He placed his back against the dungeon wall, grasping for breath as he watched the behemoth of a monster approach him. It was clear that his death was an inevitable fate; he wasnt going to run from it or even lie to himself.
"Come on!"
Sylus staggered, holding his shovel in one hand, his legs trembling with fear when he saw the sheer size of the beast he was standing up to.
"I will bury you alive!"
He roared, looking up to see his coworkers trying to force their way out of the dungeon. He was the last one; he was trying to distract the monster so they would get out.
The beast let out a shriek before using its tail to swat Sylus out of the way. It was a brutal hit, sending him flying to a rocky stump in the center of the dungeon.
Landing on the stump had cut him on the back, and he slowly started bleeding allover it as he turned to see the monster slowly walking to him. His eyes closed, turning his attention to where his coworkers once stood. A faint smile could be seen on his face.
"Yes, they managed to get out."
'Such a brave mortal spirit.'
A voice rang in his head, looking around Sylus couldn't see anyone. But he could hear it, it was a coarse, eerie voice from nowhere. It felt like something coming from the underworld.
"Yeah, I think I am dying. I am now hearing voices in my head." He laughed, believing his mind was now falling into delirium.
Sylus suddenly noticed something; it was almost like time had paused for a moment, and he was alone in the dungeon. He turned to see the monster immobile, only five feet away from him.
He turned to see his body still on the stomp, it was then he understood that there was something wrong.
"What in the world is going on here?"
He asked in a panicked voice, still trying to convince himself that he wasnt alive anymore.
"You're dead."
Sylus froze, swallowing his fear; he felt a presence standing behind him. What was scarier was that it was the voice he heard earlier. He slowly turned to see a man dressed in a long dark cloak, the cloak revealed only a sharp set of teeth that rivaled that of a shark.
"Who are you?"
The being stared at Sylus with a smile on his face, turning to look at the wall.
"Who am I? Who am I?" it cackled, holding its stomach, looking at the man in front of it. "I have been called many things: The Undoing, Lord of Ruins, Disrupter of Order, Divine Rebel, and many more."
It leaned forward, startling Sylus as he was almost in its face. "But you can call me, Sol."
Sylus was still shocked that he was looking at someone, but he couldn't understand how he could be seeing his own body when he was talking to a monster who was supposedly the Grim Reaper.
"I know you must be wondering why this monster is talking to me and why I am seeing myself there." The cloaked creature twirled like a dancer, moving behind Sylus.
"Let's say, I felt your indomitable spirit, and you bleeding on my tombstone awoken me. So I am here to help, only if you let me."
Sylus took a step back. He was looking at the monster in front of him, and he thought to himself how he could help.
"Ah, my child, you must be thinking now. How will this being in front of me help me? I seem to be done for; there is no way for him to be able to help me." He kept the smile on his face as he leaned forward, looking at Sylus.
"I will make you my heir, my child, my saint."
Sylus took another jump back, looking at the cloaked man. He knew it wasnt going to come easily if he was dealing with something like this.
"Why would you want to make me your whatever it is you want?" Sylus asked, he was looking at the cloaked man, trying to process. "I am weak, I can hardly do anything right, but then you pick me?"
"Who said you're weak?" The cloaked being's voice changed. Looking at Sylus, it was almost like he had provoked him in a way.
"I wouldn't have come here if you were anything like you mentioned, but I can see that even after eons in that worthless grave of mine, humans are still the same!"
Sylus was looking at the man; a mixture of fear and worry enveloped him. On one hand, he wasnt sure if he was going to be able to make it out of the dungeon half alive, and on the other, he was scared that the cloaked man would eat him.
"Sylus, you're stronger than you imagine. If not, I would never be awoken to help you or even choose you. But I would love you to know this,"
"How do you know my name?" Sylus asked, looking at the being, trying to put his head in order as the man walked to him. Trying to run away, he couldn't move. Suddenly, the man placed his hands on his cheeks with a smile on his face.
"I am about to pass on my powers to you. You won't remember this encounter, but when you awaken in your mortal body, you will be filled with strength and powers that no normal mortal would have. You will have to train to get stronger and gain more control, for the battles in front are fiercer. They will come for you, they will try to kill you, but I will be within you, guiding you every step of the way. You will have to find my weapons before you will be able to speak to me again. The seventeen elements will stand no chance against you, my heir. Now, arise and conquer!"
The being shoved Sylus away, and suddenly he fell back into his body with the push.
Gasping for air, he looked around to see that the monster was about to eat him. Almost out of instinct, Sylus let out a roar, a blast of light erupted from his body covering the dungeon, disintegrating the monster to nothing but ashes.
Sylus stood faintly, his head hazy as he tried to keep his head up before he fell back to the floor. With no memory of anything that had happened, his mind was clear and empty.
"I saw a bright light, there's something over here!"
A voice came from the other side of the cave. Three men ran in, two were dressed in armor, and the other man was dressed in a suit. They were looking around the dungeon, and the very moment they walked in, they felt it.
"This dungeon, it had properties of an S-ranked dungeon, and from what I am seeing here, the monster has been pulverised."
The man in a suit said in a low tone, his eyes darting around as he tried to see if he would be able to spot anything else.
"Sir, I think you need to come see this!" One of the armored men yelled from the other end of the cave, and the other two turned and walked over to him.
"How is this possible?" the man in a suit asked. He leaned over to examine Sylus's unconscious body.
"So the cleaners weren't joking when they said their friend was still inside the dungeon, but they said that he was as good as dead." The other armored man spoke up, looking at his two partners, trying to see if any of the things happening in front of him made any sense.
"Well, he's not dead," the suited man spoke slowly, standing up to look around properly. "But they weren't wrong about this dungeon. Something happened here. And I think our friend here, taking a powernap, is the only person who is going to be able to tell us what we want to know."
The three stood there, staring at Sylus, trying to grasp what could have happened there.