《War for Redemption》 Prologue Atop a wide expanse of neverending clouds, a boy who looked no older than fourteen laid, unmoving. The boy was naked, his skin a pale white. He had a rosy complexion with cherry red lips. His eyes were closed shut as he stayed completely still. His eyes opened wide, he sat up before he let out a sigh. He crossed his legs before floating a few feet off the cloud. Resting his chin on his hands, his amber colored eyes stared into space as if contemplating about something. The boy remained in this position without moving. After an unknown amount of time, he shuddered. His eyes grew brighter as he broke out in a grin, ¡°yes, yes, that¡¯ll work!¡± He swung his arms up in the air before he descended back down onto the clouds. His face filled with excitement as he rolled around with joy, ¡°this should keep me entertained for a while!¡± The boy sat back up as he closed his eyes. He brought his arms in front of him and close to each other. His hands started shining bright yellow as an orb of light appeared in between them. Inside the orb of light, existed the planets, the stars, and the galaxies. In the palm of this boy, lied the universe. The orb flickered before homing in on a certain planet. The planet was about 70% water and 30% land with clouds covering all parts of the planet. It was a shining gem amidst the darkness of space. ¡°This one will do.¡± The orb flickered again before homing in on another planet. This one only had two massive continents, each taking up about 10% of the planet. They were on the opposite side of the world from each other, separated by the ocean. ¡°And this.¡± ¡°As for where it¡¯ll take place¡­¡± The orb flickered, this time the planet looked exactly like the previous. Two huge continents on the opposite sides of the world. It felt like a carbon copy of the one prior.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°And we¡¯re done!¡± The light on the boy¡¯s hand faded as the orb disappeared. He started chuckling as he swiped his right hand. Eight screens appeared in front of him, each focusing on a different person. He stared at the screens as he swayed back and forth in anticipation. ¡°Good luck.¡± --- The night was cold, unusual for a summer evening. A soldier stood atop a city wall, shivering for warmth. He turned right, ¡°It''s freezing tonight ain¡¯t it huh?¡± The soldier beside him nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t know why it''s so bloody cold, especially this time during the year.¡± He stopped talking for a second, ¡°Hey Joe, do you think this is maybe a bad omen or something of the sorts?¡± Joe chuckled, ¡°Jim, You¡¯re too paranoid. I doubt it¡¯s anything serious, it''s probably the doing of a magician practicing some water magic-¡± A sharp whooshing sound interrupted him. ¡°J-Joe? W-What is that? WHAT IS THAT?¡± Jim pointed somewhere. ¡°What is it?¡± Joe followed Jim¡¯s finger and looked where he was pointing. His eyes bulged out, ¡°W-What!¡± His heart started pumping fast as he clutched his with his hands. A sphere of light plummeted down from the sky far away. The sight itself wasn¡¯t all too shocking to the soldiers as magic can accomplish similar sights but when they stared at the sphere, they felt a looming presence. They felt the power of something ancient and holy. In front of this archaic power, they felt like mere ants who¡¯s lives could be snuffed out in an instant. Another sharp whooshing sound could be heard, then another, then another until there were eight different spheres of light plummeting down like a meteor, each heading towards different locations. Joe turned around looking left, right and behind. After seeing all eight spheres, his body started to shiver even more as his breathing accelerated before he spat out some blood. He fell back onto his behind closing his eyes as he couldn¡¯t withstand looking at them any longer. After waiting about ten seconds, he reopened his eyes. The spheres were no longer there, he slowly got up. ¡°We have to inform the commander about this.¡± Jim shook his head as he got up, ¡°Yes, I agree. This, I, I¡¯ll go inform the squad leader.¡± Joe nodded, ¡®Could Jim have been right about that bad omen? That light, what I felt there, it was even more powerful than the time I personally witnessed Archmage Lucas¡¯s high tier magic close up.¡¯ He shuddered at the thought of the light. ¡®Oh almighty father above, please protect us.¡¯ Ivan Mikhailov (1) ¡®Ludiya my love, Maya my child, I am sorry. I can¡¯t fulfill my promise to you two, I can¡¯t be there for you two anymore.