The memory of expulsion seared through Lenny like a branding iron, leaving him scrawled across his mind in charred letters: Rejected, discarded, and cast out.
He plummeted through an abyss void, the wind a deafening scream that filled his ears and hollowed out his chest.
No up, no down, no sense of self; gut-wrenching fall.
The impact stole his breath.
He crashed into a tangle of vines and shadows, the jungle swallowing him whole.
Leaves like knives sliced his skin, and branches grasped at him like skeletal hands.
Pulling him deeper into the green madness, "FUCK IT ALL" Lenny yelled out as he crawled his way out.
He was naked anymore, he was thrown into the Fallen Realm while putting on the clothes he had when he accepted the Call.
He raised his head, glancing at the darkness which overwhelmed him.
The air reeked of wet earth and rot, a morbid perfume that clogged his lungs.
He thrashed, disoriented, until the darkness finally spat him out onto the sodden ground.
He breathed, as he lay there, gasping like a drowned man, his gaze crawled up.
The sky hung above like a diseased canvas, a putrid red moon bulging like a bruise, casting a malignant glow across the twisted trees.
His eyebrows furrowed, "This is the Fallen Realm." He silently whispered, back when House Night still existed, when it reigned supreme.
Lenny often heard stories of the Fallen Realm, a mythical dimension filled with mysteries and gifts.
It brought about the existence of the Fallen Regulators.
The revelation of the Fallen Runes, the curse of the Fallen Realm, and its blessings as well.
He also knew that since he ventured into the Fallen Realm not as an Awakener, he wasn't linked to any Sanctuary l controlled by humanity.
Right now, he was thrown into the unknown.
Unable to pinpoint his location or even navigate through the the Unholy jungle which threatens to devour him.
He exhaled a soft growl, slowly getting up to his feet. The light was a sickly caress, painting everything in shades of crimson and black.
This was an unregistered region of the Fallen Realm, one yet to be conquered by humanity.
Lenny was going to complete his First Apocalypse in this region.
He stood firmly, his eyes watching through the vast dark expanse of the Unholy land. Sounds slurred into the night-insects screeching like violins gone mad.
He knew what they were, corrupted creatures of the Fallen.
Humanity gave them the name, Apocalypse beasts.
Monstrosities that wander the depths of the Fallen Realm, hunting down anything they target as prey.
Unlike the Fallen Regulators who has nine ranks, this monstrosity's strength is divided into seven ranks.
Common, Wanderers, Night Walkers, Nightmares, Titans, Evil Spirits, Demons.
Despite the fact that the Apocalypse beasts of the Common rank were the weakest, they were formidable against Awakeners whose stats had hit the maximum 10.
Those who conquered their First Apocalypse and returned as Fallen Regulators were equal to the Wanderer's ranked Apocalypse beasts.
Even with the Common rank, Apocalypse beasts still vary in terms of strength and levels.
Lenny understood that clearly because he was taught survival tactics, trained for the Fallen Realm.
Not wanting to stay idle, Lenny walked through the darkness of the jungle, after becoming an Awakener.
He could feel some changes in his body, although it wasn't much, but it was still noticeable.
At least, he's now stronger than five mundane humans combined. And faster as well.
His awakening altered his genetics, but he didn't let it go to his head as he moved through the jungle with vigilance.
No one knew what exactly was hidden in the dark expanse.
Whether it was simply a Common rank Apocalypse creature or a Wanderer rank.
It could even be a Night Walker or a Nightmare.
Encountering one of those Apocalypse creatures spelled death for him.
Lenny might be insane, but he wasn't too daring to waste his life challenging such monsters.
*
Thanks to his small stature, it took Lenny a few hours to navigate through the dark jungle, and to his luck, he didn't encounter a single Apocalypse creature.
But that didn't mean this entire jungle wasn't flooded with them.
Many of these Apocalypse creatures were simply solitary, not wanting to reveal themselves unless crossed.
He breathed in deeply, he could hear his stomach rumbling already. Informing him that it was time to eat.
Lenny halted his movement with a yawn, "I spent close to four hours crossing a distance of four kilometers and I doubt I've reached a third of this mysterious Jungle"
He sighed, "There must be a reason why the Fallen System sent me here, why this unexplored region had become the venue for my First Apocalypse"
He paused for a second, his eyebrows furrowed, "What exactly must I learn or find, or what exactly must I kill in this region?" He pondered.
There are nine ranks a Fallen Regulator could climb, for an Awakener to become a Fallen Regulator.
They must conquer their First Apocalypse, becoming a Rank 1 Fallen Regulator.
Once a Fallen Regulator reaches the third rank, they must conquer their Second Apocalypse to become a Rank 4 Fallen Regulator.
To evolve into the Rank 6, A Fallen Regulator must conquer their Third Apocalypse.
The Fourth Apocalypse begins when a Fallen Regulator reaches the peak of Rank 8.
Ushering them into the realm of the strongest rank.
Rank 9!
Lieutenant Colonel Russel was a Rank 3 Fallen Regulator, yet to conquer his Second Apocalypse.
Each Apocalypse was significant to the Fallen Regulator, it could come in the form of a story.
A direct confrontation or the exploration of an ancient ruin in the Fallen Realm.
It wasn't something that could be predicted, and that made it extremely dangerous, as many Fallen Regulators die during the conquest of their Apocalypse.
A new Awakener descending into the Fallen Realm must conquer their First Apocalypse to return to Earth.
And becoming a Rank 1 Fallen Regulator.
Watching the cold seep into his flesh, a broad grin appeared on Lenny's lips, he felt excited.
His smile faltered for a second when his stomach grumbled again, He exhaled softly "It seems I'll have to hunt an Apocalypse beast, I need to eat"
Lenny had made his decision, he was going to hunt his first Apocalypse creature.
Just as the Apocalypse creatures fed on humans, their flesh was also a delicacy to humans.
Lenny dashed forward, making the shadows his home, he ran through the forest.
Tracking down the scent of an Apocalypse creature. It didn't take him long to find one.
He considered himself lucky as it was a Common rank Apocalypse beast.
A raging red bull.
Lenny was seated on a tree branch, observing the Apocalypse creature keenly.
The transparent crimson panel appeared before his eyes once again.
It had many purposes.
One of its purposes registers data seen by the Awakener's eyes and reveals necessary information to the Awakener.
[Level 3 Common rank Fallen creature]
[Bull of Behovena]
Lenny's eyes gleamed, a lopsided grin appeared on his lips, "A Level 3 Common Apocalypse beast?"
He lingered for a second, "I believe the highest level a Common rank Apocalypse beast can reach is the Level 10"
"With just a Level 3, it shouldn't be at the top and yet it couldn't be classified as weak yet"
His eyes glistened in the moonlight, "How should I kill it?" His eyes burned with both hunger and determination.
He sighed in defeat, "I don't even have a class, just a Fallen Rune of the Divine Rank"
"Then, what exactly should I imagine? Can I imagine a Fallen Rune? The Rune of Flames?"
As he wondered, to his surprise, a notification alert resounded in his head.
[Reporting…..]
[You have imagined the Rune of Flames]
[Would you like to register it?]
[Yes] [No]
Lenny's eyes widened in shock, "Is it that simple?" He asked, without hesitation….he clicked the Yes icon.
A cerulean butterfly mark appeared on his right hand.
[You've registered the Rune of Flames]
[Rune Slots: {1/1}]
[You've received a Rune Class: Spark of Flames]
[Rune Mastery: 0%]
[Mastery Info: Once an Imaginary Rune has been mastered. It will permanently be downloaded into the Player's data]
[Your imagination resets every 24hours]
[Countdown starts now…..]