Silence filled the air as I sat on top of a desolate hill. The world beneath me was covered in creatures that attacked the planet ages ago... yet what could I do? The world had already ended long ago. How many years has it been..? I stopped counting, but if I had to estimate... it would have to be around 2,000 years.
SCREECH!
My eyes guided up towards the giant avian-like creature that hung above me. I stuck out my hand and waited for the creature to lower herself down to my eye level.
"Vivi..."
I called out as the creature flapped her wings and perched herself in front of me.
"Are you hungry?"
...
During the first few years of my isolation in this empty world, I grew desperate to end myself. No matter how much I tried... no matter what tactic I used... I found myself alive. I couldn't die. Not because I was too scared to end myself, but because my body refused to die. That nearly drove me crazy.
I gazed at the avian-like creature with a sweet smile. One full of warmth and love as I held onto my dull sword and swung at my own arm.
Splat.
Blood spilt across the surrounding surface of the hill as I held onto my cut-off arm.
"Eat up."
My arm began to regenerate as I threw the limb into the creature's mouth.
At first, I slaughtered every creature I saw as a way to seek revenge against the cruel monster-like beings. Then, I gave up and focused on trying to find a way to escape this lonely, ruined world. Be it death, or eternal sleep... but that never ended up happening. And finally, I accepted my circumstances and instead, tried to find new ways to entertain myself in this empty world.
I stood up and began to carefully pet the avian-like creature with both my hands.
I resented the creatures that invaded the planet in the beginning... but now, I see them more as friends than anything. Thousands of years alone was too much for a human like me to bare... I remember trying to find a way to end my life using every method I could think of.
- Death by height: Quick and simple.. yet extremely painful. I remember feeling the pressure underneath me as I hit the ground. And when I woke up, my body squirmed in pain as it tried to fix itself. 3/10.
- Death by creatures (multiple times): I've tried getting eaten by all sorts of strange beings in this world. I thought if I was properly digested, I would disappear for good. I thought the death would be quick and simple, but the feeling of each limb being crushed between the creatures' sharp teeth was far worse than I imagined. 1/10.
-Death by drowning: Far worse than the previous ones. How did people from the early days of Earth manage to go through this? The feeling of water entering my lungs and slowly drifting to the bottom of the ocean as I suffocated. It burnt. I thought I was immune to the feeling of death at that point, but is that really something you can become immune to? Or am I too weak..? 0/10.
Death by starvation/dehydration: Actually, this one might be the worse. I laid still on top of a flat hill for weeks without touching food or water. I slowly perished with an uncomfortable pain in my stomach. And when I woke up, I found myself in the same state. Death by starvation does not reset your body to your original form after you die. You just stay in a painful cycle of starvation. But I managed to get enough energy to get up and find something to eat to regain my weight. -5/10
There's too much to count.. I've died using everything I could think of. I don't think I could list them all out, even if I wanted to.
I slowly snap out of my reminiscence after feeling the avian-like creature vibrate underneath my touch.
"Vivi, can you fly me back to the others?"
I asked as I casually climbed onto the back of the avian-like creature and hung onto her firm feathers.
Naturally, I learned how to communicate with the creatures after years and years. And now, I consider myself one of them... we are almost like family.
Woosh... woosh...
The avian-like creature flapped her wings and she began to raise herself high into the smoke-covered skies. She carefully guided us down the hill and towards an area that seemed highly populated with creatures of all kinds. As we landed, I hopped off Vivi's back and found myself at ground level once again.
I dream every now and then about the past... even though I can only remember little about those who were close to me. I know that I had a brother. A strong one, in fact.
The creatures began to crowd around me as I landed. A few of them, like Lullaby and Flamebrew, could communicate with me using human language. After taking over the world, the creatures grew smarter and stronger.
Lullaby is a big greyish dragon with sharp teeth and a picky personality. It took a while for her to warm up to a human, but eventually, she became one of my most loyal friends. She's like a sister to me.
Flamebrew, on the other hand, is a giant monstrous beast. His eyes glow a sharp red color, but his personality is the exact opposite of his appearance. He was one of the first creatures to warm up to me after seeing how much I've suffered in these long years... now, he's the closest thing I have to a brother.
Suddenly, Flamebrew quickly approached me with something glowing in his mouth.
"Mirro! look, look!"
I look up at the eager beast and paused as my eyes widened.
After living for so long, I've lost my ability to be surprised... but this...
"Me and Lullaby ventured into the area with the higher ups... and we found this!"
Flamebrew threw a large gem, the size of his palm, at me. His eyes glistened excitedly as Lullaby began to wrap around me in anticipation.
I silently stared at the large gem as I nearly avoided being crushed by it. The color was a bright orange color, it shined brightly even in the dark of the night. This was a Leturn Gem.. one of which would've been sold for billions, thousands of years ago.
What.. how has something so rare appeared after all these years? Nevermind that...
