When Vatrach opened his eyes, he was standing in a large white room with bare any pieces of furniture. This room was a part of the subconscious of the strange woman he had used his power on.

His power was an advanced version of Ranae, or perhaps it would be better to say that Ranae’s power was just a pale copy of his.

Ranae had obtained his power after becoming a god by accumulating people’s fear. But Ranae himself and his power were very disdained by the inhabitant and demons or other worlds due to his nickname.

Ranae the ‘Child Slayer’. Due to him only targeting child, he was disdained by most god and higher beings. After slaying and devouring the body and fear of ten thousand youngster whose age was below seventeen, the fact that he ascended into a dark god and could enter the Darkened Realm greatly shamed its inhabitant.

But nobody could say anything due having a strong backer who could protect him against those accusations.

Unlike him, Vatrach’s power was obtained by constant fight and destroying his enemies’ mind. It was a power that allowed him to enter one’s sub-conscient and use it to his advantage to manipulate his target. While its effect on someone more powerful than him were limited, it could still allow him to easily obtain any kind of information.

While not using it most of the time in the tribunal, this time a particular exception. He had a very bad feeling about this case and the reactions from the other elders made him feel particularly wary.

The fear struck expression of the other ancient elders when the woman revealed her face made him realize that the woman was most likely the ‘Lord’ which disappeared thousands of years ago.

Whether it was true or not, the first thing he needed was information. He didn’t know what was her true objectives for entering the tribunal like this, there were barely any rumors on her and even the other ancient elders dismissed the topic with an embarrassed or terrified expression whenever he brought it up.

Until now, his ability never betrayed him and while he most likely wouldn’t be able to manipulate her, obtaining information wasn’t something that would be difficult.

Even when he was just a newly ascended god, he had managed to enter the ancient elders' mind and find out what they liked and a few of their habits which made it considerably easier to establish good relations. Only Nekroi had managed to find out about his ability and as such Vatrach couldn’t manage to obtain a good relationship with him due to his wariness.

Sadly, the difference in power between him and them remained pretty big, it was still impossible for him to intrude deeper in their mind to seek their secrets and weaknesses.

Vatrach looked around the room with a grumpy expression, the room was very lacking and despite searching around for a moment he hadn’t find anything yet. This room was the first one and the easiest to access.

With barely a table and a chair, there weren’t much for him to find. Turning toward a wooden door with a grumpy expression, he passed the door which opened pretty easily and walked deeper within the mind.

The door leads him toward a corridor with countless other doors. Some of them were looking disturbing and a scent of blood emanated from it. Vatrach stared at him for a short time before turning away with a somewhat worried expression. It looked like the door was an entrance to hell. It was painted with a deep red color which had overflowed toward the surrounding like someone had just been killed in front of the room.

Some other doors gave a far more welcoming impression, one even looked like the entrance to heaven which was the complete opposite of the crimson door. The surrounding of the door had cloud painted around with a bright sun and various other strange drawings.

Vatrach could feel the strong feeling hidden behind the door, but at the same time, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to open it. It was one of the doors with the strongest lock on them, it was impossible for him to open it even by using all of his power.

He walked past this forbidden door which had the word ‘Shinael’ embedded at its top and continued to seek doors that could be easier to open.

Walking for almost hours, Vatrach couldn’t help but be startled by the number of doors he passed by. He had never seen such amount in his entire life, even Listae barely had a tenth of this number and he couldn’t even see the end of the corridor.

The amount of door within one’s mind indicates the number of experience one encountered in his whole life. Vatrach had since long stopped counting the number, the strength locking the doors were all too powerful for Vatrach to break, even the smaller memories weren’t something he could peek at.

“Just who is that woman? What is she?!”

As if mocking his words, a faint laughter resonated within the corridor which greatly startled Vatrach who turned back but didn’t notice anything strange. This cold laugh shocked him but thinking about it a little more deeply, he quickly calmed down.

“It’s not strange for passing thoughts to echo here…”

The corridor was the bridge of the mind, sometimes some thoughts would cross through here. It was something that he experienced many times ago, but due to how shocking this woman proved to be, he couldn’t help but stay very wary of his surrounding.

Vatrach continued to walk deeper and deeper in the corridor, the further he went, the darker the surrounding turned. He was slowly approaching the deepest side of the woman’s mind.

Every three steps Vatrach took, he couldn’t help but look behind him as if he was trying to see if someone was following him. The laughter resonated many times within the corridor and the sound of doors opening and closing made his heart uneasy.

The unclear sound of footsteps following his owns made him feel like someone was following him from behind if had the impression that if he listened carefully around him, he would hear someone’s breath.

But no matter how much he tried to, he couldn’t find anything strange.

It wasn’t the first time that he went in someone’s mind, but it had never been so tense. He felt like he was being observed like every doors and wall had eyes that were staring at him and oppressing him… Yet, he couldn’t stop his feets.

