Thanks to Chaos’ guidance,  Damien made his way out of what he now knew was a cave. His oufit was not meant for the cave's rocky terrain seeing how much the tattered sheet kept slipping. The jagged stalactites that hung from the cave's ceiling and the protruding stalagmites from the cave floor made it look like he was walking along the jagged teeth in a monster's mouth. 

However, conditions were better inside the cave than outside as Damien quickly discovered. Outside the area was arid. Dead trees that had dried up and died off years ago were blackened Erosion that was brought by the creatures, they were sparsely decorating the wasteland as far as Damien could see. 

Erosion was a phenomenon that occurred everywhere and anywhere the monsters were, it started with people getting sick and dying, animals turning feral, and attacking each other and people, and then came death for everything and everyone. The air where Erosion had occurred turned too thick to breathe suffocating anyone exposed to it and low dark clouds hung permanently across the eroded area, apart from the New World, thanks to gods like Hephaestus and their Blessing of architecture, the sun barely shone elsewhere.

 The trees told Damien that he was outside the wall.

"How do I get back?"

Not yet time.

"What do you mean not yet time? I need to get back to my children."

First, get power.

Free us to get power

Then you go back.

"No! I need to go back now?" Damien stressed out turning his head left and right as he searched for the wall, hoping to miraculously find his way back home.

If you go back now.

Zeus Chosen will finish the job.

He will kill you.

You are helpless.

Powerless.

They were right.

 Damien hated that they were right, however, that changed nothing.

He cast a look back to the cave, clenching his fists as he made the hardest decision in his life. He was leaving his children, albeit it was temporary still the thought of Zion and Ambrosia in the clutches of those two made him grit his teeth. Going to face Christian as he was currently would cement his death for good.

"Fine," Damien gave in with a defeated sigh, " Where do I go?"He asked.

For now, he hoped they would forgive him for abandoning them. The next time he sees his children, he promises himself and them to have Christian's head on gold a platter as their present.

 *****************************************************************************************************************

“The creatures. Monsters. What are they?”  Damiened asked Chaos as he walked across the barren landscape following Chaos’ direction. He decided that having a conversation with the voices would help pass the time, he had long left the cave, and listening to the sound of the passing wind could only provide him with so much company .

The Damned. Was Chaos’ reply

“Damned? Like Damned Souls.” He asked.

Yes.

The transgressors. 

The sinners. 

Who went against the Creator.

Their Souls are too filthy to be reincarnated as anything but a monster.

“So they were humans once?”

Yes.

Not anymore. 

Now they are the Creator’s hunting Dogs.

Capture and feast on the creations that went against them.

“Well, what useless dogs. ”

Why do you say so human?

“A hunting dogs that listen to everyone is useless in my opinion. A good dog has only one master, I mean who is to say that one day they would not turn against their so-called master, right?.”

But they have not disboyed the Creator.

No one goes against their will.

Right now they are just rabid dogs without an owner.

That is why the gods unleashed them on earth.

Since they could not make them do their will.

“The gods did this?!” Damien exclaimed, his shock making him stand still.

Yes.

Human.

We told you that none of what is happening was the Creator’s will.

The gods! 

The gods are responsible.

“But why?” He cried out.

Entertainment.

Competition.

A game.

Damien thought gritting his teeth at the thought. 

Yes, game. Everything to them is a game.

“No wonder you hate them.”

We were made to oppose each other.

Hatred is all we can feel for each other.

Hatred is all we will feel for each other.

Now and forever.

Minutes of silence passed after Chaos', Damien needed it to mull over the disturbing information he had just been told.

“Where am I going?” He murmured out the question but never stopped walking.

To the closest location to the Abyss.

Where we are. 

For you.

To free us. Child.

“How about you call me Damien, “child” makes me think of my children.”

To us you are but an infant.

Too young to even be termed an adult by our standards.

“Everything has to be an infant compared to you. Just call me Damien.”

Alright.

“So where is this Abyss? Also why the heck is the Abyss on Earth?” He asked as he shielded his eyes against the sand particles that were getting whipped up by the wind that was gradually picking up.

Abyss is not on earth. 

The Abyss is at the center of the universe. 

Pulling everything towards it.

Swallowing planets, black holes whole solar systems, and everything in the universe.

In the end, as per the Creator’s will, 

it will swallow this universe.

Then itself. 

Bringing The End that will bring The Beginning.

“.That still does not answer my question.” Damien pointed out.

Worry not Human.

For The End

For The Beginning.

Is Billions of Years from now.

