As I tried my best to fight against the enemy in front of me, I could do little more than flail around in his mighty presence...
Overlord Kazuma the Psycho Demon... The most powerful Overlord to ever exist on Ignitus was standing before me.
He held me in a grip of psychokinesis. I felt like my throat was being crushed...
And I couldn't figure out what had happened to Vengeance.
"It is fortunate that I got to you before you awakened your Aspects... Three years... That's a long time to wait. Longer than anyone has ever had to wait. You damn monster..." Kazuma said.
I couldn't breathe...
And because of that, I couldn't speak.
"Guh..."
"You would have been quite the issue for Lord Novak. But I think I'll just get you out of the way. Hm...I never bothered to learn your name, did I? Whatever...it's nothing personal. I just can't have someone like you causing problems for us," he said.
Before I could even try to protest, I felt the area around my body heat up.
{ThIs iS gOiNg To HuRt...}
{WhY dO i StIlL fEeL tHe PaIn?}
{SoMeOnE...pLeAsE hElP mE...}
I guess this is it... I survived Avernia's destruction only to end up dying at the hands of an absurdly powerful demon from another world. Oh well...maybe I'll finally see her again... I'm sorry I couldn't live a longer life for you...Isabella...
{NO MORE!!! PLEASE STOOOOOP!!!!!}
After that, I was completely engulfed in hellfire and everything went dark.
[So once again you fail before reaching the end of your journey... You really must learn to keep your mouth shut... Very well. Let go of your memories...forget Yourself and return to the place where it begins. Awaken, Mizik Iratus.]
* * *
Suddenly, my eyes shot open. I was laying in bed.
My bed.
I quickly looked around and saw Vengeance on my nightstand.
After losing it, I was relieved to see it again.
But...why did I feel this way?
Why did I feel like I lost it? Obviously, I just got this sword.
And besides that, what the hell was that dream!?
Why did that dream feel so real!? And who was that man?
"Ugh...what's going on...?"
I sat up and felt the room spinning around me.
I felt terribly dizzy...
And then I passed out again...
* * *
As I lay on the ground in the Iratus Estate, I felt nothing but anger at my cousin Tyranus...
This man...this IDIOT...was trying to control the Corruption that the Oracle warned me about.
And to top it all off, I couldn't stand against him. He was almost twice my level.
"You dishonor the Iratus name, Mizik. How is it that one of our own wielding Vengeance could be so weak?" He said.
"You're...a much higher level..." I managed.
"But shouldn't you be able to at least put up a fight? You're holding Vengeance! It's really depressing, actually. Almost like you don't even have a will to fight... Why is that?" Tyranus asked.
When I thought about it, the answer was obvious.
The pain of seeing my fiance die right in front of me...then hearing about the destruction of Lorelei and how the Corruption was ravaging our world.
All of those things caused something in me to break. I didn't care about anything, anymore. I only came to this place to see if I could get away from everything... I lost myself with the maids here...hoping that they could comfort me. And comfort me, they did.
Unfortunately, I got wrapped up in a conspiracy. My father's past got the best of my curiosity and I tried to find out what happened to him.
But that, too, was a failure.
"Not going to answer?" Tyranus asked.
"Please...just get it over with... I want to see my fiance again..." I said.
"Right...the Albatross filth. I heard her sister tortured you for a few days as well. Poor you. Nevertheless, I will grant your wish," Tyranus said as he pointed Justice at my throat.
I looked longingly at the blade.
This sword would end my miserable life...
I wish...I could just go back in time...
{It'S hApPiNg AgAiN...}
Tyranus readied himself to strike and I closed my eyes.
{I'm So SiCk Of ThIs...}
Then I felt his blade impact my throat...and then...nothing.
I felt like I was floating...
[So you have perished again. Truly maddening... Let go of your memories. Forget yourself and return to the place where it begins. Awaken, Mizik Iratus.]
* * *
When I opened my eyes again, I was still in bed.
I was panicking internally...
"What's going on!? What are these dreams!? Who are those people!? Why do I feel like I know them..." I said to myself.
I quickly got out of bed.
I didn't want to sleep anymore because I was terrified that I might have another bad dream...
I grabbed Vengeance and put it in my inventory, then went downstairs.
When I came down, I found my father in the kitchen cooking lunch.
"Hey, Mizik. Are you feeling better? You fell unconscious yesterday. I was worried about you," Ulysses said.
"I am...but I keep having these terrible dreams..." I said.
"What kinds of dreams? Anything like the one you had yesterday?"
