Asaga's senses were suddenly jolted awake by a fervent whisper that trembled and stuttered in his ear, interrupting the thick shroud of silence that engulfed him in the dead of night. The voice was weak, and desperate, like a drowning man struggling against the relentless pull of a raging wave.
"Asaga...help!" it implored, before fading into nothingness, leaving only the memory of its eerie urgency lingering in the still air.
His eyes darted around, straining to penetrate the darkness and discern his surroundings. He felt a shiver run down his spine, as the oppressive silence weighed down on him with an almost palpable heaviness. The only sounds that reached his ears were the harsh rasping of his breaths and the dry swallowing in his throat, as he tried to push back the fear that threatened to overwhelm him.
For a moment, he stood there, frozen and disoriented, unsure of what to do next. The whisper had been so brief, so cryptic, that it was impossible to tell what it meant or where it came from. But Asaga knew that he couldn't ignore it - there was something urgent and ominous about it that demanded his attention.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he began to move slowly and cautiously, straining his eyes and ears for any sign of movement or sound. With every step, he felt the weight of the darkness lift slightly as if a sliver of light was slowly creeping into the impenetrable gloom.
And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the whisper was gone, leaving behind only a sense of foreboding and a trail of unanswered questions. Asaga knew that he had to find out what it meant, to unravel the mystery that had been thrust upon him in the dead of night. For something was lurking in the darkness, something that he couldn't yet see or hear, but which he knew was there, waiting for him.
"Who's that?"
Asaga's husky voice quivered as he muttered the question into the darkness, straining to identify the source of the voice. But there was no reply, no indication of who or what might be lurking in the shadows.
Fearing the worst, Asaga extended his hand slowly, cautiously, summoning all his courage as he recited the incantation of the summoning spell. "Dark Blood," he whispered, willing the magic to respond to his call.
But to his dismay, nothing happened. The shadow remained inert, unresponsive to his desperate attempts to summon his SoulEquipment.
He tried again, with a rising sense of urgency, his voice growing louder and more insistent as he poured all his energy into the incantation. "Dark Blood!" he cried out, his fingers trembling as he strained to produce the magic that he so desperately needed. But still, there was no response, no flicker of light, no sign that his magic was working.
Asaga's heart sank as he realized the full extent of his predicament. This was not the first time the young swordsman had fallen into this bizarre black dimension. Ever since he survived that traumatic event briefly, he was often harassed by the same nightmare. First, the uncertain night, then the very familiar call for helplessness, a feeling of hopelessness filled with resentment, and finally a heavy obsession covering the eyelids even after waking up.
The bad dream that plagued Asaga recurred every few days, each time lasting a little longer and feeling more vivid and realistic than the last. It was a terrifying experience, one that left him grappling with a painful question that he could not answer. Was this just a series of nightmares, a product of his overactive imagination? Or was it a warning, a premonition of an upcoming disaster that he could not prevent?
Despite his fear and uncertainty, Asaga refused to give up. He pulled back his shaking fingers and took a deep breath, gathering all his courage as he tentatively stepped forward. But just as he did, everything suddenly turned upside down. The ground beneath his feet disappeared, and he was plunged into an abyss.
Asaga shouted, but no sound escaped his lips. The darkness seemed to have consumed him, curling deep into his heart until he could no longer feel his existence. He was like a statue, silently drifting through a nightmarish landscape that was both strange and familiar.
As he floated through the darkness, Asaga was consumed by a sense of foreboding, a feeling that he was hurtling towards something terrible and inevitable. He tried to resist, to struggle against the pull of the abyss, but it was too strong, too relentless. And so he drifted, helpless and alone, as the darkness swallowed him whole.
For what felt like an eternity, Asaga was lost in this surreal realm, a place where time and space seemed to have lost all meaning. And yet, even amid his fear and confusion, he refused to give up hope. Somewhere, he knew, there had to be a way out of this darkness, a way to break free from the endless cycle of nightmares that threatened to consume him.
"Asaga... help!"
In an instant, the sound of the desperate cry echoed through Asaga's mind like a sudden gust of wind, jolting him out of his nightmare and back into reality. Finally, his senses returned to him, flooding his mind with images, sounds, and smells. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of a torch flickering on the stone wall.
