Everything hurts... I... can't... I don't want to.
Pain courses through my chest with every breath. My hands were still balled into a fist clutching black sand. Keeping myself conscious is becoming increasingly difficult.
I'm done... I'm done fi... fighting... just t... o stay... alive.
I close my eyes, feeling the pain coursing through my body, crashing over my body like waves hitting the soft sand of a beach. My muscles go numb as the darkness swallows me. The intense waves of pain retreat as my brain stops all non-essential functions.
A metallic taste coats my tongue, almost as if I am holding a penny on my tongue. I open my eyes to see a gorgeous woman. Her fiery red hair flows over her shoulder as she leans forward over my cradle, her beautiful bottle green eyes are swollen as if she had been crying. Torn rags hug her porcelain skin, barely covering her luscious breasts.
Her words are soft as they roll from her trembling lips: "Oh, my sweet darling Freya, live..." tears pool up in her eyes and start rolling over her freckles: "... live, so that you may fight for everything I have lost." She reaches down and gently caresses my cheek: "I know that mommy is being selfish, but you... You are stronger than I will ever be... protect what you love and never make the same..."
She is interrupted by what sounds like a prison cell door opening. Her figure immediately goes stiff and my eyes follow her as she retreats into the corner.
Her voice breaks as she shrieks at the men entering the cell: "Noooo... nooo... he promised me two days... it... It hasn't even been a few hours... pleeasee... that's... alll... I was asking for..." Her legs give out and she falls to the ground sulking: "Please, just..."
The guard cuts her off with a tired sigh, his voice slumping along with his tired shoulders: "Sorry ma'am, I am just following orders." He lets out another sigh as he leans into his hand: "I'll look the other way, now say your goodbyes, and let's get moving." He steps to the side and leaves a path to my crib.
The woman, like an elastic band launched at my crib, launches forward barely catching ground until she reaches my crib: "My sweet Freya..." She reaches over, picks me up, and grips me close to her chest: "I've already given you some of me." She bites her lip and blood starts trickling. She leans forward and pushes her open lip into my mouth. The blood pools in my mouth and out of impulse I swallow down the copper taste: "Now mommy will be with you forever. I'll be your strength when you feel weak." Her tears run down her cheek, flowing like a river, splashing on the flimsy blanket wrapped around me.
The guard clears his throat: "To see the queen of fire and brimstone reduced to this sorry state over a mere child. How pitiful." He slowly creaks forward and puts his hand on her shoulder: "That's enough it's time to leave, I've been kind enough to grant you this, just follow along in peace."
The woman's lip quivers as she lays me back down: "Mommy loves you, and I'll always be with you." She turns around, her legs moving as if they were made of wood.
My eyes glance up at the moss-covered cobblestone ceiling, and after the exchange one thought runs through me.
Mother...?
My bedroom door slams against the chair I had tucked under my desk. Asuka's voice fills the room: "We've been over this." She is standing in my doorway still dressed in her nightly ensemble, her fiery lingerie hugging her twelve-year-old figure: "You are supposed to wake up before me and then wake me up." She annoyingly folds her arms, her bare foot tapping on the ground as she watches me begrudgingly sit up: "You haven't even opened the curtains. I'll have them removed by day's end."
A large female figure with Caramel blonde hair, dressed in what is referred to as armour but just looks like a cheaply made bikini, appears in the doorway: "Young lady Asuka, a master should not repeat herself. A fitting punishment is dew, but I'll leave that to you." She makes herself comfortable behind Asuka placing a hand on her shoulder.
Asuka looks up at her and then over at me, who is still busy waking up and trying to process what is happening. She snaps her fingers and hesitantly points at her feet: "Kneel, head to the floor. Grovel about how sorry you are." She doesn't sound sure about what she herself wants.
I push myself from the bed and do as she has asked. My mind barely awake and the proceedings feeling like a dream: "I beg your forgiveness Lady Asuka, dew to my tardiness we are late once again, please be patient with this waste of space, I do not know my place yet." My voice echoes off the cobblestone flooring.
