– A week later after execution day –
An echo ripples through the corridor as water drips from cracks within the dungeon ceiling. The silent stillness sat within the darkened hall before several pairs of metallic clacks gradually began to invade. With the light from a single torch, the several stains of blood are illuminated
The stench is the first thing to meet the knights’ noses, making one gag as another pinches his nose. Their destination was once again at the end of the hall. One they’d been dreading to return to.
An old, almost ancient, iron maiden sat leaking blood out from the bottom, leaving a nasty puddle before it. The eerie black mist from days past had yet to return, and wouldn’t do so until the victim within had been removed.
"Alright, time to get this bastard out of there,” the group leader states before they grab one of the doors.
The door creaks open to a single shriveled corpse. It looked like it had been decaying for several years within the iron box, however, it still sat within its own pool of red. None of them could even recognize who they’d put in there, only remembering it used to be a traitor to the king.
Without a second thought, one of them nudges the body with their boot. And yet, the only reaction it can give is to slump to one side, folding under its weight.
“Let’s get this over with,” another knight mutters as they and another hoist up the body. It almost breaks as they lift it out, however, they still manage to keep it together while carrying out the fragile corpse.
The doors leading out from the dungeon groan open as the knights shuffle through it. And in a continuous movement, they throw the body atop a wagon of many other corpses.
Then without another moment lost, the crack of reins erupts before them. The coachman had little care for wasted time, and they were already behind schedule. It would take a fortnight to get to the pit at this rate.
And as soon as the lone gate to the castle ground rises, the carriage leaves with haste. The brick road of the inner kingdom made the horse’s hooves echo into the gray evening’s sky. Though the dull orange was dimmed by age, it still managed to contrast the tall stone brick buildings lining the currently empty streets. And as each almost identical structure passes they gradually grow closer and closer together, the alleyways tightening before ending altogether. A maze of passageways is hidden behind the looming wall of homes and markets.
Another wall, another gate cut the inner kingdom from the world beyond. It rose in anticipation for the wagon, and when it finally passed underway, the steel bars dug back into the ground. Sealing off like a jailor.
The coachman scoffs as they hear the clacking of the metal behind them. Though they cared little for the gate, more than they could have struck their cart, and they were already behind schedule enough as it is.
A bump in the road rocks the wagon as the street below had shifted to cobble as soon as they’d left from the inner wall. And it wouldn’t be long until they’d reach the edge of the kingdom itself, however, they still had to get through the slums for that. Although, thankfully not even the low lives would trifle with this carriage, as there was nothing but the rotting dead held upon it.
Within no time at all, the cobbled streets gave way to nothing but a dirt pathway. Even the buildings seemed to slowly fall into disarray as they got further and further towards the last wall.
From broken doors to fallen shutters, even some of the structures were leaning on one another. However, it was the people that made the coachman frown slightly deeper before looking away. They all wore almost only rags and muddied faces. And yet, most kept on ignoring the cart, not caring even for the smell as they all were active in trying to make it to their own lives on time.
And if it weren’t for the coachman already being used to the smell of the dead, they wouldn’t have been able to stand it out here. But the pay was much too high to care about such trivial matters.
That was until they got to the slums. They’d always hated the slums.
Everything looked dirty and bleak, its buildings, its people, its own little world, all of it disgusted them. And so they slap the reins again, getting the horses to move just a bit fast.
Deformed malnutritioned children, muddied by playing in the street, laugh as they scatter into the alleyways of misshapen buildings. They all sat haphazardly on top of one another like a malformed puzzle. Most of them lacked any light even at this darkening hour, and several had collapsed since last the coachman had seen.
Yet, they tried to just keep their eyes on the roadway, or whatever was left of it.
Although the slums made that not an easy task. As men fought in the streets, just far enough that they could still pass by without running them over. And the coachman dared not look into the darkness of the alleys, not again.
Then without warning, the coachman yacks on the reins to dodge a man as he flies out from one of the many buildings!
A mother and her daughter rush out of the home to pull the man from the mud. However, a group of knights step out from the broken doorway and pull the woman aside. She pleads with them, watching the red drip from one of their gauntlets. And the mother can only shield her daughter’s eyes as they hoist the man up.
The coachman looks away before the first strike comes. They were just like everyone else here, whether or not they wanted to admit it. Everyone had a job to fill, a role to play.
The next, and final gate showed through the crowded, windy street, giving them a sigh of relief. And as they passed under it, the thundering clack of iron was almost welcomed.
It would be nothing but open grass fields for at least a day’s ride. Though sadly they wouldn’t be able to breathe the fresh air until then.
Mana: 10/10
It had taken another day of riding to finally reach the forest at the end of the green hills. And it would be another week's ride till they would be out of it.
