Chapter One: Calamity Codex

The air in the metallic room was heavy with unease. The silence weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone present, shattered only by the sounds of shallow, uneven breaths.

The tension in the room was unmistakable. Dusken, who lay on a small bed, felt it ripple through him as it seemed to weigh on his chest, but he wore a calm mask.

He rested on a narrow bed, his pale face barely illuminated by the flickering light of the magic lamps.

The low rhythm of his breath was slightly shaky but he concealed it masterfully from the people around him.

"Young Master Dusk, you must survive," a voice sliced through the palpable silence of the dimly lit area, its tone aged and laced with exhaustion.

Dusken turned his head slightly as he released a small smile. Dark circles could be seen under his eyes as small strands of his white hair clung to his damp forehead, which made him look many years older.

His smile - laced with long-gone innocence - was like a faded memory of the child he once was.

"Don't worry about me, Elder John," Dusken spoke in a low tone as his mind raced.

Today was the culmination of endless training and sleepless nights. A day that had haunted him ever since his reincarnation 300 years back in time.

This day was one that he might not live to see the end, yet he was oddly at peace; all he felt was boredom and exhaustion.

Elder John's sharp eyes scanned him as they searched for loopholes in his serene visage.

The old man had spent many years by Dusken's side, so he knew him all too well. That gentle and reassuring smile was nothing but a mask.

"I believe in you," the elder stated, resignation in his voice. "You've always been stronger than they could ever imagine. When you return, thrash them and show the strength of our clan."

The smile on Dusken's face wavered for a brief moment before it twisted into something darker. His obsidian eyes blazed with unrestrained killing intent.

"Don't worry, Elder John," he gazed ahead as he observed the metal door and the two silent guards that stood beside it. "I'll make them pay for all their deeds."

A memory resurfaced in their mind: the corpses of his siblings, their unwavering smiles as they died in the hands of the other clans.

Dusken gritted his teeth once more. However, sleep began to overtake his senses as he struggled to stay awake under the mountainous pressure of his eyelids.

His elder held his hand and added in a reassuring tone.

"You have been trained for a long time now, so you know the basis, but I'll still inform you. Remember, your goal is the god's palace,"

The words of Elder John were faint when they reached Dusken's ears, but he still managed to nod while his fists clenched the bed sheets in struggle.

As the elder saw his nod, he added:

"Unless you get a god's legacy from the palace, you'll be trapped in the Ethereal Land for eternity, so try your best and get one," Elder John lingered for a moment before he continued:

"I'll give you some advice from my experience as it may be helpful. When you arrive, you will get a soul script, summon it and check what side abilities you have at your disposal, that should be the first thing to do. Oh, and trust no one, humanity is already losing in this battle of conquest, so Dusken, please... survive."

As Dusken was falling asleep, that familiar emotion emerged in him.

Lack of expectancy from life, but also the determination to kill his enemy. However, when the words of elder John reached his ears, he couldn't help but be touched by his elder's concern for him.

But before he could reply, his eyelids finally shut, and his struggle ended which caused him to slip into the embrace of a long, deep sleep while his soul was transported away.

***

Dusken's soul sank into blankness; all he saw was ebony as a gust of cold breeze caressed his skin.

'C-crap, where is this?' he shivered.

In this unnatural darkness, a hiss sounded, making Dusken visibly tremble and the next instant, swirling bright particles of light appeared around him.

Then a domineering, cold and systematic voice sounded in the black void.

[Collecting Seeker's information…]

Dusken knew that this was the Calamity Codex speaking and his mind couldn't help but wander…

The Calamity Codex had first appeared in the world a long time ago and wreaked great havoc. Back then - till now, the planet was in a disastrous war against invading aliens and the world was in unrest and turmoil.

The suddenness of ten-year-old children falling asleep for days without waking caused an uproar in society.

What's worse was that many of them suddenly began to decompose, while some awoke with magical powers.

But as Dusken was in thought, the words of the calamity codex pulled him out.

[Inserting information...]

[Creating soul script...]

For a brief moment, there was silence as Dusken felt a rush of coldness flowing through him.

[Soul script creation has been completed]

[Seeker! Welcome to the Ethereal Land]

The firefly-like light swirling around Dusken disappeared as the cold darkness returned once again.

Then it started to fall apart like shattering glass as it gradually came undone, Dusken found himself standing on a hill in a vast desert.

The hill rose like a jagged mountain and cast a deep shadow over the desert. The elevated land had a very sharp downward slope which indicated a terrifying slide.

Other hills surrounded the desert, but their hilltops were dwarfed by the one on which he stood.

Desert winds howled as they carried the searing heat of the sun. Bones jutted out of the ground, their rugged edges glinted like teeth under the merciless sun.

'What... What sort of the hell is this?' Dusken wondered, his forehead already covered in sweat.

Suppressing the urge to take off his robe, he scanned the hellish landscape around him.

"Well… looks like I'm in an abandoned area of the Ethereal Land, a great place to start shitty luck,"

Dusken was more bewildered than alarmed.

