And Then, There Was Darkness (Part 2)

For a moment, Kailan felt like a child reading a sketched story.

Despite not being a very smart person (in both lives), he had a great knowledge of history, and that scene described at the gate was unlike anything he remembered, so nothing really good that would help him came to mind.

''So? How do I get out from here onwards?''

Mysterious beings with dark masks that covered their faces, accompanied by huge horned beasts clad in gray armor, could be seen on top of a mountain, watching with hostility what appeared to be a king and a human army.

A few red stains were scattered around the gate, which perhaps indicated a shower of blood, that is, a massacre.

Two more notable silhouettes were etched on either side of each faction, both the humans and the masked ones. One of them appeared to be a middle-aged man, a little worn out with age and with long gray hair. He was holding a terrifying sword in his hand, covered in what looked like some kind of reddish aura.

On the other side, a handsome young man with tied black hair wearing gleaming armor was surrounded by blue energy as he floated in the sky.

Kailan stood there, analyzing every aspect of the story told by the engravings on the gate.

"What does this mean?"

He extended his hand to touch the figures embedded in the gate surface, and the mist that surrounded the place followed his movement.

SSHUUCKK

His fingers were covered in thick mist in the blink of an eye, which darted like a flexible snake toward the gate.

BAAAMK! SCREEEEECH

A huge creak could be heard all around, as the wooden gate glowed a bluish color with a few shades of gold in it.

The gate slowly opened, allowing the young man to pass.

Kailan stood still, but was shocked by what had happened. If it weren't for his battle experiences over the years, he would no doubt have fallen to the ground in the fright he had.

The mist had returned to its place of origin, almost as if everything Kailan saw it do now was just a trivial lie.

Straining his eyes to the extreme, Kailan was able to see an empty hall, but vast and even more dimly lit than the one he was in.

"Well, there's nothing I can do", he said as he walked through the door without thinking too much.

"Ignite", whispered, trying to make a small flame erupt from his fingers. But failing miserably, even though it was a simple spell, which could be used even by stupid children at an early age.

The place apparently repelled and blocked any kind of enchantment, so there was nothing to be done about it. After all, he was not an expert in magic. Kailan had left that job to his friends and he bitterly regretted having lost this great opportunity to be stronger.

BAAAAM!

The door closed behind Kailan, startling him.

For a moment, his heart signaled that it would leap out of his body through his mouth in fear. But he calmed down and started walking, exploring the room he was in. Moving closer and closer to the end of the huge room, a faint light that Kailan didn't know where it came from revealed something shocking.

There wasn't a gate waiting to be opened, this time it was people fighting before his eyes. No, to be more precise, it was himself fighting an opponent. It was an important memory for him as it was the first day he was decorated by the people of the kingdom with such enthusiasm.

KAPANG!

The black-haired young man was holding a beautiful sword. His blade clashed hard against the attacks of a middle-aged man whose face was utterly covered in scars.

The battle was fierce, and neither of them seemed to have the upper hand over the other. Their eyes wouldn't stop moving, and they both analyzed everything about the other. Opponent's breathing, body condition, and even the smallest of mistakes that could give them an advantage.

KLANG

The boy parried two attacks from the older man and threw himself to the side while dodging another. He lunged forward like a bolt of lightning, sword aimed at his opponent without the slightest hesitation in his eyes.

Two attacks followed each other at a speed that left the middle-aged man with no space to react.

KLANG

Drops of blood spread like raindrops in the air, and a loud sound resounded throughout the room. The man fell to the ground helplessly, his hand was bleeding and he was unarmed.

He had lost that duel.

A look of complete desperation spread across his face, he didn't know how to react to it.

Kailan looked at the boy who was celebrating in a triumphant pose, an honest and genuine smile plastered from ear to ear on his face. He sighed lightly and continued walking, passing the boy as if it were a mere mirage.

''I hate those memories of mine.''

And then, a larger hall than the previous one was revealed. This time, some candle holders with candles poorly lit the place. An enormous sword with countless chains binding it to the floor was in the center of the room, about 50 meters from where Kailan was.

It was extremely beautiful, but it had a lot of weird and frightening things in it, like a hideous circle that reminded Kailan of an eye. The part of the floor that held the sword was dimly lit by the candles dispersed around the place.

