‘Lament of lies…’
Staring at the new notification that appeared before my eyes, I didn’t know how to react at first. I was completely caught off guard.
This wasn’t the first time an innate skill evolved for me, with foresight becoming the eyes of the seer, but that was mainly due to the acts of the pope. What about this case?
‘Did it increase because Owl-Mighty managed to break through?’
The thought made my breathing slightly more labored.
‘…If this is the case then what would happen if Owl-Mighty ranks up again?’
Could it be possible for the skill to evolve once more?
“Julien? Are you okay? Why—”
“I’m fine.”
I held my hand up and cut Leon off.
Taking a deep breath, I shook my mind out of my thoughts and calmed my mind.
‘Whatever the case is, I’ll think about it later. Right now I have to find a way to deal with the current situation.’
“Owl-Mighty has currently broken through to the Destroyer-Rank, and can probably keep us safe for a little bit, but that’s not enough.”
“…I know.”
Leon nodded while his expression turned gloomy.
“Even if we do go out now, we’ll most likely be caught by… her.”
“Yes, we don’t have a lot of time.”
“Then…”
“But it’s not like our situation is terrible.”
“Hm?”
As Leon cocked his head, I pursed my lips.
‘Pebble should’ve made it there, right?’
The moment Owl-Mighty awakened, I had Pebble move out to send a message to Kaelion and the others so that they would try their best to stop the monsters from coming our way. This was my first thought upon witnessing Owl-Mighty’s evolution. After all, if I were in her position, I would have done everything in my power to eliminate Owl-Mighty.
Given that everyone’s attention was directed towards Owl-Mighty and the fact that Pebble wasn’t exactly a living being, it would pose no trouble for it to warn the others.
…At least, I hoped that was the case.
I didn’t know whether Pebble had succeeded or not.
‘I can only hope.’
“Given that she lost control of Owl-Mighty and most of the more powerful monsters are within the city, she’s at her most vulnerable right now. In fact, I dare say individually she’s not that strong.”
“….I know, but even then, she’s not someone that we can beat.”
“Realistically, if it was just the two of us, yes.”
Leon’s face changed all of a sudden as he looked up.
“You don’t mean…”
“We’re not alone.”
I placed my hand over Owl-Mighty’s body and looked up.
“…Let me try something. It’s a bit of a gamble, but if it works we might be able to turn the entire situation around.”
***
Thump! Thump—!
The ground trembled.
Enormous shadows stretched across the land as several colossal figures emerged from behind the city walls, clawing desperately toward the towering blood-leaved tree standing proudly in the north.
Connected to them were invisible threads that only one person could see.
“…..”
Standing in silence, Seraphina raised her head to stare at the sky.
Shrouding the once-bright blue sky above were hundreds of dark, sinuous threads, twisting and writhing as they stretched endlessly into the horizon, casting an oppressive and unnatural gloom over the land.
‘Come back to me.’
At her sudden command, even the monsters near the walls halted and turned, surging in her direction with unnatural urgency.
Within moments, a massive horde emerged over the horizon, an endless swarm of grotesque figures racing toward her like a living tide, their shadows consuming the land before them.
Seraphina glanced at the tree behind her and smiled faintly.
“I shoul—Hm?”
Bang—!
With a sharp flick of her head, Seraphina’s expression shifted subtly as she sensed a powerful surge of mana cascading from the city walls.
“Hieeek!”
The blast was followed by a sharp screech as a colossal figure collapsed.
But that wasn’t all.
Bang, bang—!
Shortly after the first attack came a second, and then a third. Before she knew it, the entire surroundings shook as spells and attacks rained down from within the city walls and toward the monsters, almost in an attempt to hold them in.
“Have they lost their minds?”
Seraphina looked at the sight incredulously.
She couldn’t believe what was going on?
‘Shouldn’t they be happy they’re leaving? Why are they—’
“It’s because I told them to, mother.”
Tickling her ear was a familiar voice and when she turned her head a figure emerged from within the tree.
“…I told them to buy us enough time to deal with you.”
“Deal with me…?”
Seraphina’s brow raised as she looked incredulously at her son. A laugh escaped her lips shortly after.
“Your tricks don’t work on me. It was a nice attempt, but you’re too obvious with your motives.”
Raising her hand up, a faint purple magic circle appeared in her grasp, enveloping her hand as she turned sharply, reaching into the empty space behind her.
“Huek—!
A low, groan sounded through the air as Seraphina’s hand closed around a head, her grip firm.
“Got you.”
She squeezed her hand tightly and pulled the head back.
“You were too ob—”
Her words stopped the moment she saw the head fade from her view, turning directly into a large and thick root.
“You were saying?”
A soft voice whispered right behind her.
“You—”
Letting go of the root, she tried to twist her body but the root shot right after her and grasped her moving arm.
Snap!
The root snapped almost immediately, but it slowed her down enough for Julien to press his hand against her forehead.
