Holding onto a skull—what little remained of King Dominic—I drifted, half-conscious. “I won,” I muttered.
I did. I won. But everything that happened around me made it feel like I hadn’t.
First, I defeated Cleon. But even then, I didn’t get the satisfaction of killing him with my own two hands. Then I crushed those bastards, killed several of them, but failed to capture the one I really wanted—the teleporter. He was the key to getting out of this cursed place, and I blew it. Now, not only am I stuck here—in the Void—but I’m also left with no way to get more information about this Massiach.
The Obsidial Tree offers some hope. It seems I’ll be able to survive here for a while. I can handle most of the elemental damage from just existing in the Void—a place where nothing living belongs. But I can’t sustain it forever. The damage I’m constantly taking is just slightly above my recovery rate. Give it a week or maybe a dozen days, and my HP will hit zero.
But with the Obsidial Tree set up—just like they set their white ancestral tree in other worlds—it acts as a barrier. It keeps out the chaotic elements and the Void’s distortions. So, in theory, I could survive here indefinitely.
But here’s the tragedy: I don’t have eternity for that.
---
[Arianna’s Interface]
- Name: Arianna
- Level: 111
-Race: Highbreed
- Class: Hexcaster + Weaponry Ascetic
- Title: Blessing of the Ascetic, Peerless Sorcerer, Chainweaver, Kinslaughterer, Demon Slaughterer, Beast Slaughterer, Elf Slaughterer, Eldritch Sovereign of the Shattered Self, Mistshard Queen, Scholar of Arcane, Great Champion, Archmage's Blessing, Enlightened Dancer, Sigil-holder, Archon of Heresy, Bane of the Living, Blessed of the Elements, Unbroken Ascendant
- Experience: 114,411,685 / 4,001,555,022
[Status]
- HP: 101,445 / 278,445 (+27578)
- MP: 218,134 / 926,555 (+188,459)
- SP: 39,827 / 39,827 (+27578)
- Fatigue: 76%
- Defense: 108,007
- Offense: 398,061
[Attributes]
- Strength: 75
- Agility: 79
- Constitution: 89
- Intelligence: 99
- Wisdom: 107
- Charisma: 96
- Faith: 99
- Luck: 99
[Skills]
- Amplified Frostbite: Level 10
- Anti-Appraisal: Level 7
- Arctic Avalanche: Level 10
- Arcanic Codex: Level 10
- Arsenal Dance: Level 10
- Blighted Domain: Level 10
- Celestial Ice Cage: Level 15
- Chains of Permanence: Level 10
- Cryostasis: Level 10
- Cursed Weaponry Conjuration: Level 10
- Draconic Breath (Ice Dragon): Level 15
- Elemental Immunity: Level 10
- Enlightened Monk Vitality: Level 8
- Enhanced Recovery: Level 9
- Pain Immunity: Level 9
- Ethereal Mana Core: Level 9
- Frost Glide: Level 10
- Hexweaving: Level 10
- Hydroclasm: Level 8
- Ice Elemental Arcana: Level 10
- Ice Immunity: Level 10
- Identification: Level 10
- Judgment of the Firmament: Level 10
- Life Control: Level 15
- Longevity: Level 3
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
- Lunar Cataclysm: Level 10
- Magical Immunity: Level 15
- Mantle of Harmony: Level 10
- Magical Reinforcement: Level 10
- Manifest Spiritual Armament: Level 15
- Perfect Sight: Level 10
- Perfected Evil Eyes: Level 10
- Resonant Recovery: Level 14
- Shivering Doom: Level 10
- Spiritual Infusion: Level 13
- Transcendent Renewal: Level 9
- Unbroken Path: Level 12
- Vessel of the Elderborn: Level 3
- Water Elemental Arcana: Level 10
- Wind Elemental Arcana: Level 10
- Windwalker's Grace: Level 12
- Yin Physique: Level 14
- Zenith of Sorcery: Level 10
[Abilities]
- Ascetic’s Fortitude: Unlocked
- Blood Oath: Unlocked
- Curse of Dominion: Unlocked
- Debilitating Surge: Unlocked
- Demon Bane (Monarch Killer): Unlocked
- Echo of Agony: Unlocked
- Elemental Affinity (Ice): Unlocked
- Elemental Affinity (Ice-Water-Wind, Impotence): Unlocked
- Elven Bane (Monarch Killer): Unlocked
- Eyes of Perdition: Unlocked
- Fate Reversal: Unlocked
- Frozen Heart: Unlocked
- Hand of Death: Unlocked
- Hexcaster Weaponry: Unlocked
- Human Bane (Monarch Killer): Unlocked
- Ice Complete Immunity: Unlocked
- Icy Veins: Unlocked
- Death Manifest: Unlocked
- Legacy of Agony: Unlocked
- Mantle of Serenity: Unlocked
- Negative Resonance: Unlocked
- Peerless Constitution (Yin): Unlocked
- Spectral Summoning: Unlocked
- Vhorak’thul, the Shattered Self: Unlocked
- Unyielding Spirit: Unlocked
- Tharazuul, the Rotten Beholder: Unlocked
- Wraith’s Touch: Unlocked
---
Hovering there in the middle of nowhere, I stared at my newly acquired stats. I'd jumped from level 101 to 111—ten whole levels. New abilities unlocked, several skills maxed out, my attributes soaring to heights the me from three centuries ago could only dream of. I should have felt something—something different from what I felt now. But I didn’t feel ecstatic like I usually did after leveling up. I felt... different. I wouldn’t even know how to explain it.
Unable to bear looking at that interface any longer, I closed it and focused on anything—anything—that wasn’t related to that. The first thing that came to mind was the memories I'd acquired. Or, to be exact, reacquired. These memories weren’t foreign; they were mine, like any other. But after that encounter with him—like every other encounter before—I always ended up forgetting. Today, though, as I received the experience, skills, and ability rewards for slaying Cleon—or at the very least, contributing greatly to his demise—those memories came back.
And it made me wonder—why?
I remembered the terms of the bet we made. They clearly stated that my victory over Cleon would determine whether I’d regain my memories. If I lost—in other words, if I died to him—I would win the bet and reacquire my memories. If I won, then I’d lose the bet, meaning I wouldn’t remember our conversation—just like I’d forgotten every meeting with him over the past three hundred years.
I won against Cleon. So these memories…they shouldn’t have come back. Not by his terms. I hated that he managed to make me complain about it, but damn it, he set the terms.
The more I thought about it, the more it felt like he did this on purpose—to mess with me. Those “terms” we “agreed” to—well, "agreed" is a stretch. He imposed them on me. They were the last terms I wanted, but I accepted them because I knew he wouldn’t change his mind. I had to play along. And now, it seems like he’s changed the rules.
I wanted to curse him. But remembering him—remembering what I’d seen him do to me, and recalling the answer to the question I’d asked—I didn’t dare. He’s playing on a completely different scale from us. By his own admission, I can’t even begin to fathom it. So it’s best not to do anything that’ll put me on his bad side.
While I can’t possibly comprehend his true nature, I can say—with some measure of confidence—that there’s something mischievous, if not outright malicious, about him. I’ve seen it in the many times he’s chosen to reveal himself to me, and in how he interferes—even though he claims he doesn’t want to.
If I had to use an analogy to describe how I feel toward him, it’d be like how a peon feels toward a Seraphim. Not in worship, but in the fear they impose. Maybe an Archduke of Hell is a better comparison. Either way, my point is—he feels like something mysterious and powerful. But the worst part? Unlike an Archduke of Hell who’d stay tucked away in their domain in the sky, he’s an entity that roams alongside us. Capable of creating chaos on any scale he desires—maybe just for his own entertainment. He claimed he wouldn’t, but the fact that I now remember his existence—which, by his own terms, shouldn’t be the case since I won against Cleon—makes me question everything he’s said.
Sigh. Grabbing my face, I massaged my temples.
I may not look the part, but I am happy with this outcome. Though, somewhere deep down, it makes me relate to that old saying: ignorance is bliss. In the grand scheme of things, knowing—and being able to remember—his existence is for the best. Remembering the answer to the question he allowed me to ask? Even more so.
“This is worth it,” I said to myself. But as the words left my mouth, something hit me.
I didn’t kill Cleon. Before I could finish him off, I was teleported here. And ultimately, I was left here.
Remembering that reality, I looked around—the Void stretching endlessly in every direction. Up and down. Forward and backward. Left and right. And there was no chaos.
I’m familiar with the basics of teleportation, so I know the odds of being found in this place. They’re low. Very low.
Am I going to die here? Is that why he deemed this my loss?
I could see that being the truth... But as I scanned the endless silence around me—the kind that made me realize how lonely of a death this would be—I made up my mind.
I don’t want this to be the truth. I don’t want to die here.
I will do anything not to die here.
Fueled by a newfound determination, I shoved aside every thought that didn’t involve finding a way out of here. No regrets over not killing Cleon myself. No thoughts about the ambushers and the master they serve—this Massiach. I solely dedicated my mind to escaping.
Seconds passed. Then minutes. Then hours, I suppose. Time felt different after a while, and I couldn’t tell exactly when it happened. But at some point, a realization stirred a thought—one that finally got me “moving”.