Casual-ity

"Bullshit"

A silence permeated the two men. No one said anything till the old man broke the silence.

His face contorted in indignation. "What do you mean by bullshit? And talk to me with respect, child! I am a highly respected being in this realm, with powers beyond your comprehension!"

Ruel raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Powers beyond my comprehension? You were just licking your fingers while reading some books."

The old man's face was flushed red with embarrassment. "Well, that's beside the point."

"I don't want any of this bullshit. Just get done with the trials."

"Or just send me straight to hell. Don't do these formal things."

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Isn't this the afterlife?"

"It isn't…."

"It isn't?..."

Another round of silence permeated between the two men, both looking at the ground, wondering what was happening.

"Then where in the world am I?"

The old man's face brightened up. "Glad you asked!"

"Ah, and I think you couldn't understand my name before due to the laws."

"You can call me Riki and I am the Keeper of the boundless void."

"As for why you are here? I have called upon your soul from the cycle of reincarnation."

"So are you the god? And why have you called me here, then?"

"That's an ambiguous term you are using there, child. There are no gods left in this realm. I am just a seeker of truth."

"As for the reason I have called you here….It is regarding the fate of your world."

"It is on the verge of destruction because it is being infested with calamities that are slowly eating away at its life. Shortly, its end is inevitable with how things are progressing."

"The situation is dire. In some days, the reality gate will open, devouring everything within your realm, and no one will be able to stop it."

"I will soon cease to exist in your realm, as the battle for supremacy will soon begin."

"Though all hope isn't lost, child, I have chosen you to save your world from its near-inevitable doom."

"What's the battle for supremacy? And what is this keeper stuff?"

"No biggest question, why am I being chosen? Do it yourself. It is like you are just giving your own responsibilities to me. You call me a child, not the other way around, right? Then be a responsible adult."

"You are much more powerful than me."

With a sigh coming out of his mouth said the old man in a lethargic tone, "I wish I was not but a mere spectator."

"I wish I could have done it, but even I am not unbound by the laws."

"I will send you back in time. It will be around the time you were just a kid starting on this journey."

"I can't force you, but the choice is yours in the end. So, what will be your answer?" He said while bringing his hand forward.

Ruel had lived his whole life in a paradise, a paradise for monstrosities far greater than humanity's strength.

He hated himself for being weak, ever pushing himself till he reached respectable power in the world, but where did that lead him?

His death.

He couldn't save himself, nor could he save anything he held dear.

Yet now he had a choice, he had a choice to correct it all, to break the balance, to break the oppression!

What the keeper was giving him wasn't just a chance, it was a path, a pathway to Elysium.

"I agree," Ruel answered with a determined gaze.

Before Ruel shook the old man's hand he asked, "But I have two questions for you."

"Oh, ask away," said the old man with an intrigued expression on his face.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"There are no kind people, there are only benefits. What would you get in return for helping me? I don't mind making a deal with even the vilest person, but there is at least a benefit for them."

The keeper's face darkened with each word Ruel said.

Noticing this, Ruel didn't stop and asked again.

Taking a deep breath, he inquired, "My second question is why me?"

"I didn't have the talent nor the reach to do what you asked of me. I could only work towards that one goal fruitlessly and after achieving that one goal, I became arrogant."

"There are many people better than me in the world, then why me?"

Ruel knew that nothing in the world was free, and the only kindness a person could give was a respectful death, he didn't have the potential nor the means to reach what was asked of him, so the conclusion was that there must have been a hidden reason for it.

Noticing Ruel's train of thought, the keeper commented.

"Your world is of significance in the grand scheme of things, nothing more than that."

"As for you...I didn't choose you. My thaumaturgy is to call upon a being that can solve a problem of mine. You were the one chosen, no other reason. "

Thaumaturgy could be described as an unusual power or ability. It is completely inherent and anyone can awaken to it.

They came in many forms. Some could include the ability to communicate with spirits or otherworldly entities. Some could be completely useless, like giving a sharper edge to a sword or they could heal or cure illnesses.

Ruel instincts told him that the old man hadn't told the complete truth, but what could he do?

He couldn't force a being, only nonexistent god knew how powerful.

"Let's get over it with it then"

Interrupting him, the old man said in a happy tone, while expressing the number with his fingers, "Before you go I will give you three gifts."

"It will depend on you if they are a boon or an omen"

"You won't know what they are until the time comes."

Just as he said that a dagger stabbed Ruel in the heart.

"I hope you don't die to her, child."

"Wha-" Before being able to question the old man, Ruel's body strayed further from his initial position, moving closer and closer to the light source.

Just as his body entered it, the stream stopped.

The never-ending flow stopped and started returning from a nearly infinite distance at a speed too fast for the naked eye to see.

It flowed backward to a certain point and then came to a halt, and bloomed in a new direction as if marking a new beginning.

This was the day when everything was going to change, for the better or worse.

Looking towards the stream going further away, the keeper's expression stiffened.

Recalling his previous conversation with a woman.

"I am sorry to impose this on you."

"If anything doesn't work according to plan, inform me. No matter how difficult it gets, don't ever get injured. Just kill him and contact me if the need arises." The keeper said in a worried tone to the woman in front of him.

His hand was on her head, patting it. Only after a reply came from her did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yes Father"

"The times will be rough now that all the apostles of the six paths of reincarnation are together. This child has the second most rigorous path out of them all" The scene faded as his voice sounded distant by the second.

*******

Ruel felt like he had dreamt of boundless blue skies.

Beneath them, an island full of mysterious places waiting to be explored. Some of its patches were green, filled with forests and wildlife, some were desolate, and others were filled with sand that stretched till it met the sea.

This place was all he had hoped for, full of serenity and peace.

Living with no care of the world, just passing the days listening to the chirping of birds, feeling the wind flowing past his face, and seeing the water rushing towards the coast in the day and staring at the sky full of stars, having small shivers from the cold wind blowing through the coast, and excitement from the anticipation of the next day before sleep.

Yet, it all came crashing down. The world vanished from his eyes as if it was just a lie.

He was reminded of his talk with the old man.

His vision shifted from the island to a space filled with streams of light to a forest?

Experiencing sudden headaches, a sound found its way out of his mouth.

"Ugh"

The world through his memories was disjointed and fragmented.

Standing still for a brief moment, his mind found a brief relief. Getting back on the track.

His somewhat lost senses were recovering.

He could hear the surroundings. There were people shouting, the sound of iron clashing with iron, the sound of flesh tearing, and lastly, the sound of wailing.

"MOVE FROM THERE, RUEL!!!" the sudden scream prompted Ruel to open his eyes. He looked at the person calling him, a face familiar yet unfamiliar, hiding beneath his memories.

But the situation wasn't right. There was a hint of urgency in the person's voice.

A familiar iron-like smell permeated his nose. The scent of blood.

Suddenly, Ruel got chills from behind him. He frantically stepped aside just to see a sword aimed at where he was a moment ago. A kid...no, a small demon was there with a cynical smile on his face. He had a red body with a tail on the lower side of his back.

These small imps were everywhere on the battlefield, and other men were fighting back to defend this place.

Taking the sword from his waist, he swung it towards the demon.

As the sword collided with the imp's head, resistance could be felt in the bones, but the insides gave way and his body was sliced in half.

Ruel remembered now that they were lesser horncreepers. A kind of monster that traveled in groups and this place was the place he was posted on, in his sixteen's, this was the border near demon territory.

He had returned to the past.

Finally realizing this, only a curse escaped his mouth.

"Fuck you, old man!"