-Fei’s POV-
"How shameful. Is this all you can do?"
A question resounded. Amidst the clouds of dust, dirt and smokes, I lied down on the ground. Helpless. Weak.
"Most impressive for you to dodge at the last minute. But your Lagnaris... your only link to stay active is no more." He uttered, and I knew that was just him rubbing salt on my wounds.
I know. I know that without it, I'm not going to live. This body is sustained, and developed in accordance to Lagnaris' growth. The amount of lives I've stolen equaled my strength. The amount of souls I collected meant my maturity to be 'humane' is nearing perfection.
But now...? I looked at my right hand. There was only broken shards and mangled pieces of armor Lagnaris produced on it. My body was still regenerating but the fuel it needed...
The Soul Essence I had within my Core was little. Even if I were capable of regaining it by killing this Ancient Spirit... I'd still have one less limb to use.
Either my leg... or my arm. Ah, but... I don't think it all matters now. This is the end I have long sought for.
"Without Lagnaris. Without [Tree of Eons] supplying your mana and energy. Without the [Ruler] in your reach... you're nothing more than a Golem."
...perhaps that is so. I admit, I'm not much different than these ones that failed to live up to my Creator's - my father's expectation.
Even when he used flesh of humans com
bined with monsters. Even with numerous corpses left behind and steered terror among the populace. Even with his specialty in espionage and conspiracy to veer the outsiders away from the truth...
There was no success. Not once, until Edward was born. Until my elder brother was given the fate of being freed from the cycle of sins, untouched by Tree of Eons, while we, the rest of his siblings...
Could not be like him. That's why we were jealous of him. Envying his happiness. Admiring his way of life that is adamant in creating an utopia by including us in the equation.
"You're not even worth of given the chance for last words."
...had I been more capable... I could've saved him. Had I been stronger... I could've prevented the worst.
The slaughter. The violation and exploitation. The greed that roamed free as tumors even at this moment.
The despair that nearly wrought down her...
If I were stronger... I could have... stopped...
"Do not mock me with that cowardice line!!"
Wha-? Before I could notice, I was lifted off the ground, hanging limply as a hand grasped my neck and squeezing it tightly.
"You dared to say your borrowed strength... Your sinful sword might save that maiden?! Who do you think you are!!?"
...who...? I...
"You are a failure." The Ancient Spirit growled. Eyes burning red in hatred. "You have no soul and thus decided to destroy others who have it, shredding it apart and making it your own...! Do you think YOU have the right to save her when you do not know anything about her!!?"
Then I was tossed. I crashed down but I couldn't feel the pain. It wasn't the impact that screwed over my nervous system. It wasn't the insults hurled at me that shook me to raise my head up.
It was the fact that the Ancient Spirit knows something I didn't know.
"...what... are you...?"
The ethereal being in front of me glared down on me. With that hateful gaze, he cast out a scoff, and with deadpan tone of voice I recognized...
"She's going to die soon."
It was if the world had stopped breathing life. It was as if something that resembled a mallet squashed my heart, pounding it and then burning it into an incinerator filled with demon's infernal magical fire.
As soon as I processed his words...
"... Lies. That... that can't...!"
"And do you have any knowledge why she's still fighting right now, standing on the line separating life and death? Tirelessly. Always so reckless. Regretting her deeds and accepting her sins head on to pave a path! Not even minding if she is hurt in the process and received less than she deserved?!"
The two golden eyes stared down then back at mine.
"It is all for YOU! What matters to her the most is the safety of everyone she holds dear! All of their happiness, including yours!!"
A golden flash blurred and I was flung away. I crashed to the ground and before I could realize, I was already hit, blasted away and thrown down over and over.
"But she KNEW her limits! As a Fragmented Soul, she is doomed to live shorter than anyone! Weaker than her peers!! For an eternal monster that is capable of slaying deities such as you, your condemnation and self-loathing is nothing but insults to her ideal! To her resolve in saving you!!" The Ancient Spirit roared as he sent out waves of destruction.
I dodged at the last second but I was still struck by the shockwave. My futile attempt failing me as my heart shook with every revelation given to me.
