"You will pay for this.." On the ground was a middle-aged man soaking in his blood.
His eyes shone with anger as he gritted his teeth in pain, thinking of so many ways how he would kill me.
"I don't think that is possible, sir. No one can defeat me" I smiled cheerfully as I stood over his body where a bullet was implanted on his chest.
He was heaving heavy breaths hanging on for life as his body became numb.
He was a short and chubby man with slick brown hair.
His eyes were hazel brown, and his suit was now ruined with the colour red that covered his white collared shirt.
This morning I was eating breakfast with my little sister in our vast mansion, and now I am in an office where I had shot the CEO of a company that scammed and bribed people with their money.
"That's bullshit! You are just a small weak girl who only got lucky" He cackled like a witch, coughing up blood that splattered on the ground.
I raised the gun from my hand, pointing it directly at his head.
"You better be careful at what you say next. Before you know it, I may accidentally pull the trigger, and your life will be erased from the earth" I gave him a deadly stare gripping my hold on the gun.
"You wouldn't.." He grinned from ear to ear, staring directly at my eyes.
I laughed in a cold voice, feeling my blood boil inside.
Sweat trickled down his face, and I enjoyed every last bit.
My head spun in circles, and my legs stuck to the ground like cement.
I kept asking myself this one question this entire time.
"Was it truly worth it?".
Life is so short, and no matter what you do, you can never achieve immortality.
It was a dream no one could achieve, and only a fool could say something like that but in front of me was a man who believed in it.
The very man I was about to kill believed that immortality was real, and only pure hearts with a reasonable goal could gain it.
I held in my laughter after hearing those words.
If immortality is real.
Why is it that she didn't gain it herself?
"Oh, I would" I pulled the trigger, and a bullet shot out of the gun right into his forehead.
His body was as still as ice, and blood covered my shoes.
His eyes had no life, and his pulse was forever gone.
The man had lost his life for making a small mistake that will forever carry him to his grave.
He should have never assaulted my best friend, even if it meant it would have gained him something in life.
Whoever came close to hurting my friends or family would lose everything dear to them.
People were shouting and yelling behind the office doors, and I knew someone had heard the gunshots.
I put the gun back into my satchel. I walked towards the windows, slowly opening the lock and pushing them open to reveal the gust of wind that welcomed my freedom.
I looked down and knew this was a twenty-storey building; jumping down could be immediate death.
If I went through the office door, the security officers would see me and know I was the one who killed the CEO.
My only option was to shadow myself once I was near to the ground.
But it was only a 50/50 chance, and shadowing might not work, so I may end up having a short death, but it's better than torture, that's for sure.
I tightened my satchel around me.
I used my elastic hair band to put my hair in a ponytail.
Dying now would be a waste of life.
I looked at the dead man's corpse one last time.
"Goodbye, you sick bastard" I jumped out of the window, falling from the building rapidly.
The wind blew heavily in my face, and my body had difficulty controlling itself.
Everything was moving fast, as if I was travelling in time, and the world was spinning around like dancers on stage.
I could feel the cold air all around me, and my hair was blowing in my face.
I tried to squint my eyes to see how long I had before I needed to use my magic to shadow myself safely.
My legs had no control, and my body wasn't even mine anymore.
I hate falling from a twenty-story building and will never do this again.
I positioned myself in a way that I could slow down my fall and that I could get a better look at the ground below.
I counted down the numbers in my head to know when I should shadow.
But all of a sudden, I heard voices coming from above me.
"Hey, look"! Someone is down here!" The yelling of the security guard caught my attention, and I knew he had spotted me.
I had to kill him before he could call the others to the window.
I took out the gun and moved, so I was staring directly up at him.
I pointed my gun at the window, hoping it would be enough for my escape, but the gun wasn't powerful enough to shoot from a far distance.
I closed my eyes and recited the words in my head.
"Shadow, I call for you. Use your sheer strength to reach for my target. Make sure his blood is seen by sight".
I took deep breaths and opened my eyes, waiting for the countdown to end.
