IDOLIZING CHAOS

The Nightmare Cave

“Mom!? But you wouldn't have to work this hard if you use the money you've been saving up for my tuition, Would that not be better?”

“What are talking about, Scorch? Am saving all this money so you can have a better future. That's all that matters”

“But it's only after I've finished my program, 6 years later, that I'll get my pay. Before then, would the house be this poor?”

*Sigh*

“You know, down here, Human Rights — mostly child rights are not really maintained. Things like 'No hawking' 'Beating' 'Child Safety, Bank accounts... And even 'Education' that's suppose to be compulsory, aren't.

But your dad, and me. We both had rough childhoods. I don't want to have that kind of life.”

'We had this conversation some years ago, for it to appear in my dreams this clearly, just like it was stored in my subconscious’

Aeries saw his mother's smiling face and grimaced. She looked old, she wasn't always that way. The pictures she had just post marriage — and when their family was just starting — was placed in the main living room.

She had been a dashing beauty then. A young girl of 19 with a naive smile.

25 later made her look like a woman of 60. She was wrinkled to point of having her eyes covered, nails all disfigured. polish never been on them for years.

Aeries focused to the 18 year old him, this was considered old to be without an admission in his country.

And his growth sport started earlier, making him look almost 21 with a shade of facial hair.

“But then there's other things to choose from. Why must I be a doctor?”

“That one is easy. Because you're smart. And smart people shouldn't be content on less. I believe you.”

“Its alright Mom”

Why is she crying?

Why am I crying?

Because I know the truth. I didn't get to become one. I died still the same, a diligent but unsuccessful youth. And my mom never got delighted. She never got to see me become someone.

‘Huh? I can't remember this part!’

Series refocused on the new scene. Now, the young him was standing alone while staring into space. He spoke unusual words and his eyes looked unfocused.

“It's all because of me! If I wasn't someone gifted with brains, maybe they'll have it different.”

‘If I wasn't gifted with brains'

“If we had lots of money to live comfortably, then maybe we would be happier”

At a point, Aeries real and past self seem to overlap. An azure haired kid muttered those words and seemed charmed by the sentences the blank black haired Scorch said...

'True, I feel like every rich kid would be always happy. They have the right to be.'

“Maybe if I wasn't born into this family, then everything would have been alright. They would be happy without me.”

'Was I just a burden?’

“But wouldn't I just be inconveniencing whatever family I was born to?”

”

'In the end, the black sheep was me all this while'.

“The best I could hope for is to just disappear. Not to be. Not to exist ”

The way these was going made Aeries back break out in goosebumps. Somehow, this just feel wrong. Like he shouldn't say these words. He should stop.

‘The best thing to do, is—’ Azure haired Aeries breathed a faint wisp of smile.

When he looked at that happy smile of his family he almost cursed his stupidness. 'How could I have forgotten that! Isn't this the thing I missed the most!?’

Right, times weren't always good. But those fond memories would stay with him for a thousand years...

The scene of his mother beaming in her delivery bed, A fat stub on her arms... His brother had always laughed at this picture, because he had made his first Poop in front of the camera.

The scene of his brother using their 'Customized' make— shift pillows for 'wrestling'. He had never won a match then, and it always ended with his cries.

The scene of his father teaching him how to make his first Trap. Although he never caught animal with that one, it should be the foundation for his many 'escapades' as a hunter.

The family picture he remembered taking. Then his sister had tired to put on her first make-up. She ended up looking like a masquerade. Whatever she did, had turned her eye lashes into something unrecognizable. Her skin suddenly turned scaly with freckles she tried to hide taking over the whole spot. She wasn't smiling on the picture.

But the worse was your very own. His school had a thing for 'Cleanliness' —So much that the teachers would set any auspicious day to conduct a 'Round House Check'

Anyone caught with his hair higher than 3 inches was shaved in front of the class. And of course, none of the teachers were experienced barbers... Or had the time to take care of the crying students. Little more should be said about how Scorch's hair turned out to be.

According to his Mom several days later, it looked worse than the scratching of a hen.

‘I should be cursed. What sort of fool am I. To be so selfish to rid my own family of these precious memories.

No, maybe what I should be saying is, why wouldn't I be selfish enough. These are the build up that make up my soul. Who in the f**k dares take then away!!!'

Fury! Intense fury!

“Why don't you just accept! Just freaking say 'It's better not to exist anymore! I can help with that. All that suffering would stop. Just these words and you'll cease to feel the pain that comes with Living”

His mother broke out and tore through the wall, getting closer to him.

“Just say the word! Your mother would stop having these unhappy feeling. Your dad wouldn't work for hours just to make you go to school. If you hadn't existed in the first place, they're lives would have been better! Don't you want them to be better?” His mother screamed. It might have been the trick of the lights, but her face twisted softly to the side.

‘These memories are MINE!!! No one can take them away.

Am sorry Mom. But I guess I'll have to be this selfish for once. Am not letting you go. None of you.’

“Grrrrahhh!!! You'll pay for this! All of it is your fault!” His mother grabbed his throat. her hands had turned scaly and fingers a few inches longer. Looking closely, Aeries saw what he confused to be the trick of the lights... It was not.

Her face was really tilted to an angle. From a part of her face, worms wriggled off to the floor.

