When Ares opened his eyes, he was greeted by chaos. A furious black sea stretched endlessly around him, its malevolent waves crashing and roaring, trying to pull him under. The wind howled in unison with the sea's rage, and the entire world felt like it wanted him gone. But Ares had faced malicious waters before, and he knew how to survive.
With powerful strokes, he cut through the turbulent sea, his body enduring the cold bite of the water until he reached a jagged, rocky platform barely enough for one person, rising defiantly above the waves. he hauled himself onto the sharp stone and waited, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath.
Faintly glowing eyes scanned the surrounding darkness, ever-watchful for threats. Despite the oppressive gloom, his vision was sharp, every detail illuminated in a ghostly clarity. He rested uneasily, the bloodforged aegis emerging from within him to wrap his body in its protective embrace. It wasn't like how memories were usually summoned—it pulsed and writhed like a living symbiote, an extension of his own being.
Hours passed in cold silence as Ares waited for a sign. Finally, the ink-like sky began to shift, hues of a pale gray sun chasing away the endless black. The sun's light crept across the horizon, and with it, the black sea recoiled, retreating as if banished by the dawn. Its ominous waters disappeared into unseen depths, leaving behind only silence.
Now that the world was still, a new need overtook him—hunger. Ares climbed down from the rocky perch and began to scour the strange, alien landscape for prey. It didn't take long for him to spot his target: a lone, injured creature.
The thing resembled a grotesque crab, its monstrous body a blend of nightmare and reality. Four pairs of segmented legs ended in sharp, scythe-like points, and a human-like torso jutted from its carapace, covered in scarred, chitinous armor. Its head, if it could be called that, was an abomination—a neckless bulb atop its torso, with narrow, menacing eyes and a viscous, mandible-lined mouth. Where hands should have been, there were two enormous pincers, though one had been severed, leaving a jagged stump.
Ares approached the beast slowly, studying its every movement. The moment it noticed him, its narrow eyes flared with corrupted fire, and it charged with reckless abandon. Malice radiated from the creature in waves, an oppressive pull that seemed to whisper for him to join its corrupted existence.
"Interesting," Ares murmured, a faint smirk curling his lips.
The crab lunged, swinging its massive pincer in a wide, brutal arc. Ares ducked easily under the attack, his gauntlets unraveling into tendrils that slithered back into the aegis. His bare fist clenched, veins pulsing with power as he took a solid stance and drove his hand into the hardest part of the creature's carapace.
BANG! The impact echoed like a gunshot, and the crab staggered back, a visible crack splitting its armor. But it still stood. Ares, meanwhile, glanced at his bloodied hand. His knuckles were torn, bone glinting faintly beneath the shredded flesh, but the wound closed in seconds, his body's unnatural regeneration already at work.
"Stubborn little thing," he muttered,but his experiment with his strength and the creature's defense was fruitful, and so his gauntlet reformed around his hand.
The crab, undeterred, charged again, thrusting its lone pincer like a spear. Ares caught the attack mid-swing, his grip halting the momentum of several tons. His feet slid back slightly, but he held firm, cocking his other fist and driving it forward like a piston.
This time, the armor didn't hold. The carapace shattered, the flesh beneath caving in, and the crab crumpled to the ground. Ares pulled his hand back, clutching the creature's oozing, black heart.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Carapace Scavenger.]
[...Your chains weaken.]
The whispered words dampened Ares's satisfaction. Chains? What chains? The cryptic message left him with more questions than answers. Pushing the thought aside, he turned his attention to the corpse.
A primal hunger surged within him, impossible to resist. Placing his hands on the lifeless creature, red lightning crackled from his fingertips, rapidly disintegrating its body. Its very essence was drawn into him, leaving nothing behind, not even its soul shards, rejuvenating his strength and hardening his skin and even his own armor, mimicking the scavenger's formidable defence
For hours, Ares hunted more of the injured creatures, devouring their essence and growing stronger with each kill. Yet, none of them were whole—always broken, always weakened.
It was then that Ares noticed a presence—a silent observer hidden at the edges of his awareness. His sharp eyes locked onto it: a shadowy figure standing still, its outline unmistakably familiar.
