Chapter 311

Ascendance (XII)

She heard low rumbling, like someone struggling to stand up, before she snapped her eyes open. All she saw was darkness. While trying to stand up, she realized that her arms--as well as her legs--were tied behind her back, and even that her mouth was muffled by some cloth.

Trying to toss and tumble aside, she quickly realized she was unable to move--largely because it seemed she was surrounded by others. Not too long after, they began to kick as she did, as though everyone thought the other was the culprit behind the current situation.

Furthermore, she immediately realized she was unable to use Mana--the moment she tried to coalesce it, it dispersed, even causing a slight backlash within her.

Of all the things she imagined happening to her... getting kidnapped was not one of them. And yet, it happened so quickly she had no time to even react. Darkness came tumbling out of nowhere while she was distracted, and it swallowed her. And then... she woke up right here, unable to move.

“Many fish have gathered~~”, a voice began to sing soulfully, causing ruckus to spread all around her. “Upon these sandy shores; in pursuit of their dreams, they end up losing their all. Many fish have gathered, many fish shall die; scores and schools and groups and packs, excitement runs wiiild~~”

Cold shivers ran down her spine--there was something about that voice that, beyond the soulful melody, appeared... cold. Evil, even. Malicious.

“Hum~~” the voice hummed for a moment before she got blinded by a sudden outburst of light--even wincing in pain. A few moments later, as her eyes got adjusted to it, she managed to take a good look around and stiffen in horror--she appeared to be at the bottom of some kind of a chasm, with a massive rift up above opening toward the sky, surrounded by what looked to be hundreds, if not thousands, people. “I was quite shocked to be given so many toys. Aah, they must have taken mercy upon me? It has been long since I last had any fun. Beasts here are stupid, you see. No brain. But you... you’re not.”

“...”

“You’re fun,” she couldn’t identify where the voice was coming from--or even where the light was coming from. It was just... everywhere. Just like the voice itself. “You all are fun. Like little motes of flashing light. So, oh so~many of you. My own, personal toys. Aaah~~”

She could hear the others--and see them--trying to escape. Trying to free themselves. But it seemed as though they were in the same situation as her--trapped, unable to move, and unable to use Mana. She didn’t panic, however; she’d seen and lived through many, many, many horrific situations--some even worse than this one. She was always prepared to die, and if this was her time, she was ready to accept it.

“Ah, now that everyone is awake,” the voice returned. “I suppose I ought to explain myself a bit, no? Hehe~~my name is--ah, my name is irrelevant. You can just call me ‘Mr. Voice’. Anyway, Mr. Voice has been bored for a long, long, long time, and he will need you little lambs of sunshine to entertain me for a while. How, oh just how will the soddest of souls entertain me? Ah, I know--I know. Seems preposterous! But don’t worry--I don’t expect much from you. In fact, I expect so little, you can just free your minds of worry! I only ask... you have fun! Laugh! Cheer! And, well, murder each other--of course. Ah, I see your expressions--I see them, but give me a second to explain, alright?

“I’m not stingy! I am a giving man--ask anyone who knows me. That is my greatest flaw, in fact--I just give and give more and give and give... so, worry not! Aren’t you wondering a bit? How did all of you--oh so many strong toys--get captured so easily? Answer is simple: you’re weak!! Ha ha ha, you’re pathetically weak! But that can change! Oh, it can change so quickly, so beautifully, so inexplicably! When you return home, you shall be the brightest star blinding the world! The chosen one! The exalted! The unmatched! And I--I can give you that!”

“...”

“Not for free though, ha ha ha ha,” she saw it--the changes. The glimmer in their eyes. Fear began to vanish. She wasn’t surprised. Everyone here greeded more for power than anything else. That was the penultimate drug. The quintessential element of existence--even more important than the air itself. “But, I will give you that--I Vow upon my Heart, Soul, and Mind! I shall make the champion a Demigod!”

“!!!!!!!” Quinn’s heart jolted like a bolt of thunder, her entire body shaking. The mere mention of the word sent her reeling--and she wasn’t alone. Everyone here who knew the implications... was changed in that instant. Gone were the friendships. The alliances. The bonds formed over lifetimes. People were prepared to flay the skin off each other if it meant they’d be victorious.

