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Condemned To Death
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14th September, 1507
Elise and Kai who were about to clash stopped their charge abruptly and looked at Seren with wide eyes.
“What?” Lorien’s expression shifted from anticipation to confusion, incredulity coloring his voice.
"I surrender," Seren stated again, his gaze steady despite the surprise rippling through the crowd.
Lorien's initial shock gave way to a mixture of disbelief and frustration. "You surrender?" he repeated, his tone tinged with disbelief. "After all that talk, you're just going to give up?"
Seren met Lorien's gaze unwaveringly. "It's over," he affirmed, his voice carrying a hint of finality.
The silence that followed was thick with tension as the spectators tried to make sense of the unexpected turn of events, their murmurs of confusion blending with the lingering echoes of Seren's surrender.
Seren, as he was looking at Lorien with a calm expression, felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked to the side.
SLAP
The sound of the slap echoed throughout the stage, filling the silence with a sharp jolt. Seren's cheek reddened from the impact, and when he turned to see the perpetrator, it was Elise, glaring at him with clear anger in her eyes.
"Ohhhh," Finn commented from the sidelines, his voice tinged with a hint of amusement.
Seren showed no reaction to being slapped by Elise, his expression remaining deadpan as he stared at her.
"How could you do this?" Elise's voice was low, barely contained as she struggled to control her anger.
"Do what?" Seren's response was simple, almost indifferent.
"Don't act like you don't understand!" Elise's frustration bubbled over, her words laced with contempt. "If you were going to give up this easily, then why did Susie put herself through all that?" she demanded, her tone accusing.
"Yeah, why did you give up that easily?" Lorien chimed in, seizing the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.
"Shut up!" Elise snapped at Lorien, her glare silencing him momentarily.
"Yes, ma'am," Lorien responded quickly, unwilling to let himself be dragged into their drama.
"Susie fought like a madman back there just to get a single point for the team, and you're not even going to honor that?" Elise's frustration was palpable, her voice trembling with emotion.
Seren remained silent, his gaze locked with Elise's, the tension thickening with each passing moment. The silence stretched on, becoming almost unbearable for those on the sidelines.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, Seren leaned in closer to Elise's ear, his voice barely above a whisper. "Susie is currently in critical condition, and I need to get her help," he revealed quietly.
"Huh? You're just a kid, how would you even know about that?" Elise questioned, her voice still edged with skepticism.
"...I'm the one who healed Susie's arm," Seren confessed, ensuring his words were heard only by Elise.
"I hate fuckers who lie to me; there's no way some 15-year-old kid can perform surgery," Elise stated with annoyance, her skepticism evident in her tone as she scrutinized Seren.
Seren's confusion was palpable as he arched an eyebrow, his expression betraying his bewilderment. "How do you know what surgery is?" he interjected, his voice laced with curiosity.
Elise froze, her face transitioning from rage to shock and then to panic as she realized her slip-up. She struggled to find her words, her composure crumbling under Seren's probing gaze.
Seeing Elise's distress, Seren turned to Aldric with a calm demeanor. "Sir, I would like to withdraw from today's practice due to my partner's unstable mental state," he declared, his voice steady despite the underlying tension.
Aldric regarded Seren with a deadpan expression before turning his attention to Elise, who was visibly sweating with anxiety.
Seren glanced at Elise with a knowing smile, prompting her response. "Isn't that right, Elise?" he prompted gently.
Caught off guard, Elise stuttered out a confirmation, “Y-yes I’m not feeling well. I-I said some weird things back there.” her fear evident as she looked to Aldric for approval.
After a moment of consideration, Aldric granted Seren and Elise permission to leave early.
Seren turned to leave the stage, with Elise trailing behind him silently. Lorien and Kai watched them go, uncertain of what to do next.
Before exiting, Seren cast a final glance at Lorien, a grin playing on his lips. "Have the 50 soul stones ready by tomorrow," he called out, his voice carrying a hint of mischief before he departed.
