Standing alone, I was up against what could easily be considered the two most powerful entities I had ever encountered—simultaneously!
"What are the chances this would happen to me? Probably less than 1%? That seems about accurate."
Even before engaging in battle, I could sense their immense strength and unnatural power. It eerily reminded me of how I felt about my other brother, Sam.
Sam is an anomaly among humans. He is considered the strongest mortal in history, a title that rarely gets thrown around but is justifiably given to him.
For me, feeling similar levels of power from these two is disturbing.
'Not good. This is not looking good. How do I get out of here alive? If need be, I can draw upon the power of the underground volcano, but even then, that won't be enough to close the power gap. Is there nothing else I can do?'
Orochi continued his conquest of blood, decimating everything in his path. Nothing was safe as even I, who he was supposed to protect, almost was decapitated by its tail crackling in the wind and whipping up a storm.
No, I was not exaggerating. Just from twirling his tail, a calamity storm rampaged the mountain range.
The winds screamed around me, a fierce battle cry echoing in my ears. Trees that had once stood tall were torn from their roots, swirling chaotically through the air and obscuring my already narrow view. Creatures of the wild, both animal and magical, attempted to flee but were mercilessly shredded, their blood mixing with the tempest in a macabre ballet of destruction.
I plunged my sword into the earth, anchoring myself against the storm's fury, desperate to avoid joining the growing toll of the fallen. I could only watch in despair as the once-lush forest was ravaged beyond recognition.
The cataclysmic storm moved away from me, slowly creeping toward its adversary while devastating everything around it.
The hairs on my neck stood up, my instincts screaming to run.
Listening to my instincts, I turned into a fire sprite - a small, sentient flame - once more and maneuvered my tiny body with an alarming speed.
Suddenly, a bone-rattling howl erupted, matching the storm's ferocity and drowning it out, scattering its remnants across the ravaged terrain. Orochi, caught in the chaos, was hurled past the very spot where I had just stood, crashing down violently onto the ground.
'What the? Are you kidding me?!?'
"Jaeger! He's mine! Don't even think about touching the mortal, or I'll tear you apart!" Abaddon's voice boomed.
As I transformed into my human self, I observed Orochi morph into a dark puddle resembling a liquid shadow. The puddle crept across the ground, inching toward my heels, where Orochi vanished into my shadow, poised for the perfect moment to attack.
With a sense of comfort in knowing I wasn't facing this alone, I confidently straightened my posture, gripped my sword firmly, and braced myself for whatever might come next.
A chilling force drew near from behind. I spun around, my heart racing, only to be met with nothing. Panic surged as I understood my mistake; I raised my sword, ready to block the imminent threat.
But before I could react, a colossal, fur-covered hand shot out from my blind spot, seizing my head. Without a moment of hesitation, the hand slammed me into the already decimated ground over and over again, seemingly with no end.
As I attempted to execute a Phoenix Dash, I focused my mana into a shell around my body and envisioned a line of mana to create the Travel Line between my current body and where I wanted to go.
The spell initiated but suddenly stopped, depleting the mana required for the ability without actually finishing the spell.
"Attempting to run, pup? Why? The party has just begun! Don't be a party pooper, Leon! Dance for me!" Abaddon roared as he stopped pummeling me into the ground, lifted my ravaged and bloody body into the air, and then catapulted me into the sky.
The fierce gusts of wind caused my clothes to whip around wildly. Birds soared by, and the sun beamed down on me. It was a delightful moment... if only I weren't teetering on the edge of disaster.
As I lost momentum and plummeted to my death, I reached out toward the sun, drawing strength from its unwavering presence that shone defiantly above everything else.
Even when the sun hid behind the clouds or wasn't in the sky, it would eventually return, radiating with even greater brilliance, enveloping those who looked up in its comforting warmth.
Ifrit was my sun, a bright source of power that shined brightly and was unwavering even in the most hopeless scenarios, even in my darkest times.
I turned my gaze downward to where Abaddon stood. At last, I finally witnessed one of my foes in their full, horrific glory.
