Chapter 1: Fallen World
The ruins of a blackened city stretched across the dark nebulous plains, towering sky scrapers lay sprawled on the fractured ground, ashes from the burnt buildings fell like black snow.
Far in the distance, the towering shade of an imposing tower pieced through the firmament, breaking through the reality of the world itself. Next to it, an eye watering crimson moon hung like the eyes of a devil casting judgement on a forsaken world.
A young man with short dark blonde hair was laying on his back gazing blankly into the night sky, his blue eyes were sunken, his face pale and his body thin from weeks of starvation.
He briskly looked to his right, and as expected. A pitch black gate hummed and shook the surrounding air, as if the pressure from its black gaseous mass was tearing space asunder.
Sigh.
Damien grabbed a nearby chunk of dry clay and brought it to his mouth, the next moment, a crunching sound echoed.
The clay was a peculiar but certain delicacy he had enjoyed in the last few days, being the last human on earth had its downsides afterall.
After filling himself up, he crawled towards the edges of the cliff he had suspended himself on, it wasn’t like he could fight off the vile corrupted monstrosities that now ruled this world. Even from this distance, he could spot the subtle but apparent movements of creatures that appear to be made from shadows, their distant roars sending faint brontides across the ruins.
He gazed at the city he once called home one last time, because the decision he had just made might be his last.
He cranes his neck. The black devilish gate has somehow moved, this time. Stopping mere inches away from him.
"Fine, you win... I shall indulge you". He said spitefully, before crawling into the black gaseous mass.
The feeling was different and weightless, but it didn’t last long, before it was replaced by cold, Damien felt a soft frigid numbness on his exposed skin.
He opened his eyes and snickered feeblely in an attempt to seem triumphant.
The world around him had changed, now it was snow white from the snow flakes falling like white ash, he was surrounded by sparse frozen trees that have been dead for so long, only the gods and devils could testify.
He was alone in the cold silence, but strangely. He couldn’t move, he took a moment to collect his remaining thoughts. It wasn’t that strange at all, he had been starving for weeks, and eating dirt could only keep him alive for so long.
Damien had a realization, he was about to die, or he was already dead, either way. He was going towards the same destination or he was already there, it really made no difference.
And just like that, the dead body of the last human lost its warmth, dead in a strange world, and after desperately clinging to life in a ruined world.
Dying alone was never poetic, although some might argue it definitely had the nuance of one.
But the last human on earth wasn’t as alone as he thought.
[Welcome To The Tower Of Mysteries ... I Am The Emissary]
The voice was fiendish and cold, brisk and controlled, soft and murmured, eerie some humans might call it, it was speaking to the dead human, if there was anyone alive to mourn the human, they wouldn’t have heard its insidious murmurs.
[You Have Died From Starvation ... Pitiful]
[Awakening ... Regardless]
The voice of the Emissary announced to the dead human and triggered the process of evolution, awakening. Taking a weak human soul and body. And forging them with trials, like a god preparing a servant for judgement.
A few moments later, the Emissary’s voice returned to the dead human’s head, the boy was dead, and yet he could hear. A small display of absoluteness he will never forget for as long as he remains.
[Rise... You Are Undead]
[Name; Damien]
Status; Undead.
Rank ; Dormant.
Dormant Ability; Undead Legion.
The chime of the Emissary slowed and came to a halt, the silence of the dead human added to the faint air of mystery around the frozen forest, but the next moment, that silence was disturbed by strong footsteps.
From the distance, the shadow of a being with large ice-like antlers stretched across the snow, covering the body of the dead human.
The figure that approached was that of a monster, five feet tall, about the average of a human height, it had claws instead of hooves and a nose built for sucking in large amounts of air to keep their thick body functioning.
Its legs were bent backwards around the knees, as if its kneecap was built on the back, the creature’s red pupiled eyes locked onto Damien’s corpse before it bent down and sniffed strongly.
An eerie grin surfaced on its ram-like face.
The creature didn’t stand on ceremony, it grabbed one of Damien’s legs and began pulling him in the same direction it came from.
A long stretch of snow was pushed or carried along the journey as the scenery began to change, at first, only the frozen trees disappeared, but eventually even they were replaced by well carved out rocks.
Further inwards, they weren’t just rocks anymore, they were monuments, standing tall against the forces of the harsh weather and the corrosion of time, some of the carved out monuments resemble half falling buildings and castles.
Statues of men wearing armour and holding great swords stood tall, almost announcing to all visitors that this was a great city once, and the pride of the people that ruled it.
But now it was empty and silent.
The grotesque monstrosity eventually made it into a more intact part of the city. More freaks of nature existed, and many glanced at its corpse with evil intent, but it remained composed and continued its journey.
It took the corpse to a prison inside a sealed chamber, they call it a prison, but it’s really more of a storage. The place was aligned with rows of wooden cages, if one were to look closely enough, they would notice slight fearful movements within the darkness.
The creature pushed open one of the cages and flung the corpse inside, without another glance it slammed the cage shut and left the prison chamber.
The corpse couldn’t feel its body being moved, but it could still hear an insidious voice in its head.
[Welcome To The Ruins Of Humanity]
[Your Quest Has Begun]