness and lays on the ground unmoving.


    Alright, that¡¯s one done. Time for the next¡­


    The man knocked away by Sokar had gotten up while he and Declan dealt with the now unconscious man. But instead of fighting them head on, he instead ran away. Sokar tried to stop him, but the man quickly exited the range of Sokars Greed.


    He got away. I was hoping to scare him some more, but this should be fine.


    Sokar gets up from behind the dumpster and walks over to Declan who¡¯s sighing to himself.


    ¡°You did a good job Declan. Hopefully things go the way you said they will.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will, with them thinking that I beat the two of these guys they¡¯ll definitely send one of the Seraphims at us. Then if we beat one of them, Oswin will make his appearance personally. As long as it isn¡¯t Abbadon we¡¯ll have a chance.¡±


    Abbadon? That¡¯s such a weird name. Though, I guess that¡¯s just par for the course now.


    ¡°Well, hopefully lucks on our side. But just in case you should take this blessing.¡±


    The blessing being held by Greed flies over to Declan and drops it into his hand. He begins to examine it and rotates it in his hand.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t what I¡¯m used to. It¡¯s a blessing for Heavens Thread and not Heavens Step, though it¡¯s better than Heavens pressure at least.¡±


    Heaven¡¯s Thread, Heaven¡¯s Step and Heaven¡¯s Pressure? The naming scheme for these blessings are awful. Still, I should ask him about the differences between them.


    ¡°So what exactly are the blessings, and what¡¯s the difference between the three you just listed?¡±


    ¡°Umm, I¡¯ll just explain the functions of the three because they¡¯re all pretty different. There are three different levels of blessing, minor which is only able to be used a single time and has a pretty negligible effect. Major which is what I can use. Most people in Oswins group use this level. And then there are extreme blessings, which the Seraphims use. All blessings have those 3 levels.¡±


    I see, so then the Seraphims are gonna be on a level even higher than Declan is. Am I really up to the task?


    ¡°And then there are the three blessings his subordinates use, Heaven¡¯s Thread, Heaven¡¯s Step and Heaven¡¯s Thread. Heaven¡¯s Step transforms your body into that of an angels, or at least that¡¯s what Oswin say. Heaven¡¯s Pressure puts out pressure that affects people of a lower essence, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work on you. And then there¡¯s Heavens Thread. It¡¯s pretty simple, by using it you can control these invisible threads and bind or track someone. I don¡¯t have any experience with it, but it shouldn¡¯t be hard to use.¡±


    Thread¡­ Could that thread I saw when I used the First Day be the same thread? I¡¯ll need to test this out later, but for now Declan and I should get going.


    The two leave the alley with unconcious man laying on the ground next to the dumpster. Both of them have looks of determination on their faces, though their thoughts are filled with doubt and worry. The man who ran away from the alley stands in front of the man who delivered Oswin Felix¡¯s body.


    ¡°Sir Sariel! Charles and I were attacked an alleyway not far from here, he was on the ground unconscious when I last saw him. I didn¡¯t know what to do- I didn¡¯t think I could take him on by myself. I¡¯m sorry, I just left Charles there¡­¡±


    Tears roll down the mans face and Sariel looks at him with confusion.


    ¡°Calm down! I need you to tell me who attacked you.¡±


    ¡°I-It was Declan!¡±

 Chapter 13 - At Fate鈥檚 Door

    Oswin sits on his throne with a frown on his face, listening to a man frantically talking to him.


    ¡°It was like an invisible man was attacking us, I could have sworn it was a palm that struck me in the chest. And Charles blessing was ripped out of his hand right when we were about to attack.¡±


    Oswin taps his head and ponders what he was just told.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Declan confronted you saying he wanted to come back into our good graces, and you attempted to attack him as instructed to. But before you could, an invisible man stole the blessing from Charles and struck you away. But when did Declan meet an invisible man, and why wouldn¡¯t they strike you right away?¡±


    He runs his hand through his hair and begins to mutter to himself.


    ¡°Were they waiting until the blessing was shown? Yeah, that¡¯s a possibility. Then it¡¯s possible that there goal wasn¡¯t to just defeat them, but to steal the blessing. But why? Did Declan want something to protect himself? No he wouldn¡¯t intentionally aggravate us to do that, I¡¯m sure he knew I didn¡¯t intend to hurt him if he didn¡¯t come back. But then why would he attack us¡­ Was it maybe not his idea? It¡¯s possible that it could be the invisible man''s idea, but that raises the issue on who exactly the invisible man is. Unless¡­ It¡¯s the man who killed Felix! I might be jumping a little here, but it would all make sense.¡±


    Oswin begins to laugh, and the man in front of him looks on confusedly, shaking from a combination of fear and nerves.


    ¡°Hahahaha! So this invisible man killed one of my subordinates, and then also convinced Abaddon''s protege to abandon our group and even revolt against us! Magnificent, what an interesting turn of events. It¡¯s been a while since things have been this tense. I¡¯m even tempted to go deal with this myself, but who deals with bugs with their bare hands? No, I will use one of my Seraphims for this. But the question is which one¡­ Hmm¡±


    The man who brought this to Oswin¡¯s attention stands before him looking even more confused than before and silently thinks to himself.


    ¡°(It¡¯s like he¡¯s not even acknowledging that I¡¯m here anymore, he¡¯s so self engrossed. He really does have the aura of being above someone, even though I¡¯m in the same room as him I feel like I can¡¯t address him without his permission.)¡±


    Oswin still continues to talk to himself, running out multiple scenarios of who he should send to deal with Declan and Sokar.


