「Beginning from Carnage's POV」
The soft, dull shine of dusk beats onto his face as he flutters awake. It takes a moment for his vision to adjust, and when it does, he sits up, the creak of the bed rumbling through the air.
"I'm…" A raspy voice escapes his mouth, catching him off guard. "Alive?" He questions.
Trailing his gaze down, a sigh of relief escapes once he sees a pair of arms and legs sprouting outwards. The sight of tattered brown clothes resting on top of his scarred skin gives him a comfort he never knew he needed.
'It looks like the effects of hanging for centuries have followed me here.' He sighs, letting it all simmer in. 'Five Centuries in that godforsaken place, five Centuries since I was last hailed a god... Five unbearing centuries of the same phrase repeating in my head...'
Just the thought makes his body stiff; he can still feel the rope around his neck, the water filling his lungs, the maggots burrowing into his flesh, the acid burning his skin, but now it's different, because now—
'Now I'm alive, with a chance.'
Making sure all his functions worked properly, he curls his fingers and toes; it may be weak, but they are all coming back.
'It's all working properly.'
Switching his attention from his limbs to the surroundings, his nose finally registers the overwhelming scent.
The damp, sour smell is thick like mildew and old leaves during autumn. It clings to the air like a wet rag left out for too long; still, it doesn't affect him; he had smelled worse, even the own scent of his decaying flesh.
"Hm."
'The first dimension of Purgatos.'
He thinks to himself, intently staring at his environment.
'Creaking old bed, wooden walls and floors, nightstand and stone hearth—nothing seems even remotely sinister; it's more like some room of the sorts.'
Carnage swerves to his side, getting off the bed, stretching out the numbness of his limbs. He crosses the creaking boards of his room and peers through the window.
The eerie stillness of the town is the first thing he notices, the crumbling cobblestone streets, aligned with varying huts and houses of both stone and wood, with the seemingly never-ending dusk unmoving from the skies, neither becoming darker nor brighter.
'The entire village is stuck in time. Even the birds in the skies are not to be moving.'
He focuses on the raven that stopped mid-flight in the air.
'What exactly am I supposed to do here?'
He ponders as the panel sparks to life.
「Welcome, sinner #660 to the first dimension of Purgatos, Nullity.」
'Nullity... It's somewhat coming back to me now.'
「You came for vengeance… to reclaim what was stolen, to crush those who betrayed you, and for that, you need power. 」
'I do.'
「I, the Covenant system, am willing to give it to you, but only if you dare to reclaim what you have lost. Show your courage, or be devoured by those who will. 」
「Companionship and kindness are to be forgotten; a blissful heart only falls in the depths of hell.」
'I know that better than anyone.'
「Will you cast aside your humanity… all for the sake of power? Do you see yourself ready for such a thing?」
Carnage looks up from the panel to his reflection in the mirror; nothing is as before, his golden hair reduced to black, littered with silver streaks, eyes no longer like the blazing sun but a deep hellish red. His appearance may be different, but he still saw himself: chained, betrayed, drowned, devoured, hanged, a fallen god.
A monster.
In his eyes, he was no longer a human or a divine being; he was a product of revenge, a spiteful spirit awaiting its chance for retribution.
'I don't care. Give me the power I need.'
He answers the panel's question.
「Magnificent!」
「Purgatos only houses the strongest or the broken. Your life from here on out is set to Hell mode; expect the unexpected and believe none—you are all sinners after all.」
Carnage bobs his head in acceptance.
「I've warned you of the basics; we shall begin your first task.」
「The admission exam. 」
'Admission exam?'
「Yes, it's an exam to deem you worthy or unworthy of joining our game. 」
'So you didn't select us because we were worthy?'
「Negative. Souls were randomly selected, and you happened to be one of the lucky ones. Nobody in here is chosen because they're special...fallen god or not.」
His nails dig into his palms.
「This is how you prove yourself. Show everyone you are worthy of your vengeance. Dominate Purgatos... if you can't, what makes you believe you'll be able to destroy the heavens?」
'You are right. I'll show my worth; that's a promise.'
「Excellent, I will now spin the wheel of difficulty to see what level of difficulty your first task will be on.」
「The levels of difficulty are: EASY/NORMAL/HARD/NIGHTMARE/HELL MODE.」
Instantly, the wheel began to spin, and Carnage waited for the results.
