《Re:Immortal》 Prologue ¡°S-Stop it! Stop this madness!¡± I shouted. I was surrounded by people from a small village. The faces I know, the buildings I lived in, the voices I recognize. Those people are now telling me, that I am a monster. I look down. Under me there is a pile of wood, and I am tied to a stake. The sun is shining at me, as I look around. ¡°K-Kill him!¡± one of the villagers says, as he throws a large rock at me. It hits me in the leg, crushing it. It hurts! It hurts so much! Someone¡­ please, save me! Save me! Save me, please! My leg gets swollen, but a few seconds later it regenerates. It looks as if nothing happened... as if there was no injury at all. ¡°P-Please! S-Stop this!¡± I scream in pain, and tears escape my eyes. Some of the villagers turn around, not to look at me. Mostly children and women. ¡°Shut up you demon! You won¡¯t deceive us!¡± the elder says, as he looks at me. There is a torch in his hand. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°No! Don¡¯t do this! Please! Don¡¯t do this! No! No! Stop this!¡± He slowly approaches me, and sets the wood on fire. It takes him some time, but it finally starts burning. He then looks at me with a smile. ¡°A demon should die like one.¡± ¡°Stop! Please! Believe me!¡± I shout, as the hot air touches me. And then I feel it. My legs are on fire. There is no way for me, to endure the pain I feel. There are no words, that can describe the horror of this moment. I¡¯m burning alive, and I can only scream. I try to move, but I¡¯m tied tightly. I try to release myself, I try to do anything, but there is nothing I can do. My skin is slowly peeling off from my legs, as my clothes catch the fire. I try to breathe, but smoke is the only thing I inhale. I cough¡­ I cough so much... ¡°Stop! Stop! Help me! God! Help! God, help me! No! No!¡± I look at them with pain. I look at them, but they don¡¯t look at me. Even the man that did this to me, can¡¯t look me in the eyes. I¡¯m burning alive. Every inch of my body is screaming in agony. It hurts! It hurts so much! Please, stop it! Please, someone help me! My eyes, I can¡¯t see anything! Help me! Help! My body is regenerating, while it¡¯s burning. I regain my sight, only to lose it again. My burnt limbs heal themselves rapidly, only to burn once more. My body melts... It hurts... It hurts... Please, it hurts... Please, someone... It hurts so much... It hurts... Someone¡­ please¡­ kill me. 1. A "family" ¡°What is this Adam?¡± a young girl asked me. She was about fiteen years old, but it¡¯s not like I was older than her. I was sitting on a bench, near a small, wooden house, playing with a small bug. It looked like an ant. ¡°Just an insect, don¡¯t worry¡­¡± I responded, and she smiled at me. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t play with living things. They feel pain too.¡± Yeah, she was probably right. I looked at her. She was wearing a green skirt, that was reaching to her knees, and a bronze vest. Her big green eyes were beautiful, just like her short blonde hair. ¡°Anyway Adam, don¡¯t you remember anything? A week has passed, since you started living in this village.¡± she said, and looked at me worried. Yeah¡­ A whole week has passed¡­ I don¡¯t remember much. I can probably say, that the only thing that I¡¯m sure of, is my name. Yeah, I¡¯m sure that my name is Adam, everything else is uncertain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± I responded, and she smiled. ¡°There is no reason to worry about it. I¡¯m sure it will come back to you¡­¡± Yeah, it probably will. A week ago I woke up in the forest. I was completely naked, and I didn¡¯t remember anything¡­ A weird thing to happen to a kid, I know. I looked at the buildings around me. I was now living in a small village, with kind people that would always help me. The sun was illuminating the houses, and a small forest near them. This village was really small. It had maybe four buildings in it, and about twenty people lived in here. ¡°Anyway, how about you Anna? Have you made any progress?¡± I asked, and she looked at me with confidence. ¡°Of course I did, just look at it!¡±
Name: Anna
Class: Villager
Skills: Cooking 10/(NO DATA) Cleaning (NO DATA)/(NO DATA)
STATS 10/10 HP 0/0 MP STATUS Alive
¡°I am! You should try my stew!¡±¡°Oh¡­ You are pretty good at cooking.¡± I said, and she sticked her chest out. Well, it¡¯s not like there was much to stick out. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s good, but I¡¯m more interested in this thing. Everyone has it, even children, so why I don¡¯t have one? Well, I don¡¯t know if I don¡¯t have one, but I don¡¯t know how to call it for sure. I tried many times, but nothing worked. ¡°Oh, are you playing?¡± I heard a familiar voice. When I looked into it¡¯s direction I saw an old man. He was maybe fifty years old, wearing simple, peasant¡¯s clothes. There were many wrinkles on his face, and his hair was grey, just like his beard. He looked old, but he didn¡¯t look weak at all. His posture was good, and he was tall... taller than me at least. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I was just showing Adam what I can do.¡± Anna said, and he laughed. An elder. The most important person in the village. His word has a lot of power in here, and others listen to him. He was the person that found me in the forest, and he gave me food, a place to live in, and clothes. A debt I can¡¯t repay. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Adam, I¡¯m sure you have many great skills.¡± he said and smiled. He was comforting me. I was the only one in here, that couldn¡¯t summon this weird thing. Even children that were younger that me, could do this. ¡°Anyway boy, my wife needs some help with the dinner¡­ Could you help her?¡± There was no reason to ask. I lived with him, and his wife. He has done so much for me¡­ ¡°Of course!¡± I said, and he smiled. ¡°She¡¯s waiting in the kitchen. Don¡¯t make her wait, you know how angry she can get.¡± Even if he said that, his wife was still a kind woman. When he took me to his house, she didn¡¯t say a word. She just helped me. Gave me some food, and prepared me a place to sleep. Those people were truly kind. I don¡¯t know who I am¡­ I don¡¯t know how I got here, but I¡¯m glad I met them. I¡¯m glad I met people like that¡­ ¡°I need to help my parents too Adam, see you later.¡± Anna said, and smiled at me. ¡°Yeah, see you later.¡± I replied, and went to the house that was near the bench I was sitting on. When I entered it, I looked around. I was in a small room, with a fireplace in the back of it. On top of a stove, that was on the right, there was a pot, and a nice smell was coming from it. Near it there was a table, on which an older woman was cutting some onions, and other vegetables. ¡°Oh, you came. Get me another pot!¡± she said, and smiled ¡°It¡¯s good to have someone who can help you.¡± I looked at her. She was about the same age as the elder. I didn¡¯t know that for sure, but I could see from her face that she was old. Her long, grey hair was made into a bun, and she was wearing a white apron, and blue dress. I walked towards the shelves, that were on the left of the oven, and then I took a pot out of them. After that I handed it to the lady. ¡°Oh, thank you Adam. It¡¯s good to have you here. This old man won¡¯t help me with anything.¡± she said, and put the vegetables into the pot ¡°Put it on the stove near the meat. I will clean the place.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I just responded, and did what she told me. It seemed that she was making a stew, or a soup of some sort. I don¡¯t know much about cooking, but the meat in the pot looked tasty, and the vegetables were full of color, When I turned around, she was cleaning the table. ¡°Just wait a little more, and it will be ready¡­ And change this shirt, it¡¯s so dirty! I didn¡¯t even see this before!¡± It¡¯s dirty? I looked down. I was wearing brown trousers, and green shirt. Both of them were full of dirt. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t want to¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this. Just change those clothes.¡± she said, and smiled. Don¡¯t worry about this? But those clothes aren¡¯t mine¡­ Those are the clothes of your¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t make a face like this. I told you that it doesn¡¯t matter. Just change them.¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± When I responded, she laughed a little. ¡°Now, don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡± They are too good for me. Too good for someone they don¡¯t even know. People like this¡­ I¡¯m glad I met people like this¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡± I said, and approached the door, that was on the left of the room. When I opened it, I saw wooden stairs, that were leading to the upper floor. I quickly walked on them, and I saw a small corridor with two doors. One to the left, and one to the right. I just opened the door to the left, and entered a small room. It had a one bed in the corner, and a wardrobe. Under a window there was a desk, with books, and documents on it. My room. I couldn¡¯t really call it that way. It wasn¡¯t truly mine. Yeah, it was a room of someone that died some time ago. A boy about my age killed by a demon. I was now wearing his clothes, and I was sleeping in his bed. It¡¯s weird. Really weird. Things like this are weird. It¡¯s weird that human can die like this... like an ant. I opened the wardrobe, and I found another shirt. It looked the same as the one I was wearing, with the only difference being that it was clean. On the wardrobe¡¯s door, there was a big mirror. When I changed into new clothes, I looked at myself. I don¡¯t remember anything. I don¡¯t even know who I am. I don¡¯t even recognize this boy before me. This small boy, maybe fifteen years old, with short, brown hair and big black eyes. I don¡¯t recognize his young face full of life. There is nothing I know about him. It¡¯s weird. It¡¯s like he¡¯s a different person¡­ Someone else, but not me... I don¡¯t know who I am. I don¡¯t know much about myself, but I know one thing. I won¡¯t die like this. I won¡¯t die like an ant. I don¡¯t want to die again¡­ Again? 