Chapter One: The Past
Due to the intense gunfight battle between the tiger squad and the tyrant squad, the land was decimated, buildings were flattened, and a hell that humanity had witnessed many times before was blossoming in all its dreadful, murderous glory.
The street was dyed crimson, and a solemn, anxiety-filled air reigned in the area, alongside the intense stench of blood that suffocated the atmosphere.
The sound of gunshots and the wind being torn apart by bullets filled the area.
Citizens ran away while screaming in horror; They all ran down the street as if they wanted to escape this macabre event.
In such a situation, escaping was imperative, but a wounded young man who had been hit by a stray bullet moved against the crowd, moving towards the location where the intense clash between the two squads was happening.
Blood dyed his white shirt in crimson, as he forced his aching bones to move forward.
In the hands of the young man was a black box on which a number countdown could be vaguely seen.
He grinned fiendishly while running towards a caravan of trucks with a bull insignia on them. These trucks belonged to the Tyrant squad and as the young man charged towards them, more and more accidental bullets pierced through his flesh, but he didn't seem to care, as his furious gaze – laced with quite menace, was fixed on the tyrant squad.
Just when the number countdown on the black box reached ten, he hurled it towards the formation of vehicles with the bull insignia; suddenly noticing this threat, some people from the tyrant squad fired at the young man's body, blasting holes after holes in him.
A bitter smile played at the corner of his lips, but there was a sense of satisfaction visible in his eyes. In this instant, an Earth-shaking boom erupted from the location of the trucks, drowning the area in furious flames.
It was then that a bullet pierced the young man's head, killing him in an instant and his body fell to the ground limply.
***
"Alex." A voice rang out, making a short white-haired boy quiver as he slowly opened his eyes.
His dark eyes, sharp and piercing, gazed at the grey-haired man in front of him. He instantly knew that he had fallen asleep once again.
"Young Master, I think that your situation is becoming critical and that you should take a sleep-resistant pill," the grey-haired man spoke, his voice laced with concern, as he added: "You have been randomly falling asleep recently, which is becoming a situation of concern, as it means that your 'Call' is becoming too intense to handle."
Waving his right hand, Alex said calmly to the grey-haired man; "There is no need for that, Elder John."
"B-But…"
"I said there is no need," Alex murmured, his voice holding a sense of finality.
"Yes, young master." Elder John squinted, a worried glint flashing through his eyes as he gazed at Alex, and then he closed his eyes and began to meditate, but he paid slight attention to Alex from time to time.
Alex observed his surroundings; he was sitting on a luxurious red couch inside a carriage, and the interior was wide and well-designed. The air was crisp and refreshing to breathe, and light poured through the opened windows like fingers of illumination reaching for the unknown.
The truth was that he had been having this dream for a few days now. He had indeed died and reincarnated into this timeline as the young master of the clan called; House of Night. But this dream kept on haunting him ever since he had experienced his 'Call'
It had been 10 years now since his rebirth into this strange world, and he had lived all these years gaining as much information as possible.
After all his readings and studying, he made a hypothesis, which was: This place he lives in now is a history of Earth from about three centuries ago from the timeline he used to live in. From his conjecture, he suspected that he had somehow been reincarnated back in time, to about three hundred years ago in Earth's history.
Some of the top prominent people living in this era were well-known historical figures of the modern timeline of Earth. Such as;
Brianna Grolei was the woman who had discovered the existence of Star Metal, which was used to construct floating buildings.
Lorent Clement; the man who had created the theory of Matriculous – a theory that unsolvable things could be done using numbers. This led to the invention of Lunar phones (phones that could project the image of the caller).
Bryan Bright; the man who had improved the Matriculous theory and created UAI – Ultra Artificial Intelligence.
And many more people, but right now, they had not discovered neither invented anything, but instead they possessed superpowers and were fighting against invading Aliens, who came from an unknown planet and wanted to exterminate the humans, and their powers were outstanding and terrifying.
The humans were being pushed back in this war for supremacy, due to their weaker strength and smaller numbers. The thing that made Alex's blood boil up in rage was that things were different from the way they were written in his modern Earth timeline.
There had been nothing like an invasion, there was no record of magic, and he didn't even know what was true history and what had been faked, his modern Earth timeline didn't even have the faintest trace of magic, but here… one could grow stronger and do supernatural things that were godlike to humans from the modern Earth timeline.
There was only one way to grow stronger which was by experiencing your 'Call' and succumbing to deep sleep, then you will find yourself in the Ethereal land – a mystical space filled with statues, you will choose a statue and bind with it to gain superpowers, it was even rumoured that those statues were mystical existences that once dominated the world, but Alex didn't know how true that was.
