Chapter 12: A Dark Twist, part II

Bullshit.

He was bullshitting me; he was fucking over me once again.

He was a higher being I believed that, not because he sad so, but because I could simply feel it from the depths of my soul, from the way his voice was shook me, to the way he bounded Rayne, this scenario was under his control.

He was just a crazy bastard enjoying this.

This was nothing more than a play, an act for him to enjoy.

And he wouldn't let it spiral out of his control.

I knew this, I knew it all, but I couldn't do anything.

I had to play along, I had to bore him so that he losses his interest, in me, in Rayne, and in this world.

So, despite knowing where this was going and not liking it one bit, I said my next line.

"But, weren't you, the Great being filled with infinite kindness, going to present me with a gift."

"Hu hu hu, at least you know how to talk, though I have already done my part, I will explain my gift to you, but listen well for I don't have much time to spend in a lower world."

"What I have given you, that sword, is a means to get your gift, you have to cut open Rayne's back and remove all the pikes embedded in it, after that all you need to do is stab him and say 'absorb'. If you do that all the resilience his soul has built, all his talent, and the fruit of his hard 7 years, all of it including himself will be absorbed by you, and that is my gift to you."

"Though you can skip the first step if you want to inherit that power, the choice is yours, that would be interesting too, khekeke."

That madman laughed, as another batch of golden flames burned into existence, this time showing a {5:00}, which promptly turned into, {4:59}, and so on...

Minding this, Kasivier continued,

"Anyways, this is the last time you will hear from me human, as whatever you choose is none of my business, your path depends on your choice, Praise the Goddess." With that the overwhelming presence disappeared, giving me the illusion that Kasivier left.

But after hearing him laugh was enough for me to know,

'That madman won't leave with good words and 'Praise the Goddess'.'.

-Huuuuu

I sighed.

In the end it came to this.

Actually, this wasn't a surprise, in fact, as soon as the situation clicked in my mind, I already considered this as a highly probable possibility...

Though Kasivier just glossed over it, maybe to make himself seem like a Great being, but I think I know what he wanted to see.

He wanted to see me become a murderer, a murderer who killed the real owner of this body and stole his everything.

A murderer who lived with the family of his victim, as if nothing happened.

Maybe he wanted me to live my life filled with guilt?

I don't know, maybe he did, I couldn't accurately guess what that mad higher being wanted, but I was sure about one thing...

...he wanted to see me broken.

-tick

-tock

-tick

-tock

The golden numbers continued to decrease, already displaying a {4:33}, as it's ticking sound reminded me of something important...

...I had to worry about myself.

If I don't do anything in that time, I didn't doubt that I would have to fight Rayne, a fight as Kasivier said, I would lose.

Why, I didn't doubt that I had to fight?

Hahaha, won't me getting beat up and devoured be a great show for that madman, I doubt he would stop such a great show from happening.

In the end, there was only one option...

...I had to kill him.

I clenched the sword in my hand, my expression twisted in despair and hate, both towards myself.

I walked forward and soon stood right in front of him, Rayne.

Will I really be able to do this...?

And what will I actually do?

Should I directly absorb him or should I follow what Kasivier said.

What if I follow him, and it turns out to be a trap?

What if I don't follow him, and it turns out to be a trap?

Such thoughts came to my mind, but I suppressed them.

Everything, every single word he said could be a lie, could be a trap.

He could even be reading all my thoughts and enjoying himself.

And that, I didn't want to happen.

Him enjoying himself on my demise, I didn't want that to happen.

I continued my thoughts till that.

And just stopped thinking as I looked at my soon to be victim.

With dozens of chains binding him, he couldn't even stand.

So, with his face down on the similar white screen that acted as the floor, he laid there, still struggling, still moving, still trying to break the chains, as he looked at me.

His face filled with madness, twisted agony, and desperation as his eyes saw the sword in my hand.

Still, he didn't stop, nor did he give up, instead he wriggled his small 12-year-old soul as he tried to get away from me.

