"Well, well, well. If it isn't Licht Vanrir, my dear host."
A foreign voice sounded beside his ear as Licht's gaze turned to the creature before him.
A being with a dreadful mask instead of a face.
The being who was partially the cause of his current state.
Licht's 'Monster'.
The monster with black scales all over its body and blood-red liquid flowing around in streams from its chest to its hands. Its body radiated uncanny power never seen before.
But there was something different from the first time. There were several hands behind it.
Two other pair of hands were behind it. They were made out of a milky white substance. Contrasting with the black scales and redness of its body.
Licht's eyes met with it, and a new sensation tremored through his body. It was a spine-chilling sensation.
Lowering his eyes, he tried to stand up from his bent-down position but there was an invisible pressure suppressing his whole body.
"Oh, pardon my offense," the monster said while flicking its finger.
With the sound of the flick, the invisible pressure vanished from his body. His heart was finally able to relax while he breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning his head upwards, he saw the monster leaving. Its hand gesturing for Licht to follow.
Standing up, he dusted off some of the dirt off his hands while walking behind the monster.
His instincts told him to follow behind quietly. On the surface, it felt like the monster was just being sarcastic and friendly while still having mannerisms and all. But for Licht, it was just an act.
It was just an act to get a reaction from him, but the question was, why?
Did he do something to offend this dangerous entity? Or could it hear the complaints and cursing that Licht did back then?
"Oh, for your information, I can't hear what you are thinking. Though, I can still see what you see. Hear what you can hear."
"And I was certainly not happy with you cursing me, but oh well. I am quite the gentleman ain't I?" a small stone got crushed under its powerful legs as it commented in a sarcastic tone.
Another chill ran through Licht as his eyes turned to the back of the monster.
'Why did I have to say it!? Me and my dumb brain..'
Nobody said anything as they walked around in circles, roaming around the outskirts of his mental space.
With time the distance Licht had traveled grew more and more, and his legs started to hurt, but not even a meek sound came out of his mouth.
He was scared of the monster and what it would do after one wrong sentence flowed out of his mouth.
So Licht left it. He just waited for it to speak first. Letting it start the conversation instead of being the one to initiate it was the best choice.
But the most important reason was that he was thinking. He thought about what could have been the reason behind his meeting the monster today.
It just couldn't be some random thing like insulting it now, would it?
Lost in his thoughts, Licht kept following it without putting any focus on the path, his feet going up and down in a monotonous motion until his head banged against something hard.
"Ouch, what-?" but his voice cut itself off just as he was going to question what had happened.
He had bumped into the back of the monster, and again, the dreadful voice spoke.
"Sit."
Looking around, Licht noticed that he was standing in the ruins of a house. Debris surrounded him, and cracking noises came every time his feet touched the ground.
'But where? On the ground?' Licht wanted to speak out his thoughts but the fear encroached on his throat, not letting a word flow out.
Just as he was about to sit on the ground, a gust of wind rustled around him. Two chairs floated from somewhere, stopping right in front of him.
The monster picked one of the chairs while gesturing to Licht to pick the left one as well.
"Now, let's get to the questions and answers session."
"From your face, I can already guess three of your questions, who am I? Are all monsters sentient like me? And why I didn't give you the power?"
"Ain't I right? Licht"
"No…" Licht replied, fearful of what would be the after-effects of what he said. But he couldn't just be afraid of it to the point of not even giving truthful answers.
But an uncomfortable silence enveloped them. To Licht, it seemed like the monster looked amused, happy how the situation was folding.
Without giving him a chance to say something, the monster spoke.
"I see. I will first start by introducing myself first. My name is Arkein, and I am not from this realm. The world I came from was destroyed and inhabitants dead,"
Arkein's hand moved, and with it, the debris that surrounded Licht. The broken bricks and stuff flowed in a vortex, breaking into particles and then forming a moving painting.
The painting depicted a world far more beautiful than the current Earth. In this peaceful world, serene landscapes stretched as far as the eye could see. Lush forests, blooming meadows, and tranquil lakes harmoniously coexisted, untouched by conflict or strife.
Communities thrived in harmony and peace. The air was filled with laughter, and the warm star's light made it more beautiful.
Each day was a celebration, where the pursuit of something far simpler than conflict strived, an era Licht had never seen before.
Everything about it was enchanting to Licht. It was a world never seen before.
Until fires blazed into the painting, engulfing everything in it. It destroyed everything, eating away at the life that was thriving in it.
A demonic monster was born within the painting, its hand turning everything it touched to dust.
Just as everything was going to turn red, the scenery crumbled into dust and blew away by the wind.
"And just like that, my world was destroyed by calamities. I am already dead and with no place to return, no power to seek, no will to live. Trapped inside of you!" Arkein roared, the world trembling under his rage and power.
The earlier pressure returned, and Licht felt his bones croaking under that immense weight, his mind looking for ways to live but finding no answer.
Just as he saw his life flashing in front of his eyes, the pressure vanished as if it was never even there.
"Now tell me why, why should I help you? Even after all these reasons by me, why should I give you the power to survive and thrive," he spoke, his every word containing an unknown emotion behind them.
"For I, who wants to die, and you, who wants to survive,"