《Blood of the Ancients》


 Mythological

    The concept of mythology always interested me. The unique characteristics and creative designs to express different parts of the world are incredibly fascinating. It gives people a sense of color and meaning in this chaotic world.


    From the Greeks to the Aztecs, mythologies show the creativity and livelihood of the people who share these ideas from generation to generation.


    The ideas of mythologies feel too far from reality. Since I was a child, my grandma always recounted mythologies from all over the world before sleeping. Her stories scared me, yet I loved them. The peace of them not existing prevented me from wetting the bed after every story.


    Everyone doesn''t fear something they hear while knowing it¡¯s false. That sense of security blinds us from the possibility of those same fictional creatures we heard in our childhood becoming reality.


    A reality where, since all of human history, we lived alongside them until legends explained how our heroes saved us from these creatures by killing them and freeing humanity from their brutalities.


    Events that, by the passage of time, become more and more of a myth rather than an actual event that changed the history of our species.


    Every child is told about these stories about the ten heroes and their struggles to combat these demons. A classic hero story. As one grows, these stories become more and more far from reality.


    If you ask anyone about the reality of these stories, they will just say that they are just fiction and people shouldn¡¯t take them. It was the norm to not fear fictional beings that at any moment can kill us with little to no remorse for our kind.


    All of this seemed like common sense, so how can they explain the sudden appearance of these mythological figures?


    The once beautiful towns where the myths were mostly prevalent, stories spanning generations and generations of human efforts, all destroyed.


    Mythological creatures transform from nighttime stories to a new reality that every human has to combat.


    The legends of our ten heroes become more and more like a living memoir of the harsh realities that have once again resurfaced to cause even greater chaos than those written in the legends.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    My life until the awakening of these mythologies was the same as every preadolescent''s. Playing with my friends outside and then coming back to my grandma cooking me the best chicken soup my palate has ever enjoyed and probably will ever enjoy.


    The sun always emitted the most colorful rays, illuminating and giving life to my entire world. The colors were brighter and livelier.


    That day and what someone was doing the exact day of the beginning is implemented into everyone¡¯s mind as it took the world by storm.


    I still remember the day that changed the course of humanity.


    The fateful day of November 5, 1071


    I was resting beneath an apple tree. The smell of freshly ripened apples and the blossoming flowers engulfed the small town in which I was born. The sounds of kids running outside with the brightest, most cheerful faces on their faces illuminated the small town of Nora, just an hour''s walk from the major city of Nothe.


    At first, it felt like a small earthquake, as if a very large individual had fallen on earth. It felt very minuscule, but my legs could feel it.


    After I felt the earthquake, I put my bright red book down to try and figure out why there was a small shake where I was standing. I looked around and saw nobody else alarmed by the sudden shake.


    I felt a weird feeling as if my body was telling me to go inside and tell Grandma about the feeling.


    Shake


    I felt the earthquake more than the first one. This one almost brought me to my knees. I immediately looked to see the people. I saw them all on the ground. At this point, I realized that this wasn''t something I imagined, but rather something more terrifying.


    I ran to my house, dropping my book. When I entered my house, I saw Grandma holding herself up by a chair.


    ¡°Grandma, are you OK? Did you also feel it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, but don¡¯t worry; it¡¯s just an earthquake.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something normal that happens once in a while. But it¡¯s weird; I thought we weren¡¯t getting one until ten more years.¡±


    ¡°Ten more years?¡± I said with a perplexed look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; they can get all predictions right.¡±


    Grandma patted my head and managed to get up on her feet.


    ¡°Yves, can you help me with washing the dishes?¡±


    I nodded and walked to the sink; seeing four plates and four cups covered with food made me a little sick to my stomach.


    Shake


    The third earthquake felt even stronger than both of the previous ones combined.


    I stopped what I was doing and immediately ran to Grandma, who was on the ground.


    I walked and carried her outside as I had a gut feeling that the house would fall down if another earthquake suddenly appeared.


    ¡°Grandma, are you fine!!?¡±


    ¡°You worry too much; just let me rest, as I fell on my knees, and they hurt quite a lot.¡±


    Grandma began massaging her knees while I was looking terrified at what was happening.


    Shake


    Boom!!


    An earthquake twice the strength of the third one appeared. Causing my house, which belonged to my great-grandfather, to collapse instantly.


    The dust of the fallen building covered my entire vision. However, I could still see an outline of a figure completely different from any animal or human I had ever seen.


    His long figure stood still as I was covering Grandma from the debris.


    ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±


    When the dust settled down, I heard a bloodcurdling scream from my grandma.


    I looked back and was paralyzed out of fear from the horrific creature looking down at me. His dark red eyes with his dark body, its darkness absorbed a majority of all the light hitting it.


    The monster pointed at me. As if it¡¯s telling me that I am next.


    The sun that once shone brightly was now completely covered by a dark crimson light.


    ¡°AHHH!!¡±


    I could hear the many bloodcurdling screams from the people I once held dearly. I looked around and saw the person whom I considered family being ripped apart by a similar-looking monster as the one standing in front of me.


    ¡°What can I do? I am scared! I don¡¯t want to die! Help Help Help!!!¡±

 Beginning

    The fear in my screams awoke something inside my grandma.


    She stood up as the monster got closer to me. I saw her figure push me out of the way when the monster was about to pierce my body.


    I fell to the ground and saw her body being pierced by the hands of that monster. Her mouth covered in blood could only give a faint smile as she was ripped apart in front of my eyes.


    I cried without making a noise; after seeing this, I got up and started running away, running like a maniac. The memory of that scene haunted me every time I took a step as I was running.


    The more I ran, the more I saw the once green and colorful small village, in which I was raised, now covered in monsters and the remains of the people with whom I shared my entire childhood.


    I ran with all my might into the forest. The forest was calm, with no monster in sight. I decided to stay in the forest until I could get over the trauma of that day.


    My time in the forest was nothing but pain. I was only twelve years old when I was on my own to hunt and survive.


