Angel Monarch-Chapter 446: Lost and Forsaken

A searing pain arced through Henry's body, unlike anything he had ever felt before. Unimaginable agony consumed his entire existence, as if his very soul burned hotter than the sun.

He tried to scream, but his mouth, throat, vocal cords, his entire body disappeared. There was nothing left of him, just a suffering thought floating along the empty space between realities.

His physical body was gone, and his mind became jumbled…

'Where am I? Why does the pain never end? Who am I? What have I done to receive such harsh punishment?'

Many questions went through his mind, yet he couldn't find a single answer. The never-ending suffering consumed Henry's entire personality and sense of self, leaving nothing but a confused husk.

Wherever he was, even time couldn't reach him. Eternities went by, yet not a single second passed.

The pain lessened, or maybe he simply got used to the agony. However, as his suffering disappeared, Henry still felt lost, as if something blocked him from forming a cohesive thought!

'What happened? What is this sticky feeling? Where has the pain gone? Was it ever there? I feel like I'm forgetting something important… Or maybe someone important?'

Henry's mind felt groggy, as if something heavy kept weighing it down. When he concentrated on the feeling, he could only see a small white larva, which glowed light blue.

He couldn't recall what this creature was, but it somehow felt important. With slow movements, the Prince reached out using his nonexistent hand.

Even without his physical form, Henry could feel the larva's sticky surface… It was extremely disgusting, yet he didn't stop touching the monster…

'Wait? Monster? Why did I call this creature a monster? It's just a harmless larva… Or is it? I can't remember…'

The longer Henry spent in this state, the less coherent his thoughts became. He felt the control of his mind slip, like strings falling through his fingers.

Panic rose in the Prince's remnant mind. He desperately searched for a way to regain control, but no matter how much Henry struggled, his life began slipping away.

A heavy mist veiled his memories, hiding all the knowledge and experiences Henry had collected throughout his brief life. He couldn't access them, but still… Deep in his heart there was a tiny spark, a feeling which brought warmth to his soul…

Out of options, in his last moments the Prince concentrated on that tiny spark. The warmth exploded throughout his entire soul, and a single picture, a fragment of a memory, appeared in his mind.

A young girl with shoulder-length white hair and a near-perfect face. Her white eyes looked up, her mouth open in laughter.

The lone imperfection, a scar stretching from her brows to her left jaw, but for Henry, it only made the girl more perfect… Because she gained that scar when she saved his and his friends' lives!

"V… Vic… Victoria… Princess Victoria… My love… How could I forget you?"

Memories flooded Henry's mind, and soon his personality rebuilt itself. The fragments fit each other perfectly, creating a young man's tapestry of life!

After he pieced everything together, everything became clear. His body rebuilt itself too, and now Henry floated in the empty void, gazing at the lone larva floating an infinite distance away.

The disgusting monster's light grew much stronger. It illuminated the surrounding void, which revealed nothing, since nothing existed in this forsaken place.

"I remember everything now. I'm Prince Henry, logistical and strategic leader of the Angelic Order. I'm here to save the love of my life, and all our friends!"

The larva didn't react to his words; it just continued pulsating, which made Henry nauseous. However, he didn't take his eyes off the beast, no matter how disgusted he felt.

He felt the monster's consciousness. It wanted him to look away, to lose his regained control. Instead, the Prince just chuckled and took one step closer.

"I know this place, this infinite void! This isn't the real world. It's not some spiritual plane either, or a different dimension. It isn't another Realm, or something more mysterious. I recognize this place! How could I not?… Who wouldn't recognize their own mind?"

The larva's pulsating halted, which meant it understood some of Henry's words.

The Prince's smile widened as he took another step towards the larva. The distance hadn't decreased by the looks of it, yet somehow Henry felt closer to the beast.

Henry followed his gut feeling and kept walking through the emptiness towards the glowing larva. Its pulsating turned more frantic, as if the little beast was afraid.

A sudden laugh escaped the Prince's lips as he walked. While this entire scenario was terrifying, it was also extremely ridiculous.

When he woke up today, Henry never imagined he would walk through his own mind to subdue a creature called Larva of Time, which can help him save Vicky.

"This must be a dream designed by Lilith as a horribly distasteful joke. Reality was never this bizarre!"

While he laughed and spoke to himself, it was nothing but an attempt to let time pass faster.

He knew perfectly well how real the past few hours had been. The pain of loss still seared his heart, yet he pushed forward. If everything went well, he could hopefully save everyone!

A wide smile grew on his face as he imagined Vicky's joyful expression, but then her severed head appeared before Henry's eyes, plunging his mood back into the ground.

The larva used the moment to burn brighter. Henry's control began slipping again, but this time his hands closed in around the strings of his sanity.

"I won't fall for your little trick twice! I might feel sad, but don't mistake my melancholy for losing control! Be prepared, I'll absorb you and use your powers to save Vicky!… Either that or I'll die trying!"

The light died down a bit, as if the larva was sulking. Henry didn't care about its feelings, though. He just continued walking until the infinite distance turned finite.

Since time didn't exist in his mind, moving through an infinite distance became possible… It just took an infinite amount of time!

Henry's desire to save Vicky burned bright, so walking for infinity didn't sound so bad.

His progress was slow, but not nonexistent. Each step brought him closer to his destination. After some time, he felt the larva's burning light. It seared his skin, yet Henry only smiled at the painful sensation.

The tiny creature squirmed the closer Henry got. It couldn't escape his mind, but also had no weapons or powers to defend itself with. The beast could only wait as the Prince arrived near it.

By the time Henry arrived to the larva, his skin and muscles had partially melted. However, that didn't stop him. It did the opposite, pushing him forward to achieve his goal.

The Prince reached out his hand and grasped the tiny monster. When his skin met the larva's, the burning pain disappeared, and his entire body healed within moments.

A deep breath invigorated his body, and a wide smile spread across his face.

Henry felt deathly exhausted. He preferably would sleep for years, but couldn't. This was nothing but the first arduous step towards his goal of saving everybody!

However, he took a few minutes to compose himself. Only after his mental state returned to normal did he begin the second part of his plan.

"Michael said I couldn't absorb or control this little beast, so how the hell can I use it? Evolving shouldn't be this difficult, but I guess this is an Unknown creature. It overwrote the norm, creating its own set of convoluted rules…"

He thought about it for a long time while watching the disgusting creature squirm in his palm…

"So I can't absorb you entirely, and controlling you isn't an option either… However, what if…"

Henry concentrated on the area around the larva. Dark blue strings appeared around the creature, weaving a small cage, perfect for the tiny monster.

Its light dimmed, and its squirming stopped. The cage contained all the larva's attempts at taking control of Henry's mind.

All the fight left the tiny beast, which made the Prince's smile turn into a cocky grin. He couldn't help but laugh at his minor victory.

"Okay, second part done! Now, how do I actually use this thing's power? What ability did I receive upon killing it?"

"Hmm… The Evolved's ability is always similar to the monster they Evolved with. What did Michael say about the Larva of Time? They travel back to the beginning of a Universe until they gain enough power to devour it…"

The Prince's speech halted as he began realizing what ability the larva gave him…

"The Larva of Time can travel back in time, which means… I can travel back in time? That's how I can save Vicky and everyone else? By rewriting the past, which would change the present and future!"

Henry stared at the larva for a long time, trying to control his turbulent mind. This power, the implications, the potential… It felt way too overwhelming…

However, deep down he already felt it. The energy moving through his veins.

Reality began falling apart around him as the infinite dream came to an end. He would soon wake up, but not at the same moment in time!

The Prince's eyes ignited with dark blue flames. He concentrated on the searing pain in his soul, and let it guide him to a different time...

"Let's change the past! So I can save the present!"

Reality broke into fragments, and Henry's eyes snapped open…