章 23: Cursed Grace: The Malevolence of CRONOS
Lord Armand bent close, his ear hovering near the lips of the princess who teetered on the edge of death.
The princess managed to utter a few words, her voice barely a whisper amid short breaths.
"Please… honor your promise… bestow upon me your power, fulfill… your vow… grant me… your strength," her unfocused gaze and parched lips accompanied her faltering voice.
The words spilled forth repeatedly from her like a broken record, caught in an endless loop.
"I raise my hopes in vain," Lord Armand sighed, and with a swift motion of his silver sword, he severed Evelyn's lifeline.
"I trust you'll find time for remorse in the fiery depths of hell," he sneered at Evelyn's nearly lifeless form before turning and walking away.
…..
(Evelyn's perspective)
Again I was left alone to die, I could feel my life slipping away with each passing second, fully aware that my chances of survival were next to nil.
Yet, like a fool, I continued to plead with him to keep his promise.
I clung to that promise because, to me, it represented everything—the last glimmer of hope in a world shrouded in darkness.
Despite knowing that I was merely a tool to him, something he could discard at will, I desperately clung to that sliver of hope.
As my awareness dwindled, I sensed the encroaching darkness tightening its grip.
In that fragile moment, the familiar voice of the devil resurfaced.
|"Well, it seems my moment has arrived,"| a voice I had known since the age of five, a voice that instilled fear in its listener.
This voice claimed to be "The Cosmic God Cronos," but I had always referred to it as the devil's voice.
|"Ha-ha-ha,"| it chuckled darkly.
|"I shall uphold the promise I've given."|
It was the last thing i has remembered before i lost my consciousness.
…..
(Lord Armand's perspective)
Walking away from the dying princess, I made my way to the lifeless body of my adoptive nephew.
The weight of my dual responsibilities bore down on me, for I was acutely aware that even if I managed to succeed in my mission, I had failed in my duty to protect a cherished member of my family.
As I contemplated the impending conversation with my sister, dread and guilt loomed large.
Would she ever understand the agonizing truth? Could I ever bring myself to confess that I had, in essence, abandoned my nephew in order to preserve humanity? I knew deep within that she would not.
She would blame me, resent me, and perhaps even bear the unwarranted burden of guilt for her son's fate.
A mother's heart, after all, was an enigma even the gods could not fathom.
The mere thought of her suffering, of her anguish upon learning of her son's death, gnawed at my very soul, filling me with self-loathing.
I didn't want her to endure such torment on my account, but I also couldn't bear the thought of deceiving her.
Perhaps there was another way. I considered telling her that Renial had uncovered clues about his real parents, suggesting they might still be alive, and that he had embarked on a quest to find them.
Rose, given her emotional nature, might find solace in such a story.
It was a desperate ploy to protect her from the truth, but it was one that might save her from enduring the unbearable pain of her child's loss.
My heart ached as I contemplated this web of deceit.
But then, a wave of self-disgust washed over me.
What had I become? How had I stooped so low as to contemplate weaving a web of lies to shield myself from her resentment? I was repulsed by my own weakness and moral compromise.
My shoulders sagged, burdened not only by the weight of the world but also by the emotional toll of my choices.
I was mentally and emotionally exhausted, caught in a maelstrom of conflicting emotions, and I knew that the path ahead would be fraught with difficult decisions and painful consequences.
...
Arriving at the spot where I had last seen my nephew's lifeless body, my confusion deepened.
There was nothing there now, except for a few bloodstains.
It seemed implausible that any wild animal or monster could have spirited the body away in the short time I had been occupied with the princess.
Furthermore, there were no traces of other humans besides me.
My gaze darted around, searching for any clues as to what might have happened to the body.
|"Maybe you're looking for this?"| a voice suddenly broke the silence, coming from behind me.
Startled, I spun around in a lightning-fast reflex, adopting a defensive stance.
I had failed to sense the presence of this unknown person until now, and my mind raced to comprehend the situation.
When my eyes finally focused on the figure before me, I was left utterly bewildered.
"How can this be possible? How are you alive?" I exclaimed, staring in disbelief at Princess Evelyn.
|"Why shouldn't I be alive? Is there some rule that dictates I should be dead?"| Evelyn retorted.
"Not that, I mean... I mean—" I stammered, struggling to find the right words.
|"Quit stammering and spit it out already, I'm a patient person, but I get very angry when my time is wasted like this,"| she complained.
"What I mean is, how is it possible that you're alive after I personally..." My sentence was abruptly interrupted.
|"After you personally slit my neck and left me to die slowly, how could I be standing here in front of you right now? Is that what you wanted to know?"| she questioned.
"Yes," I replied hesitantly, still maintaining my defensive posture. I was tense and utterly shocked by this revelation.
|"So what?"| she responded nonchalantly.
"Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion.
|"I don't give a damn about what you wanted to know!"| she snapped in annoyance.
And with that declaration, she unleashed a barrage of high-level magic spells, posing a deadly threat to me if any of them were to hit.
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