    For the first week in the forest, my goal was to find a river and to create a shelter. The river was very hard to find as there was no nearby forest. I went two days without water, and I was severely dehydrated. Until I found a river.


    The river was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It felt like God himself took pity on me. I decided to build my house close to the river.


    I could only gather small branches for the first month. The only foods I ate were fish and any fruits that were in the trees. There were many times when I almost died eating something poisonous.


    My first year was the worst. The next years were a lot easier as I had developed the skills to hunt for food and to know what fruits and mushrooms were edible.


    I stayed in the forest for about three years. Haunted by the nightmare of that day. There wasn''t a single night where I didn¡¯t dream about that day. A nightmare every day for three years was horrible for my mental health.


    There were days when I was close to ending it all, but the sacrifice my grandma made was the only thing keeping me sane through those sleepless nights. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    I left the forest as I was so mentally destroyed that I needed human connection. I need someone to love.


    I left the forest and started walking mindlessly for weeks until I saw a massive wall.


    Before I arrived, I saw the monster appear in front of me. I was petrified; the memories of that day started to replay. My mind amplified the terror to a level that completely differs from reality.


    I was paralyzed in fear, traumatized. I was ready to die.


    Until I saw the monster get stabbed in the back by a long white sword.


    The monster teleported out of my view. I then saw a young adult male. His hair is as white as the milk. His eye colors are inverted. His pupils are black, and his sclera are black. His outfit is pure white and black.


    He looked at me and pointed his sword.


    ¡°Who are you? Are you also a mythological creature?¡±


    ¡°What? A mythological creature?¡±


    ¡°How do you not know? We have been in this shit hole for about three years. Do you have a blessing from one of the mythological beings?¡±


    ¡°So you also experienced it? Also, what is a blessing?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t discourse anything as you might be a skinwalker. Just in case, I will handcuff you to take you in for interrogation. If everything is fine, then we will tell you everything.¡±


    I, in a blink of an eye, got handcuffed. I walked through the main door. Everyone was looking at me with fear in their eyes. Some had hatred in their eyes as if I was the one who started everything.


    I tried asking people, but they all just looked scared and ran away. One drunk guy pointed his shiny sword in front of my neck. The man was talking pure nonsense. If it weren''t for the white-haired guy, I would have been beaten up by now.


    Now I walked through the city looking nothing like the old cities I used to go to with my grandma. This city looked dull, with many buildings looking rather old even though only three years had passed.


    I arrived at a long, dull red building. I entered the building, and the smell of waste instantly entered my nose. The repugnant smell brought me close to throwing up.


    The man walked as fast as possible to get away from the smell.


    I passed through many monsters, some from mythologies I recognized while others whom I had never read. The most terrifying were the human-monster hybrids.


    You could see them fighting the urge to become fully fledged demons.


    I arrived at my jail cell. The man shoved me inside as I tried resisting, but the strength gap was too big for me to try and resist.


    I stayed there sitting down beside a toilet and a bed. The bed is very uncomfortable to sleep in.


    The man suddenly visited me the next day and handed me a notepad and a pen.


    I currently find myself writing this to remember and reflect on my life. This is the last page of the notepad. I had scraped so much paper that I ran it dry.


    Before I fill the last page, all I want to say is that I am anxious to learn about what truly happened in those three years and mostly about interacting with others without prejudice.


    From this moment on I won¡¯t write my story; I will live it. Maybe in the future, I will write again, but this is the end. Goodbye.


    Yves reached the end of his notepad, but this isn¡¯t the end of his story; far from that, this is the start. The start of a greater journey awaits him.

 Power system

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 Harvest

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 Decision

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 Ink

    Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.


    Yves could hear the sound of a heartbeat; it echoed.


    Yves was thinking that it was due to his death, but the more and more that sound echoed, the more annoyed he became at how sad the afterlife is.


    Yves opened his eyes only to be surprised to see a pure white room.


    Yves patted his body but saw nothing, that the hole on his stomach was patched, and there was no scarring.


    Am I dead?... I am dead. I got stabbed, and I passed out, but if this is the afterlife, I would just prefer to disappear.


    Yves felt a liquid drop on top of his head.


    Confused, he touched the top of his head and was surprised to see his hand black as if it were covered in ink.


    ¡°Is this ink? Why is there a big splash of ink on the top of the room? Wait, is this judgment?¡±


    Before Yves could panic, the ink suddenly disappeared, leaving no traces; even his hand became its original cream color.


    Splash


    On the left side of Yves, another big splash of ink was heard. The splash of ink splashed on Yves, consuming his entire clothing.


    Yves became suspicious of the ink as it was acting radically.


    The ink started disappearing and appearing at every corner of the room. Engulfing Yves more and more.


    ¡°What do you want!!¡± Yves screaming is annoyance at being constantly splashed.


    Splash


    The ink splashed in front of Yves, but none hit Yves. It instead created a word.


    ¡°Let me read.¡±


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    ¡°Hello Yves, You don¡¯t know who I am, but I know everything about you. I know the truth behind everything.


    ¡°I call bullshit on that! First, what are you? You have to introduce yourself before talking straight nonsense.¡±


    The ink started forming more words.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know me. All you have to do is trust me, and I will help you in your goal. Call me as you see fit.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No thanks, I don''t need your help. I am already dead, so why do I need your help in the afterlife?¡±


    The ink again started forming more words.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t dead...¡±


    ¡°What? How I was stabbed in the back¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were stabbed, but you aren¡¯t dead. I can make you strong. Very strong, only if you are willing to make a contract with me.¡±


    Yves became more doubtful about how suspicious the whole situation was going.


    ¡°So like a system?¡±


    ¡°No, those don¡¯t exist in this world. However, I believe in your potential to control a world threat, so I would like to invest in you before the others try to swoop you in.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yves became pissed off.


    ¡°At first it was believable, but you are bringing world-threatening mythological creatures into the equation; your entire argument became false.¡±


    The ink disappeared.


