《Destiny Dice》


 Prologue

    My name is Solomon Darcsen.


    For as long as I can remember I''ve always had terrible luck.


    The town which I had lived in called Greendale, was once assaulted by a passing Demon King; resulting in both of my parents dying.


    There wasn''t a single other person who was killed that night by the hands of the Demon King as the Hero had appeared and saved them all from such a terrible fate driving back the creature.


    The old hero was nearing his end and unfortunately could not kill the Demon King only being able to drive it away after an intense battle.


    Even worse, the Demon King marked my forehead with his claw-like fingers making an "X" saying that it was a sign of his mercy. Although he called it "Mercy" - every night I would suffer terrible nightmares where I saw my parents killed over and over in different ways repeatedly.


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    The screams that escaped my small wooden hut at night made me an outcast in the little town of Greendale.


    As such, I , Solomon, who had always been an orphan was shunned by the community as an ill omen and was neglected by the residents of Greendale.


    I had but a mere few friends in the town - but in the blink of an eye, that had all changed.


    This is my story, a fight against demons, a fight against humans and most importantly.....a fight against fate.


    I curse the Gods who created this life of mine, the demons who ridicule me, and the humans who passed their own judgements upon me. This is my revenge against...everything.

 Chapter 1 - Alone

    A white-haired boy about 15 years of age, laid down on a field of grass as his ruby colored eyes gazed at the sky, within those eyes - one could see a sense of loss. As if something fundamental was missing. Were it not for his chest rising and dropping, and not a single stain of blood on his brown cheap clothing; one would even assume he was a not too long deceased corpse.


    Though his face wasn''t too handsome, he was neither unpleasing to look at if you could ignore the tattered brown clothing. The clothing was similar to that of what slaves and peasants wore, yet that seemed to be the least of his worries as the "X" shaped scar on his forehead glinted with a scarlet color that was hard to ignore.


    Over and over the events of the previous day played in his mind, a cold look would emerge in his eyes which couldn''t be hidden. His hand subconsciously reached to the scar and a menacing hatred displayed in his eyes.


    ''They never treated me as an equal....They pitied me. I was never really a friend to them....She never had such feelings toward me''


    ''I was just someone they pitied to boost their own egos....''


    A scene played off in his mind of a carriage approaching Greendale surrounding by heavily armored soldiers, a white-robed old man left the carriage followed by a young boy his age. The difference between Solomon and this young boy was as different as the earth and the sky. He had golden colored hair that reflected the sunlight and pretty blue eyes that twinkled like diamonds.


    The old man came to check the aptitude of the children in hopes of boosting the power of the Kingdom Of Greenland and acquiring a few talented young children. The young man that arrived with him was heralded as the replacement for the old hero and was labeled as the young upcoming hero. Everywhere he went admiration would pour out towards him and everyone would be at his beck and call, even more infuriating was that he descended from a powerful noble family and became their pride and joy.


    When the old man came to check aptitudes of the young children, all of his friends had outstanding aptitudes. Some would become Mages, others Knights and some even had unique abilities. The girl he had loved and who he had thought loved him was one such person, she had the rare ability to become a Light Mage. A healer with 90% affinity with Light Magic and was capable of being called the next "Faithful Queen" the existence second only to the hero himself.


    In the previous history of the humanity, the Hero would almost always be paired together with the Faithful Queen as they defended humanity together until the rising of the next Hero and Faithful Queen - and so on.


    The old man refused to give Solomon an aptitude test after seeing his "X" shaped scar and having heard the story of the locals. He deemed Solomon to be an "unfit existence" or a "possible demon slave" and as such he was ignored by the old man.


    Even more gut wrenching was the fact that his "friends" had all told him to stay behind as the journey would be too dangerous for him, but the real reason was that the Hero hated seeing how close Solomon was to the Faithful Queen. Solomon offered to be a cook on the journey just to be able to be with his "friends" which was also denied. After a few intricate word plays, the idea of Solomon accompanying his friend were easily shot down and not a single one of them stood behind him.


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    He would never forget when the young Hero stretched his hands down from the carriage to help the Faithful Queen up, the blush on her cute dimples destroyed his heart into a million pieces, his "friends" all gave him a few looks of pity before entering the carriage and leaving him behind.


