I Became An Eldritch Horror-Chapter 19: Journey Into A New Life After Ten Thousand Years (2)

Chapter 19: Journey Into A New Life After Ten Thousand Years (2)

Five days.

For five whole days, I had endured hell, hell so vivid I wished I couldn’t remember any of it.

After my death, after that farewell to Leon, I was reborn in my old body.

Apparently, through some form of sorcery, my body had been preserved by petrification, allowing me to return to it. And against my dying wish, my memories remained intact.

Maybe if I’d forgotten them, this torment wouldn’t have been so unbearable.

"Raise him up."

A voice, rough as gravel, cut through the fog. My heavy eyelids fluttered open, stinging from exhaustion.

The familiar silhouettes appeared again. The same men who had been visiting for days, if this frail body’s suffering could even be called a visit.

Chains clattered as they unlocked my wrists and ankles. My skin was raw where the metal had bitten in, each slight movement sending thin waves of pain crawling through me.

Their leader approached, his boots thudding on the damp stone floor.

His massive frame cast a shadow over me, swallowing what little light remained. His cold hand wrapped around my neck, and before I could react, his teeth sank into my flesh.

Pain surged through me, scorching, like fire poured straight into my veins.

Blood trickled from his mouth, dripping onto the already-stained floor.

This couldn’t be reality.

And these weren’t humans.

At first, I had assumed I’d been sold into slavery, a toy for nobles’ entertainment.

That was until it appeared.

—

<User: Kyle Leslie>

Two paths lie before you:

1. Accept the Dreamspawn that plagues you and be free.

2. Challenge your nightmare and conquer its Eden.

—

Dreamspawn? Nightmare? What were those supposed to be?

The only thing I’d learned from this damned screen was my new name, Kyle Leslie.

"What’s wrong with this one?" the man who bit me growled, stepping back with a click of his tongue.

"Boss," one of the others said, "the witch gave us a specific time to conquer this body. She said she won’t use her order twice because of us."

"Shut it!" the leader snapped before storming out of the cell.

I exhaled, a long, ragged breath, and slumped onto the floor again.

’What... what is happening?’

At this point, I didn’t know what to believe. Was I dead? Dreaming? Or was this some ability conjured by someone? And what even were orders?

I stared at my free hands. Even though I wasn’t shackled again, I lacked the energy to move.

As if responding to my thoughts, one of the guards reentered the cell and fastened the chains back on me. When I first awoke in this world, I had tried everything to escape: smashing my hand against the wall, tearing at my own skin, even starving myself to get thinner, but nothing had worked.

I closed my eyes for a moment when a loud noise echoed through the room. Gunshots. The same sound I knew all too well from my days on Earth.

And from the uproar that followed, it was clear whoever was here wasn’t part of these people.

"I’m saved."

Relief filled my chest, enough to make me attempt to stand, only for the chains to yank me back down.

The gunfire, the bursts of what sounded like fire spells, and the clashing of swords drew nearer, until someone flung the cell door open.

It was the same guard who had tried to drain my blood, the one they called boss, and he looked furious.

In his hand was a machete-sized blade glinting under the faint light seeping into the room.

"Since it’s come to this," he muttered, panting. "You have to die."

He lunged, and before I could react, his weapon pierced my heart. Everything dimmed. My vision blurred.

Was this how I was going to die...

[Unfortunately, this was.]

My bloodied eyes widened at the sound echoing inside my head. It sounded like my own vo—

[Because it was.]

"Huh?"

[I think you’ve used this body enough, don’t you think?]

"What is...?"

For a moment, I felt nothing. I could see, but I didn’t know what I was seeing. The same went for my hearing, my speech, everything.

Just as my consciousness faded, I saw the door swing open and people in police uniforms entered the room, with mages standing behind them.

—

[Good work.]

"Hey, are you alright?"

"A small smile formed on my face. Who, you might ask?"

"What do you mean, kid? Are you alright? Why are you speaking like that?"

"Well," a soft chuckle escaped my lips, "I just wanted to remind this body who its owner was."

The man in front of me blinked. "What do you...?"

He never finished his sentence. Because his life ended the moment he saw me.

You know, living for over ten thousand years is exhausting. You become forgetful, and the world might forget you too, all that nonsense.

But one thing it does is make you stronger. Oh, and it’s more than enough time to become the enemy of the entire universe.

Ding!

[Welcome to your new world, Master.]

[Projecting status panel, Master]

—

[STATUS SCREEN]

Name: Adrian Arandel

Constellation Title: Flawless

Titles:

• Fate’s Consort

• The Only Eldritch Horror

• Mad Emperor of Depravity

• Leader of the Flawless Company 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

• The Devil King’s Ex

• God Killer

• The End

Rank: VOID (Lv. ???)

Class: True God

Order: "ALMIGHTY"

True God Order: "MYSTERIOUS WORLD"

Coven: 7 / 12

Destruction Points: ???

Creation Points: 0

—

I stared at my status window, yawning as I stretched my arms. Then I stepped forward and snapped the chains attached to the wall.

I could feel the fear radiating from everyone in the room.

The man at the front wore a standard FBI uniform with a helmet and a shield. Behind him stood a woman in a mage uniform, gripping a staff.

"Guess I’m somewhere around Atticus."

I took a deliberate step forward. Then, in a calm voice, I asked the man in front, "What color are my eyes right now?"

He stiffened, then slowly answered, "Blue."

"Is that so?" I was never a fan of blue eyes. I curled my fingers into a fist and tapped it lightly against my temple.

Instantly, everyone in front of me staggered back.

"What about now?" I asked, almost amused.

The man answered without even realizing it. "Purple."

I smiled. "Now that’s better."

I flicked my hand casually forward. The chains rattling on the floor shot past me, crushing one skull after another.

The remaining men froze in pure terror, staring at me while I examined the bloodied chain.

After a brief silence, a voice emerged from somewhere in the crowd.

"Purple eyes, with a presence that terrifies anyone he faces. You’re..."

He didn’t need to finish. Everyone there already knew.

I smirked. "And who am I?"

The man pointed at me and whispered, "The destroyer of worlds... and the leader of the group once hunted by the heavens... Flawless."