CHAPTER I: Life After Death Part I

All my life I walked alone. Drenched in the sorrows and pain of a life filled with misery. It was never my choice. I had never chosen to walk down this path. I was merely another poor soul, like a leaf being carried away by this river we call fate. I always wondered, “Was it ever possible to change ones fate?” I lived my life believing that our fates are already set in stone from the moment we are brought into this accursed world. I believed that with the existence of fate, one could not choose their own path. If you become rich, that is your fate. If you’re wallowing in poverty and misery, that is your fate and you can do nothing to change it. Funny...right? I lived all my life believing this, and this led me to make some really bad choices. All I did was dance to the tune of fate like a sacrificial pawn in a game of chess.

“Look, it's a monster.” They said. “He's walking alone. Look, he's pulling something out of his pocket. He threw it on the ground. Let's go see what it is. It's a black box. You open it... ok... Look, it's sorrow, misery and pain. It's loneliness and longing. Boy, he'll be sorry he lost these.” I had locked away my emotions. Suppressed them and threw them away which was technically abandoning my humanity. I had always wondered how it would be to live a life with all these emotions. Was it really necessary to dance to the tunes of the strings of fate? If I lived differently maybe my fate would have changed. If one was to live by different choices and morals would one alter his or her fate? And again this poses the question, “Is it possible to change one’s fate?”. Well without a doubt I believed fate was set in stone but a part of me was hoping, maybe just maybe there was a chance I could. It was merely a pathetic delusion as I had sensed my death creeping ever closer. I yearned to be loved. I yearned for company. But I knew this was the end of the road for me. And not just me but the end for everything as we know it.

As I stood there a battlefield plagued with death and the stench of blood unbearable. Corpses of both humans and monster scattered left and right. It almost looked like a sea of corpses. The Kings who had allied together with their armies ready to die for their country. I watched as they were killed, slaughtered, beheaded and torn to pieces as they fought for their race. I, who was all too familiar with the battle field, whose fate was to walk alone; I, whose fate was to become the strongest even if it meant to abandon my humanity. I, who stood at the pinnacle of humanity, drenched in blood. I stood as the air filled with the smell of death, blowing towards me. My clothing and armor had been drenched in crimson red blood. I shone brighter than anyone under this crimson red night sky. The battle had already come to an end.

I stood their in front of the thing that threatened existence itself. The Great Devil King Albagan. A beast who was over 30 meters tall with two horns protruding from it’s forehead, stood before me. The Devil King Albagan was a force to be reckoned with. It was the final battle that would decide the fate of humanity. I who abandoned my humanity knew nothing but fighting. With a great sigh of relief the battle commenced. The long battle that lasted 67 days and nights was finally coming to an end. A great silence signaled the end of the battle. The long battle between two existences that had exceeded the limits of their species had finally come to an end. On the wrecked battle field, prostrate on the ground, was the devil king. The devil king murmured what I thought was senseless words as I stared off into the Crimson night sky. Lying in the crimson red soil soaked in blood and sweat, the devil king, king of all demons also known as the Demon King of The End took his last breath. I, who had survived the battle where many human and demon souls were lost. I stood victorious. I had sacrificed myself for humanity but also abandoned my humanity. I never had any lingering feelings towards the ones I fought for. All I wanted was to fight because that was all I knew. That was my fate. My legs bloodied and wounded from days of battle, ready to give out at any moment. Bones rattling from even the smallest of breezes. I had suffered excessive blood loss due to one of my arms being severed. I could not see a thing in my left eye. My right eye being filled with blood, all I saw was red. My body had given out. There was no reason for me to live on. I had fulfilled my fate. I had battled my heart out. All the emotions and feelings I had bottled up. Fear, sadness, pain, anxiety, anger, all the negative emotions that had accumulated throughout my life. All these emotions that I had bottled up were released as I fell to the ground. I agonized about how I had the power but couldn’t change my own fate. I wondered why I lived my life like this. I had never felt human, but at the very end I had finally felt human. “How Ironic…” Those were the words that came to mind after releasing these emotions. I was one of the many that came from earth, stood at the pinnacle of humanity and fought for the humanity I had abandoned. I had lost everything. My friends my family. I was given a dangerous path that forced me to walk alone. Being ridiculed by the same people who came begging for my help. None of that mattered to me. I didn’t care for as long as I could battle. My heart torn to shreds by all these negative emotions. Lying in the blood soaked soil, right besides the devil king’s corpse which had shrunk to what I thought was it’s original form. I mustered up the last of my mana and healed my right eye. I looked at the crimson red night sky filled with twinkling stars. I stared into the night sky and my heart felt a great calm. With all the thoughts and emotions that had flooded my mind, they all just suddenly disappeared. “How beautiful!” I said, as tears of joy began running down my eyes. I felt an emotion that I had never felt since coming to this world. An emotion I yearned for. “It would have been nice if I could feel these emotions again.”, I thought to myself. My heart had stopped and my vision had faded. The last thought I had was,“It’s not fair!”, and in that moment I died.

