Chapter 44 - A bittersweet victory

After reading the contents of the system window that had appeared before his eyes, Adam couldn't help but pale even further, unable to believe what had been happening all this time. He didn’t even have to think much to understand exactly why that window hadn’t appeared in front of Li... Everything suddenly made sense—the constant conversations with Thaddeus at every opportunity, and how everything had conveniently lined up for the group to be part of this search operation. He even realized why they had been allowed to leave after being imprisoned at the Armada base.

He knew Li was a veteran in the scenarios, knew he had been through many of these stories, and remembered one of the only early pieces of advice Li had given them: "Only rely on yourselves." The frustration was palpable in Adam—not against the man who had manipulated them so easily, but with himself. It was the same frustration he had felt when he was deceived at the pirate library's door. What bothered him most was his lack of common sense, interacting with people like Drake and Kazue had led him to form a completely mistaken idea of what it meant to deal with others. He had never had so much contact with such different personalities before, and none of the hundreds—if not thousands—of books and theories he'd read and studied over the years could help him now.

"But the truth is, I have to admit, some things have changed a lot after our little adventure..."

Thaddeus then said as he stood up and walked toward one of the zeppelin's windows, watching the war unfolding outside with a look of sadness and melancholy, something only noticed by Sebastian, who stood nearby.

"The sacrifice you made and the help you gave, even against your will, will always be remembered... I truly hope you can find peace. I’m sorry."

Thaddeus said, his voice filled with genuine regret and activating his second skill.

[Skill: Automatic Infosphere Lv6] [Medium-level skill that allows the user to give commands and information to technology-based objects considered their property from a distance.] [Hint: As long as an object is considered the user's property, this skill has no range limit on its effect.]

What happened next was witnessed only by Sebastian, as a series of explosions began to echo from outside, causing the old man to rise and look out instinctively. Before his eyes, a bizarre spectacle unfolded—every single giant mechanical sea beast had begun to explode, themselves and taking with them several enemy mecha-giants or ships in the process. Li also approached one of the windows, raising an eyebrow in confusion; however, Sebastian knew exactly what Thaddeus had meant with his last words. Thanks to the memories of the late Falk, he discovered that all those beasts had the imprisoned souls of people from the past, experimented upon, and forced to give life to those murderous machines.

"I never fully understood my connection with the mechanical beasts, I simply took advantage of that fact whenever necessary. But now, thanks to you, Mr. Sebastian, I finally understand why. For that, I reiterate my eternal gratitude, and I'm certain all those souls—who can finally rest in peace—thank you as well."

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

Adam couldn’t contain his voice after the scientist's words, as what had happened to him and what Sebastian had discovered was still unknown to him. This ultimately led the elder to stumble toward him and begin explaining as clearly as he could everything that had occurred when he attempted to heal Thaddeus. He recounted how he had witnessed the past through the hidden soul in the body of his aviatrix, whose lifeless form he still held in his hands, unable to abandon it.

That duality in Thaddeus's personality was something Adam found irritating like few things; he believed that only shades of black and white existed, good and evil from a logical standpoint. He couldn't understand that the scientist genuinely believed he was acting for the best. However, his thoughts were interrupted when Sebastian looked at him with an expression of concern that simultaneously conveyed a sense of calm.

"I think I understand what's going on, but please, have a little patience with Thaddeus. At the end of the day, I think he's just a frightened boy trying to do his best in his own, albeit misguided, way."

That line of thought was dangerously close to self-deception. Even if Thaddeus's actions had stemmed from good intentions, they had long since crossed the boundary of morally gray, given the countless deaths his revolution was causing at that moment. Yet, Adam's rational mind kicked in again, reminding him that, logically speaking, it didn’t really matter. After all, these were just characters in a story, and the world was already engulfed in a war where many lives were lost regularly. If Thaddeus’s actions helped bring an end to it all, wouldn’t that be for the best? Right?

The truth was, Adam didn’t want to dwell on what was “socially correct”. The last time he had, he ended up acting in a way he deeply regretted. Even though he appreciated the help and company of his teammates to some extent, he knew that, in the end, he would always prioritize his own well-being. He wasn’t going to attempt to be the hero who sacrificed himself for others ever again.

“Fine… I get it.”