2. Goddess of Life ¡°Look, you need to stretch the bow more.¡± Jacob said, and looked at me. We were now in the woods, training with a bow. I need to know how to defend myself, when the wolves come. They don¡¯t attack the village often, and the best thing to do when they come, is to hide in the house, but learning about things like this couldn¡¯t harm. I was trying to hit a small, wooden plank, that was attached to a tree with a nail. Near me there was a boy, older than me. He was taller, and well build, maybe because he was helping his family with the animals, and in the fields. ¡°I¡¯m not as strong as you are.¡± I said, and he laughed. ¡°I know¡­ I know¡­ But your technique is bad.¡± This boy was now crouching, and smiling at me. He was handsome, with short blonde hair, and big blue eyes. He looked very similar to Anna, but it wasn¡¯t weird, because they were siblings. ¡°Look, just give me it for a moment... ¡° when he said that, I gave him a bow, and he grabbed one of the arrows that were sitting on the ground ¡°When you stretch the bow, your arm needs to be straight, do you see? Just like that, and after that you let the arrow go, and¡­¡± He hit it. It pierced through the plank, and stopped after hitting the tree. ¡°Now, you see? Try it for yourself.¡± he said with a smile, while giving me the bow. It¡¯s easy to say, with your body. I can¡¯t even stretch the bow to that point¡­ Anyway, there are other things that interest me¡­ ¡°Jacob could you show me your abilities? I want to check something.¡± when I asked it, he looked at me in a funny way. ¡°Adam, it doesn¡¯t matter that you don¡¯t have a skill¡­ Everyone can learn something like this.¡± Yeah, he is probably right, but still¡­ ¡°Just show me, please.¡± When I asked him, he approached me. ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s nothing special.¡±
Name: Jacob
Class: Villager
Skills: Bows Mastery 15/(NO DATA) Working with Animals (NO DATA)/(NO DATA) Working on the fields (NO DATA)/(NO DATA) Throwing 22/(NO DATA)
STATS 45/45 HP 0/0 MP STATUS Alive
Yeah, as I thought. Using a bow is one of his skills. Anyway, what is this thing near it? ¡°Throwing¡±? Can¡¯t anyone do that? ¡°Why do you have a skill called ¡°Throwing¡±? Isn¡¯t it normal for people to be able to throw things?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s normal ¡°throwing¡±.¡± he responded, and smiled. After that he started looking for something on the ground. I didn¡¯t know what he wanted to show me, but I decided to wait. Finally, after about five minutes I heard his voice. He found something. Yeah, you could call it that way. He found a rock. A little big, but he could still hold it with one hand. ¡°Everyone can throw, but I¡¯m really good at it. When I was small, I would try to hit birds with rocks¡­ Well, can¡¯t say that it was easy, but after some time¡­¡± he stopped speaking, and swung his hand strongly. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The rock that he was holding flew with a lot of speed, and when it finally hit the tree, a hole appeared in it. It¡¯s not a normal strength. This hole is to big. It¡¯s not a normal scratch, it¡¯s a hole... ¡°You could kill a person with something like this¡­¡± I said, and he looked at me. ¡°You are right, but I still prefer bows. They are powerful, and more accurate.¡± Kill a person. You could kill a person with a rock like this. You could kill a big animal... If something like this would hit you in the head, it would kill you instantly. Something like this could break arms, and legs¡­ As I thought about this, he told me to try using the bow once again. I was too fascinated with his little ¡°show¡±, and I forgot why we even went here. I grabbed the bow once again, and took the arrow from the ground. The plank was twenty meters away from me¡­ I have never hit it. It¡¯s not like I even missed it, my arrows would just fall before getting to it. I tried to stretch the bow once again, this time using the technique he showed me. When I was sure that I couldn¡¯t stretch it more, I let the arrow go. ¡°Look! Look! You finally hit it! Hey, something happened?! Are you okay?¡± The momentum has done something to the arm, that was holding the bow. Maybe I dislocated it? Well, that¡¯s what I thought, but when I tried to move my arm, I didn¡¯t feel any pain. It¡¯s weird¡­ I¡¯m sure that something bad happened. I felt pain, didn¡¯t I? What happened? ¡°N-No it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± I said, and he looked at me. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that! Why did you even shouted?! I thought that something bad happened to you. Anna would kill me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t.¡± I responded, and smiled. It¡¯s weird. It¡¯s really weird. I felt pain¡­ I¡¯m sure of it. Well, maybe it was just a muscle being pulled with too much force? There is no reason to think about this now¡­ I hope there isn¡¯t. We decided to return to the village. I was satisfied with the outcome of our training, and I felt a little hungry. They day was still young, but I¡¯m sure that the old lady was preparing something good to eat. Yeah, she¡¯s good at cooking¡­ Why can¡¯t I do things like them? Why can¡¯t I show this weird table? I don¡¯t know anything about myself. Maybe I would learn something after doing this? ¡°Oh, you returned?¡± I saw a familiar girl, when we came back to the village. She was wearing her normal clothes, and in her hands she was carrying a basket with beautiful flowers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry sister, your boyfriend is sound and safe¡­ Hey don¡¯t look at me like this!¡± It seemed that Anna got angry, and I smiled a little. ¡°Don¡¯t say things like this!¡± I looked at her, and at the flowers in her hand. ¡°Where are you carrying them?¡± I asked, and Anna looked at me. ¡°To the shrine of Yuna, goddess of life, and love. It¡¯s near the entrance to the forest. It¡¯s weird that you didn¡¯t see it.¡± Goddess of life? I remember the old man, saying something about it, but I have never seen it. ¡°Who would travel on the road, when you can go through the forest.¡± Jacob responded. Goddess of life¡­ ¡°Can I go with you?¡± I asked, and Anna looked at me with a blush. Something happened? ¡°Adam, you are a true man! Don¡¯t you know, that when you two people visit a shrine of the goddess of love, then¡­¡± he couldn¡¯t end his sentence, because he was interrupted by the girl. ¡°S-Shut up! You can go. Yeah, we can go together, there is no problem.¡± I don¡¯t understand? Have I said something wrong? I thought about it, and Jacob left us alone. He took the arrows, and a bow with him, and smiled at me. He didn¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t understand why, and I also didn¡¯t understand why the girl beside me was blushing. It¡¯s not like I cared. What I cared about, was the shrine, and the goddess. ¡°Are there more gods?¡± ¡°Of course there are more gods. Hundreds of them, but only a few are powerful or known enough, to have their own religions.¡± Hundreds of gods? I didn¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t know anything. It didn¡¯t take us long to approach the shrine, because as the girl said, it was located near the entrance to the forest. The shrine was simple. There was a figurine of a beautiful lady with long hair, made of wood. She was wearing a long dress, as she smiled with her hands folded. I looked at her, and everywhere around her flowers were placed. Yeah, it was a beautiful shrine, but for some reason it made me feel uneasy¡­ ¡°Just wait here for a moment. I will change the flowers, after that we can pray.¡± Anna said, and smiled. Pray? Pray here? I don¡¯t even know this ¡°goddess¡±. It¡¯s weird. Why I feel uneasy? Why I feel sick when I look at her? Her smile is sickening. Her face is twisted. She¡¯s mocking me. ¡°Come now Adam. Fold your hands, and we will pray. There are no special incantations, just say anything you want.¡± the girl said with a smile, and closed her eyes. I looked at the figurine one more time. Pray? It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t do that¡­ I folded my hands, and I felt it. Pain that was hard to describe. As if someone was touching my brain from the inside¡­ My hands were trembling, and I lost the control over my legs. ¡°W-What is this? What is this place? It¡¯s sickening. It hurts.¡± I thought, and lost my consciousness. 3. Dont trust the villagers Who am I? Why am I here? I shouldn¡¯t be here. I have better things to do¡­ I won¡¯t be crushed again. I won¡¯t be killed again¡­ Never again¡­ I¡¯m immortal. I¡¯m immortal, I won¡¯t die. Never again¡­ I will never die. I am the god. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t pray in places like this Adam.¡± a playful voice of a girl escaped the void. Where am I? Am I sleeping? I don¡¯t remember much¡­ Flowers, a small shrine, and a goddess¡­ Goddess of life¡­ Why was I feeling bad? Who am I? Adam¡­ Adam? Am I a boy? I¡¯m not a boy, I¡¯m sure¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t trust the villagers Adam.¡± one more time I heard a girl¡¯s voice, and then she started laughing. At first her laugh was quiet, almost non-existent, but after a while it became louder, and crazier. Who¡­ What is this? ¡°Adam! Adam! Can you see me?!