Chapter 2: Chapter Two
"Alem! Wake up!" Within the black ink sprayed into his eyes, the faint sound of a yell burrowed into his mind. Similar to a splash of water, the cover blocking his view began to wash away. "Alem!" The voice which was like a whisper began to pierce through his blindfolds and became louder.
'What's going on? Why is mom yelling? Wait, where am I?' With things finally clearing up, his shut eyes began to open up. Although blurry in the beginning, his vision began to sharpen until it was back to normal. His current position was something he didn't remember falling into. With his clothes worn and torn, he laid gently on a grey sofa. Surrounding him were four people. An older man with grey hair roughly sitting on his head, a middle-aged woman with long hair, comparable to a pile of coal, a young girl with hair like the woman, yet a height much taller, and finally a little boy whose hair was curled into a mess of black.
"He's awake. Finally." Looking around, he noticed that the person who spoke was the middle-aged woman, his mom.
"Mom? What happened? Why are you yelling? Also, why am I on the sofa?" Looking around with as much confusion as the group surrounding him, he glanced back at the woman gritting her teeth towards him.
Knitting her eyebrows slightly, she looked at him with hidden anger bubbling up. "You don't know? Or are you acting dumb? A few minutes ago, you knocked so loud that you woke your father up. And when we opened the door, without even greeting us, let alone giving us an explanation of your actions, you just walked to the sofa and fell asleep. Alem, are you trying to get beat, if so then…" Seeing her raise her hand, Alem quickly jumped off the sofa and raised his hands, while slowly moving back.
"I swear mom, I don't remember any of that. You know how I am; I wouldn't do something so stupid. I'm not Ruya." He himself was confused about what his mother said, so explaining anything else was difficult to say the least. 'I did that? No way. I'm stupid, but not that stupid. But why can't I remember?'
Alem's mom looked at him before calming her mind a little. "Go to your room for now, all of you. Even if you're lying right now, I'm too tired to handle it. I will take care of him tomorrow." She glared at the two kids and Alem who quickly rushed off into their rooms. She then looked at the older man who seemed so tired that he would fall over at any moment. "Let's go to sleep for now. I will scold Alem in the morning, no need to keep yourself up when you have work in the morning." The man nodded before turning around in slight irritation and heading back to his room. Alems mom followed behind.
"What's going on? How did I end up back home?" Back in his room, Alem sat on his bed, still wearing the somewhat torn clothes. His mind was in a mess as what his mom told him did not make much sense to him. "All I remember is that I was in the park, talking to that purple eyed old man. We spoke a little and then I just blacked out."
"Your memory seems a bit dazed, am I right?" Suddenly, Alem heard a sound come from somewhere behind him. He quickly jumped up from his bed and turned around. Sitting on his window sill was the same old man he met at the park.
"Y-you?!" The old man appeared like a specter, silently, leaving behind not even a whisper. His mysterious purple eyes were like lamps inside of a dark room, lighting it up, but not too much. A dim, hazy light was the only way to describe it. "How did you get up here? If you don't leave now, I don't mind pushing you off!" Unlike the time meeting the old man at the park, Alem didn't feel calm at the moment. The old man appearing before was fine, but now appearing in his home? That was only asking for trouble.
"Leave? You're on the second floor, do you really think an old man like me can climb back down? It was already very difficult to climb up here." Smiling lightly, he slid off the sill and slowly landed on the ground. Watching his movements, Alem felt that it was very similar to a feather landing on the ground. Light, no sound, almost fluid.
"I don't give a damn if you fall and break your neck, all I know is that if you don't leave the way you came, I can only call the police." He walked back slowly and picked up one of his thick textbooks. There wasn't much in the room which he could use to attack the old man, or use to defend himself with. Alem wasn't necessarily scared for himself, he felt more scared for his family, who knew nothing of the events going on.
Seeing Alem walk back and grab a text back, the old man raised an eyebrow. "You're quite the heartless creature. Not something that should be expected from a person like you, who wants to become a doctor. Shouldn't doctors have compassion in their hearts?"
