Chapter 35 - The Law of Death

When Esten opened his eyes again, he saw the dark sky stretching into the distance above him. He didn't know when it had happened, but what had just been the middle of the day turned into the night. Stars darted around wildly as if they'd been let loose by whatever had constricted them in their places before.

“...Wh-”

Confronted with this strange sight, Esten wanted to give voice to his confusion, but instead of words, only heaps of dirt left through his airway. Slowly the confusion in his mind cleared up, and so did the appearance of the stars. In their place, a ringing in his head grew louder by the moment until he realized where he was. He tried to move his body that was restricted by the solid earth surrounding him, and what he'd thought was the night, in truth, was the lack of light beneath the surface.

On top of him were stacks of loose rubble, weighing down on his body that was still recovering the strength it had lost. After the ringing in his head slightly subsided, Esten rose himself up. Unimpeded by the massive rocks, he looked around the small confinement that was a hole in the depths of the ground he'd previously stood on.

His drowsy mind remembered the events that had unfolded to his disbelief. What felt like ages, had happened just a moment ago.

Wearily, he gathered the scraps of strength left in him to push himself off the ground. With each jump, protrusions rose forth from the walls surrounding him, that he likewise used to propel him further into the air. After dozens of exhausting jumps that made him further remember the pain wreaking havoc in his body, he finally saw a glimmer of light.

At last, he arrived at the opening just when his body had reached its limits once again. The pain surged forth from every corner of his body, reminding him that this wasn't a dream or an illusion. Crawling out of the hole, Esten sprawled onto the ground, basking in the light of the sun as he greedily sucked in the fresh air. As a result, the coughing intensified, but his body didn't seem to care as it was in dire need of air.

In the corner of his eyes, he could see the tall mountain he'd stood on mere moments ago. There was no trace of the other people that had been with him until he saw a small dot in the distant sky. The dot grew larger the closer it came to the ground until it formed into a humanoid shape. To his astonishment, it was the familiar pair of twins that raced towards the ground at breakneck speed without showing any signs of slowing down.

When the two were about to hit the ground, however, they abruptly stopped in mid-air. As if time itself had stopped moving, they lost all of their momentum within an instant, defying the laws of physics.

The two were now close enough for Esten to see the state they were in. One of them had fallen unconscious, presumably the slightly younger one of the two. On the other hand, Lynnden had turned around her sister to shield her from the impact that didn't arrive. On her face was an unwilling expression that refused to accept the reality that had led to this turn of events. But, other than that, there was also a trace of utter disbelief hidden within the pupils of her eyes as she stared at the man that was out of Esten's sight.

He himself could very well understand her conflicted emotions. After all, it was the same for him.

“Excuse my rough treatment, ladies.”

Esten rose up from the ground, dusting off the dirt that had stained his clothes. They had already lost all of their brilliant lusters, beginning to resemble the attire of a jester more than any emperor.

“And Esten, of course.” Tristan smiled lightly, casually hiding his arms behind his back.

“You-” Lynnden was about to burst out, giving relief to the pent-up frustration that had been fanned by the flames of confusion. However, Esten was a step ahead of her.

“Are you human!?”

Despite his ragged appearance, Esten rose his arms in an attempt to guard himself as well as preparing for a fight. The color of his skin turned into a mixture of a faint red and brown that resembled the earth he'd just crawled out of. Aside from his display of defiance, Esten knew he couldn't hide the shadow of despair that was welling up within him. It was apparent that even together, they were no match for Tristan that had barely lifted his hand to make short work of them. The Republic had two incapacitated fighters, one of them with unknown whereabouts. Even if Tristan was an archmagus, Esten refused to believe that their combined force would be this powerless against one. So all of this led to only one reasonable conclusion.

“Of course, I am.” But the answer he got from Tristan wasn't the same he'd expected.

“More than any of you.”

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“What should we do?”

Lynnden and her companions had regrouped after their meeting was finally concluded. Instead of flying above the clouds, they walked through the forest on foot until they fully recovered. Her sister had already regained consciousness, and after picking up their remaining companion from his grave-like hole, they made their way back home.

“Does it matter?”

After recovering from the initial shock of witnessing the impossible, Lynnden didn't appear to be particularly dissatisfied with Tristan any longer. She'd regained her calm and confident demeanor as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired. But her companion realized that she was much more flustered than she appeared to be.

“Leave him be for now,” Lynnden said after ordering her thoughts. “It will take some time until he can convince the public, but it will inevitably happen. As much as he likes to fool around, he appears to have his own plans. Esten must think the same and is already inclined to become one of his followers.”

