Now that I think of it she only talked to Chris and not me… So that means only he was meant to be transported and I just came along and she is not aware of my existence.
'No! Chris. You fool!' I cried internally thinking about the sudden choice he made.
"Now this will keep Demon King busy for a decade or two if he isn't wasted by any low-tier mob. And then another ritual… HAHAHA."
I stood frozen, angry as I realized her lies and her act.
"Who are you?" I shouted, my voice raspy.
The goddess turned, her eyes wide with shock. "How are you here? Who are you?" she demanded, her voice filled with confusion and anger.
"I'm his brother," I rasped. "Why did you bring us here?"
The goddess's expression shifted to one of disdain. "You're nothing but a bug, just like him," she spat. "Humans are so gullible, so easy to manipulate. That boy is nothing more than a fool."
"You lied to him," I accused. "You tricked him into risking his life for your selfish motive."
She laughed again. "Of course I did. I don't care about humans. They're just tools for me to use. He's a gullible boy who will likely fail. I just needed someone to try so I could rest."
"So, you're just going to let him die?" I demanded an explanation.
She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm too lazy to deal with this myself. The demons must be stopped, but I have no interest in doing it. Let him try and fail. It's of no consequence to me."
My throat was dry, but I forced myself to speak. "You're a monster," I said, my voice shaking with rage.
She smirked, her boredom and laziness evident. "Believe what you will. It makes no difference to me."
I took a step forward, my fists clenched. "You're underestimating him. He's stronger than you think."
Her eyes narrowed. "And you're still here because…?"
"Because I won't let you get away with this," I said, angrily.
She sighed, clearly uninterested. "Boringgg~" She flicked her fingers, and everything went black.
…
When I woke up, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.
And all I could see was darkness.
'Did I die?'
'where the f*ck am I?'
I focused on looking at my surroundings and surprisingly, I could see through it. There was no light source, no sound, nothing.
It was like, I was staring into an abyss and I could see its inside.
[Ba-Dump]
[Ba-Dump]
As I said there was no sound, it was so silent that I could hear my heartbeat.
My memories were foggy, I couldn't recollect what happened, how or why I was here. I couldn't understand my situation.
Anyway, I looked around and…
All I could see was the ground and my body. I looked in any direction I could only see the ground. No walls, no other architecture. My thought was I was in an empty dome-like structure.
'F*ck, how the hell did I end up here…'
I had no idea how I had ended up here, and my memories offered no clues.
'Sigh… I can't get anywhere if I wait here. I need to move forward and look for an exit.' With determination, I decided to move forward. It was a simple yet effective choice in this kind of situation. If I stayed there I don't know what could have happened I could have been waiting for help anxiously but this helped me remain calm and rational.
'Why the hell am I so thirsty…'
'Wait… thirsty…'
Then, as if a floodgate had opened, my memory became clearer.
'That b*tch' She had done something.
This memory brought an anger so intense that tears began to form in my eyes. The sense of betrayal and injustice was overwhelming.
As I wiped my eyes, I suddenly remembered something important.
My brother—where was he?
The thought of him in danger made me anxious. He is the only person left that I can call a family.
I had to find him, no matter what.
I didn't know where I was, but that didn't matter. What mattered was getting out of this place and finding my brother.
I started walking…
I needed to find the exit quickly that was the only thought in my head.
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
My steps echoed in the silence and I continued to move forward. I didn't look back or in any other direction, I just chose to move forward in only one single direction.
Until…
I collapsed.
I was parched. I don't know how much time has passed but I was getting nowhere. And my thirst for water was getting bigger every second.
I was like a man who was lost in the desert and couldn't find an oasis for days.
Suddenly… I heard a voice. The voice that I could never forget.
"Are you going to tell me Chris died too?" I looked straight at the person or rather the woman who said this to me.
"Mom… h-how…?"
"How am I still alive… worry not I am dead and the reason is…" she said
"You know, you are the one that caused my death… You shouldn't have told me that, with me being in that condition" she continued.
"N-nno… it-t was your right-t to know m-mom… you mis-ssed him-m"
"And what gives you the right to tell her that brother?" Suddenly I heard Chris and could see him right next to mom.
"What do you think? I never blamed you for mom's death. I did it every day. If only you had kept your mouth shut this whole situation wouldn't have happened… we could have lived happily, all three of us."
"Oh Chris, how are you?"
"I am good, mom. You are right in the end he wasn't able to protect me."
They, both looked at me with disgusted expressions and said, "Because of you we died if only you were the one that died"
[DEEP BREATH]
[DEEP BREATH]
[DEEP BREATH]
I took deep, shuddering breaths. I woke up. It was all a dream, but a traumatic one. It felt so real that it shook me deeply.
Even though I knew it was fake, it was hard to shake off these emotions. But I remembered something important: Chris might still be alive. And…
I wouldn't let the dream become reality.
"huuu…"
Taking a deep breath, I started walking again.
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
After a while, I saw a light.
A light that could be said to be the end of every tunnel.
My exit from this void.
My freedom.
It filled me with satisfaction.
I moved towards it, hoping this hell would soon end.
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
My body was exhausted, but my willpower kept me going.
…
I didn't know how long I had been walking—hours, days, weeks—I had no idea. I just kept moving forward.
But the problem was that the light wasn't getting any bigger.
'Is it my imagination?'
…
'No… No… No… No… No… No… No… No… No… No…No…No…'
'I should move for-forward… I w-will surely get out of this place.'
…
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"WHY THE F*CK ARE YOU STILL THE SAME!? YOU F*CKER!"
I shouted ignoring the pain from my dry throat I yelled and ran towards it.
At times I would lose consciousness and would be woken up because of the dreams. Still, I continued to move forward.
As time went on I started to feel that I was losing my self myself… my humanity because I was so thirsty that I wanted to slit my wrist and drink my blood to quench my thirst.
I knew dying wasn't an option, so in the end, I didn't do it.
…
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[Step]
[THUD]
"Am I there yet… sorry Chris but I don't think…"
I lost consciousness for the nth time…
…
[GASP]
[GASP]
[DEEP BREATH]
[DEEP BREATH]
'it seems I didn't die'
I looked forward to see how far the light was away from me but to my surprise, there wasn't any.
For the first time since coming here, I looked back. The scene that met my eyes was chilling.
And just a meter behind me…
Three bodies lay on the ground lifeless. These bodies didn't belong to humans.
One body was of a giant reptile-like creature with golden scales all over its skin, large wings on its back, and two horns protruding from his head. There was blood dripping from the dragon's neck.
Another body was of a very pale human-like being with silver hair. His blood-like red, eyes were open and it was as if he was staring into the endless dark void. He was a vampire.
The last was an elf, he was a handsome male with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Above each of the bodies, a sphere of light hovered. It was a perfect sphere, that shone and brightened the area.
'It is all okay. I will see it later… for now…'