I crossed my arms and furrowed my eyebrows angrily as I tapped my foot.
After years of wandering alone, I found myself losing my sense of emotions. But whenever it comes to these two, I can't help but find myself becoming extremely paranoid.
"You two entered the area with the higher-level beasts?"
Lullaby and Flamebrew were so excited about their discovory that they completely forgot that I banned them from ever entering that dangerous area.
"No! No... no we were just... we stumbled by it. And uh- we-"
Flamebrew struggled to come up with a reason good enough to not make me angry... but it was far too late.
Before I had the chance to say something, Lullaby let out a deep sigh and peered over me with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"Look, human! Before you get mad at us again, let me explain."
She sat proudly and cleared her vocal chords before glancing at Flamebrew.
"We were searching for food, like usual, and we came across a yummy looking Rabolit! It was extremely fast, and we chased it. We had no clue that we were already in the higher-up's territory!"
I looked at Lullaby, unconvinced, before Flamebrew chimed in again.
"Yep! She's telling the truth- uh- and we kept following the Rabolit until it eventually led us to the Leturn!"
I closed my eyes and thought silently for a moment. These two have a history of lying to me... especially if there's a chance that they would get in big trouble. But I should try hearing them out for once...
"Okay... I'll believe you. But isn't that too much of a coincidence? The Rabolit, a creature that is seen here often, led you two towards a Leturn gem?"
The two glanced at each other and nodded.
"I see..."
I raised my hand in the air and silently hummed a thought before a bright blue screen appeared in front of my eyes. A list of information formed across the blue screen as I gazed over the words.
________________________________________
[ Skill Panel ]
Name: Mirro Vox
Species: Human + Dragon-kin (trait)
Title (current): Prisoner of Time
Level: 100 (max) +50 (trait of dragon-kin)
Skills: [Immortality] [Timeless] [Age Preservation] [Creature Communication] ... click to expand
Trait: Blessings of the Creatures - [Dragon-kin] [Fireling-Beast] [Enema-Beast] [Liol]
Page 1 of 3 >
________________________________________
I pressed the continue arrow twice and opened up page 3 of my skill panel. There, I could use my inventory.
________________________________________
[ Inventory Panel ]
Search: Dagger
Showing 5 items....
- [Mystical] Dagger of the Golden Truth
- [Legendary] Dark Dagger from the Underlying Abyss
- [Rare] TrigDagger
- [Rare] Triangular Dagger
- [Mystical] Dagger Held From Shame
Page 3 of 3 >
________________________________________
I selected the first option and held the Dagger of the Golden Truth in my firm grip.
After years of experience in this world, I've grown accustomed to fighting and using weapons. I've wandered through the whole-wide world during my time here. I've visited countless countries and learned the most I could to pass the time. Books were a good way to learn about things that I had no knowledge of previously. I've even learnt multiple languages and skills.
"Ahem..."
I cleared my throat and twirled the dagger around my fingers as I approached the two creatures with a head tilt.
"I'll know whether you two are lying or not after I prick you with this dagger."
I said as I slowly approached Lullaby and Flamebrew with a haunting smile plastured across my face.
The two creatures began to shiver as they backed away from my every step.
"W-wait! Stop!"
"You have nothing to fear if you tell me the truth... you know how this goes."
I pressed my feet against the ground and accelerated towards Firebrew in short, swift motions.
"You won't get hurt if you're telling the truth!"
I swung the dagger in a broad motion as the two stumbled back and flinched. Before my dagger could even reach them, I lessen the impact and barely scrape Flamebrew with the dagger.
Swish
...
"Looks like you two were telling the truth."
I could see the two of them visibly ease up after the pressure was taken off them. I reach my hand out and gently caress Flamebrew's scrape.
"I'm sorry for not trusting you. But please pay more attention about where you guys end up. I don't want to lose you two... I don't know if I'll be able to handle being alone again."
I've gathered timeless amounts of knowledge while traveling around the world as a way to soothe my boredom. But nothing was able to cure my loneliness.. until I decided to stop killing creatures and befriend them instead. Honestly.. if I were given an opportunity to go back to the way Earth used to be, I wouldn't take it. I've spent more time with Lullaby and Flamebrew than my own family. I wouldn't want to leave them for the world...
The two looked at me with sympathy as I took out a green health potion from my inventory.
"It's okay! It didn't hurt."
Flamebrew began to pounce around to show that he was okay. However, the wound still bothered me.
"Come closer."
Pop!
I took the lead off the health potion and stuck my hand out so that Flamebrew would hand me his paw. Flamebrew reluctantly nodded and gently placed his paw on my hand.
"Good."
I proceeded to drip the health potion all over Flamebrew's wound.
"Now let's go find something to eat, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Sure..."
I held the Leturn gem in my hand tightly before tossing it in the air and placing it in my inventory. The information about the gem was little to none, not even the creatures knew what it was used for. But having something this rare could be useful for future events.
