Chapter 212 [Ind Of Drath] [27] [Blessing]
"Tell me, Ewing," Sypha asked, looking at her, "How does it feel to torture the boy who kneeled and begged to save you and your family?"
"..."
Lauryn''s cracked lips parted to say something, but all that came out was just a whimper.
She had enough time to realize that what she did all this time was wrong.
She let her anger and frustration cloud her judgment, even though she never wanted that to happen.
Shyamal slowly helped Christina move back, away from them, while Lauryn stood in front of them.
"Do you know how many times the young master has knelt in front of someone?" Sypha asked as she ced her halberd back. "...Only once."
She stepped forward, ring at her. "Do you know how much I hate you for that?"
"...Why are you doing this to him?" Lauryn asked, her voice broken. "...Why?"
Sypha tilted her head in response. "Who are you to ask that?"
Lauryn trembled, her mahogany eyes crucifying Sypha.
"...Who are you?" Lauryn snarled, ring at her. "Who are you, Esmeray?"
"....What?" Sypha''s voice echoed, a look of disgust in her eyes. "Who do you think you are to call mydy by her name?"
"Answer me!" Lauryn yelled, her re intensifying.
"Tch." Sypha clicked her tongue in response. "...You should have just died with your family—."
Lauryn burst forward, a cloud of dust erupting from the ground.
A katana in her hand as her speed kept increasing, and in an instant, she was close to Sypha.
Her katana moved too fast for anyone else to follow.
...But not for Sypha.
Her hand d itself with a ckish-red aura, forming a sharp edge at the end.
Their collision sent a shockwave through the surrounding trees.
Sypha''s body blurred once again.
She finally stopped holding back.
Her left shin collided with Lauryn''s ribs, the sound of bone cracking echoing through the forest.
Lauryn''s body crashed hard on the ground, her breathing uneven.
She picked herself up while Sypha calmly waited for her to stand.
"Do you know how much your family affected him?" Sypha asked, ring at her. "...Since the day your family died, he couldn''t eat anything for weeks."
Lauryn grunted as she took her stance.
An illusion of snowkes started to materialize around her.
She bent down before her body vanished instantly.
The snowkes rushed toward Sypha like des.
The aura around her intensified as she turned to her left.
Lauryn arrived there the next second.
Sypha''s fingers curled into a fist.
The snowkes tried to cut her body, but they couldn''t prate the aura covering her like a cloak.
A booming sound echoed through the forest as Sypha''s fist collided with Lauryn''s katana.
Cracks appeared in her katana, making her mind turn numb.
Her body flew back from the force of the collision as she barely adjusted her bnce before crashing on the ground.
Sypha''s body blurred before reappearing right behind her.
Her hand plunged deep into the gap between her ribs.
A burning pain filled Lauryn''s mind, which she tried to ignore before rotating her katana and sweeping it backward.
It barely missed Sypha''s arm as she propelled herself back.
Blood dripped down the hole in her side, but she ignored it before throwing herself toward Sypha.
Her katana blurred alongside her hand as she sliced it toward Sypha.
With a wave of her hand, Sypha just parried her katana.
Her hand blurred again, dozens of new fist marks appearing over Lauryn''s body.
Her body hurtled away into the air.
But in the next instant, a shadow loomed over her body.
Her eyes could only catch a glimpse of something before a knee mmed into her ribs.
The sound of ribs breaking cut through the air like a dagger, Lauryn''s mind screaming.
The air in her lungs exploded out in a dull grunt, and she couldn''t catch her breath again.
Her entire torso lit up with burning pain while her body hit the ground hard, cracks appearing on it.
Sypha took a step back as she looked down at her while she tried to move again.
A fist, like a hammer, hit the side of her head, making her sprawl back on the ground.
"You''re not fun," Syphamented, grabbing her hair and lifting her up. "...I don''t know why the young master even bothered with lowlifes like you."
She mmed her head back on the ground, blood leaking down her forehead.
"...Have you ever wondered why you''re still alive?" Sypha whispered in her ear. "Because the young master begged for your life... and how did you repay him?"
A crack appeared in the ground as her head was mmed back again.
"Worthless peasant."
With onest m, Sypha threw the half-dead Lauryn, her skull broken, away.
Her body turned as she looked back at the girls.
Christina stood in front of them, ring at her.
"I am surprised you didn''t try to interfere," shemented with a mocking smile. "...I suppose you guys aren''t that stupid."
Avril''s tears started to stream again as Sypha walked closer.
"So, who wants to sacrifice for others?" she asked, but her gaze was solely on Christina. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
But before she could take another step, something shone in the sky.
She looked up, her voice filled with confusion. "...A meteorite?"
