Episode 4: Twilight (13)

‘What… the hell is going on here?’

Eugene was unconscious. Lowe appeared fine, she was even nursing an unknown woman.

“Gl… is tha… you…?”

“...Yes?” Glenn tilted his head.

“Hah…” The lady exhaled shakily, struggling to find her bearings.

“Miss August, what was the last thing you remember?” Lowe asked.

“Last… I… died? I… died, why…” She looked frantic, as if the situation she was in wasn’t supposed to be.

“C-Calm down. Calm down… I was too hasty. Let’s take this one at a time, okay? If you can’t think, don't think. Focus on breathing for now.” Lowe carefully soothed her.

‘So who exactly is this person? And why is Eugene unconscious?’

Was this some kind of misunderstanding or another trickery?

“Lowe… can you explain what’s going on?” I sighed, the exhaustion coming from my voice surprised even myself.

“The situation…” Lowe swallowed her words.

Her gaze kept alternating between the woman named August and Glenn who was having a kind of staring contest. August was the first to break eye contact. She tightened her grip on Lowe’s hand and tried to climb out of the coffin.

“Ah, careful…!” Lowe supported her.

“Huh?” As she tried to put her foot down, she let out a befuddled sound when she saw Eugene laying on the floor. “Eugene…?”

“He’s fine… just unconscious after reviving you…” Lowe muttered with a bitter expression.

August’s expression hardened. “… this… he used taboo magic on me, didn’t he?”

‘Revive? Taboo magic?’

Hearing those keywords made the gears in my head turn. I had to look at the woman named August twice, then I realised…

‘Wait, this woman… doesn’t she look like…’

“Yes.” Lowe could only nod to acknowledge.

“...You idiot.” Tears formed in her eyes. She placed her right hand to her heart to feel its steady beat. “How could you…”

“...”

None of us could say anything as she wept in front of him.

It was… well.

—RUMBLE.

A pity.

“T-This… even from earlier. Kairen, what is that?” Lowe snapped towards me.

“It’s another chimera. One the size of a house.“ I sighed. I still haven't gotten an explanation from her and she’s already asking something else.

“W-What?!” Lowe’s widened as if she couldn’t believe my words.

“We might not have a lot of time.” I looked at Eugene on the ground. “We need to wake him up. Since he’s the one that commanded the chimeras, he should be able to stop them, else… an alternative exit.”

“A-a-ah! On it!” Corin, picked up on some hint I didn’t know about. Rushed over to Eugene on the ground and began… shaking him and slapping him on the cheeks…

“Stop! Stop!” Lowe threw herself in between Corin. “Where did you learn to do this kind of thing…?!”

“F-From him…!”

“W-W-What?!”

“He did this to me before saying it's effective!”

“…?!”

I sort of guessed that this timid girl had an unstable side to her when she panics but… not to this extent…

And Eugene is partly to blame for teaching her something like this too.

“Step aside. I’ll do it—” August pushed her hair aside and crawled over to Eugene. She checked his vitals, showing a relieved expression that he was still alive. “His weak points are here—”

Despite her evident weakness, she began pulling at his cheeks with oddly practised motion. And with more force than Corin did…

“Ugh…”

The effectiveness was being proven before our eyes. Eugene began groaning, and the sound of it only led August to increase the movements intensity.

“...” We all watched in silence, with prayer, hoping that sometime soon he would finally stop playing sleeping beauty and—

“Stwop.. swopp… uhh?” Eugene’s eyes snapped open.

“Awake?” She finally released his cheeks. August bit her lips, a dewy expression on her face. “Dummy…”

His half-open eyes widened even furthur. “August…”

“Dummy…! What have you done?!” She pulled him into a tight embrace and began sobbing.

“It worked… it finally worked…! August…! My dear…!” Eugene’s heartfelt words, painted in various sentimental emotions. “I’m so sorry.. I’m sorry I couldn’t… I won’t let you go…”

“You… better start explaining!” August shouted.

“I-I… I…” Fumbling with the words, Eugene could only stare at her in a lovestruck daze.

‘Great… just fucking great… a self-insert emotional scene here just as the real crisis was about to strike.’

“Excuse me, our current situation is precarious. Sir Eugene, could you do something to stop the imminent chimera?” Glenn stepped forward and spoke up.

Eugene and August broke eye contact and turned to him.

“Glenn…” August’s expression looked like that of a mother.

“chimera? Ah…! How could I at the spur of the moment…” Eugene quickly stood up.

Only to be stunned to find that his painstakingly, hand crafted minions had already died.

“...”

Of course, he was missing the point.

—BAOOOMM!!

“It seems the barrier had broken at last.” Glenn muttered.

“Ahhhh!! Professor! Do something!!” Corin shouted.

