When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in a dark place. Alone, everywhere I look, I see nothing. Its just black.

"Do you want to become an Immortal?"

I jerked and look around to see where the voice came from, I found nothing. There's no one here. Just darkness.

The last thing I remember before coming to this place was hunger. I was hungry. So to lessen that, I drank a lot of water to satisfy my empty stomach. But it didn't do anything, so I decided to just sleep and forget about everything. Thinking about it now, I thought, maybe this is a dream.

To be honest I don't really know whats going on. Maybe this place was created to stabilize my mind. A protection so I don't become crazy. Or maybe I already am. But why now? Remembering everything that happened three-to-five years ago, I felt nothing. So, I'm sure I'm already fine. Those are not good memories, but I'm already numb to it.

Again, I heard the disembodied voice repeated its question.

Calming my mind, since I don't really have anything to do here, I decided to just humor it a little bit. Its not like I'll lose anything.

"Immortal? Sure." I answered. "If it can change my life for the better--- then why not?"

Silence. The voice didn't answer back, but there was suddenly a light moving in front of me. I was kinda hesitant to go check that light. But after of couple of minutes of waiting, I sighed. Boredom and curiosity-- these two are primary reasons why people die in most horror movies.

So, I walked and followed the light. Worst come to worst, I'll just die.

After a couple of seconds, minutes, hours, or maybe even days of walking (I'm not really sure), I finally see what those lights are.

In this place where all I can see is darkness, I see people. Glowing humans standing in a circular formation while moving and dancing. I remember seeing something like this in some movies. A Tribal dance. When a tribe is having a festival or some kind of worship, they circle around the bonfire and dance. These glowing humans are also like that.

Each one of them are moving differently from the others, some of them are moving weirdly, while others looks like they're drunk and just moving randomly. But when one look closely, everyone is moving in a certain rhythm or pattern. Its beautiful, stunning and breath taking.

Entranced, I slowly forgot about everything. Its just me and those beautiful moving lights. Without me noticing, I'm already standing in the center, and all of them are dancing and moving clockwise around me. Suddenly, even though I can't hear any music or sounds, I feel like I'm listening to the most amazing orchestra in my life. The tune, melody, the beats--- unknowingly, my body is already moving. I don't know what I'm doing, I just moved my body according to my instinct, and danced randomly.

I can hear people singing with their heavenly voices. The song doesn't have any lyrics, just their voices humming and sometime screaming. Slow and alive, a music that depicts many things by making all that heard it tremble and blood rush faster. A song that directly speaks to the soul, making one forget about everything and forces anyone to be empty.

Every time I move, I'm leaving something. Casting away my impurities and making my body more pure and clean. Like a snake leaving its old skin and acquiring a new one. My soul feels like its being stripped naked while also being soaked in a fountain of life. It feels weird, but feel good and addictive at the same time.

When I felt like my body was at its purest state, a strong but calm energy enveloped me and made my heart beat faster. Like a balloon thats being force to take in more air, this energy circulated in my whole body until my heart and soul feels like exploding. But I kept myself moving and dancing. I couldn't stop. And I don't wanna stop.

This continued for hours, maybe days, until I couldn't contain myself anymore. I reached my limit and I felt myself slowly getting ripped apart! The pain was horrible, so to lessen it, I decided to scream. Loud enough to even make my ears ring.

-------

Bam! Something hit my face, and I grudgingly woke up. Opening my eyes, I realize that I was sleeping on a sofa in the living room. Looking around, I see the sunlight entering the windows, illuminating the house. But, the windows and sunlight are not the reason why I looked at that area. It's because my mom is standing there with a frying pan in her hands. She's looking at me full of disgust and irritation. Seeing me awake and quiet, she clicked her tongue and walked away.

Slowly, I stood up and touched my head. It hurts.

Again, I look around and saw my brothers preparing for school while laughing and looking at me. They must have thought getting hit by a fcking frying pan is fun. Should I fcking hit them with that then? I silently mused.

