13 Keep trying

The darkness felt heavy.

The underground prison where Ernesto teleported was much darker than Fetahaya's lair.

Ernesto formed a small ball of light, about the size of his thumb, to guide him through the prison hall. He didn't want to attract any kind of enemy, so he walked stealthily, as if he had forgotten how he had laughed loudly a while ago. He walked slowly so that the sound of his footsteps wouldn't be heard every time they touched the damp floor.

He covered his nose with his handkerchief because of the rotten smell that was dominating the area.

He was heading toward the end of the prison hall, where he believed the fearsome monster was chained.

The more he walked forward, the more he felt the frightening aura of the primordial beast.

Fenrir: the so-called "wolf that will eat the world."

Fenrir was a colossal wolf of enormous strength and ferocity. His power was so great that even the mighty gods feared him, so that when they finally moved against him, they could not slay Fenrir and could only trap him. Two gods forged great chains to bind the beast. These were chains forged by the gods themselves to endure any sort of damage, and they left him underground in the Marquis castle to slowly erase his existence.

Gods and demigods with zero activity will eventually cease to exist.

No one knew about Fenrir's existence except for the gods, not until Ndulou got lost in the labyrinth and ended up meeting with the primordial beast. The beast used Ndulou for his escape, and Ernesto remembered his future, seeing Ndulou suffer from this. He was determined to never let the beast touch even an inch of Ndulou's hair.

Ernesto finally reached the end of the empty prison hall. The huge door with a lot of sealed magic circles imprinted on it has an eerie aura flowing out of it.

He looked around him, checking to see if someone else had already come before him, and thankfully, there was no sign of another person. Ernesto thought Ndulou was probably still lost in the labyrinth.

Ernesto placed his palm on the stone door. He closed his eyes and gathered all the mana he could consume at his current level.

Purple magic circles appeared at the door, beginning where his hands touched. But before he could finish casting the entire spell, the door slightly moved to open. A sudden feeling of uncertainty crept into his mind after he saw the slight opening of the door. He canceled his spell that was supposed to strengthen the sealing of the door so that the primordial beast wouldn't ever see the world above. He lightly pushed the door, and it automatically opened.

The child, who was like a dot compared to the tall stone door, slowly moved his body towards the open door. He focused his mind and walked wearily towards the dark room.

Ernesto thought he was ready for anything, but his heart dropped the moment he saw an empty prison full of dark chains. The chains forged by the gods are where the eerie aura comes from. But no primordial beast can be found.

He shouted. "NDULOU!!" He immediately cast a flight magic spell and dashed around without thinking about which way he would go. He searched everywhere for Ndulou.

"FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK."

He was flying at the highest speed, looking for Ndulou, while curse words kept flowing out of his mouth like a river.

"MOTHERFUCKING FENRIR, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Fear overwhelmed him.

Fenrir and Ndulou are nowhere to be seen.

"Does this mean the two have already met and left the underground labyrinth? But I clearly remember that Ndulou was lost here for a month!"

Sometimes Ernesto crashes into the walls due to overspeeding, but he doesn't care about his small injuries. He was in a state of panic because he had not found Ndulou's whereabouts.

"I thought he was lost in the labyrinth for a month!? Why is he not here!? They are not supposed to meet yet!"

Again, he crashed into the wall, causing him to fall on the muddy concrete of the labyrinth. He crouched down and punched the floor.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

"Why is he not here?"

Ernesto continued to shout in anxiety. His heart was beating wildly from fear and frustration. He touched his chest and breathed slowly.

"No, calm down, calm down. Think Ernesto. Think!"

He kneeled down and tried to concentrate, then he closed his eyes.

He takes a deep breath.

He breathed in and out to calm his nerves and awaken his senses.

"I don't have the capacity to do this spell yet, but I need to check! Where's the motherfucker?"

