Civilization

Hearing that voice, I feel my whole body lunge into darkness, the surrounding space darkens and time slows down. Growls and screams muffle away, and the scarlet red vision is replaced with the night sky. Small white dots sparkle around me, but when I try to move my limbs, I find that I couldn't move. My voice wouldn't come out as well, and I couldn't blink.

Where was I? What am I doing here? Why can't I move? What is this place?

Thoughts race through my head, hammering into my brain one after the other. Questions pile on top of each other, but the answers weren't coming. I thought I died, but it was different from death. Yet at the same time, it has this familiar feeling. I couldn't shake it off.

"Look who we have here." - ???

A sweet voice, similar to that of a temptress at a bar, whispers into my right ear. The cold breath sends shivers down my spine and without seeing who or what was next to me, I reply slowly and as calmly as possible.

"Who are you?" - Kingston

"Who am I? You already know… Kingston. Hmm… Maybe you don't appreciate this voice, I thought it would help loosen you up." - ???

"How about this one? Do you recognize me now?" - ???

A creepy, low, deep voice replaces the once sweet angelic tone. It was like hearing nails scraping against the blackboard with each word that escapes its lips. Goosebumps appear all over my skins as I listen to the voice. My teeth chatter as I remember the voice from a couple of days ago, when I had a near-death experience. A shroud of darkness envelops me and a pair of sharp scarlet eyes glare at me.

"Y-Y-YOU! You were the voice after I killed that shadow monster." - Kingston

"Yes. I was that voice, Kingston. How was it then? Victory never tasted so sweet, right? It was so easy to kill that monster. One stab. One stab was all it took." - ???

"Who are you? What are you? I felt like my body was controlled by something else right before I heard your voice. Especially when that mask appeared on my head, the red skull with long jet black horns. Are you a demon? If so, what kind?" - Kingston

"So many questions. So little time. DO you think time has stopped outside this space, Kingston? The answer to that question is no. Time is still flowing at a normal rate outside this space, and to make it more entertaining. You are currently on a rampage outside. Killing the ghosts and fishmen alike, but sooner or later you will be a problem to your own friends.  Do you want that to happen?" - ???

"No. No. No. TAKE ME BACK! LET ME GO BACK TO THEM! I CAN'T HURT THEM! What is it that you want? You obviously want something, and you are taking my friends as hostage, with me being the weapon. " - Kingston

"I always knew you were smart.  Straight to the point as well. Yet, I find myself bewildered by your choices. You don't care for them. These 'friends'. You never once really cared for them. Look…" - ???

The darkness surrounding me flashes, replaced with the rocky environment where I had fought the dinosaur. Vibrating below me, I see the ground caving in with Roche Serpents bursting through and in front of me, I see myself running with Ian on my right. Ian dashes to the right whilst I dash towards the left and I see three Roche Serpents appearing from underground creating a hole which Ian falls through.

"Right here." - ???

The scene rewinds back to the moment Ian diverts to the right and the shroud of darkness wraps around the image of myself. Its eyes hover next to my face and I see myself looking at Ian. Just a small glance, so small that I had forgotten or maybe forced myself to forget.

"You saw him turn, yet said nothing. Not just that, you purposely stepped to the left first. I know because I was inside you. You felt the vibration of the monsters from the right, more than the left, which made you escape to the left. However, you didn't do anything when your 'friend' turned to the right. Not a word. Not even a thought. Instead, you turned your head away, only to look back when you heard a scream.

Why? Was it reassurance that you choose the right path? Maybe because you knew, he was going to fall anyway? Maybe… It is because you never really thought too much about him. Your 'friend' is nothing more than a tool for you to enjoy yourself. Whether it is here or elsewhere. SO! Why continue this charade? Why not just embrace it? ENJOY, the taste of victory. ENJOY, the killing." - ???

"Yo-yo-you are wrong." - Kingston

"WRONG?! No, no, no, no. I am right and you know it." - ???

The world crumbles around me, replacing the scene once again, but this time it was during the moment when I had lost myself in the Endless Rage and fully Demonized. I never say myself in a mirror of sorts, so I could only reference what I looked like from touch and what Ian had told me, but now, I see it.

The shroud of darkness loops around myself, stopping right next to my cheek as it looks in the same direction as me. Even though it has no mouth, I could feel it grinning as I discover about myself while I look upwards at my body in this scene.

