Previous Chapter
No... I hate this.
I want to live.
I want to experience having a family.
I don't want to die now.
I want to take care of Carsel, watch him grow into a great man, and make Clara happy.
Clara grew up in a twisted family, where her father saw her as a tool, not as a child.
I want Clara to experience happiness, to make her feel what love and affection are.
But do I have a choice?
I'm not an adult; I'm still 17 years old.
I'm not a savior, because I left my people to die there.
So what am I?
Not a savior and not an adult.
I... am me.
A human trying to be better than before.
"Please," Clara lifted her face, looking into my eyes with tear-filled eyes. "My mother died giving birth to me, my father sees me as a tool. Alicia is gone, so are Rio and Alex. They've all left me."
"So please... don't leave me alone in this world."
"Please, Al."
I didn't answer.
After thinking about it again, it turns out Senior Arthur was also a young man. Just like me. He was only 19, and now he's dead. Why do we have to die so young? Is this fate? No. I don't believe in fate. Because if everything was already fated, why do humans have brains, reason, and thoughts?
This made me realize I was wrong. It turns out I do have a choice. Humans determine their own lives. Arthur von Stellaris, the prodigy. He could have decided to show his talent from the beginning, silencing all who insulted him. But he didn't. He chose to hide it, and that was his choice.
We all have choices. Fate does not limit us; we are the owners of our own lives. We decide what we want to become and what we end up as. We humans have power.
Althair's Point of View
"Do you remember Alicia's words?" I asked her, looking at the crying Clara. "Every meeting must have a farewell."
Clara stopped crying. I smiled at her.
"Everything that comes will eventually go, and farewell is an unavoidable part of the cycle of life." I held both of her hands. "But a farewell doesn't mean the end of everything; it is the new beginning of a story."
And I hope—I get to be a part of that story...
In the end, I chose to sacrifice my soul, because if I agreed with Clara's suggestion, it would be troublesome. Imagine living in a new place, starting a new life. Would it be more peaceful than before? Of course not, because people want your life, and the life of the Stellaris heir. They wouldn't stop until they found us and confirmed our deaths. So they would keep searching, looking for us no matter how far we went.
I stood up, not alone, but with Clara. We headed towards the Warden. I have to salute the Warden because he was willing to wait for my conversation with Clara to finish. Yes, it was very dramatic or very cliché. I'm actually very embarrassed.
Senior Arthur said the Warden protects two paths. I thought reaching the Realm of Spirit and Heartwood was by foot, because he said "path." It turns out it's a gate. Yes, a gate made of ancient stone. Behind the Warden were two large gates. The gates were rectangular, but empty. There was nothing inside, hollow like a donut.
There was no conversation between me and Clara. I was confused about what to say, while Clara just stood silently, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Open the gate. I want my friend to go in first," I said to the Warden.
"Alright," the Warden replied.
The Warden immediately began to chant sentences I didn't understand. He seemed to be speaking an unknown language, a language that perhaps only creatures like him could understand.
Since there was still time, I turned to my left to look at Clara. She was biting her own lip. Blood was coming from it. I kept smiling, but in my mind, there were so many thoughts. What would be good last words for her?
I'm scared. I'm afraid that the attacks from yesterday until now will become a trauma for Clara. Her friends died one by one, and her family doesn't care about her. The Dragin I fought belonged to Marquis Remelton, which automatically means the Remelton nobility was involved in the attack on the Stellaris Empire. The head of the Marquis family, did he not care about his daughter's life? After all, his daughter was inside the Stellaris Empire. Couldn't the Marquis have picked her up before the attack? In reality, no. The Marquis sent his troops and attacked indiscriminately. A sign that he doesn't care about his own daughter.
I placed my palm on her head, stroking it like a good owner petting their cat.
"Clara! Don't despair. This world isn't cruel. We are the ones who make it seem cruel. We are broken because our expectations are too high."
"We hope for happiness, hope our wishes always come true. Without realizing it, this world doesn't care about small creatures. This world keeps moving, indifferent to our fate."
"But that doesn't mean happiness can't be obtained. I believe love will illuminate this life. Affection is important in this chaotic life. Love is strength."
My hand came down from her head, this time holding both of Clara's hands, then joining them together.
