Henry was walking aimlessly through the dark space that he found himself in.
He did not know how he ended up here. The last thing he remembered was a bright light that invaded his room while he played games on his computer.
He has always been a little afraid of darkness, but now he had no choice...there was no exit, there was no light, there was no sound, there was no breeze...the only thing he could see was the dark space around him, the only thing he could hear was the sound of his steps and the only thing he could do was keep walking.
"Maybe I died?"- Henry thought with himself, but soon he shut off these thoughts.
Just the notion of death and the thought that he was condemned to live eternally in this kind of silent and dark place, scared the shit out of him
"Fuck, I need to get out of here"- Henry yelled as he started to run, wishing the darkness to end.
After what seemed an infinite amount of time, Henry finally spotted a sign of light.
"That should be the exit...I'm saved"- He said and ran faster, wishing to get to the light. The light meant that hope still exist, and he could get away from this place.
After what seemed like an eternity, Henry could finally see the source of light. It was from a small lamp that illuminated a big wooden desk filled with papers on it.
Behind the desk, there was a white-haired old man holding a feather pen and a white paper in his hands. The old man had a face filled with wrinkles, a dry-soil like skin and dark circles under his eyes…
When Henry saw him, he immediately remembered those scary old men he used to watch on horror movies, those which he has always been a little afraid of, and, now, there was one right in front of him.
But as much as Henry was afraid, he didn't run away...he knew that this old man was the only hope he had to get out. As Henry was about to open his mouth to ask if the old man knew the way out, he suddenly heard a croaky and old voice.
"Name?" - the old man asked and looked towards him with his scary and emotionless eyes.
When Henry looked into his eyes, he felt as if this old man would kill him and throw his flesh to the dogs
"Henry Mason" - Henry unconsciously said his name. Maybe out of fear or maybe out of habit, he didn't know.
"Former Occupation?"- The old man kept asking
"You can say that I was a professional Esports player" - And Henry kept involuntarily answering.
"Sure sure...a player…" the old man murmured while stroking his beard and writing on the paper. Henry didn't know why, but he suddenly got goosebumps, like this simple pen could decide his whole future.
"Name: Henry Mason. Former Occupation: Professional Esports player. Karma acquired: 3.000 (Average)...qualified to enter the Reincarnation cycle."- The old man said as he read the paper in his hand.
"Reincarnat-"
"Take this and pass through the door"- The old man interrupted him and waved the paper that came slowly flying towards Henry, who carefully grabbed the paper.
Henry looked at the paper, but it was all blank.
'This old man sure is insane. I should get out of here fast.'- Henry thought
"Hm...sir, there is no door here" Henry said, as he looked around for a door.
Although the old man seemed insane to Henry, he was his only hope to get away from this place. Henry thought that it was best if he kept his distance from this old man. Maybe if he went through the door that the old man said, he could find somebody else to ask.
The old man didn't say anything, he just raised his finger and pointed towards his right.
Suddenly, an arched white door with a luscious vine creeping over it appeared, brightening up the whole place...to Henry, the door seemed to lead towards the heavens.
"Now go. I am busy" the old man yelled.
Hearing him, Henry rapidly ran towards the door.
--------x--------
Henry was dumbfounded.
In front of him was an unimaginable huge river with thousands of images that kept changing, like the passage of time and calling Henry towards it, like a mermaid's voice. The environment seemed gray, and no trees or mountains could be seen, only a vast flat land.
"Lineup"
"I said…LINE UP!"- Suddenly, Henry felt a powerful punch on his head that sent him flying a dozen meters away from where he stood.
He got up quickly, slightly dizzy but with no major pain. It was quite fantastic…maybe one of the wonders of being dead. He looked towards the place where he stood, searching for the source of the punch.
It was a humungous man of almost sixteen feet tall, wearing a black plate armor and a conical helm, that left most of his face unprotected but showed two twisted horns. On the helm, there was a small drawing of a white whirlwind. He was like an armed demon.
"Stand up and wait in line"- the demon like soldier threateningly yelled while looking at Henry, making sure that this soul respected his words and follow the line.
Still a little dizzy, Henry hurriedly looked around and spotted an endless line formed in the direction of the river. As someone born in the era of technology, Henry hated waiting. Besides, seeing thousands of expressionless silhouettes already in the row, he was sure that it would take at least years to his turn.
He didn't want to go, but the image of the threateningly demon in front of him left him with no other choice. He had to line up.
"Yes sir" Henry obediently said and rapidly ran to take his place. He had no desire to infuriate the man.
Seeing the soul obedience, the demon nodded approvingly and walked away. There was always someone who got lost in the wonder of the Dimensions River, and his job was to keep them away. He was their Guardian.
