Chapter 9: Defiance

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Feeling a burning sensation flow throughout my body after getting caught in the explosion, I instantly released my hold and leaped away, greatly distancing myself from him before taking a quick glance at my body's condition.

An abnormally bright red mark was imprinted on my chest. My body felt extremely heavy as the mark slowly expanded towards the rest of my body. The feeling of heaviness increased with every inch that the mark expanded to. I couldn't see any other visible changes besides the mark.

Something moved below me. I attempted to leap out of the way once more, but before I could lift off from the ground, a cold sensation suddenly wrapped around my legs, restricting my movements. Losing sensation in my lower body, I was forcefully pulled down to my knees and when I looked below...

Human-shaped shadows that were impossibly darker than the void that we were in firmly held me down. Their glowing white eyes greeted me, completely void of life.

"It's a pity that you wanted to play hero, did you really think that they'd forgive you if you just sacrificed yourself?" (Young Man)

He had already recovered from his downed position. His footsteps echoed throughout the area as he casually approached me.

"Are these the lives that we've taken?..." (Black Death)

"No, these are the lives that you've taken, but they aren't the only ones." (Young Man)

Countless shadowy figures suddenly appeared, encircling the area around us. Like the stars in a starry night, their glowing eyes pierced through the void, observing me. I could barely make out their shapes, but that was more than enough for me to confirm my thoughts. Some were small, some were large...Some were tall and some were short. Some stood straight and proud while some stood hunched and shriveled...The familiar figures of both young and old...

He stopped right in front of me with his observing eyes,

"Why do you look so bitter? The person that I knew wouldn't have cared about these pieces of trash." (Young Man)

He crouched in front of me, bringing his face closer to mine,

"Why have you changed so drastically?... Are they really that important to you? Your magnificence was completely blinding! Your figure unreachable, awed and envied by many! You were a cut above the rest, everyone feared you. Your figure was in its truest form when you meticulously worked to end the life of another, an unparalleled beauty that I've idolized and served, time and time again!" (Young Man)

"...I killed with ignorance, blind to the events that were unfolding before me." (Black Death)

"Do you think that these people care whether you've turned a new leaf or not? Do you think that anyone really cared? How naive can you be?!

His tone suddenly sharpened, cutting through my thoughts,

"Vella, Gaiden, Jayden, and your three 'friends'. They only cared about you because you were strong...Because you were useful...They only cared about you because you were able to provide something that they could not. You were the strongest among them. You were the means to their ends. Wanting to meet each other again?..." (Young Man)

A cold, mocking laugh echoed throughout the area,

"Hehe...Hahaha! Don't make me laugh! How do you know that they truly meant that? What use do you have to them now that you're all dead? How do you know that they haven't abandoned you?" (Young Man)

Only my silence responded to those heavy questions, but that was more than enough,

"It's not too late to turn back. I've been your loyal servant, and I still am! I've always been by your side! Why should we show them any compassion when they've done nothing besides using us?" (Young Man)

He held onto both of my shoulders, earnestly trying to get his words across,

"You don't need them! We can get you back into your prime...We can make you stronger...We can take care of those that have done you wrong. We can get back your shining magnificence!" (Young Man)

Ridiculous...

"You need to have a neutral Karma in order to access Purgatory, but you currently have negative Karma from the number of people that you have 'unjustly' killed. The purpose of the weapon that you've received from Hades was to reap the souls of sinners, balancing your own in order to achieve a neutral Karma. Normally you would need to do this for quite a while considering how negative your Karma is, but we got lucky. A sinner who has just as negative of a Karma as you, maybe even worse, happens to be at our very doorstep. One single soul, it's as easy as that." (Young Man)

A sinner?...But wher-

"Sister?..." (Black Death)

He nodded, confirming my thoughts,

"All we need to do is to kill Vella Stormheart with the weapon." (Young Man)

Is that really the only way?...

Noticing my reluctance, he continued to pressure me,

"She tried to kill you, remember? Everything that she has said only came from her pity for you, we were only being used to clear her guilty consciousness. She's willing to sacrifice her life for you in compensation for all of this, right?... She won't hold it against you, and she seems to be completely happy in supporting your goals. Why should we hesitate? She doesn't 'love' you, she's never loved you. You could even tell that that was the case from the time when you were a child." (Young Man)

He offered his hand to me,

"Together, we can change our destiny. We can show the world that we aren't just their playthings! We can show them that only we are the masters of ourselves, that our destinies are in our own hands! Aren't you tired of being controlled by the shadows, by the tyrants that have doomed us from the very beginning?" (Young Man)

Maybe he's right...

Maybe their love for me really was just another mask for them to hide behind, to use me as a means to accomplish their goals...I've always kept this dark reality hidden in the back of my mind, scared of a possibility that I didn't want to face, something that I could have never believed to be true, but maybe I was wrong to think that...Have I lost my value to them?... Maybe it really was just a childish dream to hope for something that would save me from my loneliness...This emptiness that I've been living with for so long, can I really not escape?...

My hand moved on its own, slowly reaching for his.

I was on the verge of collapsing from the painful heaviness that strangled my chest, it's probably from the mark...

Isn't it?...