I always wondered what happens to one after death. It was something I had been debating about all my life. As I walked a lonely path I always had many things on my mind.

“It’s Black…”

“I can’t see anything…”

“Is this Hell?”

My soul wondered aimlessly in the dark abyss. Even though my body and mind was not human, my soul remained that of a human. I then suddenly heard a voice that I was all too familiar with.

“If it’s you, maybe you would change both our fates...”

Upon hearing the voice of the demon king, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Light kept creeping closer and closer until it finally reached me.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Went the sound of the alarm clock ringing. I opened my eyes to look around. I was on a bed. Besides me was my phone. I turned off the alarm clock and walked towards the bathroom. I felt I was shorter than I was before. I rinsed my face with water and looked in the mirror.

“What an odd dream…”, I thought to myself as it looked like I was back in my teen ages. Hearing the sound of the flowing water from the bathroom tap, loud banging noises came from the direction of my apartment door. I walked over and opened the door. I was greeted by a fist to my face. My ears were then showered with a lot of nagging.

“I told you to be ready and out by 7:30 AM! You are such an idiot! How are you so bad with time! Even a grandma is better with time than you! You always sleep overtime! Now I’m gonna be late for work! I told you to not play video games at night! You little prick! You have!… Huh? What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Liam!? Are you okay?

I realized the tears running down my cheeks. “I’m crying…!?”. It was something unfamiliar to the red swordsman who ruled over the battle field. Suddenly this person embraced me and said,

“It’s okay Liam. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m so sorry I hit you and said such words to you.”

Hearing those words being said to me was like an unachievable fantasy. I longed to be embraced. I longed to be loved and cared for. I longed to experience these emotions. I cried my heart out saying,

“I missed you sister, I can’t believe it’s really you!!!”

It was my sister. It’s been ages since the last time I saw her. I thought I would never see her again. Once again I burst into tears in the warm embrace of my elder sister.

Everything had settle down and now I could see and analyze things clearly. I checked the date, time and year. I think I traveled back in time to before we went to the other world. This is the year 2021 approximately 4 years before I had an unfair fate forced upon me. This time I’m 17 years of age and doing my last year of high school. I hadn’t introduced myself yet. I am Liam Anthony and the person who I cried like a baby on earlier was my elder sister, Luna Anthony. She actually graduated from college and is now working at some company. I don’t know the details. She’s 26 years old and she’s my only family. I live in an apartment alone while my sister has a house of her own. I was the one who asked if she could get me this apartment. My sister and I lost our parents in a tragic accident 13 years ago when I was just 4 years old and my sister was 13 years old. We were taken in by my uncle and aunt who only took us in for the inheritance money. He took care of us till I was 15 years old. Once they got their hands on the inheritance money they kicked us out like stray dogs saying we cause too much trouble for them. My sister had already anticipated this as she was raising money behind the scenes with a part time job. She did this ever since our uncle and aunt took us in. She then took me to school after we were kicked out, payed for her own college and even gave me an apartment as I had requested. She has taken so much care of me. Back then I couldn’t do anything about it. But this time changes everything. I’m going to carve out my own path. Create my own fate and live life the way I want to. I have been given a second chance and this time I’ll make sure to monopolize all the knowledge I know to live the way I want to regardless of who I anger. Because I fear no one. I stood at the pinnacle of humanity and ruled the battlefield. I, who’s name struck fear in the hearts of my foes shall rise again and become the one and only Red Swordsman. Beware, for my future is brighter than the midday sun...But before that let me go to school first!