-------------------------
-------------------------
[Ruination System Activation: Seventh Mission]
Objective:
Convert a non-believer into a believer!
Reward:
Completion of this task will grant you 100 Ruination Points (RN).
-------------------------
-------------------------
'Oh, so now I have to convert her...'
Serafine mused, recalling the ti she "captured" Mariella. To be honest, conversion hadn't been the plan at all, it was just a little chat, a bit of flirting here and there which were definitely not for religious reasons, and a deep dive into each other's personalities. So, looking at Clara now, she wondered... how on earth was she going to pull this off?
"You know..." Serafine slid into the seat next to her, flashing a soft, almost endearing smile. "I, myself, didn't know I was a fake."
She definitely did know. But denial was such a charming thing.
"Stop lying," Clara shot back, unimpressed.
"I'm not lying!" Serafine protested, putting on an earnest face. "You see, ever since I was a baby, everyone told I'd save the world. And I believed it! I really did. Turns out, though, I was a fake. Wasn't ant to save anything. I honestly believed the gods had given a second chance, even though, between you and , I didn't exactly believe in them to begin with."
"You really didn't know?" Clara raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.
"I didn't! I truly thought they were giving a chance to redeem myself," Serafine insisted with a fake sincerity. Of course, she hadn't even tried to redeem herself, but admitting that? Nope, not in this lifeti. "How about you, though?" she asked, leaning in with curiosity. "What's your big story?"
"And why should I tell you?" Clara crossed her arms, giving Serafine a skeptical look.
"What? I'm not entirely heartless."
"Fine," Clara groaned, taking a deep breath. "I'm actually an orphan. A swordsman found when I was a kid, took care of as I grew up... but then he died."
Serafine's eyes widened briefly, then quickly masked her surprise with a casual sip of air. 'Welp, there goes the plot twist.' She gulped, then leaned in, her voice tinged with feigned intrigue. "I'm listening..."
"Others wouldn't take care of , but that wasn't the worst of it. The day he died, a part of died too," Clara continued, her voice steady but distant. "So, I ca to you, hoping to find what I couldn't find in myself. Hope."
"Is there even such a thing in this world?"
Clara blinked, clearly taken aback. "You're really asking that? The one who shattered all such beliefs?"
"If you ask , things like hope and aning don't an much in this irrational, aningless existence. But, you know, just my opinion."
"That makes no sense from you," Clara scoffed, her brows furrowing. "So you're not looking for power?"
Power? She hadn't really been thinking about that, to be honest.
Power was definitely fun to hold, but it wasn't power itself that got the adrenaline pumping. It was the sheer thrill of fun.
In a world so dreary and depressing, where everyone was too busy preying on each other's fears, life could get pretty boring and serious.
'Why bother with all the heavy stuff when you could just stir things up and enjoy the chaos?' She was mostly just following the Ruination System and seeing where it took her.
"Nah, I just want to have fun. Besides, it's so cringe being power-hungry."
"What does 'cringe' an?"
Serafine almost chuckled, realizing that words like "cringe" didn't even exist in this world. "Oh right, that term's a bit... out of place here. Basically, I'm not a good person, and I can't stand how serious everything is."
In the world of politics, everyone was a mind ga master, always wearing those fake, aningless smiles. Even as a saintess, she had to play that sa ga. It was exhausting, how everything and everyone felt the sa. She needed a little more kick in her life.
"I an, you have to admit, I'm pretty hilarious," Serafine said, holding out a hand with a cheeky grin.
"Right, you just abused ..."
Such an overreaction. I rely made you clean, that's all. And hey, I didn't kill you."
"You have a point..." She took Serafine's hand.
Both of them stood up, and Serafine flashed a playful grin. "Won't you have fun with ?"
"What? So, like, you're gonna create a cult of fun?"
"Good idea!"
All it needed was a leader and a belief to rally around. And fun? Well, as a philosophical belief, it wasn't exactly weird, and Serafine definitely had the makings of a cult leader. Social science studies would call her "charismatic," and frankly, she was pretty sure she nailed that category.
'I'm pretty charismatic...'
"Wait... You're serious?" The girl couldn't help but snort.
"Co on, when was the last ti you were truly happy?"
Clara paused. "I don't know..."
"Then..." Serafine grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she grabbed Clara's hand and tugged her along.
Before Clara could protest, they were both standing at the edge of the river, the cool water lapping at their toes.
The moonlight danced on the water's surface, casting a silvery glow over everything. Serafine's laughter echoed in the quiet night as she tugged Clara into the water, her feet squishing into the soft, wet earth beneath.
At first, Clara was stiff, reluctant, her body tense with rebellion and nervousness.
She shot Serafine a questioning look, as if unsure what kind of madness she was being dragged into.
But sothing about the gentle sway of the river, the playfulness of the mont, started to work its magic.
Her shoulders loosened, her frown softened, and slowly, her feet began to move with the rhythm of the water.
Serafine, already fully imrsed in the mont, let out a joyful shout as she splashed a handful of water at Clara. The cold droplets splattered across Clara's face, and before she knew it, a laugh escaped her lips—a laugh she hadn't realized she was holding back.
"Oh, you're so asking for it!" Clara grinned, her initial reluctance lting away as she bent down and splashed water right back at Serafine.
The night beca a blur of laughter and playful splashes, their feet kicking up the cool water with abandon. The moon hung high above them, bathing them in its soft glow, while the river murmured its song beneath their feet.
Reviews
All reviews (0)