A rift appeared out of nowhere, causing the whole place to undergo a thunderous boom, a crack in the sky, air to oppress everything that was near it. Then a rapture opened through the sky of nothingness, and something came out—one that was the reason behind all of this.
Red fire shot out first, like fire getting out of control, whether from a burning building or a barbecue cookout. A skeleton came out and floated in the air with nothing else but just the head.
Percival was lying down unconscious in what seemed to be a watery, floor-covered place. The skull floated around him; its flame was so hot, but it didn't burn him.
He groaned as he was waking up.
"Where the hell am I?" He moved his face out of the water.
No one responded.
He pushed himself off the floor and sat down straight. His head was screaming in pain, making him feel like someone was drumming out loud next to him.
A static sound echoed throughout. Percival looked around but didn't see anything.
Maybe his mind hadn't processed the whole incident that happened to him, because it seemed like he hadn't realized where he was.
He stood up on his two feet, spun around for a little while, then proceeded to try to leave this place. The skull was floating right above his head, yet Percival didn't care to see it nor feel its burning fire.
He walked and walked for what felt like miles. No matter how much he increased his speed and walked faster, it made no difference; it was almost like he was stuck in one place.
Finally, he stopped.
"What the heck is going on? Why can't I leave this place?" Percival looked at his hands.
[It sucks, doesn't it, being stuck here?]
Something spoke, but it didn't sound like any normal language Percival had heard before.
From where he was standing, there was distance between him and whatever that was. At first, he couldn't see it clearly thanks to the burning bright red color, which from a distance appeared to be orange.
"What is that?" Percival put his hand against his head and flinched his eyes so he could see better.
It must have been working, because whatever that was appeared to be getting bigger and clearer to the naked eye—and that was because both it and Percival were slowly walking toward one another, though he didn't realize that.
"Who are you?" The light was even brighter than before, making it hard for Percival to keep his eyes open.
The fire burned down, and the skeleton appeared.
"Holy kings!" Percival freaked out, causing him to trip and fall.
[Seriously, that's the reaction I get to receive from you?]
The skeleton said, but according to Percival's eyes and ears, he could see the skeleton head speaking, but he couldn't hear a single thing.
[Well, aren't you going to say something? So you are just going to stand there and be quiet? How rude.]
The skull said.
Percival got up from the floor and walked toward this flaming skull, so taken and amazed.
"Whoa, that's so cool." He tried to touch it.
[Kid, what are you doing?]
The skull moved back.
"And by the looks of it, you are trying to say something, but I'm sorry—I have no slightest idea what you're saying." Percival confessed.
[Oh, that's right—you don't understand my language. Wait, I must transfer the ability to understand me.]
The skull flew closer to him, and it opened its mouth; fire shot out of it.
"Whoa, wait a second!" Percival tried to dodge, but the fire caught his face, and he screamed.
Him screaming wasn't necessary because the fire didn't really burn him at all, though it was all over his face.
After that, Percival covered his face and threw himself down, tossing around like he really got hurt.
[What are you doing?]
The skull was confused.
"You just burnt me!" Percival replied, busy running on the floor.
[Really, kid? Are all humans like this?]
The skull was really offended.
"Yes... wait, I can understand you." Percival stopped acting all dramatic.
[That's right, you can. I just made you understand me better.]
The skull said.
"But you burnt my face. Wasn't there another way you could do so?" He asked.
[Does it hurt?]
"Huh?" Percival couldn't quite catch that at first.
[I mean, does it hurt?]
The skull asked again.
Percival removed his hands from his face. "No, actually it doesn't hurt or burn."
[Great. Now, can we get this over and done with?]
The skull wasted no time.
"Get over and done with what?" Percival scratched his head.
[Kid, if you are here, it means that something bad has happened to you. And if I'm here and you can see me, it only means one thing.]
The skull explained.
"What do you mean?" Percival looked more confused than he'd ever been in his entire life.
[What happened to you? Actually, what is the last thing you remember before waking up here?]
The skull asked him.
"Mhm, I don't actually remember." Percival was embarrassed.
He wasn't wrong—he didn't remember anything. His mind was stuck and couldn't access the first pieces of his memories of how he got here.
[Try to remember, kid.]
The skull floated closer to him.
Percival mistakenly looked into the hollowed eyes of the skull, not sure that he was supposed to do so, especially right after what he saw again.
He saw himself back at his ward, trying to help his mother who was already in bad shape. He even saw that right before he ran to save Valkyrie, he had promised his mother that he was going to come back to her—and he really meant it.
It's just that after he saw and recalled that part of the memory where he exchanged places with Valkyrie and he was the one who got hurt and died—
Percival crumbled before his very own memories.
"Am I dead?" He looked sad.
The skull retreated because it never thought that it could ever do that link with a person; it had never done that. It was also new to it.
[I doubt you are dead, kid, but sooner or later, you will be.]
It told him.
"I don't care if I die. I care about whether they will live or not." Percival admitted.
[Kid, I won't try to float here and try to comfort you, because already we've lost so much time.]
The skull told him.
"What do you mean? I'm already dead, aren't I? And if you are here with me, it must mean you are the Grim Reaper or something, came here to take me away." Percival said.