    ¡°Cassiel maybe? Hmm, her Heavens Thread would easily lock down any movement from Declan at least, and she could form a barrier around her that would prevent the invisible man from getting close without alerting her. Azrael would be able to slow Declan down with Heavens Pressure but we don¡¯t know what kind of essence this invisible man has, so I think I¡¯ll abstain on sending him. Sariel isn¡¯t combat oriented so he¡¯s off the table for sure. That leaves Abbadon¡­ If I want raw strength alone he¡¯s the one to send, but his past relationship with Declan will make this tricky. So it looks like the best option is Cassiel then.¡±


    As Oswin finishes his decision the door leading to his throne room is thrown open and a towering man walks through, his every step carrying a huge weight that threatens to break the floor beneath him. Oswin looks surprised at the man coming in and begins to speak.


    ¡°Abbadon! What brings-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to send someone to deal with Declan, and that person will be me.¡±


    Oswins eye twitches as Abbadon speaks to him in such a direct tone, and quickly responds to him with a mocking tone.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to say that you¡¯re wrong, I had actually decided already to send Cassiel, so you can leave.¡±


    ¡°What you decided doesn¡¯t matter, I will go to deal with Declan.¡±


    The man who had reported the incident to Oswin quickly stands in front of Abbadon and looks up at his towering form, yelling about his disrespect.


    ¡°How dare you talk to Lord Oswin like that! Who do you think you are?!¡±


    Abbadon looks down at the man with a scowl and with a simple swipe of his arm he sends the man flying across the room, his body crashing into the wall and crumpling down.


    ¡°You have no place in this conversation, so don¡¯t butt your damn head into it!¡±


    Abbadon looks at the man and then turns back to Oswin staring him down. Oswin returns the glare but eventually gets tired of it and sighs.


    ¡°Fine, you can go after him in whatever way you see fit. I don¡¯t like how you¡¯ve openly disrespected me, but we¡¯ve known each other for long enough that I can tolerate it. I want you to do one thing though. At the place Declan¡¯s now working, That cafe in the city. There was a young man with a terrifying essence. Confront him, I can¡¯t say for certain but I believe he has something to do with all this.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Abbadon nods and leaves, leaving Oswin and the now broken man alone together. He looks at the crumpled body and smirks, again beginning to talk to himself.


    ¡°Abbadon has always been this way, he¡¯s the only man who ever dares to talk to me in such a way. And why wouldn¡¯t he? He¡¯s strong, there¡¯s no doubt about it. And with Heaven¡¯s Step, he is invincible.¡±


    As Oswin continues to sit on his throne and Abbadon begins his preparation, Sokar and Declan sit at a table in Cafe Lustrous, talking about the day.


    ¡°So how was the shift today? You starting to get the hang of being a waiter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, to be honest it was really difficult starting but I think I¡¯m doing well now, and the people here tip pretty nicely too.¡±


    It feels so weird, talking about this after what we did in the morning. I guess it¡¯s even weirder when I consider that he was going to kill me.


    Declan seems to mull something over in his head and then awkwardly begins to talk.


    ¡°So uh¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to ask and I know this is probably gonna be pretty rude but what¡¯s up with the name. No offense, but you don¡¯t look Egyptian.


    Everyone asks this question eventually, it was just a matter of time until he did too. I don¡¯t blame anyone though, I¡¯d have the exact same reaction.


    ¡°Well, my parents are kind of¡­ dumb? They told me that when I was born they were in Egypt doing their work as archaeologists. And they said that as a way to honor the place they named me after Seker the god of the memphite necropolis. Because I mean, why wouldn¡¯t you name your kid something normal like John, Dave, or Danny. What kind of problems could having a super strange name bring to a kid? God, sorry to rant their but it really has brought me my fair share of grief. I mean, I always used to get trash from¡­ uh... ¡°


    Flashes of the boy who sat next to Sokar in his class begin to appear in his head. Eventually the memory of him being skewered also flash up. But, Sokar¡¯s face fills with confusion from the memories.


    That¡¯s¡­.Who is that? Why do those memories seem so foggy? It¡¯s like they¡¯re getting further and further away.


    Sokar almost falls into a trance thinking of the boy but his mind is snapped back to reality by Declan, and the memories of the boy disappear from his thoughts just as fast as they appeared.


    ¡°Yeah, Sorry for asking but it was really eating away at me. Your parents are archaeologists though? That¡¯s really cool, and I guess they must be pretty good at their job if they can afford all those rooms at your apartment complex. You said what, you own the entire fourth and third floor?¡±


    Right¡­ That was weird, I almost lost myself for a second.


    ¡°Yeah, my parents didn¡¯t really want to buy a house on the outskirts of the city, and they didn¡¯t want to get a super fancy apartment in the middle of the city either. So they decided to just buy a nice one in between. But then they got nervous when I was a kid so they bought out the third and fourth floor so I could play safely. Considering they leave me alone for months on end when they go on their cross the globe trips though, I don¡¯t really think they care for my safety anymore.¡±


    Sokar looks pretty annoyed when he says that and Declan laughs.


    ¡°Man, you look so annoyed when you talk about your parents. That¡¯s pretty funny. Uh, quick change of topic I know but are you really ok with me staying there? I mean¡­ I did try-


    Declan is interrupted by Alice taking a seat at his and Sokars table, no longer in her usual uniform as she just got off her shift.


    ¡°You two both ordered two hours ago and yet you¡¯re still here talking away. Sokar never was much of a talker, so I¡¯m pretty surprised.¡±


    Hearing Alice say that Declan again laughs, and so does Sokar. But Sokar¡¯s joy is short lived, as seeing Alice reminded him of the morning and the reason he decided to wage war on Oswin¡¯s group.


    If I don¡¯t follow through and completely stomp out Oswin¡¯s group, it¡¯s possible something as simple as this could never happen again. But am I strong enough to fight one of the seraphims or even Oswin? I don¡¯t know the answer to that question, and that terrifies me. Greed is strong, but Declan was managing to resist it when I fought him, and the First Day has no practical use in an actual fight. If only I had something more¡­ Something I could truly call my ace in the hole.


