'Huh? Where am I?'
Alab recalled dozing off somewhere in the Planet Dem. He was supposed to wake up beside Nathan and Steven but as he opened his eyes, the bleak scenery magically turned enchanting as golden jewelries luminously filled his sight.
Furnished blond walls with pinned portraits of royalties lured Alab's mystified eyes as his vision zoomed in towards the paintings. Apparently, he was walking forward.
Alab felt something was off.
'How am I walking? I didnt want to walk!'
He appeared to have lost control of his body as no matter how he tried to prevent himself from walking, his vision remained closing in to the portraits.
No matter how he tried, he couldnt control his actions. As if his body had a life of its own, his right hand was lifted in the air as it gripped a dagger.
The portrait that displayed an old man with white beard dripping an inch from his chin, golden eyes that seemed to have dominated thousands of lives, conceitedly looking back at the observers, and whose long golden hair covered the back of his head to his neck, was arrogantly sitting in a red throne.
Standing in his left side was a modest old woman whose glamour betrayed her age. Despite emitting a parental vibe, her appearance tell Alab that she could be a college student as pores were not apparent in her small face. Her smile soothing one's soul, spewing harmony with the old man's arrogant attitude.
Above all, what made Alab doubt his very existence was the otherworldly beauty of the young girl in the right side of the man. Her long golden gown stimulated her beauty that bewitched Alab's soul.
Her silky smooth golden hair that fell down to her waist seemed to toss off the balance in the two person's ambiance. Her golden eyes enchant someone to the core, kindling a desire to serve her.
Alab was stunned for a moment, no longer minding how he lost control of his body. He was living in the moment and had fallen in the beauty of the young girl in the portrait.
'She is a living Princess', Alab was mistified.
A gentle and charming voice pulled Alab out of the enchanted pit he had fallen into.
"Who are you?", the gentle voice of a girl resounded.
Unconciously, Alab's body looked back towards the source of the charming voice. His sight satiated with the godly beauty of the princess he was adoring just a second ago.
Seeing her upclose, Alab couldnt help but melt by her lethal beauty.
'She looks more beautiful in person'
Only when a familiar voice of a man resounded did Alab figure out the situation.
"I am here to kill you, princess", a husky voice of a man pricked his ears.
Alab was fully aware of the source of that voice. It was coming from his body or rather, the body he was dwelling in.
'This, have I possessed someone else's body?!', Alab speculated
He was figuring out why the voice felt familiar. It was a voice he had converse with for a while now, still, he couldn't figure out who.
The princess covered her mouth, shocked as she witnessed the man before her lift the coal-dyed hood that covered his face. Once unfold, the princess only took a short time before she heaved a sigh and recollected her composure.
After all, she was raised in a strict environment where composure was valued above all.
"Mister Villain, Ive been meaning to ask this of you for a while now. And now that a chance has present itself, now that we finally meet, may I ask...*breathe*"
The Princess took a deep breath as she closed her golden eyes. Her curvy body dressed up in tight rosy gown danced along the cold breeze of the night that proceeded to barge in from the opened windowpane behind Alab.
As she unfolded her eyes, she gazed intently at the body that Alab dwelled in, right into the man's eyes.
"What is it that you're seeking? Redemption? Revenge? What is it that our people have done? Is your reason enough to kill thousands of our people and obliterate cities after cities?", still cloaked with composure, the princess raised her every concern as her eyes locked gaze with the man's. Her hopeful eyes yearning for reasonable answer from the villain.
Alab was confused by the sudden episode rolling before his very eyes. As he speculated, the young girl was indeed a princess and the body he had possessed was a villain.
'Villain, why does his voice feels so familiar? Heck, I am not acquainted with any villain!', Alab pondered.
As Alab remained lost in his mulling over, the atmosphere in the room grew colder.
"I believe I am not obliged to answer your queries, dear princess, after all, Im not one of your subjects nor a citizen of this world.", paused the villain.
"Besides, explaing to a person fated to die would be a waste of time, dont you think? KIKIKIKI", the husky voice brought horror to Alab's soul.
Bloodlust abruptly oozed out his body as it shot towards the princess. At that moment, Alab was certain that the villain was planning to kill the princess without hesitation.
Much more, as he was dwelling inside the body of the man, Alab could somehow feel endless hateful emotions surging within the man. Alab couldnt help but feel conflicted on which side to take.
'This much hatred, just what did this man has gone through?', Alab pondered as the blazing hatred was scorching his soul.
"If fighting you means saving my people from prospect peril, I would not hesitate to kill you", the princess muttered as she withstood the piercing bloodlust going her way.
Her hands clasped together as she raised her arms to her chest level, she extended it forward, palms open as she glared back at the villain.
