7 Inside my Cozy House

My head feels so heavy. My eyes, it's... It's just so hard to open.

*splash* *splash*

The sound of water rings through my weary ears. But, I can only feel one arm, I touch where my right arm suppose to be and realize there is nothing there. Memories, scenes, images quickly filled my head. Causing a head-splitting headache.

"Rrraaaahh!!!"

I shout on top of my lungs in this pain. And I remembered it all.

"Io, the carnival, the Dark Gods in my dreams, the gigantic black ship, and then that thing... That monster."

An image comes to me again, a huge slouching monster with six bloodshot eyes and that white fur. I will never forget how it moves so fast and looks back at me as it ate my right arm. Before long it finishes me with its claws as I topple over to the cold snowy ground.

But if that's true? Where am I? shouldn't I be dead? Is this perhaps the afterlife?

Once more, I pry my eyes to open. To finally see what awaits me. As my heavy eyes open, I'm in some kind of small dimly lit room. The air around this area is damp, the mucky water drenches my body as it sunk half of my body.

"What is this?"

I pinch my cheeks as to check if I'm alive...

"I can still feel pain. So this is not the afterlife."

I hold the wall and stand with my shaking legs. Realizing that I still have my right hand attach, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. The feeling of the water pulling my clothes down weights me. But I steel myself and just walk forward.

The small light source from above flicker and fade. I look behind me as I realize it's nothing but total darkness. Scared and curious, I keep moving forward as the water gets lower and before long disappear like I'm going up.

In my view is a simple door similar to the one in the garrison bases. Instead of wood, this one is made out of steel. With only my instinct in play, I turn the knob and entered inside to see something akin to a small corridor that ends with the road going right. The bright light illuminating one space at a time and I could hear the sound of tick-tock from the corner while the white walls and smooth wooden floor give this place a fancy and cosy feeling.

Its side is decorated with some furniture like flower vases and other things. With the most notable thing is the long table with a weird box with a lot of swirling rope connecting it and the only thing I can recognize is the picture frame.

"Is this a noble's house? But it's so weird. I still don't sense any magic around... Like this place was built without magic. It's disturbing."

I look at myself with the place now properly lit and found myself wearing my soldier gear. With my armour plate and other armour still attached. And looking around my body and checking if I'm still okay.

"Good, no damages so far..."

Curious I walk closer to the long table as my loud footsteps resound through this eerily quiet corridor. There I quickly grab the picture and bring it closer for a better look.

There a man in his forties with his notable appearance being his long white coat, something akin to the rare artefact the scholars in the south use called the binoculars but much smaller and thinner.

"Is he perhaps a Prodicus from the south? Well, I better find him and thank him properly. That's at least what I can do for now."

I put the picture down and realize the other picture that the man is always alone.

"Well, it's not rare for them to be isolated and alone. But, it really makes me sad about seeing it... Just like Swuri's parent's."

With only one way left, I keep walking forward-

*Ring* *Ring*

"Huh!?"

Surprised I looked back at where the sound came from. The black box is making weird noises now.

*Ring* *Ring*

The black box vibrates loudly and makes the sound. Baffled on what to do, I look left and right and wonder if anybody else heard that.

*Ring* *Ring*

I waited for a while as I think about what to do. Should I leave it? Should I touch it? Can I do something?

*chtak*

The sound stop and a man's voice sounding happy speaks through the box saying:

{Duaknsbs, sjabahuzkja ajahdhsua angaahhsgw. Shhszcgbg, dwfhesvjhddf vdschjkllldaafg. Schgdd}

*beep* *beep*

"W-what? How? There's no magic yet where did the voice come from? And not only that, what language is he speaking?"

(I know my own country's tongue and the words speak by the southerners, I also know about the language the Theocracy speaks... But I never heard this language before. Then how did he even found me? Could he be from another frontier? If so, how did he get pass our blockaded port and borders? After all, the carnival is going to start and there's no way anyone would let any foreigners in here and I even heard from our commander that the ports are blockaded a month prior for the Carnival. Not only that, but Hyu also told me that even the priest, cardinals, Templars and Paladins are actually our people learning the way of Libera finally coming home...)

"No, I shouldn't waste my time thinking about this. Hyu, what mess did we end up in?"

This is getting more disturbing by the moment... Could I be in a new frontier? But that's impossible! Hyu told me that we all stop searching for more because of the black line halting any progress across.

