NOVEL NEXT Chapter 186: Truly regrettable
Leslie's senses had never failed her before. A warrior always trusts their senses, and she was no exception. That young man on the ground had something special, something that felt familiar to her. Her eyes lit up fiercely as she felt an uncontrollable rage growing inside her. For some reason, it felt as if she herself had been stabbed, seeing the young man groan in pain, covered in his own blood…
A sword appeared in her hand… her body moved unconsciously. Wielding the sword, she quickly blocked the blade of the young man who was trying to kill him.
The young man with wheat-colored hair frowned:"What are you doing?" he asked the young man, seeing Leslie's sword block his own.
Leslie felt lost again. The emotions of rage vanished once more. She frowned for a moment herself."I... don't know."
Now even she didn't know why she was angry, or why she was defending the young man on the ground. Her body had moved on its own…
Feeling lost…
The young man on the ground opened his eyes wide. The fear in his eyes disappeared. Quickly turning them, he looked around as if lost, before stopping at Leslie. His blue eyes ignited with blue flames and he screamed:"You must remember!"
Leslie lowered her head. Her eyes met the young man's blue eyes—the way he looked at her... the desperate way he shouted… The familiarity inside her grew stronger. Her dulled senses awoke again, but this time with far more strength.
"You must remember!" the young man shouted again. Blood flowed from his mouth as he desperately grabbed Leslie's feet…
"Remember who you really are!" the young man shouted as he looked at Evelyn and Daniela…
The young man was about to say a few more words, but a sword cleanly sliced off his head…
Leslie stood still, staring at the head of the young man who just moments ago had been screaming in desperation…
Her mind shattered completely… as the world around began to collapse upon itself.
****
Evelyn felt as if something inside her had awakened.The young man's powerful words, spoken while looking her directly in the eyes, echoed like an earthquake in her mind. Something trembled, and the world seemed to go dark again. She saw herself from another angle, another reality—it seemed real, herself, but with dimmed eyes and a mind forced to sleep… desperate and utterly alone… overwhelmed by the constant whispers that shattered her own mind…
Her entire body trembled. An irrational fear took over her—a full-blown strike of reality, a reality she wanted to escape from…
Fragments passed through her mind, fragments she had forgotten and wanted to erase forever—torments she had carried since childhood and that she would likely carry for the rest of her existence. But the worst of them all… was killing her own father…
Evelyn's mind filled with chaos. Reality was hitting her so hard she felt as if her head was about to split in two. Holding her hands to her head, she crouched down, closing her eyes tightly. Her mind was refusing to accept reality… the clash of two mentalities made her whimper in pain…
But in those small memories, she saw herself smiling faintly, feeling good, and not alone. The torment of hearing her own voice would always disappear when she was near someone. She couldn't see his face—it was covered in a dense fog—but she felt good. Something about him made her feel at peace…
Little by little, Evelyn stopped feeling the terrible headache… her true mind was reclaiming more ground…
"Daughter… are you going to abandon me?"
Evelyn's eyes snapped open. Her body trembled violently upon hearing her father's sad voice. Her mind, which had been regaining balance, broke again. Raising her head, she looked at her father standing in front of her…
Evelyn felt small tears roll down her cheeks…
"Abandon my father…" she repeated to herself…
"Stay with me, you'll be safe here."
Evelyn trembled as she felt her father's embrace… her eyes clouded over, just like her mind. The painful memories of having burned her father began to fade. Her painful life began to change into one filled with joy and happiness with her family…
Slowly, Evelyn raised her arms and returned her father's embrace:"I'll stay."
*****
Daniela smiled bitterly.A feeling of sadness flooded her soul. She saw herself with her mother—her real mother… she smiled again. Her mother's soul color was always black. No matter how much she smiled or praised her, it never changed color. It made her very sad, because she felt that no matter what she did, she never made her mother happy, nor would she ever make her feel proud. A terrible feeling for a child that age—especially for her, who could see people's true colors.
Somehow, she always sought her mother's love, but it never felt real nor genuine. Even now, it never changed. But over time, she ignored it. Seeing her mother smile, even mocking her, made her happy. It was always just her and her. There was no father or other figure around. She truly felt happy to learn she had an aunt, but that aunt's color was much worse—a pure white, without any stain or shine, a blank sheet of paper—but she ignored it.
She sought comfort in others—Evelyn and Leslie—but it was almost the same as with her mother. Somehow she knew that the people around her weren't normal at all. In fact, they didn't even seem human. But her two friends were different. Their soul color could change depending on their emotions. That made her happy, and she clung to them since they were little…
She laughed again… the three of them were pathetic on their own. The three of them were sad, depressed, and alone. For a child that age, it was terrible not receiving love from the people closest to them—their parents. They only received rejection and mistreatment.
"We really are pathetic," Daniela mocked again while crying silently. Her eyes stared at the ground—an ocean of blue, the color of her soul. She was standing over that illusory river that coated her soul…
Leslie, Daniela, and I—we're unstable on our own.Maybe that's why we became so attached to that young man… his soul color was beautiful. A beautiful blue covered in flames—it was warm and gave me peace. It was the very essence of life…
We're dependent. We can't detach from him. Sadly, we feel the need to feel even a minimum of real love…
Daniela smiled. She knew it wasn't healthy, but it was the least she had, and the closest thing she'd ever felt in her life…
"Maybe that's why I feel attracted to him," she mocked with a smile… looking ahead… there stood her mother…