The Sacred Untouchable Orb

Filled with surprise and exhaustion, he lay flat on the floor, dumbstruck. He had just returned to reality, and that was well above expectations.

"Wow, I made it," he surprisingly spoke, stroking his arms to clean up the dirt that settled on them.

The phase of shock passed, and Akira stood up from the dusty floor. He looked towards Minato, and then Masuyo. Masuyo was still in a heated battle with the Goblin, as it thought they were both dead.

They made observations for a while and sprung towards the fight. Their vision had seemed to clear, but that wasn't the fact - the skill they had attained, unlocked the potential of each of their senses which heightened 'presence sensing', making them able to locate entities.

Still pacing towards Masuyo, the two friends, Akira and Minato, devised a plan to defeat the Goblin. They decided to strike the Goblin while its attention was still on Masuyo, and for a reason unknown, they were able to locate his blind spot.

"This new skill comes with a lot of advantages," Minato spoke, further praising the essence of the skill.

They had found out the reason Sota forced them into such a wretched place - to attain the skill - and they were happy with their achievements.

In a brief moment, the two thrust upwards behind the Goblin, trying to strike it. Even with their speed, Masuyo was able to see them with her newly found abilities.

"The back of its head, that's the blind spot," Minato bellowed, as they simultaneously struck it.

[Congratulations! You have slain a level 3 Goblin!]

The system spoke individually to their ears immediately the Goblin fell to its knees. As soon as they tried distancing themselves from the Goblin, the automated voice of the system interrupted them once more.

[Achievement Obtained!]

[Shadow Realm Pass: Newbie]

[Lesson unlocked!! 'Achievements'!]

[Achievements are special keys that help you level up. They are gained from experience, and if a certain number of them are accumulated, you will level up.

NOTE: Gaining achievements will be more difficult, and the amount of achievements for leveling up will increase with each level]

"So are we leveling up?"

[Yes! Leveling up complete!]

[Current level: 2]

>[Showing stats...]

[Stats]

[HP: 52]

[Strength: 15]

[Fatigue: 94]

[Protection: None]

[Level: 2]

[Achievements: Shadow Realm Pass (Beginners), Ultimate Destruction, Shadow Realm Pass: Newbie]

[Skill: Stats (Activated), Destroy (Activated), Sensory Attack (Activated)]

"Nice, so what are the benefits of leveling up?"

[The answer will be revealed in your latter adventures.]

The apprentices paid it no mind and ventured deeper into the realm. They had thought continuously about how to exit the realm, but they were unfortunately met with no answer.

After an adventure that seemed unending, they stumbled upon a strange cavern constructed in a desolate area in the realm. With the help of the leveling system, Masuyo was able to increase her range, permitting her friends, Minato and Akira to see.

After a few minutes of scrutinization, they proceeded into the cavern.

It seemed like a whole new Shadow Realm - but this time, with a singular illumination spot. They rejoiced, thinking their escape was clear not knowing the predicament they had run into.

With joy, they ran at full speed in the direction of the light. Hours passed, and the three still ran furiously to what they thought was an escape.

With the task of running hours in end, fatigue finally struck them with full force.

[Stats]

[HP: 52]

[Strength: 15]

[Fatigue: 100]

[Protection: None]

[Level: 2]

[Achievements: Shadow Realm Pass (Beginners), Ultimate Destruction, Shadow Realm Pass: Newbie]

[Skill: Stats (Activated), Destroy (Activated), Sensory Attack (Activated)]

"Oh shoot! I'm down to 0 energy. What'll I do?"

Akira panicked, eventually lying fatigue-struck on the floor. Soon the rest fell like fallen birds, and with three men down, their mission's status was an inch away from failure.

They were sent to the Shadow Realm by their tutor, Sota, and were now about to die.

"What a messy day," Minato chipped in with his tongue and lips almost lifeless.

***

With an ounce of strength, they were able to muster, they surprisingly stood and walked slowly toward the illumination. After all, there was no benefit in turning back. This could be their single escape.

