Chapter 167: The Monarch of Souls
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I just said. Do you think you deserve to live?”
Armaros doesn’t answer.
“I hate you,” says Alex, narrowing his gaze. “If it were up to me, you would be dead right now. You came to Iasa to kill my family… you said it was your mission. Did you ever stop and think about what your mission asked you to do? Did you even… feel guilty or feel… some kind of remorse after you killed them? Did you feel anything at all as you ended my sister’s life?!”
“No…” quietly says Armaros. “I didn’t.”
Alex’s eyes spark, and he lunges forward to grab Armaros by the shirt with his left hand. After snapping his fingers, fire envelops his right fist.
“So why did you hesitate to kill me?!” demands Alex. “I watched our fight back earlier! If you really were some robotic assassin like they think you are, there were opportunities for you to kill me! But you didn’t! So why?! Why are you lying to me?!”
Alex’s eyes start to well with tears as he waits for Armaros to answer, but Armaros doesn’t say anything.
“Why did you spare my life?! Tell me!!” shouts Alex.
After a few seconds, Armaros says, “I don’t know.”
Letting Armaros go, Alex takes a few steps back, and his blazing fist returns to normal.
“For the past two years, I made it my mission to kill you and avenge my family. And finally, I have my opportunity. You’re right here, powerless before me… but I can’t do it. It’s not like I haven’t taken somebody’s life, and I know that Zeris and Kane want to keep you alive, but that’s not it. I just–”
“What did you feel?” abruptly asks Armaros.
“What?”
“When you killed Delta. Did you feel something?”
“If you think you have any right to ask–”
“I don’t. But I’ve always wondered… if it’s different for people.”
Alex looks at him with utter confusion, “Of course I did. I might’ve hated her, but she was still a person. I thought only one of us could live in there, and she would’ve killed me if I wasn’t willing to do the same to her. Nonetheless, the entire experience made my stomach churn. As soon as it sank in that I had actually killed her, my throat was so constricted that it felt like I couldn’t breathe. And that same feeling probably would’ve returned if I had killed you.”
“Even though I took out your family, you would have still felt… guilty for killing me?”
“I’m guessing I would. I don’t know… you’re making it extremely difficult for me to sympathize with who you are.”
Armaros looks away for a moment, “I’ve… I’ve lost count of how many people I have killed. I wanted to know if there was more to killing than just… killing.”
Alex clicks his tongue in disbelief, a tear shedding down his cheek, “You’re sick. You killed an innocent ten-year-old girl and didn’t so much as bat an eye...”
“That’s right,” sounds Armaros, thinking about what Kane said. “I wonder if, at one point, I was like you, and I did feel something for the people I killed.”
“You and I are nothing alike!”
“Really? Because to me, it looks like the nightmares have already started for you.”
Alex averts his gaze, and nobody says anything for a few seconds.
Thoroughly pissed off, Alex thrashes an arm through the air, “Why are you being like this?! Talking so openly with me! Is the only reason you’re cooperating like this because you know they just want to use you?! Do you think they sent me to talk?! Zeris, Kane, and Queen Divine only see you as a weapon!”
Stolen story; please report.
“I know.”
“That’s it! You’re not special! You should be dead! And the only reason they stopped me from killing you is because Zeris and Kane think they can point you in the direction they want!”
“I know.”
“At first, I– you know, I thought they wouldn’t let me kill you. But the fact you’re restrained now, and I’m not… makes me think they don’t value you that much. Even though they spared your life, I’m still above you in their pecking order.”
“I know.”
“I know, I know, I know! You know everything, don’t you?! Well, you said your mission was to kill me and my father, too! And you failed at doing that! What are you going to do now?! You can’t kill us! Even if you weren’t restrained, you know you can’t!”
They lock eyes with one another again, and Alex’s brow twitches while Armaros remains silent.
“I just– how can you be so heartless?! Don’t you have people you care for?!”
