Boom! Boom! Thunder crackled and shook the ground.

Swish! Swoosh! The calm winds roared and uprooted trees.

The defaced half-moon hid as the grey clouds took over. Heavy downpour swept the bloodied plain as flashes of light appeared and disappeared as they clashed.

[Duration of Blessing is over]

Clench!

Drip! Drip! Drop!

Rain washed away the blood that fell from Yami's wounded hand. The continuous bombardment had demolished his golden armor into pieces, with only his half breastplate intact.

His legs trembled at the approaching darkness- darkness that erupted and seeped into the ground, turning everything devoid of life in a meter-wide radius.

The base of a long robe scraped the rocky ground as the rest fluttered in the air, coated in pitch-black darkness.

Foolish. Human. Do you. have a death wish?

The jaws that looked as if they would fall off any moment moved. The glowing blue eyes fell on Yami- freezing him as he fell on his knees.

This world is nothing but a cheap illusion. Become my servant, and I shall grant you power.

Tremble. Tremble.

An oppressive voice, strong enough to elicit fear in one's soul, rang inside his head as Yami's vision blurred.

'I feel tired-'

'How long has it been? A year? I feel sleepy-'

[You are now under Lich Bhak's command]

[Your resistance to mental curses has increased]

[Due to the curse, you will not retain any memories while being controlled]

Yami's body loosened and fell. Mud covered his face and coated his wounds.

Yes. Go to sleep. Submit yourself to me.

The eerie cackle echoed as vultures that took shelter under the cave waiting for a feast flew amidst the thunderstorm.

Follow.

Drifting like a ship in the ocean, Lich Bhak went inside the cave with Yami's body following him like a zombie.

The rain ceased, winds calmed down as the sun came from its hiding and shone brightly.

Sigh-

"He failed again. Shouldn't you start looking for someone else?"

"You know very well that he is all we have. There are no players here other than him."

A man revealed his face lifting his hood and shook his head as he let out a breath of disappointment.

"What happened?!"

"Nothing-"

"Baron Kun must have arrived. We must leave. There is nothing worthwhile here."

"Y-Yes."

"Should a Duke really be giving his commander a ride?"

The lady gently rubbed the horse's mane and giggled as she grabbed his hand and got up.

"You have changed. The Alice whom I met at the store was a mirror of you."

"Shouldn't I live my life to its fullest? After all, this world is going to end sooner or later."

The smile on his face faded. The man shifted his eyes towards the cave. "It's much better that way."

The horse neighed as he pulled the reins and left with a bittersweet face.

*** *** *** ***

Swoosh!!!

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

The capsule let out a jet of smoke as its lid opened. A man stepped out of it and wiped the sweat off his body with a towel nearby.

"What were the devs thinking while making that bastard?"

He looked up at the clock, then at the computer, and picked up a phone amongst many.

"Fuck!!!"

His face turned pale as he dialed.

"Hello? Boss- I can explain-!"

The man panicked as the phone slipped out of his hands and blacked out.

"Not this again-"

He grabbed one of the other phones lying down and rang again.

"Hello? Boss, It's me, Amir."

Eek!!!

Amir pulled the phone away from his ears and looked at the pile of clothes on his bed.

"No! No! No! Boss, I am outside, stuck in traffic."

He grabbed and pickled the closest shirt and pants he could find and put them on while on the call.

"No, I am outside. I am not lying."

His face flustered as he continued to clock at the clock. "Please!" He joined his hands and looked upwards.

"Why is there no sound coming? Where am I?"

His expressions darkened as he slowly pulled his phone away and covered it.

"Check the closest blocked route to the office and play the live footage."

"Hello, Boss, can you hear it?"

The honking of cars, people cursing one another, echoed in the closed space as Amir took a breath of relief and continued, "I had to turn off the settings on my phone."

(Road 29 is currently expressing traffic around ninety percent of its maximum threshold)

"Sir, I am in the middle of Road 29. It's packed in here. I might need to take another way."

"Yes sir, Yes sir. I will be there as soon as I can."

Amir fastened the buttons and put on his shoes. He threw the phone on his bed and grabbed one from the table.

"Eren, I am leaving. Take care. Don't you dare clean it? Remember last time? Well, see you in the evening."

Amir came out of his room and picked up his bag.

"Also, Fate said he was dropping by. So let him in."

Amir waved his hand and left. He went to the parking slot and got in a Blue Fetora X.

"Show me the fastest route."

The inside gave a bluish hue as the engines turned on, the meter near the steering rose. Amir grabbed the steering and pressed the gas.

"Switch to manual."

Screech!!!

Amir left the building campus and reached the highway.

Ring! Ring!

(You have one email)

Amir slowed down as he read the contents.

"Them! Again?!"

He, annoyed, closed it and continued to drive down the path shown on the screen.

(Mode set to automatic)

Amir let go of the steering and relaxed as he scrolled through his cell phone.

"Nothing worthwhile in the forums too."

He threw the phone at the back of his car and muttered.

"New information is valuable after all."

Amir stared outside the car for a few minutes before reaching his office.

He corrected his tie and checked himself in the mirror, and left.

He looked at the giant billboard and walked into the building, clenching his fist.

"Hope he doesn't fire me."

Amir showed his id to the monitor and walked towards his computer.

"Amir, where were you?"

A girl called Amir from behind. She had a flowery white top and a black skirt with shoulder-length black hair.

"Oasis again?"

She let out a mischievous smile and slapped his back, "Want me to give you a bus?"

"It's none of your damn business."

"Why not let go of those tiny things?"

"If you didn't stab me in the back for your quest, then I wouldn't be in this situation. Do you know how many times I failed to kill that Lich Bastard? Do you know how it feels to drink potions every minute?! I feel nauseated at its sight."

"I am forced to drink elixirs, antidotes, and whatnot. And it all happened because of you and your shitty third-grade quest."

The girl scratched her face feeling embarrassed, looked downwards, unable to meet his eye. "SSorry, I guess. I didn't know you would end up like this."

Amir sighed and regained his composure. "Don't feel sorry. You did what you had to do."

"Thank you-"

"But remember this, the moment I am out, I am going to hunt you down to level 1."

Amir sent a glare and pushed the door of the cabin.

"May I come in?"

"Yes, I was about to start without you."

The man on the chair got up and went to the whiteboard.

"We recently got a big project, but the client has some specific conditions."

"Those of you, who are playing Oasis, come here, write your name, level, race, and guild name."

Seeing the group's reaction, the man continued, "Those who are not willing can pack their things and go."

Gulp.

The environment tensed as Amir approached the whiteboard and grabbed the marker.

[Yami, 89, Z323LBEK (Human), none]

'As expected,' Amir noticed the bewilderment of everyone's face but ignored it and came back. The next was a guy wearing a casual white shirt and jeans.

[Dark, 138, M121LBEC (Human), Rising Sun]

And soon, everyone followed.

"So Yernica, followed by Hose and then Amir."

The man pulled his drawer and handed them each a file. "Go, and read it. If I found anyone sharing the contents of the file, then forget staying here anymore."

Amir returned to his workspace and opened the file.

[Project XXXXXX]

"Reeks of bullshit," he frowned and turned to the next page.

"More bs," he quickly skimmed through the file and banged his head on the table without drawing too much attention.

"I am fucked."

Amir rubbed his temples as he once again opened the last page.

[Objective: Gather information on Shadow Monarch]

Amir lied his head of the table and took out his phone.

"Hello?"