At this point, Lynnden paused before resuming to voice her thoughts.

“If he wants to play the hero, we can wait until he gets tired. More importantly, Aryn. I think this needn't be said, but make sure to cover up as much as we can. Move all of the critical technology to the north, as far north as the instruments can handle. We can't hide our secrets forever... But we have to try to delay it as long as possible and use the time we have now. It's... just a little... a little while longer...”

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3rd day of Alir, 2734(attb.), Teralis.

Catherine casually went about her business in the orphanage. Ever since she had first made it her home, she became quite fond of her new hobby. Raising the few discarded children that other humans had forsaken, she found a way to pass the time. It was no different than raising pets that existed solely for her entertainment. Knowing what different futures awaited them, she silently stood by and smiled gently while becoming the most important person in their lives. Whether they were sent to work or to the military for the nobles' uses, she didn't particularly care. Regardless of what would happen to them, these children would never forget her gratitude. They'd never see past the facade their mother put up, and even if someone told them, they'd vehemently refuse to believe it.

On this night like any other, Catherine strolled around the gates of her church while her mind was occupied with various thoughts about her experiments. But no matter how much thinking she did, it wouldn't change the fact that they were based on the passage of time. It would take years until she could reap the fruits of her next research.

In her boredom, her whims had reached towards Teralis decades ago, turning it into her own little playground of dolls she'd gathered over the years. In this little haven of serenity, humans from all over the world played house according to her rules. If she wanted to, with the snap of a finger, she could turn their heaven into a hell filled with endless enmity. This final experience of joy would be a reward for herself once she was finally done with her tedious job.

But regardless of what she was doing, Cath Z. Yslazeth would never entirely get rid of her boredom. She accepted that reluctantly as it was a meager price to pay for what she could attain. Anything had yet to happen when, she turned her gaze towards the bottom of the small hill. After a few more minutes, she saw a figure entirely cloaked in dark, heading towards the church. She didn't need to wait for him to come closer to realize who it was, and with a brilliant smile, she went to welcome back her child.

“Two years have passed... I guess after such a long time, you missed your mommy?”

In contrast to her gentle smile, Cath's voice was filled with derision and ridicule. From what she could see, Aien hadn't changed much over the years.

“Two hundred contracts...”

When she saw the new strength he possessed, her attitude remained indifferent. The amount of mana Aien had attained from these contracts was an enormous change to his previous fleeting reservoir. No doubt, he'd become stronger, but it was laughable compared to the world at large.

“So, what do you want? I suppose you have a reason to come here?”

She asked rhetorically, hiding her premonition behind that faint laughter of hers. She couldn't read his mind, but the contract between them revealed his intentions, so Cath knew about his hostility. Even so, there was not a trace of worry on her mind.

“I.. I.. can't... do this anymore!!”

Aien stammered at first before glaring at her defiantly. Instead of being intimidated by his outburst, she took note of the fear hiding behind his false courage as he confronted her.

“N-No longer! I won't be your slave anymore!”

With each word, Aien seemed to find another speck of courage to confront his master. From within his robe, he pulled out a long dagger that shimmered within the bright moonlight. But apart from its spectacular craft, it was no different from any other piece of metal.

“I'd rather die than obey you any longer!!”

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Grasping this dagger with all of his might, Aien attempted to take a step forward. However, he couldn't do so. The moment his hostility reached its peak and focused on attacking Cath, his body involuntarily trembled in fear. At this moment, he dreadfully remembered what would happen if he continued.

The world's sword was raised above his head, ready to strike down at any moment. Even a single step towards attempting to harm his master would mean the end of his life. His eyes quivered in fear, refusing to succumb to it. On the other hand, Cath enjoyed watching this scene playing out in front of her from afar. Her little servant had come all the way to put up a meaningless but splendid show for her. In some weird way, she was touched.

“Come here, my boy, and hand over that dangerous toy.”

A gentle voice from the past traveled into Aien's ears, trying to lull him into a peaceful dream. While struggling against the fear emerging from the depths of his heart, Aien found refuge in her illusive kindness. He appeared to refuse her demand as his lips struggled to form the defiant words. But they couldn't utter a single sound as the tension left his body the moment he surrendered to her demand.

As if the fear had overwhelmed him, his arm that held the dagger sunk down before he walked towards her. He hung his head in shame of his own actions that couldn't go through with his conviction. After dozens of steps that echoed on the silent hill with twice the weight of his body and conscience, Aien arrived in front of her. He reached out his hand to follow her order, dropping the dagger onto her open palm.

“Good child. Now go and become stronger. This isn't enough to satisfy my needs.”

“Yes, mother.”

It was then when Aien dropped his act. Whether Cath had seen through it and simply didn't care, or not, didn't matter. Regardless, she didn't take him seriously with the contract binding him.

It was then, when Aien's hand formed into an open palm, resembling the head of a spear. Without the need to reach back for momentum, he intended to thrust his hand into her defenseless chest that was wide open. But even as his intentions became clear, Cath didn't seem to realize what was happening.

It was then, at that exact moment, when Aien's intention was unleashed, the world delivered its punishment. In an instant, before his hand had even moved, a bolt of white lightning came crushing from the sky. With its booming thunder that replaced every sound in existence, it struck Aien at a speed that was too fast for the human eye to catch.

It was then when the world declared the end of his existence, for he'd disregarded the laws of this world. In a brilliant-white light, his body was burning away in a manner that wouldn't even leave his ashes behind. If the world was a zero-sum game where nothing could cease to exist but only change form, this was the sole exception, as every part of him was about to be erased for eternity.

But it was also then...

When the bell struck midnight.

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Hours before midnight on the same day.

In the distant north, a wild snowstorm was ravaging through its surroundings. For the people living here, it was a winter's day like any other. Except for one difference.

To say, 'the people lived here' was no longer true.

Amidst this massive storm, a pair of youths were struggling side by side as they passed through the endless white. A man and a woman, stumbled on the white blanket, barely making any progress as they moved forward. Every other step, the woman fell down in exhaustion, but no matter what happened, the man waited for her and supported her with all of his might. To their relief, after traversing for an unknown amount of time, they finally found a small cavern that could shelter them for the night.

After settling inside, their situation didn't improve much. They couldn't light a fire to weather the cold or gather more resources for their survival. They might survive this night, but their fate for the remaining days of winter was left to the mercy of the gods. Since there was nothing to keep them warm, they only had one option. The young man blushed despite the cold, but after his short hesitation, he embraced her in his arms, trying to give as much of his warmth as it was possible.

The young woman did not refuse the awkward embrace of the youth, and for the first time for hours, she released a faint chuckle. However, this short-burst of happiness didn't last long as she broke out in tears once the tension in her body had left her.

“How... How could this be?” She sobbed, her cries echoing in the small cave. “What happened? Why did this happen? Tell me, Synn! ”

“I don't know, Ann...”

The youth couldn't answer her. The day before, they'd struggled to survive the winter with the entire village working together as one big family. But, in an instant, that all of that was lost.

When Synn thought back to what had happened, he likewise was left clueless. Without warning, the people had begun collapsing. At first, most had assumed they merely overworked themselves. But this collapse spread faster than any wildfire, and the people eventually realized the victims weren't just unconscious but dead.

Before panic could spread throughout the village, the villagers already fell over at the drop of a hat. No amount of praying was able to help them. They'd begged for forgiveness from the gods for whatever sins they'd supposedly committed. All of that was for nothing. As the epidemic unfolded itself, Synn had watched as his family and friends died around him. Terrified, he'd waited for his own turn to come, but it hadn't. Everyone besides him had died, leaving him alone to wallow in his despair. To this point, he still didn't know whether he should be happy about his survival.

When he had heard the faint sobbing sounds from a distant house, he'd raced towards it in a panic, hoping he wasn't the only one left. As it'd turned out, he found the woman, Ann, he'd always admired in his heart. She had accompanied him in the dreams of countless nights, but in reality, she had been too far out of his reach. Compared to the youths around his age, he was much shorter than them. It didn't help that he was younger than her and weaker than most of the other youths. So for her to pay attention to him, was only a reality within his vivid dreams.

When he saw her as the sole remaining survivor, he'd sighed heavily in relief. But her reaction had been drastically different. While she had also been relieved to see someone else who had survived this tragic disaster, it wasn't the same. Just as Synn had always suspected, Ann wasn't particularly fond of him. She hadn't hated him either, but he had never been on her mind before.

All of that began changing in such a short amount of time neither of them could have believed it before.

Instead of leaving her alone, Synn took her with him. Instead of abandoning her to increase his own survival, he took it upon himself to carry the burden that was a helpless woman, who was too frightened to move. Together they left the village, afraid of the mysterious plague. Even taking food with them was out of the question as they had realized what allowed their survival. For the same reasons, each of them had offered their younger siblings their own food, much to their dismay. It had been weeks since either of them ate any of the rare meat that made it up this far north. This guilt was bound to stay with them for life, but for the time being, they could focus their attention on their survival.

In the cavern, Synn looked at the woman in his arms. He'd thought he'd never see her this up-close. Her body heaved up and down in accordance with her faint breathing. With her closed eyes, she snuck up her face and trembling body into his to escape the cold around them.

“Leave me behind.”

She eventually said in a faint whisper. Her voice was weak, lacking all of the usual energy and temperament he was used to seeing back in the village.

“Never!”

Synn shouted in response, far louder and much more severe than he'd intended to. He quickly realized what he'd just said and looked away in embarrassment, not daring to meet her eyes. In response, Ann chuckled faintly once more, wondering how Synn could worry about such matters in their current situation. While trying to rest, she thought about her past inside the village. She was absolutely devastated about the events, there was no arguing about that. But she'd never been too fond of the small place where she was confined to the same kind of people.

Ann wasn't too shy to admit that everyone agreed she was the most outstanding beauty in the village. But that brought with it a particular kind of loneliness. Did they like her solely because of her looks? Was there something else worth mentioning about her? In such a manner, she'd always questioned the seriousness of her admirers.

It was only at this point when she realized the warmth that could be found from the caring intentions of Synn. When she watched him supporting her through the storm, she realized that without a doubt, he would never abandon her. It wasn't hard for her to tell that he'd fallen for her. She didn't quite know how she felt about that and put such thoughts aside. There were more important things to worry about.

However, there was one thing she had to admit.

In this despairing scenario, where their survival was unsure and left for the whims of fate to decide, she was somewhat happy. She felt that unique happiness she'd never known before, aware that she was next to the person who sincerely cared for her more than anyone else.

“Thanks.”

When Ann opened her eyes, Synn noticed something different in them. In his rose-colored view of the world, he immediately thought that she'd fallen in love with him. Although he quickly reprimanded himself for thinking like that, the ridiculous thought, that might be closer to the truth he would ever realize, didn't leave his mind.

“Mmh.”

Reaching his arm around her shoulders, he shyly hummed as a response, further sheltering her from the cold. Holding each other in an embrace, the two fell asleep from their exhaustion, entering the land of dreams that could never compare to the reality of their wishes being realized.

She, who had wished for happiness, found that very happiness in the man who single-mindedly cared for her well-being at the cost of his own.

He, who had wished for this woman's love, found that love in her gaze that could unmistakenly be described as such.

At that moment, the contracts were fulfilled as the bells around the continent struck midnight. Together their love would span an eternity, promising to accompany each other until the day they grew old. Even if that eternity lasted only a flickering instant, as that day became their imminent reality.

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On the human continent, Alliza, on the 3rd day of Alir, 2374(attb.), an epidemic spread across the land as it had never been seen before. From the distant north to the Republic, across Ryst and Ethena, people died in all kinds of mysterious ways. No country was spared as the victims collapsed to the ground without any prior warnings. Whether it was poison, a new illness, or something entirely different, only a few could tell. But this epidemic that spanned the entire continent appeared to have no connection that would lead to its origin.

There was, however, those few cases among the sea of corpses that caught the attention of many. Individuals appeared as if they had rapidly aged into death. The few witnesses reported that even young children aged into senile midgets. Regular healthy men and women weren't spared either from the terrifying plague within the epidemic. Only a few would know the cause of the depleting life force of these humans, as the entirety of humanity was thrown into turmoil.

Those few knew that without a doubt, this was the work of a devil. How no one had realized his existence to such a large degree remained unknown. Neither could anyone guess what the point of this was or whether there was a larger plot that targeted humanity as a whole. There was only one thing clear.

On this day, thousands, if not tens of thousands of contracts, were concluded as the population of mankind suffered in the wake of this chaos.

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 One wished for the love of a woman.

Therefore, those around them will die, so there was only one choice left.

One wished to attain wealth.

Therefore, those around them will die, so they could take what they desired.

One wished for revenge.

Naturally, the method to fulfill that wish was to kill. 

For the devil under the Law of Death, Aien, this was the only method he knew of to fulfill his contracts. No matter what wish was asked of him, he'd find a way to fulfill them through the death of others. That was what a devil like him was created for.

This was the Law of Death.

Anything that lives, one day, has to die.

Thus, for a devil to kill, was only natural.

In fact,

For any living being, to kill another was only natural.

For it was natural,

It was the law.

A devil under the Law of Death decided who should die and who shouldn't.

To fulfill this purpose, they were created for, they attained the power to control death.

That too,

was a(n unbreakable) law.

But for Aien.

The hidden meaning behind that was far more important.

For the power to control death meant

To have the power to control life.