In this world, I was reincarnated. Unfortunately, not in the different world but on the same place my story was tainted by the very own people I protected my whole life.
"Nero, huh? That's a cool name." Noah replied.
"This brat, can we really count on him?" Vanessa butts in, looking at me with her doubtful eyes.
"He is probably more reliable than you." Diego brushes my hair while laughing loudly.
"Oh? So I guess you want me to burn you alive?" Vanessa fights back.
These looks like they're about to clash everytime they meet eye to eye.
"Stop it, you two. Be a good mentor to him." Noah says as he smiled at the group.
"So your specialty is... Your eyes?" Noah kneeled as looks at me confused. He was deeply observing in my eyes, to the point he was gonna be an inch away from me.
"That's right. Apparently, the person I was born with advantage in my vision. The ability of sight as well with my double senses." I replied to him.
"So you're more sensitive to senses compared to us?" Old lady Fen strikes a question as she crosses her arm.
"You could say that. I can see things faster than average." When I said that, the group hums in unison.
"Not bad, kid." Noah cannot help but to feel a sense of relief.
I found these bunch of oddballs outside the tower when I first arrived this place.
They were undecided on wether they should enter or not.
When I was born in this body, I was an aristocrat. But I didn't let that get over me and proceeds to train my body to its absolute limit.
When my siblings fought over the the heir, I was busy pursuing ways to improve myself.
I had times where I was near death during my training and faced countless of struggles in this life as well.
Wether it may be royalty or battle. Because of that, I know I wasn't straying from my original path.
But this time, I wasn't going for the credit.
The eyes of Otto flashes into my memory.
My grip tightens as I remember the face of a traitor.
This time, I will make sure everyone reclaims their debt.
"This is probably the time everyone enters this tower?" Says old lady Fen.
"That's right. For everyone else case that is. I have climbed this tower once but I went back." Noah's expression shifted into a more serious demeanor.
It seems that he has recollection or history with this place.
"Why is that?" Vanessa was the first one to ask first.
"My comrade, and lover fell in the hands of one of the boss." His expression turns grim.
In my knowledge during my gatherings, as soon as I died. A large vile of corruption befall on the very own tower I died on, placing an impending curse towards the soil that devastated the kingdoms near the tower.
This caused the people to evacuate and move onto a place far from the notorious tower.
The tower consist of challenges, puzzles and bosses that rivals even the strongest.
They can vary from lesser lord to the face of death.
Only the capable beings blessed by the heavens have made their way towards the peak of this tower.
"This time, I promise." Noah's eyes shows a hint of anger as his burning passion to enter this tower once again grew even more.
As the group enters, they pass through a passage of smooth stone. Upon reaching in the end, we all see a white light emiting from it.
"Here goes nothing." Noah said before passing through the light.
The rest were hesitant to enter as the door seems to seperate the sound from the two area.
As we enter the light, we were welcomed by the warm breeze and the daylight of the sun and the chirping of the birds.
"This is the...?" Vanessa holds onto her staff tightly, feeling uneasy.
"The first floor, the forest of the damned." Noah narrates.
"The forest of the damned?" Diego asked.
"Yeah. The forest of the damned. Famously known to be the graveyard of most challengers climbing this tower. As the first floor normally starts as a tutorial. This place is not the case." Noah added.
"Everyone, be cautious." Noah's veins starts popping in his face and his arms as he pulled out his greatsword.
Noah is pissed.
"Arms loaded." Old lady Fen smashes her gauntlet.
"I got you, Noah." Diego grinned while positioning himself behind Noah.
"I... I'll do my best." Vanessa was uncomfortable as she says it uncertainty.
As the group travels through the forest. Screams coming from random directions pierces through.
Vanessa can't help but to shiver.
As the group reached the first stopping point of the forest. They encountered a waterfall just below them.
Noah peeked at the bottom of the waterfall to see a clear bodies of water with an equal ground to it.
In the right, they saw a pathway full of vines.
While the left pathway shows a lot of withered leaves.
"Where should we go?" Old lady Fen looked at Noah.
"Our best bet is the right pathway. Withered leaves never was a good sign. We can reach the bottom of the forest if we take this path." Noah looked back at the group.
However, he was surprised when a rhino suddenly appeared charging behind the group.
The rhino was wearing a strange garment but most noticeable is that it was invisible at first.
Which made it surprising when it suddenly showed charging at us.
