Chapter 1: Deception

"My head is SPINNING. HOW WONDERFUL!" Mrig Pareer's voice intensified, going from a dull, quiet voice to something maniacal and crazed.
In a damp alleyway, with stray garbage splattered across its walls and floor, painting a permanent mark with its gunk, a disturbed man with brown hair that was slathered with so much filth that its original color was overcast, turning it black and crusty. 
Despite his appearance, all the clothes Mrig Pareer wore were clean and well maintained, like they were newly bought from a high-class clothing store, making his figure shine in the stillness of night.
"HAAAAAHHHAAA HA HAH," Mrig Pareer's eyes dilated, and his brain functions began to dwindle, replacing his thoughts as he laughed like that's all he knew.
While this was happening, two men were standing at the opening of the alleyway, watching Mrig with amused faces, looking down on him like he was some kind of bug.
Like Mrig, these two men were similarly wearing high-class clothes, but compared to Mrig's, theirs were visibly more luxurious, demonstrating a gap in status between the two parties.
"Humphh, how has this loser not given up on his patent yet? Just look at him!" One of the two men mocked while twirling his neat and slightly curly, dirty blonde hair.
The other man turned away from their entertainment for a moment, looking like he was recalling something, grinning unconsciously as he recalled Mrig Pareer's past.
Mrig Pareer, a poor but diligent college student studying biology, was an up-and-coming rising star, but due to associating with the wrong crowd, he was wronged, drugged, deceived, and used, reducing this bright young man to a wretched addict willing to obey any order for the same drug that ruined his life. Well... any order except for one.
The reason why these evil men were so adamant on ruining Mrig's life was greed, as they sought after the very patent that granted Mrig the title of rising star.
And that is... the slow aging serum. This serum was revolutionary, sparking discussions globally and immediately catching the attention of both the good and the malicious. The serum worked by slowing down cell activity, delaying their degeneration, which, with context, could lead to numerous advances. 
It was just a day after this news was announced when Mrig was approached by a college student his age, whom he quickly became friends with, not knowing the atrocity that this encounter entailed.
After months of developing their friendship, Mrig's new friend revealed to Mrig that his family business was struggling, something that Mrig could deeply relate to, as his family is in the same situation.
Not thinking too much about details, Mrig signed a contract after briefly glossing it over, and now, at this point in their plan, Mrig had successfully been trapped. From then on, his friend would coerce him into taking a highly addictive drug developed by his family's company, feeding Mrig more and more until Mrig was too far gone to go back.
With this method, the Sanare company, Mrig's friend's family business, used their drug to control Mrig, using him for meetings, his face, and numerous other activities related to the slow-aging serum.
"It truly is something to be admired, right? Thane?" The other spoke with clear amusement in his voice.
"Even after becoming an addict, he still wouldn't say yes no matter what," Thane snickered as he twirled his dirty blonde hair rougher than before, expressing some irritation as he looked at Mrig.
Looking back at Mrig, Thane began to acknowledge how filthy the place was and immediately became repulsed.
"Let's leave, Sarell. Did you remember to check the tracker? I don't want to get into trouble because of you" Thane said to the man who is supposedly his boss, though he doesn't act like it.
Not minding rudeness, Sarell's face visibly turned disgusted as he envisioned the inspection he had just performed.
"Ugh! Don't remind me; I can still smell his breath!" Sarell flapped his right hand in front of his nose, fanning away the invisible stank.
Earlier, in an undisclosed facility, after using Mrig Pareer as a puppet to secure a deal with a large corporation, the Sanare group had brought their specialist to check on the trackers they had embedded into Mrig's body parts, a slave mark to make sure the "owners" know where their property is. 
"Alright then, I don't want to stay in this pigsty for a second longer" Thane immediately suggested upon receiving his answer.
"C'mon, don't you want to watch him for a bit longer? I've always been curious about what he does after we leave him." Sarell protests.
