Chapter 779: The last angle [2]
Three years ago, within a certain room.
‘I should be gone for at least a year. I don’t know how long, but I hope it won’t be too long.’
I sat in silence within a certain room, a knife in my hand. I pressed the knife onto my skin and slowly began to slice as a sharp pain invaded my mind. I ignored the pain and took out a small vial, collecting all of the blood that was leaking out.
‘This should be just enough. I’ll give this to Leon later.’
This blood was going to be very important for later in the future.
But this wasn’t over. Tapping onto my ring, a certain item appeared before my very eyes. It was a tallic block that I hadn’t seen in a very long ti.
“I can’t believe I’m seeing this thing again.”
It was my old phone.
The one that I had previously found within the mirror.
I still had it with .
Back then, I had assud that the only reason I had been given the phone was because of the video contained within it. However, it beca very obvious to that it wasn’t the case. The real reason was sothing else.
It was—
“For this very mont.”
I muttered under my breath, holding onto the old block before turning my attention towards my arm, where a four-leaf clover appeared.
‘Right, as expected… I had foreseen sothing like this happening from the start. No, it’s more accurate to say that everything was going according to what I had previously seen. Perhaps there were a few deviations from the vision, but everything is still flowing accordingly.’
I also ca to realize sothing else.
The Third Leaf…
It didn’t quite make travel to the past. At least, not my body. What it did was send my soul to the past. However, whatever damage my soul would sustain would be reflected on my body.
The Third Leaf was also the key to everything.
That… and the Fourth Leaf.
“…..”
Sitting in silence while staring at the phone, I clenched it tightly before eventually turning my attention towards the tattoo and pressing into the Third Leaf.
The surroundings grew silent right after that as nothing happened.
I sat in silence, waiting for sothing to happen, but even as the seconds ticked, nothing of the sort occurred.
‘How cruel…’
A bitter smile ford on my lips. This wasn’t surprising. The Third Leaf always had its own timing, and I knew that it was waiting for that timing.
In the end, the only thing I could do was take a deep and steady breath.
“H-hoo.”
Forcing myself to calm down, my gaze lingered on my arm, the faint sting still present before shifting my attention towards the knife next to . The blood still stained its sharp end as the cut on my arm slowly began to heal.
I leaned back on the chair, feeling the lingering pain at the back of my head.
I wasn’t doing this because I wanted to.
This step was sothing that I had to do. It was necessary.
“…It should be recovered enough.”
Swiping my hand and putting everything away, I stood up, staggering a couple of steps before collecting myself. While I hadn’t taken a lot of blood, the blood I had collected was of great importance, causing to be in this state. Turning towards the nearest mirror, I looked at my own reflection and paused.
‘I look like shit.’
With my hair plastered to my forehead and my complexion unusually pale, I looked dreadful. It looked like I had just recovered from a high fever.
I slled myself.
‘Thankfully, I don’t sll.’
It was important that I didn’t sll on this occasion. I wasn’t wor—
*
“Are you ready…?”
Toren’s soft words whispered in the air, bringing chills down my entire body as I froze on the spot. My lips trembled, and for a mont, I wanted to shake my head. However, I knew that this wasn’t sothing that I could avoid.
I was simply too weak.
I couldn’t escape him even if I wanted to.
But at the sa ti, I had foreseen this before. I knew it was coming, and I had prepared for it. This was why, as I closed my eyes, I found myself mumbling the words, “…Are you sure you want to do this?”
“? Sure…?”
His tone almost sounded mocking as he spoke.
“Why wouldn’t I be sure? You should know very well that I must do this in order to accomplish my goal.”
“No, I’m not talking about that.”
My face started to relax as I looked at him, my voice growing colder at the sa ti. Although I wasn’t sure, it almost felt as though a certain figure had appeared beside , pressing his hand onto my shoulder as I spoke his direct words.
“There’s nothing that can escape my grasp.”
A few mories flashed across my mind. From the blood leaking from my arm, to the Third Leaf.
“I’ve seen and witnessed everything there is to witness. When I ask if you’re sure you want to do this, what I’m really asking is whether you’ve considered if this was sothing that I had planned in adv—”
I stopped right at the end of my sentence as sothing within started to stir. In that mont, I felt it. The effects of the leaf. They were beginning. In the end, I smiled and laughed.
“Never mind. Regardless of what you do, you’ll always dance inside the palm of my hand. Do what you wish, I’ll—”
I never had the chance to finish my sentence. A hand pressed against my face monts later and my vision turned black right after.
It seed like it was all over.
But—
The mont the darkness faded and light spilled into my vision, an all too familiar room appeared before my very eyes.
[Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to make it quick.]
A voice I was all too accustod to hearing drifted into the air. I slowly lifted my head, settling my gaze towards the TV screen that stood opposite the sofa where a figure sat.
[This is the last step, right? …The last step before my hell is finally over?]
How many tis had I seen this scene in the past?
I had practically lost count. It almost felt as if I could recite every word by heart. But that wasn’t what was important to as I stared at the sofa in front of . Although it was faced against , I could sense the presence that lingered within it.