“Sadness.”
“Akkhhh—!”
A heart-wrenching scream tore from Seraphina’s lips as she suddenly clutched her head with both hands, her eyes reddening and turning bloodshot in an instant.
“Ahhhhhhhh—!”
Her screams tore through the surroundings as she felt her mind throb. The pain was intense. As though someone was hammering right through her mind, and unknowingly, several of the threads connected with her snapped.
Snap, snap—
With the threads snapping, her control over several monsters shattered.
As a result…
“Uerkh!”
“Hiiierkkkk—!”
Chaos erupted as the freed monsters turned on their own, launching into a frenzy and savagely attacking the creatures around them, their roars and screeches echoing through the blood-soaked air.
“Kh… Kh…!”
Snapping out of her state, Seraphina quickly held her mouth as she felt a presence behind her.
It was a hand.
She could feel it, but was it really?
All of a sudden, she didn’t know. Thinking about what had happened moments prior, she had lost sense of what was real and what was fake.
“Haa… Haa…”
As her chest rose up and down, the hand drew closer to her.
It was about to reach her head.
It was almost there when…
Seraphina’s eyes turned white and so did the surroundings. Stepping forward, Seraphina looked at the figure that stood behind her as his entire body was covered in threads.
No, not just him.
The entire domain around here was filled with countless threads.
Wherever she looked, a thread appeared, falling down from the sky. Within this world, everything was within her control.
“Haa..”
Letting out her breath, her eyes paused on her son.
His entire body was frozen in place, his eyes shaking in what appeared to be fear and surprise.
“Haa… Haa…”
As her breath remained heavy, Seraphina didn’t say a word and just moved towards her son, her hand pressing against his cheek.
Tears flowed out of her eyes as she felt his soft cheek.
Biting her lip, she mumbled,
“…You’ve suffered a lot.”
She felt it.
In those moments prior, she felt his sadness.
It was overwhelming.
To the point where it almost completely devoured her. If not for the fact that she used her domain she would’ve found herself succumbing to his attack.
How much did one have to suffer to go through such pain?
Why her son of all people?
“A… I’m sorry.”
For the first time since seeing him, she was staring at him.
Looking right at him.
From his hazel eyes to his deep black hair and chiseled face. She observed every part of him, engraving the image in her mind.
The more she looked at him the more her chest started to ache.
How could it now…?
This right here was her own flesh and blood.
How could a mother not love her own son? It was just that…
‘I have no choice on the matter. I have to…’
Tears continued to drip down the corner of her eyes.
Placing both her hands over his face, she continued to stare at him. He stared back at her but couldn’t move a single muscle.
And then…
Cra Crack—!
His neck snapped.
Thump!
“A-Ah… Ah.”
Holding onto her chest, Seraphina stepped back, her lips pressing tightly together as she tried her best to keep the pain from consuming her, but it was hard.
So hard…
“Why… why does it hurt so much?”
Squeezing her chest tightly, she tried her best to let go of the pain, but it just refused to stop. It seemed to overwhelm every part of her. It was consuming her mind and the domain around her started to falter, fading in and out of existence.
‘Make it stop!’
Holding onto her head, she looked towards her son.
The pain in her chest grew upon seeing his lifeless body, and right as the pain was about to consume her, she saw it.
A four-leaved clover.
“Ah….?”
Her entire body froze as she stumbled forward, reaching for her son’s body and removing his sleeve.
“H-how could this?”
Seeing the clover deeply imprinted onto his forearm, her expression changed dramatically.
“Why? How…? How could this—!”
Seraphina’s mind went on overdrive as all sorts of thoughts crossed her mind until she eventually stopped.
“Hahahaha.”
That was when she started laughing.
“Of course… Of course…”
Her laughs seemed to pierce right through everything, seemingly chilling the very air around her.
“You did it, didn’t you? In order to get back at me, you… Hahaha.”
Her eyes turned bloodshot.
“…How could I have not thought about it.”
Through her laughs and screams of madness, what she didn’t notice was the small root clawing up from beneath her.
Squelch~
It lightly grasped her ankle and disappeared right after.
“I-it’s working.”
Holding onto her head, Julien’s face changed as his entire face was pale.
‘Sadness, anger, fear…’
He continuously poured all sorts of emotions into her mind as a small root grasped her ankles beneath her. From time to time her body would tremble as she found herself stuck within Owl-Mighty’s illusion.
Indeed, everything she was experiencing was an illusion.
From the moment Julien managed to use his emotive magic, Owl-Mighty used the moment to ensnare her into its illusion. From there, Julien poured even more emotions into her, and as she grew more and more frantic, the threads connecting to her body and the monsters snapped.
Slowly but surely, she was losing connection with the monsters.
Just a little bit more.
All he had to do was last a little bit more.
“Yes… a little bit… haa… more.”
Grasping her head more tightly, he continued to mumble,
‘Anger.’