The truth. A lie that the girl always hid behind her dazzling smiles. Something that she could never hope to answer even if I were to be curious to know her true reason to fight.
So that was why she cried.
So that was why she tried to offer her hand to me.
So that was why she always had those eyes that flashed with bitterness at times.
...why...? Why couldn't I notice it earlier...? Even though. Even though the signs were all there... why...?
"She has long accepted her fate. Shredded her existence may be, she is still living to the fullest, without denying who she is, without minding what she is, without refusing the reality around her."
"......"
"You cannot save everyone."
I perked up. In my struggle just to stand on my own feet, I heard that line that I hated. The words that I loathed even if I were to die and be reborn a thousand times.
"She said that to us, but we know that she is telling that to herself. Wishing for everyone's happiness means one intends to sacrifice their own for them. But that is not it. That is not how it is supposed to be."
As a fluctuation of energy gathered, wrapping the weapon my target held... His expression darkened, twisted in anger, but also sorrow.
Sorrow... why? For who is that sorrow reflected in those eyes?
"With power comes responsibility. But with power, corruption is bound to occur and destroy all that you wanted to protect." He stated, almost as if he was reciting another person's words. "Your kingdom has long been corrupted and tainted. Not even a doll that has the strongest potential such as you can ever hope to escape from their poisoned grasp. Sooner or later... you too will turn your sword at her."
...what...?
"The maiden is an unstable existence. The most fragile among her brethren. But her soul is pure. Purer than anyone's that one can gain irrefutable power to rewrite the world if it is gained."
......it... can't be...
"With a Divine Essence rivaling even [Arsnaia], nothing is impossible. There is absolutely nothing you cannot do the moment a Vagnalos such consumed her soul. That is how valuable her existence is."
...no...
"Surely... your brethren will command all of their pawns just to hunt her down."
"......!!"
"That's why I cannot forgive you all! I will not let you all off from destruction!! As long as she is alive, there is still hope left for us!!"
With a roar, the Ancient Spirit flew towards me. With my limbs still regenarting, all I could do was to sway to the left, dodging by a hair breadth but only to fall to the dirty land.
*SMASH!* My body bent as the blunt side of his sword struck my abdomen. I was, once again, glided across the air before descending down to the ground.
"If nobody will become her ally, then we will protect her! There's no way we can trust you who chose to fall aside just because you couldn't do something! We will not give up!!"
Battered over and over, I heard his merciless words, determination and desire. He didn't lie about it all. I knew because I have been living in a place where honesty is something that is simply used and cast away when there is no further purpose.
That's why, even more so, I felt betrayed. By my own self... by my own ignorance. In comparison, my Original was far than what I thought he'd be.
Determined. Fierce but wise. Someone who has worth more than I do.
But... something told me. Something is missing. Even during the onslaught where I pathetically crawled in the ground just to make sure my damaged limbs did not receive additional wounds, I traced back his words.
His action. His objective in this fight.
There, came one question. A doubt arose inside of me as I clenched my hand, where nothing was residing in it except a broken hilt of a shattered sword. An ordinary object that no longer held any semblance of Essence I could feed off.
"...then... why... did you hurt her...?"
I knew I was being stupid. Who in the right mind would ask back when given all the answers with a smack to the face? But my curiosity - my desire to pursue my doubt outlived my depression.
"........" Oddly enough, the spirit did not answer.
On silence, the air became foreboding. As I fully focused in having my legs working back to normal even if I have to lose my left arm in the process, I looked at him. Staring at his eyes, ones that were devoid of gentle lies.
And so he answered. "To bless her with our gift."
Gift... he said? What is there a need for a gift when he had already sworn for devotion and protection under his wings? What purpose is there for him to harm her by calling it as 'Gift'...?
Little by little, my doubts grew into suspicion. And it came with irritation with a whisper of possibility. Unless...
"It is simple. As she is now, the maiden will be bound to perils by your hands. Before all that could happen - I will convert her into one of us."
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
...
"...you..." I hitched, as a grim realization dawned upon me. "You intend to kill her and turn her into a spirit!?"
The spirit, unfazed by my wild assumption and accusation did not speak any longer. It ticked me off that he kept quiet.
But I knew... I know that his method - is wrong!