It was frail and weak.
I didn’t show myself and just waited in silence.
Eventually, a voice broke through the silence.
“Umm… So what do you think?”
My chest trembled at the sight of Noel. He was young. So much younger than the last ti I saw him, and for a mont, I nearly wanted to expose myself to him.
‘No, I can’t.’
Perhaps he had already noticed my presence, or perhaps not, but I chose to remain invisible.
“Not bad? Just that…?”
“What do you want to say?”
“I an… You can lie.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because it’s my favourite ga.”
“Right…”
A smile marred my lips as I stared at the interaction, my chest aching at the sight, knowing that this was probably going to be the start of everything.
Our hell.
“B-bitter. Cough! Cough!”
“Brother!”
Everything proceeded as I rembered. Many tis, I wanted to act, to move, but I restrained myself, holding myself back as a certain numbness settled at the back of my mind.
Eventually, the inevitable goodbye with Noel ca.
“I’ll see you soon… okay?”
“Okay.”
A weak voice followed.
“Good.”
Noel smiled, his gaze falling on the presence within the figure in the sofa before turning his attention towards . The surroundings froze for a mont, until—
Clank!
The door closed, and silence filtered across the room.
“….”
It was a silence that seed to last an eternity until a certain voice shattered that fragile silence.
“W-what are you waiting for?”
My chest stirred in that mont, my throat tightening as I finally unveiled myself from the illusion and stepped forward, stopping next to the sofa and staring at the haggard-looking figure. Although I was already aware of the state that I had been in before passing away, staring at my dishevelled, almost dying figure, sothing within stirred.
“I… didn’t take my future self to be this emotional.”
The frail voice from my past self echoed.
Looking down at him, I opened my mouth and soon smiled.
“I guess it ans that I’m now closer than ever to becoming the eighth god.”
“Right…”
A weak smile ford on my forr self as he looked at . The two of us paused before my forr self lowered his gaze, focusing his attention on a certain box next to the sofa. I didn’t need him to tell what to do as I lowered my body and opened the box on the floor, revealing a long black sword.
A trendous pressure pressed down on the room shortly after as I felt my old gaze on .
“You know what that is… right?”
“Yes.”
The Extractor of Containnt.
…The sword that had been with from the very start.
“D-do it.”
My hands stirred, but I cald myself down and held onto the sword before turning my attention towards my old self. I could see the life slipping away from him, and I knew that I didn’t have much ti left.
Without wasting ti, I moved behind him and mumbled, “Are you ready?”
“A-ah, of course.”
I channeled my mana into the sword. The pressure intensified, and just as I was about to act, his voice echoed again.
“B-before you do it. Can I ask you sothing…?”
I paused, turning my attention towards my old self.
“What is it?”
“It’s… n-nothing much… cough!”
Blood spilled from his mouth as he strained to speak.
“I… I just wanted to know… I-in the future…” He bit his lips, his face quivering. “A-are we happy?”
My body froze, my mind blanking at the sa ti. For a mont, I didn’t know how to respond, the suddenness of the question exploding in my mind.
However, I didn’t remain like that for long.
After a brief mont of silence, I smiled.
“Are we happy?”
It was a laughable question when I thought about how I was in the past.
The answer was obvious.
“Yes.”
Despite the pain, and everything.
“We are happy.”
I was happy.
“G-good.”
A smile lingered on his face as I didn’t drag things any longer and stabbed the sword right behind the sofa and onto his chest.
Spurt!
Blood leaked everywhere as his eyes widened in shock. At the sa ti, I carefully controlled the mana inside the sword.
The sword was called the Extractor of Containnt for a reason.
Because…
It was designed to specifically collect the soul of anyone it stabbed.
Spurt!
Pulling the sword back, a faint glow manifested over it as my old body limped onto the side of the sofa, breathless.
I felt weak at the sight; my mana drained considerably.
‘It’s not over yet.’
I turned my attention towards my arm. Or more specifically, the Fourth Leaf.
There was still a lot that I needed to do.
I pressed on it shortly after, holding onto the sword while waiting for my surroundings to change. I could feel the blood within stir as the leaf activated. But just as I was about to move, the door of the room opened and a figure ca in.
Clank!
The mont he did, our gazes t as his eyes stopped on my corpse.
His expression cracked for a mont before collecting itself as he looked at .
“H-here.”
He tossed sothing shortly after, and I caught it.
“M… make sure to take care of yourself.”
His next words ca out shaking, but staring at him and seeing the thin smile on his face, I pursed my lips before nodding.
“…I will.”
A genuine smile appeared on Noel’s face.
“Take care of yourself… brother.”
I nodded back, and the surroundings changed once more.
This ti, a strong sll of dust entered my nostrils as a faint warmth spread over my body. A large white sun hung in the distance while the world was covered in gray.
Rumble! Rumble!
The world shook in the distance as I turned my attention towards the familiar sight.
‘…The Fourth Leaf worked.’
I stepped forward, only to stop the mont I turned my head.
It was there that I caught sight of two figures, both staring at . A little girl, and… . A younger version of .
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