Chapter 3: Elber the Kind
Preparing on using the beast's remains to satisfy his hunger and thirst, he paused as the carcass shattered into a violet luminescence of dazzling sparkles.
The glimmering performance danced in the air before rushing his way. With great alarm, Brigan attempted to escape, seeking to avoid the trouble before it happened.
However, even with knowing that it's always better to be cautious when facing the unknown unless one had the confidence to overcome it, it was a useless effort.
He was completely overwhelmed as an instinctual urge made him examine his state. Following it, he received another message from within, shocking him further.
Brigan Heartforce
Race: Human
God Title: None
Genotype: Ordinary
Genophase: 1%
Geno Art: None
Viewing this telepathy message just raised more questions than answers. Even more critical, with the beast dissolving spontaneously, he lost his source of nourishment.
Still with his body laid bare to all, he took a few hours to honor his deceased comrade as he apologized for his subsequent actions. "Sorry for this Old Man, but you should understand it's used better on the living."
That's right, with little to no shame, Brigan 'borrowed' the torn green clothes before burying his dead friend.
___
Hours passed by as a black-haired youth in his mid to late teens sprinted in a valley searching for food and water. His youthful but handsome features exhibited an extreme urgency in every step.
Taking a moment to shield his eyes from the approaching sunset, he lowered his hand as warm winds blew his green torn garments with a large claymore resting on his back bobbling up and down.
This panicking youth was Brigan. His eyes were bloodshot as he searched in vain. More so, for him to be seeing a magnificent landscape of a flourishing valley like green hills, it lacked its authentic necessities for the place, making it appear illusory.
'Where is the water' became a mantra as he felt reality set in. Just as he thought of going primitive by using his body's 'water,' he caught a glimpse of purplish liquid on the horizons.
Filled to the brim with anticipation, he expressed more enthusiasm as he increased his pace. In a short time, he reached the area to see a river of purple water. In his haste, he lost sight of his surroundings as he kneeled before its bank.
With hands descending to swoop up a drink, a startled voice stopped him. "Wa-wait! Unless you plan on dying, I won't do that if I were you!" Shifting his line of sight, he noticed a slouched middle-aged man in black speaking.
More peculiar was the man's thumb inserted into his mouth. "Is something wrong with the water?" Looking back at it, he felt nothing amiss for the water to be a different color. In fact, most were different colors on each planet.
"The young people these days. Look further up." Pointing at the water almost leaving the human sight, Brigan saw dead rows of small fishes laying on the land. "What?!"
He couldn't have been that excited to miss something that obvious right?
"Young man, do you have a name? Wait, apologies! Where are my manners? Call me Elber the Kind or Elber for short." Given how the man helped him out just now, the name was well earned. "You have my thanks also. I am Brigan, nice to be met."
Nodding, Elber motioned to have him follow. "You look to be starving and in need of water. Up ahead is the village Sunless where I live. There, we can chat further on a full stomach."
Thankful, Brigan was all for tagging along. As they walked, Elber began taking glances while trying to stay from being exposed. In time, his eagerness won over his patience. "Is the weapon on your back a God Weapon? It's hard to tell because I don't see any resonation between you."
Debating on how much to spill, Brigan gave in since he could tell God Weapons had a uniqueness that made them distinctive in contrast to conventional weapons. "Yes."
"I see, I see..." Elber fully lost himself in his murmuring. Not thinking too deeply on the topic, Brigan continued following the man which upon he witnessed the large village reach their sight.
If he had to classify the image, he would call it a fortress instead. The village was structured of a hard compound, ranging perhaps more than twenty kilometers. Being the usual size of a large village, instead of wood making up the housings, it was an alloy similar to metal.
Fencing around the area was an enormous steel gate with two doors. On the top edges possessed sharp spikes, making it hard to climb over if one had the ability to overcome its height in the first place.
"Welcome to Sunless Village! Let's get moving." Proceeding forward, they were cut off by the two warriors standing guard while each owned a war spear and light armor for protection. Right away, their eyes centered on the only weapon in view carried.
"Halt, His Excellency don't allow strangers inside the village. Pay the entry fee or turn back." Wanting to refute the demand, he paused since Elber also was in consensus regarding their order.
"Young Brigan, this is normal. Considering you don't have money, handing over the weapon temporary as a loan won't cause a big deal. Later, I'll help you retrieve it from the village leader." Still worry but believing Elber had good intentions, Brigan grudgingly accepted the decision.