I believed that the creatures of this world had no human-like emotions. However my theory was quickly proven wrong after learning about them. I've learned that the creatures were sent from another planet, far from a different galaxy. They were sent on a mission from the higher-ups to conquer a new planet and take civilization there. After succeeding the takeover, they've moved half of the planet's manpower to this world. They tried to kill me multiple times but gave up after concluding that it's entirely impossible to get rid of me. Now, I live amongst them.
"Mirro! Look!"
Flamebrew excitedly pointed out a Rabolit trying to escape the grasps of multiple starving creatures. I sighed and smiled at Flamebrew before shaking my head.
"Go ahead... me and Lullaby will be setting up a fire."
Flamebrew immediately lit up after I gave my 'okay' and went chasing after the Rabolit. Lullaby nudged a group of firewood at my direction and huffed.
She mumbled as I began to stack the firewood in a neat manner.
"That Fireling beast is too careless..."
I glanced at Lullaby and chuckled softly.
"He's always been like that. That's the part about him that makes him charming."
Lullaby looked at me like I was crazy before rolling her eyes and flopping on her tummy.
"Look, here he comes. Proud as ever."
Flamebrew came marching back to us with a Rabolit in his mouth. He dropped the creature down in front of me and flashed a smile so wide, I could see all his teeth.
"Good job."
I began to scratch Flamebrew's neck as he happily wagged his enormous tail. He kind of reminded me of a dog sometimes...
"Could you start the fire for me?"
I turned my back to cut up the Rabolit beast into pieces. While my back was turned, Flamebrew began to whirl around a large flame, seemingly to show off his excellent element manipulation skills. However, before managing to light up the firewood, Lullaby grew paranoid and slammed herself into Flamebrew.
"We get it! How come the human always relies on you when I'm here?"
I turn back around to see Flamebrew being slammed away by Lullaby, causing his large flame to be thrown towards me at mach speed. I silently sighed and accepted my fate.
BOOM! Fshhhhh....
My body turned into ashes as the two creatures continued to fight amongst each other. They didn't even realize that my body had turned crisp.
My body slowly reverted back to its original form as I watched the two continue to bicker. After my mouth and throat were regenerated, I quietly muttered two words.
"Flamebrew. Lullaby."
The two turned to look at me slowly. Their eyes blinking as they saw my body regenerating.
"Huh? What happened, Mirro?!"
"Human? Did you get attacked?"
They immediately ran up to me with concern.
I've grown accustomed to dying. But it still f*king hurt like sh*t.
"I'll give you a chance to apologize."
My body fully restored to its previous form as I cracked my knuckles.
The two looked at me nervously as I inched closer to them.
"3... 2..."
"Ah- it's our fault! Whatever we did, it's our fault! Please don't.. not the-"
I sighed and tightly gripped both of their horns to pull them down to eye-level with me.
"You don't even know what you did wrong? Or are you pretending not to know so you'll get out of this scotch free? You do realize that your flames are scorching hot, right?"
They look at me with pleading eyes, but like death, I've grown accustomed to their begging.
"Own up."
Lullaby decided to speak up first.
"Okay... fine. It's my fault for giving Flamebrew what he deserved."
Flamebrew quickly turned his head to look at Lullaby and growled.
"This is completely that snobbish dragon's fault! Why should I be blamed as well??"
I place my hands on my hips and shook my head in disappointment. They've lived for centuries, yet still act like they're children.
"Come here..."
I pull the two closer to me and began to give them a knuckle rub against their heads. They groan painfully as I relentlessly pushed my knuckles into their heads.
"Now set up the fire."
The two looked at each other with remorse before complying.
...
Through knowledge and experience, one would think that I've grown extremely powerful throughout the years. Well... if anyone lived as long as me, of course they would. However, I wasn't gifted from the get-go. It still takes me years to properly master an ability or skill. The only thing that I was "blessed" with was my immortality. And even then, I had no clue about this skill until my very last moments...
If the brother from my memories were the one to get blessed with this curse, I'm sure he would've used it more wisely. He would've used it to restore the world and eliminate all the creatures. So why... why was I the one with this cursed skill? A useless guy like me-
"Mirro?"
I glanced back at the two looking at me curiously. I shook my head and stood up.
"Right.. food."
I began to set up the Rabolit on top of the campfire and watched as it cooked. Flamebrew's flames were extremely scorching, which is why it only took a second for the Rabolit to cook.
There was a period of my 2,000 year life in which I only had negative thoughts. One of which I could only curse myself and suffer through an endless mind prison. After meeting Lullaby and Flamebrew, I promised myself to become a happier person for them. Especially since they were outcasts from their own societies.
"Eat up!"
I smiled at them and handed each a portion of the Rabolit. In return, they happily ate the dish I made.
This was my life now. And I've grown to like it.