Armaros looks down briefly before meeting Alex’s gaze again, “I don’t know.”
Dumbfounded but flustered at Armaros’s responses, Alex storms out of the room.
***
Sector 8: Leo’s Cottage, Lounge Room
“I haven’t seen you in a while, Kane,” says Leo, closing the fridge and turning around to offer Kane a beer. “How’ve you been?”
Casually dressed, Kane accepts the beer bottle as they walk over to the couches, “I’m fine. How much has Zeris told you?”
“Everything.”
“Then let’s not waste any time,” says Kane, the two of them sitting down.
Known for his intelligence and vigilant nature while also sporting a lean build that exhibits proficiency in speed and agility, Leo is the average height for an Asian man. Typically having his black hair combed over, a clean-shaven face, and wearing cloudy grey glasses that house his black-colored eyes, Leo’s appearance emits an aura of sophistication. Responsible for producing some of Iasa’s brightest individuals out of the trials, Leo and the Queen have built an unspoken bond of trust.
Twisting off the bottle cap, Leo asks, “This about Alex or Armaros?”
“No. I actually wanted to ask about your survivor. Is it true she’s a legacy?”
“That’s correct.”
“And she’s your only survivor from this year?”
“Well, she was strong enough to fight and kill the other three participants at the same time. So yeah, she’s the only one,” says Leo, and Kane takes a sip from his bottle. “Would you like to meet her?”
Kane nods, lowering the bottle from his mouth. With his approval, Leo clicks a series of buttons on his watch to ring the survivor’s room.
After a short beep emits, Leo raises the watch close to his mouth and says, “Hey Ash, can you come meet me in the lounge? There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Sure. I’ll head there now,” she curtly replies.
A minute later, Ash walks into the lounge. She appears frail in height and stature. She has messy, short white hair but brown eyes as sharp as daggers. Her expression and body language are so intense that she immediately makes an impression on Kane.
Activating orasi, Kane recognizes that Ash is a dual wielder of iris, and she is far more developed than anybody in Zeris’s sector, including Armaros and Quinn.
“So you really are a monarch…” says Kane.
“And who are you supposed to be? You’re too old to be in the trials,” says Ash, her tone as cold as ice.
“Somebody important,” replies Kane, taking a sip from his bottle. “Which monarch are you?”
Ash’s eyes transfer to Leo, “You being threatened by him? Is he here for our abilities?”
“No, he’s a friend. A very powerful one,” answers Leo. “Ash, I’d like you to meet Kane.”
Ash looks at Kane again, using orasi, “Powerful? I can’t see any iris inside you.”
“Probably because you aren’t strong enough to see that yet. Just like you didn’t pick up that I used orasi a few seconds ago.”
Ash raises her eyebrows, “You’re a master wielder?”
“Yes. And I’m also a legacy like you are. I’m the wielder of the Halos Guardian.”
“A Los ability. I have a Kadil one,” says Ash, slightly confused.
“Los and Kadil are both categories of the mythic class, which makes us both legacies. I can also see you have a soma core, which is almost as developed as your Kadil core. I respect your discipline.”
Ash asks after a few seconds, “Why are you here?”
“To make a new friend. That said, if you want some answers from me, you’ll have to be a little more responsive to my questions.”
Ash looks at Leo again, and Leo says, “I’ve known Kane for years. I trust him with my life, and he trusts me with his. You can trust him, too.”
Considering her mentor’s response, Ash activates her legacy ability. A violet aura envelops her body, and a black metal staff with a glowing violet pattern manifests into the palm of her right hand. The bottom strands of her hair become speckled with black, and her eyes glow with violet, just like her staff.
At the top of the staff is a symmetrical design that splits the head into four different sides, each housing a small violet shard with a unique reflection. The staff's tip arrives at a singular, sharp point, making it a prominent melee weapon similar to a spear.
“I’m the legacy of the Wraith of Kadillan, also known as the Monarch of Souls.”