{2 hours till tutorial phase end}
The wind howled through the hollow expanse, carrying with it a biting chill that made Valyn shiver—a sensation that had little to do with his nearly naked form.
Hours had passed, but he had finally wiped out nearly everything in the vicinity. It had been a gruesome ordeal: battle after battle, each more harrowing than the last. The closer he drew to the caravans, the more treacherous the trials became.
He had been forced to hide multiple times, narrowly escaping death. Each close call left him bloodied and on the verge of collapse. Desperation had driven him to rip apart what remained of his tattered clothing, fashioning makeshift bandages to stem the bleeding.
As he reflected on his encounters, unease began to creep into his thoughts. There was something strange about the creatures he'd faced. At first, the two species inhabiting his trial had attacked separately. But soon, they started appearing together, their combined assaults exploiting each other's weaknesses with alarming precision.
More troubling still, they had begun countering his fighting style—almost as if they had learned his tactics. The realization unsettled him, yet a whisper of intuition told him the answers lay ahead, at the source of their appearance.
Three caravans had been deployed at the start of the tutorial. Valyn had chosen to investigate the largest one first, reasoning that it might hold the most clues. He resolved to inspect the others after, assuming he survived.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on him as he pieced together the fragments of information he'd gathered. His body screamed for rest, but his resolve kept him moving.
He approached the largest canister with caution, his bare feet crunching softly against the grass and fallen leaves. The air grew heavier with every step, as if the atmosphere itself resisted his advance.
Finally, he stopped, crouching behind a tree and peering forward with deliberate care.
The reason for his pause?
Two men stood near the canister, their figures hunched slightly against the wind yet unnervingly still.
"Ah, there he is!" one of them exclaimed, his voice a positive burst of cheer against the desolation. He waved Valyn over with exaggerated enthusiasm, his grin wide and unsettling. A development that shook Valyn who believed he had gone unnoticed.
The other man, taller and more angular, merely raised a hand in acknowledgment, his eyes locked on Valyn with an intensity that made his skin crawl.
Valyn hesitated standing up, even taking a couple steps back.
"These people, They're human??"
He furrowed his brows as he focused on them more seriously
'No they look human... but...they're nowhere remotely near being'
He could smell them; they didn't smell human, far from it.
"Well don't just stand there…. We've been waiting for you"
His instincts screamed at him to turn back hairs raising teeth clattering and mind spinning from fear, it wasn't something he had felt before it was more primal, instinctual.
However deep down he knew running was not an option
"Hehe I can see you're shy, well let's get rid of the pests first shall we" the man said looking up into nothingness and smiling
************
The envoy and every figure in the room felt his gaze before the feed abruptly turned off and a deep quiet swallowed the atmosphere
The shadow frowned and spoke first
"I guessing that wasn't part of the plan" his statement was ignored as the envoy turned back in a hurry and tore through the fabric of space yet again
"Madness, this is madness. What ... the rest can be ignored but those two have no business around anything living" Vastor said staggering backwards his eyes wide in a mix of astonishment, surprise and fear
****************
The same fear kept Valyn from moving forward. But more than his fear he felt —curiosity. There was no use running, he just felt it, if he turned his back right now. He would die.
He put his hand against his chest, calming his wildly beating heart. His worries magnified when he realized his curse didn't react hushing eerily, unlike earlier when he had come face to face with the envoy.
Whatever primal fear he felt had tugged not just at him but at his curse.
He had become crippled by their presence, nothing more than a mere human with a little more strength and resilience. And so he stifled slightly before moving
Slowly but surely. He took one step, after the other trudging forward till he reached them.
the shorter man's eyes gleamed, as he threw his hands into space and pulled out a weathered chair from seemingly nowhere and gestured for him to sit.
"Come, come, have a seat!" His voice was like broken glass wrapped in silk. "We don't bite… anymore." He laughed at his own joke, the sound hollow and sharp, before his expression flickered to something unreadable.
Valyn did as he was told secretly alarmed by what he had just seen
'bender' he thought
The taller man leaned down to pour tea into a cup. The kettle shook slightly in his hands, the steaming liquid splashing onto the table. "Ignore him," he said, his voice calm but laced with something… sinister. "He always is... theatrical."
Valyn took the offered cup, his fingers brushing against the man's icy hand. He hesitated for a while but then his curiosity got the better of him..
"Who are you!.... Both of you?" he asked, his voice steady despite the unease pooling in his chest.
The shorter man's smile faltered, replaced by a somber look that felt almost rehearsed. He clasped his hands together, his shoulders slumping as he leaned forward. "Who are we?" he echoed, tapping rhythmically on the table humming and waving his head every which way before speaking, his tone softer now, almost wistful.
"Well, that's the funny thing. We're no one. Just... shadows of shadows. Puppets without strings. Crippled ballerinas. Presence of absence, whichever suits the narrative"
The taller man straightened, his gaze piercing through Valyn.