SSHHK, SSHHK

The sword was moving slightly, it was stuck on something on the ground, but Kailan couldn't see it and so he moved closer so he could identify it. As soon as he got very close to the sword, the atmosphere in the room became tense.

It was a colossal magical energy amount and tremendous aura that easily surpassed the Demon King, the traitors, and other great global powers that Kailan had known during his journey.

''Fuck... what is... happening?''

Honestly speaking, it was an amount of magical energy that was almost immeasurable.

Because of his battle senses and his ability to sense magical energy and aura more easily than most people, he just wanted to fall to the ground right there.

His body begged him to just accept the pressure and fall there, but he steadfastly fought against the influence of that mysterious force and stood upright in the face of such a threat.

His eyes were closing and his bones were screaming in pain. He wouldn't last long, even if he was in his best condition.

'I came back from the dead, and now I'm going to die again?'

BAAAK, SSHHK

The sword moved once more, no, it didn't just move: it pulsed like a heart and a flash filled Kailan's vision.

Kailan, stunned by everything that was happening, remained motionless. The surge of such unreal power in the room made his body shiver, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

He opened his eyes little by little, in time to witness what was happening.

"He arrived. It took longer than we expected." A husky voice that sounded like countless different voices said.

The blade began to rise from the ground at the same instant, and a humanoid-shaped shadow rose, its chest region pierced by the sword that was chained by the handcuffs.

There was no blood, there was nothing. Just a hole and a darkness that Kailan thought was infinite.

He didn't know what to say, or even what to do at that moment. His body trembled nonstop with the enormous pressure the presence possessed, and he remained rigid and silent.

"He's a lot weaker than we thought," one of the voices muttered, but soon fell silent.

"We apologize for this awkward appearance. We're afraid you've been scared off by the power we've released, so we're going to restrict ourselves from now on."

The shadow said, changing its appearance to that of the kid Kailan.

The young man was not understanding anything that was happening in front of him, much less where he was or what his purpose was for being there.

"What the fuck are you? No, more importantly, where is this place?"

"I'm sorry I can't talk about these things right now and therefore you can only know one thing: the path will be difficult once again, but you must persevere and free us from this infinite prison."

''Your second chance will be given as promised. So do not worry.''

A voice came from behind Kailan, but there was no one in that spot.

Kailan blinked repeatedly, doubting his sanity, as all the pressure that creature exuded disappeared all at once. Soon after, he focused all his thoughts on one thing and tried to understand what that freak was telling him.

"You must fight fate itself. There is no other viable choice. Unfortunately, you are the last resort we have at our disposal at the moment, as we're trapped in this trick for eternity, made by these futile beings who feared us so much."

"Who the hell are you?", he asked again, a shocked expression on his face.

"Keough"

A headache took over Kailan, and it was so bad it felt like his head was going to explode into smithereens at any moment.

Kailan asked that thing, his vision getting more and more blurry as the seconds ticked by.

It was almost as if he was dying again, only in a less painful way.

"That's an intriguing question,", said the silhouette that was pierced by the sword. ''We are the composite of the rules that make up the universe... No, let me rephrase my sentence.''

The thing stopped for a moment, then suddenly started talking again:

"Let me see... Ah yes! Think of us as everything, and everything is us. We are something very close to Demons and humans, but not necessarily one of them", it said. ''And don't mistake us for any of those mere pathetic deities who claim to rule the world'', the figure added in an apathetic tone.

Then that creature that was in the form of a child, gestured one last time to Kailan.

"If you want the truth of everything from your first reincarnation to where your life is now, we recommend that you work harder than ever to strengthen yourself. That way, we can meet again."

"What does that mean, anyway?"

"We hope that you will be able to fulfill what we so desire and that the strings of fate will not limit you once again. We have high expectations and will wait for you, the last champion, Kailan Rhaast."

''Answer my quest...''

Kailan couldn't finish his sentence as he completely disappeared from the hall. His world went black. He disappeared, and his senses followed what had happened to his body.

It was beginning, and this time for real.

The figure looked at the particles flying through the mist that surrounded the entire place and smiled.

"Good luck on your journey, boy. Everyone's fate is in your hands now."