Once inside, the nighttime lights helped guide them to Elber's house. There, they got comfortable as they began discussing the situation. "First, take this cup of fresh water. You're going to have to wait for a little on the food to finish."
"Thanks!" Grabbing the cup, it was the same transparent shade of earth's water.
Taking a seat across from Brigan, Elber took a bit of time to gather his thoughts before he started the questioning on what he wanted to know most. "Now, how did you attain a God Weapon?"
Chapter 4: Reliving the Past
Hearing the inquiry, Brigan had already prepared to give the information away. If he were too worried about being deceived, his search for the Old Man's teammates would prolong, extending to a case where it would hinder his goal of finding a government stronghold and returning to earth.
After all, each planet ought to have high tech teleporting devices and controlled by the government. It was only a matter of time before Brigan found one.
"The weapon is a loan from an old man's dying request. Since I feel his death was partially my fault, I want to honor his last will." Elber nodded to the answer as he took his thumb out of his mouth.
"I see... No need to explain further, if there is anything you need my help with don't be hesitant to ask. I will try to help in the best way I can." After the reply, Elber's actions once again disturbed Brigan.
Having a serious conversation, regardless of how numerously he saw a grown man insert a thumb into his mouth, he could never get suited to the sight. "Mr. Elber, what is a God Candidate? The Old Man had mumbled something about it, but I couldn't catch it all during his passing."
"God Candidate? You don't know? Well..., it's no secret so anyone can provide you with the knowledge. There are three kinds of God Candidates. There is the God Child, the Blessed Creation, and the False Demi. Every candidate type has different strengths that set them apart from each other." Brigan watched Elber stop his hand from reaching his mouth as he explained further.
"False Demis are born with 0% god genes and said to be the weakest of the three. They are only able to use God Weapons. Blessed Creations are born with 1% to 10% god genes and the second strongest, using multiple Geno Arts or Demi Arts as some calls it now. Last, are God Children. They can use both at half of its potential, but don't be fooled. Even if the art and weapon are ordinary, a God Child can combine them and use God Arts which many acknowledges as superior techniques."
"How many god genes do they possess?" Elber shook his head in helplessness at the question asked. "I'm told that their genes are 50% at birth. But to be honest, that type of number is hard to believe. Just meeting a Blessed Creation with 1% is talked about only in rumors."
With Elber's knowledge, Brigan also understood he was a Blessed Creation. When arriving, he received a Geno Art, and he couldn't draw any power from the Old Man's God Weapon. Still, there was more he wanted to learn. "What are they? Is it something to be proud of?"
"The details aren't crystal clear, but the myth says they are the chosen ones to be the next Ruler of Mortals. It also says that the current ruler left behind numerous God Trials to augment a candidate's god gene ratio. However, these trials are insanely difficult and hard to find. Even if you manage to find one, the trial won't necessarily give out god genes as rewards."
At this point, Elber asked Brigan to wait a moment before placing down two trays of dinner. Of the two plates, Brigan's tray held the bigger portion. "Here eat up while I finish answering your questions. Hmm, where was I? Ah yes, the trials and god genes. The god gene ratio may increase but never has a False Demi became a Blessed Creation, or a Blessed Creation became a God Child. It's determined at birth is my guess."
Gulp! Swallow! "Are there any here in the village?"
"You asked earlier, is there a reason for being proud. In this village, even just being a False Demi could make you the leader. The reason why the village hasn't succumb to monster intrusions is that the village leader is a False Demi with 1% god genes."
"So I can be the leader or vice leader depending on my strength?" Although being a polite and kind man, Elber burst out in fits of laughter that was hard to contain. "Young Brigan is very ambitious. If you can gain a 1% god gene ratio, anyone can become a False Demi. It's just that it's easier said than done."
The two then continued to enjoy their meal as they asked each other many questions. By the time the dinner and discussion were over, the sun had just begun to change the sky's color. "Since its getting early, Young Brigan should rest for the night."
Once mentioned, Brigan felt the exhaustion from days of starvation and worry inundate him. In fact, during the entire time, he had neglected to rest truly. In consensus, Elber directed him to an extra room and withdrew himself.
Throughout the day, Brigan tossed and turned in his slumber. It was something that had been occurring more frequently as of late. He would relive the time right before the incident of his kidnap.
