CHAPTER 157 – HIRAYA’S ALTERNATE ORIGIN
HIRAYA MISTELTEIN – PREVIOUS TIMELINE
The Neo Arcadia's terrorist attack on Tasty Town Magic High School was a catastrophic event, shattering the tranquility of what should have been an ordinary day. The tragedy claimed the lives of more than fifty individuals, a heart-wrenching mix of dedicated teachers and innocent students. Amid the chaos, over a hundred people vanished without a trace.
I was one of them.
Kidnapped, I spent three harrowing days with a rough sack over my head, the darkness and uncertainty gnawing at my sanity. When the sack was finally removed, I found myself in an imposing and eerie cathedral in Stonehill City, the stronghold of the Neo Arcadia terrorists.
The cathedral was a haunting sight: broken pews lay scattered across the dusty floor, and fractured stained-glass windows cast distorted, colorful rays of sunlight into the dim interior. Menacing dragon statues with devilish horns lined the walls, their stone eyes seeming to follow my every move. This place bore no resemblance to the Cathedral Exa I knew and cherished.
"Good morning, oh Elven Oracle," intoned a deep voice, dripping with a sinister blend of mockery and reverence. The speaker was a pale man, his skin almost luminescent under the dark armor he wore. A black cape flowed behind him, and his eyes—red irises surrounded by black sclera—were as frightening as they were mesmerizing.
"Wh-Who are you? What do you want from me?" I stammered, struggling against the heavy chains that bound my wrists and ankles.
"I am certain you have heard of me from the news," the man with the unsettling eyes replied. "I am Gazelle Lockwood, the Supreme Commander of Neo Arcadia. The empire brands me a terrorist, but to us, it is the humans who are the true terrorists."
"What does the oh-so-mighty rebel want with me? Are you planning to make me your sex slave?" I retorted with a forced smile, trying to inject a bit of humor into my dire situation.
"I would do no such thing," Gazelle responded with a frown. "You are the reincarnation of the Goddess Exceria. To lay a hand on you would be my gravest sin."
“Goddess Exceria? Reincarnation? Are you nuts?” I asked, my voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and anger.
“See for yourself, oh Elven Oracle,” Gazelle replied, stepping aside to reveal a giant cross behind him.
On the cross hung the decaying body of a woman. Her skin, as pale and thin as parchment, clung tightly to her skeletal frame. She was naked, her once-flowing golden hair now a lifeless cascade. Beneath the cross lay grotesque piles of dried feces, urine, and blood, a testament to the unimaginable suffering she endured. My eyes widened in horror as I realized who she was.
“No way! It can’t be!” I gasped, feeling a cold chill run down my spine.
“There is no mistake,” Gazelle said calmly. “Madam Reina Fleuret bestowed upon you the goddess’s soul. You should sense the connection between you and your predecessor.”
“What did you do to the Goddess?” I growled, my anger bubbling to the surface.
“I did nothing,” Gazelle replied, his voice cold and detached. “Ask the human empire. The King of Humanity did this to her. He sealed her, tortured her, raped her. His parents took the divine orb for their own selfish ambition of summoning a Foreign God.”
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“Do you think I’ll believe anything you say?” I asked, defiant despite my fear.
“See for yourself, then, Elven Oracle,” Gazelle said, drawing his sword with a menacing hiss.
With a swift, practiced slash, he severed the chains binding my wrists and ankles. I stood up, brushing the dust from my school uniform, and turned to face Gazelle.
“Touch the carcass of the Goddess, and you shall be enlightened by the truth,” he said, his voice carrying an almost reverent tone.
I hesitated, but curiosity and a strange sense of duty compelled me to approach the cross. The air grew colder with each step, and the weight of centuries of suffering seemed to press down upon me. Finally, I reached out and touched the decaying flesh of the woman who was once the Goddess Exceria.
I slowly took a step forward until I could reach the goddess's foot. With a trembling hand, I extended my fingers and touched her toes. A sudden lightning spark erupted from our connection, sending a jolt of pain through my body.
"Ah!" I cried out, recoiling in shock. Glancing at my hand, I saw blood seeping from a fresh wound shaped like a V.
"Hmmm?" Gazelle frowned, scrutinizing the mark. "It seems you are not yet ready to see the revelation. But now that you bear the Mark of Vesryn, you shall be named the Second Dragon Lord- the Daybreaker, destined to lead us to a brighter tomorrow."
Though Gazelle's words were a jumble of mystical nonsense to me, one thing became clear: the V-mark, or Mark of Vesryn, pulsed with mana, glowing and resonating with my essence. This was the goddess's blessing, a power bestowed upon me to wield as I saw fit.
Realizing this might be my only chance to escape, I clenched my fist and drew upon the mana to enhance the wind magic in my feet.
"Oracle, what are you doing?" Gazelle demanded.
Without warning, I unleashed a powerful kick at Gazelle's face, sending him crashing into the pews, which splintered into tiny wooden fragments.
"The Supreme Leader is being attacked!" shouted the dragonoid guards who had been silently observing us. "Fire at will!"
The terrorists aimed their assault rifles and unleashed a barrage of bullets. However, with the Mark of Vesryn empowering me, I dodged the bullets effortlessly. Those that struck me seemed to have no effect, as if I were invincible.
I executed a roundhouse kick on one of the terrorists, then punched another as I closed the distance. My focus was solely on escaping, so I surged forward, using my enhanced speed to reach the exit of the Demonic Cathedral. I didn't look back.
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I managed to reach the town proper of Stonehill City and found a payphone to call a fellow student council member, Arthur Castamere. With President Gregory's demise at the hands of the Neo Arcadian terrorists, Arthur was the only one I could trust.
Arthur drove out to the outskirts of Stonehill City to fetch me. His eyes widened in shock when he saw me in my tattered and dirty school uniform.
“Vice Prez! Thank goodness you’re alive!” Arthur exclaimed.
“Y-Yeah. I just got lucky,” I replied, sliding into his car.
“It’s been weeks since I last saw you. Tasty Town was hell after that terrorist attack,” Arthur said, his voice filled with concern.
“That was all so sudden.” I bit my lip, the memory of the chaos still fresh. “If only we had been informed of the attack sooner, my Spice Girls could have handled it.”
“I thought your group name was Backstreet Boys as Kate said, but whatever,” Arthur scoffed, trying to lighten the mood.
“How about you? How have you been since the attack?” I asked, genuinely concerned.
“Me? I don’t go to Tasty Town High School anymore,” Arthur replied, his smile steady but his eyes betraying a hint of something deeper.
“Was the school heavily damaged?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“Yes, but I quit for a completely different reason,” Arthur said, his tone now somber.
Suddenly, our car entered a tunnel at the foot of the hill, plunging us into darkness. As we emerged into the light on the other side, a tall man with pale, cracked skin and long black hair stood ominously in our path. His eyes were identical to Gazelle Lockwood's, and a large Mark of Vesryn adorned his chest. The connection to Neo Arcadia was undeniable.
Arthur slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt just before it could hit the mysterious man.
“It looks like we are in danger,” I muttered, my heart pounding.
“No, Hiraya,” Arthur said with a chilling smile. “I am the danger.”
“Huh?” I gasped, confusion and fear swirling within me.
In an instant, the zombie-like man punched the windshield, shattering it into a cascade of glass shards. His hand shot forward and grabbed me by the face, his grip like a vise.