Both the girls nodded and in the mean time I had walked outside the grown house, I had wanted to get some air and just start thinking about everything that has happened up until now. I started to recall the extremely sad beginning with the death of our parents and my near death. I could not forget the void, I shuddered when I recalled the nothingness and emptiness I felt in that place. Then came the dungeon, followed by trying to escape and being ambushed by a divided boss monster and nearly dying to it, and then finally coming back to it and winning against it in the end and going through the portal.
I would have never thought that a world could end the way it did. "I wonder how long it has been?" I qiestioned to no one in particular, until a dinging noise sounded.....
{DING}
(Time since the end of the world: 213 years, 2 months, and 16 days)
"..."
I rubbed my eyes and looked back to see if I was seeing things, but to my horror that was not the case. I ran back into the house to see both the girls finishing getting ready and both of them jumped when they heard a loud bang coming from the door I had slammed open. "Whats wrong? Why are you sweating so much?" Sarah asked, and all I could do while still in my distant state was just say, "Time."
"Time? Time what?" Sasha asked with clear confusion. I continued to stare at the amount of time that has supposedly passed since we were locked in that stupid fucking dungeon, I just said to them, "Try saying 'How long has it been,' and see if you get something related to a timer thing." They both looked at each other with confusion but shrugged there shoulders and did as I said and stopping the blank gaze I was giving my timer thing, I looked at them just in time to see there distant smile turn into gaping wide-eyed shock.
"How long?" I asked Sarah first, she did not reply instantly or even shortly after but after 10 full minutes. Sarah, in a shakey voice replied, "213 years, 2 months and 16 days," and the look in her eyes showed depair and a deep sadness. "And you Sasha, how long does it say?" Her response may have been quicker than Sarah's but that does not mean it was any happier. "213 years, 2 months and 16 days," her voice was so soft and quiet, that a feather could be heared hitting the ground.
I had to gather myself for their sake and so I did. Taking a deep breath while also closing my eyes to help calm my racing mind, I looked straight at both of them. They both had a distant expression written all over there faces with eyes that seemed to have glazed over, I just reached out both my hands and placed one on each of their cheeks and started to gently stroke their cheeks with my thumb. "I know this is something we may take some time to come to terms with but we need to move," I had accepted it already but did not want them to suffer mentally with this so I tried to draw there minds away from the topic.
"OK!" I said aloud while clapping my hands before continuing, "Gather everything you will need because we will be heading out soon, because adventure awaits!" After that we went and gathered some basic supplies around the camp to take with us even though we now can make a really nice camp with Sarah's powers.
After around 15 minutes we gathered all we could,.... even though it was not much but it was still something and headed out.
After walking through the door of the little tree shack I had decided to take a good look at it. What I had walked out of was nothing short of basic...really it was just 4 walls, a roof and door. Albeit the interior was nothing short of spacious even though you would not think so from the outside.
The admiration period did not last long for we started to walk, in which direction we did not know. Knowing that the sun rose in the east and set in the west helped out since we were walking towards a rising sun. While walking I started to talk to the girls, "So..... I know everything is super messed up now but, what are your thoughts on our situation and circumstance?" I asked them to get the converstation going.
"Well.... I agree being in a dungeon for maybe a weeks worth of time for us was inside, while it was nearly 215 years on the outside. That means... *sniff* *sniff*... that means not only did we lose mom and dad but also all our family and friends." Sasha said while she started to cry towards the end. I could not bare seeing her crying so I slowed down and hugged her around the shoulders, while doing so I noticed our height difference. I was a solid 2 heads taller than her as I might be around 185cm to 200cm tall while she must be around 150cm to 160cm tall. I looked towards Sarah and she walked over as well, I had also noticed that she was shorter than me as well but taller than sarah by a little, probably around 165cm to 190cm.
We both hugged her from her sides until she had calmed down a bit to be able to walk on her own then Sarah spoke, "For what it's worth, I am feeling the exact same as Sasha. I know what happened and I am seeing the results of it, but my brain can not fully wrap around any of the information or I just can't accept this outcome... for now atleast." Sarah had a crestfallen expression on her face then she continued, "I just hope I can come to terms with all this."
