Location: MID UCTF (Urban Combat Training Facility)
Time: 4:00 PM, February 14th 2108
As someone who had hoped to die with some of his honor restored, I can’t say that realizing I was still alive made me very happy.
Don’t misunderstand, it’s not as if I wanted to die. I just knew that my fate was sealed either way, so I would have preferred dying on my own terms. But it would seem that this fool isn’t even allowed to die as he wished.
The explosion that emanated from Devesh’s body after I killed him must have only knocked me unconscious. Even after waking up, I didn’t have the strength to move, but I couldn’t tell if I would die from my wounds or not. In that scenario I would have assumed that Acht would have finished the job, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he had been replaced by a smaller number.
“Enthusiastic. The one good thing about Mistress Oakley’s order is that I can stay true to my word. Proud. Chasing the bright one away was easy. Certain. That Number is smart enough to know I wasn’t in the mood to mess around.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, a streak of black electricity passed from Hana’s outstretched hand to my chest. The world went dark before I even processed that she was killing me.
Then, light.
I took a deep breath, deeper than I ever had before.
“That one was for Alli. She just wants to be normal, can’t you people leave her alone?”
“What just happened?”
I thought Hana killed me, and based on the fact that she currently had a black lightning pattern covering her arms she had to have used her augmentation.
“Huh? You can’t even figure it out? Did I mess something up? Either way, I killed you just like I said I would. That one was for Alli.”
“You killed me?” I didn’t do anything foolish like pinching my cheek. I was clearly still alive. “It didn’t seem to stick.”
“Of course not. I made sure to restart your heart. I said I’d kill you three times, remember?”
Another arc of her lightning pierced my body, and I once again experienced death.
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Then, Once again experienced life. Hana's nose had started to bleed while I was out, but she didn't seem concerned.
“That one was for Emi Emi. I’m the only one who gets to mess with her, understand?”
“I suppose so.” I didn’t understand the specifics of what she was upset with, but I understood enough to realize that I had been a massive imbecile.
“Hmm? You’re not reacting much. I’ve never done something like this before, but I was imagining your reaction would be way more extreme.”
“I believe that most people would certainly live up to your expectations when presented with such an odd form of punishment, but I don’t plan on overreacting. After all, I certainly deserve this punishment.” I wasn’t actually working with Prince Eren like she thought, but that didn’t change what I did, what I tried to do.
Despite understanding that our augmentations force us to a higher standard, I let my emotions turn me into a fool.
“Come on, now do it. Kill me for the last time.”
“Hold on, What’s the rush? This last one is for me, remember? I’ve got something to say first.”
“Then say it already.”
I didn’t care what she had to say, but I would consider humoring her ego part of my punishment.
“On my way here I was planning on killing you without a second thought, but then I realized something. Isn’t this exactly what the vampire would want? Isn’t she using my connection to Oakley to control me, just like she said she would?”
I was surprised. Not with Hana having such thoughts, but the fact that it took her so long to realize. We were all just pawns on someone else’s board.
“And then I thought, wait, if Oakley is being controlled, and I was being controlled, isn’t it possible that you are being controlled as well? Were we all just being controlled to make things come to this point?”
“Probably.”
That’s all the solace I could offer her.
“And doesn’t that make you angry?”
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t, but that doesn’t change things. Even if I was being used, my actions were my own. I must accept punishment for that.”
“And your punishment is to be killed by me?”
“It doesn’t matter if you do it or not, I’m going to be killed by someone.”
“Probably. That’s why I figured I should at least get some enjoyment out of killing you myself. But that was before I ran into Father. He gave me a message from Alexi- from Mother.”
Mother? Hana practically had to force the words out. In any other situation I would have asked about it.
“So what exactly are you trying to tell me? Are you going to kill me or not?”
“In a rush? Me too, so I’ll just leave it at that. Hana is a woman of her word. It’s like they say, talk is expensive; and it’s time to cash your checks. Grant Glaif will die today.”
Once again, her electric shadows started gathering around us. The entire area grew far too bright as the dark mass in front of me grew in scale.
“Feel free to hold a grudge for what I’m about to do. This is an outcome that makes no one happy, not even me. But this is the only way I have to spite that vampire.”
I wouldn’t hold a grudge. I understood that everyone had their own circumstances to deal with. Hana simply wanted to try and defend her actions. There were lots of things that I wanted to defend as well, things that I wanted to properly explain. That shouldn’t come as a surprise though. From the beginning, this has been nothing more than an objection on pawns.