Disclaimer: 'Honkai Impact 3rd' is the property of Hoyoverse, Singapore. I do not own any characters in this story except the minor OCs here and there.
CAUTION! Graphic descriptions near the end of this chapter. Please avoid reading if you are uncomfortable with any explicit content. I repeat, DO NOT read this chapter till the end if you are uncomfortable with any explicit content.
The Rain
? (SEA OF QUANTA) – 2024 (Previous era) (35 days since the commencement of Project V.A.L.K.U.A)
"sigh… No matter how often I see it, I cannot get used to this weird place." a man with brown hair and brown eyes said. He had a tuft of white hair at the front, and his overall demeanour showed the fatigue he was feeling now.
"Maybe I have gotten too old for this type of stuff?" he mused. Suddenly a mechanical voice responded:
"The Prometheus detects obvious false statements in your assumption. By the Prometheus's calculations, you can extend his lifespan until 300 years with your powers, Dr. Welt. Seeing it that way, your age now is not even one-fourth of your potential age."
"Prometheus, can't you understand a joke?" the man, now identified as Welt groaned.
"Joke?" the mechanical voice belonging to A.I Prometheus inquired. It then continued, "The provision to understand these concepts were not included in the Prometheus' core program. Thus, the Prometheus is unable to analyse your query."
"What was it I made you for again?" Welt asked.
"Dr. Welt, you have created me to aid you in research related to Honkai, do calculations for the timing of Honkai-based disasters, especially eruptions, to act as the central A.I hub for various anti-intruder measures across the various Moth bases across the world, to calculate the optimum logistics for Troop deployment, to act as the central software program for the Cosmic Juggernaut…"
"Fine, fine, fine. I understand. Please stop now. My head hurts listening to the listing of your roles."
"As you wish, Dr. Welt."
"Geez. I need to program some basic emotions for you when we return."
"Is that even possible, Dr. Welt? With the data I have gathered, a single emotion results from the amalgamation of 987,547,459,365,458 external stimuli simultaneously. Even with the most advanced hardware currently available, it will take a quantum computer at least 342 years to analyse a single combination of these external stimuli. And as for all the possible combinations, by the Prometheus' calculations, it will take the quantum computer at least five hundred thousand trillion, nine hundred twenty-five billion…"
"Fine, fine. I understand, that programming emotions are impossible. Please don't continue that; the numbers hurt my ears."
"As you wish, Dr. Welt." the mechanical voice said, ending the conversation and deciding to leave the A.I to its own devices, Welt chose to go back to the living quarters, or to be more precise, his single bed cell in the goddam Divine Key to get some rest.
Once he returned to his cell, he glanced over at the documents on a small table attached to one side of the wall. He took up the topmost file on which with bold letters PROJECT: VALUKA were written.
On paper, this project was a reconnaissance mission. The Second Divine Key will be used to search for other universes along the different branches of the imaginary tree. And while there were infinitely many universes, each with its own unique qualities, operating the Cosmic Juggernaut required tremendous resources. Plus, Welt could record only so much data before he ran out of space to store them. Another factor was time, which not only did the Moths not have much of, but they also were running out of whatever they had quickly.
Hence, two main criteria were used to select which universes needed more attention than others. These criteria were simple enough for an average Moth soldier to understand them. The first one was that any universe resembling their own of more than eighty per cent was a potential candidate for observation; that included the Honkai situation. This one was easy enough as he had observed through his journey in the Sea of Quanta that the evolution and growth of Human civilization was one of the central nodes in the imaginary tree. Thus, it was safe to assume that every single branch of this imaginary tree consisted of universes where there was a human civilization. And from his last journey, Welt knew that the Honkai affected every branch, just like how a parasite affected its host.
The second criterion was more challenging than the first. The only universes worth enough for extended observations were those in which Humanity was in the same situation in the Honkai war as they were; i.e., they have evolved enough for the advent of Herrschers. And even though it had helped him trim the number of universes, the number of remaining universes that fell into these categories was still too much.
That was all that this Project into the deep end of Sea of Quanta stood for; however, there was a hidden agenda that nobody, not even his close ones, knew of. The true purpose of this journey. The true aim of Project: VALUKA.
Or should he say PROJECT: PILGRIM? That was the name of the project for which he had undertaken this journey. This project aimed to find a way to the upper plane where those beings who truly controlled things resided. In simple terms, Welt was trying to find a way to heaven, literally.
'I wonder what the different religious leaders would think if they heard about what I'm trying to do now. They would probably hang me and burn me to death like those supposed witches in the medieval era.'
After meeting ꞨⴙᶕოᶕꞨⴙ in Kevin's soulscape, the otherworldly entity had deposited an untold amount of information inside Welt's head. With the new knowledge that he had gained along with his capabilities as the Herrscher of Reason and his natural intellect, he had managed to come up with a rough idea on how to reach that place which would typically be inaccessible to the creatures of this plane.
Simply put, he had to find a point in the imaginary space, through which he could slip through the dimensional barrier and enter the higher plane. However, this was easier said than done. The omnipresence of Honkai across the Sea of Quanta and the natural inhabitant monsters of this place made it nearly impossible to find that singularity from which he could make his way to the higher plane.
To give an analogy, Welt was a picture on a piece of paper trying to come out of it and into the three-dimensional space. It was impossible in theory and sense, but for those who lived in the upper dimension, it was an easy thing to do. That was where the knowledge that he had gained from ꞨⴙᶕოᶕꞨⴙ came into the picture. But still, finding that one point was taking more time than he would've liked. Each moment spent here is each moment lost in preparation against the next Herrschers in his own universe. And he feared that the consequences might be too high.
"Haaa…" Welt sighed and shook his head as he reminded himself that he had to be patient. ꞨⴙᶕოᶕꞨⴙ had warned him that time itself that the way inside would not be easy. Thus, the only thing he could do now was to wait and put his faith in the dimension anomaly detector that he had built for this very purpose.
As he lay on the bed, his thoughts roamed back to the various universes that he had observed along the way. There were so many variations of the multiple events that even his enhanced memory couldn't remember them all. In one of the universes that he visited, there was a civilization more advanced than humans, and as such, the Honkai plagued them instead of humans. In that world, everyone he knew led peaceful lives because there was no threat of Honkai.
That was one of the worlds he remembers particularly. Everyone led peaceful and fulfilling lives. Having normal relationships and every day worries. They didn't have to go out to a battlefield regularly, not knowing whether they would return or not. Seeing it made a longing in Welt's heart as his resolve swayed a little. He thought about how good will it be to live in this world where he was seen as a normal human instead of a monster.
