In an unknown time during the history of an alternate timeline of the planet earth, a certain event occurred that spawned a scourge of epic proportions, a man so feared that the mere mention of his name was synonymous with the aspect of destruction itself.
Even pantheons shuddered at his presence.
Of course, even the mightiest of deities had the most humble beginnings. And this one began in the heart of Old Europe, during one of its many disastrous plagues.
"Hans, can you pass me the silver pot under the sink please?"
A sickly woman who looked to be no older than 70 years old spoke weakly to a certain young man sitting close by.
Her black hair was filled with sweat, while every inch of her skin was splattered with grey spots all over it and her eyes were almost completely white. It was as if she was blind.
Hans, the young man she was referring to, had a similar affliction on his skin. His hair was much darker than hers, something she probably lost with age, and extended down to his chin. If one judged by the looks of his build, they could tell he was around his mid-teens at most.
But, something else was strange.
Hans' movements seemed to be...hampered in some way as he leaned down to grab the pot from the cupboard.
"Here, mom."
The older woman nodded as she grasped the pot with trembling fingers.
As Hans watched his mother make him dinner, his eyes almost started to water.
'Mom, if i wasn't so much of a burden...I would be the one taking care of you right now. Even though you're so tired...you still...'
Diana, the elderly woman in question, slightly glanced at Hans before a small smile emerged upon her wrinkled face.
"Little Hans, stop worrying about me. This old woman is nearing the end of her life anyways...the best I can do is try to take care of the only family I have left in this world."
Hans clenched his fists as he watched his mother try her hardest to even lift the simplest things.
She was so sick...yet so steadfast.
She was so weak...yet so strong. The mental strength it took to ignore the immense pain coursing through her body was not something anyone could muster.
Some time passed and the dish Diana was making over the fire was done.
Hans could hear her brittle bones cracking as she struggled to get up from her chair. With a hunched back, Diana slowly walked over to the fire, grabbed a cup, and poured what was in the pot into the cup.
"This is the only thing your mother could find for you to eat, son. Your favorite thing in the whole wide world, porridge."
Her hand trembled as she set it down on a small table next to Hans, waiting for him to drink it.
"Mom, what about you?"
Diana's rubbed her thin, warm hands through Hans' hair as she replied, "Let your mother worry about that. The only thing that would make me happy right now is for my little boy to drink his porridge."
As much as Hans' didn't want to drink the porridge, he knew that his mother would not listen to his words.
Hans reluctantly drank the porridge and watched as his mother slowly walked back to her room.
'If only I wasn't so...'
THUD!
Diana suddenly collapsed on the floor as she was about to open her door, her head banging against the metal handle on the way down.
Hans dropped the cup down on the floor and watched as his mother lay motionlessly on the floor.
There wasn't even so much as a scream before she fell.
"Mom...?"
A dark red liquid started to pool around her head as she laid there silently.
THUD!
Hans threw himself on the floor and started crawling towards Diana with whatever middling strength he had left within his upper body.
"Mom! Mom!"
He hated that his body was cursed. If not, he wouldn't need to crawl around like a street urchin in such a dire time.
When Hans finally got to his mother, the pool of blood beneath her head had gotten big enough to form a small puddle.
He grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her as much as his strength allowed, trying his best to wake her up.
But unfortunately, things weren't getting any better.
"HELP! PLEASE, CAN SOMEONE HELP US!!"
Hans shouted and shouted.
His voice echoed through the small cottage they lived in.
But no one was coming. A small part of him knew this.
Their family was exiled from the city generations ago by the King at that time. They were pushed so far away from the city that it would take at least a week to get back by carraige.
Not to mention how long it would take by foot.
The fact that they survived here so long was a miracle in and of itself.
Tears fell from his eyes as he struggled to put his mom on his back. He had to find a way to save her.
"Arghhh!"
With much effort, Hans finally managed to lay Diana down on his back and started crawling towards the front door.
With her added weight, moving even a few inches forward was a monumentous task.
But Hans couldn't give up.
He gritted his teeth and crawled, using his arms like he never used them before.
"If only I wasn't born with this cursed body!"
Hans limp legs dragged behind him like dead weight as he tried his best to take his mother out of the house, in hopes of some miracle happening.
Maybe someone was passing the house at that time.
Diana's blood ran down the side of his face, burning his eyes and clouding his already blurred vision.
