Chapter 465: The End of The Quiet Life

Keres led the group, but at the same time, it was to be expected; he was one of the strongest Harbingers in all the Two Kingdoms. There was even talk about him being the strongest in the world, only second to the Breakers. That was the insanity of his powers.

As they approached the gate, it suddenly opened, slowly sliding into the ground.

’That’s quite cool.’ Aether said. And beyond it... was nothing special. It looked the same as it had looked before... just a green field.

Aether tilted his head as he followed the crowd, but all his thoughts about this being normal fell away once he heard the Codex.

[ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR

Warning: the place you are about to enter is not in stable condition; many things may stop working. Be careful.

ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ]

His eyes widened; it was the first time he had ever seen the Codex act remotely like this. It had never tried to warn him about something as it was now. And it was as if it was trying its best to keep them away.

’And what does things even mean? Like powers that can’t be right. Why would our powers stop working?’

It was strange, but at the same time, they had a lot of Harbingers with them at the moment. Maybe after they split up, he was going to be scared, but not now.

Lilith turned to them. "We will be walking together for some minutes, but after that we will have to take our own path, so I hope you are all ready." They nodded, but after they did, the ground started to shake... violently.

They all stopped, as the ground continued to move... almost as if something was crawling under the ground.

And suddenly, in the middle of the group, the ground broke, sending some of them flying, before a giant monster appeared.

Aether looked up, his eyes shaking; it had only come up with its torso, and yet it was almost as tall as a small mountain.

From the front, he saw Keres look back at a girl with black pigtails and glasses. "How strong is this thing?! Fast." The girl quickly nodded as she looked at the beast with concentration, only for her eyes to go wide as her arms fell flat to her sides in terror.

"It’s... A Breaker Titan."

...

Silence followed... no one talked... the only thing that broke it was the monster’s furious scream. That was when it all started.

People started screaming, running away in fear, but they were never fast enough, as the monster started swinging its arms around, sending them flying before any of them could do anything.

This was the worst-case outcome; no amount of Harbinger could beat a Breaker, at least that was what was theorized. No one dared try to find out.

Aether stood frozen; Orion tugged at his shoulder, trying to take him with him, but seeing that he wouldn’t move, he tried to take him forcefully, as many around them got thrown far away.

...

Gripping Aether’s arm, Orion dragged him after him, but before they could get far enough, the giant arm of the Golem hit them, sending them flying in the air.

...

...

...

...

Aether awakened on the ground, staring at the violet sky.

He didn’t move, just stared at the sky... before he finally realized what had happened. Getting up all of a sudden, he felt his bones scream at him as he fell back down. Groaning in pain, he backed up against a weird-looking tree; there were no leaves on it. Just branches.

"Where am I?" He said, breathing heavily.

Looking around, he was in a very strange place... the ground was a dark purple, filled with mushrooms and breakage where vines stuck out. There were also some of these small green lakes that seemed to come out of it, but he had no idea what they were.

Thinking back, he didn’t remember everything fully, but he remembered a giant monster coming, Orion trying to get him away while he just froze, and then the next second he was here... but what he also remembered was the rank and class of the monster.

"A Breaker Titan... is that what type of creatures are in this place?! I can’t stay here." He said, as he closed his eyes, trying to leave Wonderland.

...

...

...

Once he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the real world-

...

Nothing happened. He was still in the same place. He hadn’t left Wonderland.

’Huh...’ Aether stared, confused, as not even the Codex appeared. He tried opening it, but it wouldn’t. It was as if it just wasn’t there, as if it didn’t exist. ’What’s happening?’

...

’Was this what it meant when it said that things would stop working? The whole system... does that mean our powers also?’

Looking at his arm, he pushed up his sleeve, relieved to see that Voidpiercer’s mark was still there. Summoning it to be sure, he let it back in his arm.

"So our powers are working... but the Codex itself is missing."

...

"Fucking hell!" He said as he ran his hands through his hair. What the hell am I supposed to do? I can’t fight those monsters. This isn’t fair."

"Really?" Looking up in a hurry, Aether saw himself standing in front of him.

He frowned. "What the heck do you want now?" He said to the Abyss. But the figure just tilted his head.

"I’m your dumbass. Not the Abyss."

The figure knelt in front of him, staring into his eyes. "You’re scared?"

He chuckled. "How funny."

...

"Cry about it."

...

The figure stood up, turning to leave. "Your free time is over. You have enjoyed it enough... You have lived in Paradise for too long. This new version of yourself will never survive in this place. You will have to adapt, just like you did when you were a Reader, if you want to survive."

...

Aether stared as the figure disappeared, or rather, he disappeared... that version of him, it was a copy of his current self. Not a past one; it was him from the present... just him, talking to himself...

They were the same person, and yet, they were nothing alike... the figure was just another illusion created by his mind... telling himself something he knew but didn’t want to accept, something he had said before, but had completely forgotten about.

...

This world wasn’t a fairy tale; nothing was fair...

He had just forgotten how it felt.

...

He frowned, forcing himself to get up on his feet.

...

"It’s not my first time fighting a Breaker."

[End of part one of volume two: Paradise]