¡¯ Tears rolled down Ivan¡¯s face as he hid behind a couch in a messy hotel room. Banging sounds could be heard from the door blocked by a chair. The sound stopped for a few seconds before the door bursts open. The chair was broken into pieces as three men in black suits rushed in, each holding onto an AK-47. Ivan rolled out from behind the couch, shooting at them with the Desert Eagle he was holding in his hand. A .50 caliber bullet ejected from the gun right into one of the men¡¯s chest. The bullet penetrated straight through his heart, blood spurting outward from the gun wound as the man collapsed down onto the ground. He moved his arm, aiming his gun at another one of them but before he could pull the trigger, they shot. Bullets rained in on Ivan, his gun-wielding arm jerked backward dropping the Desert Eagle as bullets riddled his arm. The two men continued spraying, bullets flew into his arms, legs, and chest. His entire body was a bloodied mess filled with holes as he fell down back onto the ground. The two stopped shooting. They had one look at Ivan and knew he was done for. Ivan laid motionless on the ground, a pool of blood slowly growing underneath his body. One of the two men pulled out an FN Five-seveN and pointed it towards Ivan¡¯s head. The man pulled on the trigger, one final bullet homing in on his head. He closed his eyes, ¡®this is the end, goodbye my loves.¡¯ Just as the bullet was about to penetrate his head, the bullet stopped in place. The two men were also frozen, the time had stopped. Ivan started to emit a golden light. His body started to flicker, as his body started to disintegrate into specks of light before vanishing. - ¡®Hot, hot, hot, hot! My body, it feels like I¡¯m on fire!¡¯ Ivan couldn¡¯t see or feel anything besides the heat. He felt like he was boiled alive, searing hot heat coursing through his body. ¡°Graaaaaaaaaaaagh!¡± He opened his eyes, his hazel colored eyes shining bright blue. His vision was blurry, all he could see was blue. The heat gradually subsided as his vision cleared, in front of him was a stretch of tree and grass. Ivan observed his surroundings, ¡°where is this? I, I died, didn¡¯t I?¡± His hands patted all over his body. He was in the same condition prior to the gunfight, in the same black suit attire. The bullet wounds were missing as if the fight had never happened. ¡°They¡¯re gone. But it happened, I felt it with my body. The hail of bullets penetrating into my body as I lost control. I, I was dead for sure. Is this the afterlife?¡± Clenching and unclenching his fists, Ivan took a deep breathe, ¡°But this feeling¡­ I feel something more. My body, something''s changed.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Welcome, lucky candidate!¡± Ivan reached into his suit for his gun but it wasn¡¯t there. He struck a fighting pose with his fists raised. He looked around at his surroundings warily preparing to strike at anything that comes at him. ¡°You are one of eight chosen individuals who will be participating in a special battle!¡± Ivan checked all around him but he couldn¡¯t figure out where the sound was coming from, ¡°who are you! Show yourself!¡± ¡°Quite the cautious individual you are! That¡¯s good, very good. I¡¯m expecting much from you.¡± Clicking his tongue, Ivan continued to observe all around him. There was no place in his view that could be a hiding spot. He turned his eyes up to the trees nearby, cold sweat starting to form on his back. ¡°Look all you want, but you won¡¯t find me. Afterall, I¡¯m speaking directing into your mind. Don¡¯t be so tense! Allow me to explain the situation.¡± Ivan nodded, ¡°explain. Who are you, where am I?¡± ¡°I am a split off clone of the Progenitor, who you may know as God. You, you are dead.¡± Ivan was unfazed, ¡°continue.¡± ¡°Or at least, you should be. But before the time of your death, before your body lost all function and your soul departed from the world, you were chosen. Chosen as a participant in a war for a chance at redemption. By winning the battle, you will be granted life, you will live again.¡± Ivan¡¯s breathing sped up, ¡°you said, if I win, I can live again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ivan¡¯s eyes shone with determination, ¡®Ludiya, Maya, I can see you again.¡¯ ¡°There are a total of eight participants. Each participant is given abilities based on their personality, strengths and what defined who they are in their previous life. The heat you felt earlier was the awakening of your abilities. You probably feel it too, the presence of a newfound power. If you wish to view your abilities, just concentrate really hard and an interface visible only to you will pop up informing you of them.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ivan closed his eyes, his eyebrows scrunching up. He reopened them to find a floating screen with words in front of him. ¡°Along with unique innate abilities, each participant will fight alongside a companion. Your soul will be interlocked with that of your companions, the intertwinement of your souls chain you to this world allowing you two to remain in this foreign land. If you or your companion perishes in battle, the remaining one will only have three days before their connection to this world dissipates and the world rejects you. When this happens, you lose by default.¡± ¡°T-This is?