Chapter 32: Kindle the heart
Leon's heart sank after noticing Louise lying with arrows protruding from her body and blood oozing.
She lost her light as her fire tails became fluffy and furry, only to join the bloody mess beneath her. She simply lay in the blood pool, lifeless. She didn't move, her disheveled hair covered her face, and she surely was no longer a threat to anyone as even the skeletons lost interest in her.
Louise is gone, Leon thought.
[You'll regret it if you don't take a second chance, Leon Blade.]
Those words reverberated in Leon's mind and heart, completely emptying him of emotions. He stood like a lost and defenseless human whose fate was already sealed.
The black skeleton found it amusing, but he didn't make careless moves, for the enemy possessed a dangerous body type.
Still, it wasn't like he'd let Leon grieve over his loss. "Those with peak humanity bodies are the worst of the worst, a type that won't easily die. I'll let you taste the Graveyard Invitation and die in a worse place than the underworld, human!"
The cave trembled, and the ground beneath the black skeleton started swirling like a whirlpool. He sank slightly into the moving mass, burying half of his body. Blue wisps emerged from it alongside black bony hands that instantly went for the crimson chains connected to Leon's body.
Those chains were so cold that they stuck to the black skeleton and Leon. He wouldn't be able to put them back in his inventory or simply take them off.
And as the black skeleton and his skill held those chains, they slowly drew him closer to themselves — their intent was to bury the human in an allegedly worse place than the underworld.
Leon didn't protest as he recalled the worst day of his life.
[Mr. Leon… Your parents' bodies are beyond recognition, and your fiancée… She's gone…]
In fact, didn't he just stay like that, too? With hollow eyes, he stood and gazed at the woman who passed him those terrifying news. Unable to believe her, Leon protested and wanted them to check again, saying whatever came to his mind to ensure his beloveds didn't die.
But as it was nearly confirmed it was them, Leon became an empty shell.
The exact same shell that was slowly dragged to imminent death.
"So that fox girl was his whole life? Such an easy and simple target… With such a mindset, he wouldn't even be able to kiss The Human Emperor's feet! I was worried for nothing." The black skeleton cackled triumphantly and drew Leon with gleeful eyes, turning his eyes into lovely blue wisps.
But then, the crimson chains rattled.
"I couldn't do anything…." Leon whispered in a soft and barely audible tone. "I had to accept the reality and be alone… But now, I know exactly what to do. The cause of her death is before me, laughing. Heh, I ought to laugh, too, right?"
Grasping his chains tightly, Leon pulled them closer to himself with a new strength coursing through him. It was his will to avenge Louise and give her a proper burial. His body burned with those feelings as though Leon had become a scarlet fox, too.
He clenched his teeth and took a few steps forward, bringing out the black skeleton from his graveyard. "I'll kill you, have dogs gnaw on your bones, and make a cup out of your skull. I'm not dying before I do all of it!"
"How ambitious, human!"
A tug-of-war between the human and the skeleton began.
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[You're just a monster, a mere imitation.]
Louise faced the black silhouette again. It wasn't the first time she faced that existence whose voice alone brought her to her knees. But in this vision, things were different.
She looked straight into that man's eyes, meaning she was taller. And as he came closer with burning chains and a collar in his hands, Louise extended her arms to protect herself, finding them much longer than usual.
She was in a room consisting of her sealed memories and her soul, but Louise was in such a frightening state that she couldn't think properly.
[You never deserved the sun. It's mine. I, The Human Emperor, shall own the world, the hell, the heaven, the underworld, the sun, the moon, and the stars. All of you belong to me, rightfully so. If you want to keep playing this game, I'll join you instead. I'll dissect your memories and find the real you. It's gonna be fun, right?]
Not knowing that she was in a different scenario and that memories around her were from a deep place in her heart, Louise reacted like she usually would. She lifted her arms and cowered before the man.
The sound of crimson chains filled her ears. Soon, those crawled around her curves, tightening around her body. She couldn't move or look into the man's eyes, just naturally trembling out of fear.
