Nero stood before a dark, circular tunnel opening made from concrete. Familiar dirty water was dripping out of it very lightly, and he could already smell a repulsive scent emanating out from it
The tunnel was embedded in a sloped structure, with signs of water stains, moss, and grime visible on the walls.
Nero breathed in heavily, as he was sure that this would be his last breath of fresh air for a long while. The moment he took his first steps inside however, the world suddenly turned dark.
**
Once Nero opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place. The air here was still stale, but not as bad as the sewars should've been. It was sort of dark, but light appeared to be scattered around here and there, as if it forced its way inside through the ceiling, riddled numerous holes.
The space itself was large and open, with metal beams, rusted pipes, and aged machinery lining the walls. The entire place seemed deteriorated, covered in dust and grime, with broken or missing sections.
It was seemingly abandoned, except it was not.
Nero's [Yin] attribute kicked in immediately, and he could sense that there were a large number of people spread out around him, about 30 in number. He quickly got up in a panic, but then one of them then stepped out from the shadows.
"Hey."
He was quite a young man, who looked to be no older than 20. He was tall, lean and wore a completely black suit with matching jeans. His hair was black like Nero's, but it was long and unkept with a subtle amount of facial hair.
"..."
He looked at Nero, before scoffing.
"So I see you accepted my invitation. The names Mujin, by the way."
"I didn't have much of a choice, did I?"
Mujin waved his hand in the air, and behind him people moved. He wasn't able to see them with his eyes, but his attribute told him all he needed. What looked to be a person was being dragged right next to Mujin by someone else, before being dropped to the ground with a loud thump. The second that happened though, whatever was blocking his vision, finally came undone.
There, his mother was laying on the floor unconscious, tied up by her arms and legs, with her mouth gagged with tape. She lightly bled from a small cut on her cheek.
"You!"
"Hey! You don't get to be mad. This is your fault, remember? For being a dirty little thief."
Well, he wasn't wrong.
Mujin waved his hands once more, and then his mother disappeared, yet Nero could still sense her presence in the place she just was.
'He's an awakened.. so that's his aspect? He can make things invisible?'
Mujin then put his hand into one of his pockets, before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He lit it, before pushing it into his mouth and taking a quick puff.
"So here's what's going to happen. I found out that you were challenging the First Nightmare a little while ago. You took your time too, cuz I was just about to kill your mother."
Nero grit his teeth, and his foot shifted forwards.
"The product you threw down that abyss was quite a bulky order ya know??? I was quite mad when I found out what happened to it, but I think I might feel better if you do something for me."
Nero grew a little bit passive, but still maintained a sense of hostility. He'd still like it if he could get his mother out without a fight.
"All you have to do is get your ass beat until I feel satisfied."
The moment he said that, one of the people hiding in the shadows ran forwards. However, he was still invisible. Nero was confused at first, but then he felt his fist collide right into his face.
His head was knocked over while blood trickled out of his mouth. Before he could grasp himself, he was then kneed in the stomach, and then kicked in the side.
His body fell to the floor, but he wasn't allowed to get up, as he was quickly surrounded almost immediately by all 30 men. One of them kicked him in the rib cage, another right in the head, and another even hit him with what felt like a steel pipe.
He was ruthlessly beaten, battered and bruised without so much as an opportunity to fight back.
Nero was only near the summit of his own physical strength as a normal human. Without any Soul shards to back it up, against a group of normal people he would still lose... without his Aspect at least.
But his Aspect was one that he couldn't use so easily. He could barely keep it under control while in the police station, and even then he only used a little bit of it. While being beaten like this, it would surely spill everywhere and possibly hurt even his mother which he didn't want.
"So that's all you got? Is your Aspect a utility one or something? How boring... I guess your brother might put on more of a show when he decides to wake up..."
That was all it took.
Something dark enveloped Nero's body, causing the grunts to pause a little once they grew wary. But they had no chance to run as it expanded in just a few moments.
A powerful force slammed into all their bodies as the darkness grew and pressed into them. The ground shook, the air quaked, and they were sent flying, all in different directions.
Some were thrown into the ceiling, others crashed into the walls, and a few found themselves being hurled at the rusty machinery.
The voice of the nightmare spell whispered into his ears,
[You have killed a Dormant human...]
[You have killed a...]
...
Nero got up, his head bleeding while on the verge of passing out, but a rush of rage and adrenaline kept him awake. His focus now directed at the man before him.
"Oh? So you were holding back on me after all!"
Nero simply muttered.
"I'm going to kill you asshole."
He charged towards him, not releasing too much of his Aspect this time. The Dormant ability didn't consume too much essence to use, but going over a certain amount made the darkness feel like it gained a mind of its own. It started to pull on his own essence without his permission, and go on a frenzy.
This time though, Nero kept it minimal and close to him. He felt his own power increase.. it doubled even, and his darkness didn't just spill everywhere. A new energy permeated his body, as he raised his fist.
Just before he threw it though, Mujin turned invisible much like the rest of his grunts did.
'Of course he can use it on himself.'
But Nero could still sense his presence. He felt the man manoeuvre right behind him, and get close. Nero couldn't sense precise movements with [Yin], but just the general position and condition of living creatures. Yet he could still feel an attack incoming.
Quickly side stepping to the left, he narrowly avoided a punch that blasted right past his face. Despite not taking it directly, he could feel its absurd power as the wind blew right into him.
He then tried his best to elbow him, but Mujin just caught it quite easily. Of course he tried to break free, but even with his doubled strength, he struggled and failed.
"That speed.. and power.. is something a dormant human shouldn't have... what rank is your aspect?"
Nero grunted.
"Why the hell would I tell you that??"
He sighed.
"Ahh.. ok!"
The man then disappeared. Not because of his Aspect, but simply because he was just that fast. The last person he saw with this kind of speed was..
'Rodenaus!?'
Nero tried to back away, but he could feel an incredible pressure hit him right at the back of his neck. Whatever rage and adrenaline was keeping him going though, was not enough to stop this.
He could feel his consciousness fade, and power diminish as he finally fell.
'Not.. yet..'
It was over. His unconscious body lay flat on the ground, while the shadow of the black suit awakened towered over him. He itched his stubble as he thought about what to do with him, but then an idea flashed into his mind.
"That might work."