"By the way, you just stepped on a pile of shit." Ignoring what his boss, Sarell said.
"AW MAN! seriously!" Sarell grunted after looking down, barely seeing it with just the headlights on their car.
Without saying anything, Thane left Sarell and sat on the driver's seat in the fairly generic-looking car they drove here in, knowing full well that Sarell will follow.
...
{Switch to first-person perspective}
"WHERE AM I, HHHAAAHAHAH!"
The walls around you turn multicolored, and the environment in front of you grows hazy.
After a moment of blurry vision, hallucinations began to cloud your sight, casting over your reality.
Moments afterwards, the walls and your environment began to warp, stretching and molding into all kinds of shapes, slowly increasing in speed until all you could see was a spiral of colors.
As the hallucinations began to intensify, your brain functions sank even lower, causing your body to become unsteady. 
*Pap pap pap*
You wobble back and forth, bumping your shoulders from wall to wall.
(Fuuu fruuuu fruuu fruu)
All of a sudden the sound you hear begins to distort, a result of bumping your head too many times, turning the sound of you bumping against the walls into a sharp siren that continuously echoes in your head.
Stumbling around, you suddenly lost your footing upon stepping on a slippery puddle of garbage water mixed with dumpster grease.
As you slipped, the liquid from the puddle was flung up, wafting a myriad of terrible smells into the air. Even worse, you were caught in the crossfire, landing on you as your body began to tumble down.
*BUMMK*
Instead of falling onto the filth-ridden ground, because of how narrow the alleyway is, you bump your head extra hard.
(IIEEEEEEEKKKKK!)
Your ears begin to ring, and you feel your brain rattle, causing your hallucinatory vision to intensify.
The twisty, colorful mess you see blew up, splitting into sparks like fireworks. However, those sparks were soon turned into numerous images. 
Images that reflect bits and pieces of Mrig's memories were cobbled together to form an abominable landscape. Tables and doors were fused together, people from acquaintances to family had majorly disproportionate bodies, and worst of all, all of that and more were physically connected in some way.
This sequence kept on repeating, getting worse and worse with each second until all of a sudden, as the colors moved to form the next hallucinatory image, the colors started to become more consistent and realistic, and like a puzzle being put together, the image stabilization 
...
{Switch back to normal POV}
All the ringing noises in Mrig's mind came to a sudden halt, and all obstructions to his mind were alleviated, allowing thoughts to flow through normally again.
It had been a long 2 years since the last time Mrig's mind was this clear, so, due to the conditioning his mind went through in those 2 years, Mrig didn't notice that his thoughts were now free to flow.
But, as this illusory wall began to disappear, the blood in Mrig's brain finally began to flow, allowing what he sees to actually reach his mind and revealing the strange sight that's now in front of him.
Rows of unfinished buildings lined Mrig's vision; these rows reached so far that you could just barely make out how tall the wall at the end of these houses was. 
Behind that wall was something unbelievable, a castle so tall that it pierced the skies, an undeniable landmark that acts like the Big Dipper, guiding those from far and wide.
Below Mrig was a path, not carved out with care but more of necessity, as it is clearly not very well tended to, with the overgrown grass sprouting from it.
(Urg, what...) Mrig drowsily mumbled, but no words came out.
As Mrig's consciousness returned, Mrig began to notice the minor details he wasn't able to make out before while his vision was blurred.
Looking forward, Mrig found a man standing before him wearing a half-worn pair of medieval clothing. Accompanied by that, the man had fairly light brown hair and black eyes. 
The man didn't look homeless, and he didn't exactly look poor either due to his clean appearance; however, something wasn't right about the man.
(Kill Mors Contumacia)
A piercing sound that sounded neither like a voice nor like any sound that Mrig had ever heard rang in his mind, causing him to instinctively flinch.
It was then, when Mrig tried moving his body, that he finally realized that his body wouldn't respond to any of his commands. 