Those movements caused the group to be shaken.
"Everybody! Dodge!" Noah shouted.
Old lady Fen turned back, surprised to see a rhino charging at her but she quickly grabbed Vanessa who was stunned in the face of danger.
"Snap out of it, Vanessa!" The two rolled to the right pathway as old lady Fen was covering Vanessa not to get hit by any hard object disregarding her own safety.
"Fen! Vanessa!" Noah looked at his companion rolling into the vines.
"Not so fast, buddy!" Diego rushes in and swings his war hammer towards the rhino's horn.
But that was a mistake, the horn is known to be rhino's strong points as it is very solid.
"Diego no!" Noah screamed at Diego.
But it was too late.
Diego's war hammer was caught in the rhino's horn as it charges towards Noah.
The rhino swings it head towards the left side which sends Diego and his war hammer away.
"Diego! Damn it." Noah grit his teeth while holding his greatsword.
The rhino's eyes shines in vermilion as its speed and strength doubles along with its size.
Noah was caught off guard by this sudden power up and barely blocked the rhino's horn just in time as the two falls on the waterfall below them.
"No! This can't be!" Noah's voice echoes as they fall.
Old lady Fen and Vanessa weren't safe either as they were pulled by the vines in the right pathway only having no options but to scream for help.
Diego screamed as he was swirled by the tornado on the withered zone.
That leaves me who saw the rhino first and managed to avoid it. I was hiding in the bushes the entire time.
I got out of the bush and started picking the leaves on my body.
I thought that was it until I looked back.
A sharp projectile passes through which almost hit me in the eye. It was hair's breadth.
I almost got blinded by that.
I tried to search where the arrow landed and found it stuck on one of the trees.
I picked it and observed the end to see tip dripping in poison.
Suddenly a flute started playing bizzare sound.
The rustling of the vines moving closer to where I was made me wary.
In the west part of the forest a group of green monsters were swinging in the vines while holding a blowgun.
"Goblins!" Their screech irritated my ears as they use their blowgun to shoot darts at me.
My eyes tried its best to identify the numbers of the darts coming through me but it was hard as vines were causing the trees to shake making the leaves fall as they swing through.
That made it harder for me to see.
All I could do now is to rely on my reflex and intuition.
I closed my eyes.
Normally, this would be a very stupid move since closing your eyes in battle would put you in a disadvantage which will result you death. But I, possess an ability which helps me to sense things more accurately.
Meaning if I focus enough, I can amplify my senses.
And closing your eyes makes you more focused as it lessens the input you put in your brain causing you to relax.
The black imagery in my mind suddenly shows a certain amount of circles portraying a figure.
I took my intuition along to deduce it as the darts and dodges them.
Luckily, I manage to dodge them all without having a graze in my body.
Acting quick I looked around at my surrounding to find a weapon and remember the arrow that was shot at me earlier.
Noticing it's in my hand. I gripped it and throws it at one of the goblins with the intent to kill.
It pierces through one of the goblin's head which sends it to fall on the ground rolling.
The other goblins shriek as they saw their fellow being lie lifeless on the field.
Suddenly, they all went down and puts their blowgun away.
"Human! Food!" One of the goblin said.
"Food? You vile creatures." I looked at the monsters with disgust as I carefully examines the situation.
"You're different." A muscular goblin taller than the rest suddenly appears as it unveil itself through its cloak.
"Was that an invisibility cloak?" I asked myself.
"Are you the one who sent the rhino as well?" I observed this strange goblin's feature.
Its has a well structured body, black cape and the menacing aura makes it distinct among the rest.
"Rhino? Yes, if that's what you humans call it." It smirked at me while maintaining an eye contact.
"You see we goblins go way back before the time of Otto." The goblin stepped on its dead fellow.
"What did you just say?" I suddenly felt my insides burning in hatred as I heard that person's name once again.
"You heard me. Before Ott-" before it could even finish its sentence a flame combust in its face.
Unfortunately, he managed to deflect it with its cloak.
A magical cloak that can deflect magical projectile and cast invisibility to user? That's a useful item.
I touched my plain cloak and clearly see difference.
"If I can have something like that..." I cannot help but to admire such an item and my desire to steal it from this goblin becomes stronger.
But that's not the point.
"Don't you dare utter that bastards name to me." I found my right hand shaking in anger as the flame on it slowly vanishes.
