LOGINShare
It Ended So Soon
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56It was never my fault.
Even now, as I laid out on my back, unable to move. My arms, legs, and body, tired and beaten. I open my eyes and see the blue sky, unaffected by my situation. Always blue. It was never my fault.
I glanced at my armour.
It's charred black from lightning and fire. My armbands ripped to shreds.
A man stood before me. His hair dark black and pinned up in a ponytail. His armour was much better than mine. Made out of silver with gold ornaments. A red royal cloak hangs from it. His sword is double-edged with an elegant dwarven design.
"It's over," the man said, sheathing his sword. From behind him, three more people walk up next to him; two women and one man. I didn't recognize the men but the women I knew all too well.
"Fiona. Matilda. Why," I said. Matilda looked away. She couldn't bear to look at me. Her heart was squeezing at her to save, to protect her little brother.
"That fact you still have the audacity to keep our brother's form," said Fiona, fire in her eyes. Her rage was unfiltered on her body. Her fists bundle uptight, and her hair was raising just slightly from her emotions.
"But I am your broth—"
"Stop it, Demon," she roared. A circle of runes and symbols appeared above me, a magic ring. Lightning shot down into me, causing my body to convulse in pain. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but it feels like minutes.
"Stop," said Matilda grabbing Fiona. "Please."
"He's not our brother anymore, Matilda. Just a demon!"
"Please." Matilda was on the verge of tears. Just a couple of minutes ago, we were all in an intense battle. Fighting for our lives. It was exciting and thrilling.
I had never experienced anything like that before. I was testing my limits and hopefully breaking them. I never had that opportunity to do that in my old life. I was always running, hiding, and trying to fool people who wanted to tear me down. It wasn't exciting. It was fear. I was scared because I knew my work; the work I felt so proud of was fragile. One flagged essay could end my whole career. I stole from everyone and claimed it to be mine; the cost was high.
It only was at the very end that I understood what his battle was. My sisters and their friends weren't here to spar; they were here for my life. Following the words of religion that held this country—no—this world in a vice grip.
I knew the man that stood before me. The eighth prince of the Chadel Dynasty, he was blessed with the title of Hero. A hero with no demon king to slay. The world of Rolrista was peaceful, with only a few disputes among the five kingdoms. Most of them coming from Chedel. It was located in the middle of the world with the other four surrounding it. It had once tried to conquer the content but failed. The prince was their second chance. Prince Gerard Darcey.
"Tell me, demon," Darcey said, kneeling down. "How did you steal our skills?"
"I didn't steal. I copied," I said. [Copywriter].
"You copied our skills?"
"I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to catch up."
"With who?"
"Gerard, don't listen to him. He spits lies," protested Fiona. Gerard just raised his hand, and she went silent.
"My sisters," I cried; I knew what was coming next. Matilda looked down at me in shock, tears sliding down her face now.
"Monster," yelled Fiona. "Don't listen to him, Matilda, come." She pulled Matilda away from me, leaving the two to decide my fate.
"James the Mask, hereby sentence you to oblivion for the crime of stealing from our Goddess Drykena and the royal family of the Chadel dynasty.
"This isn't real," I repeated over and over to myself. The other man placed his hand on my heart. His head was bald, but his eyes were a brilliant orange with markings from his eyelids and down his face. His cheeks were sunken, and I could only assume that the rest of him was the same. He wore a brown robe that covered everything.
"[Divine Wrath]," the stranger said, standing up and walking away, the prince right behind.
A golden light started to burn around me, creating a circle and then filling it out with runes and symbols—another magic ring.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I screamed. "I'm sorry! Matilda. Fiona. Please! I'm sorry."
My words fell on deaf ears as the circle finished, and I was engulfed by a pillar of light. It burned like the sun melting away at my flesh. Evaporating my eyes, bubbling into gas. The earth cracked, and the sky boomed. The four watched as a divine sword appeared above me high in the sky. It was large and as long as the Seattle tower. It slammed downward into me, ramming into the earth.
