《Desperate Hope》 Chapeter 0 - Prologue Hi, this is my first story, and I was wondering if there was any interest in me continuing this. Honestly I''ve always loved writing, but lately I haven''t had any inspiration until now (I just basically had the biggest inspiration of my whole life). Please comment if this story looks interesting. I know there''s not much to comment on... But anything would really be helpful I guess. Heads up, I haven''t completely fleshed out my ideas for this story so even if I continue, it would still take a while before I can post it, this is more of a preliminary questionnaire on interest so to say. Without further ado: ------------------------------------ Prologue He was sitting on the ground, arms resting on his legs and staring lifelessly at the ground in front of him. In his peripheral vision he could see a slight movement; the duster of a person moving silently with the wind. The only thing missing was the wind. In fact, there was an absolute absence of everything, a lack of feeling of life. Wind, sounds, and smells were all nonexistent. The boy was planted on the ground, or even in the ground. It seemed as if he had always been there, from the beginning of time, and seeing him it was unimaginable that he would not be there until the end. The duster, rhythmically moving, suddenly gave a break in its pattern. Actually, the claim of whether or not it was even a duster was controversial. It was certainly shaped like one, looked like one, but on closer inspection one could see faint lines snaking and intertwining along the surface, and if touched it gave the feeling of incredibly soft silk. Yet it was nigh indestructible; it could not be torn, burned, or influenced by any other means. The being encased by this strange coat gave out a sound akin to a sigh, letting its shoulders droop slightly. With pursed lips and a clenching jaw, the eyes shone with thousands of conflicted emotions, prevalent among them anguish, heartbreak, pity and uncertainty. With these eyes it studied the boy in front of him for what seemed like an eternity. The boy never moved, acknowledging neither the presence in front of him nor taking note of the world around him. Just staring with unfocused eyes as if he were detached from this dimension, a part of another world. ¡°Ahh.¡± A tiny, anguished moan escaped the lips of the being standing and his eyes began to shimmer with moisture. Time continued to pass, and after what seemed like ages a whisper could be heard, ¡°This one¡¯s pain is so great it even brings me to my knees in despair.¡± The being moved towards the boy, and every step was with great effort; its legs trembling violently as if fighting against a great pressure pushing him down, increasing exponentially with every step. Now the man stood directly in front of the boy, his entire body shaking, resisting the terrifying pressure. He began to raise his right hand from his side, shuddering and shaking fiercely. The hand slowly made its way to the boys shoulder. Finally reaching its destination, it fell and rested on the shoulder. In that instance, the moment of contact, the being let out a shrill cry of misery and fell to his knees, continuing its cry into a low moan. The moan was nerve-wracking, a howl of pain so deep that it shook the heavens and the earth itself, bringing the space to shudder and flicker back and forth in fright. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Slowly the moan faded, leaving the two figures alone in silence. The existence with the duster stared at the boy with a face convulsing in agony and disbelief, its wide eyes streaming with tears. With great effort its mouth twitched open, and with uncontrollable, spasmodic movements it spoke, ¡°There is very little I can do. I never imagined that in all the universes and realities something like you could be created.¡± The boy gave no sign of recognizing the being now on the ground in front of him. The only change was that his unfocused eyes were now looking directly at the things knees. ¡°I am sorry. I am terribly sorry that I have let this happen.¡± The tears on the face of this being redoubled, and his voice began rasping in regret and pain. ¡°The most I can do is reincarnation. I wish for you to have a happy life, one that every being in Heaven can only wish for. For you have truly deserved it, only you deserve the absolute best. I will watch over you, yet it pains me to tell you I cannot interfere. ¡°¡­ I cannot even remove your memories.¡± At this the being hung its head, and began sobbing uncontrollably. The boy, previously not reacting, let out a single tear from his right, glazed over eye, and following this the being did not have the strength to leave its hand on the boys shoulder, letting it fall to the floor and supporting itself on all fours. Its whole body shaking violently, the being raised its head to look at the boys eyes, and quietly said, ¡°Goodbye.