章 1: Chapter One: Calamity Codex
Chapter One: Calamity Codex
The air in the metallic room was laced with unease. Anxiety weighed heavily in the air, shattered only by the shallow, uneven breaths of the people present.
Dusken lay on a narrow bed, feeling the palpable tension pressing down on him. His pale face, barely illuminated by the flickering light of the magic lamps, held deep coldness.
His breathing became ragged as he struggled, but he masked it with practised ease.
"Young Master Dusk, remember, you must survive," an aged, weary voice sliced through the silence of the room, dispersing the tension like a breeze.
Dusken turned his head slightly, offering a faint, hollow smile. Dark circles under his eyes and strands of white hair clinging to his damp forehead gave him the appearance of someone far older.
His smile, tinged with long-gone innocence was like a reflection of the child he once was.
"Don't worry about me, Elder John," Dusken spoke in a measured tone. His mind, however, raced with thoughts.
Today marked the culmination of endless training and sleepless nights. A day that had haunted him ever since his reincarnation 300 years into the past of this parallel Earth.
It was a day he might not live to see the end, yet he felt no fear, all he felt was exhaustion and prolonged boredom.
Elder John's sharp eyes scanned him, searching for loopholes in his serene visage.
The old man had spent many years by Dusken's side. That gentle and reassuring smile? A pretence.
"I believe in you," the elder stated, resignation in his voice. "You've always been stronger than they could ever imagine. When you return, show the strength of our clan. Make them pay for what they've done."
The corners of Dusken's mouth twitched downward before twisting into something darker. His onyx eyes glinted with an unrestrained, simmering fury.
"I will," he said, his voice low. "I'll make them pay for everything."
A memory resurfaced: his siblings' lifeless bodies, their smiles in death at the hands of rival clans.
Dusken gritted his teeth once more, rage coursing through him. However, sleep began to overtake his senses as he struggled to stay awake under the pressure of his eyelids.
His elder clasped his hands and added in a reassuring tone.
"You've trained for a long time now," the elder continued. "You know the basis. But I'll remind you once more: your goal is the god's palace. No matter what."
The words of Elder John were faint when they reached Dusken's ears, but he still nodded with clenched fists.
As the elder saw his nod, he added in a solemn tone:
"Humanity is losing, Dusken. You must survive for us all."
His elder's words pulled something deep within him. Gratitude that surpassed his selfish aim for excitement.
But before he could respond, sleep overtook him. His eyelids shut, and his struggle ended, pulling him into a long, deep sleep while his soul was transported away.
***
Dusken's soul sank into an Abyss of Darkness. The air was cold, and an unusual stillness lingered around him. He wrinkled his nose in discontent.
'Where am I?' He wondered, a subtle shiver running down his spine as he awaited the obvious.
A hiss echoed in the void, drawing his attention. Bright, swirling particles of light appeared around him, sparking interest in his eyes.
Then came the voice he had been anticipating - a domineering, cold and systematic tone that blended with the darkness.
[Collecting Seeker's information…]
Dusken smirked. This was the Calamity Codex. His teacher had drilled its information and history into him.
The Calamity Codex was the harbinger of power and chaos for humanity, bringing along with it annihilation and doom.
[Inserting information...]
[Creating soul script...]
A rush of coldness surged through him, jolting him out of his thoughts as an unknown power stirred…
[Soul script creation has been completed]
[Seeker! Welcome to the Ethereal Land]
The swirling light vanished, and the void began to crumble like shattering glass. When the darkness came undone, Dusken found himself standing atop a jagged hill in a vast desert.
The hill cast a deep shadow over the landscape. Its elevated land had a steep, downward slope which indicated a terrifying slide.
The desolate expanse was littered with bones, their rugged edges glinting under the merciless sun.
'What sort of hell is this?' Dusken thought, sweat already forming on his brow as the desert winds howled in the area.
Suppressing the urge to take off his robe, he surveyed the hellish terrain.
"Well… looks like I've been dumped in an abandoned area of the ethereal land. Great start," he muttered sarcastically.
Fresh seekers were usually placed in more favourable areas near the god's castle, where they could seek a god's trial and earn its legacy.
However, his starting point in an abandoned, hellish region of the Ethereal Land was anything but normal.
'Damn the Codex," he thought bitterly, running his hand through his hair.
Despite the danger, a dark thrill arose within him. This was his moment - the call to power he had long awaited. But a question lingered on his mind: Could he survive?