“Good to know,” Damien muttered in an uninterested tone, he could not give a damn about the end, or the beginning. His life has ended and begun too many times for him to care anymore. However, Chaos was yet to answer his question.

Before he could ask, the ground shook and Damien first thought it was just the wind moving the soil beneath his feet. But shakes turned to rumbles then the earth started cracking beneath his feet.

Human! 

Run! 

At Chaos' words Damien burst into a sprint, running blindly from the invisible enemy increasing the space between the spot he was standing at with each step.

Chaos’ warning came just in time as the earth was split open with a roar and a gigantic worm-like creature shot up and out from the ground. Its teeth clamping shut and the wind dying down. As Damien watched the giant worm dive out from the earth with wide eyes his heartbeat quickened and time seemed to slow down as the creature soared up toward the sky.

“It is a fucking Earthworm.” Damien had never met one who was not dead already. When he worked as a Butcher, he skinned dead Earthworms that were brought in from the Chosen’s hunt. It had leather-like skin that was impenetrable to many weapons so it was used for armor, shields, and great hunting shoes.

It had a long body that would grow to at least one hundred meters, its teeth jutted out and came together in a conical shape where when they closed they acted like a drill that allowed the worms to travel underground while digging. Not only were they sharp but also harder than diamond, but handling the teeth was not  under Damien’s job description

They hunted by causing windstorms to hide their presence by raising the loose soil and sands as they traveled to their prey where they would ambush them from the ground beneath their prey, swallowing them whole before they even had a chance to know the hell that was going on.

Fighting one needed at least a mid-level god or an item blessed by at least a mid-level god.  Facing the monster was not possible.

Then why was he not scared?

Do you wish to fight it?

“Is it possible to fight it even?”

You already know the answer to that.

He did.

Deep down he felt that if he fought against the towering worm, he would win.

He looked up at the monster that was rearing to dive back into the earth and take him with it.

He has been in fights.

Leaving in the Outskirts you had to know how to swing your fist if you wanted to live peacefully while protecting your shit.

Swinging a fist is easy. He never took boxing lessons, he did not have to.

After getting punched one too many times, he learned something about getting hit, taking a hit, and hitting back.

Roll your fingers up till you hide your nails against the palm. No need to have them digging into it hurting yourself even more.

Wrap your thumb over your fingers to stabilize the shit out of the punch.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Look at your opponent.

Eyes are always on them even if you flinch.

Breath in.

Breath…Out.

The earthworm barreled downwards, its teeth closed planning to dig into the earth and take its prey with it. The sharp point gleamed against the rising sun and wind whooshed passed its streamlined body as it dove down.

 Damien slowed his breathing.

Locked his eyes with the giant worm.

One foot forward for a solid base, drawing his arm backward and tightening his fist.

Breath …in.

Breathe…out.

As he exhaled, he shot out a punch just as the worm's teeth were a hair's breadth away.

Suddenly a deafening blast followed when his hand connected with the worm's teeth.

Its diamond-hard teeth shattered to bits, it folded into itself and then exploded.

Bits and pieces of the worm's upper body rained down around Damien who was too shocked at what just happened to even react to the putrid smell of the now dead Earthworm’s corpse.

“The hell was that?!” Damien asked Chaos, surprise and shock heavy in his tone.

That was me.

That was my power. 

That was Chaos.

His body was still buzzing from the aftereffects of the punch and something else,  foreign, circulated his body.

“Is that what is making me…buzzy?” He asked.

Electric you mean?

Alert you mean? Chaos asked the voices growing more and more menacing.

More powerfu…

“Yes, yes that” He cut the rambling Chaos off.

Then Yes!

It is that. 

It is Chaos.

It runs in your body. 

Circulates it. 

It gave you life.

Gives you life.

“What do you mean “gives you life”?” He asked making air quotes as he repeated Chaos’ words.

Exactly that.

Your heart.

Your human heart.

It died. 

Was dead when we found you.

So we gave you a new heart. 

A heart made of Chaos. 

A heart that pumped out Chaos. 

A heart that circulated Chaos.

 Saving you. 

Thus giving you life.

“So what? I am no longer human?” He asked with a scoff.

Depends.

It depends on your definition of being human.

 Is humanity your heart? 

Is humanity your blood? 

Is humanity your body?

“No, it is deeper than that,” Damien said with very little conviction.

Then.

Then you are still human.

Damien tried to listen to Chaos but not only were his thoughts chaotic but also kept getting distracted by the gigantic canyon that had appeared behind the limp Earthworm corpse.

He shrugged it off as a coincidence, no way his punch did that. No human could do that and he was human.