(16) Past life

Escaping the suffocating room. Alexander made his way in a random direction. He doesn't have a destination in mind. He only wants to find a quiet and peaceful location far from any chaos.

He stops for a moment to breathe and slowly calm himself. He was pissed and disappointed that he let his emotions get the best of him.

'I should rest.'

He retreats to his room to rest and waited for the day to end.

As he lay in bed, he was notified by Anna who is been quiet for quite some time.

("I waited for some time to let you know that you completed a mission on your chain quest. Alexander, the first reward will be very important for your future quests so I recommend it for you to claim it and mastered the ability as soon as possible.") There was a hint of urgency in her voice that evaporates all of Alexander's sleepiness.

He immediately raises from his bed and opens his status. He opens his missions and there, he saw the difference in the chain mission.

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{Quests\Missions}

• Join Chaldea...

• Saving the protagonists = The future protagonist of the world, Mash kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru need your help. Protect and guide them to solve the abnormalities that will destroy humanity.

First Reward: Clairvoyance(Gilgamesh's)

Second Reward: (Enkidu: Chain of Heavens)

Third Reward: Unknown

Fourth Reward: Unknown

...

Type: Quest Chain

Time limit: 5 years

Status: Ongoing

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"When did I... Is the chain quest related to the singularity? If that were the case then that made a lot of sense, anyway, claim the rewards, Anna."

("As you wish")

Ting!

("Congratulations Alexander for completing one of the chain missions. As a reward for your endeavor, you were rewarded with eyes that could see the truths of creations. Clairvoyance.)

• (Clairvoyance) Rank: C (Active) = A special type of Clairvoyance that enables the user to see the world's truths behind the facade of reality. It allows the user to see the target's true name, and their noble phantasm weaker than themselves.

'Jackpot! The first sentence description is confusing but the second half did the job of explaining its purpose.'

The skill was perfectly convenient for him since the skill will provide him information about his future enemies.

He easily activated the skill as his blood-red eyes started to glow, giving him a more menacing look. With his new profound eyes, he looked around in his room and he easily notices the difference.

For once, his surroundings become much "clearer". He could see the tiniest detail like a spec of dust on top of a shelf, or an ant crawling 40 meters away from him. But before he could celebrate the discovery, he felt an excruciating headache.

("Alex, deactivate the skill! Your brain could not handle a large amount of information. Just take it slow for now.")

He followed her advice and deactivated the skill. His eyes return to their basic state as the same as his vision. The headache soon follows as it disappeared like it never exists in the first place. Alexander sigh in relief.

Since Alexander was satisfied with the reward, he lay once again on the bed and closed his eyes, waiting for the day to end...

•••••••••••••••••••••••

"What the hell are you idiots doing! You can't even find a woman!" A six-foot-tall man wearing a samurai outfit, what seems to be the leader, roared. From his harsh words and gestures, the word "Tyrant" fits his personality best.

"B-but sir! That woman is a fox demon uses some kind of sorcery to confuse our man." one of the men sheepishly argues.

He immediately regrets opening his mouth as the general's terrifying eyes glared in his direction causing his face to go pale.

"Do you think I give a damn! that demon poison our emperor! if you didn't bring her head to me by sunrise, I will personally behead you in front of your wife and kids!"

The poor man nodded like a pecking chicken as he quietly retreated.

Alexander watches the scene before him with a dazed look in his eyes. The general reminds him so much of his so-called father that abused his authority to bully those below him.

He immediately notices that his emotions are getting to him once again so forcefully calm himself down and accesses the situation.

"Where am I? am I dreaming?" He pinches his chin with his fingers as he looks at the scene with indifference.

"They haven't noticed me... No, it's more like they can't see me... if this is a dream, then why does it feel so real."

("You are seeing the past experience of Tamamo-no-Mae.")

Anna's response comes out of nowhere that it caught Alexander by surprise. Usually, if he was having a dream, Anna would not be able to interact with him but this circumstance seems to be different from his past dreams.

"Oh, I see. I do remember that there is a weird phenomenon related to seeing the dreams of your contracted servant... So this is that phenomenon... it's fascinating I'll give it that."

("Yes, that's correct.")

"From what I could remember, a master will experience the past related to his/her servant and the same way could be said from the servant's side... Wait, does that mean..."