(A/N: He died at 12 so the size of his soul is the same as a 12-year-old kid.)

If I said I felt nothing by seeing a chained up, 12-year-old boy crawling away from me, then I would be lying. I too felt it, the pity, the guilt, the despair.

I felt like a monster who was going to do this to a little boy, but I couldn't stop.

For he wouldn't if he had the chance...

So, I grabbed the chains that bounded him and pulled him back.

Then, with him below me, I stomped hard on his neck to keep him in place as I grabbed one pike and tried to just pull it out.

The pike it was cold, icy cold it felt like I was touching an ice pillar formed at the top of a glacier, and just like an ice pillar it was fixed.

I pulled it with all my strength even lifting Rayne's body in process, but it didn't budge.

-Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Rayne screamed as I tried to pull out the pike, the chains binding his mouth conveniently disappeared, as if to let me hear him scream and feel even bitter.

But screaming was not all he did, as soon as his first scream was over he turned his head and bit my leg.

...Or that was what he tried to do.

As soon as I felt him move I lifted my leg and instead of pulling out his pike I pushed it in even deeper, pushing his body down.

And followed it with a stomp straight on his face, which turned from one to two and two to three before I finally planted my foot on cheek.

This wasn't that new to me, rather it was nostalgic, I used to fight a lot when I was in school, with juniors or seniors and in my time when it was just 2000s having a broken nose after a fight was a common thing.

But just thinking that I used my school's fighting experience in such a way...

...just that thought, gave me the urge to vomit.

Thankfully, I was just a soul now, and couldn't vomit even if I wanted to.

Still, that feeling was awful, but I couldn't dwell on that, I took a quick peek at the clock,

{3:58}

And found that I had just 4 minutes left, leaving me no time to hesitate or overthink.

So, I didn't.

I just raised my blade and stabbed it down like a dagger, on his back just near the pikes.

Once again I was thankful that this was a soul, if it were a real body then my sword would have probably stuck in his bones and organs.

Also, it spared me from the sensation of cutting down flesh and bones, a sensation that I wasn't ready for.

I felt myself cutting him up.

'This sensation is unpleasant and repulsive but not unbearable', I thought, and that me even more disgusted with myself, but I couldn't and didn't stop.

I circled the sword around the pike and continued to slice through his soul.

Soon, I was done, so I tried again to pull it out.

And this time I was half-successful, the pike was pulled out for a bit, but, it still had a tendril of Rayne's soul attached to it.

A tough tendril that didn't break no matter how much I pulled.

This tendril had to be cut.

The clock was still ticking, so without wasting time I kicked Rayne's cheek a few more times before I crouched down, with my foot still on his face to keep him from biting me.

In a crouching position I pulled the pike again and cut off the single tendril it was attached to it, and honestly that tendril was tough, I had to cut it like a carpenter cutting wood with a saw.

Thankfully, it was done after a few seconds, but before I could even sigh in relief-

-RWARAAHHHHHHRAWARRRHHHHHH

A soul screeching cry of pure agony, assaulted my soul as I felt like it would explode.

Actually, during the whole process Rayne wasn't silent and how could he be, I was literally tearing his soul apart.

He continued to scream but I didn't let those roars distract me as I numbed my mind, but this one was different rather than a simple roar it was more like a Mental attack...

And I knew, I couldn't let this continue just like that.

So, I kicked his face once, twice, and thrice, as much times as it was required, before he finally stopped.

He stopped, but I couldn't.

Another peek and with {2:43} shown in the clock, all my thoughts to take a small respite were brushed off as my survival instinct kicked in.

I stood up, stabbed and cut around all the remaining pikes, circling around them without actually plucking them out.

And when I was done, I had a little over a minute left.

I prepared my mind a bit for the next step, as I considered it being the most difficult one.

And then, I proceeded, I sat on my victim's butt and used both my legs to pin down his head, both of them going around his back.