"I have a selfish request, Clara," I said softly. "Whatever the condition, please keep living. We've come this far to survive. This is so painful."
"Your head can be noisy, your heart can be numb, your body can hurt, your hands can be scratched, but please, don't die."
Not die because she was killed by them, but die because she killed herself.
I saw Clara crying again. After thinking about it, our circle of friends had five people, and now only two remain—and right after this, only one will be left alive. One person who will bear and remember this event—forever in her memory.
"Shhh." The sound of the gate glowing.
The gate on the Warden's left side, which was previously empty, now lit up with a light green color. A wind blew around us, its aura giving a sense of peace. This must be the entrance to Heartwood. Honestly, I'm curious about what's inside.
"Come on, Clara, go into the gate," I said to her, but she didn't answer. "Clara..." I called softly.
"Sniffle, is there no other way?" she replied.
I held both of her shoulders, looked into her beautiful eyes and, "There is, but this is the only way that will keep you and Carsel safe from them."
Clara bit her lip, wanting to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat. I quickly smiled and said, "I promise I will protect you both. I will be your guardian angel."
"And if not in the form of an angel—but a terrorizing ghost, you will still be protected."
And finally, Clara took a step. Slowly, with reluctant and unwilling steps. She didn't look back at all, and I didn't say anything more. That was actually good. I was afraid that if she turned back and looked at me, her resolve would waver.
I saw her hands were clenched into fists. Her nails dug into the skin of her palms, and fresh blood came out.
Finally, it was over. Clara disappeared into the green light. And now, only I and this strange creature were left. The gate that was glowing went dim again, the light green color faded and disappeared. The Warden looked at me, and I prepared myself, taking a breath and exhaling, preparing my mind and spirit.
What happens after this? Will my soul fly away, separated from my body, and become a guardian in this place too? Cursed to never leave this large island?
If you're curious why the Warden obeyed my request, it's because the Warden was also happy. I don't know what part he was happy about, but Senior Arthur told me that in a book, the Warden was described as always performing this ritual with pleasure. Senior Arthur speculated that perhaps the souls of people like me would also become guardians in this place.
Senior Arthur had two theories.
* The Warden is lonely, so he drags someone in to accompany him. And that someone is the souls of people like me.
* My soul will be consumed by him, strengthening the Warden himself. This theory makes sense, because the majority of beings pursue power, whether they are vampires, humans, or other races.
"Any last words? O protector of the Son of Darkness," the Warden said to me.
I immediately furrowed my brow, my eyebrows meeting. I was confused by what he said. Son of Darkness? Protector? Is he referring to me and Carsel?
"What do you mean by that last sentence?" I asked him.
"Are you required to know?" the Warden replied curtly.
What was that? He's so vague, I monologued. At least speak clearly or make your conversation partner understand what you mean. But I didn't ask further. His face was very stern, and I had no intention of making him angry.
"My last words are..... ummm..."
"What is it?"
"What would be good?"
"Alright, I've found it."
"I am Althair, the killer of the Vampire Queen, the student of the prodigy, and the one who won the inter-species tournament—ready to leave this world."
[It's very silly, honestly I was confused about what to fill in for that part. So I just filled it in randomly.] -by author
Without ceremony, the Warden immediately thrust his right hand into my body—piercing my chest, passing through the structure of cells and organs, heading for my soul. My soul came out of my own body. My body collapsed instantly. I was floating in the air. A new experience, hehe.
I immediately saw the Warden step toward my corpse. He squatted down and began to eat parts of my body, one by one. Oh my god, this is so unpredictable. I immediately circled the scene, staring at the Warden who was eating my body.
And finally, I saw his true face. He was terrifying. He had deer antlers on his forehead, his mouth was very wide, his teeth were very sharp and covered in my blood. I saw his hands were full of blood. He ate my organs, my bones, and my flesh—he even drank my blood.
Damn it, my handsome, magnificent, and honorable body, defiled by him. My body that has the Kaelvros bloodline...
No, wait! My blood! My body flows with Kaelvros blood. Is the Warden consuming it?! Is this one of the ways he increases his strength?
Then what about me? My soul is lost. I can't follow Clara and Carsel. The Warden isn't even looking at me.
Why did the plot turn out like this? I curse the author. The plot is so bad, damn it.
What am I supposed to do now?
To be continued....