《Ventures through the Umbra》 The start of the game of Looth (Prologue) A man sat at a table playing a game eerily similar to poker, but each of the cards pulsed like raw flesh, and when they landed on the table, a sickening wet slap¨C like a drenched towel hitting the floor. With each landing card, fluids began to pool on the surface of the table. The man''s opponents weren¡¯t normal either. There was a floating eyeball with thousands of hands, a serpent with the face of a human and its tail stripped to the bone, a human-esque figure that seemed to be made out of literal nothingness. Its body could simply be described as a translucent darkness. The final was a human figure whose body was the same shade as blood. Two horns extended from its head, and its tail looked like a pitchfork. As it grinned, it revealed far too many teeth, at least a thousand lay within its mouth. ¡°So human,¡± the figure with blood-like skin spoke, ¡°how are you enjoying our match of high-stakes Looth? We modeled it after a game you¡¯ve played before. But the stakes¡ªah, they are far higher than a mere human can even fathom.¡± As it began to laugh, the shrill sound pierced his eardrums, it was as if thousands of tiny needles were piercing his brain. The human began to grit his teeth as he thought of what he would lose. The human-faced-serpent hissed, ¡°Ever ssince you were sssold here, we¡¯ve played our fair ssshare of gamess. Ah¡ª have you even won once?¡± The man opened his mouth to respond. Nothing. No sound, not even a whisper, came out. His voice had been seemingly ripped out. Stolen. The serpent began to grin ¡°Ah.. Cat got your tongue? Or perhapss¡­¡± The blood-like figure threw its head back as it began to cackle, the sound began to drill into his head as if a glass was piercing his eardrums. The air began to thicken, it was almost suffocating¨Cthe nightmare had only begun. His only way out, his only salvation, was to win this horrific game of Looth. The man looked at his hand. He had drawn three flesh cards. He wiped the cold sweat that was dripping down his face. Each of these cards held a twisted secret. The first one was a picture of a sun with a nightmarish smile, the teeth looked like they could be daggers. As he focused on the card, the skin on his skin began to singe from the heat that radiated from the fleshly card. Smoke began to flow from his burning skin. He quickly shifted his focus to the next card The second card was that of a purple-faced figure wearing a robe. As he began to stare at the card, the face seemed to flicker constantly, from joy to sadness to rage. His throat constricted as he focused on the card. The air began to thicken, and his throat began to constrict; he was having trouble breathing. His heartbeat began to quicken as he stared into its eyes, which seemed to be the shade of the eternal darkness that enveloped space. The final card illustrated something very simple: what appeared to be an ocean. The Ocean appeared to be serene and calm. As he focused on the card, he could see the waves crashing about. But when he looked deeper, he realized¡ªthe ocean was alive. That''s the only way he could describe it. The man stared at his hand. Each card was horrifying in its own right. He had three choices, each would surely spell his doom. He took a deep breath as he looked at the cards. There was no going back now; this was his only way to escape this hellscape. Stolen story; please report. As he gripped his cards, his breath quickened. He knew this was his final chance at salvation. He steeled himself; he had to escape, no matter the cost. His mind drifted to the countless games he played¨Ceach one a desperate attempt to claw away from this nightmare, how many had he lost? How many pieces of himself had he given up for the slim chance of victory to escape this hellscape? He remembered the countless smiles his family had given him¡ªbefore they came. Before that, horror overtook his world. Before his sale to these horrific beings. A chill ran down his spine as he remembered the horrific things that happened to his world. He placed all three cards down on the table. Heat began to radiate from the sky as a sun appeared, and its horrific smile began to widen as if mocking the man. The air began to thicken as the robed figure appeared in the sky, its face flickering even faster as its midnight eyes stared at the man. Water began to seep through the cracks in the floor, and surged as if trying to swallow the world. The shrill laughter of the blood-like skin figure rang through his ears ¡°An excellent choice¡­ Fufufu¡­ Truly good¡­¡± The man''s vision began to fade into darkness as the shrill laughter of the blood-like skin rang through his ears... ¡­. The