A Dream
I found myself standing in the vast field of burned grass, the smell of fire surrounding me as the ashes flew above me.
Around the gray grass, there were a bunch of weird black-like moving tentacles coming out from the ground, on them a weird language unknown to me was written perfectly along the line. I was aware that I was currently dreaming, so I could only try to control my mind and focus well enough to gain powers.
But instead of gaining powers, I gained nothing but a sense of foolishness and disappointment. Unable to control my lucid dream, if this was a lucid dream anyway, I walked alongside the field with my eyes looking around.
The weird thing about this whole dream was that I felt fatigued with each move of mine. It was just like I worked thirteen hours of night shift outdoors in the rain, that kind of tiredness I'm talking about.
In my past life, I used to work those same shifts, and oh boy I hated them so much. By the end of them, I felt like my body was just numb, ready to fall asleep whenever the chance came. With nothing else to notice, I sat down on the ashen field and looked directly at the sky.
The Sun wasn't there but it was a day. That kind of logic could only be applied to Lovecraftian, shrugging it off I lied on my back and closed my eyes.
When I closed my eyes a couple of footsteps were heard coming my way, I tried opening my eyes but ultimately failed. Due to my skill, I wasn't feeling any kind of emotion but I for sure know that I would be shitting myself right now if it weren't for Azathoth's blessing.
Next, I was frozen completely without any ability to move an inch of my body. Footsteps came closer and closer until they eventually stopped, but right next to me. I expected to immediately get eaten or something worse by some nightmarish creature like in those dreams where the creature catches you.
"I haven't met a being like you in a long time, mortal." a sinister voice that sounded like the scariest voice imaginable spoke beneath me. It makes me think, that if it weren't for my blessing I would probably experience a mental breakdown due to how scary the voice sounded.
There are no perfect words that I can use to describe it, the next thing that happened surprised me quite a bit. My body was lifted and something grabbed my both hands, lifting me along the way.
"Who are you?" I asked calmly as ever, but no response came for a couple of moments before the very same voice gave me an answer. "Let's say that I'm your patron's older brother if I were to use your mortal hierarchy, I do not possess a name but you do and it's quite rude not to introduce yourself."
I was dumbfounded at the human act this eldritch creature just maintained.
"Very well, my name is Niall and I'm a human? Or not, I don't know anymore since your younger brother who also doesn't pass a name reincarnated me with a question mark next to my race."
Hearing the creature acting so humanly, I eased a little and decided to try a friendly human-like approach to it. It seemed to like my approach as its voice changed to a gentle female voice, perfect for comfort I would say.
"So why did you call me here?" I asked with a bit of curiosity, it was still very weird to me why I keep traveling to places beyond mortal comprehension. "I just wanted to check on my brother's first child, and my my, I already like it!" the voice carried out an emotion that was unusual for beings like these, before I could speak next the voice interrupted me.
"Sadly enough I have to send you back since your mortal body can't yet comprehend my domain any longer, but do know that I'm watching your endeavors with great interest. Also, one more thing before you go..."
I felt the fast wind hit my face as my body still stood like stone, "One day you will be able to meet me again, and when that time comes... I expect you to be strong enough to comprehend basic knowledge of our lineage."
I couldn't reply before my eyes opened, staring down at the sturdy castle ceiling I found myself awakened from the unusual dream I had.
Getting up onto my feet I felt full of energy after a good sleep, remembering the dream I had and pondering the mysterious creature's words. "'Their lineage, huh...'" I thought about the god who reincarnated me here and supposedly his sister or something else I've just met in my dream if I could call that a dream anyway.
As I checked my bag, I found it filled with a variety of valuables including jewelry and other items. However, my main concern now was finding food and water so that I could continue to survive. My stomach growled, reminding me of my hunger, which seemed to occur every time I woke up from a nap.
There must be a source of food here, somewhere in the castle for sure. These bandits must've had some storage for food, drinks, and other things important for survival. After all, the furthest town from here is a town of Agris, which I suppose doesn't welcome the bandits kindly.
Unlocking my door, I carefully opened it and peeked my head outside to check for any potential threats lurking somewhere. To my relief, no one was to be seen, so I was safe to go and explore the rest of the castle before deciding what to do next.
I grabbed all my stuff with me and ventured into the gloomy and old castle ruins. I passed room by room, but I couldn't find anything worth my time; most of the stuff I found was a bunch of empty bottles of ale.
Wondering about the best location to store food, an idea sparked in my mind. "Most likely, they hide their supplies in the basement if this castle has one," I spoke quietly under my breath as I looked around for any rooms that could lead further down.
Luckily, luck was on my side and I managed to notice one particular darker door a little bit further away from me. Now, let me get this straight. If it weren't for my skill that removes any kind of emotions from me completely, I would've probably starved to death since I wouldn't even try to go down there.
But since I had Azathoth's blessing on me, I compelled myself to try and open the door in front of me. Pressing the brake, it was locked. Of course, that kind of thing didn't stop me as I blasted the door away using my Chaos Sultan skill. A green wave shattered the door in one swipe making way for me to explore further down.
I was met with wooden, old, and narrow stairs that led to utter darkness below. Grabbing a torch from the wall, I descended into the horror-looking basement.
To my surprise, the basement was pretty small, unlike any I imagined. The torch brightened the area for me, and I saw full bags of food and water bottles for me to take.