5
4
3
2
1....
I pulled the trigger once more, and the bullet shot out like a lion racing its way to my target with the shadow magic consuming it.
In seconds I could feel the bullet piercing the inside of his skin, telling me that the task had been finished and my target was dead.
I shadowed myself to a nearby alleyway making a precise landing.
Shadowing was like teleportation.
But you could only do it at certain times in certain places.
I was thankful that I wasn't dead and that it worked.
No one would know who did it, and it would be marked as an unfinished death.
I felt relieved that my job was done, and I cleaned the gun, making sure no fingerprints were on it.
I threw it in the dumpster getting ready to head back home, until I heard a sound coming from behind me.
I pulled a knife from my pocket, throwing it at the figure in the shadows, but I missed the throw, and it fell to the ground after hitting the wall.
"Goddam Camilla! You could have killed me!" Coming out of the shadows was my closest friend Ajax.
We have known each other since we were kids, making us childhood friends.
"Maybe you shouldn't have been hiding in the shadows, pinhead", I groaned in annoyance, walking out of the alleyway.
Ajax followed behind me as we were led into the city's light, where everyone was going to their destination.
School kids, parents, elders, males and females all came together to do whatever business they had to do.
Most people were here to go shopping or go to work as usual.
The city was a crowded area with tall buildings looming over us like giants and food stands that covered every inch of the pavement.
People were calling over taxis, and traffic was common amongst us.
But there was one thing everyone had to adapt to.
That was the magic system which had been ruling over us our entire lives.
Every since I was born, we had been assigned to our magic, but that was only for the ones who were lucky enough to have it.
Some were not gifted with magic and were doomed to get a job and be like the ordinary humans we once were.
Each magic was gifted, and they consisted of only these types.
-Fire
-Nature
-Water
-Dark
-Light
-Shadow
-Shapeshift
-Illusion
-Healing
-Crystal
For years there wasn't any other type of magic but these.
Scientists have tried ways to create new magic, but it was simply impossible.
Once gifted, you will have a status that appears in front of you like a screen from a game.
Name: Camilla Hollow
Age: 16
Birth: April 20th 2054
Magic: Shadow & ????
Level: ♾
I had no reason to keep trying to level up since I had obtained my sign.
Because even if I defeated all the high-level monsters, my level would continue to be the same as before.
The company that runs the system said that it was a malfunction and that I should wait until they could fix it.
It was all bullshit.
Nothing was fixed, and for my entire life, I had to endure bullying because of the malfunction I was.
In society today, everyone has formed groups and guilds to take down the monsters and become one of the most powerful guilds in history.
That is why I will do whatever it takes to get into that school to learn to use my magic and form a guild.
"Camilla, wait up! You walk so fast" Ajax was rushing to my side as I picked up the pace.
"Next time, don't eat all the junk food you get at the fast food restaurant. You will become a lazy cow" I rolled my eyes taking my phone from my satchel and scrolling through my social media page.
"You say that every time and the next thing you know, I see you binge eating while crying your eyes out for some drama you watched", He spoke loudly for me to hear.
"At least I don't cry for my ex-girlfriend", I chuckled, still staring at my screen.
"She is an exception, okay?".
"Ajax. We don't make exceptions in life. Remember that unless you want another beating by your father," The city was a crowded area, and it was hard for us to move without being pushed by the crowd.
Ajax wasn't a fan of crowds, especially ones where dunk men were roaming the streets.
"Lucky for me, my father won't be back for another two weeks," he said proudly.
"Why is that?" I raised an eyebrow.
The city where we are now isn't our real home.
Our real home resides in the kingdom of Atara, where the first system was created when the war ended.
It was surprising to say, but my kingdom was not very modern like other parts of the world.
We had taverns, old houses, stone buildings, castles, and any type of fantasy shit you could think of.
But it was one of the most prominent kingdoms in the world, with so much space that you wouldn't have to worry about crowds unless there were riots or squealing girls.
The royal family that rules over the kingdom isn't as bad as the other rulers.
