Here's the next part of chapter 1~
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he...vo...
Th...one...
He could hear some voice. He couldn't make out what it had mean as it seemed to resounded all over the place as if the voices was coming from some broken radio. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by the absolutely darkness. Still, there was something wrong with his mind that kelp him from panicking even as he seemed to floating all around in this dark space like it was how it should be. He didn't understand why but he seemed to have trouble keeping himself stayed conscious. Strangely, he didn't mind that one bit. It felt like this was where he's belonged and he just came back home, "true home" now. That was how comfortable he felt being there. He felt good so he relaxed, drifting in and out of conscious every now and then.
...But...
He wasn't allowed to rest in piece (lol. I wonder if this could be counted as some sort of pun?) even here. The voice just kelp getting loader and loader, ringing in his ears. At some point, he couldn't ignore it anymore and was forced to listen to it.
...Oh...u...heard...vo........yet...........self...
The voice became clearer and easier to make out. Though it still didn't have a place in his mind yet as he simple didn't care. And almost in tow with the voice, somehow he felt he could gather his thought easier. With the voice ringing in his ears and his mind wandered around paying almost no mind to the voice as he busily have a detour over his memories. At some point, his frustrating because of some unpleasant memories finally successfully snapped him out of his dream like state that the voice had failed to do.
He opened his eyes again, this time with his soul actually in it, though he still dazed a bit. He had finally realizing how weird the place he was in now. He tried to move but couldn't at all as he seemed to just floating around aimlessly. He didn't understand what had happened to him. He tried his best to gather his most recent memories. ' I was going for a jog...met an annoying kid...went home...and what?'. He panicked, he couldn't remember what happened after that. At this point, he knew it is silly but he couldn't help flailing his body around in whatever ways possible to make sure he was really alive. And he heard the voice again. And maybe it was because he had "sobered up" or whether because he was desperate, he could perfectly understood what the voice said now: "Thee who heard this one's voice. Thee whose this self have been seeking and waiting for ever since forever. Thee whose existence had been established yet? Hear my voice and answer this humble self? Are thee answer my dying self or not?" His words and sentences was quite weird, it like he was a foreigner trying to speak his language. Still, before he even able to comprehensive what had been said, he relied "Yes!" almost right away. He was too panicked to thinking properly now. Whoever this voice belonged to, he unconsciously hoping that person to save him, getting him out of this darkness as soon as possible. Then everything turned silent. He almost had a heart attack. In this darkness that devoured all hope and beyond, even the unknown voice, his only hope had disappeared. Fortunately, before he could have any dramatically reaction for that, the voice rang out yet again, sounding more exciting than ever. "Really, are I dreaming? Thou really did exist?" He mused. "I'm not quite sure of what you had meant but yes, I'm exist." The voice cheered, weakly. Because of the not very good quality of this voice which still seemed to come out from an overly used radio, it's hard to make out the voice owner's age. But now he was sure the voice was coming from an old man, judging from the weakly cheering sound just now. Still, he paid it no mind as he get to the main point: " Can you please get me out of this place? It is too creepy!" no kidding, he can't think of anything but got the hell outta there NOW! "...Uhm, thou... Do you mean you got stuck in some dangerous place now? Could you be so kind as to provide me some information about that place so that I can help you?" The voice...the old man seemed to change his ways to speak every sentences. But whatever, it felt more comfortable this time anyway. "I don't know where I am. This place is very dark, everything is black. There are nothing here that I could see or make out. And I am floating... I'm not sure... But I can't feel any things supporting me. I can't even feel the ground!" he said trying to get out as much information as possible in this nothingness. "Huh, that's weird. Wait a bit..." This time his speech formality had completely all gone. He mused again. The old man didn't say anything for a while enough to make him almost died of anxious. "I think I know where you are but I'm not sure. The place I think you are currently at only exist in one of my theories. No one had proven it truly exist yet. Though except this place I don't know of any other place that fit your...unique descriptions." the old man said. Now it was worried and...amused? "So...where do you think am I currently at?" he asked the old man and unlike him, he obviously not amused at all. He only cared where the hell had he ended up now. "I think you are...at the Neither World..." "What? And what exactly is this place?" he asked. He had a bad feeling about this. As a professional bookworm, he surely had read and watched things that mentioned these kind of situations. To him, these kind of set up could only happened in a fictional products. He was a realist and had as much common