Since he had only returned at this time, Ernesto was still at the level of a flare, the first level of a mage, slightly higher than a magic apprentice. It's a miracle that he instantly achieved that by adjusting his body from nothing. He was just a spoiled nobleman yesterday. He developed his mana capacity and mana skills overnight. He rushed everything, but there was still a limit to what he could do. A great strain on his body will be an after effect if he pushes his body to the limit.

"Whatever it is, I don't give a fuck!"

He shouted before he finally cast a magic circle below him while still kneeling.

The magic circle slowly grew larger and released a huge halo that spread out and passed from wall to wall. This halo passes through everything until the very edge of the huge underground labyrinth connecting to the underground prison, which was the same size as a village.

Ernesto saw and felt everything that the halo passed by. This magic will detect any living being surrounding it and will record to the caster's mind the whole area it passes through, forming a clear map of the labyrinth in Ernesto's mind.

The casting took a while, and blood dripped out of his eyes and mouth.

His body trembles, sending him a signal that his mana is dropping rapidly.

The halo was done passing through the walls of the labyrinth, but there was more beyond it.

He debated for a second whether he was going to check it out too or just go with it. He clenched his teeth and clasped his hands to push through.

Now even his ears are bleeding, but he doesn't care. Although he was not confident if he could still regress after this, he still wanted to do everything, hoping he was not completely late yet.

"An underground city?"

The halo discovered an abandoned city. It was built beyond the labyrinth. He also recorded a map of the underground city and discovered a lot of facilities that were built in ancient times. There are a lot of interesting things he just passed by. He doesn't have any interest in them as of now. His only goal was to find his friend.

He also checked all the exits and entrances of the whole huge area.

"Damn bastard! Who fucking made this damn place! There are too many exits and entrances leading to different locations. It will take time to look at each one of them. Is it too late if I check all of them?"

Suddenly, he heard a snap inside his head. He didn't know if it was his veins or his brain itself that snapped, but he still ignored his own pain.

He released the cast. He was done sending the halo to the entire labyrinth, and the newly discovered abandoned city.

Ernesto flopped down on the damp ground. He was lying face down without caring about the mud and dirt. His body was trembling from mana depletion, while his silver blond hair and white suit were now decorated with both mud, dirt, and blood.

He said, "Ndulou," speaking his friend's name more like a whisper. He doesn't have any strength.

This friend of his that he desperately wanted to reach out to was the only person who gave him a second chance in life.

He was a cruel and useless villain, but Ndulou taught him the importance of life and living the life he never imagined.

He thought he was only receiving Ndulou's kindness.

"Huhuhu."

The labyrinth was a very dark and quiet place.

"Huhuhu."

The only noise that could be heard inside the darkness was the silent cry of an almost a hundred-year-old man with the body of a thirteen-year-old teenager.

The crying man didn't know what was keeping his face wet.

Was it the mud?

Was it his own blood?

or his tears of frustration.

"Where the fuck are you?"

The young man was still crying like a baby.

The last time he remembered being sad like this was at his friend's funeral.

"There's no one here."

He continued to cry as he yelled, "Why the fuck is it so hard to catch you? Even in the past! Why am I having a hard time catching up?"

Ernesto's eyes were opened, but there was nothing he could see but darkness.

The young man wondered why he had come here.

The main reason he had stolen this power was to turn back time and make up for his regrets, which were that he could not protect the man who had given him a second chance. He didn't want this kind-hearted man to feel the same despair, and he wished that this man wouldn't suffer again.

But everything was happening the same way as in the past, he knew.

"huhuhuh."

He doesn't want his savior to die young again.

He cried and cried.

"I am the only one here."

Ernesto continued to cry.

The halo determined that he was the only living being underground. Even insects are not present in this damp, dark place.

Ernesto lifted his finger up and gathered the remaining mana left in his body, forming a sharp needle, about the size of a chopstick.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck."

He could only curse internally. He doesn't have any strength to speak anymore.

He motioned his finger up once more and released the needle.

Shiikk!

A short sound of a piercing needle echoed.

And nothing more was heard from the darkness of the underground labyrinth.

He was unable to determine where he should start searching again.

The young man chose to die once more.