The eye-patched Ragnar slightly tilted his head towards the direction of the frozen Reed Black.
They locked eyes and a soft giggle escaped his lips. He took a step forward, approaching Reed with a calm, gentle demeanor.
His footsteps soft on the ground, Reed, shivering with fear, sat huddled on the ground. His eyes were wide with anxiety.
As the eye-patched Ragnar drew near, he slowed his pace, his movements deliberate and soothing.
Bending down before Reed, he brought himself to eye level, his presence calm and intimidating.
He reached out a hand, his fingers gentle as he caressed Reed's jawline. The touch was tender, a gentle stroking motion that seemed to calm Reed's frazzled nerves.
His lips curled up. "So you're the last person alive huh?" He asked, "Tell me, child." He paused.
"How should I kill you?" He questioned.
Beads of sweat dripped down Reed's cheeks. He wet his pants due to the intense fear that engulfed him.
Staring deep into the murderous eye of the eye-patched Ragnar caused his heart to race fervently.
This was a time he wished the ground could swallow him.
Reed gulped. His lips twitched for a second as he tried to speak, he needed to plead for his life.
***
In this world, Power is all that matters....
The strong trample over the weak. Crushing them like the insects they are.
And a third of the human population awakened as Ragnars. Ruling over the minorities with utter disregard for their existence.
Talents were considered gifts to mankind, but now they're the source of violence.
But what exactly are Talents?
Talent: Talents are the physical representation of a Ragnar's soul attributes.
Once a human awakens as a Ragnar, their body's constitution undergoes a certain transformation.
Ragnar's body is evolving stronger. The weakest Ragnar in terms of physical strength could be equated to ten average humans.
Both their strength and speed are heightened. Their physique are greatly enhanced by the extent of their mana output.
Talents are special abilities awakened within the soul of a Ragnar. Granting them supernatural influence over the physical world.
There are seven Genesis a Talent can possess. And within this six Genesis, a Ragnar's Talent can only awaken one.
Once awakened. The Talent is bound to a Ragnar's soul, preventing them from awakening another Talent.
They're only bound to a single Talent, and this Ragnar possesses the Summon Genesis.
And the humongous Sandworm is one of his tamed spirit summons.
***
The right eye of the eye-patched Ragnar flickered. His brows furrowed when he noticed something about Reed.
Something only Reed knew.
"You can see mana, can't you?" The eye-patch Ragnar questioned. Reed's eyes widened in shock.
The Ragnar chuckled softly. "You really can't see mana, huh?" He giggled, and he wrapped his fingers around Reed's neck.
Choking him, Reed struggled to break free but against a Ragnar? There's nothing he could do.
The eye-patch Ragnar rose up to his feet. He lifted Reed into the air, choking him with so much pressure.
"A human can't see mana" He whispered. "Only Ragnars can see their fellow Ragnar's mana" He added.
"Now that I remember. You were able to see my attack before it was unleashed right?" He asked, "I was curious how you did it"
The eye-patch Ragnar increased his grip. He had Reed struggling for his breath while on a chokehold.
His legs dangling in the air, his body quivered due to the intense pain coursing through his body.
"Pleee….pleasss….pleaseee let me go" Reed pleaded. But his pleas fell on deaf ears; his opponent had slaughtered hundreds of humans before.
The eye-patch Ragnar chuckled out loud. "Nah, I'll only let you live if you tell me" He uttered. "How is an ordinary human, a pathetic creature like you capable of seeing mana?"
"TELL ME!!" The eye-patch Ragnar demanded.
He applied pressure to his grip, and just then, a blistering flashlight flashed over them.
Erasing the darkness, dozens of armed soldiers ran into the scene.
The screams of the infantry team had alerted them, and when there was no response from the infantry team.
They confirmed the demise of the infantrymen. Instantly, Captain Arnold deployed two units simultaneously.
They had the eye-patch Ragnar surrounded in a heartbeat. His eye rolled sideways, glancing at the soldiers who had their rifles pointed at him.
Not releasing his grip on Reed. "Urghh" He scoffed.
"More bugs huh?" He asked, his eyes flickering. "Devour them, Sandworm" He commanded.
And the Sandworm was unleashed, it had its eyes set on its target. No matter how hoarse the gunfire was.
Against this Sandworm. It was useless.
The rate at which soldiers fell was chilling. The Sandworm moved at a rapid pace, as fast as the speed of sound.
Feasting on soldiers and dashing towards the next. Within two minutes, all soldiers lay dead on the ground.
Only a fragment of their corpses remained. The rest were devoured by the Sandworm.
The eye-patch Ragnar, watching the bloody scene, chuckled. He returned his gaze to Reed.
"See boy?" He whispered. "Humans are simply pathetic and weak, you filthy mongrels must be wiped out"
The eye-patch Ragnar stated.
He threw Reed without care, and Reed was sent crashing into a wall. The pressure bizarrely broke his bones.
Reed's body twisted, and he collapsed on the ground. Unable to move an inch, all he could see was the Ragnar who approached him.
His eyes flickered.
Reed had one secret he never told anyone. On that night, he lost his parents in a fatal car accident, and he found himself able to see mana.
He failed all his awakening tests and wasn't deemed fit for the awakened world filled with Ragnars. Sidelined by the military.
He became an ordinary soldier tossed to his own death. He knew and understood the different colors of mana.
Mana Colors represented the emotions and desires of a Ragnar. Just like the eye-patched Ragnar's mana color is pitch black.
It represents his hatred and desire to end the human race
A python-shaped beast emerged from the eye-patch Ragnar's shadow. Swiftly charging towards Reed.
The black scaled serpent's body coiled around the boy's waist. Its scaly coils tighten with deadly precision.
Reed's eyes widened in terror as the serpent's grip constricted, holding him firm. With a slow, deliberate movement.
The serpent lifted Reed off the ground, its powerful muscles rippling beneath his skin.
Reed felt his life draining away from him. With his bones broken, he couldn't even move an inch.
He had already accepted his fate.
Just like his friends. He would be killed by this eye-patch Ragnar.
His fate has already been decided. That was what he thought.
As the body succumbed to death, a sense of weightlessness settled in, like a slow descent into darkness.
The physical form relaxed. It's tension and vitality seeping away, leaving behind a hollow shell.
But within the depths of Reed, a spark remained. A flicker of consciousness that refused to extinguish.
"Pathethic!"
An inner erupted. Its presence is like a sudden jolt of electricity.
"Is this child meant to be my successor ?" A question asked from the depths of the abyss.
The voice was a whisper, yet it boomed like thunder, drawing Reed's essence into a realm beyond the physical.
Reed was pulled into a void, a darkness that seemed to have a life of its own. As he fell, a figure came into view.
Sitting upon a throne-like structure that loomed in the distance. The figure's presence was imposing, its aura radiating with power and authority.
He sat shirtless, with dark crimson hair and draconic scales covering his body. His brows furrowed.
"Its too early for this child to die" He paused for a second. His eyes flickered, "The emergence is yet to begin" His voice echoed.
"Count yourself lucky, Child...….."
A blinding flash of crimson light erupted. It's intense radiance illuminating like a burst of fiery energy.
His draconic eyes snapped open, their vertical pupils gleaming like polished gemstones in the darkness.
"For I must Intervene!"
With a single wave of his finger, everything was reduced to nothing.
And just then.
A systematic voice echoed from the depths of the abyss.
***
***