    Splash


    A massive splash of ink covered the entire room pitch black.


    The ink started collecting itself into one spot as Yves was watching in amusement and confusion.


    A tall figure appeared; it resembled Yves but was an older version of him.


    ¡°So you are a human? Then why am I here? Why didn¡¯t you speak to me first in this form instead of that dumb ink!!¡±


    ¡°I believe that it would be less intimidating to present myself as my real form instead of using your body as a mold.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you, me, but Ink, what is your name?¡± Yves¡¯s annoyance increased.


    ¡°You can decide my name if you join in a contract with me.¡±


    ¡°What would that contract benefit me? I need to know, as I won¡¯t just blindly sign a contract without reading. That is what my grandma told me.¡±


    ¡°My apologies. The contract would be that you will be able to use my abilities, and in return, you have to make the world know about my existence.¡±


    Yves looked at the ink version of himself with suspicion. He can¡¯t believe anything that a random being is telling him.


    ¡°Is there a catch? This contract seems like it would benefit me more than you. I know that you aren¡¯t dumb enough to do that.¡±


    The ink Yves sighed and palmed his face.


    ¡°You caught me. The only catch is that you are unable to contract with other mythological beings.¡±


    ¡°So does that mean that I won¡¯t be able to contract with any D to A mythological creatures!! So then how would I get stronger!?¡±


    ¡°I forgot that you are a child. Let me dumb it down for you. I will give you super strong power, and you will save the world with that power. But you will not be able to get other powers from mythological beings.¡±


    ¡°I am not that dumb!! But¡­ How strong is that power? Is it strong enough to beat a world threat?¡± Yves became more interested in taking the offer.


    ¡°Yes, you would be able to defeat a world threat, but it won¡¯t be easy to get to that level¡­ I forgot to tell you that you will have to go to trials in order to gain more of my power.¡±


    ¡°You know what? I accept. I have nothing to live for, so what do I lose?¡± Yves extended his hand.


    ¡°Very well then, as time goes on more and more, you will know the truth behind everything. All it will tell is to choose those who will fight beside you carefully. Also, how will you calm me?¡±


    ¡°Huh, what does that mean? I won¡¯t pay too much attention to that, but I will call you¡­ Ink¡±


    ¡°Very well, Ink is my name then.¡± Ink shook Yves''s hand.


    ¡°Yes, now what can you do?¡±


    The room starts collapsing, and Yves begins falling at a high speed, frantically moving his hand.


    ¡°Ink!!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wait, why am I here?¡± Yves returned to his original world and saw the woman who stabbed him.


    ¡°Wait, how are you alive!!¡± The woman screamed, glaring at him in fear.


    She began running past him, her finger transforming into that obsidian knife back.


    Yves is caught by surprise; he instinctively positions his hands in front of him to protect his face.


    Slash


    Yves heard a sound and felt very weak. His first thought was that he got slashed, but the hot sensation hasn''t kicked in.


    Yves opened his eyes and was surprised to see a large, black-colored ink spear, which had punched the woman in the chest.


    Yves¡¯s body became so weak that the spear disappeared, causing a large spill of blood all over the dull red carpet. Yves passed out after seeing the spear retreat.


    ¡°Very good.¡±

 Joining

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 Evaluation

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 Dont Laugh

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 First Day

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 The beginning Of The First Trial

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 Skinwalker

    Less than five seconds after Yves collapses, he is abruptly woken up by an impact in his body.


    Leia could not fight against the two Skinwalkers; every step she took was met with misfortune. Her body could not survive against their weak strength yet powerful abilities.


    She took a step; she felt her entire body lift and a strong pressure threw her towards Yves.


    ¡°Argh!!¡± Yves gasps for air as Leia¡¯s body is thrown at his weakened body.


    ¡°Yves, are you ok!¡±


    ¡°Leia, have you forgotten your abilities? Or did you change?¡±


    After hearing those words, a hidden memory was unlocked but with drawbacks.


    Leia¡¯s body started shaking uncontrollably. Yves thought that she was having a seizure, but he could do nothing; his body was only five percent ready for any fight, especially against a higher-level being.


    Yves looked up and saw how the Skinwalkers started changing into different people, which played an important part in Yves''s life.


    They first transformed into his grandmother, getting closer to him, and taunting him.


    Yves looked petrified at the Skinwalkers as they replayed the death of his grandma two times.


    The first death was the original; one of the Skinwalkers transformed into the wendigo. That transformation changed something inside Yves; all of the mental strength that he had was suddenly gone.


    His mental state became that of him when the real event happened; tears rolled down, and his mental state went crazy. Yves could not produce a sound, but his face showed his internal pain.


    The second death was more gruesome, with the body of his being exploded, her organs leaving and falling into Yves''s lap.


    Yves was at the brink of passing out, his mind on the brink of passing out.


    Yves looked down, giving up; he then suddenly felt a soft breeze enter his mind. It reminded him of the time when he escaped his mental insanity. The same magical force that saved him appeared again.


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    Yves became calm; his body regained its strength.


    Yves looked at the taunting Skinwalkers with no emotions, his face stoic.


    The Skinwalkers stepped away in surprise at how his state of mind changed so quickly.


    Yves stood up; the world became slower, and the city was in chaos from the many attacks.


    Adam and the strongest people are outside fighting the Wendigos.


    Most of the people are hiding in their houses or at the training center.


    The training center is the safest place, and people¡¯s homes can be entered at any time.


    Screams can be heard on every side of the town. At this point only two Skinwalkers have been killed, leaving ten to create more chaos.


    The first Skinwalker was killed by a group of professors. The fight was short, but it created a lot of chaos.


    The fight left two high C-rank professors in critical condition and one low B-rank dead.


    The nearby houses started burning after all the attacks.


    The smell of blood and fire engulfed the town.


    The sound of screams and cries can be heard all over the town.