The towering beast loomed over the forest's remnants, its massive frame cloaked in a shroud of dark brown fur. Sunlight glinted off its razor-sharp, obsidian claws, casting an unsettling radiance that sent shivers down my spine.
Its immense, ebony horns spiraled upward as Abaddon shifted, clawing at the heavens with eerie delight. Its whip-like tail lashed the ground with a thunderous crash, splintering the earth beneath it. Behind his nightmarish figure, colossal wings, reminiscent of a bat's, unfurled with a haunting grace, instilling terror into my heart.
Abaddon's crimson, blood-red eyes pierced the clouds, fixated on me, as he seemingly deliberated over the countless ways to tear my flesh apart, each method more entertaining and gruesome than I could imagine.
Swallowing my fear and thinking of the sun, I gathered my strength and brought Arondight above my head, ready to strike back at Abaddon.
Now much closer, Abaddon let out a gleeful cackle full of anticipation as he spread his enormous, bat-like wings and ascended into the air to meet my attack head-on.
I clashed my sword against Abaddon's bare hand. At first, it felt like a taunt, but then it struck me - he possessed the raw power to end my life without any weapon at all. He was more than capable of ending me with just his bare hands.
As our weapons collided-his hand against my sword-the impact sent shockwaves that obliterated everything around us. The shattered remnants of trees, the upturned stones, the torn bushes, grass, and the remains of the forest's once-thriving creatures scattered far and wide, even more so than the devasting storm had.
Orochi, lying in wait for the perfect moment, leaped from my shadow, shrank down in size, and surged upward, piercing through Abaddon's arm that was pushing me back in our clash.
Abaddon's arm was viscously swallowed, jerking the rest of his body up thanks to the inertia. Not letting this chance slip by, I gathered the flames on Arondight, moved them toward the blade's edge, envisioned a spell, and spoke its chant: "Sever!"
Sever channeled all the flames from Pyre into my sword, causing them to vanish and concentrate along the blade's edge, ready to unleash a devastating slash.
A vivid scarlet slash, shimmering with specks of gold, seemingly tore through the fabric of reality, sending tremors through the air, stirring the mana particles, and unsettling everything in its wake.
Abaddon's enthusiastic face was illuminated with harrowing intrigue as he grabbed Orochi's tail and used its body as a shield against my Sever.
Sever passed right through Orochi, becoming intangible as it emerged on the other side of the massive serpent, catching Abaddon by surprise. That brief distraction was all I needed for my strike to land.
As my attack struck Abaddon's monsterous face, sever cleaved his head into two.
'No blood?'
Initially, I believed my mind was playing tricks on me, yet the horrifying truth remained: Abaddon's wound oozed nothing but darkness, devoid of blood.
Plummeting with terrifying swiftness, Abaddon released Orochi, who whipped the former downwards even faster, propelling him into the ravaged ground below.
Touching down a moment later, I ran along the ragged earth, scrapping Arondight against it, building up heat within the blade.
The ominous smoke that billowed forth from Abaddon's catastrophic descent began to dissipate, unveiling the terrifying specter known as Ghost of The Battlefield, racing toward me with a speed that chilled the marrow of my bones.
As I narrowly evaded the lethal right hook aimed at my head, I ducked beneath it, my blade twirling and slicing upward with deadly precision, severing Abaddon's final hand.
A suffocating shadow enveloped me, and just as I understood what it was, I felt the chilling grip of impending doom, teetering on the brink of becoming a crimson, fleshy painting on the ground.
Abaddon's severed arm, the one Orochi had swallowed, twisted back to life from nothingness, crashing down with an evil force aimed directly at my heart.
In a desperate attempt, I lifted Arondight, its flat edge barely managing to intercept the devastating strike.
The force of Abaddon's assault was staggering. A dark tide surged with such ferocity that Arondight trembled violently in my grip, threatening to splinter my very bones. The pressure was overwhelming, a relentless force that wretched Arondight from my grasp, sending it spiraling into the crimson and azure sky above, leaving me defenseless and exposed to the encroaching danger.
"Excellent, Leon! Yes, yes! Show me more! Unleash your fury!" Abaddon bellowed, his voice a thunderous echo as he lunged for the final blow. Arondight, now a mere shadow in the distance, soared back into my hand.