¡± It calmed its hand, reached out and touched the boys leg, and the boy vanished. Defeated the being slumped to the ground, curling into a fetal position and staring off into space. A third eternity past, until the thing finally rose unsteadily to its feet. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± it spoke softly. Suddenly 12 more humanoids popped into existence in a circle around the first one, all kneeling on the ground with tears flowing down their cheeks. One after another they stood, looking incredulously at the spot where the boy had sat. ¡°What was that?¡± A stunned voice broke the silence. ¡°That was something that should never have existed. We must change what we were doing.¡± The first being, now standing in the middle of the circle, slowly took off his coat and held it out. ¡°Michael, take this and make the preparations.¡± The other twelve snapped their gazes towards the first, their faces shocked. ¡°But sir-¡° The first one quickly declared, ¡°I will it so.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± One of the twelve quickly came forward, its face still moist, and took the coat. The first one spoke with conviction, ¡°We will leave now, we must be more vigilant.¡± The thirteen beings all turned in the same direction, slowly walking with their feet hitting the ground in unison, and faded out of existence. Chapter 1 - Onslaught Here is the first chapter I typed up, have fun :D Also if there are any problems please tell me, I''ll try to fix them asap ------------------- Two teenagers rushing up the street side by side. One extraordinarily handsome, the other incomparably beautiful. With glistening black hair reaching over his feminine eyes and covering his high cheek bones, his delicate beauty stunned any onlooker. Even Princes and Princesses who grew up in extravagance and with an abundance of alluring concubines would be instantly rooted on the spot when casting their eyes upon this creature. He was the personification of elegance, the very definition of gracefulness. Upon sight one would be attracted to him and want to seek his company, understand his story. Those who had the courage to take this path would then be confronted with another shocking revelation. When his long, sparkling hair shifted and his long eyelashes uncovered his eyes, one would be frozen within the gaze of this teenager¡¯s eyes. With deep blue irises, these eyes held sorrow and mourning so deep that some could not hope to understand. These eyes pierced a being to the core, as if they were able to see the soul of a person. The weak hearted, upon regarding this phenomenon, would be overwhelmed and rooted to the spot, wanting to throw themselves at the feet of this beautiful being, yet being held back by the power of his eyes, unable to move. Only the strong could look upon these eyes and still be free of the shackles they contain. But not even they were completely free; even their souls would shake upon eye contact. In theory this stunning character would the center of attention, greatly sought after. His physical attributes were unrivaled, he literally looked like a god, yet the unfathomable power within him scared the masses from him. While he was not bullied, he was avoided; he became an unapproachable existence within this world. Quite the opposite of him was the athletic youth beside him. With a well-toned body containing muscles that hint at countless hours of hard labor, this young man had a physical appearance to die for. His body exerted an unparalleled pressure, yet it was not tyrannical. His presence created a reassurance, a feeling of comfort and kindness. His eyes were gentle beyond compare, and along with the smooth lines around his smile he created a compassionate and understanding demeanor. His most striking feature was his light gray hair, bordering on white. It seemed to collect all the light, giving a slight glow, almost unnoticeable. Those that knew him well knew that this feature of him was most prominent at dawn and twilight, as if it were formally casting the first and last light of the day, signaling the beginning and end. This slight glow, matched with his incredibly gentle and sympathetic aura, created the illusion of distributing tenderness, or even the light itself, to the hearts of many, brightening their lives. These two truly unique individuals were quickly advancing along the road on the outskirts of a city, moving towards multiple run down houses built in a cluster. ¡°Zetsubo, when was the last time you last visited?¡± spoke the bright haired boy. The person next to him paused slightly, before quietly muttering, ¡°With you, Kashoku.¡± The one called Kashoku scrunched his brows slightly, before relaxing his face and let out a genuine smile, which lead to a rich laugh. ¡°Well then you¡¯re in for a big surprise.¡± He looked at the one beside him smiling an all-knowing smile. In reaction to this Zetsubo continued looking forward, letting only a miniscule twitch at the corner of his left eye express his displeasure. ¡°¡­ We¡¯ll see.