Chapter 1 Skull Hero Sometimes be... Cruel... Political power, Military power, human rights, and land. Humans are curious and ambitious creatures, doing what they want. But if humans don't share it... Then none of them... Could have it... Launching a nuclear war with all the nations in the entire world, destructing our world forever. Then one last bomb to end it all. The explosion can be seen from outerspace, and covering the whole globe. A red hue filling the atmosphere, and dangerous radiation all over the air. But amidst all of it. Created something the world will never forget. Hatred, revenge, anger, agony, fear, pain, suffering, and endless nightmares. All the chemicals and nuclear energy mixing with the pain humanity created. It all formed into something... Something we will never forget... This Terrifying Creature. A skull emerging from all the pain. 25 years later. After the nuclear war. Humanity survived in a pinch. 90 percent of Earth is now wasteslands. The only organization left is the same organization that killed this planet, The Corrupted Government. Their base is now in flames. Smokes coming out endlessly, fire waving its heat, and air hard to breathe. A smoking figure choke holds a man on his neck. It's skinless and bulky form radiating heat. "You think this will end it all?" The man spoke weakly. "This world is still running because of us!" "I'm a captain of a 2nd ranked army!" "That face of yours could never match with what we've faced before!" "You're nothing!" "This is only one of the many bases we have around the world, good luck defeating them!" He pants, out of breath. Another man covered in blood crawling towards the confrontation, surrounded in dead corpses of human soldiers. All burned and skinned alive. "Ca- captain..." A soldier missing a left arm tried his best to call. The captain was burned into crisps, his skull shedding open, his skin burning apart, and his corpse drops to the floor, still burning. The man was left speechless, witnessing this figure massacre this entire corporation. The figure turns to him. Whoever steps into his domain, they only feel... Fear. Terror. And Hate. Skulls represent death in a way. That figure... Is the embodiment of that. His flaming skull is all everyone could ever remember him by. He opened his mouth, not for a word, but a warning. Almost like a smile of terror. He erupted in flames suddenly. The man flinched. He tried to stand up as fast as he could. But the whole area went into flames. Leaving scars... For the world to remember. 34 years after... In the deserts of Earth, lies a man sitting on top of a rock, staring into the distance. He stayed there until dust began to gather on his boots. A piece of cloth worn around his head, baggy clothes to protect his skin, and a bag with stitches here and there.These are his belongings. Until a device he owns rang. He gets a hold of it and stands up, going to his next destination. A city in the desert. Yitgon City. The city is filled with stores and stalls of food and items. The air is always filled with sounds of vendors advertising their products, cooking utilities clanging, and the playground's rusty swing. Men, women, children all over the place. Like a busy day at a mall. But malls don't exist anymore. Just stalls and markets. Better than nothing. The man walks his way through the crowd, behind buildings, and around neighborhoods. Finally arriving at his destination. A small store with no walls but minimal railings. Run by an old man. The man goes into the store. "Hey~!" He greeted. "Oy! My regular is here!" The elder shouted with joy. "Been awhile since you came, what's the miss?" "Out there traveling." "To where the chicks are at?" "Do you know modesty is part of maturity?" The man asked. "Just a joke I thought you'd like, sowwy~" The elder grabs something and tosses it to the man. "What's this old bag?" "Your usual. Too lazy to prepare each time, just set it up for ya when ya eventually come." "Sweet~! Thanks man." He puts the bag aside, and sits down on a wooden old chair. "It seems that everything is old here." "What do you expect from an elder, man? There is no time to care about the chairs." "Just wondering, don't heat up." "..." "..." . The elder fiddled with old candy wrappers. "Been wondering..." "?" "How's the government?" The man asked with a stern face. "..." "Nothing much changed, man~" "Still corrupted as ever." "..." "I see..." The man stared into the old dusty floor. "If the government was pure what would come out of this world?" The elder asked... "...?" "Only they know the answer, not us." "What kind of answers do we make from our minds?" "Peace, purity, and harmony?" "We don't know..." "Only they know, and they won't answer." "Because it was never asked." "..." The man wan't keeping his attention to him. "Been too much on the sweet stuff?" The man asked. "You're talking too much." The elder grinned. "Hahahahahaaa!" He bursts out in laughter. "Just take the bag and go! You got ya stuff already, man." "You laugh like a maniac." The man complied. "Yeah..." "If only the Skull Hero was here." "Skull what?" "You know... the hero? Ya don't know him?" "I'm