Chapter 610: Stolen Prey
“But that’s a double-edged sword.” Marcus continued, almost to himself. “If I actually managed to break a Battle Angel…”
“…what would be left?”
“After tormenting a goddess, everything else would feel meaningless. There would be nothing left to strive for. No challenge. No excitement.”
“Just…emptiness.”
He shrugged again.
“But who cares? As long as I get to experience that moment—that rush one final time—I don’t care what happens afterward. My life would be plete!”
He opened his eyes and looked directly at Charlotte.
“But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I need to deal with you two.”
“Mika!” Charlotte grabbed his arm again, her voice rising with panic. “Mika, please. Let’s go! Let’s get out of here right now! I’m begging you!”
But Mika didn’t move. He just looked at her—and in his eyes, she saw something that made her heart stop.
Apology.
“Sorry, Charlotte.” He said quietly. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to escape from here.”
The world stopped.
“W-What?” Charlotte’s voice came out as a whisper. “What do you mean?”
Mika sighed. His expression was tired—so tired that he looked decades older than his actual age.
“The only reason I knew you were in trouble is because I set up a monitoring device in your bedroom. It tracks your vitals—heart rate, breathing patterns, brain activity. I knew you were going to go back to exploring dreams. I wanted to be ready.”
Charlotte’s heart swelled. Even when he had been angry with her, even when he had been ignoring her, Mika had still been watching over her.
“Tonight, I noticed your heart rate was fluctuating erratically. It was subtle—much more subtle than last time—but I could tell something was wrong. I went to your room and tried to wake you up, but I couldn’t. You were pletely unresponsive. Like you were in some kind of a.”
He rubbed his forehead, exhaustion evident in every line of his body.
“Getting into this place was even harder than last time. It took…a lot out of me.” He smiled wryly. “But I managed it. I found you.”
“Then we can leave the same way you came in!” Charlotte insisted. “Just like last time—you opened a door and pulled me through—”
“It’s not that simple.” Mika shook his head. “Last time, the dream I entered belonged to a mentally ill patient. His mind was fractured and chaotic, but he was still just a normal mortal. Breaking through his dream was relatively straightforward.”
He looked at Marcus, who was watching their exchange with the patient smile of a predator who knew his prey had nowhere to run.
“This time is pletely different. Marcus isn’t just a Blessed—he’s a SS-Class Blessed with absolute control over this domain. The moment I entered, he became aware of my presence.”
“And now that I’m inside…”
He let out a heavy sigh that came from the bottom of his heart.
“…I can’t do anything.”
“It’s like I broke into a house through a window, but now the alarms are blaring and all the doors are locked and the security system is armed. There’s no way out.”
Charlotte’s legs gave out. She sank to her knees, her whole body trembling.
“No.” She whispered. “No, no, no…”
“Everything is under his control now. I can’t do anything.” Mika knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her head. “I’m sorry, Charlotte.”
“Then why?” Charlotte grabbed his shirt, her voice cracking with anguish. “Why did you e here, Mika?!”
“If you knew you couldn’t escape—if you knew you’d be trapped too—why did you show yourself?! You should have stayed away! You should have—
“Should have let you die?” Mika knelt down in front of her. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“YES!” The word tore itself from Charlotte’s throat. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying!”
“You should have let me die! If one of us had to survive, it should have been you!”
“You’re the one who holds everyone together! You’re the one Mama and everyone else depends on! I’m just—I’m just the spoiled brat who causes problems and never learns her lesson and—”
“Charlotte.”
“—and now you’re going to suffer because of me! Again! Just like last time! Just like always!”
“Why, Mika? Why do you keep saving someone as worthless as—”
Mika flicked her forehead again.
“Ow!”
“Stop talking nonsense.” Mika’s voice was gentle but firm. “I didn’t e here because I calculated the optimal oute. I didn’t weigh the pros and cons and decide you were worth the risk.”
“I came here because I heard you calling for me, and there was never any choice at all.”
Charlotte stared at him, tears streaming down her face.
“You’re not worthless.” He continued with a gentle gaze. “You’ve never been worthless. You’re Charlotte—the most annoying, stubborn, infuriatingly confident girl I’ve ever met.”
“You drive me crazy. You never listen. You charge headfirst into danger without thinking about the consequences.”
He reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“But you’re also the girl who lights up every room she walks into.”
“The girl who makes everyone around her smile without even trying.”
“The girl who, despite being spoiled rotten her whole life, has a heart so pure that she can’t walk away from people who are suffering.”
He smiled—that rare, genuine smile that Charlotte treasured more than anything in the world.
“I didn’t e here because it was the smart thing to do. I came here because I love you.”
“And…hehe…no amount of logic or self-preservation is ever going to change that.”
“Mikaaaaa!”
