In a familiar room,...
A long black messy-haired delicate-looking girl sat on the bed. Her light blue night dress was torn beyond recognition, and her once pale and smooth skin could be seen from the torn gaps, her dress turned almost invisible with all the gaps and she was almost fully naked. She had bruises and blood covered all over her once smooth skin. Her every inch felt like they were screaming, and her lips curled into a manic smile and her eyes were bloodied, looking straight at Aaron who lay on the bed, In contrast to the girl his appearance was weirdly normal, his clothes were curled up and had blood stains here and there but overall it was as normal as it could get. He felt a gaze on him and turned to see who it was from and as he turned his breathing turned rough as if struggling to live, his face visualized terror as if living in a disbelief hell, his grey eyes locked onto the girl before him,
A long, black, messy-haired girl sat on the bed. She looked delicate, almost fragile, but the state of her was anything but. Her light blue nightdress, torn beyond recognition, hung in tatters, leaving her once pale, smooth skin exposed through the gaping tears. Blood streaked across her skin, bruises marring what had once been unblemished. Every inch of her seemed to scream in pain, yet her lips curled into a manic smile, a twisted expression that shouldn’t belong on such a delicate face.
Her eyes bloodshot and raw locked onto Aaron.
He lay on the bed opposite her, his appearance starkly ordinary in comparison. His clothes were wrinkled and stained with blood, but otherwise, they were intact, as if untouched by whatever nightmare unfolded here.
Aaron stirred, his breathing uneven. A heavy gaze fell upon him, and his body reacted before his mind could process it. He turned, and the moment his eyes landed on the girl, his throat closed.
His breathing turned rough, almost strangled, as if the very air had turned to ash in his lungs. His heart pounded too loud, too fast as his grey eyes froze on her, locking onto the horrid figure in front of him.
Terror clawed its way up his spine, cold and undeniable. Her. It’s her.
The morning images came back piece by piece his waking up in an unfamiliar room, the girl’s face staring back at him. Then, her expression had been different: pained, broken, her eyes wide with silent agony. But now…
Now she smiled.
It wasn’t just any smile. It was a manic, twisted curl of her lips that shouldn’t belong on her delicate face. The bloodshot eyes, wide and unblinking, bore into him with an intensity that made his skin crawl.
The torn dress. The blood. Her.
“Remember, you did this to me”
His hands shook. When he heard a chilling voice
“No… no… I didn’t…” His voice cracked, barely audible, as if to deny the unspeakable scene before him.
The girl didn’t speak, but she didn’t need to. Her bloodied gaze was louder than any accusation could be.
“No...”
Aaron’s thoughts splintered, fraying like the edges of a nightmare he couldn’t wake from.
“no…no…”
“I didn’t…, i didn’t”
“NOOO, NOOOOOO”
“I DIDN’T DO IT”
***
“HAAA, HAAA”
“Haaa, Haaa”
“Haaa, Haaa”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Haaa”
It had been almost a day since he’d left the academy, Since the moment he realized the situation he was in he’d buried any thoughts related to that moment deep where it couldn’t reach him. And yet, here it was, clawing out of the dark and dragging him back into it.
It’s not real. It’s not real.
But his body wouldn’t listen. The room seemed to shrink around him, his lungs refusing to draw breath, as his mind whispered the truth he didn’t want to accept.
He was trapped.
Trapped in the nightmare he thought he’d escaped.
***
I woke up earlier than I planned as I couldn’t sleep even if I tried but who can I complain to?
Hmm, no one!
I don’t if I will find Richard here or not and actually, it would be absurd to find him here. I mean who in their right mind can bet that I would find him? I just came to this city cause the book said he used to live here before the actual main story started but who knows if he went on a vacation or a party, or if he is a student and is in an academy.
The craziest thing is how will I recognize him. I never met him but what’s this inner confidence that I’m feeling? I pondered for a while but gave up thinking about it. This is my first time coming here so I will just roam around and if by some heavenly luck I meet him then that’s good if not then I will just go cross the borders.
I know it’s dangerous out there but I can’t keep relying on Mana potions. Effects were decreasing. I need a high-quality mana chamber but I can not afford it. So my only bet is Mana Caves and there is a place that I’m thinking about. I know I don’t know the exact address or place but it’s better than finding Richard who is god knows where. Also, those monsters that I can fight there are really strong and when I return I can also earn a lot from selling them.
Borders are where you find deadly monsters they are born from chaos, they are a lot stronger than the regular monsters that we see in the regular dungeons. A D rank monster from a regular dungeon can be killed by a D rank awakener but those chaos monsters are different and a lot more dangerous. A D rank chaos monster can obliterate a C ranker.
So it’s a very dangerous place but I’m down for it. It’s better than wasting my time here doing it. Considering the near doom High-risk high return is better than Low-risk low return. But for now, I’ll look for Richard.
***
It had been three days since Aaron arrived in Satya City. He’d spent that time exploring—not just to track down Richard, but to gauge the city’s strengths. By now, he was starting to feel satisfied with what he’d uncovered.
Two major guilds and the Union Association ruled the city’s power structure, their influence was absolute. Swan Guild and Luminous Guild, both S-rank, loomed like immovable mountains. Each guildmaster carried the weight of an 'SS' rank, while their rosters teemed with S-rankers, A-rankers, and an intimidating number of skilled lower-ranked members. Smaller guilds existed under their dominance, paying regular taxes for the privilege of operating within their territory.
In the southeastern district, Aaron’s attention settled on a smaller guild building. Its sign read: Swag Guild. The name alone gave him pause, and for a brief moment, he entertained thoughts of flashiness or flair. What greeted him, however, was anything but.
The building stood plain and functional, its whitewashed exterior devoid of banners or ornamentation. No intricate carvings, no glowing insignias—nothing but unbroken monotony. For a B-rank guild, the size was respectable, but Aaron couldn’t help but compare it to the towering, opulent halls he once frequented as the son of Darven. This? It barely qualified as a guild in his eyes.
Two guards stood at the entrance, their posture rigid and disciplined. They weren’t unwelcoming, but their silence and sharp gazes added an edge of tension to the atmosphere. As Aaron approached, a subtle shift in the air stopped him in his tracks.
It wasn’t the guards themselves but their mana. They released it sparingly, just enough to signal their rank and the surrounding air grew heavier, almost stifling. Aaron had encountered far stronger presences in his past, enough to brush this off without reaction, but to an average passerby, the oppressive weight would’ve been intimidating.
Without acknowledging the guards, Aaron strode past them and entered the building.
The inside mirrored the exterior, with plain white walls and a distinct lack of personality. The reception desk sat awkwardly at the center, a cheap and unimpressive piece that clashed with the grandeur the guild’s name might suggest. The air inside was clearer, the oppressive mana gone, but the dull surroundings didn’t do much to lift the mood.
Aaron’s lips curled into a faint, wry smirk. Swag Guild, huh? The name had conjured images of something eccentric or over-the-top, maybe even gaudy. Instead, he stood in the midst of a place so bland it bordered on comical.
"Guess they’re saving all the swag for their name," he murmured under his breath, shaking his head.
This place wasn’t much, but it served its purpose. To get an Awakener ID, I had to visit a guild or a union branch. The big guilds and the Union offered the service for free, but the risk of being recognized there was far too high. Choosing a smaller guild meant avoiding that, even if it came with a price. The fee was 150B units a small cost for the anonymity. Here, I could slip through unnoticed, and that was worth far more than saving a few credits.
Aaron stepped toward the reception desk, pulling his hood lower to shadow his face. His smirk returned as he whispered to himself, "Let’s see if they live up to their name after all."