¡± Three golden halos appeared on Ivan¡¯s right wrist as the imprint of a golden cross appeared on his right chest shining through his suit. ¡°Your companion will be that of one of the monster races. They too have a reason to fight just like you. While they serve beside you, they have their own will and thought. The halos and the cross are countermeasures. Should they show killing intent or the will to harm you, the halo will shine bright informing you of it. So long as you will it, the halo will restrict them as well as inflict pain upon their soul, temporarily immobilizing them from causing you harm. The golden cross will allow you to force them to obey any command of yours. Both of these are one-time use tools that will disappear after use so use them wisely.¡± Ivan clenched his right fist looking down at the halos, as he brought his left hand to the cross on his chest. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°This is a world of sword and magic! Fight, fight and fight! I bid you farewell and I wish you the best of luck in this battle.¡± The voice was gone, Ivan was greeted by the silence of the forest as he stood alone. The light of the halos and cross dimmed down, no longer emitting light like before. He took a deep breathe, ¡°that was a lot of information to take in at once¡­ but I know what I have to do.¡± ¡®Wait for me, my loves.¡¯ A sudden flash of purple light blinded him, ¡°who!¡± His eyes opened to see a purple hex circle shining on the floor in front of him. A pillar of light burst forth from the hex circle, within the light, a silhouette could be seen. ¡°I have answered the call to battle. I, Ina, shall fight by your side.¡± Ivan Mikhailov (2) The pillar of light faded and the silhouette came into full view. In front of Ivan was a dark-skinned beauty clad in a plain brown robe holding onto a wooden staff. Her silver hair flowed over her shoulders as she looked at Ivan with her golden eyes. Her long pointy ears slightly twitch as she opened her violet colored lips, ¡°Are you, my partner?¡± Ivan raised an eyebrow before taking a step back with arms in fighting position, ¡°introduce yourself.¡± ¡°Ina, Dark elf. I ask you again, are you my partner?¡± She strengthened her grip on her staff as she waited for her answer. Ivan took another step back and answered in a deadpan manner, ¡°partner in what?¡± Ina gritted her teeth as her eyebrows scrunched up, ¡°in the war! I was summoned to fight! Now are you or are you not my master?¡± The staff started to glow a dark yellow color as she pointed it at him. The halos on Ivan¡¯s wrist started to glow. Ivan¡¯s let his arms down as he smiled, ¡°apologies, but I had to make sure that you truly were my partner. I can¡¯t risk anything, I need to win after all.¡± He walked towards her and held his hand out, ¡°my name¡¯s Ivan Mikhailov, nice to meet you.¡± Ina eyed his hand, the glow on her staff faded as she crossed her arms. ¡°Hmph, quite the wary person I was partnered with.¡± She looked away as she bit her lower lip, ¡°As for physical contact¡­ I, I don¡¯t do that.¡± Ivan retracted his hand, ¡°it''s all good. I presume you know the basics about this battle already so let''s go over something else. Your strengths, abilities, and weaknesses, I need to know them if I am to work with you in this battle.¡± Ina nodded, ¡°I am an earth element magician specializing in support magic. Every day, I can cast one high tier spell, five mid-tier spells, and twenty-five low tier spells. I can only cast offensive spells of the mid-tier and below. I am capable of two different high tier spells, Greater Magic Shield and Greater Physical Boost. As for my weaknesses¡­ as a magician, I am a backline fighter and close range warriors or assassins pose an issue up front.¡± Ivan nodded, ¡°I¡¯m still new to this magic thing so we can go over that a bit more in detail later on. As for your weaknesses¡­ are you sure that is all? I want to know YOUR weaknesses, not just the weaknesses that come with being a magician. What do you have trouble with, what are your fears. I need to account for everything.¡± Her eyes shied away as she fiddled with her staff, ¡°n-nothing else... other than those.¡± She turned to look at him, ¡°how about you? I¡¯m also your partner so I should get to know your abilities as well.¡± Ivan squinted his eyes, ¡°I see¡­ alright. As for my abilities, I haven''t looked at them yet, give me a minute.¡± He closed his eyes and concentrated. He reopened his eyes to look at the interface in front of him. - Ivan Mikhailov Class: GunmasterUnlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Abilities: Killer Instinct (passive) : The instinct of a killer allows the user to detect killing intent aimed at the user. Shadow Steps (passive) : Tempered through constant practice, the user¡¯s steps are lighter than most and are harder to detect by sound alone Soul Ignition (active - stackable) : By igniting the soul, the user¡¯s very being accelerates essentially slowing down time [WARNING: By igniting the soul, it is essentially being utilized as fuel for power and the longer it goes on, the more the soul is consumed] Summon Magic: Gun (active) : By envisioning a firearm, a magical firearm according to the user¡¯s vision is summoned Reaper¡¯s touch (active) : As one who¡¯s grown and lived with death, the Grim Reaper grants you his blessing. The user can imbue a single weapon of choice granting it a 1% chance of inflicting instant death on hit for fifteen seconds. - ¡®Summon Magic? A gun? Does that mean?