The World, the Bullies and the System

Some people knew, but no one at the Drumline Castle knew why gods had decided to fight. Before their war, gods met and created 'Almighty Interpreter' which became known as AI during the war. It was an abstract god of logistics, or simply, a system that was neutral and was supposed to enforce the rules of the war. It served as a referee.

From that moment, gods started picking soldiers from the human world to create armies. Some gods would even give their soldiers droplets of their blood to travel to their realm and fight for them.

At first, it was only their followers. Only those who wanted to go and fight for their gods would receive a droplet of a god's blood to become strong. 

But then, not long after the war started, gods failed to contain it in their realm, affecting the human world as a result.

Some gods were killed and beasts like wolves drank their blood. Snakes did the same, and some humans of course. They would go drink the blood of a fallen god for it was the only way to not be left weak in a world that was evolving at such a speed.

Sadly, not everyone with a body could drink blood and become strong. Some people had weak hearts so the pigment from a god's blood ended up killing them. Others became monsters and monsters became more monstrous.

Seeing that most humans were dying before they could even join the battle, gods decided to add a new function to Almighty Interpreter. 

A function to determine those whose bodies could withstand a god's pigment. Whose blood could successfully mingle with a god's. This would help gods not to waste their blood on weaklings, giving it only to those eligible.

After four decades, only two gods remained. Goddess of Misery and the God of Desires, which was so surprising since people expected gods like that of thunder or war to be the winners. 

However, considering that the Almighty Interpreter didn't punish anyone for being cunning or using proper planning, the survival of those two made sense.

People whose veins flowed with gods' blood became the next rulers of the human world, passing their powers to their heirs. One would want to marry only those who had strong pigments and pray for a child whose heart would be strong enough to inherit his Pigment. His powers.

As for the two remaining gods, they had absorbed many powers along their way to survival, but not enough for any of them to kill the adversary. 

They fought for another decade, only humans losing even the little they had managed to scavenge from their ruined cities.

Eventually, seeing that none could emerge as a winner, they instinctively took a pause, only the tension between them creating balance once again. 

Each of them lurked nearby, hoping for the day the adversary would make a mistake.

Not longer than two decades, God of Desires made such a mistake. The only goddess who was there hated him. This made him promise humans to protect them from her wrath so he could get beauties in return.

No one knew how, but those beauties ended up killing him and were soon known as the Venomous Beauties, a new terror to human kind, especially males.

***

As Edmund heard more and more about his new world, his face, which was already pale, turned snow white. Nothing Gillian told him was in line with how he had initially imagined his new life.

While he had imagined that Drumline Castle was a kingdom of some sort, it was a semi-independent colony of the Flaming Realms. 

His father had managed to earn semi-independence by participating in a betrothal competition held by the Flaming Realms in search for its princess's future husband.

After Drumline, who was a slave at the time, surprised everyone and won the contest, Flaming Realms gave him a beautiful wife and allowed him to pick a few friends of his and then go find a place to call his kingdom. 

They didn't want their future royal consort to be born a slave!

They built him a small city on top of a cliff. Because soil, animals, plants and everything was poisonous due to a mysterious infection left by the First God's War, they promised him a delivery of food and other necessities to his new kingdom. 

In exchange, his kingdom would produce porcelain products and other artistic products. 

When Edmund, the future royal consort of the most powerful empire in the world at the time was born, he could not even play drums let alone inherit the most powerful Pigment in the world. 

Even his IQ was lacking!

Almighty Interpreter, AI, had remained after the war and still informed humans about their strengths and achievements.

The fear that it would not recognize Edmund as someone whose body could withstand a god's blood came true when he turned twelve. 

Left with only to choose from becoming slaves again or to replace him, Drumline Castle chose the latter.

Edmund had a step brother, Kyron, and people often failed to differentiate them without the use of clothes. They looked more like twins than stepbrothers. 

Who else would be a perfect successor of Edmund's identity if not Kyron? 

That's how Edmund ended up spending six years living in a cave, only Gillian bringing him everything he would need from the castle.

Now, Edmund was unsure of what to do. Today was his Mother's birthday. 

He had left the cave hoping he would get a chance to showcase his mighty talent on drums as he was on earth, but now things were different. 