senses as any realist person. Everything had been weird enough to him. These situations are something others dreamed of and even him, sometimes, did too. But fantasizing about it and it's actually happened are two completely different matters! " Uhm... I'm not sure how to put this. And I'm not sure if my understanding of this world is even accuracy. Like I said, no one were even sure or have proven the existence of this world or the like... But, well, let's just say that this is the space between world..." " No way! And how do I even ended up here?!" He couldn't help screaming out again. This is not funny at all! His mind started to running wild with all the possible scenario that might or might not happen to him at all. He and his delusion... realistic delusions to be exact. As he clutching his head and making all sorts of face in whatever his imagination lead him to, the old man spoke again. " About that, I think it was my fault. No, not really...ehh. Well, at least partly my fault..." His voice seemed to trail off and a bit guilty. He snapped upon hearing that. " What do you mean?" He asked. His eyes gave up a dangerous glint. Don't tell me all this rubbish is all thanks to him...? "Ehh... You know... I kinda tinkering with the void between dimension..." "And that's how I ended up here?!" He shouted in rage, not even bother to let the old man finished his sentences. "You... Are you those kind of crazy men that do forbidden research without caring of consequences and dragging innocents into it like it's none of your business?! You are, don't you? That's why I am here, right?! Gyaaaaaaaa~ ..." "...Damn it!!! I should have known it! After all, in this space there're only you and me and you're obviously the capturer and I'm the captured!!! Oh damn it, damn it...no, damn you!!! You better get me out of here quick!" and he started glaring all around as if hoping to somehow pierce his "supposed" captor to death when his eyes passed by him alone. "Uhh... Hold it right there. You misunderstood me badly. Ehh~ I admit the fact that you're at where you are now might be my fault but...kuh, I absolutely don't have any bad intend! I am just an old man searching for a suitable inheritor to pass my knowledge on!" Steaming in anger, he said through his teeth: "Inheritor to pass on. your knowledge? Ok, that's fine and all. But again, how come I ended up here!" To hell with you, if you don't give me a properly explanation or the way for me to get the hell outta here, you gonna...uhh, sadly, it's not like I could do anything to him! This is frustrating! ...No, wait a second! Does this mean I am completely in his mercy?! What if he just ignore me?... I am going to be trapped in this hell of nowhere forever?! He turned pale, if he could get any paler. ....... ..... ... Isn't this kind of quiet? He suddenly realized the old man hadn't spoken anything for a while now ever since his quite rudely retorted. He started to sweat bullets in his mind. No way, it can't be right! He... He left? Am I being abandoned?...In this place? In this silent, he finally was reminded how much the old man's voice help in keeping his sanity this whole time. Ever since he awoken by this old man's voice, he had been talking with him until now and thus helping got distracted from his surrounding. Now that the old man had gone, all that left at his place was just an endless of pitch blackness. It's so quiet and empty that he felt like being devoured by the void of space itself. Such enormous and terrify feeling almost drove him insane. Yes, almost. His savior had come back and said with a guilty voice: "I'm sorry for troubling you like this. But could you listen to this old man last request?..." "Last request?" he felt relieve that the old man had come back. This is not good. This..this is just plainly forcing me, right? It's not like I could refuse risking the fact that I will very likely to be abandon! " And where had you gone until now?" "You see... I checked my work. I was looking for someone to pass all my knowledge on and I finally found that person..." " You...you mean...me?" why me? he scream in his mind. "Yes, it's you!" His voice seemed to get higher and sounded more excitingly. Damn. I knew it. He won't let me get away without inherited that something knowledge of him!... But, it's not sounded as I would lost anything, right?...Okay, gotta calm down first! "Uhm...could you please explain to me just what is that knowledge that you keep on insist to pass on?" I gotta find out as much as possible about this suspicious deal first! "I'm happy that you had calmed down. You see, the knowledge I want to give you is special. I had searched for years but couldn't find anyone suitable to hold it. I had spent my whole life researching magic. Rune, spell, anything as long ad they have something to do with mama. I had accomplish a lot even in my opinions which is something I proud of. I was really happy and satisfied...until..." he talked in a cheerful and blissful tone then suddenly he stopped and signed: "... I got a new idea..." "New idea?" he was stunned after what he just heard but still able to continue the conversation put of reflex. "Yes, and I got totally hooked with it. I had spent...uhm...more than 50 years for this project. And fortunately, I had completed it before I died. Yes, before I die, I really am lucky. Haha. But that's the problem...ha~" the old man stopped a bit before continued: This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "I had forget a very important thing which might throw away all of my life long efforts... Do you want to guess