A blood-red figure wielding a glowing scarlet spear, on top of a monster corpse, looking down on Luke and Sylvia. Even though I was just looking at myself, I felt the intense murderous aura emanating from my body as it stares at Luke like he was a rabbit in front of a lion.

"You were conscious of your action. Right here." - ???

"No I-" - Kingston

"I know you were. You could have turned back. Released the skill and stopped all actions, but you didn't. You thought nothing of this 'friend' and instead smiled underneath your mask. Do you know what thought was running through your mind?" - ???

"No. Stop it. STOP IT!" - Kingston

Gripping my head, my knees collapse and my eyes shake. Air rapidly enters and leaves my lungs as my head starts to ache. However, no matter how much I cower, those sharp scarlet eyes appear in front of my and the voice enters my ears no matter how much I cover them.

"KILL! YOU WANTED TO KILL THEM! YOU WANTED TO SEE THEIR BLOOD ALL OVER YOUR BODY! THEIR SCREAMS AND THEIR TERRIFIED EXPRESSIONS, YOU WANTED TO SEE AND HEAR THEM! KILL! KILL! KILL!" - ???

"N…O….That's…No…" - Kingston

With my throat drying up faster than a desert, I feel my soul leaving my body as the voice screams inside my head. Was it true? Was that what I was thinking? Was that what I wanted? I couldn't think. There were too many thoughts running through my mind right now, and I was so confused.

"So. Why not accept it?" - ???

"Accept…?" - Kingston

"Yes. Accept it. Accept me." - ???

"You…?" - Kingston

Looking up, the shroud of darkness fades away, revealing a knight covered in scarlet red armor with two jet black horns. Its appearance is similar to my demonized form, except it looked more robust and sharp.

"Yes. Accept me, Belial. Hell's brightest Flame." - Belial

As Belial introduces itself, the world around me slowly turns ablaze. A sea of yellow, orange, and red flames dance, surrounding us in a sphere of fire, yet it doesn't feel hot. It felt warm, in fact.

"I…" - Kingston

"Trust me. Your 'friends', you don't need them. In fact, you already know this. You are just using them for your own benefit. Later on, you will cast them aside, but for now, you need to bide your time. Take as much as you can and don't give any back. This whole experience is like an especially made event for you, to become stronger. I know, trust me. Accept me. Grow with me, and I will lend you my power. " - Belial

"You…I…No…I…" - Kingston

"Accept me. Blast through this situation. These ghosts will wish they never wanted to come back to life. These fishman will be nothing more than meat on a stick. You will lead your 'friends' to victory, only to take more in the end. We will be the ones who will win at the end of the day. Accept me." - Belial

"I…" - Kingston

Stammering around, with my head swaying back and forth. Belial reaches out to me, grabbing onto my shoulders and bringing his helmet close to my face. The slots where his eyes would be flashes bright scarlet, and the world around me disappears, even Belial disappears. Instead, I am in a white room, standing on air.

I hear the sound of a baby crying behind me, making me turn around, slowly. Stepping on the air and seeing a small baby crying in the arms of its mother. A familiar feeling washes over me as the mother turns around, revealing to me that it was no one other than my own mother. Which meant, that the crying baby was myself. Both myself and my mother slowly crumble into dust, replaced with an image of myself as a child, no older than 7 or 8.

Just a kid, squatting on the ground, but within a second drenched in water as a bucket is tipped over my head. Who did it? None other than the bullies at my school when I was younger. Kicked and pushed onto the ground while still wet, I see small crystal tears rolling down my cheeks.

Once again, the scene crumbles away, replaced with a more recent incident. I was an adult, on the ground, on all fours bowing my head to my superior as he sits comfortably on his chair with a stack of papers in his hands. He stands up and slaps my head in the bundle of papers and proceeds to kick and stomp on my body. A lifeless body takes the beating, responding to nothing…

"Accept me. You will never need to experience anything like this. These 'friends' can't help, but I can. I can help you. Accept me." - Belial

"What can you do to help me?" - Kingston

"More than you can ever imagine. There is more to this world than you may think, however, you need more power. I am just the start." - Belial

"What more power do I need?" - Kingston

"There are 71 more of us. Hidden. Find them. Find US! We can help. Accept me and it will be the start." - Belial

"Then…If what you say is true. I will. I…I will accept you." - Kingston