Author's Note:

Hhhhhhoh boy it's almost Decemberrrrrrrr *Christmas music intensifies*

Yeah yeah, here's the next chapter >.>

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Every couple of steps an ear-splitting eruption shakes the ground, shooting debris and mist in every direction. It's like a count-down until the world splits apart. Not to mention, the entrance to the crater intensely lights up following every explosion, causing the scene to appear like a volcano erupting or perhaps a lightning storm. I can only fidget with the metallic debris in my hand as I make my way over, wondering if I should've stayed in my coffin after all. Finally encroaching the outer limits of the crater which easily has a diameter of twice that creature's size, I force my eyes to investigate the depths of the pit. There, at the bottom of the pit and at the cause of the interval explosions, I see the bright yellow orb pulsing with activity. Looking at this orb which is clearly more potent than the ones formed in the center of the other creatures, I feel my grip tighten on the debris in my hand. Perhaps because of my growth caused by absorbing the previous orbs, I easily make out the outline of the towering creature at the depths of the pit, continuing to force its way deeper into the metallic ground. Understanding that jumping into the pit would be relatively suicidal, I wait until it's just about ready to release the next concussive blast into the ground.

Gathering strength into my hand, I pull my arm back until I feel my muscles tighten to their limits. This sensation in my arm feels rather nostalgic, but I don't have time to question myself right now. Right before the yellow orb pulses at a speed fast enough to become a blur, I release the built-up tension in my arm, simultaneously twisting my wrist to add a spinning motion on the debris. The movement comes almost naturally, as if I was trained to perform that sequence my whole life. Without letting my thoughts get in the way, my arm seemingly accelerates exponentially while my hand continues to travel in a perfect line towards its target. Feeling as though every molecule in the air was making way, I witness a small cone forming around my hand. I suddenly realize that time is flowing at a much slower pace than normal, albeit without the splitting headache caused by the previous phenomenon. As soon as it started however, my grip finally sets free the debris, putting an end to the sequence. The moment the debris is released from my finger tips, time returns to normal, following the feeling as if my arm is slightly drained of stamina.

Before I could even blink, a flash of light seemingly projects itself at the area of contact. A loud sound is heard coming from the surface of the giant creature at the base of the pit.. The instant my hand released the debris, it flew towards my target at a speed much faster than I could track. Not understanding the laws behind any of what just occurred, I did nothing more than watch the outcome of my attack. In a split second, that lightning-fast projectile became nothing more than sand upon impact with the creature's shadowy shell. A cold sweat ran down my forehead after witnessing the super-speed metallic debris so easily shatter, like glass being thrown against a stone wall. Slowly, the yellow orb in the center of the creature relaxes in speed, as it turns its body to face me. My feet move first, jumping me back from the opening of the pit. In the next instant, a beam of unbelievable pressure shoots through the air where I was just standing. Not wasting any time, I quickly turn on my heels and start running in the opposite direction. Picking up any small debris that was small enough to hold, I turn around just in time to hear an explosion coming from the bottom of the pit. The gargantuan body of the creature immediately after flies out of the pit, landing around the outer edges. While my back feels a slight chill from the intimidating display, I tightly clench the debris in both my hands.

Without giving it any chance to move again, I pull my left arm back behind my head remembering the sequence of motions from before. Again, while releasing the built-up tension in my arm, my concentration seemingly breaks past its limits as the surroundings become a lot slower than before. Not being limited to my usual clunky and inexperienced movements, I send another piece of metallic debris flying at the towering creature, ripping through the surrounding gray mist. Once again, it seemingly explodes off the surface of its shell not fazing it in the slightest. In retaliation, creature bends its legs and kneels getting ready to lunge. Hurtling my body to the side, its feature suddenly blurs following a slight pulse of the yellow orb. Like a bolt of lightning, the creature carves a path through the mist and appears at my previous spot with its arm in the form of a giant spear. Preparing the sequence again, I propel the debris in my left hand at the creature's leg. Ignoring the instantly shattering debris, the creature sweeps with its spear arm at my position. I feel adrenaline coursing through my veins, bringing my concentration to its peak. Flinging my body to the ground, the giant spear grazes over my torso just a fraction away from contact. Taking this chance, I spring forward at the creature. I want to test it. Ever since my awakening in this land, I have yet to test the limits of my body. Every encounter has been reliant on the phenomenon to keep myself a hair's breadth away from instant death after all. I must really be an idiot.

