Chapter 195: Curse of The Forgotten

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

“’How are you doing, Memory Reaper?’”

For a single frozen heartbeat… Ishiki felt nothing. His whole body trembled as the food in his hand fell to the ground.

He slowly turned to face Nina, his eyes were wide and his pupils had shrunk to pinpricks. “M… Memory Reaper?”

It felt as if time itself had stopped. It felt like several chains were snapping inside his skull. It was as if a door he had never known existed had come forth and was slammed open with such violence that it obliterated his sense of self.

He opened his mouth. “RUN!”

That was all he could manage before he found himself loosing control of his own body. His consciousness—everything that made him Ishiki, everything that defined his will, choices and identity—was seized by invisible hands and suppressed.

He was shoved down into a cage deep within his own mind, bound by chains of something that was not his own will.

’NO! ’Ishiki’s thoughts screamed from their prison, but the scream had no voice. ’NO, NOT THIS, NOT NOW, NOT HER. THIS COULDN’T BE HAPPENING!! I NEVER TOLD ANYONE ABOUT IT. HOW ? HOW?? ’

His body moved without his permission… raising the Sorrow’s Edge. The purple glow of the Jian painted shadows across Ishiki’s face and Nina’s face as well.

The deep blue light in Ishiki’s eyes had dimmed and his unkempt hair fell in front of his face… hiding his most obvious features.

Nina stood frozen, the paper still clutched in her hands. Her eyes were wide with confusion that was just beginning to shade into fear as she registered the change in his expression. Or rather, the complete absence of expression—his face had gone blank and empty of everything that usually animated it.

“Big… Brother Ishiki?” Her voice was small, uncertain. “What’s wrong?”

Seeing the raised blade she took a step back and the blade suddenly started to come down towards her.

“Ahhh!” She took another instinctive step backwards and fell to the ground after tripping over a piece of rubble.

The blade wheezed past her without touching her.

“What are you doing?!” she cried, terror entering her voice now. “Stop! It’s me! It’s Nina!”

But the thing controlling Ishiki’s body didn’t care. Couldn’t care… It had a single purpose, burned into its existence with the weight of divine mandate:

Eliminate the knowledge vector.

’STOP! ’Ishiki howled from his mental prison, pulling at the chains that caught him. ’PLEASE, STOP, DON’T HURT HER ’

But his body didn’t stop.

The protocol had activated. The curse was in control… and it would not cease until its objective was complete.

How could this have happened? He never even spoke that word, let alone tell anyone. He had completely forgotten about the protocol that accompanied his title and was bound to him like a curse.

Never in his dreams did he suspect that it would be activated like this.

Inside his mind, Ishiki fought with everything he had. He tried to move a finger, blink an eye, force his mouth to speak… but nothing seemed to work.

His body moved like a machine, pursuing Nina with cold efficiency across the Cathedral steps.

Nina had understood that Ishiki was not himself. She stood up and scrambled backwards as tears streamed down her face. “Big Brother, please! I… I don’t understand! What did I do wrong?!”

’NOTHING! ’Ishiki’s consciousness screamed. ’YOU DID NOTHING WRONG! NINA, PLEASE RUN! PLEASE! ’

But she couldn’t hear him. No one could hear him.

His body closed the distance. Sorrow’s Edge coming down again. The purple flames traced deadly arcs through the air.

Nina tried to dodge, but she was not fast enough… the blade still hit her, creating a long cut across her arm that bled into crimson streaks.

She looked up at him with eyes full of hurt, confusion and betrayal.

“Why?” she whispered. “Big Brother… why?”

’I’M NOT DOING THIS! ’ Ishiki gritted his teeth and broke one of the chains that had been holding down his hand.

His body attacked once again with the Jian but stopped mid way. Nina didn’t stop and started to run away… towards the archway.

Ishiki tried to stop himself for as long as he could before more chains erupted from the darkness around him and held him down… this time even his face and mouth were covered.

Nina burst out of the archway and in front of the ruined cathedral. The sky was covered in dark clouds that obscured the Crimson Moon.

Behind her suddenly a blast tore through the silence. The platform she was standing on trembled slightly and she lost her balance falling on the broken tiles.

Ishiki’s form walked out of the archway as well… his body was emitting a strange and ethereal blue vapor and he felt more refined and somehow bigger than he actually was.

