Ren woke up in a very rough way, as if he just wake from the nightmare of his life. He closed his eyes while breathing in and out to calm himself. When he calmed down, he slowly opened his eyes, and someone was looking at him.
The one looking at him had long, black hair freely hanging down to the waist. The individual had creamy, white skin that showed a resonance with the black garment that the individual was wearing. And one important feature of this individual was...
She had a huge pair of melons that was restrained by the gown she's wearing. The gown was like that of what the nobles of England wore. Her body wasn't really that emphasized since she's wearing a gown but she looked like a grown up, and adult.
Though she was an adult, she looked like in her mid-20s. Pretty young for someone seeking a partner for life. But that's not the issue here, as she was looking at Ren. She was standing but bent her upper body. Her head parallel to Ren's. Ren was also looking at her, wondering who this person was.
'Who is this person looking at me like she saw something interesting.'
Ren averted his gaze from the woman's face and saw her large twin mountains.
'Gigantic...', Ren thought plainly without feeling aroused or attracted.
Ren mustered his strength and stood up. Halfway though, the woman reached her hand to Ren. Ren ignored the woman's thoughtfulness and stood on his own. When he was finally standing, he brushed off the dust on his armor and faced the woman behind him.
"May I ask who you are, miss.", Ren asked in a somewhat cold manner.
"Is that how you ask your elders boy? You should be more sincere you know.", said the woman.
"I'm sorry but I don't have the luxury for such a convenient way that you're asking. I just woke up from the nightmare of my life.", Ren said in a slightly agitated tone
"I know."
Hearing what the woman said, Ren couldn't help but get curious. Of course, while Ren is dreaming, he must've been moving like crazy because of his nightmare which he concluded that was the reason why the woman knew. But the expression of the woman, like someone higher in status than the ordinary person but got interested to someone below her. Because of that, Ren asked the woman while putting on a serious face.
"How did you know? Is it because I looked like someone suffering while sleeping?"
"That's not it, boy. I just know.", said the woman with a smile.
"Stop evading the question and get to the point.", Ren said while glaring at the woman.
The woman let out a sigh as she saw Ren's attitude.
"And here I thought you'll be someone gentle and nice..."
After the woman said those words, her expression changed from playful and interested to serious yet showing a hint of an Onee-san attitude.
"Boy...your Onee-san knows because..."
The woman paused for a while then continued talking.
"You're currently under the curse of a Being of Death", said the woman in a low, serious voice.
Ren, who was hearing this for the first time was surprised but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he acted like he heard nothing and asked the woman...Hoping to get answers.
"And what is this curse of a Being of Death?"
"Before I get to that, let your Onee-san tell you a very short story."
Ren wanted answers but the one he's asking is constantly evading his questions. This made him angry. But he couldn't just burst and yell at his only source of information. So he kept his anger to himself but he answered in a way similar to his anger.
"I don't have time for such foolishness. Now...answer my question."
"Boy...If you really want to know, then it's best you listen."
No matter what Ren says, the woman won't answer his question. He knew that getting this person to talk would be difficult. Ren cursed the woman in his mind and admitted defeat.
"Fine...Make it short."
As Ren gave his answer, the woman smiled happily and clasped her hands.
"But this room isn't the proper place to talk. So let's move places!", said the woman while clapping her hands.
In an instance, the surroundings changed. The place was well lit with luxurious furniture in it. A red carpet blended well with the pale yellow floor. In the middle of the carpet was a yellow circle with lines and shapes similar to the design of the circle in the other room. Above the circle was a white table suitable for two people to have tea. Ren was surprised that the dark scenery was suddenly replaced by a bright view. It was then that a female voice called out to him.
"What are you standing there for? Sit down."
Ren looked at the source of the voice. It was the woman showing Ren the table beside him. Ren immediately sat down the chair. The woman followed suit.
"So...Are you ready to listen to my story?", said the woman while gazing at Ren, waiting for a response.
"Just get it over with.", Ren replied.
"And here I was seeking for a nice, cute response as a reward for my hospitality.", said the woman while pouting her mouth.
"You want cute? Start talking and I'll give you a slap later", Ren said in an annoyed manner.
"Ooohhh, feisty. But Onee-san doesn't dislike people like you.", said the woman while continuing to gaze at Ren.
'What's up with this woman? She's been saying Onee-san all the time and saying things as if she enjoys it. Does she think of me as young man who's on a date with her?', Ren thought to himself.
"Well then! It's time I get started."
The woman averted her gaze on Ren and fixed her posture. With that in hand, she breathed slowly and started talking.
"When this world was created, so was life. But humans, demons, beastmen and other races didn't exist that time. With the exception of the Being's of Origin. Those beings were the New Gods and the Dragons. The New Gods were brought to life along with this world to serve as the beginning of all and the Dragons served the New Gods as their assistants. 250 years after the birth of this world, the New Gods started to execute their plan. This plan was to give birth to different races. You may wonder why they didn't do this immediately right after they were born. It was because the New Gods debated on what kind of beings they will make. The long debate ended when one god suggested that whatever being every god had in mind, they would create. All agreed and each god chose where they would place their creation in this world."
"Thus new life was born. But with life also comes death. So one god gave life to four beings that serve as agents of death. These agents are the Being's of Death, the opposite of the Being's of Life, which are Fairies, Druids, and Treants. The role of the Being's of Death was to bring death to the beings created by the New Gods. The agents didn't really kill as if they were wiping out all beings. They would wander throughout the world and kill those that they encounter or encounter them. This was accepted by the gods because they believe that everything has an end, including them."
"And you encountered one of the Being's of Death, the Death Reaper. It wanders all over the world to reap and collect the souls of living things. A year ago, it stopped and rested in this temple. Then you and your party attacked it, leading to its defeat. But I saw that you were the only one who defeated it. What a feat-"
"Hey...Right now...You just said you saw me defeat the Death Reaper. What do you mean by that?, Ren asked in a serious tone, interrupting the woman's story.
"Oh, I let it slip. Oh Well...That's right, I saw you take down the Death Reaper all by yourself."
"And where the hell were you watching from?"
"Boy...Your Onee-san can do things that others can't do you know., said the woman in a boastful tone.
"You..."
Just when Ren was about to burst in anger, he managed to calm himself down. Knowing that if he didn't, his actions would cause trouble.
"Nevermind! Continue talking."
"Right after you defeated the Death Reaper, it placed it's curse on you. Now to answer your question. Why do I know about what's happening to you and what's the curse I'm talking about...It's because your already experiencing it."
"Experiencing it...what are you-"
Just as he was murmuring out of confusion,Ren realized something.
"You mean...the sudden pain I felt and the nightmare."
"Correct.", said the woman as if greeting Ren due to his right answer. "But that's not all. The Death Reaper's curse is more breaking than you know. It gives you false hope then you feel extreme pain that you don't why you're feeling it. It slowly corrupts your mind, misleading you from what's right and..."
Ren was still processing the information he heard when the woman stopped talking. Like she was hiding something. Right after, Ren was able to say a few words while thinking.
"So...your saying...", Ren muttered while trembling.
"Yeah. From the moment you killed the Death Reaper, it's soul emerged didn't it. Then you felt extreme pain that tormented you. And your nightmare, that's the third stage of the curse. Lastly, without you noticing it...you're already dead."