06: Shivani

Out of all the fourteen worlds, Grim Hook World was the smallest, yet, the most perilous one. A dark world that was dubbed as the portal to hell. A home for the most notorious, monstrous and terrifying creatures and demons that ever lived.

Despite its vast size, there were only two species that ruled the lands. The first were the fallen Seraphims. Once upon a time, they held the highest position on the Angel Hierarchy. After the betrayal, they all became mindless beasts. Over the time, their appearance drastically changed. The females underwent some skin shedding. Because of this, their mighty wings were destroyed. Their once flawless and smooth complexion was replaced by sharp, and poisonous thorns that grew all over their bodies. Even their faces became hideous. Not even a trace of their beauty remained. Their mouths were torn opened as their fangs grew longer like a predator.

The males on the other hand kept their wings, but with a heavy price. It became shorter and less powerful. Their flesh decayed, leaving them with nothing, but bones. Instead of a scaly skin, theirs was the color of red. This was due to the blood that continued to run through their veins. Unlike the females, they grew multiple tongue that extended for as long as it liked. It was because of this that their titles changed. It became, Heralds of Transfiguration.

The second were the Raveners, otherwise known as, Titans. They were the products from the union of Seraphs and their ruler, Arduk. Each one of them was an army on its own. Their colossal size, immense strength and abilities guaranteed their position throughout their world.

The rest consisted of lesser species, however, with their immense numbers, and forces, they were considered as one of the strongest legion within the fourteen worlds.

Now though, Grim Hook World had become a mere shell of its former glory. Not one creature survived the terrible judgement that had fallen upon their mighty, and ferocious race. It had become nothing, but a necropolis for trillions of dead demons and creatures. They were all piled up like a great mountain that stretched out into the dark horizon.

A few days after the mass annihilation, the shattered frame of reality began to piece itself back together. It started when a revolting stench of death and decay arose from the carcasses of these beasts. From every corner, countless trillions of severed limbs and body parts floated upon the dark ocean of blood. They were scattered like broken toys upon their own home. Their souls screamed while being dragged back to hell. The place where they belonged.

On the far edge lies a massive waterfall. The main water source of Grim Hook World, but now, it was like a starving swamp that was gorged with countless bodies. Its powerful current continued to drag the dead to its depth making the water black and brown.

A few hours later, millions of Vuglines filled the air. These tiny beasts felt victorious as they fed upon the sea of fresh bodies, ignoring the fact that it once belonged to their masters.

After they were done, there was nothing left, but sand and dust. Not even the bones were spared from their hunger.

Their rampage was soon followed by the sudden opening of the sky. A boundless light immediately surged out and illuminated the entire area. Booming sounds followed when waves of debris with endless height were set after a loud explosion. At this time, a behemoth slowly descended. It was almost the size of a small island. From an unaccustomed eye, the spaceship was simply constructed of something iridescent, but it was not the case. It was actually made from the mixture of rare metals. A remaining artifact from another world.

The moment the spaceship entered this world, it gave off a terrifying sound that impacted everything. Its shape shifted, taking in a geometric angle. It gave way for the dried blood to become visible on every corner.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound resounded as a small sun slowly rose on the horizon. Once it reached high enough, it suddenly popped, revealing a royal throne with a middle-aged man sitting on it. He was in high spirits as if he presided over everything.

Despite not exerting his aura in full, his existence alone gave off the feeling that he was not to be taken lightly. He wore a black cape that reached past his knees. Only a pair of sandals could be seen as it hid his whole body.

Suddenly, gusts of wind with dust particles blew towards the man. It made his long, and dark hair swayed freely. Covering his eyes for a moment, he did not meant to touch a large scar that crossed his face, but he ignored it.

The man did not want to waste his precious time on such an insignificant thing. He had a whole world to see. Closing his eyes in concentration, his brows met at the center. He then expanded his senses as far away as possible. When he got ahold of a clear image, a sudden chill ran down his spine.

The place was eerily silent. It unnerved him as this world once buzzed with powerful and demonic creatures. Even he, would not want to set foot upon this cursed world, but now, it turned into nothing, but ashes and dust.

In all his years as a cultivator, he had never seen such carnage. There was not a single body left, but he was sure that the flesh eating beasts had something to do with it. The waters were also unrecognizable under the thick layers of shit, gore, limps, and blood that covered them whole. Not even a tiny hint of the previous owners was seen.