¡± Within the closest house in the cluster, a young boy between the age of eight and ten ran as quickly as his little legs could take him to a middle-aged woman. ¡°Grandma, Tan-tan and Zetsu are here!¡± ¡°Oi! Who are you calling grandma?! I¡¯ll have you know this young woman is still in her prime!¡± At this the young boy just held out his tongue and giggled mischievously. ¡°Go get the others, they can take a break to greet and play with them, but they have to finish their work later. Also, go get Nozomi, she hasn¡¯t met Zetsu yet.¡± ¡°Yes, grandma.¡± The young boy quickly left, shouting excitedly to spread the news. Almost instantly, twenty-six children gathered at the north of the cluster of houses, straining their eyes to see the two teenagers rushing their way. ¡°Look, Tan-tan brought Zetsu this time!¡± Everyone looked towards Zetsubo in awe, his beauty was simply too striking. At this time a hesitant girl squeezed her way through the crowd of boys to the front, shyly hiding behind her hair. Kashoku smiled, seeing the crowd, and quickly sprinted the last few meters to be promptly swallowed by it. Cries of ¡°Tan-tan, what happened in the city?¡± and, ¡°Let¡¯s play!¡± were sounding about the gathering. Zetsubo on the other hand slinked to the side, standing silently and observing with a hint of a smile in his eyes. When he finally took notice of a girl hidden behind her long brown hair, openly staring at him with wide eyes, he froze. This girl was staring at him with wide eyes, yet they were not wide of shock or surprise, but they were slowly welling up tears at the corners. These eyes were bright with knowledge and understanding; yet looking at him they were filled with hope and joy, as if she had been looking for him her whole life. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This sight struck Zetsubo to the core, and he could not help being fascinated by this girl. Quickly, as if his body were forced by an unfathomable strength, he walked towards her, putting his hand on her cheek and pushed the hair out of her face. His eyes too, were wide with shock at this occurrence. ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡± His voice gave a slight rasp, yet they were spoken with conviction and with great interest. ¡°¡­Nozomi¡­¡± The girl blushed and lowered her head, flicking her eyes to the side, unable to continue staring at the boys eyes. The crowd next the two looked at the both of them, shocked into stupefaction. They knew that Zetsubo rarely talked to anyone, much less approached them himself. Yes, he was kind and beloved by the children, but he had an introverted character; this they knew. This simple act was already far beyond what they expected. The only one with a smile on his face was Kashoku, ¡°Just as I expected, she was special.¡± Zetsubo let out a quick smile, showing his perfect teeth, and abruptly walked into one of the houses, leaving the girl standing with a bright red face. The boys eventually got over their stupor, continuing to talk and play with Kashoku. The girl on the other hand snuck into the house, and hid behind a door. Inside voices could be heard. ¡°¡­ did she end up here?¡± The voice was was feminine yet masculine, indistinguishable. Those who heard it before knew that it belongs to Zetsubo. ¡°A few days ago there were merchants and slavers on the way to the city, and I was doing the rounds on the nearby villages. On my way back I met them and I saw her, she seemed special so bought her with the rest of the money.¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t know, but she has already begun bleeding three winters ago.¡± There was a short delay, then, ¡°I will take her back with me.¡± ¡°I thought so, I already made the preparations. You only need to ask her, although I think she will be eager to go.¡± ¡°Thank you Madame Arue, then I will go ask her.¡± The sounds of footsteps were heard, slowly getting louder in Nozomi¡¯s ears. She panicked, quickly backing up, bumping into a table while doing so. She quickly turned and ran out the door to Kashoku and the young boys, trying to calm herself down. Zetsubo appeared from the door, seemingly drifting and sliding across the ground, suddenly appearing in front of her. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± He spoke in a light tone, yet it rang within her mind and shock quickly formed on her face. From his words she knew that he had found out she was eavesdropping. She created a barrier with her hair and furthermore turned her head sideways, and spoke in a small voice, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Suddenly the whole world turned red, the sky a deep crimson and bloodcurdling screams filled the air. The previously playing children screamed in hysteria and terror, fainting like sacks thrown on the ground. Only Nozomi, Kashoku and Zetsubo remained standing. The two boys narrowed their eyes, staring into the distance with deep hatred and a resolute look of opposition in their eyes. The crimson sky flashed a dark violet, and shadows formed like terrifying monsters appeared, diving down towards the mass of humans within the small village. The two teenagers could do nothing, they were paralyzed by the monsters¡¯ screams, and watched as hundreds of thousands of shadows pounced on the children, tearing them limb by limb, letting the blood squirt like a fountain and then consuming them. Yet more blasted the houses to pieces, tearing apart the foundations in search of more victims. This horrific scene played out in front of the teenagers eyes, yet they were helpless and only tears could form in their eyes. Quickly the mass of shadows changed their attention to the two, first surrounding Kashoku. A particularly large shadow appeared in front of Zetsubo, and a stench of death and rotting flesh emanated from this thing. Zetsubo felt his throat begin to contract, yet his body could not move and did not allow him to hurl, and he could only stand there, smelling the most disgusting stink he could imagine. The shadow seemed to open his mouth, and the stench became thousands of times worse; the smell alone caused him to begin to lose consciousness, fading into darkness. And then the thing spoke. Imagine the screech of the chalk board, the laugh of an insane man and the rasp of a dying witch speak at the same time. ¡°Everything is in vain. Learn true misery, and die.¡± The power holding Zetsubo¡¯s body in place abruptly vanished, and he immediately crumpled onto the floor. Before he too was consumed by the shadows he turned his head, finding Nozomis eyes. Her eyes were frightened, white with shock, yet when seeing Zetsubo those emotions were replaced with a fierce defiance. She suddenly let out a terrifying scream, one that could be heard across the world and challenged the heavens themselves, and everything turned white. Chapter 2 - Dawn Hi, if anyone could help me with linking the previous chapter and next chapter that would be greatly appreciated (Since I have absolutely no idea how to do it myself). Thanks! (Edit: Changed the ages, because I found a pretty major problem in the plot) ------------------- In Pingyuan City, a young boy at the age of twelve jerked awake into a sitting position, sweating profusely. A few meters beside him on an identical bed to his, a youth of the same age with light gray hair looked at the sweating boy, his face contorting into concerned expression. ¡°Did you have another nightmare?¡± His soft voice reverberated in the room. The other one nodded his head, his black hair bouncing slightly, and put his face, painted with his sweat, between his hands and wiped his face. ¡°It was a girl this time. Someone called Nozomi. Slightly above average looks, ended with her letting out a defiant roar, the whole thing ended in white.¡± A slight pause, then, ¡°She was shy.¡± The other boy just looked at him silently; he knew just how much these nightmares affected his friend. The first time this happened Zetsubo woke up screaming in tears, ranting about someone called Kurushimi, that he had to go save him from his agony and pain, from the torture he was subjected to. Another time he woke up shouting utter nonsense, his eyes only showing white and scratching his face raw, trying to claw out his eyes. In the last six months such dreams occurred a total of six times, each one showing different people. Over time Zetsubo had become accustomed to these dreams, and his reactions waking up to these horrific nightmares lessened. This time was the mildest yet. Zetsubo stood up, moving towards a little corner in the room that had a drainage pipe and a small bucket filled with water. He dipped his hands into the water, letting them rest there for a second before cupping them and washing his face clean of his perspiration. He repeated this action multiple times before taking off his shirt and continuing with his full body. In his mind he was listing the people the dreams had introduced him to. Kurushimi, Minori, Hakyou, Mekura, Girai, and now Nozomi. All of these dreams had something in common: he would meet a person, be imprinted in the soul by each of these individuals, then promptly suffer an attack by shadows. Sometimes they greedily devoured him instantly. Other times they would attack him mentally, and one time they even tortured him for hours in the most petrifying and terrifying manners imaginable. Zetsubo calmed his racing heart, dried himself off and sat at the edge of his bed- before letting himself fall back in complete exhaustion, mental and physical. Yet dawn was just around the corner, and it would be impossible for him to fall asleep anyway. So he and Kashoku both began to prepare themselves for the impending training session they would complete. The two assumed some tight black pants as well as an old black shirt, the cheapest attire for exercise. The two boys exited the room and began to walk past multiple buildings that were arranged in a