Vampire's Slice of Life



Deep within the heart of the mysterious desert maze, Lith sensed a foreboding presence. 

The air grew thick with an eerie stillness, and an unsettling chill crept down his spine. 

As he ventured further, the walls of the maze transformed, taking on a sinister aura.

At the center of the maze, Lith discovered a chamber bathed in a dim, flickering light. 

There, looming before him, stood a towering statue—a grotesque fusion of stone and darkness. Its eyes, glowing with an ominous red hue, seemed to penetrate Lith's very soul.

The statue exuded an aura of malevolence, its jagged contours and twisted features evoking a sense of primal fear. Its outstretched hand held a relic pulsating with dark energy, casting an unsettling glow over the chamber. 

Lith felt the weight of ancient malice, as if the statue itself was a vessel for a long-forgotten evil.

'For the first time, I am feeling an evil aura.' Lith thought to himself. 

With trepidation, Lith approached the statue, driven by both curiosity and a resolute determination to confront whatever lurked within. 

He knew that facing this frightful entity would test his courage like never before, but he wasn't really worried. 

Having experienced near death situations many times, along with having died once, death was the last thing that scared Lith. 

With calmness in his heart, Lith approached the looming statue at the heart of the maze.

He reached out to touch the relic it held, its dark energy pulsating beneath his fingertips. As he made contact, a surge of visions flooded his mind.

The truth unveiled itself before Lith's eyes—a tale of ancient betrayal and a long-forgotten curse. 

The statue was once a revered guardian, charged with protecting a sacred artifact that held immense power. 

However, greed and treachery of the people around the guardian corrupted its purpose, transforming the artifact into a malevolent entity.

The artifact affected the guardian and exploded, getting scattered everywhere within this maze.

The once fairyland-like place then turned into a lifeless desert due to the artifact being gone.

Because of the greed of some, the entire place got cursed and life as well as vegetation was eventually turned into a never ending maze.

As the memories continued, Lith realized that the curse could only be broken by reuniting the scattered fragments of the artifact. 

Each piece held a portion of the guardian's lost purity and would restore balance once reunited. 

It was a quest that required not only bravery but also compassion and selflessness.

Lith had no choice but to show those traits if he wanted to get out of here.

Armed with this newfound knowledge, Lith embarked on the quest to retrieve the artifact fragments scattered throughout the maze. 

Once again, he faced formidable trials, overcame treacherous traps, and forged his way forward. 

Along the way, he discovered many murals that showcased the redemptive power of sacrifice and the strength of unity.

It was all kind of okayish since Lith wasn't the person fond of sacrifices. He could easily send a random person to the most vile torture places if it was needed, but when it came to his loved ones, he wouldn't even let a scratch occur on them.

As for unity, it was alright.

It didn't always work because different people meant different opinions. Lith believed in becoming capable enough to hold absolute power over everyone.

This wasn't Earth where everyone had similar physical strength. This was a fantastical world of sword and magic where you could pave your path to the top with hard work and determination.

The thing called one man army was capable here and there was no need to follow the traditional unity things.

Despite having different opinions than what was showcased in the murals, on the surface, Lith kept things similar to the things he was learning in this maze.

It was obvious that this place was trying to teach him something and he wasn't a kid to not understand it.

By spending some more time and working hard, Lith reunited the fragments and awakened the ancient guardian's true essence. 

The statue's malevolence melted away, revealing a benevolent figure radiating pure light. 

The figure didn't speak, but could convey emotions.

Grateful for Lith's courage and selflessness, the guardian bestowed upon him a profound gift—a deep understanding of balance and harmony.

Lots of information related to it poured into Lith's mind and for once, Lith got something good.

The things related to balance and harmony weren't traditional things. They were the vast experiences of this guardian, who, Lith assumed, was probably a God.

A content smile appeared on Lith's face.

The challenges were worth this knowledge.

With some great wisdom, Lith exited the heart of the maze.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was teleported to a completely new location.

It being a majestic grand hall, standing still on a bed of clouds with waterfalls all around it, flowing down to who knows where.

There were no directions, there was nothing that Lith could do here, and as he tried to get out of the hall, he realized there was a barrier.

Having no idea what to do, Lith stood in a corner and thought of the things that he could potentially do while waiting for some hints to appear.

Meanwhile…

CRACK!

A blonde-haired youth broke the spine of a gigantic right-winged monster.

"Now what?" He questioned while looking around, annoyance visible on his face. 

As soon as he said that, a bright light flashed over him and he disappeared from his spot.

The next thing the youth knew, he was standing in the middle of a grand hall atop a bed of clouds.

Taken aback, the youth looked around, only to feel startled as he saw a handsome silver-haired man with long hair stare at him calmly.

The youth didn't converse and composing himself, stood at the other end of the hall, not eyeing the silver-haired man, but still keeping an eye on him and being on guard.

Lith, who just witnessed someone arrive in this hall, guessed that this place may be a waiting area of some sort.

He didn't say anything to begin a conversation and stood quietly, waiting to see if there were others that'll appear.

As expected, in the next few moments, four more people appeared in the hall, three of them being girls and the other one being a guy.

The guy was a dark purple-haired teen. He wore a samurai type loose fitting robes and had a katana around his waist. 

His aura was regal and being a Prince himself, Lith could guess that this person was definitely royalty.

As for the three girls, one of them was a red-haired, tall girl with curves good enough to rival Alea's.

However, the expression on her face was completely opposite to what Alea had.

There was no hint of innocence, only pure seriousness.

She had blood stains all over her, evident that she may be in a battle before this.

The girl stood erect like a spear and the aura she let out was of pure dominance, making Lith think that showing any signs of weakness in front of her could get him killed.

As for the other two…

One was a green-haired girl with a height of 160 cm. It wasn't short by any means, but being around tall women for most of his life, he considered anything below 170 cm as short. 

The girl's face was cheerful and the aura she was giving out was happy-go-lucky. From the looks of it, she seemed like someone who talked nicely, but then again, one may never know and Lith was careful with not making the first move himself.

The last girl, she had pure white hair and her eyes shimmered with a golden hue.

She donned battle ready robes and as she held a lance in her hand, the impression she gave off was that of a warrior.

However, her other hand held a black staff with a red skull on top of it, so Lith wasn't sure who she was or what she may be doing.

She seemed the most mysterious among everyone present here.

The five people other than Lith didn't converse and stood at one corner of the hexagon shaped grand hall. 

The hall was designed in such a way as if the maker was expecting just six people.

Except Lith, the other five in the hall simultaneously thought:

'Who is the sixth one?'