The weight of Seren's words struck Lorien like a truck as the realization of his scheme dawned upon him. Seren had sworn an Oath not to use underhanded tactics in the match, but then he skillfully enticed Lorien into a bet. Seren's wager was cunningly worded; he claimed that Lorien wouldn't land a single hit on him or Elise during the match, without explicitly stating that he would win without being hit.
When Seren surrendered at the start of the match, technically fulfilling the terms of the bet, it meant Lorien had won the match but lost the bet. This clever manipulation of language lulled Lorien into a false sense of security making him rely on the Oath to protect him. Aldric would have noticed this loophole had Seren made the bet before the Oath, but once the Oath was sworn, it fell to Lorien to discern the subtle deception, something he failed to do.
Lorien's confusion quickly turned to outrage as he bellowed after Seren's retreating figure "You piece of shit, that's cheating!".
Ignoring the insults, Seren approached Susie, who was still asleep, and lifted her gently, along with her scythe, before leaving everyone watching appalled at his tactics.
Meanwhile, Finn laughed hysterically at Lorien's blunder, further fueling his anger.
Aldric, observing the scene from his vantage point on the floating tile, frowned in contemplation. ‘Seren healed Susie's arm? And what's this thing called surgery?’ he mused, his relics had kept him informed throughout the matches of everything that was happening between the students.
…
Seren walked through the forest with Susie's body dangling from his shoulder, the warm afternoon sunlight casting an ethereal glow on his pale skin and making his eyes shimmer like red gems.
Elise followed behind him, her troubled expression betraying her inner turmoil as she scolded herself silently. ‘Ahhh, Elise, how could you be this stupid? What if those high-ranking Lexarchs learned that I'm not from this world? They will torture and dissect every part of your body to get all the information out of you’.
After some time, she managed to calm herself down, realizing the situation wasn't as dire as her panicked thoughts made it seem. Seren had covered for her by claiming she was mentally unstable, and she hadn't revealed anything incriminating about her origins.
Looking up, Elise saw Seren ahead, quietly carrying Susie. Gathering her courage, she asked, "Are you also a transmigrator like myself?" She didn't bother hiding anything, knowing instinctively that Seren was from the same world.
Memories flooded Seren's mind as he considered her question, and without looking back, he responded, "You could say that."
Elise's concern for Susie prompted her next question. "Is there really something wrong with Susie?"
Seren's reply was flat and matter-of-fact. "No, I just wanted to use her as an excuse to end the fight and make a profit of 50 soul stones."
"You really are a piece of shit," Elise retorted, her tone lacking surprise, having already surmised the nature of many people in this world.
Seren chuckled at her response before turning the tables. "Shouldn't I be receiving an apology?"
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Hmph, I'm still mad at the fact that you gave up so easily while making Susie do all that work for nothing," Elise pouted.
Then, as if struck by a sudden curiosity, Elise asked, "But how did you perform the surgery? I'm sure you didn't have the necessary tools to carry out the procedure." She waited eagerly for his response.
Seren remained silent for a moment before cryptically replying, "Secret."
Elise looked surprised for a moment before grumbling under her breath "Cheapskate, trying to act all cool and mysterious."
Seren then changed the subject. "What's your story?" he asked, genuinely curious. Despite their rocky start, Elise felt a pang of excitement at the prospect of sharing her past, knowing that Seren might be the only one who could truly understand her in this world.
…
"So, in conclusion, you were a nerdy engineering student who died from overdosing on caffeine," Seren remarked with a hint of amusement.
Elise could only laugh awkwardly in response as she walked beside him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she turned to him. "What about you? How did you die?"
Seren's expression turned nostalgic as he delved into his fabricated past. "I was... a graduating medical student and a priest. I died at the age of 25 while trying to save some children from a fire."
‘You sure don’t act like a priest’ Elise thought silently to herself.
Elise felt sympathetic towards Seren's tragic end, her voice softening as she offered reassurance. "Let's not think about it too much. Let the past be the past and lead a new life in the future."