clear and orderly fashion; at one end of this line of buildings were small huts, they weren¡¯t even qualified to be called rooms, which led to run down houses consisting of a single room, then slightly superior houses, continuing all the way to multiple villas at the other end of this street. Next to the small huts was a stone wall that climbed five meters into the sky, and on close inspection it was obvious that this wall curved inwards into a circle, meaning one would be on the inside of this circle. Zetsubo and Kashoku had come out of such a dilapidated house near the wall, and began walking towards the middle of the huge circle created by the wall, passing by the villas. This street belonged to a huge complex called the Pingyuan Institute of Education, more commonly known as ¡°The Pie¡±. This establishment was one of the most famous academies in all of the Central Continent. Within the Ouranos Kingdom it was only competing with two other academies for supremacy, and the only other Kingdom in the Central Continent, the Valhall Kingdom, merely had one academy to rival these three. This showed the Ouranos Kingdoms dominance within the continent; not only did it have more resources and a better overall education, it also had slightly more than three times as much land as the Valhall Kingdom. The only thing protecting the Valhall Kingdom was its natural border of mountains separating the two kingdoms and its heavy militaristic tradition. This tradition was not to be underestimated; the Valhall Kingdoms famous Valhall Academy was the undisputed leader at martial training. This is where geniuses are born and bred, where the limits of humanity are reached. The only academy in the Ouranos Kingdom that could even be considered remotely near the level of the Valhall Academy in military training was The Pie. The Pie only accepted students with martial talent, immediately turning away requests from the incompetent. Even nobles had to at least have an above average talent to be accepted. Peasants had to possess great natural talent to be accepted, and in most cases when they were finally approved they would be treated like scum by the nobles in possession of the villas. Precisely this street of buildings that the two boys walked along was one of the seven dorm streets this academy included, one for each year. From twelve to eighteen years would a student live in these streets, receiving instruction at the institution. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Zetsubo and Kashoku continued walking until they came to a large clearing with dummies and various other equipment suited for training. This was the training grounds. The two quickly entered a shed and then stepped into the clearing holding wooden swords in their hands. ¡°Ready for a sparring session?¡± Kashoku asked. ¡°We have a few hours until instruction begins,¡± was Zetsubo¡¯s answer. With that the two entered their stances, Kashoku adopting a rather straightforward stance with his feet shoulder width apart, his right foot slightly in front of his left. Zetsubo seemed to take no stance and just stood there as if he were a spectator instead. Both of the boys held their wooden sticks down, neither taking the initiative. Suddenly Kashoku jumped forward with a loud, ¡°Hah!¡± He brought his stick in a diagonal upwards slash, immediately followed up with a backhanded horizontal cut. Zetsubo seemed to sway, fading and then suddenly appearing half a step to the right, dodging Kashoku¡¯s first slash. ¡°Reckless,¡± Zetsubo muttered, perfectly describing Kashoku''s attempt. He then used his wooden sword to block the horizontal cut, moving his sword in a circular motion to guide Kashoku¡¯s strength toward the ground and turned ninety degrees so that he was staring at Kashoku¡¯s side. There he quickly thrust the end of his stick towards the side of Kashoku¡¯s stomach, but Kashoku anticipated this move. Kashoku violently twisted his hip, barely avoiding the lunge while bringing his previously grounded out slash into another backhanded slice. This cut of his was truly violent, without accuracy as he pulled this move off while twisting, yet it had the strength of his whole body. Like a spring released from a coiled position, he swiftly rotated. While this attack was strong, at the same time it was an act of desperation; he had barely avoided being beaten and tried to attack his opponent at the most unlikely time, but if he failed he would be hopelessly unbalanced and vulnerable to any strike his opposition threw at him. Zetsubo¡¯s answer to this wild act was to, simply put, vanish. That¡¯s what it looked like in Kashoku¡¯s eyes, and any spectator would say the same. He dropped his body to the floor in an instant, lying flat on the ground and letting the slash pass harmlessly above him. Then with an explosion of strength in his legs, he sprung forward like a cannon shot, jumping onto Kashoku¡¯s off balance body and crashing to the floor on top of him. The