NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58: Committing a grave sin
'Please, Aidana...' The plea echoed through a world shrouded in darkness. As shadows grew deeper, Temorsth's cry for help became more desperate.
[...] 'I cannot stand by and watch... I cannot...'
[You understand the consequences, even if I were to grant your return...]
'I do, but... We...'
[...?]
'We do not seek mere existence nor any form of life... What we yearn, the strength to mete out justice to those unworthy.'
[...] The air grew heavy with silence, Aidana had witnessed Temorsth in myriad forms and states, but this tone... it was a revelation, one that left her world and mind cloaked.
[Even if I bestow you with power, what could you accomplish?]
'I... I can't do anything, but we... Everything...'
[...?] The enigmatic tone eluded her grasp. Was it defiance, indifference, an undercurrent of emotion, or the words of a being untethered from such considerations?
[Temorsth, should you perish now, I'm sure you'll be reborn as a main figure, the center of a true story, your parents might escape the clutches of death, and you could become...]
'Hmh... might... Aidana, you understand me. In my realm... there is no room for uncertainty.'
[Soon, the threads of your existence will unravel, your soul has already left your body, and death is just steps away, even if...]
'Aidana...'
[...]
'We are aware...' Temorsth pressed forward with words he had been reluctant to utter.
[...?]
'You've been observing us from afar for some time now, thus, we comprehended. You've borne witness to our existence, the life... and the Monster that dwells inside.'
[...] 'Monster... There is no monster...' The words she did not speak hung in the air, a self-doubt that even she couldn't articulate.
'I know you beheld it, that fateful night...'
[...] 'Night... a dark sky, a world swallowed... drowned in bl... those eyes...' She knew. With those simple words, the entire tableau and all its cast unfurled before her, a vivid screen of recollection.
...
In the same way, I had moved from universe to universe, I moved past a planet that had so little to no magic, that it was barely distinguishable from a dead world.
As I flew past the planet, with a thought I stopped.
"Death, this... Did it stop?" Noticing the strange event, I turned towards the small blue world, seeing that the energy and force of the world gathered at one point, I took a step towards it.
I appeared in the sky, right above the point, the scene, it happened there, something I couldn't understand.
What I saw... A mortal fully in black and with wounds all around, his throat being clutched by a young and good-looking man.
Around this time, the strangeness happened when my eyes got hold of the red law and the grey power of death oozing around the young man.
A feeling rose, was it anger or annoyance, I still do not know, yet I know there was something, but the strangeness did not stop there.
The young man raised his head to the sky and shouted, I know he did but I couldn't hear it because...
*Thud*Badum*thud*badum* Something in my chest, in my mind, beat so loud...
As his eyes, the ocean inside, something that should have looked at the sky looked at... me, I should have been invisible to his eyes yet I knew. As the strange beat became louder I knew he was looking at me, and yet...
Anger, rage, fury... sadness, sorrow, and a myriad of other emotions, an ocean of them were directed at me... me... me alone... At the time it was so much that I didn't know what to do.
'Huh? Why... Why are you looking at me?' I asked... such stupidity, I knew he couldn't hear me yet I still asked...
'I didn't do any of these... I didn't do anything! Don't look at me!' I shouted with all I could but as his eyes welled up, it shot through me... it hurt, for some reason looking at the ocean inside of him, it hurt so much.
'Don't look at me like that!' Pain, rage, sorrow, from the ocean that welled up, a single drop rolled down his cheeks...
'Don't... please...' I was enraged, why didn't he listen, but even though this, I was angry about one more thing, I knew he was looking at me yet in the shimmering ocean he reflected, I couldn't see... 'me'.
It was strange... it hurt... he was looking at me and yet he didn't even see 'me'... and so I asked, pleaded, I craved for it... look at "ME".
'Why are you looking... no, why... don't you see... look at me!' My head was a whole mess, I didn't even know what I was talking about anymore.
But soon, as he looked back down at the mortal man fully encased in black. As his grasp tightened around the man's throat, death around him tightened, seeing this, and knowing what comes next.
'No, he's going to die! Evade it!' I called out to him once more...
*Puff* From behind him, a shot was fired.
*Cough* His body wobbled.
*Puff*Puff*
As the third shot hit him... I saw him fall to his side, I couldn't move or speak, that unknown feeling appeared even stronger and the pain grew even greater...
But at that moment, as the red and grey should have begun to encase him... "I... I DENY IT!"
Words, dark and ominous words came from somewhere, and even though the loud thuds and pain, I still could hear them, and almost like even they heard it, both the veil of red and grey scattered to all the others around the fallen young man, almost like, they were running from something, no... someone terrifying.
My world focused down on him... him the fallen young man was the center yet...
*THUD*THUD* My eyes shook, another ocean... one only composed of red opened, flooded, and drowned the world.
At that time I... didn't believe my eyes nor even my intuition telling me, the thing that stood up, it wasn't the young charming man, no rather... it was a monster, a beast of destruction, a being who will drown even this world in blood...
...
[I...] She pushed herself to speak up, to divert her mind from the memory, from the thought she didn't wish to think about.
'I know you remember, no, I know you know it as well, that we... We can not die!' Temorsth's words delved into the very genesis of his existence, tracing back to his birth as the offspring of an Immortal and a Hero, he who was a damned soul from the very being, he could never die.