‘Whatever you are, using my dreams to hurt me. Your greatest mistake was using my Mom!!’

“Ahhh!”

Azure haired Aeries and Brown haired Scorch cried out at the exact moment. Aeries grinned till his teeth grinded against each other.

‘Its finished!’

His hands went towards his mothers neck... and yanked.

[c***k]

Her eyes glossed over in a daze, before she fell over limply.

‘That was...' Aeries stood up weakly at rook a glance again in this dream land.

“You should go. You have a duty to fulfil don't you? They are waiting for you to come back to save them. To give them that second chance.

They have been waiting” Scorch beamed at Aeries.

‘En! I know. Am not going to let them down.’

“I believe you can do anything.”

“Is that you, Son? Are... you... still... alive? Come home. Come back to mommy” His mother whispered limply. She seemed to be dying, but not because she had her head yanked off.

Instead, burnt marks appeared on her body, the exact spots like the ones she had during that inter village war. When Aeries died as Scorch.

Unconsciously, Tears formed on the rim of his eyes, 'Are you still alive? Wait for me!’

He did not turn back to what would be him, and his mother... Everything started burning, turning to flames almost immediately,

Aeries let out a soft sigh of reminisce. 'One day, Surely!’

The he walked into the flames.

—————————

* Crrrriiiii *

Aeries woke up to a headache. The unnatural screams of 'Ellen' shook his Soul Avatar severely.

‘So it was you huh?’

Aeries pushed out and appeared in front of Ellen. He immediately punched out.

The unaware Ellen had his face sunk in and I smashed on the cave wall.

“To touch upon my memories, I'll have to kill you today ” Aeries clasped both hands together To form something like a ball and stick.

Pushing his power, he used his brute strength and smashed his hands against Ellen's head.

[Bishh]

Brain matter splayed on the cave wall, before disintegrating to formless energy.

Two things brought Aeries a surprise.

First, Ellen offered zero resistance, which was weird since the soul avatar should be in a high enough Realm to at least react to Aeries punch.

The other was Ellen himself, as his Soul Avatar dissipated into Energy, his eyes regained some clarity at the last minute, before he whispered a thank you... And then it was over.

Another, Aeries was in a surprise, because this energy did not dissipate with the wind, but instead it was absorbed by his Soul Avatar.

[Ding! Congratulations for unlocking System's Help.

'In the world with no understandable features, The System would take you on for an adventure!’ This would only activate if you kill another Chosen Soul Avatar.]

'I see, this should be the 'Unimportant' thing Mearle talked about. How in the f**k is this unimportant eh?

And it seems like it was only activated after I killed another Chosen.

Wait, then what does it offer?’

Aeries turned on the System's panel, the flash momentarily blinded him.

[Player 'Scourge' currently in Cave of Soul Creek. Home of 2nd holy ranked monster, Soul Swine.

Properties; Lure living souls towards it and engulf their soul energies.

— Create new bodies out if the soul energies it took, creating more 'Clones' and populating it's hive.

— Destroys the soul of living beings through dreams it creates from them. It feeds on their memories and attach itself to their dreams.

— Soul puppet!; It controls it's new clones to do its bidding. Cannot get as far as 10Km away from main body.

— Forbidden Skill, soul strike; Greatest fear of sentient beings. It snatches a part of any Living Being it chooses. Skill useful on one person at a time... Takes 10 minutes to activate.

']

“T—This is!”

That's right! Spirit ranked Monsters!

Back in the Joran Kingdom, the highest he had ever faced was the Dark Python king of Rank 4! There was still a gap of 11 ranks to meet with this new creature.

Even with his newly improved strength, at most he could defeat was a Demon Beast of Rank 6 or Rank 7. even Martial lords could only fight against rank 8!

That said and done, to cross the bridge and fight against a Spirit ranked Monster... am afraid only Martial Emperors can do that.

“So scary! just thinking about it gave me goosebumps! If my guess is right, then The 'Ellen' I just killed was a clone of the said Monster!

But what is more terrifying, is that this monster should have been with me for the entire trip!!!'

.

What sort of concept is that? this means that right from the start, Ellen hadn't been real, but a clone of the Soul Slime.

This means Aeries had been hypnotized right from the time he came out of the Plant he was hiding in!

To confirm his guesses, he moved out of the cave he and ' Ellen ' Built, and sure enough... The entrance wasn't covered!

Hell! The cave they built looked as if it was there for hundreds of year's,

Cobwebs and skeletons of different species and kingdoms were littered at the entrance of the cave and even deep inside.

“Am certain about it now. We did not build this cave. It was here this whole time!"

//The prowess of Spirit Monsters aren't to be worshipped, they are to be feared.

“It controlled me to think I was building on the cave, even the race to this place was all under it's influence. Truly terrifying!”

Aeries wondered how he was able to easily remove himself from the hypnosis though

He opened the system again before ascertaining it,

[Soul Slime stats

Power level — 89,000 [200,100]

Undergoing evolution, stats currently unstable]

Doesn't matter, this isn't what I can beat!

But the system had it's own thoughts,

[Ding! Congratulations, Player 'Scourge' for obtaining new mission,

Rewards— 20,000 Soul Points

15,000 Yuan Points

Two lucky draws

Stay in Soul Slime's abode for one day!

Do you accept or reject?