Clutching a loaf of bread in his hands, a boy ran forward without looking back.
"F-Finally… a piece of bread. Mirai can eat her fill today!"
His lips stretched into a broad grin as sweat beaded on his forehead.
His worn clothes were torn and shabby, his slippers barely hanging on his feet.
He jumped high to avoid the large root of a massive tree ahead.
However, instead of landing on solid ground, he was met with an enormous hole beneath him.
"Arghhhhhh!! I swear I didn't see this hole when I passed through this route before!"
A desperate scream escaped his mouth as he vanished into the hole.
-Thud
His rear slammed into something impossibly hard.
With an annoyed frown, he glanced beneath him—only to find a vacuum of pitch-black void.
'Wh… what the hell is this?'
He hurriedly shifted his gaze around.
Nothing.
Not a single shred of light met his eyes.
-Gulp.
"What's happening…?"
A quivering voice escaped him as the unknown finally shook him to his core.
Even so, he pushed himself up from the void and stood.
Exhaling softly, he forced his racing heart to calm.
'There is no light.'
He blinked once—then twice—before finally staring at his trembling hand.
"What an ugly hand…"
He muttered, proceeding to check the rest of his body.
No major injuries.
Weird.
"I can still perceive part of my surroundings, even though there's nothing but darkness ahead."
"Πάνυ θαυμαστόν ἐστι τοῦτο."
An otherworldly voice reached him,from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Wh-who's there?!"
His voice quivered as his eyes darted around.
Step.
Step.
The sound of footsteps rang sharply in his ears. Tracing the noise, he fixed his gaze forward.
A presence emerged from the darkness.
It was no taller than a toddler. Its nose was long and sharp. A red tie hung from its neck, resting against a black suit and pants that stood in stark contrast to its green skin.
"A… goblin?" the boy yelped.
"Why, of course!! It's your favorite,Goblinooo!! Ta-daaa!"
The goblin grinned widely at him.
"A talking goblin?"
"Why yes!! Goblinooo is a talking goblinnn!! Why?? You never seen a goblin that talks?"
"No matter!"
"Hm?" Goblinooo raised a brow as he caught sight of the boy's expression.
"Why is it that you make such a face, human child?"
The boy's expression was one of pure disgust.
"A good goblin is a dead goblin!!"
He sneered, thrusting his palm toward Goblinooo.
"Gravity!!"
The shout birthed an invisible surge of power
…yet nothing happened.
-Clap. Clap.
Only the sound of applause echoed through the void.
"Gravity magic? That's rare!"
The compliment only deepened the boy's disgust.
"Gravity! Gravity! Gravity!!"
He yelled repeatedly, but the darkness remained unmoved.
"Wh–why isn't it working?!"
He clicked his tongue, the frown on his face growing heavier.
Slowly, deliberately, he clenched his palm then released it.
'I have enough mana… so why?'
The thought lingered until...
He froze.
Goblinooo's face was right in front of his own, barely an inch away.
"It won't work!!"
Goblinooo chuckled brightly, the sound igniting the boy's fury.
In an instant, the boy lunged forward and wrapped his hand around the goblin's neck.
"-Guahh!"
Goblinooo thrashed wildly, his small arms flailing as he struck the boy's chest and shoulders.
Even so, the grip never loosened.
Instead, it tightened.
Goblinooo couldn't withstand the pressure.
His eyes bulged upward. Blood spilled from his mouth as his body convulsed then went limp.
Goblinooo had died.
"Haha! I killed the damned goblin!!"
The boy cheered, a satisfied grin stretching across his lips.
He lifted his head and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Now… let's look for the exit."
If the goblin could enter this place, then there had to be a way out as well.
With renewed determination, he turned around.
His body froze instantly.
His eyes trembled.
The dead Goblinooo was standing right in front of him.
The same red tie hung from his neck. The same coat and pants. Untainted. Unharmed.
"Didn't I kill you…?"
The quivering voice escaped him without his realizing it.
"Did you now?"
Goblinooo asked, a small, mischievous smile creeping across his face.
"Then where is the corpse?"
"Th..there!!"
The boy pointed frantically behind him.
"Where?"Goblinooo asked again.
The boy turned.
His gaze dropped to where Goblinooo's lifeless body should have been.
-Shudder.
There was nothing.
Not a single drop of blood.
Not a trace.
"Such hatred,"Goblinooo whispered,
"born at such a young age, is harmful to both body and mind."
Warm breath brushed against the boy's earlobe.
Strange.
Even if the goblin jumped twice his own height, he shouldn't have been able to reach that high.
And yet,
He was whispering directly into his ear.
The boy spun around, eyes wide.
Goblinooo was no longer standing.
He was floating.
"Wh… what are you?"
"I am your God."
The reply came instantly, stealing the breath from his lungs.
His… God?
Was this disgusting goblin truly the [■■■■■■■] he had believed in..
the one he had worshipped?
-Badum. Badum.
His heart pounded violently.
'Did I… offend… God?'
"Pwahahahahaha!! I got you! Look at your face!"
The sudden laughter yanked the boy out of his trenched fear.
A deep frown carved itself onto his face.
"Why, you..!!"
Gritting his teeth, he lunged at Goblinooo.
-BAM!
Goblinooo dodged effortlessly. Twisting mid-motion, he kicked the back of the boy's head and sprang upward.
The boy crashed face-first into the void-floor. A thin bead of blood trickled from his nose.
"I may not be a god!"
Goblinooo sneered as he stomped the darkness beneath his feet.
"But I am something far too unfathomable for you!"
The air vanished.
Instantly.
The boy's breath hitched, then shattered into desperate gasps. His lungs burned as he collapsed to his hands and knees, clawing at nothing.
"F-forgive me…"
He choked the words out, his face a snotty, tear-streaked mess.
"Much better!!"
Goblinooo chuckled, releasing the suppression.
The air rushed back in, and the boy coughed violently.
"I'll overlook such rudeness", Goblinooo said cheerfully.
"After all, I've come to congratulate you for being selected as a Chosen One!"
"Congratulate…?"
The boy gasped.
"Chosen… one?"
"Why, yes! Congratulations for being chosen!"
Smiling, Goblinooo extended his hand.
Resting upon his palm was a white cube.
It was as pale as milk, celestial radiance oozing softly from its surface.
"Take it!",the goblin urged.
The boy hesitated.
"It won't harm you!" Goblinooo reassured.
Slowly,hesitantly,the boy reached out and grabbed it.
-Bzzzzttttt!
An uncanny force surged through his veins. His entire body convulsed violently as pain and light flooded his senses.
"What have you done to me?! You damned goblin!!"
His scream echoed as his consciousness faded.
Goblinooo's grin stretched wide—almost reaching his green ears.
"I never thought, not in a million years,"
he muttered softly,
"that someone would be chosen by this specific room."
Turning away, he stepped deeper into the endless darkness.
"Now then…"
"Let's go check on the other so-called Chosen Ones, shall we?"
"Pwahahahaha!!"