Chapter 3

As the three gods looked at each other, Ryder asked again, " Will I be able to save them if I go through with this?"

After a short discussion between the gods, Zara turned toward Ryder and replied with a sympathetic look, "The possibility is there. The transformation into a demon takes a few weeks at minimum, with some taking months or more. The demon clans are constantly abducting more life from the dimension orbs, and with how many of them they have taken, it may take from as little to a few years to a few decades for them to get the people from your dimension."

"The problem is that we don't have any clues as to where the realms' whereabouts are currently." Said Zarkon with disappointment in his eyes, as this was a sore topic for him. He had been trying to find it for the past few centuries, but the demon clans were always a step ahead of him, preventing him from even getting a hint of it.

Shoving his disappointment deep inside, Zarkon added, "If you go through with our plan, there is no guarantee that you will find them or reach them in time. Even if you can find them, you may not have the power to save them. We don't want to give you false hope about saving them."

Zara put her hand on Ryders' shoulder as she said, "I know how you must feel, we have all lost those dear to us to the demon clans, but you must not let your feelings cloud your thoughts and make you decide rashly hoping of a dream that may never be able to be fulfilled."

Ryders' eyes filled with resolve as he said confidently with a hint of anger, "I know the odds are astronomically low and that I may never see them again, but I have to try. If not for them, then for myself, I wouldn't be able to live peacefully knowing that the demons who did this to me were roaming free."

Gabriel flashed a bloodthirsty smile showing off his sharp canines, "I like his spirit, it reminds me of my past self, revenge filled and hunting any demon sorry enough to cross my path."

Zaras' eyes were full of contempt as she looked at Gabriel, "Yeah, but you also ended up hurting some of us in your hunting sprees. All because you couldn't control your blood thirst towards the demons."

Gently squeezing Ryders' shoulder, Zara asked worry filling her voice, "Are you sure this is what you want? There is no backing out once you decide to do it, and during the process, you will feel pain akin to levels you could never imagine. It will tear you apart and build you back up bit by bit in every way possible."

Ryder looked from one god to the other in the eyes before nodding in determination and replying, "I am sure. When do we start?"

Zara nodded to the other two gods as they started to surround Ryder as she started to explain to him. "We will begin now. We cannot stop once we start, if we do you will not make it. It might be best to focus on the things important to you, so you can hang onto the will to live during the process. This is your last chance to back out of it."

As the images of his loved ones filled his mind, Ryder felt a building of rage and sorrow inside him that in turn fueled a dark determination for revenge as his eyes grew darker with intense maliciousness. His voice was eerily calm, which didn't match his somber facial expression as he said, "Do it."

As the three gods looked at each other, Ryder asked again, " Will I be able to save my loved ones if I go through with this?"

After a short discussion between the gods, Zara turned toward Ryder and replied with a sympathetic look, "The possibility is there. The transformation into a demon takes a few weeks at minimum, with some taking months or more. The demon clans are constantly abducting more life from the dimension orbs, and with how many of them they have taken, it may take from as little to a few years to a few decades for them to get the people from your dimension."

"The problem is that we don't have any clues as to where the realms' whereabouts are currently." Said Zarkon with disappointment in his eyes, as this was a sore topic for him. He had been trying to find it for the past few centuries, but the demon clans were always a step ahead of him, preventing him from even getting a hint of it.

Shoving his disappointment deep inside, Zarkon added, "If you go through with our plan, there is no guarantee that you will find them or reach them in time. Even if you can find them, you may not have the power to save them. We don't want to give you false hope about saving them."

Zara put her hand on Ryders' shoulder as she said, "I know how you must feel, we have all lost those dear to us to the demon clans, but you must not let your feelings cloud your thoughts and make you decide rashly hoping of a dream that may never be able to be fulfilled."

Ryders' eyes filled with resolve as he said confidently with a hint of anger, "I know the odds are astronomically low and that I may never see them again, but I have to try. If not for them, then for myself, I wouldn't be able to live peacefully knowing that the demons who did this to me were roaming free."

Gabriel flashed a bloodthirsty smile showing off his sharp canines, "I like his spirit, it reminds me of my past self, revenge filled and hunting any demon sorry enough to cross my path."

Zaras' eyes were full of contempt as she looked at Gabriel, "Yeah, but you also ended up hurting some of us in your hunting sprees. All because you couldn't control your blood thirst towards the demons."

