《Reincarnated as an Extra in a Steampunk World.》 Chapter 1: Shackles in the Ash The night was colder than usual. I shifted under the thin blanket, trying to coax some warmth into my bones My fingers brushed the keys of the laptop, sending the screen''s faint glow dancing across the room. The buzz of the laptop-fan, worn and exhausted from years of use, was the only sound in the otherwise dead silence of the room. I stared at the last page ofAshes of Eternity,Volume 2. An alchemy of awe and frustration curled inside my chest. The protagonist¡ªKlein¡ªbloodied and battered, had just escaped an impossible situation¡ªonly to stumble directly into the jaws of something worse. My finger hovered over the trackpad, my impatience bubbling as I scrolled through the thread of multiple forums and reddit posts, each comment reflecting my own despair. "When is Volume 3 coming out?" >Lisa420 "Seriously, how do you end it like that? God, the cliffhanger''s killing me." >NoodleDumpling "Fuck the author man, he''s always ending the volume on cliffhanger!" >Zysex69 "Y''all fuckers should calm down. The volume ended just today. Besides, it ain''t even that good." >Incezangwill (47.1K replies) "I''d love a big juicy cock right now, ngl¨C" >KomradeCrusader Ufff...yeah, he''s done. Clicking on the guy''s profile, I could already see his comment karma going into the extreme depths of negatives. RIP. "The suspense, damn! It''s going to kill me!" >OctaNibbiKoji A laugh¡ªbitter, hollow¡ªslipped out of my mouth. ''Killing me,''I thought. No kidding. It was like the author had a sick sense of humor, yanking us back to the edge of oblivion and leaving us there, hanging over a drop with nothing but darkness below. "Dammit," I muttered under my breath. My eyes flickered back to the screen, devouring every new comment that filled the thread, but nothing satisfied the gnawing curiosity that had settled deep in my gut. Nothing but the story itself. Why couldn''t they just release the next volume already? I leaned back against the pillow, the creak of the old bed under me familiar but distant. My thoughts wandered, each one bouncing around in my skull like an echo in an empty room. I was too tired to keep going, but I couldn''t shake the craving for more. The world the author had built... I didn''t just want to read it. It felt so intuitive, so real, so intricate that I wanted to crawl into it, feel its grimy, suffocating air crawl under my skin. I wanted to live in it¡ªto survive in it. "Maybe I''m just crazy..." A self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips. The screen flickered, the glow of the laptop distorting as a strange weight settled into my limbs, heavy, like the air itself had thickened. My eyelids fluttered. The exhaustion wasn''t the familiar kind that comes after a long day, but something deeper, more consuming. A last thought ran through my mind:If only I could be in the story... Then, the world went black. ------------------------ G?????????????r???????????????????_????????????????a????n???????????t????????????????????????????????????????e??d????????????????????????????????????_??? ------------------------ When I opened my eyes again, it was to the sharp, biting sound of chains rattling. The air was cold, but it was nothing like the chill of my room. This was a deeper, more oppressive cold, like the world itself had forgotten how to feel warmth. The ache in my bones¡ªlike something had cracked inside me while I slept¡ªsprawled across my body. My head throbbed, and every breath felt like it came through a thick, unseen barrier. I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my vision. The last thing I remembered was my bed, the laptop screen glowing faintly in the dark. The smell of something foul, rotten, and sharp hit me before I could process anything else¡ªa rancid, stinging stench that turned my stomach and made my eyes water. I twisted my head, feeling the scrape of rough stone against my cheek as I took in the surroundings. A sick feeling settled in the pits of my gut. Gray. Everything was gray. The sky above was choked with a thick, suffocating blanket of ash that blotted out the sun. The earth beneath me cracked and crumbled like brittle bone, the jagged remnants sharp against my skin, mocking every step I took. Every breath I took was coated with a thin layer of soot, the smell of decay overwhelmingly present. And there¡ªjust ahead of me¡ªwas the faint outline of what looked like ancient structures. But they were no more than skeletal remains now, reduced to nothing but crumbling stone and rotting timber. I tried to move, but something heavy yanked at my wrists, pulling me back. The cold bite of metal scraped against my skin. ''Manacles...?I thought through the haze of pain. Jerking my hands, I tried to break free but they didn''t budge.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Panic surged through my chest as it tightened while I twisted my head, searching desperately for any sign of recognition. Something, anything that could explain what was happening. But nothing came. "Get up," a voice growled, cutting through the haze of confusion. I snapped my head toward the sound. A man, or what I assumed was a man, loomed over me. His face was weathered, skin pulled taut over bone, eyes dark and hollow like he''d seen too many things that had killed parts of him. His hands were calloused, covered in dirt and grime, and his lips were pulled into a sneer, revealing teeth that were more jagged than human. He grabbed the chain attached to my wrists, yanking me to my feet. The movement was brutal as I stumbled forward, barely able to catch my balance. The cold stone ground scraped against my bare feet, and I could taste the ash that filled the air with every breath. "Move," he barked, his voice harsh. I didn''t even try to fight it. I couldn''t. The reality of my situation hit me like a sledgehammer. The moment I stood, I was shoved forward, my legs unsteady beneath me as I joined the throng of others¡ªfigures that were little more than shadows, their bodies hunched and broken. Some moved slowly, dragging their feet as though they had forgotten how to walk. Others were completely still, faces blank as if their souls had already abandoned their bodies. It was now my own memory, but I somehow understood it. Slaves.I was one of them. It felt like I was in a nightmare, but the sensation of everything was so real and tangible that every part of my being screamed that it was the cold hard reality. The sound of chains clinking together was like a chorus of death, punctuated by the groaning of the wind as it blew through the ruined landscape. My breath was coming too fast, too shallow, but I couldn''t stop it. This isn''t real. The thought fluttered like a bird in my mind, desperate, futile, despairful. I tugged at the chains again, but they didn''t give an inch. My skin prickled with something else now. Fear. The air tasted of it and I was drowning in it. "Move faster, you son of a bitch," the man behind me growled. His foot slammed into my back, forcing me forward, sending me stumbling toward the line of silent figures¡ªall chained, all broken. I tried to steady my breath. The sheer amount of horror from the situation was too much for me to think straight. It didn''t even feel like my own fear, since while the scene around me was horrifying, it was not enough to make me feel this paranoid and scared. Something about this fear felt odd, strange...foreign. My legs moved on their own accord, driven by nothing but fear and instinct. The air smelled worse now¡ªsweat, blood, and something foul that clung to the very earth beneath my feet. My eyes blurred, and I wiped the ash from my face, but it just smeared, turning my hand black. The others ahead of me didn''t seem to care. They just moved, empty-eyed, their bodies nothing more than husks, their minds long since destroyed by whatever had dragged them here. Ok, let''s think this through. I was inside my room reading the super hit story Ashes of Eternity. And then I slept. Then how am I here? I am sure I am not dreaming. Then how? Is this a hallucination? That can''t be. I locked the main door, and made sure to bolt my room''s door and twist the key to lock it as well. Am I in a coma? How did I lose consciousness? If so, how? I made sure to turn the gas knob off as well... I looked up at the sky again. A perpetually gray sky with ash that stings the lungs... Wait...this can''t be... Am I in... Suddenly, the sting of a whip cracked across my back, and a raw scream tore from my throat, splitting it wide open. "Hinder the movement one more time and I will fuck you up." The same man spoke, a hateful look on his face. I looked up at him and then down at myself. Nodding slightly, I moved, pushing through the scalding pain through gritted teeth. I looked around. There were a total of around 10 people who were herding us¨Cthe slaves like a flock of sheep. We marched through the ash for hours, my body growing heavier with each step. My feet were raw, skin caked in soot, and every breath felt like my life was dragging out of me. The guards remained silent¡ªfor the most part¡ªwatching us like vultures, their eyes scanning the slaves with casual contempt. Every so often, one would bark a command, and the slaves would move just a little faster. Faster¡ªas if it would save them¡ªus. By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, the damped sunshine was a faint memory, a dim, orange smear in the ashen sky. The mountain was scorched black. Suddenly, the guards shoved us inside into a tight circle. My breath hitched in my throat as I was pressed in between the other slaves. The ambiance was very much like Ashes of Eternity, but I had never read a setting like this. Even if this was ashes of eternity, how the hell did I even make it here? Shaking my head and fearing another whip, I focused on myself. I looked down at what was left of my clothes¡ªa tattered shirt that had once been white, now faded to a grimy gray, barely holding together. The seams strained against the stretch of my movements. Over it was a thin waistcoat, its once-deep color now washed out, and the chill that gnawed at me seeped straight through it, clawing at my skin beneath. The cold didn''t just sit on top of me¡ªit got inside, wrapped around my ribs, tightened in my chest. I tried to ignore it. I had no choice but to. The other slaves around me shifted, chained like animals, eyes glazed and tired, dragging their feet like they''d forgotten how to move. The mountain loomed in front of us and in the distance, jagged peaks reaching up into the sky like broken teeth. The wind carried a biting taste of ash that scraped at my throat and made my chest burn with each ragged breath. Suddenly, my stomach growled. The confusion and paranoia was so deep that I had almost ignored the fact that why I felt so lethargic. It was hunger. The sensation that made me feel like I hadn''t eaten in days. "Eat." One of them barked, breaking a thick brick of stale bread as they started to toss it to everyone. I didn''t reach for the scraps they threw to us. It didn''t feel like food anymore. It was just pieces of nothing, bones coated in stale bread. The others¡ªsome of them¡ªscrambled for what little they could get. Their hands were trembling, clawing at the dirt, mouths desperate, lips cracked and bleeding. But I didn''t move, despite the feeling of my guts eating away at my soul. Just the thought of eating them revolted me. As everyone got busy eating, the guards started circling. The way they looked at us made my skin crawl. I could feel their eyes on the women first, always on the women. The ones with their heads down, the ones too broken to fight back, to resist. One of the guards stepped forward, his boot crunching in the gravel as he grabbed a woman by the arm, yanking her roughly from the line. "Eat." "I can''t..." She spoke. One of her lower teeth was broken as she showed the man how hard the piece of bread was. A knowing smile crept up the man''s face. I couldn''t help but watch as he dragged her, her feet scraping against the dirt, her face hollow with exhaustion, with submission. He smiled at her like she was nothing but a piece of meat¡ªhis grin wide, sickening, showing too many teeth. "Ya want a proper meal?" he growled, his voice thick with something far too cruel to be called a joke. "Then get to work." The others barely flinched. They didn''t look away. They didn''t even seem to care anymore. I felt my heartbeat quicken. A second guard picked another woman beside me. She barely seemed to register his touch, her body sagging under his grip, like she''d already known this moment was coming. It wasn''t even a struggle. She went with him willingly. There was no fight left in her. As they entered the tent, the sound of fabric ripping reached my ears. And then, there was something else. A softer sound, but equally disturbing, echoing between the slaps¡ªa muted, percussive rhythm. I could hear it over the wind, over the murmurs of the others. The sound of skin on skin. A chilling wave coursed through my entire body. An ash-covered sky. The stench of death. And a ruthless world detached from the real