"I love you, I said so before remember? You're my adorable little brother, not only that, you're also my prized student! I could never hate you!" (Vella)

Just like last time...Her eyes were dazzlingly bright, pride and joy could clearly be seen in them as she lovingly smiled at me in assurance,

"Have more faith in others as well as yourself. That's what you've always been lacking, even as a child. Not everything in the world is your fault and not everything in the world is something that you can prevent. You're strong! Very strong, but you must know your own limits, and you must be able to keep moving forward! No one can complain if you've done your absolute best!" (Vella)

My hand suddenly stopped, only inches away from touching his hand.

...Our tears, our laughter, our experiences... They can't be fake, can they?... Me, Vella, Gaiden, Jayden and my friends, our bonds came from our similarities and wishes, can those really be faked?...

...No, even then, even if they were faked, even if I was only a tool to them, even if all of the things that we've experienced were meaningless and were meant to only be used as props for their stage act!... They've taught me something that was invaluable, the value of family. They gave me a place to belong. My first and only taste of happiness, my one solace in a world of lies. They gave me everything when I had nothing. They were the only people who didn't treat me as a weapon. My humanity, my resolve, my hope came from their good will. Whether this was intentional or not doesn't matter, these gifts that were given to me were more than enough. I don't deserve these wonderful experiences in my life, and I will never be able to pay back their kindness! All of them are the reasons that I have changed!

So that's why...

"I'll put my trust in them, even if it kills me." (Black Death)

"Do you understand what you're saying?!" (Young Man)

I firmly nodded,

"I won't bring harm to the ones that have brought meaning to my life." (Black Death)

"You're making a mistake!" (Young Man)

Staring uninterestedly at him, a cold voice leaked from my mouth,

"My life already was a mistake." (Black Death)

An extreme bloodlust emanated from him as the shadows that were observing us collected towards his figure, completely wrapping around him.

His figure had completely changed. A cloak of red mist drifted from his back, and his robes were instead replaced by a pitch black, full suit of knight armor. The final pieces that completed his spine-chilling appearance were the bright, crimson claws that replaced his hands and the demonic knight helmet that adorned his head, fully covering his face from view. He was the embodiment of darkness itself, but that wasn't what had caught my eye...

A familiar greatsword twice the size of my body floated in front of him, greeting me once more. The deep darkness that shrouded it was absolutely incomparable to his armor, I could feel the blood-curdling aura that emanated from the sword.

"Cute, who are you planning on heading off to a date with?" (Black Death)

"I will restore you to your former glory, even if I have to do it with my own hands..." (Young Man)

A shockwave erupted from him as he forcefully gripped the sword, an embodiment of his anger.

"To have changed so far as to disregard your own life...Those pests...I will destroy every single one of them!" (Young man)

"Like hell you will you bastard." (Black Death)

I forcefully exerted all of my strength, attempting to pull myself away from the clutches of the shadowy figures. My body burned, the mark suddenly increased in heaviness and every single vein felt as if they were splitting apart...

But this isn't the time to worry about such things!

I have to do something!!!

"It's useless...I apologize for being extremely rude, but I must borrow your body for a short while. Please don't overexert yourself. " (Young Man)

Move!!!

His figure suddenly disappeared as a piercing sensation filled my chest.

"...Huff..." (Black Death)

Breathless, I struggled to look down.

Ah...

The greatsword had pierced through my chest.

...He was able to move faster than what I could keep track of...Got behind me as well huh?...

"Rest easy, Master...It will be all over soon..." (Young Man)

A numbing coldness started to flow throughout my body, my strength starting to leave me.

Slowly, a white aura continuously drifted from my body and collected towards the greatsword, as if being devoured.

Even in death, my life's out of my control as always huh?... Ironic.

"...Not...Possible..." (Black Death)

I slowly moved my hands, fighting to regain control of them as I forcefully gripped onto the protruding blade.

But that didn't matter in the first place now, did it?

I will struggle, I will fight, I will protect them. Even if everything that I do ends up being in vain,

"Even now, you resist...Even now, your eyes burn fiercer than ever!... I don't understand!!!" (Young Man)

"...Staying...Here...With me...." (Black Death)

I slowly pulled the blade forward with an iron grip, lodging it deeper and deeper within my chest.

"Impossible!!!" (Young Man)

Inch by inch, I unhesitantly continued, turning a deaf ear to his growing panic.

"Stop!!! You are going to deal irreparable damage to your body!!!" (Young Man)

You shoved a gigantic greatsword right through my chest, how is that not already irreparable damage, genius?

"Ha!!!" (Black Death)

Somehow managing to ignore the amount of resistance that he put into the sword, I pulled the blade all the way through my chest, stopping just at the hilt of the greatsword.

"...All of this...Just for them?..." (Young Man)

"...This...Ends...With...Me..." (Black Death)

Cracks slowly started to form along the blade, running from one end to the other.

An extreme heaviness started to spread throughout my body as the numbing coldness suddenly grew even colder.

"...Forgive...Me...Everyone..." (Black Death)

The greatsword slowly dissolved into countless particles of gentle light.

My vision finally started to blur, slowly succumbing to the familiar darkness that surrounded me.

I'm sorry... I don't think I can keep my promise...

Thank you for everything...