entire process of standing, falling and bursting towards Kashoku was completed before Kashoku finished his rotation from dodging Zetsubo¡¯s initial thrust. While Zetsubo did not have Kashoku¡¯s strength, he had extraordinary agility and reflexes, allowing him to adapt to any situation. This was his strength. ¡°You win,¡± Kashoku spoke from beneath Zetsubo, obviously frustrated, yet he spoke with laughter resounding in his voice. Within three moves he had been apprehended by his friend, and while this was discouraging it also meant that the next few hours would not be in vain. While it seemed like Zetsubo completely destroyed Kashoku, he had in fact been pushed to his limits in dodging the attacks. Kashoku''s specialty lay in his overwhelming strength, as well as his normally orthodox and cautious approach. He had just challenged Zetsubo to a battle of the reflexes, so of course Zetsubo would be at an advantage. If both students fought to their strengths they would be stand at a stalemate, where Zetsubo eventually would have a slight advantage. In such cases he would win an estimated six out of ten times. Zetsubo¡¯s skill had not gone unnoticed. At the edge of the clearing there was a man sitting on the field with his eyes closed, meditating. ¡°Ho? He has some talent,¡± the man muttered, and formed a devious smile. The two continued for another two hours before finally ceasing their training session, and by this time there were multiple other bodies moving quickly within the clearing. Turning towards the street with their dorm room, they began to return in order to refresh their bodies from the sweat they accumulated in the past hours. While walking past the first of the villas, a voice could be heard, ringing in the morning air. ¡°Look at the pigs. Even in the morning they are covered in dirt and sweat, it is as if they are made for the slums.¡± ¡°Indeed, big brother, they are the scum of this academy, truly only useful for being stepped on and making bridges over puddles.¡± Zetsubo and Kashoku¡¯s eyes flashed with contempt, but continued looking forward and did not stop. This was a common occurrence within the academy; the only way a peasant could free themselves from this hierarchy was by showing complete dominance and strength and be recognized by all as one of the elites. They were not one of the elites, so naturally they were tormented by the antics of the nobles. Just as the two were about to leave the area littered with villas, a deep, strong voice resonated within their minds. ¡°You two sacks of shit, come help this brother.¡± Chapter 3 - Instincts ¡°You two sacks of shit, come help this brother.¡± Zetsubo and Kashoku instantly froze, cursing their luck. Reluctantly they turned towards the voice, yet their faces did not betray their emotions. From with the last villa on the street a face resembling the chubbiness and softness of a baby¡¯s emerged. This baby face was situated on top of a large body resembling a robust young man, one with a layer of excess blubber and wide shoulders. ¡°This peasant greets the Young Master Akachan,¡± Zetsubo and Kashoku bowed and spoke in unision. This young man was a noble, and the two friends would not carelessly anger one for fear of their political power. The Young Master looked at them bowing and licked his lips, a sick smile erupting on his baby face. Suddenly his face turned red in rage, and his expression became exceeding ugly. He took quick steps forward and exclaimed, ¡°Has no one taught you how to behave in front of a noble? Get on the ground you filthy beings!¡± He brought his foot up to Kashoku¡¯s head and proceeded to push him violently face first into the ground. ¡°Your bright hair is sickening; let me help you change its color.¡± To prove his point he left his shoe on Kashoku¡¯s head, twisting and turning his leg to leave as much dirt as possible in Kashoku¡¯s hair. He sneered at these poor beings, reveling in his sense of superiority. After a few seconds he had enough fun with this light haired brat and snapped his gaze to Zetsubo. What he saw shocked him. The boy was no longer bowing; instead his whole body was taut like a bowstring pulled as far back as possible. And he was obviously an arrow. His face seemed calm and serene. There was not a single crease visible, yet a few strands of his hair parted leaving his right eye completely visible. This eye exuded a frightening aura, and the Young Master felt his soul shake when he looked into this blue eye. He felt like he was looking into a raging ocean, an immovable mountain and the endless sky. Once he realized he felt intimidated, his fury knew no bounds. ¡°This fucker, you think you are better than me? I will show you just how inferior you are to me!¡± He stepped forward and hastily smacked Zetsubo with as much power as he could muster. Zetsubo did not flinch. Instead, when the hand hit him, he just continued staring as the Young Master screamed, holding his hand in agony. At the same time the fear that the Young Master first felt from Zetsubo¡¯s eyes multiplied. ¡®What the hell did he do?! It felt like I was punching a mountain of stone!