man glanced around and saw that he was in some sort of prison. He looked at his feet and noticed they were shackled. He looked around at his surroundings and noticed that the walls were made of rough stone and covered in patches of moss and grime. The air was damp, cold, and filled with the scent of mildew. The flickering light of a torch mounted on the wall cast long, eerie shadows across the small, narrow cell. The faint clinking sound of chains echoed from deeper within the prison, making his skin crawl. His head ached as the laughter still seemed to resonate in the corners of his mind, but it was fading, slipping away into the distance. With each passing second, his thoughts started to clear, and he realized the gravity of his situation. The shackles bound his wrists tightly, and the rough metal pressed into his skin. ¡°What the fuck is on my hand.¡± He looked down towards his right hand, where a tattoo lay, not of ink but of scar tissue. What was even more eerie was that the tattoo included the three cards that he had played, the smiling sun, the seemingly alive ocean, and the dark eyes of that purple-robed figure. He strained his eyes, searching for anything that might offer an escape. His breath quickened as panic slowly began to creep in, but he refused to give in to it. A soft, muffled sound echoed down the hallway, like footsteps, but they stopped just as quickly as they started. He inhaled deeply, trying to steady his nerves. There was no way he was going to stay here forever. He had to get out. The faint sound of a door creaking open somewhere in the distance startled him. His heart raced as his mind scrambled for a plan. Would someone come for him? Or was this some twisted joke? A dull voice filled the air as the footsteps began again. ¡°Ah, look at all of these valued materials¡ªfresh from the picking board.¡± The footsteps began again, and a figure dropped in an ashen-colored robe appeared in front of the man''s cell. ¡°Hmm, the unique one of the batch. Tell me what your name is, material?¡± The man attempted to speak, yet his voice was gone. It had been taken. The man took his right hand and placed it on his neck. His voice seemingly returned, ¡°I don''t know.¡± The man in front of the cell smiled, his teeth grey and rotten, then said, ¡°A unique one indeed.¡± Auction ¡°You will be a great centerpiece. Huehuehue, I can see myself rolling in magic stones in the near future.¡± The Ashen-robed figure stated as his grin widened. ¡°I shall name you Inops. A fine material indeed.¡± ¡°Give your right hand here; I have to brand it.¡± A branding iron appeared out of seemingly nowhere in the Ashen-robed figure''s hand. At the tip of the branding iron was what seemed to be a snake that was eating its own tail, and the handle had some strange markings. The tip almost immediately began to turn light red from metallic grey. However, just as the iron was about to reach the palm, he paused. Inops could feel the figure''s gaze land on his right hand. ¡°Those markings on you will surely draw a few eyes to this corner of the world¡­ A minor world human bearing those marks¡­ Fufufufu.¡± The man began to chuckle He then paused momentarily as his smile deepened, then continued, ¡°All on a single human. This will cause those maniacs to go even more insane.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ruin those priceless scars, a material from a different world bearing those markings¡­ Truly fascinating.¡± The Ashen-robed figure began to chuckle. ¡°Give me your left hand.¡± The Ashen-robed figure commanded. Inops could only imagine what would happen if he refused; who knew what other tools he could summon out of seemingly thin air? He lifted his hand, palm facing the metal bars of the cell, and the Ashen-robed figure immediately brought the branding iron to his palm. Inops head began to perspire with sweat. His eyes began to water, and tears flooded his face. His mouth opened for a scream, yet no noise escaped. His body began to convulse, and his fingers twitched, grasping at the air. The branding iron seared through his flesh as the scent of burning skin filled the air. ¡°Ahhh, it is always thrilling to do the branding, although it was a bit disappointing that I didn''t hear those visceral screams that I usually do¡ªthough¡­the tears do soothe my soul.¡± The Ashen-robed figure smiled as he mocked Inops. ¡°Well then, I guess I should prepare. You should go to sleep, my precious.