“You are dead,” the man coldly stated—standing in the middle of a breathtaking field of white flowers. A quiet breeze swayed them gently at his feet, his short silvery hair matching the rhythm of the flowers.
A young woman sat with her back leaned against a lonely tree, its tall stature and large trunk stood out amongst the small and fragile looking flowers—the woman’s long and light brown hair tenderly moved with the wind. She looked up at the man in front of her with her defeated dark brown eyes—his words abolishing any remaining hope she could’ve had. It was not hard for her to believe him, yet she clung to life until the very last second of her slow and painful death.
The memory was still fresh in her mind, the massive horde of specters approaching from the distance. She reinforced her group’s camp with every rock and every sandbag she could find—but her team had already given up all hope. The remaining Cerberus officers stood expressionless while they stared at the approaching demons, the wounded simply closed their eyes and hoped to meet their end before the horde could reach them.
Before she knew it, the specters took down her defenses with ease—lashing at every person that crossed their path. She was taken down in an instant by the many monsters surrounding the camp, their large claws piercing her body like multiple sharpened swords. Her own screams were drowned by her team’s and the demon’s screeches, unable to find peace until her eyes finally closed and her consciousness faded into nothingness.
“I thought so...” she expressed her sorrow with a soft and saddened voice. A melancholic smile enveloped her face and tears rolled down her cheeks, her lips quivering as she ignored her negative thoughts and remained strong. “Tell me... who are you?” she asked the man. “Where am I?”
“Call me, Sovereign.” he replied with no particular tone. “This...” he paused for a moment, thinking about his next sentence. “You could say it’s my home, I invited you in myself.” he claimed.
The woman’s eyes filled with perplexity at his answer, but her face regained its depressive state not long after—wherever she was at the moment no longer mattered to her, she was dead and nothing could ever change that. “Do you need anything from me?” she asked.
“Your name,” Sovereign replied immediately.
Her eyes looked down for a second, moving back to face the silver-haired man standing in front of them—his eyes unseen to her as a shadow concealed their image. “Viktoria... Viktoria Engel.” she replied, her voice cracking as grief overtook her mind.
Sovereign bended slightly forward and stretch his arm towards her. Viktoria skeptically reached for his hand while trying to get a better look at the man’s veiled eyes, but just as her hand was about to brush his, Sovereign pulled away slightly from her—surprising the girl who flinched in response.
“I have a deal for you,” the silver figure said. “Take my hand only if you agree to my terms.” he told her, maintaining his expressionless tone.
“Terms? What terms?” the confused girl asked—her quivering hand hanging in front of her near Sovereign’s.
“I will bring you back to life—” Viktoria flinched immediately after hearing those words, remaining quiet while the man continued to explain his deal. “However, you will only have one year to live and you will stay in the Deadlands until the very last day.”
Viktoria swallowed hard as she intently listened to the silver-man’s terms, staring at his face with watery eyes. She began to sob quietly as he continued, covering her mouth with her other hand.
“You will become a specter and do exactly as I say,” Sovereign declared calmly. “Over time you will lose your mind and become an empty husk, a mindless killing machine like the others.” He moved his hand closer to hers, making sure to avoid physical contact. “After the year has passed, I will send someone after you to avoid further issues.” he told her, a more compassionate tone coming from his voice. “He will end your suffering once and for all.”
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Broken, confused and afflicted with pain and sorrow. Viktoria couldn’t resist the urge to cry her heart out as tears rolled down her face, sobbing uncontrollably with flinching eyes. “One year... as a specter... just to live again... what is the point?” she thought to herself.
“I don’t expect you to agree to this,” Sovereign claimed. “That’s why I’m going to accept one condition from you,” he offered—gesturing the number one with his finger.
Viktoria let out a surprised gasp at his offer—she knew what she wanted the moment the option was presented to her, everything she worked and died for. “My sister!” she raised her voice and lunged slightly forward—almost taking the man’s hand, who moved it back to avoid contact. “Please, save my sister... if she can grow safe and have a normal life...” she implored the silver figure. “Please, save her.”
“This is the only request I will accept from you, is this really what you want?” Sovereign asked with a warning, making sure the girl had no regrets. “You could ask to become human again and I wouldn’t have to kill you, why not do that?” even with his eyes concealed in a shadow, the expression in his face challenged her to take his recommendation.
“My sister... I want her to grow happy.” Viktoria replied with a smile, her voice more resolute than ever—as if her agony had just been taken away by the wind. “Please, if you can do that... I... I will endure anything.” she reached for his hand and held it tight.
Her back moved away from the tree’s trunk as the silver figured helped her on her feet—she stared as his chest for a second before lifting her head to look at his face. “Thank you...” she offered him a grateful smile.
“You don’t know what I’m going to ask of you,” Sovereign stated with no expression on his face. “Or even if I will honor my part of the deal.”
Viktoria lowered her head, but kept a hopeful smile regardless. “What choice do I have? If my life can give her a slim chance of happiness...” she lifted her head once again. “Then that’s good enough for me.”
Sovereign found himself lost for words at her answer, simply staring at the girl in front of him. Everything was taken from her in the blink of an eye, yet she stood there with radiant dark brown eyes filled with hope. His stoic expression hid the guilt he felt at the time, having taken another innocent life from the world. “Her name?” he asked.
“Lucy, her name is Lucy Engel!” Viktoria’s smile grew even wider.
Sovereign nodded slowly and let his hand fall to his side, but the girl didn’t let go of it—holding tightly to the one and only hope she’s ever had. “I promise you, Viktoria. I will take care of Lucy.” he swore to her with a calm yet confident voice.
The girl closed her eyes and took a breath of relief, her heart beating fast at the words of the silver-haired man. What she couldn’t achieve in life, she will achieve in death and that was all that mattered to her at the time. “Thank y—” Viktoria tried to offer her thanks to Sovereign once more. When she opened her eyes however, the man was no longer in front of her.
His presence vanished before she could even realize it, the tree she once leaned her back on disappeared as well and the flowery field was nowhere to be seen either. Viktoria found herself back in the Deadlands, the eerie red fog traveled slowly with the wind and the black and red scorched earth replaced the peaceful green and white fields.
She looked at the hand she held Sovereign’s with—which remained tightly closed into a fist. Opening her fingers, she set her watery eyes in the gentle and beautiful white flower resting in her palm. Pursing her lips with a sweet smile on her face, Viktoria huffed a short laugh before lifting her head back up—her glowing crimson eyes set forward and determined to live for one last year.
Pelkesk, A Dark Room in Kapono City: 936, February 13th, Friday, 5:00 PM.
“She is dead, Sovereign.” Yeon’s concerned voice spoke through his earpiece. “Listen... I know you promised the girl’s safety but...” she paused for a moment, trying to be tactful about the situation. “Your safety is more important than anyone else’s... and not just to me.”
A painful chuckle left the CEO’s lips at Yeon’s anxious tone, his rough and distorted voice worsening over time. “You made me really happy just now...”
“This isn’t a joke!”
“I know...” Sovereign attempted to calm her nerves, shifting into a more serious tone. “I mean it, Ki-Joon... But if it were this easy to take me down, I would’ve been gone a long time ago.” He reassured his friend. “I’ll make it, Ki-Joon. Believe in me.”
An exasperated sigh escaped Yeon’s lips at the frustration she felt while dealing with her boss’ antics, but his words did manage to calm her worries—even if just a little. “That hair of yours is not the only silver part in your body...” she tried to diffuse the tension of the atmosphere with a quick joke.
Sovereign laughed with delight at her comment, returning to his usual cheerful self. “I’ll treat you to something once we’re back,” he offered. “How about candles, relaxing music and some wine?”
END OF CHAPTER