From when I could think rationally, I started to hate a single thing. I don't know how I came to hate it, but even as a little kid, I hated it, being a slave to something, whether it be a slave to emotions, life, money, power, humans, all of it. The very concept of being bound, controlled, or dominated by any force or entity repulsed me to my core.
As I grew older, this aversion only intensified. I began to see the world through a lens of freedom versus captivity. Every choice, every relationship, every societal norm became a potential shackle in my eyes , I questioned the invisible chains that seemed to bind people to their emotions, their possessions, their reputations. The rat race of life appeared to me as a sophisticated form of servitude, with individuals willingly submitting to the tyranny of time clocks.
This perspective shaped my interactions and decisions in profound ways. I found myself constantly seeking autonomy, often at the cost of connection and stability. The fear of becoming enslaved to anything or anyone drove me to maintain a certain detachment from the world around me. It was both liberating and isolating a double-edged sword that cut me free from many conventional bonds but also severed potential ties of love, belonging, and purpose
Becoming a slave i asked myself and that questions haunted me, challenging the foundations of my worldview and pushing me to reconsider the true nature of freedom and the human condition and even then i still hated it being a slave of anything, anyone even if they are humans , monster , mythical being , angles , demon or even god i can't bow down accepting it
But now Jaipa was saying to my face that I had become a slave to someone an entity I didn't even know about, It was as if it were mocking my beliefs, my very existence
Every little thing about my life played in reverse the bloody moon, the ancient chamber, the headless bodies of countless people, the cold alleys of that city. I lifted my hand, touching my chin, feeling the mark there. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.
Until now, I was just trying to survive, as a kid lost in a silent world. But now, things had taken a turn. The only things I had in my life were my body and my beliefs, and now, they had taken even that. They had only left me with this shell, My beliefs were stolen by someone... someone... someone... someone...
I took a long breath, letting all these thoughts settle deep down. Then, after a long pause, I said
"So."
After that one word, I took a moment before saying the following words…
"I just need to kill that Serpent."
Jaipa laughed and said,
"Haha... You make it sound so easy. Do you even know what you faced that day? Do you even have an idea what it was?"
"Do I have to know? I just have to gain strength unparalleled to that Serpent."
"O mighty lord, spare me, but you don't even have the strength to kill a single Flyhum... And don't get full of yourself just because you killed a single Flyhum. Do you think you have the same strength as them?"
"No… I know better than anyone else my flaws, my strength. I know how weak I am, how powerless I am right now. But will it remain the same forever? I am willing to gamble my life for that power."
"Oooh my... Now I think I am feeling a emotion from you, Rudra…"
I didn't say anything, Jaipa stared at me for a while before saying:
"That Serpent was a 'Walker "
"Walker?" I repeated that single word.
"It's going to be a long talk, huh?" Jaipa sighed before he started explaining.
In the world of Keys, the world of Sins, the world of 48H, there are creatures like humans. They have intelligence, they can think, and some can even talk, though in their own language. These creatures are the same as the 'Flyhum' you just killed, but there is one major difference they must own their 'Orin.'"
"Orin?"
I had heard this word from the King or, I could say, my father but at that time, I couldn't question him because of the situation. But even now, what could I ask? Was that what it was all about?
"Yep. Orin is like us Keys… They choose these creatures as their owners, becoming part of them. Once a creature gets their 'Orin,' they are no longer the same mindless beasts they once were. Now, they can evolve and get stronger, just like humans does
"What you have seen until now was just a portion of the whole world. Talking mighty could eventually lead to your ones death
"That Serpent you faced in that cave was one of the 'Orin.'
"I don't know if it was all your luck that saved you that time or if it let you off on purpose. But either way, it worked that time. Next time, it will be a different story… Looking at your current growth rate, it's normal , considering your unparalleled talent your growth rate is not extraordinary at all "
I shook my head, listening to Jaipa's ramblings, but in the end, he was right. My growth rate could be considered normal. Even then, I still managed to survive. Was it all because of luck, or was there something more? Whatever it was, I didn't have much time. I shook off the questions lingering in my mind and asked
"How do you know about that?"
It was an important question. I needed to know how he could differentiate between normal creatures and Orin ones.
Jaipa tilted his head and continued,
"Once a creature is chosen by an 'Orin,' they get a mark on their head a black crystal shaped one. Just like how you humans get a circle on your wrist when chosen by us. It's similar."
I muttered, "An Orin one, huh…"
"Whatever… It doesn't matter." My voice held an unknown coldness not my usual coldness, but something different this time. It held my desperation to break free from whatever was binding me here.
"The first thing you need to do is find eggs"
"Eggs?"
"For what?" I asked flatly.
"I'll explain it to you later. For now, your focus should be on surviving and getting stronger."
I stood in silence, just listening. He was talking about something that could be beneficial to me in the future or even in the present so I had no reason to ignore it.
"Once you're strong enough to easily kill an non-Orin creatures, we'll start with low-ranked Orin creatures. If you can kill an Orin, then… you will be able to strengthen your Key energy."
"Key energy…" That word hit me like a stone to the head.
I wanted to ask Jaipa about it in detail, but with all this chaos, I just couldn't.
"I remember… Father once told me about it."
"So now you call him Father?" Jaipa said with a teasing tone.
"Are you getting… attached… to them?"
I looked at Jaipa, then beneath my feet at that skull.
"I don't find any meaning in that question. Can you just "
"Haha, I know, I know," in a mocking voice
"As you know, Keys can't change their rank at all, but their energy can be changed and categorized into different ranks. The ranks can be upgraded by absorbing the energy of beasts and creatures that are 'Orins' from the 'World of Keys' and the 'World of Sins.'
"The energy ranks are classified by Colors
Yellow – Lowest rank
Green – Mid-rank
Red – High rank
Purple – Mythical rank
Golden – Divine rank
"And the last two… These are the final stages:
Colorless – Pure rank
White – Impure rank
"As for absorbing the energy of these creatures, you need an Orin from the 'World of Keys' and 'World of Sins' and, just for you, the 'World of 48H.' By defeating or killing them, you can increase your energy rank.
"But for now, what you need to focus on is forming a 'World Core.'"
"A World Core?" I asked, completely unfamiliar with the term.
Jaipa continued floating above me.
"Right now, you don't have a World Core to store the energy you're producing. Because of that, you can't even use the energy within you. If you ask me how much you can use, I'd say it's less than 1%."
"I was shocked by the brutal strength you had in that tiny body of yours."
I had consumed the Mir Stone that Master Edhir fed me to help me keep up with that training method of Master Edhir. I think my body changed quite a bit, and after owning the Keys, my body has strengthened even more.
I just didn't have the time to think about this matter. Chaos after chaos continued to hit me like an unknown truth, but now that I think about it, my body has changed quite a bit. I had gained some muscles also and... that's all.
I wanted to say something had changed in my body, but I couldn't feel like anything had changed that much...
I moved my gaze to Jaipa and asked,
"But!... What is a World Core?"
"You LITTLE BRAT..." his voice held irritation in it.
"Calm down, Jaipa... calm down..." he muttered to himself, as if he was going to pull his hair in frustration.
What did I do?!