And then I grabbed, pulled, and cut, exactly like a carpenter.

As such plucked out one pike, after another and another...

Of course, my victim cried out more those soul screeching screams, but it was nothing a few kicks to the face couldn't fix.

Honestly, if my life wasn't on a clock and my victim not hell-bent on killing me, then I would have stopped to pity him for a bit, but not now, and not ever I guess.

Anyways I succeeded, once I knew what and how I had to do it, cutting the tendrils off wasn't that time consuming, so with 16 seconds to spare I was cutting off two of the last pike's tendrils at the same time, and within 3 seconds both of them were cut making a clinking sound as they were finally detached from Rayne's soul.

I sighed in relief as I saw the 12 remaining seconds on the clock, but then, a thought came in my mind...

Why a clinking sound?, the other pikes didn't make any sounds-

But before I could complete the thought I was blown away, quite literally, as I felt my soul being thrown out.

I instinctively became aware of the situation and hugged my only weapon, the sword for my dear life in midair, for it was the only thing that could save me from my victim... or rather my assailant.

Aaahhh, as expected, I couldn't trust that crazy bastard!!

He just wants to watch a good show and for that he could even bend his own rules, just like right now.

I thought till that, before I landed back on the white screen, as rolled a few times on it before finally stopping.

I stopped but my assailant didn't, rather he had no intention to stop, the only thought in his mind was to probably tear me apart.

So, even before I could stand up, I had to block a heavy swipe of his claw-like hand.

The sword and his hand met, producing a piercing sound of metal colliding against metal.

With sheer luck I somehow blocked him, but as a result both my arms twisted in the wrong direction and I was sent tumbling back in air again, and believe me, this blow was stronger and rougher than the first one.

But even then I didn't let go of my sword.

My leg turned in wrong direction, my neck probably broke, but didn't I let go, both my hands though twisted were still clenched around the sword.

I was still mid-air and just as I wondered just how hard he hit me to throw me for so long...

...he appeared, his small body ready to intercept my path mid-air, as a strong silvery light gathered around his clawed hand.

Seeing him like that, I knew it was now or never, so just before I collided with him I twisted my body mid-air, maybe because I was just a soul, even my twisted parts worked just fine, and as a result I missed his claw swipe by a hair's breadth.

But I didn't.

My back struck his chest at that high speed, and both of us flew back, our bodies stuck together.

Without thinking about our position, our speed, or my nausea, I stabbed my sword in his leg, the only visible part of his body for me.

And as soon as he felt that, he grabbed my legs and tried to yank me, to throw me away, but I was faster before he could do anything I shouted, "ABSORRBBBB!", with my sword still stabbed in his leg.

And as soon as I did, the sword in my hands disappeared, instead of a sword it turned into a golden lick flames that quickly grew and fully covered my assailant's body.

He screamed, he roared in the end he even cursed, "CuRSe YoU, YoU FilThY PArasITE!", but in the end, he disappeared.

I was still shocked.

I couldn't believe that I did it, so simply, so easily...

Well, not easily, all of my limbs were broken...

Thankfully, I couldn't feel pain unless my soul was actually damaged, so I somehow didn't lose it and managed to prevail...

Still, it was in a sense, it was too easy.

If Rayne hadn't gone mad, if he hadn't lost himself in fury, and if he didn't want to play catch-ball, with me as his ball, then...

My soul lost strength just imagining that, as it laid on the white screen.

Suddenly, the golden flames fully covering his soul separated, and just as the dreadful scene of 'The Villain Returns' came in my mind.

Thankfully, it was a false alarm as a steady stream of silvery liquid entered my body, no, soul.

And with it I banished that thought from my mind as relief was over me.

Under the steady stream of silvery fluid, my soul healed quickly, my neck got in its place, my hands twisted back to how they were, and my leg jerked in its position.

