Monsters Uprising

The surroundings were still dark, and Sief once again felt as if he were floating in the void. His thoughts were clouded, but still, he drifted.

'This feeling... it's like before...'

"He's lost a lot of blood."

A voice echoed nearby, and Sief searched for its source, but there was nothing there.

"I can at most heal the wounds, but... wait..."

In an instant, Sief opened his eyes, but once again, he was in the void. He couldn't hear anything, feel warmth or cold, not even smell anything. Yet, something was different.

Looking down, his body was wrapped in numerous chains that covered his torso, and his hands were buried in something.

Slowly, whitish lines began to appear in the void, and Sief widened his eyes, realizing what seemed to be a massive block of stone to which his hands were bound.

His body moved without his will, trying to free itself, writhing and becoming engulfed in a purple aura.

'It's like before...'

Again, his body forced itself; his mouth opened, and he screamed in despair until his hands were enveloped by an even stronger purple aura, making Sief's eyes widen as he felt an inexplicable burning sensation.

It was as if his skin were being burned and his bones were melting, causing him to scream even more wildly. However, with that, Sief saw his hands escape the stone, though completely injured and in pieces, but the wounds strangely healed until his hands returned to normal.

He clenched his fists and felt as though he was gripping something, causing his eyes to widen once more, but this time with a deep gasp of life that slowly cleared his senses.

A strong light filled the place, and the surroundings began to take shape. He could feel warmth touching his skin again as he heard the sound of his own breathing.

'This feeling again...'

Sief's eyes widened as they finally adjusted to the brightness, noticing a pressure that lightly crushed his body, preventing him from moving.

Gradually, his sight adapted, and he saw the stone floor close to his face. It was still cold, and his entire body ached, but he could move. When he raised his head, he saw iron bars, and behind them, a familiar face stood out.

"In less than a day." It was Astrad, standing outside. Looking around, Sief realized he was in what seemed to be a prison. "What did that monster say to you?"

"What did he say to me?" Sief tried to lift his body but found it much heavier than before. When he turned, he saw shackles forcing both his arms behind his back, with another form of iron holding his abdomen. "What the hell?"

"Don't bother, they won't break or be cut by that." Astrad closed his book, revealing a worn-out page, but soon stopped in front of the bars and continued. "Let's save time. That monster seemed very interested in you, and you reacted to him several times, so we assume he spoke to you. So, what did he say?"

Sief forced himself to kneel, his body weak, and the metal that bound him was so heavy that just kneeling left him gasping for air.

The chains were thick and heavy, almost pulling him back with their weight. Looking up, he saw the mage's eyes still glowing with a lilac hue. Sief stared at him, still catching his breath, and finally said.

"You guessed right, but it wasn't anything useful." He narrowed his eyes slightly and added, "I didn't even need his advice to figure out that you lied to me. Everything you told me, I had already discussed with Millo. It was easy to make up something like 'she's fighting to get stronger.' You guys want to explore these new regions that badly? To the point of lying outright just to get another explorer?"

"Sharp eye, huh?" Astrad looked at Sief, who kept his eyebrows low, still staring at the mage as he continued. "No, even being a Solo explorer, that doesn’t make you so special. But you survived that day when we lost strong and reliable explorers to that beast... that alone would draw attention. And now that monster showed interest as well. There's something about you, something I intend to discover. And you want me to believe he just came to tell you we were lying?"

"It doesn't matter if you trust me. Why should I trust you, who decided to lie the moment we met?" Sief stared back. "If your friends abandoned you because of your insane obsession, don’t expect me to-

The blond's gaze trembled slightly, and Sief's eyes widened as a purple spear appeared next to Astrad’s face. In an instant, it was summoned and fired, but Sief threw his body to the side, feeling the spear pass by his ear. He fell to the ground under the weight of the chains, hearing the sound of stone shattering.

Looking at the hole in the wall, the spear had passed through without resistance, leaving only dust behind. The assassin kept his brow furrowed as he turned back to Astrad.

