Skyler blinked. It took him a few seconds to digest what the figure had just uttered, and when he did, he gasped in bewilderment.
"What did you say??"
He shouted.
"You, the calamity, want to teach me?!"
The figure tilted its head, a question mark seemingly appearing above its gray hair.
"Calamity? Me?"
Its voice sounded surprised. Then its blue eyes crinkled ever so slightly, revealing the first emotion Skyler had ever seen in them: pure, bitter amusement. It chuckled.
"I see. I see. You labeling me something I myself am not sure about means you know more than I. I won't question it, though. It's better that I don't know what you know... I shouldn't. Because I am not meant to."
Now it was Skyler's turn to be confused, but his confusion turned to bewilderment as the calamity spoke again. This time, its tone was more human, laced with mischief.
"I said I will teach you. It is decided. It matters not if you agree or not. So..."
It drew out the word.
"Call me master from now on."
Skyler just stared at the towering figure, rather blankly. Then he let out a chuckle.
"You're kidding, right?"
Nodding to himself in agreement, he turned around to look for an exit. Yep, the calamity was kidding. He had to leave this instant!
"I have much to do in the tomb, like locate the treasures waiting for me, grow stronger, and go back with the sword of serenity. Now that you don't intend to kill me, I should go."
Skyler muttered to himself, convinced he was merely daydreaming. Otherwise, why would the calamity desire to be his master? The same calamity that had, without a hint of hesitation, killed so many in the book!
But he shut up as the figure materialized before him, its blue eyes dark and intense.
"Who said you could leave?"
Skyler spoke up right away.
Maybe he felt braver because the person who should have killed him now wanted to be his master. Anyway, the calamity didn't seem scary to him anymore. He was a bit blunt by nature, and knowing the calamity wouldn't kill him, he didn't mince words.
"I say you're holding me here against my will! You can't stop me! I have to leave!"
The calamity blinked in utter astonishment. But Skyler wasn't done making his case yet.
"And what, pray tell, could a calamity even possibly teach me?? I would sooner pledge myself to a higher being, like the Goddess of Compassion or the Keeper of Time! At least they possess shiny treasures!"
Seeing the stunned figure, Skyler felt even more confident. He quickly strode forward and attempted to shove the latter aside. He hoped to break the barrier that surrounded them. If the figure wouldn't release him, he would find a way out of here himself!
But the calamity didn't budge an inch.
Skyler gritted his teeth and tried his best once more, but soon began to sweat.
"You! Why can't I even move you!?"
He raised his gaze, only to meet the piercing, dark stare of the eyes above him. The calamity was way taller compared to him, making him feel utterly insignificant.
Skyler flinched as the blue eyes narrowed, and an icy, indifferent voice, dripping with the promise of death, echoed in the air.
"What are you doing?"
He instantly crumbled to his knees. His earlier confidence evaporated as he felt the overwhelming pressure begin to suffocate the air. Then, he shamelessly uttered.
"Dear master, I was just trying to clean the dust off your clothes. It would be an honor for me to be your disciple! I'll do my best!"
His master merely raised an eyebrow.
"Very good decision. I would have really killed you if the answer was any different."
Skyler wiped his sweaty forehead, sighing inwardly. It seemed he'd dodged a bullet.
"But master..."
He fiddled with his words.
"I hope you can let me roam the tomb so I can collect the treasures there. I don't want them to go to waste... Because, you know, the tomb will be sealed forever soon."
"The calamity tilted its head.
"Oh... those trinkets? They were absorbed by my influence, along with the tomb. They are with me now. I will give them to you one by one if your performance is good."
Skyler nodded, dazed.
So, the tomb was no more? Fortunately, he hadn't pushed this entity too far! Otherwise, who knew what fate awaited him?! Yet, the silver lining was that he only had to endure this bullshit for just nine more days!
After all, the tomb was supposed to be sealed permanently in just nine days.
Once that period elapsed, the calamity would have no choice but to release him!
But even his last hope was dashed as he heard the next words of his 'dear' master.
"I know what thoughts are churning within that feeble mind of yours. And it is for that reason that I shall tell you: time here flows differently. I own this place, and it operates according to my will. Therefore, what might be a few days for those in your world could very well be years for you in this space."
Skyler stared at the winged entity in front of him, his lips working silently. What in the hell was even going on? He took a deep breath, ultimately deciding to act pitiful.
"Master, you can't do this to me! I know you want a student, but surely there are multiple others more suited! Why me? I refuse to be stuck in this bizarre place for years and..."
He swallowed his next words.
'...go insane like you!'
Then, he continued.
"My family is waiting for me! Riruru is waiting! How can you trap me here?"
The calamity wanted to chuckle.
It was truly amused after so long.
It could easily tell that Skyler was just being dramatic to flee, but it wasn't able to point it out because it caught an unfamiliar name.
So, it narrowed its eyes at him.
"Who is Riruru?"
Skyler's lips unconsciously curled into a smirk at the mention of the name.
"Someone pretty and cute. Someone who will stay with me forever! My partner!"
Silence consumed the space. The calamity was a picture of confusion, then it released a mirthless laugh, a hollow sound that echoed loudly. The calamity had no idea who Riruru was, but whoever she was, it could see that she was very important to this Skyler.
"It's good you aren't alone this time around. Whoever this Riruru is, I hope she remains by your side, even when you are breaking."
Skyler nodded; however, his smile vanished when the calamity grabbed him by the collar. It muttered, a hint of mischief in its voice.
"Come, my first and last disciple. We shall commence your training. Why waste time when we have so little time to begin with?"
Skyler struggled to free himself from the hold, but when he couldn't, he simply gave up. Nevertheless, the calamity wouldn't kill him. That was enough for now. Regardless, he couldn't help but glare at the calamity.
'This bastard. If only I were stronger, I would have beaten him to a pulp! No, even worse!'
Sensing his thoughts, the figure hummed.
"Daring? You can only leave here once you land a hit on me. I will freeze time until then. Your overall power won't increase here due to some limitations. So, you should form as many elemental crystals as possible here. I will provide you with sufficient resources. I will also help you awaken your race."
Skyler listened intently. Even though he was pissed and at a disadvantage, his eyes lit up upon hearing that his master would give him resources to form more elemental crystals!
Yet, the discussion of awakening his race was a topic he wished to address first. 505, too, had once wanted to know his race for some reason, but he had dismissed it.
"What of my race? Am I not human?"
The figure dragging him away froze, its lips curving into a smile. A genuine smile.
"Human...? Are you certain your race is human? Don't you ever consider the many differences that set you apart? I think not."
Skyler wanted to ask the calamity what his race was if not human, since he was clearly human! His parents were human as well! But before he could even ask, he was cast into a vast pit filled with creatures made of Evol.
"Ugh!"
He groaned, wanting to curse, but froze when he saw the creatures surrounding him. There were so many he couldn't even count. Then, his supposed master's voice echoed.
"You will know about your race when you awaken it, but before that, let's begin your training with me, teaching you decent spells and skills. You have to memorize them and fight the beasts around you to survive."
Skyler's jaw clenched as he looked at the countless creatures surrounding him. Their glowing eyes instantly fixed on his body. He looked at his insane master, who observed him from above and swore under his breath.
"Are you freaking serious right now?? How am I going to learn while surviving this??"