Brigante Ark - Chapter 184

She avoided his eyes. Noora couldn’t simply lie to him. Before lying is a simple task for her, she has never been caught in her infiltrations missions. Some would say that deception is her forte, but that was a long time ago.

She couldn’t even tell him deceitful words. The times where she has to torture people to get information had engraved a remarkable message to her conscience the moment when she was alone when she was given some time to think and reflect on her actions.

Now, grown and mature than her prime, Noora had realized the errors of her actions and dearly regret them. If he were she was before, she would be able to easily lie to him, but that’s not here now and she vows not just for herself but also to those she had done wrong that she will not go back that way and make herself better.

But there are times when she had to make a hard call.

“Yes. I captured the essence of their spirits and used it to seal them inside of the monsters.”

Alastor fumbled answering, “I—I couldn’t believe it. Why? What had they done to you to deserve like this?” His voice slightly raised.

She came closer, “I swear to you, Al, I never meant them harm.”

“But you trap their souls inside of those monsters.”

“I know what I’ve done, and I deeply apologize for them and to you for doing this, but as you can see, Dimiscus cannot be simply left unattended. There just has to be something to be done.”

“Was it worth it?” he asked with contempt. “Their peace is disrupted for years! Hundreds of years because of your vendetta.”

“Why do you care about them?”

“Because, people where I come from, we don’t kill for the leisure of being capable doing it, we strive to kill those who wanted to wreak havoc. For some time, I acknowledge what you’re going through, but those people are dead, gone, they deserve to rest not to be used to be puppets for your own agenda. Frankly, I would be disappointed to you, but, I was, in fact, worried for you.” Those very last words took her pulse. Alastor stood steadily, “Believe me when I say, there’s nothing good that will come out if it was motivated by revenge, vendetta, and selfish reasons. I have faith in you that you saw to yourself what it has done to those people that choose this path, the same path as yours. The only way is to move forward. And the best way to revenge is to forgive. Deep down, you are not a bad person, Noora.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who was trapped here for many years. Not dying in your terms, not being able to rest in peace without finding a way out of this place.”

“Honestly, I have no idea how you survived this, but you have a chance now. We can go out of here and get back to the real world where you can have a second chance in life, dance to those who you wanted to dance with, enjoy the culture, and do many things like traveling the entire continent or even the whole damn world. Just let them go.”

“Just for you to know, it was never my intention to go down this way. You have to understand that I did it to stop this man and end this once and for all.”

“You remember when I said I don’t want to desire?”

“I thought you have a screw loose on your head.”

“Maybe,” he chuckled and continued, “Every people has their defining moments on what they would become.”

“A tough call.”

“Yes. Here, right now, this is a tough call. Whatever you’re going to do to this man, will define who you are and you will carry that choice for the rest of your life whether for the better or for worse.”

“It was an ultimatum. Something must be done.”

“Still, enslaving.”

“Am I too late.”

“No, you’re not. You can undo this. Be free again.”

Noora came close to Dimiscus. Removing the mask that covers the hideous appearance of the man. Dimiscus’s tied hair snaps and falls over his broken and pale face.

“All those years, and this what happens to you?” Noora asked him.

“All of us aren’t powerful mages to counter the aging effects.”

Noora smirked, gazing at him with temper and mockery, “But this is a side effect of your parlor trick, is it?”

Dimiscus didn’t reply.

Noora added, “How does it feel that after all these years of consuming power, it had led you to your downfall?”

“It doesn’t matter. Living or not living, it’s all hollow to me. I don’t care if I die. You better do me a favor by just killing me.”

“And it appeared that there would be no satisfactory should happen.”

“Apparently not. So, what now? You gonna let that man dictates your judgment.”

“No.”

“Then you’d kill me then?”

“I didn’t say that either.”

“So, what is it then?”

“I have other plans for you. One that you’d wish you let yourself die the moment you turned on us.”

“Eternal suffering it is. Then I take that there’s no warranty?”

“It’s an express to hell.”

“You know, as far as I remember, you’re a fearsome warrior that terrified other countries. I wanted you dead, but I’m not that person anymore. But before we end these theatrics… why? Why did you betray us despite all of the things we had gone through together?”

“Because… YOU… ARE…. WEAK! With a powerful army, the king could have seized the other countries who threatened us, but no… our king is too benevolent to seize the price, and what more annoying is that you backed his decision. That decision cost me, my family. That’s when I knew it, our country is no good with people like you.”

“So, that’s why. I guess both of us are driven by the same thing.”

“Kill me,” Dimiscus commanded, “End my life…now! I’ve lived long enough to bear witness another day to rise. Isn’t that the reason why you challenged me?”

Stress and tempted, she could only lash out by letting out a long exasperated breath. “God knows how I much wanted to kill you, but you’ve broken me already enough, I won’t let you break the rest of what I am. Now, what will happen next will be either your salvation or reprieved in this life. It would be your own personal hell.”

At last, Noora snaps his neck and Dimiscus had gone silent. He’s not dead, that’s for sure.

She replied, “There are things that must be done.”

Alastor replied, “Like what?”

“For starters, I will release all the souls that he enslaves, but it won’t be easy. That would require a significant amount of time.”

“And I guess you’d be staying here?”

“As I said, there are things that must be done.”

“Don’t worry, in here, you got all the time you need.”