What he knew though, was that one had to brave unimaginable horrors to be deemed worthy of bonding with a statue.
There was a slight requirement, though. Only those at ten years old could experience their 'Call' and enter into the Ethereal Land to gain powers, so if a person didn't experience their 'Call' at the age of ten, then they were meant to be mere mortals for life, discarded and underrated.
As a person who came from the modern Earth time-line, which possessed no magic and was at constant war, Alex was naturally moved at the prospect of gaining superpowers and becoming one of the ascendants – those who had successfully bonded with statues, thus, gaining mystical powers
He was currently ten years old and had experienced his 'Call', right now he was on his way to a secured location, where he would fall asleep and enter the Ethereal Land.
He had completed 10 years last week and experienced his 'Call' four days later, but he had spent three days on the road, still riding to the safe location.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he steadied himself and moved closer to the window, staring at the blazing sun outside the carriage.
In this time line that he found himself; he would make sure to break all odds and shatter all binds. He wouldn't die a heroic death this time around; rather, he would live a satisfying life, even if many saw him as a misanthropic and cynical person, he wouldn't care.
He had been given another life, meaning the heavens had favoured him – he stretched his right hand through the opened window as the wind whipped his white hair.
He had been given a second chance to make things right; the heat of the sun kissed his skin, as the carriage shook from time to time – due to its wheels rolling over some rocks.
He had been graced with freedom and a chance to get power. The scene outside the carriage was a vast desert plain with no living being in sight, although his name was slightly weird, and he didn't know if he had been named such a name due to utter laziness or so. But he was Alex, from the house of Night.
Today, he shall awaken, and the world will experience his birth. In this slight, brief moment Alex couldn't help but see himself as the protagonist of the world - after all, he had reincarnated.
Unknowingly to him, a small, almost imperceptible 'Will' had been born within him… the Will to Survive.
Chapter Two: Ethereal Land
The carriage came to a stop two hours later. Elder John opened his eyes and Alex, who was currently doing his best not to fall asleep, also got up.
The door to the carriage was opened by Elder John, and he, alongside Alex, came out. The vast expanse of an endless desert – under the glaring sun, instantly came into view.
The air was hot and the ground was hard. The desert was deadly silent, due to the absence of fauna.
The carriage which they came out from had a small exterior when seen from the outside; it was built from dark brown wood with intricate carvings of a mysterious language engraved on it.
Alex observed all this with an expressionless face, he massaged his eyes while trying his best not to fall asleep and was constantly yawning. Those mysterious languages were eidrics; they were symbols that carried magical powers and the eidrics engraved on this carriage made the interior many times wider than it was supposed to be.
As Alex scrutinized his surroundings, Elder John was drawing a huge Circle and then began to draw some symbols on the ground.
"With my authority as the tenth elder, I hereby command you to open the gateway." Elder John pricked his index finger with a small needle making his blood drip on the golden sand of the desert below, in the middle of the eidrics that he had drawn.
Suddenly, the sky darkened within the small area where they were standing. Alex and the coachman – who rode the carriage, stood a few metres away from Elder John as he drew the eidrics on the ground.
Winds howled, and the area they were in was devoid of all light, making it look like a dark space in the middle of the vast sunlight of the desert.
The eidrics engraved on the ground glowed darkly and a voice boomed in the area: "The Daylight is temporary," the voice said.
"But the Night Sky is boundless." Elder John replied.
The ground suddenly became mucky and black, covering the legs of Alex, Elder John, the coachman and the wheels of the carriages.
The horses who rode it neighed in fear and tried to run away, but that was impossible. The sinking mud had firmly held their foot, and it was keeping everyone in place.
Alex began to feel intensely dizzy, and sleep was beginning to overtake his senses; he slapped himself on the face, making him temporarily stay awake.
'Maybe I should have just taken a sleep-resistant pill and be done with this', he thought in extreme bitterness, but the mud below his feet was making him feel uncomfortable.
Suddenly, vines rose from the ground, grabbing everyone and anything in the area and slowly pulling them into the mucky ground below.
Alex stirred, understanding what the vines intended to do; he tried to struggle, but it was futile.
"Don't resist, Young Master Alex, it's completely safe." Elder John's voice reached his ears, making him calm down a little, but his muscles were still tense.
The mucky ground had already covered half his knees, still pulling him into the grotesque and skin-crawling sight below.
It was then that the pulling force of the vines increased and their sinking speed was accelerated, pulling them into the embrace of the darkness of the mucky ground below, as the eidrics on the ground… glowed faintly.
***
Alex regained his senses and found himself standing on a rocky ground; he observed his surroundings; beside him was Elder John, and a few metres behind him stood the coachman and the carriage.
In front of him, however, was a wide bridge that was built from stone, and it looked beautiful. He raised his head and stared at the dark sky, he instantly knew that they were no longer in the desert.
His clothes were as clean as they could be, not dirty from the mud. This made him raise an eyebrow in surprise; he now understood that all the mud was just an illusion.
The air was pleasant and comforting, and faint tremors could be heard from the ground.
"Let's get going," Elder John urged in a low tone and added: "You are reaching your limits Young Master Alex."
Alex just nodded as he knew that this was the truth. Elder John walked towards the carriage, and Alex followed; they both entered it and a small amount of time later, the carriage got moving.
***
Sometime later, they arrived, and Alex found himself standing in front of a huge magnificent black gate; two guards stood in front of the gate; they bowed to Elder John and Alex when they saw them.
They opened the gate and allowed them to pass; Alex couldn't observe the grandeur of the surroundings as he was beginning to falter in his steps due to sleep.
Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted from the ground.
"Young Master, let me carry you." Alex could hear Elder John's voice, albeit in only a whisper.
He was beginning to hear a slight voice calling him from the depths of his soul; it was his Call; if he fell asleep, he would appear in the Ethereal Land, and for real this time.
The voice was inaudible, just murmurs that couldn't be very discerned. He felt the wind whipping his hair as Elder John ran.
He was beginning to regret not taking the sleep-resistant pill, but he knew that it was all for nut, as long as his Call came, he would still fall asleep, no doubt.
"Young Master, you must remember. This Call is a call to power, you would find yourself in a hall of statues, which is the ethereal land. If you choose a statue, remember that it would give you a trial, and you must pass to successfully bind with the statue and gain your power." Elder John whispered into Alex's ears.
Alex heard all of this, but he was already seeing a dark space in front of him; sleep was about to devour his senses.
Seeing this, Elder John quickly added: "Remember, the trial is just an illusion, you may meet humans and creatures alike, and to pass, you have to find a monolith."
Elder John entered into one of the buildings and went to a room, lying Alex on a large bed.
"Remember, Young Master, you are our hope. The hope of our clan, so please survive. Remember, that the house of Night is always waiting for you, so do not fail."
Feeling the softness of the bed, Alex, who had been holding back, now understood that he had reached a safe place, and so, he decided to fall asleep. Suddenly, something deep within him, rose and engulfed his soul.
All he saw was darkness, so suffocating that he couldn't see even his hands or feet, and then the darkness started to twirl and his consciousness was being moved by a mysterious power.
His vision suddenly became blank, and he found himself standing in a huge and endless hall; touches could be seen giving light to the area, and many statues stood on either side of the hall, so many that at the end of Alex's sight, all he could see was statues, they were uncountable. Behind him was a huge closed door, that seemed ancient.
Alex began to recover his senses, although he had slept off, the sleep seemed to still be there, but not as intense as before. He instantly noticed that he was in the Ethereal Land.
He observed all the hall's characteristics with a grim expression on his face, the air was stale, and breathing it was uncomfortable. The eerie shadows casted by the touch, made him subconsciously shiver, magnificence could be felt from these statues, even though they were supposed to be mere sculptures made from clay.
He let out a breath of turbid air and took a step forward on the smooth ground of the corridor, and this one step instantly made his face go pale.
Chapter Three: God of Void
Alex's face instantly became pale, he felt something profound, an energy that he couldn't comprehend, pressing down on something mysterious inside of him.
It was a weight that weighed him down, every time he moved, the weight increased. Alex stabilised himself, as he began to observe everything around him.
What he saw surprised him; by now, he had walked more than ten steps, and the statues around him were visibly different, not in appearance, but because he recognised them.
A statue, completely clad in armour was standing to his right; an odachi was held in a firm grip on its right hand. Alex recognized this statue as Gruel; in southern mythology, in his previous life, this person was a god.
The Champion god of battle, the one who had fought for the Divine Berserk god on the frontlines. Alex had read a lot of fiction and fantasy in his past life on modern Earth; he had also rea" a lot about mythologies. He had never believed, though; after all, he had read for enjoyment.
There were five classifications of gods according to the mythology of his past life, they were: Champion gods, Supreme gods, Mythical gods, Ultimate gods and Divine gods.
The battle god was just a champion god, and the Berserk god that he had served was a Divine god. Alex had never expected that this ethereal land was filled with gods that were nothing but myths in his previous timeline.
He continued walking, and the weight he felt kept on increasing. He also recognized multiple other statues, but they were all statues of champion gods, which were the weakest.