    Solomon even heard a few snickers in the crowd, some from the villagers and from the Knights. It was as if his soul had been sucked from his body, a reaction his "friends" had seen completely. The new Faithful Queen couldn''t bare to look at him any longer and pulled the curtain on the carriage.


    He even remembered the sneer on the young Hero''s face as the carriage.


    Solomon touched the scar on his forehead as the carriage swiftly left the town of Greendale followed by the soldiers. He watched and gazed until he could no longer see it.


    ''It was you, wasn''t it?''


    "Hehe....Eehahahaha"


    He broke out into a laugh of pure and utter insanity which made the villagers shiver and back away.


    The importance he had placed on his friends was something other people wouldn''t understand. As his parents had unfortunately left him all alone, their roles in his heart had become very special. They taught him how to read and write, how to cook and take care of himself. The basics of a regular life was all taught him and as such his feelings toward them were one of love and respect.


    He even had thoughts of love toward the Faithful Queen in particular, and she herself had seemed to also feel something for him.


    -------------------


    Solomon laid on the grassy fields, ever since they had left - his life had become worse. No one wanted anything to do with him and he was kicked out from Greendale town, later he had come to know that it was by the orders of the Hero that was subtly relayed to the town leader.


    It was this day his heart froze, like an eternal blizzard that encased his body. He became unable to feel anything. His eyes, which were originally visually a bit dead and disturbing because of his continous nightmares, had a new sheen to it. It seemed calm, eeriely calm. His timid heart, had become a block of black ice that could not be disturbed nor interrupted.


    His eyes were opened wide, his pupils forever dilated. It was not the look of a usual man, but one which seemed to belong to a warrior who had faced death one too many times, or a psycopath who had murdered too many people. His eyes which seemed not to recognize human life, would make anyone who saw it shiver and subconsciously avoid him.

 Chapter 2 - Thriller

    "No! Jonathon! Stay with me! ....Ugh....I...love..yo- Ahhh!"


    A woman screamed pitifully as her hair was dragged by a thing which seemed not to be human. Horns that resentfully pointed towards the heavens with a dark purple metallic sheen, the lower half of a goat and a body size much bigger than a human. A mocking and malicious smile on it''s face as it dragged the woman away from a man who was covered in blood.


    Despite his animal-like features, the demon possessed exceptionally handsome features that radiated masculinity. If one could ignore his different features, he would undoubedtly be a man who''s facial features bordered on extraordinary.


    The man that lay on the floor covered in blood no longer moved and several wooden stakes pierced throughout his body nailing him to the floor. The woman pitifully screamed towards the man, as she begged the beast-like demon to spare the man, a look of insanity in her eyes which clearly showed she did not understand the man was already dead. A four or five year old boy stood a short distance away opposite the corpse, his face unable to clearly understand what was happening and he seemed to be in a state of shock.


    The boy who seemed stricken with fear could only look at the beast with wide eyes, his entire body trembling and he was unable to even utter a few screams. The beast dragged the woman before the boy and threw the woman before him. The beast like entity pieced through her abdomen with a bloody wooden stake nailing her to the ground yet he avoided her vitals.


    "Ugh! Ahh! My son...close your...eyes"


    "Hahahahaha!"


    The beast laughed as though he was currently having the time of his life, an ecstasy filled with bloodlust emitting from the deep purple eyes that seemed to have devoured an entire nation worth of souls. The beast drew out a sword from his ring and placed it in the boy''s hand, he then took one of his claw like fingers and stabbed the boy in the middle of his head.


    The boy who seemed to have lost his mind had no sense of pain at all, and didn''t notice that the beast had sunk a half inch of one of it''s claws into his brain. The boy''s hands without his permission and without delay, swung the sword down with a force he was not capable of beheading the woman''s head with a single blow.


    A look of horror in her eyes, not for herself..but for her son because of the act which the despicable demon made him do. She already understood what he was going to do the second he gave the child the sword.


    The boy''s body trembled uncontrollably and immediately after lost consciousness.


    <hr>


    "Ahhhhhhhh!"


    Solomon woke up screaming as if his lungs were on fire, the dream so vivid he could remember every single detail. He could even remember the feeling of the blood on his hands, the stench of the demon, the blood of his parents along with their cries.


