At the entrance of the village, a small dark crimson tennis ball sized ball appeared out of thin air. It expanded the following seconds and took a human shape. It was then that it dissipated and what it was cloaking was revealed. It was no other person but Ethan himself. The moment the shadow cloak dissipated, Ethan fell to the ground since he was still in unconscious.
Not long after, Ethan slowly opened his eyes. Immediately he came back to consciousness, a numb feeling assaulted him, all over his body. Pain gripped his muscles. His clothes, soaked wet from the river of sweat earlier in Mount Etna.
"Aaargghh...where...where am I?" Ethan asked with a confused look on his face, looking left and right, in all direction
"I'm at the village's entrance...How did I fine myself here, what...what happened" Ethan was not only confused but he was also feeling pain from his whole body and his broken ribs throbbed violently.
"Aaargghh...my head is aching like hell" His head pounded like war drum. Ethan recalled all that has happened to him when he was in Mount Etna. He recalled when he was in the room with the beast, the Formation seal, when he removed the power source of the Formation Seal and all that followed. The flashbacks from Mount Etna were coming one after the other.
"Where is that vile snake? It said it could help me out in saving Licia but instead inflicted me pain. What a scum, I never would have listened to that old fool. Now I've lose three whole days and am sure Licia state is more terrible than it was"
Saying so, Ethan stood to his feet, careless of the numbness all over his body and his broken ribs, he started running to the village as fast as he could.
"Now that I failed her, I have to find another solution to save Licia. She is my only family and my role is to protect her"
Ethan still running as he could, mustered all his strength to continued moving, though he was slow, he didn't flinch from the pain he was feeling. He kept his head up as a soldier dedicated and determined to fight for his country and his country right now was Licia, her life was nothing but his top priority. Though he fell countless times, he forced himself, l standing to his feet to meet Licia, Ethan finally reached where he was heading to.
"Kiddo...brother is there, brother is there for you kiddo" Ethan said walking to her. He stumbled and knelt close to her, touching her forehead
"What!!!???...you are burning up kiddo. Don't worry, I will help you kiddo" Ethan said.
"Bro...brother...are you here? Where...where have you...where have you been...brother?" Licia tried hard to mumble out those words to Ethan earing. Weakness could be felt from her voice. He started panicking, his heart beat rose. He took the bucket to the side and went to the forest to fetch some cold water. Not long, Ethan came back to her, dipped the rag into the bucket and put in on her forehead. He knew this wouldn't help at all but he was desperate, he had nothing to help her right now.
Licia's temperature was rising and rising every second. Though Ethan was feeling it, he didn't give up and kept teped sponging her.
"Bro...borther...there is nothing you can do for me anymore. I...I...know you tried your best to save me...but...but we both know...my fate" Licia said, her words stroke Ethan directly to the heart.
"No...no...never, don't say that Kiddo. You will live, I will take you out of here, I will take to see ponies and unicorn I will protect you. Don't give up Licia, fight, fight like I've always fought for both of us. You are my only family, I promised mom to always protect you"
Ethan said, sorrowful, tears forming in his eyes. Looking his sister who was smiling though she was feeling pain all over her body. He tried hard to hold his tears, but one can't lie his emotions. The tears already overwhelming his eyes fell from his eyes.
"Don't cry brother...you have...you have always...been protecting me...and mom will...will be very proud of you. I am not...a fighter... like you brother...and I...and I know my time has come. I am sorry...so so sorry...but this is...where our path separates." Licia muttered with a voice full of pain and sorrow.
Ethan took Licia in his arm, weeping rivers of tears. Licia forcefully stretched her right hand and caressed his cheek, wiping his tears
"All...all shall be well...bro...brother, take good...care of yourself and remember...i will always...be...with...you" Licia said with a smile on her face but pain and sorrow could clearly be felt in her words
"No...no...no Kiddo...don't die, not you too, don't go like mom and dad, I need you, I will protect you. Don't leave me lonely, don't do this..."
Before Ethan could finish his statement, Licia's hand slowly fell from his cheeks to the ground. Ethan's eyes widened instantly, his heart beat raced, badum, badum, badum, badum.
"No...no...no...no...kiddo, hey wake up, open your eyes" Ethan said, panicking, using his fingers to open her eyes but it had already dilated and it's color was dimming every second.
He once very hot body was now cold. He held her hand and caressed her cheeks. The cold of her lifeless hand and body lingered in his fingers. The world around him blurred, consumed by an inferno of grief, rage, anger, darkness, solitude and emptiness.
Then—
"Nooooo....noooo....nooooooooooooooo....Aaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh...Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh...Aaaarrrrggggghhhh...Aaaarrrrrggggghhh" Ethan screamed at the depth of his lung, at the depth of his breath, his scream was full of rage, anger, darkness, grief, emptiness, pain, all those was felt in his scream.
As if the weather and the world was feeling his pain, the sky darkened, wind started blowing violently, lightning sizzling all over the sky and thunder grumbling. Windstorms formed, cyclones unchained all over the place. Raising panicked all over the village
"What is happening...is it the end of the world? Are the god angry with us" Some villagers said trembling with fear
Ethan who was still shouting, veins bulged on his forehead, clenching his fists so much that they were bleeding. His eyes turned dark crimson red, and was weeping blood instead of tears
"I will kill you...I will kill you...I will kill yooooooouuuuuuu. You heartless King, I will end your life...I ETHAN, TAKE THIS VOWE, I WILL KILL YOU, I WILL TAKE MY REVENGE EVEN AT THE COST OF MY LIFE"
Rage, anger and pain could be felt in his words. Saying so, his sister still in his arms, Ethan took the vowe and with how resilient and determined he was it was certain that he won't let go off his revenge till he fulfilled it. It was after he said this that a cold mechanical voice said out of nowhere
[Only through pain is power forged. Only through vengeance is divinity earned]
Then.....
[SYSTEM INITIATION/ACTIVATION DETECTED...]
[CONDITION MET: REVENGEFUL RAGE – DEEP WRATH – EMOTIONAL TRAUMA – LEVIATHAN CORE STABILIZED]
[HOST HAS UNLOCKED: ABYSSAL SYSTEM]
[SUBCLASS OBTAINED: REVENGEFUL RAGE]
[RACE MUTATION IN PROGRESS... HUMAN → LEVIATHAN HYBRID]
[RACE MUTATION SUCCESSFUL... HUMAN → LEVIATHAN HYBRID]
[Warning!!!: LEVIATHAN ENTITY DETECTED... TYTHON SEALED IN HOST'S SOUL CORE]
[HOST STATE CRITICAL – INITIALIZING AUTO-RESTORATION PROTOCOL...]
A cold, foreign energy surged through Ethan, yet it felt... familiar. As if a void he never knew existed had just been filled.
[AUTO-RESTORATION PROTOCOL TERMINATED SUCCESSFULLY]
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind, threaded with primal energy. Then came the last message...
[WELCOME TO THE ABYSS.]