Chapter 30 | Her Resolve

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It was late in the night in the dungeon with Alisha asleep in her private quarters. Her room was the only place Guide couldn’t look into with his Monster Sight. He understood his Madam’s need for rest and even he needed time for himself after a long day. He took an interest in stargazing. His Madam taught him to sense visual light and made him realize there were other worlds in the sky.

If he saved the images he saw to his Dream Space, he could increase the exposure with the help of special processing algorithms from the microgear computers and see more stars and heavenly lights. He was looking at the universe in a depth he could never have imagined. This was all because of his Madam.

As Guide was appreciating what people took for granted, he sensed his Madam had awoken and was walking to the jail cells.

“Madam?” Guide asked as he appeared as the light orb following her.

“Oh, Guide. I made my decision,” she declared and was walking undeterred to the cells.

Guide asked after Alisha didn’t elaborate further, “…May you inform me of your choice?”

“The quite obvious decision: execution,” she said those words as if it didn’t have to be mentioned.

“Did Madam not say she needed ‘to think about it until morning.’ Reinold will not be pleased with Madam taking unilateral action.”

“Well, Guide. There are some decisions that won’t change no matter how much time you ponder on it. If you hesitate too much, it won’t be good for you. Reinold will also understand.”

“…”

Alisha was nearing the hub section holding the cells when Guide flew ahead and blocked her path.

“Madam, I recommend you take the night to think about it more. Rushing into a decision could also be dangerous.”

“I made my decision, Guide,” Alisha stood firm on her conviction.

“I must insist, Madam Black.” The ceiling to the corridor leading to the cells then fell to the ground as the trap activated in front of her, making a gust of wind. Alisha stared at Guide for a while but his conviction withstood hers.

“How did you know?” Black said in her elegant voice.

“It was quite obvious,” Guide countered.

Black was annoyed but pressed on, “Gale must die. You agreed with me on this point.”

“However, you are not my Madam. It is not your decision to make.”

“I am ‘your Madam.’ We’re the same person and we’re under the same soul contract.”

“…” Guide wasn’t sure what to say and gave pause. To Black, talking to Guide was like talking to a toddler and a waste of time.

“We share the same thoughts and actions. Although our ideals and personalities may be slightly different, we act as one even if we deny that we do.”

“How do you mean?”

“The three of us inside this mind believe we act independently but this is merely a coping mechanism brought on by trauma. Our D.I.D. was our solution to our broken mind. No matter how much our thoughts conflicted, our real personality would never allow ourselves to do something the real Alisha wouldn’t do herself.

“And so, as Alisha felt she was reluctant in killing all those soldiers and knights, our real self wouldn’t care one bit. And it’s the same with this situation. I’m going to kill Gale because deep down, Alisha feels the same way.”

Basically, Black’s argument was all about hypothetical and logic. It wasn’t unlike himself but Guide felt something lurking behind this logical argument he wanted to express. Those were unspoken words and thoughts which gave rise to a new feeling inside himself.

Guide spoke, “Our soul contract does not obligate me to do anything I find distasteful. I’m not sure of the nature of your existence, Madam Black. But I know Madam Alisha very well and she can overcome this obstacle on her own. She has in the past and will in the future amaze me with her innovative mind and prospection. Madam Black, your actions contradict Madam Alisha’s mantra and seeks the ruin of her enduring resolve. I must continue to insist that you return to your quarters.”

Guide finished speaking and called forth three golems from the walls and fallen ceiling. The earth rumbled as the golems came crashing forward carrying their double-bladed polearms. They surrounded Black while twirling them in a threatening manner.

How human of you, she thought. Black chuckled and stood unperturbed by the show of force, “Do you really think your golems can stop me? You know how this will end.”

“Yes, I do,” Guide said, unyielding. “You cannot battle me because you are not the dominant persona. You will wake Madam Alisha the moment you attempt to use your mana pool.”

“So, you noticed… I always appreciated your perspective, Guide,” Black reflected and smiled sadly. “But do you really believe the path Alisha has set out with the humans is a good thing for her? You know how humans are in this world, how fake they are.”

“…”

“But what do you believe, Guide?”

“…”

“The humans here are not like the ones from my previous world. They are missing something essential. I know you understand that.”

“…I will not yield.”

Black and Guide exchanged one last glance until she turned around and went back to her room. If his Madam knew the truth of this world, what would change? Alisha not knowing this factual truth meant she was denying it and suppressing the truth from herself. But Guide knew his Madam would overcome. This was his ‘faith.’

