* Warning: This chapter contains some scenes which might not be suitable for some readers. *
"What the hell is that thing!?" Standing beside me Envy shouted.
Her eyes widen in disbelief, anger breaming from her eyes, witnessing this… this very thing standing infront of us.
I couldn't blame her.
Even I, someone who has seen horror, wouldn't even dream of stood frozen in my place.
I was trying to process the sight in front of me.
Disbelief.
Cruelty.
Rage.
That thing. What exactly is that… How do I even begin to describe it?
Yes.
Cruel. That's the word.
So… Inhuman.
How can someone be this cruel.
It was the absolute peak of cruelty, a manifestation of everything wrong with humanity's unyielding pursuit of knowledge.
Humanities greatest strength is not in their unyielding knowledge, but it's in their relentless curiosity to uncover the unknown.
We pride ourselves on our curiosity.
On our drive to uncover the unknown.
But this… this is what happens when we go too far.
Some knowledge are just better left untouched.
Some doors are better left closed. And that thing standing infront of us, is the very result of uncovering that knowledge.
And if we do discover it, then…
The price is too high.
Not a single word left our lips.
How could we speak?
We felt disgust.
Calling our selves, human.
A human did this.
...
Ten minutes Earlier-
"Great, Follow me."
Without any further doubts, I follow behind Envy, as she led me through the cave.
As we move deeper, the moonlight dimmed and the darkness began to surround us.
"Be careful." Envy warned.
Snap!
By snapping my fingers, I conjured a tiny flame above us, it illuminated the surrounding with it's orange tint.
In front of me I noticed a stair, which leads downward to a fairly spacious basement.
"Is this the way?" I asked.
Envy looked at me and replied, "Pretty much."
"And where do you need my help with?"
I have to ask, I mean, she is Envy, as much I know there's nothing she can't do.
"Be patience, It's better if you see it by your own eyes."
'If you say so.'
I didn't question her further.
Going down stairs, with each step further.
Step. Step. Step.
Halt.
We stopped in front of what looks like a giant metallic door.
It's not ordinary though.
My gaze shifted towards the pattern engraved on it.
The pattern followed a letter "Ω" inscribed inside a circle.
I recognized it.
It's an ancient crest, once used to seal and store an Elemental Essence within it. It's a lost technique, which last seen before three thousand years ago.
'What's this thing doing here?'
I further scan the crest, and noticed that, it holds a bit of Fire Essence in it.
"An ancient crest. Fire Essence." Those words left my mouth without me even realizing it.
"Oh, you're knowledgeable."
'So that's what she wanted.'
It said, that, more than three thousands years ago, this world doesn't even have the concept of Elementals. There were more than five kingdoms, and the people didn't possessed any Skills or Essence.
But I recognized this crest, this belongs to that very era.
I love Elemental History and this was among those few knowledge I had gained while reading more than hundreds of books.
"How strange…" I mumbled.
"What so strange about that?" Envy's voice suddenly sounded from beside me.
My mouth twitched as I pointed to the crest and explained, "The crest on the door, it's resonating with the Fire Essence despite being in the Frostvile Kingdome."
"So?"
'This…! Is she testing me!?'
Haah…
"No, the strange thing is, this crest is still functioning, and been accumulating Fire Essence, despite being in the Frostvile—the land dominated by the Ice Essence."
"Yeah, that's just common knowledge, what's your point, can you open the door or not?" Envy said with a smile across her face.
"…"
'I swear… She is just...'
I know for sure, she of all people has sensed it. It not that hard.
Giving up, I explained.
"This crest is only—and I mean only accumulating Fire Essence, by filtering out the other four Elementals, isn't that strange, this crest some how manages to overpower even the Ice Essence despite being in the Ice's domain."
"Oh, You're right, I didn't notice. So can you open the door or not?"
"…"
I placed the tip of my index finger on the crest and began absorbing the Fire Essence stored within it.
Slowly and steadily, I drained it empty.
The moment I fully drained it, a loud clicking sound resonated from the door. Gears spinning and shifted can be heard.
Rumble! Rumble!
Both Envy and I stepped back as the massive metallic door began to rise, revealing what lay behind it.
As the door fully opened, I saw a vast hall stretching endlessly.
The hall has several interconnected rooms branching off in different direction. The walls was pristine, untouched by dust.
It was clean. Way too clean.
We moved cautiously.
Something about this place felt… wrong.
I scanned the area, and I noticed.
It was the same hall I witness in my dream.
'I knew it!'
I didn't need any direction, my feet carried me toward one of the doors.
"Hey wait," Envy called, as she followed me.
I remembered, behind that door, where that child was being dissected.
My breathing was heavy, as I pushed open the door.
The door creaked open.
And then…
"!"
"!"
"What the hell is that thing!?" Standing beside me Envy shouted.
I stepped inside, and my body froze as my eyes landed on the scene before me.
What we saw…
It wasn't just horrifying.
It was unforgettable.
There standing infront of us, was an entity, a grotesque entity.
It's body was tall, nearly six feet. Though it looks far like human, it's skin was replaced by a layer of exposed, wobbling brains. The slimy mucus like human brains were sticking almost covering the figure's Skin'.
And it's hands…
No, not hands. In place of fingers, it has small human hands, hands that looked like as if they were ripped from the bodies of children and grotesquely stitched with this entity.
Its head was disproportionate, small, as though the size of a child's head. Its eyes were gone, they were hollow, carved-out off their sockets, from it a thick golden liquid dripped onto the ground below.
Its mouth opened and closed revealing small—baby teeth, grinding against each other. From the corners of its mouth, the same golden liquid dripped.
Behind the back of the figure, two white wings were spread out.
And I could see it's insides, they were not of human's but instead they were of monster.
My stomach churned at this sight.
Then, My gaze shifted to the ground around it.
Half eaten bodies were lay scattered around the floor, their white lab coats stained with their own blood.
I understood.
I didn't need to ask.
I didn't need to think.
This… This thing… was the result of an experiment.
Envy's voice, usually breaming with confidence finally broke. "This… this isn't possible."
But it was.
We were looking at it.
This is the cost of the hunger of human knowledge.
I took a step back, noticing me the creature tilted its head toward us.
"It's like… a [Fallen]," I managed to choke out my words. "But on the other hand it's not."
"No, it's worse." Envy said.
STEP! STEP!
The creature took a shuddering step forward, its small child-like head twitched unnaturally.
I instinctively stepped in front of Envy.
"Huh?"
Noticing me, Envy's face now has a confused expression.
I looked at her.
"I know."
We both understood.
This wasn't something we could fight.
Envy's powerful, but not as much to took this thing before us down.
I need to use my full power.
If we want to stand any chance.
'Sigh.. the hide-and-seek's over.'
I took my Inventory Ring and from it retreated my weapon.
Doombringer.
The weapon I used when I was Hope. The former Rank-1 Hero.
"!"
I noticed Envy's reaction. But I didn't care.
"That weapon... Hop—"
"I will explain later." Cutting her words off I said.
I focused on my Ice Essence, absorbing it.
I tapped my feet on the ground hardly.
Rumble!
Almost instantly, the ground shook, And the air around me chilled.
Crackle! Crackle!
The entire underground facility froze in an ice field.