"This is merely embarrassing and not a punishment, are you satisfied with this Young Lady?" The women questioned.
Asuka's voice is soft but firm as she places her foot on the back of my head: "Freya, lift your head."
She patiently waits, foot still resting on my head. I lift my head up and just as my eyes catch her ankles, the world goes dark and a throbbing pain shoots through my head, I inhale deeply, my broken ribs scream out in agony, and I grab another handful of black sand.
Fuck sakes... I thought my life was over... what bullshit is this?
My mind spins and reels as I try and make sense of what is happening.
Fuck sakes... I can't lie here crying forever.
I pull up my status bar. I now have full mana again. How long was I out for? I open my skills menu scrolling through proves to be incredibly useless. I just need one fucking skill to save me, just one. What's the fucking point of leveling up if you aren't going to award me points to do shit with?
My eyes scroll past the Daemon Binds skill that I had used earlier and, just like an anime protagonist, my mind replays how I effortlessly controlled the black vines to catch and lay me down.
I close my eyes and picture the vines wrapping around my entire body. Daemom Binds. Black vines start wrapping themself around my body, constricting what little movement I have left. They grow tighter with each turn. Cancel skill. The pain was manageable but has once again shot up to unbearable torment. Calculated risk my ass... fucking end me.
I lay staring up at the sky, the seemingly forever night sky, as I attempt to get my breathing back under control. Wait, instead of thick ass vines, what if I thin the vines out... making them as thin as muscle fibres. I could wrap them around the broken bones inside of my body rather than trying to hold it together from the outside.
I close my eyes, envisioning the vines to be around 40 to 100 micrometers thick depending on the position of the muscle.
This will have to do for now, I can't think of another way to get myself out of this.
I close my eyes again and grit my teeth knowing that the pain of the binds shifting my bones back into place is going to fucking suck.
I feel the binds digging through my skin like a dull knife attempting to cut through a steak. As the micrometer-thin binds pull my bones back together and move muscles around, I struggle to keep myself conscious.
After a few minutes of scrutinizing pain, I can finally take a breath without feeling as if there is a boxer continuously trying to knock the wind out of my sails. It still hurts but the pain is much more manageable now, and moving doesn't nearly kill me.
I can work with this...
My status screen pops up.
New skill unlocked, Ather Shroud, this passive skill envelops the user in the darkness from the Kuratta Tamashii Dimension. This grants the user increased protection against both physical and magical attacks. It also absorbs some of the attacker's life force and converts it to spiritual energy (SE). The user's body recovers from small amounts of damage over time. The effects are amplified by each level. Level cap 100.
That's just great thanks. Now I get a healing skill after developing it myself. So would that mean that the damage from my old wounds will slowly heal as they are now considered small amounts of damage... No answer, that's cool I'll just get going then and let you do whatever it is that you do Mr. System dude.
I push myself up, the pain isn't numbing my muscles anymore but it sure as hell isn't making it easy to move around in the black sand.
I eventually get to my feet. Taking in the scenery around me, I'm surrounded by what seems to be a desert, there are a few rocks scattered around but no obvious landmarks or any signs of life.
Okay, let's get back to Asuka.
I open my status window and scroll down to the Daemons Rift skill that I had used to get to where I am now. Wherever the fuck this is.
Daemons Rift, tears a rift between the living dimension and the Kuratta Tamashii Dimension, granting those who meet the requirements the power to pass between them. Skill cooldown 41 Days. Skill status in cooldown. Remaining Time 40D 9H.
"Ptth, guess I'm walking then. Where to? Well fuck knows."
My mind wanders as I walk in a random direction. I try and occupy my own thoughts to cover the pain.
Given the situation wouldn't something like an appraisal skill or radar skill come in handy? Fundamentally both of them are the same, emit mana, and as it clashes with something or someone else's mana you receive information. The only difference would be the information obtained. Kinda like a bat's echolocation that gives you a target's information in a specific range, while for apraisal I don't really have an example. Hmmm, in the days of old before the entire...
"Haarr-haarr"
Honey badger?
