“Do I save the child… or should I not…?” I asked myself.
Instinctually motivated, I pushed the crowd aside. The familiar scene appeared before me again. It was the same problem and victim. The girl in the freezing water was struggling and crying for help. She didn’t have time to wait for me to think. I needed to jump down to rescue her. As a student who graduated from a family school, I should’ve jumped straight down to save her; however, I hesitated.
If I died there, I might’ve gone through life in that world again. In other words, I might live as Troy then die at Mom and Lucia’s hand a second time. Mommy Vyvyan didn’t need me. She only needed her son. If it wasn’t for me, Troy might’ve survived. As a matter of fact, maybe anyone could’ve fit the role… I wasn’t necessary. Anyone would do as long as there was Troy. None of them cared. I was just an unnecessary existence in their world, a soul that possessed a body, a mere shadow. I had no purpose in that world.
This was the world I belonged to. This was where my life had meaning, with people who truly loved me. I had a life that belonged to me. My footsteps in life had been imprinted there as well as my memories. I… really should live here, I thought.
“Save my daughter! Please! Save my child!! Please, somebody… please!” The woman cried as she frantically pulled on people around.
Saving somebody was supposed to be a good thing, yet everybody cowered away as if they were avoiding the plague. I could understand their decision. The prerequisite for saving someone was ensuring that you survived the rescue attempt. Therein was the problem. They weren’t certain they’d survive. Surely you’d die if you jumped down. The ordinary people were afraid of the current. Only someone who could abandon everything would jump down.
Originally, I jumped down without a moment of hesitation. I remembered my reason for living on. I wanted to live. I didn’t want to die. I cherished my current life, land and family. I… really… didn’t have the guts… to jump…
“Please! I beg you!! Please save my child… Please… I’ll give you anything, just please!!” The woman stumbled over to me.
Last time, I jumped down before she could even grab me, yet this time, I stepped back. I hid behind someone else. This time, I cowered…
=======
Current time inside the Elven Imperial Palace at Duargana.
“Puah!!!”
A green silhouette swiftly flew from one end of the corridor to the other and smashed into the wall. She spat up a mouthful of painful blood. Her head bounced off the wall. Vyvyan slowly slid down the wall, wearing a painful expression. Lucia jumped through a window. She helped her Queen up. Concerned, she cried, “Your Highness! Are you all right?! Are you all right?!”
“I’m fine…”
The footsteps in the corridor slowly approached. Lucia quickly drew her dagger and looked over in the direction the footsteps came from. A familiar individual appeared from the end of the corridor. Lucia narrowed then let out a breath of relief. She smiled: “Your Highness! Your Highness! Are you all right?! Are you…”
“Lucia, don’t go near him!!!”
Vyvyan yelled at the top of her lungs, but it was too late. Lucia had rushed over to Troy, expecting to hug him, only for Troy to grab her by her mounds and slam her up against the wall. The heavy impact cracked the wall. Lucia screamed in pain. Then, her small body slid down along the wall. Lucia’s body felt as though it was broken after the heavy impact of the attack. She struggled to raise her head. In disbelief, she trembled: “Why…? Why…? Why… Your Highness…?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Troy rhetorically asked. He slowly crouched down in front of his wife. He tore off her clothes and groped her breasts: “Nier’s body is superior to yours. You can’t bring me pleasure at night, either. Why should I love you?‘
“What… What are you saying…?”
“I said…” Troy brought his face in close to Lucia. In a dead serious tone, he finished up his response. “I said I no longer love you, Lucia!”
“Wh-“
Lucia’s eyes widened. Vyvyan’s yelled out to the former before she could finish, “Don’t listen to him, Lucia! He’s not Troy! He’s not my son or your husband! He’s the conscious in the elven spring! He’s taken over my son’s conscious, so that’s just his body! He’s not my son!”
“Tch!” Troy coldly stood back up. He looked at his hand and warmed up his neck. He then snickered: “Long-time no see, Vyvyan. You never thought you’d see me again, did you? You performed splendidly at the Tower of Heaven last time. You managed to destroy my body with a sneak attack. I’m back now, nevertheless. Are you happy to see me? To be honest, I really like this body. I’m pleased to have such a strong body that’s also immune to mana. How about we do this: Vyvyan, I’ll continue using this body to be your son…”
Vyvyan violently hurled a fireball at Troy. However, a nonchalant flick of his hand was enough to generate a shield that knocked the fireball aside. Vyvyan thundered, “I won’t allow you to disgrace my son!! Get out of my son’s body! Our grudge is between you and I. Don’t bring my son into it!”
Troy sassily cracked his neck as if he was warming up: “How can we discuss our grudge if I don’t have a body? How about we do this: Vyvyan, I’ll stand here. You should be aware that not all of Troy’s body is covered in dragon scales. All you need to do is inject mana into his eyes. Blow up his brain and voila. Vyvyan, that’s the only way to kill me, Sweetie.”
Troy grabbed Lucia by her throat and lifted her off the ground. Lucia grabbed his arm with every ounce of strength she had and desperately tried to gasp for air. Troy continued coldly looking at Vyvyan and snickered: “If you don’t kill me, I’ll kill her, instead? She’s the mother to two girls. Would you be so cruel as to leave her daughters without a mother? Now, kill me. Kill me!!”