¡¯ The Young Master could not understand what had happened, and he was beginning to panic. Originally he wanted the two peasants to carry his villa¡¯s feces to the river, and perhaps he would push them in after it. Yet now he had absolutely lost the initiative and was not in the position to demand anything. So he played his last card. He shouted, ¡°You bastards! I¡¯ll tell Big Brother about this and you¡¯ll wish you were dead!¡± He was then magnificently and extravagantly slapped in the face and flew over twenty meters back into his villa. ¡°Hopefully he hit his head against a stone wall and won¡¯t wake up for the next few days, then we¡¯ll have one person less that screams his head off in the morning. Honestly, I was just about to take a nap.¡± A man suddenly appeared, clapping his hands together in satisfaction as if he had done a good deed. The previous tension completely dissipated, and Zetsubo instantly crumpled together. ¡°Woah there buddy, don¡¯t die on me all of a sudden.¡± The man quickly moved, catching Zetsubo¡¯s falling body and hauled his unconscious body over the shoulder. ¡°And you Whitey, get up. It¡¯s embarrassing how long you¡¯ve been down there, unless you want to prove the overgrown manchild right, that you were made for dirt and slums or whatever.¡± Kashoku stood up with wide eyes, staring at the man in wonderment. He had seen what happened to the Young Master, and while he was sure he was stronger than the Young Master, this man sent him flying from a simple slap. He might be more powerful than the ¡°overgrown manchild¡±, but never would he be THAT much stronger. Seeing the expression that ¡°Whitey¡± had on his face made the man stick out his chest with pride, saying, ¡°I know I¡¯m awesome, right?¡± Kashoku¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and he stayed silent. The man laughed in his sense of superiority and awesomeness, then softened his voice slightly and told Kashoku, ¡°I¡¯ll be taking buddy here with me, I¡¯m gonna take care of him and all that crap for the time being. You need to go to instruction; you know how they treat skipping class here.¡± Kashoku was immediately doused in a cold feeling of horror, and quickly bowed saying, ¡°Thank you sir, please take good care of him. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± He urgently turned and hurried back to his broken dorm room. After a few steps a thought crossed Kashoku¡¯s mind. ¡®Huh, why did I leave him with a complete stranger? In fact, what did the man even look like?¡¯ No matter how much he tried to remember, he could not recall the man¡¯s appearance. Hastily turning around once more to look for the man, he only saw a few people hurrying to class, and not a single man carrying his friend. Confused and concerned he returned to his room and set off for class. ------- ¡®This guy is burning up, he¡¯s even beginning to shake. This isn¡¯t good, but what the hell happened to this guy? Why did he faint all of a sudden?¡¯ The man carrying Zetsubo was rapidly becoming more and more concerned about the boy, and rushed to a modest residence in a small forest within the walls. The building was basically a hut, one room of about twelve square meters containing a bed, some furniture such as a table and a few chairs, and a wardrobe. There were also various weapons strewed chaotically along the floor. He laid Zetsubo on the bed, and pursed his lips, thinking about what he should do. The child in front of him was sweating terribly, and a single look could tell you something was not right. Sadly, this man was completely clueless when it came to treating someone. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡®I should probably get the old hag¡­¡¯ he thought. He swiftly left the hut, sprinting through the forest¡­ ----------------- In Zetsubo¡¯s mind. He was in a dark room, the smell of rotting corpses wafting through the air. This room was huge, at least a square kilometer large, and completely pitch black. Scuffling noises, the occasional thud of blunt impact and grunting filled the room with a quiet menace. Suddenly there was a scream, an insane laughter and the scuttling of hundreds of things could be heard, rushing towards the scream. Zetsubo was frozen in fear; the atmosphere within this room was too frightening. Zetsubo had long lost a sense of time. He felt like he had been in here forever, and he could feel the hopelessness of starvation beginning to usurp his common sense. He could feel his instincts take over, throwing caution to the wind. He forced himself to stay seated as long as possible, hoping some change would come, but after an eternity of nothing he gave in and stood up. By now he was a weak and haggard thing, walking hunched over with crazed eyes and spit dripping from his half open mouth. He walked and walked, hoping to find something. After