Alex was sure that he could bond with them if he touched them, but they were the weakest gods when compared to others, and he needed to bond with a strong god, so he kept on going.
Soon, he walked to a point where he saw two white pillars standing on either side of the hall and a white line drawn on the marble floor of the corridor.
His face was calm, but he was bearing the weight that was pressing down on him; by now, he understood that the weight was pressing down on his soul, and he suspected that the cause of this was to test how far down the hall he could go.
Without any further thought, Alex took a step forward and crossed the white line drawn on the floor, and his expression instantly changed, the weight had doubled – no, not doubled, but tripled.
He felt like his soul was vibrating; his gaze swept across the statues in the area, and his eyes lit up.
There were various statues that he recognised:
The supreme goddess of wind,
The supreme god of Anger,
The supreme god of depths,
The supreme goddess of beauty,
There were many more, and this served to solidify Alex's theory of him being reincarnated back in time.
All these statues, which turned out to be those of gods, were recorded in the mythologies of different Quadrants in his past life.
He instantly recognized that the white line and pillars served to differentiate between the hierarchy of the statues of the gods.
An Imperceptible glint flashed through Alex's eyes; he was greedy; he wanted more; he wanted to check out the Mythical god's statues and, if possible, even the Divine god's.
Immediately this thought brushed Alex's mind, he immediately suppressed it. Calmness returned to his face, as he observed the situation with an expressionless face.
He would keep going and when he couldn't bear the weight pressing down on his soul, he would choose to bind with a statue and with his knowledge of the gods that the statues represented, he would choose the strongest one.
Having a plan in mind, he decided to keep moving.
Time passed, and Alex came across multiple statues that he recognised and some that he didn't, but once again, he reached a place where there were two pillars and a white line drawn on the floor.
He Inhaled deeply, his face covered in sweat and his robe was slightly drenched.
He immediately came up with a hypothesis, which was that the higher the grade of the statue, the less they were; after all, the statues here were slightly less than those of the Champion class.
He sighed as he took a step forward knowing what would happen, and just as he suspected, the weight on his soul intensified, almost making him collapse.
Gritting his teeth, he raised his head, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as he observed his surroundings once again:
Mythical god of travel,
Mythical god of threads,
Mythical god of solace,
Mythical goddess of passion,
Mythical goddess of redemption,
Mythical goddess of trust…
…
Alex instantly recognised many statues; it was rumoured in the myths that the god of travel could instantly appear anywhere he wished in the world.
He was cunning, powerful and deceitful; he committed many crimes using his ability, and the gods were unhappy, but they could never catch him; they simply had no evidence; this god was one of the few that had troubled even the Divine gods.
As for the god of threads, his story was grander and greater compared to the bad reputation that the god of travel had.
In the myths, it was said that when the world's fabric was breaking apart and the Earth was destroying, the god of thread had used his mythical ability to wrap reality with his thread, sewing the world back to the way it had been; he was a true hero.
The god of solace though, his myths were shrouded in layers of secrets, no one knew his background, but with his presence, no matter where he went, people always found solace.
The goddess of passion was a peerless beauty; her presence could charm the heavens and the Earth, though she was slightly inferior to the absolute grace of the goddess of beauty.
The goddess of redemption just like her name was, made people repent from their bad deeds and punish those who refused redemption.
Alex's thought was forcefully cut off due to the intense pain that he felt; he struggled to stand up and continued moving forward; his determination was firm.
Not so long later, he came across two white pillars and a white line drawn on the floor; he wasn't surprised; after all, the higher the class, the more rare the statue.
He crossed the white line and his expression twisted under the immense pain that he felt. He subconsciously gripped his chest, but the pain was coming from his soul, not his physical body.
With bulging eyes and clenched fists, his gaze swept the area only for his face to freeze in shock.
He recognized many of the statues, but that was not the reason for his shock, it was due to a statue that he saw in a corner.
The statue's face was expressionless, its gaze sharp, and the touches that lit its area were constantly flickering like they would turn off at any moment.
The shadows around its area were still. Alex immediately recognised this statue, and he almost stumbled.
"G-God of Void," Alex muttered, his hands shaking in trepidation, but also excitement.
He rubbed his eyes to know if they were playing any tricks on him, but he saw it clearly, that was the statue of the Ultimate God of Void.
A terrifying being that was rumoured to have drowned the world in rivers of darkness and devoured the heavens in the vast tides of shadows.
Even Divine gods were wary of his might and they never allowed him to ascend to become a Divine god. Because they knew that if he did so, the light would be extinguished, life would be a long-lost concept, and Void would reign supreme.
Alex trembled in excitement, for he knew that this statue… was the one.