They may have kept strict rules, but we still had the freedom to fight for our kingdom and to defeat our enemies, the monsters.
We used teleportation to get to this city which is miles away from home.
If we hadn't used teleportation, it would take us five days to get here by ship, and I didn't have enough time to be wasting around and killing an old, middle-aged man.
"Camilla, you know exactly where my dad is" He looked sternly, eyeing me up and down my body.
"If I knew that, I would have dragged you by the ear all the way to him" I patted his shoulder as I felt a shudder go down his spine.
Sometimes Ajax would be terrified of me, mainly when I talked about his father.
"Anyways, how are we getting back home..?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Teleportation. I have one more portal we can summon until it runs out" I took out the metal sphere from my satchel, throwing it to Ajax.
He quickly catches the metal ball, sighing in relief.
"Be careful with those. If I had dropped that teleportation device, my ass would have to pay an eight hundred fee" He put the metal ball in his pocket for safety as we continued our walk.
"Isn't your father rich? Why don't you ask him to pay for it then?" I asked in a low tone of voice.
His father owned a business that was worth millions.
Paying an eight hundred fee would mean nothing to him, but Ajax is completely terrified of his own father, and to be honest, I can't blame him.
Every time I see his father, he reminds me of those mafia men I read in novel books.
The sad thing was that his dad was attractive as hell, and even my aunties asked if he was single or not, but he already had an idiotic son.
Ajax's mother died when he was only ten years old, and his father wasn't looking for anyone new as he was busy with work most of the time and spent his days overseas.
"My dad may be rich, but I don't like communicating with him. That's why I would rather have him overseas than be in the same household with him" He stared at the ground as I felt his heart ache slowly and painfully.
"Damn, you have some serious daddy issues".
"Says the one whose father is a chief commander of the golden lions. Your dad is a leader of one of the most powerful guilds. Your lucky that you get to break some of the rules at times" He runs his fingers through his hair, speaking in a low tone of voice.
His eyes dart to my posture, and he analyses me carefully to see if I had any injuries while escaping that building.
"If I ever break one of the rules, he would have my head on a stick", I chuckled, covering my mouth with my hand.
He was my adoptive father, and as a leader, he was always strict with me and always had a layout of what he wanted me to be.
I never realised how hard it was to have a decent conversation with him without both of us starting an argument.
"So when are we going to teleport? My legs are killing me" He groans in discomfort as I stare at him, smiling gently.
"It's right here" I pushed open the doors to a shop that wasn't used for a long time.
There were signs all over the windows for someone to buy this shop, and it was a large area good enough for us to teleport.
Ajax entered the shop whistling a tune that his mother used to sing to us when we were kids.
I loved it when he whistled all kinds of tunes because they brought back memories of our childhood, but sometimes our childhood could be non-existent, and our memories weren't there.
The air was cold as ice, and the dust pilled on each corner, building a shield.
Old papers were scattered across the floor with no lighting to help us see in this dark and filthy shop.
It seemed as if no one had bought this shop for a couple of months, and any of the land owners hadn't well kept it.
"It's sad no one wants to buy this. It would have been a good place for people to buy weapons," I spoke calmly, gazing at the walls around me.
"You can say that to the rats" He kicked a fizzy drink can from the ground, smashing it into the wall.
I quickly turned around, giving a disappointed face.
"Stop that unless you want someone to find us out here!" I spoke in a hushed tone.
"Sure, whatever you say, princess", Ajax took the metal ball out of his pocket and threw it on the ground as it opened up a portal.
I looked at Ajax, giving him a nod signalling him to go first.
He sighs heavily and turns towards me, saluting me with his two fingers.
"See you on the other side" He falls backwards, disappearing into the portal.
No one knew what happens after you disappear, but whatever this portal was made of, it defiantly came in handy when you're running from a pack of security guards.
Teleportation wasn't my thing, especially when it was made in a factory by useless leaders who spend their money on junk.
But we all had to live with it, yet it felt uncomfortable travelling through different places.
