CHAPTER 9
Kyrai was having breakfast with her mother. She looked at the empty chair and felt someone was missing in that specific spot. As the food slid down her throat, she glanced at Mary, who was still saddened by his departure.
Kyrai raised her eyebrow and asked,"Mom, where's Uncle Poul?"
Mary began looking away, fidgeting with her hands, trying to change the subject."Jay and your father went to the library. They'll be back soon.""I know that. I know my adorable little brother is full of love for the saint; he went to try to forget her."
Mary tried to bring up another topic but failed."Okay, I'll tell you where he went, I give up."
'She gave up so easily. I'm really amazing!' Kyrai thought with a proud smile.
Mary tried to calm herself before speaking, while Kyrai devoured her food. Once she managed to calm down, with a serious expression, she said,"Poul went to war this morning."
As she said this, her mask immediately fell apart. She stood up from the chair and went to console her daughter.
Upon hearing the news, Kyrai's eyes filled with tears, and she began to cry."I couldn't… say goodbye to Uncle."
Meanwhile, Jay was staring at that gigantic being. Smoke rose from its skin, and its eyes glowed intensely.
Jay, frightened, asked his Uncle Luis what that thing was, but all he saw was Luis dropping his book and saying with a hopeless look,"This is the end of our peace and… the beginning of hell."
With that response from Luis, Jay's heart tightened. He began to sweat and swallow hard. At that moment, he remembered Mary and Kyrai. After thinking of them, he dashed toward them.
Luis heard the sound of rapid footsteps, turned, and saw his adopted son running. He began sweating with worry and ran after him."Wait, Jay! Don't run like that!" Luis shouted, worried about what could happen. "Don't run like that, or something might—"
Luis stopped speaking as something grabbed his attention.
On the other hand, Jay was determined to escape the city doomed to disaster ahead.'I have to warn Mary and Kyrai, or something bad will happen. Damn it, why aren't you here, Poul?!' Jay ran at full speed to save his mother and sister.
"Jay, be careful!" Luis shouted, but once again, he didn't listen.
Jay felt something hot approaching. Slowly turning his head, he saw something glowing coming toward him.
Everything slowed down. Even his own body. He turned his head and met his uncle's worried eyes. Looking up, he thought,'Is this how I'm going to die?! Without even living enough in this new life?!'
A tear rolled down his face.'Damn! I don't… want to die!'
The sky darkened, and as if it hated Jay's life, a rain of electricity began. One of these bolts struck Jay violently.
'What pain, what pain… I feel my entire body burning, my muscles and skin, the only sensation left is death, waiting eagerly for me.'
"Jayyy!!" Luis turned pale, sweating. He wanted to grab a sword and kill that giant.
Then came the sound of thunder. At the same time, the wall collapsed. Gunfire quickly ceased, leaving only the sounds of destruction.
Luis ran toward Jay's body after the electric charge had finished electrocuting him. He grabbed Jay's body, completely burned.
Seeing Jay still breathing, a smile of relief appeared on his pale face.
Luis ran toward the healers, gritting his teeth in anger.'I cannot fail. I have to save Jay, the son of my friend.'
Jay was unconscious, burned, unable to move his muscles. His heart was slowly stopping. The only thing almost intact was his mind.
Jay awoke in the body of his past life, fully dressed in his suit, with his knives and metallic ring. Observing the place around him, it was dark. Even the ground beneath him was black, as if he were standing in pure darkness.
"What is this place? Did I die?"
"This beautiful place is your own mind."
Jay quickly turned to the voice echoing in the place.'It can only be him.' Jay closed his eyes and sighed."Roh, is that you?"
He appeared with a dark, macabre smile, walking toward Jay."You guessed it was me just by my voice?! Huh, impressive." He laughed his typical laugh.
Jay, staring at the elemental spirit, confused about what was happening, asked,"What the hell is going on?! And why is there an electric elemental giant?!"
Roh laughed before responding, staring at Jay."He's here because of our fault."
This unexpected answer left Jay speechless and a little indignant."What do you mean it's our fault?! Explain properly."
Roh raised his middle finger at Jay and began to explain."Well, us elementals feel a power manifesting according to adaptation and synchronization with your element. Giants, being larger and having more acute senses than humans, tend to be more sensitive to this. Satisfied with that explanation, asshole?"
"Yes, I'm satisfied."
Jay put his hand on his chin and reflected on what synchronization meant. He didn't want to ask Roh further, knowing he would respond with ignorance. His stubbornness proved useless.
"Roh! What is synchronization?"
Roh looked at Jay and then turned his attention elsewhere, which irritated the boy even more.
After a while, Jay observed what it was like to be inside his own mind, realizing how empty it was.'I didn't realize how empty my mind was. I thought it was more… clearer, not so dark! It's as if darkness had completely taken over my mind!'
Roh looked at Jay and laughed.
Hearing this, Jay asked,"What is it?"
