Faceless Phantom

Within a small forest, which located at north of road that connected Eldan and Orbania, there lived a species of cute little bunny.

They were called a Hobunny.

Their height was around 30 cm when standing up. They had white fur that protected them from the chilly night. Their red eyes could see clearly in the dark. They were also sensitive to sound thanks to their long ears.

Hobunny loved to eat any vegetables and fruits they found in the forest. Using their big protruding front teeth, they could cut a big watermelon-sized fruit in one bite. Moreover, they used their teeth to attack any threats that could be harmful to them as well. Especially Howolves, they were their most frightening predator.

One beautiful day, Howolves were nowhere to be seen. So, a group of Hobunny gathered to eat together in their small forest clearing. They shared food they got, and they were socializing. It was a very rare peaceful event.

Bang!

Suddenly, a sound of thunder was heard. They were all startled, and they instantly turned their head to the source of the voice.

Bang! Bang!

Despite the clear blue sky, the sound kept coming. The hobunnies were scared yet curious. They turned their head multiple times.

Kyaaaaaaaaa

Gaaaaaaaarrrrrgghhh

Hwaaaaaaaaa

Screams of multiple monsters were filling every part of the forest. It was then, they saw a big scary bunny holding a long stick. They were laughing hysterically as they massacred the forest inhabitants. Once they noticed where the hobunnies were, the big bunny pointed their stick at them.

Bang!

A sparkling light was shot straight at one of the hobunnies and a hole was created. The hobbuny fell like a ragdoll. Its blood was gushing out from the wound, painted the grass red. The hobunny was dead in an instant.

Screeeeccchh!!!

Every hobunny ran in terror, squeaking in fear. Alas, no matter how fast they ran, they shared the same fate.

Bang bang bang!

"Death to all bunnies!"

Bonnie said after she killed the last hobunny with her spell. Then she passed through hobbunnies remains while looting them.

"Ahhh... So many loots..." Bonnie sighed. "I'm tired... Haahhh..."

After she looted them all, she tried to find a good place to rest. However, as she walked deeper within the forest, she noticed that there was an obvious change in environment. The trees had no leaves and it was becoming a bit misty.

Within the thin mist, stone fence with iron bars appeared. And ominous countless gravestones could be seen beyond the fence. Bonnie unexpectedly found a cemetery.

Curious, she went inside the graveyard. No sign of fear spotted on Bonnie's face. Instead, she was very excited.


The sun was set and the air became chilly. Only her footsteps could be heard in the silent graveyard. Then, Bonnie saw a small hut in a distance, so she fastened her pace.

Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap.

Suddenly, an orb of light appeared. It was floating around in front of the hut. Then she heard voices coming out from there.

Clack clack clack...

"You...d.....ha....to!"

Clack....clack... Clack!

"A....ight....b....we...ne....to....em...back."

Once she got closer, the mist dissipated and she could see who were having a conversation. And she was speechless when she witnessed what happened in front of her.

There was a skeleton. It was sitting while cleaning a lantern with a cloth. Then a ball of light entered the lantern. After the lantern was lit, the skeleton was clapping joyfully. When Bonnie took a closer look, the ball of light was actually a glowing small humanoid creature which similar to a fairy.

Witnessing such strange event, Bonnie was puzzled yet very intrigued. And then, the two heard Bonnie's footsteps getting closer toward them. Both of them immediately turned. Startled, Bonnie awkwardly smiled while waving her hand.

"Ummm... Hi..."

"Ah! A beast-kin!" The glowing creature exclaimed.

"Clack clack clack!!!" The skeleton was surprised.

・・・

I was standing in a prairie. The sky was dark, and rain was pouring very hard. Thunder could be heard occasionally, and the lightning illuminated a tall silhouette.

It was Beleth. He stood while his glowing eyes were gazing straight at me. On his right hand, he was holding something. A long white hair, which belonged to severed head. The jaw dropped low. The eyes were wide open, showing the color of the pupils. The right one was blue, and the other was violet.

I saw Uruzak talking to me, then he was laughing. It was voiceless. And the images between them kept flashing and changing. Like a fast fowarded video, it was becoming faster and faster. Until suddenly it was all turning black.

I woke up drenched in cold sweat, heavy breathing as I wiped off some of the sweats. The dream felt real. I could still feel the cold of the rain, each drops falling on my skin.

Then the image of Mirage's horror expression was flashing.

'There's no way. This is a game. Not a real dream...'

I felt uncomfortable and my heart ached.

'It's just a dream...'

Anxious, I stood and went outside to get a fresh air. I spaced out as I opened and closed the door, looking at the overgrown plants on the fence. It was then I heard a beautiful voice.

"Dimana... Akan kucari?"

(Where will I search?)

The voice seemed coming from the garden. Curious, I tried to find the source of the voice. And the closer I got, I could recall the song within my memories.

"Aku menangis... Seorang diri..."

(I am crying... By myself...)

I saw a figure wearing a white dress in the garden. The figure that I knew very well. And the beautiful voice that I couldn't forget.

'Mirage...'

Mirage was sitting on a bench, singing while gazing at the starry dark ceiling. I didn't know why I immediately slowed my pace, and trying not to make any sound.

"Untuk ayah tercinta...

(For my beloved father...)

Aku ingin bernyanyi, walau air mata di pipiku...

(I want to sing, even if my tears rolling on my cheeks.)

Ayah, dengarkanlah...

(Father, please hear me...)

Aku ingin berjumpa, walau hanya dalam mimpi..."

(I want to meet you, even if it's just inside a dream...)

The song didn't end there, but she strangely stopped. When she noticed me, she immediately wiped her tears. And then she gave me a little smile.

I sat down beside her and sighed. I wanted to ease her feelings.

"You memorized the lyrics pretty well..."

It was actually amazing how well she remembered the song, considering we only did Soul Connect once. And it was only a tiny bit of my memory which was hidden inside my brain. Even if she was an AI, she was programmed to be like real people. Of course, NPCs in this world could forget as well. However, her memory seemed very sharp.

"Unh..." She nodded.

"The song's tittle is Ayah, which means Father..."

"Unh..." She nodded again.

"..."

It was becoming an awkward silence. We knew each other for a long time already, yet we were still awkward sometimes. The root of the problem could be actually myself, or perhaps, it was because I saw her crying while singing a song about Father. I knew the very reason why I behaved that way, so I didn't know what to do. I hesitantly turned my head to see her, and then our eyes met. Anxious, I gave her a forced smile and my gaze turned somewhere else.

"I-I hope your father, Belgram, can hear you somewhere out there." I said spontaneously.

"Thank you..."

My gaze turned down, and we were silent once again. But soon her voice broke my anxiety.

"Umm... Zeroth..."

"Y-yeah?"

I looked at her for a moment and turned my gaze forward.

"You're very kind..."

"..."

"Sorry for making you worry about me..."

"W-well... It's okay. Besides, you look very sad..."

"Ehehehe... I see..."

"But, I can't do anything... I don't know what to do... I'm sorry..."

"Mmmh..." Mirage shook her head. "You're here is enough to ease my feelings."

"I see..."

"Anyway, I want to sing for you too... Can I?"

"Yeah. S-sure."

As I answered her, she stood and walked away slowly. I could see her took a deep breath, then her beautiful voice came out. No matter how many times I heard it, her singing voice sounded so angelic.

"Only now I know of time...

For too long I have drifted, never turning back..."

'This song...'

Like a light switch, my memory immediately remembered the song.

'It's the English version of Tsubomi by Hayley Westenra.' I thought. 'It's been a while... I often listened to this song in the past.'

I stood and followed her.

"Now I am standing, the tide drowning me...

I never felt so weak, 'cos you mean everything to me..."

She glanced shyly and smiled.

"Only now I feel your love... Golden, burning, covering just like a glove.

I feel the warmth of your gaze over me, never felt such tranquility inside of me..."

Strangely, the plants and trees around her were moving. I could feel a breeze was blowing from somewhere.

"And like a distant dream I see the blossom vanishing... Just as each bud finally is blossoming..."

The flower buds on the trees began to blossom. Suddenly, the breeze grew stronger and made the trees danced. As if the nature accompanied her voice. It created harmony to make the song more beautiful.

"And I watch each petal dance its way over to me..."

The flowers petals and the leaves were falling, dancing with the breeze.

"They fall...

They fall...

They fall...

All around meee..."

Mirage raised her hands to feel the falling petals and leaves, and then she turned with a bright smile on her face. Seeing the invaluable picturesque, I was frozen and my gaze was pulled toward her gorgeous figure.

"I am here with you.

You are here with me."

She smiled sweetly and shyly, slowly walking toward me. I didn't know why. Was it the song? Was it her smile? Was it her angelic voice? She made me smiled as well.

"Your smile and your loving face...is everything I see...

And, in this town, the memories you left behind swirled round and around...

And forever I'm searching for the light...

On a cloud away from time, where our memories can shine, wait for me and we can live them all... Agaaiiiiin..."

At that very moment, my heart sank. I forced a smile to hide my heartache. The dream and my memories were suddenly flashing on my mind. Mirage's horror expression, pills, a noose, and a smiling woman with tears rolling down on her cheek.

I slowly walked toward Mirage, and then I unconsciously hugged her. Perhaps, I did so because I didn't want her to see my expression. And I felt like I had to say something so she wouldn't figure it out. My lips trembled.

"T-thank you..."

She hugged me back tightly.

"...You don't have to thank me. I'm glad that I met you. I'm glad..."

I didn't know. Was it a mistake? Or was it a good thing that I could accept someone again in my life? Even if it was just an NPC, they were like real people in this game. Especially Mirage, she knew very well her own existence. She was aware about who she was. And she accepted it. She accepted me.