¡± The figure then snapped his finger. Inops¡¯s eyes began to droop as he almost instantly fell into a deep sleep. ¡­ When Inops regained consciousness, his cell had changed; he was now in a rolling cell with metal bars on all four sides. He could hear the screeching of wheels as his body wobbled¨Cit appeared he was being transported somewhere. But there was some sort of draping that obscured his vision, and it was the color of blood. In the distance, he could hear the mumblings of something: ¡°...now ladies and gentlemen, I may present you the crowning jewel of our Serpent Merchant Group¡¯s bi-annual auction, a prized material for any aspiring mage.¡± Suddenly, the rolling cell screeched to a halt as the drapings flew off the rolling cell; his eyes widened as he looked at a man in front of him wearing a top hat and standing in front of a lectern. At least a few hundred people were in front of the lectern, each wearing a mask that only covered the top of their face. They all began to murmur as they eyed what they thought to be a ¡®material.¡¯ The whole area looked like a theatre, and he was on the stage. Judging from the previous mumblings he had heard, he was the play that these people were bidding for. There were a few outcroppings of balconies on the sides of the theatre. ¡°You all must be thinking, ¡®What is so Unique about this material?¡¯ As you all know, buying materials always comes with some inherent risk.¡± The man on the lectern spoke, his voice boomed Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The man snapped his finger, Inops¡¯s right arm rose by itself, and his palm faced the crowd. Murmurs instantly enveloped in the crowd. ¡°Ho¨CHow?!?¡± ¡°The markings of the three cults?!¡± ¡°Fufufufu My THERORIES WERE RIGHT?¡± The man at the lectern shouted, ¡°Al-Alright, settle down. Now, some of you may be thinking that this could be just a maniac who did this to his palm. But worry not; he was captured in the minor world known as Earth.¡± He then chuckled and continued, ¡°Let the bidding begin, starting at a thousand magic stones and adding a hundred stones to increase the bid.¡± Instantly, bids roared through the theatre, quickly reaching five thousand magic stones, whatever they were, but then a voice could be heard from one of the balconies, ¡°Fifteen thousand magic stones.¡± The voice could cause chills to erupt through your body, the man at the lectern frowned somewhat and said, ¡°A bid of fifteen thousand magic stones from the fortune weavers at Darkgold Tower.¡± When the man at the lectern said that, the crowd instantly quieted as one could even hear a pin drop. Then, another bid could be heard from another balcony: ¡°Sixteen thousand magic stones¡± The man at the lectern''s frown turned into a slight smile. ¡°Ah, the lucid weavers at Specter Tower coming in with a bid of Sixteen Thousand.¡± The room became even more silent as it was almost palpable; the people in the seats looked at each other, and shock filled their gazes with one another. None of this made sense. ¡®Lucid Weavers? Fortune Weavers? Towers?¡¯ His mind scrambled for answers, but only fragments of memory surfaced¡ªskyscrapers reaching toward the sky, a city humming with artificial lights. Was that the ¡®tower¡¯ they meant? But when he tried to recall faces, there was only a void¡ªshapeless figures with no eyes, no mouths. Just blank skin. His head throbbed at the effort, a sharp pain warning him not to dig deeper. Inops heard the voice representing Darkgold Tower yell out again: ¡°Twenty Thousand magic stones.¡± The once-silent theatre instantly erupted in murmurs. ¡°To think they actually would..¡± ¡°They have grown in the past few years¡­¡± ¡°Still¡ª they are quite bold.¡± The man at the lectern''s smile grew even higher on his face. ¡°Twenty thousand magic stones from the fortune weavers at Darkgold Tower!¡± When Inops looked at the balcony that housed the Specter Tower, he saw two people seated. They were having some sort of serious discussion. One looked enraged, and the other had a somewhat saddened expression. Their discussion lasted for more than thirty seconds as the man at the lectern''s voice could once more be heard, ¡°Are there no more bids? If not, the material will go to Darkgold Tower in¡± ¡°3¡± ¡°2¡± ¡°1¡± ¡°SOLD! To the gentlemen at Darkgold Tower! We at the Serpent Merchant Group hope for your patronage at our next bi-annual auction!¡± The man at the lectern voice boomed through the theatre. He snapped his finger as the blood-colored drapings once again obscured his vision. He once again began to fall into a deep sleep. ¡­ Inops was jolted awake by someone poking the scars on his hand; he looked around and saw four people surrounding him, each wearing a black robe with gold outlining on the arm and legs. ¡°A Fine material. I look forward to adding this to our collection.¡± One said, continued, ¡°Perhaps he will be more useful than the others we bought last time.