The night sky was filled with countless stars, looking distant than ever alongside the moon which shone in the darkness like always.

Xior and Becca stood near their home as Xior looked at something invisible curiously. Becca noticed his expression shift.

“Xior? What is it?”

He didn’t reply to her, only threw the boxes he held on the ground and fastened the gauntlet on his hand and slid the blade in his trench coat and said, “stay here.”

Without another word, he walked away, leaving Becca behind in frustration. “Again with the secrets…” She muttered.

Xior didn’t waste any time and made his way to Sector H, the sector where he lived all his life was quiet at this time apart from some food joints still being open.

He walked towards the northern gate of Sector H, he used his hunter ID to gain clearance to leave the Sector and venture out towards the remnants of the old world.

Beyond the walls of Sector H were the ruins of the old world, twisted highways, collapsed skyscrapers and the skeletal remains of civilization devoured by monsters.

Only a few dared to step into that wasteland, those were the armed forces full of Hunters and the Hunters associated with the Guilds and the Association.

Xior moved through the destroyed remains of a city alone, guided by whispers of the message. Shadows stirred in the rubble, as someone watched him walking slowly while looking at the system screen guiding him towards some place.

Despite him being a free meal for the monsters that hid in the shadows, none dared to pounce. His presence was sharp, like a blade which could cut them down so easily that they wouldn’t know when heads would’ve been separated from their bodies.

The old highway through which his family car had once driven through was now full of broken rusted cars, covered in moss with carcasses of monsters left to rot and the skeletons of humans who were unfortunate during the fall scattered on the ground.

He walked alone, under the moonlight as he saw and heard monsters fighting among each other but none coming towards him.

Most of the Dragon and Demon class monsters were wiped out by Chairman Damian and the forces he lead which included Hunter Lee Woo.

He turned left at an exit and was led to an old neighborhood, the houses were empty, moss covered them and their walls broken and withered due to age and monster activity.

In the far end he saw the air warped unnaturally, a lone Gate hovered amidst the houses. The system message screen came in front of him again.

[Enter]

He walked towards the Gate and adjusted his gauntlet and readied his mind for possible a ambush.

As he stepped through the Gate darkness enveloped him. He could neither see, smell or even feel anything.

Then his feet touched the ground, it was soft as if ash covered it. The mist was heavy as it entered his lungs, it was cold and clinging.

And though Xior’s senses screamed of countless presences yet he saw no one.

“Who’s there?” his voice echoed.

The mist stirred and he heard numerous whispers reaching his ears, he dropped down on one knee as hearing just the whispers made his ears bleed.

The monsters outside were scared of him and now so suddenly he was down just by whispers.

One thing he understood was that whoever these people…no…things were, they were powerful than him, much more powerful.

Then the whispers stopped and his ear drums regenerated. The mist stirred and from it a shape formed. It was neither flesh nor spirit but something in between. A man shaped fog, moving like smoke in the wind.

“We are the Architects,” the figure said, the voice layered with many tones. “The hands that built the Towers and the unwilling servants of the Nameless.”

Xior’s jaw tightened with anger, he had been hearing that one word ever since he stepped foot inside the Tower.

“The Nameless again, it’s always their name but no one explains what or who they are. And they always bring about destruction.”

The fog man drifted closer to him, circling him like a phantom. “You are the Child of the End, the only piece not bound by their design and you walk the unwritten paths, free from their influence.”

“And?” Xior questioned as his eyes moved wherever the fog man moved.

“And so we offer you a choice. Aid us in something and perhaps the cycle may finally break, for this world and for many others.” The fog man stopped in the middle and moved its head towards Xior’s.

“Refuse…and you will remain a pawn dancing on the palm of the Nameless, until the End swallows even you.”

The words chilled Xior, his body stiffened as a drop of sweat trickled down his face. But the tone of the fog man felt filled with desperation and not malice.

For the first time, Xior sensed that even the ones behind the Tower were not free.

“What deal?” he asked.

The fog leaned closer, its voice now a whisper. “The terms will be revealed when you are ready. For now…remember this: the Nameless although not fear you just yet, they are wary of you and your growth. Soon they’ll fear you and fear is a crack that even the gods cannot seal.”

Xior wanted to respond but before he could the mist diffused into nothing and the world collapsed around him.

He found himself in the same neighborhood he stepped through the Gate in. Memories buried deep inside his head surfaced suddenly, the neighborhood felt familiar as if he had once played with other kids just where he stood.

Echoes of the past played in his mind, he saw a small boy with black hair and completely black eyes run towards the house on his right, it was a small house which would be enough for three people.

He walked towards the house and stood in front of its moss covered door, full of fungi. He closed his eyes and the boy from the echo ran inside the house through this door.

He slowly raised his hand and twisted the door knob and opened it.

The smell of rot filled his nose as he walked inside, the interior despite being a small house was exquisite.

The boy in the echo turned right towards the living room, Xior followed the echo and saw a small living room. It had one couch on the right, a table in the middle and a TV opposite to the couch.

The couch was dusty and torn all over, he walked towards it and moved his hand over the fabric, the echo felt real…too real to him. As if it was his childhood, and the house was his home.

He had always wondered what state would his house be in when his parents evacuated to Sector H, or the safe zone which evolved into Sector H later.

Now he stood in his childhood house, broken and withering. He closed his eyes and the memory played once again, this time a tall man came in the living room.

It was as if Xior was looking at reflection. The man had jet black hair, cut short. A subtle from a few days on his chin and completely black eyes, just like him.

Xior’s heart clenched as he saw the man in his memory, he wanted to hug him and to cry into his shoulder but he knew that it was not real. Tears flowed down his face as he opened his eyes to see the empty living room.

He moved to the kitchen next, following the boy. He saw him sit on the kitchen counter as a woman was busy cleaning dishes.

She looked at the little boy and turned towards him, she had light brown long hair almost down to her knees, her blue eyes and her calming smile made Xior break down into more tears.

He cursed the Tower, he cursed the monsters and he cursed the Nameless. If only nothing like that had happened, they would be alive and he wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

He could hug them, talk to them and live a normal life but he became an orphan at only seven years old when his parents never returned from the tower.

He dropped on his knees as the tears didn’t stop, he closed his eyes and let the memory play again.

His father walked inside the kitchen and hugged his wife and son, they were a happy family without any issues.

When the memory ended, he opened his eyes and wiped away the tears from his face. His eyes made his expression unreadable but he was still a human.

He was someone who endured five years in the Abyss, a place unknown and far more dangerous than any other place and he survived and far more dangerous than any other place and he survived

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep