《Reincarnated in a World ruled by Demons》 Prologue On the day the earth stood still for me, I set out on a journey. There were still so many unanswered questions and I finally needed answers. I am 24 years old and my name is Aramoto Kakumo. It was very unthinkable for me that I could put my bad past behind me. Everything was taken from me. My home, my friends and my family. They were all murdered before my eyes. I wandered restlessly and fiercely through the Satsujin Desert. This desert was known for its high mortality and delusions of the senses. The sun was scorching hot, making my sweaty skin glow. The thought shot through my head that I didn''t want to hike any further and just fell over. I just couldn''t and didn''t want to give in to that, because that would have simply meant death. No matter how strenuous the steps were, struggling with my last strength, I pushed myself further and further with the flame of hope that still lingered within me. I''ve been on the road for almost a month now, during this time I had eaten very little and unfortunately the few drops of water that I was able to tap off one or two old cactus trunks weren''t able to quench my thirst either. Eventually, in the midst of this desolate and goddamned wasteland, I crossed a crest of a dune. I stopped and looked up from the ocean of dust and sand at the cloudless subtropical sky with the midday sun beating down relentlessly on me. My hand, which was constantly shaking, moved, as if in a trance, up my collar where my necklace was and tore it from my neck with a jerk. I slowly looked at the necklace my brother gave me before his inexplicable disappearance. ''''Why did you give me that damn thing. Tell me Kishimoto! Why did you leave without saying a word? Why aren''t you here?!'''', yes, why. I wish I knew at least that. Whispers and lamentations of souls seeking rest plagued me throughout the journey. The environment around me became so distorted that my body was far too overwhelmed to send impulse waves through the nerve cords in my muscles to my brain, forcing me to stagger and fall to my knees like a vanquished warrior. You could already feel my heart pounding through the heat waves in the scorching hot air that swept by in all directions through the wasteland. I stopped. All around me dunes as far as the eye could see. I had only been on the road for 30 days, there were still days in the desert ahead of me. Everything flickered. No, I didn''t want to give up! And yet it seemed to be the most plausible in all this wasteland, because it took a lot of effort to continue walking here, into nowhere.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Suddenly, out of nowhere, two familiar voices came to my ears. I was startled and looked for the one source that would probably give me back my lost will to live. I constantly had to listen to the complaints of these invisible personalities, which consisted mainly of accusations and pure hate speech. ''''You murderer! You murderer!'''' these voices accused me with a snubbed undertone. These annoying accusations kept playing in my head. However, I continued to track down the source of the voices that sounded so familiar to me. The terrain around me continued to change and slowly I began to make out two figures, now very faintly, in my field of vision on the top of the nearest sand dune. I ran frantically up the mountain to solidify my suspicion as to who it might be. For a moment I forgot that my body was at the limit. When I arrived, I couldn''t believe my eyes, ran towards the two people like a berserker and hugged them guiltily and apologetically. I finally had my ''''family'''' back so I burst into tears like a burst dam and apologized as often as I could. ''''I''m so sorry... Forgive me... Please forgive me...'''' I sobbed through tears. Suddenly there was a soft whisper, which slowly but surely became more and more unbearable for me and turned into loud hooting. I was startled and looked at the two people. Their facial expressions resembled a long-dead personality and had nothing human about them. ''''You are a miserable murderer. Die already!!'''', these living undead ruthlessly accused me in a permanent endless loop. I could watch their faces turn inward and only emptiness and frightening blackness could be seen in their former faces. Then these voices flanked me, mentally eating away at me and I felt the madness spreading through me. ''''No no! .. Please don''t do this to me!'''' I yelled, desperately looking for innocence and escape. In utter panic and madness, I tried to cover my ears and seal my eyes with both of my hands. However, no part of my body was able to obey me and madness now completely took over my psyche. The feeling of finally having a family again, of finally being perfect again, disappeared. Now I went completely insane and the characters started to melt away. The terrain began to grow unimaginably gloomy and desolate, and I began to let out shrill cries of suffering. After a few seconds of wailing, I fell out of my mind onto the hot sand floor and passed out. Chapter 1: Reincarnation Memories of my earlier life came to me. Before my reincarnation, I was a college student living alone and didn''t have a good relationship with my parents. They saw me as a good-for-nothing who would never achieve anything in life. Man, I hate having to get up every day and go on with my miserable life as an average college student. I turned on the TV and watched a little anime. I was currently watching ''''That time I got reincarnated as a Slime''''. The second season was still running at the time. This was a very engaging anime and I was a fan of the series. ''''I think I''ll go to the library today and get the new volumes in the series. I really need to know what''s next.'''' I spoke to myself, since I lived alone in the apartment. Man my life is really dull. If only I had a girlfriend. My life as a nerd left its mark. I was pretty much a basement kid who either only went out to study or stayed at home and watched anime. That was my life in a nutshell. However, it also had something good, because I stayed in my apartment I didn''t have to worry about Corona. After all, you don''t get sick if you don''t have contact with people. I took the mask and wore it around my mouth and stretched vigorously. I''m going to buy the new two volumes of the series very quickly and then it''s straight back to my apartment. I quickly put on my jacket and left my apartment. On the way to the bookstore, I checked my cell phone to see if my parents had contacted me. I got a message from my mother. However, I didn''t open the message, believing that she just wanted to criticize me again for what a good-for-nothing I was. Along the side streets I passed the bookshop. It was a relatively old store, I was surprised it was still open. ''''Takeshi, nice to see you again! What do you want to buy today?'''' the shopkeeper told me, pleased to see me as I was his regular customer. ''''The two new tapes of That time I got reincarnated as a Slime please'''' I replied.