Still, Hans couldn't stop. Even though the distance he moved each time got shorter and shorter. Hans could feel his body about to give out on him but he couldn't accept that.
Somehow, he needed to help his mother.
"Someone...anyone...!! PLEASE HELP US!!"
Between haggard breaths, Hans managed to muster a final shout, hoping by some God given miracle that someone would help them.
BANG!
The door suddenly shot open as a dark figure appeared in the doorway.
The figure bore a dark coat, a black mask shaped in the horrific visage of a vulture, and a long cane.
Although Hans vision was blurred, he could still make out the image in the door.
"Please...save my mother."
Hans could swear that he heard the figure snicker at that moment but he wasn't sure. The mask had muffled his voice.
"As you wish. But, when you wake up again, be prepared to repay this favor..."
And with that, Hans' lost conciousness.
[An unknown amount of time later, in an unknown place]
"Urgh..."
Hans struggled to open his eyes as a bright light shone into it.
He could feel himself laying on a cold surface, unable to move his limbs.
'Where...am I?'
"Good question!"
Someone moved the bright light out of his face, allowing Hans to fully take in where he was at.
Everywhere he looked, there were metal tools. Scissors, saws, hammers, metal syringes, absurdly long needles and more.
And standing above him, was the same horrific figure in the mask.
"You! Where is my mother?"
With a smooth hand gesture the figure pointed to a large nearby glass container filled with green liquid.
Diana's body was floating peacefully in there.
"She's dead, but I managed to preserve her body."
The figure said this so emotionlessly that a normal person couldn't fathom that he was talking about a human life.
Hans broke down into tears when he heard this.
'It's all my fault...'
"Exactly."
Hans turned his head towards the figure with nothing but sadness on his face. How could life be so cruel?
As much as he wanted to blame the man for his mother's death, he knew that it was just an impulse to lash out at the nearest person.
Even though his body was lacking, he had great control over his mind.
"Thank you for trying, sir. You can kill me and harvest my limbs or whatever you want. That way I can repay you...and join my mother in Heaven."
Hans had already come to few deductions about his current predicament when he saw himself tied as he woke up.
He had remembered the man mentioning something about being repayed for helping him. So he guessed this was how he would do it.
'He must be one of those witch doctors that Mom used to warn me about when I was a child. Mom...'
"Not quite."
Silence ensued as Hans stared at the figure for several seconds with his eyes squinted.
'You can read my mind, can't you?'
"Just figured it out?"
Hans was flabbergasted. Who was this entity that appeared before him?
The figure seemed to ignore his surprise as he continued, "Your mother can be brought back to life."
Hans heart started beating faster when he heard this. This should not be possible. But reading minds was not either, yet this man could do it.
What else could he do?
"I'm listening. How heavy is the cost?"
The man continued, "The souls of the strong. Listen closely, this is what I need you to do."
Hans opened his ears as the man went on and on about his requirements.
By the time he was done, Hans thought he had heard a joke. How could the things the man wanted be achieved in his current condition?
"So let me get this straight. What we live in is a universe. You want me to infiltrate other universes, harvest the souls of the mightiest beings, to power up a...what did you call it? A Soul Engine? And this engine is responsible for continuing the cycle of life and death throughout the entire uh...multiverse? Before we even get to that, how can i do that in this body?"
The figure calmly waved his hand at Hans' question.
"Let me worry about that. All I need from you is a Yes or No. Ah, lastly. I should tell you how your mother can be revived. These universes you will be sent to contain beings with all sorts of powers. If you can manage to steal a power that allows resurrection, then you can bring your mother back and even heal her sickness."
Hans was still skeptical. After all, a lot of things were happening way too fast. But the thought of giving his mother a better life and being able to protect her held such value in his heart that it managed to overcome his doubts.
He wanted to ask 'Why Me?', but at the same time, this was a golden opportunity. At this point in his life, it didn't even matter if what the man said was true.
He just wanted to have a sliver of hope.
"Then, I will do as you ask. How can I do it with this bo-"
"As I said..."
Magically, a large syringe containing purple liquid floated over and stabbed Hans in the middle of the head.
"Let me worry about that."
A ludicrous amount of pain suddenly racked Hans body as he started bleeding profusely from all orifices. He couldn't even scream.
As the figure walked away, he muttered, "It is done, my lord. We have started the cycle once again. This time, we just hope its a success."
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Thanks for reading! Next Chapter: Genji.