Rowan's eyes fell on a terrifying dark creature that materialized several ters from him. Its head resembled that of an ancient owl, complete with a piercing red gaze that seed omniscient. From the base of its head, the rest of its form was composed of nothing but swirling dark mist.
At the sight of the strange being, Rowan startled so suddenly that he nearly lost his footing.
Despite his abrupt movent, the creature held its ground, its gaze locked on him without the slightest twitch. It felt both lifeless and alive simultaneously.
Confused, Rowan regained his composure and studied the creature with curious eyes.
'I heard a voice earlier—did it co from this strange-looking creature?'
Rowan wondered as his eyes stayed fixed on the owl-faced being.
"Strange creature? Is that how you greet an old friend?"
The sa voice spoke again, startling Rowan. His eyes remained on the owl-faced creature, and he hadn't seen its mouth move.
Moreover, the strange voice seed to reply to his thoughts. That realization was all the confirmation Rowan needed to know that the owl-faced creature was the source of the voice he'd heard.
"Old friend? Have we t before?"
Rowan asked the question that had been bothering him. For so unknown reason, he felt he had heard this voice before—though when or where remained a mystery.
The misty creature's eyes dimd in response to his question—whether in surprise or anger, Rowan couldn't tell.
"Do you not rember ? Benzene..."
That na struck a chord of familiarity, yet, like the voice itself, Rowan could not place when or where he'd encountered it.
The red eyes glinted coldly and seed to draw nearer without the creature moving—almost as if it commanded the very space between them.
"Oh... crap! How can an all-knowing being like forget sothing like this?"
The voice spoke again, this ti with a different tone.
At the sound of those words, a sharp pain tore through Rowan's head for a few seconds before vanishing.
Rowan's head was filled with a new mory: a eting with a divine being nad Benzene. The gathering had taken place in a strange realm, and Benzene had appeared differently.
The details of that encounter unfolded bit by bit. Rowan's expression twisted with each mory revealed.
In the final fragnt of mory, Benzene handed him a scroll, claiming it contained a mission and a special gift that would only be revealed once he attained a certain level of ntal strength.
Now, Rowan felt a surge of curiosity: what mission did that scroll hide, and what gift lay within? He also wondered why Benzene had summoned him again—had he finally achieved the level needed to unlock its secrets?
"Curious as ever. To be honest, I've missed you a little. It's rare that I'm sent to et interesting lesser beings like yourself—you were the last. I can't believe we've crossed paths again so soon."
Benzene's tone grew friendlier.
Rowan no longer felt threatened by Benzene, even though he still found its visage unsettling.
"What is it this ti? Have I reached the level to unlock the mission?" Rowan asked, curiosity lacing his voice.
"You already know the answer to that question..."
"Yes?"
"Correct. Your newly obtained power is sufficient to unlock and reveal the scroll's contents—the very one I gave you at our last eting."
Rowan didn't know whether to rejoice or despair—what if the mission was a suicide sentence?
'Does it have sothing to do with the Cult of Ember Justice?' he wondered.
Benzene clearly heard his thoughts, it chuckled inwardly.
"Our eting this ti is rely due to my boredom. I was searching for a reason to bring you back here. Fainting while attempting a risky power-up seed logical." Benzene said in a friendly tone.
That explanation only confused Rowan further.
Again, Benzene heard his thoughts and laughed aloud.
"You leveled up so fast. My master is very proud of you, though he finds your boldness rather foolish. To be honest, if you weren't special, your recklessness would have killed you long ago—but I suppose he has a soft spot for the truly insane."
Rowan knew who Benzene's master was: the creator of this ga world, the one who had granted him incredible skills—and hellish missions.
"The origins of your powers and the true nature of your predicant will be revealed once you grow stronger," Benzene murmured.
Rowan simply nodded, still wondering why he had been summoned.
"Don't tell you summoned here just for a chat. There must be more to it."
"Your curiosity still amazes ," Benzene chuckled. "Honestly, I told you I just wanted to chat. But on second thought, it wouldn't be nice to send you back empty-handed, would it?"
Rowan said nothing, rely staring at Benzene.
Benzene vanished before Rowan's eyes. Before he could scan his surroundings, the being reappeared directly in front of him, its movent swift and silent.
Rowan hadn't noticed its return until he felt a soft touch on his forehead. The all-too-familiar agony followed, though it subsided after a few seconds.
Rowan couldn't pinpoint exactly what happened, but he sensed that sothing new and powerful had been bestowed upon him—whatever it was, it remained a mystery.
Benzene vanished again, reappearing at its original spot, its glowing red eyes fixed on Rowan.
"I've given you a gift—perhaps the most powerful you've received yet. You'll understand more once you return."
Rowan felt impatience rising, but he settled it and thanked the divine being for its gift.
The red eyes dimd in what Rowan assud was a subtle reaction—they always were inscrutable.
"Your consciousness will return in a few seconds. Make good use of the gift I've given you, especially given your current calamity. Also, once you've cleared all your calamities, the scroll will reveal itself."
Rowan listened attentively. He soon felt a tug at his awareness, as if sothing pulled him back to reality.
"Also... do... not—"
Benzene's words turned to gibberish as the pull intensified.
The next mont, Rowan vanished entirely.
"Sigh... I hope he heard my last words."
Benzene sighed and vanished, and the dark void dissolved with him.
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