Reborn As An Evolving Monster

380  Pieces Coming Together

'I've seen it. The same... But different...' Mark thought as his shaking hand started moving towards the painting. 'The Great Red Dragon, that's...!' A dark Aura started oozing out of his own body suddenly.

There definitely was one.

A Link that Mark could feel. A Link with that painting. His palm lay on it.

And just as it came into contact with his hand,

Swoosh-

The scenery around Mark changed.

It only lasted a handful of seconds.

But he was there.

For a handful of seconds, he could see it.

The cataclysmic battlefield.

Flames burned. Flames of all shades scorched the earth and those walking it. Beings of all sizes. Some reaching to the sky. The colossal Dragons and their fire breaths, the Giants and the destructive Red Lightning they wielded, the Fire Giants and the Primordial Flame that engulfed their bodies, and "Him".

Mark could only catch a glimpse.

The Calamity that it was, the fear and horrors that it embodied, the painting only told half of them. Not because it was an inaccurate representation, but because the nightmare couldn't be perfectly encapsulated. It wasn't just its body. The earth around it, the sky above it, the air all around it. Its presence changed all of them. One Being could change everything. Starting from the area where it stood, the grass and earth turned dark. The darkness spread and spread, eating away at the Giants' feet.

The air and skies were Corrupted, leaving not even the mighty Dragons out of reach.

For that one Being, everything was within reach.

A glimpse was enough to notice it all.

Sprite, the Primordial Flame, a gigantic Arrow with, no doubt, a Magical nature, and... Something else.

They all hit the God-like Being at once.

 Something else. What was it?

Mark couldn't tell.

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It had hit the Being from behind.

Everything turned black.

Nothing could be seen anymore.

An explosion of Darkness?

Mark blinked.

The Mural was in front of him.

Nothing had changed.

He hurriedly moved towards the next one.

The aftermath of that explosion.

What did the battle lead to? What happened afterward?

What was "He" trying to do? What was worth becoming... That? What was worth betraying the Dragons? Or were the Dragons those who betrayed "Him"? The attack that came from behind, what was it? Who? Mark's curiosity and interest led to him not even questioning what he had seen. He didn't even think about the "Why" or the "How". Perhaps because of what he had already gone through. In an instant, he had instinctively recognized it as a Dream. Or rather, a Vision. Even when standing in the middle of that battlefield, he knew he wasn't truly there. Perhaps that is why he had managed to catch everything happening inside of the Vision.

A Vision. Then it can't simply be a Story. It must be History somehow. Otherwise, why would a Vision arise? A whimsical artist capable of using such Visions to give life to his creations would certainly use that. But Mark thought it unlikely for this to be a result of that. Or at least, it is unlikely for this to be the work of an artist who was not sharing History.

Mark moved as fast as he could to uncover the rest.

But before he could reach, Flames rose!

A stream of blueish Flames moved along the Mural with great speed.

Mark's first instinct wasn't to step back. But rather,

Ice Manipulation-

His first instinct wasn't even to look for where the flames originated from.

Protecting that Mural and keeping it from burning was his priority.

"Fuck..." He whispered.

He had used enough Mana to keep the Ice from burning right away.

But it couldn't protect the Mural.

The Undying Flames will continue burning until they are put out-

Putting them out using Ice wasn't possible.

The blue flames had simply been trapped between the Mural and the Ice.

Seconds later, the flames disappeared, and the Ice melted.

The blocks were intact.

The paint had dissipated.

Bare blocks of stone lay where there once was a Story.

Mark clicked his tongue, noticing his mistake.

Instead of protecting the Mural using Ice Magic, or protecting it, his first move should have been to Absorb the Flames before they could damage the Mural.

The white-scaled Monster turned to the left.

The Undead Lich was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn't an attack. It truly was trying to keep the Mural from being seen.

This added to Mark's certainty, and numerous pieces came together.

A battle involving Giants. Giants and Fire Giants, extinct Races.

An ancient battle.

The Great Red Dragon.

A millennium ago, the First Demon King was defeated.

Vestiges of the Undead Dark Triad. Vestiges.

Undead Dark Triad. Three Undead Liches.

Potential Demon King Candidate. Titles cannot be handed out. They can't be obtained or given easily. Otherwise, Mark would have obtained countless Titles, such as the Title of "Knight". The Undead Lich inside the Dungeon referred to him as "King". The Title of "Knight" should be easier to obtain than the Title of "King". Yet, the latter had turned into the "Potential Demon King Candidate" Title. The Undead Lich must have had the Authority to give such a Title.

Then this Undead Lich, and that Undead Lich, are Linked.

The Undead Dark Triad Links them together.

Now, all that remains is,

"What's the Link between the Undead Dark Triad... And the First Demon King." Mark whispered.

Did they support that Demon King? Did they fight against it? The former seemed more likely. The Triad was separated. Why? When? If that Undead Lich was truly part of the Triad, then it must have worked under Gaavah. Is it the same for this one? What about the Third one?

The answers could be found ahead.

The answers to what that Link is, and the continuation of the Mural.

The Boss Monster must know.

Would be willing to tell though?

Mark clenched his fists, and ran forward.

***

Come on, Mark! Let's pray!

I don't want to. I'm tired, Mina.

Don't lose hope. I'm sure you will get better. Focus on that, on you being able to live freely! Come on, let's pray.

I've done that countless times already... Does it even work?

You have to keep going!

Why?

Because God has a plan for you!

He does? (It hurts. I'm not getting better. I don't want to stay here.)

Scratch- Scratch-

But if God does a plan, that means it'll get better, right?

Yes! If you keep trying!

Then... I guess I can keep going. ***

'You seem awfully concerned by the reason you were brought to this world.' Nia once told Mark inside the Dungeon.

And so, he continues running.

Chasing ghosts and meaning.

Or rather, Lichs and meaning.