’Now that’s scary,’ I thought. I can’t approach her recklessly as I thought to be. If she so ever touches a single strand of my hair, I would imdiately rot.
Kara’s laughter echoed in the bubble, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Didn’t it ever cross your mind that this could also be your burial place? How stupid!"
I gritted my teeth, feeling the pressure of her words. She began to advance toward , and instinctively, I backed away. She was right—trapping her inside my space could just as easily lead to my own demise. But if I deactivated my skill, she would unleash her wrath on the innocent people still trapped in the cell.
I quickly tied my hair tightly in a bun, trying to clear my mind and focus. I needed a plan, a way to outsmart her without putting myself or the others in danger.
"You’re not as clever as you think," Kara taunted, her eyes glinting with malice. "You’re just prolonging the inevitable. Sooner or later, you’ll have to make a choice."
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "Maybe, but I’m not the one who’s trapped here. You’re the one who’s stuck in my space, and I have the upper hand for now."
Kara’s eyes ignited with a feral red glow. "You think you can keep contained forever?" she hissed, raising her hands as the scent of rot seeped into the air.
I gripped my dagger tightly, feeling the cool tal hum faintly in my palm. One wrong move — one single touch from her — and the blade, or worse, I would rot away like dust.
Suddenly, Kara lunged forward with terrifying speed, her hands stretching to grab , aiming to activate her ability with a re touch. I dodged to the side, narrowly escaping her grasp, the edge of her ragged nails slicing the air where I had been monts before.
"Pathetic," she sneered, her voice filled with cruel amusent. "You hide behind that silly trick of yours."
I circled cautiously, eyes flickering to her hands, anticipating the next strike. Without warning, Kara snapped her fingers. Deadly green tendrils of decay flickered at the tips of her fingers, twisting and curling like serpents slithering toward .
I lunged with the dagger, aiming for her exposed forearm, but as soon as her glowing hand closed around the blade, it began to wither and crumble into dust in my hand.
I cursed under my breath and threw the remnants aside. Now weaponless, I had to rely on my wits and speed.
Kara advanced with a predatory grin, her fingers itching to touch . I twisted and ducked just in ti, feeling the sickly breath of decay brush against my skin, threatening to corrode all it touched.
Spinning swiftly, I swept my leg at her knees, trying to topple her. She stumbled but recovered instantly, grabbing my arm and squeezing fiercely — a burning pain erupted, and I felt my skin start to sting, already rotting where her touch lingered.
With a surge of desperation, I brought my free hand to grab a handful of her hair, yanking hard and breaking her grip. She hissed, recoiling, but her eyes burned with fury.
I grabbed another dagger and plunged the blade into her side, the cold tal piercing through the corrupted flesh.
"AAAAHHH!" Kara scread as ink-like blood blossod where my dagger stabbed her.
She staggered, montarily off-balance.
Seizing the mont, I darted forward, pushing all my strength into a final strike, but Kara’s hand shot out again, grazing my shoulder. The burning sting blossod anew.
Pain threatened to overwhelm , but I focused, driving the dagger deeper into her heart.
Her glowing eyes flickered wildly before returning to their usual brown color. "T-Thank you," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper.
I stopped, staring at her in disbelief. Wait, I can sense this was the real Kara, the girl trapped beneath the Rogue’s influence. "W-Wait, you’re still alive," I stuttered as my hold on the dagger loosened. "I can still save you."
Kara grabbed my hand, urging to drive the dagger deeper. "D-Don’t stop... Just kill ... The Rogue is still alive... But because of the pain, it seems she pushed back here to feel it instead of her," she said, a bittersweet smile gracing her lips.
"Why are you smiling?" I exclaid, panic rising as I tried to stop the bleeding, knowing it was futile. "Why did you even offer your soul to the demon?"
"I just... wanted to... make my parents... proud of ," she coughed, blood spilling from her lips. "And that happened because of the Rogue that’s living inside of ... I’m also thankful to her..."
Suddenly, her eyes turned red again, the Rogue reasserting control. "You idiot... What are you thanking for? Even after knowing that you can’t reincarnate... after selling your soul... you still made a deal with our god..."
Her eyes shifted back to brown, and it felt as if I were speaking to two different people. "Haha... That’s okay... I’m really thankful for the tis you took over my body... You’re not a Rogue... You’re human... At least to ... Even though you talk like that... deep down, I know you really cared for ... And that’s already enough... I’m ready to leave..."
The red color returned to her eyes as her gaze softened. "Shut up already and just sleep! Don’t wake up now..." Then she suddenly glared at . "And you... I can sense that your soul inhabiting that body is also different... You aren’t from this world, are you?"
My eyes widened at her remark. "H-How did you know? Please tell !"
Kara only smirked at , a hint of mischief in her fading gaze. "Since you killed , I won’t ever tell you how I knew that. But as a reward for not killing imdiately, I already stopped the decay that’s starting to spread on your body."
"I don’t care about my body! I just want to know how to leave this world!" I exclaid, desperation clawing at my throat as I sensed her breathing growing slower, more labored.
"For all I know, it’s not your ti yet..." Kara muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as her body began to shimr.
"No! Please!" I shouted, panic rising within . "You can’t leave like this! I need your help!"
But her form continued to dissolve, the vibrant colors of her essence fading into a cloud of dust that swirled around . I reached out, fingers grasping at the air, but there was nothing to hold onto.
’It’s not my ti yet? What did she an by that? Does that an the only choice I have left is to reach the end of the story?’ I thought as the space around began to dissolve, the remnants of the Void Space fading into nothingness.
I slowly stood up, wincing in pain as the stinging sensation from where Kara had touched flared up. The decay was still there but I couldn’t afford to linger on it.
I quickly donned a mask, concealing my identity as I approached the people locked up in the cell. Their eyes widened with a mix of fear and hope as I deactivated the resonance inhibitors one by one. Their cries of gratitude filled the air.
Once they were free, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a phone I had taken from one of the Rogues I had killed on the ground floor. I tossed it to them. "Call for help," I instructed, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling in my mind.
As I turned to leave, I could hear them calling after , their voices filled with gratitude and confusion. But I ignored them, focusing instead on the task at hand. I needed to contact Kairos.
I lifted my smartwatch and quickly typed a ssage, my fingers flying over the screen.
[Mission complete. There are also twenty people that are trapped here. Make sure to request additional fees for saving them.]
I hit send and took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart.
I touched the wound that I received and it hurt. I don’t know if I’m hurting because of the pain, or the part where not all Rogues are evil just like I described in my novel, or the part where I’ll be stuck here forever.
At that mont, my smartwatch beeped. It seems that Kairos replied back.
[Good job. We will deal with the rest now.]
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
3 Hours Later, Monday
As soon as I arrived at the academy, I quickly took a shower, the hot water washing away the gri and exhaustion from the night before. I changed into my uniform and with no ti to spare, I rushed straight to class.
Luckily, there was no professor yet, and as soon as I sat down in my chair, my head hit the desk. I was physically and ntally drained, the weight of the night’s events pressing heavily on my eyelids. I hadn’t slept a wink, and in my haste, I had forgotten to apply any ointnt to the wounds that still throbbed beneath my uniform. I scratched my head as I also forgot to check on Glacier and greet Macaron.
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