章節 16: 15: Promise Intensified

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

– Lord Acton

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The park was enveloped in tranquility, with the light wind rustling the leaves and creating a soft symphony that seemed to contrast with the impending turmoil. Oreki sat sloppily on a wooden bench, watching the sky with a lazy gaze, holding a can of soda in his hand.

He remembered the peaceful times before he was transmigrated into this novel. Even though he wasn't mentally shaken because of his extremely high Perseverance, Oreki wanted to, for a moment, enjoy that silent peace like he used to enjoy in the past.

"Yeah, your peace is over." Blood's voice echoed in Oreki's mind, laden with its usual cynical tone.

"I noticed." Oreki replied in a lazy murmur, already tired even before the interruption materialized.

His elemental connection had already picked up the vibrations of footsteps coming towards him. He didn't even need to look. A head of silver hair blocked his view of the sky right after, bringing with it a presence he knew all too well.

"Have you finally gone mad?" Lilith's seductive and provocative voice echoed as she leaned her face dangerously close to his.

Oreki sighed internally, barely moving his head to look at her. He was tired of this routine. The mind game that Lilith loved to play was starting to become more annoying than anything else. But still, he followed the 'game', as he used to call it.

"This new body of yours is more beautiful than the last one..." He commented, his voice drawling, emotionless.

Lilith pouted, feigning offense, but the glint in her eyes revealed she was amused. "That insults me, but even I have to admit that this body is beautiful. It doesn't even need that much care." She walked away with a graceful movement, her silver hair shimmering in the sunlight, as if she were parading for him.

Beside her, Evelyn, almost identical to Lilith, stood with an apathetic posture, but her gaze was fixed on the ground, as if hiding a sea of dark intentions. The beauty of her twenty years was undeniable, her scarlet red eyes shining with a predatory glow that contrasted with her indifferent expression.

Her long silver hair fell softly, tied in two pigtails that further highlighted her delicate face. The subtle touch of softness in the strands reflected an illusory fragility; however, the way her hair was arranged simply, with only hair ties and a clip in her bangs, spoke of a hidden pragmatism.

Oreki knew that Evelyn's neutrality was more of a mask. With a brief glance, he deduced that she was also on alert, prepared to act if necessary.

Evelyn had always been Lilith's silent shadow, but her presence did not go unnoticed. Evelyn was different from Lilith; While Lilith was a seductive and playful manipulator, Evelyn was brutal and ruthless, a force she seemed to have no need to hide.

The two were a complete pair of manipulation and raw power.

Evelyn moved confidently, tilting her head slightly to the side, watching Oreki with critical eyes.

There was a silent tension in her shoulders, as if every movement was important, waiting for the right moment to explode. "You haven't changed as much as you thought, Oreki..." Her voice came out cold, direct, without her sister's teasing tone.

"Oh, Evelyn, don't be jealous." Lilith approached and hugged her sister, pressing their bodies together, forming a scene that, to passersby, seemed full of affection and love. But to Oreki, it was nothing more than another tedious repetition.

Evelyn, however, did not move, she enjoyed Lilith's embrace, but she also kept her eyes on Oreki. Her silence was more threatening than any words, and Oreki knew that, unlike Lilith, Evelyn preferred actions to endless dialogues.

What drove her was not the game of control, but the raw need to subjugate those around her. And at that moment, Oreki was the target.

"If we were in a hentai... I don't want to think about it." Oreki felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine.

"It would be beautiful, I admit." Blood commented in his mind, his tone amused.

Oreki sighed again, exasperated. "What do you want here?" He asked in Portuguese, just to make it harder for the few curious people who might be paying attention to understand.

The two responded in the same language, their voices blending into an eerie unison. "To dominate you."

Evelyn, however, spoke right after Lilith finished speaking. Her voice was cold and sharp, without her sister's usual playfulness. "You'll give in, eventually. Everyone gives in."

Evelyn's look wasn't one of excitement, but of certainty. To her, this game was a matter of time, not skill. She saw Oreki as prey that needed to be hunted and eventually conquered.

Oreki rolled his eyes, not even trying to hide his boredom. "Why did I expect a different answer?"

He took a sip of his soda and continued, still in Portuguese. "Okay, you probably already know, but I'm in the Cube. So you won't be seeing me much. Curfew, rules, that sort of thing... so you have a limited amount of time to try to do whatever you want."