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. He asked me to follow him and led me to one of the shelves that only had anime novels on it. One book in particular caught my eye, it was called ''''World of Dawn''''. I picked up the book and read the prologue. ''''Aramoto Kakumo, he''s my age, so a light novel? The prologue reads really dark.'''' I whispered, speaking to myself. Suddenly there was a loud noise in the area and everything started to shake. There was an earthquake and the whole store could not stand the shaking and collapsed. I saw pieces of the roof fall on the shopkeeper, so I ran and pushed him aside. I was able to save his life, but all the debris crushed my body. It hurts. I am scared. Am I going to die now? I''m still a virgin. That''s really shitty, damn it, my life can''t end like this! My eyes slowly closed and I partially lost consciousness. I heard a rescue squad trying to clear the rubble that was on top of me. The voices got duller and quieter, however, until I couldn''t hear anything anymore. That''s it then, I''m dying. Suddenly, images flew past my eyes, memories of that Aramoto Kakumo. My current memories, on the other hand, were becoming increasingly sparse and I only remembered things that seemed impossible in my world. My name was now Aramoto Kakumo and I continued the life of this protagonist after the dark prologue. Chapter 2: The High Council i woke up. The place I was in was dark and felt significantly colder than the desert. There was a smell of burning wood and the floor was an old, rumpled mattress. I could smell another stench. It was the stench of the dung, apparently used primarily as building material for this small but adequate hut, covered with date-palm leaves for a roof. At that point I didn''t care who or what had saved me, I was grateful and relieved that my death could still be delayed. But wait a minute, I died a moment ago. See, my soul was transferred to this light novel character called ''''Aramoto Kakumo''''. I had all the memories of his entire past. Even his deep emotions like hate and sadness were mine now. I should probably continue the story. Was there a happy ending waiting for me? ''''Thank you, whoever you may be! You saved me from certain death!'''', I called out from the world of thoughts drifting back into reality through the hut. A yawning silence reigned in the hut. There was nobody there. I looked around the hut and noticed a pitcher filled with water. Before I could even reach for the small rusty can and lose myself in it because my thirst was dominating me and I seemed to be dehydrated, the small wooden door a few meters to my right opened. It showed a grizzled old figure dressed in tattered rags. She had probably heard my call and rushed over. The whole body of this old man was covered with scars and small wounds covered with a small layer of dirt. It seemed like a miracle that this human could easily stand on his feet without any signs of strain. ''''Drink as much as you like, feel welcome here!'''' the old man spoke in a confidential and cheerful voice. ''''And when you''re done drinking, you can come outside with me, there''s some food for you. Just call me old man ''cause I don''t have a name,'''' he threw at me in a very kind voice, treating me like an old forgotten friend. I didn''t have time to feel more confused than I had over the past few minutes. I just did what the old man told me to do and first drank down the pitcher of extremely cold water. I felt alive, I forgot how precious and essential water could be for life. Waking from my reverie and enjoying the water, I put the jug on the floor and weaved through the dung hut and opened the wooden door.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. What I could see was night engulfing the desert, far fewer dunes than before, and a fire the old man had started to roast scorpions and snakes, which he must have hunted while I fainted. I wondered how far that old man had transported me and how this old man was doing it in his condition. He seemed very fragile to me and anything but strong. ''''How did you transport me here and how far?'''' I questioned this old man accusingly for answers. ''''Here the scorpion is done. You know, these creatures taste much better cooked'''', he laughed at me again in a good mood and gave me the fried scorpion in my hand. ''''The High Council has been to your homeland and has everything and everyone on their conscience, hasn''t it?'''' the old man added in a pitying voice while I ate the well-cooked scorpion in small bites. Later realizing the food was stuck in my throat and I started staring at the old man with a shocked expression. So the high council? They seem to be powerful beings in this world. So these beings have my family on their conscience in my new life. Heck, I even had a wife! I only have memories of it. I was amazed how this old man knew what was happening to my homeland in this world. My thirst for knowledge and thus also my hatred of this high council increased immeasurably. ''''You said the High Council? That''s what these fuckers call themselves? The ones who murdered my family in cold blood? Who made a bloody massacre? Why?! Just why?! Please explain it to me! How can I kill these assholes? They must have some weakness!!'''' I yelled, snubbed and full of