’Overwhelming.’

That’s how I’d describe Tharvek.

Staring at him as he stood completely still, his white robe fluttering faintly while his hands were clasped behind his back, I swallowed quietly as I pushed myself up.

"Well, not bad, I guess."

For obvious reasons, I had no choice but to hold back.

But even then...

’I probably didn’t need to hold back. The results would’ve been the same unless I used my Emotive Magic and Curse Magic. ’

No...

Would Emotive Magic even work on him?

The more I interacted with him, the more I started to doubt it.

He was still completely blank in my eyes.

"You."

Feeling his gaze, I raised my head to meet his gaze. He smiled.

"You were pretty good."

"T-thank you."

I tried to sound tired and worn, which I was to some extent, as I brought myself up.

Tharvek continued to smile while looking at me. I thought he was going to say a few things to me before letting me go, but the moment I brought myself up, I felt a sudden change in his expression.

"...You’re holding back."

My heart skipped a beat.

Nevertheless, I pretended to be oblivious.

"I can tell that you’re pretty strong. When we fight, I feel things. I can easily tell when someone is strong. You’re pretty strong."

"Thank—"

"But you’re holding back."

"I can see it."

Tharvek stepped forward, his empty eyes focused on me.

"You may not realize it, but I can see how you look at me. I can see the defiance in your eyes as you look at me. You’re thinking... calculating."

What sort of...

"You think that you can defeat me."

Tharvek laughed.

Then—

BANG!

"Uerkh!"

At speeds that I could hardly react, I felt a powerful fist land against my stomach. The pain was intense, forcing me to clutch my stomach with both hands as I stumbled onto the ground, gasping for air.

Grabbing the ground, I looked up.

Tharvek stared at me from above.

"You’re a beast."

His voice quietly echoed across the space as he raised his foot and pressed it against the back of my head, forcing it down.

BANG!

Pain engulfed my forehead as he smashed it down.

"———!"

I didn’t scream.

Having dealt with pain my entire life, I knew how to handle this much pain.

But the issue at hand was the boiling rage that I felt within my chest.

’Should I just kill him? There’s no one here besides the guards. Should I just fucking kill him...?’

For just a fraction of a second, the thought surfaced inside my mind. However, I was quick to shut the idea down. Even if I could kill him, the commotion would just be too grand. I’d no doubt attract the attention of Dawn.

I wasn’t worried about Tharvek, but I was worried about Dawn.

"You’re a patient one."

Tharvek’s voice drifted from above as he raised his foot again.

I clenched my teeth, waiting for him to strike me again, but...

That attack never came as Tharvek moved back.

"Well, I don’t mind a strong one as my guard."

He chuckled, his hands interlocking behind his back as I raised my head to look at him.

"You’re probably thinking, why am I not punishing you further? ’ But there’s really no need for me to do so. You’ve already taken what I’ve given you. You’re already in my grasp. Unless you want to die, you can try to defy my commands."

I glared in his direction. Since he thought of me as defiant, I had to act the part.

Inwardly, I was a lot calmer.

’So that’s what he’s betting on.’

I felt more relaxed.

He probably assumed that my body was corrupted, and it was to some extent, but I was different compared to the past. I knew how to handle it now. I knew how to remove the ’Outer Energy’ from within my body. Or at the very least, contain it.

"Get up."

With his words drifting once more, I forced myself up.

Touching my forehead and feeling something wet, I pulled my hand back to see streaks of blood across my fingers.

In that very moment, something seemed to shift.

I blinked.

The air suddenly felt more stale, and my movements grew stiff as I slowly raised my head, noticing the world around me had slowed significantly.

Blinking again, the surroundings underwent even more changes.

The very space around me seemed to elongate in both directions, and when I saw my surroundings starting to change, I understood.

A vision.

I... was experiencing a vision.

Swoooooooosh!

All of a sudden, the world shifted completely as my vision turned completely dark.

I lost track of all of my senses, only for the strong stench of blood to fill my nostrils a moment later.

After which, I started to hear screams and wails.

’H-help...’

’...P-lease help me.’

’Hel...p me.’

They sounded desperate.

A strong heat followed, and when I finally managed to catch a glimpse of my surroundings, my breath came to a complete stop as a familiar city came into view.

The walls lay in ruin as monsters poured in from every direction, their roars and shrieks filling the air. Above it all, a massive creature loomed, its presence so overwhelming that it made it hard to breathe, descending from the sky as it tore through the city, ripping apart buildings and sending entire sections crashing down in clouds of dust and debris.

