4. Travelled Into The Another Universe

Lord Lorda's words instantly made the hairs on Mal's neck prickle.

"You mean?" asked Mal.

Mal looked pleadingly at the wall on the front, back, right, or left. Intending to stare at Lord Lorda who knows where.

"Don't say that the possibility of me being able to return to my world is small," continued Mal full of concern.

Lord Lorda laughed heartily. As if not thinking about the worries Mal felt.

"Why are you so worried? Wasn't the last time before you blacked out, you were bored with your life?" Dewa Lorda seemed to deliberately offend Mal.

Out of nowhere, Mal felt a bit regretful because of the boredom of life he felt. Mal couldn't refute Lord Lorda's question.

"Y-yes, that's right. I'm bored..." Mal stopped talking.

After a few seconds Mal just didn't move, Dewa Lorda was then heard to exhale harshly.

"After all, why would you want to live if in the end you get bored with your life?" Dewa Lorda further provokes Mal.

"That's not what I meant," Mal said, her voice breaking. "I'm bored, but... it's only natural. All humans feel bored in their lives."

Lord Lorda muttered a long split second, considering Mal's words. Because Lord Lorda sounded hesitant, Mal became nervous. Mal's heart was pounding.

"That's how people are. When the opportunity is given to them, they don't use it well. But when the opportunity is gone, they beg for a second chance." Lorda Lorda's voice was calm, but Mal could tell there was a hint of annoyance beneath it.

When Mal was silent, contemplating his mistakes, Lord Lorda continued, "Why didn't you take good care of the first opportunity given to you? Why didn't you take good care of the first trust given to you? Now... you look sorry."

Instantly his legs went limp and he fell. His body is now sitting with his head down.

"No," Mal shook his head, "I'm not exactly bored with my life."

"But you who keep on complaining are bored," answered Dewa Mal. "Then why are you begging for another chance now?"

Mal could not answer. At that time, Mal suddenly had an image in Mal's mind of Rossy providing breakfast, school supplies, and for him. Her beloved dog who often accompanies her to eat in the television room. The younger brother who often makes his blood rise. Also, his father would bring warm cheese grilled chicken every time he came home from work.

In fact, the last thing Mal did was ignore Rossy's worries.

"Wait...it can't be like this." Mal's voice became lower. He looked up, showing a pleading expression. "You said I could come back with your approval. So, I'll do whatever it takes to have that."

Lord Lorda immediately laughed sinisterly. "Why are you stubborn? Do you think it's easy to get a chance from me?"

"I don't think you can be persuaded easily," Mal argued. "But whatever you ask me to do, I will do it."

The room became silent. Lord Lorda did not answer anything. The silence made the tense atmosphere torment Mal. On the one hand, he wanted to get approval quickly. On the other hand, worry cannot be avoided.

What if Lord Lorda asked him to do something beyond what he could?

But Mal remained firm in his position.

"If you really want to get the chance to return to your life, you can't just go back to your realm, Mal."

Mal frowned. He was astonished that Lord Lorda knew his name. Unfortunately now Mal is more curious about other things.

"How to?" Mal urged Lord Lorda.

Suddenly the wide screen that was originally dead came back on. But now displays the atmosphere of a foreign place. Forest wilderness that looks so gloomy and no human life. On the other hand, there are some human-like statues at certain points.

Mal doesn't recognize the place.

"You must live your new life here for four hundred days. If you can complete the missions and restore glory to this world from the Dark Clan, you will have a chance to return to your body, Mal."

What Lord Lorda said left Mal speechless. Mal was dumbfounded, his brain denying Lord Lorda's request.

"How... how come?" asked Mal, his voice starting to crackle with despair. "I'm only human. Why would you order me to do such a thing?"

Lord Lorda replied, "Because I have to see how you fight for your life."

"What if I refuse your request?" asked Mal. "Why can't there be another way?"

"Then you will die. Remember, Mal, the world where reality exists and death is the fateful stage for a human. If they are stuck here and want to stay alive, they have to do what the gods want.

If they don't do what the god asks, it means they don't want to continue with their lives. Including you. Please go to the left door, where you will do the cleaning in hell."

Before Mal answered, Lord Lorda spoke again and his words could not be denied by Mal.

"But if you still want to live, don't worry, the missions from me won't be difficult. I will give you a guide from among the right hand of the gods. She is Meiden, and you will cooperate with her for four hundred days."

"Before you go to that world, I need to clear your memory about our conversation," Lord Lorda said again. 

***

[SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]

[WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF AMAPHERALD, MAL. I AM MEIDEN AND WILL BE YOUR GUIDE WHILE IN THIS WORLD]

[IF YOU ASK WHERE YOU ARE, THE WORLD OF AMAPHERALD IS ANOTHER LIFE FROM HUMANS. THE WORLD WOULD REALLY NEED YOUR HELP. HERE, I AS A SYSTEM GUIDE WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH IMPORTANT MISSIONS]

[ON THE HOME MENU AFTER THIS IS DISPLAYED, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR SYSTEM]

For Mal, life felt so sucks.

Level after level in the survival fantasy game been successfully passed. Mal got rewarded for reaching the highest level among other players.

There's nothing that adrenaline-pumping Mal anymore.

However, as soon as someone's voice echoed and felt very close to his ear, Mal woke up. He shocked by what he witnessed. Not the appearance of the ceiling of the room, but the foreign sky which has a gradation of mixing between pink and orange. The flocks of birds flew to the right and left. Also, the fibrous roots from the bends of tree branches are very large.

Mal felt that there was something strange about the color of the sky. Never before had he seen the color of the evening sky like now. After all, the last time he slept was night. He only fell asleep for a while. Shouldn't it be early in the morning or is it already morning?

Mal's body suddenly changed position to sit and looked around.

This place was not his room, where he had last been, but a forest of towering and dense trees. The trees were enormous—Mal estimated that they were three times larger than a banyan tree.

Mal's palms felt the rough grass. There was the sound of splashing water to the right, and when Mal turned his gaze to the source of the sound, how surprised he was to be at the edge of a cliff! Only about five steps away!

Mall spontaneously jumped backwards. He forced himself away from the edge of the cliff. His heart seemed to stop beating

'What is this?' thought Mal. 'Where am I?'

Unfortunately the view is not what Mal focuses on. A blue screen soon flashed right in front of his face—a see-through screen!

Mal repeatedly waved his hands in front of his face, but the blue screen glow didn't go away. He instantly panicked. Moreover, reading the change in the appearance of this blue screen windows.

[THE SEEKER SYSTEM]

[WELCOME TO A REAL FIGHT THAT WILL BRING YOU A DIFFERENT SENSATION]

[YOU WILL BECOME ONE OF SIX SEEKERS OF PURE STONES AND SAVE THE WORLD OF AMAPHERALD]

[Name of The Seeker: Mal]

[Position: As a Guardian]

What's this?! Where is Mal now?!