[I'm no Grim Reaper. I don't even know what that is. Like I told you before, if you and I are here together, it only means one thing.]
The skull tried to explain.
"What is that? And if you are not the Grim Reaper, what are you?" Percival wiped his tears and faced the skull.
[Before I explain any further, just know that you only have one minute to take this deal with me.]
The skull made Percival feel like it was speaking in riddles.
"Huh? What deal?" Percival was now interested.
[You and I are here to form some kind of deal.]
The skull was starting to confess.
"What deal? Are you the devil? Well, that explains the whole design choice. So what, you want my soul?" Percival got up.
[What?]
The skull was now the one that was confused.
"You heard me. So if I give you my soul, how many years does that get me?" Percival was now serious.
[Kid, I really don't care about your soul or anything weird you think I am. Like I already told you, I'm here because of you—because there's something that you burn with such desire to achieve.]
The skull was now serious.
"And what is that, since you know so much?" Percival asked with an attitude.
[Look at this.]
The skull floated further away from Percival, and the whole place cracked like a fragile mirror, then shattered into a million pieces. Percival was no longer in the dark place; he was back at his ward.
Though it wasn't real—it was more like a holographic visual—unlike the time he left it, now it was way worse. Piles of bodies were everywhere, from the people he knew but barely had any conversation with, to seeing Valkyrie being on top, looking down on him.
"Percival, help me," she said with her dying breath.
To him, it appeared to be so real; he literally tried to run up to her.
"Val!" He even tried to reach up to her.
The holograph got erased.
"What was that? Is Val okay?" He turned around and asked the skull.
The skull just floated there in silence, looking at him.
"Why are you suddenly quiet? Is Val okay? Tell me now!" He lost it.
[That was the future that you saw. And your friend is still okay—just for now—but she doesn't have much time left, and so do you.]
The skull informed him.
"How much time do I have left?" Percival felt so defeated.
[You have like fifteen seconds left before you die and your home becomes like that and your friend dies.]
The skull told him.
"Fine. What do I have to do to save her?" Percival asked.
[You must bind an agreement with me that you will do whatever it takes to get your revenge and wipe out the Dreadnought completely, and I will grant you the power to do so.]
The skull finally said.
"Is that all?" Percival looked at the skull.
[Yes. And all you have to say is—]
Before the skull could finish off what it wanted to say—
"Fine. I accept." Percival agreed.
[Huh? Are you sure, kid? Cause I haven't told you everything yet.]
The skull was surprised.
"I don't care. You can tell me the rest later. Just do what you have to do, and let's go get those alien freaks." There was something in Percival's eyes that changed.
The skull couldn't control itself anymore; it was pulled toward Percival and circled him from his head to feet, then from his feet to his head.
After that, red flames surrounded Percival.
"What's left?" He asked as he saw his body and clothes burn.
The skull opened its mouth and swallowed him whole.
Percival rose from the dead, but he wasn't himself. He was someone different—correction—something completely different.
In the midst of the destruction, everything was still hard to make out.
Percival cried out—more like he screeched.
His screech was so deafening that the Dreadnought that were in a two-mile radius had their heads explode.
The remaining ones looked back and left everything that they were busy with. They got onto their creatures and rode them back to where they heard the sound coming from.
Once they arrived, they saw a creature they had never seen before walk out of the dust. In its hands, it was carrying a girl.
The Dreadnought army general shared his own battle cry screech, giving orders to his subordinates to charge.
Percival appeared to have some skeleton form. He was a little taller than that of an average human. For a skeleton, he was extremely fit, and he wore some kind of reddish coat.
He just teleported in front of the Dreadnought and appeared next to one part of the ward that wasn't completely destroyed and most safe.
Then he appeared before them, but before they could fully see him standing right there, the subordinates' heads were now cut in half, and their rides were slit in half.
The general just saw the blood of his army splatter like water sprinklers. Their blood was green and acidic, because once it fell on the ground, it was burning hot.
So, you have any idea on how to deal with this guy? Percival's consciousness asked.
[From what I can tell, he's really not that strong. He's just a low-level Dreadnought.]
The skull replied in his head.
Alright then. Percival subconsciously formed a fist.
He flexed his wrist, then took a running stance position.
Orange, electric-like steam came out of his mouth.
He didn't even try to run; he pushed himself off the ground, shot straight for the Dreadnought general before he could even react.
Percival was standing right behind the general at a far distance, with the general's head and spine in his hand, green blood streaming down his hand, burning him—but he didn't seem bothered.
He tossed the general away, teleported to where his mother was.
[I'm truly sorry, kid.]
The skull shared its condolences.
Percival was quiet. He just picked up his mother, placed her on his shoulder, lifted the boulder that his sister was under without breaking a sweat, also placed her on his other shoulder, and then he teleported.
He appeared before Valkyrie, placed his mother and sister together a little further away.
Something else was happening to him.
What is happening to me? Why does my flesh feel like it's burning? Percival gritted his teeth.
[You've used most of your stamina, so you are burning up to normal.]
The skull told him.
Percival's skeleton skin corroded into thin air, leaving him with a few burnt marks. Clothes burnt up—only his pants remained.
"Well, it hurts."
He collapsed.