    As Sokar begins to get lost in thought, his Essence begins to move which is noticed only by Declan. It wraps around his body looking like a black vapor covering him. Seeing this Declan internally worries but he manages to keep a steady face not alerting Sokar.


    ¡°(What the hell? I know Sokar¡¯s Essence is different from other people¡¯s but I¡¯ve never seen anything even close to what¡¯s happening right now.)¡±


    The black vapor then begins to solidify until it forms into what looks like a small dragon with grey scales covering its body. Two small horns protrude from its head, it¡¯s eyes remain closed and small wings slightly flap on its back, keeping it in the air above Sokar¡¯s head.


    My head feels a bit cold, is there a draft coming in from somewhere?


    The little dragon opens its mouth, letting a small high pitched roar that only Declan can hear, one which resembles a baby''s first cry. And as that cry is let out, the pollution that Felix described that had invaded not only Alice¡¯s body but the customers of the store and Declan too, began to leave their bodys in the form of the same vapor that had just covered Sokar¡¯s body. The vapor all heads towards the little dragon, which opens its mouth and gladly begins to consume it. Once all the vapor is gone, the dragon lets out a little yip and sets down onto the tops of Sokar¡¯s head curling up into a ball.


    Huh? It¡¯s not cold anymore but now my head feels kind of heavy, just what¡¯s going on right now?


    Declan''s face now openly shows shock as he stares at the little dragon resting on Sokar¡¯s head. He quickly thinks and decides he has to tell Sokar as soon as possible about what he just saw.


    ¡°Oh man! Sokar, if we don¡¯t hurry now we¡¯re gonna be late for the painters we hired for my apartment! We gotta go, like right now!¡±


    Painters? What is he talking about, we didn¡¯t hire any painters.


    Alice sighs and looks at Sokar with a look of disappointment, as she knows that he wouldn¡¯t forget something like that. But she realizes that there must be some importance to the two of them leaving quickly so she doesn¡¯t call Declan out about it, especially after just seeing Declan¡¯s face filled with shock.


    ¡°I was hoping I could to talk to you two a bit more but oh well. I¡¯ll see you two tomorrow. (I don¡¯t know what it is but there seems to be something going on between those two, it¡¯s really weird that Sokar just introduced him out of the blue. But I shouldn¡¯t pry, I¡¯m sure Sokar has his reasons.¡±


    So both Declan and Sokar leave Cafe Lustrous and begin to head back to their apartments. And while they¡¯re on their way Declan looks back and forth waiting until hearing and seeing nobody until he stops Sokar.


    Hmm? Declan looks a bit off, like he¡¯s riled up about something. I wonder what it could be.


    ¡°Sokar, I don¡¯t really know how to say this so I¡¯m just gonna say exactly what I see. There¡¯s a uh, dragon sleeping on your head.¡±


    ¡­.What?

 Chapter 14 - Greed鈥檚 Gift

    Sokar and Declan sit in Sokars apartment quietly, both of them sitting at his dining table in awkward silence.


    ¡°Sokar. so I know it must have been pretty uh, shocking to hear that there¡¯s a dragon resting on your head but I mean, aren¡¯t you kind of overreacting?¡±


    Sokar sits opposite of Declan with his head face down on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this because I¡¯m upset. It¡¯s because this thing on my head is so damn heavy that it hurts to raise my head.¡±


    Declan looks at the little dragon which only he can see, that is now resting on the back of Sokar¡¯s head. Its eyes remain closed and small breaths can be heard from it. Declan thinks for a moment and then reaches his hand towards it, and places his hand on the dragon.


    ¡°Just wait a sec Sokar. I might be able to help you with your little problem.¡±


    Declan then places his other hand on the dragon resting on Sokar, and then slowly begins to lift it. However as he begins, the dragon shakes awake with its eyes finally opening. It¡¯s pupils glow a dark red and it begins to bat its wings and shakes off Declans head.


    Hey, the weights gone!


    Sokar lifts his head and looks at Declan, about to thank him for his help. But as he does Declan has a scared look on his face as he slowly stands up and begins to back away from the table.


    ¡°Declan, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°This thing does not look happy that it was touched by me Sokar, it looks like it might fly at me any moment.¡±


    That doesn¡¯t sound good.


    The little dragon stares intensely at Declan, waiting for its moment to strike. Declan begins to reach for the blessing in his pocket, but the moment he does the dragon shoots towards his hand and bites down onto it.


    ¡°Shit! Sokar help get this damn thing off me!¡±


    How am I supposed to help him, I can¡¯t even see the thing. Wait¡­ but it can see Declan!


    ¡°Declan close your eyes!¡±


    Declan does as he¡¯s told and as he does a ball of light grows over Sokar¡¯s right hand quickly and then explodes in a flash. The dragon gets stunned by the explosion of light and releases it¡¯s clamp on Declan¡¯s hand. Sokar also closed his eyes before the blast of light, of which he¡¯s had one too many experiences of.


    Well I guess the First Day isn¡¯t completely useless, I can at least use it as dragon rep...ellent.


    Sokar is greeted by a shocking sight as he opens his eyes, in front of him he see¡¯s Declan except his body seems to be wrapped in a small white glow. More shockingly however, he sees a small black dragon floating in the air, repeatedly blinking its eyes.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Declan i-is that the dragon you were talking about? And why are you surrounded by that weird light?¡±


    Declan opens his eyes and looks at the dragon in the air, and is incredibly shocked that Sokar can see it, but is more shocked at what Sokar had just said.


    ¡°A weird light? Wait, if you can see that does that mean you can see essence now? That weird light is a result of my essences purity! But how did you awaken the ability to see essence?¡±


    The ability to see essence, is it possible that this is the true ability of the First Day? That thread from before, is it possible it was made of essence too? But it disappeared after the First Day exploded and this dragon didn¡¯t. What¡¯s the difference between the two? I¡¯ll have to ask Declan at a later time, but for now I should worry about this thing.