"It seems like you have a history with that man." The goblin cannot help but to laugh.
"You're quite an interesting fellow." It added.
"But you also have something within you. Yet you don't have a staff." The strange goblin grabs its cloak and sways it on the side showing its muscular body at me.
"You see... We males love to assert dominance over another one." He lowers himself in a position of lunging.
In a matter of seconds, he plunge himself towards me.
He was in motion of grabbing me but with the distance placed between me and him, I can dodge it.
I went to my left to avoid his dive and he manages to stop himself by burrowing his fingers in the dirt.
He grabbed a few pieces of dirt and throws it at me.
I covered my eyes to avoid the dirt from blinding me to which he used to grab a momentum to charge up his fist.
As he swings his right hand at me, I grabbed his fist using my raised left hand and swayed it back.
Now it's my turn to strike back.
I clenched my fist up aligning in my waist as I pull it back.
Flames coats my fist as I send it towards his stomach.
It penetrated through which blasted him away from me.
A burn can be seen in his stomach as he stood up from the ground.
The other goblins were worried.
"Very well, you didn't fail to impress me. That's why I, Zinga, view you now as my equal." The strange goblin proclaims his name.
"I came from the bloodline of the cursed." Zinga added.
"You're very capable to use such magic without a weapon. You're just like..." He raised his hand leveling his shoulder.
"Me." A flame covers up his hand.
Zinga sways his hand in the air which dispersed the flame in his hand creating cluster of fire.
These clusters then ignites once reached a certain point which creates small but segmented explosions causing dust to rise from everywhere.
Going through the smoke is a suicide as coming out would expose me to the other goblins.
So for the rational approach going around would be the way to sneak up.
Before I could even think of another way to escape in this dilemma, Zinga comes out from the dust with his tightened grip.
"How am I gonna escape this situation" I asked myself.
He shifted his weight to land a downward strike at me.
In a nick of time, I put my wrist together forming a cross to block his punch.
It was so heavy I started sinking in the ground as I tried to tank it.
Because of my blocking formation it left my hands open to grab his fist and pull it at the ground.
A huge impact falls on Zinga's body as he crashes into the ground.
I went in front of him and started doing a barrage of punches.
"Who said I can only do magic?" My smile sliping away from my hidden self under the cloak.
Chest, stomach, face and legs. My blazing fist leaves a burn on his body one by one. He momentarily loses his consciousness before regaining it back soon after.
He uses both of his arm to push me away with force blasting me away from him.
As I spin in the air I observed the area in attempt to find a vine to cling to.
"This is fun!" Zinga laughed as he follows up to me.
As I keep travelling in the air, I closed my eyes once again in attempt to find something.
To my surprise, there was a branch behind me that's only a meter away.
As I pass from the branch to where my head slips on the other side, I grabbed onto it which caused me to spin in a circle and dodge Zinga who's rushing at me.
As he misses and now is moving in the air, he finds a tree to stop his momentum using his feet.
He uses the trunk of the tree to boost himself back at me. As he travels in air trying grab me who's hanging in the tree.
I let one of my hand go on the branch which made me swing momentarily from the side.
But he was travelling quite fast, Zinga managed to grab me and tackle me away from the branch I was holding onto.
He wrapped me around him tightly, his muscles were solid which made it harder for me to escape.
"You're curious about me, right?" I started talking to Zinga.
He grunted back at me.
"Well you better remember it. I'm Nero." As my hands were both caught up by his lock. I channeled my hand to create a fire which I used to touch his waist.
It was scorching and it immediately burn his skin which made him loosen his lock on me.
I gripped on his waist and squeezed it tightly causing him to groan in pain.
"You're getting on my nerves!" He pushes me away from him which sends me rolling on the ground.
"That's enough." He crossed his arms covering himself with his cloak resembling of a bat.
Inside his cloak, a bright color was starting to show up.
Once he opened his cloak, a barrages of fireballs escape creating a bomboardment in the ground.
The other goblins scattered in fear of being burned alive.
Explosion after explosion shows up in the ground.
After that, a giant fog of smoke was the aftermath.
He then finds a tree to land on and goes down from it.
He stands proud while looking at the havoc he had caused.
"I have to give it to you, you manage to made me go all out. Stand proud." Zinga chuckled.
He was amazed by his own power.
As he grabbed on his burned waist. He noticed something was off.