My head darts around, these furry little fucks tormented a village near the palace, they don't give a fuck and it took the guards a few days to kill them all.
Focus! If you can feel the mana within your own body, you can cast it outwards and receive information on its whereabouts.
I focus inwards and forcefully expel my mana in a 1-kilometer radius around me.
It's not that far but it should be eno...
The flow of mana gets interrupted, about 300 meters out southeast of my position. My mind's eye shows a tall humanoid figure, built like a tank, just standing still but clearly looking in my direction.
Running isn't an option. My hands immediately go towards the masterfully crafted daggers that had sat on my hip. Shit, I dropped my daggers back in the living dimension.
As my mind races trying to come up with a way to escape the humanoid figure starts closing the gap between us.
Shit, shit, shit, fuck. Weapons. I need weapons.
My inventory pops open revealing that the two beautiful daggers had just been moved there instead of getting left behind.
What type of anime protagonist, plot armour bullshit is this?
I pull them out. My knuckles are turning white as I grip them and turn around to face the incoming threat.
As I turn I see a humanoid figure approaching, its body covered in black fur with that distinctive white-to-gray stripe running down its back to its bushy tail.
Who in their fucking right mind thought that giving this thing a more humanoid appearance was a good idea, satan? Nope, I'm betting even he fears this walking calamity.
The honey badger beastman closes the distance, and immediately leads with a left hook too quick for me to block, I go twirling backwards, I focus and flip my body, my feet barely touch ground and this behemoth is already lining up a right hook. He is faster than he looks, I barely manage to block, his right hook connects with my guard, he has a lot of speed but barely any power behind his punches.
The beastman jumps back and curiosity takes over: "You shouldn't be able to block a single punch from me. So how aren't you dead yet?" He starts sirkling around me, like the predator he is.
A synth tone plays in my head. I open my status window. Ather Shroud has leveled up three times. Damage negation is 30%. Sp Drain 45%. Healing 15% faster. A fire burns behind my eyes as we lock eyes. I can't stop myself from grinning. Oh, you are fucked buddy.
I grit my teeth, the pain much lighter than before, and flip the dagggers into reverse grip. The beastman, not liking the look in my eyes, pounces, leading in with a right jab. I use the peek-a-boo guard to bob and weave between his jabs and hooks. The weasel notices me closing in and immediately switches its offensive strategy trying a high kick to keep the distance between us.
I've been waiting for this, I immediately switch to a high guard with my dominant hand, his shin connects, I lift my elbow slightly, and plunge the dagger in my offhand into his thigh.
The pain doesn't seem to bother him as he just continues to try and push me down. I duck under his leg, flip my dagger, and thrust it into his hip, trying to sever his ligaments. He takes a knee, and I melt into the shadows. When I pop out his predatory instincts immediately lock onto me, before I could react he grabs my hair and proceeds to whale on me with a flurry of punches aimed at my stomach and ribs, knocking my wind out.
Fuck, he pretended to be injured.
Mid swing I raise my knees to my chest, he connects with my kneecap, hesitation flushes in his eyes, within that split second I push off of his chest and immediately try to close the distance, back to reverse grip I aim for his throat, the blade strikes his neck but I'll need more force to drive it in.
He swings his leg and sends me flying, I instantly melt into the shadows, this time I pop out a few meters away from him, immediately throwing out Consecutive Dark Slashes, as he blocks the slashes I close the gap and plunge my dagger through his eye. Following that up, I use Daemon Binds to restrain him and use Critical Strike, as if I were a madman, to stab him repeatedly. The binds and Ather shrouds continuously refuel my SE and MP. After about five minutes or so my muscles go numb from fatigue.
My hands are drenched in blood as I stand up.
Who gives a fuck now bitch? Daemon Binds.
I stand back and watch as the binds juice the beastman, its blood giving the black sand a crimson hue as it pools.
With a synth tone, my status window pops up. Soul pillaged. Stats increased. All skill levels have risen to 5.
Pillaged? What am I a Viking now?
I dismiss the window without reading anything else.
