Chapter 200: Seraphine Decides to Act
Evan had developed the power of the Law of Space and Time, something he hadn’t expected, since it wasn’t the same first element he got after his reincarnation, well, it wasn’t really an element at all, more of a bloodline carrying an inheritance.
But that fact that he got these 2 elements in this dream only reinforced the doubt Seraphine had about him, one he himself couldn’t help but share, especially after everything that had happened since.
Maybe he was the one who’d sealed the gods of the Abyss in that place and set the cycles in motion, or maybe he was simply reliving that person’s life now. Either way, one thing was certain: this was the perfect opportunity to get a real handle on both of these elements.
His affinity for them was already strong, but control was something that took time, and time was exactly what he’d found himself with in this strange dream.
During the examination, he had only revealed the smallest demonstration of the Law of Space.
He presented it as a rare ability of unknown nature, something everyone accepted without much trouble.
That alone was enough to make Evan realize that the general understanding of mana and the various elemental concepts in the current era was almost nonexistent.
That was nothing but an advantage for him, one he intended to make full use of.
Seraphine had also developed an extremely rare ability, one whose true potential only he knew.
The Element of Life.
To everyone else’s eyes, it looked like nothing more than a healing ability, one that seemed to grant a general buff to every aspect of her being.
It was classified as an enhancement and healing ability, but it was far more than that. It was, in fact, precisely what would eventually lead her toward divinity, and he knew that very well.
The potential of that ability was significant enough to determine the fate of this entire world, and Evan found himself wondering how he should make use of that here, in this strange dream he still hadn’t found a way out of.
Right at that moment, a light tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned to find Seraphine standing beside him, looking down at him.
"Come on, it’s time to go," she said, and behind her, a short distance away, the cabin door of the helicopter had opened, the others dressed like them preparing to jump one after another.
Evan nodded, lowered the protective visor of his helmet, and stood.
"Alright, let’s go."
***
The condition of the Lost City of the Dead was quite different from what Seraphine remembered.
The longer she stayed here, the more obvious the differences became.
She’d been watching the small group of five survivors over the past 24h, and understood well enough how they’d spent their time here, as well as roughly how much longer they had left in this place.
"Hmm. Seems like I’ll have to make a move myself," she murmured. Standing atop a tall building on the outskirts, she glanced toward the small group inside one of the nearby houses, then shifted her gaze farther ahead toward the city.
More precisely, toward the center of the city.
There, she could sense several powerful auras.
Not two anymore.
Four.
One belonged to death, as one would expect in a place like this.
One belonged to life, the addition she already knew had settled here.
One was far weaker but lethal to anything below demigod rank, one she hadn’t sensed in some time, not since the last time she’d caught its presence, when Evan had ended up infected by [Death’s Embrace].
It was a mix of void energy, the poison element, and a trace of death energy that seemed to regulate the whole thing, exactly as it had been in the past, from what she remembered. And then there was a fourth energy, one she wasn’t entirely sure about.
There shouldn’t have been another one here at all, and yet there it was, and it was the strongest of them all.
It gave her none of the sense of malice that void energy or death energy would normally carry, nor the burst of vitality that life energy gave off. It was something else entirely, something purer than all the other energies combined, and far more potent than any of them. She could actually feel the other energies circulating in small quantities around it without clashing against it, if anything, they seemed to submit to it to some degree.
That intrigued her, but it also gave her an idea of what to do next. With that in mind, her gaze fell back on the five survivors nearby, and she finally decided to make her move.
***
The five survivors had taken shelter in a mid-sized house at the edge of the outskirts. A full day had passed since they’d managed to shake off those creatures, and yet none of them had worked up the will to step back outside since.
Partly out of exhaustion, that constant weight that had pressed down on all of them for months now, a slow erosion that kept wearing away at their minds day after day. But partly, and this was the more urgent reason, because two of them had begun to fail.
The void corruption that had struck them during their last excursion beyond the outskirts had taken firm hold, and it kept spreading, minute by minute. It had already covered part of their arms and legs, and now it was creeping across their chests and faces as well.
The ones affected were the father and his son. Both lay drained of strength, breathing labored, stretched out on the few makeshift beds inside the house. They had come to understand, by now, that their time had come too. There was no chance of survival, not at that stage.
They had watched others before them, former companions from their old group, fade away the exact same way. They knew exactly what was coming.
The son had already lost consciousness. The father still had a sliver of strength left in him.
He slowly lifted his gaze toward Elena.
His breathing was labored, every gasp of air seemed heavier than the last, but there was still a flicker of clarity in his eyes.
"Miss Elena..."
She turned toward him.
"I think... it’s time for us to go."
His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper, and yet there was no fear in it.
He looked at his son, unconscious beside him, then back at Elena.
"Thank you."
Elena’s expression remained unchanged.
"For everything," he continued. "You gave us more time than we ever would’ve had in a place like this. You kept us alive when there was nothing left worth living for."
He paused, struggling to catch his breath.
"I know you tried. We all know that."
A faint, tired smile crossed his face.
"So... don’t hesitate."
He closed his eyes slowly.
"Please. Let us go."
He drew one more weak breath before continuing.
"Don’t think of it as killing us. You’re only sparing us from what comes after."
Elena stayed silent for a long moment.
She kept her expression neutral, but something complicated flickered in her eyes, a heavy glimmer, as she listened to the man’s words. She nodded slowly.
She’d done everything she could to keep every last one of them alive as long as possible. But no matter how hard she tried, someone always fell eventually. Today, it was the father and son’s turn.
She sent the younger girl and the other boy outside, away from the scene, while she herself prepared to do what needed to be done.
But right as she raised her weapon for a single, clean strike, a swift and merciful death, a melodic voice stopped her cold.
"Hey, hey. No need to rush," the voice said. "They can still be saved."
Elena snapped into alertness instantly, her summoned greatsword already gripped tight, ready to strike. But she saw no one.
Then a faint shimmer began to take shape out of nowhere, slowly expanding, gradually outlining the silhouette of a feminine figure. As the shape completed itself, the voice rang out again.
"I can save them,"
"I can save all of you, and get you out of here." A pause.
"In exchange for a small favor. So, what do you say? Want to make a deal?"