hate at the old man I owe my life to. Hatred and revenge were the only emotions that accompanied me at that point. The old man stared at me and gasped and grunted laughing out of nowhere. ''''They are scared because there is a power capable of killing these demons. That''s why they kill. They want to intimidate and hide their fear of this grotesque power with cold-blooded events'''', and then showed me my necklace, which was no longer on my neck. That ordinary necklace? Is this supposed to be a weapon these mighty creatures fear? I carried it with me the whole time, the whole trip, and didn''t know what use it was? Chapter 3: A bad Omen I looked the older man in the eye, and I wanted answers. The older man noticed that my greed for knowledge was very high. "The high council also takes some victims to their executions. These executions are broadcasted globally so that everyone can see how cold-blooded, cruel, and ruthless the high council is. These beings are anything but empathetic and ready for all cruel things," the old man finally replied to me in a quivering voice. Shock and the feeling of uneasiness came over me. The thought that my brother was still among the living and could be executed remained in the back of my mind like a germinating virus. "When do these executions take place? If it''s happening globally all over the world, I should have heard about it. So why don''t I know about it? Couldn''t these beings reach my homeland? Is that why they attacked the wiped-out city of Marlorvina?" I asked mockingly, filled with anger and immense curiosity. I saw the older man give me a blank look and become tenser. The tension of this situation was almost unbearable. Still, this older man gave me no answer. Even though there were only 10 seconds of silence, they felt like decades. "Because they knew that one of the residents would possess the green, shimmering Merthyl Crystal, which is also called the Power of 1000 Souls. That''s why they went out of their way to spare Marlorvina from these public executions. I have seen many people, even babies, tortured and murdered in cold blood in front of their parents and relatives," the old man finally replied with a deep sigh. I finally understood why my brother had given me that necklace and why he had told me to escape. He knew they would come to find this weapon and take it into custody, and I didn''t believe him. After all, he trusted me but for what? I am to blame for the extermination of my homeland, and I must carry this burden until I can take revenge for all of them. I looked at the older man and took a deep breath in and out. "How does this weapon work? What do I have to do to use it against the high council?" I wanted to know curiously, staring at the green crystal of my necklace like a psychopath, feeling the rush of blood. The older man shook his head as if to tell me now that I was far too childish and that I should refrain from rash thoughts.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The older man grabbed a strange kind of dust, which was right next to him in a stone bowl, on the sandy ground and scattered it all over the fire. I eyed the fire, slowly changing its shape and color, gaining contrast. An image formed of a young, tiny woman who possessed the same crystal as me but used the crystal as a kind of stone of a ring with the same green merthyl crystal. The fire could not show the young woman''s face for unknown reasons, but other individuals could be seen along with their faces. This woman seemed to be in a market, and as it appeared, she was buying food. She was very adapted to the crowd in terms of clothing. For this reason, I would have to look for her ring on her ring finger if I wanted to go looking for her soon. I looked at the older man eagerly for an answer. Before I had even completed the question I wanted to ask him in my mind, he beat me to it. "You must take this road north. Remember, east is where the sun rises, south is where the sun is at its peak, west is where the sun sets, and north is where you never see it. That way, you will not get lost. The city where the woman you are looking for is located is called Altravessa." No sooner had the older man finished speaking than I replied with an affirmative nod and watched as the fire imploded and went out. The older man stood up and walked a few steps past me. He stood on the horizon with his back turned to me and remained silent. It seemed that he sensed a tension in the air in the distance and knew that a terrible event would soon be underway. "It''s about time. It would be best if you left now. There''s no time to lose. Every second you spend now counts as much as human life. Whether you like it or not, you will be the one to free this world or bring it to utter ruin." After the older man finished his sentence, he turned his head and threw me a smile that I forgot ages ago in this darkness. It was the smile of hope and conviction. "You will make it, of that I am convinced. You are still young and very impulsive, and you will gain a lot of experience and learn on your journey. My task is at this moment completed." Before I could even throw a word out of my mouth, the older man began to disappear along with his smile and dissolve. I didn''t understand anything anymore. This man who had saved my life, what or who was he? A human being? A ghost? Am I supposed to save the world? This older man seemed to have a lot of faith in me. Who, besides me, has the slightest possibility of stopping these tyrants? I looked at my Merthyl necklace. I knew that my journey had just begun. Chapter 4: The Town Altravessa The cold desert wind blew past me. Thanks to the mysterious older man, my body had regained its strength, which encouraged and motivated me. This older man was not a ghost and also not a hallucination. How else would I be fully recovered and alive now? I have a suspicion that I will meet the older man again, and I hope for that because I still have so much to learn about the high council. So I headed north, and I could see that the dunes were becoming more barren with each step. Hours passed, and I realized again how strenuous every step was. So I took a break at a cactus trunk, which