Ainz gazed into the abyss, and the abyss gazed back. For long moments he stared into the deep dark, however a strange sensation soon ran down his spine. Something was wrong, very wrong.
He made movements, carved deep into his muscle memory. Hands clasped around a metallic object, and it was pulled free. He blinked. Blurry sight registered; however, he didn't believe his eyes.
He saw a ran down room, a small, dark, damp chamber. A hole he barely recalled, yet it was familiar. He knew this place. He knew this dismal existence.
He held a hand before his face. Ainz... no, Satoru scrutinized the scrawny arm, all skin, and bones.
He jumped up, with craze in his eyes, almost falling face first onto the ground.
He was here. He was back on Earth!
"NO!" He cried, pulling on the magic he relied on all this time. The magic that always provided a way out, the magic that kept him alive. Yet no mana flared, no runes appeared, and no magic blossomed.
Satoru could not think straight as cold sweat broke on the surface of his skin. The drenching cold water was hungrily sucked in by his garment, while the man desperately looked around.
He had to find a way back.
(...)
Days, weeks passed, yet nothing has happened. The year was the same when he left the Earth, not a day gone by while he was gone. It was maddening. He contacted the guild members, those few he actually knew where to search for. However, they were looking at him with pity in their eyes. As if they were looking at a broken man. They stared at Satoru with sympathy. They must have thought that the closing of the servers, the disappearance of Ainz Ooal Gown was too much for him.
They were looking at a mad man. They offered to provide mental and financial support, as if that would help! They did not understand! They did not believe him. Why would they?!
Satoru sat inside his dark room, leaning against the greasy wall.
A perpetual haze hung over his eyes, as the man stared at a single serving of ramen.
He watched the noodles squirm in the hot water.
Was it all in his head? Was he really going mad?
Was it all... a dream?
(...)
Satoru walked amidst the skyscrapers that stretched above the perpetual mist. The grey skies loomed above, threatening to rain acid that ate through the skin and poisoned the air.
The protection suit he was wearing had patches all over the poor thing. It was an old item.
Soon he would need to buy a new one if he wished to continue leaving his home.
He didn't though. He had zero desire to return to being a slave. Not like they'd have him back, he didn't show up for work, not once since he came back. They were certainly not caring enough to check on him, so Satoru didn't see the need for a letter of resignation.
He walked down the narrow passageway between giant buildings, pondering silently.
He came to crossroads.
Should he end it all?
Or
Should he go on?
The road was perilous, this world—hell. But Satoru has been through worse, and he knew that such a world could not break him, not after all that he had gone through.
If it was true... NO! It was.
He knew that it was!
It was no mere fantasy! Not simple machinations of the mind. He was THERE!
YOU ARE READING
When Death Walked the World
Adventure(AU) Momonga arrives first in the new world. How will he change the course of history? Will the name of Ainz Ooal Gown forever be one of despair or one of hope? Read to find out!
