Chapter 60: Curiosity Killed The Cat

’I was afraid this would happen…’

One of the reasons Aden was secretly hesitant to confront the Princess all this time was due to the fear of being noticed as the Noble: Daren Redwyn.

He had no substantial memory to account for his existence in the unfortunate event that he’d be asked things regarding it and the little he had were either to perverted to speak of or too common to set him apart.

Sure, he remembered reading some novels where the main characters would get a pass or at most a weird look when they asked the most obvious questions concerning their world, but Aden knew better than to compare fiction to reality.

So, yes, the Entity was right to say that he was scared, but not in the way the Entity predicted.

He wasn’t scared of the power she wielded… At least before now, but he was extra cautious about the brain behind this hunt.

“You guess?”

Hearing the feminine voice shook his thoughts and snapped him back to reality.

Elara was on the ground, but her divine dress remained unchanged by the surrounding debris. Her eyes shook subtly, and the surrounding Resonance vibrated more than usual.

Aden’s eyes were locked on hers as she slowly stood up, and stumbled backwards a bit. Vane struggled to stand behind her but ultimately couldn’t.

He would’ve liked to follow the footsteps of the Princess, but he was unfortunately caught in a three–way battle with the Entity and keeping his body from disintegrating.

’Look at what you’ve done you psychopath!’ Aden screamed internally.

’It’s not my fault your body was too weak to handle less than half of my true strength,’ the Entity responded.

’Weren’t you supposed to be all–knowing?’ Aden mocked. ’Don’t tell me all of that was just talk.’

’Watch your tongue, boy’

’Or what? There’s literally nothing more you can do! Take over my body and surpress my consciousness again and we’ll both lose our lives.’

’… Don’t be a fool and think for one microsecond that you can possibly understand the scale of my existence.’

’Enough with the big talk. You boast about how strong you are, yet you couldn’t even take out the Princess and her little bodyguard. That doesn’t say much about your strength, does it?’

’Don’t you—’

’Admit it. You’re nothing without me. You have no other choice but to stay within me for as long as I permit you to. Your strength is my strength and my weaknesses, yours.’

’Is that clear?’

’…’

’Is that clear?’ Aden repeated.

’If you think you can trample over me just because you’re my temporary host, then you’re sorely mistaken.’

A mercury–sweat dropped from Aden’s chin as he felt his body jerk upwards.

’What are you doing! One misstep and we die!’

’Then so be it. My pride means more than any body— especially not one as weak as this. I’ll find a new host. It might take a while, but I will.’

Aden’s body grew cold despite not having any control over it.

’H–hey, hold on. I— I was just kidding, alright?’

“D–Daren?” Elara took a tentative step forward, her white dress flickering as it sensed the sudden, catastrophic drop in temperature around him.

Aden couldn’t answer. His teeth were chattering so hard they threatened to shatter.

In his mind, the White Void was no longer white, it was turning a freezing, lightless grey.

’Wait! Stop!’ Aden pleaded, his mental voice shrinking. ’You said I was your ticket out of here! If you blow me up now, the Princess will just purify whatever’s left of you!’

’Then I shall wait for another cycle and fulfill the wishes of the gods.’

’What are you talking about?! This is no time to be playing God!’

“Princess, wait!” Vane screamed.

Elara took five steps forward, gently whispering something as she watched Aden’s horrible form.

He was flickering in and out of existence. The prior combat mixed with the inner turmoil expressing its grandeur in full glory, and a thought couldn’t help but cross her mind.

’This is all my fault…’

’Had I reeled in this obsession of mine, I would’ve found him under better conditions and there wouldn’t have been as much losses as this.’

Elara bit her lips till they bled. Ignoring Vane’s shouts, she stepped closer to Aden and reached her hands out, a dense green energy flowing from within her fingers.

“Daren, I’ll save you—”

“Get away from him!”

A shrill vibration echoed in the air as a blade made contact with Elara’s automatic shield.

Her red hair was drenched a deeper shade of crimson and her expression even wilder than before.

“Lorelei…” Aden whispered.

Elara took a step back. She didn’t know why, but she did.

Aden’s legs gradually peeled apart to reveal a white shine, and a look of horror etched itself on Lorelei’s face.

“My Lord! My Lord! Please don’t go!” She pleaded as she immediately hoisted him on her back.

Aden’s eyes closed and his face slowly went slack, but the thrumming of twenty heartbeats and the vibrating darkness within promised life.

Lorelei and Elara locked eyes. One filled with deep hatred and the other parts regret, and anger.

“If you want to kill us, you better do it now,” Lorelei spoke as she turned around.

Aden’s silver hair draped forward, but even that was slowly vanishing.

Lorelei crouched and pumped every drop of energy into her feet.

“I’ll be seeing you again, but I swear on everything I hold dear,” she turned her head slightly. “You won’t be in this pretty position afterwards.”

With that, she blasted forward. Leaping over the thousand mile crater with ease and vanishing behind the rubble.

Elara stood rooted to her spot. Her expression wavered visibly, and the green energy in her palms shattered like glass.

“Pri— Elara…”

She hurriedly wiped the corner of her eyes and faced Vane. “Leave them be. We have more than enough issues to settle.”

Vane stared at her for a solid minute and looked at the fresh crimson dampening directly beneath her clenched fists before he nodded.

“As you wish, My Princess.”

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