My SSS-Rank Class Is Blood Monarch!

Loneliness.

If Arthur were asked to define that word from his own perspective, he would say one thing and one thing only. Loneliness for Arthur was the epitome of human torture. The human being is a social creature by nature, and if that aspect was robbed of their lives, the results are usually detrimental on so many different levels.

The first time the boy experienced true loneliness was after coming home from his grandmother’s funeral and closing the door of the house behind him. What welcomed him was a dark, gloomy, and empty house with no life attached to it.

He remembers vividly how he stood there, a blank expression written all over his face as he stared around him. Before that moment, the weight of the loss hadn’t hit him yet as he was still in shock from everything.

However, when he saw that empty house, it finally hit him… The realization of the future awaiting him. So, he dropped to the ground and cried. He cried for hours, holding himself while tears rolled endlessly from his face.

The boy felt suffocated, sad, afraid, and extremely… lonely. He had no friends, no family members to go to, and no one who would think about him or care for him except for his grandmother.

There was nothing more cruel than those days, and they developed Arthur’s mindset a lot. If he could face such a harsh life as a kid, then there was truly nothing that could faze him. The fear of those nights sleeping alone and then having to move to a completely new city where he had to also start a new life on his own and adapt.

He had faced countless challenges, and they all felt… lonely. So, even at this moment, when he stood in perhaps the most isolated spot in the Divine Realm, Arthur didn’t feel too crushed by the weight of it.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to continue on the path. There was not much else he could do other than to push forward until he breaks through.

“I just need to keep walking. The wind might try to blow me away, so I should anticipate that, I guess.”

With that in mind, Arthur started walking again, crossing the long path ahead of him with unwavering belief and confidence in himself.

His eyes never lost focus and never lost hope; he was as steadfast as ever, if not more. The people were waiting for him, and Isla was waiting for him… He cannot fail now.

***

“Hnnng… Ugh…”

Germa’s lips parted slightly as he let out a dried cough and a groan. A strong headache hit him immediately upon waking up. It felt so strong that he almost cried from its intensity. As if someone took a bat and started hitting his brain left and right.

His first instinct was to rub his head, thinking he must’ve hit it or injured it in some way. That was when he realized something. His hands… were tied.

“Huh?” He frowned deeply and tried to move them again, only to hear the sound of shackles shaking. “What’s this?” He then tried to move the rest of his body without success.

He was completely immobilized in his position, his legs, arms, torso, and even neck. They were all uncomfortably squeezed in metal, cold shackles that trapped him. The man instinctively started panicking, his body shook violently.

“Let me go! What is this?!” He yelled loudly. “Sir Arthur?! Is anyone else here?!” He cried for the names of the people he knew to no avail. The entire place was shockingly quiet, to the point where he could hear his own breathing loud and clear.

‘I can’t remember anything… I was climbing the pillar and then…’ Trying to remember what could’ve led him here, the shape headache struck again, making him arch his head against the cold, wet wall.

It took him a minute to calm down and start taking in his situation better. “I have been kidnapped by something… These shackles feel human-made. Who could’ve done this?”

There was really not much Germa could work with, even with his senses. Spreading them around, he could only feel the empty corners of the room. It was completely empty, no furniture, no people, nothing.

“…” The anxiety in Germa’s heart rose, but he tried to keep his calm. ‘I need to first try to get these shackles off me. They’re extremely heavy and restrictive. What kind of metal even is this?’

As he kept trying to shake and move these shackles, Germa suddenly heard some noise coming from a small distance. Immediately, he stopped moving and lifted his head. He couldn’t see, but the noise he heard was too recognizable.

Someone had just opened some sort of a door, and that door creaked audibly. The man tensed visibly. Then, a silhouette appeared inside the room… standing silently near the door.

“Who’s there?! Are you the one who did this?! Release me immediately!” He yelled at this person, unable to know who it was.

“…”

However, he received no reply, and for a good minute, the person stood there, not doing anything at all. The more time passed, the more Germa felt afraid. His head started to sweat, and his heart raced.

Something was disturbingly wrong with this person. He could feel it deep in him, this was no normal human he was facing.

“Who are you?! I’m talking to you!” The man yelled again, sounding more desperate this time.

‘What the hell is wrong with this person? Are they unable to speak?’ Germa felt completely lost. He wasn’t even sure if he was talking to a human at that point, even though his senses were telling him that this was indeed a person, shape-wise.

At that moment, the stranger finally did something. They stretched their hand forward. Germa tensed up, fearing what could happen next.

“Fuuuh…” The stranger then exhaled a deep sigh. “Yonathan had changed you, Germa… He had done wonders… As he always does.”

The voice that spoke to Germa at that moment was very deep, enough to make his entire body shake from its low frequency.

“Huh? How do you know me?! Who are you?! State your name!”

A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!