***

Gale slept on the comfy bed the Dungeon Master provided him with his wrists stilled chained to the wall. He had his basic needs met and three meals a day. Alisha came to talk with him a few more times to try to convince him that she had no ill will but it was impossible after her aggressive display before. She even gave him some mana to have him look at her aura to confirm her own feelings to him. But this was all just a trick, he thought. There was no way he would ever trust a demon.

“She will try to deceive you. She’s a clever demon,” Zephon said to him in the dream.

He worried about the Altons and the evil this creature was doing to them. Reinold was his good friend in the past and they went on many adventures together. They learned to trust each other and Gale found him to be strong in both mind and body. For this demon to play around such a good man like that was unforgivable.

It didn’t matter if this Devil Slime was a human in a previous life. It was and will ever be a demon in his eyes.

After a day or so of imprisonment, Alisha came to see him again but stayed silent. She unlocked him from his chains with a wave of the hand and didn’t say a word as she led him to the dungeon entrance which was disguised beside a cliffside.

The slime girl walked him a distance away from the dungeon’s entrance but Gale knew that the dungeon was extensive. He was probably still on top of it, ready to swallow him in case he ran.

After a long time without talking, Gale couldn’t take the silence anymore, “If you’re going to kill me. Then, do it. We’re far enough away, aren’t we?”

Alisha just glanced at him with regret in her eyes. The expression she was conveying was a sadness about what she was going to do. Was she still attempting to play the victim? No matter how she phrased it, she was going to kill him.

Gale finally saw a road ahead and Alisha stopped him. She took a knife and unbounded his arms. Alisha even gave him a mana gem and another with a strong shield spell. Gale couldn’t believe what was happening, was she letting him go?

They faced each other. Gale was full of doubt about the Devil Slime’s sincerity and purpose. “Are you seriously letting me go?” He asked with no expectation she was going to.

“I am. All I ask from you is to stop. Please don’t tell anyone about me. I’m going to soon leave Riverside permanently,” Alisha said sadly. She began her walk back as Gale stood there dumbfounded.

“Can I ask why?” Gale asked. It would be hard to track her down if she left the area.

“I don’t want to kill humans. I especially don’t want to hurt anyone close to the Altons. Reinold also agreed to let you go.”

“…” With the ongoing hunt, things were going to be difficult for her whether or not she killed him. Gale was still looking at her with questioning eyes.

“Don’t tell me you see me as a human now?” Alisha taunted him.

“No,” Gale began walking away and brushed off the small doubt in his mind. Once he reached the dirt highway, he sprinted.

He used what little mana the demon gave him to survive with and enhanced his speed. The road was mostly empty with only a few civilians. He had to tell someone from the guild, the militia, or army about what happened to him and his knights. Gale ran until he reached the heavily guarded militia checkpoint station, outside of Riverside.

He was greeted by the guards, “Gale? We all thought you were dead!”

“Back from the grave?” Said another.

“What happened?”

Just then, he spotted Captain Louis by the tents and waved at him, “Captain Louis! I need to talk to you!”

“Gale?” Captain Louis stared at him as if he saw a ghost. Not many people go missing in the woods for a few days and come back in the good condition he was in. They met in his tent and Gale began describing what happened to him.

The Devil Slime was Alisha, the small wolf Yuli brought home the day she and Reinold came back to Riverside. She definitely attacked the small caravan while portraying herself as the hero to gain sympathy points. The incident would allow the monster to position itself well in Yuli’s favor. It was a cruel and underhanded tactic. It was unforgivable.

Gale also went into how God himself called on him to eliminate the Devil Slime. It was abhorrent to God’s image and needed to be destroyed for the sake of Paradise. Paradise was Theia, the realm created by the Old Gods to immigrate humans, elves, and vampires from their respective moons to build their new home. To allow such an existence to persist was a sin in itself, one that Gale had to bear.

Because of this vision, he was given command of a squadron of knights and a mission to subjugate the Devil Slime in the name of the Old Gods and New. They arrived in Riverside and was greeted by Commander Dustin and Karen Holland. Karen was the one who made the tracking spell and recently re-tuned the spell to bypass a trick the demon had been using.

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After laying out all the information he could, Gale stopped and realized how much he talked without a response from Louis. He was speaking so much that the man didn’t want to interrupt him. But it was good to have his thoughts off of his mind and into a trusting and god-fearing man. Even though he failed, Gale felt some absolution that it wasn’t all in vain.

“We should march on that demon’s dungeon immediately!” Gale declared while Louis was pondering. He had his own questions.