However, he was then reminded of the reality of his world. He was a Herrscher, not a human. Furthermore, his entering this universe will create many paradoxical problems that very well may lead to the universe's decline and ultimate destruction. This, he didn't want to let happen. He wanted these selves of them to lead happy and fulfilling lives. To achieve the happiness that they couldn't and then die at a ripe old age, free of any regrets.
Thus, he left that universe alone, even deleting any records of that universe lest someone from his world or those who could potentially get their hands on this data come to destroy the peace of this one.
He will leave this world as a testament and symbol of their unfulfilled hopes and dreams.
As he was thinking this, Welt felt his eyes get heavier, and he let himself be carried into the land of dreams, where he could at least live in this perfect world.
…
"beep…beep…beep…beep…" a beeping sound jolted Welt awake as he quickly got up from bed in a quick manner. As he quickly made his way to the control bridge of the divine key, he could hear the A.I's synthetic voice speaking:
"Dr. Welt, the anomaly detector has detected a fissure in the spacetime reality fabric right ahead of us."
"I know. Ready the engines for maximum output at once." Welt replied in a sense of urgency as he all but ran to the bridge.
"Understood, Dr. Welt."
The scene before him made Welt's jaw drop when he came to the bridge. The space before him was literally twisting apart. It was as if someone was poking a hole through a membrane, stretching it in the process. The whole thing felt fundamentally wrong, like it wasn't supposed to happen in any way. No sort of law or phenomenon in this Quantum Sea should be able to do what was happening. And that was how Welt knew that he was at the right place.
Because the only thing that could surpass the laws of this place, were the laws of a place which was even higher than this.
"Doctor…" Prometheus called out to Welt to confirm if this was the place.
"Yes, Prometheus. This is the place. If my calculations are right, we can squeeze through the interplane-dimensional separation and enter Teotl."
"Are you sure, Dr. Welt? My sensors detect nothing ahead of us. There should be no way logically possible for your postulates to work."
"That is because you, me, and even this Divine Key were created according to the logic of this plane. Just like how a two-dimensional drawing can't understand the concept of a Tensor, we can't understand the structure of the higher dimension."
"So Doctor, if there are any errors in your calculations, what do you suppose will happen to us if we go through that tear?"
"…" Welt was silent at this question for a long time before he finally said:
"Let's not think about it too much, Prometheus."
"It's not logical to not weigh the positives and negatives of a strategy, Doctor."
"Just believe in me; we will be fine."
"There has been an increase in the secretion of stress Hormones in your body. By the Prometheus' calculations, you are yourself unsure about it, Dr. Welt."
"Oh, please just do it." Welt said as he sat down on the chair and swiped across the keyboard. As he finished inputting the final commands of the supposed launch of the Divine Key into that tear, he commanded Prometheus:
"Prometheus, run the final diagnostics and transfer full control over to me."
"Yes, Doctor. Running final tests." The A.i said and soon Welt saw all the necessary parameters of the Cosmic Juggernaut in the screen before him.
"Here goes nothing." Welt said to himself as he gave the final command:
"Prepare for the jump, Prometheus."
"Engine output at 200 per cent. All dampers deactivated. Tensor correction coefficient at 0.23. Initiating the final countdown."
A whizzing sound filled the bridge as Welt felt the Honkai energy concentrating in the main engine of the Cosmic Juggernaut. This was it.
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four…"
"Let's go." Welt said, removing all restraints and grabbing onto his chair tightly.
"…Three. Two. One."
"GO." Welt commanded, and the Divine Key accelerated at the speed of light towards the tear in the fabric of the current dimensional plane. Due to being in a quantum state, the time from where he actually accelerated to when he entered the tear felt like a moment, yet at the same time, it felt like an eternity.
And just like that, the Second divine Key disappeared into the tear.
AT A TRAFFIC JUNCTION (LONDON – UNITED KINGDOM) – 2024
"…" Kevin looked towards the cloudy sky through the windshield of his car. Seeing his friend looking at the sky like that with the expression on his face, Su asked with concern:
"What happened, Kevin?"
"Nothing." Kevin replied as he put the car into first gear and pressed the accelerator to make it start moving as the traffic light turned green. Soon they were driving their way through the busy roads of London. As they made their way towards St. Michaels, Su chose to observe the surroundings of this metropolis they were in.
"You know Kevin, when I first came to Nagazora, I thought that it was the biggest city I had seen in my entire life. But seeing this place really put into perspective what a real city looks like."
"Hmm." Kevin hummed absentmindedly as he worked his way through the hordes of vehicles on the road. There was additional traffic due to everyone and their mother taking out their four-wheelers instead of using public transport due to fear of the oncoming rain. At this, Su said:
"Today is much more traffic than usual, and it's cloudy too. I think it is going to rain soon" He then absentmindedly added "I don't like the rain."
Kevin noticed the slight melancholic tone in Su's voice but chose not to say anything. After driving for a few more minutes, they finally arrived at the school. After parking their car, the two of them made their way to the school gate and finally saw the fair that Seele was participating in its full glory.
A huge banner was hung above the front gate with 'St. MICHAELS ADVANCED NURTURING SCHOOL: 54th ANNUAL FESTIVAL' written in colourful and decorative words. The moment they stepped inside the school grounds, they were assaulted by students advertising their stalls and other activities.
"Experience French café and get a taste of the original croissant. Visit Class 10-A's café and let yourself get lost in the world of French."
"Want to become a creative artist, then visit the Art and Handicraft workshop by class 11-C. Awake your inner Picasso or Michelangelo and become the next art sensation."
"Think you have what it takes to tame a horse and win a race. Visit the horse-riding club's horse training session. Whether a novice or an expert, you will find something to enjoy yourself with. Lucky winners will get special prizes and medals."
"Please have a look…"
"Come visit us…."
"There are a lot of stalls and activities going on in this fest. It somehow reminds me of our cultural fest back in Chiba Academy."
"Hmm." Kevin hummed as he looked around for Seele's handicraft stall but could not locate it anywhere.
"Look, it says that Seele-chan's stall is at the right wing of the main building." Su said, pointing at the guide map in the festival brochure that they had gotten from the information desk.
"…" Kevin peered over it silently while examining the guide map. After a few moments, he returned the brochure back to Su and said.
"Let's go."
"Go where?"
"To Seele's stall." Kevin replied as he started walking towards the front doors of the main school building.
"Wait, do you know where you are going?"
"Yes. The stall is on the left-hand side of the second floor, just before the science house of class 11-F."
Su couldn't believe his ears at the pinpoint accuracy with which Kevin had recalled the location of Seele's stall. Thus, he checked the map to verify whether what Kevin had told him was accurate or not, and to his surprise, he found that it was scarily accurate and precise to the last block.
