Chapter 220 220:You Aren't Alone
Inside a room with marvelous architecture and a serene atmosphere. The walls were adorned with intricate stained glass windows that filter colourful light into the space, creating a sense of serene tranquillity.
The room was decorated with ornate wooden pews for congregants to sit and pray, and at the centre was an altar adorned with religious symbols. Candles and religious artwork enhance the room's ambience, fostering a peaceful and spiritual environment for worship and reflection.
At the foot of the altar, a lady joined her hands. Her golden hair cascaded down her back in lustrous waves, shimmering like spun gold in the sunlight.
Her golden eyes along with a mesmerizing shade of green, radiates kindness and wisdom. Her complexion was flawless, with a soft, rosy blush on her cheeks that gave her a radiant and angelic appearance. She was adorned in flowing, pristine robes, symbolizing purity and grace. Her presence exudes a sense of serenity and divine connection, inspiring awe and reverence into those who were fortunate enough to behold her.
As she immersed herself in her daily prayers, her eyelids flickered hearing loud voices from outside.
A ripple appeared in her heart as she started feeling a bad premonition however she suppressed her curiosity to get the better of her as she did not want to waste her power for such small reasons.
Bowing her head before the Goddess altar, she stood and walked out of the prayer room, taking the path to the central hallway.
And the moment she stepped into the hallway, she jolted in shock seeing hundreds of people stuffed in there.
Noticing Luna's appearance, the people crowded in there screamed in joy.
"Praise the Saintess!"
"Praise The Saintess for her benevolence."
"Long Live Saintess!"
"Huh?!"
Luna blinked her eyes in confusion and strode to a group of people.
"Please calm down all of you. What is the occasion today that all of you have come to seek Goddess' grace."
"Saintess, we are here to thank you for averting the disaster."
"Saintess, you are so benevolent that you used your power even though it came with a huge backlash."
The few at the front started shedding tears.
"Dis...What Disaster?" Luna tilted her head in confusion.
As soon as she spoke, the people gathered there started to smile.
"Oh my god! The Saintess is such a kind-hearted person. Even after doing so much, she still wants to keep the fact hidden."
"Wait! It seems there is a misunderstanding. I haven't even stepped out of Church since last month."
"You don't even need to step out. The one chosen by you had already done the work." A group of people shouted and started praising her again.
Luna found her patience tested and wanted to know what the hell was going on.
What did she do now?"
Seeing the huge influx of people, Paladins quickly entered the scene trying to shield Luna.
"Holy Lady, did you seriously not know or are you pretending?"
Deacon Valt who was on duty asked with a frown seeing Luna's confused gaze.
"Did you give a ring to someone named Lucas?"
"Huh! Yes, I have."
"Even after this, you don't know about it?" Deacon Valt asked, twirling the holy bead on his finger.
"I seriously do not know anything and I don't want to use my powers for this silly thing."
Deacon Valt sighed,"It's about the incident that happened in Cyprus."
After pondering for a moment, he explained the matter to Luna carefully.
'Wait a moment!'
Luna's eyes glowed as she noticed a change in the flow of the world. She didn't need to look at what had transpired.
In her vision, Julian's Guardian Spirit would be extracted and her soul would be gravely injured, making her mind vegetative for the rest of her life.
And many more would lose their mind and turn into idiots.
But now it seems, the worst-case scenario was prevented.
'But what the hell did I do? Wasn't it the work of that guy?'
However, she finally found out as Deacon Valt spoke everything.
The more Luna heard the darker her expression became.
Did she know about this?
Yes, she foresaw that much.
However, as per what she knows, the only help that she gave was the blessing that she gave him, so how the hell did such a thing come out from the ring and she manipulated things from behind?
As a seer, she had to follow certain rules. She can give guidance and help but seers are not allowed to interfere directly.
'Wait, does that mean that he made me a scapegoat?' Luna's expression became pale as she remembered the Lucas ominous who screamed that he would have his revenge.
Luna's chest rose up and down in anger.
'Damn you, Lucas. You better not appear before me or I am gonna kill you.'
Deacon Valt who saw Luna was going mad just shook his head and smiled.
"It seems she got the retribution for playing a prank.''
"God, please be with her in such a difficult time."
"Amen!"
......
Following the sunset, began the reign of a creature that thrives in darkness.
In the dangerous forest looms with towering, gnarled trees that seem to stretch endlessly towards the sky, their ancient branches forming a dense canopy that blocks out most of the daylight. Thick undergrowth, tangled with thorns and creeping vines, obscures the forest floor, making each step a treacherous journey.
Eerie shadows danced among the twisted trees, creating an unsettling atmosphere that seemed to whisper secrets to those who dare to enter. The air is heavy with a damp, earthy scent, and an eerie silence was occasionally broken by the distant caw of a crow or the rustling of unseen creatures.
Sinister, moss-covered rocks and fallen logs dot the landscape, hiding potential dangers or lurking predators. The forest seemed to have a malevolent intelligence of its own, as if it watches and waits for unwary travelers to stumble deeper into its heart, where the darkness becomes impenetrable, and the dangers grow ever more sinister.
And in the midst of this, various scratches tore through the air.
The eerie silence that tensed one's nerves was finally broken by the howls and shrieks of monsters that were sliced off into pieces.
Amid the screams, stood a figure soaked in blood.
His golden eyes shone like a hungry beast that was prepared to attack anyone on sight.
The ears of the man perked up and the figure that stood silently moved. His hands flashed like an extending whip, to catch something.
GRRRRRRRRRR!
An ear-piercing scream echoed as the man's hands caught two sharp fangs of a dark beast aiming to bite him off.
