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679. The Truth And Revelation
“Why do you hate your queen?”
It was a simple question. But it was one that drew a myriad of answers from Hartia’s mind the moment he heard it. The memories of what happened during the incident flashed before his very eyes.
The disaster that befell the New World.
All the dead Fairies.
All his dead friends.
Ivory
It was his failures coming back to him once again
No— the Fairy Queen’s failures.
Hartia’s breathing quickened as he glared up at the Demon floating before him in his prison. But she didn’t seem like she wanted to antagonize him. Instead, it almost felt like she… wanted to understand him.
Like there was a sincere desire to know why he felt this way towards his own kind.
And that was not all. Hartia could also tell that she wasn’t trying to lie to him with her offer— that she wanted to free him once he did his part and freed the Third Legion.
It made no sense to Hartia. How could he feel what she felt? But he couldn’t deny the reality of his situation. It had something to do with her Skill, and that was why he couldn’t bring himself to lash out at her.
“My Queen… lied to me.”
Hartia finally said as he closed his eyes. He remembered her looming figuring, sitting on her throne. Always so regal. Seemingly so kind. But when the New World began to break apart, he saw just how wrathful she could be.
How callous she had treated him.
“It was her fault that her construct failed. That she failed once again. But she chose to blame me. To avoid the blame of her own failures, she pinned the blame on me.”
Hartia whispered as he placed a hand on his chest. The gray light emanating from his body flickered, turning pale for a brief moment. And Salvos floated there, her eyes growing wide as she saw flashes of his memories.
As she saw what happened to him.
“That’s…”
Salvos trailed off, not saying anything else. A pained expression crossed her face. And Hartia knew she understood his suffering.
“There is nothing you can do for me.”
Hartia spoke, shaking his head. He looked down at his hand and sighed.
“My life belongs to Regnorex now.”
He recalled what happened after he escaped the folds between the worlds. He remembered finding himself lost in the Netherworld during the midst of Revelation. The pervasive destruction was alien to him, who had lived his entire life within the Fairy Queen’s Palace.
There, everything was so peaceful. There was almost no danger. The most threats he would encounter was when he ventured out into the Spirit Plane or the Mortal Realm. But even then, it was a muted danger.
It was nothing like what he had seen in the Netherworld.
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The Fairy had fled, again and again, from Primeval Demons and Primordial Demons alike. He wasn’t even sure how he survived for so long. But eventually, he found himself cornered by a wild Primordial Demon.
A creature that would have consumed him in a single bite.
[The King Of Chimeras].
It was massive. It stood as tall as a mountain. And it broke through his [Fractal Barrier] with ease. The nameless Fairy accepted his death as he lay there, his body broken and bleeding.
But then there was a flicker of light.
A massive chain struck down at the Primordial Demon, whipping at it and keeping it back. The nameless Fairy just watched as a chained figure let out a guttural scream and crashed into the [King Of Chimeras].
As the nameless Fairy looked on at the battle— at the chained figure battling with the [King Of Chimeras] in the distance— a set of thudding footfalls approached him. The nameless Fairy looked back, hearing a voice.
“A Level 205 Primordial Demon. Quite the powerful beast. And yet, you survived its wrath, despite your level.”
There stood a crimson figure. Tall and powerful in statute. It almost reminded the nameless Fairy of his queen— no, not his queen. But the Fairy Queen. However, there was something different to this person.
He spoke with a coldness that even the Fairy Queen lacked.
“I am Regnorex the Demon King. I would ask you to bow, but you are no Demon.”
Regnorex spoke simply as the nameless Fairy picked himself up from the ground. In the distance, the chained figure beat down on the [King Of Chimeras]. A display of strength that seemed to impress even the Demon King.
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“Tell me: what is your name?”
It was an ordinary question. But the nameless Fairy couldn’t answer it. All he did was lower his head in shame. The Demon King seemed to take notice of this.
So he changed the question.
“What brings a Fairy like you to the Netherworld?”
Regnorex had asked. And the nameless Fairy simply answered.
“Nothing. I have no purpose, no will to live. I have no name. I have nothing left.”
But the Demon King didn’t respond to this with contempt. Instead, the massive figure of Regnorex descended to one knee and proffered a hand.
“Then prove yourself to me. Show me your strength. And I will turn you into my weapon.”
The Demon King spoke simply. And the nameless Fairy’s eyes grew wide.
“I will give you a name. I will never discard you. So show me what you are capable of.”
Regnorex finished. In response, the nameless Fairy closed his eyes and—
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“I am Regnorex’s weapon. I will not betray him.”
Hartia spoke insistently, glaring at Salvos.
