In an unknown world, in an unknown time and place…
A place that seemed to be bathed in blood in every possible way. The Sky was bleeding, and blood was raining in heavy drops. If one were to look around, they would see endless bodies of many species lying around everywhere, so many that it was hard to count.
A single continent, many times larger than the entire Earth, filled with nothing but bloody, dead bodies of innumerable species. The whole continent was dyed in nothing but red.
There was a large crack in the blood-red Sky, which looked disturbing to say the least. One could only imagine what sort of catastrophic event had occurred in this world and what kind of monstrous slaughter had taken place for trillions upon trillions of living beings to have been killed just like that.
In the midst of that inconceivable scale of slaughter....
A quivering, small boy was looking at a river of blood formed by the endless massacre, barely standing at the window of a small wooden house, at the top of a mountain.
Seeing only a fraction of the brutality, the boy was shivering uncontrollably in terror.
But he did not look away; he kept his eyes locked on that bloody river. Despite not knowing, the death cries of trillions of living beings echoed in his ears like a haunting melody of the greatest butchery that has ever happened in the history of this world.
After what felt like an eternity, the boy heard the door creak.
He dared not look back towards the one who entered.
Yet in the end, he was forced to do so with palpable dread.
An ethereally beautiful woman covered in bright red blood from head to toe was standing at the doorway, and the blood flowed down from her body and spread throughout the floor.
But it was not her blood, but the blood of the trillions she killed.
The boy could see it: the near-infinite number of vengeful specters latching onto her figure, forming a pillar surrounding her that seemed to pierce the very heavens.
The stench of thick fresh blood was enough to make him vomit; he shuddered for a moment. Yet in the end, another emotion won him over.
The eyes of the boy blazed with boundless fury as he looked at the woman who was his very own mother.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT? YOU…..YOU KILLED THEM; YOU KILLED THEM ALL…..SO MANY LIVES GONE JUST LIKE THAT…" the boy said through gritted teeth, with a mix of fear and chilling fury.
The mountain and the words themselves quaked in pain with every word the boy spoke.
But before he could speak any further, the woman dashed forward at an unimaginable speed and stabbed the sword straight through the heart of the boy.
He let out a gut-wrenching scream while hugging the bloody woman. The blade pierced his heart.
An unimaginable sadness and a sense of betrayal swept through his entire being. Blood started coming out of his mouth, he said his last words in a choked voice, "Why…..mother???"
His eyelids closed, and his soul left his body.
The woman held the boy tightly as tears of blood started coming out of her, but her face was already a mess of blood, so it did not make a difference.
The mother cried in anguish, a pain that no one would understand, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my son. This is…."
"This is the only way.....to..."
(DROPPED.)
****
Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang...….
"You've gotta be kidding me? When things were getting good, his backstory was being revealed. Things were taking a different turn. Did you decide to drop the novel? Are you fucking with me, author bastard?" Tyler shouted furiously while banging his fist onto the table in a fit of rage.
He was reading one of the newer novels he picked up a few weeks ago.
"Damn it, damn it. Are you kidding me? fuck you and your 14 generations, Author-san." Tyler was beyond enraged; the curiosity about what would happen after those events was killing him.
It was almost like writing an essay for hours, only for Windows to come crashing down just as you were about to save the damn file.
It was an extremely disgusting feeling, not that he knew what that would feel like in the first place. He didn't feel like sitting at home anymore with how shitty his mood was now. Coincidentally, he received a message from his childhood friend at that moment.
[Sophia: Hey, we were supposed to go shopping together, remember?]
He frowned at that and replied.
[Tyler: Heh, you want me to carry all of your shopping bags like a dog? Dream on....]
[Sophia: NOOO, you promised you're gonna come. So, stop with that bullshit and come down in 5 minutes, NOW.]
He could practically hear her screaming a long note through the screen.
Tyler smiled and said to himself, "Fine, at least hanging around with that moron will maybe lighten up my mood a bit."
Seeing him not reply anymore. She messaged him again,
[Sophia: Fine, the food is on me. Just hurry up already.]
