Who...

<Asher Eli's POV>

"Why?"

That's all I heard as I slowly fell into the abyss. All I felt was messed up emotion that I once had, soon I shook off these emotions.

"Where am I?" I looked around me, everything was dark. I am not scared or anything, I lived in the Dark many nights without anyone, 'all alone'.

"The last thing I remember was that 'Lily' girl asked me "Why?" and after that, I am here, maybe she put a spell on me without my knowledge. I guess, I still have a lot to learn..sigh, Just how long I will be here" I mumbled.

After a few hours, that's what I felt.

"....P..M"

"Hmm, Did I hear something?" I looked around me but nothing else changed and no one was here except me.

"HE...E"

"I definitely heard something" as I walked towards the voice calling me. I walked as fast as I could and slowly surrounding started to change.

"HELP US!"

"MAMA, IT HURTS!"

"AAHHHHH!"

"MY CHILD! AAAAHHHH"

"OH GOD PLEASE SAVE US"

Now I was in the Middle of a village where everything was burning...no everyone burned alive and they had a happy expressions even though they screaming for help.

I didn't do anything just sat down on the land, looked at their pleas with happiness, and waited for their miserable life to end. After some time everything turned silent and the fire stopped.

"Huh? That's all? Nothing more, I expected more though" I said while having a bored expression and then stood up and turned to leave but

'HHIIIKKK'

Something caught my leg and I slowly looked at my leg and it turns out to be a boney hand from the ground as slowly it came out from the ground.

Looking at the dark bone skeleton. I was now really bored, "she should have used something more terrifying, not some skeleton".

"What?" I asked the skeleton.

".didn't.help.child?" It spoke with a distorted voice.

"Why should I help your child?" I returned the question.

"Child.innocent" It trembled.

"So?.."

"YOU!...don't.feel.sympathy.child?" It enraged as jaws started to vibrate and a small skeleton appeared beside it.

"Now I get it, Lily put me in this test so they can see what I am really" I guessed as I crouched down and looked at the little skeleton.

I said while looking at it, "Why? she asked" and tilted my head as I looked at the hollow eyes of the small skeleton,

"Do you know...I guess you don't know...

heh...I killed some children with my own two hands clutching their necks; they wriggled like fish as I slowly tightened their necks and...

'tick' snapped like that.

That is why I don't feel anything when even if the child burned, I guess" My eyes turned lifeless and a wicked smile appeared on my face.

"Y-You.monster" Big skeleton was terrified as it pulled the small skeleton away from me.

"Hahaha..." I laughed and turned to leave.

Nothing happened while I walking away from the burned village and again I am in a dark place, I waited for the test to finish but nothing happen again so I slowly rested in that place.

I don't know how many days or years passed. I just rested and practiced some fighting techniques that the old man gave me and nothing happened after the village incident.

<Time Passed>

["Don't you feel lonely?"] a voice that sounded mechanical asked suddenly to me and with a surprised expression I replied,

"Huh, No I don't feel lonely"

["Why?"]

"Because this darkness always made me remember her. I may be alone but never I felt lonely in the darkness because she is with me in this darkness.

I...sometimes do love this darkness" I said with a sad smile.

["Hmm...Interesting...You know Darkness will always be represented as Negative or Evil, So the person you remembered must be evil, right?"] the voice was curious.

I blinked a few seconds and laughed, "Haha...Haha...If you put it that way, then you are wrong. Darkness never represents Evil while Light never represents Good".

["If you.."]

"And Don't you dare assume She is Evil. She is good...no, too good that this world never deserved her" I threatened it, I don't like when someone called her evil or dirty.

["Hmmm..."]

The voice didn't spoke anything else, so I asked something else,

"How can I leave this place?"

["Huh, You just threatened me and now you are asking for help!"]

"That is that and this is this, now tell me?" I asked shamelessly.

[".....You said, You loved this darkness, right?" Why don't you ask it for help?"]

"hmm,.....'If you stare into Abyss, Abyss stares back at you'" I simply smiled as tried to look at the voice.

["I see, you are a clever boy"] The voice was a little amused, and like that slowly the surroundings returned to normal.

"My name is Eli...Asher Eli. What is yours?" I thought about saying only Eli but I said my full name and also wanted to know that voice.

["My name...Huh...I don't know. We will see each other again, if possible Asher Eli"] The voice little mysteriously said and disappeared, Everything around me returned but...

'sshhhh'

*****

<>

"..."

In the cafe, Adria looked at Eli who was now gripping Lily's throat and had an angered expression, Adria sighed in relief but didn't do anything about this matter due to what happened earlier, she remained silent.

'That was very fast, almost similar to Monarch Level, and...he really accepted Dark mana without a problem...fuck it, yes' Adria was astonished at the same time she was excited but she don't know why she was excited.

"I don't know what you did, but never do this again without my consent.

I.Hate.It" Eli whispered into Lily's ear and he was clearly angry about being tested without him knowing.

Lily looked at Eli's eyes which is the same as before and his whole body started to return; just nodded her head.

"Good" With that Eli released his hand and sat back but inwardly, 'What the heck happened? I didn't even use my technique but I was so fast...hmm...let's check afterward'.

Lily and Adria who heard this, were now completely shocked and both of their eyebrows lifted.

"I am sorry" Lily apologized but,

Eli's now turned black again.

"Shit" Adria slapped her forehead.

But Eli just had to shake his head and his eyes turned normal and with irritation, "You said, you won't do it again?..hmm?"

"I didn't.." Lily tried to apologize again but Adria interfered and said, "She didn't mean to hurt you or anything"

Eli shot a glance at Adria but then he only waited for Lily to answer and realized that Lily said, "I am sorry, I won't do it again".

Eli stared few seconds and said with a smile, "Now, that should be fine".

[['No Matter how you looked at it, It is definitely not fine']] Both of them send same the mental message to each other.