The cloud of sand blocking the Void Thief’s sight continues to hang heavy in the air. Oddly, the cloud which should have lasted only a few moments continues to pester, not showing any signs of returning to the ground.
Suddenly, an object blares out through the cloud at an extreme speed, heading directly for Rei’s still body. The object shoots past the Void Thief, but his body doesn’t move in the slightest, he still stares at the cloud of sand.
The object gets closer and closer to Rei’s body, but at the very last moment it disappears completely. There was no forewarning to the objects disappearance, it happened in an instant. Next, a black ball appears above the Void Thief’s hand, and from the ball a small stone falls into his hand. His eyes narrow and he speaks loudly into his surroundings.
“This cloud of sand isn’t gonna fall anytime soon, is it? So you’re probably from the Mind’s Eye…”
From behind the cloud of sand, and behind the man's mask, his mouth curls into a smile. The Void Thief had believed exactly what he wanted him to believe, or so he thought until the Void Thief continued to talk.
“That’s what you wanted me to think, right? Keeping the sand up like this and shooting this rock at intense speed, those are certainly things a member of the Mind’s Eye could do, but you made a mistake.”
The man responds with a pompous attitude. “It’s hard to make a mistake when you’re not covering anything up, I am from the Mind's Eye, that’s all there is to it.”
“Oh? Then why aren’t you attacking Miss Rei with your will? I can’t do anything about that. I have countermeasures for myself, but when it comes to other people I can’t do a damn thing. And I think you know that. But it’s not like you can do anything about it, after all will is something only the Mind’s Eye is proficient in. I don’t know where you’re from, but it’s not the Mind’s Eye.”
“Believe what you want to believe, the end result won’t change.”
The Void Thief prepares himself for another attack from the cloud of sand, but suddenly his attention is drawn away. He sensed something, and it scared him. His eyes shoot to the rift still floating in front of Rei. But to his surprise, it had grown significantly. It was about the size of the average person, and it was still getting better slowly eating away at the space around it.
From within the rift, an almighty pressure forms.
It spreads out from it, covering everything and everyone around it. The cloud of sand falls to the ground, not daring to stand in the presence of Him. The man in the mask watches in shock, but he doesn’t move.
Rei’s body devoid of any shred of consciousness winces as it feels the oncoming pressure. The waves of the waters cease to be. Everything comes to an extreme still, except the Void Thief.
His body begins to shake as if he was in a blizzard with no clothes on, he clenches his teeth to stop himself from screaming, he shakes his head back and forth, refusing to believe what was happening was real.
His mind was in disarray. “This can’t be real! It’s impossible! There’s no way!” Filled his thoughts over and over. But what was in front of him was without a doubt real.
The man in the mask managed to take his eyes off the rift and relocate them to the Void Thief. The man who he wasn’t sure he could fight one on one, or even with reinforcements. The man who had seen through him had been reduced to a frightened child. “How?” Was his first thought. How has one of the most dangerous men on the Rage Continent been reduced to this? And then his thoughts had moved onto another. “Who?” And that was when he realized.
The realization he had was short lived, because the moment the thought entered his head, the head was gone from his body. The now headless body falls to the ground, hitting the sand with a big thud. The sand begins to move, circling around the body and creating a vortex that drags it down away from the world's view.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
From the rift, a leg clad in black cloth steps out.
“You’ve grown over the past ten years. It’s impressive.”
The powerful voice that silenced the Rage Continent echoes out once more. It is accompanied by the figure that now completely exits out of the rift. The figures completely clad in a black robe covering any of it’s true form, though it’s body is in the same shape of a human. The figure turns, looking at Rei on the ground.
“She would work well.”
“What?” The Void Thief’s promise to Rei echoed in his mind. “I’ll protect you.” His body continues to shake, but his eyes fill with daring. “I’ve gotten stronger over the past ten years, even if I can’t kill it, I can take her body and run! I’ll make another rift to return her consciousness through. I won’t allow him to take her!” He prepares his escape, and is about to execute it when the figure turns to him. There’s a slight pause, until it speaks.
“If you try to kill me, you’ll die. You’re thinking right now, thinking if this is just a tactic by me to scare you from making a move. But allow me to inform you, it’s not. The words I said now were indisputable fact.”
The figure walks forwards, in the direction of the Void Thief.
“I don’t want to kill you, you serve a purpose as of now. That’s why I gave you the warning I did. But still you’re considering escaping because you want to protect this girl, and I understand that. Allow me to dissuade your fear, she won’t die. I’m going to take her, yes. That’s not something you can do anything about.”
The figure stops in front of the Void Thief and lifts his cloaked hand. He brings it to the cheek of the Void Thief’s face. “The purpose, that’s what you want to know right? I need her to teach someone for me.”
The Void Thief clenches his teeth and shakes, but doesn’t dare make a move.
“But, let’s be honest here. If everything I said just now was a lie, it wouldn’t matter. I never had to talk to you in the first place. And the reason for that is very simple, you would have never carried out that plan you thought of. If I didn’t start talking, you would have found a different excuse. “There might be more like the man in the mask around. Maybe he didn’t come alone. I can reason with him.” And do you know why?”
His body trembles, he doesn’t want to hear the words it’s about to say. But there was no way to stop himself from hearing it.
“You’re afraid of me.”
Any daring, any resistance the Void Thief had was killed by those words. The figure continues to talk, while moving his hand away from the Void Thief’s face.
“But you don’t have to be, I’m on your side. Though while you may be repaying a debt, I am simply carrying out a promise. But that shouldn’t matter, the end result is that I won’t harm you. I’m your ally.”
A chuckle escapes from the figures covered mouth. The Void Thief continues to shake, but through clenched teeth he manages to choke out a few words.
“An ally? You won’t even show your face or tell me your name, what kind of ally is that?”
“Wise words from a man known as the “Void Thief”. But, you bring up a fair point. If we want to be true allies, I suppose I’ll make a concession. After all, I do want to be your ally in the future as well. You are a useful person, Void Thief.”
Void Thief’s eyes go wide at the prospect of getting information about the monster in front of him.
“So you’ll tell me your name and show me your face?”
Another chuckle echoes out.
“No, you don’t deserve to hear my name. But my face, yes that is something I can show you. Are you ready? You’ll be the third person on this continent who’s seen it.”
The cloaked hands move up to the cowl of the robe, and with a swift motion, the hood falls back.
Void Thief’s eyes dilate the moment he witnesses the hood fall. “What…?”
His face is simply a skull. There is no skin, no muscle, it is simply bone. “Well, you’ve seen it now. I trust this means we are now true allies?” The skulls mouth moves as it talks as a normal man's would.
“I… How?”
The cowl is quickly pulled back up over the skull. “That’s none of your concern. What is your concern is the title I’m about to give you. Although I won’t give you name, I still do need to have something you can address me by, if we’re going to be allies.”
The Void Thief still hasn’t recovered from what he just saw, and only nods in response.
“You can travel through space unheeded, and yet my face is a surprise to you? You’d be quite terrified if you saw the rest of me I suppose. Back to the matter at hand, what you shall call me. I’m not opposed to continue being simply called “monster” as everyone here has grown accustomed to, but that’s not personal enough for an alliance is it? Hmm…”
He begins to pace, thinking while walking around the area.
“A name isn’t enough, I need something greater.”
The figure raises it’s cloaked hand to the sky, the cover falling away and showing a simple skeletal hand. The hand grasps towards the sun, and the skeletal fingers close into a fist.
“A demon, that’s what I am. I’m above something as simple as a monster! This continent has only seen one demon before me. He came to this continent in rebellion against the world’s will and sought to create a land that was free of it. My goal is not the same as his, but I shall take up his title! Void Thief, you shall witness the moment the second demon is born. Spread this name far and wide, My predecessor’s name was Rage and mine shall be Fear”!
For the first time since Fear had shown up, the waves in the waters moved. The announcement of himself as a demon stirred something.
The Void Thief’s mouth became dry, and in the pit of stomach he felt extreme unease. But still, he forced himself to repeat the name aloud. “Fear.” He repeated it again, “Fear.” and again “Fear”.
For the second time in the long history of the Rage Continent a demon was born, and its name was Fear.