CHAPTER 10: ECLIPSE MONARCH

The heavy iron doors groaned open, spilling a red glow that pulsed steadily like a heartbeat.

I took a step inside, my blade very steady in my grip, though every instint in me screamed at me to turn back.

The chamber stretched into a vast and hollow expanse, its ceiling was lost in the darkness and silence pressed against me like it was solid.

Then it appeared.

A figure that was tall, robed and it rose from the center of the room. Smoke and shadow clung to its frame like an estinguished fire and it flowed like water. Behind its hooded head there was a black halo that was like a corona of inverted light.

My chest tightened at the sight of it.

Ding!

~The Eclipse Monarch~

~Difficulty: D-Rank~

Its prescence was crushing. Chains uncoiled from its body with a metallic hiss like it had just awaken from a thousand year slumber, then the chains slammed into the ground like giant serpents.

Before I could move, the chamber fell into utter darkness and my blade reflected nothing. All that remained visible was a single point of light that was the radiant stone embedded in the monarchs forehead, it twinkled like a star that was drowning in its shadow.

"Skill..."

"Divine Thread..."

Ding!

~Active Skill: Divine Thread~

~Target Identified: The Eclipse Monarch~

~Weakness Detected: Anti-Arcane Stone~

A grin tugged at my lips despite the crushing pressure I was feeling.

"Good... now I know where to stab."

The Eclipse Monarch moved, I could tell by the sound of the chains lashing in the dark, and I knew its speed was likely unnatural.

I barely rolled aside as one chain slammed into the stone floor, sending shards and debris flying. Another coiled around my leg, dragging me towards the monarchs deadly figure.

I slammed my sword against the ground with all my might. The sound of the metal on stone rippled through the dark causing the monarch to falter and the chains to shudder and loosen just enough for me to wriggle free.

"That worked on your minions. It works on you too, doesn’t it?"

I hissed as my mind went into a thousand conversation with itself at once. The stone behind its head flared, and three more chains slithered out with controlled reach, trying to hunt me.

I moved fast, everytime the chains whipped close, I dragged my sword across the ground, filling the chamber with violent screeches that seemed to amplify because of the large space. The resonance made the monarch’s form to ripple with irritation, its movements stuttered just enough for me to keep moving, evading danger.

"I can’t keep dodging forever... I need to get close, that Anti-arcane stone in its forehead... that’s the key!"

I ran behind a broken pillar as a chain cracked it in half like a dry twig. My mind raced and my pulse quickened as fear begain to creep in.

"Direct rush is obviously suicide. It reads my movements in the dark. So... lets use its strength against it."

When the next chain lashed out, I braced. Instead of dodging, I angled my blade down and scraped it violently along the stone floor, the sound splitting the chamber like a scream. The monarch lashed out with irritation, just enough distraction that its chain struck another column and lodged deep in the rubble.

"Got you..."

I sprinted forward, my boots slamming against the floor. The glow of the Anti-arcane stone flared larger and larger as I got closer and closer.

A chain came to my chest, I dropped low and scrapped my blade along the ground again. The resonance made the monarch to flicker and its timing became flawed.

I jumped in the air with my sword high and every ounce of my strength and my remaining Arcane energy. The creature shrieked loudly and closeup it sounded like a thousand whispers breaking into a single deafening scream. Its chains thrashed helter skelter, tearing bristle stone apart, but I held my blade deep, forcing the steel through until the stone dislodged from its position.

Red light burst like glass and the halo, black fire futtered and died. The monarchs form trembled into smoke and ash evaporating into nothingness.

I dropped to the ground with my chest heaving out of exhaustion and my sword trembling in my grip. I looked at the Anti-arcane stone glowing faintly at my feet,

"Like I said, brains over flames," I muttered with a slight chuckle. "Every time..."

Ding!

~Mission successful Clear the low-level Gate~

~Reward 1 Epic item for the Duckskin Naga’s egg~

~New Skill Aquired~

Breathless, I surveyed the remains of the monarch.

Among the fading shadowy mist, a radiant item emerged, shimmering with a warm blueish glow. I reached out to pick it up, revealing a blue-black stone.