Seren nodded at Elise's comforting words, his smile warm but lacking any genuine emotion. In truth, he had no memories of his true past, even with the perfect memory he gained from the Luminar tree, he didn’t know what he was before he started transmigrating to all kinds of worlds to complete the mission given by ‘Him’. He had simply made up a story based on what would benefit him the most while letting him get close to Elise.
Amidst their conversation, Seren started reflecting on himself.
'Lying. The most human of traits, the constant companion of our existence. We are all liars, every one of us, from the lowliest peasant to the most exalted nobleman. We lie to others, we lie to ourselves, and we even lie about our lying.
We lie out of fear, out of shame, out of a desperate need to appear better than we are. For every lie we tell, we pave a path for another. Eventually, we become lost in our own deceit, unable to decern truth from falsehood, reality from illusion.
I am no different. I lie to complete my mission. Does that justify me? No! I am as guilty as any other, perhaps more so, for I recognize the nature of my deceit and yet persist in it.
My lies are created to serve a purpose - or so I tell myself.
I have convinced myself that my lies serve a greater good, that the end justifies the means. But this is the most insidious lie of all, it allows me to rationalize my behavior, to absolve myself of guilt. In truth, I am no better than the drunkard who swears he's sober or the unfaithful spouse who proclaims their fidelity.
My mission, whatever it may be, cannot sanctify my deceit'.
As they continued to chat, both Seren and Elise shared their past experiences and how their new life unfolded in this world, finding solace and companionship in each other's company.
…
Elise took a deep stretch, relishing the fresh air as she spoke. "It feels sooo good finally talking to someone like myself after so long."
As evening descended, Seren and Elise returned to the village, the streets still bustling with activity. Horse carriages passed through, and stalls on the upper street displayed luxurious clothes, attracting shoppers.
“I-I’m sorry” Elise's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she stuttered out an apology, her expression a blend of regret and humility.
Seren, slightly taken aback by Elise's unexpected apology, arched an eyebrow in confusion. “Didn’t you say you weren’t going to apologize?” he remarked, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes.
“The apology is only for slapping you in my anger, but I’m still not taking back what I said to you back then” Elise clarified, her voice tinged with a touch of guilt and determination.
Seren only chuckled at her explanation before bidding her farewell and making his way home.
…
Inside his room, Seren gently laid Susie's sleeping body on the single piece of cloth where he usually slept.
He studied Susie's sleeping figure intently, pondering over her strange behavior during the fight with Finn. ‘Almost like she was possessed by something’ he mused, trying to discern the cause.
Finding nothing suspicious upon examining her body, Seren turned his attention to the ominous-looking scythe lying next to Susie. He gripped it tightly, scrutinizing it for any abnormalities. After a thorough inspection and a few practice swings, he concluded that it functioned just like any other weapon, granting heightened strength and speed to its user.
Concerned about the potential danger, Seren made a decision. ‘I can't afford to sleep next to Susie. If that thing takes over her body while I’m sleeping, I might not even know how I died. Hmmm, so now I’m the one in the situation deciding if I want to keep a dog that will bite its owner in the future’. Seren thought wryly to himself. ‘If I abandon her now, she will have no incentive to keep the secret of the surgery and might even develop feelings of contempt towards me in the future for abandoning her while she’s at her weakest…’
Seren wasn’t going to risk revealing his abilities to the 3 major families by telling Susie to leave his home. Who knows what they might do to him if they ever got a hold of this information.
After thinking for a while, with a steely resolve burning in his eyes, Seren's grip on the scythe tightened, his knuckles turning white with determination. The air crackled with tension as he stared down at Susie's sleeping form, his mind made up and his heart unyielding.
"I didn't want to risk doing this, but you leave me no choice." he growled, his voice low and devoid of emotion.
There was no hesitation, no hint of guilt in his actions as he raised the scythe high above his head. His muscles tensed with anticipation, every movement calculated and precise as he prepared to deliver the fatal blow.
"If I can't control Susie, then she's better off dead."