“K-Kairen?! That… is a chimera?!” Lowe recoiled in shock.

Unlike the previous chambers, this atrium only had one exit. And said exit was currently being bulldozed by the massive anomaly of flesh.

Chunks of earth and bricks were being blasted off in real time. It’s eyeballs and serrated teeth peeping through the cracks.

The tunnel’s size wasn’t even wide enough to accommodate the asshole, it had literally squeezed its way through like a slug.

Wincing as I placed my swollen hand on the sword handle, I turned to meet its madder red eyes. “Eugene, can you command that one to stop?”

Eugene’s expression contorted. “That one…? It wasn’t even supposed to activate!”

“I don’t care about the activation! Just use your authority to stop it!” What do you mean it wasn’t supposed to activate?! You’re saying we’re all going to die?!

“Preposterous… I hadn’t finished establishing the slave contract with this prototype!” Spilling nonsensical explanations, I held back the urge to kick this guy’s arse.

‘First he kidnapped Lowe. Now this.’

“How about an emergency exit? Is there another opening?”

“There is one. But…” He winced, turning to August on the floor. “I can’t teleport everyone out at this current time.”

—RUMBLE!!

I pulled out my sword from the scabbard and held it in front.

“How many can you take?” I gritted my clattering teeth. Muscles throbbing in pain, fingers twitching from overexertion.

“The current number minus one.”

‘What a fancy way to say five.’

“Got it. Teleport them out, drink a mana potion and come back for me as soon as possible.” I nodded.

“What?” Eugene looked at me as if some bizarre being.

“Glenn, use the biggest ice magic possible before you go.” I turned to Glenn.

“T-That’s now how the principles work! It’s not simple teleportation magic. It requires a lot more preparation than you think!“ Eugene barked.

“Then what do you suggest?!”

—CRacK!

“It’s coming.” Glenn warned.

—KAABAOOOMM!!

The fleshy mass burst out from the open gap. While the softer part of its body came flowing through within the tar.

Like a slime its body contorted viscously, then coming into open space it began assembling itself. Bones, flesh, eyes and all… overlaying together to become a towering colossal over a dozen metres high.

“...”

“...No suggestions huh? Then go.”

“W-Wait!” Lowe pressed herself towards me and placed her hands on back.

<Auxiliary Magic: Healing Resurgence>.

Though barely felt, a light relief washed over me.

“H-Huh…? Why is it not working… huh. HUH?!” Lowe’s expression crumbled, battered breaths.

‘So she finally noticed huh?’

“Kairen… why… how?! I thought I had removed it all…?!” She yelled.

“Don’t.” I grabbed her hand and looked directly into her eyes. “If you want me to survive, don’t do anything about it.”

“Why… why?!”

Yeah.

Because of blight, all forms of recovery magic fail to work effectively. But to remove it right now was also paramount to suicide.

—THUMP! THUMP—!

The tyrannical beast began preparing its charge.

5th-tier magic, <Ice Magic: Sub Zero Blizzard>.

Pushing himself to the limits using the last of his mana reserves Glenn stacked multiple giant magic circles before us.

A raging ice storm shattered forth. Shrapnels of ice and biting cold snow slammed against the chimera. The temperature shock very quickly caused ice crystals to spread over the tar’s surface, locking it in place…

The spell’s casting duration ended. What was left of the blizzard could be summed up as a white wasteland. The whole area within the spell's range was covered in white, and the monster which towered a dozen meters had frozen into a statue… or so we thought.

—Sizzle.

The sound of efferversing ice.

This chimera… was different. Compared to the others, it had… a warm body and caustic acid.

—RROOAARR!!

The best Glenn’s powerful magic could do was slow this motherfucker down.

“Eugene. Get everyone out of here before it’s too late. I’ll hold it back—”

“You…!”

“Get on with it already if you don’t want everyone to die!”

“...Curses!” Eugene places his hand against the recess of a low pillar, activating what appeared to be a spell beacon.

A larger black magic circle ejected from the point of contact, with smaller circles spinning individually around the five people of six people within its range of effect.

“Kairen!” Lowe cried out, refused to let go. “W-Why are you doing this?!”

“Don’t stray from the circle!” Eugene yelled.

“Lowe! Get back!” Corin jumped forward and restrained Lowe.

“This is my limit…” Glenn groaned. The second blizzard storm he sent forth flickered out.

“Thank you.” I walked out of the teleportation circle’s boundary.

“NOOO!!!” Lowe’s pained screams echoed behind. For a moment I felt this familiar pang of guilt.

“I promise I’ll make it out alive.”

“...!”

I drew my sword. A black light flashed behind me. Without turning back, I knew they had gone elsewhere.

“Hah…” I sighed, examining my battered, bent steel sword.

