Chapter 21: Unlucky

Elijah stood before the mirror, carefully adjusting his hair. With a final flourish, he placed his hat on and descended the grand staircase of his home.

Elijah was wealthy, and his house reflected it—lavish and expansive. As he reached the first floor, he was greeted by the lively sounds of music and laughter.

It was his 18th birthday, and the grand hall was filled with people dancing and enjoying themselves.

Elijah had always lived life on his own terms. Girls, fun, singing, and traveling—these were his pursuits.

Born with a Blue Zeten and Red Neba, he had never been interested in becoming a hero or anyone of importance.

Invitations and lucrative contracts poured in from every part of the continent of Seraphein, but Elijah felt he already had everything he needed.

As he moved through the crowd, his eyes fell upon a beautiful girl with red hair and black eyes, dressed in an elegant red gown. Elijah approached her with a confident smile.

"Hello, Diana. You look beautiful tonight," he said, his eyes twinkling with genuine admiration.

Diana smiled warmly. "Thank you, Elijah."

Bowing slightly, Elijah offered his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Diana nodded, and they glided onto the dance floor together. All eyes were on them as they moved gracefully to the music.

Elijah had met Diana only a few months ago, but it felt as if he had known her his entire life. He liked her, perhaps more than he had liked anyone before.

The party continued, and one by one, guests began to present Elijah with gifts before leaving his house. Soon, only Diana remained.

She approached Elijah, her expression shifting to one of guilt and sadness. Without a word, she stepped closer and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. Elijah's heart raced, overwhelmed by happiness and surprise. He kissed her back, losing himself in the moment.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his heart. He staggered back, blood spilling from the wound. As he fell, he knocked over cups and bottles of wine. Diana stood above him, a red cross sword made from Red Neba in her hands.

Elijah looked up, shock and betrayal in his eyes. "You bitch," he spat as his heart wound began to heal on its own.

Diana was equally shocked. "WHAT? How is this possible?" She had intended to send Elijah to another dimension, where he would be forced to fight for survival in the Blessings Ceremony.

But it seemed like Elijah knew about her plan—or was he just stronger than she had anticipated?

Diana stood, puzzled and uncertain, as Elijah slowly got back to his feet, his eyes burning with a mix of pain and fury.

Elijah stood up, laughing. "I knew it. It was all going too well to be true. Ah, why would you do that?" He looked at her with a mix of amusement and disappointment.

"You see, Diana, I have this unique ability that lets me sense what people feel. And your feelings? They hurt mine. So, what's this all about? Who even are you? And what do you think I should do to you?"

He laughed again, stepping closer to her. But Diana, driven by fear and desperation, formed another cross sword and lunged at him.

Elijah dodged her attack with a slight turn and looked her straight in the eyes—those cold, blue eyes that had now transformed into something terrifying. They were no longer the eyes of a carefree boy but those of a cold, ruthless killer.

A blue sword formed in Elijah's hand, and with a slow, deliberate swing, he cut off Diana's entire arm. She screamed in agony and fell to the ground. Elijah laughed, stepping on her head, pressing her face into the floor.

Elijah tortured her by stabbing her in different places, nearly killing her multiple times. Eventually, he got the information he needed. Diana lay in front of the bar in a sitting position, covered in blood, missing an arm. Elijah paced back and forth, deep in thought.

"So, you're saying you wanted to send me into some weird god's game where they choose ten of us and bless them with power? Hmm, seems like that's the truth. You could've said that earlier," he chuckled.

"But you see, I'm still hurt. You deceived me. You didn't, but you wanted to. It's the same.but this is also an opportunity, so, i want you to send me there.

Diana was barely conscious, her face pale. She looked up at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?" she asked.

Elijah laughed. "Yeah, it's been really boring here lately. I want to go there, see what's up, meet new people and explore a new world.

I've been stuck in this stupid city my whole life. I'm tired of it. So now, come on, stab me again. It will send me to that place, right? I will win and then become stronger from their blessing."

