Lornveil's eyes, sitting on a poorly crafted wooden chair, were fixed on a monster devouring the corpse of one of the Akuma, surrounded by a pile of other bodies.
The stench was so vile it made you want to wash your body before even your nose.
Its form was strange and terrifying. It wore a long black coat, and its head was made of black smoke, swirling with several holes inside it — like an old steamship.
Lornveil gasped in fear… but it was a soft one. He placed all ten fingers over his mouth, staring in cold silence.
"A monster eating a corpse? Damn it, I should've run far away and never entered these nightmares," Lornveil muttered quietly, eyes never leaving the beast.
"Should I draw my sword? Wrong move… What if more appear and surround me? What position would I be in then?"
He slowly turned his head to scan the room he was in… There were no windows, just wooden walls, with a glowing yellow fire lighting the space, radiating a false sense of warmth.
"Not even a single window to escape through… and this bastard keeps eating that corpse nonstop."
"I don't know what to do… What's the right move here?!"
He looked at his right hand, glowing with a violet light as if it were screaming…
"Should I use the power of my hand… Phantium!"
Lornveil was trying to think, but his mind wasn't cooperating at all… The black bandage wrapped around his hand began to shimmer faintly. Phantium's hand spoke in a majestic voice:
"What's the use of sitting on a chair, fool? Are you waiting for a miracle? There are no miracles in the nightmares of the Abyss."
It continued:
"Just like you slaughtered the one who tried to assault her — do the same damn thing again."
Lornveil was shocked, unable to respond… The look of disbelief dominated his face. He raised a trembling finger to his lips and said:
"This isn't the right time to talk… I was trying to think—"
But it was too late… The monster stopped eating. Lornveil stared at it in fear, gripping his sword tightly. The beast slowly stood and turned around.
There was a sword pierced through the monster's chest… and whispers, enough to send shivers down the spine, echoed around it. A name appeared beside the creature in a mixture of red and black:
Abyss Interies…
Interies pulled the sword from his chest, revealing a blade that moved like a raging wind. A cracking bone sound echoed as he moved his hands like a puppet.
Lornveil stood up from the chair, drawing his sword, worry etched across his face. He stared at Interies, who slowly walked toward him, the smoke in his head thickening.
"An Akuma scared of a low-tier Abyss? How embarrassing," said Phantium in a sharp, mocking tone…
Then continued, planting the seed of nightmare philosophy in his head:
"You idiot, think bravely. You are Akuma and he is Abyss… as an Akuma, you should be the one hunting him."
Lornveil looked at Phantium, then at his sword — which seemed thirstier for blood than its wielder — then placed his hand over his face and spoke in a choked voice:
"It seems remnants of human hesitation still linger inside me… Damn it, I don't want to die here without proving to them who I ammmmmm!"
"I'm not a child of bliss. I was born beneath the pillars of the Abyss."
Interies charged at Lornveil with a sweeping strike… He dodged, but Interies had a trick up his sleeve — he kicked Lornveil in the stomach, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Ughhhhh…"
Lornveil clutched his stomach in pain. He looked up slowly — Interies was raising his sword, aiming to plunge it into his face.
Lornveil tilted his head to the side and clenched his right hand, striking Interies in the chest without hesitation, forcing him backward.
Lornveil quickly got back on his feet, staring at him… The monster screamed, the bone-cracking noise getting louder and more disturbing.
Even the smoke from the creature's head turned redder… It rushed at Lornveil, swinging its blade to decapitate him.
But Lornveil held his sword horizontally, blocking the strike with a grin. Both clashed their blades like dueling musicians… then Lornveil leapt backward, releasing a black spark toward Interies.
Interies dodged the strike, but Lornveil appeared beside him and punched him hard, causing the smoke in his head to shift colors. He smashed into the chair, then against the wall.
"Good, looks like you're starting to understand what it means to be Akuma," Phantium spoke in a low voice.
Lornveil slowly raised his hand, looking at it with a slightly confused expression:
"Hesitation equals death… I have to bare my fangs."
Interies rose again, emitting eerie whispers as if preparing something…
"Abyss creatures are stubborn… They don't die by conventional means, so try to find a way to kill him."
Interies lunged, unleashing a barrage of small black arrows, but Lornveil dodged them… He stood near the shattered chair and hurled wooden pieces at him.
Interies dodged all of them… but when he looked again, there was no Akuma in sight.
Lornveil was behind him, sliding on the ground as if it were coated in oil, slashing the monster's legs before it even noticed.
Interies fell, but managed to fire a black arrow that hit Lornveil's shoulder.
Interies kept launching black arrows. Lornveil dodged them despite sustaining minor scratches all over his body.
He was trying to find the weakness — the Simple Heart — to kill this stubborn beast.
As he stared with focus, he noticed something glowing gray inside the smoke… Lornveil realized something and smiled lightly.
He ran in a zigzag pattern, dodging the arrow barrage… then slid again, swinging his sword like a comet and thrusting it directly into the smoke — right into the Simple Heart.
Interies stopped moving. The black smoke emitting from his neck disappeared and turned into gray dust.
Something strange fell onto the pile of sand…
Lornveil collapsed onto the ground, panting from exhaustion, fear, and thinking mid-battle… He smiled, placing all five fingers over his eyes:
"Killing has become normal for me… but killing those who deserve it is the greatest achievement. Killing this Abyss is a great one."
"What is your view on killing?" asked Phantium in a calm voice.
"When justice fades… killing becomes your next option," Lornveil replied, wiping his eyes.
He slowly got up, clutching his injured shoulder, then noticed something in the sand.
He picked it up and saw it was an old bottle, containing a black substance like a cosmic core. Lornveil wondered what it was.
"What is this thing? No one told me about it."
A phrase then appeared beside the bottle, written in slanted gray script…
Elixir Noobxix
Under the name, a description was written:
[This is your first gift in the Abyss for overcoming your fear… You deserve it, Akuma.]
"It's most likely an elixir that enhances acquired abilities," Lornveil placed his finger on his chin, analyzing calmly.
"You seem hesitant, boy. Your stance must be firm — hesitation is not a valid option."
He looked toward his hand and focused deeply on those words… Inside, he was convinced: hesitation has many drawbacks. Your opinion could vanish into thin air, and you'd find no solution — all because you feared the consequences.
Lornveil clenched the elixir bottle. It was tightly sealed. He gripped the stopper and pulled it forcefully from the mouth of the bottle, producing a cold, terrifying sound:
Nirava.
Four black specters emerged, wearing long cloaks, launching forward like hunters locking onto their prey — and entered Lornveil's body, specifically into his chest.
The elixir dropped to the ground. Lornveil clutched his body in pain… as if he was being torn apart slowly.
"Pain… terrifying pain… I want to breathe, but I can't — damn it."
The bandaged hand and the sword both began to glow due to the specters that had entered his body…
Lornveil gradually stabilized. He placed his right hand against the wall while looking toward the hanging mirror.
His hair was black with strands of violet. A black blindfold covered his eyes. He wore a black jacket, partially zipped from the front, with a black robe underneath. His right arm was sleeveless, wrapped only with a black bandage. A long Japanese sword rested in a belt strapped to his pants.
He slowly touched his face and spoke to himself in a confused voice:
"This blindfold… Why does it cover my eyes? And how can I see this clearly?!"
As he pondered the blindfold covering his eyes, someone knocked on the door three soft, eerie taps — followed by a terrifying whisper:
"Staying in one place for too long… draws the attention of disasters."
Above the door, numbers began to bleed darkness… though nothing dripped below them. The countdown read:
20… 19… 18…
"Seems like one of the rules of the Abyssal Nightmares. We must get out before time runs out," Phantium spoke.
Lornveil ran to the door, grabbed the handle, and opened it…
He stepped out of the hut like a prisoner seizing a chance to escape. He stood firmly on his feet, catching his breath, then raised his head and looked around — stunned by the scene that surrounded him.
A pure black sky adorned with stars and countless galaxies… The moon shone in its stunning beauty. Islands, kingdoms, and even cities floated in the sky above.
Towering snow-covered mountains hid the stone from which they were formed. The ground was pure white.
Snow blanketed every corner — and it was falling despite the absence of clouds.
"This place is like an ancient, terrifying work of art…" Lornveil was amazed by the beauty of this place.
Then a phrase appeared in the air, written clearly:
[Welcome to the First Throne of Calamities… the Nameless Continent.]
"Nameless Continent?! What the—"
Lornveil couldn't finish his sentence.
A shadow of something colossal appeared, followed by a scream so loud it pierced the ears — a sound even the dead could hear — and it came from behind.
Lornveil slowly turned his head, eyes widening in shock as he looked upon a giant the size of a mountain, staring at him with glowing blue eyes.