    His pupils flickered and danced around the grassy plains, his heart in disarry as it wildly thumped as if it would fly out from his chest. After a few minutes, he took a few deep breathes before his eyes once more reverted to it''s usual dilated state.


    ''...When will these dreams stop''


    He pondered as he felt the cold sweat running down his back and the cold clammy hands that visibly trembled uncontrollably. Not long after, his trembling hands came to a standstill, his body also calmed the outbreak of the cold sweat as his mind came to clarity. He had gotten used to it, the nightmares that plagued him for as long as he could remember.


    The nightmares never missed a single day, a horrid reminder of what he had endured forever instilled within him.


    However, he had only gotten used to the after-effects; the nightmares would still make him awake with a terrible scream and the emotions were always fresh and had never gotten weaker over time. This was the curse he was bestowed.


    *Grumble*


    His stomach rumbled as he had become hungry, he had no idea how much time had passed and when his last meal was. He could no longer tolerate the hunger, at some point his appetite had returned and he decided to scower the grassy plains to find some source of nutrition.


    As his mind wandered, and he had nowhere to go with no set destination; he walked and walked. He had to find food, and also a place to sleep. Luckily, encountering demonic beasts around the territory of Greendale was a very rare occurence otherwise he would have already become the meal of such a creature.


    After not having found any food or wild animals, he decided not to continue searching as if he encountered a pack of wild wolves he would certainly not be their match because of his weakened state. Instead Solomon decided to find somewhere to sleep, and he would search for food in the morning.


    Lucky for him, in the near distance he spotted a nest of caves just a bit further in front near a forest. He quickened his pace and after a short walk he had appeared in front of it''s entrance. However, Solomon did not enter.


    *Growl*


    A growl of extreme hunger came from behind him that made him stop in his tracks, Solomon turned around slowly as his eyes met the owner of that growl. With black fur and sharp claws, saliva leaking from it''s mouth; a wolf that seemed to be starving as much as he did stood in a pouncing posture behind him.


    It''s red eyes looked at him, it''s hunger had driven it mad as one could see the imprint of it''s rib cages through it''s flesh. He soon noticed a few pair of red eyes also peering at him hungrily from the forest as they slowly came out making their presence known.


    Solomon had unfortunately encountered a pack of hungry wolves. Solomon seemed exceptionally calm, he was neither scared nor nervous and this was not due to him being powerful or experienced. Solomon had his own thoughts.


    ''If this is how I die...so be it''


    He had long lost his emotions, whether it be joy, sorrow or fear. He could not feel them at all. A normal human''s reaction would have been to grab a nearby branch or even a stone, some would flee or have a similar action. A human would naturally cling to life as it was a pre-ordained instinct, however he was different.


    Solomon''s emotions had been altered by his nightmares and his life experiences, after seeing the Demon King and being in it''s presence; his sense of fear was already destroyed. His will to live was similarly already destroyed after being betrayed by his friends, and being an outcast.


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    He had no hopes or dreams, no favorite hobbies or precious treasures. The only thing he possessed was an unbearable hatred, and the knowledge that he would never be powerful enough to carry out his vengeance.


    Suddenly dying didn''t sound so bad. Even though he knew he possessed a terrifying hatred within him, he had no strength and as such it was bottled up very tightly. It was like trying to start a campfire with a carriage worth of damp wet wood, even though you had a lot; you would never get so much as a spark.


    ''I can never kill a Demon King...all this hatred and no outlet. Might as well kill a few of these guys to ease even a little bit of my hatred before I die''


    Solomon suddenly smiled, a very strange smile. A smile with no joy or feeling in particular. An empty smile. Solomon took a step forward and his fist were coiled ready to attack and perish along with the wolves.


    He wasn''t strong and didn''t know any combat techniques, he was fully prepared to do whatever he could. Whether it be bite their throats, or stick his fingers in their eyes or rip open their bellies with his teeth; he would do it all without hesitation and vent his bottled feelings.


    Seeing this smile, and this calm look in Solomon''s eyes that seemed to have some relief. The wolves suddenly regained clarity, and subconsciously backed away. It wasn''t just his temperament and the look in his eyes, but the weird scars on his forehead seemed to emit an eerie glow and gave off a malevolent aura.