With a swift and merciless motion, Seren swung the scythe with all his might, the blade slicing through the air with a deadly swiftness as it aimed at Susie’s neck. The sound of metal meeting flesh echoed through the room.
Crash!
When the scythe hit the floor, the force of the impact jolted Seren to his core. As he looked down at the scythe, blood dripped from the blade, staining the floor beneath him a deep crimson.
Seren gaze then fell on Susie, who was still lying peacefully on the floor, her neck still intact.
Seren was initially surprised, but he sighed in relief as he retracted the scythe, which had morphed into a reverse crescent moon shape. The ends of the moon dug into the ground, while the blade hovered just inches from Susie's neck.
The handle of the scythe had also transformed into tiny spikes as they dug through Seren’s hand, his blood dripping on the floor.
Studying the morphed part of the blade, Seren observed as the scythe returned to its original shape after a few moments.
‘Hmmm, so it recognizes Susie as its owner and won't harm her. I guess it's safe to say she won't lose control if she's not in possession of the scythe’ Seren concluded, his mind racing with possibilities.
Seren then set the scythe aside, covered up his wound with a piece of cloth, and shed his clothes until he was bare-chested. Sitting down cross-legged, he closed his eyes and focused on his Mind Core, where four items floated in his mental space. The Luminar crystal stood out among them, accompanied by three orb-shaped entities, two clear and one fully black.
"I have messed around enough," Seren declared to himself, his voice resolute. "I already have most of the information I need from the academy. It's time for me to start walking the path of my destiny."
With deliberate focus, Seren mind honed in on the dark orb, knowing it held the ability 'nano craft' that was currently of no use to him. With a single thought, he shattered the orb and it disappeared into nothingness, after a few seconds, a new clear orb appeared in its place.
‘I should be able to make two different abilities by the time my soul energy runs out’ Seren calculated in his mind.
For the next six hours, Seren would continually delve deep into concentration, his body drenched in sweat, his brow furrowed, and his breaths eventually turning rugged. But despite the physical strain, his resolve remained unshaken as he forged two new abilities.
When he finally opened his bloodshot eyes, a dry smile played upon his lips, an indiscernible happiness bubbling within him.
‘Creating a single ability takes so much time, but I'm glad that my hypothesis proved to be right’ Seren thought with delight as he rose from the floor with weakness evident in his eyes.
With his newfound abilities—refraction manipulation and relic duplication—Seren knew he had elevated his strength far beyond what others on his level could achieve.
Refraction manipulation was one of the reasons why he had chosen Luminar crystal as his relic back then. Other people from this world might not know this but white light is made up of 3 different primary colors. Red, blue, and green. By refracting the light, Seren can separate the white light into these colours. This might seem useless at first, just being able to create different coloured light does not offer any combat possibilities, but if you use a combination of these 3 primary colours then you can get newer colors. Then, coupled with the Luminar crystal’s ability to bend light, Seren is effectively able to create illusions that look indecipherable from reality.
‘But this is only useful for deception, if I lose focus for even a moment, then the whole illusion will come undone’ Seren contemplated as he thought of the different scenarios where he could use this ability.
As for relic duplication, its potential for exploitation was undeniable. Seren harboured ambitions of duplicating his own Luminar crystal relic, a desperate bid to compensate for his poor grade by using multiple relics to increase the firepower of his attacks, but it came at the cost of using double the initial soul energy. With multiple relics at his disposal, he could also sell duplicates for a steady stream of soul stones, ensuring financial security for himself.
‘Hehe, I could also borrow Elise’s relic and then duplicate it’ Seren thought greedily, but then a slight frown appeared on his face. ‘...There are some severe strict restrictions on this ability. I can only create a single relic every 5 days, and I cannot duplicate a relic of a higher class than my current rank as a Lexarch. That’s not all too bad, but the problem is still my weak Luminar grade’. Seren mused, inspecting the possibilities and the limitations of his new abilities.
But despite the excitement, Seren couldn't shake the reality of his weak Luminar grade. Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, he decided to leave this matter for another day as he resigned himself to sleep.
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Condemned To Death
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