"Nothing. I'm just laughing because you're admiring this place, even though it's your own mind and spirit," Roh's eyes widened as he smiled. "This is where I defined you. Darkness took over your spirit and mind. And when I see you wanting to be happy and step into the light…"
"I feel sad knowing you'll never succeed, because you are darkness itself." Roh finished.
Jay just stared at the ice elemental spirit. He gritted his teeth, knowing that this could – and was – partly true.
"Goodbye, until next time."
Jay said nothing. He remained silent as he regained consciousness. He felt something warm approaching, his entire body aching, and was startled to see a healer next to him.
Startled, he recoiled, looking around. The flames nearly surrounded him completely. Jay got up, his body screaming in pain, and headed toward the gap being consumed.'Damn, I don't have the strength to run.' He gritted his teeth in frustration, holding his arm. 'Damn! I don't even have the strength to walk. If I see danger…'
He walked to the side and saw the city in flames, covering his mouth and beginning to cough.'It's hard to breathe!'
Even though his breathing became more labored, he covered his mouth and nose, trying to find an exit.
After a while searching, his vision blurred. His body grew heavier.'There's a sound, but I can't identify it. It's even hard to hear!'
After thinking, he coughed again. Jay took only a few steps before collapsing on the ground. Lying there, he only heard the sound of fire burning around him.
The fire consumed everything nearby, with explosions due to the battle between the giant and the soldiers.
Meanwhile, Jay was slowly dying. The giant and soldiers fought with mortar fire, increasing the destruction and flames in the city.
The giant raised its hand, and several lightning bolts descended on the soldiers. It continued looking around, as if searching for something.
After a while, it saw a hooded human.
Next to this stranger was a sword, seemingly made of darkness itself, with a purple blade radiating darkness.
The giant lowered its finger, and lightning struck again, but this time the human disappeared. Its serious, dead expression turned into a frightened one.
The giant felt something touching its cheeks more and more— it was the mysterious human delivering a knee strike.
The houses below were crushed by the giant's fall. The human simply stared at the fallen giant.
With an arrogant, proud smile, the human said,"You think you can destroy this beautiful city when your strongest soldier is out?"
The giant gritted its teeth in anger.
"It seems you were looking for someone?" The man put his hand on his chin, reflecting.'Did he come because he sensed that spiritual mana?! I came here with a single goal: to capture and train that being I sensed as my student.'
The man stepped back slightly, letting the giant rise. He slowly drew his sword from its sheath. The giant stretched its hand and created an electric sword.
With an arrogant, dark smile, the man quickly sliced the giant's arm, blood gushing. The giant's expression screamed, "How could a human do this?!"
It tried to regenerate with its element, but before it could, the man laughed, walking toward the giant, swinging his sword calmly.
Suddenly, the sword was covered in darkness. The man dashed toward the giant, who, gritting his teeth, created another sword and unleashed electric blasts.
"Still holding back?!" The human dodged the electric blasts falling on him. "You really want to meet him? Sorry, but you'll never meet him. Here is your end."
They moved closer to the flames. After dodging the lightning, the man jumped with darkness engulfing his sword. The elemental giant, who had destroyed a city, paled at the pure fear of the darkness.
The man drove his sword into the giant's neck."Your journey ends here! Rest in peace."
Darkness grew along the man's arm. He looked with an arrogant, proud gaze as it spread. He approached the fallen giant, consuming it with the dark sword.
Afterward, he sheathed his sword and went to find his future apprentice.
With blurred vision, Jay began crawling on the ground. Despite the heat, his determination was incredible. He didn't want to live just for himself, but for the Saint, Luis, Mary, his father, Noa, and Kyrai.
He heard footsteps approaching. Through his blurred vision, he saw only a shoe and a voice saying,"I found you!"
The man picked up Jay's unconscious body and calmly walked out of the city.
Meanwhile, Luis gritted his teeth with pure anger and resentment. He had only managed to protect his daughter and barely saved his wife. His murderous gaze swept across the city engulfed in flames.
All he could taste was the flavor of failure. His daughter cried after losing her friend and nearly her mother.
A boy caught his attention."Uncle Luis, don't tell me I lost my friend too?"
Luis turned to the boy, his clothes burned, hair messy, with a vacant look, and asked about his friend.
Luis hugged the boy and whispered,"Yes, Noa. I failed to save your friend. I'm sorry."
At that moment, Noa lost everything, except the love he held while crying. He wanted to console her, but he couldn't. Noa just laughed, a melancholic laugh after losing everything he loved.
As he laughed with tears falling, he thought,'I don't want to cry. I don't… want to cry.'
He laughed while the tears streamed down. Luis comforted the boy, watching his wife being healed by elves and the remaining surviving healers.
An elf wearing blue garments with golden details, the commander of the rescue, looked with contempt at the humans on the boat and said,"All of you will travel to the Elf Continent. The journey will take six full days until we reach the Kotei county."