six hundred steps he froze, to his right he could hear slurping sounds. This went along with the sound of an animal feasting on his prey. Feasting. Food. These words took control of Zetsubo¡¯s mind, driving him towards this sound. He couldn¡¯t see anything, and his ears were his only guide. Suddenly the sounds stopped, and Zetsubo very clearly felt something dangerous was focusing on him. He instantly stopped, holding his breath. The sound of chains being dragged across the ground slowly drifted to his ears. He dared not move. Suddenly¡­ something touched his left arm. It was a slippery and left behind a warm liquid. Zetsubo lost his reason. He struck out to his left, connecting with this thing and hearing a light thud. Zetsubo screamed his challenge to this thing, rushing towards the impact he had felt, tripping on what presumably was the thing on the ground. Zetsubo searched with his frantic hands for the things form, finding limbs resembling arms and legs. On instinct, he followed the figure to where presumably the neck was, and began pressuring the form with all the strength he could muster. But the thing was not easy prey, it began flailing about and with great strength kicked and punched Zetsubo, but he did not relent. He continued, his mouth turning into a crazed grin and shouted gibberish in his madness. Slowly the thing calmed, and Zetsubo also halted his cries. His body racked with pain and barely able to breath, he swung his head back and began cackling, driven to insanity by the fact he had finally found food. In the distance a rumbling could be heard, but Zetsubo paid no attention to it. He had finally found something he could eat. Tearing at the being, his fingers turned to claws and he began eating the thing raw. His front quickly became soaked with blood, but he celebrated the fact that he had something to satiate his hunger and quickened his pace. The rumbling rapidly drew closer, but Zetsubo did not notice. The only thing he did notice was another thing bumping into him, and an ear splitting scream erupting from this thing after the contact. Zetsubo halted his meal, suddenly becoming aware of the rumbling coming from everywhere around him. He pushed the thing off of him, running as quickly as possible in a rondom direction. But after ten meters he felt another impact and fell to the floor, and another scream resounded through the huge area from right in front of him. He could not do anything else. Suddenly tens of hands fell on him, grabbing him and ripping his flesh, tearing him apart bit by bit. He howled, fighting against the mob of limbs attacking him but there were simply too many. He felt teeth bite off his ear, a hand rip his kneecap. Another pierced his stomach and began ripping out his intestines. Blood erupted from his mouth, choking him and stopping his scream. Another hand entered his mouth, pulling his tongue. Zetsubo wished he would fall unconscious, wished he would finally die, but it was not to be. He continued to feel the agony of these things feeding on him, and only once he felt his heart be torn out of his chest and destroyed did his consciousness fade away. Right before he was completely senseless, a voice resonated in his mind, ¡®Do you remember?¡¯ Then everything was calm. ---------------- ¡° - looks dead if you ask me.¡± A man¡¯s voice filled the air. ¡°Well I¡¯m not asking, am I? Just soak these and come back, and for god¡¯s sake shut your mouth.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯m just saying there¡¯s no way-¡° ¡°GET OUT!¡± Zetsubo slowly opened his eyes, unable to focus them. He turned his head and saw a hazed outline of a woman. He tried to ask her where he was, but his throat was too dry and all he could manage was a croak. At that the woman whirled around, and now he could make out thousands of wrinkles lining the face. ¡®This woman must be ancient¡¯ he thought. ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake. Don¡¯t try to speak, here¡¯s something to drink.¡± Zetsubo felt a cup press against his lips, then a cold liquid run down his throat. He gave a surprised grunt, the liquid tasted of homemade cake. The grandma beside him laughed, enjoying his reaction. His eyesight slowly improved and he began to look around him. He found himself in a small room covered by various skins of different animals, creating the mood of a relatively clean and high-class hut. He tried again, ¡°Where-¡° A shout interrupted him, originating from outside the hut. ¡°You old hag I¡¯m back, here¡¯s the cloth you forced me to soak.¡± A man entered the hut, and was promptly greeted by a flying pan in the face. Dropped :( Hey, for anyone still maybe waiting for me to release something, this project of mine has been dropped (and for a long time now) but I was just too scared (lazy) to say this without something else at the ready This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Sorry guys, might be releasing other stuff in the future though