to my luck bore fruit. While I ate the fruit with relish, I thought about everything more carefully. Where is my brother? Was he still alive? I looked again at my Merthyl necklace, which is an ancient weapon against these beings called the High Council. I am sorry little brother, I have put this problematic burden on you. But only you can free this world, don''t give up!'''' I heard in my mind, and that was my brother''s voice. ''''Kishimoto! Are you alright? Where are you?!'''' I shouted impulsively and anxiously into the emptiness of the night desert. There was no response to my cry. ''''It was you, big brother ... I can''t have imagined it,'''' I spoke to myself. I ate the last fruit from the cactus and propped myself up again to continue my journey to Altravessa. By now, night had turned into day again because the sun was rising again. I remembered what the older man told me, and that was that Altravessa was in the north, where the sun was not visible. With energetic steps, I continued along this path. My body was invigorated again, thanks to the small calorie intake.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. No more dunes! Only cacti and in the distant background a silhouette of buildings. That must be Altravessa, I thought to myself and went forward more and more frantically. But suddenly, a bad feeling came over me, and I turned around. A frightening aura could not only be felt but also seen behind me. Something or someone seemed to be coming towards me, not towards Altravessa. Hey you, this necklace is a feast for the eyes. For how much may I buy it from you?'''' asked me a dealer at the side alleys smiling. ''''Not at all, this necklace is essential to me and has an important task that I must fulfill, you know, dear sir'''', I answered him kindly and refused his request to buy my Merthyl necklace. I forgot that the city would be caught up in this oppressive aura and probably attacked by something at any moment. I thought about it for a moment. Shouldn''t the woman who has the same Merthyl crystal on her ring be here? Perhaps I should seek her out. ''''That''s too bad. Tell me you''re not from around here, are you? A traveler, then? Here you have a healing potion. Use it only when your life is in danger. It''s on the house,'''' the merchant laughed at me and gave me a small bottle containing a bluish liquid. I should probably drink the potion for it to work. I thanked the merchant and looked around Altravessa a bit. I thought to myself that I had to find that woman with the Merthyl ring. Without realizing it, this frightening aura caught up with me, and I suddenly remembered that there was danger. Barely moving a muscle, I heard a tender voice behind me. ''''They are here. The high council is planning an execution. Hide!'''', this woman told me and dragged me by my hands into one of the side alleys, where the merchant from before was still standing. I hurried and ran off into the city. As soon as I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the sight of people harmonizing in peace. Everywhere were crowds of people and merchants laughing with the joy of life, not suspecting that something terrible was coming. Chapter 5: Razul Menderes We were hiding. The woman did not leave my side, but I could not make out her face because she wore a hood over her head. I could only make out her hair, and the color of her hair was a shimmering red tone. "Listen, no matter what happens right now. You can''t get involved. They''re going to execute someone with cruel brutality, and they''re going to do it in Altravessa.'''' the woman told me in a solemn tone of voice. My mood was tense, and I was angry that we could only hide. I couldn''t let an innocent person die after all. I have this necklace, after all, I have to use it! My thoughts almost led me back to madness. They were so heavy. Looking at the woman, I noticed the ring on her finger. The ring had the same green Merthyl crystal, just like my necklace. So this was her, the woman I was looking for. I never thought it would be so easy to find her. "There must be something we can do. You have that Merthyl crystal too, don''t you? It''s a weapon against them! We can''t let anyone die!" I shouted at her in a snub. Full of impulsiveness, I forgot that I had no idea how this crystal would finish off those monsters after all. "We can''t use our crystals yet, and they have not yet come into contact with the heavenly light. So they are just ordinary stones, so keep your feet still, understand?" the woman replied to me with an annoyed tone. When she told me this, I understood our situation right away and nodded hesitantly. Shortly after, a tremor resembling an explosion rang out, and now I could make out a single figure. Even a small child could understand that this was not a human being. This threatening aura surrounding him made me so nauseous that I had to throw up. His skin was grayish, and he had witch-like fingernails. His eyes were a blood-red color. I was scared and paralyzed. However, the woman held my hand to calm me down in front of me. A demonic voice rang out. "You, the inhabitants of Altravessa, you will now witness what happens to sacrilegious people who have snubbed the high council.'''' spoke the being coldly and without any signs of empathy. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.This being raised its hand only briefly in the air, and already it caught a human in the crowd. This being made the person float in the air with magic, so that everyone could see what was about to happen. Please don''t, I have a family. Please forgive me, oh Razul...'''', just before this human could even finish his sentence, he was dismembered. Blood rained down from the sky, right where the living human was. Panic broke out. "Razul Menderes is going to kill us all! Kyaaaah!" a woman shouted into the crowds in panic and fear. Razul Menderes cast an explosion spell and exploded the woman shouting his name into the crowd without even batting an eye. I couldn''t hold back my tears of anger and sadness for these poor people. It was frustrating that I could only watch and do nothing. "Anyone who dares to go the way of the heretic and start a revolution will be executed on the spot like those people earlier. Anyone who believes in us and gives us clues regarding these Merthyl crystals will be richly rewarded.'''' Razul Menderes'' voice was still saying before he disappeared again, along with the aura, as if from nowhere. "Collect... Let''s collect the remains of these people and bury them. They deserve a proper burial,'''' I told the woman, depressed and grieving. This sight reminded me of what took place in Marlorvina. Murder of dozens of people, a whole massacre. "I can understand that this sight has upset you, but you must be strong now. We have to go to an essential place. This place is in the south and is called Inazuma Forest. In that place, the heavenly light shines. After that, we can finally do something. By the way, my name is Onaki Imazume.'''' She talked to me with understanding and empathy. Eventually, she turned around and showed her face. She was pretty as a picture and had emerald green eyes, just like the Merthyl crystal. I wiped away my tears and dragged her to the people who had just been tragically murdered. ''''My name is Aramoto Kakumo. Thank you for your comforting words. You are right. But for now, let''s bury these poor people.'''' I told her firmly and walked toward the crowd gathered around the two victims. Chapter 6: Kishimoto Kakumo
Looking at one of the corpses, I noticed the merchant from earlier. Horror and anger finally came to me. "Razul Menderes... I will avenge these people and my homeland!" I shouted into the crowd, snubbed and full of hate. The people then stared at me in confusion and saw the Merthyl crystal hanging from my chest. Immediately, the crowd realized that it was me who was wanted. "You''re a complete idiot!" retorted Onaki mockingly, grabbing my hand to flee. We ran down the narrow path of the side alley from earlier and hid in one of the dumpsters. ''"Look for him, we have to hand him over to Mr. Menderes. Otherwise this madness will never stop!" people shouted with fear and desperation in their voices. Full of shame, I covered my face. I should have known that they would be looking for someone like me. No wonder they would hunt us. "Listen, we need to hide our two crystals. Please give me your necklace. I''ll stow it in my bag along with my ring," Onaki replied with a sigh, alerting me that I also had to cover my face from now on. That made perfect sense. After all, if the crowds saw me, they would only recognize me. The shouting suddenly stopped. Everyone looking for me gathered at a stage not far from Onaki and me. The location was quite large and had a curtain that covered something. I saw a strange figure on the stage. "Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am the deputy of the high council. There is a little thing I would like to share with you!" he called out to the crowd in an extremely sinister voice. Shortly after, he had the curtain opened for all of us, and a huge monitor could be seen, which the deputy turned on seconds later. "This is not going to happen...", I whispered, already suspecting what was about to happen. A transmission, they were going to announce an execution. And when I took a closer look, my saliva got stuck in my mouth. Onaki immediately recognized that something was wrong with me. There were ten people on the monitor, including my brother Kishimoto Kakumo. The fear that he was trapped and still alive was confirmed to me. In front of him was someone who was probably also from the high council. But it was not Razul who stood before him. This being turned to us, in the direction of the camera, and grinned demonically. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."Aramoto Kakumo... your brother and these nine other humans will die an agonizing death if you do not appear in the land of demons within ten days. Every day that passes will cost you a human life!" he shouted, laughing, and stood in front of my brother, who was attached to a pole and slit one of his eyes with his witch nails. Full of pain, my brother screamed, "Don''t come!-" Before he could finish his sentence, the transmission cut off. I could not put my anger into words and hit the ground hard. They had angered me. "They know about me, and they know how to make me angry, I''m going-" , I countered Onaki and was interrupted with a slap in the middle of my sentence. "You know very well that this won''t do any good now. You''ll only plunge to your death if you go there!" she said sympathetically and left the dumpster. She was probably right, I thought to myself. What was the name of that place? Inazuma Forest? This place was in the south, as Onaki told me just before the incident with the two dismembered people. However, I still couldn''t get one thing out of my mind. How were they able to know about the bond between my brother and me? "We have to go now Aramoto, every minute counts," she replied to me with a solemn tone, realizing that I was just lost in thought again. She was right. These vile creatures would already kill the next person in a few hours. However, the fact that it could be my brother did not worry me too much. After all, he was leverage to lure me here. I also left the dumpster, and together we left the side alley. We hid our faces from the crowd gathered around this monitor and the deputy. I heard everyone just talking about me and how cowardly I could be to not show my face. "My father is trapped there! Show yourself Aramoto Kakumo!" a girl cried crying and mourning. I could see the deputy of the high council staring in our direction. However, he probably couldn''t make out who we were, so his gaze turned away from us again. "Please don''t be provoked, I understand you very well Aromoto. That''s precisely why we need to move on now and get to Inazuma Forest," she replied before I could get impulsive and dragged me out of town, back into the desert. Leaving Altravessa, I couldn''t stop thinking about the two victims Razul murdered with cruelty. I also felt sorry for the people whose family was now being abused as hostages. However, I knew that they would not kill my brother so quickly because he had information about me, and I was sure that he would keep silent.