"Damnit! This was supposed to be an easy day!" I spat, steeling myself for the relentless storm that was about to descend upon me.
***
The scene that lay before me was nothing short of a nightmare: two new monstrosities loomed over my so-called "parents," their chances of survival dwindling to nothingness.
This elusive figure, Mason, whom Leon constantly mentions, remains shrouded in mystery, yet an unsettling feeling gnaws at me-he lurks somewhere, concealed within the shadows. Leon commanded Elaine and Mason to retreat, abandoning him to confront the horrors of Abaddon and Jaeger.
Mason, the figure lurking in the shadows, sprang into action, conjuring a multitude of shadow hands that clawed at Elaine and me, dragging us down into the abyss of shadows. Just as we teetered on the brink of being consumed, two elongated hands emerged from above, seizing the scruffs of Elaine's and, seemingly, Mason's neck, yanking them back into the light.
A sea of dread and fear consumed me as I helplessly watched as both of my protectors seemed hopeless against their unseen foe.
"No witnesses, sorry," The voice behind the hands called out, in no way sympathetic.
'Will I die again? This new life has barely begun, and already, I am threatened by a faceless terror. Why couldn't I die in a wonderland where my every fantasy came true? Is it too much to wish for a single moment of happiness, just once in my life?'
The echoes of my first death crashed over me like a relentless tide, leaving me trembling in torment, my screams piercing the suffocating silence.
Tears welled in my eyes as the memory of my agonizing death at the hands of the Devil, the Demon King Lucifero, clawed at my mind.
My fingers convulsed, caught in a frenzied ballet of insanity. My legs twisted and contorted, gripped by a pain that felt like fire.
Amidst the chaos of my twisted dreams, a glimmer of hope illuminated my demented nightmare. It manifested as Mason, whose presence I could not perceive, yet his voice found its way to my newborn ears and resonated with unwavering courage.
"Arise, Shadow of The Serpent, Orochi."
An unexpected change swept the world, sending slight tremors to my environment. The change itself was unknown. It felt as if a powerful force was emerging, enveloping all within its reach.
Rather than an evil presence targeting me, subjugating me to more unspeakable horrors, it resembled a comforting blanket, shielding me from an encroaching blizzard.
Out of nowhere, the presence I felt gathered beneath me, just out of sight. The shadows around us morphed into a vast puddle, trembling violently beneath the four of us, sending waves of liquid shadows splashing around and drenching me and the others.
In an instant, the splashing ceased as abruptly as it had begun. Suddenly, a massive figure erupted from the puddle, hurling our faceless foe aside and granting us the chance to escape.
My mind twisted and contorted in a desperate attempt to grasp the abomination that slithered forth from the depths of my shadow, a grotesque form rising from the shadows below.
'Was that a snake or something far more sinister?'
Indeed, a snake was what I first thought of when describing the entity that appeared before me.
It was a sinister and slithering serpent that emerged from the depths of darkness, ready to wreak havoc in the name of its master. Mesmerizing patterns of inky black tattoos danced across its flesh as it coiled into view, accentuating the stark whiteness beneath.
The contrast was jarring, a visual assault that deepened the dread of its presence as if the very shadows conspired to cloak this monsterous creature in an aura of terror.
Thankfully, the snake's target wasn't me.
If it was... no, never mind that.
Leon, the courageous and maybe stupid soul who chose to remain behind and allow us to escape, bellowed with all his might: "Get them out of here, Mason!"
Another wave signaled a change throughout the forest, sending goosebumps racing across my tender, newborn skin. This change was stark and undeniable: the sun's fierce embrace was being mercilessly drained from the woods.
The warmth that had cocooned my body began to evaporate, though not entirely. I felt a profound weakness settle in, fatigue wrapping around me like a suffocating shroud, and my infantile cries dwindled to a mere whisper.
The searing heat enveloped Leon as he commanded the very warmth of the world around him to fuel a powerful magical spell.
The final image seared into my mind was of Leon, his enchanted blade held high, ablaze with fierce crimson and shimmering golden flames, a harbinger of destruction and protection.
