Death.

What does it mean? What happens when you die? What occurs after?

As Lucius sat on his hospital bed, he contemplated on these very pertinent questions. After all, he knew quite well… he was about to die.

"Any moment now… and it will hit." He whispered to himself, watching the television screen that hung on the wall in front of him.

There had been rumors of what was going to happen, but seeing it on the news confirmed it.

"The bomb is already on its way."

It had been nearly an hour since launch, and the vessel carrying the bomb was estimated to arrive within that time frame. That meant, at any moment, the bomb would drop and everyone in his city would perish.

—A city with a population of 9.2 Million.

Of course, there had been evacuation attempts since rumors started floating around. Some people had retreated to their makeshift underground bunkers, and he knew a few people who illegally migrated out of the city's borders.

All of these attempts… just so they could avoid death.

"Pointless…" Lucius told himself.

He had read up on the material used to make the bomb, and it was the very same catalyst behind the start of the war. No underground bunker or any other flippant attempt was going to save anyone in this city.

The lucky ones were those who were able to get out as quickly as possible, but it wasn't like the outside world—at least, what was left of it—was any better. After his city was destroyed by the bomb, it was obvious that the surrounding cities came next.

Any attempts to run and hide would only delay the inevitable.

They were all going to die in the end.

As Lucius felt the rumblings on the ground and felt vibrations which sent chills down to his very bones, he understood that the end was near.

Gathering the remains of his energy, he moved his emaciated body and managed to rise on his two feet. Sure, he staggered a little, but after properly finding his balance, he was able to stand without problems.

"Ahh…" Wincing a little due to the aches all over his body—the result of his sickly frame and incurable illness—he felt the urge to return to his bed.

But… he didn't.

'I'll soon be dying anyway.' He thought to himself. 'Might as well see how it looks outside one last time before that happens.'

He cast his gaze up ahead—seeing the large windows that remained hidden away by the curtains in front of them. Beyond those windows was the world outside the hospital. 

Lucius wanted to see it one last time.

"Urgh…" He began to walk towards the window.

More vibrations sent shockwaves to his body, but he ignored the pangs of pain and fear that made him shiver.

His heart raced and beads of sweat popped out of his pale skin.

But… he kept walking.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he arrived at the curtains that blocked the window-slide.

"Out of the way." Lucius groaned, pushing the light fabric to the side so he could see the transparent glass that served as the only obstacle that stood between him and the balcony outside.

He stretched out his hand to open the window, but found himself pausing with hesitation.

Normally, before he even reached the windows, someone—a nurse or doctor—would have come to stop him.

But no such person came.

The hospital had long been abandoned by anyone who valued their life, including the patients that had already been diagnosed with terminal illnesses. As long as they could walk, they left in a hurry.

Even the kind doctors and sweet nurses that treated him with such love had run off without looking back. Perhaps there was a period when the world wasn't this way, but Lucius did not know of such a time.

"Stop hesitating." He told himself, using his other hand to guide his shaking limb towards the handle.

Then, he slid the window open.

~FSHUUUU~

Stale air—slightly hot and pungent—oozed into the room, causing Lucius to quickly grab his mouth as he felt the urge to throw up. The air conditioner in his room and the nice odor that he had been used to was rapidly overtaken by these new sensations.

Reality set in quickly.

"Hehe… hehehe…" He chuckled to himself, not minding the drool that dripped from his lips, nor the way his twitching eyes leaked out tears.

Instead, he took a few steps forward until he was at the balcony.

There… he saw the world.

—A hellish nightmare akin to an apocalypse.

It had all the allure of modernity: skyscrapers, sky trains, bridges, and several cars that littered the landscape.

But… there was nobody in sight.

How could such a metropolis become a ghost town? The answer stared Lucious in the face, his eyes reflecting the explosion that had just erupted in the distance.

~ZZZTTTZ~

The instant the cloud of chaos was set off, the electricity in his room turned off—turning everything dark. None of that affected him, though, since he was already outside, witnessing the sunset that was accompanied by the outbreak.

"So… this is it."

Despite speaking so calmly, Lucius was terrified.

His body trembled as he watched the cloud of destruction tear down everything from a distance and near his location. More tears flowed down his face as he watched buildings get evaporated and the world fade into blinding light.

Lucius saw all of this and felt the weight of fear bear down on him.

He didn't want to die.

But… there was no hope for someone like him.

Even if he had tried to escape as soon as the news arrived, there was no way he could make it very far before he got caught up in the blast.

Not with the frail constitution that he had.

Both of his parents were dead, and he had no one in the world who cared enough to get him to any kind of safety.

"I thought I had already accepted my fate a long time ago, but it seems that isn't the case, huh?" Muttering to himself, Lucius closed his eyes.

He could already feel his skin burning up.

The blast was close.

As darkness graced his field of vision, he wondered if this was how his mother felt before she was killed by enemy soldiers, or how his father felt before he was killed in battle against the opposing forces.

He wondered if this was what everyone felt before death—FEAR.

'I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!' These thoughts filled his head.

Regardless, death arrived all the same.

And the moment Lucius opened his eyes, he experienced a blinding light and searing pain that barely seemed to last a single second. After that, he was dead.

Then… he was death.

"Lord Mors… bringer of death and all that ends… we bow in your presence."

With open eyes, Lucius found himself staring at a different sight—almost as if he just woke up from a long dream.

'What is this? Where am I?' He thought to himself as he looked around him, particularly at the naked woman who prostrated herself before him and the blindfolded men who knelt in perfect submission.

"We plead that you hearken to our words and fulfill our prayers per the ritual that summoned your presence." The woman's voice echoed even louder in his ears.

He comprehended the words but didn't understand what they meant.

'Fulfill their prayers? Ritual that summoned my presence? What is this?' As Lucius pondered on these thoughts, he noticed something about himself—no, his body. 

'It doesn't hurt…?'

His sickly body that constantly tormented him with pain and weakness seemed to be no more. He felt nothing of the sort anymore.

In fact, the opposite seemed to be the case.

He felt power.

'I don't know where I am or what is happening, but…' His eyes narrowed on the woman and the people that seemed to be in worship of him.

'... Something tells me that they do.'

With that realization, and a resolve that he didn't know he possessed, Lucius lifted his legs and stepped forward—leaving what appeared to a Runic Circle that surrounded him.

After taking a few steps forward, he appeared right in front of the woman and rested his gaze on her.

"You… woman… where is this place? Who are you?" Surprised by the deep sound of his voice and the authority his tone exuded, Lucius found himself nearly stuttering.

Thankfully, he was able to ask the question flawlessly.

The woman kept her face down and her back perked up, making him slightly uncomfortable but even more so curious.

"This is the Headquarters of the Heresy Cult. My name is Lili, leader of the Cult that is devoted to the service of your supremeness… Lord Mors."

"Lord… Mors…?"

"Indeed." The woman replied as her followers nodded in full agreement, her sweet tone showing utmost reverence.

"You are Lord Mors… Lord of the Dead."

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

Welcome to this brand new story that I published for a contest here on Webnovel. I was inspired by a reader who personally requested that I write a story like this, and so far it seems like this will be a fascinating ride.

If you're into this sort of thing… then hop on!

I can guarantee that you won't be bored as you read what I have in store for you.