Darkness swallowed Lux as he fell. The sensation was weightless and disorienting like sinking into a big hole without end. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.
His eyes snapped open.
Lux found himself lying on the cold wooden floor of his house again. The familiar scent of damp wood mixed with something far worse. The scent of blood, decay, and death.
Nothing had changed.
The bodies were still there.
His father's head lay a few feet from his slumped body, the jagged wound at his neck now darkened with dried blood. His mother lay still and cold near the overturned table with her hollowed chest. And his sister was still there, pinned against the wall.
A lump formed in Lux's throat again.
He had hoped for the briefest moment, that maybe, just maybe, it had all been a nightmare and he would wake up and hear his mother calling him for breakfast, his father reading the newspaper by the window, his sister laughing at some silly joke.
But reality was cruel.
Lux clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms. His body trembled but not from fear. The rage inside him burned again.
That creature did this.
Whoever they were, whatever they were, they had taken everything from him. He would find them. He would hunt them down. And he would make them suffer.
He inhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay calm. The stench of blood was thick in his nose. It will still be clinging to the walls, floor and everything. It would stay with him forever.
But now wasn't the time to grieve.
The constables would come soon. They always did after a massacre like this. And in this city, the easiest suspect was the one still breathing.
If they found him here, alone and surrounded by corpses, they wouldn't bother investigating. They'd drag him in, beat a confession out of him, and toss him into a cell for a crime he didn't commit.
"I have to get out of here quickly."
A faint noise caught his attention. It was voices that growing louder fast.
Lux swallowed hard.
He moved fast, grabbing his pack from the corner of the room and stuffing it with whatever clothes he could find. He had no time to waste.
The constables were almost here.
He looking back a little more to the corpses of his family, gritted his teeth, then he slipped out through the back door, vanishing into the darkened streets of the city.
Lux ran.
His feet pounded against the damp stone streets while breating heavily. The city around him was dark, the flickering street lamps barely piercing the gloom.
Somewhere behind him, the constables already arrived and they shouted, their voices sharp with urgency.
The door to his home was forced open with a loud crash.
Then came the curses, the muffled exclamations of disgust, and the clatter of boots across the blood-soaked floor.
Lux didn't stop and didn't even look back.
Tears blurred his vision but he wiped them away with the back of his sleeve. There was no time for grief.
He ran until his legs ached and his lungs burned. Only then did he slow down with his body trembling from exhaustion.
He spotted an abandoned building few meters ahead with its windows shattered and its doorway crooked and open.
A perfect hiding place.
Lux slipped inside.
The air inside was stale and thick with the scent of mildew and unwashed bodies. Dim light from the lamp outside filtered through the broken windows casting shadows across the cracked stone floor.
He wasn't alone here.
A few figures lay curled up on ragged blankets, their faces gaunt and their clothes little more than tattered rags. They are homeless, the forgotten people who took shelter here.
They barely spared him a glance.
To them, he was just another lost soul. Another boy cast out by the city and forced to find shelter wherever he could. No one asked questions here. No one cared.
That was exactly what Lux needed for now.
He moved into a dark corner, away from the others, and pulled off his academy uniform. He discarded it without hesitation.
Then he pulled out simple black trousers, a plain black shirt, and a worn-out coat from his pack.
Once dressed, he crumpled against the cold wall, hugging his knees to his chest.
Strangely, his mind felt calm.
Too calm.
Lux knew he should be overwhelmed by grief, fear, and everything that had happened. But he wasn't.
He was sure that the strang power that called itself the Abyss System had changed him.
Somewhere deep inside, he could feel it. The abyss that had wrapped around him and restored his broken body was there watching and waiting for something.
Lux exhaled slowly, closed his eyes, and let sleep take him. Surprisingly, it was easy.
---
A faint light seeped through the shattered windows as dawn broke over the city. Lux stirred, his body moving against the cold hard floor.
His eyes open.
For a brief moment, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft breathing of the other homeless people around him.
Despite everything, he felt... fine.
His body didn't ache. His mind wasn't clouded by exhaustion. He felt clearer and sharper than he had in days.
That should've been impossible. He had barely eaten and barely last night rested.
Then a sudden flash of light interrupted his thoughts.
A message appeared in his vision.
[Main Quest: Getting Stronger I]
[Objective: Strengthen your body to prepare for future battles. Complete the following tasks:]
1. Push-ups: 50 (EXP: 5)
2. Sit-ups: 50 (EXP: 5)
3. Squats: 50 (EXP: 5)
4. Run for 3 kilometers (EXP: 10)
5. Stretching exercises (EXP: 2)
[Bonus Objective: Endurance Training: Hold a plank for 2 minutes (EXP: 3)]
[Total EXP Reward: 30]
[Failure Penalty: None]
Lux blinked.
He remembered that the System already giving him a quests.
He clenched his fists, feeling the slight tension in his muscles. If he wanted revenge and wanted hunt down the monster that had slaughtered his family, he needed strength and that required training.
Without hesitation, he pushed himself up from the ground. The other vagrants were still asleep. Good. He didn't want an audience.
Lux moved to a secluded corner, away from the scattered bodies of the homeless.
He took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders, and got to work.
He started with push-ups.
His arms burned by the time he reached thirty because he had never done it in his live before, but he gritted his teeth and kept going.
One...
Two...
Three...
Lux collapsed onto the floor few times during the count. But he didn't stop. He keep going until he reach 50.
"Its so damn hard! My arms is going limp!"
However, he moved on to sit-ups, forcing himself through the discomfort.
By the time he finished the squats, his legs felt heavy. His body ached, but he welcomed the pain.
He stood up and stretched out his limbs and prepared for the next part. Running.
There was no avoiding the streets for this one.
Pulling his coat tighter around himself, Lux stepped out of the abandoned building and into the early morning light.
The city was already waking up for some people. Shopkeepers setting up their stalls, workers heading off to labor for another grueling day. No one paid attention to a lone boy moving through the alleys.
Lux took off at a steady pace.
His feet slapped against the cobbled streets, his breath was hard. The cold air bit at his skin, but he ignored it.
One kilometer.
Two.
By the third, his lungs burned and his legs felt like lead, but he pushed through.
When he finally slowed down, sweat clung to his skin, his muscles screamed in protest. However, it all feels worth it when new message appeared.
[Quest Progress: Complete!]
[You gained 30 EXP]
[Current EXP: 30/100]
[Strength: +1]
[Agility: +1]
[Endurance: +1]
Lux exhaled slowly, and smiling.
---