"Cough, cough..." Reaper awakened to his surroundings, the intensity of the situation weighing on him.
The effects of Doubling, though present, weren't nearly as pronounced on him.
But whether that would make a difference, considering the state of his injury, was unclear.
"Hu..huh.." His vision was hazy, and his mind cloudy, he barely managed to press himself against a wall, using it as support.
"Fuc..king… bastards…" He could barely see through the blood constantly flowing down his face.
Despite that, he trudged along the wall, forcing himself to keep moving, when suddenly a runic screen manifested before him.
The runes imprinted themselves in space, proceeding to arrange themselves accordingly…
But truthfully, he was more focused on keeping himself awake. Any unexpected change was welcome…
Anything that would get his adrenaline rushing… he couldn't die here.
[Runic Fracture Entered]
[Fracture Title: Goddess's Sorrow]
[Progression Limit: 1st Limit]
[Entry Limit: 50]
[Trail Description: learn to wade the sorrows of the Heart. A biting cold that pervades even the brightest souls.]
[Trial Requirements: Survive]
[Punishment For Failure: Death]
He stared blankly at the screen. After using a moment to organize his thoughts, he continued to trudge forward.
But at the back of his mind, the title 'Goddess' wasn't lost on him.
He was shocked there was even a title at all, much less one of such majesty.
He could feel his chances of survival plummeting by the second. He didn't even dare claim a 1% survival rate.
But as with everything, there was a balancing force. Such danger could only be met with an equally precious reward.
Since he survived, he wouldn't die here.
The word rang true in his mind again, reminding him of his most primal desire.
[SURVIVE]
…
"What do you think is the value of life, Janna'n?" A budding woman asked her companion, picking up a tiny centipede native to the desert environment.
"Hazel, are you sure you know where we are going..." Janna'n rolled his eyes, ignoring the question directly.
He already knew the answer to this question and was much too fatigued to humor this idiot.
'Sigh, why does she always do this.' He looked down at her crouched figure with slight annoyance.
No matter how he thought of it, strangling her always felt like the right course of action. But alas, at the same time, he did not attempt to stop her.
From his bronzed skin and dark hair, he looked much like someone of Middle Eastern descent. Of course, no such separations existed in this world.
At least not in that manner.
What was peculiar were his large golden eyes, with what seemed to be multiple ancient characters swimming within.
They gave off a radiant warmth of scripture, calming to the soul, emulating the Buddha.
But anyone who recognized this trait would pale in fear. What was a descendant of the Arhat Clan doing here?
The Arhat Clan was a clan of humans, quite similar to the Elves but not quite.
His body naturally excluded a form of confidence without coming off as overbearing. Instead, it seemed to be his nature, as if he was born that way.
His smiling face was enough to topple cities. An irritating smirk seemed to find its way to it enough times that any man who saw it would feel the need to punch him.
Suppose he heard this, though, he would only sigh. How could he possibly help, having been born loveable?
The little girl, however, was no different from a clutz.
The classic brunette with rounded glasses and green eyes. Nothing else of note.
"One would think that a species that had lived for countless millennia would be able to answer this seemingly simple question," Hazel continued, taking an obvious dodge, ignoring his remark.
Or maybe she hadn't noticed he said anything to begin with. She seemed much more invested in playing with the bug in her hand.
"Why do you always do this? You always insist you lead the way when you know for a fact you suck at directions."
"Sigh, without me, you are clueless. Period." Janna'n clicked his tongue before looking away.
Who knew what he would do if he continued looking?
'Mirage huh? No wonder she got confused.' Janna'n concluded after a brief scan. The runes in his eyes that had lit up at some point faded.
Diagram was… peculiar.
More often than not, the various 'Sections' of land had no reason or rhyme to them.
One could go from an Icy Peak to a Lush Forest or from a Blazing Desert to a Frosty Lake in what amounted to a few steps.
But this was one of the reasons the world was named as such, like a complex network of interconnected fragments forced together to connect, forming a Diagram.
"What is a centipede to a human? And what worth is man to a god…" She smiled a cold smile, her eyes dull, her last question being stated rather than asked.
Finally, she stood up to reveal the disgusting sight of the huge maggot-like centipede dissecting all its bodily fluids caked around the edge of her fingers.
The smaller sections were somehow still moving as it fought through the pain of having been dissected alive.
Janna'n frowned, a look of disgust spreading across his features but disappearing as quickly as they came when he looked into her eyes.
The cold, toxic pleasure she seemed to derive…
An even more primal disgust twisted his features before he caught himself, wiping the disgust off his face with a smile.
But… She saw it. He knew she saw it.
Let's go, shall we?" He spoke quickly, taking the lead rather than waiting for a response.
Hailey dropped the last piece of the centipede she had dismantled, collecting its bodily fluids into a small vial.
"Janna'n, you won't lie to me, right? You enjoy our adventures, right?" Hazel flashed him a smile.
But instead, all alarms aimed at survival went off in his head, a cold creeping into his soul. There was only one way to survive.
TO LIVE!
"Of course!" Janna'n had the most beautiful smile on his face. It was almost as if all his worries had been washed away. Almost.