    Sokar looks at the still disoriented little dragon and then at Declan who has his blessing in his hand, clearly on guard in case the dragon lunges at him again.


    This thing came from me so, maybe it¡¯ll respond to me better than it did to Declan. Here goes nothing.


    Sokar reaches his hand towards the little dragon and places his hand on its head, the dragon looks confused for a moment and almost bites at his hand, but then it looks at Sokar and strangely calms down. The dragon then floats over to Sokars head again, and tries to lie down on it. Sokar quickly backs up and the dragon slightly falters as it tries to set itself on nothing but air.


    ¡°Sorry little guy, my heads off limits.¡±


    The dragon looks confused for a moment and then pauses for a moment, before flying over to Sokar and coils around his neck.


    Well, this is better than my head I suppose.


    Declan cautiously puts his blessing away and stares at the dragon now coiled around Sokars neck before approaching him.


    ¡°Well now that you can see my essence but more importantly that thing, we should probably figure out where it came from. I mean, most people don¡¯t just normally have dragons born from their essence.¡±


    This dragon was born from my essence and the pollution that it put off, so that means it has something to do with Greed. But Declan wouldn¡¯t know that, he doesn¡¯t know the intricacies of my ability. Though neither do I really.


    ¡°Declan, I have no idea why this thing exists. Although I don¡¯t think any brainstorming we do will help us find out the answer, I don¡¯t truly know what my essence is, so could you explain it a bit more to me? It probably won¡¯t help but it¡¯d be good to know.¡±


    ¡°Sure! You already know the basic behind essence so I won¡¯t go into that, I¡¯ll just focus on what makes yours so unique. As you can see on me now, the special essence of my essence is purity which is represented by this white glow around my body. The essence of your body though is, well it¡¯s like a miasma that leaks out of you. And when you come into contact with other people, that essence of yours drills into everyone you come into contact with, and as far as I can tell there are no exceptions. Alice, me and almost everyone in the cafe today had all been affected. But it¡¯s weird, I don¡¯t think it had any negative impact. Most pollution can cause sickness or spread disease, but yours was just there silently growing. And then today happened. That pollution and your essence all pooled together to make that dragon. And now it¡¯s like you almost have none of that original essence, just a small bit of it around your heart.¡±


    Around my heart? That¡¯s where my brand is, the Ouroboros. Could this just be a natural progression for Greed, or was it spun into action by my visit into that place. I don¡¯t know, but the fact remains that this dragon was born from Greed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Declan, that doesn¡¯t give me any idea about why this thing came to be but it did give me one idea. If my essence continues to infect people and grow, then this little guy might grow into an actual full fledged dragon.


    Declan looks shocked, but his shock is replaced by glee as a small grin covers his face.


    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s just hope you can keep control of it. I mean, could you imagine what you could do with an actual dragon? You could fly through the skies unmatched, in fact you¡¯d be unmatched in this whole damn city! If that reality can really become true then¡­¡±


    Declan is interrupted by a knock at Sokars door. Sokar looks confused and Declan heads over to the door to open it and see who the visitor is.


    This is weird, I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone today. Is it Alice?


    Declan opens the door and his face goes pale as he looks towards the man towering in front of him. His form dwarfs that of Declans. Sokar looks at the man from behind Declan and is equally as shocked though for different reasons.


    This guy is huge¡­ 8¡­ No! He has to be 9 feet tall! Wait, that matches the description of one of the Seraphims Declan was talking about. Could that be-


    Sokars thoughts are interrupted as Declan is sent flying back crashing through the table in front of him. The man at the door begins to walk into the apartment, breaking off the top of the door frame with his hands making room for himself.


    ¡°Declan, you disappoint me. You should have been more on guard after what you did this morning but you were so vulnerable I was almost able to end you with one hit!¡±


    Declan struggles to get up from his position on the ground surrounded by the broken table. As he does he looks over at Sokar and barely mutters out a single phrase.


    ¡°Sokar¡­ Run!¡±

 Chapter 15 - A Friends Peril

    Sokar hesitates for a moment, not knowing how to react to what just happened in front of him.


    Is-is Declan ok? I need-


    Sokar is about to check on Declan but his body ceases to move as he spots the massive Abbadon stepping towards him. Fear courses through his veins and his muscles begin to go rigid.


    Why can¡¯t I move? I need to go check on Declan but it¡¯s like my entire body won¡¯t listen to me! Felix was trying to kill me and I moved then, Declan too was terrifying to face but I could still act when the time came for it. This guy isn¡¯t even in that same monstrous form those two were in, yet why¡­ Why is my body telling me that this guy is way more dangerous than those two put together?! Even if I can¡¯t move with my body, I still have Greed. I¡¯ll use everything I have now in one attack!


    Sokar focuses all of his Ka into Greed and sends the newly formed hand towards Abbadon, grabbing his body in its hand. Abaddon''s face fills with surprise as he feels the hand on his body trying to crush him.


    Good! There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be able to use his blessing like that, now I-


    ¡°Foolish!¡±


    Abbadon, while his body was being crushed by Greed began to slowly pry open its grip with his body. Greed¡¯s hand begins to open, and with a boom the ability that Sokar had put all his faith into, had shattered apart. Sokars face fills with terror as he feels his connection to the hand of Greed severed.


    That¡¯s not possible, that was stronger than the one I used on Felix and he¡­ he broke it like it was nothing!


    Abbadon looks towards Sokar, his massive frame taking up the doorway of Sokars apartment. His eyes are drawn to the dragon coiled around Sokars neck, but only for a moment as he passes it off as nothing important.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what exactly it is you were trying with that attack, but things like that won¡¯t work, not against me.¡±


    Abbadon begins to work towards Sokar, the pressure being emitted by him increasing with each step taken.


    I don¡¯t have any Ka left, there¡¯s nothing I can do anymore, not how I am right now. But, that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s not a chance.