Not letting it regain its composure after that swing, I leap towards the area between its legs. Pulling my hand back, I thrust forward with all my might at the half-way point of its leg. Enduring the pain cracking out from my hand and arm, I concentrate on driving my hand through that one spot. The creature's leg successfully begins to bend under my pressure, and I watch as the creature's originally exposed posture begins to dip. The yellow orb again emits an intimidating pulse as one of its hands points under its legs at my body. Concentrating on my legs, I step back and jump up from my position just as another bright beam of unknown pressure carves out the metallic earth between its legs. Leaping onto the back of the creature, I quickly propel myself towards its head before it shakes me off. All the while, the gargantuan body of the creature begins to glow a bright yellow colour, unmoving and not responding to my advances. Reaching out with my good hand, I latch onto its neck and this time bring both of my hands high into the air above my head. Originally, I was planning to discover some sort of weak spot on the outer surface of the body. But every time I threw out an attack and, judging that it has the same properties as the creatures from before, its shell seems to have immeasurably high resistance to physical attacks. The yellow orb begins to pulse once again with tremendous speed, and I throw myself off its neck towards the ground below. Just as my feet are about to touch the ground, the creature's body as well as the surroundings become encompassed in a brilliant white light.

Searing heat, just as intense as when I originally awoke yesterday engulfs me as only whiteness enters my vision. I can sense being propelled backwards, most likely through the sheer force of the concussive blast emanated from that creature. After flying through the air for what feels like at least couple of seconds, my body collides with the ground, violently tumbling and twisting until sliding to a halt. A little bit of blood seeps out of my mouth as I lay conscious, but unmoving on the hard, metallic surface. I attempt to move my limbs but to no avail, and I hear the reverberating thumps of the creature approaching from the distance. Am I going to die now? I underestimated the explosive power from the creature. With how things are now, I'll surely be killed before I can regain my composure. Almost on the verge of accepting my fate, a red glow surfaces through the mist at the corner of my eye. I force my neck to move a fraction towards that direction in time to see the familiar red orb bobbing in the distance to the sway of a lazy stride. An unknown vigor pulses through my veins and begins to heal my battered body. A deep craving for sustenance torrents through my mind, pulling my contorted limbs into action. Cracking sounds are heard as I sense my fractured bones flimsily connecting, so as to barely allow my arms to prop my body upright.

A thunderous boom echoes from behind, but my eyes tunnel onto the distant sway of the red orb. Noticing that my legs are in a surprisingly better condition than the rest of my body, I begin to stand from my spot. Following a thunderous echo now closer than before, my head throbs as I once again witness the surrounding world encompassed in the strange phenomenon. I crane my neck to the sky only to notice the behemoth frozen mid-air with its foot posed in the middle of a rather intimidating stomp. It appears as though it jumped into the air attempting to crush me while I was incapacitated. My eyes drift back towards the front, and I will my semi-healed body forward. After a couple minutes of shuffling, it appears as though most of my fractured bones and internal injuries have healed. Although my arms still hang limp at my sides, with only my spine holding my torso upright. Strange enough, my brain hasn't felt like it was going to implode even though this is the longest I've ever been in the frozen space. As I am just a couple of strides away from the red-orbed creature, I focus on my right arm, testing to see if it can be used. Pain jolts through my body, but I force my mangled arm to pull back and form a fist. Stepping within range of the frozen creature, I squint and clamp my teeth together as I propel my bloody arm towards the red orb. "So much for doing things my way..." I mutter as the surroundings once again become affected by time, promptly swallowing the retrieved red orb.

