Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 118 - Micheal

As he racked his mind, trying to remember anything about how he got here, he instead remembered the Elite Guard. He remembered the explosion of light as Rena broke free from her prison. He remembered the overwhelming pain that the Elite Guard inflicted on him.

Did I... faint? Then, my family must have found me. They must have called an ambulance when they couldn’t wake me up.

But even as he formed the thought, something felt wrong about it. The timeline didn’t make sense. If his family had found him collapsed in his room, they would have been here when he woke up.

Unless they found him after he had verified it was the middle of the night and fainted again. But why would they not check on him while the pod alarms were blaring, yet do so after he turned it off? It didn’t make sense.

The monitors continued their steady beeping. It was the only sound in the quiet room. Scanning around, he saw no doctors nor visitors. He couldn’t even hear the faint sound of footsteps. Renan tried to sit up, but his body felt weak and unresponsive.

My soul... this hospital won’t do anything. My soul is what needs repair!

He was still trying to process the situation when his vision began to flicker. His body suddenly felt cold and light, his consciousness fading. He felt a presence, though he did not see anyone. He didn’t feel someone around him, but he felt a foreign entity crawling at his very insides.

My... soul? There’s no way, was my soul cursed!? Or is it... alive?

Then everything went dark again.

This time, the darkness came with a voice.

"Micheal. Micheal. Micheal."

"Micheal. Micheal. Micheal!"

The name echoed through his mind, spoken in a tone that managed to be both gentle and terrifying. It wasn’t his name. Yet, Renan was absolutely sure that the voice was intended for him.

Who is Micheal?

The question formed in his mind, but even thinking it sent fresh waves of agony through him.

Why does this thing think that’s my name?

The voice continued its repetitive chant, and with each repetition, Renan felt something trying to take hold of his consciousness. The wave of influence reached into his mind, crawling and scratching at his consciousness, trying to reshape his very identity.

No! I’m not Micheal. I’m Renan. I’m Lumi. I’m...

I’M RENAN STONE!

Though he shouted it out into his mind, the certainty was slipping away from him. He was beginning to remember memories. Yet, he was unsure what identity these memories belonged to.

His current life? His previous? An Elite Guard?

He remembered a green field. Looking down, the field was not a grassy field. No, it was the green field of millions of orcs marching across the land.

He remembered heaven. He was unsure what that even meant, he didn’t know in what context that even made sense, but he remembered it. He remembered a drop chute, a policy, and a satellite disc.

He remembered hell. A special space he had cleared out and sent people to. What did that even mean?

Yet he did it.

Yet he didn’t do it.

He did it, but Renan didn’t do it.

Stop...

Renan gathered all his mental energy in an attempt to disperse the foreign influence from his mind. He was entirely unsure if he had succeeded or not, until a glowing white face materialized in the darkness before him. It gave him a smile, a beautiful, perfect expression.

"Micheal." It said again, and this time, its tone was gentle and compassionate. "You’re finally ready to awaken. Micheal! Remember who you truly are! Don’t let it take you!."

Take me? But I’m Renan!

Renan wanted to scream, wanted to resist, wanted to maintain his grip on his own identity. But the soul damage made it so hard to think clearly, so difficult to remember who he truly was.

The white face moved closer, and Renan could feel its influence pressing against his consciousness. His sense of self began to fragment further, pieces of his identity scattering like leaves in a hurricane.

I’m Renan! Renan Stone! I am Renan Stone! Renan Stone! There is no one else I can be!

The effort of resistance sent such intense pain through his damaged soul that he nearly passed out again. The white face continued to speak to him. "Don’t fight it, Micheal. You’ve been lost for so long. Let me help you remember who you really are."

I’m not Micheal. I’m... I’m...

The name was slipping away from him, along with everything else that made him who he was. Just as he felt his sense of self beginning to dissolve entirely, something changed. The oppressive presence lifted suddenly. For the first time in a while, he felt improvement.

The white face flickered and faded, replaced by a sense of light and warmth that felt somehow familiar.

What’s happening now?

His consciousness felt suddenly like it was floating, reaching up towards wholeness once more. He felt an external influence, but this time it was one he could recognize.

Magic.

The pain that had been his constant companion since awakening began to recede, replaced by a soothing sensation.

This is magical healing. But where am I?

He couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t feel anything through his normal senses. Yet, he could perceive magically. He reached out, attempting to sense any others nearby. Soon, he felt them. Two figures, both radiating power and authority.

Empress Aria and Grand Tactician Azir! But how? Why am I sensing them?

The realization brought with it a flood of confusion. Was he on Earth or on Masteria? In a hospital room or the floating city of Herene? His memories were too fragmented to provide clear answers.

But even this realization raised more questions than it answered. How could his soul be in two places at once? Had he not just been on a hospital bed?

The magical healing continued to flow through him, gradually knitting together some of the worst damage to his soul. Each restored connection sent waves of a highly refreshing sensation through his consciousness.