Almost a week had passed. Ru was beginning to panic. He couldn't find anything of interest. He'd turned the library upside down and still found nothing. He'd grabbed so many books that the dust had given him a cold for the next three days. But even with a stuffy nose, he kept studying. But to no avail. 

Ru sat down and looked around. He couldn't find a single clue about mein. It's almost as if its existence had been wiped in history books. It was too suspicious. Ru narrowed his eyes and looked around the old library.

He stared at the ladder that looked like it'd break from just sneezing at it. But he still climbed up the steps and reached the second floor. There were only three books that sat there. Ru stared at those three books. These were the oldest books available here. They dated back before humans became aristocrats and commoners. Of course, he'd already read them, but something told him that he was missing something. That the books were hiding something far greater. 

Ru carefully picked up the book in the middle and then the first book and then the third. There was no reaction. He frowned. He reached for the third, then first, and then second. Nothing, again. Now concentrated, he picked the first, second, and then third. And he heard a loud click. He saw the wall of the old library creek open, showing an opening of a tunnel. Ru hesitated on whether to enter. But he remembered his time limit and bravely (or stupidly) entered the strange tunnel. It was shorter than him so he had to crouch as he walked. But in minutes, he reached the end. 

It was dark, pitch black. He couldn't see anything and felt at the walls. He held his breath with fear. He had no clue where this led to. He felt something cold brush against the back of his neck and jumped back. He bumped into something and nearly screamed. Ru felt something trip him up and fell. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain. When he looked up, the darkness had vanished. He saw a well-lit caved area. Lanterns were blazing with fires and Ru felt a chill go down his spine. If there was no one else here, then what had happened to him? Had he just imagined all of that? Ru wanted to leave immediately but his eyes caught what was in the center of the room. A fairly thin book lay on the ground. It was well lit and Ru walked up to it curiously. He read the title.

[The Legend of —] The last word had been scratched out. Ru frowned. Something about this situation felt wrong. But Ru shook his head. He had to find clues soon or he'd run out of time. He hesitated and then grabbed the book. He left the creepy cave and returned to the library. He started reading the book.

'Once upon a time, there existed four Gods. The twins of life and death, the old fate sayer and the young hope maker.' Ru felt his heart skip a beat. Four Gods? But there were only three...? He focused on the words 'twins of life and death'. There existed a God of Life, but who was this God of Death? And what happened to them? He couldn't help but flip a page and read more.

'The twin Gods ruled Vitae, the land of life. The old God ruled Creatio, the land of creation and the young God ruled Forti, the land of power. Once there was peace in the lands, the Gods began descending and visiting the worlds by shapeshifting into humans, animals, or monsters. The one who loved to visit the most was the God of Death, —, and they especially adored humans. They'd shapeshift as a poor wanderer and when they found the corpse of a human who'd passed away for unfortunate reasons, they would revive them in hopes of giving them a better life. Soon, humans and other species began seeking out the wandering God as they wanted their help. But—' Ru took a deep breath. He turned the page and found it... empty. He flipped another and kept flipping until he reached the last four pages.

'— found their last moments meaningful. It had been mercy from their twin, just before —— but the God of Life was truly foolish. And so the God of Death sang. A sorrowful lullaby filled the land of Vitae. It was short but beautiful. And then the god of death spoke one last time. "Just like how a —— was the end of me, it will be the end of me once more. And so I curse all whose blood is tainted, curse them to suffer painful deaths as magic assaults them in every orifice. I, —, God of Death, curse those without magic to never receive it again. Or they will suffer a fate worse than death." A horrific laugh left the god of death's lips as they descended to their eternal grave. The three remaining Gods couldn't kill — so they banished them into ——. Only too late did the three Gods notice that the lullaby that — sang had begun affecting the people on Vitae.' 

Ru flipped the page and found the next one empty. He went to the last one. 'The only thing remaining of Vitae is the Sea of Lullabies. They say those who travel past it can still hear the lullaby of the God of Death and the millions of people who died singing along with them. They continue to sing as they drag any boats down with them, to the depth of the sea. For the day that — will return and bring ruin once more.' 

Ru dropped the book in his hand. His eyes were wide as he stared at the book in disbelief. He had expected something, but not this. There were originally four Gods and three continents. One of the Gods went rogue and destroyed one of the continents and was banished? There was too little for Ru to speculate. But he now knew for sure.

"Mein is a curse." A curse made by the God of Death. He felt a chill go down his spine. Curses were strong spells that could inflict horrific damage on their targets. However, its weakness was that if the curse bearer were to die, then the curse would be broken. But... the God of Death wasn't dead, were they? Ru's hand shook. To save Rael, he'd have to kill a God? He took a deep breath to calm himself once more. No, perhaps there was a better solution. 

Ru stared at the book in his hand. How come the book had so many details? And for being so old, it was perfectly preserved. Ru looked for the author's name on the cover page. He saw three words that began glowing as he read them.

"God of Death." There was a shift in the air. Ru felt his body freeze. He could hear sounds from behind him but couldn't see anything. And then footsteps ran up behind him. Ru heard breathing. He wanted to turn and look but he couldn't. His body was paralyzed with fear. This had all been a ploy. From the very beginning. 

He saw pale hands appear in his peripheral view. They descended to his eyes and the moment they touched his face, he lost control of his senses as he passed out.

The person grabbed Ru by his hair and stared at his face. They grinned. "I'm sure they'll be delighted now."