The gnarled wood made them sigh as they shifted within their seats. A weight falls upon their shoulders as the sun is overcast by the canopy of shadowed leaves. Though the feeling was there, they knew nothing would come to disturb the cart. For its ward kept the creatures at bay lest they have an early death.
Yet, they still couldn’t shake the weight. Was it the shifting of the trees? Or the shuffling of the bushes? No, it was something other than that…
Just beyond the path, red eyes slip in and out from the coachman’s gaze. Almost as if hiding in wait for the perfect opportunity. Though all knew it wouldn’t come.
And even though the coachman couldn’t let go of the tightening of their shoulders, they still let free a breath of relief. It’d be a week until they could leave the carriage’s seat, but they paid that no mind. They’d been down this road far too many times for it to affect them any longer.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Mana:7/10
The trees open up to an ever-so-short, patchy field before the path reaches its final destination. A dust-ridden, rocky land that appeared to stretch for miles. And if it weren’t for the sharp cliffs and short mountains lying in the distance, it just might have extended indefinitely.
However, it was close to these rock faces where the coachman’s goal lay.
Within the barren realm, a quarry sat, and within it sat an enormous pit. The cliff face hid the sun from even attempting to reach its bottom, making it appear bottomless. Just a black void staring back at the sky above.
The coachman grumbles as they pull the bodies, one by one, from the cart. And although they drag them to the edge of the hole they dare not get close to it themselves. For a single slip could cost them more than just their life.
Or so the rumors stated.
And with one final kick, the coachman’s job was done. Now it’d just be the long ride back though gladly they’d be able to take in the sights and especially the scents of it all.
Mana: 6/10
. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
. . .
Though the fall was long, the corpses still meet a bottom.
They crash and slam into a thick murky lake. No light could ever pierce down to the bottom of the pit, only the echo of splashes ripple up its walls. And yet, nothing but silence would reach the top.
And at the bottom, bodies stack high upon one another. A mass gravesite for the unfortunate ones who were deemed unworthy of burial.
Humans, demons, children, elderly, none were above the gaze of the kingdom. And any who opposed, or were thought to oppose it, ended up here. Creating a red sea made up of their own caresses.
This was a graveyard… the final destination for Axel… Hell itself…
. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . .
Amongst his rotting corpse, a wretched aura begins to spew from out of him. Encapsulating his body, and cradling his heart similar to that of a mother holding their child…
. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
. . .
Like a vengeful spirit, his broken, black heart stores his unbridled rage…
Mana: 2/10
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . .
A pulse begins to arise from one of the corpses, gradually becoming louder, and louder…
It takes over the silent voice of the abyss, emitting a profound somber amongst the sea of dead…
Then, one of the corpses begins to move…
Pain embraces him like a blanket, as Axel starts to open his eyes…
Hp: 1/10
Through the lens of a newborn, he bares witness to the end of his journey. Initially numbed to the world at first, but as the seconds go by, the pulse of his heartbeat begins to rupture his ears as the pain consumes him. His blood begins to boil, while the gentle wind grazing his body takes a stab at his fresh wounds.
It hurts…
But he’s powerless to do anything, as he floats along with the rest of the dead. He has become nothing now, stripped away from his title, his family, his life… Everything has been taken away from him… And he’s nothing more, but an empty shell…
It hurts…
And even after all he’s been through… what ultimately causes him to cry was the void inside his heart. He felt… Nothing. Not the thumping of his heart, nor the pain it must be enduring. There’s nothing left, the world has wrongfully taken away from him what was once… his soul.
The pain begins to cripple him, slowly eating away at his body as his eyes gradually adjust to the great abyss. With a breath caught in his throat, his trembling pupils witnessed the horror before him.
So this is where he’s dying… a giant cesspool made up of other people’s bodies…
Hp: 2/10
Mana: 1/10
Once his mana runs out, he’ll be able to finally join his brothers in the afterlife… The corpse underneath Axel begins to submerge into the deep, taking him along with it. His tears flow faster than before, as he reflects upon his life, and the events that led up to this. But amidst his despair, something catches his eye, floating along with the rest of the bodies.
His brothers’ heads…
"AARRRRRRAAHAHAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Shredding his heart, Axel tears his voice apart! He grieves for what he has lost as his body sinks further and further into the abyss. His lifeless eyes become fueled in rage, resurrecting the corpse as it thrashes violently!
("CAPTURE HIM!!")
His tears drop onto the red sea below, falling quicker and quicker as a surge of memories invades his mind!
("He's a demon!?")
("Kill him!!!")
He clenches his teeth tightly, causing his gums to bleed as all the muscle fibers in his body begin to pull and tear! Engulfing himself in his rage while his inner demons possess him!
