On his way back home, Hans stopped by to get some new clothes and groceries, making sure that he wouldn't need to come out again for a couple of days.
Today marked the day he would advance to the second circle of magehood.
Only two days had passed since he officially became a mage and yet here he was, already on his way to make further advancement to the next circle.
However, unlike the first advancement where one had to learn to create a circle, in the second circle, one had to pass a challenge set by the mana itself.
Recalling an interview with a Tier-6 American who said, "It's been around eight years since I embarked on the mage's path, and even now, I can still vividly feel the emotions that I experienced while advancing to the second circle."
"For some people, it might be easier while for some it turns out to be tough, but all I can tell you is that it was by far the most difficult and exhausting tier advancement I have ever experienced in my life."
After making some final preparations, Hans felt like he was ready for everything, or at least that's what he believed.
Hans lay atop a towel while sitting on the bed while being partially naked to avoid soiling the sheets and his clothes with his sweat.
His not-so-refined body bore numerous scratches, a result of his recent battle with the shadow mole.
As Hans entered a meditative state, his breathing became longer and more stable as if they were being regulated, while the thoughts in his mind wandered astray.
_____
4 years ago…
New York City, Manhattan.
"M-mama, what is that?" Pointing his finger out at the distant sky, a kid exclaimed while dropping his ice cream on the ground.
Looking at his pointed direction in the distant sea, a colossal black figure seemed to have emerged from the waterbody, riding on the waves as it closed in towards the city.
As the black figure reached closer, people started realizing the creature's enormity, eliciting everyone to freak out and inciting panic and screams among the populace in the region.
"S-someone, call the association!"
"My daughter, has someone seen my daughter?"
"Honey, run, run fast!"
"What the hell is that!?"
The will to survive soon overcame the feeling of fear making people start to run away without even taking a look at the monster.
The huge creature that had now arrived on land was finally recognizable.
It was a giant black snake, with its head held high, it almost reached fifty meters above the ground while its body reached several hundred meters.
The fangs of the snake-like creature were colossal and well-sharpened, while its eyes glowed a radiant green.
In just a couple of minutes, before the awakened could even intervene, the snake had already swept its massive tail a few times, laying waste to many buildings and skyscrapers to the ground.
As the snake continued to destroy and massacre, a group of awakened entered the scene, instilling hope in the hearts of the people who watched them from all over the world.
Leading them was a young man with white hair and an elegant, dignified demeanor, astonishingly, growing out of his back were two white wings.
[ America's Rank 1 and the sole Epic Class, Angel of Death, Elijah Mitchell. ]
Besides him many others had joined, intending to help.
Particularly amongst the group of youngsters was a girl with white hair who stood out the most due to the chilling aura that surrounded her.
Soon, the clash began.
More than a thousand high-ranking awakened had come in aid, the strongest being the only American S-class at the time: Elijah.
Despite the battle raging for four hours and an uncountable amount of slashes received by the awakened, the monster's attack didn't cease.
Elijah's sword and wings were already drenched in blood and everyone was tired, the only motivation they had was to protect their country from this abomination.
Just as the frontline was about to be breached by the monster, Elijah soared into the sky, staring at the monster in its eyes before raising his sword to the heavens.
{Devil's Pact} {Judgment Sword}
A slash of dark light manifested in the air and before anyone could completely see it, the slash befell the monstrous creature.
"Hisss…..krreeee!!"
After being injured, the snake let out a devious and extremely loud shriek before returning to the sea, fleeing to where it had come from.
After the monster's retreat, all the spectators were left astonished by the moves displayed by Elijah.
Some stared at him in awe, some whispered, while there were some who shouted, happy for their victory in this battle.
While all the people celebrated and the cheers echoed, only Elijah remained on the ground, kneeling with his sword in hand.
People congratulated and praised him while cheering for his amazing accomplishments, but there was only one thing that no one ever noticed.
His wings had turned black.
