Chapter 69
Lilith could barely even hear Teia’s voice now. In the end, she couldn’t withstand the pressure and reverted to her rabbit form. A small rabbit trembled in his palm, ears drooping. Teia turned away for a moment to get water.
Now.
Someone awakened Lilith’s consciousness. Without thinking, she leapt from Teia’s palm and bolted.
“Lilith!”
Teia’s voice sounded oddly distant as he called her. Voices erupted around her, shouting with glee.
Save me!
It hurts. I’m going to die.
Please, stop!
Aaaaagh!
The voices became more vivid and distinct. They pierced through her mind, ripping into her thoughts. She felt like vomiting. Her strength was draining, but her legs wouldn’t stop running.
She didn’t know where she was headed or why she was running. There was no direction, no reason.
“Lilith! No!”
And she didn’t understand why Teia was calling her with such desperation.
Her body lifted into the air. The little rabbit had flung herself from a cliff, tumbling slowly through the sky. In slow motion, she saw Teia’s hand reaching toward her.
Ah. Lilith let out a breath. The fall felt agonizingly long. She blankly stared at Teia’s face as it receded. His expression, twisted in agony, was one she had never seen before.
So when Teia began closing the distance again, she didn’t understand what it meant. Nor how he had managed to embrace her mid-fall, slicing through the air.
As her fading consciousness was enveloped by his warmth, she felt a faint sense of relief.
The last sky she saw was a dull gray. Amid the flickering world, she heard someone screaming in anguish:
Why! Why on earth!
That must hurt a lot, she thought vaguely.
And just like that, Lilith lost consciousness in Teia’s arms, amidst their endless fall.
Thud!
A human body slammed into the ground, clutching a rabbit. As if mocking the arrogance of mankind, the land denied him any magical protection and accepted his body without mercy. Crimson blood and fading warmth slowly seeped from his shattered form.
It was the beginning of a repeating tragedy.
***
Hecate sensed that the time had come. His hand, which had been pressing down on Ludvio’s bleeding wound, lost strength. Ludvio, lying in bed having just had more blood drawn, slowly opened his eyes. A deep smile curled Hecate’s lips as he sat by his side
.
“How… how many more chimeras do we need? To take down that bastard Teia… how many more, huh?”
Ludvio’s pale lips trembled as he let out a bizarre laugh. Hecate casually dropped the bowl collecting his blood onto the floor. It shattered on the stone with a pitiful crack. Freshly drawn blood flowed into the cracks in the stone floor.
“W-What is this? Hey, Hecate—”
“Your Highness.”
Hecate leaned in with an elated expression and whispered softly into his ear.
“Your blood is the price for all the animals you tortured and killed for no reason.”
“What… what kind of nonsense is that…”
“Black magic doesn’t require your blood at all.”
“What? M-My… my chimeras, then, they were…”
To the confused Ludvio, Hecate beamed brightly. The long-awaited moment was finally at hand.
“There were never any chimeras loyal to you to begin with.”
“What… what the hell did you do! You bastard—seize this—kuh!”
Ludvio’s body jolted as he shouted, but he could barely say a few words before collapsing back onto the bed in a coughing fit. His labored breathing scraped violently through his chest.
All strength drained from his body, and his limbs grew cold.
“Y-You… kuh, I’ll never… never let you—kegh!”
His bony hand groped at Hecate’s robes, trying to grab hold of him, but soon fell limply. Ludvio’s body slipped halfway off the bed and sagged downward. Hecate smiled brightly as he exited the room. One side of the lab creaked with an unpleasant groan as the old wooden door swayed.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Perhaps she’d heard Ludvio’s voice—Eris came running down the corridor and encountered Hecate just as he stepped out. She instinctively took a step back, startled by the euphoric expression that was so unlike his usual self. Hecate’s gaze brushed over her lightly.
“I left you alone only because my friend still loves you.”
“Speak clearly! What are you talking about?!”
“At least your hands are clean of my friends’ blood. That’s why I won’t harm you. However, I suggest you make a choice. If you stay by his side, not even my friend’s love may be able to protect you anymore.”
Hecate frowned faintly as he watched Eris dash toward the room where the crown prince lay. At his feet, a transparent cat circled around him and looked up at him. Meow. A soundless greeting was exchanged. Hecate waved at the cat—one only he could see—and then disappeared down the hallway.
He opened the prison doors and released the animals and chimeras. Quietly, they gathered around him. One by one, Hecate’s hand gently touched the heads of each who had waited for him. His soft humming surrounded the remaining animals and werebeasts.
Woom. Wooooom.
The ground trembled. Time, which had stood still, began to move once more. The dead land soaked in blood, awakening and calling to him. The desperate voices rang out, clearly and vividly. The lab shook violently, and cracks spread across the walls. Tuk. Tuduk. Pebbles tumbled and scattered to the floor.
“…Let’s go back. My dear friend, to our long-lost home.”
Hecate’s final song wrapped around his body and those gathered with him. A blinding light filled the hall. The tremor rocking the lab grew even more intense.
BANG!
The sealed entrance of the lab burst open. Just moments ago, the world had seemed on the verge of collapse. And now—the land was deathly silent. The ruined hall was thick with gray dust.
Cesar, who had been secretly observing the abnormal signs, ordered an immediate raid. Forcing open the underground passage, he and his soldiers entered, only to stare blankly at the sight before them.
In the vast hall, where the ceiling had collapsed—
There was nothing.
No one remained.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.