A sphere of white light had appeared in the distant darkness. This light resembled a lone star in the night skies. Suddenly, the abyssal darkness surrounding Belmont didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
He could see the core of the abyss. All he had to do was get closer to it and find out where he was.
Belmont tried using both his hands and legs to propel himself forward as though he was swimming inorder to hasten the trip. The currents pulling his soul experienced no resistance, therefore his pace increased three folds, and Belmont found himself proceeding further at an immense speed.
He moved almost like a blur.
However, even while traveling at such an incredible speed, the distance between himself and the light sphere didn't dwindle. The light felt so close, yet insurmountable.
This only meant that the light was not as close as he had assumed it to be. And that he hadn't gotten to the centre of the abyss yet. He was still in the outer layers of the abyss.
Belmont tried to figure out a way to get to the core of the abyss faster. He rummaged through his memories but their was nothing to help himself with. His powers remained dormant ever since he found himself inside this place. The good news was that he was beginning to get accustomed to the darkness surrounding him, and there seemed to be nothing around him that could pose as a threat to his soul. The bad news was that there was nothing but darkness around him. There seemed to be no possible escape from this hellish place.
His only hope was the sphere of white light at the core of the abyssal darkness. But even that hope seemed unreachable.
Belmont pondered and pondered, 'If only I had my powers with me.' But he didn't. Dispair clenched his soul. He stopped propelling himself using the swimming movements he had invented, it was hopeless, once again his soul drifted carried gradually by the currents.
Belmont shut his eyes and started meditating. He wanted to see if he could draw powers from his past self. The first attempt of the meditation was a success. Belmont's consciousness dived into his Sea of Soul. He suddenly found himself in a vast expanse, the floor beneath his feet was a still black river. There were dark gray stars revolving around his Soul Sea. Belmont walked on water, approaching the dark gray stars. He reached out for the first one but it wasn't what he was searching for. He examined five other dark gray stars before he finally found the one he was looking for.
Teleportation!
That was the Skill he was searching for. It was a spatial ability that cut through distance in an instant. Pouring what was left of his Mana into the dark gray sphere, Belmont's soul in the abyss faded and reappeared further away. He kept using teleportation until the last spark of Mana exhausted. He let go of the dark sphere and it floated back to its initial position.
What Belmont did was use the imprint his powers left on his Soul before they suddenly disappeared. His consciousness returned and Belmont quickly opened his eyes to examine his surroundings.
Immediately his eyes opened, he was greeted by the blinding radiance of the core's Sphere of Light.
His vision gradually adjusted and he realized that he had gotten closer to the sphere than he had initially expected.
From this distance, Belmont was able to discern what the enormous sphere of light was by watching the swirling vortex energy that comprised of the light. It was a gateway.
'A Gate? But where does it lead to? Hmm, since I am dead, does that mean that this is the doorway to the afterlife or perhaps a gateway to rebirth? That means that this eternal void is the nothingness located outside existence? Now I am curious about that spell. What happened to the others? Where they sent to the void just like me? Was I sent to the void because I was the caster of the spell? Does that mean that instead of dooming them, I set them free? No need to panic, it's not confirmed yet. The only way to find out is to go through the Gate.'
Having exhausted what was left of his reserves of mana, Belmont felt exhausted and completely drained. Even though he was nothing but a "wandering soul", he still experienced the strain of any living being would have felt. He felt so fragile and so weak, like he could crumble anytime soon.
Without a doubt, Belmont despised this soul form. He allowed his body to slowly drift forward, while he tried meditating to relax his mind and regain his energy.
After what seemed like hours, Belmont was back to full energy—exactly how he was when he first entered the abyss.
He took his "swimming" stance, and gradually paddled. He felt his "body" being propelled forward at an incredible speed. Belmont was drawing closer and closer towards the Gate, excitement and curiosity clenched his soul.
