Primordial Darkness
A bright light flashed as an orb appeared in Alex's palms. The world glowed like never before as Alex relaxed under the warmth of the light. The rays of light that enveloped Alex's body grew dimmer over time, eventually leaving nothing behind.
Alex's consciousness appeared in an abyss, a void of emptiness. His spiritual body floated in the darkness as his vision identified nothing. Pure emptiness descended upon Alex as a trace of fear flickered on his face. 'What is this?'
He had never encountered such a thing in his entire life. Sure, the deities utilized the abyss to conduct large-scale teleportations, but there was never a time he could remember when one had to stay this long and retain their emotions, spiritual body, and thoughts.
'Is this the primordial darkness?' He wondered as terror kindled in his eyes. The Primordial Darkness was an area restricted to even deities, where one would eventually lose all senses, emotions, thoughts, memories, and finally, soul.
Their remains would contribute to strengthening the void known as the Primordial Darkness, or so was told by the deities and species related to them. Alex shuddered in fear as he clutched his temples. His new life of fixing his mistakes had been cut short and grasped by the emptiness of the Primordial Darkness.
No, he couldn't give in. So what if he were captured by the depths of the atramentous origin of darkness? A mere domain could not bind him! The Head of the Clan named after the God of Dragons and Seas! He would not give in to darkness. Instead, he would grasp it!
Alex resisted the urge to fall asleep, to surrender everything to the Primordial Darkness. He grit his imaginary teeth while trying to channel mana. Alas, mana was restricted in a zone such as the void, or abyss.
So what? If he had to endure with physical prowess only, he would do so! He would resist until the end, even if all it brings him is pain!
Memories flashed through his eyes as it became difficult to endure. The urge to fall asleep was rotting Alex's mind, forcing it to shut down. The pressure of nothingness suppressed his desire to resist, yet his goal kept him awake.
A scream escaped his mouth but was quickly drowned out by the fact that no sound existed in the Primordial Darkness. Only spirits and bodies that would act as fertilizer or food.
As the last ounce of energy escaped his body, he fell asleep amidst the darkness, embracing it unconsciously.
*
Eugene, Simon, and Sarah emerged from a flash of light, stumbling due to having been taken by surprise. They clutched their temples simultaneously, barely coping with the excruciating pain that struck them for no apparent reason.
Eugene was the first to recover as he staggered, his eyelids heavy. He trotted forward and eventually bumped into something soft. "W–Who?"
As he raised his gaze, he was shocked to witness the face of a child. The child seemed young, but his eyes were mature, and his clothes were stained with blood. The child maintained a dark expression, but that soon morphed into that of confusion.
"Where is Alex?" The child asked, scrunching his eyebrows as he narrowed his eyes at the man who stood before him. The child, also known as Maxwell Thompson, scrutinized Eugene's appearance, identifying him to be one of Alex's teammates.
Eugene turned around as he searched for Alex, complying with Maxwell's request. However, his expression became complicated as he did not find a single trace of the teen. In fact, he noticed that he, Simon, and Sarah were the only ones back at Bryxton Tower.
'That means we conquered the dungeon,' he mused. 'But where is the orb? More importantly, where is Alex? I don't think he died, as the core of the dungeon appeared in his hand instead of ours.'
When Eugene turned his head towards Maxwell and shrugged, the latter became even more confused. "Wasn't he in your team?"
"He was, and he killed the old elf guy," Eugene said in a grave tone. "He received the core of the dungeon, too. For some reason, it seems he didn't get teleported back."
Maxwell's eyes widened as he grabbed Eugene's throat reflexively. A terrifying glint shone in his eyes as he lifted Eugene. A thick aura of darkness hugged his body as if protecting him as it crept towards Eugene.
Eugene trembled in fear and discomfort as he desperately tried to escape Maxwell's grip, but to no avail. Maxwell was on the verge of going berserk once again due to a steep fluctuation in his emotions.
"Maxwell, right?" Simon approached the two, a fearful expression plastered on his face. "Wouldn't it be better to spare that guy, since he's one of the witnesses that entered the dungeon alongside Alex?"
Thinking it over, Maxwell violently through Eugene on the ground as he scoffed. The particles of darkness faded, leaving behind an exhausted body.
"All right."
Simon smiled cheekily as he unstrapped his knife, thrusting it towards the boy in a fluid motion. He believed keeping someone so unstable would only cause problems, and since Alex was nowhere to be found, he could easily take care of a child.
As the knife approached Maxwell, he unsheathed his weapon as well. However, the knife was already at his neck.
Kang!
Simon's knife collided with an unknown metal and his eyes widened. He directed a glare at the person who had prevented him from ending the child's life. "Sarah, what are you doing?"
"He's a child, you idiot!" Sarah yelled, rage visible in her tone of voice. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"He tried killing Euegene!" Simon countered, but Sarah, ignoring his words, swung her knife, causing Simon to fall back.
"And you tried killing him when he was tired," said Sarah. "Killing him would not decrease the number of murderers in this world. It would instead increase their numbers."
"Oh, shut up, goody-two-shoes!"
By that point in time, Eugene had recovered from the shock and loss of breath. He stood alongside Simon, directing a cold stare towards Maxwell, who was at a loss. The incident was unclear in his memories as if he had been possessed. However, even he knew the insignificance of mentioning it now.
Killing intent burst from both sides, but it weak; extremely weak. The four were inexperienced in killing and had never developed a pressure unique to them. In fact, they were oblivious to the sensation of ending one's life until a few days ago.
The atmosphere changed to that of hostility as they stared each other down. It was clear that Simon and Eugene had the upper hand, but the reason they weren't attacking was due to the fact that they were oblivious to the conditions or backlash of Maxwell's ability.
And, underestimating an opponent would almost certainly lead to one's destruction.
That's why, to maintain his mysterious appearance and to prove that he was confident, Maxwell lunged forward using his knife. He sidestepped as Simon's knife swept past him, replying with a hard kick to the abdomen.
Simon fell back as Eugene lead the attack. Despite having known each other for a few hours or a day at best, they could collaborate well due to having escaped the elves several times together.
Sarah twirled before delivering a kick to Eugene, which he deflected by pushing his forearm forward. As Simon returned to deliver a fatal blow to Sarah, Maxwell interjected by parrying using his knife while returning a kick to Simon's face.
Due to the shock of the sudden attack that Simon faced, Maxwell received a free blow. Now, in order to make the most out of the chance, he thrust his knife forward towards Simon's face.
However, Eugene noticed the action, pushing Simon to the ground. Maxwell revealed a smile as he retreated.
"What the f–" Simon said as he caressed the wound from which a small amount of blood had emerged.
Eugene and Simon gazed at each other for a split second before nodding. They then unleashed a barrage of blows on Sarah, causing several injuries on her abdomen, neck, and arms. As she retreated, they targeted Maxwell.
By surrounding him from both sides, they charged towards the boy. Maxwell, having noticed their assault, kicked Eugene in the chest, knocking him back. However, as Simon thrust his knife towards his neck, Maxwell understood his fate.
"Fuck."