[Tyler: Hehe, now we're talking. LOL]
[Sophia: And don't come out looking like a beggar.]
[Tyler: Be quiet before I change my mind.]
[Sophia: Be quiet before I change my mind about paying for your food.]
'Damn it, this bitc....' he cursed in his mind.
After 5 minutes, Tyler was standing right in front of his house. He had a moderately handsome appearance, neither too good nor too bad. He was wearing a light green T-shirt and black pants. He had slightly long hair and fair skin.
But perhaps the most striking thing about him was his pupils, which were blue in color. But not just any blue, they were ocean blue; it was almost like the churning waves of the ocean. Incredibly rare.
Hearing the sound of a light pair of footsteps.
Tyler looked to his right, where a beautiful girl his age came out of the house right next to him, wearing a pink dress.
She was gorgeous, breathtaking even, as her cherry-like light pink hair danced in the soft breeze. This was Sophia, the most beautiful girl in his entire school, also his one and only childhood friend.
But just like his own, Sophia's eyes were the most distinctive thing about her, as they were of a bright red shade.
Those pupils of hers... they were so beautiful that he could keep looking at them for an eternity and never get tired.
But he couldn't keep gazing into those eyes, no matter how much he wanted to.
Slowly, she came to stand before him, showing an enchanting smile that would melt the heart of every boy his age. But he only frowned at that sight. Putting on a displeased expression.
Sophia's eyebrows twitched. Her pretty smile also cracked. She gritted her teeth and glared at him hatefully, stomping her feet onto the ground. She started walking ahead in anger.
Tyler followed suit with a tired sigh, "Quit overreacting, and what's with those clothes? Why do you always have to be an attention seeker? I mean, all the freakin time?"
She shot him a sidelong glance, but an imperceptible trace of guilt and sadness flashed through her eyes for a fraction of a second, and then she smiled, grabbing his arm as if they were a couple.
Tyler tried to jump back but was unable to; he became annoyed again and said, "You? you?.... It's already bad that everyone in the school thinks we're a couple."
"Hehe, that's exactly what I want. At least I don't have to receive confessions daily because of that, or do you prefer all those damn pests constantly bothering me?" Sophia said in a disgusted tone.
Tyler's expression grew strange and complicated when he heard that, but in the end, he chose not to comment on it.
Everyone on the road was looking at the two of them. The boys on the road shot him envious glances, seeing Sophia holding his hand like that, while older people smiled at them, seeing them as a sweet couple, one with red eyes and the other with ocean blue.
As if they were match made in hell, not in heaven.
Tyler massaged his temples in frustration.
He muttered to himself, "How did I think hanging around with this fool would actually lighten up my mood?"
Sophia didn't hear him properly because she was too busy enjoying the situation, so she asked, confused, "Did you say something?"
Tyler sighed, "Of course not, my dear lady. How dare I say something?"
She smiled even more sweetly, putting on a bashful look, and Tyler felt his blood pressure rise in anger. This girl was a devil underneath that sweet face, yet now she was acting like a maiden in love.
What was she up to?
Beep, Beep, Beeeeeeeeeppppppp
Suddenly, he heard the loud and desperate horns of a speeding car from behind.
He barely looked backward and saw a jeep speeding towards the two of them at an insane speed. Before he could think further, his body reacted automatically at that moment of threat. He pushed Sophia backward with all his strength, just to ensure her safety.
BANGG!!!!
Yet, he was unable to save himself as the jeep crashed right onto him and slammed him into the wall behind.
Crack!!!
His head was utterly crushed. Tyler didn't even have the time to realize how he had died in the span of a few seconds.
Sophia, on the other hand, remained petrified at that bloody sight, seeing her best friend's skull being crushed right in front of her eyes. Some blood stained her beautiful face and lovely pink hair.
Her body trembled...
In fear...
In regret...
For the horrendous thing she just did...
As she gritted her teeth hard enough to make her gums bleed, tears fell from her eyes as a guilty expression took over her face. She muttered in a choked voice, "I'm sorry, my friend, but this is... this is... the only way...."