Chapter 4- White Chamber

The moment Malice blinked, the scenery instantly changed. It was so fast and so seamless that it almost made him disbelieve that he was sitting in a dark alley a second ago. Blinking in confusion, he started looking around in a hurry.

"Where did that thing bring me?" He murmured in confusion. What he was seeing around him was, for the lack of a better description, a very vague place.

He was sitting in a completely white room. The walls were white, the floor was white, and even the ceiling was white. The colors blended together to make it seem like he was floating in nothingness when he could feel a hard ground beneath him.

There were no other things in the room he could discern, or if there were, they were blending well enough with the background that it was impossible to see them. 

'What a weird place…' He thought to himself as he tried to stand up, that's when he realized the second shocking thing.

"Huh?..." Halting his movements, he looked down at his body. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't feeling any pain or discomfort. After the good beating he received from that noble, every move he made with his body stung like hell.

Yet, all of a sudden, that pain was gone. Even more than that, looking under his shirt, the blue spots left from the beating were also nowhere to be seen. In other words, he was completely healed.

"What in the hell…?" As he was contemplating this sudden change, he suddenly heard a voice.

[Welcome, Marked Malice.]

A feminine, robotic voice spoke out of nowhere. The boy flinched as he looked up in a hurry. Apart from him, there was no one else in this white chamber.

"Who is this?" He asked warily.

[I am the regulator of this minor realm. You can call me 'Avatar' for I am the Avatar the Shard Of Hatred had created personally for you.] The voice replied with an apathetic tone. Its voice didn't even sound human with how cold it was. But, that was not totally new to Malice since robots were a common thing in Neo Nexus and even Malice had seen and interacted with a few before.

"Avatar? Minor Realm? What is really going on? Can you please explain? I am confused." 

Usually, Malice was someone who quickly caught up with sudden shifts in situations. But, at this point, whether it was exhaustion or the shock that came with it, he was struggling to take everything in that quickly. Something that distressed him greatly considering the urgent need for a quick mind.

[Fear not, Marked Malice. I shall explain everything you need to know.]

"I'm listening." 

[Please, take a seat first. It might take a little bit longer than you might expect.]

For some reason, Malice heard a hint of sarcasm in her voice at the end, but he assumed it was just his mind playing tricks on him. This voice lacked basic emotions, let alone complicated ones like sarcasm.

"Ok, here, I sat down." 

[What shall I tell you first?]

"Start from the beginning." He said.

[Understood. As you might already know, you have now been Marked by the World Beyond. Congratulations.] She began.

"... So that was true." He murmured with a small sigh. 'This sounds like a lot of trouble.'

[Do take a moment to celebrate, Marked Malice. You are no normal Marked individual. You have been chosen by the Shard Of Hatred.]

"The Shard Of Hatred?"

'She's talking about the crystal, for sure. But, why is the name so ominous?' He frowned.

[The Shard Of Hatred is an ancient remnant, born from the soul essence of godly beings that roamed the World Beyond millions of years ago. It has been lying dormant ever since its existence and has recently awakened to choose its inheritor. You have been the one chosen.] Avatar explained patiently.

Her explanation made Malice raise an eyebrow. "An ancient godly power… So this is a very important thing."

[Exactly. It is perhaps the most important object in this world. But, I do not have sufficient data to back that claim, unfortunately.] She replied.

"If it is that special, then why did it choose me as its inheritor?"

With no offense to himself, Malice knew that he was not someone befitting such a glamorous title as 'The bearer of the shard of hatred' or something like that. He was a poor, homeless, slum rat with excessive malnutrition and a quick hand made for theft. He was no talented genius or a great individual by no means.

[That I cannot tell you, Marked Malice. I do not have sufficient data to reply to that question.] Avatar said slowly.

"... Is that so? So you don't know everything about this power even though you're the… Regulator? What does that even mean in the first place?" 

[Yes, I am the regulator. I can control this small minor realm we are talking in at the moment.]

"How do you do that?"

[I can show you an example if you want.]

