Arc 6. A seemingly endless loss
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 69. A Grueling, painful, Existence
Still, in Eclis, Gray, Rosemary, and Soku are all held by chains. Rosemary and Soku have mana-damping crystals on, still unconscious. Then there’s Gray, who’s trying to break free of the chains made from mana, looking into Prometheus’s long-dead eyes. Prometheus slides his long foot back, clenching onto the misshapen stone floor with his lengthy toes, causing some of the stones to reshape around Gray’s body. Gray is given no room to move, as every bit of his body is coated in the stone, other than his head of course. In one swift move, the large and imposing monster that is Prometheus spins in a circle takes another necklace from his pocket, and puts it on Gray. Gray looks at the necklace, watching as the mana-dampening crystals slowly charge to fit Gray’s unique mana signature.
He attempts to scream out, but Prometheus forces the stone to go over his mouth, causing anything he could say to become mumbles. Then Gray's eyes flicker to everyone in front of him. Prometheus, the leader of the Sect of Anarchy, Lazarus, Julius, Smolder, Yoru, and Ganga. Prometheus walks up to Smolder, Yoru, and Ganga, placing his hand on Ganga's head, then places the other on Smolders. Their veins bubble and their skin stretches out, then right as Gray assumes they’re going to die, everything goes back to normal. They seem completely fine, as if Prometheus healed them, which is what he did, kinda. He used their mana, with a mix of his own, to speed up their healing processes, making them a bit older.
Prometheus: “Smolder, have they yet to understand your true identity?”
Smolder drops to one knee, bowing in the presence of his master.
Smolder: “No sir!”
Prometheus: “Well that is what I figured. I don’t think Gray nor Soku met you, did they? Rosemary, as well as Julius have though. Tell me Julius, king of Valatrocitus, do you know his identity?”
Julius takes one quick look at Smolder, then quickly looks back to Prometheus.
Julius: “Yes sir I do. Would you like me to inform them?”
Prometheus: “Not yet.”
Prometheus walks over to Rosemary and Soku, placing their hands on their heads. The venom running through their veins is extracted into Prometheus fingers. He lets the venom swell, letting Gray watch as it turns into a mist, fading away. Rosemary then quickly jumps to her senses, trying to break free, though with her mana held back from her, she’s just as strong as a normal person. Once she looks at Prometheus' decrepit face, she tries to scurry away, as if she’s trying to hide from him. She begins sweating, and panting like she’s about to die. When Soku wakes up, the same thing begins to happen, causing Gray to feel a bit confused.
Gray is intensely afraid, but not to this extent. He assumes it could be his mind being a bit stronger, though again he’s wrong and right at the same time. Prometheus is exuding an aura that would cause most to fear him, it’s as if he’s radiating horror. His dark, mutated mana, constantly tries to leave his body, leaking into the air, though his body continues to heal by using the mana in the atmosphere. This keeps him in a permeate death-like state, and this mutating of the spirits around everyone, forces them to panic, but Gray is so connected to the normal spirits, these are so far gone that his mind can’t seem to accept their existence.
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Lazarus: “Pandora has yet you arrive with the Helsing. Severus has also not arrived.”
Lazarus’ monotone, demanding, yet bored voice affects Gray much more than the others. This spiritual energy is what Gray’s used to, so this coating of death coming off of his skeletal form is so strong that Gray’s body absorbs it. This is what’s keeping Gray in this never-ending panic, but the cursed charm dangling on the golden necklace seems to reject it for him, only slightly though.
Prometheus: “Julius. You want to prove yourself to us, you want us to trust you. I gave you men, my only powered allies left, so tell me what you have accomplished.”
Julius: “Of course sir. Yoru infected the populace of her husbands' small city Al-po. This created a small army to distract one of Walgonia’s heroes. Then I also had her go into the Guard Fog a few months ago, using her to mutate the monsters within it. I know you didn’t want me to kill them, so I informed everyone not to, and to wait for the sun to rise. This was to test their strength, skill, and ability to keep everything given to them in check. I would say they’re ready.”
As Prometheus thinks about what Julius is telling him, Lazarus becomes annoyed that he seemed to have completely ignored him. To get out this held-back anger, he slams the bottom of his scythe on the ground to get Prometheus’s attention. Prometheus turns his head completely around extremely slowly, forcing everyone to hear the crushing of his neck bones. The flesh forces itself backward, the bones pierce the skin, and Prometheus’s eyes are filled with malice. Though, while his eyes are filled with utter hatred, he’s still smiling.
Prometheus: “They’ll be here. However, I fear Pandora won’t be able to attend this gracious event. The body she was using as her Apostle, “Rosine” has lost its use. I’ve felt her power dwindling within the body, since we got everything out of her we could. Her mind broke with sin, so it’s only time before the young girl's mind is nothing but mush. But, alas this is all a part of the plan, so I’d say everything is going swimmingly.”
While everything is happening at the platform, Edward makes his way up to the top. He found a spiral staircase in the central tower, and for the past twenty minutes, he’d been slugging up them. His right tibia and fibula have been snapped in two, forcing himself through this brain-curdling pain with his sheer willpower alone. But his right leg is still far more wounded than that, because on top of the broken tibia and fibula, his ankle has been crushed, the skin has been torn, and his right leg is completely facing backward. He uses his sword as a cane, forcing himself up each and every step, leaving a trail of blood behind him. His mind is empty, his body is struggling to stay up, he’s breathing heavily, and still keeps pushing. Then finally, after what felt like forever, he reached the top of the staircase. In front of him is a somewhat large lobby, with an old rug on the ground, a broken chandelier hanging from the ceiling, covered in cobwebs, and two broken stained glass windows with two large wooden doors recently opened.
When he sees the large Prometheus, along with all of the other sect members, he’s filled with rage. And the rage boils over when he sees Gray, Rosemary, and Soku all held captive. He begins dragging himself, to a fast-paced walk, to a full-blown sprint toward Prometheus. When he makes it outside, he grips the hilt of his blade, holds it up, and screams with vigor. Before he can do anything more, Lazarus swiftly moves his scythe, and in a flash, Edward’s destroyed lower leg is cut clean off. He lands on the ground, screaming out in anger, writhing in agony, letting his rage-filled tears flow from his eyes. He grits his teeth, grabs his sword, and lunges up, but instead of attacking Prometheus, he bolts toward Gray.
But yet again, he’s struck down. He was only able to move a few steps forward before Prometheus gently touched Edwards’ side. The veins around his right forearm begin to bubble, then, within a fraction of a second, it explodes. As his blood coats his face, he hits the ground, struggling to stay conscious. Then, Prometheus touches his sword with his toe, causing the sword to break in two, being around a third of its original size. Prometheus lifts him up, looking him in the eyes.
Prometheus: “They called you the pure race, but you’re just sad. Godrick should be ashamed of what he tried so hard to create, Jasmine Van Helsing should be ashamed of birthing you, Musashi should be ashamed of training you, and you should be ashamed of being alive.”
Prometheus's sharp fingernails pierce Edward's neck before he swiftly sinks his vampire teeth into him. Gray's screams echo throughout the area, along with the just as loud screams of Rosemary and Soku. Their horror reached its peak, watching the veins around Edward's neck glow red, about to spread to the rest of his body, but it quickly vanished. Prometheus, annoyed, heals Edward’s arm and leg, causing the wounds to close, though he doesn't replace the missing limbs. Then, while staring at Gray, he drops the body of his unconscious friend on the ground, kicking him aside.
Prometheus: “Now, we let the real fun begin.”
End of Chapter sixty-nine