However…
His happiness was short-lived. His actions had caused a disturbance in the darkness surrounding him. Something stirred within the abyssal darkness. If he wasn't looking—and the fact that his eyes had sharpened to the darkness—he wouldn't have noticed the anomaly. But before Belmont could react, it was already too late.
'Argh!!!'
The strange thing lashed at his soul from the abyssal darkness. Belmont was once again drowned in an immense pain. He cried out in agony. This pains felt unfamiliar, it was nothing like he had ever felt before. The burning pains were so unbearable, he felt like clawing at his face with his nails. The pain was driving him insane.
Web-like cracks appeared on the place he was hit. His fragile soul was finally showing signs of crumbling. Belmont gritted his teeth, and tried to snap out of the dizziness that came from the attack. His only option was to come up with a plan but his mind was sluggish.
'What… should… I do… I am gonna… dieee… There is no hope… for me…' Belmont thoughts were sluggish. The first thing he could think of was to dispair. But that was enough to snap out of his daze.
'Think, think. Think, you piece of shit. You're gonna die completely if you sit around and do absolutely nothing. You're not some weak fool that any bastard could trample upon as they see fit. Stop being a weakling and think of a way out of this hellish place.'
The tendril of abyssal darkness shot towards him again. However, Belmont was quick to dodge the blow by a hair's breath. More dark tentacles shot forward, he wasn't able to dodge all of them but with his experience he was able to reduce the impact of each strike. His soul received several damages and was gradually crumbling. The tentacle monster didn't look like it was going to stop attacking any time soon. He needed to think of a plan.
Suddenly an idea appeared in his mind. He had neglected something crucial. He still had the soul imprints left behind by his powers.
Belmont split his consciousness, one took over his "body", while the other dived into his soul sea and immediately came in contact with the dark gray blob of lights. He rummaged through them and finally found the ability he was looking for. Pouring his dwindling mana into it, he activated the Skill.
A bolt of dark lightning shot out from Belmont's hands and pulverized countless dark tendrils. He repeated fired dark lightning towards the monster of the void.
The Soul Eater was blown into smithereens.
Belmont stopped firing. There was a pleasant grin worn on his face. He was clearly excited.
'It's dead. Heh, I didn't die after all. Who's laughing now, you piece of shit.' Belmont thought.
Unfortunately, the fragments of the monster of abyssal darkness was being attracted to one another. They began to attach themselves forming parts of the Soul Eater.
Belmont grimaced,'Crap.'
He averted his gaze between the regenerating monster and the Gate that was very closer to him now. Belmont shot towards the Gate at an immense speed.
'Damnation!' Belmont screamed his "soul lungs" out as he propelled himself towards the enormous Gate. 'No way am I fighting that hideous looking thing. Between fight or flight, I pick flight. I know of a certain knight would have chosen to stay back and fight for the sake of upholding the knight's honor. But I am not crazy, I am a perfectly sane demon after all…'
The regeneration process was complete, and several dark tendrils shot towards his direction. His stomach clenched momentarily. The tendrils covered the distance at a much quicker pace, catching up to Belmont in no time.
However…
Belmont's figure disappeared into the Gate before the dark tentacles could rip him apart. They immediately retreated. The swirling vortex of white radiance was obviously their bane.
The lights momentarily blinded Belmont. As he gradually opened his opens he could hear faint whispers all around him. He had been reborn as a baby.
"It's a boy, and he looks just like you, honey." A pleasant weak voice belonging a feminine said as the nurse handed her the baby. The language she spoke in was unfamiliar to him.
"You think so?" The male said ignorantly.
"Yes. His your son after all. What should we name him?"
Belmont just watched them curiously. If it was true that he had just jumped into the gate of rebirth, that meant that he had been reborn as a human infant, because his "parents" looked like humans.
The was the worst case scenario. Belmont despised humans.
"Carl. Let's call him Carl."
Oblivious to Belmont, his destiny had been decided by these parents of his.