Chapter 19: Echoes of Hell
Chapter 19: Echoes of Hell
The wind howled across the barren land, a savage wail traversing the void.
The sky was painted a crimson red, as if the entire universe were bleeding.
Destruction and ash stretched as far as the eye could see. Nothing remained on the earth. Nothing but nothingness.
What was once a great empire that ruled the world had now become an open grave.
Step.
A single sound broke the silence of death.
Step.
A person walked through this ruin, his steps heavy and slow, as if he didn't care where he was heading, or perhaps because he knew there was nowhere to go.
He looked around with empty eyes, seeing only the ruins of a defunct civilization.
"Waaaa... no, no, no... please... please don't leave me..."
The person stopped. The voice pierced his ears like a dagger.
The sound of crying. Sorrowful, desperate crying, pleading in a world with no answer. A weak voice, but clearly audible in this terrifying stillness.
The person muttered in a hoarse voice, as if he had forgotten how to speak: "It seems there are survivors..."
He changed direction and walked toward the sound, approaching the wreckage of what was once a palace or temple, now just a pile of charred stones.
The closer he got, the clearer, and more painful, the sound became.
"M... Mom... please... don't die... waaa..."
The person skillfully scaled a wall, revealing the scene before him.
A woman lay in the middle of a slowly expanding pool of blood, a deep wound in her abdomen with no hope of healing.
Beside her, a little girl, her body covered in wounds and her clothes torn, hugged the cold corpse and cried bitterly, begging her mother to wake up.
The child didn't realize that her mother had already passed away. She was too young to comprehend death.
When the person's shadow fell upon her, the girl raised her head. She looked at him with tearful, tired eyes, as if she had found her last hope.
She extended her trembling little hand toward him:
"Sir... please... please save my mom..."
Her voice choked with sobs, but she continued to plead with all her might:
"I beg you... save my mom..."
Without uttering a word, and without batting an eyelid, the person slowly drew his sword from its sheath.
The sound of metal scraping was cold and harsh.
The child realized, instinctively, that something was wrong. Her pleading turned to panic:
"Sir... please... please..."
He ignored her words. He advanced toward her with steady steps.
He raised the sword, and brought it down with lightning speed.
She didn't scream. There was no time.
The girl fell beside her mother, her eyes still fixed on him, whispering in a fading voice:
"Please... save... mo—"
She died before completing her plea. She died without knowing that the person she begged was the very one who created this hell.
The person remained standing in his place, looking at the two corpses coldly, then opened his mouth and said in a calm, eerie voice:
"Now... only you remain in this world."
As if his voice were a spell, a strong wind blew, making his cloak flutter violently.
And through the dust of destruction, another figure appeared.
A figure covered in a black cloak from head to toe, features hidden in the shadow.
The first person continued speaking without turning around, as if he had been waiting for this meeting:
"So... will you die quietly?"
The other figure replied in a trembling feminine voice, her eyes fixed on the corpses of the mother and daughter:
"...Why did you destroy the world?... Is this the result you wanted?"
He answered coldly: "I achieved my revenge. Simply."
The woman slowly revealed her hood, and said in a voice filled with pain:
"This... isn't right... just why... if revenge is what you wanted, you didn't need to destroy the world and kill everyone..."
He interrupted her sharply: "This was my reven—"
The woman screamed in anger, interrupting him, and despite revealing her face, her features were blurred, as if memory refused to recall them clearly:
"This is revenge and that is revenge! All you say is revenge! Then go ahead and kill me! And kill your son inside my womb to complete your revenge! Neither I nor my child wish to remain in this ruin!"
The man's rigid gaze shook for the first time. His eyes looked at her slightly swollen belly.
His hand gripping the sword hesitated, but he regained his terrifying balance quickly, and advanced toward her.
The woman looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and screamed in breakdown:
"Come on, kill us! Kill us and achieve your revenge! This is what you desired, isn't it?! Kill us and stay alone in this dead world!"
He stopped directly in front of her.
He looked into her eyes, then at his unborn child.
He raised his sword, and stabbed the woman's heart with one decisive movement.
"With this... my revenge is achieved... Farewell."
The woman fell to her knees, blood flowing from her chest.
She looked at him with a final gaze, a gaze void of hatred, and full of indescribable sadness.
"Idiot... this is not who you are... I hope... you won't regret..."
She placed her hand on his blood-stained cheek:
"Live... live... for me... and for... my child..."
Her hand fell, and she passed away.
The man remained standing, tears flowing silently from his rigid eyes, mixing with the blood on his face.
"...Yes... I will remain... I will remain alive... for this is my sin... and my punishment."
Then, as if the glass of reality shattered, the world began to collapse around him.
Elias opened his eyes with difficulty.
The white ceiling was the first thing he saw. His vision was blurry and distorted.
(What is this?... Why is my vision blurry?)
He slowly raised his right hand and touched his face.
He felt moisture around his eyes.
(Tears?)
His hand froze for a moment, then he remembered the dream. The images, the screaming, and the stab.
(...I see.)
He rubbed his eyes vigorously to erase the trace of weakness, and regained full consciousness.
He was in the hospital, lying on a clean bed. The smell of antiseptics filled the place.
He remembered being forced to come here by Charlotte's order after the match.
Before he could complete his train of thought, the room door opened.
Charlotte entered, carrying a small tray.
"Oh... you finally woke up..."
She stopped suddenly when she saw his face. Traces of tears not completely dried, and sweat covering his forehead.
Her expression changed to concern, and she approached him quickly, setting the tray aside.
She tried to lighten the mood with a joking tone hiding her fear:
"What's this? Were you crying? Did you have a nightmare?... Do you want your big sister to pat your back?"
Elias regained his cold mask immediately, ignoring her sarcasm:
"How long did I sleep?"
Charlotte sighed, realizing he was changing the subject: "Only five hours."
Elias nodded, and pushed the covers aside to get up.
Charlotte objected: "Wait! You must rest more! Your body is exhausted from—"
He interrupted her, standing firmly: "No, I rested enough. It's time to start my work."
She looked at him helplessly, then shook her head in resignation:
"Stubborn idiot... Fine, go to your beloved work. Just... take care of yourself."
Elias put on his coat, and looked at her one last time before leaving.
"Alright. See you later... Sister."
Charlotte looked at the closed door, and muttered in a faint voice:
"What's with him?... It's not his habit to call me 'Sister' so gently... I have a bad feeling."
Elias walked through the Academy's outer corridors, the night breeze brushing his face.
His mind was working fast, connecting the threads of the dream to reality.
(Going to Houston... Since Duke Ignis will betray the Princess, the city is destined to fall. I have no need to intervene directly in the battle.)
His steps stopped at a dark corner out of sight.
(However, if variables appear, I must intervene. I must ensure Houston falls. Its fall will make the Princess desperate, weaken her faction, and push the Empire toward the chaos I need...this time.....This time... I will end it...)
He made sure the place was empty, then closed his eyes and activated his ability.
The familiar voice appeared in his head, cheerful and malicious as usual:
(Deal?)
Elias replied coldly: (Teleportation to the city of Houston.)
(The distance is far, and the cost will be high... four days of your life, or equivalent.)
Elias didn't hesitate for a moment.
(Agreed.)
The entity laughed happily: (Hahaha! You really are the best! Deal struck!)
Shadow wrapped around Elias's body, and in the blink of an eye, darkness swallowed him, disappearing from the Academy, leaving behind the calm before the storm.
