Chapter 15: Jiablu Awakens

Jiablu had never known that sleep was so blissful, so intoxicating. He did not want to wake up. In his dreamland, he traveled through the continent with his God. They hardly exchanged words as they passed through numerous Kingdoms and Mountains, but Jiablu felt extreme contentment.

“Kiel,” said Thanatos. From atop the clouds, he gazed upon the Kingdom below. Its walls spanned great lengths and heights, and numerous cities bustled with its people. “What do you see?”

Jiablu motionlessly stood behind his God. After a second of ponder, he replied, “I see worthless humans. A Kingdom filled with maggots wriggling for survival.”

Thanatos chuckled. “My Son, is that really all you can see?”

“S-Son?!” said Jiablu. His non-existent heart almost skipped a beat after the remark. He had never felt so honored in his life. “M-Master, pardon this servant. But that is all that I see. What else could worthless insects offer to feast the eyes of my God?”

Thanatos waved a finger, and the scenery changed. They found themselves overlooking a slum. The numerous houses haphazardly placed in all directions were ragged and torn, and the scent of rotting flesh wafted through the air. Naked children filled with coal marks ran through the streets, and the elderly idly sat as they watched.

What was his master trying to tell him? Jiablu tried to ponder with all his might. It would be no good if he was unable to meet the expectations of his creator. Such disgrace was more than worthy of eternal slumber.

“Now, what do you see?” said Thanatos. His eyes glimmered for a second. The sounds of those living in the slums intensified, and their thoughts flowed through Jiablu’s mind.

“What are we going to do? Father is dying. We can’t afford the medicine.”

“Hey kids! Breakfast is ready!”

“I’m old. Don’t mind me. Give those to the young ones.”

“Oh God Aquina, please cure my son.”

“Hey! Don’t take that!”

Jiablu was flustered. He still held no answer to his master’s question. He hesitantly replied, “I see weak humans. Mortal and fleeting. Their lives are so fragile that it can be snuffed out with a flick of our finger.”

Thanatos stared straight into Jiablu’s eyes. “My Son, there are no absolutes in this world. In weakness, there is strength. In despair, there is hope. In the endless loop of time, there is ephemerality.”

Jiablu did not understand, but he keenly listened regardless. “This may be hard for an undead like you to understand, but I am sure that you will find the answer to this question someday. I am sure of it. After all, you are my son, Kiel.”

Everything slowly vanished into a wisp of smoke.

And Jiablu woke up.

***

Slowly, Jiablu’s eyes opened. He momentarily stared into space as the dream that he had resurfaced in his mind.

“H-Hey, the kid’s awake.”

“Are you okay, kid?”

Upon looking around, Jiablu noticed that he was inside a dimly lit room, with the only entrance barricaded by metallic bars. Glancing to his left, he saw three women clustered at the corner. They were all naked, and their hands were cuffed together.

Jiablu stood up. A clanking sound echoed, and upon looking at his feet, he saw that it was shackled with a metallic chain. He frowned. “Where am I?”

Amidst the silence of the cellar, his sole question crescendo. The three naked women glanced at each other, unsure of the proper words to say.

“In the basement. You were taken here together with that female priest,” said one of the women. "It’s absurd, but you did not wake up even after the guards repeatedly whipped your face."

Jiablu reflexively touched his cheeks. Indeed, there were cuts palpable on it. Insolent humans. He had decided that he would massacre them later.

“The female priest begged the guards to stop beating you up. Eventually, they agreed. But…”

A long silence ensued. Jiablu asked in irritation. “But what?”

“It seems that they plan on raping that female priest. She… she agreed to it, in exchange of your safety.”

A sobbing sound echoed inside the cellar as one of the naked women began crying, and it quickly escalated into a wail.

Jiablu said, “So, that female priest is here? Tell me. Where can I find her?”

“We don’t know. We’ve been imprisoned here for many months now, and we’ve never had the chance to take a look outside this cellar.”

Jiablu raised a brow. “You allowed such maggots to imprison you here? Hah! As expected of humans. It’s a waste of time to stay here. I am going out.”

“What are you talking abou—,”

They stared in shock when the shackles that bound Jiablu instantly turned into crisp and dust. Without turning around, he pointed a finger at the barricaded entrance. A large gaping hole was formed as the metallic bars melted away in unison.

Jiablu channeled his mana into his surroundings. After finding his first target, his figure vanished, leaving behind the slack-jawed trio.

***

“Hey, have you seen the priest?” said one of the bandits.

“Sure did!” said another. He chugged down the large mug of beer then made an exhilarated sigh. “That body! That face! I can’t believe we’ll get to have a taste of her later! I can’t wait!”

“Kahahaha! Let’s see how tough she is when over a hundred of us are finally done with her!”

There was maniacal laughter as the group merrily drank away.

“But won’t the boss get angry at us for having a go at his eleventh wife?” he smirked.

“Brother, we’ve got the go signal from Lord Viper. He told us that it’s part of our reward for tonight!”

“Kahahah! Splendid! We get to have a taste of a priest from the Order of Aquina!”

The laughter once again ensued, but it quickly dissipated when a cold voice echoed inside the room.

“She’s not here,” said the voice. “Hey, maggots. Do you know where I can find the priest?”

The group of bandits momentarily stared in shock as a child approached their direction. How did he enter the room? Moreover, they were sure that he was one of the captives in the cellar.

“Stop wasting my time,” spat the child.

To their surprise, one of them had their head burst open, splattering the innards on the wooden ground. The headless body fell down on its knees then kissed the ground.

What was happening? None of them could move a muscle, and cold sweat overflowed like river on their skin. Their soul was screaming at them that it was dangerous, but their bodies refused to move.

The child made a chet sound. “Answer the question.”

Another bandit’s head burst open, and the body also kneeled then kissed the ground. All those inside the room were violently trembling in terror. What kind of monster was this? What was happening? One thing was sure, if they did not answer the child’s question soon, they would also become the corpses sprawled on the ground.

“W-Wait!” said one of the remaining bandits. “W-Who are you? W-What are you?!”

The body of the bandit that asked the question suddenly flew backward, his head lodging itself deep into the wall. Those that saw it opened their mouth in pure terror.

“Three left. I need only one of you to answer the question,” said the child. “The first one to answer my question will be given the most painless death.”

The child stared straight into their eyes. It was the eyes of a predator. Of a demon. Of death itself.

“Now, I shall ask again. Where is the priest?”