Chapter 289: Partial Awakening [ 12 ]
Clementine...
She was nowhere to be seen, and the one responsible for this illusion that managed to bypass my senses was none other than Morr.
How?
"..."
What am I supposed to do now?
Because of me, demons were unleashed onto the Human Realm, and because of me... a lot more people were going to die.
I really was stupid at times, huh?
Even with all of this power, and the ability to overwhelm so many powerful beings, I am nothing when it comes to intricate planning that went back nearly as long as I’ve lived.
It was silly.
Too silly...
But what could I do?
Glancing around, I realized that there was no trace of Clementine to begin with. She was never in the Demon Realm, and the last time we had crossed paths was in that area where we fought. But I couldn’t sense that far.
Nowhere near, actually.
So what was left...?
Nothing.
I needed to get back to the Human Realm as soon as possible.
So without even a trace of hesitation, I decided to go back to the fallen Helheim. The Demon Emperors were long gone, yet there were still some weak demons who were keen on going through.
Yet those demons couldn’t even take another step when I appeared, as I shattered their Demonic Cores instantly. Then, I glanced at the portal. It was still open, but it seemed very unstable, to the point where I felt like just going through it would send me elsewhere.
But even then, since I had no choice but to roam around the Demon Realm until I found another portal, I decided to just go ahead and go through it.
Yet, right as my body was about to enter it, I spotted a figure just sitting down by the portal, her feet dangling off the tall steps. She looked very innocent, and yet, her gaze contained a great deal of conflict too.
"Merilyn?" I called out.
She turned to me and patted the ground beside her. I knew there wasn’t much time, so I didn’t sit down, and instead, I just stared at her.
"What are you doing here?"
Merilyn sighed.
"I was just waiting for you. I grew quite curious of just what you were going to do, but it is as I thought. You traveled back here and are seeking to enter the area that’s practically the heart of where all the demons were gathered."
That’s true.
Though...
By the way she was speaking, she wasn’t exactly reminding me of the Merilyn I had met and come to know. If anything, this person here was the complete opposite of Merilyn.
Who was she?
"Amon, would you care to hear one piece of advice? From Divine Beast, to Divine Beast."
"..."
"Indra," I deduced, approaching her.
The moment I deduced her identity, her eyes lit up slightly as her pupils turned white. It was indeed Indra, and from the looks of things... as well as this body, it really did belong to Merilyn.
It didn’t take a genius to realize that the Merilyn I knew was dead, or at the very least, she had her mind wiped completely of her memories.
Why did this happen all the time to the people who were close to me?
But even if it did, I could barely feel anything. She was just... someone Amon had known. She wasn’t someone I really knew that well, but it didn’t change the fact that with her around, I felt like I had another ally.
And now that ally was dead.
"Amon, take heed of my advice," Indra continued:
"You’re already suffering, but your suffering is nothing in the grand scheme of things. You’ll be forced to make a choice, and whether or not you choose to be on humanity’s side or our side is something for you to decide."
"It’s just that, I want you to know if you choose to stick with humanity or the demons, you are going to be eradicated alongside them."
Indra glanced into the distance, her expression unreadable.
But unreadable or not, I had one simple question.
"Are the Divine Beasts plotting their own path rather than going down either the humans’ or the demons’ paths?"
It was destructive, by all means. Beings of that caliber could do anything they set their mind to. That also meant they could wipe out the entire world if they so much as pleased.
But if that was really the case... would I need to be on the side that’s against them? Which side even is that?
Several thoughts flashed through my mind and landed on one in particular.
Kai’s side.
The side that is trying to revive the Gods.
Gods were the rightful enemies of the Divine Beasts, and if they are revived, then I wouldn’t need to worry about being unprepared.
But if I do help Kai, and we manage to do that... I’m afraid the world would end.
Can such a small world handle beings of that caliber fighting?
No.
It can’t.
She glanced back at me, observing my expression for a moment. Unlike her, I wasn’t able to keep my thoughts from showing that well, and because of that, she managed to get a rough idea of my intentions.
"Yeah, that’s what I was worried about. I’m not on anyone’s side, not even my own. I’m neutral in all cases, but I am a bit partial to you. That’s why I wish to warn you that if you go down the path of going against us, you should target Astron... Morr first."
With those words, she finally looked at peace, and as if she wanted to show off in her final moments, she put her hand over the back of her neck, and to my dismay, she ripped her own spine out, killing herself instantly.
Her presence faded, and what replaced it was Merilyn’s consciousness that I remembered.
Yet before I could even grasp onto that consciousness and try to heal her, her Demonic Core cracked.
In front of my eyes, her body turned to dust and ash, mixing with the putrid air and debris, but coincidentally blowing in the direction of the portal.
Even after death... she was trying to help me.