("You have a guess correctly, The woman Tamamo-no-Mae is currently experiencing your previous life experience.")

"!!" Alexander's eyes widened.

("You have nothing to worry about. I could influence what kind of memories she will experience. I picked the times where you are young and vulnerable-")

"Of all the memories you could have picked, why does?" Alexander said with a frown.

("I apologize if I overstep the boundaries...") Although the tone of her voice is still monotone. There was a hint of guilt in it.

"No, it's okay, just remind me next time..."

("Of course, thank you for your forgiveness. You are kind, Alex.")

"Stop joking around. Me? a kind person? I'm sure you of all people know how wrong that statement is, Anna."

("...")

Their conversation stops there as Alexander continues to watch the scene from the sidelines.

'Wait, something's wrong. If this is Tamamo's past, then where is she? she should be here somewhere...'

Alexander scans the area but that was proven to be futile as he was not able to see a glimpse of her no matter where he looks.

("She is hiding below the table on your far left")

Alexander looks where she was referring to but still didn't find her familiar figure. What he saw though was tiny fox-like hiding in one of the legs of the table.

'Is that creature what you're referring to?' he said as he points his figure at the little fox.

("Yes.")

'Is that her?' Alexander didn't believe it. But that's when Alexander realizes a powerful skill that Tamamo knows.

"Her shapeshift ability..."

But before could Alexander analyzes her, the scenery changes. Instead of being inside a hut, he found himself in the middle of a grass field.

His sense of hearing was dominated by the sounds of multiple horses galloping in the distance.

"Find her!! Our scout saw her in this direction!"

The one who shouted was the same tyrant he saw earlier.

"Sir, I found her footprints!" one of the men reported.

"Good! lead the way."

Alexander was able to hear them from his position. For now, he ignores those fools and looked for Tamamo.

This time, he easily spots her figure but when he saw the state she was in, rage overwhelms him.

Tamamo state was extremely bad, her body is covered in blood and her back is full of arrows that made her look like a porcupine. Her hair was disheveled, and her beautiful face is covered with blood and mud.

What made Alexander made even angrier is the fact that her usual two foxtails become a single tail. He saw blood dripping in where the other tail used to be, it wouldn't take a genius to understand that someone purposely slices them.

(An: I changed her story a bit if you haven't realized yet)

"You bastards..."

Alexander was aware that what he was seeing is nothing more than a dream. But he couldn't stop himself from getting angry. He was not aware as to why he was behaving this way but all he knows he that he will never forgive those who did this to her...

That's when Alexander realizes that those fools are probably dead since a long time should have passed. These thoughts calm him down but that didn't stop him from glaring at the samurais.

He could only helplessly watch as the game of cat and mouse unfold before him. He watches the scene while clenching his hand while praying for her safety even though he knew it's pointless.

His heart feels like it was about to burst when he heard her cries and her stuttering voice who is asking for forgiveness.

Hours passed by which felt like an eternity for Alexander, that's when the climax of the dream started. His eyes remain on Tamamo the whole time, it was a good idea since the one comes next shocked him.

Tamamo, who is covered in wounds began to regenerate at a fast rate. One by one, the arrows that are stuck to her body begin pulling themselves from her body. Her wounds begun to heal and her tail regrow back to its former state. Her regeneration ability reminds Alexander of his previous enemy, Berserker.

"Alright, I have enough! Let's do this!"

Her eyes that previously showed the emotion of sadness, sorrow, and guilt now filled with determination.

That's when a massacre began. Alexander becomes joyful as he watches the soldiers fall one by one. He even laughs as he saw the fear in the man's eyes.

But that joy didn't last long as no matter how many Tamamo killed, another soldier will replays their place, not giving Tamamo any space to breathe.

From thousands to hundreds, and then to a few. Alexander continues to watch Tamamo killed everyone.

As the last soldier to fall, what remained was the general who commands the army. Both of them were surrounded by thousands of dead bodies.

"Hahaha, you believe that you won, fox demon? Don't celebrate yet, although you killed five thousand of my men. There will be another seventy-five thousand more for you to kill."

The general laugh as he saw the despair in Tamamo's face.

"Why? why do you want to kill me so much?" She asked while crying between words.

"Why you asked? Because you are a monster that poisons the Emperor..."

