722 Choice

Varian filled the goblet and sipped the dark red wine.",

The strong drink exploded in his mouth and burnt his throat. The bitter taste was exactly similar to what he was feeling.",

"Master, his life isn't in danger anymore," Boo said as it entered the bar room.",

Varian nodded lightly in response and pointed to the exquisite wine bottle. "Bring three more."",

"Even if you're a level 7, it'll be too much," Boo said in a worried tone.",

"Haa~" Varian sighed deeply and looked out of the window.",

The purple sky planetoid continued to shrink in his vision as they pulled further and further away.",

With a complicated gaze, he said. "I want to be drunk."",

Even though he accomplished his goals, instead of feeling accomplished, he was left feeling empty, even a bit resentful.",

But resentful against what?",

Against the weak him who couldn't protect Sia and became responsible for this whole mission to start?",

Against the vile Xanders that caused her so much pain?",

Against the abyssals?",

Or…",

'Fuck everything.'",

Varian slammed the table in frustration.",

Knowing that abyssals were forced by their circumstances to become humanity's enemy made him feel terrible.",

Not because he was feeling sorry for abyssals, but because he realized how small he truly was.",

In the grand scale of things, everything he and he held dear was a mere pawn.",

A disposable chess piece.",

If some higher race wanted to do something and it needed the disposal of the human race, it'd happen in a flash.",

They couldn't protest. They couldn't try to compromise. They couldn't do anything.",

What if the abyssals were defeated?",

What next?",

Would there ever be peace?",

Varian had always thought yes.",

But once he learned of the races like Fairies and Zions, he realized how wrong he was.",

There'd be no peace.",

Even if he killed all the abyssals. Even if he reached the Celestial Rank.",

The wars wouldn't stop.",

People would continue to suffer. Children would continue to get orphaned. Families would continue to be destroyed.",

"Peace is the closest thing to impossibility." Varian clenched his fists.",

[Since the dawn of civilization, Conflict never ceased. When there is sentience, there are desires. When there are desires, there is conflict. A world without conflict is a world of the dead.] The system said in a low tone.",

"Yeah." Varian nodded with a sigh. "Since I can't stop the conflict, I need to be prepared. I need to grow stronger."",

The strong dictated the fate of the weak. If he's strong enough, his fate wouldn't be controlled by anyone else.",

Since he's strong enough, he was able to get revenge on the Xanders.",

And…",

"Now it's time for Kreo," Varian muttered and a wooden box appeared in his hand.",

It was the box he retrieved from Ron's storage ring. Attached to the box were two letters with script scribbled in abyss language.",

"Hm?" Varian frowned and opened the letter.",

[Prince Var,",

The day we drank in my house, I decided I'd not give the herb to you. I still wanted to cure my sister than help a genius.",

But after I saw you reach the first rank on the dark tower, I changed my mind.",

If I'm not alive by the next year, please get the herb and cure my sister.]",

Varian felt a pang of guilt.",

The herb that a brother shed blood, sweat, and tears for…",

The cure for his little sister…",

Ron wanted to cure her despite Mendis pressuring him to hand over the herb.",

Because he wasn't sure if he could be alive until next year.",

And exactly that happened.",

'That's why he was so shaken.' Varian sighed in realization.",

Then, his gaze landed on the second letter. His hand shook lightly but he opened it anyway.",

[Rui,",

I want to see you wake up. I want to see you healthy. I want to see you smile.",

I want to hear your laughter. I want to accompany you to pray at our parents' tombs.",

I promised you that day, didn't I?",

I'd do my best and cure you.",

I got the herb and I can wake you up now.",

In fact, I even got a day off to cure you today.",

But. I canceled my holiday.",

I'm going on a hunt again.",

Even though Mendis said it'd be alright, I'm worried about Var. I want to keep him safe.",

And…",

After the hunt, I'll hand him the herb.",

My heart aches when I think you won't wake up for another year, but Rui, let me tell you this.",

You and I are just two abyssals. Out of the tens of billions in the solar system and the hundreds of billions back at home, we're just two.",

I can be selfish, but I can't be so selfish that I hinder the progress of my own race.",

I curse myself for doing this. I hate myself.",

But father used to say that regardless of what one felt, we must do what is right.",

So…",

Forgive me, Rui.",

If I'm not the one you see after waking up, then know that your brother has lived a great life.]",

Varian closed his eyes and slumped into the chair. Looking at the herb again, a bitter smile formed on his lips.",

The herb was to be used for his 'revenge' against Kreo.",

Once Ron was dead, no one would use the herb on her.",

The little girl would be abandoned.",

"And I am the villain of her story," Varian muttered as he emptied the wine bottle.",

It wasn't like he could split the herb and cure her. She needed the full herb. But so did Kreo's daughter.",

Even if he did cure her, then what next?",

She'd surely hate him and do her best to kill him. Since she was her brother's killer, the hatred would only be more intense.",

With the same hands that rescued her, he'd have to kill her.",

Varian suddenly thought of Vin, the young girl who lost her brother due to the abyssals.",

She and Rui were quite similar.",

They both suffered. They both lost their brothers. They were both pitiful.",

But.",

'I am on Vin's side.'",

Even though Rui was more pitiful than her, Varian was on Vin's side.",

Just because she's a human.",

Like the system said, after reaching a certain level, your thinking should be based on the bigger picture than personal emotions.",

Of course, that was an ideal ruler.",

Varian wasn't one.",

But at least, he tried to be better.",

So…",

Varian stood in front of Sia's seclusion room and waited.",

Behind him, a man was bound to a bed.",

Joshua Xander.",

Varian spared him at the last moment.",

Because the scene where Joshua punished the two Xander young masters left a deep impression on him, Varian's opinion was conflicted.",

Emotionally, Varian wanted to slash him to pieces for being a Xander.",

But rationally, he wanted to leave him out.",

If it was Varian who had just begun the mission, he'd have killed Joshua without any hesitation.",

But after the recent experiences, his thought process changed enough to cause him to hesitate.",

However, it didn't change too much that he spared Joshua.",

In the end, Varian decided it was best to ask the girl he was doing all this for.",

The fluctuations of her aura also stabilized recently, signaling her successful advancement.",

"Sia."",

Hearing his voice, the door slowly opened.",