160 Chapter 83: Mortifer Psychica And Mortifer Moribus (Part 2)

So, how did things change so drastically? How did he suddenly become such an important figure in the war?

It probably happened when he was chosen to confront Kais and send him to the legendary Psychic Island. His ability tells him that is why his life changed so drastically. But, as it is the very ability that caused him to give up on his dream and join Vermillion, he refuses to believe in it without question.

So, he finds ways to contradict it. Like, in that mission, his friend and fellow Ember, Mohammed Unman, was also present. And also there was Garfield, who ordered the mission and thus was also quite involved. And it doesn't seem like they suddenly had their life turned upside down. So, doesn't that mean that confronting Kais wouldn't have necessarily led him down this path?

In that case, the incident that turned his life upside-down must be the mission to hunt Ethan. If that had never been given to him, if it had been given to someone else, he wouldn't have fallen in Ethan's trap and been killed that night.

In that case, he would never have met the perpetrator of the most heinous massacre in the recent history of mankind and never known about the existence of Vampires and Ghosts. He would also probably have never fallen in the middle of the Vampire Kingdom's troubles and his friend, Abgere, would have not gone on a hunt for all Hellfires and the Phoenix.

It is certainly quite convenient to think that way, isn't it?

This way, he can keep thinking that he is just unfortunate that this all happened to him and play the victim. This would certainly help his pain, his anger and his guilt.

The only problem with thinking this way is - is simply that it is not true. And the one part of him that is supernatural gives him a desire that makes him realize that it simply is not the correct answer. No matter how much he wants to contradict it, he knows what his ability does very well.

But, even without it, could he really think misfortune is all it would have taken for his predicament to come about, especially when the world is thriving on the shoulders of liers, cheaters and manipulators?

Is it not at all possible that Ethan Kales would have used Sneha's presence as an ally to Vermillion to make sure a gullible person like him is sent after him so it's easy to fool him? After all, that would make sure that no one else more capable than him comes after Ethan and so he would be able to leave for the Island without much worry.

It's certainly possible. And Ro Garland does realize that. If only he follows his desire to think that way and dig a little deeper to find proof of this, he would realize that it is a miscorrect assumption as well.

What he doesn't realize right now is that while Ethan had taken precautions, he had not ever risked using Sneha's position in such a way that would draw suspicion on her.

But, on the other hand, there was someone else who had used their position in such a way. That position being used was that of the strategist of a kingdom and the person using it was, obviously, Bronzer.

He had asked Barry to find someone who could continue his research.

For that, they needed a man with the mind of a scientist in the medicinal field but also very exceptional at his craft and in-know about the supernatural plus a desire to rebel against it. Forget finding a man like that, it was hard to even think that another man like that besides Barry would exist.

And yet, there was someone out there like that, someone who had a knack for solving problems, someone perfect for this job. And Barry found that someone - he found him when that man was sent to Kais by Vermillion.

He found that man, and he told the strategist about him.

The strategist who knew about Ethan's plans because he had predicted them told Barry of a simple way to bring Ro to their side, to have him come to their side as a Ghost.

All Barry had to do was mind control Garfield, the Volcano under whom Ro was working at the time, and give Ro the mission to go after Ethan Kales. Consequently, Ethan was sent a message by Bronzer telling him that Vermillion had sent someone after him.

Neither did Bronzer expect to nor was Ethan fooled by it. He knew that whether Vermillion sent that 'someone' or not, Bronzer would have been responsible for it.

And so, Ethan would send that someone to the afterlife, as a begrudging answer to Bronzer, an all too predictable action by Ethan that would still seem unpredictable to those that aren't Bronzer. Still, feeling somewhat guilty about involving Ro in all that despite him having nothing to do with anything, Ethan at least told him that Ghosts exist so Ro would know that he would become one after being killed.

And that led to everything that happened after that, from meeting Barry to going to the Island to being exposed to so many secrets of the world that going back no longer remained an option for the poor Half-Psychic.

Before he ever got a chance to do something about it, his friend Abgere, who had lost the one person holding him back from becoming a bonafide murderer, had gone on his own rogue mission that he had been planning for as long as Ro had known him.

So, what would happen now?

In the not so distant future, Abgere would come up against someone he cannot defeat no matter how hard he tries, and it would cost him everything, including his own life.

On the other hand, Ro could continue to do what he had been doing for the past 12 years - grunt work. Only this time he would be working not for sociopaths but literally a race that eats humans and drinks their blood.

Ro could try to not follow them, but he would probably be killed. If he does succeed in escaping from them somehow, he would be killed by some other supernatural faction because he knows too much about things that he shouldn't have any idea about.

Hence, there was nowhere to go.

What had happened to him in the past few days, it was truly the definition of the entire life falling apart, of having no idea where to go next, of losing hope.

As such, he was starting to submit to the idea that suicide was the best option left for him.

However,

Bronzer: "There's a virus I want you to create."

After 12 years of loss, he was given a chance to work as a Virologist,

Bronzer: "That virus should be able to weaken Psychics, and essentially bring Vermillion down."

and his work would lead to the fall of those who had tormented his life for the past 12 years.

Bronzer: "Your ability should help you with that, not to mention your academic expertise."

He had tried to stop listening to the ability of his whenever it came to anything important. He had reserved it for missions, never listening to it for learning any secrets. He had done so because he had come to realize what the cost of learning secrets one is not meant to know could cost.

However.

Bronzer: "So, how about it?"

That very ability that made him give up on his ambition, that very ability that had thrown a man whose family was known for saving lives into a place where taking lives was the norm, that ability could now help him change the fate of the world itself.

If he said no to Bronzer, the entire Vampire Kingdom would be doomed.

If he said yes to Bronzer, the entire Psychic race would be doomed.

After years of powerlessness and self-pity, he had gained this much importance, this much clout, this much power.

It was as if the forces governing the world were making up for all the misery he had suffered through in his life.

So,

Ro: "Of course I would damn those bastards."

Of course he would make the Hellfires and the Phoenix pay for all they have done.

Of course he would save his friend Abgere.

Of course he would help the Vampire Kingdom, the very definition of fighting back even when you are weak, something he couldn't bring himself to do all his life.

He may not be a Vampire, but there is no other faction Ro Garland could bring himself to support other than the Vampire Kingdom that stands against those he hates, stands against those it may not be able to defeat, and does not back down.

And what we would give them, the virus that would change the war itself, would be called,

Ro: "Mortifer Psychica"

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