From sore as all hell to tired as fuck. Daemon Binds.
The micrometer-thin twine weaves its way throughout my entire body, reinforcing muscle, tendons, ligaments, and bones. Essentially making me a puppet dancing on my own strings.
Another synth tone, another window.
Akuma no gaikotsu, This skill physically enhances the user, granting them unlimited stamina and overwhelming strength for as long as the user has SE. 0,5 SE is consumed for every second the skill is active. Also protects the user from overexcursion.
Okay so mana recovers over time, now what about SE?
With a singular thought, the information for SE opens up. Energy that was used to form the Kuratta Tamashii Dimension. Automatically recovers 2 SE within this dimension every second, or the user can absorb it using Daemon Binds.
Okay, so it will only self-replenish while I am here but when I return I can only get it by using Daemon Binds.
I walk for a while in silence just taking in my surroundings. Continuously using the radar skill that I picked up a little while ago, the range is now 5 kilometers due to its level, but I haven't picked up a single form of life.
The Akuma no Gaikotsu keeps my belly full and my muscles from fatigue as I wander.
The radar eventually picks up something, a hollow carving within what seems like a mountain. The radar revealed nothing near the entrance. With no visible signs of life, I guess using Radar would just be a waste of mana.
I enter the cave and radar is turned off, but I keep Akuma no Gaikotsu active since it doesn't consume any SE.
Now that I have some time to relax, I'll reflect on what I know about the system. Point number 1. You don't get skill points to unlock or level up skills. Skills level up from actual understanding while using them. Number 2, you only gain skills through understanding the flow of mana and how to control said flow. Number 3, new skills can be shaped from already existing skills, by understanding the foundation of the skill and then building something that fits the original structure. Number 4...
A sharp, jarring metallic crack echoes from the cave walls, and right before the blade hits the cave floor, I had already spun around and pinned the culprit, to whom the knife belongs, to the floor. A brunette female with a beautiful figure, mid-sized breasts, and a cute butt, who's pressing against my leg. She is adorned in a black feathery ensemble, the low-cut feathery dress tightly hugging her slender figure and just barely making it to the middle of her thighs. Her amazing blue star eyes reflect her inner ferocity.
A grin spreads across my face as some creepy thoughts enter my mind. Daemom Binds. The black vines wrap around her wrists and ankles tying her to the ground.
My grin widens into a sadistic smile which I myself don't even recognize: "Got anything to say?" I stand over her my mind racing with inappropriate thoughts, as I undress her with my eyes.
Her face twitches with anger: "Piss off! I have nothing to say..."
My dagger stops a few millimeters from her eye: "It would be a pity to fuck up your beautiful face." My smile now gone, replaced by annoyance: "I'm not here for shits and giggles and I'm sure ass hell not here to be treated like shit." I withdraw my dagger and place the blade against her throat: "Now would this be where you meet your end?"
The ferocity fades from her eyes and tears of fear start rolling over her cheeks: "Who has ever answered yes to that stupid question?"
That was fast, who would've guessed?
She sniffles as she explains through her tears: "I already died once, why would I agree to do it again?"
I pull the knife away curiosity flushing over my face: "Already died once?"
Her fearful expression now enamored with confusion: "You have to die to end up here. Or how do you think you got here?"
Confused I stammer on: "I... opened a rift, between the dimensions."
Hope resonates from her figure and voice: "So you can go back?"
Still confused I explain: "Well it seems that way, but my skill has a 41-day cooldown period and I've barely been here for an entire day."
She smiles: "I'll do anything, please take me along when you leave, you are the first and only person I have ever heard of that can travel back and forth between the dimensions."
Using the binds I lift her to her feet: "Okay let me make sure I understand this situation." I flick my wrist, using the binds to raise a piece of the cave floor for a makeshift stool. "We are curr..."
She cuts me off: "If you let me down we can have a more civilized conversation."
I raise my finger to my lip: "Shhhhh, sweety I have needs and I will be using you to meet them, so be a good girl and answer my questions, the faster you do the quicker you'll be unbound. You did say you'll do anything after all, or was that just a lie?"