My bag was half full, so I had to take what I could carry. The important thing for me was to have enough supplies before I arrived at the closest civilization. I didn't know whether Orario or the Town of Agris was closer to here, but I knew it wasn't so close, especially since I traveled by foot.
In the end, I grabbed three water bottles alongside bread, cheese, and other stuff I could manage for long travels into the unknown. Climbing back up the stairs one step broke into pieces beneath me, and I almost fell.
Luckily for me, I held onto the wooden fence which saved me from a possibly broken leg. Such an injury could mean death in this situation. Sighing in relief, I hurried my way up and finally managed to leave that accursed place where I almost met my possible demise. A broken leg in a place like that could only mean a slow and agonizing death.
Returning to the main hall, a bunch of corpses remained there, all rotten and carrying a disgusting stench midair. I almost threw up at the smell itself once I sensed it. Covering my nose with one finger, I wanted to inspect the bandits' gear once again.
Other bandits were poorly geared, so I didn't even bother taking their armor and weapons. The one, in particular I wanted gear from was the bandit leader I killed yesterday. She had very good armor on her and she carried a pretty gleaming sword. Closing the distance between me and her corpse, I noticed a small steel dagger on her side.
It was a simple steel dagger which I took for myself since I pretty much needed it. Going into the wildlife without a knife is like going into war without a weapon. Other than that, she wore heavy armor that looked like classical medieval armor used by knights and soldiers in that age.
Carrying heavy armor on myself didn't sound like a good idea, so I let it rust on her corpse. However, on the other side, I noticed armor pieces on the other bandit which sparked my interest.
A light piece of armor for a knee caught my interest, so I got closer and took it off from the mutilated bandit. It was made of metal by my guess and it looked pretty nice in my opinion. Putting the knee armor piece on my knees, I felt a little different since this was the first time I was carrying armor.
I remembered one famous sentence from Skyrim, 'I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee.' I laughed at the famous Skyrim meme. But even if it was a meme, I had to protect my body parts from potential harm since I'm still a mere level 1.
Now completely ready for my new life, I made my way outside of the castle only to be met with a cloudy sky and rain storming down from it.
I watched dead faces as my plans of leaving right now vanished completely. Being wet in the rain without shelter is a quick way to get sick. Sighing yet once again at the unfortunate turn of events, I decided that it was best to wait for the rain to pass before I moved away from this place.
Locking myself once again in the room, I took some time to think about everything that happened and what was to come in the future. First of all, my race wasn't completely defined. It was, but that question mark next to it brought more questions than answers.
Judging by the god's sister's words, I could maybe one day find a way to ascend and become one of them if I wished. I mean, I like the idea of becoming a powerful god that can control space and time itself, but I wanted to live a life of adventure.
Back on Earth, there was a teaching that the soul, once it met appropriate conditions, could ascend and become a higher being. That idea never sounded good to me since I always wished to reincarnate from world to world and experience many new things.
Becoming a god-like being could mean that I could do almost whatever I wanted, maybe even roleplay as some character in any kind of world I wished. But, for now, I needed to gather more knowledge and not rush into anything that I couldn't comprehend.
More so, I didn't know how danmachi gods would react to my otherworldly powers, so I had to make sure to watch my back and be careful once I arrived in Orario. Speaking of, I don't know how I'm going to earn money since I think that you need a familia to register as an adventurer.
Speaking of Familia, I doubt that other gods' falna could work on me. It wouldn't be so bad if I found some nice god that I could put my trust in and find shelter there. The first that comes to mind is Miach since he's one of, if not the kindest god out there. The second is Hestia, but I don't know how far behind or ahead in the story from canon I currently am.
Other gods that come to my mind are Demeter and Takemikazuchi, who are pretty kind gods that wouldn't try to harm their children, unlike some gods out here. "I'm looking at you, Ishtar." I hate that goddess more than any other in the story. Her affiliations with Evilus and her treatment of her children are pretty disturbing.
Her willingness to sacrifice Haruhime, a cute renard girl, just to beat Freya, which she totally couldn't do even if all of her children level up sparks the desire in me to personally send her to heaven. If actually, the story takes place before canon, I can try to get stronger as quickly as possible to save that Renard girl before Bell.
And for that, I will need to grind nonstop to get strong enough, and for that I need access to the dungeon. The good thing is that I can access a dungeon without being in any familia, but the money will be a problem for me. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to find a part-time job in the worst case, even if I despise working.
A loud slamming noise broke all my thoughts as the heavy wooden doors slammed down the main castle hallway, the ground shaking as they fell. I immediately quieted my breathing to try to remain unheard inside my room.
"What happened here?!" One of the mysterious voices spoke. It sounded like a man, but his voice wasn't that of a bandit; instead, it sounded noble, to say the least. The next moment, I heard the clanking of weapons and armor fill the empty hallway, sending echoes through the castle interior.
"Who could manage to kill all these bastards? It doesn't look like they battled against multiple enemies, but instead, it looks like they were pushed by some mysterious force," another manly voice spoke. Rumblings and suspicions filled the area as I remained in my hideout.
"We'll have to report this back to the town chief. Be on your guard because whatever killed them could still be lurking somewhere here." Hearing that, I concluded that they were probably town guards and soldiers, a military.
Most likely, they were part of the town of Agris military, but what they were even doing here questioned me. Unlocking the doors, I carefully opened them and waved my hands up to the air to show that I wished no harm.