¡¯ He closed his eyes again, ¡°Summon Magic: Gun.¡± Light particles gathered together in front slowing piecing together to form a gun. He opened his eyes, floating in front of him was a dark black Desert Eagle. On the barrel of the gun, instead of a factory name and where it was built, there was only one word, ¡®Maria¡¯. He grabbed the gun out of the air. Turning it, he looked at the grip. There was a black flame design darker than the color of the gun. ¡°Hey, what is that?¡± Ina eyed the strange contraption in his hand. Ivan caressed the grip with reminiscent eyes, ¡°this is my unique ability, Summon Magic: Gun. I can summon a ranged weapon of my choosing.¡± Ina looked at it skeptically, ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve never seen such a weapon before, are you sure it works-¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Ivan put a finger to his lips and whispered, ¡°I sense something, quiet down.¡± Ivan looked around, ¡®what is this feeling¡­ its like a sixth sense telling me I¡¯m in danger.¡¯ A chill ran down his spine, ¡°INA, GET DOWN!¡± She ducked down just as a wolf jumped over her, missing its bite. Ivan pointed the Desert Eagle at it, the veins on his gun-wielding arm turning blue. He pressed the trigger, the gun glew bright blue for a split second before a blue bullet shot out of the barrel directly into the wolf¡¯s head. The wolf whimpered before slumping to the ground. Ivan¡¯s eyes glinted with a tinge of red as he spun 180 degrees firing another shot at a wolf mid-air. The shot found its way directing in between the wolf¡¯s eyes ending its life in an instant. ¡°The light from your hex circle must have alerted quite a few creatures of our presence.¡± Ivan looked around cautiously, spotting a few glowing eyes in the bushes and grass. A wolf howled out, causing a chain reaction. The eyes receded into the wilderness as the wolves backed off. The feeling of unease and danger dissipated as Ivan looked down at the wolf corpse in front of him, ¡°looks like we¡¯re eating wolf for dinner tonight.¡± He turned towards Ina, ¡°how are you?¡± Ina was still crouching down on the ground, she looked at the wolf corpse in front of her in a daze. ¡°Ina?¡± She looked up to see Ivan staring at her, ¡°Oh. Uh¡­ I¡¯m okay.¡± She stood up and whispered in an almost inaudible voice, ¡°t-thank you.¡± Ivan squatted down and looked at the wolf corpse, the fur was sleek and dark brown. He looked at it for a few more seconds before turning to Ina, ¡°do you perhaps have a knife of some sort?¡± Ina pulled up one of her sleeves, a knife was strapped around her forearm. She pulled it out from its sheath, the blade was dark, its shine similar to that of obsidian. ¡°Here, a black iron dagger.¡± Ivan took it from her, their hands touched for a split second. Ina flinched as she pulled her hand back. Ivan noticed her action but thought nothing of it. ¡°Ina, can you gather some sticks or branches for a fire?¡± She nodded before searching for nearby wood that could be used for a fire. Ivan spun the knife around preparing to skin one of the wolf carcasses in front of him. Right as he was about to cut into the wolf, he stopped and eyed the blade of the knife. ¡®This blade, it hasn¡¯t been used before.¡¯ He took a glimpse at the dark elf scurrying around for wood and shook his head before refocusing on skinning the wolf. Samuel Davis (1) In an outing in the middle of a forest, one lone figure sat atop a large piece of stone. The moonlight shone down on him like a spotlight outlining his blonde wavy hair as he sat there staring into space with his cold azure eyes. It was like a scene out of a book, an art piece in the flesh. ¡°This is a world of sword and magic! Fight, fight and fight! I bid you farewell and I wish you the best of luck in this battle.¡± His pinkish red lips opened and let out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair, ¡®I never completed that piece of art¡­ that final color, that final touch. I wonder if this war will give me the opportunity to finish my painting.