"Last year a really powerful soul jumped inside the Dimensions River and was extinguished in minutes, so, if a normal soul jumped inside, it would die immediately"- the demon murmured, sighing to himself, before resuming his walk.- "It would be a pity, since it's quite difficult to see powerful souls such as his, able to maintain his rationality in the face of all Dimensions."
The Divine River was the boundary and the entrance to hundreds of planes, each one with different history, people, species etc. However, only the Gods responsible for the Reincarnation cycle were able to touch and submerge themselves in the river.
Even seeing the river was a difficult task. A weaker soul would lose their minds and become like those expressionless silhouettes in the queue. Just a few of them were able to maintain their previous appearances and rationality.
_x_
Henry had no idea how much time passed since he lined up. However, it was enough time for small lapses of memory to appear. Sometimes he forgot about his mother's face, name, and age while also forgetting about his own name and face. Everything was beginning to turn illusory.
But…one day, when he was about to reach the end of the line and his existence…everything changed. And it all begun with a loud explosion.
*BOOM*
The explosion was followed by a strong earthquake, enough to cause the ending of the world.
Feeling the ground beneath his feet trembling nonstop, Henry came to his senses. It was like awakening from a long dream, where he forgot everything about himself.
*BOOM*
Henry had no time to adjust his mind and put it in the present, as the ground trembled again, even stronger than before. He could feel that it was not only becoming stronger, but also closer, whatever it was. Furthermore, every tremble made the expressionless silhouettes around him fade away, like fireflies being extinguished.
Suddenly, Henry heard a powerful voice, followed by another explosion.
"Gods and Demons of the Underworld! I demand you to give her back to me!"
The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It brought with itself a powerful wind that hastened the destruction of the silhouettes, fortunately Henry did not disappear together with them.
"Luriel! Go back! This is not your domain!" – Another powerful voice echoed. – "I won't repeat myself."
"Azazel!" – Luriel, the first voice, screamed – "I came here to take my child back, if you do not release her, I will break this domain! I will break the Reincarnation River and release the chaos."
The dialogue happened, but Henry could not spot any of these beings. They were like the wind itself, invisible but present.
Luriel threatened, but no response came from Azazel. It was like a cold war.
"It seems like there is no way out. I can not let her go." – Azazel said, initiating pandemonium.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
Explosion after explosion sounded in the air. Henry felt that he was about to be extinguish. His soul could not face the winds and the tremors running amok in the environment.
He turned his head and focused on the river. The only way out.
"Fuck!" – Henry cursed inside his head.
He was afraid of the demon from before, but that fear small in front of this kind of threat. He had to jump inside. Luckily, he was already near it, and no one seemed to watch the borders.
*BOOM*
The last explosion was the sign he needed. He propelled himself forwards and with decisiveness jumped inside the river, letting himself sink.
The last thing he heard was Azazel desperate shout before his consciousness faded away.
"Luriel, stop your actions, Chaos can't be released.!"
Hey guys! How are you doing?
In order to deliver an even better reading experience to all of you, I am currently editing a few chapters in the beginning of the novel. As a result, you may notice a slight disconnection between the chapter. Don't fret and bear with me please!! I am trying to speed things up!
I wish you all a great read! And please, consider adding it to your library!
"Rise, my liege! We must retreat!"
Amidst a whirl of dizziness, a hurried shout reached Henry's ear as a firm grip pulled him up, allowing his senses to gradually return. In a fleeting moment, he was greeted by a heavy scent of iron permeating the air, followed by a chorus of agonizing screams cutting through the surroundings. The icy wind also seemed to be a cruel host, burning his skin, while the soft ground beneath him greeted him.
After that whirlwind of information, Henry's vision cleared, allowing him to witness the most chaotic scene he had ever seen in his entire life. He found himself on some sort of ancient battlefield. The blanket of snow covering the ground was painted red as hundreds of corpses spread across the horizon, while hundreds of living other crazily battled.
On his side, he could see warriors clutching swords, scythes, and spears. They were clad in furred garments that seemed more suited to resist the cold temperatures than fending off the sharp blades. On the other side of the battlefield, stood seven feet tall towering figures with half of their bodies exposed, seemingly unaffected by the cold wind licking their skin. Intriguing bloody tattoos were drawn on their skins. Unlike those over Henry's side, these individuals brandished weapons hewn from bones and rocks, like Stone Age's humans.
"What is this? Where am I?" – Henry asked himself, unable to fully process everything happening around him. Suddenly, he felt something warm trickling from his forehead to his eyes. He lifted his trembling hands and touched it, realizing that blood was flowing from a wound on his head.
