Crimson Overlord

''You lowly creature of darkness, my master, is also a darkness attributes user; he is it truly ruler.''

Atlas shouted, trying to rile Nix more and probably trigger a fight.

However, what she hadn't anticipated was what would soon follow.

''Oh? I've just learned something interesting; care to develop?" Orpheus asked as his mouth lifted into a smile.

Atlas was surprised; first, she was not the only one in this situation, though. The others and even Nix was surprised as well. She was also a darkness attribute origin master, a high level at that, so she felt insulted as well and was about to offer a reply; her father spoke first, to her surprise, and now that he did, she could only stay put and watch how everything will unfold. Crossing her arms, Nix observed.

Atlas, who could not immediately offer a reply after Orpheus's unexpected words, finally gotten herself together and glared at him to hide the fear threatening to swallow her soul from within.

Reason said if she left things as they were, there would be a consequence, and unable to think further ahead, she decided to stay arrogant, so stay true to this.

''I said my master is the true heir of Darkness; you are all just but impostors. So, hurry up and free me; if not, you won't know how you die.''

Even the most peaceful man could become angry if repeatedly provoked. He was not an exception, especially when he could use this as an excuse to test things and get something in return.

''I see. Let's see what you think of this little pressure.'' He coldly said and summoned darkness, unleashing an enormous that he had never bothered testing before.

But he knew how it worked, and he understood it far better than these other dark attribute origin masters; not even Kratos hailed as a million years genius, could do what he was doing; he was so comfortable with this attribute as if he some kind of primordial being born from darkness, so it was natural that he could use it, he was its true heir.

His darkness was so powerful that it was horrifying.

Everyone watched in horror as Orpheus started floating in the air with wisps of Darkness appearing on his body, eventually forming a black flame burning protectively around him.

The wild winds swayed in the surroundings, but terrifyingly, the world inside was deathly silent right now, and an eerie cold was numbing their senses. The light vanished, and everything was darkening faster.

The weak ones had already lost their consciousness and were convulsing on the ground in fear. And even the strong individuals like Nix were on their knees, looking absolutely horrified, trying their best to catch their breaths.

The chained dragon was horrified beyond her wildest dream. At this moment, she understood the true meaning of fear and what meeting an absolute being meant.

"There's no greater fear than the fear of Darkness, little dragon." Orpheus coldly spoke, and every word he spoke hammered Atlas's consciousness. Darkness swallowed everything inside her, be her body, her cells, her bones, and even her soul.

In the middle of this endless darkness which was swallowing her, Atlas heard a faint mocking voice saying.

''Let's see what you can handle. Please don't easily die.'

'P.please don't.' She wanted to beg, but unfortunately, it was already too late; her consciousness was pulled somewhere where she met something she had never seen in her four thousand years of leaving, a nightmare that would forever haunt her.

A dark moon, a pitch black forest, smoke everywhere and a whimper in the smoke, a rustling of leaves, and suddenly Atlas's eyes met with a little soul of darkness and flesh. Two flaring eyes stared at her with a reserved intensity, and another whimper surged from its drooling mouth in a show of force.

Jagged quills adorn its stout head, which itself is glowing faintly in the dark. The sound of a roaring fire escapes the creature's deformed nostrils set within a broad nose.

Its pudgy head sits atop a low, greasy body. Several bizarre wounds ooze a thick, foul liquid, but Atlas's eyes don't linger for long.

The creature bolts toward her after its sudden appearance; its six legs gracelessly carry its draconic body with restless energy.

Two little wings extend themselves fully. Jagged bones, and feathers of fire stretch upward, and forcefully descend with a powerful gust. Unimpressed eyes still look at Atlas, but only barely before its jagged teeth latched onto her, as if to swallow everything, even her soul.

''!!!!!!!!!!!!!!''

She couldn't even cry before getting swallowed, and only darkness remained, no pain, nothing until it arrived a moment later.

Blood, there's blood everywhere. It drenched Atlas's clothes; it was sticky and heavy and red. Red, everything was red; even the ground below her was turning red with blood. Her blood.

She was down on her knees; soon, she would probably be down on her back. She wanted to stand up, but she couldn't. Her legs, they won't move. Her body, it won't move.

This was driving her crazy! Move body, move! She needed to get out of here, to get out of this darkness; she needed to live.

'Why are you failing me now when I need you most? Move already! We're dying! Don't give up, please.' She roared inside her mind.

She couldn't think straight anymore; everything was becoming a blur. That darkness she was so afraid of was slowly creeping back, and nothing she ever did would have worked anyway, so she slowly started giving up; she should lay down and let the blood flow back to her brain.

'Yes, I will lay down. That'll help me figure out how to make it out, or at the very least, it'll save my energy until somebody finds me. Surely somebody will find me soon.

This isn't going to end well. No. No, it's not. So.. I'm going to die.. This is my end, my final stop. I never thought it would be like this, but so be it. I can't fight any longer; I'm too tired. Too weak.

Sleepy, I feel so sleepy. A quick nap can't hurt, can it? Ah, it doesn't matter. It may be the last nap I take, but it'll be the best. I'm just too tired; I need to sleep.'

Those were thoughts before darkness swallowed her, and she thought she was gone forever; however, the next second, she was awake again, back in the real world in her original form, her extensive body was drenched and it kept trembling non-stop; she was too afraid to look at the man, the one that made her suffer that hellish experience. This man was too dangerous; a devil incarnate and also the true heir of darkness.

''Welcome back, little dragon.''