"Ignore him" he said, still pouring tea "understanding our origin isn't that simple… certainly not at your level, the only thing you need to focus on is; we aren't born of your world" he replied cryptically
"I believe you're referring to the world after the tutorial, but I'm not from there"
The shorter man chortled "of course not, that thing can't be classified as a world. you're from a lower world..... you're from"
he tensed his face, squeezing his facial muscles giving him a comic appearance. A short while after his eyes brightened and he spoke
"Blue planet, earth, solar system housing 8 planets and a single star of the yellow dwarf class illuminating" he replied smugly causing Valyns anxiety to leap. Yet he kept paying attention wanting to see where all this was going
The taller man nodded and continued
"Your kind are what we refer to as a natural order, you were created by the supreme God like many other things that thrive reality"
The mention of God drew him in, Valyn had known for a long time that he was being prepared to leave earth; it wasn't a secret, for him who was lectured in Catholicism, it always gnawed at the back of his mind.
What would happen once he left earth, would he find out it was all a scam, a ruse?? The concept of 'God'
Yet hearing confirmation of a supreme being from 'benders' piqued his interest.
"Us … on the other hand are a part of the unnatural, the —absence …. We were created by one who was also created, we are taboo in creation" he said bluntly.
His hands trembled as he set the kettle down with a loud clink that echoed into the cold. "Created by 'Him'. The one who made the ∆■-■£⌐■-■)®"
Boom! Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
A high-pitched frequency, like the screech of a channel-less radio, slammed into Valyn's mind. The noise paralyzed him, leaving him blank and motionless for several seconds, staring at the scene before him without comprehension.
What's wrong? Why is everything so fuzzy? Why am I wheezing? Why is my heartbeat—
"Bo…"
My hands... I can't move them. I can't feel them. I can...
"Kid, y—"
What's wrong with m—
"BOY!"
"Huh?" Valyn snapped out of his daze, his head jerking toward the man who had raised his voice. The sharp tone broke through the oppressive whirring in his ears, and the sound seemed to pause, leaving an unsettling stillness in its wake.
"Here," the shorter man said, his hand outstretched, offering something. "Take this tissue."
Valyn blinked, still sluggish and disoriented, but after a moment, he reached out and took it absentmindedly. His gaze lingered on the man, his thoughts lagging like a broken clock.
"You might want to wipe your nose... and your ears," the man added.
The words made Valyn reflexively reach for his ear. His fingertips came away wet. He brought his hand into view, and his face serious as he noticed the crimson streaks staining his fingers. Slowly, his eyes shifted to the table before him. Blood dripped steadily from his nostrils, pooling on the surface below.
"What just happened?" he murmured, his voice shaking as the nausea and vertigo hit him like a crashing wave. Something felt deeply wrong, but he couldn't grasp what. Everything swayed as if the world itself had turned unsteady.
"Hehe, my bad. I forgot to mention." The man grinned, his expression far too casual for the situation. "You might feel... weird. Just from listening. Even if you can't quite understand." He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. "Even their names hold power."
Valyn blinked. The words —slipped through his mind like water through clenched fists. He had heard it. But he couldn't grasp it. Couldn't say it. It was blurred, stolen from his comprehension.
For that fleeting instant, just hearing it had shaken him to his core. The sensation was unmistakable. It was the same as when he had stood at death's edge. That heavy, suffocating weight.
Yet even as blood dripped from his nose, even as his hands trembled, he couldn't help but feel his heart race. There was nothing more enticing than the forbidden. His breathing quickened. His eyes widened, wild and hungry, as he stared at them. He didn't just want to know more.
He needed to. 'No'
He desired to.
"Who's he?" Valyn asked. The words spilled out, sharp and urgent, each syllable carrying the weight of his yearning.
The shorter man's grin returned, but this time it was more like a grimace. He leaned back, spreading his arms wide as if performing for an invisible crowd. "Oh, he's the genius, the tyrant, the savior, the messiah. The one who created the ∆$##@&, the -■€¢£■■®¢, and us."
His voice cracked as he spat the words, his jovial facade crumbling. As Valyn continued to writhe in pain
"But you know what's funny? Even he wasn't free. He was a slave, too. A slave to his ambition. To ¢£©-?&®¢."
The wind picked up, rattling the canister and sending a shiver through him. Valyn hunched forward vomiting blood, dying the table red while The taller man reached for his tea but missed, his hand trembling awkwardly. The cup tipped, clinking loudly against the table before shattering on the ground.
He stared impassively in annoyance for some time before continuing uncaring for Valyns current situation.
"The ¥■-■■■€■-■¢ was breached," the taller man said, ignoring the shards of porcelain at his feet. His voice grew colder, harsher. "And from it came secrets no one should ever know. But he learned them. He used them to create the $#@#&&! and waged war against the ∆¥€¢£©®¢ for centuries. the Age of ∆■-■©®¢."
