Sustaining The King’s Life - Chapter 230

Nathaniel.

‘God’s gift’

It was a name to behold, which was unbefitting for the name of the first Warlock.

His red eyes darted towards the sleeping woman lying gently against the bed. Her peachy-skin and was vibrant now, and she wasn’t bone-thin anymore. She looked younger than before, and now he was able to see why ‘He’ regarded her as beautiful.

He talked to her before, but she was able to see through him.

‘You’re not Jonathan.’ She said with observant eyes. ‘Where is he?’

That happened in the days they were in Magierstadt—when ‘he’ was trying to test the vessel. However, Jonathan was able to switch back to his body easily, so he discerned that the vessel is still not ready.

This woman was the one who bewitched his incarnation, after a thousand years.

‘Do not touch her.’

“I will not,” he answered. “Once the magic completes, we will become one. You shall be the one touching her.”

‘Do not say nonsense.’ The voice was his own, but the soul was not. ‘You will not succeed.’

At this point in time, the Forsaken was glad that the vessel was an Unsterblich. He was reincarnated into the body of a smart child. “The prophecy already decided that I am to succeed.”

‘The prophecy does not pertain to you.’

“How do you know?” The man chuckled.

‘Nathaniel. You are nothing but a cursed soul.’

“That name. It fascinates me. But I am Jonathan now.” He chuckled. “You shouldn’t call me by that name—for that one is tarnished, now revered as the one who was defeated by Octavius.”

“I am reborn as Jonathan, and Jonathan—I will be.”

‘…’

“Just accept it. You and I, as one.” He persuaded. “When that happens, you will be with her again.”

‘Eulalia is dead.’

“But you can see her breathing, don’t you?” The Forsaken’s eyes then gleamed. “Do you want to borrow this body for a while?”

‘!’

The forsaken then smirked darkly.

He then closed his eyes.

…And when it opened,

Another soul had occupied the body.

His expression was bewildered. He stared at his trembling hands as he then held his face.

“I’m… I’m back…” He murmured.

‘It feels good, right?’ His eyes widened, hearing that same, taunting voice. ‘To live again as a person. To not be a voice that can be unheard.’

Jonathan Unsterblich trembled as he stares at Eulalia who was lying in the bed. She was breathing…

But not souled.

The necromancy is still missing a crucial element… a soul in exchange for Eulalia’s.

‘Many already died, but the devil kept rejecting the souls I offered. They were all redheads, but none seemed to be your wife’s blood relative.’

Jonathan trembled as he leaned to Eulalia, lifting her body as he embraced her tight. His eyes were staring at horror and longing, all at the same time.

‘If it comes down to it, I will have to sacrifice an important piece.’ The voice said. ‘You can make another, anyway.’

Jonathan’s eyes widened.

“You will not lay a hand on my child!” He exclaimed, holding Eulalia’s body tighter, with his hand on her red hair. ”

‘Your daughter… is too similar to you.’ The forsaken whispered. ‘I believe she told me the same thing. To not lay a hand on her ‘Master’.’

Jonathan blinked.

‘Now that I think about it…’ The voice mumbled as if to taunt a question. ‘How does a child call her mother… her ‘master’?”

Jonathan stopped, staring at Eulalia’s sleeping face, with questioning eyes.

‘Of course, you do not know.’ The forsaken laughed in his mind. ‘Because you weren’t there with them!’

“Stop…” Jonathan gritted his teeth.

‘While you lived your life in comfort, they struggled in the mountain!’

“No….” Jonathan buried his face on Eula’s neck. “That’s not true…”

‘A child that grew up as a Heilen. A mother that concealed her real identity to her child.’ The forsaken whispered to Jonathan’s ear. ‘Your name is equal to my name. ‘God’s gift’.’

Jonathan’s chest throbbed.

The dark clock seal in his chest now impedes to move.

‘It’s time already?’ The man chuckled. ‘Your own body is rejecting you, yet again.’

Jonathan gritted his teeth.

This madness… it has to end now.

Not only for Eulalia… but for that child, as well.

Jonathan stood up, and then ambled his way towards the tower’s window.

‘Do you want to end your life?’

“This way… it’ll end,” Jonathan exclaimed, looking at the moon. “When you die, all of this will be over…”

‘This vessel will die.’ The man hissed. ‘But my body shall survive. And the cycle goes. I will have to prophecy continued. What is the difference between now, or a thousand years? Eons shall pass and I will have the prophecy transpire. Nothing will change! So go ahead, kill yourself! For you, a failure of a father—is nothing to me.’

Failure… of a father.

Jonathan stared at the moon.

That’s right.

He had only seen her for a split second.

He closed his eyes—the memory of that night was just like yesterday’s.

