A moonlit night illuminated every small corner of the half world with its ghostly light. Under the moonlight, a massive old village slowly emerged in the gigantic forest.
However, the ancient buildings on here weren't covered in moss at all. It was clear that people had still been living here.
Standing on the roof of one of the highest buildings at the massive old village was a man.
The man was dressed in dark clothing reminiscent of an Assassin's garb, but there was something distinct about him.
Apart from his deathly aura, his only weapon was special, too—metal claws.
In his hand, they radiated an air of power. Those metal claws were half a meter long, their length baffling anyone who might wonder how he could wield them so effortlessly.
His eyes were filled with endless darkness. Even more unnerving were the horns from his forehead, sharp and dangerous-looking.
Perhaps this man was a demon.
Just then, a voice rang out from shadow beneath that man's feet
"Master O, We've confirmed the location. It's exactly as that person said."
The man with the abyssal eyes closed them briefly, then reopened them and took a deep breath.
"Hah… It's just… A clan that was once the most powerful in the past," he murmured.
"And now, they've been reduced to fleeing from the world."
''Pathetic!''
"This will be the end of the Lyder Clan."
There wasn't a trace of emotion on his face. He lightly shook his head and ordered.
"Do it. Encircle this place!"
The shadowy figure beneath him nodded silently before vanishing into the darkness.
Soon, this village was sinking into horrifying, endless blood and countless dead bodies without any noise or yell in panic. Still, might hear a few short sounds from persons shouting in pain.
At this point, a large building in the center of the village, where everybody could see. This building was rather different from the other buildings in this village. Just like that, it tried to lure someone to it like the carnivorous plant that was beautiful and dangerous.
And the inner large building was a middle-aged man. He was sitting balanced on the old, wooden floor.
Strangely, He looked completely calm. That thing was clearly shown on his face. A face, not a bit of emotion. He probably barely cared about the surroundings for some.
It seemed that he had known everything happening in his territory.
Creakkkkkk!
The sound of opening the door was slight, but nothing was staying outside the door. This door either might have fallen, or there was an uncertain ghost around there.
''Why?'' A voice from no source in the space of this big room.
Soon, the middle-aged man began to open his blue eyes slightly and said.
''You lost an Assassin's rule!''
Even though the middle-aged man's words had rang out throughout the room, no one responded.
Instantly, the middle-aged man's shadow below the floor transformed into a certain shape. It stayed behind him, and then, walking slightly in front of the man.
''You did it again!''The middle-aged man said while looking at the shadow.
"You're right," O said, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"But you're too weak for me to bother," he added, his voice dripping with disdain.
"And… you need to understand why I'm doing this."
The middle-aged man sighed.
"I understood."
Assassins had their own rules. They were people who lived in darkness and never strayed from the path of style in work. And most importantly, they never left witnesses; those who saw them never lived.
But this assassin was acting differently from others.
There could only be one reason.
He was insulting this man. It was much clearer. The assassin was able to finish him off anytime he wanted.
"You still haven't answered my question," O said, watching the middle-aged man closely.
The middle-aged man paused a few seconds before responding.
"Your question?"
The assassin didn't reply.
A few seconds passed.
The assassin gave a faint smile and began pacing slowly around the room.
"No one can escape from this village. Everyone's going to die, so…"
He turned back toward the middle-aged man, eyes gleaming cruelly.
"Stop wasting time. There's nothing more you can do."
Silence.
More seconds slipped by.
The assassin stepped closer, nearly face to face with the man.
"Why are you silent? I just want to know why your Clan once stood at the top of the world..."
"And now? It's weak, pathetic, hiding in a place like this."
The assassin stared hard at the man—but this time, there was something different. His metal claw twitched in his hand, moving slowly.
He was ready to end the man's life at any moment.
But face to face with death, the middle-aged man stayed calm. Even death couldn't shake him.
Yet, there was one thing. Something began to stir in him.
"You look... sad...instead of scared?"
The assassin narrowed his eyes, surprised by the man's expression.
"Interesting. That's not what I expected."
The man sighed and slowly lifted his head to meet the assassin's gaze.
"It's our fate."
The assassin frowned, then let out a short sigh.
"I've made up my mind."
"I'll kill you... as an assassin should."
As soon as the words left his lips, he began fading into the shadows. But, in contrast with his speeches in advance, he reappeared in front of the man with a maniacal face—his metal claw extended, crashing into the wooden floor through to the lower floor of the building.
But then, to the man's surprise, the assassin's clawed hand vanished into thin air.
Silence.
Just sounds of footsteps behind then.
"I always hated fucking scholars. They talk about crap I never understand."
The assassin turned to look at the mangled corpse behind him. He spat in disgust.
"How's the result?" he called out into the darkness of the room.
A voice answered from a shadowed corner.
"Everything is going fine. We're handling the remaining ones. It'll be over before the sun—"
"Too slow!" O snapped. " I give you only one hour. Now!"
The shadow in the corner trembled slightly and replied:
"Yes, Master O."
Minutes later, the room was empty, except for the shredded remains of the middle-aged man. Looking at his sad, lifeless face, no one would ever know what he was thinking in his final moment.
Only God would know.
***
"Hector! Go!"
"Mom!"
"You have to go!"
After a few seconds of hesitation, the young man finally forced his trembling legs to move. He opened the door at the back of the small house and ran. Leaving his mother behind.
"No one here can live! Kill them all."
A voice echoed through the air as dozens of ball-shaped shadows seeped into the house—from the floor, the ceiling, everywhere.
The boy's mother looked around, her face full of sorrow. Tears slid down her cheeks.
"F-Fate?" she whispered, voice shaking.
Moments later, the house was silent. A lifeless body lay in a pool of blood.
And now, somewhere.
"Aaaahhhh!"
Hector screamed helplessly, running through the alley of the village.
"Why?! Why won't you work?!"
He cried, gripping the coin that hung from his neck.
"Why did my parents always talk about fate? I don't want to die!"
He bent over, staring at the coin with tearful eyes.
"P-Please. Work!"
"Does my Clan have to die for you to do something?"
Silence.
The coin didn't react. Didn't move. Didn't shine.
His breath grew shallow—he had run too far, too fast. The world around him blurred.
And then, he collapsed.
At first, the ground felt solid. But seconds later, a liquid spread beneath his cheek… and then across his whole body. He tried to speak, even though his throat was torn.
In the end, he could only say one word in his mind.
"Dammit."
Just like that, the ball-shaped shadows surged wildly across the village.
Suddenly, something changed.
Hector's coin, still under his body, began to glow faintly.
A screen appeared in front of his head, visible only to him.
[Condition: Destruction is the origin of the beginning]
[Complete!]
[Congratulations!]
[System Activated!]
[You are now invited to join the Challenge of Equilibria World]
[Accept]
[Delay]
[If no choice is made, [Accept] will be selected automatically]
[30 seconds]
[29 seconds]
...
[1 second]