Valyn clenched his fists around his cup, its warmth failing to stop the chill spreading through his body as he went paler and paler. "Why?... Why did 'he' do... whatever it was he did" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The shorter man suddenly slammed his hands on the table, his movements wild and unpredictable. The teapot wobbled dangerously. "Why? Why?!" he exclaimed, leaning in close, his breath hot against Valyn's face. His grin returned, manic and jagged. "Because he thought he could win. That's the punchline. He thought he could beat the ∆¥€¢£©®¢."
"Enough," the taller man said sharply, his voice slicing through the other's hysteria like a blade. The shorter man froze, his grin fading as he slumped back into his chair, muttering under his breath. The bloodied Valyn held on to his consciousness feeling himself slip away slightly
The taller man turned to Valyn, his face impassive but his eyes blazing with an intensity that made Valyn's pulse quicken. "We tell you this," he said slowly, deliberately, "because you already house corruption, you who are corrupted. Have a better chance against the corruption that comes from knowing about ∆¥€¢£©®¢"
The wind howled again, sending a tea cup tumbling from the table. Valyn stared into the shattered fragments on the ground, his reflection fractured and distorted. The weight of their words pressing heavily on his chest, incomprehensible yet undeniably real.
"Do not delude yourself to a false sense of being fated, chosen, significant. You are just one of many that have been enlightened, and..... Hopefully will not be the last"
He said as Valyn still clenched his fist finally unable to keep his consciousness he started to topple forward towards the table
"You probably don't know this, but if you lose consciousness now….." the shorter man said grinning from ear to ear
"you will.... most certainly.... And without a doubt Die" he said in such a friendly tone that it almost didn't sound like a warning, Almost.
Valyn had a hunch he wasn't joking around despite his playful exterior and so he decided it was time to use his trump card.
Valyn crushed the item beneath his trembling fist, shards of glass biting into his palm. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and let everything spill into his mouth—liquid, shards, and fragments of agony.
The jagged pieces of glass tore into his lips, his tongue catching on their razor-sharp edges, releasing a metallic tang of blood that mingled with the acrid liquid. He tipped his head back, forcing himself to swallow. The glass and fluid scraped down his throat in a jagged symphony of pain, carving fiery trails through the delicate flesh as they descended.
Each gulp sent splinters deeper, puncturing and slicing, but he didn't stop. Blood bubbled up, thick and warm, threatening to choke him, but Valyn only swallowed harder, the agony roaring through him like an inferno. The shards dragged against his esophagus, shredding it as they fell, and his body screamed in protest, convulsing as if to reject the violence he inflicted upon himself.
His hands trembled, his nails digging into his palms as he forced the last remnants down. The searing pain radiated through his chest. But Valyn's face remained impassive, his eyes cold and unblinking, even as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth and dripped down his chin.
The torment was unbearable, yet he endured it with chilling resolve. Every ounce of suffering was a necessary sacrifice. Every tear in his flesh, every drop of blood, brought him closer to the results he sought.
A result that took effect Immediately
® As for aid, you'll each receive a special liquid that heals wounds. It can be used three times. ®
Yes, Valyn had finally resorted to using one of his three…. elixirs.
He had never entered the tutorial phase of the trial at 100%. Matter of fact, For nearly a year, Valyn had been proving himself to Gregory, throwing himself into relentless battles and case after case. His existence had become an art piece. a depiction of scars, exhaustion, and fleeting moments of recovery.
Ironically, he had stepped into the trial directly after fighting the oni —just hours before. His body had been barely patched together from that encounter, enough to function but far from whole. Even so, he'd launched himself into yet another large-scale skirmish, spending whatever strength remained fighting the creatures from earlier.
But now?
Whatever was in that elixir, it worked like magic. No—it felt more. Every bone, every muscle, every tendon knit itself back together. Every scar, no matter how deep or jagged, vanished. The accumulated injuries that had weighed him down for months dissolved into nothing. His pale, weary complexion transformed into a healthy, rose-tinted glow. Even the dark circles under his eyes, his constant companions, disappeared. His breathing deepened, oxygen flooding his lungs like never before. His mind cleared, sharper than it had been in what felt like years.
Valyn let out a long, steady breath and slumped back into the chair, eyes closing for a moment as he soaked in the sensation of being whole.
The shorter man watching him smiled with satisfaction, while the taller one gave a single, approving nod.
Valyn opened his eyes and grinned, his gaze shifting downward to meet theirs. "Apologies," he said, his voice smooth, even playful. "I was taught not to use something unless absolutely necessary. And just then, it seemed... compulsory."
He leaned forward slightly, the grin widening into something sharper, something more dangerous. "So... where were we?"