Chapter 5 - Evangeline

"A flower?"
It was a black flower; the monster had placed it on his shirt.
“Hahahahahaha, bravo! Hahaha, it really was, with just a bucket,” a feminine voice laughed as if she had seen the funniest thing ever.
Lucan stood up nervously, and then he saw a woman sitting on the stone throne at the back of the arena.
“Congratulations! Bravo! To think you claimed a fragment of the Inner God that way…”
“A fragment? That wasn’t my Inner God?” Lucan asked, confused.
“Of course not. If it were the true Inner God, you wouldn’t have stood a chance… at least not in your current state.”
Lucan stared at the woman.
“Who are you? How are you here? How did you invade my Inner Self?”
The woman sat on the throne, sipping something from a wine goblet. Her skin was pale white, and she had long black hair. She wore a somewhat seductive outfit, a red dress that highlighted her curves and revealed her legs.
“Me?” she asked, pondering.
“Hmm… how should I put it?” she continued thinking.
“My name is Evangeline, but you can call me Evie.”
She stood up, gesturing while holding the edges of her dress and curtsying. Then Evangeline sat back on the throne and resumed drinking her wine. Her lips were stained with the red liquid, which she licked off.
“Wait, what do you mean by fragment? I’ve never heard of that. That really wasn’t my Inner God?”
Lucan was trying to understand what was happening while also planning his escape. The door behind him was still locked, and something told him that Evangeline wasn’t just a beautiful figure; she was dangerous.
I’m sure she won’t fall for the trick of standing at the edge of the abyss so I can push her… and I don’t have another bucket…

“You’re stalling, aren’t you?” she said, staring at him.
“Me? Never…” he lied.
“But your doubt is genuine… how can I explain? What you fought wasn’t exactly your Inner God, but it is your Inner God… that guy is just a bit of a procrastinator… you’re not ready to face him… for now. What you faced… let’s say it’s the tip of his claw in terms of power, and I’m being modest.”
Damn it…
“But the tutorial recognized my victory.”
“Tutorial? Oh, you mean the Initiation… that’s nonsense. A human superstition. The initiation is a contact you need to make with your Inner God. A bond is formed, linking him to you, so you can start using his power. In your case, your power since the Inner God is the embodiment of your prana. He is your core, so you don’t need to directly face him in battle. I suspect your Inner Gods simply adopted this ‘ritual’ because it’s convenient. But the process… I can’t reveal much. Anyway, let’s say it doesn’t require a fight to the death. Of course, we’re talking about the civilized ones. Some Inner Gods are irrational beasts. You learn nothing from them, so they follow their nature. But for the intelligent ones, a path is formed… I won’t reveal too much of the secrets of the inner divinities.”

Just as Lucan tried to ask something, he felt a pain in his stomach that made him collapse to the ground.
What the...?
A burning sensation came from his stomach, and then something happened.
[Connection established]
[Element awakened]

“It finally happened,” Evangeline said.
Lucan got up and sat down, staring at the woman on the throne.

"Place one hand on the back of your neck, like you’re pressing a button."
Right, I had forgotten about that.
As soon as Lucan did this, an ethereal square appeared. It was like a screen displaying his information:
[Name: Lucan
Age: 16
Gem: Ember
Grade: Fiery
Segment: Dissident
Element: Void]

"What the?" he shouted, confused.
Lucan tried to read it again, even pressing the back of his neck repeatedly as if it would change.
"What’s wrong?" Evangeline asked him.
"What does this mean?" he looked confused.
"Element: Void?"
She stared at him for a moment.
"Void... Void? So, it’s true..." she murmured.
"Damn it, does this mean I don’t have an element and it’s just blank, or do I actually have Void?" he rubbed his face with both hands.
"Calm down, boy. Look at the Element and imagine reading it deeply, but focus only on it."
[Element: Void
Description: You are someone solitary inside and out, you are an empty being.

Abilities: [Intangibility]
[Intangibility]: One who inherits the Void must empty themselves; your intangibility allows you to pass through inanimate objects.]

"Man, I don’t know if I should be happy to have gained something or sad that it’s useless…"
Many people awaken with nature elements and gain abilities that allow them to generate their awakened element.
Evangeline laughed.
"Be happy; from what I’ve seen, a bucket is more than enough for you to defeat your opponents," she laughed.
"Very funny…"
[Your Bonfire has been lit]
In the center of the arena, a sapling of a white tree with golden leaves appeared, releasing golden particles. Around it was a golden circle with runes forming a ring.
"Your ride is here," Evangeline joked.
"Thank God!"
Literally, it was thanks to a god…
"Don’t you want to stay and chat a bit?" she said, placing a hand on her head, resting it on the throne.
"Sorry, madam, but I smell trouble from afar. I’m not in the mood to know too much that will put me at risk. I know you won’t harm me… I think. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even be talking. So, it leaves me with few options on the table. Either you’re someone very powerful who decided to pass by, or you’re a being of the Whispers… and I’m not staying to chat much. Sorry, my mind and body are mine."

Lucan headed towards his Bonfire.

"What a shame, dismissing a beautiful woman like me…"
"Madam, you can certainly find someone better," Lucan joked.
I need to stall while I approach the Bonfire…
"Only one man ever dismissed me, you know? And his fate… well, let’s say he’s neither alive nor dead. He’s condemned to a millennial prison, in the same position. He can’t even blink. You know? I left him there all this time… are you really going to dismiss me?"

Damn, what the hell do I do? I think she realized I'm trying to stall her... screw it, even if I have to run straight for the Bonfire. But… I think she might still get there first.

“Madam,” Lucan said respectfully, “I don’t mean to offend you, but I don’t have much. I’m a shy person and just won a duel with a god, and I’m not bragging… in fact, I’m very surprised… and tired.”
Lucan tried to turn towards the Bonfire as he got close, but he froze in surprise.

“We’re having a conversation; it’s rude to turn your back on someone during a conversation…”

Evangeline was at the Bonfire in front of Lucan. He was startled and backed away, falling to the ground.

Damn, she’s fast. She’s really fast, like terrifyingly fast.

Evangeline stood with her arms crossed, staring at him, one of her fingers tapping impatiently as if she were angry.

“Leaving so soon? I’ve waited a long time for this conversation… my patience isn’t a gift.”

“Listen,” Lucan said, laughing as he got up and moved towards the edge.
“Oh, are you trying to lure me to push me?” she laughed.
She walked towards the abyss and then stepped over it in the air as if she were walking on an invisible floor.
“I… I swear I would never do that, madam,” Lucan said, laughing.
“Well… I hope so,” she said, moving back to the throne and sitting down.
“Come on, old friends need to catch up… Luke…”
My nickname!

“I guess you’re well informed…” he said.
My bucket was destroyed; if not, I could try throwing the liquid on the ground. At least she wouldn’t have super speed… but what the hell am I thinking? She literally walked on air, I’m sure a slippery liquid wouldn’t be a problem.

“I want to make a deal with you, Luke.”

“A deal?”
Lucan was thinking.
Here comes trouble.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a whisper entity. I have no interest in your body… at least not in that way…” she laughed, and her laughter echoed through the place.
Her cheeks were red.
“Forgive this humble lady, I was trying to make a bold joke, but I got embarrassed… erase that from your mind, Luke.”
I’m screwed, I’m screwed. This pompous way of speaking, as if she’s looking at a juicy steak. She could definitely kill me with just a finger.

“Luke… Luke… I know all your secrets, all your tricks and plans. You’re at a dead end, your mind is trying to find a way out of this while stalling me. You’re a sharp-tongued fellow, it’s not good to let you dictate the terms…”
“I think you overestimate me, madam…”

Lucan continued to slowly walk backwards towards the Bonfire, his eyes remaining fixed on her as she looked down, thinking about something.

“That’s the problem, Luke. Let’s get back to negotiations…”

She stared at him.

“Well, I was just passing by. I’ll give you some advice, and our deal is that you try to follow it as much as possible. Do we understand each other?”

“I don’t even know what to say, I don’t know what deal. Usually, a deal benefits both parties. I don’t want much. I just want to get home alive… and sane.”

“I told you, don’t compare me to those things… my advice is simple. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, I’ll be watching… I’ll be watching you, Luke.”

"Madam, this deal is perfect. You're basically telling me to go back and not get involved in any more trouble? Consider it done, I’ll do that with great pleasure."
Evangeline stared at him.
"Madam? We’re friends, Luke, good friends. Call me by the nickname I gave you, okay? I’m calling you by your nickname, so call me by mine," the woman said, tapping her fingers on the throne.
"Of course… Evie?"
"Great."
"Alright, Evie. I’ll be heading home now. I’ll follow your advice."
"I fear you won’t be going home."
I'm dead, I’m really going to die.

"Luke, my advice and deal are simple. I’ll be watching you, don’t get involved in certain matters. We’re bound together, my friend. If you don’t listen to me…"
Adjusting herself on the throne, she said imposingly,
"You’ll end up like that man who dismissed me. Do you want that? Do you want to be stuck in the same place for thousands of years? Do you want to be frozen, unable to blink or breathe? Can you imagine that agony?"
Lucan looked at her and said,
"I would never want that, I’ll follow your advice."
She stared at him.
"You really have no sense, do you? Go on. Leave before I lose my patience and change my mind."
Lucan approached the Bonfire.
He bowed respectfully.
"A pleasure to meet you, Evie. I’ll follow what you said."
Then Lucan looked at the tree and disappeared upon touching it.

Evangeline stayed on the throne, laughing.
"What a cunning rogue," she laughed.
"He even tried to take that creature’s sword, but it couldn’t go with him… for now. Soon he’ll discover part of the puzzle."
Evangeline laughed while drinking her wine.
"Well… let’s see what your future holds, Son of the Void."

Lucan had touched the tree, but something happened. He disappeared, only to find himself trapped in an entirely black space. Golden lights flickered, golden sands passed by him.
[Error…]
"What?" he shouted, surprised.
[Return error]
"This can’t be."
[Sending to a random location]
"No, damn it. Wait, damn it, send me home. Damn it, no. Listen! No!"
Lucan fell into darkness and then was thrown to the ground.
The place was dark and dusty.
He coughed as he got up and then conjured his torch.
"What the hell, where am I?"
Lucan illuminated the area and saw he was in a room full of empty beds; the place was old and moldy.
[Welcome to the Oblique World]
[Location: Corrupted Regions]
"Oh, no. No! Definitely not…"
[Zone: Unknown]
"No way, of all the places I could be sent to… it can’t be this bad."
[Area: Haunted Asylum]
"Hahaha, you’ve got to be kidding me."