Chapter 55- A Hand That Stretches From The Darkness (Part 3)

Chapter 55: Chapter 55- A Hand That Stretches From The Darkness (Part 3)

Chapter 55- A Hand That Stretches From The Darkness (Part 3)

"U...gh..."

Time had already blended so much for Rize that he stopped even thinking about it. He felt like months had passed since he was put in that place. Each second that passed felt like an eternity where Rize would live every miserable moment of his past life on a loop like a horrible movie that he can’t leave.

The memories of every single instance where he was abandoned, mocked, hurt, and thrown away as if he was truly nothing. He remembered the days he spent in that dark room, eating his sorrows away and consuming everything that could help him escape the hell he was in.

That was, ironically, how he started reading novels. Specifically, fantasy novels because in them, the protagonist would always emerge victorious and get everything he wished for. Rize wanted to be that person; he always did.

He saw how they got everything they wanted and lived such impactful and important lives. Lives that will be remembered for eons to come.

But, deep down, he knew that was never going to happen, as it was all... a fantasy. Yet, by some miracle, that fantasy became his reality in the weirdest way. He had become something that is the exact opposite of that.

He became a villain. One that the protagonist himself will kill in the future. It was extremely ironic. Almost as if fate itself was mocking his dreams.

The hallucinations only grew more intense as time passed. Each memory became a manifestation in his reality, happening before his own eyes. He saw himself being thrashed around by bullies; he saw himself receive those horrible grades; he saw how he ended up in that dilapidated apartement.

"No..." He whispered under his breath, trying to look away. However, how could he look away from his own imagination? Even with his eyes closed, he could see it and hear it. "Stop..."

"You will never amount to anything." A voice whispered in his head.

"Stop... I’m not..."

"You are a failure."

"I’m not..."

"You have failed before, and you will fail now."

"No... Stop..."

Rize tried to deny those words again and again to no avail. He couldn’t overcome the voice in his head. Soon enough, he found himself being consumed by it, and his own voice slowly dissipated like the faint mist of the morning.

"Rize."

Opening his eyes again, Rize saw a different image this time. The moment he heard that voice and saw that face, he shuddered. The person standing before him was none other than Venera.

"Ve...nera?" Rize muttered under his breath, almost in disbelief that she was standing before. He blinked a few times, and she was still there; hope crept into his soul. "You... came?"

"I’m here, Rize." She said as she approached him and crouched to his level. Her hand stretched and held his face gently. It felt warm.

Feeling her gentle touch, Rize closed his eyes as tears welled up in them.

"You fought hard... You don’t need to be afraid anymore."

"I’m... tired... Venera..."

"I know. Soon enough, all your pain will go away. You will be free, Rize."

"Please... I’m lost..."

"And I have found you," Venera said. "You are not lost anymore. You have your purpose now..."

Rize felt as if he was suddenly alive again. Those words pulled him out of the darkness of his mind. He was finally saved; he was finally going to leav-

"Juuuust kidding."

"H...uh?"

Suddenly, all that warmth disappeared. Rize shot his eyes open as he looked around. Venera was nowhere to be seen.

"Wha... Where..."

"You really thought you were saved, hahaha? You are such a pathetic bastard."

"..."

Rize froze in his place, his face blank and his eyes wide open as if he had a surge of energy out of nowhere. The entire world around him felt like it was warping and twisting, like a coiling snake that wanted to suffocate him.

But if all those hours of hallucinations weren’t enough, he realized that his heartbeats were reaching a critical state. He had been upside down for more than a day, and his heart could not handle that anymore.

Slowly, the boy started succumbing to the pain. All his willpower to fight and survive was drained out of him, bit by bit. It was as if his own mind was his enemy. The images it drew for him were nothing short of cruel and destructive. If that indicated anything, it indicated that even after all these years, Rize was still his own biggest enemy.

He still didn’t move on from the fact that he was a failure. All he had to experience was one bad moment for the dam to break and for these negative thoughts to consume him like an unstoppable tide.

However, all that didn’t matter anymore. Nothing really mattered. Rize realized that he was going to die there and there was nothing he could do about it. Absolutely nothing.

’This... is... unfair...’ With the last embers of consciousness he had, he thought those words. Then, his eyes started closing... For one last time.

At that very moment, and seemingly out of nowhere, Rize felt something. It wasn’t really a strong sensation, more like a faint one amidst the pain. It came from his chest. He didn’t think about it or even understand it.

However, that feeling began to grow rapidly. It was warm and very intense. Then, Rize suddenly started feeling his own limbs. Then, his nauseous mind started clearing up as a surge of immense energy coursed through his veins, spreading to every part of his body.

[Host has been identified.]

[Essence Core has reached Awakened state.]

[Awakening began.]

As he was in that state, he saw several holographic boxes appear in his vision. They were blue in color, floating silently wherever his eyes stared.

’Huh?’

Then, almost the same instant those words manifested before his eyes, the energy suddenly exploded within his body as Rize felt the entire world around him shift.

An intense whirlwind manifested within the closed room, whistling wildly as it swept everything in its path. The chains rattled and shook violently as if something was tearing them apart.

At the same time, a blackish purple haze manifested around Rize’s body. Just merely staring at it would send chills down the spines of anyone there. However, the sheer pressure it exuded was a completely different matter. It spread to every corner of the room, trying to break through and escape. However, it was confined within that space, so it instantly filled it up to the brim.

At the same time, within Rize’s body, that energy quickly accumulated around all his injured spots as it started healing them. At the same time, it moved to his heart and boosted its performance, quickly helping it pump blood everywhere.

When that happened, suddenly, Rize’s eyes shot open as he sucked a deep breath. He stared around him.

’What the hell is happening? Fuck! What is happening to my body?!’

His senses were extremely heightened. He could see far more clearly than ever before. Every other sense became so sharp that he felt as if he had suddenly ascended.

’Wait, ascended?’ Rize frowned. ’Is this...?’

Just as he thought of that, a new window appeared in his vision.

[Host has awakened.]

[Potential: Unknown]

[Gift: Endless Hunger.]

[Ding!]

[Danger detected!]

[Endless Hunger Activated: Utility Mode.]

"Huh...?"

Rize didn’t understand a single thing he was seeing. However, a split second later, everything changed for him.