31 The Voice

Dunha slowly opened her eyes.

"Uhg..." Dunha mumbled. "Huh?"

She then began to look around and noticed that she was in the middle of nowhere.

"Where am I?" she wondered.

As Dunha looked around in confusion, she suddenly heard a voice.

"Fufufu, good evening, princess," the voice said softly.

"?!"

Dunha instinctively got into a defensive stance and was about to pull out her sword.

"There is no need to be hostile," said the voice. "Even if you choose violence, you'll have a difficult time fighting me with an imaginary sword."

"Tch." (Dunha)

Dunha clicked her tongue as she looked down and realized that she was unarmed.

"Is this another dream?" she wondered.

"Yes and no," the voice answered as if he heard Dunha's inner thoughts. "We're currently inside your mind and we'll be stuck here until your physical body recovers from the backlash of using one of your lives."

"One of my lives?" she asked. "What do you mea..."

For a brief moment, Dunha was lost in thought after hearing the word "lives". Her eyes were then opened her eyes wide.

"Was it you who sent me back in time?" she asked.

The voice remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Unfortunately, I can not reveal anything to you as it will be too dangerous," the voice warned Dunha.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you are not mentally prepared for it. If I were to share my vast knowledge with you right now, your brain would not be able to withstand the sudden flow of knowledge which would lead to some horrifying results," the voice explained.

"..." (Dunha)

It took Dunha half a minute to summarize what the voice said.

"In short, if you give me the answer, it'll kill me. Is that what you're saying?" she asked.

"Yes," the voice answered. "However, do not be disappointed, you will eventually learn the truth on your own."

After nodding, Dunha began to ask the voice some questions.

"Why are you inside my mind?" she asked.

"I entered your mind because I wanted to offer you a deal," the voice said.

"A deal?" Dunha asked.

"Yes. This deal will allow you to get your revenge," the voice said.

Those words surprised Dunha.

"What do you mean?" Dunha asked in a serious tone.

"There's strong resentment inside you. Were they not created due to the decades of suffering and injustice in your past life?" the voice asked.

"That's..." (Dunha)

Before Dunha could speak, the voice continued to talk.

"Most of your enemies got away with their crimes, nearly all of your companions died an undignified death or betrayed you out of greed, and your kingdom was on the brink of ruins before you were miraculously sent back in time. Don't you want your second life to be better than the first?" the voice asked.

"You're not wrong..." Dunha murmured.

The voice had a point so she continued to listen to the voice although she was still a little suspicion.

"What is this deal?" she asked.

"If you accept my deal, I shall give you unimaginable power so great that there will be no one in the world who could stop you," the voice said. "This should allow you to protect your people and get revenge on those who humiliated and tormented you and your companions."

Dunha cupped her chin to think.

"This sounds like a good deal but there has to be a catch for it," she thought. "This offer is too good to be true," she said.

"I understand that you do not trust me right now..." the voice said after noticing Dunha's suspicion. "However..."

Suddenly, Dunha heard the voice as if it was right next to her.

"When I said 'unimaginable power' it also includes 'healing magic'. You can become the greatest healer who ever lived," the voice said before leaning closer to Dunha's right ear. "You can even use that power to save your mother who's going to die in the next few months."

"!" (Dunha)

Dunha turned her head with a murderous glare.

"I apologize if my words angered you, however, I am speaking the truth. If you do not find a solution soon, your mother will die shortly after giving birth to your little brother in the next few months," the voice said.

Dunha gritted her teeth as she knew the voice was not wrong.

"Alright, let's assume I accept the deal and become the most powerful living being in the world. What's the cost?" she asked. "There is no way you would hand over something this good without gaining something from it."

The voice began to chuckle.

"Fufu... You are correct. There is a cost," the voice answered as it chuckled.

"What is it?" Dunha asked.

"I will need 10 million souls," the voice answered calmly. "Basically, you need to kill 10 million people so I could collect their souls."

Dunha was frozen for a brief moment.

"W-What?" (Dunha)

"10 million souls," the voice repeated. "It's a small price to pay in exchange for powers that will allow you to do anything you want."

"Why do you need that many souls?" Dunha asked.

"I will only tell you when you accept my deal," the voice answered.

Dunha began to think carefully.

"Something's not right about this... But what is it?" she wondered.

"Will you accept my deal?" the voice asked.

Dunha clicked her tongue.

"I must refuse. I do not trust a deal that's coming from someone who isn't even showing himself when they're speaking to a member of the royal family," Dunha answered.

"..." (The voice)

The voice slowly began to chuckle before laughing wildly.

"Fufufufu... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the voice wildly laughed.

Dunha was caught off guard by the voice's sudden laughter but she was able to maintain a calm expression. After several more seconds of laughing, the voice slowly began to calm down.

"Very well. I shall reveal myself," the voice said.

Suddenly, a large fog appeared around Dunha. She then noticed a huge silhouette appearing in front of her.

"Greetings," the silhouette said as it bowed.

Once the smoke cleared, Dunha was able to see the figure in front of her and was shocked.

"L-Luke?!" Dunha shouted.

The figure in front of Dunha had a strong resemblance to her younger brother, Luke Star. The only difference between the figure and her brother was that the figure had glowing red eyes and horns with its entire body made out of black smoke.

"I do not have an actual physical body so I formed into a figure who you currently miss the most. If my appearance displeases you, I shall change it into someone else," the voice said.

"No-no-no. You don't have to..." said Dunha as she slowly approached the lookalike.

She attempted to touch the figure's face, however, her hand passed through it.

"Luke..." Dunha mumbled as she looked sad.

The figure looked up and sighed.

"Ha... Unfortunately, I'm afraid my time is up. Your physical body has fully recovered and should wake up soon," the voice explained. "I am going to assume that you refused my deal this time."

"Aye. I don't need help from a suspicious being like you," said Dunha as she glared at the figure. "This is my problem and I'll solve it myself or with someone who I can trust."

The being calmly accepted her refusal.

"I understand," the being said with disappointment.

"I assume this will be the last time I see you?" Dunha asked.

"It depends. However, I believe we will see each other again someday," said the being as it grinned. "However, try not to die again so soon."

"Of course," Dunha nodded.

A bright light appeared in front of Dunha and blinded her.

She was walking up.

However, before her vision became completely white, the being spoke one last time.

"To gain your trust, I will tell you one important thing," the being said. "Your mother's death was not caused by an illness or disease."

"?!" (Dunha)

This shocked Dunha.

"What?" Dunha shouted. "What do you mean by that?!"

The figure shook his head and placed his finger between his lips.

"You have to figure that out yourself. Have a good day and stay safe," said the voice as it waved at Dunha.

"Wait!" Dunha shouted.

Before she could ask the being any more questions, the bright light blinded her completely.

When Dunha opened her eyes, she saw the ceiling of her room and realized that she has woken up. She then heard the voice of a woman.

"You finally woke up."

Dunha looked around to see who it was and saw Clover who was sitting on a chair next to her bed.

"How are you feeling?" Clover asked as she grinned.

(To be continued.)

2020/10/26