2 Chapter One: The New Ruler

Pelus

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I am Pelus, son of Likha, the creator of the world. Although I don't know how long has passed since the creation of the world, I have been gathering information from the archives, regarding this prison he has thrown me into. I know that it is called Ibuland and it is dominated by many dark beings. In a nutshell, my father detested me, decided I wasn't worth his time and energy and dumps me right here in this place no god wants to rule. Why? Because it's riddled with evil. And no god wants that kind of bothersome duty or the risk of being corrupted by evil.

This place was left by the God of Evil, Sitan, after his defeat in battle against Likha. So it all sums up now? And that Ibuland ultimately becomes my duty and responsibility. Because I am the perfect definition of evil in Likha's eyes, so he determines that I am the most suitable person to dump the role on!

He calls this my absolute punishment. Before he sentences me, I smirk and curse him as loudly as I can. He rocks the entire world with his thunderous voice. "You will stay in Ibuland until you realize your mistakes! From now on, you are not allowed in Kahilwayan."

I swear I will remember these worlds for the rest of my immortal lifespan, and how my father has forsaken me.

Likha stripped me of my immortal role, Afunijin, and a deity of heaven. Now I am just a normal immortal being, cursed to roam the prison he has set me into; Ibuland.

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The dark clouds had left behind clear skies, and I wonder that given a vast place like Ibuland, what this meant. Is this a good omen and the region was welcoming my stay? I groan, but nobody indulges me. I am alone. My blood creates stains on my pink dress, painting it a deep crimson, but I cannot be troubled to keep track of such minor details. There has to be something I can do while I plot my revenge.

One day, I will let that blasted father of mine know who is the boss. Mark my words, Likha.

A sharp pain rips right through my body, but I remain motionless on the ground, watching the clear skies above me. I do not recall how long I have been lying this way, but I am undaunted. If I were to explain the degree of my suffering, it would be arduous to explain. Hundreds of thousands of blades cutting through you at the same time, would anyone understand that kind of pain?

But such pain is nothing compared to the pain of being an outcast. I muster all my strength to pull myself up from the ground and into a cross-legged sitting position. Around me, the world appears dark and foreign. How befitting for a person like me, I laugh coldly. The world will benefit from a ruler other than Likha. And soon, he will regret it all.

I calm myself and close my eyes to focus on meditating. As an immortal, I reap the benefits of speed healing by spending time on my cultivation.

The easiest way I do this is by thinking of a place I love very much, and to concentrate my thoughts on it. I let everything else in my mind go. No joy, no sorrow, no hatred, no anger. Just nothing.

I visualise a waterfall, flowing so clearly and beautifully that it takes away all my pain, and endows me with the powers I need. If I want to prevail against Likha, I need all the strength I can get. The water in my imagination is extremely blue and calm. My body calms as well, and a sensation passes through me, making me feel as if my body and the waterfall has merged as one.

Soon enough, I feel the power seep through my veins, increasing gradually while I am in a do-not-disturb, meditation mode. In no time, it occurs to me naturally that I have recovered much of my lost power. Besides, the pain had disappeared without a trace.

I halt the meditation and step out of my 'trance'. While meditating, it feels that one could travel miles away. Looking down at my dress, I realise that I am no longer bleeding. My ribs appear to have joined back together and now, I am free to roam the lands.

The first person I met on the lands was a strange old man, called the Water Sage. He gave me a lot of pointers but appeared to be always talking in rhymes, so I paid him no heed.

On the other hand, the dwellers of Ibuland are mostly comprised of the 'evils', dark demonic presences bearing the 'mark of Evil'. As cruel and unkind they call me, I do not bear this mark. I continue to take on the form of a lovely young maiden, this time swapping my pink dress for solemn, dark black robes. The robes compliment my pale complexion and the straight black locks that creep down to my back and almost reach my waist. But above all, it makes me look all the more like an actual ruler.

The evils look the same, but a sovereign-looking old male dominates them and stands out from the crowd with his aged looks. I laugh that this grandfather is seeking to be defeated by a youngster, and I feel bad for him.

I meant what I said.

With a mere three strokes of my fingers, he slumps down on the ground with cuts and scrapes all over his face, arms and legs. Perhaps I should have warned that he should have not trifled with the son of Likha, but the very mention of his name just makes me want to throw up. I loathe this creator of mine with all the breath in me, hundreds of times as much as how he detests me.

"Who are you?" the crowd shrieks, as I effortlessly fling them against the crooked shrubs in the vicinity. They fall like trees blown over by the robust wind, but they don't learn. More and more of these evils swarm in to defend their friends and continue with the fight, but their efforts are futile. In the end, they all lay on the ground writhing in pain from their compromise.

"I am Pelus, your ruler! Pledge your loyalty to me, and I shall let you keep your pathetic lives." I declare with utter disdain for these lesser evils. Since young, I have excelled in my fighting skills, and my father had the strongest of all deities train me for according to him, what 'would come in the future'. I put my skills to good use.

The evils are baffled, but they fear me, so they immediately start kneeling.

This is just the start. For now, I will persevere and await the right time to strike. And when that happens, I will be not just the ruler of Ibuland but the ruler of the entire universe and everyone will fear me, including Likha himself!