"Don't question my loyalty or that of my comrades, even if you're just a boy. Next time, I won't aim for your ear." He widened his eyes, staring coldly. "My goals were to see if you could be trusted; anyone can explore. But that attack took countless powerful explorers, so why did you and your sister survive?"

"So, she survived." Sief braced himself and knelt again while the mage continued to stare. "If you lied, you must not know where she is."

"As I thought, you're not dumb." Astrad closed his eyes and finally tucked the book under his arm. "That’s why you must understand my reasons for keeping you here. If you're innocent, you'll prove it, and you'll be freed."

"I don’t have that kind of time!" Sief braced on one leg, standing up with difficulty, feeling the weight of the shackles pulling him down. "If you won’t tell me, that guy might know. It doesn’t matter what his intentions are, only my sister matters."

"I’m not sharing information with someone who could be an enemy." Again, Astrad closed his eyes and turned away. "As I said, if you're innocent, nothing will happen. So, pray your sister isn’t—"

A loud metallic sound echoed as Astrad opened his eyes, staring at Sief, whose forehead collided with the bars, both eyes glowing a vibrant green.

His body trembled just to remain standing, but still, he glared.

"Better not finish that sentence." His eyes widened even more as the green hue intensified. "You imprisoned me just on suspicion and expect me to trust you? Your word means nothing to me, but I’m not your damn enemy."

Astrad kept watching as the green aura emanated from Sief's body, which trembled slightly under the weight of the chains. The mage turned back to the assassin once more.

"If you think you're not already, I’m certain you’ll become one." Astrad pulled a paper from his book and let it fall into Sief's cage. It looked like an attribute sheet. "The sheet can’t be altered or changed; it’s just a reading after you passed out."

Name: Sief

Health: 140/140+

Energy: 336/336+

Strength: 25

Speed: 65

Mind: 24

Dexterity: 46

Constitution: 21

Abilities: ..... (Lv. ???), Poison (Lv. B)

Sief read it and collapsed to his knees, feeling the chains' weight forcing him down. But still, he stared with furrowed brows and finally turned back to the mage.

"My stats haven't changed, just gained more energy, and my Poison ability leveled up." Sief forced a smile. "Was that supposed to convince me?"

"We also saw the color of your aura change, and you have this unknown ability. It’s enough to keep an eye on you." Astrad stood and turned to leave. "The reading is always accurate, but even so, yours lacks information. That's uncommon, too different to simply ignore. And if this Beatrice is the same, of course, she’ll be under observation too."

"Don't drag her into this!" Sief forced himself forward again, watching Astrad leave and finally shouting. "Your enemy is that monster, not me, or my sister!"

Astrad stopped in the corridor and slightly turned his head back, seeing Sief standing again, pressing against the bars. But as he blinked quickly, when he reopened his eyes, a deep golden glow flickered as Sief once again felt the static in the air.

"If they’re innocent, stay locked up." He turned away and finished. "I only kill monsters. Pray you’re not one."

He disappeared down the corridor, vanishing from Sief’s view. The assassin lowered his head, gritting his teeth in frustration, collapsing again under the weight, and looking back, he saw the anchor bolted to the ground that kept him from escaping.

His body was still weak, but he enveloped his hands in a green aura as he gripped the shackles tightly with a low growl.

"No way in hell am I staying put..."

Sief turned forward, grasping the chains with both hands still coated in venom as he mused.

'I remember little of that fight... but... purple aura?' Sief narrowed his eyes, recalling his dream and the last attack from Tulla, which was now clearer than ever in his mind. 'It was when...'

Sief’s mind recalled how hazy it had become to continue; his body no longer hurt, it was just too heavy to carry, especially against a much faster opponent.

However, in that singular moment, he saw a faint image of Tulla moving slightly before the real motion, and in that instant, his body had unconsciously moved to the side, dodging a blow he couldn’t have avoided even in his best condition.

Even though he held the chains, when he released his hands, he saw that the poisoning hadn’t made any difference, and finally, he closed his eyes, thinking again.