    Yves looked at Leia¡¯s unconscious body; he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Her body regained regular breathing after the kiss.


    He looked up at the confused Skinwalkers and made his way towards them.


    Every step Yves took created a trail of black ink; his hands were also dripping ink.


    One of the Skinwalkers stayed while the other left.


    The remaining Skinwalker transformed into a hybrid monster of an adult male with the claws of a wolf, the legs of a kangaroo, and the tail of a monkey.


    Yves couldn¡¯t feel any emotions as he stared at the Skinwalker. His gaze is calm and tired, and that of a feline.


    Yves walked, and on his first step, the ground became mud.


    Yves realized that the other Skinwalker was creating the curses while having one to distract the enemy. It all made sense to him; it was always confusing why they let Leia prepare herself. It wasn''t because they were some dumb monsters, but it was all part of their plan.


    ¡°No wonder you are a high B-rank.¡± Yves chuckled to himself.


    The Skinwalker hopped towards Yves. It extended its claws and swung at Yves'' face.


    Yves dodged it by dropping his center of gravity and moved his body to the left with very little complication.


    The monkey''s tail captured Yves¡¯s leg.


    The Skinwalker pulled Yves towards itself.


    Yves on the ground saw that the Skinwalker''s head changed from that of a human to an alligator.


    The claws and teeth get closer to Yves. He resisted by punching it on its stomach, but one kick by the kangaroo''s legs and Yves¡¯s attempt became futile.


    Yves¡¯s body is bleeding from almost everywhere as the claws and teeth slowly torture Yves.


    The Skinwalker chomped on Yves¡¯s arm. Yves smiled, and the ink in his hand started overflowing the mouth of the Skinwalker.


    Yves¡¯s blood is combined with ink, which Yves transforms into many knives resembling the one he created for Leia.


    Yves and the Skinwalker are standing on the ink, which makes it easier for Yves to make all of the ink transformers into knives that cut down the Skinwalker''s legs.


    There was splashed ink all over the Skinwalker, which only added to the damage caused by the knives.


    Yves turned around to try and get away, but another misfortune fell upon him; however, it was more of a blessing than a curse.


    A small room was created, causing both of them to be stuck in a small room.


    In any normal scenario, this would have caused certain death for Yves, but now Yves uses this limited space to his advantage to create more attacks where the Skinwalker has nowhere to escape.


    Yves condensed his ink and splashed it at the Skinwalker''s eyes, which gave Yves the opportunity to escape and stand up.


    Yves concentrated as the Skinwalker tried to take all of the ink off its face.


    When the Skinwalker managed to take enough ink to see, Yves had created a large amount of ink. An amount large enough to cover twenty percent of the room with ink.


    Boom!


    The Skinwalker jumped to attack Yves, but all it did was make its claws explode the ink balloon.


    The Skinwalker is completely drenched in ink; every surface is covered in ink, and the floor is overflowing with ink.


    Yves¡¯s eyes became sharper; his pupils'' color resembled that of a galaxy.


    Yves'' presence became that of the predator.


    The Skinwalker began screaming to call for the other to make the room disappear.


    The Skinwalkers'' high strength made it so that there was no sound to emit to the outside from the inside, leaving both of them to fight.


    Yves raised his hand, pointing at the Skinwalker.


    ¡°Silence¡±

 Chapter 21: Changes

    Yves sees how the Skinwalker tries to attack him again. The world continues to go slow, which makes it easier for Yves to see the path of the attack.


    Yves leans back, evading the attack. He relaxes, his face showing no emotion.


    Yves looks at the ink in his hand and grabs it, feeling how wet it feels. At the same time, the Skinwalker starts attacking Yves. Yves pays no attention to the attacks as he continues evading all of the attacks with little difficulty. Without the curses, the Skinwalkers are weak.


    Yves finally created the perfect weapon to kill the Skinwalker.


    Yves looks up, ducks an attack, leans to his right, focuses on the liver of the Skinwalker, adds strength to his fist, and launches it.


    The Skinwalker quickly reacts by grabbing Yves''s hand with its tail; however, it isn''t fast enough to completely evade the attack.


    The Skinwalker flies and hits the ink-covered wall.


    Yves smiles at the trembling Skinwalker.


    In a sequence, all of the ink particles start forming many spikes; the Skinwalker is stuck to the wall.


    The ink starts accumulating at different points. The ink continues expanding, covering Yves''s knees.


    The Skinwalker tries to get out, but the spikes inside its body are keeping it from running away.


    More and more ink starts accumulating around the Skinwalker; it starts taking the form of many different weapons, from knives, swords, axes, shovels, machetes, hammers, and many more.


    Yves snaps his finger; all of the ink weapons are created.


    Yves swings his hand commanding the weapons to attack the Skinwalker simultaneously. Yves creates the same knives he made for Leia and prepares to attack.


    The Skinwalker is on its last strength; the weapons have caused irreparable damage to its body. As a last-ditch attempt, it transforms into Yves''s grandma to prevent him from hitting its heart.


    Yves saw his grandma in pain again, but the force inside of him prevented him from showing any emotions. Yves successfully stabs the Skinwalker.


    The Skinwalker''s body began shriveling until it transformed into a piece of old, wrinkled paper.


    Yves looks at all the weapons and transforms them back into ink. He remembers that there are more skinwalkers and that he needs to protect Leia and Fabio. He looks at the ink, and without any effort, he transforms them into ten different statues.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Yves creates five ink warriors, two arches, and one guard.


    The wall begins to disappear; Yves prepares himself to go on the attack and defend the people he cares about.


    The disappears, showing Fabio bleeding as he tries to protect Leia from the taunting Skinwalker.


    Yves sees this and feels infuriated, but again the mysterious force enters his body and calms him down. He sends his ink creations to attack the Skinwalker and for the guard to protect Leia.


    Yves walked towards the Skinwalker to see how his creations were fighting against the Skinwalker and to attack when there was an opportunity.


