As we got closer to the lake I saw a faint barrier surrounding the lake, it seemed to materialize more the closer we got like it was rendering in or something.
'Amazing graphics! What's with the render distance on the barrier though' I chuckled.
But as soon as we were near the barrier, maybe 20 steps away. I heard that robotic voice again in my head… monotone with no emotion it simply said the words that sent a chill down my entire body.
"Invitation has been accepted! Welcome to the Obsidian Tower!"
I didn't even have time to register anything as right next to me a portal opened up, a pitch black portal… a darker black than anything I have ever seen. Like a black hole it sucked up all light, but only light… nothing around me stirred for a moment and then… I felt my body getting dragged towards it.
I heard that woman… no my mothers voice.
"###, what's happening! A void rift? How? ###,###cien…"
I got sucked into the portal as the woman next me tried everything to stop it. It was maybe a few seconds from when the portal materialized to when I got sucked in but in that time she had released all her aura. The ground benith us shattered until it was literally pulverized away, she was floating… probably from her magic and I was floating…
Because I was being sucked into a fucking creepy ass black hole portal that was next to me. Then a hand grabbed me, she was next to me in an instant even though originally she kept a distance of about 10m, I felt my arm being torn off where she grabbed me then her aura surrounded my arm. The blue and gray aura wrapped around my entire arm then my shoulder then I saw a bubble around us both cutting off the portal, but as if it all meant nothing. My arm where she had a tight hold started phasing through hers, my legs phasing through her bubble into the portal.
And as if it was inevitable I got sucked into the portal of pitch black. I saw it again for a moment… pure darkness but this time I heard something. Her words… my mothers last words towards me.
She screamed so loud and so raw it felt like it was tearing away at her throat, a scream filled with anguish and tears "Nooooooo"
And then the words that followed were so hollow as if she couldn't bring her lips to utter that word, no that name. As if she had no right to say it even if she was helpless in the situation… the word barely left her mouth and it was the last thing I heard …. "Lucien…"
Ahhh so that's my name… you have an amazing naming sense mother… hehe.
"So am I dead again?"
No I'm not dead yet… I heard my voice, it's dark… very dark. Basically pitch black again like that other place but here I can hear my voice. It's windy…
"Wait am I falling? Fuck fuck fuck!"
I twist my body… wait I can twist my body- I can feel all my limbs… I can feel and I have control. But as I look down I see a faint light, turning my head I see darkness…
Shit I'm falling right now and have been for like 5 seconds… I'm so dead.
Fuck this is so unfair… I fought with all I had and even won. I didn't accept that invitation because I knew some bullshit like this would happen… after all it's either enter an unknown place with a scary name like the Obsidian tower or go back with my mother to take a bath…
What kind of fool would choose to accept that invitation?
"Why the fuck is this happening?"
As I said that the bottom came into view… a white floor. Shit I'm dead in the next second.
'…I didn't even see what I look like again…'
But then like there was no gravity I slowed down as I reached the bottom, my body which was accelerating at I don't even know what speed as I was in a free fall slowly slowed down till I just stopped.. about a meter off the ground and then
Thud.
Like the anti gravity turned off I fell from a meter high and landed on my face as I was starting at the ground.
"Ouch that fucking hurt…a softer landing could be nice. Well I can't complain seeing how the other option was death…"
I had actually accepted death again like there was nothing I could do… well was there? But still the thought that I gave up again rubbed me the wrong way. It was like the feeling of giving in to death should be something foreign to me… it should be something that never happens.
I quickly gathered my thoughts and saw my sword was still on my hip… well it was the suit that kept it attached. I'm glad I have this suit it somehow feels like armor, well it is because I have no injuries on me even though I was grazed by the claw of the wolves before but there are no scratches in the suit and no pain in my body.
Anyways I look around, white floor that illuminated the whole room which was pretty big. Almost as big as a football stadium… I had been to a couple games. 'I miss that world.' Sigh.
"This is definitely an arena or something"
White floors that illuminate the large empty room, obsidian black walls that extend up endlessly. And the ceiling is obviously impossible to see, after all I was falling for about a couple minutes!
Then I look behind me and I see… a knight! Yes a fucking knight in all all black armor, but the scariest thing is he is carrying a great sword.
"A fucking great sword wielding black knight… Hell no! I am not going anywhere near that."
That's literally death right there, a 2 meter tall knight with a great sword that's 1.5 meters… literally taller than me. And it's all black armor, but a different one than the sand earlier as this one is literally like obsidian armor.
Step
I take one step back while looking at the knight, the step was taken by instinct like I knew I should get away from him.
As I took the step back, something inside my chest hurt and it screamed that I took a step in the wrong the direction.
Why did I feel like that, I felt like that step betrayed my entire existence.
As if to confirm that theory… as I took a step back, no the moment I did and felt the pain in my chest the knight lunged from over 30m away.
Step
The knight took one step, or it should have been because I heard only one step… and my senses have never betrayed me before.
But in that one step the knight was in front of me, eyes gleaming crimson with everything else being shrouded in the obsidian black armor. The knight stared into my soul and the next second I was flung upwards.
'Did that bastrard throw me u-'
Swooshhhh
Slam
Slam
The knight had taken one step and lunged toward Lucien as soon as he heard the step the boy took, this knight simply knew how to fight as if it was its only purpose. On auto pilot as soon as the knight was in front of the boy, which only took a moment… less than a second. He grabbed the boy and flung him up almost as high as 20 or 30 meters and in that moment the knight jumped up. The next second he was next to the boy floating in the air and the knight simply swung his great sword down with one hand.
The great sword covered in black like it's made out something ethereal, the sword that stands as tall as 1.5m and probably weight 50kg… knowing this crazy world it could weight a ton.
The scary great sword that looks like it has a will of its own, and would not submit under anyone even if stronger. That scary great sword was swung down with one hand by the knight at the peak of his jump next to the flailing body of the boy in midair.
The boys body was cut in half across his torso by the swing and then the two halves of his body feel on the pristine white floor.
The knight started walking back to his original spot, like this was nothing. It was like his auto pilot combat system just said this was the most efficient way.
The boy… no Lucien saw the back of the knight, him dragging the greatsword scraping on the ground behind him before it came to him…
An invitation by death.