But even after that the fluid continued flowing in giving me a strange feeling of comfort, while also making me feel stronger, but knowing that it was actually Rayne I was absorbing, I couldn't be even be happy about it. Rather, I was disgusted with myself.

But instead of wallowing in guilt, I stopped my thoughts right there and just accepted the situation.

***

Some time passed; I don't know exactly but around 20 minutes.

The fluid had stopped and the last bits of golden flames surrounding it disappeared from the white plane.

Once again, the space was empty white as if nothing happened.

As if Rayne wasn't imprisoned here for a year.

Right now, there was nothing to even prove his existence, no wait, there was something...

As I gazed around I found that 'something'.

The 'something' that could prove his existence while also being the reason of his demise.

The pikes.

They were just there strewn on the floor, just like trash.

As I didn't know how to get out of here, nor did I wanted to overthink things, so l walked towards them, and it was a long walk, apparently, I was blown quite far away.

But, with my now enhanced soul running up to them didn't take long, in under a minute I was there, near the pikes.

If I said that I didn't wonder what power these pikes gave, then I would be lying, but seeing what happened to Rayne, I just observed them from a distance.

Even though, I already had touched them before, I was still afraid of touching them again.

Now that I looked at them closely, rather than a pike they were more like javelins, simple black javelins with only one end sharpened-

"If you like them so much, why don't you keep them?"

"...!"

My thoughts were interrupted by a voice, that bastard's voice, as he whispered ominous things in that child-like voice of his.

I tried to decline, I tried to say no, I tried to do something...

But I couldn't.

My soul just froze, no matter what I did, it won't move!

"I see you aren't declining, kukhuku, then I will give them to you."

That bastard continued talking with himself...

And much to my despair those six javelins started floating, as they moved slowly to my back as if teasing me.

"Say human, where do you think that woman, obtained this power, and how did she survive for so long if she had it. Someone had to give it to her right?" He continued, his words bringing a single conclusion in my mind, 'It was you.'

But still, he didn't stop,

"Khehekhe, I really like how you catch up fast, but now, think about this, why didn't you think about that till now, when it was so obvious, Khehehe"

Once again his words terrified me as there was only one answer to his question...

"Kukhukuku, once again you are correct, I was here from the start, in your mind, hearing each of your thoughts as I played with them. And considering how many times you insulted me and the Goddess, punishment is in order, kuhahaha."

He laughed as I felt them, all six of them, pressing against my back.

And without a pause they dug in, slowly, painfully, and so wrenchingly, that I felt like I would go mad...

I wanted to scream, I wanted to shout, I wanted to do something, anything, but still I couldn't, as I felt them digging deeper and deeper into my back, until they settled there.

That sensation overwhelmed me, I couldn't see things, I couldn't hear them, I couldn't feel them, I couldn't even feel pain now...

I was now just standing there, without my expression changing as the inside of my mind turned was blank, just blank...

Until I heard from him again, "Kekeke, that was beautiful, amazing, absolutely amazing, even though your face didn't change, the inside of your mind was so colorful that it was my second-best experience in this world."

My mind jolted from his voice, as it started functioning and processing what he said and what he was saying.

"Hey, hey, do you want to know which was my first? Khekeke, you want to know right?, I will tell you..."

He said in a menacing whisper that I didn't want to hear, "What could be better, than torturing a mother's mind to the point that she curses her own child a painful death, just to get for her own release, KUHAHAHA."

He laughed again crazily, madly as if he cracked the world's best joke...

But hearing his last words all my thoughts to submit, to resign, to just endure ended right there.

Even if I couldn't do anything, even if I couldn't say anything, even if it's in just my mind, I will curse you, you bastard, 'Fuck your Goddess, you motherfucking Kasivi-'

"Silence!"

But I realized, I couldn't even do that...

Just one word and even my thoughts stopped, and I felt myself fading away...

And for one the last time, I heard his words echoing in my mind, "It's a shame that I can't do anything in your world anymore, but you know what, I can still watch, so entertain me human..."

Before I faded away...