"Wait, this place has no magic at all. And Hyu told me that the black line is actually a huge continent filled with those cursed black stones that suck your magic away, that's why no one dares to even thread close to it... Could it be, I'm inside the black line? No no no no! I know I have a hyperactive imagination but Halt your imaginations for a while, Tyo! That's just crazy talk. I mean sure we are the closest frontier before the black line but if what he says is true then I should have been dead by now."

I calm myself down and continue forward the way. Moving right, I was immediately greeted with a black silhouette, it faces blacken like the abyss yet the shape makes it look like a woman wearing a long dress while looking down the floor.

This new corridor is filled with picture frames hanging not pictures but something akin to documents. And with one closed door on the side just in the middle of where I and the silhouette stands.

I walk forward calling out to her:

"Hey, excuse me?"

Could she be the resident here? Wait does she even understand what I say? Maybe the pictures back there were his past or something and now he lives with someone.

"Um, I want to thank the one who healed me."

My footsteps get closer as I shorten our distance. With the door now beside me when she finally raises her head to look at me. She started moving forward, the way she walks makes it look like her leg is broken. Feeling something is wrong I back away saying:

"Um is something wrong? Do you need help?"

She keeps silent as she moves forward. Not stopping or replying what I said. I quickly turn my back when suddenly I felt someone grab my armour and pulls me back.

The scenes change quickly to a similar dark space and I fell flat on the so-called ground. There, in the middle of this dark space sits a child wearing a long robe in the middle of the air. Her long black hair swirls around her body similar to a tempest as it covers the lower half of her face...

"Y-you're one of the Dark Gods, Pogrensia. I see... So this is all your doing-"

As my mouth forcefully clamp up, she raises her index finger and points at me saying:

"You are mistaken child, so please sush young one."

I tried to force myself to speak but to no avail. When she sighs and my open can open again. I quickly took this chance saying:

"Get me out of this place at once! What do you want from me!? You already trick me to accepting your insignia and now this!?"

"Like I said you're mistaken my precious-"

"Then you force me to become your follower what else do you want!? I will never serve you!"

"Are you done babbling my one and only?"

Surprised by her calmness and patience, I calm myself and sit down saying:

"Fine, what's going on?"

She smiles with satisfaction saying:

"I see you catch on quick, as expected of my only follower. It seems I choose right. For someone who looks dumb and called a grunt by his peers, you sure are quite intelligent."

"I'm going to ignore that and ask why did you bring me here again? Am I finally dead?"

"Well, you're supposed to."

"Then?"

"It seems your body is being possessed and is being forcefully kept alive by some certain parasite."

"Wait, what!? Could it be a monster? But what kind of monster can control someone?"

"Yes it is a monster, but not just any normal monster."

Not normal? For someone to call something already irregular not normal...

"Could it be, it's one of the terrestrial soul you told me the first time we met?"

"Yes, you're right once again."

"Then... Is this someone I have to kill?"

"Well no that's someone different."

"Huh?"

"Well you see, one of the Dark Gods you call Arzture is actually the Goddes of Nature. And it seems she has also chosen her champion..."

"And?"

"Sadly, I cannot- no, we don't have the right."

"What do you mean!? There's a parasite trying to take over my body!"

"Your dead body to be precise. You lost the right to your body the moment you died, so it's basically hers now, as in a part of nature. But I... Made a deal with her you see."

(Oh, I don't like where this is going).

"And what could that deal be I wonder?"

"You shall live with her champion in your body."

"Oh-boy..."

"Be grateful! You are given a second chance in life! I'm trying the best I can with what I have okay? You're my only follower and so you are very special to me. So let us aid each other out."

"Fine fine, I mean if what you said is true then I wonder what have I been learning about the Gods from the church? I'm going to stop thinking too hard on your mythical things."

"You truly are kind. No wonder you keep getting push around by everyone."

I stand up saying:

"Now that's uncalled for."

"Do not worry, I heard her champion is said to be someone very reasonable like you. So I'm sure it will be fine. Just explore the house and I'm sure you'll find him."

*Sigh*

I sigh loudly and ask her one thing that catches my interest.

"And that black silhouette?"

"Yea... That's something you should avoid and hide when you can. It seems it's one of his darkest memmories."

As soon as she said that, I returned back to where I was chased...

"It seems she's gone... Dammit, I don't like this one bit!"