Endless Debt Chapter 718 - 205: Peace

Lula’s Secret Energy doesn’t have any combat capabilities. Functionally speaking, she’s more like a doctor, a psychologist. By using her Secret Energy, she can influence others’ memories to some extent and mend mental wounds, thereby maintaining a healthy mental state.

At first, this Secret Energy wasn’t what Lula desired. She longed for a Secret Energy akin to Wind Source, which would allow her to fly freely over endless seas. But Lula fell in love with Nolen, and in order to care for him and heal his mind, she chose to implant this Secret Energy.

Thanks to Lula’s Secret Energy, whenever Nolen’s Illusion Syndrome flared up, causing his mind to spiral out of control, Lula would always soothe Nolen’s spirit like a loving mother, restoring his calm.

Sometimes Lula felt divinely chosen, that her arrival was meant to heal the Motleys’ nightmare. Yet, she discovered that not all nightmares could be smoothed over, such as Hert’s nightmare.

It was a nightmare sufficing to drive any ordinary person mad, one that couldn’t be healed, only forgotten.

Boiling Ether roared endlessly in Hert’s veins, while intense light burst forth from Ethereal Blades. He intended to give Nolen no chance to counterattack. Lebius had already arrived; if he didn’t seize this moment to kill Nolen, he wouldn’t have another opportunity once faced with Lebius.

Nolen couldn’t see his brother, nor the deadly blades. All he could see was absolute light.

At this moment, his fighting spirit had nearly vanished. Past guilt continued to torment him, yet in the next instant, Nolen rallied his courage once more. He couldn’t die just like this; it was an escape. Even if only for Lula, he had to survive.

Simultaneously, Ether surged within Nolen’s body, while Lula extended her hand from behind, touching Hert. Along her icy fingertips, Secret Energy merged with Ether and flowed into Hert’s body, thereby influencing Hert’s mind.

In an instant, the world in Hert’s eyes distorted and warped again. Nolen disappeared, Lula vanished too. He left the burning Paradise and appeared above a roaring sea.

Angry flames burned on the sea’s surface, wreckage of ships rolled amidst the waves, countless silhouettes struggled in the water. A wave struck, taking away all sounds, as if a brutal sea battle had just ended anew. On the far-off sea surface, a burning cargo ship slowly sank into the sea, like a dead whale, powerlessly plunging into the deep ocean.

Hert blinked; he had no idea where he was or what had happened here. Everything before him was utterly unfamiliar.

He should be battling with Nolen, yes, he had struck a deal with the Devil to gain powerful strength. He almost killed Nolen... almost...

"Dad..."

A frightened and weak voice sounded beside his ears, stabbing into Hert’s heart like a dagger.

Hert slowly turned his head; he was on a lifeboat, and on this small craft were his wife and daughter, aside from himself.

"Hert, what have you forgotten?"

A voice came drifting with the sea breeze and dissipated in the air.

"Damn it," Hert fumed angrily, "Lula, is it you playing tricks!"

Hert vaguely remembered Lula’s Secret Energy. She belonged to the Void Spirit School, a bastard manipulating others’ memories. Ever since finding out Lula was treating Nolen, he detested Lula.

Hert knew why he detested Lula. What he truly hated was himself, disgusted by the murderous memory hidden deep within his mind. He didn’t want Lula to uncover it all.

Attempting to summon Ether, Hert found his Secret Energy unresponsive, or perhaps it did respond, but he was in a hallucination, his perception of Secret Energy blocked.

"Hert..."

The woman held the girl tightly, hiding in the stern, their eyes filled with fear.

"Shut up!"

Hert cursed, "You’re not real!"

His eyes anxiously scanned around. Due to his dread of Lula, this was the first time in so many years that Hert was captured by Lula’s Secret Energy. Hert didn’t know how to escape from this bizarre hallucination, resorting to any method he could think of.

Taking a step forward, Hert decisively leapt into the sea, letting the icy water engulf him. Hert’s body became increasingly heavy, as if tentacles from the ocean depths had grabbed hold of him. He guessed he was about to return to reality. His consciousness grew blurred and vague until, at the silent darkness’s end, a light shone.

Hert felt a surge of warmth, initially gentle, soon becoming unbearably hot, like standing close to a furnace, the heat gradually intolerable, blinking his eyes that nearly burned blind by intense light.

An incredibly clear sky, and a blazing sun that couldn’t be looked at directly.

Hert was terribly thirsty now, his throat dry, skin tingling as if sunburned. He slowly rose, seeing the woman and the child sitting opposite him.

The woman curled up, shielding the girl under her body to prevent her from the sun’s direct rays. Yet even so, the high-temperature air kept draining moisture from the two, like a slow and cruel punishment.

"No... it’s all fake."

Hert didn’t dare look at that scene. His wife and daughter lived inland, living a stable life, while he fought aboard Paradise. Everything before him was a hallucination crafted by Lula.