Chapter 367 Volume VI - Prologue
--Volume VI: Into the Darkness--
Up until this moment... everything I planned, everything I wanted to happen, everything I worked for to be good had gone wrong.
Becoming a wiera, Justin's death, the attack at the academy, the whole Holar continent stuff, the mess Paul created...
At the end of it all, I somehow got what I wanted, but it was never perfect. Every time, every damn time, I lost something... or realized too late that something was wrong.
I say I'm smart, but no... not even close. I have a bit of a good memory, I do a bit well in my studies... and that's it.
I'm an idiot.
And I've already accepted that.
That's why I've decided not to make mistakes.
That's why I decided not to take my next steps without taking any risks.
I made sure that everything was going perfectly, I made sure that nothing would go wrong.
And... I stopped relying entirely on what I remembered from the game.
And I'm glad I did.
Narrowing my eyes, gripping my cane tightly, I looked at the scene in front of me.
A city literally on fire, the smell of blood and burning filling my nose, the body parts of completely innocent people that I could see here and there, the sounds of sirens and screams filling my ears... and more.
Saligia, the organization following the chaos, had made a different move than in the game. Their first 'big' attack was supposed to happen a few months later, but it was happening now. In Wiathen, when it should have been in a completely different city.
What's the reason? I have no idea.
But... it doesn't matter.
Because... I've already stopped trusting what I know from the play, I was expecting something like this, something that I actually didn't expect.
That's not why I was not that surprised by this event, really.
That's why I wasn't caught off guard this time.
That's exactly why I acted quickly to ensure no one close to me would be harmed.
However, in spite of everything... I still managed to encounter something I didn't expect. Saligia... was really good at surprising me. So much so... that my whole body was shaking, I was having a hard time controlling myself.
It was really hard to stay calm.
But there was a big difference from the previous times. It was the reason why I couldn't stay calm...
No, it wasn't out of fear.
No, it wasn't because I saw something I didn't want to see.
No, it wasn't because I was about to lose my temper.
Rather... it was excitement.
"Oh..."
The main target of my gaze, the figure in the midst of all this chaos and flames, finally recognized me.
His violet eyes slowly fixed on mine. The lifeless corpse he was holding by the collar slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground.
His whole body shook, just like mine.
Again, not from fear or anything like that... but again, like me, from excitement.
"You... you're him, aren't you?"
The corner of his lips curved upwards slightly, and then a big... really big smile slowly appeared on his face. A disgusting smile from ear to ear, full of nothing but madness and excitement.
I tilted my head slightly to the side, and finally... all the pressure on me disappeared. I smiled, just like him. When he received the answer to his question with my smile... he started to laugh. And I laughed too.
Our laughter echoed in the street. And it didn't last too short. But, eventually, it came to an end.
My lips parted, and I spoke slowly.
"Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"
I placed my cane inside my ring. Then pulled out my sword.
Maintaining his expression, he replied almost shouting.
"Oh, wouldn't I know! After all, I was doing the same..."
He threw back his long, brown hair. As the glint in his purple eyes intensified, he took out the daggers at his waist.
He still wielded the same daggers. I recognized them in a single glance. They were the daggers that instilled fear in me the first time, daggers that would have traumatized me if not for the Absolute Mind.
And... even though they hadn't succeeded in me, they had done it in someone else.
I slowly pointed my sword at him. I couldn't help widening my smile as the energy of chaos, caora, began to gather in my body as it always did, making my crippled body able to fight once again.
"It is... disgusting to know that our feelings are mutual."
He slowly took his stance, his purple eyes on me... as if waiting for me to suddenly attack him. But he didn't stay silent.
"We had an unfinished game last time... we should continue it, right? And... I should pay you back for the arm you took from me, that's only fair that way, right... right?!"
To see that he still had the same madness, to see him talking about games... it only increased all the hatred and disgust I had for him.
But I didn't care.
"I made a promise, you know...?"
Maybe it would put a strain on my body. Maybe it was going to put me in an even worse situation when I was already crippled...
But I didn't care at all.
As both of my two ascension abilities activated at the same time, with all the mana around me literally trembling, I continued my words.
"That I will make you suffer the worst pain you can suffer, that I will send you to the bottom of a hell from which you will never emerge... not even by death."
I narrowed my eyes, slowly breaking the smile I had kept on my face until now, and looked coldly at the man in front of me.
"So... our game won't be short this time."
I raised my sword slightly.
"Please... please don't die. I beg you to hold on... so I can keep my promise. Okay?"
And I brought it down quickly while using my everything.
The city under the darkness of the night suddenly shone with a brilliant glow.
All sounds disappeared and everything became insignificant.
From this point, it was just me and the man in front of me.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m