NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
Chapter
“Aah, what a bummer! You took one life, and yet…”
A man passed by with a crude laugh.
The boy stood frozen, staring at the chunks of meat being cleared away.
A prostitute from the slum. A bottom-of-the-barrel existence.
A worthless life, now turned into meat, that was beaten to death by a nameless man while suffering from disease.
And the boy’s mother.
“Ah.”
With a shove, the boy’s face was slammed into the ground.
He turned his head slightly and spotted the same crude man with a mocking grin.
“What a pretty face you’ve got, huh?”
The man snickered as he eyed the boy’s body.
“Seems like it’d taste great, too.”
Ignoring the man’s words, the boy looked up at the sky.
Gray. More dark clouds.
Despite the lightning flashing in between, it didn’t seem like it would rain.
Boom—!
The distant thunder rumbled.
The boy instinctively reached out his hand.
As if he could catch the lightning right in his palm.
“Tch, what a dumb kid. It’s no fun watching this, really.”
Flash────────!!!
“Uwaaaah…!”
The man jumped back in surprise as lightning struck down unexpectedly.
Who wouldn’t be startled when lightning fell right before their eyes?
The man, trying to calm his racing heart, looked at the bizarre phenomenon in front of him.
“What, what the hell…?”
Electric sparks jumped from the boy’s unharmed body.
He was clearly struck by lightning, yet somehow unaffected.
“That idiot has some strange luck.”
“Oh, what a waste! I could have avoided seeing that face again.”
Unlike the others around him who were chuckling at the terrified man, he felt something was amiss.
The boy’s oddly dark hair and eyes, almost foreboding.
The purple current dancing atop was strange for anyone to notice, but that wasn’t what stood out.
“Chew….”
With a sly grin, the boy’s eyes locked onto the man.
*
That day, the slum was discovered completely charred.
The charred bodies, torn to bits, grabbed attention, but as always, people lost interest within a week.
*
The boy walked on aimlessly.
The surroundings were densely filled with trees.
As he treaded over the grass, he suddenly looked up.
“Ah….”
The once-black sky was now blue.
Night had passed, and dawn had arrived.
Grrr—
Even his belly clock agreed.
The boy picked up a stone from the ground and looked around.
Rustle, a faint sound.
He threw the stone away.
– Kkik…!
With a short gasp, the boy moved on.
There lay a trembling rabbit, dead.
The boy picked up the rabbit, now tinged with purple sparks.
And then,
Chomp-!
He bit right into it, tearing it apart.
The rabbit, half-cooked by the electricity, tasted better than expected aside from the fur irritating his mouth.
As the boy mechanically moved his jaws, he suddenly realized.
“Ah.”
If the fur’s a hassle, just remove it!
He started peeling off the rabbit’s skin, reducing it in size but getting rid of the fur.
Satisfied, just as he was about to bring the rabbit back to his mouth—
“Hey?”
The voice made sparks fly from the boy’s eyes.
Just like days before in the slum, his mind dulled.
Crash—!!!!
With a jolt of purple current, the boy’s body vanished in the blink of an eye.
When he reappeared, he was atop a tree.
His body crackled with lightning as he swung his arms.
Boom—!
Thunder struck, and leaves turned black.
But standing unfazed beneath it all was a figure.
“Aah… how unfortunate. You were born under the Command of Heavenly Death.”
A woman sighed as she looked at the boy with drooping eyebrows.
But the boy, with a twisted face, showed his teeth.
“Krrraah….”
Electricity wrapped around the boy’s hands like a beast ready to pounce.
Zap-! The boy vanished, reappearing behind the woman, swinging his arms.
“No choice, huh?”
Slap! The woman lightly slapped the boy’s hand away.
He quickly reacted and twisted his body.
With a surge, his foot aimed for the woman’s abdomen.
And then,
Thud-!
He fell flat on his back after hitting the back of his neck.
The woman sighed as she picked up the child.
“Sigh… I’ve never raised a child before.”
Slowly, she began to walk.
First, she needed to wash him up and get him some food.
*
When the boy opened his eyes, he found himself in the sky.
“What kind of crazy talk is this?” But this was undeniably the sky.
“Ah?”
As the boy looked around dazedly, a gentle voice called out.
“Are you awake?”
The boy turned his head.
Before him stood a woman who resembled the forest.