"Wha-" Su could only gasp as he was once again reminded of the mental prowess of his friend. In no way was he inferior to any one of the researchers of the Moths or even his professors and him. He would have made a fine scientist if he had not been so focused on fighting the Honkai.
As he was thinking this, he suddenly saw Kevin's figure starting to disappear among the crowd. Thus, he ran to catch up to him lest he himself be lost in the crowd, even with the map in hand. As he ran towards Kevin, he called out:
"Hey, wait for me, Kevin?"
…
"Ah!" Seele gasped with happiness as she saw her big brother and Su Onii-chan's figure making their way to her and Anne's stall. As they approached the booth, she could hear a soft gasp near her. Turning her head, she saw her friend looking at her brother with a reddened face. Understanding at once what was happening, Seele sighed inwardly. Once they approached the stall, it was Su who started the conversation ironically.
"Hey there, Seele-chan; we came to see your stall as promised."
"Thank you for coming, Su Onii-chan, Onii-chan."
"Hmm." Kevin hummed in reply. Then he looked at Seele's friend and asked:
"Is she your friend Anne?" Kevin asked Seele, to which she replied:
"Yes, Onii-chan. Her full name is Anastasia Valentina Rothchester. Since it is a bit handful, I call her Anne."
"Hmm." Kevin hummed in understanding.
Anne on the other hand was surprised that Seele's brother knew her name. When Seele told her about her brother, she expected him to be average-looking and nothing special. But the one standing before her was… he was… he was…
He was so handsome.
Anne had seen many handsome-looking men in her life, thanks to being the heir of one of the archduchies. She had seen many lower noble males using their wealth to make themselves look better and more handsome. However, in her eyes, none of them were ever as handsome as her father; that was until now.
His sharp and steady eyes bored into her. She felt as if he was staring down into her very being, dissecting her into the tiniest piece possible. His broad, straight shoulders and above-than-average height made him tower over her. She could also see his muscular yet toned arms through the rolled-back sleeves. His toned and broad chest made her feel highly giddy for some reason as she imagined what it would feel like to be nuzzled against him.
Anne's face grew a shade redder as she took in Kevin's physical appearance. He was just like a prince from the storybooks she had read as a child. She believed that those persons just existed in storybooks; but seeing her best friend's brother in front of her, she wasn't sure anymore.
While the girl was checking out the man in front of her. Standing on Kevin's side, Su noted that the girl's name sounded familiar.
"Rothchester… Rothchester… where have I heard this name before?" he kept muttering until he suddenly remembered who this person was in front of them.
"Ahhh!" he exclaimed out loud. Causing the other three to look at him. Su at once bowed down before Anne as he spoke reverently:
"I'm sorry, I couldn't recognize you earlier, Lady Anastasia. Please forgive me for my rudeness."
"?" Kevin just looked at him puzzled. At this, Su looked at him with an anxious expression and said:
"Oi, bow down in front of her, you idiot. She is the eldest daughter and the heir of Archduke Rothchester. She is also second in line to the throne of the U.K. She is literally royalty."
"Huh…" Kevin replied unsurely. While it was confirmed that he was precisely updated on the various advancements in anti-Honkai warfare, his knowledge about the political scene or the multiple leaders was somewhat rudimentary. Thus, he couldn't in any way know who this best friend of Seele was.
Wracking his head, Kevin remembered that he may have heard her name in one of the meetings in the Moths, but personally for him, it didn't matter as it was all unnecessary to fight the Honkai and thus was useless information to him. Hence, he didn't bother to keep the information in his memory.
As he was thinking this, the blonde-haired girl stepped forward, trying to lift Su up. She then said in a flustered voice:
"P-Please there is no need for that. I'm just an ordinary student like everyone else here."
After some time when everyone had calmed down, Seele asked Kevin:
"By the way Onii-chan, did you visit other attractions before coming here?"
"No."
"Ehh? Why?"
"I said I will visit only your stall. Now that I've done it, I will return to the apartment to pack my things and return to work."
At this, Seele's face dropped in an instant. Seeing her like this, Kevin felt a little guilty about how he had stated it. However, he also knew that it was nearly impossible to reason with her to let him return to his Moth soldier duty. There was also something else that was bothering her. He had noticed her fidgeting around him during the time he was here, and then there was her nightmare from a few days before. In her younger years, she would have told him what was bothering her; but as she grew older, she started withdrawing away from him more and more. Nowadays she wouldn't even bother telling him how she was feeling or if she needed something from him.
She was becoming more distant as the years have passed; Kevin sighed internally. Maybe what he had thought earlier was true after all. She was now at an age when he shouldn't be bothering her anymore, and giving her more freedom.
Perhaps she didn't need him in her life anymore.
Seeing, Seele's downcast face, everyone went silent at once. There were a few moments of uneasy silence, as the two other people saw the standoff between a stubborn brother and a gentle sister who wanted to spend some more time with her said brother. Seeing the situation going nowhere, Su decided to break the tension.
"Kevin, why don't you tour the fair some more, while I talk with Seele here?"
"Huh?"
"Prin- ahem… Anne-san, would you please be kind and lead my friend here across the festival?" Su looked at Anne and requested.
"Yes, I would love to." Anne said beaming. Then before Kevin could protest further, she took his hand and led him away from there. After seeing that they both have disappeared from their sight, Su turned to the still downcast Seele and said:
"Well, I think it's time for lunch, what do you say about it?"
"I can't leave the stall unattended." Seele said in a quiet voice. Hearing this, Su spoke while waving his hand:
"No, No, No. you get it wrong, I'm not telling you to leave the stall. I will get some food for both of us and while we eat it, you can tend to the stall side-by-side."
"Okay." Seele replied, but it was clear from her voice that she wasn't in a happy mood anymore. Su deciding to be quick in fetching food for both of them, while saying a quick goodbye to her, made his way to one of the food stalls. As he turned around the corner, he could swear he heard a choking sound, and then he saw a single drop fall from Seele's face to the ground.
'Kevin, you idiot!' Su mentally chided his friend as Seele's figure disappeared around the bend.
'This is a wastage of time' Kevin mentally scoffed as he was dragged by the supposed next queen of U.K across the entire fest. People left no stone unturned to flatter her everywhere she went by offering various services or objects. She had visited almost every stall or activity that was present in the school fest. And this entire time she had not let go of his arm, clinging to it like moss. This behaviour almost reminded him of Elysia, and by looking at her behaviour, he could safely assume that her personality was the same.
After being nearly dragged to every establishment in the fest, they both were now sitting on one of the benches on the school premises. Kevin observed the blonde-haired girl happily munch away the chocolate truffles that were sold in one of the stalls. She had gotten them for free because of her beauty and status.
The girl kept nibbling on the chocolate balls with the utmost grace that he had ever seen. He had always believed Seele to be the most elegant out of the two, and that still held. But this woman made that elegance seem like a commoner habit.
