When the heart of a necklace user becomes corrupted, he is no longer human but a soulless puppet; the necklace controls him as it pleases. Listen to me, Victor, you must purify your heart and mind if you wish to use the necklace and master its power. There are those who managed to control the power of the necklace, but their hearts are corrupt, and yet they know that everything will end eventually. The necklace… the necklace does not grant true power; true power lies within the human heart.
---
Then Victor asked, "If the necklaces grant their users power, and when their negative energy is triggered, they destroy them all at once?"
William sighed and said, "That's right. You are truly smart, Victor, and I'm proud of you. You have a kind heart and do not seek revenge. Your mindset is different from the other warriors I've trained and known in my life. Now I understand why your uncle, Ternal Muteen, chose you to be the protector of the necklaces and save the world."
When Victor heard these words from William, he felt a great joy, for it was the first time he had ever heard such kind words from anyone.
---
Nicholas was listening to Victor and William talk, and his mind drifted into memories of the past, recalling the words of Jack the Ripper when he said he had wiped out an entire village on his own. During that battle, when Nicholas heard those words, they stuck in his mind and began to haunt and torment him.
He could not sleep or eat from that moment on. Those words punished him for something he had done in the past—something he could not forget—and reminded him of things he did not wish to remember.
Then Nicholas suddenly bent over, as if something was pulling him from within. He fell to his knees, his hands pressing against his chest. The blood on his skin began to glow with a faint hue—purple, like the night after the rain.
Between his broken breaths, he whispered, "He… knows my name."
William immediately turned to him and asked, "Who?"
Nicholas whispered, "It's Jack the Ripper. He didn't ask 'Who is Nicholas?'… He said, 'Which one of you is Nicholas?' As if he expected me to be there… as if he anticipated my presence in the marketplace that day. He has known my behavior and movements for some time. That bastard knows a lot about me, and I have no idea how he knows all this; it feels as though he's known me for a very long time."
William replied, "That's true; when we met him, he said, 'Which one of you is Nicholas?' He didn't ask, 'Who is he?' That means he already had plenty of information about you."
---
Victor heard those words and froze in place. He looked at Nicholas… and for the first time, he didn't see him as a warrior, but as a hunted man.
Victor said to Nicholas, "It's true that I haven't known you for long, but today you're not the same as before. I don't know what's going on in your mind, but you're my friend before being my teacher or mentor. I won't let you turn into a monster."
Nicholas replied, "And what do you know about me, boy?"
Victor answered, "I don't know much about your past, and I don't care. What matters is that you're my friend, and for the sake of our friendship, I would sacrifice even my life."
---
William was standing there, listening to Victor and Nicholas talking. He asked what they were talking about, and Victor replied, "It's true, I don't know how to use the necklace, but still, William, I can see an aura around Nicholas… a dark and unnatural aura. Nicholas has an aura. It's unnatural—a dark aura."
William said, "I've noticed that aura, but Nicholas doesn't allow anyone to interfere in his personal life, so I never asked. Besides, it's hard to deal with him in that state."
When Victor heard this, he sighed deeply and looked at Nicholas with sad yet determined eyes and said, "So that's how it is…"
Suddenly, Victor clenched his hand tightly and threw a swift and powerful punch straight at Nicholas's face, knocking him to the ground without warning.
William stood stunned by Victor's actions, wondering how someone as weak as Victor could strike Nicholas and bring him down like that.
William reached out to stop him, but an unseen force—or perhaps Victor's iron will—prevented him from interfering. The master stood there, astonished, powerless before this transformation.
---