**

“Eula… run… somewhere beyond his reach,” Jonathan exclaimed, tumbling down to the floor. Eulalia held the child tightly in her arms. “What about you?! I can’t leave you! They’re tracking you down!”

“I… I killed the imperial family of Feuersturm—” He trembled, staring at his bloodstained hands. “I… devoured a b-baby. I… killed a mother and her unborn c-child… I killed…”

Eulalia stared at Jonathan, unable to walk any closer to him—and then SHE began crying.

The child.

Their child.

“N-no…” Jonathan’s blood-red eyes widened in fear. “She’s afraid of me… m-my baby… no—” Jonathan stood up, with knees wobbling.

“J-just her… no… I don’t want her… to be…” Jonathan’s voice croaked, as his tears began to flow to his eyes, pouring down nonstop to his face. “I don’t want that child… to fear me…”

“Jonathan…” Eulalia’s bright, emerald eyes were filled with unshed tears.

Jonathan was kneeling on the floor, crying.

His nail was digging through his chest. His left chest—to the clock seal.

“Even though I managed to suppress him for years… he used me—used this body to kill… at the day my child is born…” Jonathan murmured through his broken voice. “I hid us… but… why…”

“Jonathan…”

“That child…” He lifted his gaze. “She… should not know who I am.”

“What?” Eulalia’s eyes widened as she took a step forward.

“No!” Jonathan asserted. “Don’t come any closer!”

“Jonathan…”

“I don’t want to hurt you… or that child.”

Eulalia still went and then knelt down to Jonathan. She began to rip Jonathan’s bloodied clothes with one hand, tears pouring across her cheeks.

“You did not do this. It wasn’t you.” Eulalia exclaimed, crying. “You did not… do this…”

Her eyes stared at the black, clock seal in Jonathan’s chest.

The seal signified a single moon; the half alight, the one sheer black.

The clock seal was bloodied from Jonathan’s own nails.

“Why must this happen?” Eulalia murmured, holding the baby in her arms. “Why is he in your body?”

Jonathan clenched his jaw and then ambled away from Eulalia. He then rummaged through the papers on his desk, and books on the shelves.

“Jonathan…?”

His tears had dried, but he was still looking as if he was in pain.

He opened the book, looking over the contents.

Eulalia stared at Jonathan.

“Jon—”

“You will leave shortly,” Jonathan said firmly. “At the secluded mountain of Feuersturm, in a village that I shall trap with time.”

Eula’s eyes widened.

“All the magic I am using to suppress the first warlock will be used to trap the time in that village. The time will stop in the year 300.” He said with finality. “You will live in the mountains with that child in that year. That is the most peaceful year—the end of the war.”

Eulalia parted her lips to protest.

“That child will be termed as a Heilen. I want you to be careful on how you will raise her.” Jonathan stared at Eulalia. “You can get out of the village, but the time in other places will be present. However, when you come back in the mountain, the time of the past will activate yet again.”

Tears began to flow from Eulalia’s eyes as she sees Jonathan’s sad smile.

“You will teach her how to brew medicines. Play with snow. Ladybugs. Watch her grow.” Jonathan slowly sauntered towards Eulalia with a duffel in his hand and a cloak.

Slowly he wrapped the cloak around her.

“The moment I activate the magic and release all the mana I allotted to conceal him, you shall run towards Feuersturm’s secluded mountain.” Jonathan’s voice was gentle. And as he finished tying the knot around Eulalia’s cloak, gently—he leaned to kiss her forehead.

“Why are you doing this…?” Eulalia murmured.

“This is all for the two of you,” Jonathan said, with thumb wiping the tears from the corner of Eulalia’s eyes.

“What about you?”

He only smiled, and then stared at the child. Finally, he mustered all the courage to look at her.

His one and only child.

“She will be a child that is as fortunate as Faustus.” He murmured.

The baby then opened her red eyes.

“Red eyes…” Jonathan gently closed the child’s eyes by swiping his hand in the level of her soft, chubby face.

The red eyes then turned brown.

“What did you do…?”

“For seventeen years,” Jonathan said. “Her real traits will be concealed.”

“And at eighteen,” Jonathan stared at the child sadly.

“Faustina will become like me.”

Eulalia stared at Jonathan.

“We will return to you then,” Eula exclaimed. “And when that happens, can you promise me… we’ll be family…?”

“Don’t cry, Eulalia. I promise everything will be alright.” Jonathan murmured.

“I love you… Faustina and you.” He whispered. “More than anything in the world.”

**

“I’m sorry… Eula… Faustina…” Jonathan whispered as the clock hand strikes to the dark side of the moon.

“I wasn’t… able to keep my promise.”