Gently squeezing Ryders' shoulder, Zara asked worry filling her voice, "Are you sure this is what you want? There is no backing out once you decide to do it, and during the process, you will feel pain akin to levels you could never imagine. It will tear you apart and build you back up bit by bit in every way possible."

Ryder looked from one god to the other in the eyes before nodding in determination and replying, "I am sure. When do we start?"

Zara nodded to the other two gods as they started to surround Ryder as she started to explain to him. "We will begin now. We cannot stop once we start, if we do you will not make it.

It might be best to focus on the things important to you, so you can hang onto the will to live during the process. This is your last chance to back out of it."

As the images of his loved ones filled his mind, Ryder felt a building of rage and sorrow inside him that in turn fueled a dark determination for revenge as his eyes grew darker with intense malicious intent. His voice was eerily calm, which didn't match his facial expressions as he said, "Do it."

The three gods looked at one another once more before turning to look at Ryder with their palms facing outwards towards him. The air around Ryder started to swell with power as he heard the gods begin their ritual; their voices floated all around him, chanting in their language.

After several minutes of their chanting, a barrier-like bubble started to form around Ryder. Once the bubble surrounded him, an odd metallic-looking fluid appeared at the bottom of the barrier, filling the inside.

The fluid started to fill his shoes, causing him multitudes of pain that he could have never imagined. His eyes were bloodshot and horror filled, as the feeling that his skin and muscles were being melted off and shredded apart tore through him wherever the fluid touched in a horrific combination of torturous pain along with agonizing heat and the horror of losing any feeling in those parts as if they were no longer there anymore.

For a few moments after the fluid came into contact with him, Ryder could only grab his hair with an iron grip as desperate deep gasps filled his throat, preventing the soul-wrenching scream that was building deep within him from escaping. Tears freely flowed out of his bloodshot eyes as he tried to grasp the barrier and tear through it in an attempt for any form of relief.

The sudden attack from the combination of pain left his mind in a state of deliriousness that soon almost had him pass out. He tettered on the edge of embracing the sweet relief of nothingness that resulted from letting go of his mortal vessel when his hunger for revenge and hatred fueled by his losses reared back up.

Those feelings hit him like a truck allowing him to hang on by a mere thread as the liquid rose higher and higher up his body. The gods could only watch as Ryder started to scream in pure agony and rage.

As the gods focused their entire attention on making sure they didn't overwhelm him with too much of their power at once, theirs wasn't the only one whose attention was focused on Ryder. Some distance away in an artificial dimension, there was a being calmly watching the situation.

A hint of a smirk flashed across his face as he watched the fluid consume Ryder completely. As he prepared to make his move he let out a small chuckle and as he gleefully thought, "It won't be long until I am back where I belong, no more hiding in the shadows or scheming. You think he will be your savior and others their doom, but he will be your conqueror."

As the fluid consumed Ryder, he could only struggle with the little will he had left as he lost the feeling of his tongue, then he could no longer see and finally, he could no longer think. He was aware of his surroundings and also not, he was in a constant flux of consciousness and unconsciousness, of pain and peace.

Ryders' body was completely dissolved and mixed with the fluid inside the barrier when the being watching decided to make his move. Using his ability to go unnoticed, he walked out of his artificial dimension and approached the barrier that held Ryder.

The being formed a translucent ball of power in the palm of his hand and pricked his finger to drop a bit of his essence into it. He then shoved the ball containing his essence deep into the barrier until it reached the center.

Once the ball reached the center the fluid within began to act chaotically to it and Ryder no longer felt peace at some moments. Now he felt as if all his atoms were being flayed and burned.

As Ryders' body slowly reformed with the addition of the fluid, it felt like it just came out of an industrial high-grade furnace. Each part was bright red and was more sore than he ever felt. Moving the tiniest bit caused him excruciating pain and caused his tears to return.

The gods could only look on in confusion; this wasn't how the process was supposed to turn out. Once he had dissolved into the fluid, there should have been slight moments of pain but nothing else. When he began to reconstitute himself he should have felt pure bliss, not agonizing pain and tenderness.

The gods wondered if they miscalculated on certain parts or if the process was flawed in one way or another. Regardless, they could only resign themselves to the fate that they had brought upon this poor mortal and hope he would be able to survive this miscalculation.