Chapitre 16: Theo (3)
"I didn't expect that you had the guts to reject me." Theo's eyes flashed dangerously as he squinted them while staring at Neo's eyes, "Aren't you afraid that I might force you to tell me or that might end up killing you." Electricity appeared out of nowhere and surrounded both Neo and Theo.
Snake-like electric current menacingly cracked in the air.
A bluish gleam took over Theo's eyes.
Neo stood rooted on his spot while staring fearlessly into Theo's eyes, "You can try, but I don't think you will want to deal with the consequences of such action." His voice was cold and emotionless.
Neo doesn't fear death. He never feared. In some point of his life, he even seek death as a release for him, after all his sins, all his terrible actions committed on the past, being daily tortured by those that he had killed, that's why death always seemed attractive for him.
There was only one objective that maintained his will to live on. And it was revenge, revenge against the one who made him become what he is today. Revenge against what that person did to his loved one.
He wanted death to relieve him from his sins, from his pain, but also wanted to live on and carry out his revenge.
Daily he fight against his death wish, remembering his objective.
Before killing that person, he would not allow himself to die, not again, at least.
Neo's eyes were dull and emotionless in face of the deadly electric current overflowing from Theo's body.
These currents were strong enough to completely disintegrate his body, but Neo maintained his stance and let the currents brushed his face and clothes.
Theo narrowed his eyes and then sighed. With a snap of his fingers all the electric currents disappeared like they never existed in the first place.
The only thing that could show that they once there, was the faint burnt marks on the floor.
"Cold, calculative and ruthless." Theo commented with a sad smile on his face, "Because of your decision a lot more people will have to die before I can achieve my objective."
Hearing what Theo said made Neo smirk and say, "Trying to get me to agree by pure sympathy and empathy won't work. I don't care how many people die, they are completely unrelated to me. I'm an egostical, invidualist, cynical and somewhat sadistic person. Why would I care about these people? People die everyday for various reasons, if I start to worry about them, when will I have time to worry about myself? I won't fight for glory, for justice. I'm not a hero, and I won't try to be one."
Once he said this, he meaningfully glanced at Theo, "Being a hero is a chain that lock you up, it limits your freedom. Once you become a hero, society, or your supporters, will always expect him to continue being a selfless hero that only do good and protect the so called justice. The moment you take a half step out of this boundary, the same society that raised you as the personification of good, will completely destroy you, denounce you, and abandon you. I have seen it, more than once this happen."
During his time in the Underworld Neo has defeated and absorbed a lot of souls.
Some of these belonged to ancient heroes that fought in uncountable wars and conflicts in different world within this realm. Their lives were filled with tragedy and trials that they had to overcome by sacrificing everything they had.
To become a hero, someone that the common people would look up to, they had to limit their freedom and always care about their own image.
It was stressful for most of them. Becoming selfless wasn't something easy that most people could do.
The moment they served their purpose, most of them were abandoned, forgotten.
Some lived long enough to become the villain and die in the hands of a hero of the new generation.
"I must ask, self-proclaimed Prometheus..." Neo's stared directly at Theo's eyes, "You are compassionate, you fight for justice and the betterment of your people. This is a path of becoming a hero. Are you ready to carry the burdens that come with the title? Just take this as a warning..."
Theo just kept silent and deeply stared at Neo. His eyes were like bottomless pits that Neo couldn't read at the moment.
"At the end, If you want me to help you, better state clearly what I have to earn for helping you out. I won't say what I desire to you. Try to convince me, not with flowery words and beautiful ideals, but with actions and plans. Let me see if you are all this good as so many people say you are." Neo swiftly finished by saying, "I have no interest in fighting for the so called justice. I won't even be fighting for my family or my people since I'm an Ancardian. The only way you can make me join you little crusade is to convince me with person gain, rewards. So, tell me, by fighting for you, what I have to gain?"
"Hmm... let me think about it." Theo thoughtfully scratched his chin before shaking his and saying, "Well, that was it for today. This won't be our last meeting. We'll meet again... sooner than you think."
"If you say so...see you soon, then." Neo really wanted to leave this place.
He could feel that the hunger was getting worst every second.
He won't be able to maintain his emotions and power in check for so long before he might have an outbreak and go in a killing spree.
A soul was needed to satiate his hunger.
Neo was about to turn around and leave when he heard Theo speaking, "Oh right. Neo, you fought against a demon recently, right? I heard from Elana. Be careful, demons are not brain-dead as they say. Lately, the amount of smart and cunning demons have been growing everyday. There are a lot of them that can be even smarter than humans. Of course they mostly use their intelligence only thinking of killing, creating chaos and destroying, but they are getting very intelligent, nonetheless."
Theo looked at Neo and smiled as he continued, "The word has spread. You have become a target for the demons, they are hunting you."
"How do you know such information?" Neo frowned and glanced at the smiling middle-aged man.
"Secret..." The middle-aged man's smile widened a bit as he winked at Neo, "I have my means. Demons are not a complete United race as Ancardians believe they are." He said suggestively.
Neo's eyes flashed as he entered in deep thought.