one. There was no doubt about it. I was inside "A trial" in my favourite book¡ªAshes of Eternity. Despite the sudden screams of the women that made my skin crawl as the guards started to go back in and continue their hideous activities, a knowing smirk crept up my tired, fatigued features. Chapter 2: Grimoire Index ''If I really am inside a trial of Ashes of Eternity, then I should be able to do this¡­right?'' He thought as he took in a dry lump of saliva. ''System.'' "Welcome, Wanderer of Ash. The Veil stirs at your touch." Suddenly a voice ringed in his mind and he looked around frantically, paranoia setting in as he feared one of the guards might''ve heard it. Thankfully for him, no one did as the chime of the system was only limited to the owners. Not only that but the system''s interface was also only visible to those who it belonged to. A swirling vortex of shadow and light solidifies into legible text. The faint sound of creaking leather echoed in his ears as a woman cried out from the inside of the tent. As he looked back forward, he saw a grimoire floating in front of him. In the novel Ashes of Eternity, the system was not only restricted to the conventional system of a holographic screen, but rather, it took different shapes, each carrying its own symbolism and varying from person to person. The page flipped and started bleeding, each streak of red coiling like snakes and weaving themselves into coherent words. ¡ºGrimoire Index¡» Attributes Skills?? Titles Quests ?? Inventory Lore Fragments ?? A parched smile graced his face as the corners of his green eyes crinkled. ''Attributes.'' He chanted in his mind as the first segment shone and then a few pages flipped, revealing his attributes. ************************** ¨CATTRIBUTES: Lucian de Luca¨C Vitality: 23 (F) Strength: 8 (F-) Dexterity: 14 (F-) Arcana: 21 (F) Resolve: 19 (F-) Corruption: 12% ************************** Corruption? Lucian mused silently. That aside, who the fuck is Lucian de Luca? I have never heard of him! Lucian tucked his legs beneath him as he frowned. I have heard of the ''De Luca'' familia who are crucial to the main character''s growth since their middle daughter grows infatuated with him and invests resources into him, but I have never read a damned thing about this! His thoughts were interrupted as the man who had whipped him came out of the tent, stretching his arms over his head like a cat before doing some push ups. The grunting of women had finally stopped and it seemed like the guards and the two women were having food now. Focusing back on himself, he tried to recollect his thoughts. Alright, so going by typical novel logic, I have reincarnated as an extra in a steampunk world. That means that I might be an estranged loser, someone so incompetent and irrelevant to the plot that the author never bothered to even mention him once, or someone who''s a foreign entity. It''s highly possible my arrival here has changed the reality. Which¡­can be really bad¡­ He looked back at the floating grimoire. All of his stats were in the lower stratum and when he looked at his state, it was quite obvious why. Although, being a 16-year-old and having arcana in the upper F rank was quite good, given how he had never absorbed runes. Runes were blessings and curses inside the trial in the form of small rocks with cryptic words written on them. Some provided insights into fighting techniques, some into magical castings and some granted an increase in one''s arcana¡ªor to be specific, mana reserves. Since arcana governs over mana, energy and spirituality as a whole. Just like how vitality governs HP, natural resistance, and regeneration rate; strength governs physical attack power and carry capacity; dexterity representing attack speed, evasion, and trap disarming; arcana controlling all forms of energy along with the spell potency, and ritual success rates and resolve overlooking mental resistance, status effect duration, and determination checks. However, What the fuckity fuck is this corruption tho¡­ Corruption was something that was not mentioned in the novel. And with the story being in the initial volumes, and so much worldbuilding foreshadowed, it was highly possible that it was an existing mechanic rather than a new tailored one for Lucian due to him ''transmigrating.'' Hmmm¡­I guess it will reveal itself in time¡­that said¡­ He looked up at the sky and then around himself. A Trial was something that the Ashes of Eternity revolved around. Around 50 years ago¡ªfrom the timeline when Ashes of Eternity¡ªstarted, towers started to sprout all over the world. There were a total of 3 towers, and they were called Towers of Babylon. The exact number of floors are still unknown on each tower, however, it is estimated that there are a total of 10 floors on each tower. Each floor is a world in itself, and each one of them has a different theme. The cities where the towers appeared became a country in itself which are: Cogswick, Norwythe and Aldemire. Other than the floors, there are "trials" that appear in the form of "divine doorways," which the awakened can attend. The divine doorways are less precarious than the floors of Babylon, however, there is something that makes it undesirable for a lot of awakened people to participate in. While the floors in Babylon are easy to come back from after a set amount of time, the trials, once initiated, can''t be escaped from. Hence the mortality rate for the trials has been slightly higher than Babylon. And most of the trials¨Caround 90% of them¡ªinvolved a sky that was choked by dark gray clouds which reeked of cruelty, gore and death. This is stinky¡­not only have I straight up ended in a trial, my stats are downright horrendous. I mean, it''d make sense since most novels'' extras start like this, but I am not in a damned novel! This shouldn''t be happening! Lucian was in quite a predicament. And despite being someone who had wished nothing but to be reincarnated in his favourite novel since the day he started reading it, his current situation was so dire that it was making him lose his balls. Ok, calm down¡­let''s see what we can do¡­what do I know about trials? In an attempt to calm himself, he started to recall his knowledge about the trials and how he could capitalise on it to get out of it. So trials are basically what the name suggests. While the author had remained silent and annoyingly mysterious about it, a few details have been revealed since the latest volume, which involved the main character entering the Divine Doors as part of a task force that had volunteered to explore them after they appeared in the heart of Brassward College of Magic. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lucian looked around as the guards settled down around the fire, feasting on fresh meat being grilled on the bonfire they had lit for themselves, while the ''slaves'' had started to huddle together to get what little heat they could generate by being in close proximity to each other. Even though it wasn''t as effective since most of them were like ice to touch. Every trial has a quest. You will stay stuck inside the trial for an eternity unless you complete that quest¡ªbe it a physically daunting one like killing a beast, or solving a mystery or puzzle. Outside help is not possible since the divine gates shut themselves up after an initial selection of people go inside, and do not open again unless all of the participating people have died inside. Lucian let out a long sigh. I have no idea what kind of trial is this even. And these guards¡­they don''t seem to be part of the actual people who had dived inside a trial. But more like¡­ He looked at his fellow slaves. Men. Around 90% are men. Cotton shirts, chino pants, tattered woolen robes¡ªthe kind of clothes/gear people wear usually in Ashes of Eternity. Seems like the slaves¨Cmyself included¡ªare the ones who had dived inside the trial and were then caught by the denizens of this ruined world. Seeing how malnourished they look, how bad their clothes are and how easily the women allowed the guards to rape them, I''d say¡­we''ve been stuck here for around a month¡­? Lucian hummed, finding something strange. I am not sure if this is an unrelated event, or just a butterfly effect due to my existence. I really can''t tell¡­ But one thing is for certain, I ain''t staying here for long! "AHHHHHHH!" Suddenly, a roar made Lucian jerk his head back, and so did the others. "I CAN''T TAKE THIS ANYMORE." A dense layer of aura coated the man as raised his fists up. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Bursting from the small circle, he trampled a boy who looked to be no older than 17. He zipped through the air like a bullet before arriving where the guards had been sitting. "I WILL NOT BEAR THIS TYRANNY ANYMOREEEE!" He swung his arm at the guard who was sitting with his back towards him, shoulders hunched down. Just as his fist was a few inches away from the red haired guard, a small skewer stabbed into the man''s throat, burning flesh on contact. The guard stayed seated nonchalantly, his hand extended backwards as the heretic man choked, blood gurgling from his mouth. The man gasped as the guard twisted the skewer into his throat before slashing it to the side, severing half of his neck as the heretic fell to the ground. Cracking his neck, he flipped the skewer before reaching out for the piece of meat on the plate closest to him. "Oye, Dax, it''s still got the pig''s blood on it." The guard with brown hair commented. His face twisted into a grimace and then pure disgust as Dax took his forked tongue out, slithering like a snake as he licked the skewer. "It''s the best." He grinned, his voice gravelly. The guard''s forked tongue slithered over the skewer like a snake tasting its prey, savoring the last remnants of blood. The scent of copper and burnt flesh lingered in the air. His lips curled upward as the red stain spread over his teeth. Dax took another bite of meat, his grin widening. He chewed slowly, savoring each piece as if it were a rare delicacy, the blood dripping from his chin and staining the front of his tattered shirt. "Another one down," he muttered, his eyes gleaming with a twisted satisfaction as he looked at the lifeless body of the man. Lucian looked away, his stomach churning, though not from hunger. No, it was the cruelty¡ªthe complete disregard for life¡ªthat turned his insides to ash. He''d read Ashes of Eternity for its graphic descriptions, but never had he imagined this reality, this grimness. And despite not giving a solitary, flying fuck about the man''s life, seeing a man die in front of him in such a way was too much for the boy. The rest of the evening and the night went by in silence. By dawn, the fire had dwindled to embers, and the remnants of the night''s violence was already forgotten by the tired slaves as well as Lucian. Despite refusing to eat the stale bread out of his pride, his insides were killing him now. When on earth will that one mechanism kick in when the body starts eating fat and you stop feeling hungry?! Lucian''s body felt exceptionally weak. Assuming this skinny fuck has anything left inside him. The stillness was broken only by the faint sound of rustling as the guards gathered their things. While the sun was rising, the only change Lucian could observe was the transition of black darkness to grey-ish one. "Up! Get moving!" The bellow cut through the fog of sleep, dragging everyone from their slumber, his command leaving no room for resistance. Lucian rose. His muscles were stiff and aching. He stumbled, feet dragging across the cold ground. The others did the same, faces ashen, movements sluggish. There was no time for rest; survival demanded action. They shuffled into a ragged line, eyes low, minds fogged by the weight of hunger and fear. They crossed a narrow ravine, the jagged stones beneath their bare feet sharp. Man¡­even though my boots are still somewhat alright, these stones hurt as sin¡­ He looked back, the small congregation of slaves leaving a trail of red in silence behind them. After around 1 hour of walking early in the morning, a completely new world opened on the other side of the ravine. The hell is that¡­ However, what caught Lucian''s attention was one solitary structure. In the near distance, looming against the pale morning sky was a broken structure¡ªruins that twisted toward the skies like the clawed fingers of God himself. "Finally, we''ve arrived at the temple!" One of them exclaimed. Dax wrapped his arm around the brown haired guard. "This took forever, didn''t it?" "Sure did." The two of them hugged and looked back. "Oye, you two." He called out to the two guards walking at the far end of the small caravan of slaves. "Herd them inside." Herd¡­ Lucian''s expressions darkened. The nausea from last night hit the back of his throat again. This really is a cruel world¡­but if so¨Cthen I have to kill. I need to kill¡­.they''re not humans¡­I need to kill them. Lucian looked back at the giant structure. It was a temple, far grander than anything Lucian had ever seen in his life. Though time and destruction had ravaged it, there was an undeniable royalty that this place exuded. The marble pillars, though cracked and crumbling, still held a semblance of their former majesty. The walls were covered in blackened soot and stains of decay. As they reached the front door, he saw the sign on it which made a chill run down his spine. An unlit torch. This can''t be¡­why is it here¡­? Why am I here¡­? Cold sweat broke on his face. Why am I in the Nashak Temple¡­??! Nashka Temple. While never directly shown in Ashes of Eternity, it was mentioned many times. And despite just seeing the design of the insignia hanging from it, Lucian recognised it directly. After all, it was a part of every cover design for Ashes of Eternity''s volume, and had been mentioned as the birthplace of the strongest hero in humans'' history. When Towers of Babylon started to sprout, there was one man who went inside the divine gates and came back so strong, that the floors of Babylon that he cleared in his first year still amount more than what has been cleared by humanity all together in the past 50 years. However, he died soon after, consumed by the flames of his own power. The Unlit Flame. He explained the place to be a resting place for those who worshipped both creation and destruction, a god whose existence was as paradoxical as it was terrifying. Lucian could almost feel the pulse of the place, a rhythm that echoed in his bones, making his knees go weak. "We are going in right now." Reyn¨Cthe brown haired man said¡ªas he looked back at Lucian and the other slaves. "You find even a rock, you bring it back."His gaze swept over everyone as suddenly he stabbed a man in his heart. "If you don''t, worse will happen to you. Death will be mercy. Got it?" Instead of a reply, everyone just emptily shook their heads. Lucian pressed his lips together, frowning. I have to kill at least those two. "Dax and I will stay in the main hall, everyone else, take an equal amount of sheep with you and disperse." He barked orders, calling the slaves as sheeps as he walked over into the crowd. Grabbing a young girl by her wrist, he pulled her. "You''re with us." He looked back at Dax with a predatory smile. These bastards¡­. As the guard with purple-green hair started to push Lucian inside the temple, he looked back, seeing the girl being dragged by the two monsters. Unlike the other ones, she was struggling, which made Lucian''s heart skip a beat, rage and helplessness filling him like water inside a broken hull. The guard kicked Lucian''s butt as he was pushed inside the temple. "Start sniffing, sheep." The guard grinned. GRAAAARRRKKK! A loud roar shook the air as Dax drew a dagger and flipped it in his hand, looking around. Reyn was nowhere to be seen and so was the girl. Suddenly, a look of realisation flashed on Dax''s face. "Fuck!" He exclaimed. Lightning crackled in the distance as he looked at the temple and then at the ravine from where they came. "A monster sniffed the blood coming from those fuckers'' feet! Everyone! Throw the old ones out!" He barked orders as he started to run towards the door. "Sir Dax, we need to inform Sir Reyn¡­" the guard spoke with a panicstricken face. "...he''ll die if that creature comes¡­" Dax clicked his tongue. "At least he''ll die while enjoying that fresh meat¡­shut up and do as I say unless you want to be fed that thing as well!" The guard could only nod as clamouring noises started to fill the air. The older ones who had dived here were thrown out mercilessly. For the first time, they showed some life, struggling to stay inside and not be thrown to whatever monstrosity was out there, but it was futile. The lack of energy in their limbs from hunger did little to battle them and in a matter of few seconds, the huge "herd" was reduced to 5 people. Lucian was sitting in the corner, hyperventilating as he stared at the door that closed and guards started to put various things in front of the door to stop the creature from coming in. It''s futile¡­it''s no use¡­they have no idea¡­ For the first time, instead of excitement, Lucian felt pure dread. It''s a Thunderjaw Tiger¡­we are so cooked! Chapter 3: Bearer of the Unlit Flame The temple walls trembled with the sound of brutal slaughter. From beyond the cracked stone doors came the unmistakable, visceral cacophony of flesh being torn and bones splintering. Screams¡ªhigh-pitched, raw, and fleeting¡ªcut through the stagnant air, only to be swallowed by a low, rumbling growl. Inside, the remaining slaves huddled together in the dim light of sputtering torches. The air was thick with fear, so palpable it felt like a second skin clinging to their sweat-drenched bodies. Even the guards or mercenaries, swords drawn and held in trembling hands, glanced nervously at one another. Dax stood at the farthest back, right in front of the very few remaining slaves. "Shit," one of them muttered under his breath, the word almost lost in the silence that followed another agonized shriek from outside. "It''s killing them all." "Good," another guard spat, though his voice lacked conviction. "Buys us time." In the corner, Lucian crouched low, his back pressed against the cold stone wall. The shadows of the temple seemed to stretch unnaturally long, creeping toward him. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears like a drumbeat that refused to quiet. We''re gonna die, we''re gonna die, we''re gonna die¡­ He trembled. Shit, why the thunderjaw of all the monsters?!! "Shut the fuck up!" Dax hissed. The dagger attached to his hip gleamed in the faint light, the weapon more of a talisman against fear than a real comfort. His eyes remained fixed on the doors, the muscles in his jaw working as he swallowed hard. "If we''re lucky, it''ll stay outside." But luck wasn''t on their side. With a deafening crash, the temple''s front doors exploded inward, chunks of ancient stone raining down like shrapnel. Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring the hulking figure that stalked into the massive hall. When the dust settled, the survivors finally saw it¡ªa nightmare given form. The Thunderjaw Tiger was massive. Six powerful legs moving with an unnatural grace, as if it was totally normal for a tiger to have and use six legs. Its fur shimmered in the torchlight, striped with cobalt streaks that crackled with arcs of electricity. Golden eyes glowed with an eerie intelligence as it scanned the room. The way it breathed¡ªit''s stench heavy with the tang of ozone. Its jaws parted, revealing rows of jagged teeth, each one humming faintly with an electric current. "Throw them!" one of the guards barked, his voice cracking with panic. "NOOO¡ª SAVE ONE!" Dax cried out. The first victim barely had time to scream before the tiger''s claws ripped through them, spraying the stone floor with a sickening shower of blood. Another slave tried to run, but the tiger pounced, its massive frame slamming down on them with bone-crushing force. It bit his head away, tearing flesh and sinew with wet, horrible sounds that echoed in the survivors'' ears. The smell of blood¡ªmetallic and cloying¡ªfilled the air, mingling with the acrid tang of burnt flesh where the tiger''s electric fur scorched its victims. Dax clenched his jaw, his knuckles tightening around his dagger. "Now," he hissed to the others, motioning for them to move. The guards crept forward, their weapons raised, trying to position themselves around the tiger while it feasted without a care in the world. Blood dripped from its maw as it tore into another body, the crunch of bones mingling with the soft, wet sounds of ripping meat. Its back was turned, seemingly oblivious to their approach. Dax was the first to strike. He lunged forward, his dagger aiming for the tiger''s exposed flank. The blade drove toward its target. However, at that moment, Dax came to a realisation as the tiger''s eyes lazily followed him as it crunched on the arm of a woman. The beast''s reflexes were inhuman. Without even fully turning its head, the tiger twisted, one of its six legs slamming into the ground with a crackle of electricity. The force of the movement sent a shockwave through the air, throwing Dax off balance. It pounced, lightning-fast, claws raking through the space where Dax had been standing a moment earlier. He dodged by the breadth of a hair, rolling to the side, and sprang to his feet with a grin. "Too slow," he taunted, twirling the dagger in his hand. "You''re no problem for me." The tiger''s lips curled upward in an almost human sneer. Its golden eyes shifted, and Dax''s grin faltered. He turned just in time to see the beast''s real target¡ªhis closest companion. "No!" Dax shouted, but it was too late. The tiger barreled into the man, its jaws snapping shut around his torso. Blood sprayed across the floor as the tiger shook its prey violently, the man''s screams cutting off in a wet gurgle. The tiger flung the lifeless body aside like a broken doll, turning its attention back to Dax with a low, rumbling laugh¡ªa pure animalistic sound that sent chills down the spines of all who heard it. Before Dax could react, Lucian felt rough hands seize him. A guard shoved him forward, his face twisted with desperation. "Take him! Buy us time!" Lucian went stumbling forward, before slipping into the flood of blood and stopping just before the tiger. OH MY FUCKING GOD¡ªSYSTEM, SYSTEM! GRIMOIRE! FUCK, DO SOMETHING! His breath hitched as the tiger lowered and sniffed him and then looked into his eyes. The beast regarded him for a moment, its golden eyes flickering with something almost like curiosity. But the nature of a beast is to strike. And it struck¡ªnot with its claws or teeth, but with a devastating kick. The blow sent Lucian flying across the room, his body slamming into a crumbling pillar. Pain exploded in his chest as he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Motherfucker¡ªfuck, it hurts! Meanwhile, another of Dax''s companions leapt onto the tiger''s back, a heavy iron rod clutched in both hands. He wrapped it around the creature''s neck, pulling with all his might. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The tiger roared, thrashing wildly, its movements shaking the ground. "[Flash Step]!" Dax shouted, his form blurring as he closed the distance in an instant. His dagger flashed downward, slicing through the tiger''s front legs. The beast collapsed, its roar turning to a snarl of pain as it flailed helplessly. The others swarmed it, their weapons rising and falling in a frenzy of desperation and rage. Blood sprayed across the stone floor as the tiger''s struggles grew weaker and weaker until it finally laid still. Silence fell over the temple, broken only by the survivors'' ragged breathing. Dax leaned heavily on his dagger, staring down at the lifeless corpse of the beast. Dax stumbled toward Lucian, his boots squelching in the blood-soaked floor. He crouched beside him, placing a hand on his chest. A faint pulse thrummed beneath his palm. "Still alive," Dax muttered, his voice hoarse. Relief flickered in his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder at the others. "At least one of them made it through. We''re not done yet." One of the guards, clutching a deep gash in his arm, scoffed bitterly. "That''s all you care about? We barely survived, Dax. Barely! And for what? You think this¡­ this madness will work?" "It has to," Dax snapped, his expression hardening. "We''ve come too far to stop now." He rose to his full height, pointing toward the altar at the center of the room in the far north of the temple. The stone slab loomed in the torchlight. "Get the fire ready." The survivors exchanged uneasy glances, but none dared to question him further. One of them hurried to the altar, striking flint and steel until a small flame sputtered to life in the center. The fire seemed to catch unnaturally fast, roaring higher than it should have, casting eerie, dancing shadows across the temple walls. Dax knelt beside Lucian again, gripping his shoulder and shaking him gently. "Come on, wake up," he muttered. "I need you conscious for this." Lucian groaned, his eyelids fluttering open. His vision swam, and the world around him felt warped and distant. He blinked up at Dax, confusion and pain etched across his face. "What¡­ what are you doing?" "Freeing us," Dax said simply, his tone devoid of emotion. He gripped Lucian under the arms, hauling him toward the altar. Lucian''s protests were weak, his body too battered to resist. Words half-formed in the form of whispers started to formulate inside Lucian''s mind, fragments of a language he couldn''t understand yet felt disturbingly familiar. At the altar, Dax laid Lucian down on the cold stone, the glowing runes casting an unnatural light across his pale skin. He motioned to the others, who began sharpening their knives, the scraping sound grating against Lucian''s ears. "What¡­ what is this?" Lucian rasped, his voice barely audible. Fear flickered in his eyes as he watched Dax draw a long, serrated blade from his belt. Dax''s lips twisted into a grim smile. "This is the price of freedom," he said, his voice taking on an almost reverent tone. "To leave this cursed world, to gain the power to travel to a brighter one, we must offer entertainment