    This gives Fabio time to heal himself and to heal Leia.


    Fabio felt shivers when he and Yves locked eyes; he saw how that once innocent child who lived in the jungle transformed into an emotionless being. He knows that since he appeared once again, he has completely changed.


    Fabio''s hands transform; bigger, white fur and monkey-like paws appear. His hand radiates white, slowly healing Leia and himself.


    Fabio healed Leia which allowed her to wake up.


    Nothing is making sense to Fabio. He knows that Leia is strong, but how did she lose without putting up a fight? He knows that there are no hints of her abilities, yet instead of her protecting Yves, Yves is protecting her.


    Fabio is also very confused about how Yves became so powerful in such a short time due to him being the weakest when they were studying. Nothing made sense, it all felt like a fever dream.


    The screams and fire have ended but the fighting has only begun. Fabio can only stay with Leia and protect her while Yves and the rest are fighting against the others.


    Fabio thinks about anything he can do to help, but all of his thoughts end with him being more of a nuisance than help. He wants to fight, but his abilities don''t allow him to do anything but heal.


    Fabio picks up Leia''s head and puts it on his lap while he looks up at the sky, the moon shining directly at him. The ink guard is protecting them and everyone fighting or hiding for their lives.


    Fabio wants to know how the others are doing, but that will leave Leia alone when she regains consciousness. She can see but can''t make a thought.Fabio looks at Yves fighting against the Skinwalker, seeing him moving completely differently, and the thing that catches his eye is the dark liquid being released by his hand.


    He had never seen anything resembling what Yves was doing. It looks like the same material that made the guard. Fabio started piecing the clues together; even though it made sense, it appeared to me illogical.


    It made no sense to him to believe that a mythological creature could create things just by releasing the creation liquid. It made sense, but there are no sightings of a creature like that. Everything felt out of place.


    Everything started overwhelming Fabio; his brain tried to make logic from the illogical.


    Throughout the entire apocalypse, Fabio tries to act strong to keep his sister from worrying. He saw how his sister saved him as both of his parents were taken away by the mythological beings.


    He relates to Yves''s story, but he still acts strong to make himself forget that day; however, no matter how mature Fabio tries to appear, he is still a child whose growth is stunned.


    He saw a glimpse of hope in Yves, but it only exposed his flaws more and more. The more he talked to Yves, the more he realized that there was a huge difference in growth between the both of them.


    Yves had no one to rely on when he cried himself to sleep when he was scared to be alone when he was traumatized from that day, yet Yves doesn''t hide his traumas and jokes about it.


    Fabio is the opposite of Yves; he hides his past and relies on his sister for everything, and now that he can protect his sister, someone else is protecting him once again.


    Fabio is not ignorant of the fact that Yves went through an extreme journey to get where he is right now. Yet all that Fabio has done is stay stagnant.


    He knows that change will take a long time or might never happen, but everything can be done if one takes the first step.


    Fabio is still the same since the incident, only stronger and better at hiding his true emotions.


    He looks at Yves, seeing how he surpasses his pain, and continues fighting even though he is overpowered by the opponent; he continues trying to protect him.


    Fabio lets Leia see the moon, he needs to help Yves even if it''s just healing him.


    Yves looked back, his deep gaze looking directly at Fabio''s scared yet wanting-to-change eyes.


    Fabio feels intimidated by Yves''s gaze but gives him a small smile.

 Dont Cry

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 Aftermath

    Fabio wipes his tears, giving a smile to the young girl.


    ¡°It¡¯s just some dust in my eyes from the walls.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mister, I am also crying so it¡¯s fine.¡± The little girl points and her red eyes.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I feel fine.¡± The young girl responds; she looks back at her mother with a smile.


    ¡°I am also fine; it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± The woman¡¯s body was in a state of danger of death.


    ¡°I am so happy to hear that. If you feel any pain, go to the training center; the best healers are there.¡±


    ¡°Very well, but my legs don¡¯t work.¡± They gave a small chuckle.


    ¡°...¡±


    Fabio is dumbfounded by how easily she can joke about a serious situation, but he knows that it¡¯s not to scare her daughter.


    ¡°Just wait, and others will come to help you, so just relax and talk.¡± Fabio patted the young girl''s head before leaving to save more people.


    ¡°Thank you, mister!!¡±


    Fabio looked back at the young girl waving goodbye to him; he felt his soul much calmer. Now with more motivation to help others.


    Fabio sees another pile of debris; he tries to hear for anything, but he goes to lift it just in case.


    Fabio continued searching, but he couldn¡¯t hear anything. As he was about to give up, he saw some blood on one of the stones. He realized that this person was in danger.


    Fabio lifts the final stone, his spirits high from finding another person, but that euphoria is quickly eliminated.


    He saw a woman, her entire body squashed; Fabio¡¯s stomach turned. He had never seen such a horrific scene; the woman appeared no longer human; her intestines could be seen all spilled on the ground.


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    Fabio quickly turned his body and began puking. His mind became a jumble of emotions; he felt terrified, disgusted, distraught, and traumatized.


    After puking, Fabio tried to look back, but he couldn¡¯t see himself able to look at her again.


    He walks up to the stone, covering his eyes, grabs a piece of debris, and puts it on top of the woman. He feels relieved and decides that this will be another person''s problem and that he will help people.


    He tried to walk away, but his subconscious could not let him forget the image of her body and how that was someone¡¯s daughter and/or wife. He tried to clear another zone, but his mind drifted back.


    Fabio couldn¡¯t control himself; he went back and saw the stone he put on top of her body. He sucked up all the air he could and opened the stone.


    He was again greeted with the gut-wrenching view, he could feel the remaining food come up but luckily he hadn''t smelled the woman if he took a breath he would throw up.


    Fabio carefully grabbed the woman, his arms trembling, his mind on the brink of losing consciousness from the lack of oxygen.


    Fabio managed to get a clear image of the woman.