    Sokar falls back to the ground still looking towards Abbadon as he finally stands in front of him. Abbadon looks down with disgust, and grabs Sokar by the head with his right hand and lifts him effortlessly into the air. Sokar feet dangle in the air already having left the ground, but he does not struggle. Abbadon then looks over at Declan still on the ground with the shattered table covering and around him. Declan struggles to get up, his body sorely beaten. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how this man convinced you to leave Declan, but whatever he did must have been amazing if you¡¯d actually follow this coward. Someone who can give up this easily, is not deserving of respect. I thought I taught you better.¡±


    Sokar begins to speak, turning Abaddon''s attention back to him and away from Declan.


    ¡°I¡¯m a coward, huh? I¡¯ve been thinking just the same lately and you saying it really does just drive it in. After all I just gave up right now, without even making you show your blessing.¡±


    As Sokar was speaking unbeknownst to Abbadon invisible threads began to surround him. And then, they began to inch closer to his body and probe around for something. And the source of those threads is Declan and his blessing.


    ¡°(I hear you loud and clear, I don¡¯t know if we can beat Abbadon, but I won¡¯t lose hope. I¡¯ll place all my bets on you and your ability, Sokar!¡±)


    Abbadon begins to increase the pressure he¡¯s putting on Sokar¡¯s head, but stops as his blessing enters his sight, seemingly having been thrown out into the air between Sokar and himself.


    ¡°My blessing!?¡±


    Sokar reaches his hand out towards the blessing thrown in the air, but Abbadon reacts quicker reaching towards it with his left hand and increasing the pressure with his right hand. But both actions are interrupted by his left leg being pulled out from under him by what feels like a dozen of thin threads. And in Abaddon''s confusion he lets the grip he has on Sokars head go, Sokar does not let this moment escape him. As he falls towards the grounds he manages to grab the blessing in the air, but unlike the others he had touched this one does not turn to dust. Sokars falls to the ground and he staggers back still with the blessing in his hand. Abbadon manages to balance himself and breaks the threads on his left foot. He then quickly rushes at Sokar pulling his arm back preparing to end Sokar with a single blow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think you can accomplish with that blessing, but it won¡¯t work!¡±


    This blessing, I don¡¯t know how but I can tell, this blessing contains a fragment of the Holy World Essence!


    Abbadon closes the gap between himself and Sokar, and throws his fist towards Sokars head. But as his strike nears closer and closer to his target, his mind is thrown into shock. The blessing in Sokars right hand had shattered. And just before his strike could reach Sokars head, his body is blown backwards and his shirt is ripped open, bloody claw marks run down his chest. Abbadon looks at shock at Sokar, who¡¯s eyes now carry a dangerous sharp look.


    Greed feels different, it¡¯s not just a hand anymore it¡¯s like it has claws! But why such a change right now? Could this be because of the fragment of the Holy World Essence? I don¡¯t know how long this will last¡­ So I need to finish it now.


    Sokar takes a deep breath, and begins to walk towards Abbadon who¡¯s still on the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what¡¯s gonna happen from here on, but if you don¡¯t leave you might die.¡±


    Abbadon pushes his body up and stares at Sokar with hatred in his eyes.


    If I don¡¯t beat him here then I¡¯ll never be able to beat Oswin, so I need to do it now!


    Declan looks on towards the two and a pained looked appears behind his eyes.


    ¡°(Sokar, I truly hope you can beat Abbadon but¡­ why does it have to be this way?)¡±


    A distant memory runs through Declan¡¯s head, the day he and Abbadon first met.


    Declan as a young boy sits at the wall of an alleyway wearing torn clothes and his eyes filled with despair. He tries to stand up but falters and falls back to the ground.


    (¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­ so hungry¡±)


    The young declan stares towards the ground, not moving anymore as his body refuses to listen to him. He began to give up hope and his mind began to fade. Everything he was began to disappear as he lies on the cold hard ground, and Declan blacked out with one thought replaying over and over in his head.


    (¡°Is this¡­ The end?¡±)

 Chapter 16 - Declans Past.

    Declan¡¯s head spins as he wakes up, finding himself no longer on the ground but covered by blankets and sleeping on a comfy material he had never felt before. This shocks him and he looks around noticing he¡¯s in a dimly lit room with a single door leading in and a single window that only reveals darkness outside.


    (¡°Where¡­ Where am I? I was in the alley but now¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be here.¡±)


    He tries to get up, but then he¡¯s hit by an awful pain in his stomach and falls back to his resting position. His mind is overtaken by hunger and he almost cries out, but stops himself. The door leading into the room opens and a tall and muscular young man walks into the room carrying bread and water. Seeing that Declan is awake he swiftly hops over and offers him the food in his hands.


    ¡°Here! You looked half dead when I found you and well I could tell you were starving. Don¡¯t ask any questions and just eat for now, I¡¯ll answer any questions when you¡¯re done.¡±


    Declan almost hesitated, but the pain of hunger was too great for him to resist and he grabbed the bread and began to quickly eat away at it. The young man smiles watching Declan eat earnestly. Declan finishes eating his food and then he begins to talk in a low hushed tone.


    ¡°Who are you, and where am I ? Did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°I brought you to this small cabin I¡¯ve been living in. You looked like you were half dead and I just had to help. As for who I am¡­ The name I¡¯ve been given is Abbadon. A kid who¡¯s probably only a little older than you gave it to me. Okay, now that I answered your question I want you to answer some of mine. Who are you, and why were you in that alley only dressed in those rags.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Declan. I¡¯m eight years old,  but I¡¯m really smart for my age! My mom used to tell me that. I was in the alley waiting for my mom, she went away¡­ And I think she¡¯s not gonna come back.¡±


    Tears begin to form in Declans eyes and he curls up in a ball. Abbadon sighs and looks down at the curled up Declan.


