15 Minutes

'Solomon Dragonheart... to think he would be here as well with Ragnar Frost.' Azriel was deep in thought as he gazed at the drone hovering in front of him.

It was already a shock to him that his father's best friend Ragnar was here, but not only him, also one of the most talented humans in history.

Ragnar Frost, a rival of his father since childhood, was not just that but also the youngest head among the four great clans.

He didn't blame Ragnar for being so cautious since he would have done the same.

Besides...

'He lost his parents to skinwalkers seven years ago.'

Ragnar's mother was killed by a Grade 1 Titan-ranked skinwalker that, after taking her life, took her place and infiltrated the Frost estate, killing Ragnar's father and many other members of the Frost clan.

It was still known as one of Asia's greatest tragedies, but luckily they managed to take the skinwalker down. After that, Ragnar took the position of his father as the head of the Frost Clan.

1,259 people lost their lives because of a single skinwalker that took everyone by surprise.

'You can never know what might happen in this world, I suppose.'

Solomon Dragonheart was already a Grade 2 Saint at the age of 26, breaking the record of becoming the youngest saint in the entire world.

'A monster...'

He remembered that even though he didn't attend a lot of banquets or other social gatherings, the few he did attend, Solomon was always there as well.

And for some reason, the man always talked with Azriel.

'No, I know the reason very well...'

It was simply because Azriel was talented.

Yet, he never tried to show himself too much to the public or reveal his talent.

He'd rather train in secret or as much as he could. Of course, it was impossible to hide most things from his father or someone at the same level as him.

Like Ragnar and Solomon, who easily discovered how talented Azriel was but never tried to talk about it.

The reason for hiding his talent was simple.

Azriel just didn't want to bother competing with others and wanted to rather live a peaceful life instead.

There was no need for him to follow the same path as those close to him.

But of course, that didn't mean he slacked off entirely.

He trained diligently always, as his father understood his reason and made sure that he was still someone who could handle himself in combat when the need arose.

'Still, a lot of misunderstandings have come forth because of the previous Azriel's attitude...'

'Not that I don't understand him.'

Because of trying to hide his talents, obviously, people like Solomon got curious and always tried to talk to him and ask why he never revealed himself like his sister Jasmine.

Whenever Azriel talked with Solomon, he had one thought on his mind...

He was scary!

'That fucking creepy smile of his! And that look in his eyes!'

Shouting inside his mind, he suddenly heard Ragnar speaking through the drone.

"Azriel, Saint Solomon should arrive at your location in approximately 15 minutes."

'Fifteen minutes... good. I am really feeling tired and just want to sleep, dammit.

To think so many things would happen in such a short amount of time.'

Just for wanting to get a glass of water, he got transported into another world!

"I see, that is good to hear by the—?"

Azriel suddenly stopped talking as he noticed that the ground was enveloped in fog.

"The fuck?"

"Uncle Ragnar, do you know what is happening...?" The drone was luckily still close to him so he could still communicate with Ragnar.

Or so he at least hoped, but for some reason, he didn't hear any response from Ragnar.

A chill ran down his spine as he suddenly shot up and picked Void Eater, gripping it tightly.

'Dammit, what the hell is happening now?'

"Azri... can... hear me!? ...sten... un! ...ast!"

Suddenly he heard the voice of Ragnar through the drone, but he couldn't make out what he was saying as his voice kept getting cut off.

"What are you saying? I can't hear you. Your voice keeps cutting off!"

He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he gripped his katana even tighter.

'...I should have moved to another location. Shit.'

The only sound was the wind howling, the drone next to him barely audible because of its advanced equipment.

The fog had already reached his knees and was rising slowly, steadily.

It seemed endless, an infinite blanket of gray.

Azriel's eyes darted everywhere, the silence around him becoming increasingly oppressive.

Ragnar's voice from the drone was gone.

'Fifteen minutes... just survive for fifteen minutes.'

Repeating this in his mind, he suddenly felt every hair on his body stand on end.

"Don't go."

"!?"

A voice suddenly whispered in his ear. He didn't waste time, leaping forward to distance himself.

Turning around quickly, he saw nothing where he had been standing.

The drone was gone too, consumed by the ever-rising fog, now up to his waist.

"W-what..."

Whoever had whispered in his ear was nowhere to be found.

His heart was beating so loudly it felt like it might explode.

He felt his blood run cold as he grit his teeth, trying to prevent his legs from shaking.

'R-run. I need to run and survive... Fifteen minutes. Ragnar said fifteen minutes until Solomon gets here. No way am I dying now and using [Redo].'

In the first place, he didn't even know how [Redo] would work.

Would it send him back in time, or would it regenerate his body?

He'd rather not find out.

"Azriel, can you hear me!? Azriel!"

Suddenly, Ragnar's voice came through, but he couldn't pinpoint its location.

It was as if Ragnar's voice was coming from everywhere around him.

'Just what the hell is happening!?'

"If you hear me, get out of there immediately! Don't stay in that fog no matter what!"

Ragnar's shout was enough to propel Azriel into a desperate sprint.

Yet it was too late.

The fog had risen to a level that obscured everything. 

'Damn it! There has to be an end somewhere!'

He kept running straight, but no matter how far he went, nothing changed.

His surroundings were enveloped in a thick, unyielding fog.

He didn't know what void creature it belonged to, but he didn't want to find out.

'Run! Just keep running! Don't look back!'

"!?"

Azriel stopped in his tracks as he suddenly saw a dark silhouette ahead.

"W-what is that..."

Another chill ran down his spine, every fiber of his being telling him to run.

Yet he couldn't.

His feet were firmly planted on the ground, his eyes unable to look away from the dark silhouette.

Something told him...

If he looked away for even a second, he would die.

He couldn't make out the figure except for its shape.

It looked like a small child holding a stuffed teddy bear.

The little child was seated on the ground, hugging the bear and... sobbing.

"Don't go..."

"...please."

"Please don't leave me."

"Don't go..."

The sound of a little girl sobbing, repeating the same words over and over.

Her voice seemed to come from everywhere, just like Ragnar's.

Wherever the fog was, the voice was too.

"Don't go."

"!?"

Just like before, he suddenly heard the girl whispering behind his ear.

He didn't dare turn around this time.

Gripping Void Eater so tight his knuckles turned white.

'Don't look away... don't look away... Damn it, how many minutes have passed!?'

"Don't go." "Don't go." "Don't go." "Don't go." "Don't go." "Don't go."