In the dream, he was going about his daily life. There were chats with the few friends he had, school life, and the solitude of fending for himself. The thing solely left to him by his departed parents were the money expenses that would go to his schooling.
With an era all about knowledge, being uneducated was the same as a death sentence. Because of this, the money expenses was also the thing he was most grateful for from his parents.
As he went further in the dream's motion, the day became night, and then the hours almost too late for his school's curfew. Living inside the housing faculties on campus, he made to use an external porter pad that could teleport a short distance of one kilometer to any given residence in range, all for meeting the goal of his curfew.
However, right before he could make it, he was intercepted by a group of twenty boys and two girls. In the middle acting as leader was the younger brother of Drick, Alix Wildspark. Everyone wore the school uniform of white and royal blue.
Standing with his arms around the waist of two girls, Alix gave Brigan a look of contempt. "I don't understand how a failure in life could gain Enha's affections but if you promise to quit the school and never show your face again, I'll let you off the hook."
"Brother Alix sure is generous. If it were me, I'd break both of his legs for trying to steal my girl." One mentioned.
Another sent a few chuckles on the side. "Just that? I would feed this little prick to my dogs. Man, I fill the rush coming just by the thought. Brother Alix, how about we rough him up anyways?"
The entire lot of youths were performing in a depraved demeanor to intimidate Brigan. And sure enough, being the average young man he was, Brigan experienced a dread creep unconsciously.
In his fright, thoughts of causing the most severe damage as possible to his would-be assailants assailed his mind unrelentingly. It was a predicament of 'get them first before they get you' kind of sensation.
With the feeling, he determined if he could hurt some and their leader Alix enough, the rest wouldn't attack. But still, with a thin layer of rationale remaining, he attempted to diffuse the situation.
"I can't leave the school. This learning center is one of the best schools offered in the entire country and my parents wrote in their will to have me attend here."
"That is your problem, not mines! You either do what I told you, or I'll take both of your eyes." The two girls held looked frightened how things were occurring.
Noticing the mood change, Alix reassured his group. "Relax, the Wildspark Family can cover up this incident easily, so don't think I'm bluffing." He said, addressing the last part to Brigan.
"Haha! That's our rich Brother Alix! Let me be the first to get dips!" Growing impatience, one of the school members took a step forward — his intent baring malice.
Consumed in terror, the response Brigan exerted first left the bragging youth entering a coma. Because of the sudden and rapid change in his actions, Alix's entourage was at a loss on how to proceed.
Furthermore, in their flustered state, Brigan incapacitated two more before invading Alix's personal space. The two girls backed away as he then proceeded to blind and beat him until he also visited the lands of dreams.
For the surrounding entourage, the courage of fighting disappeared. Instead, the majority left to call the authorities and the Wildspark Family.
However, since it got discovered of being an attempted lynch and maybe murder cover-up, the charges of assault were dismissed. The Wildspark Family also dropped the issue for image sake, wanting to conceal the news as much as possible.
It might also have been because the youngest son's blindness was curable with the current era's means.
But this dream reality didn't occur.
Instead, after the group ran, Brigan reached the dorm room that he shared with two others. Unlike most dorms, it divided in a way where a large room had four smaller sections, and the rest was the living quarters.
To a dorm room were a chaperone and three students. All rooms would co-exist between genders since it got abolished in the past for gender equality.
Entering, he laid down on his twin size mattress and closed his eyes. The moment he did, he heard sounds outside the room but couldn't move or wake.
"Where is he Enha?!! If you hide him from me, you will join him."
"Stop Drick! Ah! You're hurting me!" Struggling more, he tried waking up. He knew what was about to happen next. And yet, his body stayed still.
"I DON'T CARE!!! Here, take the money to shut your mouth. In the future, you better leave the school. Cheap goods like you aren't good enough for my little brother."
With that last exchange, the conversation quieted. Seconds later, Brigan's door was kick opened, and then he was tied with a bag covering his head.
Unexpectedly with a start, his body came alive in the dream. But his body restrains, and the bag fastened around his neck grew tighter than before.
"DIE FAILURE!!!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Reading0Books
Reading0Books
If any reader was wondering, the use of Demi means Inferior for the skills and Halfing for the candidate name type. So ex. Inferior Arts and False Halfing.
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