"It seems like the incident at the park wasn't a coincidence. You have been following me for a while, I presume?" Alem felt his shaking fingers settle down, while the sweat pouring from his back lessened. Throwing the book to the side, he sighed before walking towards his bed and laying down calmly. His body was still lightly quivering, but it was a lot less exaggerated.
Seeing his weird actions. The old man walked towards Alems study desk and sat on his chair. After thinking for a while, the old man's eyes brightened up ever so slightly. Nodding silently, he picked up one of Alems notebooks and opened it up. "From the way you're acting it seems that you have come to a realization, Alem. Of course, you might be thinking about many things wrongly. Let me see… Alem Siris is your full name. You don't have the highest grades in school and actually do quite trash at exams. Weirdly enough, it isn't because you're stupid, if you were stupid, you wouldn't have been able to teach and explain so many concepts to the many other peers you have. For some reason though, you seem to get the things you teach others wrong on tests. Even I am baffled by this, which is quite rare, believe it or not. What else? You have a much more creative mind than most people, plus you're a fast learner. You taught yourself how to draw when you were around sixteen. You didn't even have the slightest skill in drawing when you first started." The more the old man spoke, the tenser the room got. As if death was recalling all the deeds Alem had done, good and bad.
The latter remained silent, just listening to the old man accurately explain everything that he had done. There was never a crime or something sinister since Alem was not a very ambitious person. Rather, the old man spoke about his various thoughts, ideas, and dreams, some were things he had never spoken aloud, which was truly shocking.
"What else? Hmm… oh yes, there was this last thing. You did mediocre on your USMLE, meaning your chances of becoming a doctor are now slim. What a pity, your mother and father will be greatly disappointed and ashamed. After all, your father always boasts about how you will one day become a doctor and lead the family to a more stable future. Not only that, but you also boasted to your parents about what you would do once you become a doctor. This, that, this… all of that is basically impossible now. Truly a pity." The old man snickered, sarcastically shaking his head.
"Are you done?" Alem continued to lay on his bed, unmoved by everything spoken by the old man. "Although it is true my USMLE went bad, and that becoming a doctor is near impossible, it doesn't mean it isn't possible. I think that your observations were quite good, it seems like you have been stalking me for more than just a few years. But you seem to forget one thing. I have an extreme personality. Meaning, I will go to any lengths to achieve my goals, but if everything fails, I will vanish from the face of the earth. I believe in the idea of all or nothing. Either I become a doctor, or I will die trying, simple as that. But you probably guessed that, seeing that your expression remains the same." Alem stared at the old man. His face was slightly heavy, but his expression remained indifferent.
"Of course, I know about this trait of yours. Anyways, since you already know that I know everything about you, let's skip your introduction and get down to business." Alem got up from his bed and sat on the edge, silently listening to the old man. "You should already guess by now that I'm not looking to kill you or anything. I'm not even going to hurt you." Alem nodded his head. It wasn't too difficult to figure this out.
"From what I can tell, you aren't an ordinary person either. Your eyes are already hinting at something unordinary. Combined with your movements, you seem to be quite skilled at stalking and alike." Smiling slightly, Alem didn't portray the look of a surprised youth in any way.
"You're right, I'm not ordinary." The old man got up from the chair and walked towards one of the walls. The one he walked towards was filled with various posters, each showing different things. Some showed a single figure, others showed many. The old man raised his hand and gently pointed at the largest poster. It depicted a single person. Looking back at Alem, without removing his hand from the poster, he spoke with a small smile. "You see Alem, this character you created is not real, but at the same time is similar to someone who is."
"What do you mean?" Alem suddenly got up. "If you're trying to get some copyright claims or whatever, then sorry man. I created this character myself. Don't even think about it." The old man was a little taken aback but couldn't help but laugh.
"That's not what I meant." Shaking his head, he continued explaining. "This character of yours is slightly similar to someone I know. Just like from the books you write, this person is capable of using skills far beyond your imagination. Well, far beyond the imagination of people from this world, not necessarily your imagination."
