What was supposed to be the catastrophic fight between two of the strongest in the continent became a friendly brawl between two powerful mages and I the one who was supposed to defeat one of them is at awe still in this fight where neither are showing the true power.
I cannnot understand why Rexcarius let X free, well I should address him with his true name I suppose, Perseus motherfucking Bloodeon who not only fooled me completely but also betrayed his allies in Vengeance by revealing their information to me. It just does not make any sense, this man is insane! Whose side is he on? Was it me who he was aiming for? I will need to deal with him myself later on but now there's this brawl that needs to stop.
Does Rexcarius trust me already or would it be bad for me to intervene? He was just aiming for my head not long ago after all but then who can stop this fight? The villagers are starting to get weary from the loud sounds of their magic and there is also the arrival of 'The Beast' that I prophesized. I may or may not have said that a beast with wings would soar in the skies leaving blue dusts that will bring disease to all who see it.... I was inspired by something I liked to read about as a kid, how was I supposed to know that Lacquer would out of nowhere summon a giant toucan and that Rexcarius would make blue little stars. Sure my prophesy coming true would be good but also in the prophecy was that it was going to spread disease.
Poisoning the people might convince them but after the huge kerfuffle with the palace being poisoned I doubt that it would be a good move to do such a stunt so soon. Damn I cannot be distracted right now! How do I deal with this fight? Think!
I look once again in the fight and take away the giant beasts fighting and I actually see Rexcarius and Lacquer smiling slightly, it is as if they feel pleasure in clashing their magic. There is something called a Runner's high which is a state of euphoria that one can get from jogging which seems counter intuitive that a person would feel pleasure in a strenuous activity but it is real nonetheless and I feel that it is similar to what these two are feeling, a magician's high I assume. These two are not fighting to win, it is to keep going but the longer they keep going the more destroyed the palace would become and the more weary the villagers.
A destroyed palace and paranoid villagers is a recipe for a disaster, believe me I have seen enough documentaries to know what happens next. I turn to the 3 with me who were still mesmerized by the show of magic but they snapped out of it when I called.
"What are we going to do with these two?" I ask.
"Nothing, if they tire themselves out then we can clean up after father and we can kill Lacquer especially after being weakened so many times"
To my surprise Alfron was calmly plotting his mentor's murder, the same man who was eaten by his magic because of his lack of resolve, I still cannot believe his new found strength, where is this coming from?
"No, they are not fighting with their true power, waiting for them to tire out would take days considering the spells they are using. It would also be foolish to keep this going, we never know if spies are watching and there could possibly be another Bronsleyt situation if that happens and the rebelion starts tomorrow we can't win. we'll be weakest after today we must make sure nobody finds out"
It is rare to see Crystal so serious that she starts to speak up her mind and she also has a point but I have a feeling people from the outside will still know either way. There is Perseus first and foremost who has no sense of loyalty nor morality and it is very possible that he was the informant that revealed to Bronsleyt that we shall be weakened. I used to genuinely believe that there are no people who are evil just for the heck of it but Perseus is really making me think otherwise, he is just naturally evil boy...no I should not think like this because it will hinder my predictions. If that asshole is just a natural born dick then there would be no predicting his actions but experience tells me otherwise. I will find out what makes you tick Perseus and use it to destroy you.
"How about you use that spell of yours then Spade?"
As I dozed off plotting my revenge against Perseus, Alfron came up with an interesting suggestion.
"What spell?"
"The one you used that time, the one that scattered my memories to all of you
"How exactly do you want me to use it?" Well not that I can remember how I did it anyway.
"Share to everyone Rexcarius and Lacquer's memories, that ought to stop them, and if the reason Lacquer rebelled gets revealed then that would be a good bonus wouldn't it?"
I smile as I see that Alfron has not completely changed, still the same emotional boy that wants to see things with his eyes rather than believe the word of others.
Alright I will try it. Magic is innate so I should be able to do it and already did it once so I should have some memory of how to do it. The thing with instincts is that it is in the subconscious and we cannot control it with willpower alone but the god thing about it is we do not have to. The subconscious makes the desire of the brain come true, if drugs simulate the brain and relax it then the brain will emit a desire and we will have a sudden attraction to such vices because it is what the subconscious instructed. Now I want to make the same magic I did a few days ago, I just need to focus on my desire specifically.
"Mirror World: Reflect"
Voila, well it is not quite as simple often times but right now I am pumped full with adrenaline and I have been thinking about that spell for while now so those factors also helped.
As I cast it, my magic easily penetrated the magic barriers of both the sorcerers because my magic is not an attack after all and they are far too distracted to notice my little illusion come to play until the very last second so it should hit.
When I did so, Rexcarius managed to deflect the spell despite all the hindrances I mentioned earlier so he kept his memories protected but Lacquer however was not in the strongest state, recovering from that kamikaze mage and the lethal poison of Perseus. His memories then came rushing in the heads of those nearby and for me it was not long ago and from his memories I saw visions of myself, Alfron dying, and Claudia bowing down to some glowing bitch.
I would have thought none of it if not for the next thing Lacquer said in the memory "I must prevent tragedy this time". So the reason he went here was to prevent tragedy? Or was it to save us? Lacquer, your character is rich but very inconsistent. I am indebt to you coming just for us however.
Realizing what happened, Lacquer retreated embarrassed, leaving all of us hanging with a sort of sorrowful feeling having been in the shoes of a man who has suffered so much in his life even just for a second and although it lacked context, from that memory alone I felt so much his regret and self deprecation, I came to wonder what the others saw to leave them dumbfounded like that, even the emotionally detached Blade looked astonished.
As one threat was removed however, the other still remained and now Rexcarius stood ahead of us, like a beast with his prey taken away he was brimming with bloodlust and with no one to contain his hunger. With his beast like glare he walked towards us and in an instant everyone froze for a completely different reason.
This is it, no one left to save me...I thought I was out of the woods but I fell off the cliff without realizing...With each slow but impactful step my heart skipped a beat, like a rat under a snakes grasp I knew I was in danger but I could not escape. Then Rexcarius was right in front of me, he was so close that I could feel the air he breathed and every cell in my body shook, but he walked passed me.
Was I not the one he was going to kill? He kept walking and walking, passing through Crystal and Blade who both grew white in fright. Then Rexcarius stopped, now in front of Alfron, when all of us shook, Alfron was calm and he looked his father in the eye with a bold stare, confident in himself and knowing he has done no wrong.
Alfron never did have a good sense for danger but you don't have to be a genius to know that further taunting the lion would only make your death much more painful. Rexcarius raised his hand and if his fingers alone can shatter the wind barrier then what atrocities could his palm in full force do? I was terrified for Alfron but I could not move and neither can anyone this close to someone whose magic power equaled the pressure of being crushed by gravity.
Alfron stood his ground and prepared for the worst but he and all of us were surprised to what Rexcarius did next, he patted Alfron's head and hugged him tightly. The same man who did not even blink twice upon the news of his death now acted like a father to Alfron? I was suspicious, or at least I should have been but I was not. Rexcarius is a lot of things and among those is genuine, and watching that moment unfold I thought "What a good dad" but I know enough to not get fooled. Rexcarius is a twisted man who sends his people to die, who pinned his own children against each other, he is but damn why can't I hate him anymore?
" I am proud of you my son"
Coming from Rexcarius his was unbelievable but it still felt so real that Alfron began to shake and tear up, even the greatest of threats couldn't scare this man but hearing those words, his legs turned to jelly and his composure out the drains. You can ask any son what words he desire to hear the most and I assure you that these 7 simple words are among those it certainly is something I longed for both in my past life and in this one. For Alfron, he finally got the acknowledgement he has worked all his life for, it was never about being the king but earning his place as the heir, earning his place in his father's house.
I look around and Crystal was tearing up but with joy seeing her brother's joy, even the knights put down their guard in this heartwarming moment. However from a far there were two who cried sorrowful tears, one of jealousy and the other regret. Zyderine had been sick for a while now but only this was enough to drain all her strength, she finally saw her father's better side but it was not to her. It was never going to be for her. Ria as well was crying from where she stood, her pain was something I was not quite familiar of but it was strong nonetheless but what could possibly cause her so much pain that her personality began to shatter?