As soon as I fell asleep, I found myself in a strangely realistic dream. There was an enormous open gate before me. The gate was ornate, but it was black as night with letters inscribed upon its surface. It read thus: "To those who enter through: Know that your souls have been damned to eternal punishment for failing in life's purpose. You had a chance to become great, but you threw it away as if you had a choice. Now, in this place, you will come to resent the life you lived."
I frowned and then strode through the open gates. The gates slammed shut with a bang faster than I could sense. A force that was much stronger than me controlled this place.
In the darkness that now permeated my surroundings, purple fires began to combust and burn on torches that lined a long misty hallway. I shaded my eyes against the torches, only to realize that my hand was not solid. It was made up of black mana.
This was not a dream, but rather a nightmare. It felt too real to be a dream though. At that precise moment it hit me. The skill that said I would retain consciousness even in sleep. Perhaps my soul had wandered from my body.
As I was thinking that, a flash of blue and black mana thundered out as a portal opened up in front of me. The figure of a woman stepped through the gate. She had matte black armor that covered her figure completely.
She took her helmet off. She had white skin, raven black hair, blue eyes and she was good looking. She nodded at me. "I have come to guide you through Hell at my master's bidding. Here lie souls whose bodies have been destroyed, but whose souls were not consumed. Here, they have bodies formed from death mana, just as you are now.
These souls have been condemned to kill each other day after day in an atmosphere that is meant to torture them. If they ever stop fighting, they will feel pain unimaginable.
My master has told me to give you two options. You can go down to where these souls reside. You can kill and conquer high level souls which you can then use to fight subjects that will soon be coming against you, or you can ask me any questions and learn from me. Choose now, but know that you will be coming here every night until my master has deemed that you are smart and strong enough to go about your own devices at night."
I grimaced as she finished speaking. "Well, can I do both? And will you follow me into this hell where these souls are perpetually fighting?"
She shrugged. "Sure, you can do both. It is my job to make sure that you are not overpowered and kept here thus for an eternity."
I sniffed. "Geez, that's reassuring. My first question is this: Your master said something about the God of Creation. What is he and does he still exist?"
She smiled. "Good question. The God of Creation was fragmented after creation. He used all of his power to create the universe. The latent power from his death conglomerated and formed mini worlds in which we now reside. Mana is God's own power. The more mana you collect, the more of a god you are."
My eyes widened. "So the goal of all the gods is to kill each other?"
She shrugged. "That is the goal of some. Others, like my master, are not so greedy. They have ambitions, but they do not want to kill everyone. They understand that having allies is better than not. My master wishes for his servants to be of the same mind as him, so that he can trust them though. He has deemed that he likes you."
I nodded. "Would he let me rule over earth and perhaps other planets if I wanted to expand my reach in the future?"
She shrugged. "It depends on how well you do with the objectives he has set before you. The path of life always leads up and my master understands that. He would not limit your growth with just a single world."
I looked down at her body. "Are you his soul slave, descendant, or another god?"
She smiled. "I am a lesser god. I have my own goal, which aligns with my master's. I am known as the god who lurks in the dark."
I nodded. "Okay Dark, I think I'm ready to hunt some souls."
Wordlessly, she turned around and flicked her hand. In a flash of blue and black mana, followed by a clap of thunder, a portal opened up in front of us. She turned her eyes to me and waved her hand towards the portal. "You may step in."
And so, I did.
The feeling of the portal swallowing my ethereal body was eerie. As I passed through it, I saw stars in a pitch black space for a brief moment. As I passed through the other side of the portal, I landed easily against the ground. But there was something strange in the air. There were little flakes of black mana floating towards the ground like rain.
The woman I had nicknamed Dark landed softly on the ashen ground next to me. She looked in my eyes and pointed away from me. "Just over that hill of ash, there are souls fighting."
I frowned as I realized there was no system in this place. "How do I get a weapon?"
She shrugged. "You are a weapon. The mana that makes up your body will conquer their souls whenever you break their will. Your body here is only what you think it is."
With that, she turned around and started to walk towards the ashen hill. I followed closely behind her. I was thinking about what she had said. My body was made of my own mana here. Perhaps I could kill them with a wave of intent or an experience. Perhaps I was only as strong as my willpower.
I imagined the broadsword in my inventory and I expected to form just above me. The sword appeared in the air and fell towards my hand. It was black and was glowing softly as motes of black mana swirled around and shot from it. It was my own sword, an extension of myself.
At the top of the hill, I could see them. They had their own weapons in hand. Scythes, swords, axes, daggers, spears, and magic staffs. There were thousands of them. As the black little particles of mana touched them, I could see them flinch. Whenever the mana touched me, it felt warm but nothing else.
She nodded to me. "Wait for about an hour to see who the strongest is and take that soul. You should only take the souls that you want for your army. Watch them all and select one."
I nodded. "Okay."
For the next hour, I watched the thousands on the field below dwindle to only two individuals. There was a man and a woman. The women held a spear. Throughout the entire time, she had successfully dispelled over a hundred souls. She had spiked armor covering her completely, but I could tell by the bumps on her chest area that she was a woman.
The man wore no armor, and he wielded an ax. He was a berserker it seemed. He had dispelled several hundred spirits to another part of hell. His movements were acute and well trained and he was very good at avoiding attacks. That had probably not been a skill he had learned until after his death. He had a perpetual scowl written across his face.
I turned to the woman, or god, who I had given a shortened nickname. "So Dark, should I try to take them both?"
She shook her head. Wait until only one is left."
And so, I waited.
The woman thrust her spear towards his legs, and he moved backwards. She kept on pressuring him up to a wall. At that point, he hooked the crook of his ax around the head of her spear and he pushed her onto the ashen ground.
As she tried to stand up, he jumped on top of her with his ax. He swung his ax and it went through her helmet like butter. She screamed and with a puff of black mana, her soul was dispelled. She probably appeared on another battlefield and would continue to do so forever.
I quickly hurried down the hill with my sword in hand. The man turned towards me with a frown. He met my sword with his ax and a snarl of rage. He spat out words as our weapons clashed. "Would you interrupt the moment of solace that I had gained?!"
I smiled and replied. "I would be willing to give you many moments of solace and perhaps a meaning that you have lost. I wish to take your soul."
A grin split his face. "So, you are living! Whether I win and trade places with your soul, or are taken by you, I have nothing to lose!"
He continued to fight me with all of his strength. He was indeed strong. I could tell he had been in hell for a very long time.
He swung his ax hard and fast. Up, down and around. As our blades clashed, I imagined another weapon. A combat knife appeared between my teeth. I held the broadsword by only my right hand and with my now free left hand I grabbed my knife.
My sword kept hammering him. As our bodies drew close, I thrust my knife into his eye. For a moment, he screamed. Instead of soul being dispelled, I felt a power within me consume him. I could feel a new softly slumbering presence within me.
Dark appeared beside me. "Good job, subject that has been chosen. It is time for you to return home."
I frowned. "My name is Seti."
Her eyes widened. "You should have no name."
"I have given myself a name. I will keep that name in place of the void that was left to me."
She shrugged. "Whatever. You will return back to your body now."
Her hand pressed against my ethereal body and my vision turned black.
My eyes flicked open. I was in bed, with my bare limbs wrapped around two naked beautiful women. I was back.