to the God of Salvation and Destruction. The requirement is simple: the flesh of someone from the world we wish to reach." Lucian''s breath hitched, his blood running cold. "You''re¡­ you''re insane." Lucian was dumbstruck. Afterall, he had not read about cannibalism so far. Or maybe it was because the first survivor or divine gates never mentioned anything about it. "Maybe," Dax said with a shrug. "But it''s the only way." He raised the blade, the firelight glinting off its jagged edge. "Don''t think of it as dying. Think of it as¡­ becoming part of something greater." The whispers surged, twisting into cruel laughter that seemed to echo from the stone itself. Lucian''s heart pounded as he struggled against the bindings they fastened around his wrists and ankles. "You don''t have to do this!" he cried, panic clawing at his voice. "Don''t make this harder than it has to be," one of the guards muttered, his eyes darting nervously around the room. "The temple''s already watching. We can''t stop now." "Yes. We have to feast on you. We can''t stay in this world anymore." Another one added. "You can''t live in the bright world!" Lucian cried out, "You''re not allowed to! You''ll burn and not even ashes will be left of you!" Dax glanced back at his comrades, his expression hard. "Stay focused. Don''t hear to him. We''re running out of time." "What if it''s true¡­what if this dark world is our fate¡­" "Then we fuck fate up!" Dax replied annoyingly. As Dax''s blade blurred, suddenly Lucian''s mind became clear. The runes on the altar flared brightly, their pulsating rhythm syncing with the frantic pounding of Lucian''s heart. ************************************************************************ The Agony of Shuddering Terror trembles in delight at your fear. ************************************************************************ However, it was gone as soon as the horror had come. ************************************************************************ The Agony of Weeping Silence recoils at your fleeting hope. ************************************************************************ Huh! What is this? I don''t feel scared anymore. What is this¡­? Acceptance of death? Hahh¡ªbut¡­but¡ªI''ve always wanted to be in this story¡­it was my dream¡­how can I die here????! In his serene mind, a flame as bright as the sun lit up, filling his entire body with an unbridled rage. ************************************************************************ The Agony of Burning Wrath wishes to unleash its fury through you. ************************************************************************ And then, a voice¡ªnot a whisper, but a roar¡ªfilled his mind. "Do you wish to burn them all? Feed me your rage, and I will give you the strength to survive." The air around the altar grew suffocatingly hot, the fire''s flames twisting into unnatural shapes. The survivors began to falter, their confidence wavering as the oppressive atmosphere bore down on them. "Show me despair. Show me malice. Feed me. All of it." "What the hell is happening?" one of them hissed, his knife slipping from his trembling fingers. Dax''s grip tightened on the blade, but even he hesitated as the altar itself began to tremble. "Stay calm," he barked, though his voice betrayed his unease. "It''s just¡­ part of the ritual." But Lucian could feel it¡ªsomething within him stirring, awakening. Fury, despair, and terror churned together, boiling over into something dark. "Burn them. Let them taste the agony they sought to inflict. Give me your pain, and I will give you power. Burn them, with all of your malice." The grimoire flew in front of his eyes, shining with a few, bloody words. ****************************************** LORE FRAGMENT #002 has been unlocked. Optional Quest "Bearer of the Unlit Flame" has arrived. Do you wish to accept:? Yes / No ****************************************** "Yes." He breathed out weakly. At the same time, his mind went blank. The feeling of a burning cold flame invaded his entire body. And then, invisible flames burst out. They weren''t visible, but the agony was there. The flames twisted. Screams erupted as the guards'' flesh cracked like parched earth, their veins igniting with an unholy fire that consumed them from within. Their eyes bulged, tears evaporating before they fell, as they relived their worst memories in excruciating clarity. They begged, they pleaded, but the Flame was indifferent. It fed on their despair, their agony, growing stronger with every wail. Dax was the last to fall, his eyes wide with terror as he begged for mercy. But the Flame showed none. Lucian''s pale green eyes were shimmering in a dark, sinister shade of red as he stared down at them, the chains that tied him broken as he looked with an air of indifference. "You...how could it be...NOOOOO!" Dax''s final screams echoed through the temple as the Flame consumed him. When the silence returned, Lucian collapsed to his knees, the heat subsiding but leaving him marked. The runes on the altar dimmed, and the whispers in his head turned to low, mocking laughter. "You are mine, now, Bearer of the Unlit Flame." And then, the temple began to quake as Lucian lost consciousness. ************************************************ Congratulations, you have completed the quest "Bearer of the Unlit Flame." Experience points will now be granted. Congratulations, you have become the centre of attention. Congratulations. You have received 50 stat points. ************************************************ ¨CATTRIBUTES: Lucian de Luca¨C Vitality: 23 (F) Strength: 8 (F-) Dexterity: 14 (F-) Arcana: 21 (F) Resolve: 19 (F-) Corruption: 12% (You have 50 stat points to allocate) ¡ªSKILLS¡ª N/A ¡ªTITLES¡ª [Bearer of the Unlit Flame]: 1. 110% Damage against spectres (Passive) 2. 150% damage while using corrupted flames (Passive) 3. 500% into all stat points when the user is consumed by negative emotions (Active) ¡ªLore Fragments¡ª Fragment #002: The Flame lives inside you ¡ì Trail of Unlit Flame Chapter 4: Bear the First A pain akin to bones being brutally snapped into half and joints ripping apart invaded my entire body as soon as the sensation of my soul itself burning in a purgatory subsided. I felt my eyes flutter open, the raw, rancid smell of flesh burning and decaying making a thick, bitter lump of bile settle against the back of my throat. My eyes brimmed with tears as I doubled over a huge chunk of rock and hurled my guts out. There was nothing left to throw up¡ªonly dry, heaving gasps that left me feeling even weaker than before. Blinking past the haze of tears, my vision shuddered as I took in the smoldering remnants of what was left. A rather unpalatable sight, in all honesty¡ªblackened husks of my, our captors, forms barely recognizable as humans¡­well they weren''t humans to begin with. Their skin had fused to the bone, mouths frozen mid-scream. The fire, no, the unlit flame had stripped them down to something less than corpses¡ªtwisted, skeletal remains that crumbled at the slightest breeze. For a moment, a bitter, unfamiliar sensation crawled up my throat. Satisfaction. Then, my gaze drifted past them¡ªand my stomach dropped into a cold abyss. The bodies of my fellow slaves¡ªhumans, laid in contorted heaps, flesh torn apart by claws, their limbs scattered everywhere. Some were missing heads, others had gaping holes where their torsos should have been. Darkened, dried blood pooled beneath them, soaking into the cracked dirt. A part of me hoped in that moment¡ªhoped that someone, anyone, had survived. But there was nothing left of them except mutilated remains. I looked back at Dax and everyone else. Even their knives had been obliterated and reduced to ash¡ªwhich should not be possible given how metals don''t become ash, they melt. Serves them right¡­! That said, what was that voice? Was it the Will of the Universe? Will of the Universe was a plot device in Ashes of Eternity where the different aspects of the creator¡ªemotions, entropy and other such fragments of the ultimate creator interfered into lives of different species. However, while this is thought of as a good omen, those fragments of the ultimate god are never up to no good. Even in the latest volume of the story, it was foreshadowed how everything that the protagonist has gone through was plotted by a fragment called Nox¡ªthe vessel of death. You know¡­like how every story goes, the main character gets the power of "darkness in his eyes made me wet my underwear" or "ARISE." Well, I shouldn''t talk all high and mighty, given how I, too, almost wet my pants after seeing the tiger. Anyways, the point is, if it was the Will of the Universe that I heard before losing consciousness, it''s possible a fragment has taken an interest in me. Which is and is not a good sign, depends on the fragment really. I kept walking through the brutalised corpses as a thought crossed me. "Codex." The grimoire flew in front of me and flipped open, showing the glossary page which had the headings for everything I could ask the system for. In all honesty, the blood dripping effect from the letters written on the grimoire feels pretty realistic. And it grosses me out. I hope there''s not a lore of it being written with the blood of its previous user¡­ ¡­haha¡­! Nah, that''s not possible. It''s my system, so how will someone else use it!? I am such a baka¨C Ehmm¨Cthat was cringe, anyways¡­ Mentally choosing the attributes menu, the pages flipped and I was face to face with my attributes. ************************************************ ¨CATTRIBUTES: Lucian de Luca¨C Vitality: 23 (F) Strength: 8 (F-) Dexterity: 14 (F-) Arcana: 21 (F) Resolve: 19 (F-) Corruption: 12% (You have 50 stat points to allocate) ************************************************ Heh, now this is what we''re talking about! 50 stat points is a lot, given how I did nothing. However, some damn fragment did channel itself through me so I guess it counts? It would make sense actually since fragments can''t descend the mortal plane, let alone a planet without completely decimating it down to cinders. That said, I should allocate points to myself wisely. For now, I should invest more into my strength and dexterity. Since Dexterity in Ashes of Eternity governs over attack speed, evasion and trap disarming. Evasion is vital and better than just a normal speed and perception. The reason is if you have a high perception, you can see things coming but can''t dodge it and vice versa. And if you have both things as different stats, you''d be wasting too many points just trying to avoid attacks from the enemy. The main character went for a balance build where he invested points into his strength, arcana and resolve. Strength helped him to avoid attacks if someone creeped up on him during spellcasting, however, he was not very fast. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. That rarely mattered though given how blessed his body was. Hmm. I can go with the cliche assassin route, and that seems like a good idea too. I mean, sneak attacks and everything do sound cool and are actually practical. But for now, I need to cover my vital flaws. That abysmal strength. ''Invest 30 points into strength.'' I spoke mentally. While you can just think about it, I tend to think a lot of weird things so it''s better to give a mental command than just thinking about it. It just gives me mental peace and reassurance, don''t judge me. ************************************************ 30 points have been invested into strength: Converting points into stat points: 30 ¡ú 15 Stat Points Strength: 8+15 ¡ú23 (F- ¡ú F) ************************************************ Heh¡­23. 2 reward points are equal to 1 stat point. 0 to 20 is classed as negative F, 21 to 25 as F, and then 26 to 35 as F+. The ladder of progression becomes steep at negative and positive. And to advance from a letter like F to E, you need to perform a ritual which helps to break a limit¡ªoften referred to as Limit Break in many gacha games. If I invest just a bit more¡­ ************************************************ Investing 6 points in strength: Converting points into stat points: 6 ¡ú 3 Stat Points Strength:23+3 ¡ú26 (F ¡ú F+) 14 reward points left to allocate ************************************************ Alright, so with this, I am much stronger than before. Although the change is not visible, I won''t be able to tell until I actually fight someone. Alright, let''s invest the rest in dexterity. I will have a lot of time later on to invest in other stats. Right now, I need enough strength to not get one-shotted by a mob, and fast enough to run away from a strong guy. No use of the valor from fighting a strong opponent if you''re not alive. Alright then¡ª ************************************************ Investing 14 points in strength: Converting points into stat points: 14 ¡ú 7 Stat Points Dexterity :14+7 ¡ú21 (F- ¡ú F) You do not have any reward points left to allocate. ************************************************ Phew. That went well. Going through my other tabs, I noticed a few things. First was the title I had gained. [Bearer of the Unlit Flame] What was even crazy was the benefits that came with it. 110% Damage against spectres (Passive ) 150% damage while using corrupted flames ( Passive ) 500% into all stat points when the user is consumed by negative emotions (Active) Spectres were curse-using monsters inside the Towers of Babylon and one of the hardest and most annoying foes to get rid of. Corrupted flames was basically useless to me since I do not have a flame elemental skill, let alone corrupted flames¡­ wait, it might be related to the additional corruption stat I have. Hmm¡­ Alright, I will improvise on that front. Can''t waste too much time thinking about something that I have zero knowledge of. The last one was absolute bonkers. 