Ashwin found himself alone in a strange place, an underground dungeon filled with beasts that wanted nothing but to consume him. Yet he wasn’t angry at his predicament, even when his body was ravaged with hunger and injuries. No, the memories of his time with his friends, his loved ones, and the people who genuinely cared for him were the only thing keeping him from total collapse. He recalled his time in that strange new world, of being hailed as a hero who would save them all, yet in the end, he wasn’t able to save a single soul. No, he still remembered the face of that murderer, that bastard who destroyed everything that he loved. His face was ingrained in Ashwin’s psyche forever, taunting him of his failure.

Visions of that Man, that End Bringer annihilating his home swam in his mind. He saw that horrid thing burn down cities filled with crying citizens, he saw that monster slaughter his companions one by one, and then, at the end of it all, he saw the End Bringer destroy the very planet that he called home for the last seven grueling years. It was all gone now, all the happy memories were tainted with those images, a punishment sent forth by the True God so that Ashwin would never forget what he had failed to protect.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

He had become complacent, the Aspirant knew. He had assumed that his training and blessings would be enough to fall any foe, but he was woefully wrong. He was weak, and it was his friends that paid for his overconfidence. But the True God who sent him to that new world gave him one last chance to redeem himself. He was given one last chance in this strange new place to seek the revenge that he so desperately needed. Ashwin would grow stronger than ever before, stronger than even the lesser gods that blessed him.

He would do so for that chance to redeem himself and to avenge the fallen. Ashwin picked up his crudely made spear and proceeded to hunt down the beasts that dwelled in this hellhole. The God had allowed him to grow at an accelerated pace and had blessed him with abilities that he never dreamed of before, but Ashwin felt no joy in receiving those boons, for they came at a heavy cost. He would grow here, and when he emerged, the End Bringer will die by his hands.