Getting irritated, I kicked the youngest and slowly made my way to the kitchen. But theres no food for breakfast. I look at my brothers and asked. "... food?"

"None." the youngest answered. "We already ate it."

I frowned. "... Again?"

"Don't look at me, I only ate bread."

Then I look at the twins.

"Rice. But we only ate some of it." the oldest of the twin answered. The younger one only nodded his head.

Since two weeks ago, for some unknown reason, my Mom started limiting the foods I ate in this house. Forget about breakfast, sometimes its even lucky that I could eat one proper meal a day. I could only drink some water to satisfy my hunger. I'm honestly surprised that I still have some strength to stay alive in this place. I never expected that my tenacity and determination could be this strong.

Looking at my brothers, I know that they're telling some of the truth. Probably the breakfast was properly prepared to be just enough for them. But if seen in another perspective, that just mean that there was enough food, and if they care for me as a family, they would at least consider leaving some leftover for me. But I didn't say anything.

I just looked at my mom and clicked my tongue. I know she's behind all of this. Noticing that I'm looking at her, she also looked at me and snickered.

"If you want food, then why don't you find a job?"

Ah shit, here we go again.

"You're already 23, and you still don't have a fckin job! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You didn't finish college just because your girlfriend broke up with you? Get over it! She's about to get married! and even if she's not, she wont choose someone like you who doesn't t even have a job! Look at your 'friends', they don't even wanna talk to you because they feel like its a huge waste of time talking to a piece of shit like you!"

Once she started, it'll be hard to stop her. And if I do try, she'll be even more crazier.

Actually, some of what she said was false. It may look simple if summarized that way, but it only covers the surface area of what actually happened. I really want to retort and correct her in many things. But, I know my Mom well. Enough to know that, If I tried to defend myself, speak or say something, she would be even more energetic to curse and insult me. So the best way to counter attack is to stay quiet and show a poker face. Don't show any emotions. Any emotions I show would be like gasoline pouring into fire.

Seeing that I'm not saying anything, she stopped throwing barrage of words. She just walked away and whispered, "... I'm ashamed to have a son like you."

After I made sure that I'm the only one at home, I decided to look for food. I checked everything in the kitchen, my brothers' room, my parents' room, the living room-- hell, I even checked the bathroom just to make sure--- but a couple hours later, I still didn't find any.

".. Looks like Mom's getting smarter."

I slump my butt to a sofa, and silently look at the ceiling.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"... should I just die?" I whispered. And of course no one answered.

Its not the first time I thought of dying. Hell, I've even tried. But when it failed, and when my mind cleared--- I was terrified. I was so scared for how stupid I was.

When I was about to lose my life at that time, I couldn't help but imagine myself dying, but no one was there for me. No one remembers me. I imagined everyone living their life to the fullest, while I was buried underground slowly rotting. Its fcking scary, and I hate it. I realized that even if I die, no one would actually get affected. It would just me, losing my life--- and them, losing a nobody.

Suicide is the most stupidest thing a person could do. And I hate myself for thinking it was the best choice to solve all the mistake I made.

Sighing slowly, I let my mind entered a deep calm state. I call it sage state. Its a thing I do to forget everything. Its like getting high, but without drugs. So its a lot more healthier and more affordable.

Taking a deep breath, I noticed that the world is already filled with darkness. And before I could even ask whats going on, a familiar voice was suddenly heard.

"You passed, and is now qualified to know some of the law of the World."

Wait, what?

While the voice was speaking, my mind was already moving faster. This is the same voice earlier in my dream. I almost forgot about it because I woke up in a bad moment. But now I'm here again. Just what the fck is this? And whats going on?

Me, being fully conscious in a dream once, is amazing. But that, happening again on the same day is--- weird.

A blinking light suddenly appeared in front of me again. Nothing bad really happened last time, so I think following the light isn't really a bad idea. After a couple minutes of walking (yes, for some reason, I can now understand how long it took to walk), I finally arrived at the blinking lights. Before I even got the chance to look around, the voice said something weird.