---
The Calamity Codex had rewritten not only humanity but the world's destiny. Long before Dusken's arrival, for centuries, it chose children, putting them into deep comas and pulling their souls into the Ethereal Land.
Many never woke. Some decomposed while still asleep. Others awakened powers that carved the path of humanity's mystical evolution towards destruction.
To escape the ethereal land, the seekers had to brave perils to reach the god's palace and claim a god's legacy. But Dusken was not an ordinary seeker, for he was a target.
—
Dusken's resolve hardened as he clenched his fists, his obsidian eyes narrowing.
Let them come, and he would fight them all.
Dusken's gaze lingered on the horizon as the familiar ache of boredom gnawed at him.
His past life was sorrowful and painful, so he sought an exciting one now. This was why he wanted to save his clan, not due to altruism but due to the thrill of fulfilling a goal.
That bridge from his past life, filled with corpses, lingered in his mind as weight of sorrow pressed down on him. He regained his composure and quickly wiped off the tear that had slid down his cheek.
He focused as he tried sensing something deep within him to no avail. However, it was always normal to fail on the first try.
Suddenly, dark light burst from his chest and coalesced into a floating screen. His soul script.
Scanning his talent page, his expression darkened.
"Damn it."
---
Name: Dusken
Rank: Seeker
Level: 0
Talent: Abyssal Star (locked)
Side abilities: [Scion Of the Abyss]
Side ability description: [Your soul bears the vestige of the abyss. Thus, the abyss and all its related entities see you as their child.]
- - -
Dusken stared at this, his mind racing with thoughts.
'Scion of the Abyss? Useless in combat,' he thought, dismissing the screen with a sigh. He had hoped too much. All he wanted was a good side ability that could back him up, even if he was just level zero.
Dusken knew that side abilities were a manifestation of people's affinities, so the only choice available to him was to discover how being the scion of the abyss would help him in the long run since abyss seemed to be his affinity.
As he prepared to descend the hill, a soft swoosh caught his attention, making him immediately spin around.
In the distance, a figure was materialising into the ethereal land. Dusken's eyes flashed with joy, as he was ready to fight.
However, a young boy was the one who appeared. Messy red hair, Jade-like skin, and vivid green eyes. His expression was one of confusion as though he hadn't expected to be here.
He glanced at Dusken, taking a hesitating step forward.
Under the fiery sun and oppressing heat, Dusken's gaze was fixed on the red-haired boy whose stare was as heavy as a mountain.
The boy's lips parted as his eyes darted around him.
"H-hello,"
Dusken didn't respond to him; his face was expressionless, but his inner thoughts were in turmoil.
'This boy seems too unprepared,' Suspicion rippled within him. How can there be someone not prepared to be chosen by the Codex?
This was the Ethereal Land; dangers lurked everywhere, so who wouldn't prepare? Unless this boy came from a poor background, he was supposed to be ready for this.
'Life is truly unkind,' Dusken let out a low, disappointed sigh. This boy would probably die soon.
After some period of silence, the red-haired boy raised his head once again and spoke:
"Uh, hey," he muttered, avoiding Dusken's sharp gaze. "I'm Kyle; who… who are you?" He stammered while speaking.
This time, Dusken frowned as he forgot what he had been thinking about and lingered for a moment before answering.
"Dusk. Call me Dusk."
He felt pity that such a young boy would die in an evil place as the ethereal land. This was the cruelty of the Codex, even someone who had never trained was sent here.
Dusken came down from the tall hill after some time. He observed the bones on the ground with great interest.
"So..."
He was about to speak when suddenly, a sound was heard.
His body tensed up as his gaze swept the area. It seemed Kyle had also heard the sound, for he took a step backwards.
Another sound was heard once more as spider web cracks spread through the ground a few metres away.
From the cracked earth, a glinting claw emerged, as something insidious began crawling out.
Dusken's lips twisted into a dark smile as his eyes grew colder even when the boy beside him trembled.
A beast slowly climbed out of the small crack made in the ground, its monstrous eyes locking on them.
Dusken's soul script reappeared before his eyes, like a reminder of the danger ahead.
---
[Species: Creature
Rank: Awakened
Level: 1]
As soon as Dusken read the information, his smile only grew darker as the ground around them collapsed.
"Finally." He muttered with a cold gaze. His fingers hitched for a weapon for a weapon as the beast roared its challenge.
*********
A/N: First Chapter has been written. Like it? Add to library!
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