Xurden woke up in a searing pain drilling his head. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in the very middle of the dome underground. They tied his hands in golden chains attached to two dark pillars, making his wrist numb and burned. His skin had now red wounds. At the brief movement he made, he winced crazily. He couldn’t think of a way to free himself because the chains had drained all of his strength.He moved his head to look around, only to find nothing. He was alone and all he could see were the dark corners of the dome that the light of the torches stuck on the walls couldn’t reach. The runes written on the floor beneath were noticeable as they glowed in red. He understood what was really happening. The demon planned on taking over his body using that ceremony.He turned his head to the right when dark smoke appeared a few inches away from him. In that smoke, Jake came out and walked toward him. Every step the professor took seemed different to his eyes. When he stud
The deity disappeared in a blink of an eye and appeared in front of him only a few inches away. He quickly blocked the attack with his sword, putting strength in the blade. The powerful punch of the deity touched his sword, creating a sound wave. Their clash turned the entire room into chaos, making the ceiling fall and breaking the walls. He pushed the deity harder, but the deity wouldn’t even budge even a little. He then sent his ice from his sword, starting with the hand to freeze the deity. His enemy was also fast to respond. The deity raised his other free hand, transforming his fingers into a sharp blade. When he realized the deity was about to stab him to the side, he stepped back to dodge.Fortunately, he escaped death as he stood alert. To calm his nerve, he took a deep breath. From that moment on, it would not be easy facing the deity. He had to put everything in one attack to defeat him. If he let the fight longer, he would only get tired. With that thought in mind, he held
He touched his head violently to deny the reality. His mind had stopped working. He couldn’t think of anything else other than the fading body of Yric. They both expected that there would be death. What he didn’t predict was the outcome of his fight with the deity.Once again, he questioned himself about being a god. He was a powerful god, but he failed to protect the most special person in his life. Yric and he didn’t get to spend a lot of time with each other which made his feeling worst. He could feel the pain building in his chest, drilling his new heart. The result of the exchange formed different pain. Saying goody to goodbye to Yric really hurt him badly. It was a fact that he could not forget even to his own death.The two leaders looked down at him. The expressions in their eyes never changed even a bit. But they were full of judgment, searching for all mistakes that he did to add up the sin he had made. After a while, the king shifted his attention to the demon lord.“What i
A salty wind blew from his left, whistling through the houses lining that one side of the beach. By late afternoon, that wind would breathe cool air, carrying with it the stench of the mudflats. The waves had already calmed down, giving this serene feeling aligned to the horizon. From where he was sitting, on the balcony of his two-story house, he could see everything that was happening in the white sand. There was a group of men drinking under the shade of the umbrella. Next to those men was a family sitting on the soft sand with no mats under them. Aside from those people close to his house, other humans scattered along the beach, going on with their life while seagulls cried in the air just above.It wasn’t out of the ordinary that many people flocked to the beach, admiring the solemnity and beauty. The month of December brought a lot of visitors to different places. He was now used to it, seeing people ever since Yric died, and that sorrowful day happened four years ago. He adjust
AS THE DAY was ending, the sea became reddish orange with small waves touching quietly the white shore. The sunset coming from the long horizon reflected off the water making everything stained red. The wind blew up from the east to the small town standing along the beach, slipping through the cracks of lush trees on the mountain. Branches creaked while the nesting bird cry as if someone was singing.It was indeed a peaceful late afternoon for anyone but not to Xurden. He was sitting on the second-floor balcony looking vaguely at the scenery in front of him. The color of the sun mirrored on his dark black eyes. In his right hand was a cup of hot coffee. Steam danced to the cool moving air. He took a sip hoping that the cold building up on his chest would elevate. But it didn’t have even a small effect.He felt heavy on his shoulders which made him more uncomfortable. Racking pain drilled into his head which he endured without moving his free hand. He wondered why he was in that state w
"I knew how to have some fun. Why do you always think that I only knew how to stay in my room?""Because that's who you are. If we did listen to your excuses, you wouldn't be here."“You’re talking as if you have no idea that I can easily get tired," he said lazily finishing the last piece of cheesecake in his hand. He even licked his finger to remove the cheese left on it."Yeah, yeah. Fine. I’ll stop," Noah gave up talking to him, raising his left hand to stop the words he had not said yet. "What's Vivian taking so long?"As if on cue, Vivian appeared in front of the family mart, running away from where was the comfort room. Her cerulean dress and long black hair swayed to the wind in her every step. She was holding her wide hat so that it wouldn’t fly away on its own.Yric had been friends with them since their freshman year in college. They're still friends after three years which Yric didn't believe would happen. Yric was a loner who didn't like talking to anybody. He’s way too d
THE MAN looked at Yric straightly, he was holding the edge of the bus for support. His hands were shaking because of fear. He hesitated for a moment but still choose to speak. Bruises were visible on his skin. Dark rings circled his both weary brown almond eyes."I need your help," the man said in a shaky voice before looking away from him. He turned his head from left to right searching for someone.Out of curiosity, Yric glanced in the direction where the man was looking. But he didn't see anything weird. People were just waiting for the road to be cleared. He returned his attention to the man after a second. In a low voice, he said, "How can I help you? If I can, how can I be sure that you wouldn't harm me?" "I'll do whatever you want. Just let me live," the man responded instead of answering his questions.His forehead furrowed, miming a hint of confusion. "I don't know to help you though," he said matter-of-factly. "I am not sure who you are." He eyed the man more closely to stud
THE RIDE got a little bumpy going up to the town because the truck was pretty old. It jumped every time it ran on an uneven road. Yric with his friends held tightly to the side of the truck as they all sat on its back not to get hurt. His hands had gone numb.The street would be quiet if not only for the rumbling sound of the truck. There wasn't a single soul walking outside. Xurden's face still clung to his head from the moment they left the bridge. He couldn't stop thinking about the man as he looked far away. He didn't have a single idea who Xurden was. But he knew Xurden wasn't a normal human being. He shivered at the thought that Xurden was staring at him from afar.As the truck was near the center of the town, Noah started to notice the calmness engulfing the town. He even moved his head from left the right to observe the surroundings. The houses looked liked abandoned with only a few lights on. Questions aroused on Yric but he couldn't ask the old man driving the truck who wa