Current Louise simply lacked too many memories and recalled the worst of the worst. She was also low-level, not knowing about the outer world and people.
With her current mindset, she couldn't deal with the Human Emperor's past.
But Louise had already taken a few steps to become stronger and return to her old self. She just wasn't aware of them. However, as she peeked at the crimson chains around her arm, Louise recalled Leon and how he'd wrapped them around his arm, telling her he'd use them for their sake.
For a moment, Louise couldn't feel the chains.
She widened her eyes in shock!
The more she thought about him and their time, the less burden the chains provided. Soon, the painful hotness became her strength, healing Louise's heart. Even if The Human Emperor stood before her, Louise could freely move and stand up — his presence was weaker.
[Wow, did you really conquer one of your fears so easily?]
[You faced them.]
[Don't run away.]
[Look at them.]
"Ok!" Louise repeated what she had said that day.
In an instant, she became frightened again. However, the man before her wasn't the same. He was no longer the black silhouette that Louise feared but the human that she actually could face.
Looking at The Human Emperor's expression, which was scrunched from anger and hopelessness, Louise felt lighter and stronger. She wasn't bound by collar and chains, too.
"I don't remember how I did it, but I defended myself well against you!" Louise screamed at the human and punched his face, dispelling those scary memories.
Yes, that man had enslaved her, but he couldn't get his hands on what he desired! She wasn't on his level, but she wasn't a pushover, either.
And with that belief and the burning feelings of not being alone, Louise tamed her greatest fear.
The memories and the whole room started dissipating.
An unfamiliar voice rang out in this crumbling world. It was too sharp, fiery, and unyielding — yet Louise felt like it belonged to her.
[To own the sun, you must kindle its heart first.]
Louise forgot most of it upon her awakening.
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BOOM!
Louise exploded in flames, which wrapped around her like a bandage. She turned into a fire mummy, then the flames heightened, becoming like a small ball.
Swathed in it, Louise floated up, taking all attention to herself.
She exerted so much pressure and strength that the weaker skeletons' melted. First, they lost their weapons, then they turned into ashes. Within that flame ball, Louise leveled up significantly.
She then appeared outside, all healthy and confident in herself. Her tails became flames again. Moreover, Louise's ears also swayed in the form of fire tongues. Her eyes brimmed with burning confidence, seemingly on fire, too.
"Master!" Louise shouted at Leon, then quickly ran to his side.
He was still fighting against the black skeleton, holding his chains tightly. After literally blinking to his side, Louise didn't even glance at those chains. She simply grasped them with her little hands.
And upon contact with her, the crimson chains howled, and more flames swirled around them as though Louise stuffed thousands of empty fire spirits inside. At another end of them, the flames burst out, slapping the black skeleton's skull.
"It's our battle!" Louise screamed, adding more of her physical strength and mana to the chains.
Leon howled, too. "Yeah!"
At last, the black skeleton's hands melted, freeing the chains. He just uttered a pitiful cry, and his blue eyes softened for a moment.
He finally would die, wouldn't he?
Leon also didn't waste this chance. Seizing the moment, he extended his chains forward and whipped off the black skeleton's skull. He clenched his left hand from elation as the black skull neatly landed on the ground far away from the graveyard.
However, the undead's skill hadn't stopped.
Leon and Louise grew tense, glowering in the undead's direction.
"I know your skills… And I believe I know her identity." The black skeleton's voice swept through the cave. "I won't let you enslave me. But I'll let you keep the skull to apologize for my last words. Your mindset is not that bad."
The black skeleton's 'eyes' flew to the graveyard. "I shall face the worse death then. Ah, yeah. Black skeletons are both physically and magically stronger. Such skeleton mages are much tougher and usually trained in some basic combat — that's the difference."
After those words, the black skeleton entered the torment, not escaping imminent death.
[You have completed your quest: Enslave Celes Diamante.]
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