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Curled up in a ball, a figure with washed-out light blonde hair and pale skin stares below with uninterested eyes. The figure was seemingly encased in a tear-drop shaped see-through container hanging from the ceiling of a dome, which encompassed everything in sight. They were sitting expressionlessly and unmoving except for their eyes which were unfocussed on the cloudy ground below. Through that ash-coloured fog kilometers away, they could grasp to a certain degree the presence of unknown creatures. There was nothing alive in this land other than those creatures. Some were bigger than others and with brighter presences, but it was as if the world below had long been overrun by them. The being was used to it to a certain degree though. The unnatural feeling of the dense fog, the threatening and almost overbearingly hostile presence of the shadowy creatures. Everything that encompassed the world below, they were all too aware of it. Only the gods could tell how long it has been since they first awoke in this see-through barrier, not that they care. Not once have they been freed from this prison's grasp or even taken a breath of the outside environment. A light, silk gown woven seemingly out of tiny water crystals reflects in the sunlight and makes her eyes sparkle in the slight reflection on the pod. Staring back were bored, silver eyes, and a face embodying a mundane existence. There's nothing they can do after all. This prison of theirs supplied nutrients through the inner walls, constantly keeping them alive. At the same time however, they could feel an overbearing force keeping them at bay. Like invisible shackles confining them to the see-through pod which overlooks the world from above.

They remember being surrounded by 10 beings in a circle, all with hazy faces as if they couldn't take any shape. Each one standing beside the other with the attitude of equals, yet with a feeling of strong individuality. The memory is simply just that. No dialogue or even any movement. Just the unending stares of each and every being, as if they were looking at not only the present, but also the future and the past all at once. Then, without any warning the memory cuts off. Before they awoke in what was now their eternal prison, they remember a soft yet resolute voice resonating within. "Zoxsa." Without knowing who that voice came from, or what they meant, the sweet voice of the unknown being echoed in their mind while they continued looking uninterestingly below. Hours, days, and years went by in repetition. Nothing particularly interesting ever transpired on the world below. Stronger presences continued to emerge from the countless lifeforms spread within the all-encompassing gray mist. Some presences even appeared above the mist once in a while, but they were still at a distance which made any threat they might bear negligible. They never had a strong desire to escape from the prison either, considering the threat those things might pose on ground-level. Such a mundane life wasn't so bad with all things considered. Being able to live within this hell-like world albeit tens of kilometers above the ground was a blessing compared to having to survive day after day in a completely barren land filled with hostile beings.

All of that changed as soon as the dome was shattered through by a tear-shaped object much similar to the one they were in now, although completely silver and encased in fire. Hurtling towards the ground below at an unfathomable speed, they witnessed the silver object crash through the skies like a shooting star. Focusing their eyes on it, they couldn't perceive any presence at all however, which made them wonder if it was simply just stray matter from the dark void above. After a couple moments, they watch it slit through the dense gray mist covering the surface of the world. Since they breathed in this world, that was the first time such an event has occurred. Their heart beat faster than normal, and their breathing escalated.Adrenaline pumping through their body like never before. After witnessing that object break through the dome like a sharpened blade, something sparked within them. A feeling of intense euphoria began to awake the suppressed strength in their body, only to sense the overbearing pressure from the prison increase,forcing their body back into its previously lethargic state. Struggling to keep their focus on the silver object which should have met with the ground below by now, their eyes once again drifted in an unenthusiastic manner across the world. Without being able to resist the unrelenting pressure, their eyelids slowly drooped. "If only...", they briefly thought. Their vision turned blurry and their muscles relaxed. Intense hatred and loathing for the 10 unknown beings slowly became substituted by melancholy. Soon, the figure in the tear-shaped pod hanging from the top of the world returned to an unwelcome slumber.