Chapter 7: The town in ruins Having escaped from Altravessa, we now found ourselves in the Mah¨­ Desert. This desert was known for dangers, so we would have to be careful where we stepped. This desert had hardly any dunes but massive sandstorms and dust devils. I honestly couldn''t imagine that a forest like the Inazuma Forest could exist in this desert. After all, everything around us was just yellow and covered in dust. ''''Aramoto, where did you get that necklace with the Merthyl crystal?", Onaki asked me curiously. I looked into her eyes in horror and clenched a fist. ''''You know, a few months ago, my home was slaughtered in cold blood by the high council. My wife and son died in my arms before my own eyes. My brother gave me this necklace at that time and told me to flee. I didn''t believe him and stayed with my family in my homeland, not knowing that something so terrible would happen,'''' I told her with a deep sadness in my voice and turned my gaze to the dusty ground. I was still suffering from that incident and traumatized. The images in my head repeatedly played in a repetitive endless loop as if in a vision. I stopped again and fell to the ground with my knees in pain and grief. These memories tormented me to the tiniest vein. The idea of how my family and the people of my homeland had to die suffering sent a cold shiver down my spine, and I began to tremble. Mood swings from anger to sadness ruled in me. Onaki looked at me pitifully and showed compassion by grabbing my shoulder and staring into my teary eyes. ''''I am sorry for asking about this. I have experienced similar things, and my father and mother are also no longer with us,'''' she said in a cold and slightly mournful voice. She also experienced a massacre and lost her loved ones in a bloodbath. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.I felt ashamed that I was only thinking about myself and did not even notice that something terrible had happened to her. Onaki cheered me up and was highly mature with her behavior. She did not take offense and held out her hand for me to stand up, and I said nothing more and stood up silently, just giving her a nod. We continued our journey to Inazuma Forest. On the way, we occasionally stopped at cactus trunks to supply ourselves with water. After all, the midday sun burned mercilessly down on us and caused slow dehydration. For hours we hiked this path of the south. Fortunately for me, Onaki had a compass to avoid straying from the course. A cold wind suddenly blew past us in this heat. ''''A sandstorm is brewing. We must seek shelter!'''' shouted Onaki, immediately understanding the situation. We barely took a few steps before the sandstorm surrounded us. The winds were cold and firm. We both covered our mouths and eyes as the grains of sand flying at high speed, causing an abrasive effect that we could feel on every part of our bodies. We could locate a mountain with a small cave not far from us. Straining through the sandstorm, we charged toward this mountain to entrench ourselves in the cave. ''''This storm is no ordinary sandstorm, it lasts for hours,'''' she replied to me, coughing and exhausted. She sat down and took off her hood now, along with her mouth covering. Now I could ultimately see what she looked like. I thought to myself inwardly, a true beauty, forgetting to sit down in the cave as well. At the same time, I noticed that I received this healing potion from the deceased merchant and showed the bottle to Onaki. ''''This potion has an immediate healing effect. We should use it sparingly and only use it when one of us is life-threateningly injured,'''' I replied to her as she crouched down. The sandstorm was so cold that even the cave we were in was affected. Without thinking, I snuggled up to her so that neither she nor I would freeze. After all, we had to hold out for hours in this cold, and that would have meant only hypothermia for sure. Yes, that was very strange. It was a sandstorm, which felt like a snowstorm. Such a thing was new to me, but in this world, we are probably not impossible. Chapter 8: Worthy of the devils name
Onaki was a little embarrassed because of the cuddling and looked petulantly like a little girl on the cave''s sandy floor. We could hear the terrible howling of the winds of the sandstorm, and the sandstorm was rapidly increasing. We were lucky to find a cave like this on the first go. ''''Look, there is something strange written here on the cave wall. ''''They, these creatures, they are real devils.'''' ''''Someone must have been here, too,'''' Onaki said, tapping me on the shoulder. The way it was written reminded me of the older man who saved my life a few days ago. I wonder if this was his doing. Was he trying to tell us something with it? I looked at Onaki with a nod and turned my face wakefully toward the cave entrance. By now, the day had turned into night and the cold of the sandstorm combined with the cold that formed in the desert at night. Fortunately for us, there were many branches and stones in the cave, and I gathered them and rubbed as hard as I could with two branches to make embers. Done, after 30 minutes of struggling, I started a fire for us, and we were able to warm up with it. We had to spend the night in the cave. Completely exhausted, we lay down to sleep. Onaki fell asleep immediately, but I could not fall asleep. I was thinking about what happened in Altravessa. About the poor woman and the merchant who was so full of vitality and gave me the healing potion. Also, that my brother could die and that a human being is murdered today made me mentally upset. These beings who considered themselves the rulers of this world were nothing but monsters and murderers. ''''No, please don''t. Don''t kill me,'''' I heard a desperate voice calling out to me. I suddenly found myself no longer in the cave but in a dark room with a window. I approached the window hesitantly, not knowing exactly what was going on. Looking out the window, I recognized the place that was on the monitor. Ten poles were visible, and around the poles was an audience of people and this being from the high council. ''''Please forgive me, I will also serve them