'There’s no way poison works on iron...' Sief slightly raised his arms and furrowed his brow, seeing all his equipment still there. 'But this sensation... it came back... along with that dream.'

Sief’s vision blurred, and his image, bound by shackles, resembled what he had seen in the dream, making him clench his fists while trembling slightly.

'Those were abilities, but none of them were mine...' He stood up again and placed his hand on the iron circle binding his waist. 'I remember the feeling, clearly and vividly... I haven’t been able to create any ability since the poisoning... but...'

He nervously closed his eyes again, but soon took a deep breath, channeling the entire flow of mana from his belly to his arms, a movement that had become strangely natural in no time.

His hands were enveloped by aura, and he squinted, recalling that melting sensation that had made those iron chains loosen.

'This might hurt...' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'But I can’t stay here!'

When he touched the iron, he felt his heart beat once more, echoing through his entire body, making his eyes widen.

In an instant, vapor appeared, and when he looked down, a burning sensation hit his hand, making him grunt, feeling as if a deep wound had opened across his entire hand. With each passing moment, the wound widened, bleeding more and more.

He gritted his teeth and groaned but pressed harder against the shackles on his abdomen, which began to sink under the grip of his hands, now glowing with a light green aura tinged with purple that seeped into the iron.

The vapor that exhaled was foul and stung his eyes, making them water from the pain and the burning sensation, yet Sief forced his head down, biting his lips and strengthening his resolve.

"I can’t stay here!"

In moments, the iron chain wrapped around his abdomen had melted on both sides and crashed to the ground with a heavy, resounding thud, making Sief let out a grunt before collapsing to his knees near the shackles.

His hands trembled, and his eyes could barely stay open, but he could see the light green aura exhaling even more wildly, while his hands were covered in open wounds bearing the marks of the shackles. He gritted his teeth as he quickly grabbed the chains.

Once again, Sief let out a painful groan as he walked towards the hole Astrad had made in the wall, the chains falling away along the way.

His vision blurred again, but he still clenched his teeth and placed one hand on the hole while the other pushed, making Sief feel even more pain in his hands, to the point of bending over from the agony. Yet, he saw the area he touched lose color and sink slightly.

Sief clenched his teeth in frustration, tightening his fist. The claw appeared and pierced the wall with ease, but he still punched, and a chunk of the wall flew off as if it were made of dirt.

His eyes widened, but he still gritted his teeth, forcing the hole wider with both hands, noticing the walls becoming softer and softer, until a small space opened, just enough for him to squeeze through.

Once again, his vision blurred severely, and he felt weakness afflict his body. When he tried to leap, all his body could do was fall.

Everything around him was hazy, but he gritted his teeth, feeling himself falling.

He thrust both arms forward, and the impact hit. His bones cracked, and he grunted, but soon his entire body collapsed, making him realize he was finally outside.

Something touched his body, and even without clear vision, Sief could tell it was grass. His blurred sight could make out its green hue, while the wind brushed against his skin, bringing a strange sense of relief.

Gradually, the burning in his hands subsided, but he continued to breathe heavily and exhaustedly as his mind wandered.

‘Did I do that?’ He trembled slightly, trying to get to his feet. ‘No… it wasn’t me… but it doesn’t matter… I have to—’

Even with his senses muddled and the surroundings slowly clearing, Sief’s eyes widened as he heard footsteps crushing the grass.

‘If it’s him—’

Quickly, Sief clenched his fist, and his blade appeared. The searing pain returned, but he immediately stood up and swung, feeling his arm slice through something that made him widen his eyes, realizing his target had dodged.

But a familiar voice rang out.

“Is that how you’re going to welcome me, Sifritt?” In an instant, he recognized the voice, and as his vision adjusted to the light, he saw a smile on a face marked with various scars on the cheek. He then saw Edgar’s face, exuding the same calm as always. “I received some information, but I still don’t get why you haven’t sent me any letters.”