going, you're on that choco stuff." "Come on, the sugar high is fine. An elder like me can handle them." The man went out of the store. Not saying a single word. "Not even a bye, eh?" Clink Clank! A sound of a gun ready to fire. Right on the man's head, a pistol with an unusual design choice. Held by a woman with a wolf cut and some white teary clothes, and ammo around her shoulders. Eyes with pride and ignorance staring into him. "Yer pay up!" The women shouted. The elder noticed the scene and went out to check. The man is left speechless while staring into the barrel of the gun pointing at his skull. "Uh... What's all this?" He asked. The woman pointed behind her with the gun. "We came for yer taxes~!" A large group of soldiers all wore the same white garments the woman was wearing, swarming into the city. A long line of citizens with their heads down low, with hands on the ground. Their backs hunched, sweating foreheads, avoiding any eye contact with the soldiers, cries of a baby muffled by the mother's chest. All the soldiers are carrying such heavy and huge artillery to inflict pride and strength on those beneath them. In which are the citizens. "..." The man's eyes were wide open. "WHAT!?" A soldier from afar shouted. The man notices the confusion. A soldier is shouting at a woman down on her knees. "YOU CAN'T PAY!?" "YOU DID THIS LAST TIME TOO!" "P-please... I beg you... Just a little longer..." "Since you can't learn a lesson. How about we give you a little taste." The soldier pulls in a child from the crowd. "SON!?" The woman shouted. "I TOLD YOU TO HIDE!" "M-mom..." The soldier puts up a small grin. "It's yer fault." CHA CHAK!!! A heavy artillery gun is ready to blow the kids head off. The child's body stiffened, his eyes widened, And not a single twitch of a finger was seen. He was dead frozen. The mother in desperation, dashes her way in, tripping and blowing the sand away from her steps. "NO!!! PLEASE DON'T!!!" BANG!!! The child's head is gone. The mother is in a pure state of shock. "SON!!! SON!!! SON!!!" She runs over to his corpse with blood splattering everywhere. She grabs the body gently... As if he was still alive... She breaks down into rivers of tears. Tears running down her face endlessly, and her sounds of sobbing can be heard from far away. Crying won't bring him back. "If you still need a review of your lesson." "'Pay the Tax or its the Axe!'" "Dig this into yer small puny brain, woman?" The smug and proudly face he puts up. It irritates the man in his soul. He wants to kill that soldier. That soldier no longer has any amount of humanity. "Yer turn, old man." The wolf cut lady aimed a gun at the old store clerk. The man turns his head over at a crazy speed. Eyes wide open. "Don't you dare..." He muttered very quietly. The elder stiffened by the sight of seeing inside of the barrel. It can shoot at any time right now. How did the man from earlier withstand this sight? "B-b-but... It's not enough..." "ANOTHER ONE!!!" A soldier shouted with pure joy. The woman's fingers are close to pulling the trigger. With a smug look on her face. It's the end for the elder. Whip! The man grabs onto the woman's hands at such speed. The crowd is in shock, the woman is in shock, the soldiers and the ender too. The grip is extremely tight, blocking blood circulation to her hand. He doesn't wanna let go. Her hands are trembling from it. "Yer got business with me?" The woman asked this man. "No one wants to die, and no one wants to PAY!!!" "You 'soldiers' think you could profit out of draining cash from the poor? You think you could scare us and make fun of it? You think the lives of innocent humans are not worth keeping?" "You scums of earth." "GRAB ME A GUN!" She requested. "Now you try to threaten me?" "I'm no stranger to guns." She grabs a hold of a gun tossed by one of the soldiers and points it straight into his skull. "SHOOT!" A soldier commanded. But for some reason... She is unable to follow through, her eyes widened and her throat became dry. Unable to hold the gun properly. "What? Scared now?" "You look tougher than this." "I dare you..." "TO SHOOT ME." She stays there silent, breathing heavily. Sweat drops from her chin. Shaking hands from skin to skin. "What is this feeling?" She thought to herself. She sees something not usual from this world... Something we shouldn't mess with. "Enough. You're stalling too much." A soldier with artillery replacing his right arm. He reloads for a shot. Aim at the man. Stares into him. He notices that he's pointing at something he doesn't know. "Must be my imagination." He fired. The woman made way by ducking down. A straight shot into his skull. He's sent flying back. She looks at the body. Lifeless. The whole area turned quiet. Everyone's shocked. "Yer thinkin' too much." "A good shot is always better." She stands up embarrassed. "Yeah... I was thinking too much. Too focused on that fear alone." "I was just having second thoughts..." "That we couldn't wi-" Cgrinkch. Something stood up. She turns around. Alive... Standing... Staring... At them. She is scared. Maybe moving right now means death. The crowd's murmurs quiet down, and