Charlotte broke down pletely. She threw her arms around Mika and sobbed into his chest, her whole body shaking with the force of her emotions.
She had been so scared. So convinced that Mika hated her. So certain that she had ruined everything between them forever.
But he was here. He had e for her. He loved her!
And now they were both going to die.
“Well.” Marcus’s voice cut through the moment. “This has been a very touching reunion. Truly. I feel privileged to have witnessed it.”
He waved his hand lazily. “But I’m afraid playtime is over.”
Suddenly, Mika vanished from Charlotte’s arms.
She gasped and spun around to find him strapped into the same chair she had occupied moments ago, metal restraints binding his wrists and ankles.
“MIKA!”
She lunged toward him, but before she could reach the chair, another one materialized beside it—empty, waiting.
“I’ve prepared a seat just for you, Lady Charlotte.” Marcus said, appearing behind her. “A princess such as yourself deserves only the most respectful treatment. Allow me to strap you in myself.”
“Noooo!”
Marcus’s hands closed around her shoulders to pull her away and strap her in for some fun.
But—
His hand passed straight through.
Charlotte froze. Marcus froze. For a long moment, neither of them moved.
“What?” Marcus’s voice was confused. He tried again, reaching for her arm. His hand went through her like smoke. “What’s going on? Why can’t I—”
He grabbed at her again. And again. And again.
But each time, his hands passed through her body as if she were made of mist.
“WHAT’S HAPPENING?!”
Marcus’s posure cracked for the first time since Charlotte had met him.
“WHY CAN’T I TOUCH HER?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
Charlotte looked down at herself. She could touch herself just fine—her hands were solid, her body was real.
She reached out and pressed her palm to Mika’s cheek. Solid. Warm. Real.
But when Marcus tried to touch her, he couldn’t.
“I don’t…” She started.
A soft chuckle interrupted her.
“Haha…”
Both Charlotte and Marcus turned toward the source of the sound.
Mika was smiling—that same calm, knowing smile he always wore when he had figured out something that everyone else had missed.
“You—!” Marcus snarled, grabbing Mika by the collar of his pajamas and shaking him.
“WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU LITTLE BRAT? What The Hell Did You Do To Her?!”
Mika didn’t flinch. He just looked up at Marcus with those steady, unshakeable eyes.
“You idiot…” He said calmly.
Marcus’s grip tightened. “What did you say to me?”
“I said you’re a fucking idiot.” Mika’s smile didn’t waver.
“Did you really think I came here without a plan? That I just threw myself into your domain with no way to protect her?”
“I’ll kill you! I’ll tear you apart piece by piece!”
“Probably. But you still can’t touch Charlotte.”
Marcus’s eyes were wild with fury. “What did you do?! Tell me!”
Mika glanced at Charlotte, who was watching him with the same desperate confusion as Marcus.
Then he looked back at his captor.
“The moment I entered this domain, I knew I couldn’t break out the same way I came in. Your control here is absolute. The doors are locked. The windows are sealed. There’s no escape.”
“Then how—”
“But I also knew I couldn’t just stand by and watch you hurt her. So I found an alternative.”
Marcus’s golden eyes narrowed. “What kind of alternative?”
Mika’s smile widened.
“I did exactly what your blessing does. I took Charlotte’s consciousness and transferred it into my own.”
Silence.
Marcus’s grip on Mika’s collar loosened. He took a step back, his expression cycling through confusion, disbelief, and dawning horror.
“You…what?”
“Your domain is too powerful for me to fight.” Mika explained, his voice calm despite being strapped to a torture chair.
“You’re the absolute god of this realm. I can’t break through your barriers. I can’t alter your reality. No matter how hard I struggle, you can undo everything with a snap of your fingers.”
He paused, letting the words sink in before a cunning glint appeared in his eyes.
“But Charlotte’s consciousness was pletely unguarded toward me. She trusts me. So I was able to reach into her mind and pull her consciousness into my own. She exists in my domain now—not yours.”
Marcus stumbled backward, his face pale with shock.
“That’s why you can’t touch her.” Mika continued with a smug gaze. “She’s not in your world anymore. She’s in mine. And unless I allow it, you’ll never be able to reach her again.”
Marcus shook his head slowly. “No. No, that’s impossible! You’re just a child! How could you possibly—”
“I’m a fast learner.” Mika shrugged as much as his restraints would allow. “And you’re not as special as you think you are.”
“You steal people’s consciousness and drag them into your playground. I did the same thing—except I only took one person. And I put her somewhere you can’t reach.”
He leaned forward as far as the restraints would allow.
“I’ve taken your prey, Marcus. The prize you wanted so badly…”
“…I’ve stolen her right out of your hands.”
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Illustrations have been posted in the ment section…Check them out!
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