¡± Anna was calling me. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on her knees. I felt bad, my hands were trembling, and I had a fever. I felt so hot¡­ ¡°Adam!¡± the girl shouted one more time. ¡°I c-can hear you. There is no reason to shout.¡± I said, and she started crying. W-What happened? I came here with her, to this shrine¡­ She told me to pray with her, so I did just that. When I folded my hands, I felt something¡­ Something scary. As if I was hated, as if this shrine was rejecting me. ¡°W-What happened to you?! You suddenly collapsed! Have Jacob done something to you? Were you tired?¡± the girl was talking all the time, only making my fever worse. My fever¡­ What fever? I don¡¯t feel hot at all. I don¡¯t feel bad. ¡°Let me take a look at your head. You have fallen on the rocks. Something might have happened to you!¡± I have fallen on what? The girl took a good look at my body. She wanted to make sure, that I didn¡¯t hurt myself, after I collapsed. It took her about ten minutes, to finally calm down. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that you don¡¯t have any wounds. It must be a miracle! Thank Yuna for that!¡± Thank Yuna? Goddess of life? ¡°Wait here, I will call the elder. He will get you to your home. Just don¡¯t move from here!¡± the girl said, and started running away. It¡¯s not like I can run away from here. I looked around. To my right was this small shrine, with the goddess still smiling at me. It makes me sick. Just looking at her makes me sick. I can¡¯t understand the reason. What is wrong with me? Her eyes, her dress, her smile¡­ They are disgusting. I slowly get up, looking at myself, to see if I have any wounds. There weren¡¯t any. Was this even the truth? Have I really fallen on some rocks? I must have hit myself really hard, if that was the case. I touched my head, but I couldn¡¯t feel anything unusual. What even happened? Why have I collapsed? I felt good, and everything changed when I started praying in here¡­ ¡°Adam! Are you alright?!¡± I heard the man¡¯s voice, coming from the entrance to the forest. The elder was now running here, with Anna. I could see his worried face. I¡¯m glad that I live with people that are so kind to me¡­ I¡¯m glad I met them¡­ ¡°Adam! Are you alright? Something happened?¡± he started speaking, when he approached me. He was tired, and breathing heavily. ¡°N-Nothing happened. I¡¯m good.¡± I responded, and he smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t scare us like that! What even happened in here? Have you been feeling unwell? You should have told us.¡± I¡¯m glad. I¡¯m glad that they are worrying about me¡­ ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I¡¯m telling the truth. I feel good now.¡± I said, and both of them looked at me. Yeah, I feel good. Nothing really happened to me. I feel good. It¡¯s alright. ¡°Come home. My wife should take a look at you.¡± Yeah, he is probably right. I should be careful. People live only once¡­ People live only once? I looked at Anna and the elder. Both of them were now walking to the village, and I just went after them. There was no reason to stay here. This place made me feel uneasy for some reason. Yeah, I don¡¯t want to stay in this place. I looked back at the shrine. There were some rocks near it. Small, but pointy rocks. What is it? Some of them are a little red? Is this blood? No, it can¡¯t be¡­ Anna didn¡¯t see anything, and I didn¡¯t notice it before. I don¡¯t even have any wounds¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t trust the villagers¡­ This voice¡­ I remember it? A name¡­ I¡¯m sure that I remember a name. A single name. What was that? ¡°Is something bothering you?¡± Anna said, and I looked at her. ¡°Do you know the name Tiaris?¡± 4. The wolves are coming I hate cutting wood. I¡¯m not strong, nor am I big. Things like this just aren¡¯t made for me, but those are the things I must do. Even if you hate something, sometimes you need to do this. This is how the world works. I was cutting the wood behind the elder¡¯s house. A month has passed, since I started living with him. In this time I got to know him, and everyone in the village. I learned how to work, and how to help others. I wanted to be useful. I hope I am useful. I looked around. The leaves on the trees were starting to change their colors. Autumn was coming, and the days have become a little colder. I didn¡¯t dislike it that much. Jacob and Anna would tell me, that hey hate when it¡¯s cold, but I¡¯m a little different than them. Maybe I¡¯m weird? I don¡¯t really know. ¡°This should be the last one.¡± I said, as I cut another piece of wood. I needed to prepare it for the winter, but there is no reason to spend the whole day on it. I still had some time. I still had some time¡­ ¡°Do you know the name Tiaris?¡± I didn¡¯t know that this question, would make them so angry. How did I even know that name? A goddess of madness, pain and hatred. I didn¡¯t remember anything new after that. Why did I remember that name? ¡°Adam are you done?¡± I heard a familiar voice. It was Anna. She was looking at me, and smiling. ¡°Something happened?¡± I asked, and looked at the basket in her hands. I could smell something good coming from it. ¡°The elder¡¯s wife has told me to give you this. She¡¯s saying that you should get some rest for today, and eat something good.¡± Yeah, there is no reason to work today. Especially now, that I have something really tasty to eat. As I looked at the basket, a loud noise escaped my stomach, and Anna laughed. ¡°Come, eat.¡± she said, and I did just that. This lady has gave me some sandwiches. and apples. I liked her cooking, but I was too hungry to even think about the taste. I ate quickly, as if someone was going to take my food away. It seemed to entertain Anna, because she looked at me all the time. It¡¯s not like I cared. I was happy. The way I lived now. I was happy. ¡°If you are free after that, then maybe you would like to go with me to the forest? I want to look for mushrooms. I know that the autumn has just started, but I¡¯m sure we will find something.¡± Anna said, as I was eating.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I don¡¯t see a problem with that.¡± I just responded, and she smiled. Days like this are nice. There is no reason to refuse her. I like walking through the forest, it calms me down. The sound that the leaves make, when they are moved by the wind. It¡¯s calming, and nice. ¡°Are you done?¡± Anna said, when I ate the last apple. I was a little sad, that the food was gone, but there was nothing I could do. I just nodded, and looked around. I have cut a lot of wood. Two weeks of a work like this, and we will be ready for the winter. Yeah, maybe I have a skill now. Something like ¡°woodcutter¡±. Who knows? Well, it¡¯s not like I can check it. Even after all this time, I haven¡¯t found out, how to call for this weird table. I asked many people, but they told me that this is natural for them. That they don¡¯t even think about it. It¡¯s like a second nature for them. ¡°Come Adam. You¡¯ll see, that we will find something good.¡± the girl said, and I started walking after her. As I was on the road, I looked at the houses around. I looked at this small village. Who knew, that I would met people so kind. They aren¡¯t rich, but they are truly kind. Truly kind¡­ ¡°Run! Run!¡± a woman was running towards us. I knew her, she was one of the villagers, and it seemed that she went to the shrine. She was thin, with a face full of terror. When I looked at her, I noticed a child. She was carrying a small boy, maybe three years old with her. He was crying for some reason. ¡°W-What happened?!¡± Anna shouted, and the woman tripped. Both she, and the boy have fallen into the ground. ¡°T-The wolves! The wolves are coming!¡± Wolves? Wolves are coming? Why¡­ Wait, I don¡¯t understand¡­ What should we do? What is going to happen? Where?! Where are they? What is she talking about?! I can¡¯t see them! I looked at the woman one more time. She got up, and was running towards us once again, with the child in her hands. ¡°Adam, we need to hide! We need to tell the others!¡± I heard the scared voice of the girl beside me. Yeah¡­ You are right. We need to hide. We need to¡­ I looked at the child one more time. He was about three hundred meters from us¡­ He should get here in time. There is no way that he will¡­ I thought about those things, but then I looked behind him. A wolf... A wolf was standing there. I was looking at the entrance to the forest. A big, gray wolf was looking me in the eyes. He was large¡­ It didn¡¯t seem normal¡­ Why is he so large? As I looked at him, I noticed smaller shadows that were walking behind him. Another ones. They are here to kill us. This child¡­ He won¡¯t get here on time. He will die¡­ Him, and this woman will die. Part of me wanted to help them. Part of me wanted save this boy, and a woman¡­ A small, insignificant part of me¡­ I started running to the elder¡¯s house. I needed to tell him. I needed to tell the others. We need to close the doors, we need to barricade! I was running. I have never run like this before. ¡°No! Leave me! Help me! Please!¡± Screams. Screams of this woman behind me, and the cries of this young boy. I looked around and I saw that one of the wolves was biting her leg. She tried to defend herself, but there wasn¡¯t anything she could do. I didn''t want to look at it. I couldn''t look at it. I just turned around, and ran as fast as I could. Soon after that, their voices disappeared. 5. Immortal sacrifice The horror of being chased by someone who wants to kill you - who wants to eat you alive. It¡¯s hard to describe it. Every step is important, because you won¡¯t get another chance. Every second takes so much time, making it seem as if the world stopped only for you. Your legs tremble, and eyes begin to water, as your breathing gets louder, and louder. You finally look back. Where are they!? Where are they!? Did I run away? Am I safe?! You are not safe. Stupid wishes like this don¡¯t come true. Your heart begin to pound faster, as you take another look. After that you take another one. You need to see. You need to know, where they are. You need to make sure. It¡¯s too scary, not to know. This is your last mistake. You get slower, and you don¡¯t even look where you are running. It¡¯s so easy to trip over. It¡¯s so easy to miss a rock, or a small hole in the ground. You try to get up, but you know it¡­ You know it in your heart¡­ You are going to die. ¡°Adam!¡± Anna shouted, when she looked at me. She didn¡¯t stop¡­ She didn¡¯t hesitate even for a moment. Why would she? She needed to survive. People don¡¯t live for others, nor they need to die for them. We don¡¯t live in a fantasy world¡­ I think we don¡¯t. When I turned around, I saw it... I looked at the wolf. I looked at his teeth, and I looked at his mouth. I could see it so clearly. His tongue, and beautiful fur. It was so close. So close¡­ I screamed in pain, as he bit my hand. So much blood. There is so much blood. I didn¡¯t know, that I could bleed so much¡­ Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I tried to kick him, but it didn¡¯t help. As I fought with him, I saw the others running towards us. I was going to die... Anna, help me! Please, help me! Come here! Why are you running!? Please! Help! It didn¡¯t take them long, to get to me. They must have been really hungry, because they didn¡¯t wait at all. One of them bit my leg, growling angrily. I tried to fight, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do. I hit one of them in the nose, but it only made him madder. Yeah, he got so mad, that he attacked my throat, and he tore it open¡­ So much blood. There is so much blood. Their mouths, teeth, fur¡­ All covered in my blood... I couldn¡¯t breathe¡­ It was a first time in my life that I felt so helpless. He kept my neck in his mouth, looking at me with anger. I felt that my stomach was getting teared open. It seemed that one of them decided to use his claws. This pain couldn¡¯t be described with words, but getting eaten alive¡­ This was even worse. I wanted to scream. I really did, but I couldn¡¯t. That¡¯s why I just looked in the sky, waiting for the pain to go away. I looked at the clouds, thinking that I will die¡­ How wrong I was¡­ I started screaming when the wolf let go of my neck. My throat healed almost instantly. I didn¡¯t understand it, but there was something far more important right now. I wasn¡¯t dying... No! Help! H-Help! Please! Someone! I looked around the village with pain, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone. It seemed that they hid in their houses. I could only scream. I wanted to call them, but words wouldn¡¯t escape my mouth. I could only scream... Don¡¯t leave me! Please! Don¡¯t leave me! Help me! I don¡¯t want to die! I don¡¯t want to be here! Please! Help me! My hand! Don¡¯t! No! I screamed once again, when one of them ripped my hand away. It grew back¡­ It grew back in the same moment! Why?! Why is this happening?! Someone, please! Help me! Save me! Please! I grabbed some sand from the ground, and I threw it at them. Of course it didn¡¯t help much, because once more it only angered them. It angered them so much, that one of them decided to rip my head off. 6. Covered in blood I have woken up in the puddle blood. It was everywhere, on the ground, on the walls of the buildings, on the now red grass¡­ The smell¡­ It was disgusting. Why is there so much blood? What happened? I looked around. Everything was covered in it. There was so much of it, that it must have originated from several, maybe ten bodies. The ground was so wet¡­ Why? What happened? What is making that noise? An animal? Near the center of the village, a lone wolf was eating something. He was greedily biting a piece of human¡¯s body. A head¡­ This face¡­ I recognize it¡­ Those big black eyes, and short brown hair¡­ Lookin at me like that¡­ My breathing got louder, when I remembered. My hands trembled when I looked at it. My legs, arms... My head. Parts of my body lying on the ground... My intestines, covering the road. ¡°N-No... N-No... Please¡­ Stop!¡± I looked at the wolf. The day was ending, and he was the only one the didn¡¯t leave the village. One¡­ Two¡­ Three¡­ Three heads were lying on the ground. Each one of them looked the same, staring at me with empty eyes. ¡°S-Stop, please¡­¡± I said, and got up slowly. I approached him, walking through the piles of bones and limbs. He didn¡¯t seem to care, nor did he look at me. Does it taste so g-good? L-Leave it¡­ Leave it please¡­ Leave me! When I was near him, he growled with anger, as if he wanted to defend his food. His meal. I¡¯m not your meal. M-My head, leave it. Leave it please. Stop¡­ The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Why are you so angry? I should be the one to be angry¡­ Leave it! Leave it. Leave it. Leave it. Leave it! I grabbed one of the rocks from the ground, and threw it at him. When it hit him, he looked at me irritated. His teeth were showing, and he was getting ready to jump on me. I just grabbed another rock from the ground. When I was bending, he attacked me. Once again I felt the teeth penetrating my neck. He threw me on the ground, and I felt the same pain as before. I will kill you¡­ I will kill you all! I started smashing his head with the rock. At first he didn¡¯t seem to care, and just waited for me to stop resisting¡­ He waited for me to die¡­ There was no end to his waiting. He whined a little, when I hit his eye. I didn¡¯t wait, and hit him again, and again, and again¡­ He started bleeding, and his grip became weaker. He released me only, when I attacked his eye so strong, that the rock got stuck in it. When he backed off, my throat healed once again. The pain¡­ It seemed so bad before, but now I didn¡¯t even notice it. As I got up, the wolf looked at me with anger. I didn¡¯t care, and I just grabbed another rock. I will kill you. I will kill you¡­ I will kill you... When I approached him, he started running towards the forest. Why¡­ Why did you do that to me? I touched my neck, and then my head, to see if it was still in its place. Why? What happened? Why are my body parts lying on the ground? I looked at the head of the boy that was now under my feet. It was hard to describe it. It had so many wounds, and one of the eyes was missing, but I was sure¡­ It was mine¡­ Why¡­ Why? Why is this happening? The tears finally escaped my eyes. I was crying like a child, when I remembered. Remembered how they ripped my body apart - how they fed on on it. This boy¡­ Who is it? He¡¯s not me! I didn¡¯t die! It¡¯s not me! Me legs felt weak, and I fell to the ground. I tried to get up, but I was too tired¡­ I was just lying there, covered in my own blood. As I cried, I heard a noise of the opening door. A man that I knew for so long, that helped me, and raised me¡­ He was now looking at me with disgust. 7. Character card In Amizan people lived happy lives. Demihumans, elves, humans, dwarves¡­ But then he came¡­ Lord of darkness. Many know about him, and his armies of chaos. They march through the nations, killing everything they can see. Beasts so scary, that they can be hardly described with words. They kill with such brutality, that it¡¯s hard to recognize the bodies. Butchers - demons with three heads, and big axes. They are similar to humans, but they are three times bigger. Succubi - demons of lust and sex. They lure men away from their homes, to feed on their flesh. Horrors, Nightmares, Knights of hell¡­ There was no hope, but the gods heard the prayers of their people, and chose their heroes to fight with the dark lord. Many songs were made after that, telling their tales, and describing their bravery. But one goddess refused to call her hero. She has waited patiently for one special boy, that was now being burned alive. You see, people are scared of demons. Lord of darkness still lives, and commands his hordes. People are scared, and they should be. They are scared of Butchers, Succubi, Knights of hell, but there is something scarier than them. Folks have many legends about them - shapeshifters. Your son, father, wife¡­ A morning kiss from a special person¡­ A bowl of soup from your mother¡­ A small smile from someone you love¡­ Only to be killed, by a monster that doesn¡¯t even have a face. A young boy died, killed by one of them. His tongue was removed, and legs crushed. He was found many days later crucified to a tree. The last thing he saw, was his mother changing into something he couldn¡¯t recognise. It¡¯s hardly surprising, that his father would burn one of those things alive¡­ That a young boy, would throw a rock at it with disgust... That a girl that loved it, would turn around¡­ It¡¯s hard to kill a shapeshifter. Swords can¡¯t hurt their hard skin, and they can live for hundreds of years, but they are pretty weak. That¡¯s why they use deception, and tricks. But this boy wasn¡¯t a demon nor was he even a bad person. He wasn¡¯t, but who would listen to someone, who regenerated his head three times¡­ A boy who didn¡¯t die, while being burned alive. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Sanity is like ice, it¡¯s weak against fire. It¡¯s hard not to change, when your skin burns on you, and your flesh screams in pain. It¡¯s hard to stay the same, when your eyes melt. Before he lost his consciousness a small window appeared before him.
Name: Adam
Class: Apostle of Madness, Villager, (NO DATA)
Skills: Intimidation: Weak, Intimidation: Strong, High regeneration, Berserk 199/1000, Fear 230/1000, Blessing of the Mad Queen, Fast learner: Weak, Sword Mastery 100/1000
STATS 1/30(-5) HP 200/200 MP STATUS Alive Cursed: You can''t die Madness has consumed you: Your attacks deal more damage, but your intelligence is lowered. (INTIMIDATION: WEAK - ADDED) High Regeneration: You regenerate 20% of your HP per second. Tiaris likes you: It seems that the goddess of madness likes you. Your attacks deal now more damage. (BERSERK - ADDED) Tiaris likes you a lot: It seems that the goddess of madness likes you a lot. Your attacks have a chance to make your enemy run. (FEAR - ADDED) Tiaris adores you: It seems that the goddess of madness adores you. Your speech is lowered, but you can use intimidation while talking. (INTIMIDATION: STRONG - ADDED) Tiaris loves you: It seems that the goddess of madness loves you. Her presence can be felt near you, and she gives you her blessing. (BLESSING OF THE MAD QUEEN - ADDED) Givton is interested in you: It seems that the god of wisdom is interested in you. In your next level up, you will get two more skills. (FAST LEARNER: WEAK - ADDED) Zothar is interested in you: It seems that god of war is interested in you. Your sword mastery is increased. (SWORD MASTERY - ADDED) Yuna dislikes you - It seems that the goddess of life dislikes you. Your HP is lowered. Yuna dislikes you a lot: It seems that the goddess of life dislikes you a lot. You are now weak against fire. Yuna hates you: It seems that the goddess of life hates you. You can''t pray near her shrines anymore. Chosen one: You have been chosen by one of the gods. A great and epic adventure awaits you.
After that the villagers made the biggest mistake in their lifes. They decided to bury him alive. 8. Buried alive It¡¯s dark. It¡¯s dark. I can¡¯t see anything! I can¡¯t see light! I can¡¯t move! Please! Someone! Why am I here?! What is this place?! I can¡¯t see! Help me! I try to scream, but I can¡¯t. I try to move, but I can¡¯t. I try to open my eyes, but I can¡¯t. This wet feeling. This crushing feeling. No¡­ No¡­ No, no, no¡­ No! No! My breathing gets faster, but it doesn¡¯t help. There is no air around me. My bones get crushed, as I try to move. I can feel the sand getting into my nose, and mouth. No! No, please! No! Stop! No! No! Not this! Not this! I don¡¯t¡­ Please! Stop! Help me! Get me out of here! Help me! Help me! Help me! Somebody help me! I can¡¯t breathe! I can¡¯t breathe! No! No! For the first few minutes, I struggle. I want to breathe, but I can¡¯t. I feel only fear, as I understand that I can¡¯t move my body. I can¡¯t move my body¡­ No¡­ No¡­ My crushed bones heal themselves, and break once again. I lose my consciousness, and regain it after some time. Once again I try to breath, but I can¡¯t. Once again I try to move, but I can¡¯t. Once again I feel, as my bones get crushed. I panic, as I try to move my fingers, I can¡¯t see my body, and after some time I can¡¯t feel it too. The blood doesn¡¯t reach my legs, arms, and brain. I lose my consciousness once again. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And then I regain it¡­
You have lost your mind You should look for someone who can help you, or the status will get permanent.
I want to scream once again, I try to move my fingers. I can¡¯t breathe¡­ I need to breathe! I feel as my bones get crushed, but there is nothing I can do. I feel the numbness in my legs¡­ Blood doesn¡¯t reach them¡­ No! No! Stop! Please! Help me! I feel as my mind leaves me again¡­
You have lost your mind You should look for someone who can help you, or the status will get permanent.
And then it returns to me. No! Please! Please! Stop! Help me! I try to breathe, but I can¡¯t. There is no air¡­ There is no hope¡­ My fingers¡­ I can¡¯t move them¡­ No¡­ Please! Stop! I don¡¯t want to... No! Not again¡­ Breathe! Breathe! I need to breathe! No! My ribs! No! My leg¡­ Stop! Please! Stop! I lose my consciousness¡­ I wake up once again.
You have lost your mind You should look for someone who can help you, or the status will get permanent.
I can feel the sand in my lungs. The more I lay here, the more of it gets inside of me. My fingers? Do I even have fingers? I can¡¯t feel my body. Where am I? What is this place? Why is here so dark? I can¡¯t breathe! No! No! It can¡¯t be¡­ No! Kill me¡­ Kill me! I lose my consciousness, and then I regain it. I try to breathe, but I can¡¯t. I try to move, but I can¡¯t. Kill me! I don¡¯t want to wake up. I don¡¯t want to wake up. I don¡¯t want to wake up. My bones get crushed, and I lose my consciousness once again, but I don¡¯t die. I wake up once again. And again. And again. And again. I wake up. I wake up. I wake up¡­ Wake up¡­ Wake up¡­ I can¡¯t even scream, as the time flows around me. 9. Lost your mind How much time has passed, since I was buried alive? I can¡¯t see the light. I don¡¯t see the days passing¡­ I don¡¯t even know for how long I am unconscious¡­ Why? Why did they do that to me? Didn¡¯t they help me? I don¡¯t understand¡­ I don¡¯t understand! As I tried to breathe, I thought about them one more time. About the girl, and the boy. The villagers, and the man that burned me alive. The way he looked at me¡­ Did you not take me with you? Have you not helped me? Maybe¡­ Maybe I should¡­ Break your legs?
You have lost your mind You should look for someone who can help you, or the status will get permanent.
I don¡¯t move as much, as I did before. I got used to pain, but I still felt anger. Sadness¡­ There is so much sadness. If I could only make them disappear, I wouldn¡¯t be so sad. If I could break his legs, I wouldn¡¯t be so sad. If I could cut his arms, and head. Break his spine, and watch him, as he dies. Or tie him up to a chair, and break his fingers. Burn him alive¡­ A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Those were the only thoughts I had for some time. I didn¡¯t even think about leaving this place. I didn¡¯t think about being free. The only thing I wanted, was their deaths. From time to time, my sanity would come back to me, and I would try to dig myself out of this grave. Yeah, from time to time¡­ But after that I would just stay here, and think. From time to time I would think, about how I want them to help me, but then I would remember their faces. I don¡¯t want them to help me, I want to kill them. I feel as one of my hands becomes numb. I feel my ribs breaking, under the pressure. For how time, have I stayed here? I didn¡¯t move at all. I didn¡¯t move hands, legs, head¡­ It¡¯s hard to stay in only position only. I want to move. Only a little. Can I? Can I? Please, only a little. I will come back. I promise. I just want to move my legs a little. I just want to breathe for a moment. It¡¯s nice¡­ It¡¯s nice to feel the air¡­ Please? Please¡­ Please! Break. I should break him¡­ I will kill him. I will burn his village. I will burn his face. Why won¡¯t you come for me? I have stayed here for long enough. I promise, I won¡¯t be angry. We can be friends. A family... It can be like before.
You have lost your mind You don''t look like a human to me anymore.
10. A thought in a broken mind Hey child! Would you want to come with me? Why are you here? You shouldn¡¯t stay in a place like this¡­ Why are you naked? Do you understand me? Do you need help? Come, cover yourself with this. You should warm yourself. For how long were you walking? It¡¯s itchy. Ahh¡­. My hands. My hands are itchy. Heh¡­ My hands are itchy. If a worm could scratch them¡­ Oh¡­ I can feel them¡­ Worms, they are everywhere¡­ Inside of me¡­ Heh¡­ Heheh... Come child. Cover yourself. It¡¯s cold outside, you should warm yourself. We will give you something to eat. Are you hungry? It doesn¡¯t matter. You should eat. You look skinny. Your eyes are hollow. Were you scared? There is no reason to be scared. Breathe¡­ I need to breathe! Or do I? Where am I? Why is it so dark? I can¡¯t move my legs¡­ Could someone help me? I can¡¯t move. An old man burned a child. Have you seen it? Why did he do that? I can¡¯t understand old people. Old generation is weird¡­ Maybe the child deserved it? I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t see it. I wasn¡¯t there. Hey! Someone!? Help me! I can¡¯t move my leg! Be a good child¡­ Be a good child! Don¡¯t move! Don¡¯t move! Stay! Good¡­ Good dog. Where am I? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. An old man burned a child. Have you seen it? I have seen him. I was there. I saw the look on his face. They will bury him alive, and the day will end. Don¡¯t touch the boy! He is a demon! Just¡­ Let him burn. An old man burned a child¡­ I will grant him death. Slay his wife, and burn his flesh. Have you seen it? I was there. I was burning, while they looked at my face. Where am I? I can¡¯t move! Someone! Please! Help me! I can¡¯t breathe! Please! My legs! I can¡¯t feel my legs! No one cries, when demon dies. When you kill a pig, you need to cut its throat. One cut, but be precise. You don¡¯t want the animal to suffer. I don¡¯t hit it with a hammer, but others do¡­ It can help, but when you miss, the animal will get scared. We can¡¯t let it happen, do you understand? Take the knife. Take it! Listen to me. Do you see this place? Cut here. Just take the knife, and cut. Do I need to show you?! Give me that! Make me proud boy. It¡¯s like¡­ It¡¯s like having a son again. Who knows, maybe Yuna has given me another chance? A chance to make things right this time. I¡¯m talking nonsense. Just ignore me Adam. Just ignore everything, you should go to sleep. Look, it¡¯s late, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s like I have a son again. It¡¯s like having son again Adam. Are you my son Adam? We are family now. We will be family forever. Do you like the girl Adam? You don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about? Anna¡­ I¡¯m talking about Anna. I see you two often playing with each other. Who knows, maybe you will marry her¡­ Heh, there is no reason to get red. Come, we should return to the house. It never happened. What I¡¯m thinking about? It never happened¡­ Where am I? The cycle¡­ You can¡¯t break the cycle¡­ We are all lost. He will come for us. The lord of darkness is coming, with his legions he is marching, and no one is ready. Only I am ready¡­ The ground¡­ I felt that the ground above me was moving. My mind returned to me in an instant, as I tried to move my fingers. Once again I felt the pain¡­ My ribs getting broken, and the numbness of my hands. I felt the tears in my eyes, as I realized¡­ I realized that someone was digging me out. 11. Reborn as intended Who am I? Why was I born? Is there a reason for me to exist? I wonder¡­ Once more I heard the noise of the ground moving above me. I heard as someone¡­ something was digging me out. It wasn¡¯t a human. The movement was too fast, reminding me of a dog, or a wolf, but I didn¡¯t feel stressed, nor did it scare me. The first thing it dig out was my left hand. I couldn¡¯t see anything, as I felt the warmth of the mouth that bit my hand. This feeling¡­ It was such a good feeling¡­ I tried to move my body, pushing the ground above me. It took me some time, but I finally freed my other hand. When I did, I felt something cold on it. A small breeze, and a weird wetness around my fingers. Snow¡­ It was snow. I moved my leg a little, and after some time it got out. The animal was still biting my hand, as if he didn¡¯t care, that I was still alive after being buried alive. I couldn¡¯t blame him, I didn¡¯t care either. I used my right hand, to move the ground above me face. It took my five minutes, but I did it¡­ I could finally open my eyes. I teared up, as I saw the cloud before me. The day¡­ the trees¡­ the snow¡­ I looked at the clouds, as I felt the cold wind touching my eyes. . Is it a dream? Am I dreaming? I thought about those things, but when I felt the pain in my left arm I knew, that it wasn¡¯t a dream. It was real. I heard a noise. The same I heard, when the wolves ate me alive in the village... Once again the teeth clenched on my arm, but I didn¡¯t feel like screaming. I didn¡¯t feel like crying from pain¡­ I didn¡¯t feel like praying¡­ I moved my hand that was now bitten, and scratched the tongue of the animal. My nails were long, but it¡¯s not like I could cut them in here¡­ It seemed to work, because it let go of my hand. Even under the ground, I could feel that I was regenerating right now. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I¡¯m free¡­ I used my hands to free my head, and after that I released the other leg. It took my some time to release my torso, but I was finally able to move. It seemed that the wolf was still looking at me with anger, but I didn¡¯t care. I heard my bones, as I tried to get up. Staying in one position for so long had its effect. My muscles were weak, and it took me some time to even sit. When I did, I looked around. I was surrounded by trees covered in snow, sitting in hole. I saw the wolf panting at me angrily, and then I looked at my body. I was thin¡­ Really thin¡­ My hair was long, and it lost a lot of its color¡­ It almost looked grey. As I looked at my legs, I noticed the lack of muscles on them. They were skinny, like that of a chicken. Once again I heard the growling of a wolf, and I looked at him. He was angry. I could see his teeth clearly, as he circled around me. Do you want to attack me? I slowly stood up, and got out of the grave. Me every move was slow, and I was free of openings but the animal didn¡¯t attack. It was weird, he seemed to be scared. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure what he felt, but I knew what I felt. ¡°Get out¡­¡± I said with difficulty, and he growled, as if he understood me ¡°Get out¡­ Don¡¯t touch me¡­ Don¡¯t sniff me¡­ Don¡¯t even look at me.¡± I don¡¯t know why I said those things, but the animal seemed to be careful. He walked slowly, looking at me for the whole time. His paws, fur, nose¡­ I looked at them, and I realized¡­ I¡¯m hungry¡­ My stomach was damaged by the gastric acid. I don¡¯t know for how much I didn¡¯t eat, but I knew that I was hungry. I could eat anything. Anything¡­ I looked at the wolf one more time, and started approaching him. My eyes were partially closed, and damaged by the sudden sunlight, but I could still see him clearly... He was running away. Running away from me. As I looked at him, I fell on the ground. My legs were thin¡­ Too thin. Even walking for a short amount of time was a problem for me. I need to move¡­ I need to walk¡­ I started crawling, grabbing the ground with my long fingers. Wet earth and snow would get under my fingernails, as I moved slowly. I need to move¡­ Away from this place¡­ I want to eat¡­ Eat¡­ I approached a small tree, and lied down leaning against it. A sun was shining at me, and the snow around me was illuminated by it. I looked at my thin body once again. It reminded me of a corpse. Bones were clearly visible, and there wasn¡¯t much muscle on me. Eat¡­ I looked at one of my fingers, as I brought my hand to my face. So thin¡­ It could break at any moment... Soon after that I bit it, and tore it away. I smelled my blood once again, as I chewed on it. The injury healed almost instantly, leaving my hand the way it was before. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I didn¡¯t know that it would happen. I didn¡¯t know that I would heal. I still wasn¡¯t sure what was truly happening. But I was just really¡­ really hungry... 12. Welcome home I stayed in one place for a day. I was mostly crying, and sobbing, looking at my body. I had many thoughts in this time. I wondered about things such as ¡°who I am?¡± or ¡°why am I here?¡±. I didn¡¯t know many things¡­ I didn¡¯t know anything. I wondered about my body, and its ability to regenerate. It¡¯s not normal. Living after the things that happened to me isn¡¯t normal. Yeah, but doing those things to me¡­ ¡°W-Why¡­¡± I said quietly, and scratched the ground with my fingers. I was still sitting in the same place, and the day was slowly ending. I smelled my own piss, and blood. Covered in mud, and earth I didn¡¯t want to move at all. I didn¡¯t want to live¡­ and yet I did. I don¡¯t want to move. I don¡¯t want to see. I looked at the sky, and moving clouds. It was snowing right now, and the trees looked beautiful. They were dancing in the moonlight. As if they didn¡¯t know¡­ They didn¡¯t know what happened to me. Why isn¡¯t anyone comforting me? Why isn¡¯t anyone telling me, that they love me? Why isn¡¯t anyone telling me, that everything is going to be alright? I scratched the ground once more, as I heard my own sobbing. I cried¡­ Like a small child, that can¡¯t find his mother. I cried looking around, but there wasn¡¯t anyone who would hug me. No warmth, or light, just this night, and me. My tears would freeze on my hands, as I wiped my face. Why isn¡¯t anyone coming for me? I¡­ I don¡¯t want to move¡­ Please¡­ Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I slowly stood up, feeling my shaking legs. My hair covered my face, and I moved it away with my hand. How long was I there? My hair is so long. So long, and thin¡­ Like my body. When I looked around the forest, they day has already ended, and I couldn¡¯t see anything. Everything was covered in darkness, illuminated only a little by moon. The air was fresh¡­ I couldn¡¯t get enough of it. Hungry¡­ I still felt hunger, even after eating for so long¡­ Why? Why is it happening? I moved slowly, thinking about every step. I would walk near the trees, because I leaned on them. My clothes were damaged, and full of holes. They couldn¡¯t keep me warm¡­ I would cough from time to time. It was painful, but I needed to move. I needed to¡­ What do I need to do? Why am I here? I leaned against one of the trees, as I cried one more time. I felt the weakness in my legs, but I tried no to fall. Heh¡­ I wonder¡­ Why? I want to¡­ kill¡­ or do I? I wonder what I want. What even happened? It reminds me of a dream. Like a nightmare, that didn¡¯t even happen. A bad thought, that came only to go away. Nothing happened. I¡¯m alright. I walked once again, but this time I didn¡¯t need any support. It¡¯s weird to say that, but I even enjoyed it - looking around me. The scenery was somewhat nice, and reminded me of something¡­ I don¡¯t even know what. Something nice? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember, but I know it was important. Important¡­ Who am I? I feel lost, and unimportant. It¡¯s hard¡­ It¡¯s hard to even say what I really feel. There are so many things that I think about, that they mix with themselves. Am I sad, or am I angry? I want to cry, or do I want to scream? Do I even feel anything? There were less, and less trees as I moved among them. I was leaving the forest. When I walked for some more time, I finally saw some houses. There were a few of them, but I knew them well. I knew them all. I wonder... Am I sad, or am I angry? I want to cry, or do I want to scream? 13. A cheerful knight Hello, my name is Wendy. I¡¯m a young girl. Well, I used to be one. Or did I? Heh, it¡¯s a little bit weird. I don¡¯t remember much from my previous life. My previous life? Oh, I didn¡¯t tell you¡­ I was reborn in this new world. What? You don¡¯t believe me? Well, it sucks to be you! I really was reborn into another world! Hey! Don¡¯t look at me like that! Anyway, I died, and a kind goddess sent me to this world. Who she was? I don¡¯t really know. I just know that she looked beautiful, and she called herself Yuna. ¡°Wendy! Help me with this monster!¡± I heard a voice of a guy, coming from the depths of the forest. I was now staying in the middle of the trees, with the cold snow falling on me, and the sun illuminating my face. Ah¡­ I dislike winter so much. I dislike cold¡­ ¡°Wendy! What are you waiting for!? Wendy!¡± the voice was now louder, and when I looked into its direction I saw a boy, maybe seventeen years old. He was short, and fat. While wearing only a thick leather armour, he was running away from a monster. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± I shouted, and looked at the thing that was trying to catch him. The monster was a small demon. Maybe imp, or something similar. Well, it¡¯s not like I care. I can kill things like this with a swing of a sword. Oh, are you interested? Well, you see¡­ Yuna gave me a special power. I¡¯m her special knight now. I don¡¯t really understand how it works, but well¡­ I don¡¯t need to. ¡°Lend me your power¡­ kind goddess?¡± I said the words, and the silver sword in my hands illuminated, just like my plate armor. When I did it, I pointed the sword at the monster, and a light beam escaped from its tip. It was pretty big, and it hit both the monster and the boy, but only the monster was hurt¡­ Well, not hurt but rather disintegrated. ¡°Ahh¡­ so warm¡­¡± was the only thing I could say right now. I must say, when Yuna first told me what my mission would be, I was a little worried. I didn¡¯t want to fight with the demons. Who would want to do that? But now that I use this power, it feels good. The beam of light, that illuminates everything around it, and the warm feeling of it¡­ ¡°Are you insane!?! Did you want to kill me?!¡± I heard the loud voice once again, as I looked at the person running towards me. It took him some time because of his weight. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°W-Why would you do that?¡± he said, while wiping his face, and short brown hair. ¡°What are you talking about Alvin? You know that the beam can only damage things that are evil.¡± I said, and leaned on my sword. I could only smile, while looking at this fat boy brimming with anger, ¡°A-And what of it?! Did you think about m-my eyes!? What if I become blind?!¡± he shouted, while still trying to breathe. This is fun. Yeah, this is really fun. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the little thing¡­ And if I¡¯m not mistaken, you were the one that went ahead into the forest. Did you went to there to seek glory and experience?¡± I said, and the cold wind blew at my face. When it did, my long blonde hair covered my face. Yeah, my long blonde hair¡­ I don¡¯t remember ever having blonde hair. Is this the way the knight is supposed to look? I don¡¯t think a knight is supposed to look like a young, cute girl. I should speak about it with Yuna when I had the chance. ¡°W-What are you talking about?! I¡¯m your henchman! I don¡¯t need the glory! I¡¯m here only to serve you!¡± the boy said, trying to sound serious. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don¡¯t bullshit me now. ¡°Just be careful next time. You need to remember how short you are. You are even shorter than me.¡± I said, and turned around. We were here to get rid of the demons. Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the work for me. There aren¡¯t many of them in those forests, and most of them are weak anyway¡­ The king probably doesn¡¯t want his precious ¡°treasure¡± to be wounded. Ever since I met him, he won¡¯t let me get to the frontline. He calls me ¡°special¡±, and ¡°his little princess¡±. I must say that it is a little weird for me, but it¡¯s not like I can tell him to stop. It¡¯s just that everyone in this world loves Yuna. Who wouldn¡¯t love her? She is a goddess of life. ¡°Do you think that there are many demons left?¡± I heard the voice behind me, when I started walking. ¡°Are you scared? You can come back to the village if that is the case.¡± I said, and laughed. ¡°N-No! I¡¯m not scared! I just want to re¡­ want you to rest!¡± Rest? Now that I think about it I could use a little rest. It¡¯s not like walking in full-plate armor in winter is easy, especially for me. I¡¯m a young girl, but I need to wear it, because it¡¯s a holy relic, given to me by her. ¡°You have some nice ideas from time to time.¡± I replied, and looked back at the boy, that was smiling right now. Did it make him so happy? ¡°Try to find some firewood. I need some time for myself to talk with the goddess.¡± I said, and he stiffened up, as if he was scared. ¡°Y-Yeah! I understand! J-Just leave it to me!¡± Is Yuna loved so much? If she is, then why is he so scared? I thought about this, as I looked at the boy that was now walking away from me. The day was still young, and I don¡¯t think we needed a campfire, but well¡­ It¡¯s not like some movement will kill him, and I can¡¯t sense any demons around us anyway. ¡°Well, just how do I do this¡­¡± I said to myself, as I knelt down on the ground ¡°O-Oh, my great goddess¡­ please let this mortal¡­ please let this mortal¡­ speak to you?¡± Are prayers supposed to be this hard? I just thought about this, and closed my eyes. When I did, instead of the darkness, I saw the light. A light so powerful, that I wanted to open my eyes, but I didn¡¯t. I waited, and after a while the light disappeared. Normally, when I do this I feel peace. I feel warmth, and love, but I didn¡¯t feel those things right now. Normally when I pray like this, I don¡¯t see anything other than the light. But this time wasn¡¯t normal. When the light disappeared, I saw a young boy, with long white hair, and torn clothes. He was standing about three meters away from me, in the middle of a village that was covered in snow. He just looked at the ground with an empty expression. His body looked weak, and it was so thin, that it made me think that a small breeze would break him. Why am I seeing this? I don¡¯t understand. I thought to myself, and looked at where he was looking. The thing that I saw then, was hard to describe with words. Before him, arranged in rows, were dozens of severed human heads. 14. A vision of a kind hero ¡°Wendy?¡± It¡¯s weird¡­ It¡¯s scary¡­ What it was supposed to be? Why? Who was that? What was that? I don¡¯t understand¡­ I don¡¯t understand anything! ¡°Wendy! Are you even listening to me?!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Alvin. I was just thinking to myself.¡± I replied to the boy following me, while still walking. We got rid of all the demons that lived in the forest. Well, I can¡¯t say that we had much to do. There were few of them in this place, and most of them were really weak. It was an easy job, but something worried me. I looked at the city that could be seen in the distance. Its white walls, beautiful towers, and a castle that looked like something from a fairytale. The night has come, and the moon illuminated it in a truly beautiful way. Yeah, that was a great view. If this was a normal day, I would just appreciate the view. The night sky full of clouds, and a big moon. I would gladly listen to the snow under my feet, as I walked on this road. ¡°Just don¡¯t worry about anything. We will get to the city, and have something nice to eat. You¡¯ll see that it will cheer you up!¡± the boy said with a cheerful voice, while pointing in the direction of the city. It was about five kilometers away, so the march would take us probably two hours. It was hard to walk in this armor, and after the day of walking among the trees, I was too tired to think about walking faster than I was. I looked at the air that escaped my nose, forming some steam in this cold night. I killed so many demons¡­ I killed so much. I kill, and I kill¡­ But looking at the bodies of humans¡­ It¡¯s different. It¡¯s scary¡­ It¡¯s sad. What was that? What did I see it? There must be a reason. I thought about those things, as I looked at my character card.
Name: Wendy
Class: Apostle of Life, KnightUnauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Skills: Regeneration: Weak, Regeneration: Strong, Archery 400/1000, Charm: Strong, Sign of Life, Sword Mastery 800/1000, Blessing of the Queen of Life
STATS 3500/3500 HP 640/640 MP STATUS Alive Yuna likes you: It seems that the goddess of life likes you. You regenerate faster. (REGENERATION: WEAK - ADDED) Yuna likes you a lot: It seems that the goddess of life likes you a lot. You have a chance to survive killing blow. (SIGN OF LIFE - ADDED) Yuna adores you: It seems that the goddess of life adores you. You can charm people with your words, that bring happiness. (CHARM: STRONG - ADDED) Yuna loves you: It seems that the goddess of life loves you. Her presence can be felt near you, and she gives you her blessing. (BLESSING OF THE QUEEN OF LIFE - ADDED) Chosen one: You have been chosen by one of the gods. A great and epic adventure awaits you.