[ Class change: Angel's Knight—> Fallen Angel]
_____
6 hours before.
"Hans!! Get ready, we're heading out!"
A cheerful yet immature voice echoed from behind the door.
"Yes, yes, just give me a second and I'll be there," Hans changed out of his pajamas and headed downstairs.
His father sat in an armchair, engrossed in reading the newspaper, while his mother and sister were absorbed in a TV show.
"I'm ready," Hans announced, slightly annoyed by the fact that no one had even acknowledged him.
Seeing his impatience, Hans' mother chuckled as she asked, "Shall we go then?"
"Certainly honey," replied his father, setting the newspaper aside.
After they walked out of the house together, the family made their way to the car.
Hans' father entered the driver's seat with his mother beside him, while Hans settled behind his mother on the left, his sister sitting behind their father.
Hans found the car ride boring and full of empty chatter, yet he resisted the urge to isolate himself with his phone.
As they arrived at the destination, Hans' mother was the first one to get out of the car, followed by his sister, while his father lingered in the car for a moment.
Turning to his son, Hans' father met his eyes and said, "Thank you for coming along today, son. I know it's not the most exciting thing for you, but your mum cares a lot about these things."
Hans sighed before replying, "No worries, Dad. I like seeing Mom happy too."
Hearing his son's words, Hans' father smiled.
With that, they also got out of the car and joined the rest of the family outside.
Before them was a vast shopping mall, but as they walked in, both the male members of the family regretted the decision.
Their shopping-thirsty wife and mother enlisted them as bag holders, dragging them from shop to shop without a second of respite. By the time they finally sat down for lunch, both of them were exhausted.
But seeing her happy made them feel the same. Hans' little sister was also delighted to indulge in a shopping spree with her mother.
As they finished their meal, the lights in the entire restaurant dimmed while a waiter holding a cake approached their table.
Seeing the waiter, Hans' dad started singing and soon the whole family joined in, followed by the entire restaurant accompanying them.
"Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you, happy birthday…" Though quite childish, it was still good to see.
The room erupted in applause as their mom blew out the candles marking her 45th birthday on May 24th.
It was supposed to be a special day, but unfortunately, it soon turned into a catastrophe.
That day turned out to be the last day his parents ever spoke to him, moved, or even breathed. It was the day after which everything started going wrong.
After the meal, as they wandered around the area, a city-wide announcement blared through the megaphones.
[Attention! Attention! The city has entered a state of red-level crisis. Citizens are asked to remain calm and proceed to the nearest shelter!]
[Attention! … ]
The announcement was repeated again and again, almost bursting the ears of the citizens.
Meanwhile, Hans froze in fear as he stared at the giant snake in the distance, but his father quickly grabbed his hand, "What are you doing?!? Come with me, quick."
With his sister and mother already gone only his father stayed as he urged him to leave.
They fled to a shelter, where they endured four hours of chaotic sounds of clashing and battles that reverberated even through its thick walls.
Just as the battle had ceased and silence finally fell, an otherworldly scream reached everyone's eardrums, rendering everyone unconscious.
Hans witnessed everyone collapse on the ground before succumbing to it as well.
While his eyes remained closed, a message appeared before his eyes.
[ An unknown power is shielding you from the curse. You have resisted the curse.]
[ Your ???? has changed].
Hours passed before the military finally arrived and opened the shelter door.
However, once inside, no one greeted them or seemed to have been relieved of seeing them, nor did anyone panic as to what had happened. All they found was a sea of unconscious bodies that lay sprawled.
And a young boy weeping beside his father's body.
"Gamma here… yes, the situation is the same as in every other shelter. But there's one exception.." The soldier's words trailed off as he glanced at the boy.
Though they were just a couple of meters away from each other, Hans wasn't able to hear anything and continued crying out an ocean of tears in grief for his father, mother, and sister.
That treacherous day marked the beginning of his endless nightmare.