Listening to the voices

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⊱ ──── {Star Details} ──── ⊰

[Devourer of Paths (lvl 1)]: An active skill that allows the user to create paths based on demanded desires. Paths can also be used to devour the passive skills of other creatures.

Star flaw: Failure to devour or take certain paths will result in the permanent loss of that path. This applies to Devourer of Paths. Failure to devour targeted paths three times will result in permanent loss of the star.

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[Part 1 of the tutorial is now complete. Part 2 will commence shortly,] the words spelled out now, and just like that the world around Atlas began shifting.

Light suddenly filled the void, and objects began appearing as if out of thin air. Eventually he found himself in a familiar environment.

The undercity.

For a moment he wondered whether it had all been an illusion; the demon attack and even the odd 'tutorial' he had been in. But the scratch he had gotten from the demon was still fresh, and the evidence of chaos lay all around him in the form of torn down shacks, and tossed goods.

Oddly enough, there wasn't a single soul in sight. Demon, corpse, or otherwise.

Where was everybody? This was the first time in Atlas's 17 years of living in the undercity that the streets were empty. Deciding to get to a better scope of the area, he quickly scaled a nearby shack.

The haphazard terraced structure of the undercity made it hard for him to see anything past a few meters. But as far as he could tell, this part of the city really was deserted.

"Grandpa, Drystan!" he realized with a start, before turning to run in the direction of his house. As he ran through the streets, he realized that it wasn't just the alleyway that was abandoned, but the whole of district 12. This entire sector of the undercity was cleaned out, including his home.

~Did they get them?~

[The tutorial will commence in...]

[3...]

[2...]

[1...]

~Huh?~

There they were again, the floating words. Atlas would've liked to go to the doc, but based on what had happened, he doubted that the doc would have enough time on his hands.

[Follow the red line to proceed to the testing area,] the words spelled out in front of him. The red line led to the tallest scrap-tower in this section of the undercity, just a ways away from where Atlas was currently standing.

After he was certain that no more words or strange images would appear and that he felt no stinging pain, he opted to ignore the instructions, and instead began searching his house.

~It's still here,~ he thought to himself as he counted the coins he had stashed in his grandfather's mattress. It had been a contingency plan; incase anything ever happened to him, his grandfather and brother would still have a means of survival.

~That means they didn't leave of their on will,~ Atlas concluded.

[Time restriction has begun. Get to next checkpoint before the time limit is reached or the level will be failed.] the words spelled out.

"Fuck off!" Atlas screamed in anger, swinging at the floating words. However, just as expected they were ethereal, illusions of his pyschosis.

{Best listen kid. If you fail the level you'll stay in this place forever,} the voice in his head added.

"Audio and visual hallucinations, the final stage of pyschosis," he sighed as he remembered the docs warnings on working with demon blood. Maybe he really was a demon, and this was what it looked like from the inside.

[1 minute remaining.] the words spelled out before an electrifying pain spread throughout his entire body.

"Then maybe he's still alive. I hope he makes it," Atlas whispered before dropping to the floor. If this was the world that people who turned into demons went to, then there was no point in doing anything.

{Didn't you hear me? Get to the checkpoint before the timer expires,} the voice said, however Atlas was too broken to even care.

{If you don't, that old man will end up a snack for the ryka. Trust me, they have no need for crippled hosts. The only thing that old man will be turned into is old man mince.}

Still, Atlas did not move a muscle.

{If you complete the tutorial, you will be sent back to the real world,} the voice added.

"Am I actually listening to the voices in my head," Atlas half laughed as he got up and began running towards the prescribed checkpoint?

[45 seconds remaining.] The floating words spelled out, whilst Atlas stood on the ground looking up at the scrap skyscraper where the red line led. Luckily he had taken a route up to the scrap tower many times before, but still, he was going to be cutting it close.

With a quick step and a hop, he shot up to the roof of his house, before kicking off the wall of a nearby shack terraced above his.

Just like he had done many times before, he flipped, and somersaulted his way from rooftop to rooftop, showcasing just how well-practiced he was at sky jumping around the district.

[15 seconds remaining.]

~Wait a second,~ he thought to himself as he got closer to the checkpoint. Every movement he was making, seemed to coincide with the red line's curve, almost as if it were plotting out his path.

By the time he performed the last flip and landed on the roof of the tower, he was standing directly where the red curve ended.

[Level complete...]

[The next level will commence shortly.]