"Get to the point, what are you trying to say? This person that you speak of is someone who can use magic and do what my main character can? Is that what you're saying?" Alem was surprised but didn't really feel shocked. Mostly because he still found it unbelievable.
"You're right. The person I speak of can use magic so powerful that even the main character you created can only bow to him. And don't worry, proof will be given, just listen to what I have to say." Alem felt dizzy, but nodded his head and sat down. "Alright, let me begin with some basic introductions. I don't have a name to give you, but many refer to me as The Shameless Old Man, but you can call me Shameless for short."
"The fuck kind of name is that?" Alem couldn't help but speak up. It sounded so stupid, and cliched that he felt slightly nauseous just thinking about it.
"I know, it is a little weird for people like you, but this name was not given lightly, I earned it." With a proud smile crawling on his face, the old man stood upright, in his own glorified ray of light. "Anyways, the person who I keep referring to cannot be named, atleast not now." The bits of light within Shameless' eyes vanished and were replaced by a silent dullness and fear. "He is powerful, invincible, completely unbeatable."
Raising an eyebrow, Alem stared at the old man with interest. Whether all of this was true or not didn't really matter, it was good enough to give him ideas for another book. "Why can't he be named though? Can he hear us?" A small smirk grew on his mocking face.
"Yes." Shameless looked around with a bit of fright. "Not only hear, but he can see us. I know he is listening to this conversation, after all, I came to do his bidding." Suddenly, a large hand covered Alem's face as his vision began to blur.
'Not again!' This sensation felt familiar to what happened before, however there was a difference. His eyelids remained light; his vision didn't darken. The light just changed.
"Look around Alem." Shameless' voice reverberated beside his ear, yet it felt so far away. It was akin to a speaker hanging on a nearby wall. "This is my proof to you, the proof that things you write truly exist."
The mist covering his eyes began to vanish. 'Holy... shit!' What filled his eyes was something he could never have dreamt of.
"What do you think?" The voice of Shameless reverberated in his head once again.
"Are these really…" He felt his breathing become a little rough, as if he had swallowed a large apple that wouldn't go down.
Purple eyes met his own abyssal ones. "These are diamonds, every type that you know of and some that aren't even possible in your world." He turned his back to the frozen young man and began to walk on the crystalline floor. Various colors filled the endless horizon, yet they were like glass, transparent. It was a peculiar place, seemingly fragile, yet harder than any rock.
"H-how could a place like this even exist?" Alem still couldn't shut his spilling mouth. The sight was too unbelievable. A world created completely by diamonds. It wasn't even planted in rocks or stones, no, it was completely filled with crystal diamonds. The floor, the mountains, and so on. Only the glassy sky wasn't diamond.
"This is nothing, the universe holds things you couldn't even dream of existing." Bending down, the old man planted his fingers into the ground, piercing the crystal floor. Though known as an extremely sturdy gem, Shameless acted like it was paper, even water, something he could just slip his fingers into, without the slightest resistance. "The humans in your world find this gem to be very precious, yet from where I come from, not even beggars care for these things. They are useless." He tossed the piece he plucked towards Alem. It was not of one color, rather traces of blue, green, pink, and yellow were present. Truly a wonderful sight.
Catching the beautiful gem, Alem looked at it before sighing a little. 'This is truly a weird dream; it feels so real. If I wake up, will it become like the other dreams? Where I remember bits and pieces, or will it become clear? Are my dreams always like this? Do I know I'm dreaming in my other dreams, or am I unaware?' He couldn't help but come to think about these things. It was a unique feeling being able to stay awake in a dream.
"You must be thinking this is a dream, right?" Shameless smiled. "I can't really prove whether it is real or not since that is all about when you accept it as a reality." His body began to float over the crystal ground, hovering as if sitting on an invisible table. Completely stable. "When you understand this is reality, nothing will really change by then, so let's just cut to the chase."
