Rebirth of Calamity

Prologue: The Man Called the Walking Calamity (3)

Just before he could finish his thought, he heard something.

he opened his eyes.

There he saw in the hands of his mother was a small gift-wrapped box.

"Did I interrupt?"

His mother said as she smiled.

"My grandmother gave this to me. I... I know I won't live long to give this to my grandkids but I can still give it to you"

Surdeis opened the gift and saw a silver ring wrapped in a pink floral-patterned cloth.

"Mom... why say that. You didn't have to..."

"Oh, shut up. Forget about grandchildren I know you still haven't got a girlfriend."

His father chuckled then said.

"Don't be so harsh on the boy! And stop talking like you'd die too! ... Anyway, your mother and I agreed to this. Giving the ring, I mean, to you long before. This is the only thing we still haven't sold you know? Hahaha!"

Surdeis recieved the gift gratefully then kept it on his pocket.

"Your candle's dying. That's expensive so you better make your wish soon"

Surdeis closed his eyes.

Tears fell down like waterfalls as his will to hold it back was broken by his parents' words.

'I wish to be stronger. I wish to be with all of you always...'

"...eheup... heup"

"Are you sure we raised a man honey? Hahaha"

His father jokingly said teasing the boy who was crying unsightly like a baby.

His mother made a light chuckle, then she continued.

"Yes, we did. We're proud of you, Surdeis"

....

In the middle of the night, the scent of blood reeked in the air.

BANG BANG BANG!

The heavy sounds of footsteps mixed with the screams of children was heard. Woken up by the sudden noise, Surdeis suddenly opened his eyes.

'What was that?'

BANG!

This time, it was a gunshot.

thump-thump. thump-thump

For some unknown reason Surdeis' heart pounded. He felt something was off so he hurriedly stood up from his wooden plank of a bed.

'...Mom! Dad!'

Smelling the scent of iron, his heart beated so hard it became audible.

thump-thump thump-thump

He ran out of his room. As he entered the living room, his steps came to a halt. The sight of two people wearing police uniforms were busy smashing everything they saw as they searched around the house.

Surdeis' heart beated faster and louder. His hands can't stop trembling from being overwhelmed by fear and confusion.

'What the hell is happening?'

Then, he saw someone crawl out from his parent's room. Though barely recognizable from all the bruises and blood on its face, Surdeis knew who this person was. Seeing this, his face paled. It was his father.

"You f*****g assholes! You sons of bitches!!"

His father screamed with a hoarse voice that contained all the hate in the world.

thump thump thump thump

"Da..!"

As he was about to shout.

Bang!

There was a high-pitched 'tiiing' ringing from his ears as Surdeis was stunned from the sudden gunshot.

His heart almost stopped after seeing what came next. His father's head was suddenly knocked back the same moment the gunshot was heard.

Thud!

His father's head smacked on the hard-wooden ground; blood oozed out on the floor from where the dead body lied.

Surdeis stood frozen from shock.

'Dad?'

'no. NO! this can't be real!'

While still shocked, he thought of his mom. Then he came to his senses and shouted angrily at the assholes who killed his dad.

"Dad!...who the f**k are you people!? What's going on! Where's mom???"

He yelled as mixed sounds of shock, panic, desperation and confusion was heard within his voice. Cold sweat poured as he frantically searched the surroundings like a confused chicken. 

The policemen ignored him as one of them replied to their walkie-talkie.

" *Chhh* Neutralized. Casualty 2. *cch-*"

'Casualty...2?'

Veins started to bulge in his head. Surdeis eyesight went red.

He grabbed the nearest thing he found and -

"Graaaah!!!"

Clenching a curtain pole with both hands, he ran towards the policeman who shot his father.

Seeing the threat, a policeman wielding a baton went to subdue him.

The policeman came into range but Surdeis was too angry to care. He moved instinctively comparable to when he played basketball. Moving his head slightly to the right as the incoming baton blocked his view, he barely managed to dodge the hit. He clutched the pole tightly, and as he was about to thrust it to the man's wicked guts-

Bang!