what it is?" " Ugh, well, uhm... Don't tell me..." could it be... "a successor?" It's quite obvious, he'd been going on about that for a while now. "Bingo! ...haha... I actually forget something as important as that and only threw myself in non-stop research. And now I don't have much time left to live to teach it to others the traditional ways..." his voice seemed to be filled with regret. "So I thought of another way: by making use of my best research project : "Directly Transferring and Imbedding Information". It's quite complicating so I'm not sure if you could understand even if I explain it now and it's not like it's important anyway. In short, it can help one store their knowledge on a certain object and in reserve other can learn that knowledge through that object too! Of course, not everyone can learn a certain something so I put on a restrictions on the spell for that magic. Before it allow one to learn the knowledge in a certain storing object, that object will automatically perform a spell that checked the potential and quality of that person to see if he fit to learn that knowledge. If they do, it will transfer the knowledge into their head and if they are not, it won't react. That's way, we can make sure people won't die from overload of information in their head! Incredible, right? I'm sure with this newest invention of mine, people's life would become most easier!... Sadly, I'm out of time before I could send the researching report to the Kingdom... Haha" he laughed bitterly. I have a bad feeling about this. "Making use of the theories of that technology, in this case, the restriction one. I set up a very strict standard: a mind strong enough to contain that massive knowledge in magic I gained through out my whole life. After setting the standard, I searched for the suitable person to learn it...but I found none, for ten whole years..." the old man stopped again and like he took a long breathe, he continued: "What's your name? My hope?" "Re-Red Ivory." Red answered hesitantly. He felt uncomfortable. He certainly pity the old man. From what he could tell, this old man is not a bad person at all and he couldn't help but held some respect for him. But before that, most of his thought was being occupied by another thing now. He knew what happened to him right now was so surreal that if it hasn't happen right in front of his eyes as he was the victim he would just think of it at some fiction of some dreamers. First, he was suddenly at a unfamiliar creepy empty space. Then he heard the man's voice ask him to be his successor. And what? Really? A successor inherited his MAGIC! 'MAGIC!' that was the word ringing in his mind for quite a while now ever since he realized what the old man want of him. "So..." the old man said, his voice filled of anxiousness and worrisome " Do you wish to take after the legacy of an dying old man and continue his quest on enlightening the world?" Red loved magic, any type of entertainment that involving the concept of magic: fairytale in his childhood, cartoon as he grew older, and books at the present. So when he heard he's going to get that from this old man, his brain go bump. He's no longer able to think properly about pros and cons, this or that a sane man should think of in his position. All his rational thought and common senses just...gone! 'Magic! Like hell I would let this chance go!' "I agree! I'll take your offer me honorably! Bring it on!" The old man let out a sniffle sound like he hold back his crying. And said in a voice over flow of happiness: "This... Since the amount of information I'm going to transfer to you is really huge, I couldn't fine a single person compatible with it in a whole ten years after all. Haha, so the rebound might not feel very pleasant. Ah, by the way, look like we have different language so we had to come from different places. That's a problem since almost all my magic incarnation and other knowledge was in my language so I'll throw in the knowledge of my language too. This will cause a greater stress for you in the loading process but I doubt it would make most difference compare to the ordinary massive magical knowledge." "I got it." " Then repeat after me this incarnation 'Tai sedue be ga di whu gou tu. Yue ou poka de seduen!' after I finished my own incarnation" Red nodded with a "yes, sir!" while reciting the previous non-sense words in his mind. "Hal de dail, ga Ta mou gou, ga zail la lie thud tan thamn ne!" Red in turn spoke out his part: " tai sedue...ga gou yu?" and he stopped. "Could you repeat my part of the incarnation again?" Red said his face flushed lightly. "Uhm, fine... Here goes..." After a good seven painful times of trials and errors, they finally finished that ritual with Red ended up with a face as red as his own eyes. "I guess this is good bye." the old man said. For some reason, Red imagined the old man having a wry smile while saying that. "Huh? What? Why?... Don't tell me..." Red stopped, his eyes opened widely. "Judging from your tone, you most have realized what's going to happen to me, huh? Hehe... Young one, you don't have to feel sad for me. I'd already grown old after all. All my life I dedicated to research, I had done a lot and missed out a lot of fun every normal people could have... Like go on an adventure, finding our very own soul mate... Well, but I'm fine with that. After all, my inventions, my discovered did good things to other fellow people. I am satisfied with that. My greatest project I'd been doing for more than half a century will not go wasted and ended up in another youngster with great