Below, people fought desperately amid the chaos, their cries drowned out by the destruction as blood and torn flesh were flung across the streets, painting the ruins in grim, violent streaks.

’Ahhhhh—!’

Screams followed from all sides as I felt my feet sink into the sand, my body slowly moving away from the city.

Moving away from the city, I seemed to be carrying something on my back.

And when my head finally turned, I caught sight of a familiar face.

Noel!

My heart nearly leaped from joy.

Suddenly, everything started to make sense as I felt delighted in my heart.

’I did it...! I saved Noel!’

From the very start, this had been my goal. I had thought long and hard on a way to rescue him, and while the plan in my mind wasn’t perfect, I knew that it could have worked.

And it did!

Hahaha.

Had it not been for the fact that I was merely a spectator, I would’ve most likely laughed.

But my laugh didn’t last long as my steps came to a sudden stop, and a figure appeared in the distance.

"Y-you..."

Her voice was hoarse, and her entire body was in tatters.

I struggled at first to grasp her identity, given how disheveled she was, but soon enough, her face became clear to me.

Kiera...?

"Y... you."

"Kiera."

My voice drifted out smoothly.

"...I’ve managed to accomplish my task. We can finally return."

"T-that’s all you have to say?"

Kiera remained where she was, her expression shifting through different shades as thin black veins began to form beneath her skin, spreading faintly across her face. I felt my brows furrow as my lips opened.

"Learn to control your emotions. You’re starting to turn."

"Ha."

My words only served to make her even angrier, as even more veins began to appear.

"You... you’ve really changed."

Changed...?

"Do you not see what’s behind you? Do you not see what you’ve done to all those people?"

My mind drifted back to the scene. To the numerous people who fought against the monsters and the screams.

"... To... achieve your goal, you’ve let so many people die."

My brows furrowed once more.

"I didn’t take you for a sentimental one."

My voice felt cold.

So cold that it almost didn’t seem like me.

"Ha."

Kiera laughed again, her body trembling before she fell back into the sand.

"Did Leon’s death affect you that much?"

What?

All of a sudden, images flashed across my vision.

Cheers.

Blood.

A sword...

A figure standing above the blood.

"You know... You could’ve most likely saved him. It’s just that you didn’t. He was starting to get in your way. In your way to save him."

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...!

"Leon tried his best to stop you. He tried his best not to let you spiral, but as if a switch had been flipped... You stopped caring about anything else. Be it his life, or the life of the people that exist within this place... You cared nothing for it. I..."

Kiera leaned her head back against the sand, her face completely pale as her eyes started to turn completely dark.

"...Y-ou’ve become exactly what you described the gods to be."

Her lips quivered.

"A monster."

Her voice drifted in the air, echoing loudly inside my ears.

In that moment, time seemed to come to a complete standstill as all noise ceased and the vision paused.

Despite this, my mind remained blank, my thoughts drifting back to the situation.

W-what...

What did she...

I could hardly make sense of what she said. No, I couldn’t believe it.

This was the future?

Impossible.

I immediately tried to deny it.

There was no way.

There was—

"Well, this is an interesting sight."

My entire mind stiffened as the voice drifted through the air. Though I wasn’t in control of a body, it felt as if I could hear my own heartbeat echoing in my chest. A figure appeared close to me, quietly observing everything with an amused, almost knowing smile.

He stood next to Kiera, quietly observing her features before bending down to get a better look as his lips pulled into a smile.

"...This is one of the calamities?"

Standing before me, his features were obscured, a dark fog veiling half his face and leaving the rest barely visible.

But even with his features hidden, I knew who he was.

That voice. That poise.

Sithrus.

"Hm?"

As if sensing my thoughts, Sithrus slowly turned his head, and our gazes met. In that moment, his lips quivered before a smile spread across his face as he shifted his gaze between me and the figure on my back.

"Well, well."

He started clapping all of a sudden as I felt the air around me suddenly constrict.

Clap! Clap!

"You did it! You’ve rescued Noel!"

He sounded genuinely happy for me as he clapped.

But I knew that it was all fake.

He wasn’t happy.

In fact, I couldn’t even tell what he was feeling as he shifted his attention behind me. Towards the city as he pinched his chin.

In the end, he just laughed.

"You never change, Emmet."

His voice was filled with amusement.

"Even when your mind is sane, you never change."

What...

"To you, no life matters besides that of your brother. That’s why I am not scared of you. The past is repeating itself. What you’ve done to us... you’re now doing it to them."

Toren’s voice grew lighter.

"You’re not fit to be a God of Emotion. You’re too much of a psychopath to become one."