As the boy reached out his hand absentmindedly, the woman smiled kindly.
“Isn’t it fascinating?”
The boy’s hand reached toward the woman’s ears.
Unlike humans, the long elven ears were intriguing to touch.
As he marveled at the soft yet firm texture, he suddenly remembered he was in the sky.
“Ah….”
Up and down.
Literally, everything around was blue.
While reaching out to the clouds passing by, he glanced back at his backside.
A sword was flying in the sky.
The woman sat atop it, while the boy was cradled in her arms.
“What’s your name?”
Under the woman’s inquiry, the boy stared into her foliage-green eyes.
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
“Uh….”
The woman gently patted the boy’s head instead of pressing for an answer.
After three clouds had passed, the boy finally stuttered out.
“E-Ek… Enok….”
“Enok? What a wonderful name.”
While the woman smiled, she thought it was quite the twist of fate.
The name of the boy born under the Command of Heavenly Death being Enok.
Enok meant “Dedicated to God”.
Certainly not a fitting name for one destined to tear apart even the heavens themselves.
Or rather.
Perhaps it suited him just fine as a child blessed by the Command of Heavenly Death.
After all, he was just a poor being caught up in the whims of that divine entity.
“My name is Rionne. Rionne Estor. You can call me however you like.”
“…Rionne?”
“Correct. Pretty sharp, huh?”
As Rionne ruffled Enok’s hair, he flinched.
Rionne smiled as she looked below.
“We’ve arrived.”
She hopped off the sword while holding Enok in her arms.
The sword flew right next to her and slipped back into its sheath.
“Wow….”
Enok’s mouth dropped as the wind hit him.
His cheeks squished, and his hair rustled in the breeze.
Seeing the delighted child, Rionne smiled back.
Thud—
Landing softly, Rionne put the child down and spread her arms wide.
“Tada! This is our home. What do you think?”
It was a quaint abode surrounded by trees.
In the tiny yard, various vegetables grew, and they could hear water flowing nearby.
As Enok silently smiled, Rionne lifted him into the air.
“First, let’s get you cleaned up… Ah.”
Come to think of it, she had almost forgotten.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Rionne’s cheek.
“…by the way, Enok. Where are your parents?”
Given that he was born under the Command of Heavenly Death, it was unlikely ordinary parents could raise Enok, but wasn’t bringing in a child without a word like kidnapping?!
Waiting for his answer anxiously, Enok shook his head no.
With a mix of relief and sadness, Rionne held the child tightly.
“I see… Don’t worry about it anymore.”
At least until Enok became an adult, he would safely grow up in an elf’s embrace.
*
After washing up and feeding him, the boy began to nod off.
Rionne first laid him in her bed and stepped outside, staring blankly up at the sky.
“What am I going to do…?”
She had brought the boy home, but she was entirely at a loss.
Rionne had never raised a child, and she didn’t know much about humans either.
Moreover, her situation wasn’t exactly stable.
[Rionne, what an idiot. Why would you pick up such a cursed being?]
“Undine, you shouldn’t say that.”
Rionne glared at her tiny friend.
The blue water spirit pouted, hovering around Rionne.
[Just getting close feels dangerous. Do you know what the Command of Heavenly Death is?]
“Why wouldn’t I? I witnessed the last incarnation of it with my own eyes.”
[And you still brought him?]
“He’s just a child.”
[You fool.]
Hmph! With a scoff, Undine landed a few steps away from Rionne.
That was her way of expressing anger.
Though Rionne chuckled at her friend’s cute display, she felt just as troubled.
A few shocking incidents that had left a mark during her long life.
Among them, the memories surrounding the Command of Heavenly Death were anything but refreshing.
‘…It was a big deal.’
Countless blood was shed.
The rampaging Command of Heavenly Death killed roughly 100,000 humans that day.
When Rionne sensed something ominous and rushed over, many cities had already turned to ruins.
‘Was that about 200 years ago?’
Rionne shuddered at the reminiscence.
What she endured back then was something else entirely….
To ensure that boy wouldn’t have to experience such horrors, she needed to educate him from a young age.
By the time he becomes an adult, which is roughly—
‘A hundred and fifty years should be enough?’
That wasn’t such a long time after all.
*
“Dwarves are nasty little thieves.”
“The Command of Heavenly Death that blessed you, Enok, can be likened to those evil dwarves.”