He continued to walk, despite this wariness rising deep within him chest, he still felt very confident in his ability and needed to find any kind of information that might help him outside.

Anything that might save him was fine. From the expression of the others ancient elders, if he didn’t find anything then the woman probably wouldn’t care about killing him. He knew that the others were just using him to bully Listae, that his existence wasn’t very precious to them. But it didn’t matter that much, they used him and he used them, it was a very simple give and take relationship. And that’s the reason why they absolutely wouldn’t hesitate to abandon him.

Vatrach’s heart was beating faster and faster, the sound of doors slamming around him became louder and louder, the further he went, the closer they became.

The laugh also became louder and more terrifying as he approached the end of the corridor. It was a simple wall with holes which were and sucking the light around. This broken wall was the reason why it became darker the deeper Vatrach went, it was something that he had never seen before.

Usually, at the end of a corridor, one would see a large door which contained one’s soul and every precious memory. But this whole looked strange no matter how he looked at it, it looked like it wasn’t made but her mind… But manually.

It wasn’t a natural wall, she built it herself!

When Vatrach tried to see through the holes, he couldn’t see anything at all. It was simply pure darkness, a world devoid of anything.

With some hesitations, Vatrach touched the wall as if to look for some clues. Stroking his green beard a few times, he tried to push the wall with a minimum amount of strength and was surprised to see being filled with crackles.

Like an illusory wall, with but a slow punch it cracked into pieces and gave way for a new path.

Vatrach hesitated, this was something that he had never seen before. This kind of wall, this dark space… Where did it lead? Why was it there?

Soon, the same question as Nekroi started to rise up in his mind. A curiosity that made it impossible for him to retreat. Relying on his ability to escape if things got dangerous, he slowly stepped into the darkness…

The sounds around him stopped, the doors stopped clapping… The sounds around his ears stopped… The steps following his own were gone.

Even the laughter disappeared…

Within this space where he could only see himself, a strange voice echoed.

I am Alpha, yet not Omega

This voice startled Vatrach who almost took a step back with a shriek. But looking around himself, he realized that there was nobody. It was just like the previous laughter… Just a passing through… Or perhaps some kind of memories.

After walking for minutes, Vatrach could perceive some sort of light shining within the shadow. The closer he was, the higher the number he could perceive.

I am One and All

I am infinite, yet can’t be defined by words

The lights became clearer and revealed the appearance of small floating orbs of many colors. Some were dark, some were giving the impression of being made of some kind of goldish cloud, some were blue and others white.

I am Chaos and Fear… But also Strength

Vatrach looked around but still couldn’t see anything other than himself and the lights. The darkness slightly shook as if it was reverberating to the voice. Each word carried some kind of power like what it spoke was some kind of laws that couldn’t be contested or denied.

All of these orbs were vibrating, trembling… Shivering as if afraid.

“Those are not lights, but… Souls.”

A very bad feeling filled Vatrach who saw the darkness around him tremble even more as if it was going to shatter.

Pay mind to the voice of the deads

Feeling a presence behind him, Vatrach turned around but still couldn’t t see anything… At the same time, all of the souls as if they were linked together started screaming. Nothing happened yet they were filled with fear and pain.

As if to answer their screams, the darkness slowly surrounded them like tentacles. Restraining them… Compressing them… Melting within them as if trying to burn them from their inside… Yet in the end, they simply returned to normal no matter how much pain it inflicted on them.

Due to his ability to manipulate the mind and souls, Vatrach could see some of their memories due to them being extremely weak or weakened. He could see some great warrior slaughtered like ants despite being tens of times more powerful than him. A mad woman laughing very loudly as she grabbed their souls with a cold sneer.

Pay mind to the voice of the hypocrites

A woman who led an army against this same maddened black haired woman. With but a stomp the army collapsed and the world was filled with guts and blood. The world shattered with another stomp and the woman grabbed the soul before walking away.

Pay mind to the voice of the sinners

Each and every soul had something in common, some of them were warriors who angered the woman, people who tried to seek justice, who didn’t know how powerless they were… Or perhaps simply how overwhelming she simply was.

Pay mind to those condemned to rest within the abyss for eternity

Among them, the two closer souls to Vatrach were white ones, they were extremely weak and simply by looking at them he could see some visions of when they were alive. One man and a woman, the man was drinking without stopping, bottles after bottles until he realized that he ran out alcohol and threw the one in his hand at a small and frail little girl like it was her fault.

Pay mind to the twisted ones

The woman kept laughing on the telephone while ordering around the little girl with a cold and monotone voice as if she was nothing but some sort of object… Some kind of tools.

I am the one whose name is called when they curse their enemies

I am an inexplicable entity… Yet, I am simply I

All the souls became even agitated like something horrible was about to happen, but the harder they tried to escape, the stronger the darkness's grip over them was and the more painful it became.

It was a pointless fight, yet they didn’t care about it as if they had lost their mind long ago and were only acting on instinct. The souls like they were sharing a link all screamed together and with the same intensity in their voice.