Lilith hissed, surprised by his sudden openness. "That was-"

"But!" Oreki interrupted abruptly, but this time his voice was no longer his own—it was Blood's. A darker, more malicious tone echoed, while his eyes took on a dangerous, unsettling glint.

The smile that appeared on his face, though small, was distorted, filled with a raw, disdainful malice. "Don't think I'll be controlled like a dog. That game you love... I can play it too. And maybe better than you think."

The change was instant and clear. Oreki's lazy disinterest disappeared, replaced by a more upright, aggressive posture. The lightness in the air disappeared, as if a person with a gun had broken into a spa. Blood was in control now, and he loved this game—a game of manipulation and power that the sisters believed they were masters of.

Inside Oreki's mind, he sighed in resignation. He had grown tired of this kind of bickering, but Blood seemed more alive than ever. "Enjoy it while you can, but don't do anything that complicates things for me later."

Blood laughed disdainfully, his voice reverberating in Oreki's mind. "You should know that complicating things is the most fun part."

With full control of his body, Blood tilted his head, his eyes slowly roaming from Lilith to Evelyn. He stood up and walked toward the girls, his movements now more deliberate, full of intent. His smile grew, mischievous, filled with something unpredictable, which made the sisters' hearts beat a little faster—not with fear, but with excitement.

"Stop right there." Someone placed a hand on Oreki's shoulder. The voice was feminine.

Blood shrugged, his expression brimming with frustration and anger at being forced to halt his advance toward the Ainsworth twins. His eyes turned to the figure holding him, and he found Yun Seung-Ah. Small and seemingly harmless, she was looking at him with a steady gaze.

At 1.53 meters, she seemed tiny compared to Oreki's 1.76 meters, which only increased his bewilderment.

"Who the hell is she?" Blood asked mentally, while his mind alternated with Oreki's, who was amused by Blood's reaction.

"Are you telling me you didn't feel her coming?" Oreki commented sarcastically. "And you thought you were smart, huh?"

Blood ignored the internal taunt, focusing on trying to free himself.

Her body reacted to Yun Seung-Ah's tension with brute force, muscles tensed to the max, but the woman didn't seem the least bit affected. The smile on Blood's lips wavered for a second before returning, this time forced.

Even though Blood tried to resist, Oreki knew immediately that forcing the situation would be futile. Yun Seung-Ah was strong, and her keen perception had picked up on the subtle difference in Oreki's behavior.

The tension broke when Evelyn intervened, her voice cutting through the air.

"Let him go, Seung-Ah Eonni," Evelyn said, her voice less apathetic.

Yun Seung-Ah shifted her gaze to Evelyn, and for a moment, her eyes hardened. There was a subtle exchange of glances between them, as if they shared some silent understanding. However, Yun Seung-Ah's grip on Blood's shoulders did not immediately loosen.

"I didn't even feel her..." Blood thought, still trying to force the woman to let go.

"Hey, don't destroy my body. Don't do anything stupid that will make me regret giving you control of my body." Oreki mentally complained to Blood.

"He was acting strange." Yun Seung-Ah asked, her voice soft but full of authority.

Lilith, who had been watching everything with eyes sparkling with curiosity and fascination, stepped forward. "Don't worry about it, he wouldn't do anything strange." She glanced sideways at Oreki, giving him a small, amused smile. "Although he is strange by nature."

Still alert, Yun Seung-Ah finally let go of Oreki's shoulder, who let out a sigh of relief.

Blood rolled his eyes, and this time it was Oreki who took control, albeit forcefully.

"I will remember this pain," he mentally grumbled.

Yun Seung-Ah gave a soft sigh. "I didn't come here to waste time playing games." She looked directly at Blood, or rather, Oreki, with a seriousness that contrasted with her short stature. "Who are you?"

"A human, I believe," he replied, looking down to look down at Yun Seung-Ah with a wry smile. "What does Vice-Leader Yun Seung-Ah care for a mere cadet like me?"

Seung-Ah narrowed her eyes, the glow of lightning beginning to flicker around her hands. "I came for another reason, but seeing what you were going to do, I couldn't help but act."

"Are you going to tease her now? Good luck with that," Blood scoffed internally, but Oreki ignored him, composing himself.

"If we're seen by others, yes, our 'game' is quite strange." Oreki raised his hands in surrender, trying to lighten the mood.

Evelyn and Lilith watched the interaction with sharp eyes, both focused on every word. The tension in the air was still palpable, but there was an almost playful electricity in the atmosphere. The contrast in heights and actions between Yun Seung-Ah and Oreki was almost comical, but the power she emanated made any jokes about it risky.