    Solomon had missed this reaction as he had suddenly noticed a rusty pick-axe next to him, it would appear as though these caves were once mines and were not too long vacated as some tools seemed to be lying around randomly.


    Solomon ignoring the wolf''s reactions picked up the pick-axe and weighed it in his hands. Usually the wolves would have already attacked the second his attention came off from them, but the look in his eyes terrified them and their instincts kicked in making them awaken from their ravenous state.


    These wolves had hunted humans before, they knew the natural reactions well. The humans that reeked of fear would be easy meals, the calm ones with vigilant eyes that wore armor with weapons were terrifying but this reaction was unique.


    To them it was as if they had encountered a new species entirely. He didn''t smell of fear, neither was he vigilant and didn''t seem to be too strong. There was also something about the look in his eyes that kept them in bay, as if he were asking them to attack.


    Wolves were naturally cunning creatures, this wasn''t intellect but instinctual intelligence.


    Something told them that this situation was altogether weird in many aspects.


    Although Solomon wasn''t trained in combat, his body was incredibly fit as he had to work a lot to stay alive. He did quite a bit of labor jobs and sometimes rarely ever ate anything, even though he was hungry and lacked a bit of energy; it was a feeling he was accustomed to.


    His eyes once more fell upon the leader of the pack of wolves that first approached him, their eyes met and the wolf once more slowly backed up under the influence of those eyes that made it''s fur raise on end.


    Solomon swung the pick-axe without any warning!


    The pack of wolves suddenly let out ravenous growls yet they did not attack as the leader turned tail and desperately dodged, tumbling away as it looked at the human with fear in it''s eyes.


    Solomon had a lot of openings when he swung, but he didn''t care; he charged after the wolves swinging the pick-axe madly with wild eyes.


    He swung and kept swinging, yet the wolves retreated even further and just stared at him with agitated expressions. The leader, didn''t take a single step forward anymore and continously retreated. Seeing that a bit of fear crept into their eyes and they weren''t willing to attack him, Solomon couldn''t help but feel disappointed.


    ''...They aren''t going to attack? ..Was it the pick-axe?''


    Solomon dropped the pick-axe and the fear in their eyes disappeared as they once more prepared to attack. He couldn''t help but feel something stirring inside him.


    ''...Are they going to attack now? ..Funny..I feel a bit happy. Finally, I can just forget everything. I don''t have to see these nightmares anymore''


    Solomon immediately ran towards the pack of wolves his arms opened wide as if he were going to embrace them. A smile that wasn''t genuine by any means on his face, yet the fear the wolves felt magnified as their fur stand on end!


    He was insane!


    Wolves were pack creatures, even though they were hungry; they wouldn''t be willing to fight a foe too strong and lose numbers. This was the reason they never attacked hunters, men wearing armor as they knew humans were quite capable killers. They would even stay away from bigger carnivorous beasts, this was the nature of a wolf.


    A meal was a meal, but it wasn''t a meal when it would be a potential disaster!


    Wolves constantly fought for territory and leadership amongst themselves, if the target was too strong they would give up and find another prey while maintaining their numbers.


    There was always exceptions in a hunt and they had enough smarts to give up a potential meal for the sake of numbers.


    After arriving to a conclusion the leader gave out a howl and immediately ran towards the forests at full speed leaving a stumped Solomon.


    ''...What''s wrong with these guys?''


    Solomon didn''t understand, he was but a single human and he even threw away his weapon.


    In truth, Solomon had feelings of suicide a long while ago, however, the curse on his forehead prevented him from doing so. Many nights he awoke from the nightmare, wanting nothing more than to end his life and chase after his parents; yet the curse stopped any such movements and suppressed all thoughts.


    As a result of this, Solomon had quite a warped personality. Possessing neither fear nor joy, neither pity or remorse. After his friends betrayed him, even his empathy was sealed off.


    What he did not realize, was that his weird disposition coupled with the eerie scar on his forehead incited the instincts of the wolves. An extremely evil aura was constantly being emitted from the scar and it seemed to resonate with his personality.


    What''s more, is that Solomon did not know that these pack of wolves were extremely fearful of this particular area.


    The wolves were no longer anywhere to be seen, Solomon let out a sigh and turned towards the caves.