¡± Inops clenched his fist. Was he simply a ¡®material¡¯ to be used? Their words were filled with arrogant pride. The more he wanted to fight, the more helpless he felt. He was merely an object to be traded for some goal. ¡°Hmm.. to stop any unfortunate accidents like last time, we should use some lucid weaving¡­.¡± Another suggested. One then argued, ¡°That was your fault! If you didn''t insert the Bloauth Heart, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape his chains and overpower the apprentice!¡± A booming voice responded, ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have let an apprentice look over that valuable material!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just put a seal in his mind, enough of these squabbles.¡± The final one spoke in a commanding tone. His eyes then turned from their original dark gold color to a pale blue color. ¡°Praecipio tibi: me sequere. Sigillum Servi.,¡± his voice boomed as a faint blue hue erupted from his mouth, almost instantly rocketing towards Inops head. The spectral blue energy shot forward, striking Inops'' forehead like a dagger of frost. Ice-cold tendrils burrowed into his skull, wrapping around his thoughts like a tightening vice. A thousand needles stabbed into his mind. His body spasmed violently as darkness consumed his vision, swallowing him whole. New Material of the Darkgold Tower ¡°Child, don¡¯t be scared,¡± a motherly voice spoke. When Inop¡¯s eyes opened, he looked around, searching for the voice that had spoken. Yet the surroundings were empty. Nothing but a familiar landscape: a cell. Although this one seemed better maintained, the walls were free of moss and grime, and there was no mildew smell. The floor was surprisingly made out of some sort of wood instead of stone, although the wood was a shade of pitch black, which was even more surprising. In his remaining few memories, he had never seen a wood that had this shade. His hands and legs were also surprisingly free of the chains that had once bound him, and outside of the cell, he could see what he could assume to be a library as the bookshelves abounded the space. In the center of the library lay a stone table. The minutes kept passing by, and each one was excruciating. What was going to happen to him? They had called him a material and had spent twenty thousand of some sort of currency on him. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard, and the screech of a door opening. A woman appeared in Inops''s vision; a gold-colored robe blocked most of her body she had her hood down, showing her golden locks, which flowed down to her legs, and amethyst purple eyes, seeming to peer straight through one''s soul. ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯ll make a fine test subject. They did a fine job of buying you.¡± she said, her voice was as frigid as arctic ice. As she spoke, a golden-rimmed magnifying glass appeared in her hand, which she held up to her amethyst eyes. Inops could feel her gaze land on him. It felt as though she was peeling back his soul, unraveling some of its secrets. "Your home is Earth?" she mused, her tone laced with intrigue. "How curious¡­ a mere minor-world human, yet bearing those marks." Her hand reached her side, and the magnifying glass dissolved into nothingness. She then began to step towards the cell, and her presence was suffocating. The door creaked open. She stared at Inops, and with a hint of amusement in her amethyst eyes, she spoke ¡°My precious, step out; we have to do some digging..¡± Inops''s body betrayed him to move itself as if she had spoken some sort of words of authority. His limbs were like that of a puppet tied with invisible strings. A vial shimmered in her hand, along with a massive syringe. His breath hitched. The needle alone had to be at least an inch in diameter. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered¡­ what would happen if one were to force the formation of a magical circuit? And you are the perfect test subject, ¡° she mused, her voice held a cruel fascination. And you, dear, are the perfect test subject.