Isla looked exactly the sa as the one he knew. From her beautiful face to every other feature she had, that was Isla through and through, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was seeing her in that place, Arthur would've imdiately run to her.
However, there was one single detail about her that made Arthur realize that it wasn't Isla at all. It was her… vibe. Looking at the girl, Arthur didn't feel the sa way he would feel whenever he saw the real Isla.
Usually, whenever he sees that girl, he has a sense of excitent and happiness. Her presence alone gave him more confidence and more hope, even in the worst tis possible. She was a source of strength for him, unlike anything else he had ever experienced.
With ti, that feeling beca sothing he sought instinctively. He found himself looking forward to seeing Isla the next day or when he went into the ga. He started enjoying talking to her more and more, feeling their connection growing stronger and stronger.
That was why perhaps when she said those words to him, it hit him way harder than he expected. It devastated him, and he wanted to deny that reality.
But, ironically, when he saw this Isla, everything cleared up for Arthur. He knew the feelings he was experiencing, and he knew how the real Isla made him think.
"You…"
"Why did you not co back, Arthur?"
At that mont, he heard the girl speak to him in the sa voice and tone he knew and liked.
"I'm waiting, Arthur… Why are you not coming back?" She asked again in a sad tone as she looked at Arthur with her beautiful eyes. "Is it that you don't want to see ?"
"..."
"Is it because of what I said that you refuse to face ?"
"No, no, I'm…"
"Training? Is that really what made you decide to stay or… Are you afraid of facing ?"
The question struck Arthur a little unexpected. He blinked, staring directly at the image of Isla his head created.
"Afraid… of facing you?"
"You could leave. You wanted to tell sothing, didn't you? Then why don't you leave now?"
"..."
"I never thought you were soone who feared , Arthur. I thought you were the only exception that didn't." Isla said as she started walking forward, approaching Arthur very slowly while speaking. "I expected you to be the only exception who would see for … A human like you. Why? Why did you change, Arthur?"
"..."
Eventually, she stopped in front of him, their eyes still in deep contact, not moving away for a second. Even when he knew that she was clearly a creation of his own imagination, Arthur couldn't resist looking at Isla. She was simply that beautiful.
The two went silent for a good few seconds. Isla stopped talking and waited for the boy to reply. His expression was blank and hard to read, but his eyes were flashing with a myriad of emotions.
"Why did I change?" He muttered as his eyes closed for a mont, and then he tilted his head down. Slowly, small giggles escaped his lips. He started laughing audibly, his shoulders shaking because of it.
"Change, huh? You know, you made realize sothing just now, fake Isla."
"..."
"My mind really sucks at recreating people I love." He said. "You don't sound like the real Isla at all."
Saying that, Arthur slowly stepped forward, closing the distance between them as he smiled in her face. His smile wasn't a normal one at all.
"Isla will wait for . I know she will. You can try to play any way you want. I'm not that sa weak, clueless guy." After saying that, Arthur moved forward as if he was about to slam into the girl.
However, he was able to pass through her surprisingly. The mont he did, she turned into mist and vanished completely.
'As I expected, that was another trick my mind created to try and make give up. Bastard.' Arthur clenched his teeth as he continued the journey, feeling the sa pain and ntal torture assaulting him from every angle.
Each minute from there on was nothing but hell on earth for Arthur. He had never had a worse ti in his life, or a worse experience for that matter. He had fought monsters, he had fought his own insecurities, and he had fought death. However, never did he have to fight himself… His body and mind together.
This was a fight that no amount of strength could be enough for. It was a fight of pure and utter chaos.
"Screw this… Screw all of this!!"
***
*Several hours later*
Yonathan sat in his chair, his eyes closed while his people were working around him, going about their business as usual. However, today, there was a rather odd atmosphere around the place.
The group was talking about this new human that appeared in the void. This was their first ti interacting with soone from that distant place.
They had only heard tales about the outside world from Yonathan, who was the only person there who had been out there before. He told them about the things they had never experienced, and it truly fascinated them.
Things like light, and buildings, and different foods. They had never thought such things existed until he told them about it.
However, they didn't understand why their leader, Yonathan, had decided to teach this stranger their sacred technique. He had hard their comrades, and they naturally didn't feel safe around him. Still, nobody dared to defy Yonathan or question his decision.
That man was the reason everyone there was still alive, and he will be the reason they remain alive.
At that mont, the doors to the place opened, and a man rushed inside. Imdiately, Yonathan opened his eyes, seeing his worker approaching him urgently. When he got close, he stopped and looked at the old man.
"Speak."
The man then quickly pointed outside with a pale expression.
"Hm? Did sothing happen to the boy?"
The man nodded his head eagerly, making the old man frown. 'It has only been 7 hours… Did he already give up? Tsk…'
The old man imdiately stood up and walked toward the exit, followed by his curious people. They all walked outside, expecting to find Arthur completely unconscious. However, the reality was far different from that.
The entire path was covered in a visible blood trail. It was a horrifying sight, and in the middle of it, Arthur lay on the ground, motionless.
"..." Yonathan's eyes widened as his eyes slowly shifted to his man. "How many laps did he do?"
'It can't be… It has only been 7 hours. It would take him a day to at least do that task… It can't be…'
However, when his man spoke, all those expectations shattered. He said words that turned the old man into a dumbfounded ss.
"100… No… 150?" The man muttered what his man said again and again. "Why did he do 150?"
'No, hold on. How is that even possible? Forget about ti… 150! It's impossible to do that! The pressure from the stones would've already reached an unmanageable degree by the-'
At that mont, the old man's eyes caught Arthur moving. It was a simple gesture that he did.
Arthur lifted his arm up with his fist clenched.
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let's keep it up!
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