Nina scrambled backwards… but Ishiki’s body moved so fast that she couldn’t even see when he was standing over her form.

She looked at him with terrified eyes… and saw tears streaming down his emotionless face.

’PLEASE! ’ Inside his confinements, Ishiki begged whatever force controlled the protocol. ’PLEASE STOP! JUST DON’T HURT HER!’

The Jian descended.

Nina closed her eyes. Her lips moved, forming words too quiet to hear.

The blade struck and passed straight through her heart.

Filch had ascended the stairs that led to the cathedral just moments ago and saw the horrifying scene with wild eyes.

“NINA!”

The shout tore through the night like a physical thing. Filch burst into a sprint, his face twisted with horror as he took in the scene.

Ishiki stood over Nina with Sorrow’s Edge phasing through her chest.

The child’s eyes were still open and looking up with tears streaming down her face.

Her body went limp. The light faded from her eyes. And Nina—the girl who trusted him like her own big brother, who had just wanted to help—died on the Cathedral steps.

The protocol assessed its objective.

And just like that, the chains released Ishiki’s consciousness.

Control returned in a violent rush, like being thrown back into his body from a great height. His awareness slammed into his flesh and bone with force that made him stagger.

For several seconds, Ishiki simply stood there.

Then reality caught up with what had just happened.

He looked down at his hands. At Sorrow’s Edge still impaling Nina’s corpse, purple flames flickering around the blade.

The flames hadn’t consumed her because he never willed them to.

He looked at her face. Eyes open but seeing nothing… her blood stained her dress and slowly formed into a crimson pool.

He looked at Filch, frozen several meters away, his expression one of absolute horror.

And something inside Ishiki broke.

His body trembled uncontrollably, he suddenly felt as if he was laying naked on Ice.

A sound emerged from his throat. Not quite a laugh. Not quite a sob. Something horrible that existed between the two.

“Ha… ha ha…” The laugh built, taking on a hysterical edge. “I… I killed her. I actually…”

He pulled Sorrow’s Edge free. Nina’s body slumped against the steps, lifeless and small.

“HAHAHAHA… AHHH!! I KILLED HER… NO! NO!”

“NO!” Filch’s roar shattered the moment. “What have you DONE?!”

Ishiki turned to face him, still making that awful laughing-sobbing sound. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the hysteria.

“She just wanted to help me! You know” His voice cracked. “She was worried about me, and I… I…”

Filch didn’t listen to his bullshit and sat down besides Nina’s body which was turning cold.

Ishiki took a few steps back… his legs threatened to give out.

“I… I am sorry! I… I really sorry… Sorry- ”

“STOP!” Filch’s shout cut through Ishiki’s breakdown. The older man stood up, his face twisted with rage and grief. “Don’t you DARE apologize!”

He took a step forward and drove a brutal punch straight into Ishiki’s face, making his neck jerk sideways.

Blue luminescence flooded from Filch’s hands as he picked up a rock and transformed into knuckles.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Filch’s voice cracked as he punched him once again. This time the punch carried much more force and broke Ishiki’s jaw.

“I didn’t do It… It was not me” Ishiki tried to explain through his tears.

“I DON’T CARE!” Filch screamed back. “That girl is DEAD because of you!”

“I KNOW!” Ishiki screamed back, his voice raw. “Don’t you think I know that?!”

He knew far better than anyone else… After all he was…

Memory Reaper.

The forbidden existence that even gods feared.

Thunder rumbled overhead.

Through the gaps in the false sky, the first drops of rain began to fall. Cold and heavy, they struck stone with sharp sounds that echoed through the ruins.

The rain intensified quickly, becoming a downpour that washed across the Cathedral steps. It pooled around Nina’s body, diluting her blood, running in crimson rivulets down the ancient stairs.

“I’m sorry,” Ishiki said, the words pathetically inadequate. “I’m so sorry.”

Filch dropped down and placed his hands on the ground. The white marble tiles broke up and formed walls around Ishiki. But Ishiki’s body which was still using his Exclusive skill simply broke through it.

He jumped back… not intending to attack Filch.

“WHY?? Why have become such a monster?” Filch asked as he made another wall rise in front of Ishiki and slammed it into his torso.

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