Even so, the man was gratified with the outcome. The whole area was immediately filled with his evil laughter as he flew forward with great speed.

oooOooo

It took him a few minutes to get to the center of this world. There, he saw the fabled Ziggurat. A massive structure that was built exclusively for Arduk, the first Prince of Hell. The rare treasures that were engraved on every corner symbolized this planet. There were also some stories about a golden shrine that was located at the top.

As the man raised his head, he was immediately met with a jaw dropping scenario. The Ziggurat's height was unbelievable! It almost reached the high heavens.

Facing it, the man sported a smirk. Each step was slightly bigger than the one below. It was also glazed in thick, black blood.

"As I expected." He ignored everything, and began to ascend. He did not bothered to fly as he wanted this experience.

"Who would have thought that one day, I, Gervasius Suvorov, would be setting foot upon this demonic formation?" With every step, his adrenaline rushed to the highest level. He even heard the loud racing of his heart. He was like a champion ascending to his goals.

Upon reaching the top, Gervasius slowly looked around. The place was wide. It was lit up by the torches that were stucked on the dusty ground. At the center was a long, golden couch. There, he saw what he was looking for.

In the middle sat a girl. He barely recognized her due to the thick blood that covered her whole body. Even her long, golden hair turned brown. Her clothes were also tattered and had multiple holes on it. She had her eyes closed as she sat there, unmoving. Slowly, the man approached. Upon reaching her, he was instantly taken aback when a severed head suddenly crushed down his arms. To his surprise, he immediately threw the thing.

"Ah! Disgusting! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

Gervasius took his cape off in an attempt to clean his hands. He succeeded, but the smell remained.

Gritting his teeth, he found his way towards the head. When he landed his eyes on it, he grinned. The thing was none other than the head of the great prince, Arduk. It was literally a skull, however, he would never forget those long, dark horns.

Grabbing it with his bare hands, he laughed as loud as he can.

"Finally! With this, my collection was completed!"

Without any words, he stretched out his arms. A second later, a complicated symbol slowly appeared. It glowed a faint brown before a mini vortex materialized. It sucked the head whole before Gervasius closed his palm. Nodding to himself, he then turned to look at the girl who was still on the couch.

Not even the slightest motion could be seen, but he was sure that she was awake.

"Happy birthday, Shivani."

Looking at her, he was suddenly reminded of a distant past. If he remembered correctly, then this was exactly the day when he found her, a hundred years ago. During those times, he was only a pathetic mortal warrior. On his final battle, he was stabbed at the back by those he trusted the most. Before he died, a huge portal suddenly sucked him in. He found out later that he was transported into Heavenly Eclipse World. A place where Cultivators and all Supernaturals existed. As days passed, he learned about the existence of a mystical treasure that could give immortality to anyone. During his journey towards his objective, he found a baby. She was wrapped in a golden blanket and had a name scripted on it. Shivani.

From then on, he groomed the child to become his protector. However, Eighteen years later, she suddenly stopped aging. Nonetheless, her supreme power, peerless talents as well as her intelligence was not affected at all. She was the reason why his name was feared throughout Heavenly Eclipse World.

'You never failed to amuse me, my little Shivani.' Gervasius was brought back to reality when a huge tremor suddenly hit him in full magnitude. He scrambled to his feet when he suddenly lost his balance. It was followed by large cracks that appeared from the ground.

Levitating a few meters above, he looked at her. He was not surprised when she remained seated. "It is time! Let's go."

It took another few second before she opened her eyes. They were the bluest thing he had ever seen.

Without any words, she finally moved. Gervasius sighed a breath of relief because of this. He just wanted to get out of there, fast.

Gervasius immediately brought out a small controller and without any second thoughts, pushed the red button. Not a minute later, his spaceship appeared in front of them.

"After you, Princess."

Opening the door, he stretched his arms to welcome her. When they got in, it automatically ascended.

Looking through the window, Gervasius saw a massive crack that almost split the world in half. Even the great Ziggurat was not spared by its might. This was followed by a terrible rumble from deep within the world's foundation. It was as though the sky strucked the lands with mighty impact.

Looking at the structure, he could not help, but compare it to a colossal monochromatic canvas. A memento of a fallen race. A world of demons: creatures from hell.