“You were held by the Devil Slime for over a day and you’re still alive?” Louis spoke very seriously at this turn of events and dismissed his religious rantings for now.

“Yes,” Gale replied in a forceful tone. “It allowed me to escape and is going to run away again. We need to get to its dungeon before it escapes!”

“I’ll have my men send a message to Commander Dustin and the Association immediately. I do have some questions, though. How did you escape? Or rather, why did it keep you alive?”

“I don’t know myself. But that’s assuming it had a reason to begin with. Monsters are irrational creatures so it could’ve simply wanted to see me suffer a humiliating imprisonment.”

“Yes, but how did you escape?” Captain Louis reiterated. It took only a second for Gale to come up with another explanation.

“It was playing a game with me. A kind of torture that wanted me to hope for escape. It took me outside the dungeon and when I saw an opportunity to escape, I just ran away,” Gale recalled with grief in his voice as if from a trauma. He was afraid of the potential of being tainted by the demon who corrupted Reinold Alton.

The events Gale recalled were as he remembered and interpreted it as such.

Captain Louis’ face drooped down in thought and finally spoke, “I’m trying to figure out how you escaped. It doesn’t add up. Not to doubt your abilities but you didn’t have much mana and you had to run a long way. The Devil Slime should’ve caught you.”

“Are you saying the Devil Slime wanted me to escape? A trap maybe?”

“Yes, it is.”

As soon as those words left Captain Louis’ mouth, Gale felt something run down his mouth. It was blood from his right lung that was pierced by a crystal lance. Gale lost most of his body sensations and he found himself forced to sit in an awkward position as the crystal lance had skewered him against his chair.

Desperate to understand the situation, Gale looked to Captain Louis who melted into slime before his eyes. He turned his head with great effort to see the guards outside the tent was also turned into slime. This was a nightmare, he thought.

“They’re not dead. They weren’t real to begin with,” someone said. A young boy with a cane walked in from his blind spot. “It took me a lot of time to reproduce the environment with enough fidelity to fool you.”

A second later, they were back in the dungeon’s cell with everything except the chair Gale was sitting on disappearing. He was still sitting with the crystal spear in his chest and didn’t know what was real or not anymore.

“…Why?” Gale asked weakly.

“Alisha sent me because she didn’t have the heart to carry this out. It seemed too cruel for her. She didn’t want to kill you so she planned this test. She expressed kindness to an enemy such as you and even warned you. So, tell me? Why didn’t you stop? That was all you had to do.”

Gale gathered the last of his strength and muttered, “…You and Alisha are a blight on this world. Remember that…”

Gale passed out. The boy could tell he was dying but he couldn’t allow that just yet. He broke the tips of the crystal lance and used his slime to patch up the bleeding. The last words of an idiot, he thought.

The boy dragged Gale to Alisha and Reinold. In the atrium, Alisha was cooling her feet in the pool when the boy returned. Reinold was just standing there silently. And Jun was kicking his tiny feet in the puddles. They were the same person so Alisha wasn’t surprised when the boy pushed Gale off the first story edge to ground level. The numb body of Gale hit the ground with a thump.

“Madam, may I ask who this young man is?” Guide asked. He leaped down and faced them.

“He was me in our past life. Cayden, that was my name,” she replied.

Her two selves looked at each other in their physical form and stood in wonder on what transpired. The dungeon was quiet and the only sound was the small waterfall coming in from the lake above. Given the constant action she had faced for the last few months, this moment was calm. It was as if she was at peace.

“You helped me,” she said to her double.

“It was no problem,” said Cayden.

“Guide, you too. Thank you for your help.”

“It was always a pleasure serving you, Madam,” Guide said.

“So, Cayden. Where does this leave us?” She said somberly.

Cayden stood above her as Alisha sat looking at her past self, literally. “…Our friend Samantha, she always liked you more, you know.”

“That’s not… entirely true.”

“You could always relate to each other. When she was with me, I was just there. In the end, I couldn’t catch up.”

“We’re the same person so, of course, she was your friend too.”

“…Back in our world, I always wanted to express myself more. But now I knew that I did: through you. I didn’t know what or who I was. That was why I was afraid of you. What were you, a disease? But I realize who you are now and it didn’t matter why. You are who I am.”

“…”

“But you still won’t accept me?”

“…You were always an enigma to me. Your personality is merely the dark parts of me. The face I hid behind because of how afraid we were of myself showing…”

“I’m not saying I represent the best of us, but I existed. I was dominant for a long time and now you’re in charge. What does that say about us?”