"Uh, sure, go ahead," Malice replied curiously. He wanted to see what Avatard was talking about.

[I can sense your exhaustion, Marked Malice. Perhaps you need a bed to sleep on.]

After saying that, Avatar went silent for a moment as subtle noise filled the room. Turning around, Malice was surprised to see a gigantic, king-sized bed with a white mattress on top of it. The bed looked so comfortable that Malice felt his muscles ache just from staring at it.

"..." The boy went completely silent.

[Please, make yourself at home.] Avatar said when she noticed the blatant emotions in the boy's eyes. 

Her words were akin to sweet honey for Malice as he instantly approached the bed and jumped on top of it. The soft fabric absorbed the impact and embraced him in a warm hug. His entire buddy shuddered as he instantly felt comfortable.

'This is… I have never slept on a bed before… This feels really nice.'

The feeling of the soft mattress after years of sleeping on the hard ground was heavenly. He was almost urged to simply close his eyes and drift to a deep slumber. One worth years of horrible cold nights outside.

But, he knew that he could not sleep now. He didn't forget the situation he was in and he certainly didn't trust Avatar enough to just sleep on this bed even if she had no reason to harm him. That was the kind of attitude he had toward things ever since he could remember.

He had learned that there are no free meals in this world. If someone wants to help you, then they want something from you, one way or another. Especially in a violent environment like the slums where it was survival of the smartest. Malice learned how to be careful more than anything else.

"So, you can create anything in here with an order?" He asked.

[Precisely. Though, my power isn't unlimited. I can only create things that the shard allows me to.]

"I see… Can I uh, have a cup of water?" He asked with an awkward tone. He never learned how to ask someone for something politely so it came off weird from his mouth.

[Certainly.]

Then, a second later, a cup filled with water manifested right next to the bed. Picking it up slowly, Malice marveled at it.

'It looks so clear… and cold…' Instinctively, he gulped down a mouthful of saliva before he slowly brought the cup to his mouth.

Taking a sip, his eyes widened in shock. 'S-So good…'

The taste of the water was so pure and refreshing that his body instantly asked for more. So, with no hesitation, he gulped down the rest of the cup in an instant. The feeling of the water moving through his dry throat filled him with relief.

When he was satisfied, he exhaled a small breath. "Thank you for… the cup of water."

[Anytime, Marked Malice. I am here at your service.] Avatar replied.

"So, where were you?" Sitting comfortably on the bed, Malice returned to the previous topic. He had been so occupied with the bed and the water that he forgot about the most important matter.

[We were talking about your inheritance. The Shard Of Hatred had chosen you as its successor and to help you on your path, it created this white chamber and created me to guide you at the start.]

"So, it's aware that I lack knowledge and basically every single other thing required for a Marked one? Shouldn't the shard choose a Marked Noble as the inheritor rather than me?"

[That I cannot tell you, Marked Malice. The Shard has its own consciousness. Many sought it after it vanished, but no one was able to capture it. It is safe to assume that it saw something in you, Marked Malice.]

"... It saw something in me, huh…"

Just hearing that last sentence made him feel weird in his heart. All he heard his entire life was how worthless, scummish, and frankly disposable he was. No one cared about him, not even his deceased dad, and neither did he care about himself. 

So, for something to actually see potential in Malice was a first, and certainly a pleasant feeling, as vague as it was. Taking a moment, he pursed his lips. After that, he spoke again.

"So, I get that I was chosen. But, what am I supposed to do exactly?"

[That is very simple, Marked Malice. Your entire goal is… To become strong.]

"..."

[...]

"That's it? I need to become strong?"

[Yes.]

"Well, that is very vague."

With how Avatar had introduced the Shard Of Hatred, he expected some kind of grandiose goal or at least a specific one. Yet, all it was asking was for him to become strong? Not that it was a simple thing to do from what he knew.

[The Shard Of Hatred has its specific reasons. But, fear not, the moment things change, I will notify you immediately. Now, since we are on that topic, shall we begin?]

"Begin what?" Malice raised an eyebrow.

[Your first step as a Marked one, of course.]