It was like cheating in a game or using cheat codes to get to the quickest path in life.
Some people can't afford to buy one since they are expensive, and the prices keep increasing as the materials run out.
I took deep breaths, slowly walking towards the portal as my shoes made a crunching sound when walking on leaves and scrunched-up paper.
Before I walked into the portal, the blue light shinned inside turned into a maroon-red colour.
"What the hell is this..?" I stared into the portal as the aura became dark and heavy.
Every portal had a blue light, but this time, it was unexpected.
The portal had so much evil aura in it, and its colour reminded me of a pool of blood.
I took a step back, wondering what could have caused it, and I had to know if Ajax was alright.
He could be in great danger if the portal malfunctioned or got teleported to a different place he didn't know.
Every human on this planet had a game-like screen in front of them.
I opened my screen, which had the whole system layout and inventory.
It had everything you needed to survive in this world.
Inventory, Chat, Call, Guild match, commissions, anything you could think of.
It was more useful in many ways than having to carry a whole load of weapons and food with me on a commission.
I pressed the scanning option so it could scan and identify what was going on with this portal, but nothing seemed to be coming back.
Scanning portal: Unidentified
Unidentified...?
"Welcome back, Camilla.." A black tentacle was wrapped around my leg and pulled me into the portal as I tried to escape from its grasp.
The portal closed, and I caught my landing, punching a fist into the ground.
I stood up with a headache analysing where I was.
I was teleported into a throne room covered in tapestries, rugs and expensive furniture.
The throne room was covered in red and black, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling.
The walls were made of stone, the windows were delicately carved into roses, and a single throne stood in the far back.
The throne was made of bones, and I wished I didn't know what type of bones they came from.
"What is this place?" I spoke in a soft voice gazing at the place around me.
"It seems as if you have forgotten where your home is" Out of the corner of my eye was a woman covering herself with a black cloak.
You could only see the grin that was plastered on her face.
No one knew what she looked like, but all I knew was that she was a female witch hiding her identity from the world.
"We meet again, old witch", I growled under my breath, squeezing my hands into fists of rage.
"You're not that pleased to see me, are you?" She circled around me, hearing her shoes click on the stone floor.
She looked pleased with herself, as if she hadn't spoken to me for months.
"Why would I be pleased to see a witch who turned back on her promise?" I put a hand to my hip feeling my heart squeeze tightly.
I bite my bottom lip, stopping myself from yelling at that witch for what she had done to me and my future.
"Now, now, my little one. I kept your promise, so there is no reason for you to be angry with me" Her voice was high-pitched, elegant and beautiful.
She must have used magic to disguise herself from who she truly is, tricking her opponents.
I opened my screen, showing her my status and the sign next to my level.
She leaned in closer, glancing at the status she had changed for me.
It was all her fault, and now that she has broken her promise, I will make sure she gets what's coming to her.
My body was as still as a pillar, and my eyes were squinted in irritation and frustration, still having my hands into fists.
My knuckles were turning white as snow.
"Silly girl. This is exactly what you wanted. To be as powerful as any guild master in history. This sign lets you forever be powerful. Everyone's level depends on how much XP they get after killing a monster or boss. But now that your level is infinity, your level will never decrease, and your power can forever be yours".
"How do I know you're not lying..?" I tilt my chin up, staring at the lady's cloak made of the most delicate fabric.
She stops walking and moves her head towards one of the tapestries that were hung from the wall.
"If I was lying. I would have been dead by now" Her voice became quiet, and she didn't care whether or not I had an opinion.
What only mattered to her was if I also kept my part of the deal.
"Good to know your not breaking this deal then. Because if you did. I will make sure your body will be torn to pieces before you could scream for help" I walked towards a nearby chair, sitting down and leaning back on it.
I tapped my finger on the arm of the chair, waiting to hear her response.
"Sadly, you will have to wait for centuries until that happens" A laugh escaped from her lips as she turned her head at me.
She was watching me closely.