He grabbed a bag and some necessary items. "I'm ready," he said confidently.

Diana struggled to stand, forming a cross sword with her remaining hand. She was puzzled but complied. With a final look of confusion and fear, she stabbed Elijah.

As the blade pierced him, a bright light enveloped Elijah, and in an instant, he disappeared, transported into the Blessings Ceremony.

Back to the current time

Dune pondered the implications of the god's words. "Only a hundred? This many died already ? Thousands of Zetens died like that?" The enormity of the situation weighed heavily on him. "Are these the gods that the whole five continents are praying to?" He clenched his teeth in frustration.

Elijah's sigh broke the silence. "Ah, finally, this will end soon." As they continued their journey, Elijah noticed Dune's sword. "Why are you carrying a sword? You can just make one from neba. Neba swords are much better than your normal metal sword."

Dune explained, "I can't use neba, and I'm not a Zeten." Elijah was taken aback. "Huh, how is that possible? Haha, we're both special, aren't we, Dune?" He laughed, patting Dune on the shoulder.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Dune's ear it was Atlas's voice: "Help Nely, in the center, Dune, now." Dune was startled. "Atlas? Where's the center?" Closing his eyes, he focused on recalling the island's layout, remembering every detail from his previous encounters.

"We need to go to the centre Elijah. My friend is in danger." Elijah nodded, and just as Dune prepared to run, Elijah levitated beside him. "You can fly?"

Dune exclaimed in surprise as Elijah took his hand and soared into the air. "Hey, hold on!" Elijah chuckled "this is my blue Zeten ability" they flew above the trees towards the center.

As they traversed the skies, Elijah's glowing blue eyes scanned the forest below. "Tell me about your friend's Neba and Zeten. I can find her with my eyes," he suggested. "Orange Neba and Orange Zeten," Dune replied.

After a brief search, Elijah confirmed, "Oh, it's a she. She's fighting against two, and she's not doing so well." Determined to help, Dune urged, "Let's go then, Elijah. We've got to help her." Elijah increased their speed, determined to reach Nely's aid. "Alright, let's do it."

Nely found herself outnumbered in the heat of battle, facing off against two formidable foes. One was Jake's friend, whom Dune had vanquished before

. The other opponent was unknown to her, wielding powerful yellow neba arrows that relentlessly assaulted her.

Despite her best efforts, she struggled against the onslaught, especially against the relentless strikes of the opponent with red neba, which was stronger than her orange.

As her opponent raised their sword to deliver a fatal blow, Elijah's sudden intervention shattered the impending danger.

Descending from the sky with explosive force, he sent the red neba user crashing to the ground. Swiftly, Elijah closed the distance, his hand on the enemy's face "too slow" he propelled him skyward before crashing him back to the earth.

Meanwhile, Dune seized the opportunity to strike, his stealthy approach catching the yellow neba user off guard. With a swift motion, Dune's blade sliced through the opponent's neck, swiftly ending the threat.

Relief flooded over Nely as Dune approached, extending a helping hand to assist her to her feet. She smiled gratefully, reciprocating Dune's smile. In the aftermath of the battle, Elijah continued his relentless assault, finally severing the head of the red neba user with his blue blade.

Turning to face them, Elijah declared triumphantly, "Job's done, friend's saved, mission accomplished, sir!" Dune couldn't help but hide his face in embarrassment at Elijah's exuberance.

Nely, curious about Elijah, she was not even surprised , "Another of your strong friends?" Dune sighed, "I met this crazy bastard here."

Elijah grinned, introducing himself, "Hey, I'm Elijah, haha." "Nely," she replied, acknowledging the introduction.

However, Nely's relief was short-lived as she revealed, "I lost Atlas. He was with me, but there is someone else. We need to go further into the center. This new guy is a problem... He's like Atlas, with purple neba and even a Zeten."

The revelation stunned even Elijah, but he couldn't hide his excitement. Dune sighed, "Problems after problems, Let's go then," he said determinedly as they rallied together, ready to face whatever awaited them in the center.