“…I—I don’t know.”

He asked the question knowing there was no straight answer.

“…Remember this?” Cayden held up his cane. It was a rustic-looking wooden cane with a flat handle. “Our leg was bad but not enough for us to use a cane. But our mother would always insist on keeping it with us. Secretly, we did like it.”

“Because it looked cool.” They both said together and chuckled.

“…Well, it’s time for me to go back inside now,” Cayden walked to Alisha and held out his hand which she grasped lightly. “Good luck.”

Cayden dissolved into slime and formed back into Alisha. Cayden was never actually apart from her but she wanted to switch persona for this occasion.

Guide floated silently in his light orb form and witnessed the strange scene. He knew of his Madam’s other personas but he never did confront the issue until Black’s appearance yesterday.

“Madam, I had informed you of Black’s actions and have yet to hear your response,” Guide said.

Alisha was still feeling the raw emotions from the moment just ago, “Didn’t I say it was a non-issue?”

“Madam, I must insist that you tell me who I should trust.”

Alisha was wide-eyed, “Of course, you have to trust me.”

“I have stopped Black for Madam. Yet the result was the same, was it not?”

Alisha chuckled at Guide’s ignorance, “I’m just going through the motions. Going through this process expresses our actions which shows us our real feelings and intentions. It’s not enough to just say or think so.”

“Madam knew Gale would have to be killed but you tested him, still.”

This was true. From her interactions and her interrogation, she knew this would end exactly how it did. “These types of interactions are what ground us to reality. Yes, the end result was the same but how we arrive at this point is just as important.”

“But to what end, Madam?”

Alisha thought about her next words carefully. “…To find myself. To see who I really am. Isn’t that what this whole exercise with my D.I.D. and identity is about? I know how I tried to kill Gale last night and what the secret of the Network is. The secret that will tear me apart one day. But I want to reveal my true feelings and in doing so, I will be a better person.”

Guide looked at his Madam and pondered. It seemed his concern and doubts were unfounded. In fact, he was starting to see value in humanity.

“…I believe in what you say, Madam. Thank you,” Guide said graciously.

Watching this whole scene play out, Reinold was left to ponder what he thought about this situation.

They needed to decide what happened with Gale so Reinold insisted on staying in the dungeon for the night. Guide hid Reinold in a corner where he blocked Alisha’s Monster Sight and he saw the entire exchange between Guide and Black yesterday. He was confident that Black wouldn’t be able to see Reinold even if she noticed something was missing. Guide started to see the value in human interaction and relationships from observing his Madam’s actions. And so, he took the initiative to show Reinold who Black was.

One thing struck Reinold about Black. She called people of this world fake. He didn’t know what that meant but listening to Black speak caused him to sympathize with her a little. Her voice sounded hurt.

***

As a Dungeon Master, Alisha was a very powerful spiritualist and could control the spirits of the dead and the souls of the living. She wanted to revive Jun for the longest time so she went to work in experimenting on the bodies of creatures in the forest. She had Guide capture many animals and made many meatsuits to test her hypothesis.

First, she extracted the animals’ souls and placed them into mana gems, creating a soul gem. The thing she worried about the most was the effect of the Network. Once she implanted the soul gems of the animals within the meatsuits of their previous bodies, they became monsters. She had to kill them.

When Alisha first arrived in this world, the Network’s influence created Black and had her nearly go mad in an irrational killing spree. It was scary. The dark aura which influences monsters was a threat.

Alisha wanted to study the process of creating life and its conditions. If using soul essence was a taboo, this would be equivalent to a demonic ritual.

Oh well, it happens, she thought.

The small revived squirrel was normal at first but then the dark aura came and its soul became corrupted, its body changed as its fur turned to spikes, its eyes became bloodshot, and its fangs and nails sharpened. It was about to pounce on her when Guide turned the creature back into slime as Alisha just watched the scene unfold.

“Are you okay, Madam?”

“…Not really.”

The warm throbbing from his soul within her chest told her not to be upset.

Over the next few hours, Alisha learned many things about monsters and how to control them but she couldn’t find a way to revive Jun. If she attempted something recklessly, Jun could become a monster… The source of the problem was the soul gem, normal creatures didn’t need a gem to house their soul.

The light from the crystal skylight became dim as night fell.

Cough!

Alisha gagged as more blood came out of her lungs and esophagus. This body was rejecting her. Her identity was strong within her. This aspect of a person’s soul could vary from person to person but everyone had an identity that corresponded to their body preference. There was a margin of error with what a body could be to match a certain person’s identity.

