Vorthrax [edited chapter]

The sun barely filtered through the curtains, filling the room with a dim light. The phone alarm started to ring, accompanied by its familiar melody.

It was a small room, barely enough space for the bed and the wardrobe. On the bed, a young man was waking up slowly. The dim light filtering through the curtains hit his face directly, causing his eyelashes to open little by little. As he opened his eyes, Edén yawned, feeling dizziness and a headache. He didn't remember what he had done the day before.

"Ugh, what is this pain...?" Eden murmured to himself. He felt pressure in his chest and his vision was blurry. "I can't breathe well... and everything is so confusing. But it doesn't matter, I have to go to work. I can't miss the first day."

With one hand on his head to alleviate the pain, Edén put one foot out of bed and got up clumsily.

"Ah...!" A groan escaped his lips as he tried to take a deep breath. "It's so hard to breathe... I can barely move."

With clumsy movements, he approached the door. He extended a hand to grab the doorknob, but...

"Thud!" He fell, crashing through the door and hitting his face on the floor.

"Ugh, what pain... what's happening?" he complained as he got up.

As he lifted his head, Edén noticed the clouds moving quickly, the ground trembling, and the colors glowing, with violet and green predominating.

Holding his head, he felt everything spinning. "I feel like the world is spinning," he murmured before vomiting.

Vomiting, he saw the red color mixing with the ground. The disgusting sight was followed by a cold sensation. "An ambulance, please!" he pleaded with blurry eyes, desperately searching for someone who could help him before his eyelids closed.

In the darkness, where there was only a vast void, stood a young man with black hair that fell a bit over his shoulders. He had a face that could be considered cute, though he wasn't handsome, and his short stature didn't make him stand out.

"Whoosh," flames appeared in front of the boy.

"Argh!" he cursed loudly. "Damn my luck! Where in the hell could the possibility be that in a zero-type world a human with a bit of mana appears? It's not even normal. And why does it have to be precisely him, the one I wanted to possess?"

"An innumerable number of living beings, an innumerable number of zero-type planets... and an innumerable number of people from zero-type planets without mana!"

"Is this damn world telling me that I have to rely on this boy to send a message to someone who is millions of light-years away?"

"Aaarg," he shouted in anger, "pant," he sighed weakly.

"How bad can it be? Let's see, he has very little mana, but he has some. He has a fragile body that wouldn't withstand the storms of the dwarf realm, but at least he has one... Who am I kidding, I'm screwed!"

"Hey! Boy! What's your species called? Wake up!"

"Listen to me, mortal," said a deep, resonant voice. "You who have inherited my blood and mana, your fate is sealed. Remember my name: I am Vorthrax, the blood demon. Let no one forget it. The flames will be your strength, and the spilled blood your feast."

Eden looked around, confused, seeing nothingness, or rather almost nothingness if not for the large flames in front of him.

"What...? Excuse me... Am I dead?"

The flames began to diminish, and as they took human form, a dazzling man appeared before him.

"Let's cut the nonsense; I don't have much time. I'll explain it to you, boy: you were selected for the greatest and most admirable fate, but you opposed it."

Edén looked at the man with white hair and red eyes, confused. "What? When?"

The man's hair began to rise with fury. "From the moment I tried to take your body, you were supposed to be a decent vessel, one that didn't stand out."

Edén looked at him in confusion and sighed. "You couldn't take my body for some strange reason, right? I always imagined I'd be one of those with protagonist-level powers, a chance to rise and be powerful, and my opportunity came. Haha."

"Foolish boy, you don't even have what could be considered low talent. I don't know where you get such fantasies, but you wouldn't reach the top in a hundred lives or a hundred bodies. Currently, you'd be at the bottom of the list of beings and one of the top on the list of weaklings."

"Tsk."

"But don't worry, you have my blood and my mana. You just need it to awaken. I'm about to disappear, and I need to deliver a message to someone. You are the only person here, and not only that, you are the only person on this planet."

"The only person on this planet? What happened to the others?"

"This planet was about to awaken and transform into a mana-filled planet, a process that will take several centuries," explained Vorthrax. "During that time, your weak race wouldn't have survived. That's why the Round Table decided to move all humans to other worlds. They will provide them with tools and opportunities to thrive, but always under their control. It's their way of recruiting and subjugating new races."

