Chapter 5: That time I got reincarnated as a....

As Lucious's body plunged into the darkness of the abyss within the labyrinth, his senses were overwhelmed by the disorienting descent. He was conscious enough to feel the rush of air around him and the chilling sensation of his fall. Then, with a jarring impact, he splashed into the water below.

*Splash*

In the aftermath of the fall, Lucious floated in the dark, murky waters, his consciousness returning in fits and starts. 'Ugh.. what.. am I still alive...?' He could barely make out his surroundings, but the unsettling sensation of something brushing against his hands and feet sent shivers down his spine. 'Umm?!' The darkness was oppressive, and he could sense the presence of something living in the water with him.

After what felt like an eternity, Lucious's eyes adjusted somewhat to the darkness, revealing the perilous reality that surrounded him.

*Ssss* *Shsss* Chissss*

He was floating in a river teeming with snakes. Their sinuous forms glided through the water, and their unblinking eyes regarded him with a cold, predatory stare.

'Ugh...' The pain in his stomach was a constant reminder of the machete's wound. He was still bleeding, and the water around him was tainted with his blood. With every moment that passed, the situation grew more dire, and Lucious realized that he was not only in a treacherous labyrinth but also now at the mercy of the serpentine inhabitants of this dark river.

Despite the nightmarish circumstances, Lucious's mind remained a bastion of calm amidst the chaos. He floated in the murky river, his thoughts free from the clutches of fear, and instead, focused on survival.

As the snakes glided around him, their cold eyes studying their newfound companion, Lucious's keen mind began to piece together a strategy. He knew that panicking would only hasten his downfall, so he surveyed his surroundings, searching for any advantage he could exploit.

His eyes darted in every direction, scanning the dark water and the treacherous snakes.

Then, he noticed a red-colored chest at the bank of the water, sitting there in stark contrast to the surrounding darkness. It looked extravagant, an enigma within this perilous realm.

"Huh? Is that another treasure..?"

With quiet and deliberate movements, avoiding sudden shifts trying not to irritate the snakes, Lucious deftly navigated through the water, reaching the bank and the red-colored chest. 'If there is something like that here, there must also be a way to leave....' 'I haven't even killed Vasco.. That son of a bitch!' Lucious thought gritting his teeth.

'W-Why are they suddenly behaving like that..?' To his astonishment, the snakes seemed to harbor an unusual fear of the chest, hesitating to approach it and remaining in the water.

The sight was both perplexing and intriguing. The chest held secrets that went beyond Lucious's current understanding, but it offered him a glimmer of hope. With the snakes held at bay by some mysterious force, Lucious had found a momentary respite in this dark and treacherous abyss.

*******

Lucious's existence in the abyss was a testament to his resilience. His body, wounded and weak, clung to life despite the machete's cruel gash in his stomach. The pain was an ever-present companion, gnawing at him like a relentless predator. And so, with bloodshot eyes and trembling hands, he embarked on the brutal task of survival.

"Huff....Huff..."

Tearing his shirt, "Ugh...." he fashioned a makeshift bandage to staunch the flow of blood from his wound. Every movement, every gasped breath was an exercise in self-control, for he knew that the faintest sound might provoke the snakes lurking in the water, and their venomous fangs would be a death sentence.

"I.... Refuse..to give..... up...." He bit down on his lips, harder than he thought he could, as the agony of tending to his wound threatened to overpower him. Blood welled up, mingling with the darkness of his surroundings.

With his wound temporarily addressed, Lucious set his sights on the red-colored chest that stood at the water's edge, a beacon of mystery within the labyrinthine abyss.

'I am Lucious.... Lucious Valentine' He tried to remind himself 'Lucious Valentine doesn't die...Can't die...' He kept saying such statements in his mind trying to remain conscious, he knew once he slept he would never wake up. 

. He inched forward with painstaking slowness, every movement laden with the weight of his injuries and the lurking danger of the snakes.

As he approached the chest, he marveled at its extravagance, a stark contrast to the grim surroundings. Its inexplicable power held the snakes at bay, offering him a glimpse of hope. "P-Please.be.of.somewhat.use....." he muttered

Yet-

Opening the chest, Lucious was confronted with a revelation "A-Atleast a p-path way ou-t, A-at least a m-map....I... I can't read this...." Inside lay a black slab, covered in intricate ancient carvings and mysterious circles. It seemed to emanate an otherworldly aura, its presence as enigmatic as it was foreboding.

 he reached out to inspect the slab more closely. Now he had lost all his hopes as he fell unconscious.... However, the moment his bloody fingers made contact with the artifact, it responded with a surreal and alarming display.

*creakkkk....*

Lucious had surrendered himself to his fate, he had lost all hopes of survival, he knew once he closed his eyes he will be dead,

Yet-

 He didn't die. His respite was brief, for as he lost consciousness, the black slab began to levitate on its own, defying gravity. The white and red light intensified, casting eerie shadows within the abyss. It was as though the artifact itself had come alive, animated by some dark force.

Even more disturbing, the black slab seemed to be feeding off him, siphoning his blood with a voracious hunger. His blood started coming out from all his holes, as the slab started absorbing it.

Lucious's body convulsed in response to the newfound torment, and the intense pain jolted him back to consciousness. "AAAAHHH!.... " His eyes fluttered open. The agony was unbearable, and he couldn't suppress a deafening scream, one that echoed through the abyss. The slab continued to hover in the air, its mysterious carvings and circles glowing with an otherworldly radiance.

******

(Nowhere in a forest)

The night was aglow with a celestial display. The surrounding trees whispered gently in the breeze, their leaves rustling in a harmonious rhythm. The inky darkness was punctuated by a sea of stars that sparkled like diamonds against a canvas of obsidian. The heavens held a bewitching secret, for among the celestial wonders, there hung not one, but....... two moons ? casting an ethereal, silvery glow across the landscape.

Beneath this celestial symphony, an unconscious figure lay on the cool grass beside a giant, mirror-like pond.

 The young man's presence was striking, his appearance an enigma. His silver-white hair held a hint of cerulean, cascading around a sharp jawline and adding to his mysterious allure.

He wore a simple yet expansive-looking white shirt, its fabric clinging to a muscular physique that hinted at both strength and grace.

The man seemed untouched by the passage of time, his age indeterminate, as if he were a portrait of eternal youth, not looking a day older than 20 years.

In slumber, he appeared serene and beautiful, a figure that seemed as if it had been plucked from the depths of a fabled dream.

As the gentle breeze whispered through the trees and the two moons painted the night with their mystic light, the man began to stir. His eyelids fluttered open,

they revealed depths as dark as the abyss. His irises were not just red; they were a deep, velvety crimson, like the heart of a blood moon. They held a profound wisdom and an ageless depth that seemed to reflect the mysteries of the cosmos itself.

In slumber, he had appeared serene and beautiful, a figure that seemed as if it had been plucked from the depths of a fabled dream. But now, as he gazed at the twin moons and the starry expanse above, his eyes betrayed a history and a knowledge that stretched far beyond the enchanting night that surrounded him.

'Two moons......? Is this heaven, coz I'm damn sure I died.....'

__________

[A/N: Man, what kind of man can stay conscious after suffering from all that..? Maybe... he is built different... ? ]