A void of nothingness stretched across with no end. A lone figure was standing. Ray was standing in place with nothing but a dark mist blowing like the wind. Ray opened his eyes and was astonished to find himself here. He walked a few steps before stopping. A place that was devoid of anything. Was he alone? Slowly his memories started to come to him.

“Is anyone there?” ray shouted

Ray shouted loudly but could only hear the endless echoes through the void. No sound and nothing in sight Ray could only look at the void stretching to infinity with dark mist continuously blowing like the wind

"Just what is this? Is it a dream? It may but I somehow remember who I am. Is this a lucid dream?" he thought

Ray walked around and tried to gauge what was happening.

“Let’s calm down. Remember the training to never let my emotions run wild” he msused

"Looking everywhere I don’t see any end to this, just dark mist. I know I’m just walking into a nightmare. This always happens in movies. Maybe I should just stay in one place? I just don’t want to approach something that I don’t know anything about. If it will come for me anyway might as well just stay here" he thought

Ray concluded to stay in one place. He had a hunch. Has seen this kind of development in comics and manga. He would rather do the opposite and just sit here. Maybe clearing his mind would solve the predicament somehow.

Ray sat down in an agura pose while clapping his hand like he is praying. Ray did not intend to pray. He just liked the pose of the monks and it worked for him countless times when he had to concentrate on his studies. Thinking after everything has happened. Closing his eye to calm his mind was a shooting feeling. recalling past events

"It’s been an eventful life here in this world. So many things that don’t make sense. Magic, Monsters, and demons exist? Maybe gods exist as well who knows? People here are so diverse. So many species living in the same world. I was not prepared for anything. I don’t think I still am. People with practical skills are valued a little more than people with technical skills or maybe that's just my biased understanding as of right now. They call a literal storm filled with monsters a festival. I wonder then what dungeons are to them if these sky giants prevent them from happening. If they don’t consider a sky festival a calamity but a blessing. I can’t fathom a calamity. I’m just a teen with issues and trauma. Should I really pursue this ordeal?" he thought weighing his options.

With a smile on his face, Ray concentrated on his meditation as the dark mist streamed in the endless void

“No one said it would be easy but still the odds are not favoring me. Can’t use magic. I might be able to rely on my family but it will take some time to actually warm up to them. In the future, the only people, who will stand beside me are my family. I have to put aside our differences otherwise except for Avan everyone will die. I also get the feeling that nobody likes high humans. The look they always have if they see us always makes me uneasy.”

Ray continued to ponder over questions he had no answers to. Rather than escaping this place, it was calm and soothing to stay here. Ray saw the overpowered magic usage in a life-and-death situation while fighting that damn sky fish. By luck, he survived a suicidal plan against a monster. He was completely helpless.

“I definitely need to learn about all the customs and traditions of this city and kingdom. There might be many more stupid festivals that I don’t need to take part in unless I can confidently say I’m capable of surviving them. I need a damn map as well.”

Recalling things that he learned and what he has to Ray passed the time.

"This city is bigger than 600km in length give or take. An oval-shaped city called aquanus. Aside from that nothing much. I'm just curious if there has to be something that negates magic and all the bullshit. I am not independent enough to have some freedom to act but currently, I don’t even have the luxury. I have to abide by the family rules for now till I become a little self-sufficient. I need to get on my family's good side as well. I need to learn more.”

Time passed and Ray did not bother even trying to leave his place. An ominous set of eyes see Ray just sitting and not moving. In the darkness, these eyes are focused on Ray.

A cold chill ran down Ray’s spine.

"Someone watching me" his mind raced s he felt an ominous chill.

Ray had developed this sense in the training program. He had to kill actual people to survive the tests. It was brutal he nearly died in many encounters. All was done in a near-pitch-black environment. He developed a sixth sense through countless battle like that. Some how that experience still didi not fade away even with a new body as well as broken memories.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Ray wondered if he should start moving but his intuition told him just stay put.

“Let’s see if I could feel magic.”

He closed his eyes and concentrated to focus on his breathing and trying to feel if there was something more on a deeper level than his biology or something. He was nearly 100% sure there was zero chance he had something. The previous ray tried days and nights and even more but never succeeded in even doing magic. It was one of the memories that he had. Still, he tried.

[No harm in doing it again. Maybe I’m different now? After merging with the previous rayhein. My personality changed. Maybe for the better. I had no concern for my safety before. Even at that time I was planning on ditching both my brother and gill if the fish did not come for me and the plan failed.]

Ray put a stop to thinking and concentrated on trying to feel anything. Something felt like it was creeping into his body. Ray concentrated a bit more. A hand emerged out of thin air. A hand made of bones and ragged clothes grabbed ray neck.

“Ugh”

Ray could not see the one that was holding him. He struggled and tried to grab and break the arms hold but his hand passed right through him. He barely formed a sentence struggling as the grip was getting tighter.

“Watt are Y OUUU” th voice said. Barely able to utter words with a cold and reverting voice.

That creature was like a mist of darkness swirling around its entire figure

In a voice that did not seem human. A vocal sound that reverbed through the void. Ray nearly went deaf as it spoke.

“How are you alive? HOWWW Human”

With a slow pause, he said

“Youuuu. Who does not have it? Why is your spirit SO strong?”

Ray did not want to answer anything. There was something seriously ominous about this thing. Even responding would be stupid. Ray continued to struggle. Trying to break free and hit it using his legs.

