Holding my throat, I feel tears fall down my eyes. Dammit am I really going to die here, and let everyone down.
I try to move my hands towards my throat but I am too weak to even do that. Looking up to the sky, I feel sort of nostalgic, like this isn’t the first time I have died before.
My vision starts to get blurry and as it does, it is like the scenery around me changes.
But it is a familiar one of a snowstorm raging overhead, and in front of me, a beautiful woman with black hair is staring at me with a baby in hand.
From the way her body is positioned, I can tell she is way bigger than me, yet compared to the background she is still normal size, almost as if I can only see her as big from my perspective.
I can’t hear her voice, and I can see my body but the face she has when she looks at me is one of sadness.
Suddenly the area around me changes again, and I hear some voices.
“I inverted him hear.”
Anto?
Soon I see Avram over me, and he says, “His throat is swelling, we need to rip it and activate his regeneration.”
Anto Avram, and Mime, who are around me start to rip my throat to shreds. This allows me to get air back and the swelling vanishes.
Getting up and grasping for air, I hold my chest. Then I look at the three over there and say, “Thanks.”
But all of them have angered smiles like I just kicked their pregnant wives.
Avram hits me incredibly hard on my head, and says, “HOW DID YOU THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA!”
Anto, screams, “YOU IDIOT!”
Mime says, “DON’T BE SO STUPID!”
The twins start to cry and then hug me, so I say, “Sorry I will be more careful from now on, I won’t make you worry.”
Sighing, Avram says, “I thought Captivant said you were smart, but if I have to put up with this nonsense I might die soon.”
“Don’t worry, next time I do this I will be prepared,” I say with a smile.
Avram hits me on the head again, and says, “No more I will be prepared, just no more anything.”
Standing up, I say, “Hitting a child, how inappropriate!”
“I think running into the middle of a dangerous area such as here is much more inappropriate.”
With Grey hair, I say, “How did you guys even find out about this?”
Mime, says, “Anto noticed you look tired.”
Anto says, “So we woke up early and followed you, and we found you doing something stupid!”
They both start to bash their heads against me, “Ow, I am still weak please stop.”
Mime says, “Then promise you won’t be stupid anymore.”
“Ok.”
Anto says, “Say it.”
“Ok, I promise.”
Avram claps his hands and says, “Alright now let’s return and get some sleep.”
“Ok.”
“But before that you should get rid of you’re animal ears and tail.”
“Oh, I forgot I still had them on.”
As I am about to turn them off, Avram puts his hand on my shoulder and says, “Oh not like that please rip your tail off.”
“Huh, why?”
“Just think of it as your punishment.”
“Ok then.” Using my legacy, I rip my tail off my back, and then moments later I scream so loud that one could mistake it for the cries of tortured souls in hell.
On the ground with tears flowing out of my eyes, I say, “Why did that hurt so much?”
“The tails of beastkin tend to be connected to the nerves attached to one's private area. So it feels like someone just ripped your family jewel right off. Next time don’t do stupid things.”
Feeling the pain, I say, “I promise I won’t.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Picking me up, Avram says, “Now let’s go home.”
-Break-
One day later
Location: Orb’s Mansion
Φ In the middle of the floor of the mansion as all of the people get up and start to head out, one young man still lies on the floor, and continues to sleep.
But his sleep is interrupted as Mime who is being chased by Anto, steps on his face.
“Give back my lightning dagger, I stole that fair and square.”
“I will never return it!!!”
Waking up the man sits up and says, “I guess I can’t stay sleeping.”
Just like everyone else he stands up and starts to get himself ready to go outside. “What a pain.”
-Break-
Up until recently, I had been a slave, who was held by Gaia’s sky, and just like everyone else I was invited to stay with everyone else up here, and since I didn’t have anywhere else to go after being a slave for a decade, I took up that offer.
For the most part, it has been a pleasant enough experience. The members of the village of Aplos are all kind, and love to talk so it isn’t hard to be around them even for untalkative people like me.
And watching Orb euthanise and punish all those slavers put a smile on my face, and it is funny watching all of them have to take care of all of the sick people from the Basileia mines.
Especially since they are constantly under that scary woman’s Pine, so seeing them walking around with bruises from crossing her is also quite funny. Makes all the suffering I faced at their hands worth it.
However, I have also learned by watching those people infected with the Basileia radiation, that even though I was a slave there are worse forms of suffering out there.
But I doubt I would ever have to worry about ever being in such a situation, because if ever a calamity occurs whether it is my fault or not I will walk away with the least pain, since I am an accursed survivor.
“Hey you we need your help.”