(" HOW DARE YOU HIDE AMONG US DEMON!! I'LL GIVE YOU THE DEATH PENALTY!!!")
("Those bastards deserve to die!!!")
His eyes become something that’s not human… Burning in lust as they rupture his mind! All of his tears start to turn red, turning his vision crimson as the blood trickles down his chin.
("I plead guilty!!! I'm the one who's at fault!!! So, please!!! Let them go and kill me!!")
His heart is beating faster than ever!! Ringing in his ears like an uncontrollable beast!
("Stay strong brothers… We will soon meet each other on the other side…")
Axel boils under the pressure surrounding him as his heart burns within! ANGER!! DESPAIR!! RAGE!! He becomes a prisoner to his own emotions!
Hp: 2/10
("I never thought it would end like this . . . But I'm glad I got to see my friends for one last time . . . This is the end of the line for me buddy . . Goodbye")
His eyes grow to a pitch-black!! His heart shatters and crumbles to dust as his carnal desires erupt from within him!!!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
His eyes dart above trying to find a flicker of light!!! Trying to find a way to get back to him.
"DDDDAAAAAAMMMNNN YYYOOUU!!!"
("Get out of Vanessa's life, if you know what's good for you…")
He growls and shouts to the world above him!! His body on the verge of death still screams out to the one who’d wronged him!
And yet, he’d already begun to sink. The mire dragging half of his body before he could realize it. However, his thirst for revenge is stronger!!
"I WON'T DIE!! NOT YET!! NOT UNTIL I HAVE MY REVENGE!!!"
Right before his body is entirely consumed by the red sea, he screams before he’s completely overtaken.
"I WILL TAKE THEIR SOULS!!!!"
Hp: 1/10
A couple of seconds later, the blood calms down once again, no more air pockets rise to the surface…
[ Requirements Achieved ]
[ Now commencing ( Rebirth ) ]
Ripples form underneath the blood before erupting like a geyser!! The rotting corpses lying within it fly freely up the pit walls before falling back down to the violent current below!! The stream rumbles faster and faster as the sea rapidly transforms into that of a whirlpool!
Centering around Axel.
An unknown force gradually begins to hoist up his corpse above the spiraling crimson waves. His body begins to heal at a rapid pace as he consumes the red sea! Not only mending his wounds but also regenerating the muscle and tissue of his once removed limbs!
His eyes flash open as his chest throbs over his beating heart!
[ Initiating transformation process . . ]
Axel's eyes shrivel as he clutches at his chest. His breath lies heavy as he collapses to his knees. However, before it can all sink in.
His bones shatter once more!! His spine snapped under the sudden pressure, forcing him to look to the sky! He silently screams as his eyes roll back, and blood begins to trickle down from them. Tearing his muscles one by one to rebuild stronger than ever!
Blood continues to circle him as his body absorbs every last drop… All of the corpses dissolve into tissue as they penetrate his body, using the dead to create his new vessel.
Axel stands.
He grabs at his face as the skin begins to bleach itself! The voice of his screams begins to change, growing deeper and deeper! Leaving him to sound dreadful, inhuman, monstrous.
[ Transformation... Processing ]
A new set of teeth push out his human ones, replacing them with a row of razor-sharp fangs! His normal brown irises erupt into bright golden ones!!
Though Axel only grabs the sides of his head when it begins to throb as if wanting to explode! He screams as his head begins to open!! Two trails of blood escape his forehead as twin horns emerge from within! His mind snaps as the pressure escapes his head!
All of his emotions force everything being held within him to explode! The floor breaks underneath him, as a massive wave of heat pulses out from within him! Vaporizing anything and everything still left at the bottom of the pit!
The ground quakes as gusts of heavy wind begin to leave him! The uncontrollable storm enlarges as his screams echo across the abyss!! The world starts to go mad as if Axel himself was breaking reality!!
[ Rebirth completed ]
It was at that moment…
Where Axel had died…
And an Angel had sprouted its wings in Hell…
[ Congratulations!! Thou has become ]
[ The Grim Reaper ]
Everything comes to a halt, and the explosion vanishes. And so does the pit become consumed in darkness. However, there are now two glowing yellow orbs staring off into the distance with an eerily still air surrounding them. . .
Filled with pure malice and vengeance, a burst of uncontrollable laughter rises from the darkness as something jumps onto the wall. He digs his appendages into the stone before climbing up like that of a spider! The laughter becomes louder by the second as the vision of Blake flashes before Axel's eyes. His grin stretching from ear to ear.
Now that the world has made him into a monster. He will show the world just how terrifying he can be!
He will not die! Not until he gets his revenge!!
The angel of death– has awoken…
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