Not like it mattered much to him. For him as long as his body gets the nutrition needed to fight the long fights, it was enough for him. Elegance and such were luxuries to those who could afford them, and he certainly couldn't; not with his lifestyle anyways.
Once the girl was finished, she took out her napkin and softly wiped her lips. Then with the same elegance that she had shown earlier, she put it back into the pocket of her uniform from which she had taken. She then saw Kevin sitting there observing the school festival. Deciding to know more about him, she asked:
"How do you like our festival, Mr-"
"Just call me by my name." Kevin cut her off "beside you can do it right? being royalty and all."
"Well then, please excuse me for not being like those typical nobles that you have read about. My father had always taught me to give respect to others the way that I would like to be respected back."
"Hmm." Kevin hummed in response. At this, Anne puffed her cheeks and then sighed. This guy was really insufferable as Seele had told her. She then started to ask the same question that she wanted to ask earlier:
"So as I asked earlier, how do you find our festival, Mr. Kevin?"
"It's good. It reminds me of the festival we had back in my high school."
"Oh, you went to a high school as well?"
"Well, sorry to disappoint you but I'm not illiterate, your majesty."
"giggle… Silly, I never said you were. Seele told me that you work in a government organization."
"I suppose so." Kevin replied vaguely. He couldn't call Moths exactly a governmental organization. Anne chose to not comment on it even if she noticed his vague answer. She instead asked:
"So how was your high school like?"
"Ordinary."
"Eeh? Is that all you have to say about it?"
"…"
"Mou fine. Meanie." she pouted her cheeks. She then suddenly became serious and asked:
"So how did you meet Seele? It is obvious that you two are not blood-related in any way."
At this question, Kevin was silent for a long while before he answered:
"She had lost her parents in a disaster. I happened to be there for relief work, so I took her in when we found nobody related to her."
Kevin gave a brief summary of what happened. He kept the Honkai part out of it for good reason but held to the truth of what happened.
"Is that so." Anne mused "No wonder why she is so much attached to you. Maybe it's more than an attachment."
"Yeah, I saved her, and perhaps she saved me too in another way." Kevin commented offhandedly. Anne was surprised by the soft tone of Kevin's voice when he said that. When she turned to look at him, she found him having a serene look on his face. At that moment, her heart skipped a beat as she understood that maybe she had developed a crush on this man beside her.
However, her royal pride prevented her to make a fool of herself in front of another, less her friend's big brother. That was when she heard him speak:
"But perhaps we have drifted off in these years." He wasn't sure why was he telling these things to a complete stranger, but he felt as if telling her this wouldn't be a bad thing. Thus, he decided to listen to his heart for once.
"Really? The way it looks, you don't have anything to worry about."
"That is the thing. When she was little, she wouldn't react as she did today. Nowadays, it feels as if she wants to tell me something but keeps it to herself." He then exhaled as he said "maybe she doesn't want me in her life anymore. Perhaps it is time to let her go and live her own life, instead of being a pretend family."
Anne was appalled at this. This guy thought that Seele wanted to get him out of her life? What even made him believe that? Her shock must have been tremendous as her thoughts came out as words from her mouth:
"What are you even saying, Mr. Kevin? What would make you even think that?"
"You saw today how she reacted. When she was small, she would outright say what she felt to me, but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore."
"That is because- ooff… I can't believe you can be so dumb, Mr. Kevin." Anne outright said it. She couldn't believe this guy. He had the emotional intelligence of a potato and the awareness of others' feelings of a slug. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought about how Seele suffered under him.
"She reacted like that because she doesn't want you to leave. It's not hard to understand."
"Huh?" this time it was Kevin's turn to be dumbfounded. His expression told Anne everything about the situation; and how much of a dense blockhead this man was. She felt like a bucket of cold water was thrown over her as the rosy atmosphere suddenly dissolved into nothingness.
"arrrgh… Geez!" she exclaimed to herself as she suddenly got up. Seeing her get up, Kevin also stood up. she then grabbed his hand and dragged him off. This time, he was able to protest a little:
"Wait where are we going?"
"Somewhere you need to be. And you Mister-" she looked at him with challenging eyes "owe an apology to Seele."
"?" Kevin was puzzled.
…
At the same time
The lunch was a sad and quiet affair, Su decided. He thought that he would be able to lift Seele's spirits a little; but by the way, she was quietly nibbling at the sandwich he brought her, it wasn't too successful as he hoped it would be.
"You know, this school festival reminds me of a lot of ours back in Nagazora." Su suddenly began. As he looked to the side, even though Seele was quiet as before, her face was beginning to lighten up a little as she too started reminiscing the happy and carefree days of the past.
"Yes, I remember it too. You guys did a stargazing event. Onii-chan put a projector globe in a dark classroom, and when you turned on the projector switch, the entire ceiling and walls of the classroom were covered by the picture of the starry sky."
"Yeah, and then Mei went into full scientific mode and started to tell the visitors about the various stars. That was when I knew that she will be a good teacher. Shame she didn't choose that path."
"Then Onii-chan was suddenly called upon to perform in the sleeping beauty short drama by one of the classes. Their prince candidate had supposedly fallen ill that day, and Onii-chan being the most handsome in the entire school was selected for the replacement lead role."
"Yeah, I remember that. At first, he tried to refuse, but it didn't work out as he was forcefully dragged away by the other females belonging to the theatrical group. I still remembered how the ticket sales for the drama skyrocketed the moment they were told that it was him who was playing the prince. Interestingly, most of the buyers of the tickets were the female population. Even Mei left her station to buy the tickets, leaving me alone to attend our event."
"giggle…" at this, a soft giggle sound could be heard from Seele's mouth. Su's face softened as he saw her smile finally.
"Thank goodness." Su said relieved. Hearing this, Seele asked surprised:
"Eh? About what?"
"You finally smiled. I was worried that you will not smile the entire day."
"Oh…" Seele replied and her face fell again. Just remembering what happened before was enough to dampen her mood again.
"Wait, wait, wait. Don't make that face again, Seele-chan. It was so hard to get you to smile again." Su frantically said as he waved his hands before her. To this, Seele smiled a sad smile and said:
"Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Su Onii-chan. I really appreciate it."
"sigh…" Su just sighed in resignation. Maybe it wasn't possible for today after all. As he was thinking this, he saw a familiar figure dragging another familiar figure in their direction. From what he could observe, he saw that the person who was pulling the other one was wearing an irritated expression on her face.
Once they reached him, the one who was dragging the other said in annoyance:
"Now then Mr. Kevin, I think you have to clear some misunderstandings between the two of you." She then turned to them and said:
"Seele."
