1 The Shackles of Mortality

"Finally, I can go home" the college's buzzer rang, signaling the end of the classes. "Why do I need to learn webdesign? I want to work as a Back-end Developer for god's sake!" Iago complained as he waited for the teacher to call his name, and as quickly as he answered her, he got out. "If only she didn't have such annoying voice"

It was roughly 10:30 PM, the rain couldn't be heavier and there was no living soul on sight, Iago opened his backpack, searching for his black raincoat as he was walking out of college. "Why are all backpacks black inside? I love black but this makes it so hard to see things at night" His sour mood got better as he felt the plastic texture he was searching for.

"AHH!" he felt someone grab his arm, only to see his dear friend jumping right in front of him. "Here is your umbrella Iago, you forgot it at my place." Pedro said, waiting only until Iago grabbed his umbrella to turn away.

An awkward silence followed as Iago was wearing his raincoat and Pedro was staring at the streets, both in their own worlds.

"Thanks for helping me with operational systems, I would have been completely lost without you" As soon as a car stopped in front of the college entrance, Pedro ran away and got inside, as if afraid of staying a second longer.

"I am not doing this entirely for you tho, it makes me feel better seeing you suffer less than I did" Iago whispered, remembering the past years he cried and raged because of bad grades and financial problems, eventually dropping out of college twice. "If only studying hard was enough, at least I hope that in my third try, it is the case" He sighed, following Pedro's mom's car with his eyes until they disappeared into the rain.

He wore his raincoat and opened his umbrella, smiling happily as he didn't feel a single raindrop making him wet . "Never again I will 'Become one with the rain', NEVER AGAIN!" laughing at himself, he plugged his earphones and started walking home.

The way towards his home was a bit scary, a street that barely could let 2 cars pass, a gigantic wall in the left side and endless trees and grass to the right side, but as Iago never had any problematic encounter, he felt no fear at all. 'The worst case scenario is those full of sh*t dogs! though they can be quite cute when they are not so territorial. Oh, another add' He thought to himself while stopping to skip a 10 second add.

The rain was heavy, to the point that his cheap umbrella flapped endlessly and threatened to bend with the wind, but he continued to walk home, unfazed by the poor climate. The big wall beside him didn't help much, but it blocked most of the wind. 'A abandoned Car Factory to the left, a forest reserve to the right...quite a scenario isn't it?' While listening to Chopin, Iago lost himself thinking about the terror movies her mother 'bribed' him into watching with her.

Lost in his own world, looking down and listening to music, he tried to silence the fear that kept growing inside his heart, the crushing anxiety that was building up on him.

"NO!" Iago heard a scream, snapping out of his daze only to feel an unbelievable amount of pain assaulting him right afterwards. He tried to take off his earphones, but he could only move his left arm.

"AHHH" He tried to run but the pain was excruciating, almost falling to the ground as he bumped into a light pole and slipped on the wet sidewalk.

"Sh*t" he looked at his broken umbrella at the side, before a hammer filled his vision again, he threw himself to the side, trying to dodge.

"Crack!" He felt his right shoulder cracking . "NO! NO! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!" A man screamed crazily, dressed in rags, his entire body mutilated and bleeding.

Iago was frozen as he looked into the man, his trembling voice mixed with fear and desperation shocked him, but as his instincts kicked in and he started to run away.

His vision blurred by the rain and an excruciating nausea hitting him as he ran, in panic, he didn't notice that he got inside the Car Factory.

"KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE" as soon as he got inside, he started to hear a strange sound as Similar as a wooden puppet chattering its teeth. He looked in front of him only to see a black sirouette with long arms and sharp nails.

"NOO" He tried to go back but he couldn't, as soon as he turned back he fell to the ground, 4 long cuts almost turning him to pieces

'Please, no' Everything got blurry and as he started to feel a numb and cold feeling all over his body, his thoughts were on his mother who through all means tried to give him the best life she could. 'I can't die here, I can't, she won't be able to make it' As he imagined his mother crying over his dead, broken body, the only desire he felt was to live

'I didn't achieve nothing in life' though people complimented him for his academic performance and dedication in extracurricular projects, he never got a job in the field and the money he made with freelance was only enough for him to live

'I have Too much to live yet! AHHHHHHHHHHH' He tried to lift his head and scream, but as a sharp nail pierced his head, making him drop dead to the ground

"KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE" the sirouette disappeared, going towards the man with a hammer

"This, this...what have I done?" His eyes focused, he stared at the creature killing the young man, finally noticing that he had lost himself to fear and panic. Attacking an innocent human and making him die.

"YOU!! YOU FILTHY CREATURE" illusions started to appear around him as the creature noticed It was in danger, but even with growing fear in his heart, he no longer lost control.

"[Mica's Wrath]" He closed his eyes and lifted his hammer towards the sky and as he hit his hammer to the ground, everything in front of him shattered into pieces.

"KEEEKEEKEEEEKEEEKAAAAAAAA" the creature barely resisted the blast before breaking apart and flying into the factory, tearing holes into the structure.

'Sorry child, I am a failure of a warrior' No pride filled his heart as he saw the last remaining of the young adult turning into mush by flying pieces of concrete, dirt and metal before flying inside the factory.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...[may you return to dirt in peace]' He closed his eyes, whispering an unknown chant before breaking apart. His broken flesh dissolving into ash and disappearing into the rain.

Inside the factory there was nothing but broken pieces of metal, glass, concrete. In the middle of it there was a black rift expelling black miasma, turning the factory colder and colder.

[I can't bring you back to life, but I can grant you a second chance.]

As a gentle voice echoed, Unknown brown glyphs materialized inside the factory, just right above a pile of blood and broken bones, mixing with it and slowly turning the flesh into ash. But as soon as the miasma touched the body, it surged towards it, fighting the glyphs and trying to regrow the dissolved flesh

[The undead stagnate the process of dying, by becoming the closest thing to death]

The creature's broken pieces were drawn towards the body by it, mixing with the lump of flesh and making it completely black. The gryphs didn't break or disappear but slowly condensed into dark brown dots,not only ignoring the contracting nature of the miasma but actively helping it in the process.

[But the furthest, they are, from the living. Their existence cold, dull, no different than puppets, than robots]

Finally, the lump of flesh condensed into a small skull and the rift slowly pulled it inside before disappearing.

[Will you deny life to be eternal? Will you accept Death and face The End? Or will you try to break the shackles of Mortality?]

The factory crumbled as the goddess Mica Sighed softly.