Chapter 1: Survival
"Huff huff"
Loud breathing was coming out of my mouth as I ran past the never-ending hallways.
"DAMN IT"
Gasping I let out a scream of defeat.
The only thing keeping me alive right now was the thought of leaving my little brothers alone. Running, I felt my heart palpitating at a frightening rate. My feet were giving in.
"My heart will burst at this rate,"
I said to myself in a husky voice tempered by the sheer amount of running that I had done at that point.
"HELP HELP PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IF THERE IS ONE AT THIS POINT, HELP ME, YOU BASTARD"
My throat hurts from the screams that I constantly let out, hoping that at one point somebody would hear even though I was alone in this godforsaken castle.
With no options left, I had resorted to something so stupid that even an amateur would not do.
I could hear them approaching me with velocity. The screams that I let out moments ago had led them to me.
"How could I make such a dumb mistake, screaming at the top of my lungs praying to god-like there is one, to begin with…only to lead this filth to me."
Whispering to myself would not get me anywhere. What I needed right now was a way to evade these abominations.
"For god's sake, I cannot see an end to these hallways, and they said that this was a 5th-class mission"
Resting myself behind the pillars, my mind started to clear up from the fog the adrenaline rush caused, slowly remembering how I got here.
It had been almost two weeks since I entered this rift. I had been told that this rift had been the lowest difficulty and would most likely be a quick buck to make, and I needed to feed my twin brothers, Rennie and Reggie.
Taking out some leftover meat that I tested earlier to see if it could attract the creatures, I started making a trail of blood and pieces of meat around the pillars leading in the way that I had come from.
This was basic knowledge for all Rift Walkers, what lies in the rifts is ever changing always be prepared and with a clear mind.
With the time I had given myself, I made sure to run as fast as I could toward the door.
Loud audible running could be heard as I was heading full speed ahead, not looking back at those terrifying dark-shaded creatures.
I always hated the darkness. It always made me uncomfortable not knowing what lies in it. But deep inside I had this feeling that I couldn't wash away… a feeling that somehow I was connected to this castle.
Clack!
The door made a loud sound as I opened it, and it echoed throughout the hallway that I had just passed.
"Screech"
Hearing as the disgusting lumps of darkness began to drag what looked like a pair of feet, they quickly stampede towards the same door that I had just opened.
My pupils dilated, and my heart began to beat like it would burst out of my chest at any moment.
" Come on, CLOSE UP, GOD DAMN IT"
My shouts rang along the castle walls dragging even more attentions towards me from those disgusting lumps of darkness that spilled flesh and insects from their bodies with each step.
My fear continued to grow further as the damned creatures approached me at an alarming speed.
"DAMNN YOUUU"
The only thought that was being processed in my already fogged mind was to close this damn door.
Clack!
The door finally closed, and in an attempt to let oxygen back into my lungs which were expanding fast like I had been drowning,
"ARGH."
Letting out a groan , I clenched my right arm which was throbbing from overextertion.
My mind was blank, the only thing that had me hanging onto this world was my brothers. I had taken this mission since the commission was good and we were in need of the money.
I was promised a mere ten silver for this week-long mission. I knew I was being ripped off, but I had no other choice as an unlicensed rift traveler.
I know I'm too weak to waste hard earned money on getting a proper license rather than feed my baby brothers.
Life wasn't so kind to us I thought, after all it had forced me to kill my own parents. Not that they didn't deserve any of it, in fact they were irrideemable pieces of human waste.
I realized that I did not believe humans had any hope of goodness or…well, humanity in them. All of them are selfish bastards. They were only thinking of gaining for themselves and nothing else.
My pride didn't matter as long as I could get us food on the table I'd lick the dirt of as many shoes as needed.
It had been impossible for me to reason with nobles to get my brothers into Xenovia academy. I had tried to make connections through fake smiles and tail-wagging favors, but none of them agreed.
They just laugh it off, telling me I would be better off not sending them there as it would be their end. Something wasn't right.
The pain quickly woke me up from the melancholic daydream I was having. I realized that something was inducing these negative thoughts.
"Click!"
I let go of the handle, and soon the door started dissipating. The room structure had shifted, or so it looked like.
A single ornamented chair standing in a podium was being lit by the slightly dimmed moonlight shining on it.
"Welcome you poor soul"
A lady-like voice came from the direction that the throne was in as an elegant womanly figure was sitting on the throne.
Fear engulfed my body once again as I froze up.
"Walk up, don't be afraid of this old one"
Her voice sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't shrug off the unsettling feeling that she was giving off despite knowing I did not have another choice.
"Thump, Thump"
Loud footsteps echoed from my feet as I realized that my fear had gotten the best of me, and my body was moving on its own, getting closer to this dark figure.
"Do not fret as I am not the one that brings you demise,"
She proclaimed in a distinct low yet sharp voice.
"I find it amusing that you don't recognize me anymore ---------"
As if it was cut out, the last part could not reach me. I could not understand what she said, but she felt so familiar yet distant.
What amazed me most about this absurd scene unraveling in front of my own eyes was that even If I could not see her face or how she looked, my gut told me that her beauty was unmatched; her grace was like no other.
I was so shocked that I could not bring myself to speak even when I calmed down. My mouth opened, but words would not come out, and I got lost in thought again.
Her loud voice interrupted my train of fearful thinking.
"It seems you cannot speak for yourself yet, and here I thought that you were ready for the Trial of the Castle,"
she said in a very disappointed tone, with her voice continuing to echo through the what seemed like never-ending darkness behind the spotlight that lied where the throne and the lady were.
"Fret not, O son of the night. You will know soon enough that I'm the only one you can trust"
She uttered in a softer tone this time which had me forget who I was… what had I been doing until then.
This whole situation had made my memory so blurry as I walked through the dark corridors. There had been multiple windows that were the only light source that gave me even the slightest hope that there was a way out of this dark place.
The rift gate was just outside of the castle that was surrounded by only water and multiple giant rocks, this whole scenery was like straight out of a book. All this nonsense that this woman was spouting had me thinking if I was having a fever dream. But the pain was too real for this wish of mine to be true.
If this had been a 5th-class rift like I had been told, I would have finished and gone home to my brothers and bought them a good meal just like I had promised, and nothing wrong had happened until I walked into the rift. No distortion, commotion, or problems on the rift sync with reality.
Rifts were nothing but gaps in reality. The higher the rank the bigger the connection with the real world they had. Meaning getting hurt in any Rift below 3rd rank would result in your injuries being healed up once you left.
You would heal but experience the pain and emotions nonetheless.
"Now that my time has come, it would be appropriate to let you go through with this,"-
The lady clad in black armor said again in a low, calm voice.
My confusion at her words only grew as a door appeared behind the throne which was dissapating into thin air along with her figure.
After gathering my thoughts, I began to step close to the door, and as I passed, I heard a whisper in the now-familiar voice of the armored figure right behind my shoulder.
"Try not to lose yourself, O son of the night."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone