The Star Of Depravity - Chapter 11

He hobbled, the water’s pressure causing him to lose his balance as he nearly stumbled, the Voidspawn chewing at his thigh like the flesh beneath the layers of muscle was meat it had never tasted in a while—

Splash!

His behind landed on the damp soil beneath the water—he wasn’t able to rip the thing away from him no matter how hard he clawed at its bird-like head. He vigorously wriggled his left leg like a fool, but the Voidspawn gnawed his jagged teeth deeper, his mouth locking harder on his thigh.

The harsh scream that came out of Ervin made the auburn-haired woman turn her attention downward, a bolt of wind slashing when she punched the air, the Voidspawns’ bodies splitting into two, a rainfall of blood pouring down from the dark sky.

Her bi-colored eyes flashed confusion as if she was asking Ervin why wasn’t he fighting?

Honestly, Ervin didn’t know how she managed to make use of the Deity’s power quickly.

The auburn-haired woman descended next to him. Her lean fingers grabbed hold of the bird-like head of the Voidspawn, and with one pull, she decapitated its head from its spider-like body. Ervin and the Voidspawn’s blood mixed with the swamp’s water. It surrounded them in a circle.

The wave of her hair fell like a curtain on Ervin’s face as she hauled him to her lap. “Why aren’t you fighting?!”

Ervin ignored her as he gritted his teeth; his breath was rugged. “Let go,” he pushed her, and she stumbled on the dark water. He scrambled away from her like she was a sickness he didn’t want to have. Blinding pain seeped through his legs as the bone on his thigh resurfaced.

Looks painful, commented an amused Zyros.

“Oh, no—” the redhead attempted to head his way again—she was cut-off as a Voidspawn let out a blood-curling screech before it lashed behind her, its beak stabbing her back like it was a pecking bird.

The woman cried out, but the air that came out of her palms managed to wound one of its spider-like legs fatally.

“Damn you…!” she swiftly reached her slender arms behind her—the Voidspawn screeched when she locked it between her palms and broke its bat-looking wings. And like a ball thrown in the air, the Voidspawn floated mid-air as the woman flew and ripped its body apart.

Come on now, Ervin. You can’t let the lady do all the work.

“Shut the fuck up…” his back was submerged to the water. He let himself be washed away to the deeper part of the swamp.

What? Do you want to die again?  He could almost feel Zyros’s breath near his left ear.

Aren’t you getting tired of wanting to die?

The Dark Deity wouldn’t understand.

To Ervin, dying had always been the only way to atone for the things he had done—

Zyros clicked his tongue. Is it now?

It was his atonement—it was a way to rid the world with a person that caused the pain of more than a hundred people. Ervin knows his life is not enough to pay for their suffering.

What if Lestra needed that one life—your life? Zyros reasoned.

Ervin wondered where all the malice in the Deity’s voice had gone.

He had always thought Zyros was an oppressor—a tempter that craved death around him. Whenever he whispered in his ears when he’s still alive, it would drive Ervin to insanity.

But the way the Dark Deity spoke to him right now, it was as if he was… hopeful.

Zyros sounded desperate, and it was the same frantic voice that Ervin had in his head when he knew that a thousand employees would lose their jobs, and to think that most of them had low-grade incomes to support and feed each of their family members.

Though the only difference is that the Dark Deity was desperate for Ervin to live—Zyros is desperate for the people of Lestra to live.

And Ervin is desperate to atone for his sins—and it’s all the more reason to end his life.

How can he have a sound mind when he knew to himself that he’d be part of the reason they’re not going to eat dinner at night? How can he not do anything when the talented people that curated ground-breaking designs would be put to nothing? That their hopeful, proud, yet tired faces for their creations would be scrapped?

You should know when it is enough.

It wasn’t Zyros’s voice.

Who was it, then? Ervin thought silently. He can’t remember, but he knows that person had been right about the situation he’d fucked-up.

That part of Dark Deity, he understood. The responsibility to protect the innocent—he’d once felt it.

The need to save those who didn’t have the power to protect themselves was evident within both of them.

But Ervin’s already done with that. He’d gone through hell for it, and he ended up paying for his mistakes. Now, he must, however, compensate for everything.

Ervin reached his ashen arm toward the dark sky—like the way he did when he descended on the swamp.

The patches of cloud began moving with the wind. The auburn-haired woman floated above him as a Voidspawn attempted to stab him with its sharp claws.

“Stand!” she yelled. “Why aren’t you fighting?!” her scream was followed by a huff of breath.

Soon, one way or another, their bodies are still mortal, and she’d grow tired from all the fighting she’d been doing.

Fight.

It was the only encouraging word Zyros had told of Ervin all this time.

Whereas he whispered to him the endless promise of death, now, the Dark Deity was telling him to fight his desperation.

Then, the woman couldn’t hold off the Voidspawn that came Ervin’s way. She got thrown inside the tree’s leaves, her body getting scrapped by its sturdy branches. She plummeted straight to the ground, hitting the side of her right arm.

She groaned, her eyes shut tight as she writhed in pain while clutching the part of her arm that quickly swelled. When she heard the loud screeching of the Voidspawn, she promptly stood despite the shaking of her legs. She tried limping to where Ervin was, her other hand supporting her upper body, but a flock of Voidspawn plunged straight to where Ervin’s floating body was.

The redhead’s double-ringed irises shined, and she couldn’t pry them away from Ervin.

She cried out at the horrendous scene before her, tears endlessly falling down her cheeks when the monsters began biting, ripping, and slicing on every part of Ervin like he was already a dead carcass eaten by starving vultures.

The sunshine peeked through the thick clouds, its bright hues coloring what was once dark.

Ervin couldn’t feel a thing—a Voidspawn’s beak pecked at his eyeballs, ripping them off in one swift movement—

A pure white light loomed over him.

I’ve seen that light before—

Between a clump of clouds, the pure, white light sparkled like a star before it hit the water fast in a streak line.

The water splashed on both sides, emptying the entire swamp with two huge waves stilled on both ends by a huge shield of light like the auroras you see in Iceland.

The soil had left a huge crater while the flock of Voidspawn having their way with Ervin was thrown inside the water, the majority drowning.

Ervin dropped on the damp soil. There was no longer water that made him float.

Urgent footsteps walked to where he was lying like a rotting carcass. Thick blood still emanated from the fatal wounds he acquired.

As I said, you’re not going to die.

Zyros chuckled when Ervin took in the woman peeking from above him.

“Ervin?” her disbelief mirrored his.

It was Seo-rin, Ervin stared with a hint of surprise in his dark eyes.

* * *

The setting sun basked its colors through the huge, glass in front of her. Seo-rin smiled at the lovely sight. She always liked the colors that come with the sun’s light. It was often the inspirations of her paintings when she’s not busy designing themes for their companies new collection of shoes.

Sometimes, when she’d look at the overlooking view before her, she’d marvel at the beauty of the color of the sky and wonder how the hues were mixed together like they’re meant that way from the start.

Of course, she was biased on liking pink the best.

“Seo-rin!” called a passing co-worker.

With her high-waisted, gray skirt and fitted coat, she smiled happily. Her shoulder-length pale, pink hair was tied in a braid, and it bounced a little bit every step she takes with her favorite white converse and ankle-high pink socks.

Seo-rin walked with ease along the hallway.

The wide-paned glasses that lined each room’s walls made it easy for her to see through the inside.

Various people from the other side of the glass pane of the meeting room waved at her. She gleefully shook her pink-manicured hands at them while showing them a goofy expression.

She didn’t hear their laughter, but based on what she saw, they were cracking up like fireworks.

“Hey!” called another co-worker, passing her way.

“Going home already?!” she bumped her hip with the said co-worker, her short pig-tails flowing above her shoulders for a second.

The co-worker nodded, “Yeah. I’m lucky, you know.”

Seo-rin feigned a jealous face, “I wish that were me.”

The co-worker laughed, “No! Go now.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” asked Seo-rin as she attempted to prolong their conversation. “Is it because you’re going home already?”

The woman shook her head, “I don’t want to be seen by the chief! I’m scared for my life.”

Right, she thought.

Seo-rin vividly remembered the first time she met him, and he was acting all grumpy—like the whole world was slumped on his back, his shoulders hunched that he appeared to look exhausted.

When Ervin Wang was introduced as the newly-appointed COO of Soles Incorporated, he just stood like a statue at the end of the meeting room, his hands inside his side pockets as he observed from a distance.

He was in a black suit and shirt, his hair sleek and parted at the side.

Seo-rin had the impression that he looked more like a bodyguard than a COO, and the man didn’t even have it in him to smile at the people who worked hard to make this company successful.

He didn’t even participate in the discussion, and Seo-rin clearly remembered how his hazel eyes looked dull and too uninterested in the current topic.

At that time, she wondered what was the point of him attending if he was disheartened and unmotivated?

Why would the board of executives appoint a man who wasn’t the least bothered by what was happening in his own company?

As Seo-rin reminisced, she flashed her co-worker a half-smile. Then, she hummed, “Oh, don’t worry. He’d be gone by now.”

Actually, it was just a hunch. She didn’t know if he was really gone by this hour.

The co-worker raised her thin eyebrows at her, “Are you sure? The HR allowed me to go home, but I’m too afraid that if he saw me going home earlier than he wanted me to—”

“Relax,” Seo-rin lightly shoved her shoulder, “the HR already allowed you. He shouldn’t have a say on that.”

The co-worker returned her smile. “Then, I’ll be heading home now.”

Seo-rin waved her hand in goodbye and continued her way toward her office.

The left-wing was always prohibited for anyone, and it was strictly guarded, starting from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon.

When no one’s looking, Seo-rin will make her way toward the said wing.

Her office’s easier to access through that path, anyway. Why would she waste more time rounding the right-wing when she could just cut through a short cut?

She grinned and walked silently in the dim hallway.

The sun’s setting illumination was the only light that comes through in the said space. If it weren’t for the huge glass window pane lined in every corner and the simple design of the Venetian blinds to tame the sun, the entire hallway of the left-wing would have looked like a haunted area wherein ghosts walk through the night.

Seo-rin shivered at such a thought.

She didn’t sit well with the dark, after all.

Passing through a spacious room, she noticed it was almost empty.

She slowed down a bit and noticed it was the only room that didn’t have a Venetian blind attached to its glass-paned windows.

Seo-rin squinted her eyes.

The room only had a desk and an office chair, and it looked like it hadn’t been used for a long time. In fact, she hadn’t noticed it whenever she crosses this part of the hallway.

“Wasn’t this always empty?” she said to no one in particular.

Slowly, Seo-rin roamed her gaze inside.

She forgot her red glasses, so she wasn’t that sure if she’s seeing things accurately.

“A person?” she murmured quietly. She didn’t want to attract any attention from other employees passing by at the other end of the hallway.

It would be bad if they busted her sneaking in a restricted area.

Taking small steps with her white converse, Seo-rin walked as light as a feather. She peeked through the see-through walls of the room with her breath fogging the glass.

A figure sat on the chair, his hand propped beneath his chin as he leaned his elbow on the wooden desk.

She’s positive someone’s sitting on the office chair.

Seo-rin thought she was seeing a ghost for the first time in her life for a split second there.

She felt relieved when the imaginary ghost she built in her mind turned out to be a real human being.

As quiet as possible, Seo-rin opened the glass door that led inside the said room.

She didn’t know why, but it was as if she was compelled to peak and figure out who was inside.

When her vision cleared, she almost yelped at who was sitting quietly on the chair.

Ervin was again clad in a black suit, his breathing slow but sure. His chest fell up and down, and his eyes were closed firmly.

Seo-rin had never seen his face this up-close, but it was the first time she saw this man looking so peaceful—like he didn’t have any burden placed upon his shoulders.

Every meeting they had with regards to design, this particular man would always criticize her work. He’d been the only person to call her attention and tell her directly that her designs didn’t look like it will have an impact.

But despite that, no matter how angry she was at him for insulting every creation she’d ever make, Seo-rin would always take the time to ponder at his words.

Like she was in a spell that made her follow his decisions, she’d always revise the designs into what he’d suggested.

Afterward, Ervin would almost always immediately approve all of her revised designs. And then, it would sell in the market as if it were the best the consumers had ever seen.

With a heavy sigh, Seo-rin ran outside as quietly as possible.

She hesitated for a minute and found herself walking back casually inside.

Seo-rin swiftly grabbed hold of the AC’s remote and turned down the temperature when she saw Ervin shiver a little.

Seo-rin didn’t know if he’d fire her tomorrow for cleaning the clutter on his table, but she did it anyway—and it was as quiet as possible.

Before she left, Seo-rin wondered what made him appear the way he was toward his employees. Was he really that cold and distant?

She left the room when Ervin moaned and turned his head to the other side.