Chapter 590: Chapter 589: Rewriting the Ending_1
The Illusory Moon Jewelers, Melissa and the Dreamweaver sat side by side, watching the scene unfold before them.
In that dead-end alley, what had transpired was now revealing itself from the viewpoint of the doppelgänger murderer, to whom the Dreamweaver had permitted Melissa to implant a tiny fragment of spirit into this wicked version of Deborah. This allowed Melissa to monitor the doppelgänger murderer with her power.
In the projection of this real-time memory, Melissa kept her gaze fixed on Aiden, eagerly waiting for the next move of this unpredictable chess piece.
Meanwhile, the Dreamweaver’s attention was wholly on Deborah. He had a wine glass in his hand, now filled with fine red wine, having appeared at some point unnoticed.
"Time to choose your own ending, my little mermaid," the Dreamweaver lifted his glass toward the projected Deborah.
After hearing the words of the doppelgänger murderer, Deborah hesitated, but eventually she glared at her adversary and spoke each word deliberately, "I can’t do it! I once swore to dedicate myself to justice. Asking me to compromise here is no different from asking me to die!"
She realized that if she compromised here, her justice would die. She would continue to exist in this world in a shambling state, as if a zombie, having succumbed to her own evil half.
After killing, the doppelgänger murderer would turn their victims into zombies, delighting in the notion that they had robbed the person of their meaning in the mortal realm.
And now this murderer wanted to literally strip away her meaning of existence. How could she possibly compromise?
"Then just go ahead and die! You fancy yourself a champion of justice, don’t you? Well, now is the time to show your conviction," the doppelgänger taunted Deborah, staring her down, "Kill me or get rid of yourself, and you can make the world a little less evil! If you want to sacrifice yourself for justice, then act!!"
"If we can’t kill you, then let’s imprison you until death," Aiden suddenly spoke, "I’ll find a suitable way."
To house the doppelgänger murderer in Rose Iron Prison would require a trial process, and given the doppelgänger’s crimes, they would almost certainly be sentenced to death.
But Aiden was also considering other containment methods. The Witch Assembly, the Gistas Royal Secret Police... with the right connections, it was always possible to find a suitable way to hold such a murderer.
"It seems you’re not considering the deal I proposed. That’s truly heartbreaking," the doppelgänger shook their head with a sigh, then their expression turned sinister, "You want me to pay the price? Then I shall oblige. How could I bear the thought of being locked in a cage, imagining this guy living freely under the sun every day? I’d rather die and take this one down with me—after all, compared to her, I’ve got nothing to lose!!"
Aiden understood that if the other could say such a thing, they would certainly be capable of doing it. This murderer had never cared for their own life.
What could be done to make them unable to seek death? The Wordless Code had many restrictions, and it had to keep the subject within its domain to be effective.
Use a Magic Potion to keep her in a prolonged slumber? That didn’t seem too practical either. Lamia and Meiruki had both created hibernation drugs, but if used continuously, they would also lead to the individual’s death.
Perhaps making her an undead being incapable of suicide, but Aiden had no clue how to achieve that, and the risks were enormous...
Then, have Presia seal her memories... No, that probably wouldn’t work either. Their memories were also fabrications conjured by the dominator. Dark magic couldn’t directly interfere with the power of sacred words.
Deborah, watching Aiden standing silent, felt a faint twinge of pain in her heart.
"Mr. Aiden," she spoke.
Aiden slowly turned his face toward her.
"Please let me take care of this matter myself." She tried to squeeze out a smile for Aiden but failed.
"Interesting, you’re really prepared to die with me?" The double identity murderer stared at Deborah, smiling while he drew his dagger, "Fine, if you dare, how can I possibly lose to you? Let’s do this together. You carry out your justice by executing me, and I’ll fulfill my evil by killing you. What better ending could there be for us!"
"You, don’t be rash." Veronica tried to persuade Deborah, "As long as we are alive, there will always be a chance to find a solution, but if you die, that’s the end of everything!"
"How kind you are, Miss Officer, even though I and you..." Deborah laughed helplessly as if she had accepted her fate, "Rest assured, this is my own decision. There won’t be any way to solve this, I’ve understood that. This is the destiny our creator set for us, an unbreakable cycle."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Aiden, and this time she finally managed a smile, "Mr. Aiden, I hope that after I leave, the strength I leave behind can help you. I have only one request... please remember my story."
"This is not facing it; it’s just submission." Aiden spoke, "Do you really accept an ending arranged by your dominator willingly?"
Deborah was contemplating her argument, but under the influence of The Codex, she was forced to speak her true thoughts, "How could I possibly accept it willingly!"
Aiden could see that Deborah had not truly come to terms with her ending; it was a reluctant compromise, like finding oneself in an unwinnable battle, having to muster the last of one’s courage for a suicidal charge.
Of course, this could not be willing.
"Are you really willing?" Aiden then looked at the double identity murderer, "Your creator wants you to perish together with your other half, is this your ending?"
"Now that you mention it... I indeed don’t feel like fulfilling that damned bastard’s wish," the double identity murderer suddenly changed his mind too.
"I don’t like this ending," Aiden stated coldly, taking out the Wordless Code.
He certainly could not like such an ending. Deborah, created and manipulated to meet a tragic end by her dominator, reflected his own image in Aiden’s eyes.
Summoned to this world to be a pawn on the chessboard of the conspiracy goddess, although out of interest, the conspiracy goddess added suspense to his ending, the feeling of having one’s destiny in the clutches of some higher being was exactly the same.
Accepting Deborah’s ending would make him feel as though he were compromising with his own fate.
He had to rewrite this ending!
Aiden began writing rules in The Codex, "Within this realm, all forms of harm are forbidden, whether to others or oneself."
At that moment in the Illusionary Moon Jewelry Store, the Fantasist stopped swirling his glass, "What is he doing?"
"Something interesting." Melissa suddenly laughed, "My pawn, it seems he doesn’t really want to play the main character in your story."
"Oh?" Upon hearing the command from The Codex, the double identity murderer suddenly sneered, "Are you planning to let me go?"
"How could that be possible?" Aiden calmly replied, turning to Deborah, "I’ve thought of a way, but for you, it will be very risky."