“Do I save the child… or should I not…?” I asked myself.
Instinctually motivated, I pushed the crowd aside. The familiar scene appeared before me again. It was the same problem and victim. The girl in the freezing water was struggling and crying for help. She didn’t have time to wait for me to think. I needed to jump down to rescue her. As a student who graduated from a family school, I should’ve jumped straight down to save her; however, I hesitated.
If I died there, I might’ve gone through life in that world again. In other words, I might live as Troy then die at Mom and Lucia’s hand a second time. Mommy Vyvyan didn’t need me. She only needed her son. If it wasn’t for me, Troy might’ve survived. As a matter of fact, maybe anyone could’ve fit the role… I wasn’t necessary. Anyone would do as long as there was Troy. None of them cared. I was just an unnecessary existence in their world, a soul that possessed a body, a mere shadow. I had no purpose in that world.
This was the world I belonged to. This was where my life had meaning, with people who truly loved me. I had a life that belonged to me. My footsteps in life had been imprinted there as well as my memories. I… really should live here, I thought.
“Save my daughter! Please! Save my child!! Please, somebody… please!” The woman cried as she frantically pulled on people around.
Saving somebody was supposed to be a good thing, yet everybody cowered away as if they were avoiding the plague. I could understand their decision. The prerequisite for saving someone was ensuring that you survived the rescue attempt. Therein was the problem. They weren’t certain they’d survive. Surely you’d die if you jumped down. The ordinary people were afraid of the current. Only someone who could abandon everything would jump down.
Originally, I jumped down without a moment of hesitation. I remembered my reason for living on. I wanted to live. I didn’t want to die. I cherished my current life, land and family. I… really… didn’t have the guts… to jump…
“Please! I beg you!! Please save my child… Please… I’ll give you anything, just please!!” The woman stumbled over to me.
Last time, I jumped down before she could even grab me, yet this time, I stepped back. I hid behind someone else. This time, I cowered…
=======
Current time inside the Elven Imperial Palace at Duargana.
“Puah!!!”
A green silhouette swiftly flew from one end of the corridor to the other and smashed into the wall. She spat up a mouthful of painful blood. Her head bounced off the wall. Vyvyan slowly slid down the wall, wearing a painful expression. Lucia jumped through a window. She helped her Queen up. Concerned, she cried, “Your Highness! Are you all right?! Are you all right?!”
“I’m fine…”
The footsteps in the corridor slowly approached. Lucia quickly drew her dagger and looked over in the direction the footsteps came from. A familiar individual appeared from the end of the corridor. Lucia narrowed then let out a breath of relief. She smiled: “Your Highness! Your Highness! Are you all right?! Are you…”
“Lucia, don’t go near him!!!”
Vyvyan yelled at the top of her lungs, but it was too late. Lucia had rushed over to Troy, expecting to hug him, only for Troy to grab her by her mounds and slam her up against the wall. The heavy impact cracked the wall. Lucia screamed in pain. Then, her small body slid down along the wall. Lucia’s body felt as though it was broken after the heavy impact of the attack. She struggled to raise her head. In disbelief, she trembled: “Why…? Why…? Why… Your Highness…?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Troy rhetorically asked. He slowly crouched down in front of his wife. He tore off her clothes and groped her breasts: “Nier’s body is superior to yours. You can’t bring me pleasure at night, either. Why should I love you?‘
“What… What are you saying…?”
“I said…” Troy brought his face in close to Lucia. In a dead serious tone, he finished up his response. “I said I no longer love you, Lucia!”
“Wh-“
Lucia’s eyes widened. Vyvyan’s yelled out to the former before she could finish, “Don’t listen to him, Lucia! He’s not Troy! He’s not my son or your husband! He’s the conscious in the elven spring! He’s taken over my son’s conscious, so that’s just his body! He’s not my son!”
“Tch!” Troy coldly stood back up. He looked at his hand and warmed up his neck. He then snickered: “Long-time no see, Vyvyan. You never thought you’d see me again, did you? You performed splendidly at the Tower of Heaven last time. You managed to destroy my body with a sneak attack. I’m back now, nevertheless. Are you happy to see me? To be honest, I really like this body. I’m pleased to have such a strong body that’s also immune to mana. How about we do this: Vyvyan, I’ll continue using this body to be your son…”
Vyvyan violently hurled a fireball at Troy. However, a nonchalant flick of his hand was enough to generate a shield that knocked the fireball aside. Vyvyan thundered, “I won’t allow you to disgrace my son!! Get out of my son’s body! Our grudge is between you and I. Don’t bring my son into it!”
Troy sassily cracked his neck as if he was warming up: “How can we discuss our grudge if I don’t have a body? How about we do this: Vyvyan, I’ll stand here. You should be aware that not all of Troy’s body is covered in dragon scales. All you need to do is inject mana into his eyes. Blow up his brain and voila. Vyvyan, that’s the only way to kill me, Sweetie.”
Troy grabbed Lucia by her throat and lifted her off the ground. Lucia grabbed his arm with every ounce of strength she had and desperately tried to gasp for air. Troy continued coldly looking at Vyvyan and snickered: “If you don’t kill me, I’ll kill her, instead? She’s the mother to two girls. Would you be so cruel as to leave her daughters without a mother? Now, kill me. Kill me!!”
