The person in front of Relictus sighed. “You’re that darkness dude that Markus said to be cautious of, right? I wouldn’t follow his orders, but we’re kinda partners in crime, y’know? So sorry, but I’m gonna have to make sure you’re silenced for good.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject, you might want to remember the name. It’s Eleftherios.”

Soldiers were gathering at a safe distance, waiting for the confrontation to evolve into a fight. Despite how eccentric he was, their commander would not stand for one thing – the utter disregard for human life that the person before them had demonstrated so perfectly.

Relictus didn’t even know when he ended up on the ground, but he did. Eleftherios stood above him, wielding a golden scimitar. His electric blue eyes were almost luminescent with their bright color; his hair not restricted by gravity and looking like it was discharging electricity.

Eleftherios was also holding Relictus’s hood. He stood over Relictus, about to plunge his blade into his heart. As fast as he could, Relictus reached inside his jacket. He wasn’t stopped, so he pulled out the key. Below him, a circle of pure black grew along the ground, and Eleftherios stepped back, not just surprised but also stunned. By the look of it, this was a dimensional spell – the highest level of magic possible. ‘How could someone so weak and slow have such a powerful trick up their sleeve? The weak should just stay insignificant.’ Eleftherios thought as he watched Relictus melt into the darkness and the circle recede.

~–•–~

“Why did you call me here again, Thalia?” Relictus asked. He was not frustrated; no malice was in his voice. He simply was perplexed – after she had taught him everything he needed to know, she had faded out, never summoned him, but she was there when he needed her to talk. Since the Second Stage of Darkness took over, he hadn’t needed her. It was as if his emotions had been sealed, to a point. He had finally taken an entire night and just slept, not perturbed by the boiling emotions within him. They weren’t even there anymore.

“I suppose you didn’t know?” Thalia said. It wasn’t a question. A tear rolled down her so mildly wrinkled face. The smile on her face was a smile of sadness, of defeat. She looked older than she did before. Relictus didn’t know if this was because of the pained expression on her face or if she had actually aged.

“What are you talking about?” Relictus responded deadpan. He felt absolutely nothing.

Thalia sighed before continuing. “Before I died, I infused my soul into that armor you we- you wore.”

“And?” Relictus responded. He just wanted to drag this out, he knew exactly what she was saying.

“What happens to a soul when it is damaged?” Thalia asked, as if it was a test question.

Relictus sighed. This part was inevitable. “When a soul is damaged, it slowly consumes its own energy to sustain its existence until it is completely extinguished, unless it has a corporeal vessel.”

“Very good!” Thalia responded, her sad smile now replaced with the same happy, poker-face grin she always had on. Relictus looked down, not sure what to say. He saw the reflective water he stood on, looking down and perpetually up into the nothingness that lay upwards. Thalia’s feet were nowhere to be seen. Relictus looked up, his eyes still harboring nothing.

“Thank you,” Thalia said. Her body was disappearing, and the longer this went on, the faster she disappeared. “You gave me some of the most fun I’ve ever lived through. I wish I could see how far you’d make it in your life. With your potential, the world is practically yours already!” She said the last line enthusiastically, but she still couldn’t hide her emotions. “I think I’ve lived enough now.”

“Wait.” Relictus commanded, still nothing showing on his face. He berated himself in his mind. ‘I’m losing one of the only people who has ever cared about my insignificant life, so why can’t I feel anything?’

“I can’t stay any longer, Relictus. I’m sorry.” Those were her last lines. Where she once stood, a single drop of water fell. Ripples echoed through the dimension of perpetual… nothing. Relictus found himself in a place he found all too familiar.

“You have returned?” A familiar baritone voice boomed through the hall to greet him. Before him was M’arrzath. “I assume this means you…”

M’arrzath looked down upon his link to the world. Relictus was upset. M’arrzath felt something he hadn’t for thousands of years – he was intimidated. It only lasted for a moment, however, as he stood. Relictus still said nothing, but he got a notification as though it was a natural thing to happen.

Armor of the Tarnished Black SoulLevel [3000]Only one whose heart has been damaged beyond repair can wear this armor.All Stats +5000

“Go. I have not yet business with you. “ M’arrzath said simply. The scenery around Relictus warped, and a blinding light flashed. When it faded, Relictus was in an unfamiliar forest.

“Where…” Relictus wondered, until he realized just how peculiar this forest was. Relictus was wearing only his armor, and not the rest of the suit he had before he jumped. The foliage all held an aqua pigment rather than the common green, and tree trunks were pink. The night sky above him was dark blood red, and the air was stagnant. Nothing around him moved.

Where was Relictus?

~–•–~

Relictus had walked for hours, yet he still couldn’t feel anything about his loss. He just kept walking. His feet sank into the soft grass, and he heard a sound. It was a rustling. On his left there was a bush growing purple fruits shaped somewhat like apples. It moved suspiciously, and as he stepped towards it, out jumped… a rabbit?

Its eyes were bright red, not the crimson that belonged to the army of monsters he dealt with in the east. Its fur was a pure white, as well. The rabbit was nothing unusual, until it opened its mouth. It had a wide mouth of wicked, serrated blades of teeth, and no sooner did Relictus see it than he had to dodge the pouncing body of the rabbit. He drew his sword, and with a single well-placed thrust, he had skewered the rabbit. His mouth was agape as he looked at the window that described what he had just slain.

Tusk-RabbitLevel: 4995

You have leveled up!x 221

[table][tr]Character CardName:Relictus122p 21g 4s 99cLevel:3651Experience:851402353Race:MonsterClass:Dark EmperorFame:0Title:Heir to the Black ThroneHealth:210000/210000Energy:282550/282550Stamina:200000AttributesATT:4000INT:1025DEF:2200WIS:1540DEX:13000ODRV:

4000SPD:8500???:---

Why couldn’t he feel anything?

Author's Note

Spoiler : Still unable to conform to a single schedule! I guess I just write on a whim. School starts again soon for me. You know what that means! I get a regular schedule for sleep, school, homework, exercise, and, you guessed it, writing! I'll have normalized releases! Anyway, tell me what you think or what I screwed up.