'I'll accept any outcome, and I'll overcome it.'
The wheel slows and lands on its answer.
「Congratulations! You have landed on Nightmare. 」
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___________________
Missions category: Nightmare
Objective: Uncover the name and history of this village and eliminate twenty skinwalkers
Skinwalker count: 0/6
||Reward hidden||
____________________
'Skinwalkers… monsters that shouldn't exist. Which means, after the seventh-ranked Emon god caused their extinction, they actually—
「Sent them to Purgatos, correct. No god of that rank could ever cause the mass extinction of a demonic beast. 」
'I've always known, something was off.' Carnage muses, 'Focus. what do I remember of skinwalkers that might help?' He closes his eyes, fragments of old knowledge clawing at his mind. 'We chose to wipe them out because they tore at the limits placed on shapeshifters. Shapeshifters are meant to stop at beasts or objects… but these things? They take the form of humans, flawed, yes, but terrifyingly perfect.'
His head throbs when he finishes, as if he is tampering with the bonds placed on his memories, forcing them out.
「Your time limit is 5 hours. To aid you in this challenge.」
Carnage's eyes burn with determination.
「Before I grant you a temporary persona, I must first make adjustments to the seal restraining your powers.」
'Hm? You can do that?'
「Partially, I cannot undo the seal, nor the punishment it carries. At best, I may alter a few of its functions. To destroy it will fall to you alone, as you grow back in power and strength.」
'I see. Then please do your best.'
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「The Covenant has helped as much as it can; now you can use the opposite ability of the blades.」
'Awakening!?'
「Correct. It'll be disguised as a key.」
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__________
「-Persona (Uncommon)-」
◦ Your persona: The keybearer
◦ Persona type: Support/Attack (Hybrid)
‣Resonance level: 10
◦Magical artifact: Key of awakening
—Explanation—
The user can awaken/unlock any sealed artifact.
‣ Eminence level: 60」
‣ Resonance 10 + Eminence 60 = Power level: 50
__________
「Due to some errors, the Eimence level of the artifact has dropped significantly.」
Carnage looks on at the imprinting of a key burnt onto the backside of his left hand.
「Good luck, sinner. Guidebooks will be distributed shortly, but be warned. If you fail in this trial, your participation in our game will promptly end, and your soul will become no more.」
'This is it. Fight through each dimension or die regretful.'
Without delay, he tears the bottom of his shirt and tightly ties it around his knuckles.
'Survival is the only thing that matters now.'
He looks up at the window, pulling back his fist, launching it forward at full force.
'For that, I need a weapon.'
Crash!!
'This should be good enough.'
He thinks, staring at a piece of glass barely clinging to its hinges, which he tugs loose, holding it firmly, as footsteps sound outside his door.
.
.
.
[Present time.]
"Erm, so... what're we meant to do now?" Nullen inquires, eyes darting around the space for any clues on what to do next.
Carnage shrugs, his focus outside the window.
'As soon as we exist, we're going to be like walking ducks.'
The streets might look empty, but Carnage can feel the eyes of death looking at him as if waiting for him to emerge from the house.
Then, a gasp rips from his lips. "Person."
"Are you serious?!" Nullen flies up, rushing to his side as they both stare at the only person on the empty street below.
The figure lifelessly drags its feet on the cobblestone, its torn brown clothing barely clinging to its frame.
'I guess The Covenant wasn't lying. It's either the broken or the strong residing in Purgatos.'
"Don't you find this place...weird?" Nullen inquires, backing away from the window.
Carnage nods.
"I may be a historian, but there are barely any records on this depiction of hell." Nullen says, eyebrows arched.
'Think that's how it was in the heavenly realm, too. Not even its creation was mentioned.'
"There are a few things said, but not nearly enough to help us right now." Carnage notices the frustration rising on his features. "As a historian, it's really frustrating."
'The only thing that can help us understand this place more are the guides; for now, all we can do is go look for others.'
"Let's go." He says, already moving to the door.
'Communicating like this is hard, but it's better than nothing.'
"Oh!" Nullen catches on and moves with him.
Reaching the door, his hands lift towards the knob, but red energy sparks to life at his fingertips, and something materializes.
"Hmm?!" He steps back, pivoting to Nullen for a split second to see the same thing emerging from a golden light.
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