Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Start from the bottom.
Mykel was shackled with nothing to cover his skinned body with his flesh sizzling from the heat. He didn't have eyelids to protect his eyes from dust that was as sharp as a needle and hard as a diamond. He didn't remember how he ended up in that place or how long it had been since he had been tortured every single day.
Every glance he made it felt like he was ripping his eyes out, but he couldn't help it because he wasn't the only one there. Everyone who had been with him since the beginning was there in the same condition as him, except for one.
An angel sitting on the edge of the cliff with his six black feathered wings on his back. A being that used to be Mykel's other half and now had turned against him, Lucifer the ruler of hell.
Mykel tried to remember but nothing came out of his head except for the people that were with him. It was a dark misty empty space and whenever he tried to go further, his head felt like about to explode. When he finally found a glimpse of light in his fuzzy memories, a strong and hot wind struck his body that electrocuted him.
"I feel a light, was it you?" Lucifer asked as he put his hand on Mykel's face and forced Mykel to look at him. "Light shouldn't exist in this place," Lucifer pointed out as he tightened his grip and ripped Mykel's face.
Mykel's skull was being crushed and it made him remember everything. All the memories flashed through his eyes in a split second which made him ignore the pain that he had been through. He remembered everything and knew that he couldn't do anything but wait.
Lucifer who was enjoying crushing Mykel's head made Elena scream in anger as she tried to free herself from the chains. She gave a deadly stare at Lucifer and her expression was enough to tell that she would kill him once she managed to free herself.
Lucifer suddenly looked up and stared at something with respect and fear at the same time. He went quiet and slowly removed his hand from Mykel's head which made Mykel curious. He then took a few steps back and put his right hand on his chest as he bowed his head and kept staring at the sky.
"The Lord has given his words," Lucifer said as he slowly looked down at Mykel. "By the Lord's grace, you're given a chance to repent for you who have brought chaos to Earth," Lucifer continued and stared Mykel in the eye.
Mykel scoffed as he smirked and asked with a trembling voice, "Repent? It wasn't me who brought the chaos in the first place."
"You're welcome to stay here for eternity," Lucifer said with a smirk and kept staring Mykel in the eye. "The Lord showed you mercy, not only you, but those who don't belong to this world that the Lord created," Lucifer continued and looked at Jeanne and the others.
Mykel glanced at Elena and stared at her for a moment. "What do you want me to do?" Mykel asked.
"You're given one opportunity. You brought chaos, and you have to be the one who ends it," Lucifer answered. "Of course, you're not going to do it on your own. Those people that you brought, they have to bear the responsibility as well," Lucifer continued.
"What if I don't want to?" Mykel asked.
"You have two years, and on the last day, if Earth is still suffering, you have to bear all the sins of the people you have killed. You'll feel the most painful death and be tortured far worst than this," Lucifer answered calmly.
"And? Are you going to send us all back to Earth if I accept that offer?" Mykel asked.
"Yes, as the Lord has shown you mercy," Lucifer nodded his head.
"Mercy?" Mykel asked with his eyebrows raised. "Of course, I'll accept the offer," Mykel said with a bit of a smirk on his face.
Lucifer went quiet for a few seconds, and then he snapped his fingers which made the shackles and chains on Mykel's and the others' bodies disappear. Elena who knew she was finally set free immediately stood up, but she lost her ability and she fell right to the melting hot ground.
Jeanne and the others who saw Elena who used to be invincible were on the ground helplessly. She was screaming in pain as she tried to stand up but her hands melted over and over again.
"Before I go, can I ask you one thing? Who sent me to that world? And how did I gain the power I created?" Mykel asked as he stared Lucifer in the eye. "If it was the Lord you speak of, the one who gave me that power. Doesn't that mean it wasn't my fault in the first place if I'm using it as I pleased?" Mykel asked again.
"If you want an answer, prove yourself first," Lucifer answered.
Mykel judgingly stared at Lucifer and believed that he did nothing wrong. The power he got and the hardship he had to achieve to get that power. Everything was because of his own effort and to think he would be punished for it even though he believed that power was given by someone, and it wasn't his in the first place.
"Well then, I'll see you all again in two years," Lucifer said and enjoyed Elena's scream of pain after he hadn't heard it for quite a while since he brought them all to hell a year ago.
Lucifer removed the ground under Mykel and the others, and they all fell down into an endless abyss. He looked at the darkness below him, and then an angel landed right next to him in golden armor.
"He lied," Lucifer said.
"We know, and the Lord knows as well," The angel replied. "But whatever he's going to do down there, he will face the consequences of his actions. It's not our job to judge, we only follow orders," he continued.
Lucifer didn't say anything and closed the abyss as the ground slowly filled the hole.
"Don't question the Lord's decision," The angel said.
"I wouldn't dare," Lucifer replied as he walked away.
The angel glanced at Lucifer and knew that he was doubting the decision. He also felt that a flame that should have been extinguished started to burn again.
(On Earth, Denver, Colorado)
Mykel, Jeanne, Aurea, Elena, Bhatmelec, Gunnar, Rozan, Gerrard, Sven, Vincze, Lillith, Edith, Nagy, Lyneth, and Bhatmelec hit the concrete road hard. They all were injured by the fall and took a while to get back on their feet.
They looked at empty streets, abandoned buildings, and a dead city because the demons had taken over the city. They all lost their powers and became ordinary people who could die from bleeding.
Mykel looked around and found a soldier's dead body on the side of the road. He then approached it and took a knife from the soldier's waist. He checked the knife and saw if it was still in good condition.
"What are we going to do now, Mykel?" Aurea asked as she held her shoulder since her shoulder was dislocated from the fall.
A notification appeared in front of them as soon as Aurea said that.
[You have been chosen by the higher being]
[You have Awakened and become an Awakener with strength and the ability to defeat demons. You are given an opportunity to save Earth, and those who prove themselves will be rewarded]
[To access your strength and ability, you can say "Status" to check]
They all looked at the notification and noticed it was different from the one they had created. It was different from the one they created, and it was also different from when they were awakened a long time ago.
"What's this? Did the system change?" Bhatmelec asked as she looked at the notification.
"No, that's not ours," Mykel answered as he shook his head and stared at the knife in his hand. They all looked at Mykel with confused looks and eyebrows furrowed. "My system is currently off the grid and I can't access it," Mykel explained after he couldn't access his system and lost his [Admin] skill.
"We are going to start from the beginning again..." Mykel paused. He turned around and looked at all of them, "Even though the system isn't ours and different, everything else should be the same. We know the demons, we know how to kill them, and we know what awaits us because we are the ones who created this game. So we will climb back up and think of a way to get out of this situation," Mykel said with confidence. "Are you guys in?" Mykel asked with his right eyebrow raised and looked at everyone.
"What kind of question is that? Of course, we are in," Elena answered with her arms crossed and she looked furious.
The others nodded their heads in agreement with Elena's answer.
Mykel smirked as he swung the knife in his hand, "What are you waiting for then? Find yourself a weapon and start killing those demons."
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