After a while, the light faded, and the sword disappeared. All that was left a hole. It was never my fault; I just didn't want to be left behind.
Related chapters
Control C | Control V I Wasn't The First
I woke up in a cave hundreds of miles below the planet's surface. My body was crumpled as it sat shoved in between a couple of boulders. It was a nightmare that a claustrophobic would dream about. If a normal human were in my situation, they would've died; their bones and organs crushed (they would've died even before that).Yet I lived. I torqued my arm until I had stretched it a couple of inches upward and grabbed onto one of the boulders. Slowly I felt myself being pulled up. It was rough at first, but my blood soon made me slip out like oil.I don't know if I screamed or not, but I do remember the pain. It was raw, like someone pouring alcohol on an open wound.The cave was dark, and not even the hole I fell in (more like was shot down) was open.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Control C | Control V A New System
I had never told anyone before that I had reincarnated other than my sisters. Which is what landed me in this cave in the first place.I can still remember each of their response.Fiona was scared, but she had masked it with a nervous smile. One that I hadn't notice then. "Wow, t-that's a lot to take in," she told me and warned me not to tell anyone else. I guess she was saving me for herself. Saying you killed a demon with the eighth prince of the dynasty would elevate your status.When I told Matilda, she wasn't surprised. She just said, "That explains the funny words. Either way, you're my brother, and that's all that matters." That set my heart at ease. So why did she attack me?"Judging from your reaction looks like I was right,"
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Control C | Control V Lana Christine
"It's just a little thing that I've been doing on the side, nothing big," I said, closing my laptop.Lana sat across from me, reading a book on musical theory. She was in her second year of classical music in university. I had decided it would be best for me to work. I didn't get accepted into any of the sports teams in college (not like I was really aiming for it). My side business had boomed since high school, and I made good money from the students at Lana's university. She was my ticket in, and I spread my net like a fisherman and caught a haul."I told you I'm fine. It's just rumours. I know you been writing essays and papers for people since high school," she said, not taking her eyes off her book."You knew about it in high school," I asked, grabbing the tv remote and putting my
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Control C | Control V Grooming
My body was in pain. I wheezed as I pulled my face close to the floor; black sweat dripped from my chin. I pushed myself back up."Argggh," I grunted out. Every cell in my body was screaming for me to stop. I was doing a mere push-up.Kali was the woman's name, and when she told me that I was being expelled from the system. She meant everything. That divine attack had reset me back to an infant (even though I look like an adult). I needed to rebuild my body."Is that all you got," Kail said, doing push-ups. She was only using her fingers to hold herself up. "Does your goal only sit so low on your list of things to do? Where is that drive?"I let out another scream and went down for another rep. My goal had changed since coming down he
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Control C | Control V My Sister's New Boyfriend
I was about seventeen, and I had pretty much stolen everyone's skills and blessings in my village. Matilda had left for the capital along with Fiona. That irked me because I didn't want to be left behind. Still, Fiona was very adamant against me going to the capital. She'd used the excuse, "Who's going to take care of mom and dad if we're all gone. Plus, you're too weak. We'd be always protecting you."She was wrong, of course; even though I was level eight (and they were in their twenties) with the skills I had, I could easily match them in strength, but as I grew older, I noticed my growth really hindering me. I had to compensate by getting more skills.My sisters didn't head off to the capital for giggles. They joined the Royal Academy of Chadel and passed the entrance exam with flying colours. Fiona was a 'sure in' because of her br
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Control C | Control V What Perfection Looks Like
"What happened to you," Matilda said, approaching me; the wooden sword in her hand was loose."You all forgot about me," I said and lunged towards her. I wasn't fast, but I was stable.Matilda quickly readied herself to block my attack. "I never forgot about you," she roared, but her words fell on deaf ears. I was already attacking her.She blocked my attack and was surprised as my sword slid off of hers like it was doused with oil. Smooth and without any unnecessary movement. My moves were surgical, and the battlefield was my operating room.Matilda had no choice but to focus. My moves were coming out fast. She shoved me back and started her attack.Instead of a standstill, where we