"If it's a fight she wants..." Blood growled, her eyes blazing with anger, still smarting from the recent humiliation.

She cast a quick glance at Lilith and Evelyn before turning her attention to Oreki. "I'm here for answers, and if you're getting involved with those two, I hope you fully realize what you're getting yourself into."

"Ah, as if I had a choice," Oreki replied sarcastically. "It's not like they gave me much leeway to refuse."

Lilith let out a soft laugh, clearly amused. "Come on, Oreki, don't be so dramatic. Aren't we all having fun here? We were even planning on going to the Hunting Grounds. Isn't that enough?"

Yun Seung-Ah watched the peculiar dynamic between them with an expression of growing weariness. It was obvious that something was going on behind the facade. "Let me get this straight... do you two know each other?"

"Unhappy- OW!" Oreki began, but was interrupted by two quick slaps on the head: the first given by Lilith, light and provocative, and the second, much firmer, given by Evelyn.

Lilith moved forward slightly, positioning herself in front of him, as if she were ready to take the reins of the conversation.

"Yes, we are close friends," Lilith and Evelyn replied at the same time.

Evelyn stood further back, next to Oreki.

With a smile full of mischief, Lilith took advantage of the situation to make fun of Oreki.

Yun Seung-Ah raised an eyebrow, noticing the control Sister Ainsworth had over the situation, but decided not to intervene immediately.

While Lilith exchanged information with Yun Seung-Ah, laughing every now and then and providing vague details about Oreki, he remained quiet, feigning disinterest.

Suddenly, Evelyn, who was standing next to him, looked at Oreki, and for a brief moment, her eyes darkened. "You're always so stubborn," she murmured, her lips curving into a small, cold smile. "But that's why I like you. Resistance only makes eventual defeat all the sweeter."

Oreki would answer tiredly, but sarcastically. However, he felt the mark on his right wrist begin to throb, a strange pulse that seemed to be synchronized with the energy around him. The black line on his arm vibrated with its own rhythm, as if it were alive, absorbing and reorganizing the information that was already in his mind.

Keeping his face expressionless, Oreki tried to hide what was happening internally. He felt the need to test his abilities.

"I would like you more if you didn't try to kill me every time we meet." Oreki took a while to answer, but still managed without showing any discomfort.

"Yun Seung-Ah is here to test my abilities... so maybe it's time to show off a little," he thought, quickly evaluating the possibilities.

The urge to get out of there and start experimenting with his new powers grew. So, he decided to take a direct and careless approach, even though Evelyn was by his side.

Oreki sighed, realizing that the three women weren't paying much attention to him. He knew that staying there would be disadvantageous, so he decided to take the opportunity to test what he had been practicing.

"If we're going to do this... then I better start moving," he thought, feeling a slight excitement grow inside him.

Calmly, he adjusted his posture, activating his Corporeality to the maximum, adjusting every muscle and joint in his body.

He used his elemental connection to decrease the resistance of the air around him, gently manipulating the currents to clear a path.

He inhaled deeply, the air entering his lungs intensely, oxygenating his muscles and preparing his body for the burst of speed that was to come.

It was a technique inspired by a certain anime that uses breathing to improve one's ability to fight monsters—not fully mastered, but enough to improve his physical performance.

With a slight smile, Oreki focused on his feet. Infusing his sneakers with a lot of mana along with electricity and wind, he created a layer of arcane energy around them.

The wind swirled around his soles, creating a magical propulsive force that would propel him forward, while electricity spread through the material of his sneakers, further reducing friction with the ground.

At this moment, the two beautiful women stopped talking and looked towards Oreki, feeling a fair amount of mana being emitted from Oreki.

The sensation Oreki felt was pleasurable, as if his feet were ready to shoot off at any moment.

"This is going to be good," Oreki muttered to himself.

"It was good seeing you guys, but I'm hungry. So..." a smile appeared on Oreki's face. "Bye."

Evelyn tried to hold Oreki back before he started running, but in just a moment, Oreki shot off into the small forest near the park, his steps light and quick, almost imperceptible.

The two sisters barely had time to react, as Yun Seung-Ah could easily see him. The sound of wind and electricity intertwining was muffled by the smoothness of his movements, the air resistance practically non-existent around his body. He moved like a blur, gliding across the terrain with a fluidity that defied all logic.

In one second, he was there. In the next, he had already covered several meters of distance.