Like a thread connecting each of them, the fear within them grew stronger and stronger and the stronger they screamed, the higher the fear became.

This scene terrified Vatrach who took a few steps back, the only thought in his mind was to use his ability to escape… His body was surrounded by a bluish light which tried make him return to his real body, but the darkness around him corroded the light… Ruthlessly devouring it until nothing remained.

Upon years, living beings slowly forget to fear the abyss

They seek the ‘unknown’, fueled by unnecessary query

Unnecessary query… It was the reason why he was here, this darkness was the reason why Nekroi could barely sleep at night.

People who seek the unknown knows the danger which lies behind… Yet, they chose to ignore it, regretting it only at the very end.

‘Do not encroach upon the unknown’

This was the warning Mystel gave to Nekroi, a warning to tell him not to seek the truths of this world. Not to seek this place… Her true dwelling.

With all your intentions…

With all your understanding…

Now that you’ve found the truth, accompany me together with ‘them’

Vatrach finally realized something. Until now he had been under the impression that this place was simply that ‘woman’s’ mind, a place where her thoughts were revealed to him, but that was wrong.

The one speaking until now, the one laughing until now, the one following him until now… The one standing behind him right now…

Before he even realized him, a strange scream belonging to neither of the souls had now joined them. It was a rough scream with a hint of a frog’s voice, its source was closer than any other voice…

Vatrach realized that it was his own voice.

Like hunters drawn by an appetizing meat, the darkness around him sought to restrain him, corrupt him, devour him.

In this place, the darkness were drawn by fear. Vatrach who had until now only felt wariness was now extremely afraid, the amount of fear within him was very appetizing to the darkness… To the abyss.

Illusions are my domains

They are my armor

They are my friends

And a reflection of myself

The struggling Vatrach was about to be swallowed by the darkness, yet the moment the voice finished speaking, the tentacles that were restraining him disappeared. The first thing Vatrach did when he was freed was to run away.

In short, this is nothing more than an illusion… Just like I

It was an instinctive reaction. Like an animal meeting his ultimate predator, he ran away with a frightened expression.

‘I am going to die if I stay here. I have to escape!’

You who sought the truth… Can you guess what I am?

As if expecting an answer, the voice echoed behind him as Vatrach tried to run back from where he came from. The only question was… Where did he come from?

I am the embodiment of Fear

Within his darkness, there was no landmark, no sky or stars to find one’s way. No land, no rock… Nothingness, a pure void.

Within this dark area where he could only see himself, where was the entrance?

The embodiment of Chaos

He didn’t know where he was running, neither did he know what he was running from. All Vatrach knew was that if he remained here, he would die.

I am the embodiment Impurity

The exit was in view, like a light shining his whole world, Vatrach ran toward the exit still filled with fear, but also hope and a will to survive which burned brightly and powerfully within his eyes. He had completely forgotten what was happening outside, his goal and objectives…

All that mattered was leaving this forsaken place!

I am myself yet I have no form

An illusion without form, yet an illusion as real as any of you

The memories of countless persons kneeling in front of a woman with dark long hairs and bloody eyes entered his mind. No one dared to raise their head, no one dared disrespect her. No one could even oppose her.

But she was nothing but an illusion, her existence within this world wasn’t even whole… Just a fragment which managed to pass through the boundary that this darkness is and enter the other world, corrupting it at the same time. Adding its whole color to the painting that this universe is.

Not knowing what to call me, in the end, people bestowed upon me a title

The woman sat upon a throne made of bones within a castle surrounded by small houses. Nobody dared even speak loudly within this city in fear of angering this overwhelming being that was resting within the center of this world.

At length and in the end, they bestowed upon me the title of Goddess

An illusion mistaken for a divinity

An illusion crowned as a goddess

Perhaps her existence is the definition of a divinity?

Vatrach approached the exit, with each beat of his heart, the distance between the exit and himself shortened. The wish of being able to escape this monster’s grasp became stronger and stronger, but the fear of being caught right at the end also filled his heart with terror.

Everyone in this world has some kind of fear

Even this goddess which rules over this emotion fear for her offspring

His foot passed through the ‘broken wall’ and his whole body escaped the darkness who retracted as if unwilling to proceed any further. Only a small amount of them could pass by, but they weren’t a threat to him anymore.

The tension within his heart started to fly away, but Vatrach still remained careful and didn’t dare to relax yet. Using his ability, he started to return to the real world, swearing to never use his ability on that woman again.

But even after exiting the darkness, a voice still echoed around him.

“Do you know what everyone fears the most in this world?”

Vatrach turned around toward the darkness while shivering, but like a dark sea without waves, he couldn’t see any kind of disturbance.

As he was going to turn his head around, his vision suddenly disappeared. He could feel two small hands covering his eyes like they were teasing him.

“Me…”

When he once again opened his eyes, he was once again floating within the darkness, a laugher once again echoed in his ears. But when he turned his head…

‘She’ was here...