Surdeis violently fell on the floor. He had lost his balance on his left leg which was now burning in pain. Trying to stand, he pushed himself up from the floor using both hands.

But then.

Whack!

The policeman didn't give him a chance. He raised his baton high and smashed it hard on the boy's shoulder.

Shatter.

"Ahck!"

Surdeis shot out a sound of pain. Still clutching to the pole, he gave the attacking policeman a venomous glare.

"Still got some life in you eh?"

With a grin, the man continued to smack the boy like he was cleaning an old, dusty carpet.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

Overpowering this arrogant boy who tried to attack him, a man of honorable duty, he completely beat the boy to a pulp.

"*pant pant* heh. That'll teach ya. junkies like you better know your place. Scum"

The policeman spat on the boy's unrecognizable face before leaving him for dead with a smug sense of pride tracing from his face

The boy still clutched tightly to the pole.

"A notorious drug lord was using this taxi to smuggle. Ya sure we need to kill the others too?"

"He he pretty sure. Don't matter anyway these slums are crawling with them. If media came barking let's just say all o'them are druggies. One of them looks like she was aboudda die anyway wahaha."

The policeman who held the gun halted his steps as if he forgot something

"You guys go ahead. Just to be sure..."

The rest of the policemen left as the one who shot the boy and accused smuggler leisurely came back. He took out a packet of white dust from his pouch and placed it near the dead man's body.

Afterwards he went to Surdeis bloodied body lying on the ground.

He leaned low to find a good place, bent one knee near the youth's beaten body to drop the packet.

"Here ya go you basta-"

Kchack!

The policeman was caught by surprise as a pole was suddenly thrusted on its mouth.

Using all the remaining strength he had left, Surdeis poured all his rage and sorrow and deeply rammed the end of the pole into the policeman's throat.

Grasping the pole with two hands, he slowly spun it like a screw to deeply lodge it in the asshole's throat.

the policeman panicked while gurgling on his own blood. With a look of shock and pain on his face, he tried to remove the pole. But the boy didn't give him a chance as the pole spun faster. Drowning sounds can now be heard as blood fell like waterfalls from the man's mouth. Until

Sklurch

A wooden pole managed to force its way through the man's nape.

The policeman's body shook before limply falling to his knees. The wooden pole still lodged, and on the other end was Surdeis who still held tightly refusing to let go.

Slowly, he lost his consciousness.

...

'Make a wish, superstar'

Surdeis woke up with eyes barely opened.

His body was full of bruises and his left knee bled with a bullet lodged to the joints.

He was beaten to a pulp, bones broken, and shot, yet he felt nothing. The face of the cheerful and playful youth was now nowhere to be seen.

His hand was still latched to the pole and on the other end was a dead policeman. Its mouth gaped open, dripping with a sticky trickle of blood.

He pushed the body over, flopping to the ground as it fell.

Using the pole as a makeshift crutch, Surdeis staggered as he tried to stand.

He limply walked with a lifeless expression. His appearance looked worse than the dead policeman lying on the ground.

His mind was blank. There were no traces of emotions on his face, however tears were running down his cheeks as he walked aimlessly until he can't anymore.

'This was all for them, now... mom, dad... f**k! How can I be so useless!'

...

Somehow, Surdeis ended up at the edge of the cemented pavement just millimeters away from the 30 feet drop to the murky Pasig river.

'Make a wish, superstar'

He heard his mother's voice.

"I,"

Surdeis face was blank and lifeless. His main goal in life was to help his parents. Now they're dead, he felt like nothing else will ever matter.

He stared at the flowing water. And, with a step.

"I wish to be with the both of you."

Splash!

...

The light from the sun was blocked by the murkiness of the river. His body drifted down the water until slowly reaching the bottom. Although his eyes were open, it was as if they were closed as he saw nothing but complete darkness.

The image of his mother and father smiling along with the small cake and the lit candle in the middle slowly entered his vision.

Thinking that this was the last thing he would see before he dies, he accepted his fate.

But the candle slowly glowed brighter.

'....hm?'

It shone brighter and brighter until the light blinded him.

'Wha?..what's happening?'