After approximately 6 hours, the you fellows found the glowing object. They were awed as they were somehow able to journey to the illumination without dying.

"What's this green orb?"

Akira looked at the orb, questioning its existence and purpose. It shone throughout the vicinity, its light was blinding once stared at from a close distance, and its heat was incredibly intense, burning any item that came in contact with it.

The smooth surface stood untouchable, and none of them dared come close to it. But, it felt like an essential key for their escape.

"What should we do about this orb?" Masuyo asked, although her friends failed to reply as they all were ignorant of its essence.

It floated at a close distance from the thin raised platform that was situated in the center. Minutes passed by, and their fatigue increased hastily showing no mercy to the students.

Then, Minato stepped forward attempting to grab it, but was immediately turned away by its intense heat.

Masuyo made a move, but her eyes watered as soon as she came closer, and with only a few inches more, everything turned dark for her.

She struggled, gently rubbing a closing her eyes to bring back her vision. Luckily, the darkness faded away, and she was able to see once more.

The next was Akira. He proceeded, and in a few seconds, he experienced a surge of both signs.

"Why me? Why do I get both blindness and burns?" he spoke rhetorically.

In a sudden flash of a second, he couldn't feel any symptom of being hurt by the orb. His senses were regained, but he still felt the tiredness growing inside him - if anything, it increased faster than usual. He stretched out his arms to grab it and touched its surface.

[Command received! Teleporting...]

[Fatigue: 101/ Energy: -1]

"What command? Are we leaving this horrible place?"

They all spoke happily, but their fatigue told another story. It increased angrily and had seemed to pass its limit.

"How the heck can the energy be '-1'?" Masuyo spoke in anger.

They all began feeling excruciating pains from different body parts. It was an effect of 'over fatigue'. The stress got to their core, and they broke down from within.

They panted continuously and shouted in agony. Akira still held the orb, which was heavier than the light plastic look it portrayed.

"Can't I compress you, orb? You're heavy."

Akira began conversing with the inanimate object he held, but the pains had led him to such irrational acts.

Currently, it was a series of unpredictable events. A mix of emotions - happiness, and pain. The ground began to rumble, making matters worse, and to top it off they didn't seem to be leaving the area. The orb's intensity also seemed to increase, blinding the three students in the vicinity.

They waited in pain, fatigue, and anger in the Shadow Realm lying lifeless on the ground, cursing the existence of the Shadow Realm. At a point, Akira began regretting his decision to embark on the journey into the realm.

[Teleportation Done!]

The students found themselves at the peak of the mountain, except, they were descending at an unimaginable speed, from a sky-piercing mountain.

Amidst all their pains and stress, the calm automated voice spoke once more,

[Achievement Obtained!]

[You can't do more than a dead body]

"What?!"

They were vexed by the system's comment, but to be candid, they were unable to do anything, especially as they were right in the middle of a life-threatening situation.

In a swift swing, Sota appeared behind them, dangling from the mountain. He caught them from their fall, and guided them slowly, down the mountain.

Upon reaching, solid land, they all fell flat. Masuyo and Minato were sadly in an unconscious state, but Akira still lay half-conscious.

"Li-light. We found light in the Shadow Realm," he uttered.

Sota was surprised at his comment, and the shock was visible on his face. His facial expressions neutralized, and he sprung up from the ground.

His mind was in a mix of thoughts. Numerous thoughts had emanated from the mere utterance of words.

"Light? In the Shadow Realm? Then that completely defeats the purpose of the name."

"Out of all my years as an Official, or even when I was an apprentice, I never grasped a single natural source of illumination in the Shadow Realm."

"Is there a hidden secret about the Shadow Realm? Something that those in high positions are hiding?"

As Sota was fully immersed in his thought session, the orb that was originally massive had reduced drastically in size, and as well, mass.

It rolled over on Akira's open palm and eventually disappeared into thin air.

What was going on? First a source of illumination, and now an orb resizing and disappearing? All these events were triggered from one source, that not even the most powerful knew of.