Asaga looked around, his ears filled with the sound of water droplets falling into a nearby puddle. It took him a moment to get his bearings, but he soon realized that he was standing in an underground tunnel, a place he had never been before. Despite his confusion, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was meant to be here, that something important was waiting for him.
As he tried to make sense of his surroundings, he heard a sound that made his heart race. It was the sound of metal colliding, chains being dragged against the rock. Asaga's curiosity was piqued, and he carefully began to make his way toward the source of the noise, his steps echoing off the cold, hard ground.
With each passing moment, the sound grew louder, until he was close enough to see the chains themselves. They were thick, heavy, and rusted with age, snaking along the ground and disappearing around a bend in the tunnel. Asaga's heart raced as he approached the bend, unsure of what he might find on the other side.
Asaga's heart throbbed wildly against his chest. He couldn't believe what he was seeing - a dark cell, barely illuminated by the flickering flame of a weak torch. The walls were damp and the air was thick with an unsettling chill. He took a step closer, barely daring to breathe as he tried to catch a glimpse of who was inside.
The flame on the wall began to tremble and flicker even more violently, casting eerie shadows on the cold, stone walls. It was as if the air itself was alive with an ominous presence. Asaga leaned in closer, his eyes locked on the cell. He could barely make out the shape of a figure inside, huddled in the corner.
As he peered into the darkness, the sound of metal chains being dragged against the ground echoed through the tunnel. His heart skipped a beat - who or what could be making that sound? Asaga pressed his chin against the cold, rusted bars of the cell, straining his eyes to see through the black.
“HELP!”
The pale white hands that tore the darkness reached out, threaded through the bars, and gripped Asaga’s cheeks, accompanied by a dire cry that resounded in the darkness, sharp and cold like a glancing blade. A deadly sound that made people shiver. The cold air spread from Asaga’s fingertips onto the skin of his face, making him awake. His glaring eyes tried to cling to the familiar scene in front of him to dispel the nightmare that had just disappeared.
Asaga's heart raced as he looked around the room, still disoriented from the vivid nightmare that had just gripped him. His eyes landed on a picture frame on the cupboard, its contents unrecognizable in the bright light filtering in from outside. As he surveyed the room, the distant light appeared to grow stronger, and he realized that it was the sun.
He hesitated for a moment before reaching out and opening the window, allowing the harsh sunlight to flood the room. The warmth of the sun on his skin felt strange and uncomfortable, and he couldn't shake the unease that crept up on him. For a moment, he wondered if he was still trapped in the dream world, but he knew deep down that it was no longer just a nightmare.
"Am I still dreaming?" But no matter how reassuring he was, Asaga knew he could not deceive himself.
"They are coming!"
“Angel!”
“Yes, principal?”
The conversation between Angel and the principal kept changing topics. It was tricky to know what they were talking about or just having a chat. John nodded slightly, then asked her with a sinister smile.
“W-What are you talking about? Who is Asaga?” She refused awkwardly.
Angel faltered, helplessly trying to escape this awkward situation. She remained silent but slowly nodded with a glowing, embarrassed face.
Eventually, Angel did not need to reply. The principal already knew the answer based on her reaction.
“Feelings of a girl when falling in love are wonderful, right?” He said in his mind.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“All right then! I respect my student’s privacy and relationship, so do not worry. Although I sometimes make fun of them.”
“Thank you, teacher!” Angel quietly responded.
The principal's expression grew grave, his eyes filled with concern as he addressed Angel. The conversation took a sudden turn, and it became clear that they were not just having a casual chat. The principal needed to share some important news with Angel, and he wasted no time in getting to the heart of the matter.
"As you are aware, Angel, you play a vital role in the Royal Legion and the Soul Warriors, helping to protect our land from the troublemakers of the Replord Empire," the principal began. "And, as such, it's my responsibility to inform you of some unsettling news that has come to light. This news pertains to the Lizardwars."
Angel's attention was piqued, and she leaned forward in her seat, her gaze fixed intently on the principal. "What news are you referring to, Principal?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of apprehension.
"As you know, the war between humans and demihumans against the Lizardwars ended six years ago," the principal replied, his tone sombre. "However, I fear that the dark times that we experienced during that war are about to be repeated."
The weight of the principal's words hung heavily in the air, and Angel could feel a knot forming in her stomach. She knew that the Lizardwars were not to be taken lightly, and the thought of a possible resurgence of conflict sent a shiver down her spine.