"Wwww-hoo"
As soon as Mrig decided to speak, a weird and oddly whispy voice sounded, drifting around his surroundings like a wave.
(What's with my voice?!) Mrig thought to himself in alarm, surprised by his own voice. 
After being distracted by this odd occurrence, Mrig suddenly became more alarmed, causing him to quickly turn his attention back toward the man in front of him.
Right on time, Mrig witnessed the man taking an aggressive stance, and in the same movement, the man reached for something to his side. 
The man's hand fumbled around for a moment, turning and twisting like he was untying something. As he stopped, it was revealed that the item he was trying to untie was a rusty kitchen knife.
"HODIE, FATUM IN MANUS MEAS SUMO!"
{TODAY, I TAKE FATE INTO MY OWN HANDS!} #translation#
Right as the man yelled out those words, Mrig was finally able to move. However, as soon as Mrig found that out, he didn't even try to confront the man; instead, he took the logical response and ran from the knife-wielding maniac.
Occupied with running away, Mrig didn't notice that his legs weren't working, though despite that, he was still able to move, fairly quickly at that.
"Ww-hhat iiiiis goooooiiing ooonnnn!" 
While Mrig was retreating, Mrig couldn't help but verbally express his confusion, but again, the voice that accompanied his exclamation didn't match the voice he's familiar with, which now, after becoming fully conscious, freaked him out.
Although Mrig was visibly bothered by this, he didn't have time to think, because he was soon blocked from getting any further by an invisible barrier.
(Kill Mors Contumacia)
The incomprehensible sound returned, repeating the same phrase without any differences in tone, repeating like a record.
Desperate, Mrig ignored the sound and continued to bang on the unseen barrier, but, no matter how hard he tried, the barrier showed no reaction, not even a sound.
(Dammit, why can't I get past!) 
Mrig screamed internally while looking back and forth between his back and the unapproachable escape, trying to decide if he should continue to flee or if he should try to fight.
Feeling scared, but knowing he can't turn his back to the knife-wielding man anymore, Mrig had no choice but to turn around and shakily take a rough stance in preparation to defend himself.
Immediately, as soon as Mrig took his stance, the flow of the circumstances changed.
Now, with Mrig's figure facing against the knife-wielding man, Mrig realized that he is a head taller than the man. 
The image became like that of a symbolic painting: a man, clearly not bestowed with fortune, as depicted by his appearance, facing against a being of legend synonymous with all religions and beliefs... 
Death, the grim reaper.
Peeking through pleats of black cloth, floating in the air, was Mrig's skeletal body, head, and arms, but from the waist down, there was only empty space, indicating the loss of a certain appendage or... appendages. 
Lining Mrig's skeleton were thousands of glowing orange speckles forming into several wavy patterns while also spreading all through every corner of his body. 
In some of these orange speckles, red-hot sand occasionally dripped from them and tumbled to the ground, burning through blades of grass and leaving a charred spot on the dirt path.
(Mors Contumacia... Is that his name?) Mrig thought to himself while scrutinizing the man who hadn't moved since he tried to run away.
Mrig had a vague memory of what he had heard when he first entered this world, but at the time, he was still facing the aftershock of regaining his mental clarity, so all he remembered at the time was a blur.
...
With his sight honed onto the man, Mrig ran through several scenarios in his head, conflicted on what he should do.
He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he also couldn't escape or negotiate with the man with how he is currently.
*Tok tok tok TUUK*
Without warning, the man suddenly ran at Mrig, brandishing his knife with intent to kill, and with one final, powerful step, he launched himself upwards.
Time slowed for Mrig at that moment, as his heart palpitated, racing as he realized that he'd have to take action immediately, because if he didn't, then he'd die.
*Swooo*
The man lifted his rusty knife above his head while in midair, and with a violent swing, Mrig began to descend, aiming for Mrig's skeletal head. 