500% boost in every stat??? I am one malicious person so I guess that skill will be much easier to use, HEHEHEHE! The other thing that I noticed was the Lore fragment screen. The original main character doesn''t have this thing on his interface as well. I am guessing this is related to my status as a transmigrator. ¡ªLore Fragments¡ª Fragment #002: The Flame lives inside you ¡ì Trail of Unlit Flame Kind of a freaky description but anyways. The first and only human to get unlit flame was broken as fuck character. As I concluded admiring myself and all of the rewards I had gotten, a ragged breath shuddered past my lips as I turned my head, the sight before me stealing whatever air I had left. The thunderjaw tiger, while laying in a massive heap of muscle and fur. Tiny sparks danced along the strands of its mane, making them twitch and stand upright. I almost jumped from fright, but it was ok. It was just it''s body''s natural defence mechanism that avoided little skitters and parasites from eating it''s body. The thunderjaw tiger was one of the most prideful creatures in the story. And while this one was merely an infant, amounting to around 5 human years, it was still this ferocious. I jumped out of fright¡ªonce again¡ªas the grimoire suddenly appeared in front of me. *********************************************************************** ?The void left by death is not empty. It smolders with the Unlit Flame¡ªtake what remains and make it yours? *********************************************************************** The hell is this!? *********************************************************************** ?The husk has been emptied of its fire¡ªnow let it burn in darkness.? *********************************************************************** Hmmm¡­ Getting on one knee, I gently touched the static fur of the tiger. It gave my hand a little jerk, but it wasn''t much. Maybe it was the increase in my stats, or some other reason. What do I do now¡­ Maybe I should close my eyes. As I did, a never ending swarm of darkness filled my consciousness. Sensation of sound, touch, smell¡ªeverything was drained out like it had never existed. I¡ªI never knew the absence of sensation would¡­drive me mad¡­ I felt like I was losing my mind. Even though I could tell it only had been a few seconds, the panic, anxiety, paranoia¡ªevery unholy thing settled in so quickly that I opened my eyes immediately. ''The void left by death is not empty¡­'' I breathed out. It''s not like necromancy¡­ The unlit flame is not actually a flame. It''s something else¡­ Chaos. Even I can tell¡­the silence, it was not silence. It was the chaos of everything this creature had devoured. It was just so deafening that it rendered me unable to listen to anything. Or see anything, it had blinded me. I looked at the lifeless body of the tiger once again. It wants me to fuel the space left behind by death with chaos¡­because darkness can''t remain if something is burning. I placed my hand on the tiger once and instead of closing my eyes, I let my body react to it. "There is no resurrection, no second life waiting at the end of nirvana for you¡ªonly me. Now, rise, and serve." The words left my mouth ALMOST involuntarily. Suddenly, a huge burst of some energy blasted into its being. Cold, black veins started to sprout all over the tiger''s body, and it swelled, glowing in a dark orange-reddish colour. Before it could explode, its body that had swelled like a hot air balloon suddenly rested. *********************************************************************** Congratulations: You have succeeded in the ritual. You will now give birth and open the way for your future soldiers. This is a one time event. *********************************************************************** Wait, what?! What do you mean by giving birth¡­ A creeping cold slithered into my abdomen, curling like fingers wrapping around my insides. Then, pressure. A pulse. My stomach stretched, the skin pulling taut like leather over a drum, veins crawling up my torso like ink bleeding through paper. It was wrong. Unnatural. I choked back bile as something inside me twitched. *********************************************************************** The vessel must endure the first birth. This is the cost of wielding the Unlit Flame. *********************************************************************** God¡­ No, no, abort, abort! I am a guy, damn it!" I shouted, but the words felt¡­ hollow. A foreign presence coiled inside my mind, whispering in a language I did not know yet somehow understood. "Flesh is merely a vessel. Bear the first, and more shall follow." Something moved inside me. Like fingers---more fingers, twisting through my guts, curling, clawing¡ªnot mine. I gagged. My stomach lurched, skin stretching too far, veins swelling like parasites tunneling beneath my flesh. The pressure built¡ªthick, dense, crushing. Then, a steady, rhythmic pulse. Slow. Deep. Alive. "No¡ªno, no, no, NO¡ª" I clawed at my own abdomen, nails scraping against skin, trying to dig out whatever was inside me. It wasn''t mine. It didn''t belong. Get it out. But the thing inside kicked. A scream ripped from my throat. **************************************************** The ritual has started. It cannot be stopped. **************************************************** Chapter 5: Bane The pain hit like a tidal wave, surging through his entire body, tightening around his chest until he could hardly breathe. His stomach was bloated, his skin stretched tight, something inside him was trying to claw its way out. It wasn''t just pain¡ªit was a wrong feeling, a violent feeling that was foreign to him but was slowly becoming a part of him, twisting his insides in ways he couldn''t comprehend. Every gasp felt like swallowing fire. "FUCK! DON''T TELL ME I AM GONNA BIRTH SOMETHING FROM MY ASS!" He could feel it now¡ªmovement inside, stirring, pushing against his body, fighting its way out. His muscles spasmed, the pressure building to an unbearable point, and for a moment, he thought his bones would snap. And then¡ªsomething actually broke. A sharp crack, a sickening split down the center of his stomach. The world blurred with pain as the creature inside him began to force its way into the light. It wasn''t a clean birth. No, this was violent¡ªagonizing. The air reeked of iron and something sour, like rotting meat. His skin tore with a wet, ripping sound, and the warmth of his own blood pooled beneath him, sticky and thick. Biting down on his lip, he tried to look over the bloated belly. Time seemed to stretch as the creature forced its way out. Lucian could feel every tear, every snap of sinew, every pulse of agony as his body was ripped apart. It was a cub. But not like any cub he had ever seen. As it slid from him, its form flickered, wavering in and out of shape, like smoke caught in the wind. Its body wasn''t solid, never still¡ªshifting, constantly rearranging itself, as if it didn''t know what it was supposed to be. Fur that wasn''t fur, limbs that seemed to twist and stretch in ways they shouldn''t. It was small, too small for what it should be, but its presence burned the air around it. Lucian tried to steady himself. But, he couldn''t. It was like his limbs were disconnected from him, his senses drowned in the haze of pain. Suddenly, the cub''s form stabilised into a much smaller shape of the Thunderjaw Tiger. The cub''s black eyes¡ªeyes that had black and nothing else¡ªopened, glowing faintly, and for a moment, it just stared at him. There was a connection between them, something Lucian couldn''t quite put his finger on but it was there¡ªever present. The cub came closer and pounced on him. It had four canines, but the rest of its teeth were missing. Coming closer, it wriggled, its body still shifting, flickering in the light like a flame that couldn''t decide what it should be. Looking down, Lucian saw his stomach had returned to its normal size. The pain in his bones was also receding, like it was never there. Wiping the sweat stinging his eyes, Lucain sat up and grabbed the cub. Despite having only an endless dark look in its eyes, Lucian could tell from the crease of the corner of its eyes that it looked¡­happy? ''Fuck¡­did I just give birth to a fucking tiger? Me? A guy gave birth to a monster??! This is beyond absurd, even for Ashes of Eternity¡­'' It was his. There was no denying it. He had brought it into existence, and now he was stuck with it, whether he liked it or not. The cub didn''t make a sound, but the air around it crackled, as if the space itself couldn''t settle. It was unfinished, a thing that shouldn''t be¡ªand yet it was there, small and strange, staring up at him like it knew exactly who it belonged to. "You little bitch, you sure did fuck me up even though you''re so small!" Lucian angrily spat. ''Well, at least it didn''t come out of my ass hole. That said, how did it come out anyways?'' The little cub suddenly let out a whining sound, retreating back and placing its snout down, on its front two legs. "Don''t make me sad now¡­" Lucian spoke slightly. "Wait, wait¡­! Why am I feeling sad for you!?" Lucian facepalmed. "God, don''t tell me this is because of me literally birthing it¡­" As he was talking to himself, the grimoire flew in front of him and a new section opened. **************************************************** Children of Chaos: 1) ???? (please give your first child a name) **************************************************** ''You''ve got to be kidding me.'' ''Well, I can''t really beat myself over what has already happened. Need to just accept it and move fucking on. That said, what do I name this little fucker?'' Flicking the little cub''s nose as it rolled back from the slight force, Lucian slammed his fist into his palm. Since it was such a ferocious one despite being at an age at which their parents feed them, and has such a strong bloodlust, then¡­ "Your name is Bane." Lucian said out loud. A small, dull, white light enveloped Bane. **************************************************** CHILDREN OF CHAOS: BANE: A Thunderjaw Tiger filled with the essence of ''The Bearer of Unlit Flame''. FORM: A Thunderjaw tiger cub. Forms limited due to low intelligence and comprehension of the user. LEVEL: 1 Abilities: I. Static Pulse: Releases small, paralyzing shocks that immobilize those with Resolve lower than E- II. Flickering Shadow: Can phase in and out of the material world and jump over distances. (Current ability: Phase 15 metres in any direction. Can not phase with a rider just yet. Cooldown: 5 seconds) **************************************************** Lucian looked down at Bane. Its body flickered like a broken image, parts of it disappearing and reappearing in the wrong places. One moment it had too many legs, the next it was a formless mass of shadow and teeth. ''Hmmm, this is too gross if he keeps appearing like this. Do I need to give him a proper shape?'' Pointing his finger towards the cub, he frowned. "Stay in the form of a puppy. Your shape is inconsistent so I am assuming you can get rid of those extra pairs of legs too. And stop shapeshifting." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A bead of sweat appeared on Bane''s face and after a few tries, it was able to stabilise it''s form. **************************************************** NOTIFICATION: Corruption has increased. 