Chapter 82. Convictions In Their Heart
When the students heard Carlos’s words, something ignited inside them, a burning anger. Most of them turned to glare at him with open resentment. But not one of them could deny what he’d said. Because every word had been true. He hadn’t said anything wrong. What had they been doing this whole time? Standing here like fools, waiting to die. Not a shred of courage in any of them, not a single spark of vengeance burning where it should have been blazing in their chests. Their friends, their classmates, had died right before their eyes. And what were they doing now?
Nothing. Just standing there, bodies frozen, minds numb, with no self-awareness left, no dignity left. Standing like fools, watching their own deaths approach. Was that really who they were supposed to be? Was surrendering to death really the right response? Shouldn’t they be fighting for their own lives instead? None of them seemed to understand that.
Elizabeth, standing where she was, felt her grip tighten around her sword’s handle as Carlos’s words sank in, so tight that her knuckles went bloodless from the pressure. She replayed his words over and over in her mind, and each repetition stoked the fire building inside her. Was this really how she should be acting? What was the purpose of her life? Her purpose was to walk the path of the sword, to master it, to push it to its absolute limit. And what was she doing instead? Standing here like a coward. The ancient monster before her had shaken her conviction to its core. She’d been relying on someone else to keep her alive, to keep everyone alive. But was that really the right way to think? Wasn’t it possible for her to stand and face this thing herself? To fight it herself?
Why was she so afraid? Did she even have a real reason to be? What was she afraid of, death? But if she lived only by fearing death, was that life even worth living? If she kept living like this, could she ever look herself in the eye again? Could she ever raise her sword and claim, with any honesty, that she walked the path of the blade? No. She couldn’t. The path of the sword demanded everything a person had, given entirely toward reaching its highest limit. It demanded sacrifice, family, loved ones, everything left behind, walking forward with unwavering conviction and never looking back. That was the way of the sword.
And she had dreamed of walking that path since she was a child. She had built her entire self around that dream. But what was she doing now? Cowering in fear. Her own body refused to move forward, as if it didn’t want her to die, as if it were holding her back against her will. But if she let it, could she ever truly walk the path of the sword? No. She couldn’t. To walk that path, she had to let go of every worldly attachment, even her own attachment to life itself. Only then could she truly walk it.
Elizabeth gripped her sword tighter and stepped forward. The fear in her eyes was fading with every step she took, and the further she moved, the less of it remained. She could feel it happening with each stride, the fog of fear that had clouded her eyes burning away, replaced by the fire of conviction. And it was with that burning gaze that she now looked upon the monster standing before her.
Dominic, hearing Carlos’s sharp words, felt something rise inside him too, not anger at Carlos, but at himself. He was furious with himself for slipping right back into the same self-doubt he’d promised himself he’d never fall into again. He’d promised himself he’d listen to his own heart this time. And yet here he was, drowning in that same river of hesitation all over again, pulled down so deep into its current that he couldn’t find his way back to the surface. But was he really going to stay trapped down there forever? Was he going to stop trying to climb out? Was he going to break the promise he’d made to Sara?
No. Never.
Submerged in that river of doubt, Dominic forced his eyes open, and he began swimming upward, fighting his way back toward the surface. No matter how exhausted he became, he refused to stop. He kept swimming, kept pushing upward, until finally he broke through and emerged above the water.
He blinked several times, looking around. He wasn’t in that river anymore. He was here, trapped beneath the ominous red sky, inside the barrier, surrounded by fellow students. But the strangest sight of all was the ancient abomination standing among them, its gaze fixed on the five students to the left. Seeing it now, he no longer stood frozen and silent like before. He reached down, gripped the handle of his fallen sword where it lay in the dirt, and lifted it from the ground. He could feel his grip tightening around the hilt, and a fire burning in his eyes that he had never felt before. Sword in hand, he stepped forward from where he stood.
Lyra, who had stayed silent through everything, gripped by fear the entire time, felt something stir inside her the moment Carlos’s words reached her. Memories surfaced unbidden. Her father’s face, staring at her with open disgust, the day he learned she couldn’t wield a sword properly, the day he discovered she could only manipulate the lightning element. She would never forget that expression. It had carved itself into her, haunting her ever since. But she wasn’t that same person anymore. She wasn’t the useless Lyra who excelled at nothing, whose life seemed destined to amount to nothing. She had been slowly, steadily fighting to prove herself, pouring everything she had into that fight. But now she’d hit another wall, one that felt impossible to climb, and facing it, she had nearly given up.
But hearing Carlos’s words made her stop and think. Should she really be giving up like this? Could she really live with herself, holding back instead of giving everything she had? No. She couldn’t. She would never forgive herself for that. If she gave up now, how could she ever face Necrotize again, the one who had stood before everyone and revealed his single-element lie for her sake, the one who had opened an entirely new path for her to prove herself? Was this really how she planned to repay that gift? By giving up? She could never do that. There was only one way she could ever truly repay him: by pushing herself to her absolute limit and reaching the very top. Only then could she genuinely thank him for everything. Anything less would mean nothing at all.
As these thoughts churned through her, something strange began happening to her body. Faint waves of lightning crackled across her skin, and a pale white aura began radiating from her entire frame. Her eyes snapped open. She rose and began moving forward, following right behind Elizabeth.
Behind Carlos, six fireballs spun in slow orbit, while a dark violet light blazed steadily between his palms. As the light grew brighter, his feet began lifting off the ground, rising slowly until he hovered nearly fifteen feet in the air, eye level with Xath’rael. He held the creature’s gaze without flinching.
Xath’rael studied Carlos floating before him and let out a laugh, delighted.
"Ha, ha, ha. Quite the speech, human sapling. I’ll admit, listening to you spout that nonsense was rather entertaining."
But the amusement drained from his face almost as quickly as it had come. His brow furrowed, and his eyes sharpened into a hard, dangerous glare.
"But you’ve pushed this far enough. I let your insults slide the first time because I found them amusing. But now this is simply becoming tiresome. Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to? I am Xath’rael, the Beast of the Crimson Void, known as the Harbinger of Ruin. I am someone even gods think twice before addressing. And here you stand, a mere human sapling, daring to speak to me with such insolence. Do you understand the price for insulting me? Did those pitiful wretches not tell you what I did to them? I know they did. And yet even knowing that, you dare insult me still. Do you know what reward such bravery earns? Death."
Carlos rolled his tongue against his teeth after hearing that, then answered.
"Oh, please, enough with the theatrics. So the gods feared you, so what? Does that mean I’m supposed to as well? Obviously not. They only feared you because they were nothing but a pack of cowards, not worthy of being called gods if they’d cower before a joke like you. And if death is the price for my bravery, I’ll accept it with open arms. It’s far more appealing to me than the alternative, living a life of cowardice. Now enough talk. Let’s finish this."