He started panicking.
"Where the hell is my cloak?!" He started searching the area.
He looked at fellow goblins that are in the bushes.
But there were no cloak.
Just then, a person goes out from the smoke wiping his cloak.
"Oh man. You almost got me." I looked at Zinga.
"How is this possible?!" He couldn't believe it.
I couldn't help but to smirk at him as I caress the fabric.
"This is such a fine material." I told him.
The annoyance in his face was visible.
"Goblins!" At his signal the goblins from the bushes started coming out raising up their blowgun and aimed at me.
"I knew you would do that." I raised my hand leveled toward Zinga's neck.
I was pointing at him using my index finger.
"What's that supposed to do?" He scoffed at me.
I brushed my finger in the air softly towards my back while keeping an eye on him.
It was dead silent at the forest and within those seconds.
And the next thing they know was their head dropping from the ground.
I put my hands back to my cloak.
Zinga couldn't help but to taken aback.
"What kind of witchcraft was that?! Answer me!" Fear started showing up in his face, his heartbeat was beating loudly.
He cannot help but to walk backwards in attempt to distance himself from me.
His eyes were never leaving mine.
He desperately tries to find something to hold from behind as he screamed.
"Tell me! What are you?!" He stumbled.
I continue walking towards him which made him shriek.
"Stop!! Don't come near me!!" He started throwing rocks at me.
The rocks never reached me as they were weak, and within Zinga's intent and fear.
Fear was clearly the overcoming victor.
"In the face of death. Many would cower and accept their fate. Some would try to defy it with their power. Which one are you?" Once the distance between me and Zinga was just a meter.
I extend my hand reaching for his face.
"No! Don't come near you monster!" He cried as he rushed to get away from me by crawling backwards even more.
But to his ignorance, he didn't see he was just an inch away from the waterfall which resulted his fall.
I returned my hand back to my cloak as I watch him fall.
His eyes speaks volume as he closed his eyes and accepted his fate.
"Ironic. A monster calling a human a monster." A blood drips in my nose.
"Oh. Looks like I overdid it." I wiped the blood off my nose before picking up items I might use later.
On the other side, below the waterfall where Zinga fell.
Zinga was laying on something.
He thought that was the end.
But when he opened his eyes, a striking sunlight flashes through him.
He seems to be on something that is... moving?
He suddenly heard a steamy grunt.
That's when he realizes.
He sat up from where he was laying to find himself on top of the rhino.
"I'm still alive. How is this possible?" He couldn't help but to wonder.
Something caught up his attention as he raised up his head.
There was a man holding a greatsword.
Unlike Nero, this man shows pure hatred in his eyes.
Someone might daresay he has bloodlust in him.
"This happened again because of me. I'm so fucking tired of this." He was biting his lip so hard it started bleeding.
That person's eyes were red too.
But they weren't natural eye color, they were blood.
"This one is rather funny." Zinga stands on top of the rhino.
He started to make his neck crack as a warm up.
"I won't make the same mistake again." He says to himself as he calls for his flame once again.
His hand was burning in his magic while standing in top of the rhino.
"I swear I will come back for you, Nero." His eye widened in rage as he thought of the person he lost to.
As he was perking himself up the man in front of him suddenly started acting strange.
From holding up his greatsword two handed, his right hand suddenly let go of it as his left raises it sideway.
"Are you gonna go for a strike? Come at me then!" Zinga proudly goes into a stance as the rhino huffs in response.
The greatsword normally is heavier than sword as its form is bigger which makes it hard to wield it in one hand.
Only few people can do this as you need to acquire sheer strength or technique.
The man's eyes finally locked in Zinga.
Zinga suddenly felt immense fear as he couldn't find himself to breathe.
The man slashed his sword in the air releashing a huge slash that is big enough to swallow them whole.
Not only that, it was travelling at great speed too.
Before Zinga could even react they were blasted along the slash towards the waterfall crushing them in between.
The slash was so strong it destroyed the waterfall causing the debris to fall on the remains of Zinga and its companion.
It caused up a huge noise in the forest as birds started flying away at the scene.
The man returns to his normal position and stares blankly at the sky.
"I'm sorry, Anabelle." The light of the forest finally pans in his face.
"I swore than I, Noah, will do whatever it takes to be with you again." He said as his silver strand sways in the breeze of the forest leaving his eyes to drop a tear of blood.