Realization hits her like a truck, her eyes widen, cheeks turning a soft subtle shade of pink: "Nnn... no mam. Please continue."
Her innocence brings a soft smile to my face: " You are adorable!" I shift into a more domineering pose: "Now then, if I am understanding this correctly, you are nothing more than a soul. We are currently in hell. And to your knowledge, I am the only one who can move freely between the two dimensions. Would that be correct?"
Her cheeks are getting darker as her mind runs away with her train of thought, she clears her throat before continuing: "Uhm, well yes and no. Yes, I am just a soul. No this is neither heaven nor hell, it's a separate dimension, reserved for the outcasts that neither want. In both Jōten and Jigoku, one's soul is protected and you can only die again under very certain circumstances, but this place runs on the law of the jungle. And well yes you and the Sōru Korekutā, who collect the souls of the departed."
I grin: "Thanks sweety, I believe that I now have a better understanding of how this world works. I'll let you go now and then you can undress okay?"
Her cheeks turn blood red, her wide-eyed look returns as she stammers nonsensical words.
I cover up my sadistic smile with my hand and try to act normally: "What seems to be wrong darling?"
She clears her throat and with the cutest and most innocent voice I've ever heard says: "I am still a virgin." Her eyes darting between me and her neatly kept feet: "I've never even thought of doing that."
My sadistic smile grows too wide to hide: "Don't worry I'll be gentle." I wave my hand and the binds release her: "You have nothing to worry about, this will be pure ecstasy for you."
She looks up at me the back to the ground: "Thank you for your generosity ma'am, but I will do my best to meet your needs. If that means that I am allowed to travel back with you." She lifts her arms and two pairs of wings start to open, her forewings made the top of her dress and her hind wings had made the bottom, underneath she was completely naked: "I hope that this is to your liking, ma'm?" She lowers her arms and tries to show off as much of her body as her shyness allows.
I can't help but curiously stare at her wings: "Actual wings, I was not expecting this." Her sweet innocent smile fades a she embarrassingly tries to hide her face and her wings: "Oh, sweety, there is absolutely no reason to be embarrassed. It's just my first time seeing someone with actual wings. I didn't mean anything bad, I find them to my liking quite a bit more than I thought I would."
Like a primary school girl confessing to her crush her eyes stay pinned on her cute feet: "Are... are... You sure? I uhm... I could... I can't really do anything about them. I'm so... I'm sorry."
I stand up and put everything back into my inventory as I walk towards her: "You are the most adorable thing I've ever seen." I lift her head till our eyes meet: "And you have incredibly gorgeous eyes, so tell me, angel, what are you so embarrassed about?"
She pulls her head away and shamefully buries it: "I am not an angel, not anymore at least. I was stripped of that title a long time ago."
I turn her gaze back to me and weave my fingers into her jet-black hair as we now stand chest to chest: "So you are a bad girl..." I lean forward and kiss her: "I like that."
I kiss her again this time with more passion and intimacy. I slide my other hand down her slender figure and grab onto her firm jet soft ass, pulling her closer to me.
She responds in kind, putting both her hands on my ass, gripping me tightly against her as she giggles: "Your heart is beating so fast, do I really excite you that much?"
I playfully nip her earlobe before whispering: "You have no idea." With soft and passionate kisses I make my way down to her breasts, my hands follow down to her thighs. I look up, she is biting her finger in anticipation, my hands brief past her pussy, my pinky skimming her lips, she lets out a soft moan. I hold both boobs in my hand, softly squeezing them together, as my tongue circles her nipple, I give her nipple a nibble and her legs almost give out from under.
Our eyes meet and she runs her hand through my hair, her eyes begging for more.
I can control the thickness, maybe I can control the density. Daemon Binds.
The black binds weave over each other as they form a makeshift bed behind her. The binds are soft but firm, akin to a bamboo memory foam mattress. I smile and push her onto the binds, she falls backwards without resisting. I crawl on as she settles into a comfortable position. Her midnight blue nail polish sparkling, in what little light enters the cave, just begging to be licked.
