Haunted By The Past

**** Theodore's POV ****

I dreamt of the days when I was young. Before my accident, how happy my life was. My family and I would always go out to eat on Fridays, after school and after my parents got off work. My brother and I would always share something expensive on the menu of where ever we went, so we could both taste something delicious. The scene shattered before my eyes, like a broken mirror. I looked at the pieces that were driving away, into the abyss. I didn't care about those days anymore, they were gone and so were those people who showed me love. They had turned into ugly beasts who judged me based on my looks, and took advantage of my suffering. They stole my money. The things I loved kept getting taken away from me, and it was starting to piss me off.

The scene before my eyes shifted to Hailey laying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. However the me who was holding her was the old me. The one with a crippled leg and burns on his face. Powerless, only able to watch as the things he held dearly were ripped from his arms, not having a say in his own destiny or future.

"DO SOMETHING! SAVE HER! SHE IS DYING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!" I screamed. I wanted to run forward and save her myself, however I was held back by an invisible wall.

I felt that I hadn't truly changed from the pathetic person I saw before me, the only difference I saw at this moment was that I had a system and he didn't.

Had I even changed as a person? Wasn't I still helpless without the system?

As if responding to my thoughts, I heard a voice, 'Yes. It is all thanks to the system... You have to jump into the dungeons to get stronger... Go into the dungeons... More... Dungeons...'

My eyes went wide. I looked around, and saw no one. I then realized I was in a dream. That wasn't my thought just now, whose was it? I hit myself hard in the face, and then my eyes shot wide open. I was now in my bed, in my house. Breathing heavily, I began to try and stabilize my mind.

'What happened? What is the system? Is it possible that it is a sentient being? Am I just a toy being played with by higher beings?' I began to question everything that had happened since I was brought into the dungeons.

[Divine Intervention (Mythical)(Passive) has been obtained.]

You have refused to let your destiny be determined for you. You have resisted the will of the Gods, and have now been painted as a Non-Believer. You will now gain the resistance to mental attacks of the Gods, that are in the form of premonitions or dreams. As the skill level rises, you will be able to resist the pressure of a God's Divinity, and even resist their Divine skills.

A God had tried to brainwash me?! My nails dug into the skin of my palms, drawing blood, but at this moment Theodore didn't care. He was so angry that a God had tried to brainwash him into a devout and brainless follower.

'YOU F*CKS, JUST YOU WAIT, I WILL KILL WHOEVER TRIED TO PLAY WITH MY EMOTIONS AND MEMORIES FOR THEIR OWN GAINS!'

"Little boy, do you wish for power?" an ominous voice asked.

I swung my head around and scoured the room, however I didn't see anyone.

It was then that a tall man came out of the shadow behind my door, seemingly coming from nowhere. He was dressed in an all red suit, and had slicked back black hair. He had two small horns coming from his forehead, and his eyes were the blackest of blacks. He had two abysses in his eye sockets, that stared straight into your soul.

This was the Devil, I had no doubt about it in my mind.

"I don't need your borrowed power. I am no one's slave, I don't know what kind of war you got going on with the Gods, but I know that you're definitely not on the same side as them. Thanks, but no thanks." I said, I was on my toes, because I knew that whatever was in front of me, could kill me at any point with the flick of their wrists.

"Tsk tsk, you young people have no patience. As soon as you see I am not an LED screen playing videos, you blow me away as if I don't exist... This is why you'll become one of their slaves and die." the man shook his head. As he turned around to leave, he said this, "If you ever want to forsake that pride of yours, and your humanity, feel free to call for me. My name is Lucifer."

The man melded into the shadows, and I just kept staring at the darkness. Watching for him to suddenly pop out again, but he never did. I realized something: I was indeed still powerless, I was simply a small pawn in this bigger chess game. Gods. The Devil. What were the dungeons, and why was I made into a Hunter? All these questions plagued my mind, but then I remembered a small oasis. A break in the myriad of uncertainties. I wanted to see Hailey.

I got out of my bed, and showered. I changed clothes and then went to go look for her, I wanted to make sure she didn't have any complications from yesterday. So I went out of my room, and remembering something, I knocked.

"Come in." a sweet voice said, however my grip on the doorknob tightened.

It wasn't Hailey's voice.