Chapter 78: Ch117. A hope in the dark
Zaval’s eyes went wider, he tried moving but was unable to, his face contorted with what could only be described as fear, as he looked at Kurt, approaching him like the Ishir wasn’t more threatening than an ant.
"Now... Why. Do. You. Call. Me. Virus?" Kurt asked.
He moved his hands like he was conducting an orchestra, and in each of his movements, he could feel the shadows as if they were part of him.
Zaval gagged and contorted, his muscles bulging as he tried to break free of that unexpected and powerful spell.
But he wasn’t able to do a thing to free himself from that.
Kurt focused more and more, almost seeing the shadow running through Zaval’s insides.
He moved and moved them, taking them closer and closer to the Ishir’s brain.
However...
Beep!
[THE PLAYER’S POWER IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO PERFORM THAT KIND OF FEAT]
"Shut up." Kurt told the system, still forcing his fingers around.
Droplets of sweat ran down his forehead as he forced his skill to work.
He was almost seeing Zaval’s brain.
Beep!
[WARNING!]
[THE PLAYER DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH VOID POINTS TO USE THE SKILL – ONE WITH THE DARKNESS]
[THE PLAYER WILL SUFFER SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES IF FORCING THE SKILL TO KEEP ACTIVE]
"SHUT. UP!"
Kurt’s face was now soaked in sweat as he kept forcing his will into the skill.
Immediately after the system’s warning, though, his nose began bleeding profusely, and the system signaled another beep.
[FORCEFULLY DEACTIVATING THE SKILL]
But Kurt was so focused on the skill, exerting so much strength into it, that when it was forcefully deactivated, Zaval’s body exploded, and with him, a wave of compressed darkness emanated like a nuclear blast, sending Kurt flying backwards to the building.
He hit his back hard, but only felt pain when he fell on the sidewalk.
When he raised his head to see and understand what had happened, he still had time to see the darkness around him taking the shape of shadows, and going back to their respective places.
Kurt got up, stumbling, and punched the ruined wall behind him.
"Shit!"
Beep!
[YOU HAVE PROVED YOUR WORTH TO THE REMAINING WATCHER]
[YOU ARE NOW PREPARED FOR THE SECOND TRIAL]
It had been so long since Kurt had heard the word trial related to the system, that he had completely forgotten about the moment in the [MEMORY FRAGMENT] when the other Kurt was granted the [RETURNING STONE].
"Second trial?" Kurt asked himself when he heard clapping hands in the distance.
Evellyn came running towards him right when he stumbled, and she got him, so he didn’t fall.
Behind him, however, came K.
He wasn’t wearing his mask, and his face didn’t resemble Kurt’s as much, but not only because that version of him was older.
But because he carried a nasty scar over his right eye that came from his forehead to his chin.
Three claw marks that could only come from one type of being in the world.
K was clapping his hands pausedly, and his expression wasn’t that of anger.
But it wasn’t that of happiness or pride, either.
"I apologize to you for my behavior, Kurt from the Falling World." K said, without taking his eyes away from Kurt. "I thought you were just another Kurt, trying to prove something to someone, or using the system like it had nothing to do with them or the end of the world. But you proved me wrong."
K’s expression showed only coldness.
But his tone said something much different.
He wasn’t crying, but Kurt could swear he saw the slightest glimpse of a tear forming in one of his eyes.
K approached and knelt down, as Evellyn helped Kurt sit down and take a breather.
"You were amazing, Kurt!" Evellyn said, touching his forehead with hers. "Now you believe me, K?"
Kurt was too tired to say anything, so he just let his heart recover its rhythm, and his breathing get back together.
K kept looking at Kurt, which made him a little bit uneasy, but his words gave Kurt some relief.
"Yes, you were right, Eve. Now, Kurt, I have something to tell you, about that prophecy the old priestess talked about, back in the subway."
Kurt opened his mouth to say something back, but nothing came from his throat.
"Here, use this." Evellyn offered Kurt a handkerchief so he could wipe the blood from his nose.
As he did it, he looked at K, as if telling him to go on with what he was about to say.
"Relentless, even though you’re hurt... Okay, I’ll tell you about it before we get back to the subway, so you can get some rest. But remember... There won’t be a world for you to save, if you’re not in there."
K’s words sounded heavy, even though they didn’t carry any hard feelings.
Kurt mulled over them as K kept speaking.
"You’re not the first other Kurt to show up here, but the first ten or so ones ended up dying gruesomely by Zaval’s hands." K started saying, and his eyes got a tone of dark nostalgia. "The one who lasted longer, is still here, to be honest. But he turned into a cannibal, like those other people here in the surface. When this one appeared, Evellyn got a vision, the prophecy, as the subway priests call it...
The prophecy is about one specific Kurt, that would come to us and survive, endure, to become the one we need finally get things sorted out, and the enemy defeated, once and for all."
"But since so many other Kurts appeared here, and not a single one of them lasted long enough for K to train them properly..." Evellyn interrupted.
K cleaned his throat, and kept speaking.
"I started to lose faith in what Eve had seen."
"But then, you showed up, and K behaved like a frustrated child who lost his toy, you left, and here you are. Alive, well enough, and with your mind in one piece."
"So, maybe... Just maybe... That prophecy is right, and you’re the one we were waiting for."
Kurt tried to say something again, but his throat was so dry, and he felt so much pain in his arm, that he was unable to speak.
"Okay, okay. That’s enough for tonight, young Kurt... Let’s go back to the subway, okay? You can get some rest, some healing potions for your... Arm, and when you wake up, you’ll get come more proper explanations and introductions. Deal?"
Kurt had enough strength only to nod.
"Okay then."
K got him on his back, and they walked towards the subway station, where Kurt slept, ate, got introduced to everyone, healed his wounds, and started his training.
So that he would become the Rogue he was always meant to be...