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Control C | Control V Focus
The sound of electrical sparks and booming thunder echoed throughout the forest. We had no choice but to practice in the forest to hide from curious eyes.It had been a couple of months since Jonathan had been living in the cabin. He had started to show growth, and I felt like all my hard work was paying off.I had never been attracted to the Emperor's Swordsmanship, but now, I could feel how amazing it was with the second part. It completed the first part and passively cleaned out the veins of the body for magic. It was turning us into the perfect vessels for the sword style. Lightning flowed through the body to increase speed, and thunder was expelled from the body for damage.It was a better way than what most people used. The first part of the swordsmanship was taught to every sold
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Control C | Control V A Short Fling
Autumn was setting in again.A chilly breeze swung through the forest and over the lake. I was sitting on the pier my father had built.It calmed me, and it was probably why my father made it. He was stressing over his wound, not being able to fight like he always did. It's a pain when you lose a skill that made your career. It was all you ever knew, and to have it taken from you by an injury; it can be demoralizing. He wasn't only stressing over that but also over my mother. She was getting worse, and there was nothing he could do to help her. The medicine that she needed was on the other side of the region. The Mountains of Fangs is what they called it. That's where a particular herb could be found called Lifewater. The problem was the increase of deadly animals. Fanged wolves and fanged bears were common and aggressive. A strong figh
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
Control C | Control V Fun Fact Killing Is Bad
Samuel Belmont, Vanessa Mast, Jacob Decker, and Lorcan Ravenswood. These are the four heads that rule Chadel under Callum the seventh. Each family holds a considerable amount of power. One single decision from them can make the simple lives of the commoners a living hell (not that it's already a living hell, just remember you can always fall even further down). Each team of the Underbelly was in charge of taking on each family, with Team Delta being regulated to the Ravenswood family. They were in charge of spreading the religion of Drykena throughout Chadel and the rest of Rolrista. At first, I thought this was bad news, but then I realized this could be a blessing in disguise. There wasn't any incentive to go after the Ravenswood family because many of the rebels followed the religion. We were backups for Team Alpha, Beta, and Charlie. We were told that we would assist them on mission
Control C | Control V Truthforcer
Documents. Everywhere I look, only documents. A papery grave as sharp as any blade or sword. I had always had a problem being organized, even when I was a teacher at the Chadel Royal Academy. It had almost cost me my job a couple of times. Lucky for me, I had an eager little student. She wasn't really little, but she worked hard to make a name for herself. It was a... peaceful time at the academy—past tense. Everything went to shit when Julius Darcey showed up. I don't know what a prince or princess does every day. I would imagine it would be learning royal customs and how to manage the country—wishful thinking on my part. Julius is a prodigy in the magic department, taking after Callum the Third, once called The Magic God. A being referred to as the closest person to the first Callum's power. I never lived through such a time and can't fathom what kind of power Callum the First held, b
Control C | Control V Peeping Tom
Katar, Ben, and Chris were the last three members added to the group (Katar was the elf). Jofrorli was still made captain even though he was the only one out of the eight that had the hardest time trying to learn [Shadow Step]. I was sure it was due to laziness on Moses, who didn't want to correct the mistake of making Jofrorli captain. Plus, the dwarf seemed quite happy being in charge. Team Delta was the name of the team. We were the fourth and last group to be created. Our purpose was a bit of an enigma. I couldn't wrap my head around us being just assassins. There was no way the nobles of Chadel would just let this ragtag team of adventurers run rampant in the streets. I didn't know how powerful the Nobles were but there was no way they were weak enough to be shaken by us. I started to regret ignoring the inner workings of the Captial. All of my information now came from Kali and wh
Control C | Control V Missing Hands