"So why am I here then? If you think wasting my time is a good way of keeping you company, then you're wrong, old lady".
"I am not here to waste your time. I am here to make you realise before you turn yourself into a monster like the demon king" She grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the chair.
"What do you think your doing!?" I tried to yank my arm back, but she put a finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet.
I was confused at what she meant by that until I heard voices coming from behind me.
The cloaked woman pulled us behind a pillar, hiding us from whoever entered the throne room.
I peaked my head out from the pillar to see who we were hiding from.
My eyes were as wide as an owl, and my bones turned into water as I saw who we were hiding from.
My heart began to pound so loudly that all sound was mute except my heartbeat.
My breathing became unstable, and sweat trickled down my face.
The demon king was right before my eyes, sitting on the throne with one leg crossed over the other.
His horns were the only thing that stood out from him, and a crown of thorns was placed on his head, making him look terrifying.
His siren eyes were bloodshot red, and his hair was yellow as a golden thread.
His teeth were vampire-like, and he wore a general uniform with the demon king's symbol.
His face was plastered with disgust as his loyal servants were kneeling on one knee, serving him like peasants.
"We must get out of here before he founds out you are here. Follow me unless you want to become human barbecue" Her voice was cold, and I knew I would rather follow her than stay in the throne room any longer.
I exhaled a long breath, following behind her.
She strode silently at the stone wall pressing a piece of the wall that opened up a secret staircase leading downwards.
"We will be safe down here" That was all she said as she went down the staircase.
Before I could follow her, I heard the voice of the demon king for the first time in my life.
Staying for a little bit won't hurt.
"We need to find her" The demon king's voice was deep in anger and hatred.
"Please, your majesty, we will find her! You must not be discouraged!" A bold-headed man looked terrified of the king as his voice was shaky.
"And how would you know? We have been searching for her for sixteen fucking years!" A woman was wearing a uniform like a knight, heavily guarded with weapons.
"Maybe if you looked harder, you slut. Then maybe we would have found her majesty already" A young male around the same age as me was wearing a long dark cloak, but only his face and hair weren't covered.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" The woman shouted from the top of her lungs, gripping her fingers on the boy's shoulders.
"ALL OF YOU, BE QUIET!" The demon king roared in anger slamming his fists on the arm of the chair as the whole throne room shook like an earthquake.
"Come down here quickly, or I will make sure I turn you into a barbecue" The lady's voice came back to me quickly as I knew I spent too much time listening to whatever worries that foul king had.
I was happy that he was in a bad mood so he could taste some of his own medicine.
I followed the lady down the staircase as the stone wall shut behind us.
It was so dark in here that I knew I would trip down the stairs one way or the other.
My phone had no service here, and my battery ran out a couple of seconds ago, thanks to Ajax using it so he could watch the football match.
"Here, take this" The witch handed me a fire torch to keep me from toppling over her.
"Thanks, I guess" I took the torch from her hand, staring at the carved writing and drawings on the wall.
Each writing was written in a different language.
And the drawings were mostly of people fighting against monsters on the battlefield.
This must be how the people in the old ages told the future generations of what had happened on the battlefield millions of years ago.
But it was in the demon king's home, and I wondered whether or not he was into these types of things.
I was mesmerised by the artwork and how each carving must be made out of their sweat and tears.
"You seem to like this wall very much" The witch also gaped at the wall, running her fingers through them.
"It's gorgeous".
As we continued our walk down the stairs, my hand drifted across the wall, feeling the texture of the carvings.
The first time I met the witch, I was teleported into an old cabin filled with potions and scrolls.
Books about ancient magic and old relics that had fascinated me since the day I set foot inside of it.
I wondered if witches were truly real because witches were illegal in every part of the world.
Thousands of years ago, they had been burned at the stake for killing the king of Atari, and his wife Morana took the throne.
It was a sad story, but everyone began hating witches until they became extinct.
"Where are we going?" I asked, following her at a safe distance.
"We are going to the lost city of souls" Her voice became evil and sinister as a ripple of darkness merged from her body.