~Item Acquired: Obsidian Halo~

~Description: An item that holds the ability to awaken the Arcane energy within creatures, enhancing their bond with their master.~

I grinned in triumph. This stone would surely help me hatch Duckskin Naga’s egg.

~New Skill Acquired: Erebis~

~Description: Grants the ability to set anything ablaze in Arcane flames so long as the user imbues the target object with Arcane energy~

~Note: the target object must be within users eyesight to be able to achieve this feat.~

I opened my stat screen to allocate my new points that were awarded throughout my expedition.

~Level: 10~

~Strenght: 25~

~Agility: 12~

~Endurance: 14~

~Intelligence: 46~

~Memory: 45~

~Arcane Reserve: 9/500~

After resting a bit further, I packed up all the stuff I needed to and left the dimensional gate and made my way slowly into town. My entire body ached from the fight with the Eclipse monarch, but each step I took was fuelled by pride, that I had accomplished the task I set out to do.

I was getting stronger and stronger than I’d ever imagined. The systems rewards, the new skills, my physical stats climbing higher and higher. It was all proof that I was surviving anymore, I was thriving.

The familiar creek of front wooden door of the house greeted me as I stepped inside, kicking of my boots. The place was small, cluttered with books and gear that belonged to my parents, I couldn’t use them because they would require a certain physical strength to wield— the strength I hadn’t reached... yet.

Despite it condition it was home, after my parents disappeared we couldn’t possibly pay the fee to the landlords for our original land, their by causing them to eventually kick me and my brother to stay in a shack like building with two rooms and it sat underneath a low traffic bridge with a small river running by the side.

As I walked in, wandering what my siblings were up to, I glanced at the already active system interface. My stat panel was hovering faintly in my vision, a smirk quickly tugged at my lips

’Not bad for a guy who started with nothing but a rusty dagger and a bag of bones...’

I set my sword against the wall, its edge was still humming a bit from the battle with the eclipse monarch, and carefully placed the Obsidian Halo beside Duckskin Naga’s egg on my desk. The egg was still shimmering with the same dim light it had been before. The stone beside it glowed softly too, with a deep blue black colour that seemed to drink in the surronding light of the purple-ish black hue from the egg.

"Percy! Jackson!" I called, my voice echoing through the small building. "Get in here, you two. Got something to show you."

I waited a couple seconds and then the sound of scampering feet followed, and my twin younger brothers burst into the room, their identical faces lit with curiosity and the heaves of sweat running down their faces. Percy with his messy hair and Jackson with his ever wide grin stood there both holding a dead creature in their hands.

I tilted my head at them, "What are you guys doing?"

They didn’t respond for a second until Percy raised the creature in his right hand, "We were catching wild chicken for dinner... we caught two and killed them on the spot! And yes it was my idea"

I shook my head with a smile, "Huh, Percy I swear I won’t be surprised if you awaken some kind of Necromancer abilities cause you’re so diabolical"

They were both fourteen, but their eyes sparkled with the kind of awe and excitement that only kids could muster.

"now I have something to show you guys concerning the egg... first of all anyone who comes two feet close to me with those dead birds is gonna get a fist full or arcane." I said playfully and the laughed, running to the kitchen and back, this time with nothing in their hands.

"Whoa!" Percy breathed, staring at the egg. "Its shinning brighter..."

"You think? It looks more or less the same to me," I said, leaning back against the desk with a grin. I held up the obsidian halo, it glow casted a faint shadow across their faces. "This right here is the key to hatch the egg..."

Jackson’s jaw dropped. "You actually beat another gate? All by yourself? that’s insame, big brother!"

I chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Not just any gate. An A-Rank boss called the Eclipse Monarch. Nearly crushed me with chains, but I outsmarted it... brains over flames."

Their eyes widened, and with every gasp of their breath; my confidence rose. I could see the admiration shining in them, it felt good, better than any system reward. They looked at me like I was some kind of hero and for a moment, I let myself believe it.

"C’mon," I said, gesturing to a clear spot on the bedroom floor. "Let’s hatch this thing..."