I was glad that I met her.

"Me too... I'm glad that I met you..."

A moment of tranquility passed, and I finally felt better. Once we released ourselves from hugging, I saw her weary face.

"A-are you okay?"

"Thank you..." She smiled. "I feel better now..."

"I-I see... You look very tired. You need to sleep."

"Yeah. I think I can sleep well now. Don't worry... Ehehe..." She smiled.

"Then, I'll escort you to your bedroom..."

"It's okay..." She shook her head. "I'm fine by myself."

"O-okay..."

She bowed and smiled, then she walked away out of the garden.

I rubbed both of my hands on my face, and then I deeply sighed.

'What am I doing? Hahhh...'

What was just happened seemed unreal for me, it was almost magical and that could only happen in movies or animated films. And her sweet smile kept flashing within my mind.

"Let's find Hagwim, I guess..."

I put what just happened aside and began to search for Hagwim. I explored the area around the garden since he said he would be nearby. Then I came upon a wide field with some scarecrows in it. Hagwim was there swinging his axe and shield.

He noticed me as I walked closer toward him.

"Ah, Zeroth laddie. You're not sleeping?"

"I was... But something woke me up..."

"Is it a bad dream?"

"Yeah, something like that..." I wryly laughed. "Anyway, how's your new body?"

Hagwim put down his axe and made both of his hands rest on the head. He sighed as his gaze wandering about his body.

"It feels the same. Nothing changed I guess. But I feel stronger than before..."

"Stronger than before?"

"Yeah, maybe it's because I'm a Death Knight now."

'Come to think of it, Death Knight is definitely a strong undead.'

"Maldum Hazor..."

Suddenly, Hagwim was frozen and his eyes widened. I turned around to see what he was seeing. Five familiar silhouettes were standing behind me. And then they bowed.

"Commander Hagwim..."

"We wholeheartedly apologize..."

"We didn't have a choice..."

"We were betrayed as well..."

"Please forgive us..."

Hagwim's jaw dropped. He slowly pointed at them one by one.

"By Durofar... You are... Jaldo, Kalin, Pamli, Salgar, and Thazor..."

'They know each other?'

"Will you forgive us?"

"Yes, of course... I just didn't expect to see you all become... Vengeful Spirits."

"Thank you, Commander..."

"Don't call me that. I'm no longer your Commander." Hagwim sighed. "Anyway, what happened? How did you all become like this?"

We found a place to talk beside the field and they began to tell us about their story, which was pretty much the outline.

Long story short, they were also imprisoned somewhere in the castle. Their family and friends were punished as well. And then they were executed with a treason of revolting against the King.

Then they told us that they woke up recently as Vengeful Spirits. Perhaps, their anger and hate turned them that way. Not long after that, they felt the town's barrier was activated. It was then they had decided. They begged me to avenge them in exchange for their loyalty to serve under me.

Hearing the story, Hagwim seemed very surprised.

"Wait what!? Zeroth is accepted as Dalgor's New King?"

Hagwim looked up. I did the same and my Astral Eyes caught the aura in the sky which I didn't notice before. There was indeed a barrier.

"Town's barrier. No, It's different." Hagwim looked at me. "Zeroth, laddie. What is that?"

'Even if you ask that. It's also the first time I see it. I've never seen a town's barrier before.'

I was silent for a moment, thinking. The barrier might be activated because Dalgor was now my Dimensional Space. It was the only explanation that made sense.

"I-it looks like Dalgor is my Dimensional Space now. I guess..."

"..."

Everyone was speechless. Then a moment later, Hagwim's laugh broke the silence.

"Burrhahahahahaha... Zeroth, laddie. you're really amazing."

"Yes. We are not wrong to serve you... My King."

"This is the first time I witness such beautiful barrier."

"Truly wonderful."

"..."

Their compliment was too much for me. Somehow, it made a tingling sensation to all over my body.

"Anyway, Zeroth laddie. We will take care of our own problem. Actually, you don't need to worry. You're not obliged to avenge any of us." Hagwim reassured me. Then he turned to face the other five. "You guys... Revenge will not give our family and friends back, but it's also a problem that we can't easily forget. However, for now, we have a greater goal ahead of us. It's to help our New King, Zeroth, killing the Dark Army."

"Maldum Hazor... The Dark Army is still alive?"

"I'm sorry, Commander... Of course, we will definitely help."

"We will do as you say. We will put our problem aside."

"Yes... If that's what the King wants, then we will follow."

"Good." Hagwim looked satisfied. Then he turned to face me again. "Zeroth laddie, can I ask you a favor?"

"S-sure... What is it?"

"I want to test my new form. How about we have a little spar?"

Hagwim looked excited. Seeing him like that, I didn't want to turn him down. To be honest, it was actually a good idea. I was also interested on how powerful he was. Moreover, dwarf fighting style was what I wanted to know the most. So I smiled and accepted the request without any hesitation.

"Of course, let's do it..."