some of them took some steps back. She builds up enough courage to talk. "SHOOT HIM!!!" She commanded. CLINK clank GANK thud Bak Pak Tang!!! Every single one of the soldiers ran away. They feel the fear. The Fear. "There's nothing we could do." "Maybe we should not have come here to mess with them." "Maybe we shouldn't have been the ones to gather the payments." "Maybe we shouldn't be alive." "Because we have angered something." "Something you don't wanna mess with." All of that went into her mind. The crowds ran as fast as they could, the air filled with screaming and screeching. She is still frozen in place. Nothing to do... "What's all the ruckus?" A man behind her questioned. "Captain!?" She was surprised. The captain looks around and notices the man standing alone in the middle of the area. He got an old itching feeling. "Well... You look familiar." "Oh, really? I don't remember you." "Maybe something we went through before." "We did?" "It's a theory." The captain observed harder, as did the man. "You're burned everywhere, man. What happened?" The man asked. "Just something spicy happened back then." "And your left arm... It's gone." "Someone took it as a gift. Haven't found it since." "Why would you give a gift and take it back." "Because I didn't want to give it away." "..." "..." "This became awkward." "Yeah..." She stood there in shock because her captain and that monster are having a chit chat? She must be the only sane person here. Maybe not that sane. "Ever wondered what it feels like to get shot?" "Tell me about it." "You got shot?" "Got a huge hole in my head." "Ouf... That must've hurt. How are you still alive?" "Maybe luck? I don't really believe in it." "Shall we make it bigger?" "Come again?" CLINK! TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA!!! A flurry of bullets was unleashed. All a direct hit on the man. The captain stood there with a blank expression. Then a smug. "No wonder you're alive." He stood there with blood all over the place and holes in his body. But he is still very much alive. Smoke is coming out of his body. He is healing. Abnormally healing fast. "You look like a furnace. Damaged but still cooking." "Not that I used furnaces myself." The captain said. The man pulls something stuck inside of him. A bullet. "I don't like guns." "Sadly I can't help it." "Why don't we have a brawl instead?" "So much quicker with guns, man." "That's lame." "Say that to my baby." He reloads for another round. Furiously changing the magazine. "My baby here has killed many of the top criminals here. Don't you think you stand a chance." The captain said with a prideful face. The man is not paying any attention. "Just shoot." "If you say so~" TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRATRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRATRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRATRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA TRATRATEATRATRATRATRATFATAFTARATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATRATATRA Round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round after round. Nothing happened. The same cycle repeats again and again. Then the captain ran out of bullets. And the man's eyes drifted off to else where. He yawns. The woman is still in the area watching everything unfold. "This is insane..." She thinks everything now is insane. The captain is now serious. Determined to finish the job. "Go and grab some spare equipment back at our vehicle. Don't waste too much time." The captain ordered her. "Y-yes, sir!" She followed. She soon disappeared from the scene. It's just the two of them now. Alone in this area. "Want a last chat before you pass on?" The captain casually asked. "Why not? It's getting boring anyways." The captai's jaw stiffened, and his stare locks in on him. "Why are you here?" The captain asked. "Why would you come to this poor, poor city when there are luxurious bases of the government out there. With what you have, you could even become a captain like me, or even a general!" "The government is the best in this world. Everyone is starving for needs in life in this desert of a planet that they have no choice but to depend on us, superior organization!" "Without us you guys are nothing but bones on sand." The captain went through a whole monologue. The man is looking at something else. "You really have to say all of that?" "Why? It's fun! Showing off on how amazing we are!" The man sighed. "Such a useless government." The man uttered these words directly to him. These words struck the captain to his core. "You..." "?" "DON'T YOU MAKE FUN OF US!!!" "WHAT WOULD HAVE BECOME OF YOU IF WE DIDN'T GAVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED? IF THE MONSTERS OUTSIDE CAME IN, WHAT WOULD HAVE BECOME OF EVERYONE WITHOUT OUR HELP!? YOU DON'T GET HOW WE HELP THIS PLANET SURVIVE IN THIS STATE!!! YOU ARE NOT WOR-" "Blah blah blah." "Just get over it." "You people scam us citizens with our needs and make up fake stories to threaten us. Not just fake tales but also with guns and taxes." "You people are the ones not worthy." "Scums of earth." Those words reached into the captain's