12% ¡ú 12.5% (you will hear the voices of the fallen) **************************************************** The fuckk¡­? I don''t even know how to react. Corruption¡ªwhatever the hell that is¡ªjust ticked up, and I have no idea what it means for me. Going by pure logic, it can''t be anything good, but given how flipped the norms are when it comes to Ashes of Eternity, I might be off the mark. That said, the corruption did not increase when a fragment possessed me, nor when I used the unlit flame which feels¡­not the holiest thing in the world. It increased when I used the Shaadow Extraction thingy or whatever it is, pouring the space left by death with unlit flame yada yada. But the Unlit Flame is said to be associated with the God of Salvation and Destruction. How does it corrupt me? Did the first user really disappear? Or did he just die due to the corruptness aspect? It''s still too early to worry about it, but at the same time, if it''s something that is going to hinder my growth in the future, I need to do something about it. Sigh¡­too many questions, and too little answers. Well, no answers. Bane came closer and cuddled close to Lucian, brushing its static infused fur against his arm. A strange warm feeling filled his heart and he felt his lips curve. Suddenly, he slapped both his cheeks, making Bane''s abyss-like eyes dart up. Come on fam, get yo act together. You''re not a pregnant woman who just gave birth¡­ok, whatever, but get your act together for fuck''s sake. What''s next? Lift my shirt and feed him from my mantitties? Bane tilted his head, the deep red infusing perfectly in its previously white fur, giving it a quite pleasant ginger-ish, salmon-pink shade. Gently ruffling the static hair on it''s head, Lucian smiled again. Ginger hair huh¡­fits you well, since you have no soul. Snickering to himself, he decided to pick the little cub up and place it in his lap. "Alright, Codex." The grimoire flew in front of him and opened. "Attributes." ************************************************ ¨CATTRIBUTES: Lucian de Luca¨C Vitality: 23 (F) Strength: 26 (F+) Dexterity: 21 (F) Arcana: 21 (F) Resolve: 19 (F-) Corruption: 12.5% You have (1) Children of Chaos in your possession. All stats will have a 10% boost when Bane is in battle. Bane can use your skills and vice-versa. Depends on individual alignment with the skills. ************************************************ Bane is in battle? Motherfucker, it''s literally a newly hatched cub for crying out loud! Lucian was feeling his temper rising. So far everything has been ridiculous. While he was not a pragmatic human, he did believe that if one day, he were to ever get in a situation as impossible as this, he will have at least some leeway. But so far, everything that had happened was so bad that it seemed like the writer himself or herself was doing this to him. "Grr-zzz-ruff!" Bane suddenly let out a panicked, rumbling growl with a sharp static edge. "Shut up, Bane! I am thinking somethin¡ªhm?" He looked over his shoulder barely in time as he saw something descend. Since he had invested all of his reward points in his strength and dexterity, he was able to see it. Just in the nick of time. It was an axe. Coming down like a guillotine, ready to split his skull into half. Since dexterity covered both evasion and perception, his legs moved and before he knew it, he was skidding past the area where he had given birth, Bane clutched tightly in his arm. The scattered debris was thrown everywhere and a cloud of smoke rose up, choking the ceiling of the temple. Lucian looked down at Bane who''s small, cherubic features were contorted into a frown as it bared its juvenile fangs and visible cracks of lightning arced across its fur. As the plume of dust settled, it revealed the attacker. It was the brown haired guard from before¡ªReyn. His long brown hair fell down on his face in rough locks and his slit black eyes scanned the whole room before taking in Lucian and Bane. "That was hot." Reyn licked his lips. "Never seen a man give birth before." Lucian''s brows furrowed as he placed Bane down. ''I can feel it¡ª I am much weaker than him.'' "How about you give that monster to me, and I will let you go, eh?" Reyn said, slowly pointing the sword away from Lucian. "Huh¡­?" "I saw what you did. You brought back a dead monster and then gave birth to it. Which means that it is a part of you." Reyn started to speak, cracking his neck. "All I want is to get out of this wretched world." Lucian seemed confused so Reyn started to talk once again. "You see, this world was plagued by a God. And the only way we could escape this plague was to restore the people''s faith. However, the people of this world were too far gone." "And then, the inevitable happened. But as the saying goes, the Gods never close all doors on you." He looked up and then at the altar room. "The Unlit flame was the last door for us. We can leave through the doors of dimensions, but people can." ''Is he referring to the divine gates?'' "Outsiders were supposed to come here¡ªto save us. One did. And he slaughtered half of us before stealing a piece of the Unlit Flame. He left us to rot. However, this time, when it was our last chance, we were prepared. We laid traps, made them slaves, and broke them mentally by starving and sexually abusing them." Reyn looked Lucian dead in the eye, his look sharpening. "Look, I know you are a strong one, all I want from you is to give me that creature." A sly smile appeared on Reyn''s lips as Bane hid behind Lucian''s leg. "I will make it painless and will eat him up at once. You don''t need it, right? It''s not right, that thing doesn''t belong in this world, or any world. Give him to me¡­." He took a small step towards Lucian, extending his hand forward. Lucian couched down and held Bane by the scruff of his fur. ''This is right¡­Bane¡­he isn''t supposed to be a thing. I am a guy¡­I gave birth, that alone should invalidate its existence. I do not care about what invariability chaos brings, it''s just not right.'' "Yeah, good, good¡­you will be able to go home too." He slowly approached, trying to grab Bane. Bane looked back, his abyss-like eyes wrinkling around the edges. "Kyarrrnnnhhh." It let out a low voice, layered with a distant echo, as if two versions of itself were crying at the same time¡ªlike a broken radio caught between frequencies. Lucian looked at it and sighed. "I really do hate all of this. I take it back, I HATE Ashes of Eternity." Withdrawing Bane, Lucian balled his hand into a fist as he drove right into Reyn''s face. Caught off-guard, the punch connected as blood sputtered out of his mouth and he was thrown back. The back of Reyn''s head collided with the debris beneath as he was thrown a yard away. Woah¡ªnah, that actually packed a punch¡­holy shit! I have a chance¡ª!? Before he could fully form his thoughts, a small cluster of rocks hit him right beneath his ribs, followed by a kick to the side of his head. Planting his feet firmly in the ground and using his hands to avoid the fall, Reyn raised his foot in an axe kick, ready to crush his head in one fell swoop. ************************************************ NOTIFICATION: Bane is using the skill: Static Pulse ************************************************ A small crack of lightning whipped in the air and Reyn froze, but only for a single fleeting second. However, that time was enough for Lucian''s perception to sense the incoming kick as he kicked the ground and dodged away using all four of his limbs. Quickly straightening his back, he looked back at Reyn who was checking his body. "I see. So your pup can use skills from its previous self." He lowered down and grinned as he gripped his sword, "But this much is pathetic. Not even a single vestige of its former glory!" Pushing the ground, Reyn bolted towards Bane, holding his sword in a stabbing position. ************************************************ NOTIFICATION: Bane is using the skill: Flickering Shadows ************************************************ Bane phased out just in time, appearing 10 metres away from Reyn. At the same time, Lucian closed the distance between them and used a giant chunk of rock to hit his head. However, Reyn grinned and twisted his body midway, swinging his sword like a tornado. The metal bit into the rock in Lucian''s hand and right before it could sever his fingers, Lucian let go of the rock. Reyn didn''t stop. The moment Lucian let go of the rock, his sword was already slashing toward his throat. Lucian barely ducked in time. The cold edge skimmed his scalp, leaving a thin, burning line as a few strands of hair fluttered to the ground. But before he could counter, Reyn twisted like a wraith. His knee slammed into Lucian''s stomach. Pain erupted through his torso as the impact folded him in half. His breath hitched, wheezing out in a strangled gasp. Before he could stumble back, a palm struck the side of his face¡ªopen-handed, almost lazy, but carrying the force of a sledgehammer. Then the real onslaught began. A fist drove into his ribs, cracking something. Another struck his jaw. His teeth clashed together, sending a sharp jolt through his skull. A final blow smashed into his temple. His vision exploded into white static before tilting into darkness. Lucian collapsed onto his knees, arms trembling as he struggled to push himself up. His body refused to obey. Then he heard it¡ª A low, crackling growl. His head jerked up. Bane stood a few feet away, barking at reyn. Sparks of lightning flickered across his fur, but something else clung to him¡ªa wispy, reddish-black mist that curled and twisted in the air like smoke rising from a dying fire. The space around him rippled. Lucian''s stomach twisted. Something was wrong. His vision swam, doubling, shifting¡ª Reyn turned toward the cub, a grin creeping across his bloodstained face. "Time to feast. You should''ve let me eat it anyway. No way in hell that you would have beaten me, unless you miraculously got 5 times stronger." Lucian''s body lurched¡ªbut he didn''t move. Lucian could see it.The impending doom for Bane. His mind wanted to be happy, because all he wanted was to get rid of the abomination. However¡­he still envisioned it with a heavy heart. Reyn''s sword plunging down. Bane''s yelp¡ªcut short. Blood pooling, thick and dark, soaking into the dirt. Reyn kneeling, peeling away the pup''s flesh, carving into his ribs. Steam rising from the open wounds. The rich, acrid scent of burning fur filling the air. Bane''s small body, skewered and turning over an open flame, sizzling, flesh curling inward. Lucian''s breath came in short, ragged bursts. No¡ªNo, no, no¡ª Something inside him ruptured. A wave of pure, unfiltered emotions crashed into him, surging like a tidal wave¡ªgrief, fury, desperation, and something far deeperl. It tore through his veins, searing his very bones. The weight of it pressed against his skull, clawing at his mind, suffocating him, crushing him. The hallucination snapped. Lucian sucked in a sharp breath, his chest heaving as reality slammed back into place. Bane was still there. Still breathing. Lucian''s pulse pounded in his ears. His fingers dug into the dirt. ************************************************ NOTIFICATION: Negative emotions have completely taken over: i. Rage has taken over ii. Contempt has taken over All stats will now receive a 500% boost ************************************************ Chapter 6: Stranded My ribs snapped like brittle twigs as I slammed into the ground, a sharp, wet crack echoing through my body. Air wheezed from my lungs in a strangled gasp, my vision fracturing at the edges. I tasted it¡ªthick, metallic taste¡ªpooling in my mouth. My tongue ran over the jagged edges of a broken tooth, sharp as splintered glass. My tongue ran over the jagged edges of a broken tooth. I barely had time to lift my head before I saw him. Reyn loomed over Bane, his fingers curling with sickening slowness around its body that was phasing in and out of existence. ''Move damn it! Use that teleportation technique! Goddamn it! MOVE!'' But, it seemed like Bane could not hear me anymore. He had hurt Bane. In a way that it could no longer use anything, evident from how lifelessly its tiny body was sagging down. Reyn''s mouth stretched open, jagged teeth gleaming as his breath curled out in steaming tendrils. Bane let out a weak, shuddering noise, its body twisting as if trying to burrow into itself. Something in me snapped. ************************************************ NOTIFICATION: Negative emotions have completely taken over. i. Rage has taken over. ii. Contempt has taken over. All stats will now receive a 500% boost. ************************************************ I shoved the notification aside, but the pure surge of emotions flooded my veins like molten lead. It felt unnatural. Alien. Like I was being devoured from the inside out. ************************************************ ¨CATTRIBUTES: Lucian de Luca¨C Vitality: 23¡ú115 (D-) Strength: 26¡ú130 (D-) Dexterity: 21¡ú105 (D-) Arcana: 21¡ú105 (D-) Resolve: 19¡ú95 (D-) Corruption: 12.5% ************************************************ The Agony of Burning Wrath is flooding your body with searing strength. The Agony of Hungering Dread is sharpening your instincts and movements. The Agony of Boundless Ruin is reinforcing your body beyond its limits. ************************************************ There they were¡­those damned sadistic agonies. It had not striked me before, but I can remember now. The agonies were primordial entities who influenced the different tragedies in the world. These agonies are also the fragments of the "creator. But a mortal mind wasn''t meant to withstand them. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. And yet¡­ I was still sane. Still in control. ¡­Wasn''t I? I will think about it later! Maybe it was because of the boost in my stats but when I moved¡ªthe world shattered beneath me. The ground split apart under my feet, sending a spray of stone and sediment into the air. One step and I was already on Reyn. His mouth was gaping, moments from devouring Bane whole. He wasn''t human. None of the denizens behind the Divine Gates were. They only wore the skin of men. I seemed to be forgetting this again and again. But now that I know¡­there''s no need to hold back! Reyn''s eyes snapped wide. He sensed me and twisted his body to react, but it was too late. I had already swung. My fist connected with his ribs¡ªand his entire torso caved inward like crumpling steel. Bones shattered and flesh ruptured, giving way to a wet shockwave that tore through his body before the force sent him flying. He wasn''t just knocked back¡ªhe was FUCKING obliterated. Reyn blasted through the first wall. Then the second. The third. His body didn''t stop, hurtling like a ragdoll through stone, brick, and flesh-ripping debris. And then¡ª BOOM. The sonic boom followed a second later, rippling through the temple like the delayed roar of an earthquake. The sheer force of my own punch made me stumble. Bane slipped from Reyn''s shattered fingers, plummeting toward the ground¡ª I reached beneath him just in time and caught him, cradling his frail body against my chest. My knees hit the dirt, the world narrowing into nothing but the small, broken creature in my arms. ************************************************ Your emotions have stabilised. Stats will be reverted back to normal. ************************************************ The surge of power vanished. My body felt¡­ hollow. As if something had been wrenched away, leaving behind an echoing void. But there was no time for that. Panic overtook me and I picked a stone from beside me and stood up, holding Bane close to myself. In the distance, I saw Reyn laying between a pile of rubble, completely unmoving. A cold, eerie silence settled over the air. Wait. Did I just¡­ one-shot him? ¡­Nah, that''s crazy. The boost from Unlit Flame was something else! ************************************************ CAUTION: Corruption: 12.5% ¡ú 13% ************************************************ Hmmm. It increased the last time I heard Will of the Universe, and now again, when the agonies reacted to me. Does that mean the more these negative forces of this world interact with me, the more my corruption will increase? What will happen if it reaches 100%? Anyhow, it can''t be any good. Corruption doesn''t sound good in any sense of the word, and I don''t think I want to take the risk of letting it reach 100%. That said¡­ I looked down at Bane who seemed almost incorporeal and was huddled close to me in a wispy ball. A strange protectiveness curled around me. It made no sense, yet it felt¡­ natural. Like an instinct ingrained deep in my bones. I can''t control it, so I need to keep Bane out of harm''s way. This feeling of being so attached and emotional when it comes to Bane, it''s weird but it is something I have to deal with. It''s not even outlandish, given this is how it usually happens. Those who give birth are super protective about their newborns¡­minus a few cases. I cradled Bane closer, my eyes scanning the rubble where Reyn was. It is impossible that I killed him by just a punch¡­even if my stats were boosted. The silence was eerily unnerving, which was broken only by the occasional soft whimpers of the small creature in my arms. I couldn''t risk staying here any longer. Running away from there, I quickly grabbed one of the men that had been a slave before having his head bitten off by Bane when he was alive, and I tore his shirt. Making a makeshift babysling, I put Bane into it and ran. Running towards one of our dead captors, whose lower half wasn''t fully charred, I quickly took his boots off and ran towards the exit. The moment I stepped outside, the world greeted me with the bitter stench of ash and decay. The cold, musty air rushed into my lungs, each breath burning with the ever-present dust hanging thick in the air. However, I didn''t pay it any mind. I can exit here. The entrance to divine gates will spawn¡­wait¡­where will it spawn again¡­?! I do not remember¡­ THINK! THINK! Nothing. The memories of this body¡ªthis life¡ªwere an incomplete mess. I had no idea where this party had first entered the gate. That meant¡­ I came to a dead stop. I''m trapped here. Panic set in, creeping like a slow poison through my veins. I had already cleared the Unlit Flame trial¡ªthe Divine Gate wouldn''t stay open forever. If I didn''t find it soon, I''d be stuck here. For eternity. My breath hitched. My grip on Bane tightened. His red-tinged fur crackled with tiny static sparks as he looked up at me, those molten eyes unreadable. And then¡ª I heard a groan. My body jerked at the sound, my head snapping toward it. Someone was still alive. Logic screamed at me to stay cautious, but desperation overrode it. If there was even the slightest chance they knew where the exit was¡ªI had to take it. Bane chirped excitedly as I bolted back toward the temple. Just before I stepped inside, I heard another groan. This time, from the right. I turned sharply. My pulse was thundering in my ears. And then¡ª "What¡­ you¡­?" Interlude: Ashes of Eternity Ashes of Eternity. It was one of the best-selling dark-fantasy books in the year 2031. The selling point of this novel became its norm-defying mechanics and how dark and cruel this world was. A world where each relationship between characters was made under the pretense of personal agendas. Coupled that with the first-person narration where even the main character lied to himself about his motives and kept his main ambition hidden underneath a veil of hypocrisy, it tickled the fancies of many novel connoisseurs and young adults who liked non-cliche, yet kind of edgy main characters. To truly understand Ashes of Eternity, we have to go around 3 eternities back in time. Before all things¡ªanything''s existence, there was One. A being without equal, without rival. The first and only True Sovereign¡ªXeltharion. He was not simply a god¡ªhe was existence itself. The cosmos was not something he created; it was something he was. His breath was time. His shadow was space. His thoughts were the tides of reality, shaping the very foundations of what would become the world¡ªthe entire universe. But Xeltharion was not alone. Beyond the veil of his dominion, there were others. Sovereigns of other universes. Entities as boundless and terrible as he was, each ruling over their own existence, each unwilling to bow. And when Sovereigns come across, none will bow, now will submit, none will negotiate. So, the war began when Azhirath demanded a specific world in Xeltharion''s dominion¡ªhis most prized possession. The world that Xeltharion gave birth to and nurtured with utmost care and devotion. And hence: Azhirath, Iltharys and Eonvath rallied their divine armies of Monarchs and marched towards Xeltharion. No mortal could comprehend it. This was not a battle of flesh and steel, nor one fought in the skies or on land. It was a war of concepts, of laws clashing, of existence itself unwrapping itself beneath the weight of their war. Worlds ceased to be. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Time bled in reverse. The very foundation of reality cracked as these sovereign beings waged war over a truth only they could understand. Long story short, in the end, Xeltharion stood victorious. But victory had its price. Wounded beyond repair after being betrayed by one of his own monarchs¡ªchildren he birthed and loved more than anyone and anything¡ªhis essence fractured. He was not a being of flesh, but of something else entirely¡ªand when such a being is wounded, it does not simply weaken and perish. It shatters. And from its death, new life is formed. And so, shatter he did. And so, born were entirely different aspects. His being splintered into countless fragments, scattering across his dominion. These pieces of him, once a whole, now became the ruling forces of the world in his absence. Some were vast, impersonal, the very pillars of existence itself. But others¡­ Others remembered. Now, a question. Does pain ever fade? The answer depends on context. In this: pain never fades. Not when it belongs to a god. Xeltharion''s "death" gave birth to ''The Agonies'' which were the echoes of his suffering, given form and sentience. They are not mere remnants; they are gods in their own right. Fragments of his being that could not forget the torment of his final war, and so they became suffering itself. Agony of Burning Wrath¡ªThe Sovereign''s rage at his enemies. Agony of Shuddering Terror¡ªThe Sovereign''s fear of his own undoing, of the abyss clawing at the edges of existence. Agony of Weeping Silence¡ªhe Sovereign''s sorrow, the realization of his own doom, the unbearable weight of all he had lost. Agony of Harrowing Yearning¡ªThe Sovereign''s endless desire to be whole again, to reclaim what was lost. Agony of Gnawing Betrayal¡ªThe Sovereign''s pain at the treachery of those he once trusted. It festers in lies, in broken oaths, in the sharp sting of betrayal. But not all of the Sovereign''s fragments were scarred by his malice. Some simply continued their purpose. They are the Primordial Forces, the aspects of his being that govern the fundamental laws of existence. Light, Dark, Time, and Space. And then, there are the Essences. If the Agonies are his pain, and the Forces are his foundation, then the Essences are his soul. The truest, rawest aspects of his divinity, scattered across the world like dying embers. Life, Death, Creation¡­and Destruction. In retrospect to Agonies, there were boons, to balance the agony of the world. All parts of Xeltharion had their own sentience, each one while distinct in personality, having the same urge to continue their duties, albeit a bit differently, and in a more biased manner. After seeing how the monarchs of Xeltharion''s universe were in a fray, these forces of him wiped them out, absorbing their essences clean. As they did, a question was raised by the Essence of Creation and Destruction. "What now?" And so, while they pondered for hundreds of years upon this matter while their universe descended into a battlefield of mindless slaughter, another "sibling" of these forces took birth¡ªthe last part of the Sovereign¡ªthe youngest, who did not belong to any category, sowed his first seed of manipulation. Everyone came to the consensus of granting every being the chance at their own powers, to make their own brigades of Monarchs who will be birthed by them. But raw divinity, left unchecked, is chaos. To simply pour power into the world would have meant catastrophe¡ªa land twisted beyond recognition, an existence where mortals were nothing but dust. So, they forged a system. The Codex. A framework of divinity. A means through which their¡ªthe Sovreign''s, by extension¡ªwill could be expressed, their gifts bestowed, their influence shaped without destroying the very world they had inherited. And so, the pawns, the rooks, the bishops, the knights, the queen and the King were all placed on the grand board of celestial chess. And hence, as the other Sovereigns retreated to recuperate and heal, the long period of waiting for Xeltharion''s essence started. Chapter 7: Stranded (II) "What¡­ you¡­?" The words slurred out of my mouth. My tongue lolled inside my mouth and my vision grew hazy due to the excessive blood loss. Despite my current condition and the fact that Ashes of Eternity had no illustrations, I could immediately recognise who this girl was. She was the same girl who Reyn had pulled with himself to ''play'' with. However, she was the same girl who had played such a big role in the story, without even being around¡ªCelia Solara, the princess of the holy kingdom of Solara and one of the most favored candidates for the throne by the clergy. Her black hair was draped messily on her mud and blood-caked face and her pale grey eyes were unfocused. Her eyes seemed to swim in whatever direction her head leaned to. Celia¡ªthe misjudged princess. The one who was ''hyped up'' for no reason as she died off-screen in one of the very first Divine Doorways introduced. The first volume focused on the main character in his village, his group of friends, his loving childhood friend, their adventures in their village as they did menial hunting while the author introduced elements in a slow manner¡­and it ended in their deaths. The author is a real troll, given how he even wrote ''thanks for reading Ashes of Eternity,'' at the end, implying the story was over. Taken as a joke first, it became quite famous. Smart, on top of humorous. The author really knows how to market his stuff. Celia''s groan made me turn my head towards her. She fell down, but tried to stand up again. Getting on one knee, I held her and made her sit against my leg as I tried to shake her to consciousness. "Hello? Potential Princess? Can you hear me?" She didn''t respond¡ªjust a garbled mess of words that sounded more like she was drowning than talking. I know she is supposed to die but¡­how can I leave a human to die? Yes, I might be in a novel now, but I am the same as her. And she''s the same as me. I can''t just let anyone die. Flinging her arm around my neck, I held her by the waist. She smelled¡­not just from the sweat. I could feel a man''s odour from all over her. Glancing from the corner of my eyes, I saw her plump lips bitten and bruised all over while her neck and chest were nothing but dark-purple and black marks. It disgusted me. Slowly, I tried to pull her