The sinister black hands of shadow lunged for me once more, seizing my body and dragging me into the abyss, where an all-consuming void swallowed my vision.
***
For a fleeting instant, I found myself engulfed in total darkness once more.
Yet, this time, I didn't feel myself slipping away; I floated in a shadowy expanse. In the blink of an eye, my sight and sense of weight came rushing back. A chorus of voices reverberated around me, filling what appeared to be a confined area.
I attempted to shout for help, yearning to be taken to safety, but only a series of infantile babbles escaped my lips.
"Elaine? Elaine!" A voice resonated in the atmosphere. I could hear the rush of footsteps drawing near from the edge of my sight. A vivid green light enveloped my surroundings, sending me a shiver. As the glow intensified, goosebumps prickled my skin. Slowly, the brightness diminished, and the world returned to its usual illumination.
"She's fine; what about yourself, little one?" As the individual approached, I got my first real glimpse of him.
He was a young man adorned in a stunning white, green, and gold tunic paired with brown leather shorts and boots. His blonde-brown hair framed his face, accentuating his pointy ears, while his light blue eyes examined me intently.
The man lifted his hand above me, and the green glow returned to illuminate the space around me.
"That's great, but what happened to Leon and Mason? You two were teleported by Mason, but they're nowhere to be found. This feels like trouble," the man remarked as the light began to dim.
He sprang to his feet and called out into the cavern, "All guards on duty, assemble at the entrance in two minutes! We have a situation outside. I need assistance with Elaine!" As he carefully lifted me, another person rushed over to help with Elaine.
As we made our way through the cavern, I began to understand just how mistaken I had been about its size.
It was an expansive cavern with dozens of large holes in the walls, the entrances covered by black curtains. Weird gems were connected to the walls via sticks like torches but just not lit up.
I saw people go in and out of them and saw the insides: Living rooms, sitting areas, kitchens, bedrooms, and various other rooms were inside them.
'They live in a... cave?'
The man carrying me walked down to the end of the cavern to a cutout similar to the other holes but with double doors covering the entrance. They were fancy marble wood doors, very much out of place.
Something hung above the doors, and since my eyesight wasn't that good yet, I couldn't see it until we got closer.
Only when we got right under it could I read that it was a sign stating: "Leon&Elaine."
The man carrying me held the door open for the other man carrying Elaine and closed the door once we were all inside.
"Set her on the couch. I'll put the newborn in the crib that they have. Once you are done, get my sister for me," the man carrying me said.
The scene that unfolded before my eyes left me utterly spellbound, for I had naively believed that the outside reflected the inside. How mistaken I was!
The interior of Leon and Elaine's abode was nothing short of magnificent, though it lacked the essence of royalty. Soft, light gray walls adorned with portraits of unfamiliar faces harmonized beautifully with the unique marble wood floors, which danced with elegant, swirling hues.
The exquisitely leather-crafted furniture boasted a rich, deep brown tone. From the entrance, one could glimpse a cozy three-seater sofa, a recliner, an array of shelves and bookcases, and a black screen machinery called a Holocast, all inviting one to explore further.
The man meandered around the rich brown leather sofa, where his companion had gently laid Elaine, and ventured to the left, traversing a narrow corridor.
After a brief moment, he turned left once more and stepped into a quaint little bedroom, unremarkable yet cozy. Within, a freshly assembled dark brown wooden crib stood proudly, adorned with a vibrant blue blanket draped over the side rail.
"Stay here for now, where it's safe," the man said after gently putting me in the crib. The soft touch of the mattress hit my back as he covered me with a bright blue blanket.
Walking out of the room, the man started a short conversation with the other by the door.
"Have my sister stay here with them while I am away. I will be leaving shortly to find Leon and Mason," the person who carried me said.
"As you wish, Arnold." The other responded.
After that, the second man ran off in the distance, probably outside the house. Arnold, the man who was carrying me, came back into the room I was in.
"What is your story, little one? Why were you with Elaine? What happened to Leon and Mason that they couldn't come with you? What am I getting myself into by going to find them?"
Taking one last look at me, he sprinted out of the room in a hurry to Leon and Mason.