This time, Nero found himself rolling down what seemed to be an inclined ditch. He kept accelerating downward relentlessly with what looked to be no hope of stopping. The narrow confines didn't help, with no way to slow down the dizzying rolls.
He slammed into unseen surfaces, each hit against hard rock a dull pain. The air grew thinner as he went even further down, each breath a desperate gasp against his burning lungs. He frantically hoped it would end soon.
With a disorienting lurch, it did. Nero finally rolled down the regular, hard floor before his body came to a stop. He laid on the cold damp earth, assuming the full pain of the downfall would hit him, but everything remained, miraculously intact.
As he stood up, he found himself in the same unsettling environment again with a single, unknown grave. But this time, the shrouded figure was already there, as if patiently waiting for his arrival.
Once again, Nero's panic grew, and his limbs became paralysed. The figure moved, gliding closer and stealing all the air around till it was floating right in front of Nero. Its unseen gaze bored into Nero's being, and his heartbeat increased.
"Pay with Blood," The cold voice echoed, lacking emotions like before, "Or die now!"
It wasn't a question but a stark ultimatum.
"Blood," he said, trembling. His agreement was less like a decision and more like yielding to an inevitable force. It was like an oath whispered, a pact sealed with no chance of going back.
The moment he said it, a sensation both alien and strangely intimate flooded him. Coldness seeped into his skin, merging with him. He staggered, waves of dizziness crashing into him, and his senses blurred.
Then, slowly, he regained control.
But the shrouded figure was gone,, and there was now a foreign presence in him.
"Congratulations on signing the Blood Contract," the voice resonated within his mind, a chilling echo in his head, "You've unlocked a power you never knew existed. Now...your debt will be paid,"
Then, the world around him began dissolving into a chaotic swirl of dark colours. The violent transition left him gasping for breath, and he found himself standing in an entirely different place.
The sky...was purple, and the sun was setting...in the east?
'What the...,' Nero thought, utterly amazed and confused.
He stood among the skeletal remains of a city, the air thick with the stench of decay and distant sounds of conflict. Before him stretched a long queue of others his age, most of their expressions grim.
At the very front of the line was a large, muscular man facing them. He had really bulgy eyes that looked like they were about to fall off, and those eyes appeared to scrutinise each of them for what resembled...ID cards?
Once he was done with someone, a metal device was locked around their neck, and they would step aside for the next person.
Nero's first thought of action was to run. Did the ghost bring him here? What was he supposed to do here?
As he tensed, the person in front of him turned, his gaze landing on Nero with a look of surprise. He had shaggy brown hair, and reminded Nero a bit of himself back when he was still poor, "And where did you come from?" He asked, his voice rough.
Nero quickly composed himself, "I was here all along, why?" He sounded more confident than he thought.
Suddenly, the bulgy man's gaze snapped toward him, raking over him with unnerving intensity. He nodded, a slow assessing gaze and a strange look in his eyes, "You do have a weak presence," He said, "Aura Points: Zero!"
Zero? What did that mean? And how the hell did he hear Nero from way over the front there? Does he have superhuman hearing or what?
But what bothered Nero the most was how most of the people in the queue turned and began giving him odd looks. They whispered among themselves, and unease crept over Nero's chest.
What do Zero Aura Points mean? Was it a bad thing?
"Wow," The boy with shaggy brown hair exclaimed, looking even more surprised, "That explains well... everything. Where are you from?"
Nero blinked, "Where am...I from?"
' Who the heck are you? '
"You appear... quite influential," The boy gestured at Nero's body, and he finally glanced down and took a long look at himself. He was putting on military pants, but they weren't the regular combinations of green. Instead, they were combinations of Red.
The colour of his shirt matched his pants, and the intricate designs on it made it appear expensive!
Plus, there was an actual diamond necklace literally dangling from his neck, wrapped in authentic gold chains.
"What Clan are you from? There's no... imprint on your forehead,"
Imprint on his forehead? Impulsively, Nero touched his forehead, trying to feel anything foreign there. As he did, his fingers slightly nuzzled some strands of his hair, and he paused.
When did his hair... become this silky?
His eyes focused up, and he caught a few strands of hair dancing between his eyes. They appeared...white.
White?? Was that the new colour of his hair?
Then he began feeling his face for any difference too. Did he have a completely different face, too? This was really alarming. His panic only rose, and everyone stepped forward as the queue grew smaller.
An inexplicable instinct guided his hand to this pocket and he pulled out a stiff, triangular card. An ID.
The face staring back at him was his own, along with his new features. But the information on the card read :
Name: Silver Blade.
Age: 117
Status: ...
Aura points: Zero.
He was a hundred and seventeen years old?! Was that why he had white hair? But he didn't feel old. He felt as agile as ever.
The shaggy boy glanced at his car, then commented, "You're not in training? I thought you were a student like us. Wait, are you actually a teacher accessing us right now? I just failed, didn't I?"
Nero almost snapped, "Will you stop talking already?!"
He desperately needed answers to his questions, and then he recalled the cold phantom merging with him only minutes ago and talking in his head. Maybe it would answer his questions.
'Where am I ?' He inquired desperately.
"Ruined Earth," It replied. Nero let out a sigh of relief, he wasn't sure if it was going to.
"You mean another... planet from the normal Earth I know of?"
"Yes,"
"What am I doing here?"
"Paying with blood,"
"But I'm not injured,"
"Not yet," The answer made him have chills.
"What are they saying about having zero points, and why do I look different? What queue is this? Am I on the road to hell or what?"
"Because you have no aura. You look different because I said so. This is a cue for newly admitted students going to the Ascendant Academy, which will train them to become heroes and defeat the demons on this earth. No, you're on the road to the Ascendant School of Academics and Training,"
That was quite blunt and straightforward.
"Why?"
"You don't need them training you. Everything is already in your memory; all you need is the academics. Learn what kind of demons are out there, what this earth is all about...and...your true identity here,"
Huh???
"Remember, you're neither Hero nor Demon. Your role is to pay me back every coin with blood,"
"D...demons? Huh?!" He paused, "There needs to be another easier way to do this. I'm not going...,"
"Focus, Nero. You have your own free will, but I'll always be lurking around to see how you do. I'll only take you back to your world when you complete specific missions," As it said that, it's voice faded away in its mind.
"Wait, I still have so many questions. You can't just leave me like this!"
Silence ensured. He kept trying, but there was nothing. If he ran away, where exactly would he go from here? If the phantom was correct and this is another planet, then there was nowhere to go.
Shit! He had to blend.
With a deep breath, Nero tapped the boy again, and the boy faced him once more, "I'm not a teacher, I'm a student like you. My name is Ner...Silver, what's yours?" The quicker he got acquainted with someone here, the better.
The boy skeptically took Nero's hands, "Rowan,"
Nervously waiting in line, it finally got to Nero's turn and he handed his ID to the bulgy-eyed man, who took a look at it and frowned deeply.
His eyes flickered with someone sharp, and they gave Nero the most scrutinising look ever.
The man groaned, then he picked up an even bigger metal and clipped it around Nero's neck. It made two beeps as it set in place, hanging slightly loose around his neck.
Finished, he faced the crowd by his side as Nero joined them, "Now, the second assessment will begin!" A tiny voice said this time.
Why does he sound like a little girl all of a sudden?