"Ugh, my eyes..." Jonas instinctively shielded his eyes with his other hand, but it wasn't the intensity of the light that compelled him to do so. Rather, his senses were transfixed by the unsettling, yellowish glow emanating from the young man, and he felt an overwhelming urge to look away, as if his very instincts were screaming at him to avert his gaze.
Why would this bastard glow like this all of a sudden?
Not only Jonas, but the mesmerizing glow of the young man seemed to exert an irresistible pull on the collective attention of the onlookers. As if an unseen spotlight had been trained upon him, the young man had become the unwitting centerpiece of the gathering, drawing in the gaze of every single person present with an otherworldly allure.
"You can go now," Jonas finally released his grip and set the young man back on his feet. With a deliberate motion, Jonas turned his back on him, studiously avoiding any further glimpse of that unnerving, yellowish glow. He couldn't quite explain why, but the radiance seemed to be exerting a disquieting pull on his attention, and his instincts were screaming at him to pay it no heed.
"Fuck, don't look at me, everyone!" The young man's voice cracked as he finally succumbed to tears, his body shaking with sobs. His deepest, darkest fear had been realized: being the center of attention, with all eyes upon him.
The weight of their collective gaze was crushing, and he felt like he was suffocating under the scrutiny.
So, now that he was a human beacon, radiating an otherworldly light that seemed to mesmerize all who laid eyes on him, what possible means of escape or concealment could he employ to evade this unending, torturous scrutiny?
In the end, the hapless young man fled in a state of utter distress, his dignity and sense of self seemingly shattered, much like a vulnerable maiden who had been subjected to a profound and intimate violation.
As the commotion subsided, Jonas's expression transformed from one of bewilderment to curiosity, and finally, to a dawning comprehension. The events that had just transpired seemed to be falling into place, and he was beginning to grasp the true purpose and power of the enigmatic stone statue.
But he needed more test subjects to confirm his conjectures. To this end, he encouraged additional individuals to make physical contact with the statue, seeking to verify the consistency of the outcomes.
The experiment yielded a surprising and divergent result. One of the individuals who made contact with the stone statue, someone Jonas knew better than anyone, vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the echo of his voice.
It was his friend, a person who had always craved attention and affirmation, yet ironically, was rendered invisible now. Jonas couldn't help but think of the cruel irony, knowing that his friend had always been afraid of being alone, and now, he was literally invisible, erased from the sight of others.
In stark contrast, the others who had touched the statue underwent a transformation of a different kind. One individual began to radiate intense gusts of wind, as if her body had become a human whirlwind. Another person's body erupted into flames, engulfing his form in a fiery blaze.
And in a bizarre and terrifying display, a woman's body began to spawn a swarm of rats, as if her very flesh had become a conduit for these rodents to emerge from.
The bizarre transformations sent a wave of fear through the crowd, prompting many to flee in terror. As the chaos subsided, only a handful of onlookers remained, transfixed by the unfolding spectacle.
Undeterred by the previous events, another person reached out to touch the stone statue. A young woman, consumed by a deep-seated fear of her father, was suddenly confronted with a terrifying apparition — the doppelgänger of her deceased father.
Overcome with terror, the young woman turned and fled, her feet pounding the ground in a desperate bid for escape. Her father's doppelgänger gave chase, brandishing a slipper and bellowing threats, poised to deliver a resounding slap to her backside.
Others then tried it out too.
But on the tenth attempt, Jonas decided to take the plunge, emboldened by his newfound understanding.
He had finally grasped the stone statue's sinister secret. It had the power to manifest one's deepest fear, and then, paradoxically, allow them to harness it as a unique magical ability.
Ridiculous as it seemed, the reality of the situation was unmistakable.
As for him... Jonas was all too aware of the deepest fear that lurked within him. Steeling himself with a deep, drawn-out breath, he steeled his nerves and reached out to touch the stone tablet.
As the expected ancient book materialized before him, its pages fluttered open. Jonas was astonished to discover that he could suddenly decipher the arcane script. Moreover, he found that he could also comprehend the inscriptions on the stone tablet, which were penned in the same mysterious language.
FEAR.
It was written.
Jonas delved into the ancient text, his brow furrowed in concern as he scanned the page.
[The conquest of fear will now begin...]
[First Trial: Master's Quest]
[Conquer your greatest fear.]
Just as he expected, it was something like manifesting their fear. But he hadn't anticipated a mission behind it. And the mission was to conquer this greatest fear of his. To think that it was a little bit complicated than he initially thought.
Would he be able to complete this trial? A faint glint flickered in Jonas's eyes, betraying a steely resolve. With his mind made up to face his greatest fear head-on, Jonas drew a resolute breath, his heart fortified for the challenge that awaited him.
Since he was afraid of lightning, perhaps he could harness its power once he conquered it. Manifesting and controlling lightning would be an incredible ability, making his triumph over fear a valuable reward.
"Oh? So, there's really a human who can summon a higher being like me using the Fragment of FEAR, huh?"
However, in the next moment, Jonas suddenly heard a cold and sinister voice coming from behind him. His heart skipped a beat, and his face was slick with cold sweat.
Then the sinister voice spoke again, its tone sending shivers down his spine...
''How unpleasant. I feel like wanting to kill you, right here, right now.''
Streaks of unfortunate memories flashed within Jonas's mind. His body trembled violently, and his face turned deathly pale.
Only then did he recall something he'd long forgotten. Something he tried to drown deep in the river of a painful past.
"A... demon...?" Jonas gasped, his breath cold with fear. He had thought he'd long outgrown his childhood terror of such myths. In fact, he'd even beaten up kids who tried to scare him with demon stories, earning him a reputation that left others wary of crossing him.
But what in the world was this now? A demon was right there behind him. He'd never seen one before, but he was eerily certain of it.
A demon must be there to give him torment!
_____________________
Name: Jonas De Guzman
Status: Challenger
Title: None
Ability To Conquer: Demon
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