Inventors system

Chapter 96: Dandan

Acheron's signature smile greeted the group as they woke up from what felt like an eternity, but they didn't seem happy about seeing his smile instead they felt an immense need to get even.

As if feeling his doom Acheron took a couple of steps back as shivers went down his spine.

"Ha, ha. I am so happy you all are safe."

As the group was getting ready to attack they noticed that something wasn't right.

"Where is Rana?" Asked Anna as she sent a death glare towards Acheron.

"Well after waking you all from your nightmares she still has to defeat her own." Said Acheron.

"Then why are we here?" Asked Zoel with worry.

"She is different from you. She has to defeat it by herself."

As the group started to become agitated about the new discovery, they felt immense power rising from the ground.

"It's an earthquake." Said Jake.

"There are no earthquakes in the dream city, ever." Said Baeron.

"What is this then?" Asked Ezra.

Just as Acheron was about to say something his sight stopped in one place. Surprise and delight were clear as day.

"Finally." He muttered with a barely audible voice and everyone else also turned to look at what he was staring at.

"Well, that took a while." Said a clear and pleasant voice.

"You're awake. How? so quickly." Zoel didn't know where to start and what to ask.

He was delighted that his little sister was okay but confused at what happened.

"Please, as if this kind of cheap trick could ever work on me." Said Morana with annoyance.

The truth was that after the group woke up, Morana found herself in complete darkness. Nothing could be seen, heard, or felt. 

At first, she was confused but then, one voice and another sometime later as if a broken radio sounded in her head. Some flashes of memories but nothing was clear.

Morana thought that she wouldn't have a nightmare but analyzing the situation she knew she was wrong. Back in her previous life, her first memory was weird and she knew that she was missing some pieces but then she grew up and the past never hunted her so she left it where it was, in the past.

Morana's first memory starts with her waking up in a place like slums where the poorest of the poor live and starve and there is no law. She was around seven years old with tattered bloody clothes on her. Her studying science was a complete coincidence too.

There was a place in the slums that everyone avoided but thinking that it's better than starvation Morana decided to sneak in and steal some food and money. Unfortunately, she was caught and that's when she met her adoptive father Nicolai who completely changed her life.

As Morana reminisced about her past she finally managed to catch some words from what she was hearing.

'0,...9,...24,... 49,... 81, 100." They were all numbers except one word that was all too familiar to Morana 'Emilio' The name that she heard before the old man died. The name that brought her first real tear in both her lives.

She didn't understand what connection she could have to this person, but for some reason, she couldn't get this name out of her head.

Noticing that she wasn't getting anything more from the illusion, Morana decided not to waste any more time and that brings us to the present situation.

Morana instantly looked at Acheron and threateningly muttered her next words.

"Do you want to start speaking or do you need help?"

"Well, I guess it's time I explained everything, but we need to talk alone."

"Not gonna happen."

"You wish"

"Like hell"

Zoel and others instantly took defensive and offensive positions. They were ready to tear Acheron apart at any wrong movement.

"Okay." Said Morana.

"Rana." Screamed Zoel as he looked at his sister in disbelief.

"You know I might have been blind at some point but I am not deaf. I can hear you perfectly well even if you don't scream.

Hearing her words Zoel looked embarrassed and at the same time felt wronged.

"But He is the reason why we are in this situation. Who knows what he will do if you go with him alone."

"I agree with Zoel. You can't trust this guy much less be alone with him." Said Sophia.

"Who said I am going to be alone?" Said Morana and looked at Samael.

Seeing this Zoel felt even more wronged because his sister trusted someone else instead of him, but Morana ignored his puppy eyes and instead looked at Acheron.

"I trust him." 

"Okay." Answered Acheron.

So Morana, Acheron, and Samael disappeared together.

"We are alone now, so speak." Said Morana after they entered a room that looked like an old study.

"As you might know this city was created as a prison by divines, but there is much more to it." Said Acheron and after seeing that Morana didn't have anything to say continued.

From Acheron's words, Morana understood that the divine realm used this place not only for prisoners but anyone that they didn't like. They even schemed between each other and sent their own here. In the end, the people here created their community and decided to get even, but the divines managed to move faster. When they understood that the seal that closed the gate to this realm was about to be broken they started poisoning people inside by sending an immense amount of dark mana that poisoned the prisoners and turned them into completely new beings. Some like Acheron managed to stay more or less sain and human, but others were turned into complete brainless monsters.

"Over time they've been sending more and more potent dark mana inside. We managed to create a safe place but it won't hold for long."

"Okay, but why did you need this whole game, and what do I have to do with this?" Asked Morana.

"Some realms are created by a being thus making that person it's master while other realms are created naturally from cosmic energy or some other reason they don't have masters, but the realm can recognize someone as its master. That means the recognized person would have complete control over the realm. It wasn't us that created the game, it was this realm itself that created it. To recognize a master, but before you, all have failed so far." Said Acheron.

"Yes, I have waited for so long to finally meet you master." 

A pleasant male voice sounded as a beautiful man appeared in front of Morana's eyes. He had beautiful, long blue hair that looked like a waterfall and reached his ankles. His sparkling golden eyes were hopefully looking at Morana. His skin was pearl white and his lips were pink like rose petals, very inviting. 

This was probably the most beautiful man Morana has ever seen. He wasn't handsome like Samael but instead had a beauty that both men and women would envy.

"Who are you?" Asked Morana.

"I am the spirit of this realm. I don't have a name, but now that I have your master you can give me the name and we can complete our bond." Said the man.

"Hmm. Dandan."

"Huh?" Confusion could be seen on the beautiful man's face.

"Your name." Answered Morana with a straight face.

"Umm. Master, how about choosing another name?" 

"Nope, It suits you well." 

Seeing that there was no longer any room for refusal he had no choice but to accept his new name.