Huff… Huff
Kreig's breathing echoed in his skull.
His eyes clenched shut as if in a nightmare, brows knotted, his forehead lined with tension. Seated cross-legged on the wooden floor, he resembled of a lotus frozen in unrest.
Inhale… exhale…
His breath was soft, but each breath kissed his ears, a quiet distraction he couldn't ignore.
"This won't do," he mumbled, finally opening his eyes, exhaling deeply.
Haaaa—
"I've been doing this for hours," he muttered softly, scratching his head. "The way my breathing sounds is too distracting, it's making me lose focus." He sighed in defeat.
He'd tried changing positions, from sitting in a chair to his bed.
Seeing it not working, he then chose to do it on the floor, which he found surprisingly comfortable.
However, even that didn't work.
Frustrated, he forced himself to shut his thoughts.
Something easier said than done.
He struggled for a few more hours.
His body now drenched in sweat, breathing turning heavier, turning ragged… then…
Swoosh—
Like a phantom breeze, something changed.
A shift.
An epiphany he'd longed for.
He slipped into a trance—not a physical one, but with his mind.
His eyes were shut, senses dimmed as he did, however, he could feel as much as he couldn't.
"Haven." He whispered, soft as a feather.
His mind turned blank as the word slowly escaped his lips.
The space tore open and was engulfed by the void of eternal darkness.
He felt a headache assault him as the sound of a shriek and otherworldly symphony permeated his ears.
"What the hell is happening…"
He muttered, panic flaring.
His dark eyes widened, only to be swallowed by the pitch of eternal darkness, darker than his pupils beyond him.
His nose began to bleed.
His ears twitched uncontrollably with the sound of the deafening void.
Then… followed a deafening silence.
Relief surged in him like pressure escaping from deep water.
Huff. Huff…
"Did I almost die again?"
He muttered as he frantically caught his breath and opened his eyes.
The vast abyss stretched infinitely, the warmth of the sun was nowhere in sight, and the emptiness and sorrow of the fields were as if devastated by the catastrophe. Earth longed for the sun; a vast majority of the space he'd gone was an open field enveloped by a deep, dark shadow. Trees towered as if building, and the sound of animals' despair still echoed in the air.
"Why the heck am I so unlucky!? Is this the fate of every unblessed that clawed their way to the top!? Is this the trial I have to pass to be a hero!?"
Haa… Ha…
"Calm down… maybe there's hope for me… A domain… Right.. A domain…"
After screaming out his frustration, Kreig realized a much more important thing to do than complain: gather information.
"I'm now in a world where the strong thrive and the weak are used as nourishment," he paused.
"Haven."
He muttered a word he'd chosen: Haven.
His surname not only meant sanctuary, but it was also a witness to his survival.
At once, a semi-transparent screen showed his status.
…
Name: Kreig Haven
Resonance Name: Haven
Lord level: Level 1, Tier 1
Resonance: Soulbound (unique)
Essence: 1/999
Domain Name: None
Lord skills:
Mini Map (Low-rank) – Allows the lord to visualize his domain on his head.
Extraction (Unranked) – Allows the lord to subjugate or extract Resonance and essence on the enemy lord's domains.
Summon (Unranked) – Summon units to fight for the lord using summoning stones dropped by monsters in the abyss.
…
"Woah…" Kreig's face warped into a smile subconsciously as he muttered his surprise. "I-I did it… it seems just like yesterday that I'd begged the streets, but now I'm here challenging the endless abyss…" he said in a mumbling tone, his eyes closing as he embraced the semi-transparent screen showing his stats.
"Mini Map," he muttered.
Shhhh—
A mind-boggling map appeared on his sole consciousness, not hindering his sight, but rather making him confused with questioning: how?
Hmmm. It seems I have a domain the size of a...village… and it's here?
Tsk. Where, though?
"L-lord…" a hoarse voice interrupted his trail of thoughts. A young boy not much younger than him appeared, his clothes as if spilled by the moon's shimmering upon the shadow, dawning even on Kreig.
"You are?" Kreig asked cautiously..
"I-I don't remember, m-my lord." The boy muttered shakily, as if terrified.
"Tch. Then why call me 'lord'?" Kreig's tone was skeptical, if not defeated.
"The void summoned me, my lord… I-I do not know why… only that I must serve you…"
"I see." Kreig narrowed his eyes, the earlier exasperation replaced by quiet calculation.
"How old are you? What can you do?" He paused. "And, can you do me a favor and speak clearly?"
"M-my apologies, my lord," he said with a pause. "I am seventeen, my lord. I am to serve as your assistant, handling your affairs. I cannot fight, but I can most certainly aid you with matters, especially concerning your domain, my lord."
"I see," Kreig replied, brief but thoughtful. He then shifted his gaze to the boy who refused to meet his eyes.
Just as Kreig was about to open his mouth to speak again—
"My lord, follow me, I assume you are lost?"
Kreig wasn't offended—if anything, he was impressed.
"Will do," he replied.
The boy then led the way to the village, which he said was at a distance of 10 minutes.
Amidst the stroll, Kreig couldn't help but gasp before the raging darkness that enveloped the land. It was as if the sun had long abandoned the vast world, its rays only to be swallowed by the darkness.
Each step lingered the urge to stop for his feet, the tall grass caused him to be quite itchy—the boy, as if a master traveller, swiftly moved on the surface.
Then, after a while, the vast shadow slowly vanished into thin air as they set foot on the area where the sun reigned.
"My lord, we've arrived," the boy replied with a slight bow.
"I see," replied Kreig curiously as he laid his eyes on a dome-like barrier that extended from one end to another.
"My lord, how much do you know about the abyss?"