The attack barely missed Mrig's head, but it did manage to make contact with something, as indicated by the tear atop Mrig's black hood.
"Te desidero, quaeso morere." 
{I need you; please die} #translation#
The man spoke with an unbothered tone, but, again, Mrig couldn't understand what the man was saying. 
Even more confusing, now that Mrig had a good look at the man, beside the man's aggressive actions, the man actually seemed completely sane, like killing Mrig or whatever creature he currently is was something normal and accepted.
Without saying another word, the man's eyes sharpened, and without even preparing for his next attack, he was lunging toward Mrig, recklessly running with a knife in front of him in a stabbing motion.
*SHEEEEK!*
Before Mrig could react, the knife plunged through Mrig's black cloak and pierced into the center of Mrig's spine.
Lodged into the center of Mrig's spine, the knife was stuck, a perfect opportunity for Mrig to retaliate, but due to inexperience and surprise, Mrig inadvertently allowed the man to escape his grasp.
*BOK BOK BOK*
With great strength, Mrig pushed his rusty knife to the side, dislodging the rusty knife from Mrig's spine and snapping apart 3 of Mrig's rib bones on its way out.
*Sizz sizzz sizz*
As the three ribs snapped apart, the open wounds it left behind began to gush red-hot grains of sand, exploding out in a scene similar to fireworks. 
The red-hot sand splashed onto both Mrig and the man, but only one person was affected by it, as red-hot sand imbedded itself onto the surface of the man's flesh, leaving behind second-degree burns everywhere on his body as each individual grain of sand began to lose its luminous glow, cooled by the air around them.
"UGHH!" Despite the anguishing pain the man must be in, the most he did was grunt.
Panicked by the injury he received, Mrig's instincts forced him to retreat as far as he could, easily dashing past the man and immediately reaching the other end of this odd barrier.
"Whhhaa-aat thee-ee!" Mrig's distorted voice sounded, not displaying any clear emotions in it even though Mrig was clearly incapable of suppressing his panic at the moment.
Correctly identifying that he's currently in a position where he can only rely on himself, Mrig shook his head frantically, trying to shake away his panicked thoughts and ground himself.
(I need to get my head in order!)
After that thought, Mrig began analyzing his opponent, thinking of a safe and effective way to quickly disarm this threat. 
Even though Mrig had now turned serious, without any fighting experience, he could only roughly charge his fists to attack, choosing to take out his opponent before they could launch another attack.
It is now that the true battle really begins, with both parties getting serious and ready to take the other out. 
Staying silent in both thoughts and reality, the two stared at each other, watching each other's movements.
Mrig raised his fist without a second thought and rushed at the man with his fist reared, using the momentum to his advantage in order to launch a more powerful attack.
*PAP*
Mrig was originally targeting the man's right shoulder in hopes that the man would drop the knife, giving Mrig the advantage and the privilege to command the flow of battle, but in the last second, the man, though he didn't see Mrig's attack coming, instinctively dodged by turning, causing Mrig to hit his left shoulder bone instead.
After the punch, Mrig didn't stop; he immediately reared another fist toward the man, but at the same time, the man also launched his own attack, swinging his rusty knife toward Mrig's chest.
*BOK*
*PUUP*
Both of their attacks connected, and each brings their own set of consequences. Mrig's attack connected to the man's head, breaking some of the man's back teeth and discombobulating him, while on the other end, the man struck another one of Mrig's ribs, breaking it, and subsequently, after the terrible burns he experienced before, the man immediately retreated, only catching some of the stray sparks this time.
*Sizz sizz SIZZ*
It was then, all of a sudden, grains of red-hot sand began to appear on Mrig's skeletal palm. At first the grain appeared slowly, but as seconds passed, the amount of red-hot sand spewing out from Mrig's palm began to increase, creating a red waterfall as the excess sand began to trickle down from the sides and gaps of Mrig's skeletal palm.