Chapter 16

"I would suggest not paying a visit to your old home at this time. You are already tainted with our karma and should you go back, they would be in danger of being discovered by our enemies, now or in the future, but the choice is yours." The Heart of Darkness advised.

"What will happen to our bodies there?" Nathan didn't really care about his old body, but he had many memories with it so he asked.

"They will simply disappear forever."

"Huh… perhaps it's for the best if they do…" Damon seemed more accepting of the idea than anyone else.

"So, any of you wish to visit your home one last time, despite the dangers?"

Nathan held hands with Lucy and turned to face her, "Everything I care about is right in front of me. There is nothing for me to go back to…"

Lucy was really touched by his feelings, so she stood on her toes and placed a sweet kiss on his lips, "Me too. My home is wherever you go."

"I don't have a home." Damon said flatly.

"I don't care what happens to those old fossils, so no." Vanessa said while rolling her eyes.

"I-ummm… I…" Primrose was really struggling with her decision. Out of everyone here, she seemed to have the most innocent heart. She looked around with hesitation, before her eyes shone with determination, "You guys are my new family, so this is my home now!"

"Very well. I will tell you one more thing before I send you off on your journey. Check your status."

Nathan opened his status and noticed something new.

[Name: Nathan Netherstar]

[Species: Human Teenager]

[Title: Crown Prince of Darkness]

[Level 0]

Energy Cultivation Technique: None

Soul Cultivation Technique: None

Divine Abilities: [Eighteen Gates of Hell]

[Stats]

HP: 0/0

Strength: 0

Agility: 0

Stamina: 0

Toughness: 0

[Skills: None]

Stat Points: 0

Skill Points: 0

[Items: Moon Rock Necklace]

[Soul Bound Items: Sigil of Authority(Crown Prince), Mark of Inheritance(???)]

"Eighteen Gates of Hell… and what is a Divine Ability?" asked Vanessa. They all seemed to have gotten the same Divine Ability.

"A Divine Ability is a unique ability that grants unimaginable power to the owner. Many people learn Divine Abilities and many are born with one, but their numbers are very minuscule. Compared to normal Techniques, a Divine Ability will grow stronger alongside you and won't ever become useless. Its effects are often mystical, going far beyond what should be possible for a single person."

"The Eighteen Gates of Hell is an ultimate Divine Ability. As long as you keep growing stronger, the entire Universe shall fall under the jurisdiction of your Divine Ability. Right now, you are too weak to even open the first gate so don't get ahead of yourself."

The chosen felt their blood boil! This ability had so much potential! But it also gave them a warning, that they needed such power to even have a chance to survive.

"The Underworld is divided into seven layers and each layer is further separated into three gates. As of right now, only the first layer has been reconstructed and even that is empty. Your mission is to grow stronger, find whatever you can to help set up the second layer while establishing a connection between the world of the living and The Underworld so that The Underworld may continue its duty of cleansing the sinners. Each gate has a special ability that is granted to you as a reward for your efforts, so while I hope you enjoy your journey ahead, slacking off will only cause the suffering of you and your loved ones."

"If there are Eighteen gates, then what of the seventh layer?" Nathan pointed out a problem in the explanation.

The Heart of Darkness glowed slightly more as if to showcase her happiness, "Sharp! Indeed, the seventh layer is a secret layer that although we reconstructed it, it is far too weak and fragile to be of use right now. You will know of its true purpose in due time."

As everyone was lost in thought, Lucy sneaked over to The Herald and whispered, "Sir Herald, would you please listen to my little request?~"

"Of course, Your Highness. What is troubling you?"

Lucy smiled mischievously, "You see…"

***

"Now that we are done here, I shall send you off on your journey. Remember, you are The Princes and Princesses of our Path of Darkness. We are not weak and fragile, and we do not care about what the crowd says, only the word of our family. The place you are going is known as Everguard. A Highest-Grade World. We have lost contact with our remaining members on Everguard ever since we went into hiding. Find them and rally them together. May Darkness guide you on your path. Go forth, you have my blessings."