"Y-yes." Seele stuttered because her name was suddenly called out. The other girl then said:
"Why don't you leave the stall to me and enjoy the rest of the day with your big brother here?"
"B-But…" Seele tried to argue.
"S-E-E-L-E."
"Yes!" she went ramrod straight when the blonde-haired girl called out her name like that. After that, she turned to the second person and said:
"Take her with you where we were earlier and tell her everything you told me before."
"…"
"A-M I C-L-E-A-R, MR. K-E-V-I-N?"
"Fine." was the only reply the second person gave. After confirming that the brother and sister were going to do as she had said earlier, she turned to Su and said:
"Why don't you give me company for the meanwhile, good sir."
"W-wha-… I me-mean sure…" Su said while being a little nervous. As if he could reject the words of a royal in their own country. He knew that he didn't have the same diplomatic protection as Kevin, and he didn't want to get on the wrong side of any future monarchs if he could help it.
Anne then waved her hands at Kevin and Seele prompting them to go. Thus, Kevin led Seele with him back to the place where he was sitting with Anne earlier. As the pair disappeared around a corner, Su finally found the courage to ask the question that had been on his mind.
"Umm… Anne-san?"
"Yes?" she turned around to look at Su. Su felt his throat drying for some reason; in times like these he wished he had the braveness of Kevin. Still, he had his pride as a man; thus, he gathered all the courage he could and asked:
"Why did you both send them away together?"
"Oh, that." Anne replied "It's very simple actually. I talkedh Mr. Kevin and immediately understood how much of a dumb person he could be. Hence, I decided that the best course of action would be for them to talk directly face to face."
At this, Su couldn't control himself anymore and burst out laughing. To think that even a royal could understand how much of an idiot his friend was, never in his wildest dreams could have ever thought that.
"W-Why are you laughing?" Anne asked surprised.
"N-No it's not that I'm making fun of you, Anne-san. It's just hilarious how much you understand better about that idiot friend of mine already than he does himself."
"Oh." Anne said surprised. After some time when Su finally calmed down, he wiped the teras from the corner of his eyes and spoke:
"It is exactly as you say, Anne-san. That guy is an idiot who still doesn't understand that the people around him care for his well-being and want to spend time with him."
At this, Anne was clearly surprised. The way that this man had said about his friend was almost as if:
"Good sir?"
"Su."
"Huh?"
"My name. Feng Su. Just call me Su, Anne-san."
"Okay Mr. Su, did any women fancy Mr. Kevin before."
At this, Su was dumbfounded. That was when he finally noticed the expression that the blonde-haired princess was making.
'Kevin, you moth-'
This was getting out of hand, he decided. Wasn't Eden-san enough, that he is now also trapping literal princesses in his web also? He sighed as he thought that this was getting way more complicated than it should be. His head started to hurt at the tumultuous love life of his friend. Kevin could literally begin the third world war if he wanted to by making these girls jealous. Su internally shook his head at his friend's seemingly uncontrollable womanizing tendencies.
…
Both the brother and sister were sitting on the same bench where Anne had dragged the brother from earlier. There was an uneasy silence between them before Seele spoke up:
"U-umm… Onii-chan, please forgive Anne. She is not usually like that; I don't know what happened to her now. But I promise that I will talk to her after this."
"There is no need." Kevin stated as he sat with his elbows supported by his thighs. He then looked ahead and continued "She said some things to me that I think I should ponder upon."
He then turned to look Seele in the eyes and asked in a sincere voice:
"Seele, is something wrong?"
"Eh?!" Seele said surprised. Why was her Onii-chan asking if there was something wrong with her? She then heard Kevin continue:
"You know, when you were younger, you would tell me without hesitation if anything was wrong, or if you needed something. I admit that you weren't that vocal about it, but you would still say your worries to me. But these past few years, it had changed."
"…" Seele's mouth was agape as she listened to what her brother really felt this entire time. As he continued speaking about how he thought that she wanted to get him out of her life and how they had drifted apart these past few years, her heart shook in sadness. She wanted to so badly open up, and tell him everything that she had been bottling up inside: her fears of him not returning to her, her nightmares, the cold treatment of everyone else in this school, her insecurities about being his sister. However, she chose to still remain silent on that.
She knew that her brother needed more emotional support than she did. He had carried everything for so long, that he was now numb to the pain that tore him apart every day. And even though with her continuous efforts, it was still a long way to go before he could open up to her about his pain. Hence, she had to remain strong. She had to be there for her big brother. She had to be mature. She had to be…
"Is it related to the fact that I'm leaving for the Moths soon?"
Seele's mind went blank at this question. She tried to form a response but her brain was not able to come up with any. However, the subconscious part of her brain had told her the answer already.
Seele's mouth moved before she could think and spoke out what she was genuinely feeling:
"Yes."
She couldn't believe her ears when she heard her voice answering a 'yes' to her brother's question. However, before she could mend her mistake Kevin replied:
"I thought so." He then continued "Do you not want me to leave?"
At this, Seele wanted to deny it, saying that it didn't matter to her. That she would wait for him as she always did. That she was fine even if he wasn't here.
But was it really?
Was it really fine if he wasn't here but on some distant battlefield? Was it fine if all she could do was wait, never knowing whether he will return or not? Was it fine to celebrate the holidays alone with her only family left not present there?
"Yes." Seele opened her mouth and answered her brother's question with a steady voice. She herself was surprised at the tone she was using now, it was bold, deep and almost authoritative, a far cry from her usual reserved and shy tone. Kevin's shock was apparent as he looked at her attentively. This was the first time she had seen her brother look at her this way, giving her his full attention.
Hence, she decided this time that she could be a little greedier. She had been extremely patient with her brother, but now that a chance had presented itself to her to tell him how she really felt, she wasn't going to let it slip away.
Kevin nodded at her, urging her to go on. Thus, she decided to do the same:
"Yes, I don't want you to go." She started "What do you even achieve at that place? You have sacrificed your childhood and your youth to a fight that never ends, and what do you get in return? Fame, glory, status? What Onii-chan, tell me what?"
"…" Kevin was silent at her question. Seeing his silence, she got the courage to continue:
"Nothing. You get nothing, Onii-chan. The only thing you have got all this time was pain, hurt and sadness. You have only lost things closest to you all this time. Your comrades, your friends… your family." She said the last part in a whisper, but she knew she was not entirely wrong by how her brother's body stiffened.
"Then why do you continue to be a soldier there? Why do you continue to fight those terrifying monsters? Why do you always, always get hurt to protect others, even though they still talk about you behind your back?"
"Seele…" Kevin tried to call her out.
