Silva and the group walked through the fifth floor looking for Oliver, but they didn’t make any progress. So Leah brought up a solution for them.
“Let Aaron, Silva, and I go one way to search for him. Lia, Day, Michael, and Sage can also go search another way.”
They didn’t really see any issue with this idea, and they didn’t think about it too much—they just did as she said and split up.
Silva walked in front of the two of them, while still monitoring them closely. He decided to strike up a conversation, sensing the tension.
“You know, life is really shitty. People controlling others, forcing them to do what they want, brainwashing them.
They damage your psyche, cause you pain, and make it seem like they’re helping you, while slowly pushing you into a wall and taking away your life.
Some may give you the false hope that they will protect you or someone dear to you, while in reality, they can’t really protect anything.”
Silva’s words hit the spot, causing Leah and Aaron to feel bad. So they decided to get this done and over with.
Aaron pulled out the cube and pointed it at Silva.
“I’m sorry, Silva,” he said. Silva turned around with a smile.
Aaron quickly activated the cube, and Leah placed her hand on his shoulder, pouring mana to help him.
The box opened up into several parts, and a powerful suction force pulled Silva. Before Silva was drawn in, he said with a smile,
“We make our own choices, and we bear our own consequences; no one else will help when the karma hits.” Silva was pulled into the cube, which immediately locked up and fell to the ground.
Immediately after, Aaron fell to his knees and started bawling his eyes out. He felt a huge pain in his chest, so intense that he felt like he would die.
Leah slowly slid to the ground and covered her face. Silva had never wanted to be in her life; she was the one who approached him and became close to him.
He never asked for their company, yet they got close to him. He never needed them; he was strong enough to fend for himself and be the number one.
Yet he accepted them with a smile, even though they knew he was cold and emotionless. But he still had fun with them and showed emotions.
They had grown close after over a month with him, and Silva was a good guy. He was their friend.
Yet they had backstabbed him. Never had they ever questioned the missions they were given, but this time they hated it to their bones.
After a while of staying like that, Aaron got up and took the cube.
“I can’t do it. I don’t know about you, and I’m ready to fight you, but I can’t betray Silva. Whatever comes after this, I’ll find a way to survive,” Aaron said.
“Sigh. All my life, Matilda had been the one I listened to. I listened to her because she showed me care and attention.
But Dimca did the same. He paid attention to me and cared about what I had to say or do. Yet he never asked for anything in return like Matilda.
I know he might hate us after this, but I can’t betray him. Even if it is just once, I’d like to carry myself like a hero and do the right thing,” Leah said.
So both of them decided to free Silva. No matter what happened, Silva didn’t deserve any of this; he was a friend.
“You guys made the right choice,” Silva spoke as he walked toward them. They were shocked to see him, but they didn’t sense any hostility.
“How are you here? We haven’t released you,” Leah asked.
“The fact that you two believed that cube could even begin to hold me was where your first problem lay.
What you captured was a clone, and the person you actually captured was that clone. I wanted to see what decision you would make.
Would you choose to follow my stupid father and Matilda, or choose me? It seems I was right to trust you both.
So, on that note, I’d like to tell you that your taskmasters will be punished—both my father and Matilda.”
“How? How do you expect to do that? Your father is an evolved and has mastered magic,” Aaron said.
“Funny, I beat my father even before I evolved. See, everything will be explained in detail to you. The most important detail I have to tell you as my real friends is that I am a demon king candidate,” Silva said.
Leah was taken aback by that statement, like, what the hell was Silva saying?
Silva saw the disbelief in her eyes, so he allowed his horn and wings to appear, his eyes changing into dragon eyes.
“I’m a black dragon. Before you ask—yes, I was born by two humans, but my legacy took over my body, the legacy of the dark dragon. It changed my race completely,” Silva explained.
“Wait, I’ve heard of the dark dragons, but they should have gone extinct; their power reduced the rate at which they could reproduce,” Aaron said.
“I’ll explain later, but first, let me talk to Leah. Leah, you are a hero candidate, and I only found out recently.
I know heroes and demon kings are enemies, but I don’t want it to be that way between me and you. We were friends before hero and demon king.
And I want to keep it that way. Today, you proved that you have my back for sure, and you broke out of Matilda’s crazy control.
And that assures me that you can be a friend that I can lean on. I may not be human, but still—”
Before Silva could finish, she ran up and hugged him tightly.
“I’m not sure of how I feel now, but Lia and Fay might soon have to contend with me for you.”