Looking at both of them with their Disheartened faces and hunched poster I walked over to them and wrapped my arms around there shoulder and waist. Both of them stopped abruptly for a second before continuing to walk, and as they did I spoke in a soft and gentle voice, "I know that we lost everything, family, friends, our lives, But now look. We get a second chance at life, We were basically remade and born anew. I would have rather not had any of this happen and go back to our old lives before the attack on our family by that group, I really would. The only thing that is keeping me going are you two, Both of you are keeping me from breaking and wanting to die. I love both of you and I will do anything to protect you and make sure you are happy as well."
As I finished speaking openly to them I felt 2 pairs of arms, one wrapped around my waist and the other wrapped around my diaphragm or right under my pecs. We had continued to walk but at a slower pace, during this time I had noticed that there was no noise within this..... "Wait, I thought we were about to reach the tree line? Why are we still in the open meadow?" I questioned outloud.
Both the girls removed their arms from me and looked around as well. "You're right. I thought for sure we were walking in the forest, but we are now back to the center of the meadow? Wait! Where is the camp?" Sarah started to look around frantically, then after what she said had settled in both Sasha and I copied her frantic search for our temporary camp.
While in our distant state I heard something from behind us. I had looked back and all I saw was an open field and that did not make sense because I heard foliage being brushed up against, like someone or something was moving past it. I to racked my brain in trying to figure out what to do to see through..., "AH HA!" I should have thought of this before but now is better late than never.
I activated 'True Sight,' and what I saw really shocked me. I was hanging from a branch like how a boar would be hung after killed to be hauled off back to camp without any modern means of transportation. I looked around and saw my girls being dragged by there hair while being ogled by 2 handfuls of really short humanoids. These shortish humanoids had a long pointy nose that curled in on itself like a rams horn, disproportionate arms, legs, torso, neck and head. The body seemed to make up about a third of its height while the legs seemed to really skinny and almost looks like bone wrapped in skin. The weird amalgamation of a troll and goblin, while not being full goblins they had the stature of one, and the bulkiness of a troll. Arms that well reached the ground and some, and a neck that seemed to be nonexistant but was barely there. When you got to there face that was when you started to question everything. With that ram horn like nose, pig like snout, ears like a high-elf but had skin tags hanging like melting wax, and a head that seemed to be like a really long egg.
My blood started boil when I saw those abominations eyes ogled my women. I then started to react and try and break free of whatever what holding me, and to my suprise I had a trouble breaking whatever was holding me. Actually I couldn't even move my body, mentally I can poke at my body and get a reaction but when I try phyically I can not move. I activated my 'True Sight' again but this time I tried to 'see' the world or more specifically what was happening or wrong with me.
Upon activating my skill I saw swirls of mana ranging from light greens, and light blues to deep greens and deep blues with some shades of brown, and black mixed in. I had to look past something I already saw, I 'looked' towards my girls even though my eyes were shut on my physical body I used the mana to see. When I looked over to Sarah what I saw disturbed me, while looking at her I saw a aura of dark purple and black mist encircling her but that misty aura also extended to Sasha as well. A avatar was also looming over them, this avatar resembled a hand but instead of finger tips it had eyes there, and a mouth in its palm.
I tried not to stare but then it noticed my gaze, the being looked towards me with a single eyed-finger. The shadow-like mist started to slowly make its way over to me, I kept struggling to mkae my body move even a little but all that was in vain as the shadow mist enveloped me....
....
White walls and a white floor that was all I could see, I looked around me but found it hard to do so, it was as if I did not have full control of my own body. I was figuring out what exactly was going on I hear a familiar voice, "Hey baby, are you feeling ok?" I have not heard that voice for a while, but even after everything I and my girls have gone through I would never forget the voice of my mom. Her soft melodic voice sounded like a siren's song, her face soft and warm always had a small smile attached to it, her eyes as green as a meadow with hair as deep blue as the ocean that ran down to her waist. Her eyes although not almond-shaped, had a charm to them especially when noticing the crows feet at there corners, which were completed with perfectly sculpted eyebrows. Her small button nose just added to her charm, while all put on a small petite body.
My mind was swirling with emotions that my baby self couldn't fully express. I continued to look at my mother with yearning in my heart until I heard another familiar voice, "Honey, be gental with him. You should remember what we had to do right? Too much of any emotion can trigger it." Even though the beingging of the converstation between my mom and dad was normal, but towards the end got really quiet since he got much closer to mom's ear to finish his sentence.
"I know dear, but can you blame me for wanting to spend as much time with him. I don't want to think about anything other than spending time with my children, I just want him and the girls to be safe when we can not be there for them." My mother said before my dad responded, "I know how you are feeling and the emotions that you are trying to keep bottled up, but the one thing we can't do is activate 'it,' only when the time is right 'it' will activate on its own."