"The four Pyramid represent four different type of cultivation.

The way of the Immortal.

The way of the Demon.

The way of the Devil.

And the way of Mind and Soul.

Everyone would be given 1000 points. Using those points, you could choose the road that would lead you to become a higher existence. May the road you take lead you and your world to a higher plane."

I notice a word that doesn't make sense. I mean, everything doesn't really make sense. But, this word gives me chills.

The voice said, everyone.

But no matter how hard I try, I cant see or hear anything or anyone beside myself. I waited and didn't move for a couple of minutes. I want to make sure if there really are others here beside me.

Nothing happened though.

Slowly, I composed my mind, and started inspecting each Pyramid.

In front of me, there stood four gigantic pyramids aligned with each other. Its kinda weird seeing that everything around me is pure darkness, but for some reason, I could easily distinguished these architectures. Interestingly, from what I can see, all Pyramids are divided into five levels. The level 1 is the lowest part, and level 5 is the highest peak. Also, it looks like, the higher the level, the better the quality--- but fewer in numbers.

I decided to walk to the biggest and the most creepiest Pyramid.

The Demon's Pyramid.

Giant dinosaurs, creepy monsters, terrifying beasts-- its like a giant museum of the most fcked up horrors one could imagine. Standing beside these life like statues, I realized that I looked like an ant compared to them. But then, I noticed something interesting. The higher the level, the smaller the monsters. When I reached the level 5, the highest peak of the Pyramid, there are only a dozen of statues. And all of them has the appearance of humans. If not for their horns, fangs, tails, scales, additional limbs, or wings--- I would have thought they put a wrong statues in a wrong Pyramid.

I inspected all of them slowly, until I stopped to certain statue.

When I looked at her face, my mind went black and my heart almost stop. What a beautiful woman. Looking at her made me want to touch her and feel her. But every time my mind went to that direction, I could feel a pressure pressing my whole body and calming my mind.

In the end, even though I still wanna look at her more, I decided to go back and look at other Pyramids.

The next is the smallest, and the most horrifying pyramid

The Devil's Pyramid.

Statues of human suffering, humans being eaten, humans losing souls--- actually not just humans, there are also demons suffering different ways. But all of these images easily depicted that devils can use anything and anyone to make them stronger. I don't even need to climb the pyramid to know that I would be disgusted to the point of vomiting before even reaching the highest peak.

I silently walked towards a Pyramid. Looking at it made me feel calm and comfortable.

The Pyramid of Mind and Soul.

Compared to the other pyramids. This one looks like an art gallery. Different kinds of paintings that would make one's mind refresh. There are also some writings--- poetry, short stories, prose, and etc.--- that would show different worlds using only words. The higher level I went, the more simple the arts are. When I reached the level 4, I noticed a painting in a corner.

An image that contains many lights in a shape of humans dancing in a different way. This is the last thing I saw before I got forcefully woken up. And looking at it again, i can still proudly say that its beautiful.

After admiring it for a couple more minutes, I decided to take a look at the highest level. There, I only saw three books. And though, I said books, all of them has only five to ten pages. The sad thing is, I cant look inside until I used the points to 'buy' them. To make it worst, each book is worth 1000 points.

"Based on what I saw, anything that is on level 5 are all worth 1000 points..." I sighed.

From the looks of it, the higher the quality, the higher the price.

I didn't linger there for long, I immediately went to the last pyramid.

The Immortal's Pyramid.

Among all the pyramid, this one is the most simple. Each level has different statues doing different things. But from the looks of it, most of them are doing some martial arts. And the higher the level, the more mysterious and profound they are.

At highest peak, level 5, I saw three statues.

Extreme refinement of the body.

Extreme refinement of the spirit/energy.

And combination of both.

I calmed my mind and started thinking. I don't know whats going on, I don't even know what these Pyramids means. I also don't know what all these are for. But I feel like I'll regret it if I didn't do anything. So its better to choose what I think is the best. After all, it's not like I'll lose anything!

