Chapter 210
It was because of the blood drop that fell from Herix’s hand, clenched tightly around the teacup shard. And on top of that, transparent droplets also fell, one by one.
“Why…?”
“…”
“Why? Why does it have to be like this?”
His crying voice shook desperately. Herix, who had been kneeling on the floor to pick up the broken pieces, slowly lifted his head. His face, looking up at Ivonne sitting in the armchair, was already soaked.
“Why… why does Ivonne have to do this? What about me? If only I… if only I die—!”
“No.”
Ivonne’s face, filled with deep sadness, sharply cut off Herix’s words. It was as if she didn’t want to say these things herself.
“Herix is human.”
“…”
“Even if you die, nothing will be solved. But I’m different. I… I have a way.”
Not long ago, Ivonne confessed to Herix that she was, in fact, the god Novnie. At the time, Herix, thinking that Ivonne trusted him so much, had been excited like a young boy.
But now, looking back, he understood.
“Ivonne, you… from the very beginning, you revealed this to me with this intention, didn’t you?”
Herix’s tightly clenched fist loosened, and the sharp shard stained with blood fell to the floor. A dizzying sense of helplessness overwhelmed him.
No matter how terrifying the world made him, Herix was still human. A powerless, mortal being who, when he died, would simply cease to exist.
But Ivonne was not.
“To use the power of a god, I have to leave this human body. For that, this body has to die first.”
She had power.
“So, kill me, Herix.”
To set things right. For the sake of our wishes, for the promise we made.
“Kill this body, free my soul, and you will become a transcendent being. Then, take care of this world in my place.”
“…”
“If I’m to face Aiden… there is no other way.”
Ivonne’s words were valid. And this was the most fitting punishment for Herix. Though he had carried out Arnold’s orders, he had taken many lives without realizing the wrong in it, even causing harm to Blitzen.
Now, this punishment would make him fully understand the weight of life and the burden of guilt. Herix would pay for his sins in the worst way possible.
He understood it in his mind, but could not accept it in his heart. Herix wept endlessly. If he could hold onto something, even if it was a rotten rope, he felt he could hold on to it with joy.
Crawling over the sharp shards with his knees, he begged.
“Please…”
It seemed that he didn’t even feel the pain; his sobs were more like the cries of an animal than a human.
“No… No…”
Ivonne, sitting in the armchair, held Herix tightly. His face buried in her thighs as he sobbed like a child.
“Why are you making me do this? How can I do such a thing… Why does it have to be like that? Isn’t there any other way? Really…? There must be a way, there must be.”
“…”
“I don’t want to, no, I can’t. How could you be so cruel to me? I can’t do this to you, Ivonne. This is… really…”
He mumbled, clutching her skirt tightly. It was too terrifying and sacrilegious to say out loud, so Herix could only let out a wail. His tears and saliva mixed, leaving a sticky trace, but Ivonne did not raise her hand in defense. Instead, she tenderly stroked his black hair, as if soothing a child.
“You know this isn’t a complete goodbye.”
“Huh…”
Herix continued to sob, and Ivonne bent down, cradling his little head, now hot with the heat of crying, holding it close and whispering.
“I’ll come back. I’ll definitely come back.”
His erratic movements stopped. Between his gasps, there was a slight, hoarse cough. Ivonne gently patted his back, calming him as he was unable to breathe properly himself.
“So… until I return, you mustn’t do anything.”
She added a spell, just in case he might follow her in death. The woman he loved was both gentle and ruthlessly cruel, and Herix could not keep his composure.
Ivonne finally took his hand and placed it on her neck.
“Ivonne, I… Ivonne! No, stop, please!”
Herix tried to push his hand away in panic, but Ivonne held his wrist firmly. She guided his long fingers slowly to wrap around her neck. Herix screamed, unable to control his body. It felt as if he was being controlled by someone else. Ivonne closed her eyes.
“No, no, no, no—!”
A final, desperate scream broke out and then was cut off. His limp body collapsed on top of her.
The body, still warm but soon to cool, was that of the lover he had just killed.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Ivonne tightly embraced the now-cold body, unable to do anything, as Herix, like a madman, alternated between crying and laughing, holding onto her.
Though as a soul, he would feel nothing, still, a single tear fell from her closed eyes, but it could not warm the coldness of Herix’s hand.
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