    He couldn¡¯t control himself. He threw up everything that he had inside before throwing up everything that he had inside; he continued until only liquids started leaving. Fabio couldn¡¯t do more; her face was so graphic that he was scared since he never knew that a human body could become so deformed.


    Fabio looks back with fear in his eyes; he gets calmer as he sees that her face is facing the ground, only showing her back, which is in much better condition compared to her front.


    Fabio frantically tries to search for someone to collect her body, but everyone is in the front since that is where most of the damage happened.


    Fabio decides to clear his mind by trying to save others.


    He managed to save three other people before he cleared the entire area that collapsed.


    Fabio also found himself rescuing the bodies of many people who couldn¡¯t support the damage from the falling buildings.


    Every time he picked up the lifeless body of another innocent person, it killed something inside him.


    Fabio helped a lot of people, and that singular thought kept him from going insane; however, there is always an end.


    He is now stuck with the cadavers of ten people all lying behind him. Fabio tried covering them up but he couldn¡¯t see himself putting the deceased through the same experience in which they died.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do? Why did I choose to be a healer? I thought it would be only simple injuries or helping people from certain death. However, in reality, it is the total opposite. I never thought that the death of someone would hit me this hard, but I can¡¯t even look back at those innocent bystanders.¡± Fabio began crying, feeling desperate to find something that could liberate him.


    However this isn¡¯t a fantasy, this is real life, he can¡¯t be saved by someone and then be instantly happy or that all the people who died played a prank on him and suddenly reappeared.


    ¡°Why! Why! Why do we have to suffer? Why are these beings here? I can¡¯t! I truly can¡¯t do this anymore!¡±


    Fabio couldn''t stop crying; he hid his real age for so long before everything crashed down. His cries are silent but can still be heard through the chaos-filled town.


    Fabio feels the arms of someone wrapped around him; their presence is warm, soothing, and nostalgic.


    Fabio didn¡¯t even stop crying; he continued but at a slower pace. He felt safe enough to show his emotion against this person; he didn''t care if it was a total stranger; all he wanted was to release all the emotions hidden inside him.


    Fabio, after ten minutes of crying, feels his spirits calmer; he thinks that all his hidden emotions were expressed without any repercussions.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry; this is very important for you.¡±


    Fabio feels a little scared as he doesn¡¯t hear the voice of his sister. He felt a pressure pressing against him, so he concluded that it was his sister, but it was another woman.


    Fabio didn¡¯t care at this point. He showed this person his most vulnerable state.


    Fabio looked back and saw the beautiful face of a woman that he recognized.


    Fabio saw her and only giggled, as it was Ms. Sophia.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you for being here.¡±

 I Am Not Your Savior

    Ms. Sofia¡¯s soft gaze, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As healers, we should help each other.¡±


    Fabio¡¯s puffy eyes stared at Ms. Sofia. ¡°How was your first time?¡±


    Ms. Sofia¡¯s eyes lost a little of their color; she giggled and retold her experience.


    ¡°Compared to what you experienced, it was as if you saw an ant die.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Fabio remained quiet.


    ¡°It happened at the start of the apocalypse. I was your age, and it all just happened. I was ready to see my friends as it was a Saturday. I lived beside a forest; it all started as a shaking in the forest. Animals began running. My entire town announced that we should hide, as what he perceived as a bear was very dangerous, but how much I wished it would have been a bear.¡±


    ¡°The animals ran into many of the houses, hiding from that dangerous monster. In my house a deer entered, trembling with fear in its eyes. I was very scared, but my dad reassured me that it was an animal, but deep inside I knew that he meant to calm us down while he was confused.¡±


    Fabio saw how those words made her react; he gave her a small smile to try and cheer her up without overstepping his boundaries.


    ¡°I was glued to my window, trying to see what animal that was. I liked hunting, so I was so interested to see this incredible animal. Then I saw them, a man-like person with a pig mask. Which I later knew were Northfield pigmen, a D-rank mythological being. I let out a huge scream when I saw that beast; my dad¡­ may he rest in peace¡­ went to see what it was about.¡±


    Fabio noticed how fast the tone changed; he wanted to do something but decided not to do anything as he is no savior; he is just another person in this fucked-up world.


    ¡°Many men also left to see what this creature was; it carried two large knives resembling that of a machete. My town thought that they were easy to kill since they looked like kids trying to play a prank, but it was the total opposite. I remember how my dad was the first one to shoot at them; however, to the surprise of everyone, the bullet did not affect them. The other men started shooting, but all of the bullets bounced. No one had a single idea what to do as they continued to walk closer to us. There were approximately thirty of them, immune to bullets and strong; we were destined to lose.¡±


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    Fabio remembered how the story with Yves resembled her story, but he kept that comment to himself.


    ¡°I then, in the corner of my eyes, saw a beautiful woman, her hands covered in a white and green aura, her dress a beautiful white. I instinctively went to help my dad and, more specifically, to see who that woman was. As I went running, I saw the fear in my father¡¯s eyes. He wasn''t scared about me running; he was scared that there was no way to defeat these monsters. I ran as fast as I could to see that woman. I arrived where she was; at this point, it was too late for my town; the monsters were already killing innocent people. I saw the woman; she extended her hands, and I saw a small piece of paper. I read it, but I don¡¯t remember what I read. She then disappeared. I was scared, so I went back to my house, and then I saw it.¡±


    Ms. Sofia¡¯s eyes turned duller and duller as she continued.


    ¡°I saw many people dead or injured. I was petrified and shocked; the crimson blood covered the entire town. I saw how they died; all I wanted was for my family to be alive. I found a small opening in an old house and hid there, crying as I was so scared that I or my family might die. I can¡¯t say exactly how long I was there, but I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, I wished everything was a dream, but when I took my first step, I found that it was all true, and it was worse than I imagined. I saw blood everywhere. I then saw them¡­¡±


    A group of people appeared, carrying many bags and med kits.


    They looked at Fabio and Ms. Sofia, then at the cadavers.


