"A mysterious being has burned your castle down? What does that even mean- Wait, does this mean the castle where my "father" and "siblings" are in?" Aiden thought to himself, silently panicking.
"I have to go back! I apologize, my poor citizens… For I have a mission to finish." Aiden mumbled, looking back at the remaining reapers slaughtering the poor people.
Then, he started sprinting in the direction the castle is located, closing his eyes and praying for someone to protect the poor souls he left behind.
On his way, he almost died at the hands of the roaming reapers.
Many villages that were once flourishing have been reduced to mere ashes and dust.
"Damn it!" Aiden murmurs, trying to keep his voice to avoid the army of reapers.
After a long time, he finally crossed the gates of the kingdom.
Dead guards were everywhere; there were no signs of life.
Even the farm animals have become nothing but piles of meat.
"At least I've got practically infinite food, ha-ha…" The attempt at a joke from Aiden ended horribly, making him regret his choice of leaving the castle and leaving his family to fend for themselves.
Then he sees IT, well, what has been left of it.
Half of the castle was gone, as if it had been cut in half; lava-like sword marks were left on the stone debris.
"Don't tell me…" He looked down at his feet, regretting his own choices. "How dumb was I?"
He walks towards what's left of the castle.
Corpses in royal guard armor were scattered all around the harsh ground.
He arrives at the castle's doors, which have fallen, all battered.
Before entering, he looks one more time at the fallen royal guards and mutters. "I apologize for not being able to protect you all. I truly regret my actions."
One last look before setting foot on the castle's ground filled with broken pieces of debris.
"Take a deep breath, haaaa, fooooh."
His right foot finally crossed to the castle's floor.
A deep, unsettling, eerie vibe sent chills all over Aiden.
"This doesn't feel… Right." He murmurs. Trying to keep his voice as low as possible.
His footsteps echoed through the hallway.
But then, he realised, a person was coming his way.
CLICK!
CLICK!
A woman wearing formal attire walked past him.
Thinking he successfully managed to avoid a dangerous encounter, he exhaled deeply.
Suddenly.
He heard a neck crack.
He looked in the direction the woman was walking.
His heart shook from disbelief.
The woman who appeared normal just seconds ago is now looking at him, her head twisted 360°
"It seems like we've got a rat hiding here." A strange voice came out of her mouth, and it strangely echoed.
Before even getting a grasp of the situation.
A sharp tentacle was flying at an inhuman speed towards him.
Unfortunately, Aiden wasn't able to dodge at the time; he didn't even react to the tentacle.
It has pierced his shoulder entirely, leaving his shoulder stuck to the wall behind him.
The girl slowly walked towards him.
Her heels echoed through the passage way.
Once she was close enough to him, she lifted his chin upwards.
"You've got quite a handsome face. It's a shame I can't do anything I wish to your right now." Her lips crept up into an inhuman smile; her tongue was over 2 times as long as the average human's.
"You know what, I'm not even that hungry." The girl mumbled; her voice resonated with the long passage.
She stood up and turned away from Aiden.
He was still flabbergasted by what had just happened.
His gut was screaming to run away immediately.
"You really thought I'll spare you? You're mistaken." She turned her head 180°.
Then started walking again.
"Wait, what? Wasn't she supposed to kill me-?" Aiden thought to himself, but then he realised, his head was no longer on top of his shoulders.
The world began shifting once again. It turned into a deep black limbo this time.
[System]
-You Have Died.
[Tip] Do Not Engage With Enemies That Tower Over You In Power.
Aiden curled up, hugging his knees tightly, his body trembling in despair.
"When will this nightmare just end?!" Aiden muttered, his voice lower than ever, slowly losing hope.
"It won't." A strange, inhuman voice came from behind him.
Aiden instantly rolled away from danger, recognizing his voice.
It was that antlered monster that won't leave him alone, no matter what he does.
"Remember me? You pathetic life source?" The monster mumbled confidently, clutching his charcoaled hand.
"What do you want from me?!" Aiden said, his voice trembling slightly.
"What do I want? Hmm, I want, I want revenge for what you have done to my precious arm!" He lunged at Aiden unexpectedly. Aiming to pierce him with his sturdy nails.
But Aiden dodged, managing to counterattack, leaving an X mark on his chest.
"I have changed, but you didn't," Aiden mutters under his breath, glaring at the monster, unsurprised.
Then came Aiden's attack. He threw a sword he had just materialized a second ago.
The monster was shocked, but didn't expect Aiden to catch the sword mid-air.
He caught the sword with his left arm. Then unexpectedly, he threw it into the air.
Fooling the monster into following the sword with his eyes, forgetting entirely about the second sword held by Aiden that's inches away from connecting with him.
The sword trembled in his hands, colliding with the monster's hard outer body shell.
Then, with a sudden sharp SNAP!
The blade shattered into pieces, each falling shard reflecting Aiden's bewildered expression.
Silence fell for a heartbeat.
GULP!
Aiden glanced at the monster's eyes, clutching his sword that had now been reduced to a mere hilt.
Sweat trickled down his brow, and as drops of sweat fell onto the ground, only silence followed.
"You're dead." The monster spouted, and killing intent surrounded him.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
Name: Aiden Cross
Age: 20
Level: 16
Race: Human
Status: Dead
Title(s): [The Broken One] -25% Mental Power | +10% Damage
[Inter-Dimensional Traveler] {In Use}
-Upon Usage-
+25 Strength-
+20 Agility-
+35 Intelligence-
Aura Color: Red
Aura Core: Low-Grade [Sealed]
Mana Color: Golden
Mana Core: Low-Grade
--- SKILLS ---
360° Kick (Lv 2) Mockery (Lv 2) Roundhouse Kick (Lv 2) Counter Flow (Lv 1 – Locked
Fear Resistance (Passive Skill) (Lv 2)
--- USER STATS ---
STR: 132 | AGI: 91 | INT: 27 | END: 55
PER: 41 | WIL: 27 | CHA: 15
+25% Fear Resistance +10% Mental Power
HP: 250/250| Stamina:41/220 | Aura:0/45 | Mana: 2/25
EXP:0/100
Currency: 4 Aura Crystals
0 Aura Crystals [Faint]
0 Aura Crystals [Low Grade]
4 Aura Crystals [Standard Grade]
0 Aura Crystals [Bright Grade]
0 Aura Crystals [Radiant Grade]
0 Aura Crystals [Pure Grade]