Gervasius was too occupied with his thoughts that he did not saw a deranged Seraphim, the only survivor, as it slowly surveyed the battlefield. It combed the mangled land with two eyes. As it fed from the leftover small amounts of blood of its fallen race, three words were suddenly engraved to its mind. Hunt. Multiply. Revenge.

oooOooo

Gervasius and Shivani were already a distance away when they heard a deafening boom. Their spaceship even shook violently from the force of the explosion.

Grabbing the wheels tightly, the elder man yelled as loud as he can. "Hold on tight!"

Instead of doing what she's told, Shivani made her way towards the large glass. From there, she saw a brilliant work of arts. It created bright lights with some colors. Fiery sparks burst through the darkness as it expanded throughout every corner of the endless abyss. It was a magnificent ink of radiance on a canvas of nothingness. Without Prince Arduk supporting it, Grim Hook World perished from the fourteen worlds.

"What are you doing? I told you to sit!"

Gervasius could not help himself, but yelled when he saw Shivani standing like a statue. Walking towards her, he grabbed her by the shoulder and tried to get her attention, but failed. It was like he was trying to push a huge boulder with bare hands. His face immediately turned into a scowl. He disliked it when he was ignored, but in front of her, he could not do anything. Sometimes, he wondered what she really was. From his years of observation, she was not an ordinary being.

"Are you even listening to me?" He gritted his teeth and tried to calm himself. It would not do him any good if he pushed her to the limits. He would be as good as dead when that happened.

A moment passed, but she still haven't moved an inch. She hadn't even bothered to look at him.

"I give up! Do as you like."

Sighing in defeat, the man turned to leave. He wanted to focus his attention in front. It would only be a matter of minutes before this world perished, and he did not want to be caught in between.

There was a complete silence as they flew forward. It was not long when he saw the huge portal. "This is it!"

Knowing what's about to happen, he immediately steeled his nerves.

They were soon consumed by a total darkness. As soon as the first sound of thunder reached his ears, he stumbled on the furthest corner of the room. With each step, his stomach tightened as nausea instantly clawed in his throat. He kept on swallowing in an attempt to force down the bile, but it was already too late. His body trembled as a warm liquid spilled from his mouth. His face was already white, but the dripping vomit continued. It even sizzled as it splashed all over the floor. He managed to cover his nose when a pungent smell invaded his nostrils.

It took him a few more minutes before going back to his seat. He hated this feeling, however, he could not do anything about it. He would rather die than have someone see his weakness. Slowly turning his gaze towards the window, he saw the child still on standing position.

'Why was it that she wasn't affected even a bit! Just what the hell was she?' He should be used to her by now, but he still could not help it. She had been with him for a century, yet, he only heard her spoke for a few times. Even so, they were only the basics.

Gervasius sighed for what seemed a hundred times that day. He managed to organized himself before focusing on getting them out of that terrible space.

oooOooo

'I swear! That stupid vortex would be the death of me!' Upon reaching Heavenly Eclipse World, they were immediately greeted by ten cultivators.

"Welcome back, Sect Master, Princess Shivani!"

Gervasius dismissed them with a wave of his hands, being careful enough to hide his uneasiness.

Looking at them, he knew he made the right decision. Standing in front were some of Shivani's creations. They acted like normal, living beings. Even their intelligence was something that he would be proud of. If not for the fact that they were made from some leftover rare metals and treasures, then he would never suspect what they were.

"Sect Master, we have some serious problems."

Gervasius raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Speak."

"Some time ago, we received a disturbance on one of our training grounds. Something penetrated the barrier. We tried to navigate its location, but it vanished without a trace."

Upon hearing this, the man clenched his fist. He could felt his veins pulsed in his forehead. He wanted to punch someone, but he controlled himself. "Which location?"

"The Eastern Hallow Vales, Sect Master."

"How dare they! No one infiltrated my territory and gets out alive!"

His jaws rooted. The final mento had been added, and he finally exploded in anger. With no control, his primeval instinct took over. His aura immediately skyrocketed. Just the invincible force behind was enough to destroy the ten cultivators. With a loud sound, they all snapped into hundreds of pieces.

Turning his attention towards Shivani, and shouted.

"What are you waiting for? Go!"

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