After reading the descriptions of all the statues, I chose the one that I think is the most suitable for me. Then used all my points to 'buy' it. After the transaction, nothing really happened at first.

Then suddenly, while my my mind was trying to make up some kind of explanation, a huge unknown pressure descended on me forcing me kneel and slammed myself on the floor! Slowly, I feel my body getting heavier, and moving is starting to get harder. Breathing also became hard, to the point that I'm on the verge of suffocation. I'm sure I'm gonna die if the pressure became even a little bit more stronger.

After my suicidal attempt, I became afraid of killing myself. But that doesn't mean I'm scared of dying. Then again though, me, being not afraid of death, doesn't mean I wanna die.

I tried my best to calm down.

Because of the pressure, my body is being compressed to its utmost limit. It also reached to the point that, no matter how hard I breath, its always barely enough to keep me alive. I feel like my life is already hanging on a thread. And that thread is about to get cut. This lasted for hours until the pressure disappeared. Shortly after that, I lost my consciousness.

-------

When I opened my eyes, I noticed that I was still in the living room. I could also hear noises coming from the TV. Shifting my gaze in that direction, I saw the youngest sitting on a sofa and watching a movie. Blinking a couple of times, I notice that he has foods! Cupcakes, crackers, and other junk foods sitting beside him. He even have a bottle of cola.

This fcker's living the life, I cursed in my mind.

"Time..?" I asked while slowly standing up and walking towards him.

"Four." he answered. Didn't even look at me.

Then, I took a cupcake, a small bag of salted potato chips, and sip a little bit of his cola. Before he could even screams, I already went back to my sofa and started eating.

"Don't worry, I'll pay you when I have some money."

"What pay? You don't even have a job!" he shouted.

I frowned, this kid is becoming more and more like mom.

"What do you know about having a job? You're just 9. I'll add some candy, okay?"

"Hmph. I'll tell mom."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Tell her, its not like anything can get any worse than this."

Later that night, my mom came home with foods. Its just a bucket of fried chicken with some rice from a fast food. But for me right now, these chicken wings are fcking heavenly.

While eating, I noticed mom looking at me with serious face. From the looks of it, she would probably nag me for doing this and that, about a job, then some other things that doesn't really have anything to do with me. But I don't mind. With these foods, I wont even mind if she actually told me I'm adopted.

I waited for her to shout and start an argument, but she stayed quiet. I already ate the third chicken and final rice, but still, she didn't say anything. After I finished eating I noticed that except me and mom, theres no one in the table.

"Lets talk." she said with a calm voice.

I nodded and sat down.

After a while, she said something that made me realize that some things can actually get worse.

".... You're chasing me out?"

I tried to convince her to change her mind. But for some unknown reason, she's treating this way too calmly. I'm still her son!

Don't tell me I'm actually adopted?

Well, from the looks of it, It doesn't matter. Adopted or not, she'll still chase me out. So I decided to, since I cant change her mind, why not delay it. Surprisingly, when I suggested that, she actually smiled like she was already expecting that!

Since when did she become so smart?! She's one or two steps ahead of me! This is bad!

Now that I fell to her trap, its no use fighting back. Its best to minimize the damage taken. My purpose now is to lengthen my stay, get some pocket money before I leave, and ask some support once in a while after I left. At least I would have something to fall back on when things got wrecked.

Seeing my mom's smug face, I couldn't help but curse in my mind. Everything was in her plan. I let my guard down. To be honest, I never thought of her as a tactician. She was quite stupid even in social interaction, and almost blind when it comes to 'reading between the lines'. So how the fck did she do this? Is she really my mom?

In the end, I only have three days to stay. After that I would have to survive on my own.

I cant help but sigh at my life. Calming my mind, I closed my eyes and look at the strange knowledge inside my head. Ancient looking characters or letters that I don't know the origin, but can understand the meaning.

"Thousand Hardening Body Refinement.." I whispered. "If this is actually true, then I wont mind even if I have to work hard without sleep for a year."