SOMETIME LATER
The man finally woke up on the wagon's floor.
He yawned and mumbled,
"Where the fuck am I? And why are my nuts hurting?"
He got up and sat on the bench with a lazy stretch, then turned to his right and looked out the door's window.
The dark wagon was surrounded by nothing but white light. There was no noise, not even the sound of the horses' footsteps. It was like the horses were running in the air, wings spread open.
The man rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked out once more. Then he looked ahead, where Larkwing was peacefully driving the wagon with a smile on his face.
"You... you attacked me in the snowstorm, didn't you?" the man asked, a little pissed.
Larkwing didn't reply for a while.
The man slowly calmed down, getting nervous.
"This must be my guide. I guess I can't run away from this job," he thought with a sigh.
Larkwing suddenly asked,
"Do you like men?"
The man blinked.
"Umm... no?"
"They always say that in the start," Larkwing muttered, his smile stretching creepily to the point the man could see it from behind.
The man nervously tried to open the passenger door, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, he gave up and asked,
"Where are we right now?"
"We're travelling in the Aether Space. Think of it as the space outside your Earthrealm. Every time we travel to another world, we go through the Aether Space," Larkwing replied politely.
"Your name… it was Lark, right?" the man asked, still uneasy.
"Larkwing. But that's a cute nickname. Don't call me that though. You gotta earn it, dear," Larkwing said as he looked back and winked.
The man wiped sweat from his forehead, properly creeped out.
The wagon kept cruising through the white light for a while.
"Not much of a talker, are ya?" Larkwing asked with a grin.
"Depends on the company," the man replied.
"Ouch," Larkwing chuckled.
"That was my word but louder when you kicked me," the man muttered angrily.
"Your fault for resisting. I like resistance—but not at work," Larkwing said.
The man grew more nervous.
"And I thought that fucker in the castle was the worst of you all," he muttered, looking outside.
"How did your meeting with him go?" Larkwing asked.
"Nothing special. Got killed a bunch of times and turned into a slave," the man replied coldly.
"You became a slave the moment you sinned on Earth. The devil only seeks the sinners, you know," Larkwing said, eyes on the road.
"You mean that the creature I met in the castle was... the devil?" the man asked, stunned.
"Well, that's what you humans call him, so technically, yeah. Oh wait, I'm a human too," Larkwing said, narrowing his eyes.
"Damn! I called the devil a bitch and lived!" the man shouted proudly.
Larkwing sighed and kept driving.
"By the way, congrats on becoming a hellbreaker. Not a great job at all, but the title sounds badass, eh?" he added with a smirk.
"Hellbreaker? Now what is this?" the man asked.
"You just got dropped into this job without much info, huh? A hellbreaker is a sinner who works under the devil in exchange for partial freedom. I'm one too. We can't reveal our identities in other worlds or else gods might come after us."
"Looks like the gods don't like the devil. Just like I read on Earth," the man muttered.
He then asked,
"So why does this devil want me to collect these Aether Blisses? He'll probably take them from me afterward—but what does he do with them?"
"Only the devil and I know that. I'm sorry, but that info's off-limits," Larkwing said with a smile.
"Tell me I'll at least get my freedom after this bullshit," the man said as he slumped on the bench.
"There are no promises from the devil, love," Larkwing said with a wink.
The wagon kept traveling in the white light for a while.
"Almost there," Larkwing said.
"Where exactly? I have no fucking clue," the man muttered.
"We're diving into the Nocternia world, ruled by the god of darkness—Nareem," Larkwing said.
"My first god to hunt, and it's a fucking darkness god?!" the man exclaimed nervously.
"Chill out. Nareem's a coward who doesn't put up much of a fight. He already made a deal with the devil to give his Aether Bliss to the next hellbreaker who shows up," Larkwing explained.
"I hope you're not bullshitting me," the man muttered.
Suddenly, the pure white around them faded to grey—then pitch black.
"We're about to jump into the world. Hang tight!" Larkwing said cheerfully.
The man couldn't see a thing inside the wagon either.
"Pardon me! Forgot to install a lantern in the back! I'll fix that once we're inside Nocternia!" Larkwing called out.
In the darkness, a white ring of light appeared ahead.
"Let's go! Finally!" Larkwing said as he drove into the light.
"Anywhere except hell is great right now," the man said with a sigh.
NOCTERNIA WORLD
A wormhole opened just above the dark clouds, and the wagon burst through, diving down into them.
As it entered the atmosphere, the man saw storm clouds everywhere. It felt like eternal night.
"Not a fancy world but peaceful compared to others. You'll like it," Larkwing said, guiding the wagon down into a nearby crop field.
The horses folded their wings and landed on a withered cornfield. They trotted a little before stopping.
"Alright! Here's our stop! Get out!" Larkwing said cheerfully as he stepped out.
The man followed, asking,
"I think this field belongs to someone. There are crops here."
"Only withered ones. Without sunlight, nothing grows here," Larkwing said.
"Why is this world like that?" the man asked.
"Each world reflects its god's nature. Nareem's the god of darkness—this place was screwed from the second it was born. Safe to say, our first world's already ruined."
Suddenly, an old man and woman came storming toward them. The man was holding a pitchfork.
"What the heck did you do to our field!? We were growing food here!" the old man barked.
"Come on, pals. You can't grow wheat on this cursed land. We haven't damaged anything," Larkwing said with a nervous smile.
"Don't play smart, boy! Pay up!" the old man snapped.
The man watched in disappointment.
"My first human encounter in another world and this is how they react. Great."
"Sorry, but we're broke. No food, no money," Larkwing replied with a nervous laugh.
The old woman licked her lips, eyeing the horses.
"Those horses... they look pretty strong. Pretty meaty too..."
"Gotta keep 'em in good shape for travel," Larkwing said.
"Give us the horses, and we'll let you go," the old man demanded, pitchfork raised to Larkwing's face.
"Sorry sir, we need them. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got a job to do."
"Be careful," the man muttered from behind Larkwing.
"Stay chill. I got this," Larkwing said, smiling back.
The old man roared and thrust his pitchfork forward. Larkwing tilted his head and jabbed two fingers into the man's throat!
The old man collapsed, coughing blood.
The old woman shrieked and lunged at Larkwing, trying to bite him—but he kicked her head clean off.
The man stumbled back, horrified.
Larkwing calmly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped himself clean.
"Am I the one to blame here?" he asked without turning around.
"T-They attacked us first... but you could've gone a bit easier," the man said, stunned.
"They were suffering. I ended it quickly. People in ruined worlds aren't saints anymore. Kill or be killed," Larkwing replied, tossing the bloody cloth away.
"So how do we find this Nareem guy?" the man asked.
"The horses sense the god's aura as soon as we enter the world. We're already close—maybe a few kilometers away," Larkwing said, heading out.
"What about the horses?" the man asked, jogging after him.
"They're no ordinary horses. They'll wait here till I return," Larkwing said confidently.
The two walked away from the fields toward a nearby hill covered in dead grass.
"So how are we supposed to find this god? A few kilometers is still a huge area."
"Just follow me. You'll see my plan soon enough," Larkwing replied as they climbed.