Eh, nothing changed. Just as I thought, killing some weak monsters wouldn¡¯t give me anything. Statistics, tables, skills. Everything in here looks like something from a game. Not that I remember much about them, but I know it¡¯s weird. I know it¡¯s unnatural¡­ Almost sterile. ¡°Are you thinking about stupid things again? Just cheer up! You have so many skills! Do you want to see mine?¡± Alvin broke the silence, and I looked at him. Yeah, he was probably right. There is no reason to think about those things. ¡°Alvin, I have a question.¡± I said, as I looked around. We were surrounded by the fields of snow. It was everywhere, and it was still falling. I¡¯m sure that after sleeping in the inn, everything will be covered in the thick layer of it. ¡°What is it?¡± the boy asked, and smiled a little. I remember when I first met him. At that time I really disliked the idea of fighting with scary things. I did, but there wasn¡¯t anything I could do. Yeah, there wasn¡¯t anything I could do. They told me, that they expect great things from me, and then they ¡°gave¡± me him. A short, fat boy, with brown hair, and weird face. I can¡¯t say that he looks ugly or anything, but I¡¯m sure that he doesn¡¯t look good. His nose is too big, and his hands are too small. Who would need a helper like that? Yeah, who would need a helper like that, but now I¡¯m glad that he is with me. It feels better to walk with him. Maybe I just got used to his company? ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s nothing now.¡± I replied, and looked at the city one more time. Ebine, the crown of the kingdom, and its capital. It has been build many years ago, by the ¡°Aamon the Great¡±, and it is known as one of the biggest cities in Amizan. I can¡¯t say for sure, because I never left the kingdom, but I¡¯m sure that it is big. Its walls, and towers. ¡°Anyway, when we come back, I¡¯m sure that the Annie will want to see you. You know how much she likes you. Maybe you should go and see her?¡± Alvin said, and blushed a little. Do you like her so much? There is no reason to blush that much! You never blush because of me. Every person in this kingdom says that I look like a princess! But he is right. In the end, Annie was chosen by Givton, and she is the most powerful mage I know. ¡°Should I take you with me?¡± I said, and laughed a little. I thought about meeting her before Alvin spoke about this. There are many reasons for that, but the most important of them is this vision, and the boy that won¡¯t leave my mind even now. A boy with eyes that frighten me more than any demon. 15. The meeting of heroes ¡°Tiaris has made her move¡­¡± the girl sitting before me said with monotonous voice, and drank from the mug that she was holding in both of her small hands. ¡°You don¡¯t mean the¡­¡± ¡°I mean it.¡± she replied quickly, interrupting my voice. Tiaris - the goddess of madness, pain, and hatred has finally called for her hero. It can¡¯t be possible. She doesn¡¯t care about the human world, nor does she care about the lord of darkness. What is her objective? What does she want to do? ¡°But why? Why now?¡± I asked, and the girl looked at me with bored eyes. ¡°Who knows¡­ Does it really matter?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?! Of course it matters!¡± I shouted a little, and hit the table with my hands, making the people in the inn that we were sitting in, look at us. When I noticed it, I quickly sat normally, not to make a scene. ¡°When I say it doesn¡¯t matter, then it doesn¡¯t matter. Or do you not believe me?¡± the girl said, without any expression whatsoever. Annie - chosen by the god of wisdom Givton. Just like me she died, and was resurrected back to life in another world, and just like me she doesn¡¯t remember anything. Or does she? I can¡¯t really tell, if she¡¯s lying, or telling the truth, and the gift she has received from her god is simple - knowledge. Who knows how much she knows? ¡°The more interesting thing to me is how you received this information. Does Yuna still wants you to pray to her all the time? I can¡¯t really understand your relationship with your god.¡± Annie started speaking, while playing with her short, black hair. She looked very young, especially for a mage. A short girl, maybe one and a half meters tall, with girly face, and emotionless face. It was understandable that in her circles, she wasn¡¯t really respected. She still looked like a child, even if she was older than me. I don¡¯t know if it was because of her large, green eyes, or because of her small lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s weird at all, and don¡¯t change the subject. Tiaris has made her move. Who knows what she is planning.¡± ¡°Yeah, who knows¡­¡± Annie just replied, with an enigmatic voice. She must know something. ¡°Do you think that I am joking?! This is a serious matter. Another hero has appeared, and this time this ¡°goddess¡± has sent him here. Who knows what does it mean.¡± I said, and looked at her, but her face didn¡¯t even flinch. She just grabbed the mug that was before her one more time, and after that she drank from it. She did it slowly, maybe to irritate me, or maybe because she was thinking. I didn¡¯t know, but when she was done, she started speaking. ¡°So you are saying that you have seen a young boy, standing among the rows of severed heads. There were no traces of any decapitated bodies, so he probably hid them, or buried them. He was thin, and looked weak, so he wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill them with any normal means. Also, his hair was white, and eyes dead, as those of a fish¡­¡± she repeated everything I had told her. ¡°Yeah, that what I was saying, and then you told me that he is the chosen one, just like us.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t deduction of any kind, I just know it. As I said before, my relationship with my god, is simpler than yours.¡± Annie replied, and looked at her mug, that was probably empty right now ¡°Every god is has his own personality, and each one of them treats their heroes differently. When I first met Mark he told me, that Zothar has reincarnated him in the middle of the battle, with a sword in his right hand.¡± she then said, and wiped her hands into her robes. They were really high quality, green robes, with many bows, and cute accessories, so it made me cringe a little. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Zothar? God of War? But what do you mean by this?¡± I asked, and she looked at me with her green eyes. ¡°How would Tiaris, goddess of madness treat her hero, if she got one?¡± How would Tiaris treat her hero? I never thought about this. Yuna gave me powerful weapon, and armor, and with her blessing I can defeat almost anyone that has evil intentions. What would Tiaris give her hero? ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t know why he did it, and if he is going to do this again. He must have worked a lot, to create this little scene you have seen. Decapitating dozens of people, and then hiding their bodies, only to take their heads, and arrange them in lines¡­¡± this girl before me was speaking calmly, as if she didn¡¯t care about those people that died at all ¡°He must be an interesting person. After meeting heroes of weak gods that gave them boring abilities, it would be refreshing to meet someone who was called by Tiaris herself.¡± ¡°How can you even talk like this?! He¡¯s sick, and he must be stopped!¡± I shouted, once again attracting the attention of the people from the inn. ¡°Oh.. Yes¡­ Yes, of course¡­¡± she only responded weakly, not even looking at my face, as if she was ashamed. I met Annie about two years ago, when I still didn¡¯t know what I should do. At this time I thought, that I was the only one that was reborn into another world, but she proved me wrong. She showed me, that there are dozens of us, and all of them are fighting for greater cause. I thought that it was great, and I wanted to help, but once I did, I realised that many of those people were a lot weaker than me. That¡¯s when Annie told me, that I was chosen by a powerful god, one that can give me unimaginable amounts of power. ¡°Yeah¡­ I say that we should stop him, but I don¡¯t even know where he is. This place looked like any other village covered in snow, and there wasn¡¯t anything that I caught my attention, apart from this ¡°scene¡±¡± I said, and sighed a little. Something is happening. I don¡¯t know what, but Yuna showed me this vision for a reason. Something must be done, I can¡¯t just sit, and do nothing. ¡°What do you plan on doing, when you find him?¡± Annie asked me, while still not looking at my face. What would I do? I looked at the window. It was dark outside, and the snow was falling strongly. We were now in one of the inns in the Ebine. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ This is a hard question. I just know that I need to stop him¡­¡± I replied, and sighed once more. ¡°If you had only two options, one of them was killing him, and the other one would be letting him go, then what would you do?¡± Annie asked, and this time she pierced me with her gaze. What is she even talking about? ¡°What is this question!? I don¡¯t know!¡± once again I attracted a lot of attention from the people. The place wasn¡¯t too packed, but many people just went here only to hid from the cold outside, and warm themselves near the fireplace. ¡°Sorry¡­ I just don¡¯t understand why you would ask my that¡­ Well, if I had to do choose, then I would choose neither of those options.¡± I said, and looked at the girl before me ¡°I would try to talk to him, and if I decided that he is a dangerous, and evil person, then I would capture him, and bring him to the justice. That is what I would do¡­¡± I have seen him. I have seen his eyes, and the things he has done. The vision was simple, and I knew what it meant, but after talking to Annie, I understood that not everyone had it the same as me. I had Yuna, but others? ¡°Your answers are the most boring ones¡­¡± the girl before me replied to my words, irritating me a little ¡°But I don¡¯t dislike them. I don¡¯t dislike them at all.¡±she said, and I could have sworn that she smiled for a short amount of time. ¡°What do you mean by that? Anyway, I want you to help me. I don¡¯t think that I will be able to do this alone. Finding him might prove difficult, and I might have to fight with him. Who knows, I might even need help from other heroes, who knows how powerful he is.¡± as I said those things, Annie looked outside the window. ¡°Even before you came here, I had my animal servants scout the kingdom. If he is near us, we will find him in no time.¡± ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t you tell me before?¡± ¡°Why should I? Would it change anything?¡± Annie just said, and grabbed her mug, as if she forgot that it was empty. After that she sighed, and put it on the table ¡°I just want you to remember one thing. The most important thing is defeating the lord of darkness. If it means getting the help from ¡°him¡±, then I will gladly accept it.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Do you want to receive help from a murderer?!¡± I asked, but she just looked at the mug in her small hands. ¡°If you would know, what I know, then you wouldn¡¯t say things like this. As I said before, my relationship with Givton is different than yours with Yuna. He didn¡¯t just give me a large amount of raw power, and then gave me instructions on how to use it. Instead he gave me knowledge, and let me draw conclusions from it.¡± ¡°And what conclusions tell you, that it would be a good idea to get help from the murderers?¡± I asked, and the girl looked me into eyes. ¡°If you fight with him, you will die.¡± she just said, and her face didn¡¯t flinch even one bit.