    ¡°Ms. Sofia, we are here to dispose of the bodies!!¡± Ms. Sofia stood up; she looked at Fabio and gave him a small smile.


    ¡°Yes, please give them a proper burial; they have suffered too much.¡± She pointed at Yves. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, they would still be buried, and the other people over there would have been dead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Fabio is stunned to see how she gave him credit, but all he wanted was to hear what happened next.


    One of the medics walked up to Fabio; he extended his hand.


    ¡°Thank you, young man, for your efforts in this catastrophe; your efforts will not be forgotten. May I get your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Fabio Torres.¡±


    ¡°Noted. You may now reunite with your friends; we will take over now.¡±


    Fabio nodded and walked away.


    ¡°Fabio, remember I am not your savior; only you can save yourself.¡± Ms. Sofia screamed at Fabio as he walked away.


    Fabio looked back, smiled, and continued walking to where Yves and Leia lay.


    Fabio walked for what felt like an eternity; he was in his world. The world appeared slower; every step he took felt like a minute passed by each step.


    He began thinking about those words; he understood them but knew that there was a deeper meaning. He knew that Ms. Sofia wouldn¡¯t say something as cringy as that, but his brain couldn¡¯t think.


    When he arrived at where Leia and Yves rested, he looked at them and fixed their positions. Fabio lay between them, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

 Rebuilding

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 New Week

    Yves arrived at the training center, his mind still contemplating that there might be someone else behind the attack. He wants to say what¡¯s in his mind, but he first has to clear his name and show people his powers, but all of those tasks will be extremely difficult.


    Yves passed through the barrier, he suddenly saw a large crowd of people inside the parameters. He can only dodge and move as if he is a snake through the crowd.


    Yves arrived at the main door; however, it was guarded by five people. They are letting no one in unless they are family members picking their family or people who are actively going to the training center.


    ¡°Identification¡±


    Yves checked his pockets; he didn''t feel anything. He continued to pat at every pocket in his clothes, but he found nothing. He looked at the guard with puppy eyes, but it was of no effect.


    ¡°He is a student here; I am his teacher.¡± Ms. Sofia happened to want to enter the training center at a similar time.


    The guards look at each other with confusion; they know that she is a teacher, but how can a tall kid go to a class with a bunch of people one-half Yves''s size? They continued to look at Yves; they saw how familiar his outfit was.


    They paved the way and let Yves and Ms. Sofia pass without any questioning.


    Yves looks at the people crying and hugging with their families. He looks at all the people embracing their family members, crying from the joy of seeing them alive.


    ¡°You did well, Yves.¡± Ms. Sofia patted Yves''s shoulder before going her separate way.


    Yves smiled and waved at her. He feels happy that at least someone acknowledges his efforts.


    Questions started popping into Yves'' head.


    Is she saying this because I survived? Did she see my fight? If she did, then why didn¡¯t she help me?


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    ¡°There you are.¡± Fabio tapped Yves'' shoulder.


    Yves flinched but composed himself.


    ¡°Oh, Fabio, can you tell me what happened after I passed out?¡±


    Fabio was taken aback by the question. He looked calm, his eyes softened, and a small smile appeared.


    ¡°Nothing really important; it is just that I was the helping crew, so it was very tiring.¡± Fabio walked to the crowd of people.


    Yves had nothing to do. He knows that it will take a while for everything to go back to normal, but currently, he is bored, and everyone is in another mood.


    Yves feels annoyed that on the first day that he arrived, a lot of things have happened.


    Yves fulfilled his mission of going back to see everyone and went back outside. He wants to go to his room and take a long shower after such a long flight.


    Yves started walking to his house. He saw how much the town had changed. He experienced the calm before the attack, the aftermath, and the cleaning. Yves continued to walk, seeing everything now much calmer.


    Yves arrived at his house; he shed a small tear of happiness after seeing his house.


    Yves entered and went to his room.


    The first thing he did was take a long shower. To think and summarize everything that happened and what he learned about his abilities.


    Yves left the shower; his body, now in a calm state, felt a wave of tiredness. He went to bed without doing anything and slept.


    Yves slept for the entire day, he had no dreams, and his body and mind were all fatigued for him to dream.


    When Yves woke up, he went to the kitchen. He prepared a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and a side of water.


    His body feels rejuvenated; he feels ready to tackle any challenge. He finishes his meal and goes to the living room.


    A small envelope captures his eyes; he goes and grabs it.


    Yves opens the envelope and begins reading.


    After he finished reading, he went to the restroom.


    He saw how long his hair was; he didn''t remember when was the last time he had a haircut.


    Yves grabbed his keys, opened the door, and left.


    Yves walked to the barbershop, praying that it would be open.


    He arrived, and there was no one. He looked around but found no one.


    Suddenly he hears some footsteps.


    ¡°Are you here for a haircut?¡±


    Yves turned around and saw the barber; he nodded. The man opened the door and entered. Yves followed him in.


    ¡°It is crazy how much this town has changed. I am just happy that everyone is trying to get over it together.¡±


    Yves quietly sat down in the chair as the man was talking.


    ¡°What haircut would you like?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just make it look nice.¡±


    The man smiled and began cutting his hair.


    Yves closed his eyes as he also wanted to be surprised. He feels how his hair is being cut, feeling the scissors and comb.


    Thirty minutes passed until the man finally signaled Yves to open his eyes.


    Yves looks at the mirror; he sees how much he has changed; his hairstyle fits his wavy hair and his oval head shape. Yves looks at himself; a little of his ego increases. He never knew he was this attractive.


    ¡°Did you like it?¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yves rubbed his hand like a fly. ¡°Yeah, it is very good.¡±


    ¡°I am happy that you like it.¡±


    ¡°How much is it?¡± Yves takes out his last gold coin.


    ¡°For this week there is no price. We need to help each other in these times.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Yves stood up and left the barber shop.