But as she focused more, she could vaguely make sense of it.
Her gaze stayed steady on the burning mes falling from above, her lips parted again. "...A Crown?"
A broken purple crown hurled toward the ind.
Her head abruptly turned to her side as she felt goosebumps all over her body, her heartbeat quickening.
...She felt something from deep within her.
....Fear.
...
...
...
[Few minutes earlier.]
"....Hahaha."
A hollowugh escaped my mouth as I looked down at the ground, still kneeling.
A myriad of emotions threatened to consume what was left of me.
My mind wasn''t capable enough to understand what happened.
"....She is alive," I whispered weakly, my voice breaking. "....She is alive."
My head slowly turned toward Aimar.
He was heavily injured, a deep handprint on his chest that broke his ribs.
....He was dying.
I slowly crawled toward him, my own body feeling like it was giving out, barely able to hold myself.
Reaching closer to him, I ced both my hands over his chest.
"Ruah."
I whispered weakly, a cluster of green slowly emerging from my hand, entering his chest.
His wound started to heal, slowly but surely.
"....Why?"
Even though I tried not to think about it...
...I just couldn''t.
"....Why did she do that?"
Was it really necessary to do something like that to an innocent child?
....What did I do wrong?
Her death was the thing that pushed me to make a deal with that woman.
Her death forced me to take extreme steps.
Her death forced me to make the world hate me.
I always thought Aunt Belly was the only person who loved me without any conditions.
...I always thought that.
But even that was fake.
...Everything.
Every single thing I experienced in my childhood was fake.
...I am nothing but a puppet, since I was a child.
...I am nothing.
Aimar''s breathing turned steady, his chest no longer looking as damaged as before.
I crawled back, my gazending on the broken katana ced to the side.
...But all I did was keep looking at it.
Time passed. I don''t know how long.
Was it perhaps five minutes or ten?
I don''t know; I just quietly sat there without doing anything.
[...What are you doing?]
El''s stern voice echoed in my head.
"..."
But I didn''t reply.
[...Are you giving up?]
"...I can''t," I mumbled weakly, shaking my head in response. "...I can''t do it now."
[...]
"...There is no point in it." Even though he kept quiet, I continued. "....Whatever I do, I will end up losing everything—."
A burning pain resonated within my body, as if something from the deepest part of my soul had moved.
I slowly raised my head.
....A blurry figure of a tall man stood in front of me.
Nothing was recognizable about him except those pristine long white hairs.
And it didn''t take me long to know who he was....
"...El?"
I asked, not entirely sure if this was real or if I was hallucinating.
"...Why are you turning like this?"
His deep, breathy voice echoed, making my mind scream in pain.
It was painful.
Even listening to his words felt like my ears were burning.
"You act like an intelligent being." Ignoring my numbing mind, he continued, "But in reality, you talk like an arrogant fool."
"...."
"What have you even lost?" His voice echoed as he knelt down, his blurry face in front of me, his voice echoing again.
"....If a tree loses or gains new leaves, we don''t feel sad or happy for it, what happened with you was the part of your life."
"...What do you want me to do?" I asked, ring at what I thought were his eyes.
His blurry body slowly started to vanish as if he felt something, but his voice echoed again. "Bury everything that makes you weak... build a wall around your pain and never falter."
His body vanished again, and the pain in my head subdued.
[This cowardice doesn''t suit you, Azariah.]
His voice echoed outside my head, around me.
[Believe in yourself and there will be no army within Lumina that can win against you.]
I blinked my eyes to alleviate the blurriness fogging my vision.
My ragged breath slowly calmed down.
[Pick your weapon, Azariah.]
El''s voice echoed again as I drew in a deep breath and once again nced at the broken katana.
[...It''s your duty to protect what belongs to you.]
Slowly, I stood up from my ce and walked towards it, picking it up.
ncing back, I looked at Aimar.
His body slowly started to levitate in the air before hovering somewhere.
Even though I knew I would lose.
I still moved toward her.
Turning around, I slowly walked in the same direction as that woman.
I don''t know how...
...I don''t know why.
I just moved.
Even though I knew I would lose.
I still moved toward her.
[...You won''t lose.]
...El''s voice echoed once again.
[As long as I am here, you will never lose.]
"...How?"
Even though I wanted to believe his words... I didn''t have the strength to do so.
[...Sigh.]
The thunderous sound of my own heart echoed in my ears, my steps halted on their own.
[I am sorry for doing this.]
El''s voice echoed while my heartbeat kept roaring in my ears.
[My name is Ishmael...
...The one who rules over time.
...The one who is known as the Guardian of Oracle.
And in my name...
...I choose you to bless.
I choose you as my sessor.]