"You bastard!!" I shouted as anger fueled me to move forward.
I had no weapon with me. The sword I always had shattered. The black sword given to me was abandoned. Not even my martial arts can ever hope to touch him without the aid of Lagnaris.
But I charged ahead, and reached him. I delivered punch to his face but he turned into a pile of golden dust that quickly reformed once I went pass him.
"You...!" I pivoted and lashed, only to be struck down.
"And what is wrong with it? Rather than living with continuous suffering, why can't I give her our blessing?" He asked as he towered ahead of me.
I got up, wiped the blood from my lips as I roared.
"You're no different than them!! Converting her into a spirit? You're just making excuses to harm her! You want to kill her!!"
"Silence, damned monster! And what alternative can you offer to her!?"
I sucked my breaths. At a loss, I wondered, asking to myself.
What can I do for her? What can I give to her? For all the she has done... what is that I can do for her...?
"Protection - she does not desire it." Yet my Original started. "Rather than sitting back behind someone's back in hope of salvation, she'd rather reach out her hand for it. But not with that body! Not with such mismatched vessel!!"
He shouted. He poured his emotions out like an overflowing river once downpour arrived.
"So I shall end her life. Her current one will not give her happiness. There is no dream she can ever hope to achieve, nor is there any hope for her to fulfill with. With us... as spirits, we can give her all that she desired!"
A swing of sword. A blast of energy to follow. I rolled on the ground as I hammered the broken hilt as a way to claw my way out from being thrown away any further.
I had enough. Enough with this all...
I know that I'm a fake. A cheap imitation made from magic and corpses. This body is nothing more than a tool for a weapon to use for. Just a simple armed Golem.
Even so, I have lived a life. Even if it's borrowed, even if it's just a failure. Even if it's nothing more than a mirage that is bound to disappear after fulfilling it's purpose, it's still a product of creation.
A life... is precious, no matter how fragile it might be.
"Don't... joke with me...!"
This life of mine is cursed. But even within the thorny, bloody Destiny I followed, I encountered people that held me as precious. A brother that helped me to find my own reason to exist. Friends that treated me as a person. A teacher that granted me a fatherly figure.
And a woman I fell in love with.
"If that is your answer to save her... If that is what you meant by 'salvation'...!!"
I wielded the sword with one hand. I don't need any more mana to regenerate my wounds. Let them be, even if it meant I have only an arm to live with.
"Then I will deny you - my original... and become my own self!!" I exclaimed as I injected all of my mana, all of my aura, all of the Soul Essence I possessed into the broken hilt.
At once, the object glowed, and in the next moment, lightning sparked to form a glowing blade of light. A blade which is purely the manifestation of my remaining strength given form.
-Warning! Mana core overloading! Emergency shutdown is recommended! High chance of self-destruction!!-
"Shut your mouth!!" The Ancient Spirit yelled as he fired another lightning sphere.
But this time, a ray of azure light was fired from his sword. The lance of destruction touched down and-
*BOOM!* An explosion. The searing heat, the billowing smokes and malevolent winds erupted inside the enclosed space of the ruin.
"RaaaaaAaaaaAAaaAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
I exited the swirling blast site, clothes damaged and a part of my body burned. But I moved, charging ahead with all of my strength that I already sailed through the distance between us.
"Do you think you are a 'human', Felix 'Vanity' Sanctum Raumia!!?" My Original drawled as he brought his sword up.
The two swords clashed. Blue sparks scattered this time as I inched closer... and I glared back at the Ancient Spirit.
"Like I give a damn about what I am!!" I announced, then cleaved down.
The spirit backed away but I noticed a slight cut on his sleeve. What happened...? How did he...
I looked at the Sword of Light in my hand. It's nothing but condensed mana and aura into one. I just thought of using all I have to attack...
And it worked. Against spirits that were said to be detached from the world's rules? How? Why?
No... could it be... this is the Essence of a soul? Does that mean... it is the manifestation of my... heart...?
"Then...!" I switched a gear inside my head. "...uwwooOOoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
I howled as I attacked, risking everything in each of my strike.
"Gh...! Don't underestimate MEEEEEE!!!"