Too human, that was what Black said. If she would give up her humanity, being less than human wouldn’t be a problem.

If she could disconnect souls from the Network, perhaps the problem with the dark aura would be solved for her experiments and for herself. However, the connection between all souls in the world was a natural phenomenon, something that couldn’t be separated. She didn’t know how she could block the dark aura.

She then had an epiphany.

Soul gems were the problem. All she had to do was to reintegrate the soul with the body and remove the soul gem! All monsters had soul gems so what if removing the gem removes the monstrous aspect too?

She revived Jun by the time she had Gale in a cage, along with many animals. The first thing Jun thing was to jump on her to lick her face. Alisha giggled and was happy to reunite with her friend after such a long time.

As for her deception with Gale, she hatched the plan with Reinold in the morning who was surprisingly okay with her doing what she did. Reinold and Alisha oversaw what happened in the Dream Space. Since she saved everything she had seen in this world within her memory palace, she was able to recreate the environments and people’s appearances.

Alisha and Reinold were able to witness everything that transpired without being noticed. What Gale also didn’t notice was that the extended interrogations were also in the Dream Space so Alisha was able to use Time Dilation. Only one night passed but it was a week for Gale and Alisha.

As of now, they were both now standing awkwardly in the atrium. Reinold knew everything now and Alisha told him everything. It all just happened so quickly that she didn’t have time to be anxious about her decisions. Guide did a good job showing him what happened last night because it was difficult explaining this and that about her personalities to him yesterday.

“Do you think I’m evil?” Alisha asked him.

“No, you’re not evil. I believe in the person who I got to know,” Reinold said, reassuring her. She smiled a little before he continued, “But what did Black mean by ‘fake people?’”

Alisha cringed and shrunk down, she didn’t know how to approach the subject. She didn’t know quite how to think about this either but she couldn’t keep her eyes shut to the truth for long.

“Everyone on Theia is fake…” Alisha said with difficulty. “I’m not exactly sure how they’re fake but I see it in everyone. I can see the Network’s influence on people. I’m afraid of what this might mean…”

“Am I fake, too?” Reinold asked with skepticism.

“Yes. But I get to decide who is real to me. Black thinks differently. I don’t want her to win. Reinold… I’m scared… Please… help me…”

Alisha reached out with her hand, hoping Reinold would grasp it. She didn’t ask for help often and it was last night when Alisha understood the true gravity of the situation. She was as stubborn as Yuli and hoped to not rely on anyone because of her skewed sense of strength. If she lost against Black, she would lose everything. She would lose her family. Strength was the power to be vulnerable. She never truly understood this phrase until now.

Tears ran down her face. It was this moment that Reinold figured out how foolish he had been. It didn’t matter which side of Alisha was real. What was real was in front of him right now. This was the person he chose to believe in. Reinold couched to Alisha’s short stature and hugged her tightly.

Alisha had rarely experienced her cry for help answered so her warm body and eyes relaxed as she leaned in and quietly sobbed.

Gale awoke from his injuries and saw the choice Reinold made. He knew what was coming now. He couldn’t move or speak.

After a few more minutes of comfort, the moment ended with Alisha blushing very hard while avoiding Reinold glances. He noticed this and kept moving into her view. Now, she regretted teasing him even more! Their play ended when they both noticed Gale staring hatefully at them.

“I should…” Reinold was about to offer but Alisha shut him down immediately.

“No, I should,” Alisha said, bluntly. She didn’t let Reinold get another word in as she walked over and grabbed Gale by his collar, bring his limp body to her face. Now, she was literally sucking the soul essence out of a living person. It appeared as if Gale’s ghost was being sucked into her mouth.

The sensation as the essence hit her tongue was extraordinary and delicious. It was as if she was eating the most delectable treat in the world. Her body trembled from the pleasure of such a feeling. It was overwhelming and filled her up. After she was done, Gale’s eyes were empty and she shoved the husk of a body into her slime pool to be dissolved.

It was the first time in this life she felt full and didn’t need to feed. Her human body returned to its normal size in front of Reinold. However, even then, her height was still only up to Reinold’s nose.

Realizing what she did, Alisha tried to explain, “I’m sorry, Reinold. My feeding was a bit unsightly.”

“You may have been a bit overzealous. This might not have been the best time for it.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay. Just remember for next time,” Reinold said. He lifted his hand and patted her head, causing her to be emotional again.