[85.18] Endless Regret

That night, everyone returned to the camp in a somber mood except for Moni who was merely pretending to be upset. He watched as everyone was busy focusing on the bonfire created by Reika before slipping off into the shadows.

"Are you ready?"

A woman in red smiled through the darkness of the trees, "Ready when you are, Master."

Moni turned around, "Just remember, you need to keep the Headmaster away. I will do the rest."

"As you wish, Master."

Moni watched as she ran off into the wounds, then he turned his attention to his own task. His eyes flashed vibrantly orange as he looked down at everyone below, "Time to separate."

He released the shadow men from his body, much to the relief of his aching wound. As they attacked the teachers and students, he noticed Reika had broken free from Red and was back on the scene. He clicked his tongue and reentered Felix's body. Just as he watched the mayhem unfold, a low voice spoke beside him.

"I knew that was you."

Moni, who was in the body of Felix, turned to look at Hazel who was staring at him with cold eyes.

His lips curved up in an ominous smile, "Are you going to try to kill me again?"

Her expression tensed before relaxing, "Why are you trying to kill Cyrus?"

"Do you care?" Moni paused and then let out a laugh, "Ah, I guess you would since it's your kin-"

"-I don't care."

Moni's smile froze.

She continued to stare deeply into his eyes, "When I see him, I'm reminded of the past me and I don't want to be reminded… But if you hurt him, you'll regret it."

His eyes grew cold, "Is that a threat?"

She let out a soft laugh, her eyes cold and demeaning, "For as smart as you are, you're really dumb. I don't care about Cyrus, but I know you, Moni. If you try to kill him, you're going to hate yourself. Even if he's my kin, you'll beat yourself up for even laying a hand on him. Then you'll start another self-hating cycle where you want to make up for it, but you never will. You've done it all before and you'll do it all again."

Moni furrowed his brow, "And why would you care?"

"Because it will make Reika sad, and I can't allow her to get hurt." Alora spoke in a low voice, "In this world, only Reika and Zephyr matter to me… Maybe you should try to figure out why."

Why would Alora, who only ever cared about his Master and Zephyr, suddenly become close to someone who had no connection to her?

Moni's eyes were drawn to Reika who was beside Zephyr.

"If you kill Cyrus, or if you hurt Reika, you're going to regret it."

Moni's eyes turned cold as he gazed back at her, "Did you forget I succeeded in killing you? Do you think I regret that?"

Her gaze turned harsh, much unlike her usually shy personality. However, before she could say anything else, a rock giant was created. 

His eyes never left hers, "If you reveal my identity, I will reveal yours."

She clenched her jaw and went to shout, but the rock giant slammed its fist between the two, separating them from each other. Moni, who was pretending to be a frightened Felix, ran off into the woods to "escape" the attack. Hazel, who was also pretending to be weak, ran off in the opposite direction.

After he determined he was no longer being watched, Moni stood in the shadows watching the chaos with vibrant orange eyes. Using his rock monster to distract Reika, he held back his laughter as he watched her try to attack with any possible maneuver she could think of. His eyes slowly glanced over at Cyrus and Caldwell who had no idea they were slowly being drawn away.

"It's time for that accursed family line to end."

The rock monster attacked, and just as planned, the corruption was absorbed into Reika's body, getting her one step closer to being controlled by him. He expected her to faint, but to his surprise, she was already running off to help a screaming Hazel.

He rolled his eyes, "Felix. Lure her away for me."

Now in control of his body again, Felix started screaming and crying. Scared that someone would catch him, he started running off into the woods. Moni's eyes were drawn to Cyrus and Caldwell who were now completely isolated and under attack.

He laughed hysterically from the shadows as the shadow men descended onto the cursed prince. All the years of accumulated hate and relentless resentment boiled over as the image of Alora replaced that of a small boy. 

A sinister laugh echoed in his mind, "That's right, my darling pup. That's the person who killed your Master. That's the person who destroyed your family. If you kill him, you'll be free from the pain…. You can do it, my darling pup. You can become free."

"The faster he dies, the faster I become free." His eyes pulsed as they grew vibrant, "Kill them."

The shadow men followed his order and dealt a fatal blow. Just as they did, he heard a cry behind him. Confused, he peered through the shadows and realized the cry had come from Reika who was on the ground. Moni looked between the two confused by her reaction. 

When he realized the area they were both grabbing, he suddenly regained clarity of his mental state. He looked over the scene in stunned silence, realizing what he had just done. He bit down on his lip as his eyes stuck to Cyrus who was being held by a hysterical Caldwell.

How…

How could he treat a child like this?

This wasn't Alora…

It was…

He bit down on his lip and took a deep breath while he ignored the guilt pouring into his chest.

Alora…

Alora was right about him.

Cyrus was an innocent child in all of this and he never wanted to hurt him at all.

So then why was he so determined to do so?

Moni grabbed his head as pain found its way to his heart, "Why am I always doing this!? Why can't I be the child Master wanted me to be!? Why can't I be… Good?"

 "Darling pup. Don't hate yourself… Your father loves you~"

Moni clenched his jaw as he felt a man hug him from behind. However, the hugs from this man was the opposite of comforting…

Moni no longer wanted to be left alone with Orphelio and disappeared into the shadows to return back into Felix's body. Thick rose bushes shot up from the ground, closing them in. He could feel his control over the Shadow men starting to slip, but he paid it no attention.

He flipped Reika's body over, "Reika! H-Hold on! I-I will help you!!"

Using Felix's mana, he immediately started healing her. However, his mana poured in and was siphoned elsewhere. Moni gazed down the hill and tried to pull his shadow men away from attacking Cyrus, but they were no longer listening to him.

He bit down on his lip and stared blankly at Reika. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry…"

Moni took a deep breath and reopened his eyes in determination. He returned back to healing her, but instead of using Felix's power, he used his own mana to heal her phantom wound. As he did, he felt his own wound growing larger. A sweat broke out across his forehead as he knitted his brow. 

To his relief, the color started to return to her cheeks.

"Just… A little… More…"

Moni leaned over Reika with a pale expression as his skin slowly turned to an unhealthy grey. Screams echoed throughout his head creating a headache so powerful he started to lose his vision. Yet, seeing Reika stir, he strained to smile, "It… It worked."

"You… You saved me?"

He smiled feebly, "I can't let you die, Reika… You… You are special to me…"

But why…

Why was that again?