The sight before Angel was nothing short of a nightmare. It was a scene of utter chaos and destruction. A dark, fearsome dragon was tearing through the sky, unleashing bolts of dark energy that obliterated everything in its path.
Following in its wake were hundreds of heavily-armoured vehicles, ruthlessly slaughtering anything that moved. The ground was littered with corpses, the air heavy with the acrid stench of smoke and blood. Houses were reduced to smouldering ruins, engulfed in a fiery sea of death. Angel shook her head fiercely, trying to shake off the horrifying vision.
"No, this can't be real!? Komodo is dead!" she exclaimed, trying to convince herself that what she was seeing was some sort of twisted illusion. But the serious expression on John's face told her otherwise.
She had joined the voluntary army tasked with stopping the rebels in the border area between the Ford Anatist Kingdom and the Replord Empire. She had seen her fair share of blood, gore, and death, but nothing could have prepared her for the horrors of that era. It was like a descent into hell itself.
Angel sat down, still trying to process the shocking news. She looked at John and asked, "But why do you think that? Is there any evidence?"
John snapped his fingers and pointed at Angel. "Think about it. We know how dangerous the Lizardwars were. We thought we had defeated them after the death of Komodo."
Angel nodded in agreement. She had studied history and wondered why there were no more attacks from the Lizardwars after Komodo's fall, but her teacher had not provided an answer.
Strangely, she thought. Wasn’t the time when the Komodo Empire collapsed the best time for them to strike again and put an end to the existence of the Replord Empire? Was it because of the sacrifice of the Divine Duo Couple that hesitated to attack? She could not know the reason.
John then broke a stick in half, and it transformed into six identical versions of the original. Angel's face turned pale at the sight and she trembled as she asked, "There are six Komodo left?"
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The threat of the Lizardwars was real, and the possibility of another war was imminent. The fate of the kingdoms rested on the shoulders of the Soul Warriors once again.
One Komodo was already bad. And, with six more creatures like him, the apocalypse would surely come to this world. However, she was only partially correct. Hearing Angel speak in surprise at what he wanted to convey through the six sticks floating in front of the two, John grabbed them and put them back in his pocket.
The world order had always been dictated by the Ford Anatist Kingdom, but the emergence of the Replord Empire had upset the balance of power. The hard-fought victory against the Lizardwars had been a turning point in history, but the scars of that battle still lingered. The fear that the war could restart and once again ravage the land was a constant concern.
The principal understood the weight of the information he held and knew that revealing too much could have disastrous consequences. He chose his words carefully and refrained from disclosing everything to Angel.
As much as he trusted her, he also knew that Angel was still young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. The brutalities of war were not something that she had fully grasped yet. The principal had already shared some of the information with Dark Blood, who had a more mature understanding of the situation.
The principal kept his focus on the current mission, to prevent the Lizardwars from re-emerging and plunging the world into chaos once again. It was a difficult task, but one that he was determined to achieve. The fate of the world rested on their shoulders, and they could not afford to make any mistakes.
Angel furrowed her eyebrows slightly after noticing the difference on the principal’s face. He seemed to hide something from her. However, it was easy for her to let it go, and John, seeing that, talked about something else.
“We should stop talking about the events surrounding Replord Empire. Did the two of you meet anyone or a strange phenomenon when you were still inside the Dark Dimension?”
Angel remembered what happened. If they talked about strange phenomena, many things caught her attention.
“I remember while thinking of ways to save Asaga, my SoulEquiqment suddenly swayed so hard that it fell off my hips and automatically clung to Asaga’s gem.”
“Yes, yes. Carry on.”
Angel closed her eyes and told the principal.
“They emitted a purple-black light. Based on them as the centre, five magic matrixes rose into the air and formed a pentagon. From there, the gate leading to the Dark Space appeared.”
“Really? As soon as I stopped the scuffle, I could also see the light in the infirmary. The activation of the magic matrix can be felt from that distance. For me, of course. It should be, but it is not. So that kind of matrix is inherently not in my knowledge, so it is difficult to say.”
While making that conclusion, John saw that Angel’s wounds were deteriorating in colour. Since the principal was so attentive to the relationship between Asaga and Angel, he forgot to probe their bodies to see if there was anything wrong.