¡¯ He closed his eyes and reopened them, an interface appearing in front of him. - Samuel Davis Class: Demonic Virtuoso Abilities: Killer Instinct (passive) : The instinct of a killer allows the user to detect killing intent aimed at the user. Homme Fatale (passive) : Not everyone is born equal. The user was blessed with dashing good looks and an attractive demeanor from birth increasing favorability and likeability from those attracted to the male gender. Soul Absorption (passive) : When the user takes a life, a part of the killed¡¯s soul is absorbed and transformed into demonic energy. Demonic Burst (active) : The user uses all the demonic energy absorbed from ¡®Soul Absorption¡¯ to empower a weapon for one attack (power increases depending on the amount of demonic energy). Backstab (active) : Summons a dagger of demonic energy to stab someone in the back. The damage is amplified significantly if used on someone who trusts the user (kills that result from this manner permanently amplifies the damage ¡®Backstab¡¯ does). Art of Death ( LOCKED ) : [ ABILITY WILL REVEAL ITSELF ONCE THE REQUIREMENTS ARE MET ] - Swiping his hand across, the screen followed and vanished. A purple hex circle appeared in front of him on the ground abruptly, a pillar of light shooting into the sky. The light faded, where the pillar of light used to be, stood a tree. Samuel hopped off the rock and walked up to the tree. Samuel started stroking the trunk of the tree, ¡®a tree¡­? Is this my partner for the war? Whatever.¡¯Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Hohoho, don¡¯t you know it''s rude to touch other people¡¯s bodies without permission?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Samuel looked around for the source of the sound. ¡°Not there, up here.¡± He looked up, on the upper trunk of the tree was a kind elderly face ingrained into the tree. ¡°You are¡­?¡± The tree smiled, ¡°hohoho, you are not frightened by my appearance? My name is Ojumeji the treant, at your service.¡± ¡°Please to make your acquaintance as well, my name is Samuel Davis.¡± He turned around and got back onto the rock. ¡°Seeing that there¡¯s nothing to do for now, how about we chat a little.¡± He smiled towards the sentient tree, his perfect white teeth showing. Ojumeji smiled, ¡°sure, I see no issues with getting to know the person I¡¯ll be working with. So tell me about yourself.¡± Samuel stretched his left arm in front of him, palm facing the sky and placed his right hand on his heart. ¡°In life, I pursued beauty in art. I was always suppressing my urge to create, but at the age of sixteen, I could hold it in no longer. I embraced it, and I transformed. I was brought out from the hell, the torture I¡¯ve suffered holding it deep down and into heaven where I could express myself freely. But alas, all good things come to an end. In my pursuit of the ultimate piece of art, I was merely missing one piece of the puzzle. Before I could find it, before I could complete that painting, I died. And here I am.¡± He clenched his left hand and brought it down. He looked towards Ojumeji, ¡°and what is your story?¡± Ojumeji was silent, he stayed silent for a few seconds longer before letting out a soft sigh, ¡°I was the guardian of a small elvish village. But one day when I awoke from my daily resting session, all I heard was silence. I looked around for the villagers I protected, and they were all there, dead. The lifeless drained husks with faces contorted in horror and disbelief. I could never forget. With no place to protect, I wandered. I was taken in by another village, all was fine until it happened again. I wandered from village to village only to have the same thing happen over and over. I kept getting nightmares of it happening. Until I died in my sleep, I don¡¯t know if the cause of death was related to my nightmares or what. That is why I fight in this war. I need to know what caused my death and what caused all that destruction.¡± Samuel whistled, ¡°well, good luck to both of us I guess?¡± The sound of grass rustling could be heard. An arrow shot past Samuel, just barely scratching his cheek. Somebody stepped out of a nearby bush, ¡°Who are you and what are you doing here?¡± Walking into the outing, the moonlight revealed a female with blonde hair with a drawn bow ready to shoot at any time. Her long pointy ears twitch as she asked, ¡°I asked you a question, now answer me, who are you and what are you doing here?¡± Samuel smiled and waved at her, ¡°Bonjour, madame, I was merely wandering the forest when I had gotten myself lost. I was just wondering about what I could do but then you came along, like a gift from the gods themselves. Might I be so presumptuous as to ask you to escort me to the nearest village?¡± The elf blushed as she lowered her bow, ¡°t-the nearest village is my village. This is the elven country of Sylvania located in the Sylvan forest. Humans are usually not allowed here so I¡¯m not allowed to bring you to my village, sorry.¡± She snuck a peek at Samuel¡¯s face to see a slight frown. She felt her heart tighten, ¡°O-of course there are exceptions, I can try my best to convince the village elder to let you stay a night.¡± Samuel smiled, ¡°thank you so much! You truly are a godsend gift.¡± The elf felt ecstatic, she felt like she was melting after seeing that smile. ¡°Come, follow me.¡± She walked off in the direction she came from slowly, looking back occasionally at Samuel as he followed her. Ojumeji smiled and uprooted himself. Wood branched out from his trunk becoming arms and the roots became his legs. He slowly followed behind the duo silently.