    Suddenly, Solomon noticed something about the caves. There was a terrifying aura being emitted from the caves, one....that was quite familiar.

 Chapter 3 - Expensive

    Solomon''s entire body suddenly tensed up, an instinctive trembling made his eyes open wide as he stared at the cave''s entrance.


    ''This aura...it''s him''


    The aura emitting from the caves were from none other than the Demon King who had made his life suffer such a terrible turn.


    ''Why do I have such terrible luck...''


    However, he clearly remembered that the Demon King was pushed back by the old Hero and severely wounded.


    ''He won''t be in here, he was very badly wounded and had no choice but to return beyond the walls of the Demon Continent. No wonder the wolves were so full of fear, this entire area is soaked in demonic energy. Still....Why have I been affected only just now?''


    He didn''t understand why the aura wasn''t affecting him, the fear he felt was only mental trauma from the aura and his past experiences; and it didn''t exert a pressure on him nor control his decisions.


    ''To think I would take shelter here...Where the demon that ruined my life lived.''


    Solomon couldn''t help but laugh inwardly with a feeling of irony. The instinctive fear he felt had long calmed, and as such Solomon decided to venture in. As soon as he stepped in, he could feel an invisible force bearing down on him which quickly dissipated to some degree. It felt as if he were walking through water, or a muddy fields and moved just a tad slower.


    There was no need to worry about light inside the cave as the miners had installed a type of cheap gem called "Glowing Stones" that were usually used to brighten caves such as these so there would be no problems working whether day or night.


    It was cost effective and as they could be reused after being left in the sun to recharge, it obviously became a tool miners would be in dire need of.


    As he walked deeper inside the mine, he noticed that tools were dropped in random places and carts were filled with ore or rough materials. He understood the miners of Greendale Town did not have any plans to return, otherwise after the Demon King was drove back ;they would have already returned. The villagers of Greendale Town were incredibly superstitious and since the Demon King resided here for a time; they would not dare enter here anymore.


    Solomon only took a few steps in before he suddenly felt the pressure pressing against his body increase dramatically for a second before it stopped. He abruptly stopped in place after noticing an oozing smell, and recognizing a few silhouettes in the corner of the cave entrance.


    Before him lay a few rotting corpses, a wolf, a few bats and surprisingly a human corpse. Shockingly, Solomon was quite calm upon seeing a human corpse.


    Had he been a normal child, with a normal past; he would have felt a bit of fear upon seeing a dead body. He, however, was not such a person.


    The strange thing about these corpses were that none of them had any physical injuries, neither was there any blood. As if they just dropped dead, this was when he realized that force he felt before that pressed against him probably killed these trespassers.


    ''..Why did it kill them and not me?''


    This was naturally his first thought, why would it kill every other trespasser but himself? He only felt a bit of pressure but everything else was killed. This thought didn''t last long, as he grabbed the bodies and threw them outside; not even burying the fellow human.


    The wolf corpse was fresh and it had probably only been killed an hour or two ago, so he collected some wood from the forests and started a fire with a survival firestone which was a sharp metallic-like gem capable of producing a tiny flame. A firestone wasn''t at all cheap, surprisingly Solomon had possession of one. This was something he had found while out doing a few labor jobs.


    He was never a miner, but had some knowledge as he was required to move waste material loaded on a cart out of a mine for a daily wage. Luckily for him one day while moving out his cart, he noticed a red glitter and found the stone. Naturally, he did not turn it in and kept it to himself.


    The miners would usually deduct his earnings or rob him some of his pay and as such he did not feel bad at all about concealing some gained wealth.


    After roasting a leg from the wolf and devouring it in it''s entirety, he quelled his hunger and decided to continue his investigation. Solomon threw out the rest of the meat as he didn''t have anywhere to store it and decided to continue his investigative adventure.


    Solomon continued deeper and deeper into the caves, the caves seemed to be a network of several caves and one would easily be lost. Fortunately, he had quite an amount of experience with mines and even though everything looked the same he was confident in his ability to find his way around.


    Solomon noticed the deeper into the cave he travelled, the heavier the pressure became. Using that to his advantage he was able to navigate further into mines on a correct path.