"It's like...every time I have one, I'm still me. But I'm living a different life. It always ends with me getting killed," I said.
"By who? Anyone you recognize?"
"No... Or...I'm not sure. There was a man who looked like a demon. And in the second dream, there was a guy with red hair and eyes like ours," I said.
Ulysses turned to me and raised an eyebrow.
"Did he have a rapier with similar markings to Vengeance?"
I nodded.
"That would be your cousin, Tyranus Iratus. I didn't plan on saying anything about this to you until you became an adult, but that guy is pretty much the real reason I came to Lorelei..." Ulysses said.
"Wait. What!?"
"Yeah. He took over the estate and the entire Empire of Kalsa. Most notably, the province of Noir. He's one of the most powerful legendary sword wielders in the world. He holds Justice," Ulysses said.
"But...can't you defeat him!?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"I've fought wielders in the past, but Tyranus is a monster. He's a gifted swordsman. When I left, he was already more than a match for me. At this point, I doubt I would stand a chance," Ulysses said.
"You're the head of the family! He can't just take that from you!"
"I know, Mizik. And you're right. I have something he could never obtain. Do you know about the Iratus sacred skill?"
"Sacred...skill?"
"The Iratus family isn't just a simple family of uptight nobles. We were a clan of warriors possessing terrifying ferocity on the battlefield. As such, we were blessed with a skill that only shows itself to the one chosen as the true leader of our clan. It's called: 'Rage of Iratus'."
"What does it do?"
"It places you in a berserk state that increases all of your abilities tenfold. When it finishes, it drains you significantly. But higher forms of the ability can negate most of this drawback. Tyranus is a dishonorable and evil man. Because of this, the skill won't come to him."
"Do you think my dreams have anything to do with being an Iratus?" I asked.
Ulysses shook his head.
"Definitely not. I've never heard of such things happening to our family members... But I can say for certain that it is strange. The glitching status menu and the dreams as well... What do you think is really happening?"
Honestly, I didn't know. I felt like they were probably linked, but I had no idea why I was having these problems in the first place.
"Let's talk about the man in the other dream. You said he looked like a demon?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. He had wings, horns, and claws like a demon. He killed me with fire," I said.
"Hmm... It doesn't sound like anyone I know... How about the surrounding area?"
"From what I remember, it looked like a huge city. There were really tall buildings and I think I saw machines flying through the air," I said.
"That sounds truly strange. I don't think I can tell you anything about it, though. I've never heard of such a place..." He said.
Suddenly, as Ulysses spoke, the feeling of impending doom came over me again.
"You okay, Mizik?" Ulysses asked.
"I'm fine... Just a strange feeling... Like I'm going to die or something..." I said.
"You're safe here. No one's going to hurt you, Mizik," Ulyses said.
Suddenly, a message appeared on my status menu.
{go OUTsIdE. nOW!}
"Eh...I got another message," I said.
"What did it say?"
"It said to go outside. I'll be right back, I guess."
I turned and ran into the living room and out of the front door.
My eyes fixed on a man in armor walking down the street.
He had medium-length blonde hair and blue eyes.
He looked absolutely pissed...and somewhat confused. Then...
{ThErE hE iS!!!}
{BaStArD!!!}
{CoRrUpTiOn!!! FaLsE sOuRcE!!}
{LiSteN to ME! GEt HiS ATTEnTION!!!}
"Are you sure? He looks kind of angry..." I whispered to myself.
{DO IT!!!}
"Ugh...fine..."
I walked forward and the man didn't look my way. Then I picked up a rock and ran forward.
I chucked it at his head as hard as I could and shouted the first words that popped up in front of my face in the status menu.
{HEY ASSHOLE!!!}
"HEY ASSHOLE!!!" I yelled.
Surprisingly, my aim was spot on. The rock hit him in the side of the face and he turned to me as he heard my words.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!!! I...oh...? What do we have here?" The man said.
He looked down at me with a condescending smile.
"You know it's against the law to assault one of the guards, right? I could have you executed," he said.
I felt somewhat afraid as I looked up at him and saw another message.
{RePEaT afTer mE.}
"What? You got something else to say you little shit?" The man said.
{Tell YoUr masTER to MEEt mE at The KALsA BOarder Gate.}
"Tell...tell your master to meet me at the Kalsa border gate..." I said.
The man's eyes looked at me in utter disbelief.
"What...? How the hell..."
{I hATe yOu. BUt We nEEd tO seT asIDE Our CONfliCt.}
"I hate you...but we need to set aside our conflict," I said.