Thank you Asuka, can't even have sex now without involving feet.
I place my mouth against her soft toes, expecting resistance but receiving compliance as she gently strokes my lips. I stick out my tongue and she points her foot as my tongue rolls over her toes. She has completely given in to me. I put her toes in my mouth, moving my tongue meticulously over the sensitive areas on her foot and she lets out a slight moan as some saliva runs down her foot. Seeing her reaction, I glide my tongue down over the ball of her foot, as I reach her foot arch she lets out a slight giggle and somewhat pulls away: "That feels... weird, but good weird so please don't stop!"
So adorable!!
She pushes the ball of her foot to my lips and I gladly comply, gliding my tongue from her big toe to her pinky toe, letting my saliva pour out with every tongue stroke and short suck. Her soft subtle moans become more intense as my tongue dances between her toes and over her ball. After thoroughly enjoying her cute little toes I slide down, she lets out a more intense moan as my tongue glides over her arch on its way to her heel.
Passing her heel I start to kiss and nibble her leg as I make my way up. I pass by her pussy just breathing over it to tease her, she raises her hips as to say that she is ready but I continue to kiss her, following her stomach line until I reach her breasts. Her one leg is pinned beneath me and she gladly wraps the other around me as I fondle her boobs. Licking and playfully biting her already sensitive nipples. Her moans now echo off the cave walls.
Her actions speak volumes of her desires as she pulls my hair, nuddging me upwards. I give in and kiss my way to her lip. Drool already painted on her cheeks from her sucking on her fingers in anticipation.
Our lips barely meet and she immediately pushes her tongue into my mouth, I respond by rolling my tongue over hers, guiding her and teaching her as our lips meet and depart. She is a quick study and soon our tongues are dancing to rythm of our heartbeats.
Her body responding to the moment as she start rubbing herself against my thigh, I have barely started and she has already flooded the makeshift bed. I slowly move my hand down, stroking her side with my nails. She grabs hold of me as my hand starts making it way up her thigh. I stop just millimeters shy of her lips and dig my nails into her thigh as I pry her legs wider open.
I grin softly and kiss my way back down to her vagina.
Damn, she might flood the cave at this rate.
I gently bite down on her lips and she lets out a loud moan that echoes off the cave walls a few times. I slide my tongue from her vaginal opening upwards as slowly as I possibly can, her juices cover my tongue and completely overwhelm my tastebud with sweetness. I stroke my tongue up and down a few times before putting her pussy in my mouth, sucking and stroking her lips.
She wraps her legs around my head locking me in place, her fingers woven into my hair pulling me down, her hip grinding at my face matching the rythm of my tongue strokes.
My saliva mixed with her juices run down my throat. The woman showing no sign of letting me go any time soon, her mind and body lost to the pleasure.
I gently put my middle finger into her, forming a hook so that it continously rubs against her clit, her legs tighten and she pushes my head down harder.
After a few minutes her legs spring open and she lets out a heavy loud moan, her toes curling, knuckles white as she grips strands of my hair.
I stop, lick my finger clean and wipe my face: "How did your first orgasm feel?" I crawl upwards and lie next to her, dragging my fingers gently over her stomach.
She takes a few moments to compose herself and catch her breath: "I want more! I never thought that this was what it felt like. No wonder there is a sin based on this!"
She turns to face me and wraps her other wings around me, they are warm and soft, I make myself comfortable and let her rest her head on my arm: "You haven't even told me your name yet and here you are already asking for more?"
She folds her arms to her chest and cuddles closer to me: "The women I was had died over 10, 000 years ago. This soul now belongs to you. You can give it a name."
Her eyes seem heavy and her body tired. I kiss her on her forehead: "Amaya. Does that sound fine to you?"
She smiles softly: "I love it!"
Her entire figure begins to glow a blinding white before shattering like glass and looking like a black void with red spiral patterns running over it. The void feels comfortable and before I realized the exhaustion from my day had set in, pulling me into a deep slumber.