    He noticed there were no earthworms or centipedes around the mines, there were no insects at all which was quite rare and shocking. He was sure now that whatever entered


    this cave would be killed by the pressure.


    Not long after, Solomon encountered a huge wooden door at the bottom of the mines. The aura was the strongest inside the room, and surprisingly a sense of fear welled up in his heart. However, he was not in any way affected by this fear.


    To him, it could only be described as a slight agitation. Even if the Demon King was behind the wooden doors, he would still open them. Solomon understood much about his own psychology, he was forced to adapt to such a state because of his ever punctual nightmares that created his particular condition.


    In comparison to someone his age, he was much more mature and intelligent and understood things that children his age would not even begin to fathom. This was why he understood that fear was a natural reaction, to him it was merely an alarm bell and a tool that allowed him to measure how dangerous a situation was.


    Understanding this concept was something only warriors who fought countless battles to the death would understand. It was very rare for a child to possess such insight into the mind and with such a philosophy behind it.


    Solomon, without preparations or any grand build up - directly push the doors open.


    "Hello...Anybody home?"


    He called out in a rather calm manner, his face not showing an inkling of his thoughts. He threw a few quick glances around the room, and his eyes suddenly landed on a table inside the room.


    Aside from this table, there was a throne-like chair and absolutely nothing else.


    On the table, was an opened ancient tome-like book, a black sack the size of a human''s palm, a mug-sized jar covererd in black cloth and a black-colored human skull with a candle burning on top of it.


    Naturally, the skull with the candle on it''s head drew Solomon''s attention. This meant that someone was currently living here, and changed the candles regularly. A candle wouldn''t burn for more than an hour, naturally, years were out of the question.


    The only deduction would be that someone was currently living in this room, and they had probably stepped out.


    ''It''s definitely not that Demon King...He was gravely wounded fighting the Old Hero, there''s no way he would come back here especially since he garnered the attention of the Holy Knight Order.''


    Thinking up to here, Solomon walked towards the table to inspect it and see what exactly this person had been up to.


    "...What sort of intruder are you...?! You ignored the aura bearing down on you that would make any human under the Hero level flee and yet entered the cave, and now you''re asking if anyone''s home after first pushing open the door..You...Wait how did you survive the energy trap?!"


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    " Do you not know when you''re not welcomed?! How uninviting does a place have to be for you to turn around and go in the other direction! What''s worse is you''re not even at the Hero level of power, yet you casually enter the Demon King''s hideout?! Why don''t I even detect a single strand of fear from you! Were you born on the Devil''s back!"


    "How rude and impudent of you to enter here! Quickly bow and prostrate yourself on the floor!"


    Solomon''s thoughts were interrupted by a frantic voice that seemed to be aimed at him, looking around he saw no one. Finally he noticed the candle on the black skull''s head burning with a green flame as if the angered to the extreme, it''s dark eye sockets lit up with a similar green flame.


    "....and what are you supposed to be exactly?"


    Solomon calmly asked the black skull, completely ignoring the fact that a skull was speaking endlessly and venting it''s anger.


    The black skull seemed offended and angrily stared at Solomon, it''s eyebrows which weren''t really eyebrows twitching.


    "You know a normal human''s reaction would be shock and fear upon noticing a talking skull and yet here you are as calm as the surface of a lake! Is inside your head broken or something!...Wait a minute...that aura leaking from you...it''s master''s aura"


    The skull seemed shocked as it obserbed the scar on Solomon''s head..but before it could continue it''s deduction. Solomon calmly approached the skull and picked it up, observing it''s angles.


    " You! What are you doing?! Put me down this instant! Ahh!! Don''t! Stop it!"


    The skull demanded in anger it''s green flame flickering even more furiously.


    Solomon completely ignored this skull''s raving, observing it a bit more before shaking it a few times. Suddenly a light flickered in his eyes as he thought of something.


    "This strange skull...I wonder if anyone will buy it"


    The skull''s head, trembled as it heard his muttering.


    "Y-You want to sell me?! Absolutely not! Do you know what those humans would do to me! Especially those cursed Light mages!! You absolutely can''t sell me!!"


    The skull lost it''s composure and arrogant tone and started begging Solomon.


    "You called that guy master right....?"


    Solomon asked a strange light flickering in his eyes, the skull didn''t know what he was thinking but knew it couldn''t be anything good. The skull saw an opportunity to strike some fear in Solomon, hoping it could regain an upper-hand. It was quite displeased when Solomon called it''s master "That guy" and didn''t hold back in his praises so as to let him know just how powerful he was.


    "Yes! My master the great Agathodaemon Fortuna! The Great Demon King of Luck and Misfortune! It is him that I serve! Now you should obey me before he returns to reclaim me, his most prized possession! You human should know the terrifying ability of my great master and you should know he is a human''s worst nightmare! Now obey me and prostrate yourself!"


    Faced with this skull''s useless rambling, and blatant threats; Solomon merely laughed at it as he found it amusing.


    "...Yes, your master is indeed my worst nightmare. I dream of him every night and every day. Everytime I close my eyes, he''s the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see when I go to sleep."


    The skull suddenly trembled as it looked inside Solomon''s eyes, all it could see was a pitch black darkness. It seemed darker than the night without the moon, a shadow so dark it reflected an absolute nothingness.


    "...But, I''ve gotten used to that nightmare. You know people usually wonder, what is a human''s greatest ability. Some say courage, the ability to stand before a demon army and wield a blade even knowing it would be your demise.


    Some say our kindness and generosity, the ability to understand the feelings of other humans and lend them a helping hand.


    Some are even arrogant enough to say it''s our intelligence, that it allows us to make the smartest decisions and continously improve and expand on our current abilities and standard of living"


    The darkness in Solomon''s eyes intensified as he looked at the skull, making it shiver and remain silent.


    "However, I disagree. I''ve seen too many cowards to count, selfish men are as common as they come and I''ve seen idiots who are unable to understand a simple train of thought"


    Solomon laughed as begun rubbing the skull''s forehead as if it were a little kitten, he took out a rag from his pocket and begun to clear the dust from it making it shine. The black skull remained incredibly quiet, and no longer spoke. It was only now it realized that this human boy before him, was absolutely insane!


    " In my opinion, It''s our ability to adapt. We adapt to everything. Though some adapt differently than others, in the end we all do it. We adapt to become courageous, we adapt to put our needs before anyone else and we become smarter because we simply have no other choice.


    It''s the same thing with fear, have you ever felt so much fear or been drowned in so much despair that eventually the feeling is absolutely gone? Your body reacts the same way, it alerts you when you are in danger and it tries very hard to overcome the mind. Haha, but once it''s broken Mr. skull, do you believe that there is no going back? A new world opens up to you, you see things differently and nothing is ever the same.."


    The black skull still retained it''s silence, a feeling it had only felt when dealing with it''s master appeared. Usually in front of it''s master, the Demon King, it would retain silence as if it weren''t alive and it would only speak when spoken to. Now this feeling had once more appeared and it felt nothing but absolute fear!


    It had seen cursed humans before, it''s master had cursed many humans for a various amount of experiments but never before had it ever met a "specimen" such as Solomon.


    ''Master...Did you predict this human would turn out this abnormal? Master, do you know what you''ve created? Is he a "finished product" ...or is he an "abomination"...?''


    The black skull had a million questions, but he had a feeling. A feeling he would never get the answers to them. The black skull had always accompanied the Demon King, he had no idea who he was or how old he was - but he was sure of one thing.


    The human in front of him was a complete and utter madman. Being an object of ancient dark magic, it sensed a deep and boundless hatred within Solomon. A peerless malice of unrivalled standard, it was so resolute and pure in quality that it gave him clarity.


    It felt as though beyond those eyes was a savage beast as old as time, a beast that understood everything, hated everything and cared for nothing. The most frightening part, was that no one would ever be able to tell.


    Being an object of ancient dark magic, the skull was able to notice the boundless resentment. The process of binding a soul to an object was extremely dark magic, and resentment was a major factor played in doing this process.


    This was the reason why the black skull was so sensitive to resentment and it recognized this feeling almost immediately.


    Although Solomon''s voice was calm, and his face was by no means distorted, just by merely speaking with him it had come to identify the level of hatred and it was unable to measure it completely!


    "Haven''t I told you Mr. Black skull? Everytime you speak, you suddenly start looking more and more expensive"