with me. She was as tall as me, and had a well endowed figure. I am not saying this to compliment her, but because it was making my life harder to pull her. Those extra assets do pack some extra kilos. "I need you to listen to me closely. I am not a denizen. I am a human like you. You have to tell me where the Divine Doorway opened. The trial is over. We only have a small window to escape." I spoke near her ear, loud enough to make her eyes focus, only for a fleeting moment before she went limp again. Tsk¡ªI don''t blame her, but I need her to be awake. "ZZZZ!" The sharp noise of static reached my ears as Bane''s shadowy cub figure jumped from behind me and then landed a few yards away before running back to me. "BZZZ!" "Not now, Bane! I am not in the mood!" I snapped as the little cub¡ªpuppy, whatever it is, let out an electrifying whining sound before jumping at me again. "Settle down, you little shit¡ªoh!" It took me a second to realise, but it seemed like Bane wasn''t trying to stop and get me to play, it was suggesting something else entirely. While it is not guaranteed to wake Celia up, giving her a shock from a baby, mutated Thunderjaw might just bring her back to consciousness. I mean¡­it''s probably a bad idea, but it''s something. Laying her down, I looked at Bane. "Shock her." As if understanding every word, he immediately pounced on her and went inside her torn shirt. My heart tightened as I looked at her while Bane tried to wriggle his way between her breasts. His form contracted as he shrunk to fit himself there. She was described as a really beautiful, and pure princess who was fierce, and kind, and warm. Seeing her defiled like this made me¡­sad. And really, really angry. The prickle of nail digging into my skin brought me back to reality as I felt Bane trying to tingle my senses. Like it was trying to communicate. "Go on, do it." I ordered. The cub''s tiny electric shocks crackled like a live wire. The surge of electricity hit her, and her body jolted beneath me. Her chest rose, breath ragged, but her eyes remained closed. I couldn''t tell if she was awake or still trapped in limbo. But it hardly mattered. She''d be of no use if she stayed like this. Bane wriggled deeper, his electric pulses skittering against the slickness of her skin, the charge sparking in quick, mercurial bursts. I could see the flicker of movement beneath her, the sudden clench of her fingers and the wrinkling of the skin around her eyes. ''We are making progress.'' I thought as Bane''s determination and excitement leaked into me, like it was a part of me¡­strange. Her eyelids twitched. I quickly dropped and leaned closer, lips brushing the side of her ear. "Princess, I need you to focus. Now," I growled. Her head twitched, reflecting the faintest glimmer of recognition behind her unfocused eyes. She wasn''t out of it yet, but she was waking up¡ªbut we didn''t have the luxury of waking up like a princess. Another spasm ran through her body and mine as I was near her, holding her by the shoulder. "Goddamn it, Bane! I was touching her! Wait¡ªno, not in that way¡­fuck, who am I even justifying myself to?" Getting away, I signalled Bane again. "Light her up." Another jolt. More forceful this time. Her eyes flickered open, just enough to meet mine, and I saw the emptiness there¡ªthe blankness of someone barely clinging to life. It was more than I expected, but it was enough. "Where''s the Doorway?" I pressed. A barely audible groan escaped her lips, but it wasn''t an answer. Damn it. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I shifted my grip, trying to steady her. I didn''t have the luxury of being patient. "Tell me, Princess...Celia. The trial''s over. We can still get out of here¡ªif you help me." Her lips parted again, words slurring out. It wasn''t coherent, but her hand twitched, and for a second, I thought she might point. But instead, she collapsed against me, her body too heavy to keep up the fight and for me to hold as she plopped on the sharp, rocky ground. I let out a breath through clenched teeth. Bane chirped again, urging me forward with more of that insistent static. It was almost like the damn thing was trying to tell me something important, something I wasn''t picking up on. I shook my head. This wasn''t the time for riddles. The cub jumped from her chest, landing lightly on the ground beside me. With a grunt, I hauled Celia up again, feeling the weight shift on my shoulders as I started to run. "Bane, give her light shocks." I screamed out as the pointy stones tore into flesh through the cheap quality shoes while Bane dissolved into mist and then reappeared on top of Celia. "Princess, point with your hand where the doorway is." She can''t talk, but her hands function well. Bane lit her up as I felt her breathe normally again. Without saying a word, she pointed in a direction as I bolted with all the energy I had. She was heavy¡­my strength stat was better than before but I was failing to run anymore. I was out of breath, my head was spinning, I was sweating like a pig and Bane felt like he was laughing at me. This fucking retard! After a while of running, I heard Celia groan as she tried to say something but fell unconscious again. Bane was about to light her up but I held him off. She''d have severe permanent damage if we kept doing it. I mean, I am sure she''s gonna have issues once she fully recovers, but it''s better than dead. Celia groaned once again, her voice a torn, ugly thing. I was almost there. Just a few more steps. I could feel it. My arms burned, my breath tore in and out of my chest. This was it. I could not remember from my memories, but I could feel it. The ground here felt right. I started to lower her¡ª ?The one who bears has arrived.? The words slammed into my skull like a sledgehammer. ''''The voice of the universe¡­'''' I thought, out loud. Stone peeled back in an empty place in the air, curling inward as it revealed the Doorways¡ªa jagged tear in the fabric of space. The light that spilled out wasn''t golden, it wasn''t comforting. It was painful to look at. But it flooded with hope. We''re saved. Bane felt happy too. I could feel it. I tightened my grip on Celia. I had seconds. I stepped forward. A cold weight sank in my gut before I even heard the voice. Something was wrong. Terribly, horrifically wrong. And then¡ª "Wait!" The voice was desperate. A jagged claw of sound scraping down my spine. My stomach plummeted. I turned, shook by horror. Bane shuddered too. I could feel his paranoia mix in mine and make me even more paranoid. Reyn. He was a ruin of a man. Barely standing, barely alive. His left leg dragged, his arm was twisted back and bones pushed up against his torn skin. "I don''t want to stay here," he gasped, his chest rising and falling in sharp, ragged jerks. "I can''t stay here. Let me through. Please, I beg of you." He reached forward as I took multiple steps back, pulling Celia with me. This man. This thing. The one who had torn Celia apart, laughing while she screamed. Not just her, but every woman. He was begging¡­me? Did he forget? He tried to kill me¡­he tried to kill Bane. If I hadn''t known him, if I hadn''t seen¡ªI might have believed him. My lips quivered. Honestly, I could piss my pants right now. But¡­ "You can change," I said softly. The words barely made it past my lips. "But your nature? That never will." Putting Celia down by the actively forming Doorway, I took a step forward. His fingers curled inward into a fist. "And I know what yours is, Reyn." My voice kept getting steady with every word. I knew what he was. I had read the Auxiliary of Ashes of Eternity more religiously than anyone else. I could trust a backstabber more than him. "I know all of your kind''s nature. Critters. Your world was never ruined." ************************************************ NOTIFICATION: You are using Bane''s Skill "Static Pulse: Lvl. 1" ************************************************ "You consumed it yourselves." For a second, just a second, his breath caught. Something in his face cracked¡ªa moment of something real. He smiled, and then giggled, his shoulders trembling. And then he screamed. The sound wasn''t human. His body tore apart. Skin blistered, bubbled, sloughed off like melting wax. Flesh twisted, thickened, stretched into something that was in total juxtaposition to his previous human form. His arms¡ªno, his limbs¡ªextended as sinew snapped and bones splintered. His jaw unhinged. A long, blackened, pulsing tongue lolled from his mouth that dripped with acid, burning the pointy pebbles underneath. His eyes were still human, though. That same, wild, desperate hunger burning behind them. Without wasting a moment, he lunged as sparks fizzled out from me. I shoved Celia halfway through the Doorways and looked at Bane. "Look after her." Bane poof''d into black smoke and entered inside? her as I pushed her through the doorways. And then, it was just us. Before I could ready myself, Reyn came down on me like a beast unchained. I barely got my arm up before his tongue whipped forward, slicing the air. It was a flash of wet muscle and needle-sharp barbs¡ªI twisted, just in time¡ªthat tore through the stone behind me instead, shattering it like brittle bone. I wobbled. Shit¡­ Why the fuck did I even provoke it? Critters were said to carry hatred towards their real form! That damn princess wasn''t even awake to see me act cool! Why the fuck did I¡­ I ducked beneath his second strike, rolled across the shattered stone, and came up just as he lunged again. His longer arms swiped forward, claws screeching against the rock as I dodged again by inches. Too close. Too fast. He wasn''t just attacking¡ªhe was driving me back, pushing me away from the Doorways. I wouldn''t let him. I can''t¡­it''s my only chance to fulfill the fantasy I had been dreaming of. I lunged forward, knife flashing, as it sliced deep into his side. Flesh split open and thick, dark blood gushed out¡ª He didn''t even react. His mouth twisted and his tongue snapped forward like a whip. I barely got my knife up¡ª CRACK. Agony exploded through my forearm. The impact ripped the blade from my hand, sending it spinning creeping grey mist. I stumbled back. Reyn''s laughter crawled through the air. "Still fighting?" His voice was thick, warped, something wet curling behind the syllables. "What''s the point, human?" I didn''t answer. Couldn''t. But¡­ I ran. Not away. But towards him. His mouth curled into something close to a grin. Good. Let him think I was desperate. Let him think I was losing. At the last second, I twisted, planted my feet¡ªand threw myself low. Sharp stones dug into my body and instantly I felt warm blood gush out of every part of me. He swung and I went under his arm, grabbed the slick muscle of his tongue, as I stabbed it with multiple sharp pebbles before yanking it hard. He screamed. For the first time, he screamed. The sound was inhuman. His body jerked, muscles spasming, his claws raking through the air. I didn''t let go. I twisted, dug the stones in deeper by kicking it, and yanked again. Suddenly, Reyn staggered¡ªjust for a second. He was in pain¡­this was my window. "Come on, Codex, give me a dashing skill, please!" I screamed as I ran, trying to put everything into it but the stones stabbing my feet slowed me down with every push, I could feel the stone stabbing the bones now and my mind went in and out of consciousness. Before I knew it, Reyn was right behind me. ************************************************ NOTIFICATION: You are using Bane''s Skill "Flickering Shadows: Lvl. 1" ************************************************ But before he knew it, I was falling through the Doorway. But¡­ Alas¡­ Things are never that easy. Through the haze of pain of a mutilated body, I felt Reyn''s claws clamping onto my arm. My mind began to black out. I could hear Bane''s panicked, electrifying squeals. A flash of heat. A sound like tearing flesh. And then¡ª A scream. I blinked, many times. An arm¡ªRey''s, I could tell¡ªor what was left of it¡ªwas still clamped around my wrist. But his body¡ª His body was outside the shutting Doorway. Heh¡­hehehe¡­ Of course. The world rejects him. He could only pass if he had consumed one of us. Which he didn''t¡­hehehehe! HAHAHAHAH! WHAT A DUMBASS! I laughed but it felt like my throat was torn apart. As I looked at the shutting door, I caught a glimpse of Reyn''s burning body. It peeled away in ribbons, melting like candle wax. My breath shuddered out as the doorways closed. Bane got atop me. His form was flickering, like a dying ember. Snuggling his electric face in my neck, it let out what sounded like a whimper. "Stop treating me like a mama for fuck''s sake¡­" I coughed as blood splattered on his innocent face that contorted into worry, his visage disappearing. Am I¡­dying? I looked over at Celia who had ragdolled a few inches away from me. Her chest was heaving up and down. She''s¡­alive¡­ God¡­ I really wanted to live¡­ "Huh¡­wha¡­princess? The Doorway¡­it''s been conquered!" A voice reached my ears. Ah yes, right. The NPC student who was on guard duty. "Call the Priest. We need to cleanse this area." Wait what¡­ ¡­oh fuck. I am doomed.