The princess was determined to fight the villain. She had no time to call for reinforcement nor help, alas, she even doubt that the knights would be able to help her. Despite the tight security in the castle, the villain was able to pass through and even sneak to her room.
She was certain that this fight was already concluded before it even began. After all, a princess with no fighting skills, could only play kidfight against the villain who could stand at equal ground with the hero.
'I should not let this sacrifice be in vain, a fatal injury, I should at least give him an injury he could not recover from!', the princess pondered as she then activated her skill.
The divinity that began to encircle her body ceased in a blink of an eye as the villain ahead of her vanished. The next second, a large force hit her nape as strength departed her body. Her vision turned blurry as she lost consciousness.
"KIKIKI, it seems that you are worth something after all, KIIKIKI", snickered the villain, the unconscious princess embraced in his hand.
His azure eyes dazzle with flames as a translucent screen filled his sight.
[Name: Selena Athens
Level: 87- Fifth Awakening
Exp: 5%
HP: 60/70
Mana: 80/80
Attributes:
Strength: 73
Endurance: 82
Agility: 83
Intelligence: 222
Stat points: 0
Talents:
Divine Healing (SS) (Active)
- The god of healing has chosen you as the successor of his divine art.
Mp Cost: 100
Cooldown: 5 hours
Regression (SSS) (One-time use)
- You can now mess with fate. Regress an individual to the past and rewrite history. Can be used one time only. A severe lashback will be inflicted in the user for playing with fate.
.....
... ]
'SS-grade?! Again!!!'
Peeking at the translucent screen as the villain, Alab couldnt help but perk up at the unravelling of another S-grade and above skills. He couldnt help but question the A-grade termed as the strongest skill all this time.
Alab felt the hatred gradually subsiding as the villain tucked his dagger back to his belt. He then gently places the unconscious princess Selena in the chair.
Hours passed after that with the villain behavely sitting in the chair opposite the princess whilst Alab mulling over the familiarity in the man's voice.
Selena regained her conciousness. A dark rope forged from undead energy tightly tied her body to the chair. She was certain that the villain overpowered her earlier. Confusion flashed in her face as she wondered why the villain didn kill her.
Soon after, she got her answer.
"That Regression skill, use it on me", the villain demanded as the rope constricted more. Selena felt her insides being squeezed as suffocation barged her.
"How did you know about that skill?!", composing her self, Selena was dubious. It was simply impossible for the villain to know about her power when she never publicized it. She even kept it a secret to the King and Queen.
'There could only be one reason...', she pondered
"So the rumor is true, you can indeed look through other's status window"
Selena gulped at the horror of such power. All their efforts of unravelling the villain's prowess came into her mind and on how tough they had been trying not to leak a bit of information of their skill to the outside less it reach the villain.
"So all our efforts are in vain, huh", discouraged, Selena lowered her head. Her mouth curved as she recalled the senseless death of her people.
"I will never use that skill on you!"
The entire time, the villain remained silent and simply watched Selena flashed a pained expresion. With each constriction of the rope, Selena's breathing became heavier.
"I wont repeat myself thrice, use that skill on me else I will murder more of your people"
"What for? Just so you can regress and get stronger? Then what? Invade our world again and kill us?", retorted Selena as she squirmed but it was futile, the rope was rigid.
"I will only use this skill for the Hero!", bravely, she added.
"KIKIKIKI, I was initially planning to kill you but it seems that that could wait until I coax you to use that skill on me. KIKIKI, Selena, you know that I am not the biggest threat of this world", the villain paused as he stood.
Alab's vision went higher once more as the villain was a 190 cm tall man. The rope restraining Selena disintegrated into pieces as she gasped for air shortly.
'Please do not look at me with that furious eyes!', pondered Alab
Selena glared at the villain's eyes. The latter went to the opened windor. The cold breeze caressed his dark hair.
With his back facing Selena, the villain declared.
"I shall come back. When I find a means to coax you, I, the villain, Nathan Fury, shall return. KIKIKIKI", the villain declared as his body dispersed into the darkness of the night.
Alab couldnt help but shiver upon hearing the villain's words...
"Nathan...?! That villain is Nathan Fury?!"
----
"Nathan!"
"Dont yell my name like a madman"
Alab opened his eyes once more as the unusual episode earlier ended. The azure moon and darkness of the night along the dreary area greeted him.
"Was that a dream?!", Alab pondered as he released a succession of ragged breath. His heart still pounding at the revelation of the villain's name.
Before him, the confident stature of Nathan stood. His eyes glaring at the azure moon as he bathed in its moonlight.
Alab stared at Nathan's red-hued back, his mind running as his heart raced.
"Nathan... Just who are you?", Alab murmured.