Adam spoke aloud, his voice filled with a horrible sense of resignation to the situation. His words prompted Thaddeus to give the order to release him, and shortly after, Kazue was also freed. Adam used the opportunity to distance himself from the others, walking away to sit far from everyone, not even bothering to check on how Drake was doing.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group spent the remainder of the journey talking among themselves, especially Kazue, who wasn’t exactly thrilled to have encountered her mentor in this way, yet, despite her initial displeasure, she didn’t hesitate to speak with her as much as she could—something that Adam couldn’t care less about listening to.

About an hour passed before they finally received the announcement that they had arrived at their destination: the Stratos Technology boarding area. At that moment, everyone inside the vessel stirred, especially many men and women in white lab coats who hurriedly brought down something resembling a covered stretcher. It wasn’t hard to guess that Drake was on it. Although they had been told that he had been stabilized, he still required more specialized care.

"Time to go."

Thaddeus said, standing up and addressing the group while putting on a weird black armored glove on his right arm, but hiding it quickly before Adam’s eyes could catch its information.

"Please, stick close to me. There may still be some issues inside."

Without saying or complaining further, the entire group, now joined by the two bodyguards of the young scientist, who hadn’t bothered to put their masks back on, disembarked from the zeppelin and proceeded from the hangar into the endless hallways. Truth be told, Adam had expected to find the place in ruins, or at the very least with signs of some kind of combat. But the only difference from the last time they were there was the presence of several soldiers dressed in those heavy black armors, patrolling the various floors and corridors, even though it didn’t seem necessary.

It didn't take long until they finally reached their destination: the door to Isaac Volta's office, exactly as they had done during their previous visit. However, this time, they didn’t knock but entered directly. And instead of finding the room in the same disheveled state, with no trace of the scientist, they were greeted by none other than Isaac himself, his voice filled with alarm.

“I told you already that I don’t… Thaddeus?!”

It was clear the scientist hadn’t expected to see his son there. Instead of showing relief or joy, his concern spiked to the extreme. He stumbled over the items scattered on the floor as he hurried toward him.

"Are you okay? It's a madhouse in here! The operations center was overrun by a small army in mechanical suits I'd never seen before. They locked me up in here, and every so often, someone would come by asking if I needed anything. I don’t know what they want, but it’s incredibly dangerous. How did you get here?"

Isaac stumbled over his words in his agitation, prompting Thaddeus to grasp him firmly with both arms to calm him down.

"Father, calm down. Everything is fine; I’ll explain everything to you. You have nothing to fear."

Still not fully calmed down but trusting his son's words, the disheveled scientist agreed to sit and listen while his son told him whatever he wanted to say, while the rest of the group stayed behind them, listening.

Minutes passed, and Thaddeus's narrative progressed slowly but surely, carefully not to skip even the smallest detail, as if it were something he had rehearsed for a long time—and perhaps it was, as this was the first time he had shared his ideas and intentions directly with his father so openly, clearly hoping that he would understand his point of view and share his ideals. However, reality is not always as one wishes, and with every word spoken, Isaac's expression grew increasingly somber and filled with anguish until his son finally finished.

"And with that, we arrive at this point... Father, I would like you to please lend me your help; your knowledge and experience will be necessary to lead the world into an era of prosperity."

Isaac didn't respond for a few seconds, remaining in his seat and staring at his desk as if there were something on it, even though it was empty.

"I... I can't believe something like this came out of your mouth, and even more so that you actually went through with it... Do you realize what you've done?"

Said the scientist without lifting his gaze, which frustrated Thaddeus, who quickly tried to respond.

"I understand that you may have your doubts, father, but looking at it rationally, the only way to..."

“Enough!”

The room fell silent after Isaac's shout, interrupting his son with a strength in his voice he had never used before. He finally lifted his gaze, revealing tear-filled eyes and a face marked by immense sadness and disappointment.

"The only thing you're doing is causing chaos. It doesn't matter how much you think you can control things—this power was sealed away after it was first used for a reason. It's as dangerous and evil as the forbidden science of the 'Golden Pavilion.' Under no circumstances should it ever be used, and you've brought both back into the world."

Those words shocked young Volta, as far as he knew, the existence of the Golden Pavilion was a secret only a select few elite scientists in his faction were aware of. His father was only supposed to know about its technology as a concept after refusing its use alongside the Armada. However, at that moment, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place in his mind.

