Wealth… Money…. Power… The Feeling of wanting everything this world has too offer

All fall under one category of human sin

GREED

The ultimate downfall of man. For those who get consumed by it never truly escape, always itching for that extra part that they seem to be missing. This is the story of one who was consumed by such ambitions, the rise and fall of the once strongest man in all the lands of Surcadia

As his story begins now

Ash… all Richter could remember was the falling ash on that fateful day, the sounds of distant explosion so loud despite how far away they are. The debris of a broken city, the stench of gun powder, blood, and DEATH leaking into the air. The constant chaos around was overwhelming for dear Richter second to the intense pain of shrapnel piercing through his right leg.The metal object lodged into his leg as his blood slowly leaked out from the wound. “Damn it all”, Richter said as he trys to unlodge the metal object from his leg with little success as he nearly blacks out from the pain as he lays back down on the rubble of a once tall building. “Is this really were I die, surrounded by all this destruction” as tears welled up in his eyes, “I-I DON’T WANT TO DIE IN THIS BLASTED HELLHOLE THERE IS STILL TOO MUCH I HAVE TO DO” as his cry echos throughout the destroyed city almost piercing the heavens.

As Richter props himself up on the wall, he grabs the metal object once more and with a yelled filled with his desperation, his rage he yanked the object out of his leg throwing it to the side as the sound of clanging metal hits the air. Richter cries out in pain from the removal of the object, as the wound overflows with his blood freely. “H-have too bandage the wound”, he says as he gets his pocket knife slashing his shirt from the shoulder diagonally to his hip, slowly wrapping it tightly around his leg. Ever so slowly getting up as he limps over to the entrance of the building walking out seeing nothing but flames, bodies….. “What a ghastly sight” Richter said as he slowly limps across the once stainless road that has been reduced to nothing but mere stones.

The war between Surcadia and the Eastern Nations was always doomed to happen. While the Surcadians relied on machines, the Eastern Nations used a special power called, “Renovaia” named after the Goddess of Nature, the Unknown, and all things that fall under the category mystic. The disputes between the two nations on which to use was always the cause of arguments in diplomatic meetings, “RENOVAIA IS SIMPLY WITCHCRAFT DISGUISED AS A SACRED POWER” The Surcadian leader, Exodu Le VaRouge would proclaim, “Machines do nothing but poison the surrounding land destroying our world” The Eastern Nations leaders would say. Never once have they came to a agreement. Until a mage from the Eastern Nation slaughtered all the Eastern Nation leaders and declared war on Surcadia calling it “The Purge of Machines and Heretic Scum”, as Richter flashes back to his current reality as he trips and lands hard on the ground. Desperate Richter continued to crawl, his fingernails stabbing into the ground cracked, his hands covered in soot and his own blood. As he crawls, the sound of loud footsteps ahead of him causes him to raise his head.

As he looks up he sees a group of soldiers wearing white and gold capes, with their blue uniforms with small aspects of green lilies stitched on the right side of the uniform along with it on their cape. “Just my luck…” Richter said, “running into eastern nation soldiers”. The Soliders remained silent as they then get into 2 lines each stepping to the other side of richter making way for a singular member of the squad. As he walks the air around him feels heavy, his black hair and piercing golden eyes seem to hold this air of superiority. He was also quite short. “Surcadian..” he says, his voice deeply with a sense of authority, “Do you have any final words you wish to say before we purge you from this world”, Richter slowly looks at him, “What, you want me to grovel, pleading for my life like a common rodent” Richter said. “You can take my final words and shove it up the-” he gets cut off as suddenly one of the soldiers forms a hammer made of the rubble and slams it at Richter’s back as the sickening sound of bones cracking fills the air “You do best to show respect to the Major General Feng Li Han” The Solider says as Richter vomits blood in front of him as he clutched his body, “To hell with your General I ain’t showing any respect to you raggedy, overcompensating rats do as you wish but if I die here today I will do so cursing your entire bloodline till my final moments” each word said with spite and venom. THe Major General Feng looks down at Richter, “I think you’ll do just fine, soldiers neutralize him we are taking him with us” as Richter struggles to get up one of the soldiers slams his head into the ground as Richter blacks out.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

His last thoughts

"I'm so fucking cooked"

Awaken…”

Richter shot up from the floor he was on, the ground only slightly illuminated by a mysterious light source, the rest of the room darker than the night sky, a never ending void that light wouldn’t dare pierce it.

“Who said that, WHERE ARE YOU” Richter yelled as he looked about frantically only seeing darkness where the voice echoed, “You Surcadian, are not worthy to know or gaze upon my true form, but I will give you my name, Aoenverla”, The sound of the voice’s name echos through the room causing it to start violently shaking as it slowly smooths to a stop.

Richter slowly recovers from the shaking as he asks, “Well then Lapokertarian or whatever you are called, what is this place you’ve brought me to”

“My name is Aoenverla a name you’d do well to remember, and all i simply did was bring you to a realm called The Source a infinite plane of existence that lays parallel to your world.” The voice booms. “Well why the hell did you bring me here, so I can hear your obnoxious voice all day till i decay?” Richter would say, “Incase you haven’t noticed this place isn’t really the best world to be in, it’s dark, clammy and overall just boring”

The voice coughs loudly (her?) voice exclaiming, “I have brought you here to test your worth, to see if you are a being worth of wielding the holy power of Renovaia”. That word, “Renovaia” it’s always been a source of pain for richter after all it’s what has been attacking his country via the people using it, the very same source of power that tore his entire world upside down.

“I refuse, I don’t need that power” Richter said as he slowly stands up, “Go to hell for even suggesting that to me” as he says these words, golden chains wrap around his arms and legs suspending him into the air, the chains linked at his arms and legs heated up greatly burning his skin, as Richter yells in pain a figure from above comes down. A tall woman with silver hair and skin akin to gold, her long flowy dress sprinkled with assortments of jewels as she floats down in front of Richter, hovering just slightly taller than him, “You know nothing of hell young Richter, but if you survive this process it’ll come soon enough” as she materializes a glowing orb, it’s iridescent glow providing a large amount of light, almost mesmerizing.

Richter’s thoughts began to drift from resistance to acceptance as he saw the orb, it’s glorious curves, it’s warming glow providing a nice sense of heat in this cold place. “Wh- what are you doing to me”, richter says his mind feeling foggy. “Shh young Richter you will know soon enough” as she slowly goes behind him ripping a hole in the back of his shirt, “You will see soon enough” as she forcefully stabs the orb into richter’s back as it gets absorbed into his skin the searing pain of the orb burning through his back so hot and painful he couldn’t even muster the strength to scream

And for what seems to last an eternity the searing pain grinds to a halt. The woman known as Aoenverla slowly shifts to see Ricther’s face as she slowly tilts his head up inspecting him, “It seems like you were a failure just like the re-” Suddenly ricther’s hand broke the chains grasping onto her neck choking her, “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME” Ricther’s voice echos through the source shaking it, the very same as Aoenverla did. The woman would merely smirk and say through a strained breath, “It appears I was mistaken you truly were ready to inherent the orb” as she slowly fades into light, while her voice echos “I will be watching you closely, Void Walker..’’

As Richter’s body is suddenly pulled towards the ceiling of The Source as a giant eye opens up it’s Goldish Blue eyes seemly absorbing Richter. As he jolts up awaken in a bed. The room’s green walls surrounding him, with the smell of cinnamon and tea filling the air. “Can I please just stop waking up in random places for the love of all that is holy” Richter says as he slowly gets off the bed yawning.

“Good you are awake” A familiar voice says

And there stood, the one, the only, Major

General Feng Li-Han