The sky was blue, a stark contrast to the black void in the First Trial. The air was crisp, unpolluted.
The ‘Darklands’ seemed an unfitting name compared to Earth’s ash-covered wasteland.
The hard, unforgiving ground bit into Kai’s back. Grass blades poking him offered little comfort. His ears caught suspicious creatures moving in the distance.
Kai lay like a corpse. Naked, alone, and deep in enemy territory. He touched his neck cautiously.
The wound that killed him remained. Shallow enough it didn’t threaten to separate his head from his shoulders, but deep enough to cause constant pain.
The bastards didn’t even heal my body?
Blood should’ve seeped from the wound - it didn’t. Proof he was undead. More specifically, a zombie. It took more than a shallow cut to make a zombie bleed.
At least, that’s what he’d read.
He thanked his past self for being a committed student and winced. The agony was tolerable, but the consistent throbbing nagged like debt collectors.
His ravenous hunger was another downside of having a body - he had never been so famished. The hunger didn’t end at his stomach; it flowed through his entire being. It seeped into his soul. This was no normal hunger.
As an undead zombie Demon, ‘normal’ had new meaning for Kai. Maybe this perspective would give him a fresh outlook on life. He doubted it.
The faint rustle of leaves whispered into his ears. He stopped pondering his undead nature and analysed his surroundings.
The scarlet sun continued beaming down on him. Its light was ominous, but its warmth was gentle - like a mother’s embrace. Kai had never felt a mother’s embrace, but he imagined the sun’s warmth was a close imitation.
He sat up like a cadaver rising from the dead. The grass beneath him was green. He’d expected grey grass, but he was getting used to his expectations being unmet.
Trees as big as buildings surrounded him as far as he could see. Sounds of movement came from every direction. Danger lurked everywhere.
A pillar of wrinkled obsidian stood beside him. Modest compared to the trees - about four times his height. The dark pillar angled toward another like bosses cutting deals. A gaping maw of swirling darkness stretched between them.
A Dark Gate.
Kai expected to shiver at the sight. Maybe have icy fear grip his heart or something similar. His expectations were unmet again.
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The Gate felt familiar. Non-threatening. It tugged at his soul like a child asking him to play.
Kai shook his head. No time for fun and games with the Demonic portal. His spatial sense had identified something moving through the trees, heading toward him.
As he stood, he summoned his suit, gloves, and sword.
Dark fabric oozed across his body and took shape. Draconic scaled gloves spread across his fingers - hiding his [Markless] Curse. The black sword crafted by his brother forced itself into existence and settled in his right hand.
Something leapt at him from behind. He cut through the air. His dark blade met the creature. It was a short greeting.
Kai couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he studied his slain foe. Wasn’t he impressive? A shame nobody saw his skill. Where were witnesses when you needed them?
The slain monster sprawled across the grass in two bloody halves. It looked like a green leech the size of a large dog. Shark-like fins covered its back. Three tentacles sprouted from its sides.
Green blood oozed from the disgusting abomination and rose into the air. The disgusting blood twisted and shot towards him. He would’ve thrown up if his stomach weren’t empty.
His black suit gobbled the emerald fluid like a delicacy. A muffled prod of satisfaction crept into the back of his mind. As though his suit had waited too long for a meal and craved more.
To his surprise, the ravenous hunger permeating his entire being subsided slightly.
A gruesome realisation dawned on him.
Before he jumped to the obvious, diabolical conclusion, he asked his…Guardian.
“Kharon?” Kai whispered. He didn’t know if talking aloud would work, but it was the easiest thing to try.
Seconds ticked by.
A voice resounded in Kai’s mind.
Kai skipped small talk. He and his brother were close enough to get to the point. The Dreadful Demon had taken over Kai’s body and dwelled in his soul. What could be closer than that?
“Why am I hungrier than I’ve ever been? And why am I less hungry after killing an abomination?” He hoped his brother would prove him wrong.
His hopes, like his expectations, were often unmet. This time was no different.
Kai sighed. “No undead on Earth. Remember?”
Kai’s eyebrows furrowed. “A shame?”
No response was the best response to Kharon’s drivel. But one fact surprised him.
Kharon has friends?
Kai felt slightly ashamed. He’d barely thought about his brother’s social life. He assumed his big brother existed only to craft impressive tools and garments for him...and complete tasks for Death God. He’d be more considerate going forward.
But his change of heart had to wait. No time to be a considerate brother right now.
A new enemy had entered his senses’ range. It moved fast. So fast Kai barely had time to dodge.
But why would he dodge? He tore through space and emerged near the welcoming abomination.
A blue, snake-like creature towered above him. Its body was snake-like, but it had eight stubby legs ending in enormous claws. Two stubby arms adorned its upper body. Its feeble arms reminded him of a monster from one of Renzo’s books - a T-Rex.
The snake-like beast on legs was double Kai’s height. Only a small portion of its body was upright. Adding its tail and legs - the abomination was larger than the building-sized trees surrounding them.
A brave warrior would brandish his sword and fight this enormous abomination with all his might. But Kai knew ‘brave’ meant ‘stupid’ and ‘careless’.
He had no desire to be brave. He teleported as far as he could from the blue snake-on-legs. He dismissed his light-devouring sword and ran in the opposite direction.
He ran through the trees with flawless efficiency. His beautiful retreat was surely a sight to behold. He wove teleports into his running like Thread God wove webs.
He stopped. He had no choice. There was a…he wasn’t sure. A barrier?
An invisible force stopped him from moving any further. The surrounding air thickened.
He tried teleporting outside the barrier. He failed. The stubborn bastard wouldn’t let him pass. No escape.
He exhaled.
The heavy steps behind him grew louder.
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