“I do not care what you offer me. You are wasting your time. Just kill me. If I cannot serve the Demon King, then I may as well die.”
But even as he spoke, he knew he wasn’t telling the truth. He knew he was lying. That there was a sense of discomfort within him. That something was wrong.
Salvos shook her head as she proffered a hand.
“But that doesn’t have to be the case. The last time you dedicated your life to someone, they ended up discarding you the moment they didn’t need you, remember? Just like how the Fairy Queen used you, the Demon King is using you.”
Hartia gritted his teeth when he heard that.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
He wanted to lash out with another attack. But he couldn’t bring himself to do anything other than shout.
Salvos just shook her head in return.
“I know that being a weapon means you are only a tool. And I know that tools can easily be discarded once they aren’t useful anymore. I mean, why else would you be out here, guarding the Expanse? Why aren’t you by Regnorex’s side, helping him with his ritual to cross the planes?”
“That’s—”
He looked towards Salvos, but he could sense the truth in her words. The truth that he himself felt. That he knew he had already been replaced. Even though he had been the one responsible for helping the Demon King create this united network under the collars which could easily be accessed and manipulated.
But when a more talented master of space magic showed up, Hartia was immediately discarded.
And he scowled as he felt the aching in his heart.
“So what? You want me to be used by you instead?”
“No.”
Salvos shook her head. When Hartia heard that, he flinched. But she didn’t stop there.
“Why must you even be used by someone else? Why must you be someone else’s tool? Why can’t you live for yourself?”
“I—”
Hartia tried to protest. But Salvos continued.
“Live free, Hartia.”
And she caught herself. Her face grew soft. The expression she wore became kind. For a moment, Hartia almost thought that she was someone else.
“No— Basil.”
Hartia wanted to recoil when he heard that name. But all he did was float there, surrounded by the same distortion that ruined his past life.
“...that’s all I’ve ever known.”
He finally spoke as his eyes fluttered shut. Salvos just replied with a shrug.
“And it doesn’t need to be all you will ever know.”
“I…”
Hartia felt a pain wash over him. He knew that he had been discarded by Regnorex. But he had rejected that notion for so long, because he didn’t want to accept his folly.
Because he wanted to believe that things were different now.
However, he knew that wasn’t the case.
It never was.
“You do realize that defeating the other legions of the Expanse will not be so easy, right?”
Hartia finally spoke as he opened his eyes. He raised his gaze to look at Salvos.
“Jofis the Winged Horror is in charge of the First Legion. He is even more dangerous than me.”
That didn’t seem to deter Salvos. In fact, she looked intrigued by that prospect. Hartia shook his head.
“That is not to mention the fact that you will draw the ire of Manos the Executioner— the leader of the Deathsquad Hunters.”
“I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I’m going up against the Demon King. He’s a Primordial Demon. Of course it will be difficult.”
Hartia pursed his lips. But he didn’t bother arguing against her.
“Very well. I do not care what happens to you after I am set free. You can die for all I care.”
That made Salvos raise her brows.
“So you’re going to help me?”
Salvos asked, peering at him curiously. And while Hartia wished that a part of him wanted to betray her. He knew he wouldn’t do such a thing. He closed his eyes as he remembered something from his past life.
A memory he tried to forget, but remembered now.
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Basil flitted alongside Ivory as the two explored the beautiful garden of the Fairy Queen. They were both young Fairies. Barely a hundred years old. And neither of them had even reached Level 40 yet at this time. Looking up, Basil stared at the glass-like sky, and he raised a hand.
“When I grow up, I want to become one of the architects of the New World.”
“You do?”
Ivory asked, turning to him with an intrigued look. He nodded as he smiled.
“And you? What do you want to do?”
“I want to help bring the beauty to the New World— to be a Spring Fairy who creates flowers and a lush garden for all to enjoy.”
Ivory laughed in response. She closed her eyes, before lowering her head.
“Then after that, I want to explore the other planes of the Nexeus.”
“After… what?”
That made Basil pause. He stared at her quizzically, and she tilted her heard at him.
“Do you not wish to become anything once you have fulfilled your duty? Once you have finished creating the New World?”
“I… I have never thought about that.”
Basil replied hesitantly. And Ivory smiled as she took his hand.
“Then explore the Nexeus with me, Basil.”
He blinked a few times as he heard her words.
“Show me the world. Let us explore it, together.”
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“I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for someone else.”
Hartia finally replied as he snapped back to reality. He knew that Salvos saw what he saw. That she felt what he felt. But he didn’t care any longer.
“I am doing this so I can be free once and for all.”
And Salvos smiled when she heard that.
“Good. Now let’s get you out of here.”