Chapter 339: A sealed past [4]
'W-what...!?'
I didn't want to believe it.
It made no sense, but staring at the drawing, I knew that it was without a doubt, my brother.
From the contours of his face to his unique green eyes that made him stand out to the others whenever we went out.
It was without a doubt him.
'Mortum'
The little doubts that I had regarding 'Mortum' being my brother vanished at that moment. This was undeniable proof that he was still alive.
Why else would she draw a picture of him..?
Or was there another reason?
I observed the blind girl in silence.
Her little hand continued to scribble over the drawing, adding more and more touches to it.
There was a lack of color in the drawing, but as I stared at the picture, I felt as though it had come alive.
It almost felt as though he was alive... in the drawing.
'Who is this little girl?'
The more I looked at her, the more curious I became. I had just taken a step to get a better look at her when I stopped.
!!
Shifting my attention away from her hand, and up to her face, I took note of her eyes.
They had previously been hollow, but this time... they were blank. Almost as if her pupils had faded out of them.
I felt goosebumps rise in my mind as I stared at the little girl.
There was something creepy about her that I couldn't quite explain.
Clank-
The door burst open all of a sudden, and several figures dressed in black entered the room. Behind them, I could see the same bodyguard from before, her expression stoic as she looked to her left where a man with long white hair and mustache appeared.
He had an aura of authority, and judging from how the people were treating him, he appeared to be of high status.
"The King perhaps.....'
I wasn't sure, but the scene before me felt extremely important.
"Theresa."
The men in black stepped aside, allowing the King to move forward. As he did, he cast a quick glance at them. Each man wore a white cross emblazoned on the center of their chest, and their poised demeanor suggested they were a mage.
Scribble Scribble~
Despite the King's words, the child didn't answer as she continued to add the finishing touches to the drawing.
The King looked at the drawing, his expression changing slightly as he looked back to the men in black.
"Do it."
At his orders, the men in black moved around the bedroom, surrounding the little girl who seemed oblivious to what was happening.
Getting into positions, a large purple magic circle manifested beneath the bed, slowly enveloping the room in a dim purple light.
A gentle breeze wafted across the room as the little girl's hair scattered across her face.
Scribble~
Her hand continued to glide across the paper.
It seemed as though there was nothing that mattered to her besides the drawing.
I stared at the scene in silence, feeling myself slowly getting pulled into the depths of the ocean, finding breathing becoming more and more difficult.
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I felt suffocated.
Vooom!
A faint humming sound broke the tense silence, the magic circle glowing even brighter.
The entire room was suddenly bathed in a brilliant light that converged toward the little girl. Her clothes and hair fluttered wildly in the intense glow as if a storm had suddenly hit the
room.
By the time the wind faded and everything returned to normal, the room was in disarray, furniture overturned, and papers scattered. The men in black stood with pale faces, their earlier composure broken, only replaced by grim looks.
They turned to face the King who looked at them anxiously.
"No..."
One of them spoke, his voice hoarse.
His pupils shook as she looked at the young lady who still appeared to be unfazed by all that
was happening.
"H-hua."
Taking in a deep breath, he stepped back.
Raising his trembling hand, he pointed at the girl.
"Y-your Majesty."
His voice strained as the veins at the side of his neck bulged.
I moved closer, straining my ears to hear better. I felt like his next words were going to be
extremely important.
Perhaps a clue to the situation with my little brother.
Maybe-
"...I-It's as we feared...! S-she has been possessed."
I wasn't prepared for the words that came out of the man in black. As if thunderbolts had
struck my mind, my eyes fell on the little girl who finally stopped scribbling.
The King's expression grew tense as he waved his hand.
"Clerics!"
His voice boomed as the men dressed in black hastily moved back.
A powerful force burst out of the King's body as he looked at the young girl with deep apprehension and anger.
"Who are you...?"
His deep voice resounded deeply in the room, the glass windows trembling at the might of his
words.
The King's words were met with a brief moment of silence.
Tensions ran high and I could see everyone stiffen on the spot as the little girl raised her head,
exposing her hollow and unfocused eyes.
"What do you think?" Finally, she spoke, her childlike voice echoing across the room.
The entire time her attention was drawn to the King who grew tense. Nonetheless, he wasn't a
King for nothing.
Despite the circumstances, he was able to remain calm.
"....What have you done to my daughter?"
"That's not what I asked."
The little girl looked disappointed as she set the paper aside and tried to get out of bed. But
the moment she made her move, everyone in the room sprang into action, surrounding her
with tense expressions.
Magic circles flared to life, and swords were drawn, all pointed directly at her.
"Don't move."
The King spoke, his deep voice echoing once more.
A powerful pressure burst out of his body, enveloping the entire room.
I stared at the scene in silence, my eyes fixed on the King.
'He's decently powerful.'
He was nowhere near Delilah's or some of the Professor's level, but he was still rather
powerful.
Seeing that this was a distant past, it made sense.
The most powerful person in the past was most likely a lot weaker than the most powerful
person of the present age.
.....
Surrounded by all of the magic circles and swords, the little girl had no choice but to stop
moving.
The King spoke again,
"Let me ask again, who are you? What do you want?...And what have you done with my
daughter? Answer while I'm asking nicely. Otherwise, I have different ways to get the
information from you."
|| ||
The little girl stood in silence for a brief moment, taking in the expressions of all those
present.
Just briefly, it almost felt as though her gaze paused on me, and my entire body grew cold.
Despite not being in a physical body, I felt cold sweat drip down every part of me.
It made my heart clench.
"I've come to collect." The little girl finally spoke, her voice unnervingly calm as a smile crept across her soft
features. The sweetness of her expression twisted into something unsettling, sending a chill
through the room.
"Collect...?" The King's eyes squinted, seemingly trying to recall something.
He seemed lost at first, but soon, his expression changed drastically.
"Ah, it looks like you realized."
The little girl giggled, her laugh soft yet eerie as it echoed through the room.
"Ah, but..."
"There's no buts."
Sitting by the edge of the bed, the little girl crossed her legs.
"Where is it?"
Her smile slowly started to fade while her eyes grew even more transparent.
"The blood, where is it?"
||
"1
The King's face grew pale as his body started to tremble.
He seemed at a complete loss as to what to say, and staring at him, I started to have an idea as
to what was happening.
I had seen a similar scene in the past.
.... The Empire of Nothing.'
Could it be...?
My eyes widened as the little girl finally hopped off the bed.
"Don't mov-!"
The Clerics and the guards tried to stop her but all it took was a glance from her for them to
stop speaking.
Crack!
Their necks snapped behind their heads.
Thump!
The room froze as the girl drew near to the King who moved back.
"T-hat..."
He seemed to want to say something, but the words appeared to be stuck in his throat.
Despite being a lot smaller than him, the girl appeared taller and more imposing than the
King whose face was entirely pale and filled with sweat.
His eyes shook, and his lips were pale.
"I-t was for my... daughter."
"Oh, I know."
The little girl stopped.
"You wanted to cure your dying daughter. In your desperation, you took the blood and tried to
give it to her."
||
"1
The King stopped, his mouth deprived of all words.
I stood in silence, listening to all of this and coming to a sudden understanding.
That's when I turned to look at the little girl.
'A collector...?'
I knew all about this, and I grew tense knowing that a little bit of Mortum's blood flowed
within me.
Were they going to come for me too...?
"Actions have consequences."
The little girl said, her voice growing cold.
"Ah..."
A strange noise came out of the King's mouth as he finally found his voice again. With a pale
face, he spoke,
"I... I can make this right."
"Can you...?"
The little girl tilted her head, a smile appearing on her face again.
"How so?"
"T-that..."
"So you can't."
"I...!"
"Tut."
The little girl placed her finger over her lips, and the room fell silent. It was almost as if all
sound had been sucked away from the room.
Turning around, the little girl placed her hands behind her back and walked toward the
window where she stared at the glaring white sun that hung in the sky.
The entire time she spoke, everyone stood frozen in place, unable to move an inch.
I stared at the scene with a frown.
'.... Is she really a collector?'
For some reason, 'she' seemed a little different than Atlas.
Hieeek-
A sudden scream jolted me out of my thoughts.
Startled, I looked outside the window and that was where I saw it.
Hieeek-
A man strangling a passing woman. His eyes appeared deranged, and everyone around him trying to shake him off the woman.
"...Like I said, actions have consequences."
The King's eyes shook at her words.
His mouth moved, but no words came out.
All noise appeared to have been stripped from the room.
Hiieek-
Another scream pierced the air, quickly followed by others, until the world was drowned in a
chorus of agonized cries. Blood pooled in the land beneath, painting the ground in the color
red.
I stood in silence, watching all of it happen for an unknown period of time. I only snapped out of it when I noticed a group of people lined up beneath me, their bodies
rigid and heads outstretched, each one holding their own severed head in trembling hands.
It was a sight that sent chills down my body.
'Hm?'
A weird sensation gripped my chest as I stared at the scene.
'The hell?'
And I could tell what it was.
Why was I feeling... Joy?
||
The little girl watched it all in silence, her expression unreadable. Slowly, she raised her head
and stared up at the white sun hanging in the sky.
Her hollow eyes turned even more hollow as her mouth opened, prepared to speak again.
I unconsciously drew closer, straining my ears to listen to her.
I felt like I needed to hear this.
I had t-
"What do I want?"
Blinking her eyes, the pupils in her eyes completely faded.
"....I want to Invert the Sky."
