Darkness Before The Dawn

King of Cultivation

I was the only one who seemed to care that the world was going to end.

No one wanted to believe the truth, even when everything was pointing to this they didn’t want to listen.

Whatever, it's not like that will change my opinion.

Just because someone doesn't believe something to be true doesn't mean that it isn't.

Some have called it by many different names in many cultures: Ragnarök, the apocalypse—are all words meaning the same thing.

I can't say I turned out to be the best son or student I could be.

Having dropped out of art school there weren't many choices for me that I could see for my future.

So, I thought that I'd take the easiest route and most convenient job and that is being a convenience store worker.

Still—sometimes I feel as though people are talking behind my back—people from my high school. People that I once knew.

I could just imagine what they might be saying.

“Isn’t that Kei?” Accompanied with a laughing soundtrack.

And I can't say that really bothers me anymore, these people I barely knew anyway.

Today is my second shift at the convenience store.

Everything is going at a snail's pace.

The brightness of the lights beat down from above me, the hum from the fridges and the music in the background all made my shift feel like it was never going to end.

My eyes darted to the customer once the bell rang at the door.

He had entered the convenience store, had taken down his hood from his sweater so that I could see his face.

“Welcome,” I greeted the customer.

Finally— a customer in what seems like a good half hour.

I didn’t imagine this job would be so boring.

Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any more exhausting something was bound to happen. I could feel it before it happened—

I knew something was up.

He had medium length shaggy blonde hair and wild eyes.

I kept thinking to myself,

(Don’t give me a hard time.)

(Just get what you want and leave me be)

The man took out a knife and demanded the money in the cash register.

“All of it”, he demanded.

“Okay— here, you can have it—that’s all the money in the cash register”

He took the cash but didn’t stop there, taking his knife, he proceeded to jump behind the desk to stab me multiple times, the pain was excruciating, I tried fighting back but it was no use.

I clutched my heart, and each stab drew in deeper as he went, the hunger to kill drove him to madness, the lust for assuring I’d be dead.

"What did I do to you?"

“T-tell me”

I managed to say, blood spurting out from my lips.

"You are needed in the other world"

I looked at his eyes, the wildness calmed down, but I still didn't have a clue what this guy was saying or why he said such a thing.

“'Other world?'

(What the hell could that mean?)

The pain wouldn't leave my mind; it reminded me I am still human—the blood pooled all around me.

I'd already lost so much blood that everything around me was fading away, my thoughts disappearing, the darkness and everything became but a blur.

The distant bell of the convenience store rang once he had left.

When my eyes opened from what was a haze, I didn't expect to be anywhere pleasant.

I thought that because of all I did in this life I'd end up in hell or something worse.

But my arms were slumped over a desk, I sat up and could see what were bookshelves that lined about the walls, and the desks in which there was a light illumined to read books.

(A library? It must be)

(H-how am I in such a place?)

(I thought for sure that I would either be in hell or in the body of an infant or something—reincarnated perhaps)

(But this wasn’t the case, how strange—)

I was pleasantly surprised for once.

I see how being isekaid can go but I never thought that it would happen to someone like me.

It's not normal that one would have a second chance at life and to think I was able to.

(Could this be the other world that he spoke of?)

(Who am I kidding? That guy looked seriously crazy.)

(There's no way he could've been speaking the truth, could he?)

Even now—I feel a hesitance in believing someone like that—someone who had gone and stabbed me multiple times.

Certainly, there is an explanation to all of this, right?

(I am needed in this other world, but why and how?)

I looked both to my left and to my right, to my left there was but an empty seat but to my right there was a girl who was surprised to see that I had awoken.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes to see the strange sight before me: a girl who wore twin tails and had a bun attached to those twin tails the color of purple lilac much like her eye color.

"Leon, why did you come here if you didn't plan on studying?"

(Leon? Huh? Is she talking to me—)

My silence made her wonder why I wasn't saying anything.

I guess it would be me she’s referring to—after all, it's not like there's a ghost behind me or anything.

"Uhm, I guess I haven't been sleeping all that well"

(I thought to say such a thing, for I’m not going to tell the truth to a stranger)

(Let’s hope she won’t suspect me or anything like that)

"Well, I guess that makes sense"

"Unlike you, I don't have that much time to study seeing as a big test is tomorrow.”

(Truly, this must be the other world he spoke of, there's no other explanation that can make sense seeing as these lamps were powered not by lightbulbs but by crystals)

(One quick look around and one could see that the whole place was crystals—not just the chandelier but the walls, the windows were all made of crystal or frosted glass.

(I guess the world really did end for me and a new world also began at the same time)

The end of the world being my death? yeah, I guess that makes sense.

Too bad I had to die in such a violent way, I still feel the agonizing pain, it stings me even now—

"I think you'll do just fine"

"You're just saying that—you know that Brunhilda's tests are always super hard and impossible to have a good score"

“I just want to be a real magistra—but if I can’t get good enough grades, I can never become one”

(I guess magistra is another word for witch in the other world)

She was dressed in a crop top purple sweater and a pair of jean shorts, with a yellow witch hat and red high heeled shoes.

If anything, she stood out and maybe that's how she likes to be—

"You know what, why don’t we do something after the test is over?” She said,

“It’ll help get my mind off things. What do you say?”

"How about we go somewhere dangerous, I don't know, maybe to the den of a dragon?"

She put her finger to her mouth.

"You know how much trouble that could get us in?"

I shook my head.

"Not a clue"

"But doesn't that make it all the more rewarding?"

(I went out on a limb thinking that dragons could be in this world and I guess I am right about that)

(Just what kind of relationship do those in this world have with dragons? —what have the dragons done? These were questions burning on my mind)

"That's it then, once you complete that test that's exactly the kind of adventure I need to have, and you too need to come with me"

(At that moment I didn't know what her name was, but it was like reaching for her name granted me the memory of what her name is: Sylvia Silverwud)

"So, what will it be, Sylvia?"

"I won't go unless you tell me the truth—"