'Is this truly reality?' Though Shameless knew Alem well, he didn't know him completely. Alem was very accepting of everything, dream or not. He didn't believe that there was a concept of impossibility, rather he believed that it just wasn't something he could witness. 'If this is truly not a dream, then, why am I being shown all of this? Why me?'
"Anyways, the person whose name cannot be spoken; he has tasked me with something." His face suddenly became serious.
"Question." Before any more explanation could be given, Alem felt the need to cut in. "Why can't his name be mentioned? You yourself said that he is listening and watching. If that is the case, why not just say his name, it's not like anything will change."
"Nothing will change?" A mocking expression came about the old man's face. "Anyone who speaks his name will be brought to him."
"So?" There still wasn't any sort of reaction.
"You meet him one day; you will understand the fear of seeing him. He has grown more powerful than before, more than anyone could imagine. A single breath from him could create a universe, a single thought could bend time. He is above us, in his own realm." Sweat fell from his forehead, dripped into his mouth.
"Is he a sort of God? Even then I don't understand the fear. If he knows so much, he could get rid of anyone he wants whenever he wants, so why not say his name? It is truly weird to me." He wasn't the most religious person in the world, but his family could be considered religion. They believed in and feared a God, yet he did not. Death never scared him, so how could a person that could kill him make him quiver?
"God?" Placing his trembling fingers on his chin, Shameless thought for a moment. "In my world, he is just considered invincible, but in yours, he could be considered a God. Heck, even I could be considered a God of sorts in your world."
"Alright, let's ignore all of this. What is this 'bidding' you are here for?" Alem felt tired of the conversation. The ideologies and way of thinking were just too different, he didn't feel the need to discuss it further.
"Oh yes." Shameless straightened his back as the purple in his eyes began to brighten, becoming almost blinding. "Alem Siris, you have been chosen by him to complete one task. The choice is up to you, but if you decline, then let the multitudes of Universes perish under his power." Seeing the serious expression on Shameless' face, Alem didn't interrupt this time, he just kept listening. "The task will decide the course of your world and everyone else's. If you succeed, then he will leave the multitude of universes under your care, yet if you fail, then the punishment will be the same as giving up on the task. Everything and everyone will perish."
"What's the task?" It felt so surreal that he felt more interested.
"Face the Cloud Sovereign in a battle of death. If he is killed, the task is accomplished; if he kills you, then everything disappears." The purple light began to dim, and the old man sat on the ground with a sigh.
"That's the task? Is the Cloud Sovereign an enemy of his?" Alem asked curiously.
"Yes and no." Shameless smiled helplessly. "The Cloud Sovereign, otherwise known as Celius, was a disciple of mine, my last disciple. He was to fight him, and hopefully kill him, saving everyone from his reign, yet Celius fell under his blade." The more Shameless spoke, the paler his expression became. "Yet, after that battle, he didn't kill Celius, rather, he forced Celius to become a slave, a puppet, wanting you to fight him."
"Why? Did this happen recently?" The story was getting interesting, with potential plots of future books popping in Alem's mind. 'I could use this for my characters later, atleast something will be gained from this.'
"When it happened, it would be hard to explain. The way time works in both our worlds is very different. For me, it has been almost a few thousands years, yet for you, it might have been yesterday, or last week." The way time worked wasn't simple, only a few understood it's profoundness; Shameless was not one of the few. "Anyways, for him, all of this is an experiment. To see if the humans in your world truly are as amazing as he originally thought."
These words made him even more confused. "Amazing? In what sense?"
"Your mind, the way you look at life, and so on." Shameless smiled weakly. "He believes that only a person from your world could complete this task, and you were selected. He has been planning this for an unknown time, but one thing for sure is that you weren't chosen randomly, rather, you have the seed he planted."
"Seed?" Alem felt his stomach and almost vomited. 'Am I pregnant by chance? When the fuck!'
"Not that type of seed." Seeing him be so shameless, the old man laughed a little. "The seed to have powers, the seed that will allow you to join the world of cultivation. Only you have it in this world." Shameless stood up and patted Alem on the shoulders. "The seed will let you cultivate powers without harming this world, after all, your world is isolated from other worlds because of his will. Plus, the seed you have is special, it is unique."