[Fuck I can’t even touch it.]

Ray's throat was getting crushed slowly. He could not feel pain but somehow his will to struggle was fading away. His movement slowly started to slow down. It was as if he was paralyzed.

[I’m going to die. Anyone help PLEASE]

With teary eyes, Ray could not resist. He never felt so helpless. He could not even scream. At a moment's notice, a light covered the entire void. Covering everything in a blinding light.

==========================================================================================

In a room of the Ivan estate, a little cute girl was playing with some toys. A few maids were playing with her. She was not enjoying it as it was boring. Putting her doll away. She was none other than Lilly tepish dracule. Ray's little sister.

“Where is my blotehr avane. I wna play with him”

With a giggle and a cute smile, she asked the maids. Lilly still was learning the language so sometimes she said words a little differently. She was bored and wanted to spend some time with her brother. She always played every day with her small brother.

The maids were taken aback. All looking at each other.

Clair the oldest one was trying to figure out how to tell that both her brother was injured and resting.

“They are resting Dear Lily. Why don’t I get you some sweets? ”

All of the estate members knew what had transpired after 2 days had passed as the sky festival ended. Both General Ivan sons were injured after sneaking out and trying to catch those monsters. Ray had still not woken up. The other is recovering. The most astonishing thing is how Ivan did do something to punish anyone.

“But I wanna see blorther. I wana”

The cute little girl threw a tantrum and had a pouty sad face with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, dear. What should I do?”

Lilly was putting a cute little tantrum and the maid was in dismay at what to do. Another maid came close and whispered in her ear.

“Hmm, maybe that will work. We need to ask the head butler Han. Go and speak to him”

A maid went and exited the room to ask for Hans approval.

After a few minutes as the head maid Clair tried to console Lilly. She came back. Hans entered the room as well

“Mr Hans said he can take her to rayheins room. Avan was being treated right now by a mage”

The head maid asked Lilly

“Lilly, avan is busy getting healthy. Do you want to see master ray?”

“Na ahan”

She clearly denied it. She did not want to meet her big brother. She hated ray because he was mean and did not like her. He never treated her like a sister

“Lilly he is sleeping. You should visit him. He’s hurt badly. You can just check on him, sweetie. He has changed. He will not be mean.”

Most had seen some changes to ray. Especially the head maid. She had raised him along with his new mother. Clair thought

[He changed a lot during the past month. It was odd but ray was a reserved kid. After his awakening coronation at the age of 6, he changed completely. Maybe he finally accepted his faults and will move on and try to pursue something different.]

“Really?”

The cute little girl asked curiously with a pouty face.

“Yes really.”

Lilly made a nod with an affirmation and hans was right behind her.

“Let’s go little lady”

Hans held her in her arms and carried her. Lilly had a rare condition and was weak. So she was taken care of a lot.

Walking in the hallway they approached rays room. Hans sat Lilly beside ray on his bed. Ray was sleeping. Lilly was shy and looked at Hans grabbing his hand tightly. Hans wore a smile and told her.

“Did you know little Lilly? Your brother saved Avan and got hurt?”

Lilly had a cute astonished look. She did not say anything. Hans took out a fancy carved oval stone with marking on it. A dim light rose from its bottom and stooped at a certain mark. Hans was busy managing the affairs of the festival. he noticed the time and had to attend to a matter urgently.

“Lilly, could you stay here for a while? I will be back after I do an important errand”

The little girl nodded with a wobbling head in a cute manner. Lilly had a shy personality but she showed her cute self only to her family, hans and the head maid Clair

“hmmph”

Hans patted her gently on the head. He proceeded to head out of the room.

Lilly watched Ray a little. Ray seemed to twitch a little after Lilly was watching him. A voice emanated in her head.

“Here”

Lilly was shocked. She turned around but did not see anyone. Again she heard the sound but more clearly

“Come here”

The voice she heard was coming from a drawer opposite the bedside. The sound was coming from there. Lilly was curious and gullible so she stood up with her tiny legs and walked onto the bed. She then used ray as a stepping stone planting her foot on him and climbing across ray. Reaching the other side of the bed. Ray had sweat on his head and was mumbling something but Lilly could only hear the voice. She was drawn to the voice like a moth to a candle.

The drawer was barely open she used her tinny hand and opened it a little more

“HummppH”

She opened it a bit more. A tiny stone was glowing dimly.

“Grab me”

Lilly grabbed the stone.

“Talking stone?”

Lilly just grabbed the stone and sat on the bed. She looked at it. It was a green glowing rock. Lilly had a confused look.

“Put me on Ray”

“blorther?”

She was confused but did it anyway. A small glow illuminated the room. Lilly was surprised as the rock just lost all its color and glow after putting it on ray.

Ray jumped up in shock from his bed as he grabbed his throat. Coughing continuously. This scared Lilly a lot.

“WAAA”

She started crying”

“Huh, What? Lilly?”

Ray finally came to his sense. He saw Lilly crying and himself in the room. looking around

[It was a nightmare. What was that?]

A figure manifested in the room with being surrounded by fire that was white in color screaming in agony. Ray immediately saw that thing and covered Lilly’s eyes and ears as he held her in his arms trying to protect her. The grotesque and vulgar image of a ragged Skelton screaming loudly was standing in his room.

Ray had a serious look and was watching that thing

[I need to protect Lilly]