The blade’s upper portion was missing, leaving only two-third the lower edge intact and a fractured handle stump, and even then it looked like it was about to completely fall apart.

“Should’ve invested in a better weapon…” It was too late to complain now.

As the ice suppressing the chimera’s movements began melting off, its blood red eyes latched itself on me.

It flared its big nostrils as if to intimidate me.

‘Well. Hell. You’re not even scary.’

<Blight: Discharge>.

Blight engulfed my arm and blade.

“Who said I can’t kill you?”

⌌✧ ⫺⪼▫◆▫⪻⫹ ✧⌍

Fragments of vision spun like revolving lanterns.

… hate you… why… I’m sorry… it wasn’t me… it wasn’t me! I’m sorry… why did you do this… give me a second chance…!

Mana depletion? Exhaustion? Resistance?

Lowe felt a stabbing pain in her head, her ears ringing out. She tried reaching out to reclaim those unknown memories but… no matter how hard she tried, there was a thick veil—some sort of barrier—obstruction which left her grasping sand.

… I’ve made up my mind… I’m sorry… don’t go…! Please, you’re the only one I have… see you thereafter…

It was undeniable that she recognised the form of Blight Kairen possessed within his body.

“Kairen… why… how?! I thought I had removed it all…?!”

The blight should’ve been completely erased. How did it enter his body again?

“Don’t.” He clenched her wrist and stared down at her with a dark gaze. “If you want me to survive, don’t do anything about it.”

… you started this you bitch… I’m sorry… why did you do this… I’m sorry… why did I kill her… I’m sorry… why did you save me…?!

“W-Why are you doing this?!” She wanted answers.

… She wanted answers to this turmoil.

“Don’t stray from the circle!”

“Lowe! Get back!” Corin restrained Lowe.

“This is my limit…”

“Kairen…!”

Lowe’s hand, however much she tried to reach, was left again—grasping nothing.

The last vestiges of his broad back faded in black. Spatial distortions in the midst of a floating sensation engulfed them.

In the descent of the light, they arrived back at Eugene’s office.

““!!!””

There, Sage Khors in his robe, and Primillia in her nightwear looked at them in shock.

⌌✧ ⫺⪼▫◆▫⪻⫹ ✧⌍

Being infertile, she sought to have a child outside of a womb.

So much time and love had gone into this research.

And finally, when it had succeeded…

She became a witch in the eyes of the people.

Like an unfortunate postpartum disaster, August’s death couldn’t be prevented. For defying religious doctrine, she was sent to death.

Her body was not buried, nor was it cremated. It had been kept preserved, her corpse completely intact.

Eugene, who refused to accept her death, scoured relentlessly for answers. He swore to bring her back to life, even at the cost of his life.

A decade passed, watching Glenn grow up with him, nor his mother. It reached a critical point where Eugene’s desperation mounted to an irreparable height.

He would stake everything… and now…

Appearing before the Sage and Primillia who had allowed the obvious oversight of his uncanny experiments—

The teal haired lady who had died.

Was alive.

“August…?!” Primillia’s eyes popped.

“P-Primillia…!” Tears filled August’s eyes.

Primillia fell on her knees, before August with disbelief.

“Eugene you… you did this?” Sage Khors looked at the haggard man with eyes of bewilderment.

“...Yes.” Eugene hung his head.

The tower master had never been bureaucratic. August’s death in the decades before was something he had wanted to fight against. It failed when the victim herself had willingly surrendered her life for everyone’s sake.

In her sacrifice, Sage Khors was the one who had taken the effort to give Glenn, the child who was supposed to die, a life in the Magic Tower.

“I will overlook this. It is a miracle you have achieved by your very own two hands, and I have no right in taking it away. But, I will need to know how you intend to take things from here.” Sage Khors questioned.

The outcome of what Eugene had achieved through his efforts… broke yet another law of providence.

Sage Khors had already known very early on about Eugene’s attempts to bring the dead back to life. Yet he had turned a blind eye to it, hoping that some day Eugene would come to accept the loss.

The Sage just didn’t think he’d actually… succeed. And not as an agent of death, but a vessel for life.

Though, this miracle was not something he had achieved alone… if one were to name the major factor in making the impossible a reality…

Lowe stood up, staggering. She walked towards the full-length mirror and placed her hands on the surface.

“...”

This time, her hands did not sink in. It was just a regular mirror.

“Lowe?” Corin looked at her, puzzled.

“I don’t care a bit for whatever miracle we’ve accomplished—isn’t there something more important we have to settle here?” With a seething voice one wouldn’t expect from a Saint, Lowe turned to rest in the room and glowered.

Eugene flinched.

The Sage narrowed his eyes.

“If Kairen dies, I won’t forgive anyone.”