He could play drums like never before. However, where the hell would he steal a heart that could withstand a god's pigment?

'Damn! This is so depressing!'

Before Edmund could choose whether to return to the cave or to continue his journey, something that resembled a small but a well-built city came into his view, followed by a group of seven boys who seemed to be approaching him and Gillian.

Soon, he was surrounded.

A silver haired boy with brown eyes, the one whose blue robes looked more extravagant, crossed his arms around his pushed-forward-chest and stared at Edmund with disdain.

"Where do you think you're going?"

This guy was his stepbrother—Kyron. The one they called Edmund at the castle.

"Wherever I go, it's none of your business."

From their reactions, Edmund could tell they were surprised by his answer. 

Even Gillian was in awe!

"What did you say?"

From Kyron's aura, Edmund was sure he was courting death. But he needed to start with these if he wanted to impress the Patriarch.

"Your ears are large enough. I didn't expect them to be there as a decoration."

A burning sensation under the skin on his cheek was the only reply Edmund received. He would have slapped back if it weren't for Kyron's minions holding his arms.

'Damn! I am a superstar. A son of the richest man in the world. No! I was! Oh gods! Can't believe I'm being bullied by this boy.'

Gillian ran to his rescue, yelling at Kyron.

"Kyron, don't you dare slap him again!"

Kyron was about to slap Gillian too, but a guy in blue robes stopped him.

"You're lucky to have Knox on your side. If you ever call me Kyron again, I will slap you to death."

"Brother Edmund, are you alright?"

"You bitch," Kyron harshly pulled Gillian. "How dare you call that son of a bitch by my name?"

Edmund couldn't help but laugh bitterly. From his memories, Kyron's mom was a maid who seduced the patriarch and got pregnant in the process. Who was the son of a bitch then?

"You're the son of a bitch, not me, you fool!"

As soon as Edmund finished those words, Kyron sent a swirl of white smoke which rose around Edmund and seized him in the air as if he was a feather.

After throwing him ten meters away, Kyron threw his smoky fist in the air like the statue of liberty. A one-meter brown snake emerged from under his sleeves and climbed on his arm like a liana.

"You son of a bitch, you brought this to yourself." Kyron's words were followed by a snap.

"Please don't send Klex to him," Gillian pleaded. "He has nowhere to run to."

"But there's a cliff," replied Kyron sarcastically. "Maybe I should change my mind if you kiss me."

Knox frowned.

"Brother, you cannot do that!"

"Who are you to tell me what I should do or not? You have royal blood in you. She's just a female. You don't have to treat her like a princess because you love her."

After telling Knox that, Kyron turned to look at Gillian. "Don't want to, eh? I guess you'll have to go kiss that son of a bitch down that cliff then."

He pointed his fist at the ground and the snake rushed toward Edmund.

"Stop it! I'll do it. I'll kiss you."

Gillian knew that Kyron would not dare kill Edmund. If he did, the Patriarch would be angry with him. 

However, she knew Kyron to be impulsive. She couldn't take her chances. 

"Haha! Gillian, you're wrong! Did you forget that I'm the future consort of the most powerful kingdom in the world? Who told you I would kiss a peasant? I'm not like Knox."

Gillian tried to run to Edmund, but Knox appeared and stood in front of her like a monument.

"Don't go! He's not going to stop his actions just because of you."

As for Edmund, instead of panicking, he fixed his gaze on the hissing snake. He stared at it with a calculative eye, stomping on its head with a flashy move when it got closer.

The poor thing died on the spot and not in the usual way. It just disappeared into a mist of white sparks, frightening Edmund even more.

Kyron's smile turned into a furious expression.

"You son of a bitch, how dare you kill Klex?"

He threw his hands in front of him, circling them as if curdling a ball inside. A green glow seeped between his fingers, creating a beam that he launched in Edmund's direction.

When the beam reached Edmund...

'Damn it! That was so stupid of me. I shouldn't have assumed he can't kill me.'

It sent him flying over the cliff, his heart falling into a realm of fear when he realized that only a free fall down a skyscraper-long cliff was all that awaited him.

Just then, Edmund heard a female voice. "Do you want to keep the Satisfy Me System?"