ear, but not just his ear. But his soul. His jaw stiffened beyond mobility, and his stare is widened and focused on him. "You really know us too well." "I guess that's why you're here." "I should kill you now." He grabs something huge from his back. A rocket. He loads it inside of his weapon. And slowly aim it at him. The man plants his foot deep into the ground. His shoulders squared up. "I know even if I fire you would still have survived." "?" "So let's make it even more interesting~" He aims it at the elder's store. And the elder is still taking shelter there. The man is in rage. "DON'T YOU DARE!!!" "WHY NOT!? I CAN'T KILL YOU SO I HAVE TO KILL YOUR SOUL!!!" "YOU CAME FOR ME AND ONLY ME DIDN'T YOU!? SO COME AT ME!!!" "NO!!! NOTHING WILL HAPPEN IF I EVER PULL THIS TRIGGER ON YOU!!! BUT IF I COULD BURDEN YOU WITH A SOUL OF AN INNOCENT PERSON'S LIFE TO YOU!? I WOULD GLADLY TAKE IT!!!" The battle rises in heat. But wait... You haven't thought about why was smoke coming out of the man and he has regeneration abilities along with it? He keeps coming back and back from rounds and rounds of bullets. And the speeches of the government seem to have no effect on him. And he is fighting against them? Who is he? "SO LONG, MAD MAN!!!" He fires the rocket at the store. There's nothing he could do. "I didn't want to do this..." "But it's fine..." "No one will remember..." Those were the thoughts of the man. The first glimpses of his mind. He gets down with insane speed. In a lane runner's position to be ready to run. He bursts out. "He deserves it." "They deserve it." The rocket is gone. Dead silence. He is gone. The captain is frozen, confused, and... Scared. He felt it again. The feeling he hasn't felt in 59 years. The one that reminded him of someone he doesn't want to even remember a single atom of his image, or a single syllable of his name. The captain doesn't want to remember. He bursts out into flames, from top to bottom. "EEEIIOOOGRAAAAAGHHGJGLAAKUAGHAHSHHHHAGAAJAAAAAAAAAAAJUAAHYTHTYYHIIIEIEEEIEKKAHAAAAABAHABFKHATTAAJAHAGFAAAAGAGHHGGHGGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" He screeched in absolute pain. He falls down on his knees and rolls around on the ground. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHGAHGAHAAKAJAGAKAGAKAGHAAAAAAAAAGAAHAAGHAHAAAAAAAKAAKAAAAAHGAAAAAAAAHGAGAAKAKGAHAGAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!" He continued to screech even louder. The pain he felt was unimaginable. Almost out of this world. It felt insulting to him. A captain of the proud government of the desert world is now burning and rolling around the ground like a hot dog in a grill. It felt like his physical body wasn't the only one burning. His soul was also burned. The sound of foot steps from behind him. He was relieved that she came back with equipment and maybe even some reinforcements. "Help..." Was on his mind. He turns around to the best of his abilities while having a burning body and soul. He reaches for help then... Behind him was not her... It wasn't equipment... Or even reinforcements... It wasn't even human... A skinless, bulky figure with burning flames erupting from him. Smokes around him act like his skin, and the air is hard to breathe in, or even see through. But he saw it... It was him... The creature from 34 years ago. He thought he was gone. He thought he wouldn't ever have to deal with a single memory, moreover an atom of his presence. The terrifying creature. Or as the locals call him... Skull hero. The man's expression is beyond comprehension. Luckily no one is watching, so it's time to end this. Skull Hero clenched his fists. The captain already knew his end. The woman prepares her guns and equipment before heading back into the battle. The inside of the vehicle is like the inside of an artillery tank but has so much more space to move in. She likes the seats very much since they're pretty comfortable. But it's not the time for her to get comfy when her captain is in a state of battle right now. She places her hand to the door, but she pauses for a couple of minutes... "Why am I in this job again?" She asked herself. "Why am I serving for the government and profiting off from these citizens?" "Why am I wearing white teary clothes and cut my hair?" "..." "It's not making any sense right now..." "What was my purpose?" She paused for quite some time. Then she snapped out of it. "Wait! I don't have time to self reflect!" "I have my captain out there to support." "I'm sorry, but I have to think about myself later." She opens the door and hops outside. She travels through the same route she used earlier, but this time it felt different... It's hot for some reason. The closer she gets the more it's burns. The air became hot and hard to breathe in. Then she became dehydrated. She took a quick sip of water while running. It's not the best idea to move while drinking but there's no time for a break. She arrived around 20 meters away from the battle. Then she felt it. Again. The same Fear. She witnessed something. That warns you to step back. The area is full of smoke, hard to see through. You won't even see half a meter in front of you. But you could see one thing, or not just one. But dozen. Splashes of blood everywhere. On the ground, on the walls, and on... Something... An arm. A bloody one. Raised up high from the smoke, and then suddenly falling down. Rise then down. Rise then down. Rise then down. What is it doing? She's curious about all of this. She decided to step into the smoke and see for herself. But the fear keeps on getting bigger and bigger with each step. She already endured this fear before so why not just walk past it? That's what she thought until... GACHKH!!! Blood splattered on her face. Then she saw it. The corpse of her captain. Headless, shapeless, and lifeless. It's beyond recognition. She tightens her grip on the guns she's holding onto and choking on her breath. She turns her head up to see this tall figure. Skull Hero... He stares back at her. Now she felt it. The Fear in it's true form. Every pain, suffering, agony, and terror mankind has endured. All into this one singular creature. But something is odd... The fear she felt. Slowly drifted away. Instead, it's replaced with a sense of understanding. Imagine being someone who holds the burden of all the suffering of a widely spread species even before the atomic war. It's emotionally and physically straining. She found something inside of Skull Hero. But before she could grasp it. She gets blown away by a punch to the gut. She couldn't process what was happening. It all happened so fast. She could feel the burning of the flames, but she no longer felt the fear. An opening is wide open for her to shot a smooth head shot. But she didn't. She let go of her grip of the gun instead. Not because it won't defeat him. But she didn't felt anger just then. She felt... Pity. A creature that was never understood. Yet still lived. She lied there on the ground unable to process the things that happened. It's been hours since the fight and it's now night time. No sight of the Skull Hero anywhere. The captain's corpse is still there, the blood is still everywhere. And the mystery is still unsolved. Who is Skull Hero? Or What is Skull Hero? But most importantly... How is Skull Hero? All of that passed by like clouds. The night is filled with beautiful stars tonight. She stares into the skies. The burns on her skin and the internal damage inside of her body makes it hard to even move a finger. The elder slowly approaches up to her. Quiet steps. He stops for a brief moment, staring at her. "Uh..." He chokes on his own words. "If you're gonna kill me as payback, you're welcome." She aggressively spoke. "..." "About what happened..." He finally had his words out. "Let's forget everything about that." "..." "You mean you won't put a hole in my head?" She asked confused. "No..." "I'd like to talk to you." "..." The elder sat beside her. Staring into the skies with her. "It's beautiful tonight is it?" "... Yeah..." "I heard this from way back I was a kid." "'The only remnants of the old world are the skies itself and the sea.'" "The 'sea'?" "It's a legend around here." "There used to be a vast amounts of water that takes up more than 70 percent of the earth." "It's all gone now..." "..." They stayed there for a while without speaking to each other. The woman continued to stare into the skies with the elder. "How is he?" The woman asked. "Who?" "Skull Hero." "..." "Skull hero is the same person as that man from before." "Which one?" "The man that you first pointed the gun at." She remembers him instantly. "Sorry." "No need to apologize." They stayed there still, silently. "Why aren't you afraid?" "What?" "I'm a soldier of the government, I can have you arrested for supporting such a creature." "You wouldn't arrest someone for helping someone else to live, I know you're like that. Gentle but you try to hide it for the sake of this 'job'." "..." "You know me too well." "I only met you today." They stayed there for a couple of minutes more before the elder eventually brought the woman into his house. As for him... In a cave around 70 kilometers away from the city, he stayed there. Opening a can of veggies. The only known type of food left in the outskirts from the luxurious bases. He ate it without hesitation. Crumbs falling onto the cave floor, and clanging sounds of the tin clashing with the spoon. Then finished. Belly filled up with goodies. And he went on top of the cave and sat down. Staring into the sky, resting elbows on his knees. His eyes slowly follows a falling star. "It's been 34 years since I went and did that." "..." Something pops into his mind. An old image of young boy smiling. He smiles gently from this thought. But another thought came in. He dropped his smile, and was left with a bitter taste in his mouth. He stretched his arms out wide. "I guess I have to go back to my routes." "To Merry Land I go." Skull Hero. Volume 1. End. Credits Book Author - D4pple Syrup Author note - If you have finished the entire book all the way to the credits then you have some guts to read over 4000 words of nonsense. And if you ever liked this story, there's a second volume in production. Stay Tuned. And I'm very sorry for the late release. Thank you for reading.