A world where people possessed extraordinary powers used to be relegated to fantasies, something people only dreamed of, something they made movies and novels about. Little did they know that grasping such powers was just a death away... well, two deaths in Derek's case, but that wasn't the point.
Even though this strange hellscape was fraught with unimaginable dangers, it seemed like a good price to pay for such unbelievable power, right?
Well, not for Derek no. He wasn't a power hungry megalomaniac. Plenty of other people would be happy to be in his stead, plunging headfirst into the chaos this world offered, putting their fickle lives on the line for a few moments of essence farming. But that was definitely not the life Derek wanted. He would have been happier as a normal member of a sane society, going to school, having crushes, living happily with friends and family, having fun, and dwelling in great hopes for a future that might not even exist—but that was what made life worth living, right?
Instead, he found himself sitting in front of a powerful, ancient, smiling horror that he barely knew, receiving lectures about the weirdities and oddities of a universe whose laws barely made sense. He was freaking out, trembling with existential dread about what was to come, he was literally losing his mind to all these revelations. And…
"Are you even listening?"
Auror's golden eyes fixed on Derek, his smile unwavering.
Derek took a very deep breath, forcing his chaotic thoughts to quiet.
"Of... of course."
"Great. As I was saying, there are five classes and eight ranks, at least that's all we know of so far."
"First on the list are the 'Converts'. They earned that name because after their souls are converted to the afterlife, they have basic, rudimentary powers comprising only of their base core. Next up are the 'Neophytes', then the 'Awakened', 'Transcendent', 'Overlord', 'Sovereign', 'Supreme', and 'god'." Auror made a sweeping gesture. "Just to put that in perspective, you're a Convert, Hunter is an Awakened, I'm an Overlord. I know of a Sovereign…"
He paused, a flicker of speculation crossing his features.
"…two, actually."
Derek opened his mouth to speak, but Auror silenced him with a sharp gesture.
"They might be listening right now. Don't say something stupid, kid.
I've seen the corpse of a fallen Supreme, still gives me the creeps. Whatever could have slain that harrowing existence had to be another Supreme, or something higher. We assumed the latter was the more viable possibility after some scant investigations, this brought us to the most powerful existence we know of, a god."
"Well, that's pretty much everything you need to know," Auror said, standing back on his feet. Derek hadn't even noticed the appalling man in gold was sitting in thin air.
"So, I'll be on my way now and leave you to find your own way around here. Just because I didn't kill you doesn't mean everything else here wouldn't.
" He added, his tone almost casual. "You're on your own now."
Derek wasn't sure how to reply, so he simply said, "Thanks."
Instead of replying, Auror yawned, then turned towards the corpse of the gigantic skeleton, muttering to himself. Derek couldn't quite make out the words, but it sounded like,
"Hey, what are you staring at?"
The hollow eyes of the fallen overlord in the distance offered no answer.
But Auror kept staring at the skeleton, a strange look on his face which Derek interpreted as malice masking his usually serene features.
A jagged golden beam began to coalesce in his outstretched palm and then it was let loose. The air crackled with energy as the beam shot forth, disappearing into one of the abysmal, empty eye sockets of the gigantic skeleton. A split second later, the skull… exploded.
A massive explosion rolled outward, followed by a suffocating shockwave that sent shrapnel tearing through the air.
Auror's smile deepened, spreading across his face as he stretched out his arms as if to welcome the chaos he had wrought. He closed his eyes and the swirling dust brushed against his face, whipping his long, golden hair behind him, it flowed behind him like a golden cape, Auror exclaimed in excitement, he truly relished the moment.
On the other hand, Derek was desperately dodging bone shards that whistled past his head, struggling to maintain his footing against the immense gale generated by the explosion.
He wanted to curse the deranged overlord so bad. But for the fear of the man changing his mind, he kept quiet. The bone shrapnel seemed to be actively avoiding Auror, like he was some plague, but at the same time, those projectiles seemed intent on skewering Derek, as if to make up for their loss.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Auror's voice echoed across the ravaged landscape, "So long!"
The golden figure then transformed into a blur of light, rocketing into the distance with impossible speed. In moments, he vanished beyond the horizon.
The storm of debris subsided, but Derek was far from unscathed. He was bruised and battered, but mostly intact.
Now that he was alone, he felt a pang of loneliness. He almost missed Auror's company, and even… Hunter. He felt lost and didn't really know what to do.
The memory of Hunter, reminded Derek of his grotesque sword. He soon realized he needed a weapon of his own. Surely, one of the bone shrapnel pieces would do, at least for the time being.
He combed through the devastation, but nothing felt right. The shrapnel was either too large, too small, too blunt, or simply unwieldable.
Derek sat down in frustration, trying to think. Suddenly, he remembered the shiny, purple mace adorned with crystals that the skeleton overlord had wielded. He hadn't seen Auror take it, so it must still be there.
Swallowing his apprehension, Derek cautiously approached the skeletal remains. It took him several hours of painstaking searching, but at last, he found it, shrunk down and half-buried in the sand. Only the handle was visible.
Overcoming his lingering wariness, Derek reached out and touched it.
"Welcome, Herald of Lust. Once again, I say: Welcome, Master."