Nervous due to being surprised by being called, I say, “Oh, I am coming.” Then run over.
Every day all the kids play, and learn with the teachers of our group. While all of us adults start to work all day, and it is hard.
I say this like a complaint, but it isn’t that bad. We all work to the land to try and get some fields going so we can eat, while those skilled in weaving use Orb’s hair to make clothes for us to stay warm.
The warriors of Aplos go down to hunt and bring up food for us to eat, it seems they have chefs skilled in cooking wonderbeasts making so amazing cuisine. This is something that would cost a fortune to get in any normal circumstances.
They also have people who use the giant airship; wave sweeper and the Zterytavises to go get water and bring it up for all of us to use. However, if I have an issue, it would be the only normal toilet is the one in the mansion which gets annoying very quickly.
Still, I wonder how a house on the top of Fimbulwinter has a sewage system, but more than that I wonder who crafted such a house. Everything about it from its design to its quality is utterly beautiful.
“I need some help here,” someone says to me as I am mesmerised by the house.
“Oh, I am coming.”
-Break-
Sitting on the floor with a cup of water in my hands, I say, “I am exhausted.”
A man standing beside me, says, “Well it’s better than being a slave.”
Looking at him, I say, “Eating shit is better than being a slave, doesn’t mean eating shit is a good thing does it, Neil.”
Embarrassed by my answer, he says, “I see your point.” Looking at a crowd of people chatting in front of us, he says, “But this isn’t anything like eating shit.”
Staring at them as well, I say, “Looks like they are all getting all chummy with each other. Wait is that Nara talking as well, I thought she was like us?”
“Like us?” Neil says.
“Loners, black sheep, you know complete and utter chastity destroyers like us.”
“Have you ever felt the touch of a woman?”
“Nope.”
“I don’t know whether to shame you or reward your honesty.”
“As a reward, I would like you to help me get a lover.”
“Please ask for something easier for me to do, like kill god.”
Annoyed I say, “Hey!”
“Sorry, sorry, but continue with your point.”
“She was an ice queen who always looked away from people and didn’t talk to anyone but look at her happily chatting away with them now, isn’t it strange.”
“I don’t really think so. She was all alone before, but now she has a bunch of kind people around her who are all working towards a common goal, a common dream, it is no wonder she opened up. You know like national pride and such things.”
“In all honesty, I don’t think it sounds as great as you make it sound. That kind of thinking is why others go to war and kill a bunch of people.”
“You're right about that, but still if you want to smile like they are doing, you got to interact with people on some level.”
As Neil starts to walk forward, I say, “Where are you going.”
“To live my own words and, go become an actual destroyer of chastity.”
“Good luck.”
He gives me a thumbs-up as he continues to walk away.
Getting up I say, “Guess I will slack off again,” And walk away.
Community, dreams, friends; I am long past all of that, so I am just going to run away.
Finding the area where they keep all the materials, and wonderbeasts they brought from Skydust, I walk into it. Seeing one of the Zterytavises react to my presence, I pat its head and say, “Please don’t make any sounds you lovable girl.”
As it calms down, I find an area where I can’t be seen and lie down. “Guess I will get some rest.”
-Break-
A few hours later
Hearing a loud noise, I open my eyes and see that literally right beside me, a small house is there. No, I would call this a hut.
Sitting up I freak out and move away from it, then I say, “This wasn’t there when I arrived, did I finally go insane?”
I look around to see if I have moved, but I am still in the same place this building has just appeared.
Confused, I see the small hut has a window. So I move up to it and look through and inside I see the king Orb standing over a table that has a large piece of paper on it with a pencil in hand, and in a chair, in the corner of the room I see the nightmare boy Iancu.
King Orb seems to be drawing something, but then he lifts his pencil up and then rips the paper to shreds. After this, he freaks out and says, “IT NEEDS TO BE BETTER!!!”
Looking down at the paper, I say, “Is he designing a building?”
Suddenly King Orb looks at me through the window, our eyes meet and his hair turns green, then like a demon he runs towards me.
“No, no, no, NO!” I say scared, and mere moments later I am grabbed and brought inside.
Standing beside the king, he puts his arms up and says, “I have found a helper!”
Name: Iancu Bogdan
Age: 15
Birthday: Capricorn 3rd
Hair: Dark blue (Primary) Black(Secondary), and short.
Eyes: Red(Left) Black(Right). Has a mark under his right eye that looks like this ♑︎
Height: 160 cm
Description: A young Vampire. He is rather tough and doesn’t show his soft side but he is a protector by nature and wants to follow in his mom's footsteps.
Legacy: Capricorn