The beast's green eyes shone with anger at the sight of a puny human who managed to see through its disguise and it roared violently as if asking the man to let it go otherwise the consequences would be quite dire.
A puddle of saliva shot from its wide-open jaw drenching the human.
The beast swung his paw with sharp nails attempting to tear the human but with gliding movement, his foot side stepped on the ground and his body twisted as he skillfully evaded the attacks with swift reactions.
"Ha…."
"Why do I have to do this?"
BANG!
Raising his leg, he slammed his knee at the beast's throat, choking it up.
Then with an indifferent look, his eyes shone and applying strength to his arms, he pulled both jaws towards the opposite direction with his strength.
SCREECH!
A sound akin to the tearing of paper reverberated in the surroundings.
The body of the beast was torn into two halves with brutal strength.
Blood gushed out from the internal organs and dyed him in red.
Sighing heavily, he threw the carcass away.
Pausing a bit, he looked ahead at the figure sitting over a trunk whose red eyes stared at him like a hawk as he munched over the chips making him look as if he was there for a picnic.
"Sir, Harris, why don't you help me?"
"Boy, did you forget, it was you who asked for my help so just carry on."
Lucas cursed inwardly.
He needs to go out today and get a person. And he can't miss this opportunity as that person carries an artifact that was not only a key to inheritance but it can also help him to control ghouls and undead to some extent.
That person was going to be a big villain in the future and was gonna confront Frederick. Lucas didn't know about his current status nor was he mentioned in the book but from Future Lucas' memories, he got to know that this person took place in the slaughter that happened in the tournament originally.
He would be in a secret hideout in Omen which can only be accessed at night.
Moreover, that person might prove to be the key to diverting Omen's attention.
With Horizon being on lockdown and heavily guarded, he can only ask Harris for assistance to help him go out of the academy secretly as even if he can sneak out from the back door, he doesn't have the guts to traverse through the blood peach forest alone at night in case a strong beast appears.
So, Sir Harris under the pretense of doing his quota of thinning out the beasts, moved out with Lucas as an anomalous identity of helper.
However, as soon as they came out Harris ordered him to kill Beasts so that no one pointed fingers at him later about escaping from work.
It would be easy if Julian was there as he could just use a secret exit, alas.
"Sir Harris, I need to go now. It will take too much time." Lucas spoke irritably, running out of patience.
His system was down after meeting his other self and it would take two days to back up so he was not gaining experience points. So, all of this was just a waste of time.
Harris put away the chip packet and stood up.
"Lucas your state of mind isn't right which might prove fatal. You seem to be annoyed."
"Am I?" Lucas feigned ignorance, turning his head.
"Yeah, you look like a guy who wants to kill someone to appease his frustration."
''Frustrated? I am frustrated as I am running against time.'' Lucas replied.
Harris sighed and walked towards Lucas, putting his hand on his shoulder.
"Lucas, your gaze…It is the gaze of a person who is feeling insecure.."
Lucas' body flinched back and he subconsciously took a step back but Harris held his shoulder tighter.
"I can see it. There is a deep fear hidden behind that mask. It doesn't stem from any dangerous situation around you, rather it stems from fear of people getting affected."
Lucas raised his head and stared at Sir Harris who seemed to guess everything at a glance.
Yeah, he was really afraid recently, as if that guy Azrail managed to get in his way, then he was gonna face the worst situation of his life.
He was not strong now nor was he intelligent enough to defeat a guy who was an expert in the manipulation of humans.
He knew human emotions like the back of his hand. He can turn friends into foes and foes into friends.
Hell, he can even turn a parent against their children.
What he was worried about now was his family.
As of now, he can't even compare with the pinky finger of those villainous guys so he needed to divert their attention by creating an alias and showing himself as a maniac who is seeking revenge against Omen.
However, whether he could do that properly was still a matter of doubt to him.
"From your look, I am sure that what you are afraid of, hadn't happened."
"Yes! It hasn't but it will if I don't do something now."
Harris nodded his head and smiled at him.
"Listen, Lucas, you may feel like there are so many things that you have to do alone with no one to carry your weight." Harris turned around and looked at the sky.
"But in truth, you always have. There will always be someone who will be there to carry your weight. It's either you haven't found that person or you haven't searched enough.''
"Even the sun had the moon and stars to carry its weight so naturally you should have. If you ever need help just ask. There will always be people around to help you."
Lucas stared at Harris broadly and his heart welled up in happiness calming his uneasiness.
'Yes, how can I walk ahead in this vast world alone? I naturally had people to rely on.'
As Lucas spoke, Julian's, Roan's, Parth's, Charles', and Frederick's figures appeared in his eyes.
If worse comes to worse, he can just ask one of those people to take in his parents.
He might not be able to face that guy alone but with the combined strength of all, he might surely be out the front.
'I should cut Roan and Frederick in the equation for now.'
Seeing Lucas' mood calming down, Harris said,"I think you figured something out."
"I did but I still need to go. This is something that only I can do."
"Because this time, it's personal."
Harris took a moment to seize Lucas and then waved his hand.
"Then get the hell out of my sight. I need to have my dinner."
Lucas glanced at Harris, then turned around to leave and ran away quickly while shouting.
"Sir Harris, if it's possible, will you tell me your life story?"
Harris' eyes widened and he stared at Lucas with a befuddled gaze but his expression returned to normal.
Staring at the figure's back disappearing in the darkness, he shook his head reminiscing his past.
"Sister, he is growing too fast."
"I don't know just how much longer I can keep the truth from him."
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m