5- Ashes to Ashes to Monster

Philip awoke in a large dark throne room, where moonlight pierced through its large windows, thinking he was unconscious. He checked his surroundings but couldn't see anything. It was late at night and very quiet.

"But HOW," Philip cried out in shock and confusion as he checked his body, pinching himself, he was perfectly fine with no injuries. "That doesn't make any sense," Philip muttered in confusion, "that's impossible." He was abruptly interrupted by a soft voice.

"Is that it?"

Philip turned in the direction of the voice, but he can't make any sense of it; all he sees is a figure sitting on the once-empty throne, but no matter how hard he tried, his eyes wouldn't make any sense of it.

" w...Who are You?" Philip inquired, concerned.

"I'm the one you helped set free," the voice giggled, adding, "well, not entirely free, but another shackle has been removed from my... soul."

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"Quiet type?" "Well, too bad, I haven't talked to anyone in a long time, well.....at least one of your kind."

Philip was perplexed by the sudden events and inquired, "my kind?" Is this a dream? because I remember dying and now I'm just... okay.... even my left arm is here." as he checked his left arm

"Ohh, I'm sorry for the confusion, you're dead, this is just your conscience having a conversation with... mine hehe," the voice joked. as it went on. "But this...rage within you, Why would a human have such hatred for his kind, you even gave your soul away just to summon the soul of a mere elder? why?

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"I would give my soul over and over again just to hear their cries of pain because I wanted to see them suffer." As he sobbed, Philip continued, "This life I lived as a good man, protecting innocent for what?" "So I'm going to lose everyone I cared about?" he clenched his fists.

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"Is that a good reason for you RIGHT NOW?" Philip asked, looking in the direction of the voice.

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" WHY DON'T YOU ANSWER ME?"

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"Do you want another chance?" asked the voice.

"And why would you help me, I have nothing left to offer you, and I don't expect you to help me out of goodwill," Philip replied, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Of course, nothing is ever free," the voice said, "but you already helped me, so it's only natural that I help you in return."

"How did I help you?"

"The wall of mana stones you humans destroyed was powering significant magic..." said the voice.

" and you believe it's me, why?" Philip inquired.

" by safeguarding the relic gem hehe " "You used the gem when the seal was no longer there, one of my fragmented souls were locked in that Altar, and it was you who released it," the voice laughed.

"I see, but even if you brought me back to life, it wouldn't make a difference; I'm old, and my days of glory are long gone," Philip explained.

"I didn't say you'd return as a human hehe, but if you want to stay human and rest in peace, that's fine with me."

"What exactly do you mean by "not human?" Philip was perplexed.

" Maybe you should check for yourself," the figure said as he motioned Philip to approach one of the nearby windows. Philip narrowed his eyes at the reply and walked slowly toward the window, exclaiming " WHAT THE HECK " when he saw his reflection. He took a few steps back and cried out in shock.

"Hehe, the first reaction always gets me," said the voice, laughing at Philips' reaction. " first reaction? "Are you saying there are others?" Philip inquired.

"Of course, there have been many before you, but don't worry, you're the only descendants in your world," the voice replied, amused.

"Wait...what? Whose descendants are they? What about my world? "What now?" Philip inquired, surprised.

" Listen, I shouldn't have turned a human into a descendant, but I'm bored you see, you're a dead man anyway, take care when you're outside, if they find out that a descendant exists next to their anchor, they won't rest until they find you". the voice said solemnly and went on. " Also, please don't kill too many humans, the world will always find a way to maintain its balance, hehe," the voice laughed.

"Do you mean I'll spend the rest of my life dressed like a monster?" Philip expressed his disappointment.

"Look at me, dummy, do I resemble a monster?" In a mocking tone, the voice said. Philip's jaw dropped at the sight, in front of his eyes was the prettiest woman he had ever seen in his life, a woman in her twenties, her skin was dark blueish, with pointy ears, her facial features were elegant, sharp nose, yellow eye, and her silver silky hair flowed down over her slender body like a majestic curtain.

"Well now, I'm afraid our time together will soon come to an end, good luck, I hope we meet again in the future, well... if you ever get strong enough, you will find out how to reach me somewhere beyond the dark continent," the woman shrugged.

Philip was struggling to process the events of the day... he looked at her, perplexed. " I don't even know what your name is?" Philip inquired. "Better not," the woman replied, winking and snapping her fingers.

Philip's vision became blurry and he passed out

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A person can be seen meditating next to a pond somewhere on a mountain; a sound of footsteps approached as he was interrupted by a voice. "One of the seals has been broken," said the voice.

. "But which one?" "Didn't we make sure to keep an eye on every seal?" The figure responded angrily. "Yes, but it wasn't any of the ones we knew," the voice said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "and she has made another one into her descendant, but we couldn't find a trace of it yet."

Well, what are you waiting for, go find him now and let me know when you do," the figure muttered in disbelief. " even though you're defeated, you still refuse to submit, one day what you created will be your end as well.....I'll make sure to end this one as well before it's too late," the figure muttered as he continued meditating.

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Philip was amazed, he felt so refreshed and nimble, he checked his own body again just to make sure and cried in his mind "the hell!!, I have become a monster for real, now think Philip, I need to get out of the..." Philip came to a halt as He realized he was standing inside the carcass of a massive spider. "Wait... wasn't this the spider that..." he wondered. Philip was taken aback by everything that had happened to him since his death; the events had been too much for him. "OK, I need to get out of here, then find somewhere I can get used to this new body and hunt, she didn't tell me to get stronger for nothing," Philip said as he looked around and checked his surroundings. "It appears the big spider brought me into this cave before it died." Philip reflected as he stepped out of the remains and walked around.

If Philip were still human, getting out of this situation would be difficult, but his eyes can see now, and he can smell and feel the slightest wind movement. As he began walking in the direction of the wind, Philip realized that having many separate legs felt strange at first, but it was more effective and faster than he thought. ".............. What the hell is going on? Two days ago, I was sleeping peacefully in my family's tower...." Philip expressed his desire to return to the tranquil and quiet tower...

Philip can finally glimpse light after several twists. "It doesn't matter now; monster or not, i will make sure these nobles pay for what they did " he muttered as he walked out of the cave, checking his new body's status.

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