[An informant...] That was the most reasonable conclusion he came up with, [Someone inside the demon side sent information to Theo. Their race isn't united as they try to show to Ancardians. Without a doubt, there must have a power struggle between parties inside the demon army.]
"Thanks for the information. I'll be more careful when walking around." Neo thanked Theo, turned around and was about to leave when he heard Theo calling him out from behind once again.
"Just to be certain, Neo." Theo spoke, "To accomplish my mission, I'll have to probably destroy the big five. That means, everyone of those families will be eliminated."
"Do as you wish." Neo said without turning his back and continued to walk towards the stair, "I have no connection with them whatsoever. In fact, you will be doing a favor to me by destroying them."
With those words, Neo opened the metal door and went downstairs.
Theo threw a quick glance at the fleeting shadow before turning his eyes towards the people on the streets.
[Hero, huh...] Theo thought about what Neo said to him, [Never thought of becoming one. If I become one, it will be a consequence of my actions.]
The sky above him darkned as the clouds trembled and thunder cracked.
As the flash of the lightning vanished, Theo had already disappeared from his place.
Only the faint charred mark on the floor showed that he was once there.
...
Neo was walking down the crowded streets with a deep frown.
His eyes were shining with a malicious and maddening light.
[Kill, kill, KILL!!!!] The voices inside his head shouted as they tried to take over his body and make him assault the unaware people that were walking by this time bomb known as Neo.
He was doing his hardest to control his aura from leaving his body and also to keep the voices wanting to influence his mind in check.
[Food! FOOD! KILL THEM!!!] The voices demanded.
"Annoying..." Neo whispered with a low, frosty voice.
The people that were walking by Neo instantly froze and shuddered when hearing that piercing cold voice.
Fear grew inside their hearts, as they felt like being falling inside a freezing cold cave.
Just one word was enough for these common people to fall into some kind of illusion created by Neo's domineeringly, cold and ruthless atmosphere.
Sensing the changes around him, Neo decided to leave these crowded places as soon as possible and return to the safety of his apartment.
He had to deal with his hunger as soon as possible.
...
Inside his apartment, Neo closed the door and locked it.
He went directly for his bedroom.
Once inside, he took off his shoes and climbed on the bed.
Crossing his legs and closing his eyes, Neo immediately entered in meditative state.
His rushed breathe calmed down along with the growing dark aura that was about to lose control and explode from his body.
If he had been a few minutes later, there was no doubt that there would have been a massacre at the streets.
Such corrosive and dark aura could kill a normal person in no time. The problem was that the person invaded by his aura in particular would not remain dead.
It always come back, the dead.
It comes back to create a slaughter and satiate it's never ending hunger for more souls.
Rising from their previously dead state they sprang toward the nearest victims to kill.
As he continued to control his dark aura that was about to lose control, his conscience slipped and he was thrown in a complete white room.
"Again? So soon?" Neo frowned as he saw the situation he was currently at.
It was again the souls inside him wanting him to feel pain, to pay for his sins.
The time to suffer came once again.
What troubled Neo was the fact it came too soon. Usually it would take a few days of interval between before he had to come in this space and suffer in the hands of these vengeful spirits that wanted nothing more than his suffering and death.
Shadowy figures with barely discernable features emerged from the white floor.
"Lost the creativity? No skeletons, no blood?" Neo mockingly chuckled at the figures.
Those shadow created quite the contrast with the completely white room that he was.
This time, there was no skeletons, a sea of blood or multiple red figures shouting and jumping at Neo, wanting a piece of him.
Every time these vengeful spirits wanted to torment Neo they would create a unique scenario to do it.
While it indeed worked in the first few times, as it wen on Neo got used to it and it didn't intimidate him anymore.
"Why don't just give up?" Neo said as the shadows walked step by step, closing in, "I won't die before completing my revenge. It's useless to continue tormenting me."
While he knew it was useless to talk with this vengeful remnants of the souls he absorbed, he still like throw his frustration at them.
The moment he absorbed them, their only objective turned to be to torment him as much as possible and lead him to death.
Of course he won't let this happen. After countless time suffering from this, he hardened his resolve and will.
While it still hurt and was extremely uncomfortable to go through other people's lives, he had somewhat got used to it.
The shadowy figures encircled Neo and coldly stared at him.
[Who's the ones that are going to torment me this time?] Neo wondered as he stared at the figures.
He couldn't discern them, so he didn't know who they were.
Even if they had features, the chances of him remembering them was very low.
The amount of souls wanting a piece of him inside his body was enormous. He didn't have time nor wish to remember all of them.
Knowing that there was of no use trying to run or dodge such ceremony he calmly waited for the shadowy figure's moves.
One of the shadows took a step forward and stopped right in front of Neo.
It calmly lifted it's slim arm and rested it on top of Neo's head.
"Just get it done with it, I have more things to do." Neo said to the shadow as he fearlessly stared at it.
The figure seemingly to have heard Neo just strengthened it's grip on Neo's head as it
started to chant in an unknown language.
Soon memories poured inside his mind.
[Gorgon Province, Private Hei, Ajax...Alice...why these memories!?] Those were Neo's last thoughts before his conscious was pulled out.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone