Having a complete stranger call you "son" is a situation I wasn't prepared for.I was ready for a fight for my survival — not for a balanced breakfast full of vitamins.
— I recently received copies of some scriptures found in the ruins of the Kingdom of Hope! Those scriptures might be what we need to understand the origin of the demons!!
(No idea what this guy's talking about, but the breakfast's good.)
— Aren't you going to say anything about such a big discovery?
— Congratulations?
Yeah… that reaction didn't seem to be what "Father" wanted to hear. Maybe I should fake a bit more excitement.
— Come on, think about what this could mean! The origin of the Seven Demons — it might explain why the Kingdom of Hope was destroyed by the gods! Do you understand!?
(The gods destroyed a kingdom?)
Okay, lesson time.The gods — divine beings of unknown origin and unknown death. The only thing we know about them is that they existed and were the most powerful beings that ever lived. To my knowledge, nothing else could compare.
Knowing that, one question filled my mind: if the gods had no equals beyond themselves… why destroy a kingdom?
— Remind me, why was the Kingdom of Hope destroyed? — I asked "Father," voicing the doubt that gnawed at me.
— Huh? Well… the reason was heresy. — he answered, sounding unsure.
— And what kind of heresy was that? — I asked, feeling there was something off about the event.
— That's one of the mysteries we're researching, remember?
— Yeah, I just hoped you might've found something new about it. — I said, trying to steer the topic away when I noticed his suspicion. — So, when will the copies arrive?
— Heh, they'll get here today. I knew you'd be interested and wouldn't be able to wait, so I didn't tell you until now.
— Really?
— Yup.
— And when are we going to pick them up?
— As soon as you finish breakfast.
After that, nothing remarkable happened — except that I finally learned "Father's" real name: Elias Infelt, which made me, temporarily, Derick Infelt.
Once we finished breakfast, we prepared to leave and meet the messenger.
Outside, I found myself in a city full of color. An impressive number of people moved everywhere, each busy with something. On our way, we passed through a food district — a place in a state of eternal uproar, with shouts about everything (mostly about buying the house special).
After about half an hour of walking, we boarded a train-like transport heading toward our destination.
— How was this transport created? — I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity.
— This? It was one of the greatest inventions of Keshofther, about 174 years ago. Back then it was horse-powered, but this model runs on runes carved along the tracks.
— Ohh. — I said, trying to understand what he meant by runes.
— Well, we're here. — said Elias as we got off the "train."
Inside a building next to the station, a clerk greeted us and asked if we were there to send or receive a package.
— We're here to receive.
— Perfect. Please give me your name and I'll check if it's here. If it is, I'll bring it right away.
— My name's Elias Infelt.
— Elias Infelt… here it is. Your package arrived last night. Please wait while I go get it.
The clerk went to fetch the package, and while we waited, we sat and talked about different things — some about the current state of the kingdom, others about rumors of war between realms.
After a while, the clerk returned with our package, and we headed back home. Nothing remarkable happened on the way.
Once home, we opened the package and began trying to understand the new information. We decided that each of us would take part of the material and study it separately, then compare our theories.
The pages came from a diary belonging to some powerful and unfathomable being. They told the story of how the Kingdom of Hope prospered without the help of the gods — thanks to its queen, the so-called Hope.
Crack, crack, crack.
The sound of something creaking echoed through the house. I didn't worry much, completely forgetting the essence of the First Nightmare.
— Graaah!
A guttural scream echoed through the house, startling me. Concerned, I grabbed a piece of the shelf as a weapon and stepped out of the room.
I went down the stairs slowly, trying not to make any noise that could alert whatever made that sound.
At the bottom, I found something that could only be described as a monster — its skin was dark blue, its arms were covered in deformities, its legs looked too weak to support its weight, and its claws were sharp as knives.
When I looked at it, the monster met my gaze.
— Derick — said the monster in a deep voice — I found it… the origin of the Seven Demons.
When it finished speaking, I noticed that the monster was surrounded by papers — the same ones Elias had chosen to study.And at that moment, I realized who the monster was.
— Elias?
— I found it, Derick. The origin of the Seven Demons, the heresy of Hope. Isn't it wonderful? Do you want to know the answer to these magnificent mysteries? I can tell you. — said "Elias" as he got closer and closer to me.
— I'd rather stay ignorant, but thanks for the offer. — I said, stepping back to get away from "Elias."
— No, Derick… we're historians. You need to know.
Seeing that "Elias" kept approaching and didn't seem particularly friendly, I started moving toward the door to escape.
— Are you planning to… run? No… No! That can't happen! You must… help me spread this discovery!
Having been discovered, I threw the piece of wood with all my strength before running toward the door.
I opened it and ran as if my life depended on it — which it did. But soon I felt a burning pain in my back, and right after that, I was slammed to the ground by an overwhelming force.
Lying there, I turned my head for a moment and saw a monstrous figure behind me, its claws dripping with blood. Staying down would only help the monster that Elias had become kill me, so I stood up, ignoring the burning in my back.
But that only convinced him to attack my legs to immobilize me. With me under his control, he positioned himself over me, staring straight into my eyes. That's when I noticed his eyes still kept their original color: brown.
After a few seconds, the monster seemed to decide that keeping me alive wasn't worth it. He raised one of his claws, intending to kill me.
But at the last moment, he froze. Looking closer, I saw a faint pink glow shining from his body — something that hadn't been there before.Then, a hand grabbed the monster's head and pulled until his neck reached, and broke, its limit.
KRRSHH!
His blood splashed all over me in an instant. His headless body stayed upright for a second under the restraint of the pink glow, which then vanished, and the body — now headless and unsupported — collapsed on top of me.
Freeing myself from its weight was difficult, but I managed. When I stood up, I looked at my savior.
He was a man about 1.73 meters tall, with blue hair and pink eyes — which quickly shifted to an impossible shade of gray.
— You… will you be my disciple?
— What?
— Just answer. We don't have much time.
— …Yes? — I answered, not wanting to anger my savior.
— Good.
Wake up, Bell. Your Nightmare is over.
At that moment, the world shattered and was replaced by an endless, dark void.
[Prepare for evaluation…]