In return, the Ancient Spirit lost his cool and replied in similar manner. I slashed at him and he cut back at me. I lowered my hips, sliced bisected his knee and hopped back to avoid a decapitation.
The spirit staggered as I lunged to his chest and rammed my elbow against his chest. I heard a cracking sound but I was too caught in the momentum that we both fell down.
Amidst the clouds of dust, I stood up and searched for my enemy. I heard a sizzle and leaped to the side by winging my entire body to avoid another lightning sphere.
-Barrage incoming-
I ran across the greenery as I dodged the storms of lightnings. With trees as my cover, they received the brunt of the attacks with their heights and I pushed myself to not stay at one place even if for a second of rest.
"You...!" I heard him glowering and grinding his teeth. "YOU DEFECTED PIECE OF SCRAP!!!"
A curse. A fluctuation of energy. Aura manipulation.
I stopped running and clawed the ground firmly. I straightened my back and faced the Ancient Spirit's downward slash that nearly toppled me down to my knees.
"You have stolen our forms! Our pride!! Even our dignity and family for your selfish ambitions bound to be fruitless!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO OBSTRUCT US!!"
I scoffed.
"I reaped lives, yes. I have even destroyed many things and consumed your brethren." I uttered as sparks danced. "But was I happy with the act of killing? Do you think I'm content that I have to live by murdering every life I came across to!!?"
I repelled the sword. Facing the Ancient Spirit face-to-face, I readied my weapon.
'So what if you're a monster?' A girl who could not become an adult asked.
"Even through all that... I have picked my decision, discarded the other, and persisted on seeing everything to an end!"
I wish you were my son. You'd be a great addition to this shabby forgery. a white-haired elderly muttered before the night he passed away.
"Even after all that, I have overseen everything and experienced what it felt like to be alive!!"
Then I leaped forward, swords crisscrossing as I exchanged blows against the spirit.
'Hey... lil' bro...... The rest... I'll leave it to you. Don't give up like I do, 'kay...?' A tyrant said as he slept with his dead lover in his embrace.
"That's why...! That's why I...!!"
As I leaned to the side, avoiding a wind searing slash, I cut off his outstretched arm, slashed the tendons of his legs and finished with a wide swing at his torso that sent him flying.
'Will you be my knight?' A maiden who always fought and bled for other's sake requested, with pure gaze that brought life to this body.
I charged ahead, pursuing his falling figure but he flipped and fired magic. I avoided spheres of lightning when a ray of light suddenly blinded my vision.
*BOOM!!* Another explosion occurred.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
But I leaped out from the smokes, high in midair with the help of mana threads that seemed to shower over the underground garden.
Most of them were latched to the far ceiling and I used them to carry myself before diving down. Then I severed the threads, reforming the [Sword of Light] in my hand and kicked the air to fly down with a speed matching roaring winds.
"Gh...!?" The Ancient Spirit brought his sword up yet his limbs moved slower. More so than earlier since a set of nearly transparent mana threads had already constricted his limbs from moving further.
Those threads I spread out were a simple distraction. Hiding the thin threads among thicker and conspicuous ones to make him lose his guard, and by drawing his attention with a flashy move such as flying above ground... I could pull out this maddening one pitiful scheme.
Before he could cut the extremely thin spiritual threads to defend himself, my sword descended. A flash of silvery white light cut open the world--
And sliced my enemy in halves.
"...I am..."
I landed past him. Slowly getting up, my back was against the spirit as I stepped forward, distancing myself in rejection over his existence. Soon, I inhaled, and raised my chin. In defiance to the natural rules from above, I raised the [Sword of Light] upward.
http%3a%2f%2fpre02.deviantart.net%2f2c91%2fth%2fpre%2f...a1anj9.png [http://pre02.deviantart.net/2c91/th/pre/f/2016/124/c/6/c62c37aac0d76279040cebf66cf6806b-da1anj9.png]
"My name... is FEI CRUELHEART! I am... no one else!!"
And to this broken, nonetheless beautiful world where I found my reason to live - I pronounced my existence.
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A/N: It's... wow. When I imagined this scene, I almost dropped my jaw. How cool can you be, you freakin' Hero-character?! I didn't intend for a development that must be paired with a cutscene dammit!!