“Ha ha ha, it seems I’ve finally managed to strike some inspiration into you! Ha ha! Good! There is a lot of ambitious toys here! I love that! It means I shall be entertained once more, ke ke--khm, ha ha ha! Ah, right, the rules! I must bespoke you the rules!

“You are now within the Chasm of Innenity--a legendary place, actually. It is a chasm carved out by the very first Clockmaker, where time barely moves! A year here is a day out! It is one of the most beautiful and unique places and you get to experience it, ha ha ha! Ah, right, the rules--the rules!

“First: you cannot team up with anyone! Brother, sister, mother, father, child, I do not care--you cannot team up with anyone! Shall you break the rule, I will kill you!

“Second: time limit is three years! If there isn’t a champion within three years, I shall kill you all!

“Three: magic... is completely prohibited!”

“!!!!!”

“Along the chasm, you shall find weapons and temporary Void Scrolls! Use them to kill your foes, steal theirs, and ascend! Ha ha ha!

“Four!: hunt Timebeasts for basic provisions!

“Five!: if you remain stationary for longer than 24 hours, I shall kill you on the spot!

“Six: since you cannot use inventory, all of you shall be given temporary Voidpockets that can store up to 8 items! Use them well, ha ha ha!

“Seven: you can’t sing! Only I sing! I have the greatest voice in the world! Understood?! No singing!

“Eight: every 3 months, you all will gain access to the Chasm’s whole map, alongside the location of every other survivor at that point! The map will last for half a day! I’m looking forward to it, ha ha ha~~

“Nine: uh... no... no fishy business!

“And ten! Ten... uh...” the world fell silent for a moment before the voice returned. “No making fun of me, you hear? If you do, I will kill you! Humph!

“Ah--relax, relax, it’s not staring just yet! I will put all of you at separate places before it begins! Keke--khm, ha ha ha, you need to be strong, fast, smart, the best toy in the world to win! And if you win, don’t forget, I shall make you a Demigod! Ha ha ha! Remember the rules, okay? Don’t break the rules, or I’ll break you! Ha ha ha...”

Unbeknownst to everyone, including the source of the voice, far up above, beyond the chasm, a few extra pairs of eyes were currently looking at the phenomenon--Cain, Lear, and Te’gha. Lear was aghast, and beyond thankful that he wasn’t among one of those within the chasm, while Te’gha appeared intrigued.

Cain, putting on a disgusted front, was... intrigued himself. The damn thing is literally playing a fucking battle royale with them... pfft--I mean, how awful... out of everyone down there, he only cared about Quinn--and he had no doubt that, even while not being able to use her arsenal, she’d be fine, at least for a little while. As such, two voices fought inside of him: one that wanted to storm in there and free everyone, and the other... who wanted to simply watch it all unfold.

“Are you... are you sure that’s what’s happening?” Lear asked Cain. After all, he himself couldn’t actually hear anything--he barely saw them move, after all. Both him and Te’gha only knew what Cain relayed.

“Yup,” Cain confirmed. He didn’t know why, but it appeared as though he wasn’t affected by the temporal anomaly like the two of them. Maybe ‘cause I stole Time or something along those lines?

“Can you... can you stop it?”

“... no,” Cain mumbled, deciding to see it play out at least for a little bit. He was curious. That was it. Just slightly curious. “I’ll keep looking for a way.”

“Stupid human! Link your Core to me! I wanna watch too! I wanna watch! I wanna watch! I wanna watch! I wanna watch!”

“Shut up,” Cain grumbled, rolling his eyes. “You can do it yourself! Aren’t you a Primordial? Always talking about chaos and stuff!”

“S-stupid human!!!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll link to you a bit later,” Cain said. “Let’s, khm, let’s have something to eat first. And pop open a bottle of wine or two.”

“... are you sure you can’t intervene?” Lear asked once again, this time around slightly more dubious.

“Sure, sure, absolutely sure,” Cain replied. “It’s like a big wall of Mana and stuff and I’m too weak. But I’ll find away. Yup. Right, what are you in the mood for Te? Some steak? Maybe pork? It’s been a while since we had some neat, smoked sausage, right? And we can pair it with...”

He... he’s telling the truth... right? Right?! Lear thought, his eyes slightly teary.