Galaxy's First Ruler

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Huff!

In a dark alley, one of the Recordless from House Firebird kept looking back while dashing towards the open area near the mountain.

The explosion from the 3 sun-like fireballs had blasted away the power from the entire city. If one had a solace from the feeble lights, it got taken away too. Only a white glow had covered the entire city.

The spotless moon again reigned over the starry Night.

A piece of mask, with the firebird image, was missing near the Recordless chin. Blood trickled down from the opening, but it got vaporized before falling on the ground. The Recordless was about to jump on the roof of one building when the terrifying noise returned.

Swish! Hah!

It was like someone was breathing down on the Recordless' neck. Slowing down the shaking steps, the Recordless looked around, but everything was as silent as they could be.

"WHO ARE YOU!?"

…

The stars twinkled in response; the wind turned into a gale, bringing the light snow towards the Recordless. And the cold sipped through the tattered green greatcoat, into the shivering body. The Recordless felt a tightness in the chest and heard the clattering of teeth.

The forever masked being looked at the bright moon, but the Perception lacked in feeling its brightness.

The premonition of impending death had never left a Recordless mind. But to die on one's terms was also freedom. A sudden burst of heat originated from the unseen mouth of the Recordless, and the mask that had never left its place cracked.

Bang!

The 'Mask of Shame', as called, got broken into thousands of pieces. As the pieces fell, the moon lightened up a beautiful but bloody face. The gale played with her long black hair, while the snow savored the taste of her untouched face.

Two tears streamed down her cheeks, and as she looked at the moon, a smile came upon her face. But soon a black spot ruined the moon's image. The beauty frowned, looking at the sudden arrival of the inky spot, which kept becoming bigger and bigger. As her senses hit the black object between her and the moon, the relief on her face vanished.

Thump!

The ball-like object dropped a few meters away from her and the sound of the impact made her remember why she had taken off her mask. The horror that she had subconsciously buried deep under the feelings of freedom was just waiting to burst out with even more strength.

The object came rolling towards her and stopped as it hit her feet, leaving a trail of red on the snow. She wanted to look away but her head didn't listen and kept staring at the same mask with a firebird image.

Blood was still coming out from the badly mangled neck, telling of the severed head's freshness. It felt like a beast had taken a bite of the Recordless' head, but didn't like its taste and spit it out. Her arms and her legs felt heavy, and her heart throbbed, trying to keep her from fainting.

The Ex-Baron slowly crouched down with dazed eyes and took off the mask from the head. The shudder of her hands made it impossible for her to keep holding the mask, and it fell near the broken pieces of her own.

The man's face under the mask differed little from its outward appearance. Whatever he must have sensed before death had made his eyes pop out and his mouth was still open in shock. The horror from unknown origins had seemed to leave its trace on his face for eternity.

As the woman's hand reached out towards the eyes of her comrade, a bright red and snake-like tongue came out from behind and licked her face.

Sniff!

Tears came pouring out, and she looked at the moon one more time before closing her and the bodiless head's eyes. A sweet and flowery breath hit her nostrils as she sensed her head engulfed by a depthless pit.

Her only regret was the saying that had kept surfacing in her mind.

'Death never let go those who die in the Death Separation.'

*

Under the city, there was a maze of suffocating but empty sewers.

Tomislav and others eyed the rough-looking Viscount Ellington and the beauty behind him. There was a shallow cut running from her neck down to her right breast. The wound seemed to be burned shut. And the three rose-masked Recordless had already surrounded the newly arrived Viscounts.

"How did you find us?" Viscount Rayko asked.

"You are here, hidden like rats! And we? We were out there facing that abominable thing?"

The tattoo on Ellington's chest flashed meekly, unable to even brighten up the dark walls within the sewer. Tomislav, Christin, and Berb were leisurely seated with their backs against the slimy wall as if they had nothing to do with the two Houses. Trifon approached the out-of-breath Ellington and mockingly said.

"Haha! Is it my uncle's fault that our guide knows the Dungeon better than you? Humph!"

Rayko nodded at his nephew's words and chimed in.

"And we do not know about this 'abominable thing' you are speaking of. Don't tell me you couldn't even take care of a mere Crawler from a Baron-level Dungeon? Such a disgrace!"

Viscount Ellington's eyes seethed with rage and the face of a severed head flashed by his memory.

"Cut the Bullshit, Rayko! Like I don't know why you are here."

Thwack!

Ellington took out an object and threw it on the ground. Even with the strength of a Level 40 Viscount behind it, not even a single scratch came on the round object.

Tomislav looked at the object from afar and suddenly stood up. He made his way through the Viscount Rayko and Trifon, who had their mouths open in sheer shock, and picked up the object.

Tomislav rubbed away the dust on the glass using his thumb and saw a red needle that kept rotating from one direction to another. He looked up and followed the eyes on the defeated face of Ellington to the dumbfounded Viscount Rayko.

"The Darkness Seeking Compass!?"