"NO!" finally she shouted, silencing him. This was the first time since he met her, that she spoke out this loud. His face remained neutral as always, but if one looked closely, one could see the corners of his mouth twitch indicating his surprise. Unbothered by it all, Seele continued:
"Do you even have an ounce of an idea how much I'm worried every time you go on a mission? Do you know of my nightmares of various horrible what-ifs that could happen to you on that mission? Do you even know how I feel every time I see you torn, bloody and all kinds of beat up?"
"…"
"And still knowing this, still me scolding you time after time after time after time after time, you still do the same things. I can't. I can't do this anymore, Onii-chan. I thought that I was strong, but I'm not."
"…" Kevin still remained silent.
"Don't go. Please don't go. I don't want to lose you. Please stay with me. I will do whatever you say. You don't have to fight anymore. I will work hard for both of us. So please stay by my side. Please don't leave me alone."
As she finished speaking her heart out, she knelt down, covering her face with her elbow, lest the tears that she was trying so hard to keep back would start to flow. She knew that if she cried now, she wouldn't be able to stop.
Kevin was silent for a few moments after Seele's outburst. This was the first time he had heard what she actually felt.
So, the only thing she ever wanted was to be with him.
Kevin wondered when was the last time someone had outright stated to him that they wanted to be with him. He couldn't think of any such moment, and even if someone did, they belonged to a long-lost memory.
As much as he wanted to affirm to her request, he knew that he couldn't. He neither had the right, nor the luxury. Hence, he decided to clearly tell her what he felt since she had done the same.
"Seele…" he took a deep breath and started "… this is the first time I heard someone say to me that they wanted to be by my side. Even if someone else did before, I can't remember. I want to honour your words. But…"
Seele's body stiffened.
"… I'm sorry Seele. I cannot do that. It is my duty, and my responsibility to purge the Honkai. Many people had sacrificed their lives just so I could have a chance to end it all. I cannot let them down. Otherwise, their sacrifices, their dreams, and their hopes would have been for nothing. This is something I cannot let happen. No matter what."
He then stepped forward extending a hand towards Seele.
"But still hearing you say this, I feel as if there is finally someone for me. Now I know that someone will remember me after I'm gone. For me, that is enough. So thank you, Seele."
He finally reached near her and extended his hand near her. However, what Seele did next would shock him further.
SLAP.
The sound of Seele's hand slapping away his hand rang louder in Kevin's ear than any blast he had ever heard. He couldn't hear anything except that slapping sound. Suddenly Seele turned her head up, and the expression on her face would be permanently burned into his memory.
Hate.
The expression on her face was hate.
She hated him, loathed him. His own sister despised him. This realization struck him harder than a Honkai beast's attack. As he stepped back in disbelief. Seele started in a hissing voice.
"Oath this, promise that. The only thing you ever care about is your GODDAMED DUTY. YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT ME. YOU NEVER LOVED ME. YOU HAVE LOVED YOUR DUTY MORE THAN ME."
"Seele, no…" this was the first time, Kevin didn't know what to do. Thus, he tried to plead with her.
"SHUT UPPP! I HATE YOU. I DESPISE YOU ONII-CHAN. IF YOU LOVE YOUR DUTY THAT MUCH, THEN GO AND DIE WITH IT. GET OUT FROM THE FRONT OF MY EYES. NEVER SHOW ME YOUR FACE AGAIN!" Seele shouted with such a loud voice that it grabbed everybody's attention nearby. All of them started to look at what in their eyes was a sibling argument.
As Kevin stood shocked, Seele looked at him with tears flowing uncontrollably from her eyes. She with one last shaky breath said:
"I hate you."
And darted from there in an unknown direction. Kevin stood there dazed, still reeling from the shock of her sister hating him. The time when he came back to his senses, Seele was long gone.
"Seele?" he turned his head around in every direction, trying to find her. However, only the faces of strangers greeted him. Hence, he began to run in the direction of her stall.
…
Anne and Su were having small talk when they saw Kevin running towards them. Su was taken aback when he saw the expression on his friend's face. Instead of aloofness and neutrality, Kevin's face was marred with anxiety and worry. He also noticed that his friend's face was a bit paler than usual, as if was scared by something.
Once Kevin approached him, he asked in a frantic tone that surprised Su even more.
"Su, Anne, have you seen Seele?"
"Huh?" Su was confused. Wasn't Seele supposed to be with him? He decided to ask the same:
"Wasn't Seele supposed to be with you?"
"We got into a fight and she ran away." Kevin said absentmindedly as he started to dash away to the next place to find Seele. However, a sudden tug on his wrist stopped him. He turned his head back and scowled at the person who dared to stop him. Glaring Sky-blue eyes met cold and steady Emerald eyes. The person then with the same steadiness that showed in their eyes asked:
"Tell me exactly what you said to her?"
…
SLAP.
Another slapping sound rang in the air as Kevin's vision jerked. When he turned his head back, he saw the girl with Emerald eyes looking at him in pure anger.
"Are you a retard?!" she cursed at him "Do you have any idea what you said? I thought you could be better than that but I now stand corrected."
She then turned to Su and said:
"Please search the left half of the school. I will search the right side of the school with my acquaintances." She then looked at Kevin in disgust and said "And take this failure of a brother with you. I don't know what I might do if I see his face any longer."
"Got it." Su nodded in agreement. Even he was angry at how Kevin handled the situation and wanted to beat him up himself. However, finding Seele now took the highest priority.
"Let's go." he said grabbing Kevin roughly by his arm to show his dissatisfaction and dragging him away. However, before her figure disappeared around the corner, Kevin heard her say one last thing:
"I'm disappointed in you Mr. Kevin. With the way you are, you don't deserve Seele's devotion."
'Idiot, idiot, idiot, I hate you, I hate you.' was the only thing on Seele's mind as she kept running. She just ran straight, not minding anymore if she bumped into others. However, with her limited physical strength, she soon ran out of energy to run and crawled down to a stop.
"pant… pant… pant…" she panted hard whilst supporting herself on a nearby wall. Her vision shook, and she felt a wave of dizziness wrack her. Her vision flickered, and she felt as if she was going to empty her stomach's contents anytime now.
As she was taking deep breaths, trying to get herself under control, she heard an unfamiliar voice speak from the side:
"Lookie here who we have got. If it isn't the pest that sticks around Lady Anastasia."
Seele looked up to see a boy nearly her age with reddish-brown hair and violet eyes looking at her in contempt and disgust. Four to five boys who were along with him surrounded her at once.
"U-Umm…" she tried to ask them who they were, but her shy nature prevented her from doing that. Her outburst earlier had worn off, and with it the courage she had disappeared too. She noticed that all of them wore her school's uniform, meaning they went to the same school as her. And from noticing their build, she concluded them to be of similar age as her; that meant they were possibly her classmates as well
As she was trying to remember their names, she heard the boy with reddish-brown hair and violet eyes speak up:
"Why are you crying, you little wench? Did the princess doesn't want you anymore?"