forever!'''' shouted one of the people attached to one of the stakes. Fear and terror could be clearly seen from his face. This man was scared to death and was about to be executed.Stolen novel; please report. I rammed the darkroom window with the only desire to save this person, but the window did not break. Suddenly a fire started around the audience and the ten people attached to the poles. None of the people had a head left. All of them were decapitated and suddenly turned to me and pointed their fingers at me. ''''Why didn''t you do anything Aramoto? Why did you let us die miserably?" these headless corpses accused me. I held my head with my hand and cringed together, looking for escape I screamed, ''''No! I have not given you up! I am not a murderer!'''' I shouted psychically broken into the dark room. The window disappeared, and the floor beneath me dissolved so that I began to fall. I screamed in fear so loudly that it dragged me out of the nightmare, and I was back in the cave. I looked around briefly and realized that Onaki was still asleep. I couldn''t sleep a wink since my nightmare and stayed awake for the rest of the night, watching over the fire I was lying on and over Onaki. I heard Onaki talking in his sleep. ''''Father... Mother...'''' She must have had a nightmare too because she was crying. What was she going through? I felt sorry for her, so I snuggled up to her after all, even if I couldn''t sleep any longer. ''''Please forgive me, I just ran away,'''' she mumbled to herself. You could hear a sob. She was crying from sadness and pain. I wonder what the facts of the case were. Why did such a confident woman like Onaki run away? There must have been more to it than that. My thoughts were circling around her more and more the longer we had something to do with each other. I wanted to understand her better, but I didn''t want to sound her out. That''s why I took my hands and covered my ears. She would tell me on her own what happened to her. I shouldn''t listen so shamelessly, I thought, and I turned over and closed my eyes to try again to fall asleep.
Chapter 9: The Inazuma Forest
A ray of sunlight made its way into the cave. The sandstorm had subsided, and a whole day had passed. Onaki and I woke up at the same time and stretched. I remembered the previous night when we both had a nightmare. ''''Tell me, Onaki, you were talking in your sleep. Was it your family?" I asked her cautiously and curiously. She had to sigh in response and leaned up to sit. ''''It was just a nightmare. I dream every night about how I let my family down, you know?" she said mournfully, crying. Reflexively, I hugged her sympathetically and understandingly since we shared a similar past. I then stood up and gave her my hand to do the same. We left the cave we were in without further words and were shocked. A few dunes became the sandstorm brought dozens, so much sand. Probably from the Satsujin Desert, which I had to cross before to get to Altravessa. Now the landscape is a wasteland, and the sun is at its peak, mercilessly slamming down on us. A feeling of unease came over me. I remembered the words of that being of the high council. The High Council executed a human while I was asleep. If only I had done something ... Many more would die too, I thought to myself, if I continue to waste so much time now. ''''Onaki, we must go on. Use your compass. We mustn''t lose our way,'''' I told her with a severe look. She immediately understood that I was talking about the ten hostages and that one of them had lost his life. Without any further detours, we made our way in this terrible wasteland to Inazuma Forest, where the heavenly light shone, and an angelic being would be waiting for me. Hours passed, and the surroundings decreased in dunes with time. Slowly the ground became greener and the air more humid. Our exertion was worth it. We arrived at the tropics. Not far from us on the horizon, we could see substantial rainforest trees. ''''That must be the Inazuma forest. We are there. I''m not sure if this forest is completely safe, though, so keep your eyes open, Aramoto.'''' she called out to me from behind as I hiked a little faster than she did.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. She was right. We live in a world full of monsters and magic. It was not unlikely that something could come upon us with an intent to kill. After walking for a few minutes, we finally arrived at the so-called Inazuma Forest. This forest was bursting with magic and plants that moved and were alive. ''''Somewhere here will be the Shrine of Heaven. We must find it and bring our Merthyl Crystals to it. According to legend, an angelic being will appear and test us. If we fail, it could mean death,'''' Onaki told me anxiously, looking carefully at the plants around us that opened a path for us. We should then probably follow this path, because the plants block another. As if one would already wait for us and want to receive us. Following the way, I noticed quite a few blood-red flowers that were either closed or open. They made strange noises that sounded like a desperate cry when they were open. ''''You must have noticed these flowers, right? When they are open, the legend says that the human soul taken by the high council dwells in this flower.'''' She told me with a severe and tremulous emphasis in her voice. So even the dead do not find rest? I found this thought very sad and shocking. Around us were hundreds, no thousands of such opened flowers, and they were all already murdered by the high council in cold blood and cruelty. ''''Aramoto... Aramoto,'''' said two of the plants. I was 100 percent sure, it was the voice of my late wife and son.... I burst into tears like a broken dam, ran up to the two plants, and apologized again. Onaki immediately understood who it must be and assisted me. I took the two plants and plucked them, only to destroy them shortly after. I did not want my poor family to remain trapped in this world, and I was convinced that it was the right thing to do and stood up determinedly. ''''So you are finally here, how nice. Come here, my children,'''' an angelic voice sounded, and along with the voice, a white light.