"You... You knew. The technology you used to repair my heart wasn't based on the workings of one of the guardians... You used its core and installed it in me. That's why Mr. Sebastian was able to repair and reactivate it using the same method the former scientists of the Pavilion used. If you knew it worked, why do you refuse to believe it's something that can help humanity?"

After these words, Isaac suddenly stood up and slammed the table with both hands, revealing his pent-up fury at that moment.

"Because it's unnatural! Believe me, I exhausted every possible resource to save you, and that was the only thing left to try. How do you think I felt when I discovered that souls exist in this world, and that to activate your heart, it required using another human's soul to make it work? ... But there was no other option. We decided it was the only way, and I was the only person capable of performing the procedure."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“We?...”

Thaddeus couldn't understand what his father was trying to say, but for some reason, he had a terrible feeling.

"Who sacrificed themselves to give life to your mechanical heart the first time... was your mother. She didn’t die from the same illness that afflicted you, she didn’t have a weak heart like you. She... she gave her life, her very soul, to save yours."

That revelation hit like an emotional blow, so much so that even the other members of the group listening from the back flinched upon hearing it. But it was clear that no one was more shocked than Thaddeus himself, who could hardly find the words. His mother, who had passed away several years ago, and whom he believed had died from the same heart condition he suffered from, had chosen to sacrifice herself for him.

Both he and Sebastian understood the gravity of the situation. Just as it had happened with Falk’s soul, using a soul to activate a machine meant that the soul would completely vanish. Although the old man didn’t fully grasp it, the reason why Thaddeus’ soul emerged intact afterward to fuel the hearth, rather than being partially functional like when Isaac performed the procedure, was because that process was the result of a user’s skill that Sebastian managed to replicate through a series of coincidences, but it was something impossible for a character within a scenario to achieve.

"That's why I know this technology is abominable; it's impossible to even think about using it again."

Said Isaac, hoping that this revelation would be enough to make his son see reason; however, Thaddeus began to interpret it in a completely different way, as for him, the fact that his mother had died for him added even more weight to his ideals. After all, he would not let her sacrifice be in vain.

"On the contrary, it means that it can be used to save many lives, and if it requires human souls to function, we can use those of criminals and people who only harm society."

Thaddeus seemed satisfied with his response and with himself, but all his father could manage to reply was a dry groan, seeing how he could no longer even recognize the son with whom he had spent so many years; it was as if he were a completely different person. When had that change occurred in him? Unfortunately, Isaac couldn't know, and he had to admit that he hadn't been an exemplary father either, focusing more on his work than anything else, especially after his wife passed away.

"Enough! I don't even recognize you... Your mother didn't sacrifice herself for this. What we did was out of love, not to see you turned into... this."

"Father, I think I understand your point, but you also need to understand mine. I believe that my mother's sacrifice paves the way for a new way to help humanity, saving the innocent and punishing those who take pleasure in the suffering of others."

At these last words, Isaac could do nothing more and simply lowered his gaze once again.

"If your mother could see what her sacrifice has led to, I'm sure she would regret having done it."

That was too much, even for the others listening from behind; those cruel words were all the scientist had inside him at that moment. However, he could never have imagined that the next thing his son would do was grab him by the neck with a swift motion—apparently thanks to the mechanical glove on his arm—and lift him off the ground while looking at him with a mix of anger and desperation.

"Even I... regret how careless I was with you... What you’re doing doesn’t make sense... You’re just replacing one monster's head with another."

Thaddeus was too agitated to respond, so Isaac continued, gathering all the strength he had to speak over a grip that barely allowed him to breathe.

"I’ll... never stop... trying to stop you... and I'm sure that... your mother would do the same."

The pressure on Isaac's neck was visibly increasing, to the point where the expression on his face had become exaggeratedly agonized. His son, blinded by a surge of rage, seemed completely unaware of this—until a loud crack echoed through the room.

"Thaddeus, no!"

Sebastian shouted then, rushing toward the boy as fast as his exhausted body allowed, grabbing him by the arm in an attempt to bring him back to his senses. The action had been so sudden that even the bodyguards, Magnus and Kathlene, hadn’t noticed it. But in the end, there was no need for them to intervene.

As if emerging from a trance, the old man's words echoed in Thaddeus' mind, causing him to snap out of it and realize what he was doing. He released his grip on his father, his face filled with fear; however, it was already too late. The scientist's lifeless body collapsed to the floor.

Thaddeus didn’t cry or scream upon realizing the atrocity he had just committed. He simply fell to his knees beside the body of his murdered father. Sebastian knelt next to him, trying to say something to comfort him, though even he didn’t know what could be said in such a moment.

The room fell into a heavy silence that stretched for what felt like an eternity, and even Adam began to feel weird, like a strange bitterness in his mouth, something he had never experienced before. Moments later, a cold, eerie breeze seemed to sweep over his body and filled the room.

“...?”

As if an almost imperceptible mist had appeared from nowhere, the room's temperature began to drop gradually, enough for everyone to notice. In the middle of Isaac's body, a small blue flame flickered into existence, leaving everyone stunned—especially Thaddeus and Sebastian, who were closest. Could it really be what they thought? How was it even possible for Isaac's soul to manifest in such a way?

Eventually, Adam would learn that this was an unusual gift from the Undead Queen to young Volta, a rare act of gratitude for guiding her vessel through the cursed rocks in the underground temples. But for now, it was something completely unprecedented.

“Is… Is this, Mr. Isaac’s soul?”

Sebastian, completely shocked, stammered something incomprehensible while Thaddeus remained silent, his eyes red and his eyelids swollen. He watched the blue flame intensely. It wasn’t long before he decided to act, gently cupping the small flame in both hands and bringing it closer to him. However, he paused, as if hesitating or reconsidering something. After a few moments, he turned to the elderly man beside him and, with trembling hands, extended his father's soul toward Sebastian.

"Mr. Sebastian, I’m sorry to be so selfish. You’ve done so much for me, too much, and yet I’d like to ask one more favor of you… Please, take care of my father’s soul. I’m not worthy to hold it, not now and not ever."

Thaddeus’ voice wavered with guilt and sorrow, as he held the flame out to Sebastian, his hands trembling. He could barely meet the old man's gaze, burdened by the weight of his actions.

Under any other circumstances, Sebastian would have argued or refused to hold onto something so sacred and personal. However, after everything they had been through, he understood Thaddeus’s feelings and the meaning behind his gesture. Silently gathering all the courage he could muster, the old man accepted what was offered, taking the small blue flame with trembling hands, feeling the weight of its significance.

"Thank you, truly. Please know that you will always be welcome with me, no matter what happens. I will find a way to repay this eternal debt to you somehow."

Thaddeus said, finally shedding a few tears as he watched his father's soul escape from Sebastian's hands, while the elder poured it into the empty shell of Falk. The mechanical body felt the returning energy that sustained it and closed again, after which the gears inside began to move immediately, causing the little bird, once stiff and inert, to start moving and stand up again, tilting its head like a real bird, confused about its surroundings.

That could have been a beautiful scene were it not for the implications it carried. However, Thaddeus didn't stop to think any further. He stood up, his legs still trembling but his eyes burning with conviction, and approached his father's desk. He retrieved the same communication device he had used when they first saw him there, then activated his skill [Automatic Infosphere] to make a broadcast.

"Thaddeus Volta speaking. I need confirmation of the key points."

Curiously, from inside the device came another voice—gravelly, but clearly belonging to someone they had met not long ago.

"This is Merrick speaking. The job here is done. The island has been secured, and the forces of the Armada and the Seven Guilds have been captured or annihilated, awaiting instructions."

The voice of the traitorous Admiral sounded weary, but the way he spoke made it clear that he wouldn't stop.

"There has been a change of plans... We will proceed with Initiative A2. Deploy all available troops to carry out massive bombings on Gearspire Stronghold, the royal city of Gegordrift, and the main base of the Armada at Riggate Fortress—reduce everything to ashes."

Those words left everyone stunned; even Magnus and Kathlene exchanged a glance but said nothing. Adam knew what those places were from the information he had gathered in the library of the pirate settlement. The first was the artificial island where they had ended up at the beginning of their journey, the second was the main kingdom where the royal families and high nobility of the Allied Kingdoms gathered, and the third, as its name indicated, was the main headquarters where the highest-ranking officials of the Ironclad Armada resided.

Were they talking about destroying those places with nuclear bombings? For Adam, who understood the power that the army wielded thanks to the knowledge of 'Atomica Arcanum', this was one of the worst things they could do. They would certainly obliterate those locations without a trace, leaving behind radioactive wastelands and countless innocent deaths in the process.

"And you managed to convince Admiral Augustus to join our cause?"

"No, he fought until the end, our ruse didn’t work. That guy Davey is still hospitalized with a broken face, eventually, I had to end the Admiral's life; it wasn't possible to reach an understanding."

Upon hearing such news, a deathly silence fell, broken only by Kazue's heartbroken sob, as she brought her hands to her face, tears in her eyes, unable to control her emotions.

"I understand, I’m truly sorry… Please proceed."

That was too much for Adam, who had been on the verge of his emotions until that moment, trying to control himself solely with rational thoughts. But hearing about the Admiral's death was more than he could bear. Images of everything that had happened just hours before with the old soldier flooded his mind, especially the fact that his smile never faltered, even when he fought for his life to help him.

This time, no thought could stop him, and Adam lunged at Thaddeus with gritted teeth and a look of hatred as he had never felt toward anyone before. However, his advance was halted for the second time by Captain Magnus, who grabbed both of Adam's arms and twisted them behind his back to stop him in his tracks. But this didn't last, as under the pirate's bewildered gaze, the boy's limbs passed through him like smoke, freeing him and giving him those few seconds he needed to take a couple more steps.

The Spectronomicon had appeared before its master in its ghostly skull form, laughing viciously and reveling in the cursed energy he exuded. But it wouldn’t be that easy, for just as it was about to unleash a skill directed at the young scientist, a powerful punch struck its face from the side, causing it to lose its balance and almost topple over.

Li had been the one to anticipate the boy's actions, catching up to him and landing a blow that knocked him down, preventing him from doing something foolish, however, just before Adam completely fell, he gathered all his strength into one of his legs, planting it firmly and barely resisting the fall, much to the surprise of the man who had struck him. Then, his ghostly book began to howl, signaling that one of the skills within had activated.

In an instant, his arms, legs, and face were enveloped in a translucent spectral miasma, transforming into large, elongated arms with sharp claws, beastly curved legs, and a wolf-like snout revealing a maw full of fangs. This was the power of channeling a Feral-type into his own body, giving him a menacing and imposing appearance. However, it also caused him excruciating pain, as he felt those new limbs tearing at his skin with every second—agonizing suffering that nonetheless didn’t stop him from taking the final step needed to reach Thaddeus. He swung one of his elongated claws to strike and send Li flying backward, barely managing to cover himself from the attack.

In a swift motion, Adam managed to ensnare Thaddeus with his other spectral arm, the claws extending to the point of completely capturing the boy and pinning him against the back wall, immobilizing all his limbs except for his head. Immediately, the two bodyguards attempted to rush at Adam, but before they could take even a single step, something stopped them.

“Stop! Don’t move!”

Thaddeus exclaimed, ordering that no one interfere despite how dangerous and terrifying the situation appeared.

“Why!? Why did you do such things!? How is killing people and killing someone who truly cared for us helping the world!?”

Adam screamed, though his voice had a distinctly guttural tone that chilled the blood just to hear.

"Some sacrifices are necessary to achieve a greater good; getting rid of the rotten heads and starting anew is the only way to move forward."

“It doesn’t make sense! None of this makes any sense!”

“I know!”

At Thaddeus's last words, Adam froze, caught off guard by a response he hadn't anticipated at all.

"But when no one listens, when no one understands, when you realize that absolutely no one cares to change and that all they want is to continue benefiting at the expense of others, what should I do? The Allied Kingdoms were planning to use this power to annihilate all the free kingdoms, and the Seven Guilds were plotting to use it to consolidate their power over an enslaved population in exchange for 'protection.' Nothing I could say or show changed their ambitions. So what was I supposed to do? What? What? WHAT?!"

Adam recoiled at these words, yet he did not loosen his grip on Thaddeus, who was beginning to feel the pain from the pressure Adam was exerting against the wall.

"Answer me! If that’s not the way, then how? HOW?!"

The boy clenched his teeth to the point where it seemed like the pain in his skin no longer bothered him; his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and he didn’t know how to respond.

“Answer me!”

“I don’t know! … FUCK!”

Also letting out a scream with all the strength he could muster, Adam admitted that he had no idea, finally releasing Thaddeus as his spectral limbs dissipated. He began to pound the ground, trying unsuccessfully to calm himself.

Immediately after that, and to everyone's surprise, a system window appeared in front of the entire group as a robotic female voice announced the end of the scenario.