"Well, this is strange. No mortal should be able to reach this level of the Soul Chasm, especially not a human," the smiling figure said.
It extended its hand and caught Shin. When Shin got up, he stood on a large black surface.
What am I standing on, a plateau?
Shin raised his head and was met by two sets of mountain-sized eyes and a large grinning mouth that could swallow an entire sun.
"No mortal, you are standing on my hand," the smiling figure said, its smile growing larger.
Shin's eyes widened. He stood frozen as the towering giant curiously observed him, like a predator sizing up its prey.
Shin remained frozen. His body tensed as a certain type of fear brewed within him.
Through his fear, he managed to finally form a sentence.
"Wh... o... are... yo... you..?" Shin asked in a shaky voice.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The figure broke out in laughter.
"Well, that is to be expected," the figure said, trying to hold back its laughter.
The being then looked at Shin.
"I am the Lord of Darkness. I am the first shadow and the primal fear of all beings. I am the god of the damned and unholy. I am the Lord of Nightmares. I am the god of demons and the end of all existence."
He continued, "But you can call me the Demon God."
Shin stood wide-eyed. He could not believe what he was hearing. Had he really stumbled upon the missing god of demons?
Shin was in disbelief. The Demon God smiled at Shin with an unnerving grin. Shin tried to compose himself as much as he could.
"If you truly are the Demon God, then what are you doing here?" Shin asked, fear still lingering in his voice.
The Demon God paused for a second. Why was he there? He thought for a moment and then remembered.
"I died."
Shin stood in silence. He glanced up at the Shadow God, shock written all over his face.
Shin fell on his back. He then sat up straight and looked at the Demon God again.
Died? Who the hell could manage to kill the Demon God?
"Good question, mortal. I do not remember who killed me. But enough of that. Why are you here in the first place?" the Demon God asked, narrowing his eyes.
"To learn dark magic," Shin answered uneasily.
The Demon God squinted his eyes. He raised his other hand and put a finger onto Shin's head.
Shin's eyes briefly lit up the dark abyss as they glowed bright purple.
"I see. You managed to kill Clamore, and now you seek to replace him," the God spoke, his voice shaking the abyss.
"What did you do to me?" Shin asked uneasily.
"You'll find out eventually. Now be gone."
The God flicked Shin so hard that he flew deeper into the abyss. Then, out of nowhere, Shin was swallowed by flames.
Shin woke up in the meadow, sweating. He looked at his hand. A strange feeling washed over him.
He subconsciously extended his hand forward. To his shock, a shadow extended forward and rose up into a spike just a few feet away.
Shin stared wide-eyed at his hand.
Well, that was... awesome. Can't believe he helped me learn dark magic. I wonder if people know he is stuck in the deepest pit of the Soul Chasm.
Shin got up and let out a deep breath. He smiled as he stared into the sunset.
Let me get back. I'll continue training tomorrow.
Shin then walked back into the village, with a million questions left unanswered in his subconscious.