Versatile: Alternate World



The dead man's soul has been formed and the procedure of talking to the soul is starting. As for me, I now realize what this "corroding" means when the [Seance] skill is used.

It is indeed putting my mind under stress and I am slowly seeing some hallucinations. Thankfully, I am plenty aware that this is happening in my mind and I can control the rate of the corrosion but this is indeed getting troublesome. Not only do I need to keep myself silent to be able to listen to the conversation but I also needed to focus on reality to ensure I don't go crazy. It's even more painful than running out of mana and getting a severe headache.

It's hard to focus and join in the conversation as I am trying to maintain my mind and remain sane but I just grit my teeth as everyone gathers information from the dead.

Lucia and Queen Tanya are now witnessing the soul of Sandro coming out of the skeleton. Lucia was shocked as she didn't expect it would be someone she knows.

"Lucia, you know who this guy is?" Queen Tanya asked.

"Yes. He is one of my childhood friends during the Primordial Times. He is also one of my suitors back then before the war happened."

"Eh? What do you mean Primordial Times, Lucia? I am quite sure that only a few years have passed since we locked up ourselves," Sandro is also confused.

"Honestly, that's what I thought in the beginning as well after I woke up only to realize a lot of years have passed by since the war happened. Now, the world is no longer at war and the two goddesses disappeared. The demons are now labeled as enemies  and the world has changed so much."

Sandro started clutching his head, still can't believe what he just heard from his childhood friend. But it's totally natural for him to be confused about what happened as everything does sound surreal and for him, everything was just like yesterday.

"Anyways, we have to ask a question for you. How did you die? And why did you die?" Queen Tanya can only ask him the questions that have been bugging them for quite a while.

Sandro shook his head as he stare at the skeleton beneath him.

"I see, so I succumbed to death huh? Damn, I feel so pathetic. And here I thought I could protect myself and survive until the very end."

"Can you explain what happened? And what is the deal with these tombs anyways? Why no one explained things to me back then and my parents just shoved me there?!"

"You see, Lucia, things were pretty chaotic during the war, and during that time, your parents decided to use the final attempts to survive the wars as it was getting chaotic especially when the goddess of life hurled all of the monsters she created to the forest we are living in and decimated every single life that we know. Due to that, the shamans decided to summon up the obelisk tombs. This is how the tombs came out. Then, we started modifying them to suit our needs before we go in and spend our time there until the end of the war."

"Is that the reason why there are lots of machines here?" Lucia asked pointing to the machines.

"Yeah. Remember that my father builds things like this? He built the machines here as well so that once I am inside, I don't need to go out for a very long time. You can say all tombs have different designs as well."

"That may be the main reason huh? My tomb when I woke up is a normal and small area where a coffin that can put me inside is the only thing there. My parents pushed me inside there, sealed me and I fell asleep. And as a result, I woke up and survived the whole war."

"Hahaha, oh man. If only my tomb was also designed like that, perhaps I might have also survived but my tomb was different. It acted like a small shelter for me with multiple floors to contain the machine. And since I am the only one inside, I didn't have anything better to do and started writing in my diaries so that I don't get insane thinking by myself."

"Wait, wait, that contradicts things we found here. There are clear signs that there are multiple people here who lived here in this place. And you said that you live in this place alone until you died?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be the case, I never have anyone else to accompany me as every tomb was meant to put one person at a time."

"Then..."

"Whoever that was, then they might have entered here and rested here. But I am not the one who let them in. It might be I was already dead when they came in but otherwise, I am alone until the time I died."

"Oh yeah, how did you die?"

"Succumbed from my wounds."

"Wounds?" Lucia frowned.

"I thought you killed yourself when you were overwhelmed," Queen Tanya added.

"No, no. Even when I was overwhelmed, it would be too stupid of me to kill myself because I lost hope in myself during the time the enemies came in. I died fighting against them."

"What are these enemies you are saying? Are they mechanoids who are also constructs?"

"Ah them? No. They were part of the machines my dad created and put them with me in this tomb to act as the guard of this place. Back then, they were the guards who hold off the enemies who tried to overwhelm this place, though they still couldn't stop them as they overwhelmed me and attacked me here on the final floor. I tried fighting but in the end, it seems that was pointless as I died in the end."

"Can you tell me what these enemies you are talking about?" Lucia pried a little bit more.

"I don't know what they are, but they are humanoid shadows. They have unstable forms but they have a humanoid shape. They have bodies that can turn into weapons and form them in any form they like. I have killed a few of them using a knife but they were pretty sturdy and I don't think I like fighting against them. One thing is for sure though that they felt like they don't have flesh in their bodies when I attacked them with the knife. I can still damage them with the weapon but it seems they don't bleed like us.

"Oh, one last thing. These machines here in this tomb, we are planning to destroy them."

"Huh? Why? Why are you destroying them? Shouldn't they be recovered and be used for a greater cause?" Sandro frowned.

"They might be a great tool for helping us for a greater cause but this will be one of the main causes of civil wars and invasion. Instead of letting this exist, destroying it will prevent all of that stuff from happening."

"The world has been like that now? Damn, this world is becoming complicated huh? But if this world will be more peaceful without them, then perhaps you should. It's not like I have a great attachment to them and if you guys don't need it, then making it rest forever is the only good choice here. I gave my permission for its destruction then."

As he said that, his body flickered and the entirety of his soul starts to get more transparent that he looks like he is a cloud of smoke now.

"Ah, looks like my time is up...It's good that you are still alive, Lucia. And since you are still alive, I guess it's your job to find the remainder of our people."

"Where are they now?"

"I don't know. Almost everyone went to their own obelisk. Whatever happened to those obelisks, no one knows. However, since you found mine, perhaps they are out there somewhere as well? The only thing I know is that they are scattered all over the world. Wherever they are, perhaps they might still be alive and are in the same state as them. Perhaps you should look for them."

He slowly faded into the air.

"Live well Lucia. Remember that the Goddess of Life might be gone now but she will be back again. After all, she is the incarnation of life. Whatever happens, don't let her do what she wanted to do. The balance needs to remain or this world will be destroyed."

Those were his last words before he disappeared. I am just listening as everything happened but when I no longer can't keep the skill up anymore, he faded slowly. As for me, I grip my head in pain. All of the hallucinations that I have been suppressing in my mind have decided to rampage now. The pain is unbearable I felt that I am going to go crazy as I am seeing all of the hallucinations before me. They are beckoning me, calling me.

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"