My mom started to tremble a little with me in her arms, even though I was in my baby body my adult mind could notice the sadness in her eyes. She set me down on the ground before my dad pulled her into a hug before she started to cry. Her soft sobs were barely audible but the increasing wet spot on my dads chest gave it away a little, and before I started to crawl somewhere else I heard my mom say something, "Why, just why did we have to do this to him? He was already unfortuante enough to have lost his biological family so why did we subject him to this?"
My mothers sobs just kept getting a little bit louder with every gasp until she started to bawl, she had collapsed to the floor while still crying into my fathers chest and tightly clutching at his shirt.
"I know what we did was wrong on so many levels that I can't even find it in myself to deny it, but this is for their future and protection. The only thing we can do for now is hope that the girls are able to recieve 'it' the other way. For now lets just give them the best life we can ok." As my dad was finishing he had pulled my moms face from his chest and held her face by her cheeks that were gently cupped by his hands as his pulled her forehead closer for a reassuring kiss.
When that happened something strange started to happen, the entire area started to distort. Like a video or camera feed that started to receive interferance the place started to show signs of rippling and fading but not before I caught sight of my parents again. They were now looking straight at me and not through me, they did not speak but only looked at me with wide eyes before smiling warmly at me. As the world started to fade away I noticed my mom and dad trying to say something that I could not hear but I knew what they said by reading there lips.
Mom: I love all of you, protect yourself and your sisters, and I am sorry, please forgive me.
Dad: I know you will do right, protect yourself and your sisters, I am sorry as well, please forgive me.
Not wanting to leave I tried to stay, No, I wanted to stay I wanted to stay here a be with them, I had not hatred for them no matter what they did to me, from being alone completely and 50% likely hood of dying or being homeless they gave me another chance. I started to cry, I cried like a child for what felt like hours and soon that crying changed to sadness, then to depression, and then finally to anger.
I seethed with rage, my teeth grinded against one another as I started to see red. The family I once had was ripped apart although not completely, I still had my sisters but that made me even angier. "I HATE THIS!! WHY DID THEY HAVE TO DIE, I HAD A FAMILY, I WAS HAPPY, I WAS CONTENT!!!" I yelled out to the nothingness that I was in. The black started to ripple, it was slow at first before it started to look like the surface of a puddle or lake during a storm. I looked around and noticing it had a urge to just rip it apart like is was a piece of paper, and rip it apart like paper I did.
I had shoved my hands into the rippling black before I started to pull it apart. The black nothingness stretched and started to look like a grilled cheese being pulled apart, the thin lines of black started to break apart the bigger the tear got. I started to see the world again and this time it felt real, then....
*shlick*
"AAGGHHH," a piercing pain shot through my left thigh and when I looked down I saw a arrow head the size of a grapefruit, my face paled as I noticed my leg could have been cut clean off if it hit horizontally. I broke off the back and front of the arrow for the time being and jumped back to get a sense of what was happening. As I had backed off about a 100ft and then jumped up onto a branch, somehow I did this without even noticing but it did not register at the time because I was still enraged.
"YOU DARE TAKE AWAY FROM ME MY HAPPINESS!!!! I'LL MAKE YOU PAYY!!!" I launched fowards towards the closest goblin looking humanoid and thrust my right hand out and pierced its chest, I yanked my hand out with its still beating heart in my hand.
*Thump*
*Thump*
*Thump*
I stared at the heart for a second and within that second I just wanted to eat that heart. I barely noticed the mana surrounding the heart, but with every beat the raidiance of the mana dimmed so I ate it. A disgusting squelching sounded throughout the area as I had started to eat the heart, from the moment I had finished it I started to feel hungry.... really hungry.... and my mind then started to go blank with the only thought left was to eat, but before I had lost control completely I noticed a notification.
*DING*
{Devour - Level 1 - has activated}
[ Devour - Consume the mana and/or essence of a being that is either weaker than you or has been killed by you. ]
[ Limited use, can only consume the mana and essence from fallen foes by eating there heart ]
{Level progression - 3%}
After glancing over it for a single second I started to lose focus and gain a intense blood thirst, I panned my gaze towards the monsters that seemed to be frozen in fear, I grinned. My smile must have been nightmarish for I started to see wet spots and smell something in the air, this only caused me to grin even wider as I started to crack my neck and got ready to start my feast.