¡° Although Inops didn¡¯t know what a magic circuit was¡ª the fact that he was the experiment sent ice crawling up his veins. Inops¡¯s body then moved to the stone table in the center of the library. He got on top of the stone table and laid down. The stone was frigid, sending jolts of chills throughout his body. A violent shiver spread throughout his body. The woman walked up to the table with the syringe filled with a thick blood-red liquid. The vial in her other hand contained an unnatural shimmering azure liquid that shone like the stars. His body unnaturally had taken off the ragged clothes that had been on his body. He had been too mystified to notice his clothes back at the theatre. (probably what some might consider a retcon). Without warning, she slammed the syringe down on Inops chest; he watched in horror as the mysterious liquid flowed into his chest. His heart began to beat faster. He felt his body temperature rise as if he had swallowed a hot coal and began radiating heat throughout his body. A few moments later, Inops''s mouth moved on it to open, and the amethyst-eyed lady took the vial of unnatural-looking azure liquid and forced it down his throat. The liquid was ice cold; it felt as though he had ingested liquid nitrogen, and it began to radiate throughout his body. At that moment, his body had become a battlefield, with scalding heat making his blood boil and a searing frost chilling it to a crawl. The woman placed her hand on his stomach and chest, and a soothing force radiated from her hands. It was faint and fragile, but it eased some of the pain through his chest and stomach area. Despite the brief respite, the rest of his body was in agony. The pain was so intense his vision began to turn blurry, his eyes bloodshot. His nose and mouth leaked blood. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out in anguish. He wanted to close his eyes and give up. Yet he could not, for his voice was stolen. His body had been turned into some sort of puppet, but it was not his own. He could only endure this hellish war Inops'' eyes flickered towards the woman, and her eyes closed. Her face was pale. Perspiration began to flow from her forehead. Apparently, the soothing force was draining her. Inops felt something within his body shift. It was strange and unsettling. There was a new pain¡ªa throbbing, pulsing pain that made his breath quicken. It was as if his ribs had been shattered into countless jagged pieces, and his body was trying to knit them back together. Each pulse of pain felt as though a rib or bone was being broken. It was a brutal sensation, with each pulse felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. After what felt like an eternity, the pain suddenly stopped. He no longer felt the searing chill, the scalding heat, or the pulsing feeling in his chest. He couldn¡¯t describe it, but there was something different about the area between his chest and stomach. It was as though a second heart was pulsating throughout his body. He heard the murmurs of the amethyst-eyed woman: ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy¡­ But with all that, it still only formed a quarter.¡± She paused and spoke in a questioning tone, ¡°What was the problem, perhaps? No¡­ It can¡¯t be...¡± A notebook and a quill pen appeared in her hands as the sound of writing filled the room. Sensing Inops lay sprawled across the stone table, his body trembling from the experiment. His breath was ragged, and sweat clung to his skin. His face was covered in blood, with his mouth and nose still oozing blood A dull ache throbbed through his limbs, but what truly unsettled him was the sensation deep within his chest¡ªsomething foreign, something unnatural, as if a new organ had forcefully embedded itself inside his chest. The thought alone sent chills down his back. Inops remembered that the amethyst-eyed lady had said that only a quarter of whatever had embedded within him had formed. What would it feel like if it had fully formed¡ªthe biggest question is, what was that thing that had formed? She had spoken of forcing the formation of a magical circuit. Was this foreign organ inside him what she described as a magic circuit? The amethyst-eyed woman eyed Inops ¡°Hmm¡­ Looking at this, it is integral for the subject to participate in the process. Without him, the results will be¡­ unpredictable.¡± She approached a bookshelf and pulled out one of the books. After removing it, she returned to the stone table. The book appeared ancient, and its leather binding nearly rotting, with the last threads hanging on tightly to life. She opened the ancient book, its pages as worn as its exterior, scanning its contents before her frosty gaze turned to Inops. ¡°A quarter formed¡­ and you are still alive,¡± she mused, her voice laced with satisfaction. That is a good sign, but the process is far from complete. For the next time, you have to participate for it to succeed. Without your cooperation, the results will be¡­ far from optimal.¡± She closed the book gently and approached Inops. She then handed it to him, placing it in one of his trembling hands. ¡°This book may decide your life and death.¡± She began chuckling, her voice unnaturally encouraging. ¡°Read it well and understand more of what you¡¯re going to go through and this world.