——

Ru woke up in a gasp, shivering from the cold. He struggled to turn his head and saw that he was bound to a chair. There was a gag in his mouth that muffled his hectic breathing, and he couldn't see anything. It was pitch black. But he could feel the ground with his feet a little, and the floor was wet. A thick smell filled the area but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. It felt like time had slowed. 

He heard a whisper.

"Good morning." Ru would've screamed had it not been for the gag. There was somebody behind him. His body tensed and he raised his hand, preparing to cast a spell— but nothing. They must've used anti-magic chains to bind him to this chair. He was defenseless. 

A small light materialized only centimeters from his face. He saw the face of a girl who looked a year younger. Ru would've wondered why a young girl kidnapped him had it not been for half of her face being... gone. She only had the left side of her face left. He tried struggling as the undead girl reached out to him. She stroked his cheek which made Ru panic more. And then the undead girl burst into laughter. 

"Gosh, why are you so scared? You'd think you saw something terrifying." Even though she was dead, her eyes—eye lit up with amusement. Ru was breathing harder as he stared at her. Every child, growing up, had been taught the many different schools of magic. But there was one that was forbidden to even speak about. Death magic. Necromancy, blood magic, possessions, there were all sorts of spells. No one asked questions, it was common sense not to even think of death magic. And the undead girl who was still giggling was proof of its existence. Someone had used death magic... Ru was trembling. He knew who'd created this undead girl. But he didn't know what they wanted with him.

"It's good that you woke up by yourself, I thought I'd have to do it." Ru couldn't stare at her without becoming nervous and so he stared at the pitch-black liquid on the ground. It appeared pitch black without any light on it. 

"Ru Hasselt." Ru tensed once more. "I want to make a deal with you." Ru was still shaking but he forced himself to glare at her. She smiled at him back. The fact that only half of her face could smile made her creepier. "Of course if you say no..." She was silent as the answer was obvious. 

"Nod or shake your head if you agree." Ru nodded slowly. He had to listen to her or he wouldn't make it. He had to escape this place and return home. Was there anyone who was looking for him? How long had he been gone? Was his family worried? Ru rapidly blinked. He had to calm down. And listen to her condition.

"As long as you sign a contract with me, I will grant you three things. The first is revenge." Ru gave her a confused look and she chuckled at that. "You didn't think this whole situation was your fault, did you? Someone set you up." Ru was too stunned to even move his head.

"I can tell you their name now if you want to... no? Alright, then I'll share it once you've signed the contract." She seemed confident that he would sign it. "The second condition is power. Having more power than anyone in this world." 

Ru didn't believe her for a second. There was a catch. "But that power is only granted for every person that you kill so that you can steal their magic and grow stronger." Ru clenched his fist. He knew it. He would never agree to this contract. He didn't even want to listen anymore.

"And the third... is the perfect family." Ru stopped. He slowly raised his gaze to the undead girl. And he saw a cruel smile appear on her face. "I thought your family needed a bit of... tweaking. So why not change it yourself?" 

The darkness vanished as it illuminated the large underground room they were in. Ru didn't study the room as he stared at his family who stood only meters away from him. And when he saw them, the only thought he could think was: 'That explains the smell.' 

The thick, almost choking stench that filled the room was revealed as Ru stared at his family. Or what remained of them at least. Ru stared down at his feet. His feet were in blood. All around the room, splatters, and splotches of blood stood drying, like an art project. And the main event? 

—

A/N: CONTENT WARNING FOR THOSE WHO ARE SENSITIVE WITH GORE AND BLOOD.

—

His father, a harsh and demanding man had been severed in two, leaving his guts on the ground as his eyeballs had long since rolled away. "He was so annoying to deal with. He cut off half of my head. I might've gone too far." She giggled before twirling to her next victim. "Oh her? I had so much fun with her." She purred as she stroked the hair of the woman that Ru once called mother. His mother, who was always so cruel to him, looked scared in the last moment of life. Her beauty which had always been renowned as one of the best was now twisted inside out. Her smooth dark skin had been sewed inside out, her intestines were bulging from where her 'stomach' lay, and her eyes were falling out. The only thing that remained unchanged was her curly hair. But the hair had turned red from the copious amount of blood.

And lastly was his little sister. She had grown cold to him over the years, thanks to his mother distancing them, but he still greatly cared for her. It was his fault that she treated him like a monster and kept mocking him. But he never wanted to hurt her.

Lu was lying in between her parents. Her eyes were closed and she looked to be sleeping peacefully... Had it not been for the thin line on her throat. "Aw, I had planned on keeping her alive a little longer so you two would talk but I forgot how easily children bleed out compared to adults." The undead girl gently stroked Lu's cheeks, leaving blood on her. 

—

A/N: The gore is done! Thanks for being patient with me!

—

Ru stopped screaming. He hadn't noticed when he began screaming, but his throat was starting to hurt. The gag kept hurting him as he tried screaming once more. Tears ran down his face as he tried moving but he was bound down. Ru panted heavily as he tried resisting but he was powerless. Ru was useless. And then he broke down as he knew that this was it.

Whoever did this was sick and twisted, knowing that Ru never wanted his family to die. Who would do this for him? Plan all of this, kill his family, and torture him like this?

He was beginning to feel numb as he stared at what remained of his family. He could barely blink as the smell suffocated him, but he refused to look away.

He would never forget this scene for the rest of his life.