The last thing he remembered was jumping into that mysterious river as the sounds of battle neared him. Now, he found himself in what appeared to be an ancient battlefield, with corpses lying all around him and bleeding all over. It was frightening.
"MY LIEGE! GET HOLD OF YOURSELF"- The voice reached Henry's ears again, jolting him to the urgency of the present situation.
Henry was the type of person capable of adapting to numerous situations, bearing a mindset that focused on solving immediate issues before concerning himself with other problems surrounding him. He had to solve things first.
Henry turned his gaze towards the owner of the voice, spotting an old man with a pristine white hair and a face devoid of wrinkles, holding a long sword in his hands as he stood beside him. The man was draped in a long black fur mantle over an iron chainmail top, like those nobles from Middle Ages.
"Careful!" – Suddenly, before Henry could reach, the old man shouted and pulled him backward. Within a mere millisecond, a stone axe embedded itself in the snow, exactly where Henry had been standing moments before.
Without a second thought, the old man grabbed Henry's arm and swiftly pulled him out of the battle front, allowing Henry to see the towering walls of a castle. Whether due to his injury or because he was still trying to process the situation, Henry found himself devoid of the strength to resist, allowing the old man to lead him.
He didn't understand how, but even though he seemed heavily injured, Henry had never run so fast in his entire life. He covered a large distance in a time that only an Olympic athlete would be able to, as he was being led by the old man. He felt like a superhuman.
When they were safe from the battle front and in a favorable position, almost reaching the stone gates, the old man screamed at the top of his lungs, loud enough to be heard by everyone- "RETREAT!"
At his command, the soldiers turned and ran, hoping to reach the safe grounds behind the walls. Those who exposed their backs too soon were killed without mercy by those towering individuals holding stone weapons. Henry had never witnessed such a mindless massacre. He couldn't help but feel grateful that the old man had taken him out of there, otherwise, he would have been one more body in the growing pile of corpses.
""CLOSE THE GATES!" – The old man shouted at the soldiers, who immediately began pushing the heavy stone doors and preparing to reinforce them with wooden struts.
Fortunately, most of the retreating soldiers made it back in time. As soon as their feet touched the seemingly safe heaven, they dropped to the floor, tired, scared, and, above everything else, relieved.
"TREAT THE INJURED!" – The old man ordered, his gaze shifting to several women and men holding wet towels and buckets in their hands - "PROVIDE WATER AND FOOD TO THE REST."
Henry stood to the side, absorbing his surroundings, attempting to adapt and fully internalize the situation. He took deep breaths to remain calm, making sure that he wasn't dreaming and everything was real.
He found himself in what appeared to be a medieval town. The streets were paved with cobblestones, and the houses were built from either wood or old stones, smoke was drifting from a few chimneys. At the city's heart stood a castle with four towering spires, where one had a view of the entire city. The walls safeguarding the city didn't seem secure, being a mere line of piled stones.
"Winter must be knocking on the door." - Henry thought, noticing the snow already covering the roofs of the houses and the streets below. - "These people's living conditions..."
Henry wasn't sure if this was a result of the harsh living conditions or the ongoing war outside, but every person he had seen so far was dressed in rags and appeared severely malnourished. Their eyes were also devoid of any hope.
"My Liege, are you fine?" – After delegating orders, the old man approached Henry, his gaze filled with concern as he carefully examined Henry's body for any signs of injuries. – "You are bleeding! We must get a look at that!"
Henry turned his gaze to the old man, studying him with a mixture of doubt and confusion. He had no idea why this man was addressing him as 'My Liege.' After all, he was merely someone who enjoyed reading about the conquerors of Earth and playing online strategy games. He wasn't a king or a noble, just an ordinary player. He couldn't understand why this man seemed to be speaking to him as if they were close or had loyalty.
"I'm fine, Luther!" Henry responded abruptly, dismissing the man's concerns and gently pushing his hands away. However, he paused as a realization struck him that the man's name had rolled off his tongue naturally. How on earth did he know the man's name?
Henry had no time to decipher it, as a powerful headache struck him, followed by a flood of strange memories assailing his mind. Memories of a young prince assuming the leadership of a small yet ancient northern kingdom after his father's untimely demise. Recollections of nobles betraying him. Memories of a reckless, arrogant, foolish, and self-centered young king who disregarded everyone, before ultimately meeting his end from a powerful attack to the head.
Henry von Stahl, the name of the young and foolish king of Stahl. These were the words left in his head as he lost consciousness.
"Liege!"- Luther's voice was filled with fear and concern as he shouted, watching incredulous to the falling man.
(Edited)
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