Dazzling light was coming from a single point. The radiance luminated the once pitch-black murky river.

Surdeis tried to block the blinding light with his hand.

There, he saw the shining silhouette of a familiar ring.

Slowly his hand reached for it.

His index finger touched the source of light, then at that moment it grew so blindingly bright that light seemed to swallow him whole.

After a few seconds the light suddenly vanished as if it didn't exist in the first place.

-

The next second, Surdeis saw nothing but white, the exact opposite from before. There were no floors and walls giving it an illusion that he was floating in a blank whiteness.

[No, you're not in heaven. Well, not yet at least.]

Out of nowhere, a voice came that seemingly answered the question he had in his mind.

Although he was surprised, but everything that had happened today was far more shocking, so he felt indifferent.

"..."

[A quiet one this time.]

The voice said.

[Let's cut this short. What is it you desire and I shall grant it to you?]

"I wish to die."

[Good, then first you mus..?. Wait, what?]

Surdeis replied as he looked around with a blank expression on his face.

[*Cough* *cough* Ehem, that can't be right, -Memory Scan-]

Memories of all he went through surfaced on his mind. The powerlessness he felt when the police intruded their home. The rage of seeing his father being shot. The desperation. And the loss of his will to live.

[Hmm... oh.]

The voice mumbled to himself as if he found something then proceeded to say to him:

[You wish to be with your mom and dad hmm. Also, a wish to be stronger. Okay, what if I tell you it is possible to be with them alive, in perfect condition, living in paradise. Isn't that a good wish?]

The voice said with confidence as if tempting him.

"My mom and dad alive?"

A glint of hope was felt as he heard those words.

[Yes, my boy, as long as they wish it too, they can return to life. But to fulfill it isn't an easy task, are you up for it?]

"Yes"

Surdeis replied without hesitation.

As if satisfied with the boy's answer, the voice continued.

[Ok then, first let's fix that body of yours]

A small plant sprouted in front of him. A tiny golden fruit formed on the single leaf, after a few seconds it grew to an apple.

[That my boy is called the Apple of knowing. That will not only return your body to its perfect condition, but will also let you be a Granted. With that you'll feel and wield mana. Granteds are special you know]

Surdeis ignored the voice after it answered that the fruit was called the Apple of knowing. He proceeded to pluck it from the leaf and observed the golden fruit.

'this time definitely I will save you mom and dad!'

Before taking a bite, he said.

"Okay. But why me?"

He asked the voice.

[Once every few hundred years we need someone from Earth. The ring you have is called the ring of promise and you being the holder of that ring makes you 'that' someone. You will be rewarded, but that is after you accomplish your mission]

Surdeis nodded then took a bite.

Suddenly waves of refreshing energy rushed towards his body, filling him with an indescribable warmth.

The bullet popped out from his knee and all wounds and bruises and broken bones healed rapidly returning it to a state like what happened was all an illusion.

Surprised at the miracle that had just occurred, Surdeis slowly stood up and observed his body then something popped up in his vision.

Ping!

[Name: Surdeis Malari

Lvl: 0

Status: Granted

Race: Human

Class: NA

SubClass: NA

Title: NA

Skills: NA

Strength:  Low      

Speed:  Extremely Low   

Intelligence: Low

Stamina:  Extremely Low   

Vitality:  Extremely Low   

Dexterity:  Low   

Luck: Low 

Abilities: NA

Unique Abilities:

▪Photographic Reflex: You can imitate any moves you have seen. Instantly learn a skill after observing.

▪Gift to the Granted: You have been gifted with the ability to wield mana directly from a god.]

"What is this? Is this me? What do I need to do?"

[Did you see your status? Looks like you're ready.]

The ring glowed brightly, slowly swallowing him.

"...wait"

[Yes, that's your data and only you can see it, and also me of course. All you need to do is defeat the incoming demon army in the world you're going to and become a god. Good luck my boy]

"de..Demon army?! What world?! Wait. Wait!"

The light had completely surrounded him.

[TRANSFER LOADING….]

[TRANSFER COMPLETE]

[You have now arrived at Antaluna]

...