“Yikes! You are injured. Hold that for me!”
John held Angel’s biceps, although her chest should be the place to put his hand on, for the activation of the recovery magic.
A black light flashed in his hand. A similar coloured matrix appeared while having the size of a book. Fanciful beams of energy illuminated every wound on her body. The scratches gradually shrank until they were completely gone. And He completed the treatment in a brief time and left her with no scar.
Needless to explain, Angel knew that the principal had just used healing magic on her. Amazingly, being both Soul Warrior and a wizard. Will he continue to surprise her in the future like this? Angel exclaimed.
“I don’t even know Soul Warrior can use magic like the wizard!”
“Actually, yes, they can, but just a few, my precious student. Maybe you don’t know. I belong to a family line of the Great Soul Warriors, an ancestor of your generation. Very few of them lasted after the Great War, which was a century ago. Not the great war against the Lizardwars that you normally heard. For an Elite Soul Warrior like you, Sazabu, or Asaga, the spawning rate is little, but the quantity is pretty much the. However, the number of Great Soul Warriors was even a thousand lower. The chance of appearing like such a person is extremely low, even close to zero.”
Hearing the principal’s explanation, Angel could only widen her eyes. The history of Angel’s ancestors amazed her.
“Sadly, In the current situation, the weapon technology of our country is trying to develop to catch up with the Replord Empire, but it is still far behind.”
“Well, I have loads of things to share with you, but it seems a bit late, so I’m afraid our conversation has to end now.”
“Yes! I am thrilled and honoured when having the opportunity to talk with you.”
Angel bowed to the principal before leaving the room. Right after that, he sighed while pulling from his shirt a magazine featuring a sexy girl on the cover. He watched it with excitement and quickly jumped onto the chair. John adjusted himself into the reading position he liked best. The legs rested on the table, and the back leaned on the back of the chair.
“Do you forget I’m still here? Pervert.”
The principal hurriedly explained.
“Wait, what? You are misunderstanding me. This is a personal hobby. That’s it, nothing more!”
“I don’t like messing around with others’ enjoyment. So, you and I are correct. The couple that held the fate of humans and demihumans. The birth of the second Komodo Empire will come, soon.”
Angel closed the door to the sick room and was surprised to see Asaga standing in front of her. She had seen him around campus before, but they had never officially met. She decided to break the ice and introduced herself.
“Asaga ... Although we have seen each other since admission until now, this is an official acquaintance between us. So hi, my name is Angel Fourmier.”
Asaga, known for his quiet personality, responded in his usual reserved manner. "Ok, I'm Uchire Asaga. Thank you for helping me get out of there."
“But why are you standing out here?”
“We still have that Freak, remember? He will ask permission for us to be absent from class today.” Asaga shook his head. “I think you should look outside.”
Asaga then gestured for Angel to look outside. The sun was setting, signalling the end of another day. The last class had ended two hours ago and students were making their way to the canteen for dinner.
Angel waved at some of her classmates and turned back to Asaga. “I think we better have dinner to gain energy for tomorrow. Bye-bye Asaga, glad to meet you!”
Asaga watched as her shadow gradually diminished and faded. He collapsed to the ground and then rubbed his head with both hands, biting his teeth in pain. The nightmare from the past seemed to have been thrown out of his mind. But no, it came back to haunt Asaga. He slammed his head to the ground while cursing.
“Damn past! Get the hell out of my head now!”
His mind flashed with an empty, dark area. In the centre, there was a small girl with shiny blonde hair standing and singing in a cheerful mood.
Asaga's eyes filled with tears, and he reached out to the girl, calling out to her in desperation. "It's me... Your Asaga!" he cried out, but the girl didn't seem to hear him. She just kept singing, her smile unwavering.
And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the girl disappeared, replaced by a looming shadow. Asaga's heart sank as he realized what was about to happen. The shadow held a gun, and its finger was poised over the trigger, ready to end the little girl's life.
Asaga couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear to see another innocent life snuffed out before his eyes. He couldn't bear the guilt, the pain, the helplessness. He couldn't bear the memories of all the times he had failed to save the people he loved.
With a primal scream, Asaga rushed towards the two, his arms outstretched as if to shield the girl from harm. "NO!" he shouted, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Not again!"
BANG!
A dry echo
Blood, only blood
The end of hope
The demon is awake!