    ¡°Listen, Declan. I¡¯m gonna offer you something, but you have to think it through. You can¡¯t make this choice in the spur of the moment. Do you understand?¡±


    Declan nods his head and Abbadon takes a deep breath.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can live with me. I can¡¯t promise that we¡¯ll have full stomachs every night or that we¡¯ll live in luxury, but you¡¯ll have a roof over your


    head.¡±


    Declan responds with a light whisper.


    ¡°Why¡­ Are you helping me?¡±


    Abbadon smiles in response to that question and responds with words backed up by his absolute confidence in them.


    ¡°If someone is suffering and I¡¯m there to see it, isn¡¯t it only natural to go out of my way? Even if I lose something because of it, even if I¡¯m hurt because of my choice, I will still go out of my way. That is what I live by.¡±


    Declans soul is pierced by his words, and his mind is overwhelmed with a single purpose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about luxury or a full stomach. As long as I can follow you, that¡¯s enough for me.¡±


    Abbadon smiles happily and then laughs. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Well, I might of lied a bit about luxury and full stomachs. Eight years, as long as we can last eight years we¡¯ll have more than we can handle.¡±


    Declan¡¯s surprised by Abbadon¡¯s confidence behind those words.


    ¡°What will happen in eight years? How do you know for sure that something good will happen then?¡±


    Declan looks at Abbadon with a fervent curiosity in his eyes and is shocked by what he sees. The man he had just decided to follow endlessly through life, had a look of absolute devotion plastered across his face.


    ¡°I know. Because I was promised that in eight years he would come back and would change the world. Promised by the very same boy that gave me my name.¡±


    ¡°Change.. The world? This boy sounds pretty amazing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he is. I wholeheartedly believe that he is truly capable of shaping the world in his image.¡±


    Declan begins to get excited, earnestly waiting for his chance to meet this boy. And that chance would come after 8 years of spending his life with Abbadon, learning from him and admiring him like a child loves their father. Declan grew over the years into a fine young man and Abbadon also grew taller and stronger as the years passed. One day they were sitting in the shack simply talking about nothing, when there was a knock on the door. Abbadon went to open it, and when he saw who it was on the other side he instantly knelt to the ground. The man who had just arrived, was Oswin.


    ¡°Haha! Abbadon, the first greeting you give me after eight years is to kneel? That¡¯s no way to greet a friend.¡±


    Abbadon quickly got up, and looked back at Declan and beckoned him to come over to the door to meet Oswin. Declan quickly ran over, excited to meet the man he had heard only good things about from Abbadon.


    ¡°H-Hello. My name¡¯s Declan. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Abbadon.¡±


    Oswin smirks and begins to talk again.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve got your own protege now! I¡¯m glad, it¡¯s always good to have more company. Enough with the small talk though, we can get caught up later. I¡¯ve come here to deliver on the promise I made eight years ago. I¡¯m taking you both to a place where you can live in luxury, and a place where I will change the world.¡±


    Abbadon smiles and accepts Oswins words without a second thought, but Declan quickly asks a question in response as he¡¯s not sure if Oswin is truly telling the truth.


    ¡°Where? Where are you taking us, what kind of place could be so wonderful?¡±


    Oswins eye twitches quickly but it goes unnoticed by Declan and Abbadon. He responds cooly, but there¡¯s a hint of oppressive anger in his voice.


    ¡°Inquisitive one aren¡¯t you? Well to answer your question, we¡¯re going to the city where the world''s history was born, Eternity! The city that has lied in the center of convergence islands for millenium. No more questions for now, we must get going right away.¡±


    Oswin quickly turns around and begins to leave and Abbadon follows without missing a step. Declan also follows, but doubts fill his mind.


    (¡°Can this guy really be amazing as Abbadon has been saying? If he believes in him so wholeheartedly then he has to be but¡­ I don¡¯t want Abbadon or I to follow him. I just want to stay here, living the life we have been.¡±)


    Another year passed and Abbadon and Declan both served Oswin dutifully. Abbadon and Declan had began to grow apart, with Abbadon becoming more and more distant as time passed. And Declan had begun to question what it was that went on in Oswins group.


    (¡°I knew what was going on here wasn¡¯t normal when he gave us these blessings and taught us to see essence, and I could live with that. I just thought we were looking for more people to join us, we weren¡¯t hurting anyone. Abbadon has become so cruel to everyone and he just treats them like they¡¯re not human. People have started worshipping Oswin as some sort of god, things just seem to keep getting worse and worse around here. But those things aren¡¯t the worst¡­ I think Felix is killing people he finds not worthy. There¡¯ve been reports on the news and he keeps talking about cleansing people are impure. I don¡¯t know what to do in this situation, do I tell somebody or do I stop him myself?¡±)


    Declan''s mind goes frantic, until he finally comes to the decision to ask Abbadon what to do. Even though they had begun to grow apart he thought that he was still the only person he could turn to for guidance.


    ¡°Abbadon, I think¡­ I think Felix is killing people. I don¡¯t know what to do, do we let Oswin handle it- or do we do something ourselves, or do we report it the police?


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Oswin already knows of it.¡±


    ¡°He does? So what¡¯s he gonna do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. He said it was fine as long as he didn¡¯t get caught.¡±


    Hearing this from Abbadon Declan''s mind is nearly torn apart. He lashes out at Abbadon and begins to yell.


    ¡°But! He¡¯s killing innocent people, isn¡¯t that wrong!? Aren¡¯t we supposed to go out of our way to help people? Even if Oswin says it''s okay shouldn¡¯t we do something about it?¡±


    ¡°No. Oswins word is law, you should know that. Other people suffering is of no concern to us.¡±


    Declan tries to yell a retort but no words form in his throat. He can only look at the man he once admired.


    (¡°Abbadon what happened to you? How can the words of one man make you go against everything you believe in¡­¡±)


    Declan simply walked away from Abbadon in shock, not muttering another word. His mind and spirit were both broken. More time passed, and Declan suffered knowing Felix was still killing people. But one day, news broke out that Felix had been killed. Oswin had called him and Abbadon and told Declan that he was to deal with finding the killer and dealing with them himself.