    Hehe, it is now my turn to shine. How can anyone not like my beautiful face? I am just too handsome; if at least ten people don¡¯t have a crush on me, then they don¡¯t appreciate a beauty like me.


    Yves is attractive, but not enough to have that much of an ego.


    Ink also agrees; he wants to speak, but he decides to just stay quiet. We are interested in how the event he is going to is going to go.

 Award Ceremony

    Yves, with his confidence at an all-time high, embarks on his journey to the training center. He remembers the contents of the envelope and feels excited to see what is going to happen. He is also very surprised that in a matter of less than a week, they are doing this event.


    The town is a little more vibrant than when he last saw it. He felt happy about how much people are trying to change after surviving such a catastrophe.


    Yves walked until he finally saw the training center. He is wearing his normal clothing; he has other accessories that Leia and Fabio have gifted him, but he feels that it would be very disrespectful if he went with fancy clothing to an event that was a result of the catastrophe.


    Yves entered the training center.


    He was greeted by a large crowd of people; he couldn¡¯t tell where to go; he was stuck in the large crowd.


    Yves suddenly feels a hand grabbing his collar, and it starts to drag him; he is unable to do anything, nor can he see who is grabbing him. His heart began beating faster, adrenaline began pumping profusely, and he felt himself ready to fight anyone.


    ¡°Yves!¡± A faint voice can be heard.


    Yves looked in all directions until he finally saw that that person was Leia. Waving her hands, urging him to come.


    Yves resisted, but his body refused to move. At a point when he broke into a panic, he felt a wave of calmness hit him.


    His entire body relaxed, his pupils changed color, and his hand released ink.


    ¡°Here he is.¡±


    Yves looked up, his face completely stoic. He saw how everyone was in an auditorium.


    His mind got stuck; he was confused. How was he able to arrive at the eighth floor without walking up the stairs?


    Yves felt his body be released from the person carrying him; at this point, the trail of ink could be seen.


    Yves remembered why he was here; his mind became normal, and the ink he produced returned to his body.


    Yves felt a strong surge of power enter his body; his body became paralyzed.


    ¡°Yves, come here!¡±


    Yves looked at Fabio, but he couldn¡¯t move his body.


    Everyone looked at Yves and then looked at the center stage.


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    The masked man appeared once again with many medals, the stage light on top of him. The masked man is wearing a tuxedo.


    Yves felt confused but decided to wait until he was discovered and carried over.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen. Hello and welcome. We are all here to honor everyone who had the highest contribution to help make this town safe in the attack by these beings.¡± The lights dim; everyone¡¯s mood decreases. ¡°Let¡¯s take a minute of silence for all the people who died in the attack; may they rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The entire crowd stayed quiet; there could be heard some people trying their best to not cry.


    ¡°Thank you for taking this time¡ªI would also like to congratulate everyone who helped in this time. Thank you for helping people you might not even know. We all appreciate how, without any powers, you worked hours trying to find and help all of the survivors.¡±Yves hadn''t realized, but there was a large crowd there to see the awards. There are ten people with Specter moose positioned all over the town.


    One on the first floor was the reason for so many people, and the remaining nine were positioned at equal distances from each other for as many people to tune in and watch.


    ¡°I will now present the medals for the people who contributed the most in our training center. The awards are categorized into five sections. The first section is for our medics, the people who were there to help the injured people. The second section is the people who fought against the calamities. The third section is for all the people who helped guard and evacuate people into safety zones. The fourth section is for the first responders, the people who stopped the fires and rescued people trapped in the rubble. The final section will be for everyone, as you did an incredible job.¡±


    The crowd began cheering; the sounds of people screaming and celebrating could be heard throughout the entire town.


    Yves tried to cover his ears, but due to his paralyzation, there was nothing he could do; he had to support the loud noise.


    ¡°Calm down. Let¡¯s now begin. For our medics, I would like to call all of Ms. Sofia¡¯s squad, Mr. Bell¡¯s squad, Ms. William¡¯s squad, and Mr. Aaronson¡¯s squad!!¡±


    The crowd again began chanting as each member of the said squads got up to receive their awards.


    ¡°These people are the main people who tried tirelessly to help the injured people. These people are normally the least appreciated, but they are the most important in any place.


    The masked man grabbed the medals and placed them in the people''s chest area.


    They got up to the crowd and raised their hands to appreciate their rewards. Again the crowd erupted in cheer.


    They came down and returned to their seats.


    Yves got a little confused; he knew that Fabio was a healer, he knew that he helped.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s begin with the people who risked their lives to fight against these calamities. Now may Mr. Miller''s squad, Mr. Moore''s squad, Ms. Harris''s squad, and Mr. Young¡¯s squad!!¡±


    They got up; the crowd was still going wild; they received their awards and returned without any celebration. They are just pleased that their efforts are being recognized and their dead teammates are also being celebrated.


    ¡°For our guards and evacuators! Please come up, Mr. and Ms. Flores and their squad, for their impeccable jobs!!¡±


    Both pairs got up, their faces filled with joy and appreciation.


    ¡°For first responders, I would like to call Mr. Adams and his squad to help excavate people and turn off all the fires.¡±


    They received their awards and sat back down.


    ¡°Wait¡ªthere is something else that we would like to give awards for. These next awards are the most important as they are personal. The next people are the people who contributed the most out of any of the people in the attack.¡±


    The entire crowd got quiet; they were excited to see who was going to get the most prestigious awards.


    ¡°First for the person that if it weren¡¯t for them, we would have had more deaths. I would like to call for Adam!!¡±


    The crowd exploded louder than the previous ones.


    Pictures of him fighting against the wendigos and Skinwalkers began appearing behind him. ¡°Now for the next, I would like to call for Ms. Sofia and the person that she feels is the best healer we have.¡± Everyone got quiet; Yves felt his body shiver. He has an idea of what is going to happen, but he is too scared to be wrong.


    ¡°I would love to call the future top healer. Fabio Torres!!¡±