[78.6] Mystery POV: Unique Among Clones

****Disclaimer: This part of the chapter has depictions of gore, death, and violence that some may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.*****

…He was beautiful.

Heavenly, almost.

His reddish blonde hair looked like the finest silk and it shimmered in the faint beams of light.

His face was similar to that of an angel and his smile made his entire face curve and lighten up, able to cause any heart to flutter…

However, this angelic man was truly a devil.

Glancing at the symbol on his clothes, I recognized him as an extremely high-ranking priest.

That must be why the temple priest is acting so kind.

I tried to avoid eye contact with the angelic man and heard his soft voice, "Look at me."

It was as if a drum was struck in my heart, his voice was so entrancing it pulled me in. I was forced to look into his eyes.

Deep within, I had a crawling sense of disgust as if something was trying to warn me just how evil this man truly was.

"I heard you were much too compassionate." He chuckled and tilted his head, "Do you think you are the Holy Goddess?"

I quickly spat out, "No, sir."

The temple's priest spoke up, "You must refer to him as My Lord."

I corrected myself, "No, my lord."

I watched a look of contempt cross the angelic man's face before it quickly returned to a sickly sweet smile, "Okay. Then let me give you your first lesson."

He dropped my face from his grip and moved me to stand in front of the priest, "Okay. Stand right there."

I remained where I was.

"Great. Priest, I don't want you to move."

The priest looked confused, but he understood the hierarchy so he too didn't move.

The man pulled out a long sword from his waist and showed it off, "You like it? I got it from the corpse of an enemy. Every time I kill someone, I like to take something they own. This sword was very interesting, it's long and thin. So the person feels less pain, but they die quicker. Isn't that interesting? Well, I don't usually like to use it because those two things are the things I hate the most. However, in this case, I would rather use it."

I listened to his story about the sword, confused to the point.

I felt a sudden force into my chest, ripping through my body, cutting into my heart, and passing clean through me. My eyes lowered in shock, staring at the hilt of the sword pressed into my chest.

As I heard the priest moan in pain behind me, I realized this man had driven the sword through my body and into his.

"However, I do like seeing those expressions-" The man smiled tantalizingly, "-The expression of knowing you're about to die, but not yet accepting it."

Each pump of my heart sent blood into my chest and out of the hole. My heart desperately tried to heal itself, but the blade was still stuck inside preventing it. My legs shook as I felt my strength leaving. I grabbed the blade to support my weak legs.

"Don't worry. You'll like it soon enough. You clones are all the same. It doesn't matter if the power was granted by the Holy Goddess or if you were given it through birthright-"

I created a sharp light, busting the sword from within my body and casting it out. The sword shattered and fell to the ground. I could hear the heavy thump of the priest falling to the ground and knew that he was no longer alive.

I collapsed to my knees, breathing heavily as I held my bloody chest. Once it healed, I suddenly realized my mistake. I looked up in a panic to see the angelic man looking a bit surprised.

"Hmmm? You just made a decision on your own…"

I gulped.

In the past, the priests would always punish me for that…

That was bad enough, but I don't want to even know what THIS man will do to me.

He's already cut off my hand and stabbed me through the heart. 

I don't want to know what he considers a punishment.

His shock was quickly replaced by an ominous smile, "Come. Follow me."

I bit my lip as he passed by and walked out the door, kicking the priest's dead body on the way out. I forced myself to follow, keeping my head down as he talked.

"They said you're too compassionate… But that's an easy trait to quell. Well-" He laughed joyfully, "-Except for my darling pup. His compassion never ends. You should meet him. You'll fall in love with him just like I have."

His… Pup?

He has a dog?

Somehow this man doesn't seem like a dog person.

"I also received reports that you think of the clones here as your comrades?"

I flinched.

He laughed, "What a joke. They don't even have emotions. They are just puppets."

You're wrong.

We arrived outside where the temple's priest and my fellow priestesses were waiting. The priest bowed his head, "I have them all here as instructed."

He walked over to the priest, "Can I borrow your sword?"

The priest did as he asked. The angelic man walked behind the first priestess in line and raised the sword. He turned to me with an ominous smile, "Let me demonstrate since I can see you don't believe me."

"Don't move." 

He swung the sword, cutting off her head.

My eyes widened, but I held in my gasp.

He moved to the next girl, "Don't move."

Once again, he cut off her head.

He moved to the next and did the same.

He didn't even blink when the blood splattered his face.

I looked at the Temple's priest in a panic but was surprised to see he also looked shocked by the other man's actions. However, he didn't try to stop him.

Ah…

That means…

This man…

This man is so important that he can do whatever he likes.

The last two girls saw him coming and panicked. Seeing the other girls obediently get their heads cut off filled them both with dread. Knowing they were next, they both looked at each other to convey a message. One girl sprinted off into the forest, abandoning the temple while the other girl ran in the opposite direction..

The man turned to me with a smirk, "This is your next lesson… Don't ever let them get away."

I watched in horror as he chased the first girl down, chopping off her legs so she could no longer run, then he sprinted to the other and grabbed her by the hair. He dragged her to the other girl and started mutilating them, laughing as they cried and begged for forgiveness.

I felt bile surface in my mouth and lurched forward, puking as I listened to their cries.

After he finished killing them, he let out a disappointed sigh. He tossed back his hair and strolled back over to me, "I thought they would last longer than that."

My body trembled as he got closer.

"In the future, don't call me 'my lord'. It really pisses me off." He forced my face up to look at his. I could feel the blood dripping down his slender hands and onto my cheeks as he smiled, "My name is Orphelio-"

My blood chilled.

"-And I'm going to be in charge of you from now on."