[Thats... I...] Aidana hesitated, her mind raced, it might have been only moments for Temorsth yet in her head the thoughts crossed at least a thousand times.
"Temorsth... you won't stop no matter what I say, right?" As Aidana's voice lost all unnaturalness and became a beautiful soft tone heard not through the system but through the world they shared, Temorsth felt warmth spread around his body.
'... We, we can not. I'm sorry.' After the change, a slight halt followed but he answered truthfully, this was something they would not stop doing.
"Sigh, you wished for strength… That is something I should not give but... You could use my power for some time…" A warm sensation ran through Temorsth's body, but slowly Aidana's voice trailed off, as if she was moving away from him.
"We don't have time, but you should know this... My power is the will of the world, the world will do everything to support you..."
'Aidana? Wait, what..." Hearing Aidana's voice disappear, questions arose in Temorsth.
'Brothers...' Yet, dismissing these questions, the darkness of the abyss called out.
'It is time, it's my turn now!' As Temorsth's soul stood at the threshold of the afterlife, a spark of defiance, a red glow lit his eyes.
'This thing... A red veil... its grey power, it runs away so fast when I appear.' With a surge of willpower, he defied the grasp of eternity, his essence pulsing back into his mortal vessel. In that moment, he became a beacon of defiance, a testament to the indomitable spirit that could triumph over even such an icy grip.
"Fi... ....?" Finally as cold pressed around his body, he called forth the freedom he wished but...
'BROTHER!!?' A loud ordeal, a commotion happened the moment they returned.
'I'm sorry, you know that we have to save them, our new parents.' At the call, the most human normal voice, the one with no ups and downs answered.
'This wasn't...!'
'I know, let's make a deal for now.' He who was the only true brother of the beast could say such things with no worry.
'YOU... Brother, I still do not like your deceiving nature!' He, the one undeterred by death, was enraged but soon calmed his mind, usually he was not so unruly anyway but it just so happened this thing was something he truly desired.
'For now, you won't do anything and give up control, but only until we save them after that... I will give it back until you kill all those you wanted for now.' Focusing solely on the important things, the shaded human continued.
'You, if you said it before...'
'You wouldn't have brought us back...'
'Hmh, true.'
'Your answer?'
'Be it so brother... But no more deals after that!'
'Alright, and thanks.'
'Hmph, just make it fast, I haven't been free for years now!' Throughout as the two of them spoke, the others understood why the chilly ice was still around their body.
They realized, now Temorsth was already back in his physical body, but they couldn't move nor could they open their eyes.
While the human shade made the beast go back to sleep, they were in a state similar to sleep paralysis.
But soon they could hear the system's voice, which still resembled Aidana's.
[Warning: The system does not support the Host's current exisatance and Rank!]
[Notice: A full system upgrade is required.]
[...]
[Notice: A System Administrator supports the system upgrade.]
[...]
[Authorization denied!]
[...]
[Re-requests confirmed.]
[...]
[Notice: A System Administrator supports the system upgrade.]
[...]
[Authorization denied!]
[...]
[Re-requests confirmed.]
While Temorsth listened to the constant talk of the system...
...
In another place far from all other life, in a spacious and ornate room with red and gold medieval castle furniture and a large fireplace, a beautiful woman with wavy light brown hair stood up while putting both hands on the large wooden desk.
"Mother, please help me!" She cried out, making her large bosom shake with the hot-tempered movement.
The beautiful woman was wearing a sheer white dress with only its layered design making it not see-through, she looked like she was in her mid to late twenties.
"Mother please..." The gorgeous young lady was talking to someone, but no one was in the room other than her.
'Little Dana, instead of a mortal boy, you should worry more about yourself.' As Aidana heard a slightly aged woman's voice in her mind, the large door to the room busted open.
The ones that came into Aidana's space were humanoid-looking creatures of different sizes and physiques some with more hands others with tails or even wings, but all had white masks before their faces, showing plain and emotionless expressions.
"I've never asked you for anything in my life, please just help me now, Mom."
The nine beings were in white suits, and as they created a semicircle in front of her desk, the middle one began to speak.
"Aidana, Ruler of the will of 1081 worlds, you are charged with violating paragraph 8 of Heaven's Commandment: Never interfere with the lives of Mortal beings."
"You have the right to remain silent."
"Anything you say can be used against you."
As the words were spoken, two people from each side started walking behind her.
"I advise you to cooperate as we are allowed to use violence against you if you do not."
"Mom, please help him." Aidana ignored them as she continued to plead.
At that moment, when the two who were standing right behind her and the two who were a little further away raised their left arms the four in front of her did the same, except for the one man who spoke.
Yellow energy appeared at the eight hands and yellow chains shot toward Aidana and bound her.
Aidana continued to ignore them as her arms were pulled behind her back.
"Mother..." Her gaze was determined as she raised her head slightly.
'...'
As the chains began to drag her body, she began to walk.
"Please help him…"
'...'
'Daughter...'
"Please..."
'I'll give him a growth type, it's up to him if he can achieve or do something with it.'
Hearing the woman's voice, Aidana's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Mom, I really... thank you."
With a relieved heart, Aidana turned to look ahead at what appeared to be a black hole on the other side of the large open door.
With the man who appeared to be the leader in front of them, the ten walked into the black hole and the door closed behind them.