Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 425: Lonely night
Previously on Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power...
While Saul and Tristan navigated their individual existences, both treading treacherous roads with uncertain outcomes, Sky found himself secluded within his chamber.
The chamber lay shrouded in shadows.
He sat solitary on the floor, his back pressed against the wooden frame of his bed. Beside him to the right stood an uncorked flask brimming with bitter liquor, its pungent aroma overwhelming the entire space.
Night had fallen, and Sky tormented himself by remembering that just a single day remained for him to choose his position, based on the warnings from Awa and Aminata.
Two options lay before him, yet the consequences of selecting either filled him with terror.
Choosing the first meant surrendering his very sense of self. Opting for the second would cost him all the efforts he had poured into his life so far.
Sky felt utterly adrift, his thoughts plagued by terror and uncertainty. He craved a temporary escape, and only the liquor promised to grant him that oblivion.
During such moments of hardship and ordeal, his mind wandered freely like a gentle wind drifting high above the skies, turning toward the life he had abandoned in Darklore.
Those reflections stirred a deep longing for home, filling him with the desire to return above all else. Then his mind would shift to Eimi, pondering what she might appear like these days.
Years had passed since then, after all. Surely she had grown into a dignified awakened lady by now, right?
A faint smile tugged at Sky’s lips as he contemplated her. Recollections of her always calmed his spirit, offering comfort even as heavy worries weighed down on him.
Yet those very recollections sparked a single haunting question in his mind... the very question he had grown afraid to even consider in recent times.
Tonight, however, with his thoughts clouded by the alcohol, Sky allowed himself brutal honesty. He wouldn’t recall much come morning anyway.
"Who... what... am I fighting for?" Sky’s words came out thick and stumbling.
What drove him to push so relentlessly?
From the start, Sky yearned simply for power, to shed the skin of the timid fool who cowered in the shadow of a woman—no, a mere child’s—protection.
He sought the strength to safeguard the child who had shielded him, and to exact revenge for his mother’s tragic end.
That fire had propelled him to journey to Fokay, urging him to ascend the ranks of the brutal underworld contest even as fear gnawed at his resolve.
But circumstances shifted as he progressed. New faces entered his world, bonds of friendship formed, and he witnessed one of them perish by his own actions in the merciless trial orchestrated by a ruthless dragon.
’Was that the turning point?’ He mused, a tired grin forming as he swigged more of the drink. ’Was that the moment I started craving not just survival and strength... but dominance and ruin?’
Indeed. That marked the true beginning.
The loss of a companion.
Much like his mother’s passing had ignited his thirst for power.
Death shadowed his every step. Death layered upon death upon death upon death.
Precisely because of that, he had distanced himself from his allies, suspecting that perhaps he himself brought doom wherever he went.
Still, in moments like this, Sky yearned for his companions’ presence beside him.
With a heavy sigh, he swallowed another gulp of the liquor, his eyes shutting tight.
He kept drinking, swig after swig, until he collapsed onto the floor, lids drooping halfway. Then laughter bubbled from Sky—a low, hoarse rumble—as images flickered through his mind.
Scenes of his younger self with his mother still breathing; moments of him observing Eimi devouring the meals he smuggled to her in the filthy, grimy backstreets; glimpses of Maryam’s warm smile as she mended his wounds following brutal contests.
He believed those were the only memories surfacing.
But suddenly, another visage etched itself into his consciousness. Katy’s face, beaming with tender and bashful affection toward him, her fingers intertwined softly with his.
Words escaped her lips directed at him. Yet Sky refused to listen. No, his soul couldn’t endure yet another weight. And love weighed heavily indeed.
Thus, he chuckled and wept simultaneously, persisting in that bittersweet turmoil for what seemed an eternity until slumber claimed his awareness.
Finally, Sky drifted into sleep sprawled on the floor, saliva trickling, whispering regrets to those he had let down, and yearning for a grasp to clasp his and lead him to realms of brightness where shadows fled.
Yet no such grasp appeared.
Solitude enveloped him completely. And the road stretching forward awaited only his solitary steps.
...
"Why are you crying?" Rory inquired, her voice laced with concern, as she beat her wings in frantic circles around Eimi.
"I..." Eimi’s eyes grew a bit wider, her fingers lifting to brush away the tears trailing over her face.
"I... don’t know?" She whispered, puzzled herself about the source of her tears, aside from the overwhelming surge of grief that engulfed her entirely.
It was as if her chest clenched in a cruel, iron grip. Such agony only arose when thoughts of Zaki consumed her.
Worry gleamed in Rory’s avian gaze.
They occupied Eimi’s tidy chamber, adorned tastefully in shades of blue and white.
Nighttime had arrived, and by now, both ought to have been resting, since the coming dawn heralded a crucial day for each.
"Try to sleep," Rory rasped. "Tomorrow we head toward the Lake of Azure. The journey stretches far, so rest is essential."
"I know," Eimi replied, dabbing at her tears with her hand’s backside. "But sleep eludes me, Rory."
She hesitated, then ventured softly, "Could you... would you please employ your ability on me?"
Rory shook her head at once, her wings fluttering more vigorously, with evident frustration. "No!" She cried out. "No, Eimi! It’s harmful, as I’ve warned! Your thoughts will grow dependent on it!"
"Please," Eimi pleaded, fresh tears streaming even after her efforts to dry them. "Only for this night. See my state, Rory, or I’ll lie awake. Something feels off with—"
She cut herself short.
"Last time, you claimed the same!" Rory protested.
"This occasion truly ends it."
Rory let out a sharp cry of annoyance, fixing her stare on Eimi’s woeful expression.
Aware she couldn’t deny her, she nipped lightly at Eimi’s cheek, drawing a sharp gasp of discomfort from the tearful girl.
"Rory!"
"Master Kaden charged me with your well-being!" Rory snapped, her eyes stern. "Yet at this pace, you’ll cause me to break my vow to him."
Eimi lowered her gaze in embarrassment, bereft of any rebuttal.
Letting out a weary sigh reminiscent of an elderly woman, Rory grasped the exhaustion of tending to a youth consumed by aching yearning.
She drew near Eimi, resting her wings gently on either side of the girl’s face. Eimi’s eyes sparkled with sudden hope.
"Last time," Rory cautioned, prior to activating her illusion power, immersing Eimi in a realm where Zaki remained by her side, sharing games and mirth.
Evoking the bygone days. Surpassing even those cherished times.
With that, Eimi settled serenely onto her bedding. With that, she finally achieved slumber, her features relaxed into a satisfied grin.
Rory observed her, her expression furrowed in concern. Breathing out once more, she perched upon Eimi’s torso, joining her vexing companion in repose.
—End of Chapter 425—