"Well then." He scratched his head, yet didn't really feel too excited by this. After all, he wasn't an ambitious man.
"I just want to clarify what you have to do and help fill you in on the details." Shameless began to explain the goal and so on. "You are given a thousand year time to catch up and kill Celius. Of course, what you do in this thousand years is up to you, train or not." There was a hopeless expression on Shameless' face. "Even though you are given this option, I will personally train and help you cultivate. Whether you like it or not, there is no other choice. If you say no, everything is gone, including your family. People will die. We need you to get as strong as possible, and we need you to beat Celius."
"Sure, whatever." Dream or not, he wanted to use this chance to get more engrossed in this supposed dream, which was becoming more and more realistic. Even if it later did turn out to be reality, then that would mean he didn't waste any time either. Since he wasn't given much of a choice, might as well just go with the flow. "Since there isn't a choice, I can just try, how hard can it be?"
"Extremely." Shameless grabbed his head and frowned. "A thousand years is not even a fraction of what is needed. Only he could accomplish a task like this, no one else, not even Celius. The latter took about a million years just to reach his current position, how could you catch up in a mere thousand years? Sure, I can help slow down the time a little, but it wouldn't be enough."
"I don't think this would be as bad as you think." Alem smiled and spoke.
"What do you mean?" Shameless asked.
"Well, think about it. I know you already did, but just think again. Why would he give such a task if he knew it was impossible? If this is an experiment, then it should be theoretically possible, right? If not, then there is no way he would be given such a limit." This wasn't him being smart, it was just common sense. Why would a teacher assign a test that wouldn't be possible? The answer is, they wouldn't! Tests, experiments, and alike were all done if theoretically possible.
"I know this." Shameless frowned, he wasn't an idiot. He lived so much longer and knew so much more than Alem, how could he not think of this? The issue wasn't the if, rather it was the how. How could he make it happen? How could he allow Alem to fight Celius on equal grounds in time? "Forget it, I'll think about a plan, but for now, let's just get this one thing straight."
"Hmm?" Alem looked at him with a slight smile.
"Your training, cultivating, and so on will be intense. More than anyone else. You will experience bad things, very bad things, but you have to bear it. You don't get that choice; I will force you to bear it. Within this time limit, you will be allowed to visit your family for only three months every year, and then right back to training. Luckily, I can make it so that even if you are training for a hundred or so years at a time, it will only feel like a year to your family. To them, you will visit once a year for three month, not missing a single month." He paced around the crystal world, explaining the plan. "You may be wondering why this is important, well it is. Family and friends, loved ones and so on are extremely important on this path, without them, sometimes you may not be able to concentrate or even grow in power. Peace and tranquility, relaxation and happiness, all of this is important." He suddenly stopped walking and stared at Alem. "You will go back home, do whatever you need to prepare your mind because this first trip will be a long and painful one. You will inform them you will be gone for just two years, and will be back."
"What happened to the whole three months?" Alem asked with a smile. All of this was still something he considered a part of his imagination. Not real.
"That will happen after you start your training, but you need this two-year gap from your family, since your whole body will undergo a massive change. If you come back a year later with this change, it will feel too overwhelming, yet two years can still allow them to feel a little bit more accepting." He threw a small ring to Alem and smiled. "For now, this will be a gift from me since you will be considered my last disciple. Though this position was held by Celius, you now hold it. You are now an official disciple of myself."
"What is this?" He didn't pay too much attention to Shameless' words. What concerned him was the ring.
"I've marked it with your blood already, so all you need to do is wear it and just think about the ring. Once you think about it, you will see what's inside. That is all I will tell you. Now go, you have one month to prepare." Shameless waved his hand and Alem vanished from his spot. He sighed and looked at the dull sky which resembled a glass wall. 'Alem, this is not a dream, this is all real. Everything that is existing under his reign can only be saved by you. We cannot lose this time; we have already lost too many times.'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone