Chapter 150: Freedom
In a place completely separate from the real world, a place where consciousness could barely exist, Rios’s body floated in this strange gray place, unconscious and unaware of where he was or how much time had passed!
"Where am I!" Rios slowly opened his eyes and looked around in panic. He tried to move, only to find that his movements were unbearably slow!
After inspecting the place, Rios found nothing around him except endless gray mist, in addition to a white sphere roughly the size of his body!
The sphere was bound by numerous tightly wrapped chains, while countless almost colorless transparent symbols revolved around it!
At this moment, inside the sphere, two purple eyes were calmly looking at Rios!
It was not merely calm... there was also pity!
"Who are you!" Rios looked toward the strange entity and felt a strange connection to it!
"Welcome, me!" The strange entity spoke in a deep and calm voice. "And what a miserable state you are in."
Rios’s eyes widened when he heard this voice, and he immediately remembered the strange entity he had encountered when he explored his fate using the Fate Gem!
"Can you stop spouting such nonsense and speaking in such riddles!" Rios narrowed his brows and spoke in a cold voice.
"Your denial will not change the truth!" The entity spoke calmly, as though what it said were an unquestionable fact!
"If you really are me, then why do I have two separate consciousnesses? And why am I free while you are a prisoner!" Rios asked suspiciously again, refusing to believe the strange entity’s words.
"This world is governed by laws, and the existence of two separate consciousnesses is neither a miracle nor something supernatural as you think!" The entity moved its eyes as though shaking its head and continued, "And I am a prisoner here because you are free. The two of us cannot control our body at the same time!"
Rios narrowed his eyes intensely. It was obvious that he did not believe the strange entity’s words, but he eventually sighed...
"Forget it. But do you know where I am and what is happening here?" Rios looked around at the strange gray mist slowly approaching him and asked the entity inside the sphere.
"You are in the midst of a transformation!" The entity answered calmly.
"Transformation! What is that?" Rios raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion.
"It seems that Titan does not want to kill you. Instead, he wants to transform you into an Abomination as well! And as a monster, what you will transform into will be far worse than a mere Abomination!" The entity spoke with pity and mockery, sending a cold shiver down Rios’s spine!
"Titan!... Transform into an Abomination!" Rios muttered in shock and felt somewhat saddened. "How unfortunate that this is my end! And even more unfortunate that I will never see them again."
"Well, if that is sad for you, then what you will do to them after your transformation will be even sadder!" Rios the Prisoner spoke sarcastically.
"What do you mean?!" Rios was startled by this statement and felt somewhat horrified.
"I mean that after you transform, you will most likely be the one who kills them and destroys this continent!" Rios the Prisoner narrowed his eyes as though smiling and spoke in a deep voice that sent chills down one’s spine!
"This!... This!... This is impossible, isn’t it?!" Rios’s eyes widened. He felt genuine terror, his voice trembled, and he tried to move to do anything, but he could barely move!
"No, it is not impossible. But don’t worry, because once your transformation is complete, your consciousness will disappear completely, and you will become a machine of mass destruction driven by nothing but instinct!" Rios the Prisoner said mockingly, letting his words settle deeply into Rios’s mind as he began losing hope!
"System! System, where are you!" Rios looked around and was nearly driven insane. But no matter how much he shouted, there was no one to answer him!
"It’s useless. You are now at the deepest point within your consciousness. A place where only you and I can exist!" Rios the Prisoner’s words echoed again, and after making sure that Rios had finally fallen into despair, he threw out the bait...
"But there is one chance to survive!"
Amidst his despair, Rios the Prisoner’s words were like a light at the end of the tunnel, and Rios quickly looked toward him with widened eyes. "Tell me what you have!"
"Well, I don’t have much to say. But if you free me, then I can save both of us!" Rios the Prisoner finally said what he had wanted for so long, and the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
Rios looked at him with suspicion and disbelief. He had known from the beginning that this thing was trying to manipulate him, and he would be lying to himself if he said he believed it!
"Why are you looking at me like that? It’s not as if you have many options available to you." Rios the Prisoner openly mocked him. "At least if you free me and I am unable to defeat that thing outside, I will make sure to commit suicide rather than let us transform into filthy Abominations!"
Rios listened to Rios the Prisoner’s words one by one. After some time spent thinking, and when he saw the gray mist approaching him more and more, he gritted his teeth and looked toward the prisoner. "What do I have to do to free you!"
"Hahahahaha, that’s how you make the right choice. Don’t worry, you will never regret this." Rios the Prisoner laughed with genuine happiness, as though he had finally found his salvation. "All you have to do is focus on these chains with your entire being and concentrate all your will on destroying them!"
Upon hearing this, Rios gritted his teeth and focused all his consciousness on the chains surrounding the white sphere. At this moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to destroy those chains.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The chains began cracking one after another until they finally shattered and disappeared!
The white sphere began disappearing gradually, while the transparent, colorless symbols contracted inward, and a child who resembled Rios appeared, but he looked around seven years old!
Rios the Prisoner raised his hands and looked at them, looking as though he was about to cry!
"I am really free!"
After making sure that he was finally free, he raised his head with a smile and extended his palm toward Rios. "Thank you for freeing me, and now you can rest, you devil!"