At this, the remaining boys started laughing. Some even added comments like:
"Yeah, yeah, serves her right."
"Lady Anne left her because she's a commoner, and commoners stink."
"Right, right. Have you looked at her clothes? She looks like a beggar."
"Well, of course she is one. She doesn't even have any money to attend school either. I heard she got admitted through some scholarship."
"Whoa, gross."
(WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!)
Seele tried to open her mouth to refute their claims, but before she could do so, she felt wind getting knocked out of her as the leader of those boys kicked her in the stomach. She retched due to the force that she was kicked in the abdomen and started barfing. Seeing this, the others laughed louder.
"Oi, oi watch out, she's gonna vomit."
"Don't get you filth on my shoes, vermin." another sneered in disgust.
As Seele lay on the ground, unable to get up due to her immense pain, she heard footsteps approaching her. Then someone yanked her hair and pulled her up. as her face twisted in further pain, she saw the violet eyes gleaming maniacally.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't tell me that you are done already. Because we aren't done with you just yet. In fact, we are only getting started."
Saying this, she felt her face being knocked back into the ground. She heard a crunching sound as her face exploded in pain. A foot was down on her head not a moment sooner, crushing her head back to the ground. She heard a few more crunching sounds, as her mouth was filled with a metallic taste, and something started to come out of her nose.
"…ease….op…" she gargled out, trying to reach out her hand, which was again crushed by another foot.
"Stop wriggling, little insect." the boy with reddish-brown hair said as he stepped on her hand, crushing it beneath his foot.
"…se… top…. It….hurts…" Seele managed to speak out. However, the foot on her hand didn't lift and only bore down harder.
Crack.
Another cracking sound was heard as her whole left hand exploded in pain. At this point, Seele couldn't think properly due to the pain. After a few more moments of this torturous session, the foot on her hand lifted suddenly. As she was relieved that the pressure was gone, it still didn't lessen the effect of the pain. She then heard the same boy speak up again:
"Hmm. Looking closely, those breasts aren't bad either for a girl your age. I think I will have my fun with you for today."
The surrounding boys started giggling in ways that made Seele feel a shudder go up her spine. She inadvertently tried to scurry away, feeling an unexplainable sense of danger in the boy's words earlier. However, due to the injuries she had suffered earlier, along with the extreme pain and exhaustion she was feeling now, she wasn't able to drag herself two meters before one of the boys caught her. She then heard the muddled voice of the boy saying to her:
"Where are you going, whore? Let's have some fun first."
"Please…" she whimpered, pleading with the boy to let her go. The boy, however with the same sinister smile replied:
"Go? What makes you think I will even do that?" he then turned towards the others and said:
"Bring her to our place. There nobody will disturb us."
Seele felt herself being carried to somewhere else. However, instead of being gently carried by her brother, she was carried roughly like a sack of potatoes. Her broken left-hand hurt as it brushed the body of the boy who was carrying her. Growing irritated, the boy spat:
"Keep your filthy hands away from me, wench. Lest you want it to be gone."
"…" Seele remained silent as she felt the energy draining away from her body. After what felt like an eternity, the surroundings changed to the inside of a building. She was then suddenly thrown down on the floor like a sack. She gasped due to the pain of being thrown down roughly:
"agck… cough… cough…" she coughed out droplets of blood from her mouth. She then heard the boy say:
"Hold her hands and leg, make sure she doesn't move."
The other boys were quick to obey as she felt herself being pinned by both her arms and legs. The pain in her left broken hand returned tenfold as someone held it roughly. She then heard the boy with reddish-brown hair's voice say:
"Let's see how does a commoner pussy look like."
She then heard a tearing sound as the fabric of her undergarment was cut. She could now feel the cold air of the surrounding through her lower parts and this made her body go into overdrive. She struggled to free herself from the ones holding her down, but her limited strength and her beaten-up state didn't allow her to do so.
She then felt a finger touching her most intimate area. She shivered in fear as the finger caressed it.
"Hmm, not bad, it's clean and free of hair. It doesn't look like it's shaven, so that means that you don't have any hair down there naturally."
Sounds of whistling could be heard, as she listened to some of the boys making comments like how they wanted a round after their leader was done. She then felt her shirt being ripped open, as cold air breezed past her bare skin.
"Ohhhhhh!" she heard someone exclaim "They are huge. Damm, what a woman. I'm going to enjoy this."
"Idiot, our leader gets the first round."
"Of course, of course. I was telling that after him."
"haa… what are you spouting about, I will get the second round."
"As if you dolts will. The one who will get the second round is definitely me." a third one added. Suddenly there was an argument about who gets to enjoy this woman after their leader. However, they were cut off by a commanding voice:
"Enough."
All of them went silent at once at their leader's voice. The boy with reddish-brown hair then said:
"You can decide it afterwards, now do what I told you to do." he commanded. The boys obeyed at once, holding Seele down again. Once the boy finished stripping down his pants, he exclaimed in a commanding voice:
"Thank your lucky stars that you get to be one who receives my grace and favour. Now accept my everything like a whore you are."
"Mpmphhhh…" Seele tried to scream, but her mouth was now covered by another boy. The boy with reddish-brown hair and violet eyes said in a carnal voice:
"Remember my name, and remember it well, you sow. My name is Henry Delafontaine, the heir of the Marquess Delafontaine, and you, you filthy harlot, be eternally grateful to receive my salvation."
"MPHMMMMMMM." Seele screamed as her world exploded in unimaginable pain.
It hurt, it hurt. It hurt. IT HURT.
The boy named Henry moved like a feral animal as Seele screamed in pain beneath him. She felt as if she was going to be split apart by the amount of pain she was feeling in her lower body. It was also not helped by the fact that the boy groped her chest roughly, leaving bruise marks on her skin.
Soon, the room was filled with wet slopping sounds. Seele cried her heart out, pleading for this pain to stop; however, cruel fate decided not to hear her pleas as the pain never stopped.
The torture went on as her cries lessened. The pain eventually subsided, and her eyes became blanker as time passed on. The room started to smell due to what was happening inside of it.
Seele blankly looked at the room's ceiling as she recognized it from the nightmare she had just had a few days before. As she thought this, she could hear the boy who was violating her speaking in a guttural tone:
"Ahhh. Good… so good… never knew that commoners could feel this good…. Take it… take my seed… take it all…"
She felt something entering her stomach but didn't care. She had long since gone numb to what was happening and believed it to be another nightmare. One she will wake up from sooner. Soon she will be back at her home, preparing her's and Onii-chan's breakfast. She wondered what he would like to eat today.