It resembled a certain midget, one he was both annoyed by and oddly fond of. His eyes glinted with faint amusement as recognition dawned.
The shadow waited until it was sure Ares had seen it before gesturing for him to follow. Without hesitation, Ares trailed the figure through the strange, twisted terrain, his curiosity piqued.
Eventually, the shadow stopped, and Ares found himself standing before a colossal statue—or what little remained of it.
The monument was breathtaking in scale, towering over two hundred meters into the sky. Its sheer size made him feel insignificant. The figure it depicted was a knight, clad in intricately detailed plate armor. Seven radiant stars were etched into the breastplate, a symbol of something long forgotten. The knight's massive hands clutched a gargantuan sword, the blade pointed downward, resting against the earth.
But the most striking feature—or lack thereof—was its head. The knight's head was missing, and it hadn't been a deliberate design choice. The jagged edges and broken stone told a violent story. Something—or someone—had torn the head clean off long ago, leaving behind a gaping void.
Ares's gaze climbed the statue, and at the very top, perched like a queen surveying her kingdom, was Sunny.
She was lounging comfortably, dark eyes gleaming as she watched him approach.
With a low grunt, Ares began climbing the massive structure, his claws sinking into the ancient stone with practiced ease. In moments, he reached the summit and pulled himself up to sit beside her.
Sunny tilted her head, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Nice armor. Creepy, but cool."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ares muttered, rolling his eyes. He gestured at her outfit. "Yours looks more comfortable, though."
Sunny glanced down at herself, brushing a speck of dust off her dark-gray garments. The sleek, lusterless fabric clung to her form, complemented by soft-soled leather boots that seemed designed for silence and agility. She shrugged. "I'll take practical over creepy any day."
Ares ignored the jab and settled beside her, exhaling a long, tired breath. His gaze wandered across the strange landscape, taking in the coral labyrinth and the eerie silence that now filled the air.
"This place doesn't match any known or explored region of the Dream Realm, does it?" he asked after a moment.
Sunny shook her head. "No. I sent my shadow to scout earlier, but there's no sign of a human citadel anywhere nearby. Nothing but these endless corals and monsters." She paused, her voice lowering. "We're stranded."
"Figured as much," Ares replied with a sigh. He leaned back, letting his gaze fall to the horizon. "Doesn't matter. Tell me what you've found."
Sunny obliged, recounting her discoveries in detail. She spoke of the labyrinthine coral towers that loomed over the landscape, the massive shark-like creature that had nearly devoured her, and its gruesome end as scavengers started feasting on its half corpse.
They traded stories until the sun began its descent, the sky painted in its pale light. But as the sun touched the horizon, the world shifted.
A low, deafening rumble echoed from the depths below, vibrating through the ground and cutting through their conversation. Ares tensed, and Sunny's expression turned grim.
Below them, the scavengers that had been feasting scattered in panic. Some darted into the coral labyrinth, vanishing into its twisted pathways. Others burrowed frantically into the soft soil, desperate to hide.
Moments later, black water began seeping into the labyrinth. The streams were small at first, sluggish and unassuming. But they grew rapidly, spreading and swelling until a great flood consumed the land. The apocalyptic tide rose with terrifying speed, devouring everything in its path.
In less than an hour, the black sea had returned, swallowing the world whole. The circular platform atop the ruined statue was the only refuge left, rising above the endless, roiling waters.
Ares and Sunny sat in silence, watching the flood rage beneath them. The night had come again, and with it, the darkness claimed everything.
"Well," Sunny finally said, breaking the silence. "At least we've got a decent view."
Ares glanced at her, shaking his head with a faint smirk. "You're impossible."
She grinned, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief. "You wouldn't have it any other way."
Despite the grim reality of their situation, Ares couldn't argue with that.
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Hello my dear readers~ I was able to make 7 chapters while drowning in studies~
So I thought I'll let u enjoy them with me.
I think I'll be doing a chap per day.
Anyways, hope u enjoyed! And don't forget to give me insights or ideas!!