mind. I'm sure you would use those heart and soul of mine to do good for people. Haha... My life is fulfilling. I couldn't ask for a better life. Uhm~ It's finally time. For the last time, I thanks you a thousand times. Thank you for existing, my successor. And thank you for accepting this selfish wish of mine. It'd been a really long time since I last talk to someone. I had a lot of fun, really... It's time... Good bye, dear Red Ivory..." Tears flowed down on Red cheeks. He was speechless. He had heard the old man was going to die soon but he didn't think much of it before. Now that he had gone, he couldn't help feeling sad. It was short, but the old man was quite nice toward him. And his last words, even though the old man said he had good life, Red could feel he was denying his regret. Red imagined a man did his all to help other in the shadow, discarding all of his other worldly desires, his chance to have fun like any other normal person. He was cleary lonely and sad, just like me. The space around Red suddenly distorted. The black space around him turned white in a blink of an eye. He suddenly felt a bit lost, weaker and more vulnerable. But that's only happened in an instant before pain assaulted him. First was his head, he felt like his brain was going to explore. He saw unknown images keep flashing in front of his mind, unknown sound assaulting his ears. He felt like that tortures keep going on for hours or days nonstop. He thought he was going crazy sometimes but then something pleasantly sooth him, helping calmed down only to feel the full blown of agony seconds later. Gradually, the pain in his head fading. He finally able to open his eyes and panted hard like his his airs going to be stolen away if he's not quick enough. As he felt better, he started to see better. The space around him no longer pure white like before but was flickering in mass of black and white. As a closer look, he could see that that the black was spreading out. As an even more closer look, he thought it was the white that was leaving making it felt like he was moving toward the black space... or he might really was. And it was weird, he thought, as the more the black enveloped him, the more he felt better. He felt easier to breathe. His body felt healthier. His muscles felt more refine. But he didn't had the chance to think of the reason. All of a sudden, in his mind, a question raise above completely separated from his thought, like it was another person thought, even though it was inside his head. Do you want to get out of the summoning zone? "Summoning zone? And what the hell is this?" He couldn't help speaking out his thought. As Red stood there for a while pondering what to do, he thought he indeed need to get out of this space. He tried focusing on that offer in his head and to his surprise, a screen like object suddenly appear in front of himself. Do you want to get out of the summoning zone? It got the same question he had "saw" in his mind. He was quite taken aback but not much. What could surprise him most with all the unrealistic things that had befallen on him until now? Red hesitantly toughed the screen like object but gasped a bit when his hand passed through it. He stood still for quite another while pondering what to do next then an idea hit him. He knew it was silly but still tried anyway. He focused at the sentence on the screen, read it once again and tried to will "Yes". He closed his eyes expectantly for a few seconds before opening his eyes again. To his disappointment, nothing seemed to change. He sighed as he tried to think what to do next again but was stopped in his track. Before he knew it, the black and white space around him had changed completely. He was standing in an orange wooden house like structure. He was standing in the middle of an open space in the house. There was a table and a chair in the corner, a bookshelf next to it with a few books on it. There was a window at the side so he walked to it. He slowly but carefully looked outside. And his jaw dropped. In was currently night time here, but it was not important. The wind was flowing abnormal strong indicating there might come a storm soon, but it also not important. In the dark sky you could see anywhere as long as it was night time laid an abnormality that couldn't get any weirder. Red felt like he's going to faint any moment now. His legs went unsteady, his mouth twitching, his eyes moisten. In front of his eyes, on the dark blue sky, there laid two giant blue moon. They was a mesmerize beautiful sight enough to melt even the most harden heart but not Red. Not in this situation. As least not to a person coming from a world which only has one little puny silver moon! Red could only helplessly fell on his kneels. He at first muttered something incomprehensibly then gradually his voice came back: He screamed on the top of his lungs: "What the hell is going on~~..." His voice echoed through the house, into the forest, the mountains and fading into the night. ------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone~ please tell me if you understand what I'd written. I am worry. No one bothered to vote for my previous chapter making me wonder if there was anyone reading my story. Or maybe there was but found it's boring and left... I hope not. Please tell me if the pace is too slow, also tell me my mistakes if possible. I know I make a lot of mistakes but I'm not sure where or how to fix it. Well, that's all. Thanks for reading! Remember! Every feedback received would make me overjoy! Be it's advices or criticisms, I'm happy with either of them!