"You have five hours to get the basics of this skill down," said Moses. Thirty -five of us stood before him. Each of us well-rested and ready to start the second test. I noticed that everyone had one of the knock off masks. Either it was on their face or hanging to the side. It was a weird sight to see because it felt like whoever was in charge of the Underbelly was a fan of mine. I don't remember making fans when I was traveling in Chadel. I only remember making enemies. "Now watch carefully. I will only show it once."Moses took in a deep breath, making sure his body was ready for the task. He put his foot forward and took another step. His body slowly started to dissipate into the air, like smoke rising from a candle, disappearing into the atmosphere. It started from his head till it was gone. I felt that he was taking his time on purpose for us to deduce what he was doing. A little a
Control C | Control V Other Masks
Moses gave each team a room. It wasn't in the castle because there wasn't any room in the castle. The castle floors had been occupied with different departments and sub-departments. The tour through the castle reminded me of an American military base. Anything that wasn't a part of the main goal was kept in the barracks, and barracks were kept outside the castle.Logistics department, strategic department, magic department, espionage department, blacksmith and Armoury department, food department, shelter department, and registration department. Everything was organized with nothing left unturned. The whole area wasn't that wide but told a very good secret. Kaminarimon was built on the remains of New Kaminarimon. Kali immediately recognized where we were before anyone else. It was like she was visiting an old hometown of hers.After the tour, I wanted to rest, take a load off
Control C | Control V My Charming Mask Man
I only remember him being quite charming in a pitiful way. He was blond and wore a black mask; personally, I thought it should have been white. It would have suited his blond hair. His clothes weren't any better. A black bearskin cloak and leather clothes. It was cheaper than the burlaps and cotton. He was very awkward around women, and his humor wasn't any better. It felt like he was trying too much.He only asked for a mead and a simple meal. He had money but wasn't loaded. His hands were rough from practicing with the sword. He would even spar sometimes with the local guards.I don't know when I started to like him, but he stayed in our little town a bit longer than he expected. I remember old Ravod telling us not to hang around him. There was something about his mask that Ravod didn't like. "Anyone that wore a mask like that was up to no good." I didn't accept that. I be
Control C | Control V Demon Meets The Beast
It took about a couple of hours after we had finished for the other six circles to end. It wasn't as clean as ours. Most of the participants left their pride and reputation at the door after my little stunt. Killing became an easy excuse to get rid of the competition here and outside."How fickle of them eh," said Jofrorli Duskjaw, the dwarf. "Before they were all wondering or not to take life. Just one little scare and they all become savages." He peeked over at me and saw that I was not listening to him. I was making sure that Robert was okay. He wasn't a seasoned warrior like us and was still trying to catch his breath. "Ya know it's rude to ignore someone you know.""T-thank you," said Robert. He was looking a bit better now. "What was that?""Killing Intent," I said, ignoring Jofr
Control C | Control V Levels Don't Mean Shit
[Mirror Eyes] has one gaping flaw. If it's directed at more than one person, it can be detrimental to the user. When I was fighting the five covert Shi, my body felt like splitting apart. Even after the fight, I noticed that some of my muscles had ripped through the skin. The brain had been given far too much information and couldn't decide which direction I needed to go in, so it opted out and told my body to go in all directions. With [Mental Resistance], I reduced that burden and tried to block my body from doing unnecessary actions. Meaning I had to use this skill wisely, not just for every fight that comes my way. I am not hoarding skills anymore; I'm building a foundation for myself."I should look for other elemental skills," I said, glancing around at the forty-eight other participants in my circle. "Maybe water.""Okay, I'll just sit here then," said Kali taking a s
Control C | Control V Coach Scar
"Welcome, scum," said a man in shorts and a blue polo shirt. The man wore a black hat with the letters HTH on it. A whistle hung around his neck. There was a scar that started from the back of his head and down his spine. He had a clipboard in one hand and a pencil in the other.A group of teenage boys stood and sat before them. Most of them riddled with the dreaded acne. The smell isn't great either. Most of the boys are lacking in hygiene. Their hair was matted and greasy. There are a couple of exceptions like me. "You may call me Coach S. Baseball is a military sport. It builds muscle and builds teamwork. When you are in this room, you are no longer friends or enemies. You are equals. I will push, I will bend, mold you into a man. This school has never won a baseball tournament ever. That's going to change. I'm going to give you all hell." The man glanced down at his clipboard he was having a hard time reading
