Death Defying Book: The Devil Watches

Amidst cold space he found himself, Darius felt extremely suffocated.

"So this is what true death feels like... Wait— I can still think?'' he wondered.

"You seek power, Child" The booming voice sounded, giving him a scare.

Darius stared everywhere but he couldn't see a thing, "W-who are you?" He asked.

The space rumbled giving him another scare, "Humans. So weak and feeble-minded"

"What did you just do?" Darius mustered his confidence and asked.

"I chuckled of course" Says the voice, with a tone that seemed to be annoyed at being asked about something so obvious.

'A chuckle nearly crumble this space...?' Darius narrowed his eyes as he forced himself to stand.

Is it the space that is so weak...? Or is it that... The creature is so strong?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a thundering voice, "You are yet to give me an answer, mortal."

"Do you seek power?" It asked again, emphasizing on each of it's words.

Darius stood silent, he once again remembered the mockery of the people.

His father's disappointed eyes and how he was toyed to death by this creature.

'But the entity seemed really evil... Should I really...'

He pondered long and hard about it, the seconds ticked by into minutes and surprisingly to him, the entity is patient enough to not call him out for that.

'Well fuck it' He thought inwardly, "I do!"

The space rumbled once again which Darius came to understand as the entity chuckling, "We really are fated, Mortal. Let's strike a deal then"

Darius sighed, the weight of his fate, his responsibilities heavy on his shoulders.

'But will this actually solve anything... I might just be another type of a villain like the ones getting slain by the Knights, the heroes...' Darius thought.

"Thanks for the offer, Sir, but if I could... I would like to decline." Darius said with difficulty especially the last part.

The space rumbled again, and a slight swoosh is heard.

"Wha—" Darius exclaimed, his body suddenly lifting upwards, weightless and ascending.

Boundless pressure descended upon him, his body shivered uncontrollably as an incredible feeling of being stared at fills his mind with dread. There seemed to be two pairs of eyes drilling into his back.

'Its behind me...' He swallowed hard, sweat dropping down his face, shakily he turned around and his breath gets caught in his throat due to what he saw...

Two collosal blue orbs glowed like distant suns, radiating a frigid light that pierced his soul. Darius felt an oppressive chill sweep through him, each breath harder to draw than the last.

"You ponder Good and Evil, but does such distinction truly exist?" It asked, and it was at this moment, a shocking realisation dawn upon Darius.

'All this time... All this time, I've being on its palm and now...'

"Indeed, you were in my grasp all along," it declared. The words echoed, and Darius felt as if unseen finger tightened around his very existence.

Darius said nothing, as he felt like he had no choice as of now.

"You have a choice, mortal. I might let you go" It says, it's eyes still emotionlessly staring at Darius.

"We're fated and you... No matter how you run, you'll eventually come back to me. The evil and good, light and darkness, Chaos are both two sides of the same coins"

"Therefore, Mortal Child, run as far as you can."

Inwardly something in his mind is like, 'I'd run on a horse, sir' but of course he won't dare say that out loud.

The space rumbled again, and Darius could barely see the shadows surrounding the two suns.

"Run, mortal. Flee as far your frail legs can carry you. But know this— fate is a wheel, and it always turns back to me"

Darius said nothing this time, "I hope you stay true to your words and let me run for as far as I can... And we will talk again if one day come back to you" Says Darius, his heart firmly believing that the entity won't go back on it's words.

Where he got the confidence? He really don't know, maybe it's the fact that he wasn't crushed already and besides... The entity truly seemed to magnificent to tell a weak human such as him, a lie.

"Very well then, your trust is not misplaced, mortal. Be on your way then" Says the Unknown Entity and with that, a white door appeared faraway.

'Sir... How could I travel that far...?' Darius thought, yet he felt the air blowing against his face and when he turned around, he saw the two suns growing farther away.

'He is taking me to the door... What a nice err... Creature—' His thought was interrupted again by the ancient and resonant voice.

"If you ever want to reconsider... Find the Death Defying Book the one in your dreams..." Says the voice, sounding more distant.

"Remember, the strong decide what is right and what is not... Let's see where you'll end up, Mortal" It declared in a tone full of ancient power and majesty.

With that last bit, Darius was blinded by light and he felt his face against something soft.

In the faraway Void, the creature chuckled to itself.

"There is never a thing more interesting than seeing Mortals tried so hard at the game they called life, trying to escape their inevitable fate of death"

"I offer a chance to break free... Yet this fool failed to appreciate it." It chuckled once again and the space rumbled, "It is fated, but some defied fate. I— Defied fate! could he as well?" It thought and with that, the two glowing suns slowly seemed to be enclosed by shadows.

"You will return, but the man who comes back will not be the one who left"

The realm returned to it's death-stillness, silence is all that remained, the swirling shadows are no more neither is there any form of movement.