He seemed to ponder this for a moment.
"I'm...wait. Do you remember?" He asked.
{I dO, But ThIs BODY dOEsn'T.}
"I do, but this body doesn't."
"Huh...that's new..."
{EaT sHiT aNd DiE, bAsTaRd!!!}
{HOW ManY TIMeS DO I HAve tO TELL YoU all TO ShUT THE FUCK UP!?!?}
"Eat shit and die, bastard... Uhh...how many times-" I said.
Suddenly the man gritted his teeth and glared at me. He grabbed my shirt collar and shook me.
"Mouthy little BRAT!!! I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!!!" He shouted.
I flinched as I stepped back and suddenly, my father ran out to protect me.
"Look! Hey! I'm really sorry about my son! I don't know what's gotten into him lately! Could you please forgive him?" Ulysses said.
"Tch...whatever. I need to talk to that kid. He knows something that I want to hear... And what do you mean lately?"
"Ah...well..."
The man sighed.
"Look, let's just say I know Mizik. I've known him for a while. It's complicated. But if you can tell me what's going on, I...might be able to...help...him..." The man said with great difficulty.
"Uh...Mizik, is it okay if I tell him? He says he knows you... Although I don't think I've ever noticed," Ulysses asked.
{Tell HiM.}
"Y-yeah...okay. That should be fine..."
"Mizik said that his status menu has been glitching ever since he woke up yesterday morning. He's been getting ominous messages and some even warned him to not let me go to the mines," Ulysses said.
"Did he say why?" The man asked.
"Yes. He said that apparently I would die if I went," Ulysses said.
Suddenly the man glanced at me and I saw a very slight, sinister smile.
"Interesting... That might be useful. Well then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Knight-Captain Cain Difar. You can call me Cain. I won't tell you much about what's going on, but let's just say I think I might have an understanding. My superior will definitely want to talk with Mizik about these things. Mizik, you said you wanted to meet my Master by the Kalsan border?" Cain said.
"Yeah. I think that's what the message said."
Then I saw another message.
{I dON'T knOw WHEn I'Ll Be abLe to GO. IT could bE a WhiLE. TeLL hIm ThaT.}
"Hm? You get another message?" Cain asked.
"Yeah. It said: I don't know when I'll be able go. It could be a while. Tell him that," I said.
"Dumbass kid... You probably didn't need to add the last part. But whatever. I understand. I'll let him know," Cain said.
"Is it really necessary for you to insult my son?" Ulysses said.
"Considering that he threw a rock at my face, called me an asshole, and told me to eat shit and die, I think it's fairly justified. But that's just my opinion. I'll be going now. And don't follow me if you value your life," Cain said.
He had a horribly menacing aura about him...
Ulysses looked like he wanted to argue, but didn't.
"Right...I guess we'll see you around, then...Cain. Goodbye," Ulysses said suspiciously.
Then Cain simply turned around and began walking away. Without so much as a wave, he turned the corner and disappeared.
"That was odd... You were just following the instructions, right? Was it necessary to insult him?" Ulysses said.
"I can't tell you why, but I feel like I really hate that guy for some reason. Still, I was only saying what the messages told me to..." I said.
Ulysses sighed
"Alright. Let's go back inside. I don't know how I feel about just packing up and leaving, but...it sure beats the hell out of being degraded every day in Lorelei. And if you've got Vengeance, we might stand a chance with some training..."
"Stand a chance...?" I said.
"Against your cousin. I hope you didn't think I was perfectly fine with just laying down and accepting my fate, Mizik. I want my life back. And if this is a chance I could get it...hell, I'll bite."
I smiled.
"If I could help you get the estate back, we wouldn't have to live like this anymore..."
"Exactly. We need to prepare ourselves if we're going to be doing some traveling," Ulysses said.
"Wait, we're leaving already? I mean... Shouldn't we wait?" I asked.
"I don't know if we should keep that thing on your status menu waiting. I'd like to train as we travel, too. I don't think a level 10 thirteen year old boy is gonna take down Tyranus even with Vengeance. But let's ask your status menu first. Should we wait or go now?" Ulysses said.
{WaiT. DON't go NOw. I'lL teLl yOU WHEN it'S oKaY.}
"It said not to go yet. and that it'll tell me when we can go. Although I'm not sure what to do..." I said.
{TRAIN, leVEL uP, AND GeT StroNGEr. yoU'Ll nEEd iT.}
"Huh. That answers that," I said.
"What did it say?"
"I should train, level up, and get stronger."
"Perfect. Let's get started," Ulysses said.