Chapter 10: The Heavenly Light
A petite young woman in white clothes appeared, and her hair was also white. So this was the angelic being I had only read about in the books. She had a charming and soothing voice. ''''I have been waiting for a very long time for you to appear in this forest,'''' the angelic being said in a calm tone. The bright light around the being decreased in strength and now disappeared completely. The being pointed her fingers at Onaki and me. ''''Come with me both of you. The crystals must be held in the heavenly light before we recite the spell,'''' she said and started walking. We didn''t hesitate for long, looked at each other, and nodded with determination. We followed the angelic being who cleared the path of plants for us. A few meters ahead of us was a shrine, the floor of which was made of ancient stone. Arrived, the angelic being asked us to take our Merthyl crystal items out of the bag. Without questioning it, we finally did what the being asked of us. Onaki and I were now to put on the items. When we accomplished that, the being asked us to step on the strange stone floor with an antique pattern and stand on it. At first, nothing happened, and we thought something was wrong with our Merthyl crystals. Ten seconds passed, then 20 and then 30. Both crystals suddenly started to react and glow before I could say anything with impatience and impulsiveness. They vibrated and magically attracted each other as if some attraction existed around the two crystals. Then out of nowhere, a beam brighter than 1000 suns shone down on us and hit the two crystals. The angelic being began to give us instructions and recite the spell. ''''O Lord of men, grant us your power to those who truly believe in your power. Give us a part of your power, and let us unite with you!'''' , said the angelic being, and we spoke after her. After speaking the sentence, this light that was already almost causing blindness stopped. The ring and the necklace also no longer wanted to attract each other. Was it now accomplished? Could we now fight the high council, I thought inwardly until the being spoke to us again. The crystals are now a part of you, and only you can use them. The power you have gained is like the highest power of the authorities. However, it would be best to learn to use it in a controlled manner. Stay here in the Inazuma Forest for a few days and fight against beasts to use the power you have from now on,'''' said the angelic being, instructing and warning us.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I would have liked to go and confront the high council right now, but that would have only meant my death. I decided to keep a cool head and, together with Onaki, bowed to the angelic being with thanks. One thing finally reassured me, and that was that we had now gained a perspective of victory. Thanks to the fusion with my necklace, my body also felt more robust now. The same was true for Onaki. I tried a spell that I once read in a book. I tried it before, but nothing happened. But now. "O Lord of the Underworld, lend me your all-cutting and all-burning blade.... Hellblade!'''' I shouted, and a tremendous heat arose in my hand. A sword of blue flames formed in it. Onaki was amazed and cheered me on. I struck a blow against one of the giant trees as a test. My actual target was just the one tree, but I cut dozens and hundreds of such trees that stood behind my target. I thought this was a powerful spell to myself, but it also seemed to consume a lot of stamina. I could only make a single strike with it and collapsed shortly after, gasping. ''''Huff... It''s not that simple. Onaki, you try it too!'''', I called out to her and encouraged her to use a spell as well. ''''O Lord of the Oceans, grant me your power and create an unstoppable wall of water that washes away everything and everyone.... Holy water!" Shortly after she dictated this spell, a huge wall of water, bigger than any tsunami, appeared and washed away all the trees and plants by the water pressure formed. One of these trees was certainly 100 meters tall, and yet none of the trees in the path of the wall of water held up. However, Onaki also collapsed shortly after she cast the spell. It took us some time to get used to the strain and strain of the spell. After all, there existed other powerful spells that we would need in the fight against these creatures. ''''Until you are ready, you can stay in this old abandoned hut. It was my home before I died. It should still be in good condition today. I will revisit you in a few days to see how far you have come with your spells,'''' said the voice of the angelic being and disappeared in an echo, along with her body. So she was a spirit that watches over the forest here from time to time. I would love to visit her grave, would she have one. Drifting from my thoughts back to the present, I told Onaki that we should rest now and went to the hut the angelic being spoke of. Onaki then followed me into the hut. The hut was equipped with everything possible, with a bathroom, a kitchen, and a bedroom. However, there was only one bed, and there were two of us. Ashamed, we lay next to each other, stiff as a thick log and flushed like a tomato. Onaki was already quite pretty, I thought to myself and still tried to cast my gaze in the other direction, as I was uncomfortably embarrassed.