¡± The book''s weight seemingly gained mass as the amethyst-eyed woman''s words echoed through Inops'' ears. It had no cover, no title, and no author. The book¡¯s pages were yellowed, yet the ink was still bold despite its age. Inop opened the book and began to read the first page of many. The symbols within the book were strange and unfamiliar, yet the more he read, the more he understood. ¡°Magic Circuits: the fundamental power source of a mage. An organ formed within the body that channels and amplifies magical energy. The strength of each circuit is dependent on the methods used to form the circuit¡­¡° Inops blinked and attempted to process the information. He pressed his chest as a strange pulsing sensation began from his chest. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°...in order for a circuit to fully form and stabilize, the apprentice must sense the mana that flows through all things, regardless of the method used to form the circuit. Those that do not will be gazed upon by the Eyes of Umbra¡­¡° The words seemingly blurred together as Inop struggled to comprehend what he was reading. ¡°Mana flows through all things¡­¡± He hardly understood what that meant, much less how to sense it. His chest throbbed with a strange pulsing; he clenched his fingers around the yellowed page. A voice interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Are you starting to understand?¡± The woman with amethyst eyes spoke in a calm voice, too calm, as if she were testing him. Inops looked up; his vision began to blur from the pulsing ¡°This¡­¡± He swallowed, his mouth dry ¡°What is happening inside me? This¡­ is a circuit?¡± ¡°Yes, it is a quarter complete,¡± she replied, the voice cold yet seemingly patient. ¡°Your body is reacting to it; that feeling you feel is the circuit begging to form. Yet without guidance, it will remain incomplete¡ªvolatile, even dangerous.¡± ¡°I attempted to do it without you, yet I failed. Only a quarter of the circuit was formed, and the rest is reliant on you.¡± He didn''t want to be the subject of this experiment. Yet he was forced. The pulsing continued, and his chest began to tighten. Something pushed against his ribcage as if it was trying to escape. His eyes darted back to the page. ¡°...Those who do not will be gazed upon by the Eyes of Umbra¡­¡± ¡°What are¡­ the Eyes of Umbra?¡± he asked, his voice trembling as he thought of what was trying to escape his ribcage. The woman¡¯s lips curled into a smile; this was far from comforting. ¡°The Eyes of Umbra are something that corrupts and consumes us. We descend deeper and closer to the Eyes of Umbra with each circuit we form.¡± She chuckled and continued, ¡°Those who fall into the gaze of the Eyes of Umbra. Fufufufu. Let''s just say their fates are far from peaceful.¡± His breath quickened as her words resounded through his mind. Knowing this was possibly a life and death situation, he asked her, ¡°So¡­ What am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°You have to stabilize your circuit.¡± She paused and then continued. ¡°Which is to say you have stabilize your circuit. And to do that, you must first sense the mana.¡± Her eyes seemingly bore through his body as she looked at every flicker of fear his face showed. ¡°How does one¡­s-sense the mana?¡± He spoke as the fear began to almost suffocate him. She looked at him with the same smile and spoke, ¡°That I cannot help you with; it won¡¯t be easy. There is no one set path. You must simply sense the mana.¡± A silence broke out in the room. His heartbeat broke the silence as it began to quicken. He had no choice but to find a way to sense the mana. A thought came to mind: meditation. Perhaps that was what was used to sense the mana. He had previously mediated as a child in the fragments of memories he had. Inops closed his eyes, his breathing heavy. He focused his mind, searching for the mana. His eyebrows scrunched as he tried harder and harder to find a small glimpse of it. The feeling in his chest only intensified with each passing moment; it came closer and closer to escaping. Deep down, he knew that this feeling was the Eyes of Umbra, and if he let it gaze upon him, he would probably die. Pain coming from his chest erupted, and his chest began to spasm. Blood began to trickle down from his chest as if something was truly trying to escape his body. Then he heard the voice of the amethyst-eyed woman, ¡°Focus. Find the feeling.¡± His eyebrows scrunched further as he ignored the pain coming from his chest, searching for any feeling of the mana. Nothing. Nothing. Suddenly, he felt something, and it was almost minuscule. He reached out his finger to what he was sensing, and it felt like an ember had entered his fingertip. That was it! That was the mana. He had sensed it, but he knew this was only the beginning.