Normally, freshly chosen seekers would be sent to well-off areas near the god's castle.

They would brave horrors and perils to reach the palace, pick the statue of a god, try to pass its trial and get the god's legacy.

Starting in an abandoned, hellish region of the Ethereal Land was far from what one could call normal.

Dusken ran his fingers through his hair as he contemplated.

Finally, he was here in the Ethereal Land, facing his call to power to attain strength, relieve himself from boredom and save his dying clan. But could he survive?

He didn't know that, except that the likelihood of death was very high.

---

The Calamity Codex was the only way for humans to grow stronger; it chooses some children at ten years of age, makes them fall asleep, and then takes their souls to the Ethereal Land, where they would face unknown horrors.

The world was not ready for such a change, and of course, this was not the end of the sequence of events, but as far as Dusken knew, none of it was his business... until now.

Finding himself in the dangerous ethereal land, he aimed to successfully reach the god's palace and bind with the statue of a god, because without doing that, awakening his talent and returning to the real world was nothing but a fleeting dream.

However, things were not so simple, because to leave the ethereal land, one must overcome dangers.

But Dusken was never optimistic about his chances of surviving in this place, not because he was weak, but because he was a target that must be eliminated.

—

As this thought brushed Dusken's mind, a cold light flashed through his onyx-dark eyes as he clenched his fists with gritted teeth.

If he were to be honest with himself, he just wanted to live an exciting life because his past one was filled with sorrow and pain so he was bored with everything but excitement, which was why he wanted to save his clan.

However, he was in the Ethereal Land and had to do what Elder John asked him.

He focused as he tried sensing something deep within him to no avail. So he began to mutter words like "Summon", "Soul script", or "Appear". After muttering almost fifty different words, something finally happened.

Dark light flew out of his chest and coalesced into a floating screen in front of him. Dusken scrolled through the words and quickly found his talent page. When he read it though, he trembled... it took him all he got not to fall on his butt.

'D-damn.'

---

Name: Dusken

Innate Name: -

Rank: Seeker

Level: 0

Spell Cards: -

Scrolls: -

Material Cards: -

Talent: Abyssal Star (locked)

Side abilities: [Child Of the Abyss]

Side ability description: Your soul bears the vestige of the abyss. Thus, the abyss and all its related entities see you as their child.

Innate abilities: -

Legacy: None

Dusken stared at this as an imperceptible glint ran through his eyes. He clenched his fists, raging flames spilling from his eyes.

'Curse it,'

His side ability was thoroughly useless in combat, so how was he going to get out of this desert as a normal human being at level 0?

He didn't know and just the thought of it sounded like a distant dream.

He dismissed his soul script while deciding to go down the hill when a sound was heard.

Swoosh.

Immediately, he turned his head and glanced behind, a distance away, on a flat, dried earth, a vague outline of an individual was being formed.

Dusken had a wary expression on his face as he stared at this sight, a young boy materialised in the distance. Messy red hair, Jade-like skin, pink soft lips and a straight nose.

His bright green eyes instantly locked on Dusken as his eyebrow arched in what seemed like a surprise.

Under the fiery sun and oppressing heat, Dusken's gaze was fixed on the red-haired boy whose stare was as heavy as a mountain.

The boy's lips parted.

"H-hello,"

He said with a lowered gaze while biting his fingers nervously.

Dusken didn't respond to him; his face was expressionless, but his inner thoughts were in turmoil.

'What the…' Shock and suspicion raged within him at this boy's sudden appearance.

This was the Ethereal Land and anyone could appear anywhere. But he still didn't respond to the boy, it was not because of arrogance, but due to him being careful.

After some period of silence, the red-haired boy raised his head once again and stared at Dusken, before speaking:

"Uh, hey," the boy muttered, avoiding Dusken's sharp gaze. "I'm Kyle; who… who are you?" he stammered while speaking, showing his lack of social interaction.

This time, Dusken frowned, he forgot what he had been thinking about and lingered for a moment before answering.

"Dusk. Call me Dusk."

Although he was suspicious of the boy, he still decided to open up a little; after all, in this dangerous land, one couldn't survive alone - especially him whose side ability was useless in combat.

Dusken came down from the tall hill after some time. He observed the bones on the ground that seemed to be echoes of an ancient war, interest hidden deep within his eyes.

"So..."

Dusken was about to speak when suddenly, a sound was heard.

His body tensed up as his gaze swept the area. It seemed Kyle had also heard the sound, for he took a step backwards.

Another sound was heard once more as spider web cracks spread through the ground a few metres away.

A pincer tore through the earth as something insidious began crawling out. Dusken stiffened while a surprised gasp escaped from Kyle.

A beast slowly crawled out of the small crack made in the ground, its monstrous eyes locking on them as the ground cracked beneath their feet.

Suddenly, ethereal dark lights came out of his chest and rounded the creature as his soul script appeared before his eyes.

---

[Species: Creature

Rank: Awakened

Level: 1]

As soon as Dusken read the information about the monster, his expression changed, and he uttered one word as the ground around them collapsed:

"Run!"