Nathan walked over to Lucy and hugged her tightly, "I will come find you as soon as I can, okay?" He whispered sweetly to her ears, cherishing the moment they had as they would have to separate for a while, although he was very unwilling to do so, "I wish I could hug you and protect you for all eternity, but I guess the path we chose to walk wouldn't allow that…" Nathan's voice was so soft, like a saddened kitty, that Lucy felt herself falling more and more in love with him, which she didn't think it possible.

She gently held his cheeks and started a passionate kiss that Nathan responded in kind with the same intensity. It was as if they wanted to leave an unforgettable mark on the other's soul, which they had unknowingly done so long ago.

"I love you Nate!~"

"I love you too…" The moment Nathan finished speaking, the chosen turned into balls of light and disappeared.

"Herald, inform 'her', our chosen have embarked on their journey to Everguard." With her final words, The Heart of Darkness also disappeared.

Moments later, the world of Everguard was washed in invisible golden waves that no one detected.

***

Nathan's vision was completely dark. Not a single hint of light could be seen. He doubted if he even had eyes, but strangely enough, he could still see the system interface.

[Individual 'Nathan Netherstar' has entered the Cycle of Life.]

[Suitable Body detected.]

[Binding the soul to the body…]

[Error!]

'Huh?! Error!? What the hell do you mean error!?'

[Interference detected!]

[Mark of Inheritance(???) has interfered with the binding process.]

[Detecting a large influx of Death energy!]

[Deploying counter measures…]

[Countermeasures failed!]

'WHAT!? Death Energy!? What is happening!?'

[The binding process with the body has been completed by Mark of Inheritance(???)]

[Warning!]

[High levels of energy detected within the body!]

[Attempting to contain The Energy…]

[Failure!]

'Why do you keep failing!? Do something!'

[Energy has began leaking outside, please take caution!]

Nathan couldn't feel his 'body' as all. He couldn't sense his limbs or open his eyes, but he was starting to feel a bit itchy for no reason.

'What now…?'

[Contamination of Death energy detected!]

[Please take immediate action to purify yourself.]

[-1]

'Huh? What is that supposed to mean?' Nathan curiously opened his status tab but what he saw shocked him!

[Name: Nathan Netherstar]

[Species: Fetus]

[Title: Crown Prince of Darkness]

[Level 0]

Energy Cultivation Technique: None

Soul Cultivation Technique: None

Divine Abilities: [Eighteen Gates of Hell](Locked)

[Stats]

HP: 9/10

Strength: 0

Agility: 0

Stamina: 1

Toughness: 0

[Skills: None]

Stat Points: 0

Skill Points: 0

[Items: Moon Rock Necklace]

[Soul Bound Items: Sigil of Authority(Crown Prince), Mark of Inheritance(???)]

'What! So I am a fetus now!? That explains a lot but… what the hell am I supposed to do!? I'm loosing HP! I would die if it ever reaches zero!'

[-1]

'Calm down… let's look around the system and see if I can find anything…'

After spending a long time, doing whatever possible in the system menu, he still couldn't find a way out of this mess.

'I guess I can only leave my fate to my Mother…' He looked at his HP once again.

HP: 7/10

He had lost one more point!

'I feel sleepy… guess sleeping is the best option now… it may even help me recover a little…' and with that, Nathan entered the dreamland, not that he had any other choice.

[+3]

A warm torrent of energy entered his body from outside and healed him back to full health, but it did little to dissipate the Death Energy, meaning it was only a temporary relief, but Nathan was too deep asleep to notice.

***

"Elric! Somethings is wrong with our baby!" A mature beauty with raven black hair and amethyst colored eyes called out in panic. She seemed to be in a lot of pain, but she was ignoring it completely, focusing entirely on her little baby in her stomach.

"What!? Guards! Call The Royal Doctor here now! I don't care where he is or what is he doing! Drag him here if you have to!" A stoic looking middle aged man with deep back eyes and light brown hair also panicked almost immediately! But he forcefully kept his calm, although his heart was beating like a galloping horse. Their little unborn baby was their everything. Even the smallest scratch on him was enough to shatter their heart into tiny pieces…

"Don't worry Rayna… everything is going to be okay…"