"I told you, I didn't-"

"There's no point in lying, woman. We know it's you! Because of you, our emperor is laying in bed, dying..."

Tamamo didn't bother to argue as she only watches the man took his last breath.

*HONK!!*

A loud sound of a horn vibrated in the air as it traveled to where Tamamo's at.

Tamamo looked where the sound of a horn was coming from only to saw a terrifying sight of thousands of arrows that block the sun coming on her way. She immediately enchants a barrier spell. Unfortunately, she was slow as a few arrows pierce her shoulder and thighs.

She moans in pain as she looks at her enemy with hatred.

This way the moment in her life that she truly believes that she was stupid for believing that humans are worth her time. She wiped the tears with her bloody hands as she charges at the alone fighting seventy-five thousand soldiers...

**INHALE**

Alexander immediately sits up from his bed as he started to breathe heavily. It takes him a few minutes to calm down. He noticed that his bed is soaked in his sweat. Without a care in the world, he quickly removed his shirt and pants and went for the bathroom to take a shower.

The feeling of water splashing on his skin made him relaxed.

"Anna, why is that dream feel so real..." He asked in a tired, hoarse voice.

("It because of the invisible thread that connects your lives. Remember your connection with Tamamo-no-Mae as a servant is not just a master-servant relationship. Your connection with her runs deeper than anything else in this world.)

"Is that the reason why my heart hurts so much?" He said as he gently put his hand against his chest.

("I... I'm sorry, Alex. I have no understanding of human emotions. I can't answer that question.")

"There's no need to apologize, I'm only talking to myself, that's all."

Turning the shower off, he dried himself with a towel. He grabs new fresh and comfortable clothes from the treasury and puts them on.

He replaces the soaking bed with a king-size bed and put it near the window.

Satisfied with the renovations, he jumps from into the air and landed in the soft and comfortable bed. He lay there for a few minutes, organizing his thoughts.

'I should visit Tamamo just in case something happen...'

Deciding that laying there would be a waste of time, he decided to visit Tamamo. Fortunately for him, the other person seems to have the same idea as him as he was getting up from his new profound bed, the woman who is been in mind for a while visited him.

"Master, are you awake?"

Her voice echoed through the silent room that it startled Alexander.

In a panicked, he replied in a hurried voice, "Yeah, I'm awake!"

"Master? is something the matter? you seem hurried?"

"No, it's nothing. Do you need anything?"

He tried his best to reply calmly and serenely but his fast-beating heart made it harder for him.

'What the fuck is happening to me?! Will you calm down you stupid heart or else I will rip you out from my chest!'

"U-um yes, Can I come in?"

"Go ahead, it's unlocked."

The futuristic door slide to the side as the beautiful figure of Tamamo greeted him. Flashes of when Tamamo was wounded appear in his mind. He couldn't help but compare the two figures... That's when he noticed that her eyes and cheeks are a bit red and small tears linger on the side of her eyes.

"I don't why you are so concerned for me when you have tears in your eyes. So tell me? what's the matter? what's the thing that troubling you that made you cry, Tamamo?"

Although he already knows the answer to his question, he wants to hear her experiences when she saw his past.

She hurriedly wiped the lingering tears and her eyes and put on the brightest smile she could muster. But to Alexander, it was the saddest smile he has seen in a long time.

"It's just, I dream about your past, master. I saw the hardship and pain you been through when you were just a little kid made me cry a little..."

'Compare to what you been through? mine is nothing in comparison.'

He wants to say those words but ultimately stops himself.

"I see..."

There was an awkward moment between them, but Tamamo's next words are definitely what Alexander wasn't expecting.

"T-then, Master! Can I shamelessly ask you to hug me?"

Alexander froze. With the different scenarios he foresees, this outcome is not one of them. It takes a while for Alexander to process those words but before he could reply...

"A-actually, never mind that I said that. Good night, Master."

She escaped. Alexander could only watch as she walked away in a hurry with a blush that covered her entire face.

'What the fuck just happen?'

With all the events that unfold, it will be a sleepless night for both of them.

{An: Hey beautiful Bastards, I know, I'm still alive. This week has been a living hell for me because of school shit. But hey, I'm back!

Anyway, what do you think about developing romance, do you think I'm rushing it? or am I doing just fine? Let me know about your opinion since it will help me a lot.}