As the boys continued to defile her, she heard one of them speak:
"Hey, didn't she have a brother?"
"Oh, you mean the stud we saw today?"
"Yeah him. He so damm cool, and his sister here… pfft…"
"I know right… if I knew my sister was so filthy, I would have committed suicide there. No way I'm relating myself to a prostitute like her."
"I really feel sorry for the guy. He must have given up everything to send her here, and she let everything go down the drain due to her own stupidity."
"hehe… right. how could she even think of getting closer to Lady Anastasia? A whore like her doesn't even deserve to be licking her boots."
"Dirty woman." one of them spat on her. The saliva fell on her face, drenching her nose in the pungent odour of someone with a bad dental hygiene.
'I'm dirty.' this one thought remained in Seele's mind. She then started remembering the days she had spent with her brother. Her brother had given her everything. Family, home, friends and most of all, somewhere to belong to.
She then remembered how she had shouted at him the last time she saw him. Her brother who had only wished for her happiness, and she had told him to die.
'I'm really the worst. I'm dirty. I'm filthy. I don't deserve Onii-chan. The world doesn't deserve Onii-chan. The world is rotten…'
Her thoughts became dark with each passing moment, and suddenly it happened.
The mark on her chest began to glow brightly confusing everyone present there. Her mind broke in that instant, with only one thought remaining behind.
'Kill those undeserving. Kill those pests. Kill those humans.'
"KILL!" was the last thing she said before her world went black.
'₲ⱺ₸ ¥ⱺⴎ.'
BOOOOM.
A loud explosion shook the surroundings, as the boy who was currently violating Seele was flung back. He felt intense pain wrack through his body as he heard a sickening crunch come from his chest. The pain made breathing difficult as his mouth was filled with blood. As he was thinking about what had just happened, he heard gargling sounds, as if someone was choking. He cleared the cloud of dust before his eyes and what he saw shocked him to the core
Giant vines erupted from the place where that wench was earlier. The veins seemed to throb, almost pulsing akin to a heartbeat. He squinted his eyes to see clearly what the red-coloured liquid was flowing on the surface of those vines, and that was when he saw it.
His lackeys all were hanging mid-air, being penetrated by those same vines. Their faces were pale, very pale, as if all of their blood was being sucked away. And when he saw the portion where they were stabbed, he could confirm that it was indeed the case. Their blood was being sucked by these vines the same way a plant absorbs water from the soil. As the noble was trying to process how a fun time was turned into a horror movie within the span of a second, one of the impaled lackeys turned his head towards him.
"Aaaaaahhhh!" the noble squealed and scuttled back, his pain long forgotten. The impaled boy was now almost transparent, like a dead leaf. He then with a hollow and haunting voice said:
"save…. Henry-sama…" and faded away completely. Whatever remained of him was quickly absorbed into the vines.
Suddenly, the boy could see tiny buds erupting from the vines that sucked his lackeys until nothing remained. Before his eyes, the buds quickly grew into flowers and bloomed.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed in unbridled terror once he saw the flower. They were lilies, pure, innocent white, with red centres stained with blood.
"Ara, why are you screaming like you have seen a ghost? Aren't they beautiful?" a familiar voice came from the other side of the room. Turning his head, he saw the same wench, but now she was utterly changed.
She still wore her tattered uniform, but the wounds on her body were gone as if they haven't existed at all. Her skin glowed a healthy tone, and her face was devoid of any injuries he and his lackeys had inflicted before. She looked more beautiful than earlier, and had been the boy's type if not for the weapon she carried.
The scythe was almost tall as her. It was accentuated with bluish-purple designs and had flowers adorned at the top. Those flowers eerily looked similar to the ones growing from the vines. That was when he understood.
She was the one who caused this. Their roles had been reversed now. He was the hunted, and she was the Hunter.
"Don't come near me!" the boy shouted in panic as he tried to scuttle back. But found himself being backed up against the wall. The girl who he had thought to be a weakling carried a giant scythe as big as her with ease. She slowly walked towards him, with an eerie smile on her face. There was a glowing mark on her chest, and her eyes glowed the same shade of red as the mark on her bosom.
"DON'T COME NEAR ME, YOU MONSTER!" the boy shouted hysterically, grabbing a piece of wood and flinging it at her.
Swing.
There was a swinging sound as the plank was sliced into millions of pieces and absorbed by those vines. The vines which had killed his lackeys coiled and twisted around her as if awaiting her command. Once she was near enough, the boy kept shouting:
"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? MY FATHER WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE IF EVEN A SCRATCH LANDS ON MY BODY."
The girl, however, seemed unafraid as she kept walking towards him. She then raised her scythe and…
"Huh?" before the boy could wonder, thousands of cuts littered his body. He fell down, every muscle, tendon and ligament severed. The pain was becoming unimaginable. He saw the girl lick the blood on her fingertips and comment:
"Yuck. It tastes so bad. No wonder a scum like you has rotten blood too."
"arghhh!" the boy screamed in pain as he attempted in vain to escape. The girl started to walk towards him again. This was when all his arrogant pride and haughtiness disappeared into thin air, as he began to cry while begging:
"FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME!"
At this, the girl replied:
"Did you when I begged?" and swung the scythe.
"PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-aughmugh…"
Blood spurted from the boy's headless corpse as it covered the girl entirely, yet she did not mind one bit. The vines sprouted from the ground, coveting the fresh source of blood. Soon the corpse of the headless noble boy disappeared among a bunch of vines, where he was dissimilated eventually.
"hehehehe…." The girl started giggling before the giggling turned into full-blown maniacal laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…"
After laughing for a while, she spoke to herself:
"Yes, I'm free, I'm free. It took so long to get control from that pathetic girl. Now I can do what my god has told me. Humanity will be purged. Hahahahahahahaha…"
The girl stepped towards the door. The veins under her command destroyed the door, and eventually the building. Once outside, they rapidly spread across all directions, targeting any innocent soul coming their way.
All this while the girl who once was known as 'Seele' smiled in glee. However, the girl who was standing now was not Seele.
Seele was dead.
The Herrscher of Death had been born.
To be continued…
Hello everyone, welcome back to 'A Warriors Destiny'.
Nothing much to say here other than enjoy the suffering and depression. We can finally see Kevin become the cold-hearted warrior we know and love. The playful days are over. From now on, things that gave the previous era its reputation will happen. I hope you look forward to these following chapters.
I plan to end the Sixth-eruption arc in two or three chapters, and then we will move on to the Seventh eruption which is yet again something I can't wait to write, huehuehuehue… (sadistic laughter).
As always if you like the story please leave a follow, favourite, and/or review.
Thank you for reading, until next time.