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Lord of ashes, bringer of hell

Cookie_ohno
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Chapter 1 - Pilot Chapter

Pilot Chapter

The crows croaked and screamed, startling the poor young boy awake. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the infected air, his diaphragm worked hard to vacuum air into his lungs. 

Sitting somewhat straight up, he carelessly flicked his eyes around his environment, glancing at every possible angle his eyesight allowed.

'Another day in the slums, how many years does that make it?'

The poor boy would live another day, it seemed, much to the boy's dismay. The frail body of the boy groaned, bones shrieking as he tensed his muscles, if there were any to begin with. Standing straight up, he moved the rags of his shirt aside, and he stared at his shrunken stomach, the shriveled skin making his ribs visible. After a long sleep, he was still tired. 

'This is bad, no… I don't think I could last any further than mere days.'

He laughed cynically to himself, he bet he could maybe even count his hours using his ten fingers and 10 toes. If he didn't fall asleep before counting to 5.

He let go of his shirt before moving his hand to see the massive scar on his left arm and shoulder and also his chest. The outcome of a terrible accident from when he was a child, slaving away in a heavy industrial factory. 

'Ash, huh… What a funny nickname…'

The young boy, Ash, was not a boy at all; he was a young adult somewhere around 18 to 19 years old. He had lost count since he hadn't remembered his birthday, nor his parents. 

Gritting his teeth and yanking open his stash, he took with him the small amount of coin he had saved up stuffing them into his small ragged bag. Clenching his fist, he slowly made his way towards the only direction he could think of. 

The large toxic pollution machines of factories and the ashes of the old war had brought a great smog that loomed over the low economic zone that Ash lived in. But he wouldn't know that, he didn't even get a formal education, nor a chance at one.

Having left the slums, or what he overhears as the low economic zone, his first thought was that of getting something to eat or drink.

Staring at the tall, stable buildings was like night and day for Ash. He had walked for an hour or two, not seeing a single factory in sight, the smog as well had settled, but could still be seen on the horizon. 

'Aesthetic my ass… Unfair… Unjust…Bullshitting mist'

The air, compared to what he had grown up with, was way nicer on the lungs, way less suffocating and more nurturing. 

Garnering the attention of many onlookers, most of it being pity and sorrow, they quickly scurried away. Parents moving to block their children's sight using their hands.

"Tsk…" 

Ash spat on the ground next to him and kept walking. 

'…Assholes…'

Ash took a bit too many steps, lost in thought, thinking deeply about the world he knew. Or more, all that he knew. 

That the war before ended in tragedy, bringing untold destruction onto the planet itself, ending many lives but even more of plants and animals. 

The world took its time healing, with the past of war still found all over the globe. However, that was yet to be the problems humanity would face. A terrifying virus had seeped into humanity, turning most if not all people into sleepers. 

Was the virus man-made, or was it random or was it a higher power? 

Nobody could answer that question, there were more discoveries to be made before that answer could come. 

At the start of the infection, men and women didn't feel anything. As they continued their days as normal.

Instead people slowly grew more and more tired until they collapsed on their feet into a deep slumber. 

People who've succumbed to their sleep entered into a dream-like fantasy world where they were faced to overcome a trail. The trail depended on the person and their inner potential. 

The stronger one's soul was, the more challenging the trail was, but the rewards would be even greater. Personality, upbringing, situation, surroundings and ideals would dictate the reward of your trail. 

Failing however, would most often end in tragedy. Not just for the defeated person. People who failed to complete the trail would die within the dream-like world, becoming hollows as their bodies become mostly empty vessels. 

Allowing the corrupted, nightmarish monster form the trail to telenovela the vessel, hijacking their innermost soul transforming the hollowed person. 

From there the transformation began. The human body would contort and transform into a disgusting monstrosity that resembled the monster and nightmarish creature of the trail. 

The hellish creatures would attack everyone and anything. Bringing utter complete death and terror to the world. 

Entire countries would collapse within a short timeframe. With the death of billions and counting, it seemed that all hope was lost and the end of all life on earth would come. 

That did not happen. The awakened, people who overcame their trail and unlocked their innermost potential. 

Wielding and using the rewards from the nightmare trial, the awakened heroes used the weapons and magic granted to them. Weapons and magic gave humanity a fighting chance, a chance to take back their world and bring an end to the onslaught. 

This sliver of strength was enough to overturn the destruction of humanity. Changing it into a stalemate instead.

Humanity would once again see another day. Together the last spark of civilization formed the citadel. 

The last city, humanity's last spark of hope. Placed in the middle of Europe, enclosing small bits of Northern Africa and smaller parts of the Middle East. 

Of course other cities and civilizations would form, but none were as safe and secure as the citadel in comparison. 

As a safety measure all people who experience immense sleepiness and overall feeling of being tired were to immediately seek out one of 7 massive guilds in the citadel. 

The people infected by the disease were to be placed under supervision by an awakened hero, as well as they were thrown into a jail. This way the casualties would be minimized and the destruction to the citadel as well. 

Ash stared aimlessly at the cashier in front of the boy. A tall handsome boyish man operating the counter. 

"Hey… customer—?" 

Ash eyelids flickered along with the corner of his mouth.

'Yes I am a customer! How is that even a question!!?'

Ash was still putting on a friendly face like nothing out of the ordinary happened. Still feeling the needles that had stung him all over his clothes, created by people's glances and snickering. 

"—Anything you want to purchase?"

The tall handsome cashier looked down at Ash who was below average height… and looks. 

Ash clicked his tongue thinking hard, he could either afford a cheap sandwich or a taste of luxury, coffee. Opening his small hand sewn rang of rags he took out and counted coin by coin. 

Moving his hand into the deep pocket of his bag he took out the last coin placing it on the counter. Sunny thought about it one last time. 

Walking out of the store with the warm takeaway coffee cup. Ash was indeed mesmerised. The frail boy had heard of coffee before but neither had he seen it or tasted it. Ash didn't even know that drinks could emit steam, he only thought it was food that could only when placed near a fire. And molten stuff, as well as the ash. 

Anyone should be terrified of heat and fire after the trauma one would get from the horrid accident. Ash however did not worry, it peaked his interest more than anything. The way the embers turned into heat before rupturing into flames, boiling and cooking the skin causing massive bloats of puss and water and blood. 

The boy was more terrified at the fact he was growing more and more tired by the second. 

Taking a careful sip of the steaming drink Ash burnt his tongue from the heat of it. 

"Aa! Aaah, hot hot!" 

He stuck his tongue out letting the cold air cool his tongue. 

Ash was already on the move to the guild, making sure to drink the coffee leisurely. It had cost him his entire fortune. 

'Damm everything to hell if I'm not gonna let every sip get its worth!'

Standing outside the colossal building, carved from gold and marble, ash had never seen such a beautiful building. Throwing the empty cup in a trash bin he noticed that the sky had grown dark. Yawning and stretching his body he mentally prepared himself. 

Thinking about it he could have already been at the guild hall closer to the slums. Ash however knew that if a person survived the trial, the nightmare, they would get taken care of. Food, drinks and any delicacies the person demanded. 

It was just simply that the guild hall near the slums didn't even near the budget this guild hall had. 

The name of the guild was Serpents Teeth. ST for short, the third most powerful guild in the citadel. Stepping inside explaining his situation to a terrified receptionist as the poor woman pressed the black alarm. He was immediately tackled and thrown into a high security cell. Well, Ash didn't really know what to expect.