"And me? Why didn't they take me with them?"

"Because... They thought you were dead. Well, technically, you were dead for a few days, but you came back to life. When I tried to take your body, you died, and I took control for a while, but it's taking longer than expected to fully take the body, and I'm dying."

"You must leave this planet at once," warned Vorthrax. "Soon, volcanoes will erupt, tides will rise, and tsunamis will become common. This place will be uninhabitable."

"And how am I supposed to leave? Do you have a plan?"

"Don't worry, I have a gift for you." Snapping his fingers, a spaceship appeared. "This is Gaia, the ship that accompanied me on my first travels. It will eventually die, but you will have enough time. Become stronger, break the chains of death, and deliver my message. I need you to tell an old acquaintance not to fight battles or wage wars he isn't sure he can win. It's not worth spilling unnecessary blood."

"This is too suspicious. You tell me to deliver a message, I don't know who you are or how to find the person you're looking for, and I don't know how I could trust you."

"Trust? I suppose you're right, but I always have solutions for everything."

The flames burned again. Soon the flames transformed from red to blue, rose, and went straight into Edén's body.

"Ahhh, it burns!"

"You just have to accept these flames, don't resist them."

Vorthrax was tired of hearing the screams, so he decided to give him a hint.

Eden obeyed. The flames continued to burn, but the heat was nonexistent; he felt no sensation of pain.

"These flames are the flames of will. I am giving you my last will. If you don't believe me, you can absorb the flame, it will give you the answers to the questions you seek."

Edén, still stunned, felt the blue flames integrate into his being, flooding him with unknown but powerful energy.

His mind filled with foreign memories and knowledge, images of battles, blood flowing from every warrior, unknown places, and incredible beings. The sensation was overwhelming and confusing.

"What is all this...?" he thought, trying to process the avalanche of information. The flames began to fade, leaving a sense of emptiness and bewilderment. He had no answers, only more questions.

He looked around, trying to grasp the situation. Everything was so strange, so unreal. He stood up slowly, feeling the weight of uncertainty.

"Why did a great demon end up in this state?" he asked aloud, hoping for some response from Vorthrax.

"I suppose you couldn't delve deeper; it's normal since the enemies are the King's Round Table," said Vorthrax, observing the boy.

Eden seemed dazed, but there was a spark of determination in his eyes. If Vorthrax wanted to leave his last legacy, it had to be with someone with the most determined and darkest heart.

Vorthrax had a special ability: he could see into people's hearts. At first, he thought Edén's body was useless, but after seeing his heart, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

The color of the heart represented how they were in the past and how they would be in the future. A black heart undoubtedly indicated someone cruel and vicious. He didn't know why it would be so, but he knew it would be fun to see the blood spill.

In Vorthrax's opinion, a black heart had more chances of surviving than a white and pure heart.

Minutes passed while Vorthrax observed the boy. It didn't take long for Edén to recover. "Quite impressive," thought Vorthrax.

"I don't have much time, so you have the option to die with me or survive and deliver my message."

Edén knew he had received his last will, a skill of beings who entered the path of will perfection. Receiving a last will was already a great reward desired by many beings, but it also meant a chain: he would have to fulfill the request or he could die.

"I have seen many things, unimaginable beings. I'm not sure I can fight or even survive. It's a difficult path, but it's the last chance to survive, so this lowly being, a human, accepts your request and your last will."

"Ahhh!"

When he spoke the words, Edén's body began to convulse. He felt his veins swell and all his organs throb with piercing pain. His eyes bled, and the itching and pain were unbearable. The pain in his veins increased when chains appeared and tightened, like a snake trapping its prey. Quickly, they wrapped around his body and reached his heart.

Vorthrax looked at the boy and laughed. "Then this won't be necessary." Snapping his fingers, the chains that had formed around the heart dissolved.

"Why? Destroying the chains of last will meant he wouldn't be bound to follow the request."

Vorthrax smiled. "Just being alive will be enough to deliver the message. If you insist on trying to send it and die prematurely, it will be useless. After all, by sharing my blood, you will be an enemy of Arthur's Knights. And when that person notices you, he will know about you and me. Good luck surviving."

In the vast void, a cracking sound began to be heard. Something was breaking.