"Impressive…" Lilith murmured, watching the trail of electricity and wind he left behind.

Yun Seung-Ah narrowed her eyes, still feeling the power accumulated in her hands, but now more hesitant. "He's faster than I thought…"

Oreki glanced back quickly, but kept running, feeling the adrenaline rush through his body. Every step was a perfect combination of speed, body control, and elemental manipulation. He knew he wasn't at his peak yet, but this was a good start.

"It's not complete, but it's enough to get me out of this without a fight," he thought, as his rhythmic breathing and steady flow of energy kept him in control.

With that, Oreki disappeared into the small forest, leaving Lilith, Evelyn, and Yun Seung-Ah with nothing but the echo of his electrifying speed.

Oreki had moved far enough away to not hear the three women's conversation when Blood's voice echoed in his mind, different from its usual tone. "She just humiliated you, for the record. Are you going to leave it like that?"

The comment cut through Oreki's thoughts like a sharp knife, cutting through the veil of his indifference. He stopped abruptly, crouching on top of a high branch of a tree, his fingers digging into the bark as his breathing became heavy. He didn't respond mentally this time—the words came out of his mouth, in an angry but cold tone.

"First of all, you were humiliated." His voice carried a venomous sarcasm, as if he were trying to maintain a facade of control.

Blood, normally cynical and mocking, did not hide his frustration. A sharp crack reverberated in Oreki's mind, a sound of impatience.

Oreki continued, but now, what had been a calm and ironic tone exploded into something much darker. His normally expressionless face distorted for a second in pure disgust.

"Secondly, of course not." He let the words fall heavily, his teeth grinding together. "I will not accept this shit!"

His body trembled, anger pulsing like a rising wave inside him, mixed with a bitter feeling of helplessness. Lilith's irritating games, Evelyn's malicious smile, and the weakness he felt before Yun Seung-Ah replayed in his mind, hammering at his dignity like an invisible weapon.

This time, Blood did not laugh. He did not mock. He was furious, and the tone of his voice lost any trace of cynicism.

"Then stand up now! Or will you remain fallen for the rest of your life?" Blood's scream echoed in Oreki's mind like thunder, each word charged with the same repressed anger that Oreki felt. It was the first time they both shared the same drive, the same bitter desire to change, the same contempt for themselves.

"If you hate losing, then become strong enough to never lose again." Oreki said, remembering a phrase he had randomly seen on the Internet.

The silence that followed was suffocating. For the first time since they had started talking, Oreki and Blood were in complete sync. Anger. Repulsion. Exasperation. The merciless desire to no longer be a joke in the eyes of others—and, worse, in their own eyes.

Oreki clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms, the metallic taste of frustration burning his throat. He didn't just want to prove something to Yun Seung-Ah, Lilith, or Evelyn. He wanted to prove something to himself. And to do that, he would need to change more.

More than he had ever changed.

Without another word, he stood up and, with renewed energy, jumped from the tree. His feet touched the ground with a strength that mirrored his will to no longer be weak. There was no more hesitation, no more silence.

The promise he had made earlier intensified even more.

"Gangwondo Mountain." He whispered to himself, like an oath. His gaze shone with a slightly more intense tone, a thirst for power awakening deep in his eyes.

Blood remained silent, but the feeling that crossed his mind was one of approval. They knew where they were going. They knew what they needed to seek.

"It's time to get the Aether."

With each step he took, the feeling of desperation and self-loathing grew into a fierce focus. It was no longer just a need for revenge or to prove something to others. It was a journey of self-approval. He would no longer be the Oreki who ran away and did just a little less than his best.

***

Yun Seung-Ah had already left, satisfied that she had seen and heard some interesting things, but slightly sad that she had not been able to do what she wanted.

Lilith looked at Evelyn and tilted her head, curious about the change in her sister's demeanor. "Evelyn, I didn't realize you were so anxious today. You talked a lot. What's wrong?"

Evelyn ignored her sister's comment, focusing on Oreki. "You said we're on a limited time frame. I don't need much to break Oreki. He believes he can keep resisting, but everyone has a breaking point."

An amused smile appeared on Lilith's face. "You were excited because you could meet Gab... I mean, Oreki."

Lilith continued her teasing. "Did... did you really fall in love with him?"

Evelyn looked at Lilith with a softer, warmer coldness, and answered her easily and simply. "That will never happen."

Lilith laughed in amusement and joy at her sister's answer.