    (¡°I¡¯ll use the city phone records and send a message directly calling out the man who murdered Felix. And if he doesn¡¯t respond, I¡¯ll figure out what to do after that. And if he does respond what am I gonna do, am I really gonna kill him? Am I going to become just like Felix?¡±)


    And then the day that had changed his life came, the day where Sokar and Declan met. And then soon after, the day where he came face to face with his mentor once again had come.


    ("Sokar, please... You need to win!")

 Chapter 17 - A Deal With Nobody

    Sokar stands across from Abbadon and Declan looks on from the side. Sokar hesitates before continuing with his attack with the newly formed claw of Greed.


    Greed¡¯s new clawed form might kill him, but if I don¡¯t stop him here he¡¯ll kill both me and Declan! I¡¯ll try to immobilize him, but if that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll have to end him here.


    And with that thought, Sokar commands the clawed Greed to attack Abbadon. Forcing the claw on the index finger of the hand into Abaddon''s left shoulder. Abbadon yells in pain, feeling the claw bore into him. Abbadon then grabs onto the claw penetrating his left shoulder with his right hand and begins to pull it out.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s invisible, I can still feel where it is!¡±


    Abbadon begins to pull out the appendage from his shoulder, out-matching its strength with his own. His efforts are instantly matched with a slash across his cheek from the thumb of Greed. Blood trickles down his face, shoulder and chest, but he continues his attempt.


    Damnit, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you!


    The right, ring and pinky finger of Greed¡¯s hand all bore into Abbadon, descending down his left arm. Abbadon releases his grip on the claw and it sinks deeper into his shoulder and left arm.


    ¡°I lost this round. You and your friend have bested me, Declan.¡±


    And with that a red glow emanates from within Abbadon¡¯s chest and covers his entire body. And then Abbadon simply disappears, and the Claw of Greed is simply left floating in the air, blood covering it¡¯s claws and revealing them to the world.


    What!? Where did he go!?


    Sokar looks over at Declan in shock, but then remembers that Abbadon had hurt him when he first arrived. Sokar rushes over to him and moves the wreckage of his table off him.


    ¡°You ok!? And where did that guy go, do you know? No, sorry I shouldn¡¯t be worrying about that. Really are you ok?¡±


    Declan struggles to get up, but does eventually manage it.


    ¡°That was¡­ Abbadon. One of Oswins Seraphims. That glow was Heaven''s Gate. It¡¯s another blessing, one that¡¯s used to enter Oswins world. A pocket dimension where his group gathers.¡±


    Pocket dimension..? Wait, if he got away, then he can tell them where I live, and they would storm the place and take out both me and Declan. I don¡¯t know if I can handle a group of people storming the building by myself, or even with Declan¡¯s help. I don¡¯t know what to do.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Sokar begins to worry about his fate, and Declan also begins to worry. He limps over to Sokar¡¯s couch and sits down. Sokar leaves the kitchen and goes to his room to ponder, understanding that both he and Declan need to think about what just happened.


    (¡°Why would he bring a Heaven¡¯s Gate blessing with him? It doesn¡¯t make any sense, Abbadon would never do something like that. He has complete confidence in his own strength, and wouldn¡¯t dare to run away if he lost. But he still had it, that makes no sense! Everything I know about him, it all tells me that he would never use that kind of blessing. And it doesn¡¯t make sense for Oswin to force him to take it either, he only ever trusted Sariel with it. There¡¯s something not right about this entire thing, but what is it?¡±)


    And as the two both delve into their own minds searching for answers to the numerous questions that had popped into their heads, the new clawed greed slowly begins to dissipate, and as it does the blood that was covering the claws simply falls to the ground. And then the tiny bit of the new clawed greed that still remained vanishes, and as it does Sokar buckles to the ground. His mind is sent turning as the Ka in his body is instantly replenished.


    What just-


    Sokar once again is overwhelmed, this time by a new feeling entering his body.


    It¡¯s so sharp¡­ Is this the after effect of that blessing!?


    And as Sokar questions what¡¯s happening to him in his mind, a voice answers back.


    ¡°Wow, smart guy. Guessing that the blessing was the cause took some real critical thinking skills. And that blessing had a fragment of the World Essence too, which you wonderfully took notice of right away.¡±


    Who the hell?


    Sokar looks around, looking for the source of the voice but all he sees is an empty room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s not important. What is important, is the fact that right now you have a very special opportunity at hand. That feeling you feel right now, the sharp one? That¡¯s a fragment of a World Essence, but it¡¯s dangerous in your body right now. Without the whole thing acting as a container for the power, that little fragment will tear your body apart in minutes. You originally contained it within Greed and changed it¡¯s form, but now it¡¯s re-entered your body and is getting ready to obliterate everything that you are.¡±


    That¡¯s not good.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not. But¡­ There¡¯s something you can do to get rid of that little fragment.¡±


    As the voice speaks to Sokar, Declan still sits on the couch with his body aching. He runs his hand over the blessing he had used against Abbadon.


    (¡°A symbol of faith stained in Oswins image. I followed him so blindly because I wanted to see what Abbadon did, but instead all that I saw was a path that lead nowhere. And now, Sokar and I are just cursed to wait for Oswin and his troops to slaughter us.¡±)


    As Declan begins to fall to despair, he hears footsteps and Sokars voice.


    ¡°Hey, Declan can you use one of these?¡±


    Declan looks up at Sokar, and his mind explodes in shock and his mouth drops open. A small wooden cross floats above Sokars right palm turned upside down, still covered in the sports tape he puts on every morning.


    ¡°H-H-Heaven¡¯s Gate!? How!?¡±


    Sokar smiles and answers vaguely.


    ¡°It must have been blown off of Abbadon when I attacked him. I only just saw it now.¡±


    But that was far from the truth. Sokar had made a deal with the mysterious voice only minutes earlier.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that fragment for you, and I¡¯ll give you a cool bonus to boot with it too. But I need something in return a bit later on.¡±


    Sokar hesitates, but he agrees and the voice laughs with glee. And then the sharp feeling that had invaded Sokars body leaves through his right hand, forming into a small wooden cross.


    ¡°That cross is that same ability that huge guy just used. Use it however you see fit, I don¡¯t really care. I¡¯d recommend leaving the dragon behind though. That thing wouldn¡¯t do well in a place like that.  Don¡¯t die before I get what I want out of you.¡±


    And the voice stopped talking, and Sokar felt it¡¯s presence disappear.


    I¡¯m not gonna question that, whatever it is I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll screw me over later, but I need to deal with Oswin and his group right now.


    Sokar then takes the small black dragon off his neck and places him on the bed. He then heads out to meet Declan, with the small wooden cross still floating above his hand.

 Chapter 18

    The floating cross above Sokars hands floats over to Declan and falls into his hand. Declan still looks at it with confusion.


    ¡°But why would Abbadon be carrying two Heaven¡¯s Gate blessings? It doesn¡¯t make any sense for him to even be carrying one!¡±


    Sokar starts to rummage around through his house, looking for items that could be of use to him. A paper bag in his kitchen particularly catches his interest.


    Yeah, this¡¯d be good.


    Declan gets up, his body still aching from the blow from Abbadon.


    ¡°Sokar, why are you getting all that stuff? What exactly are you planning to do?¡±


    Sokar stops rummaging and stands up and looks over at Declan, taking a deep breath before he begins to respond.


    ¡°Declan, they saw where I-Where we live. If they send groups of people to attack us, we couldn¡¯t stave them off. So I want you to open a gate to your boss¡¯s headquarters and I¡¯ll go through it myself and take them by surprise. And If I get to Oswin, I can steal away his ability to create blessings.¡±


    All of it is a result of the World Essence, with it in my hands I can ensure that he won¡¯t be able to do anything like this again.


    ¡°Steal his ability to create blessings¡­ Is that even..? Sokar, if you go in there you¡¯ll die! You¡¯ll be outgunned, outnumbered, out everything¡¯d!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be like that if I stay here too. I wish it wasn¡¯t like this, but it is. I can¡¯t run away, if I do that again¡­ I couldn¡¯t live with myself!¡±


    Again? When did I run away in the first place...


    Declan responds quickly, with zero hesitation.


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    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you! Abbadon attacked us because of me, so it¡¯s the least I can do!¡±


    Declan¡¯s definitely hurt from that attack still. If he came along then there¡¯s a possibility something even worse could happen to him. But, I can¡¯t tell him he can¡¯t come. He was working under Abbadon and Oswin. Honestly, he has more of a right than me to go.


    ¡°Ok. You can come, but take 30 minutes to rest. I still need to get stuff ready.¡±


    Declan nods, and Sokar goes back to his room. His eyes scan the room until they stop on a small box poking out from under his bed. He walks over and picks up the box and lays it on the top of the bed. He hesitates for a moment before he opens the top of the box, and the contents of it are revealed to the world.


    This is a last resort. I can¡¯t know for sure what¡¯s going to happen, but I need to be ready for the worst case scenario.


    Sokar reaches into the box, and pulls out the knife Felix had attempted to kill him with. The very same knife that Sokar had taken Felix¡¯s life with. His hand shakes as he grabs it, and slowly he slides it into his pocket.


    I hid it away after I met Declan, but to think I¡¯d be relying on it again so soon¡­


    He slides the knife into his pocket, and then sits down onto his bed. His body almost collapses down, but he forces himself to stay up.


    Stuff like this always happens so suddenly. I can¡¯t let myself get swept up by it. I need to go at it calmly and slowly. Skip the small fry, just head right to the boss and take him out as quickly as possible. That¡¯s my plan, but will it go as simply as I want it to? Probably not, but no plan ever does.


    Sokar looks at his right hand and the sports tape covering it. He unravels it, looking at the brand on his hand.


    It felt so long ago¡­ But it¡¯s only been half a month. Half a month since I gained these strange abilities. I¡¯d just picked up the jade randomly off the street¡­ How would I have known that this would have happened? It was really just a random coincidence that changed my life.


    Sokar doesn¡¯t bother re-taping his hand, instead choosing to just pass the remaining time in silence, not thinking or moving. Just waiting for the time to come when he has to head to Oswins world. And eventually that time comes, and Sokar heads out of his room to meet Declan, who has a hood over his head covering his face from sight.


    ¡°It might not do much, but the closer we get without getting discovered is gonna be better. Oh wow, you have a tattoo?¡±


    Declan looks at the eye of Ra on Sokars hand in shock.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s something like that. Are you ready?¡±


    Declan takes a deep breath and nods, grabbing the blessing of Heaven''s Gate firmly in his right hand.


    ¡°Yeah, I am. We have to do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Declan focuses, and a small red glow begins to form in front of Sokar and Declan. Sokar and Declan both reach out to the red glow at the same time, and when they touch it they are both transported inside the hall of a castle. Sokar looks around quickly, but is in shock when he notices that nobody else is there.


    That¡¯s weird, is this normal?


    Declan also looks confused, but then a look of realization comes across his face.


    ¡°I get it! Abbadon was sent here too, so it¡¯s possible that everyone is preoccupied with him being injured and left the entrance unguarded. Nothing like this has ever happened before, Seraphims are absolute beings that nobody would ever believe could get hurt, Especially Abbadon! We might actually have a straight shot to Oswin!¡±


    That¡¯s lucky. But how long is that luck gonna last? We need to get to Oswin, Fast,  before anybody spots us.


    Declan begins to head to Oswins throne room, and Sokar follows close behind. The two both have already resolved to face the challenges in front of them head on.