Chapter 28
This is a fictional story by realTensai
The last day of the run had come, and Alvis had to act. Right now, he was strolling next to Lia accompanying her home. It wasn't the first time they went home together because neither of them lived in the dorms. However, what he would do now would decide if he completed his level or not. It was the last day and he wouldn't get another chance. Alvis braced himself, gathering his resolve.
I can't let her die again!
"Hey, Lia. I've noticed that you have acted differently today."
Alvis wasn't lying. It was because he had spent so much time with her in this loop he knew she wasn't herself today. He also knew the reason. Today was the day she planned to destroy the entire Assassin Organization. Of course, one would have to mentally prepare for it.
Lia's face shot up, her gaze speaking volumes.
"It's nothing," she just answered.
"Every time you say it is nothing, there certainly is something."
"Haha, I guess you know me too well," Lia said, scratching her cheek. "But really, you don't have to worry."
She tried to reassure him and brushed the topic aside with a fake smile. Yet Alvis wouldn't let it go. He knew she wouldn't spit it out, so he had to do it!
"Lia… I know what you are planning. I know you want to destroy the Assassin Organization today."
Alvis saw no other way than to mention it. From here on, even he didn't know what would happen.
Lia's eyes widened as she immediately stopped walking.
"H-How do you know that?" she asked, her voice wavering amid her trembling lips.
"I'm not an empath, but I'm pretty smart. Judging from your behavior today and how well I got to know your character, this made the most sense. I still hoped my suspicions were wrong, yet after what you just said, they got confirmed."
Alvis was lying. He already knew for sure what she was planning because he had seen it with his own eyes, yet this wasn't something he could tell her. However, lying to an empath was almost every time a bad choice, but this time was different.
Alvis tried his best to hide his true thoughts and believe his own lies. No matter how stupid that may sound, it actually helped if one dealt with an empath. Lia could normally see through such a cheap trick, but because she wasn't fully herself today, it worked. Her mind was already occupied with her attack on the Organization. That was why she believed Alvis.
"Hah~, I guess I can't hide nothing from you."
He almost felt bad for tricking her, but he knew it had to be done. But now that she admitted it, Alvis could carry on.
"Why do you want to destroy the Organization? I know they are bad and kill people, but you alone can't defeat them. It's impossible."
This was what Alvis honestly thought. Even though he knew how strong she was, he also knew she couldn't kill the boss. Alvis, at first, had thought she would be strong enough to defeat him, but she had failed. So even if Alvis thought she was powerful enough, she clearly was lacking something.
"Can I tell you a story?" Lia said, her voice soft.
Alvis furrowed his brows for a second, yet he wouldn't decline. He nodded, giving her the okay.
"You know, I wasn't always a part of the Organization," Lia started her story. "When I still was a child, I lived together with my parents on the Demon Continent. We lived in a small village within the old vampire territory. I don't remember much about this time, yet I know it was the best time of my life. We weren't wealthy, but we lived peacefully together as a family."
Lia had a soft smile on her face as she reminisced about her past. Yet her smile crumbled, her lips shaking.
"But on that day, everything changed. It was when they appeared that my life had a turning point."
The tone shifted, her voice now carrying a coldness that had Alvis holding his breath. Gulping, he could only wait for the revelation.
"It was the Devil Cult!"
Alvis audibly gasped, this being the second time he heard their name. He still didn't know who they were, yet their name alone was enough for one to realize they didn't mean any good. And it was by seeing Lia's knitted eyebrows and how her lips quivered, Alvis understood how much she resented them. She clenched her fist, her palm already bleeding, yet it healed immediately. With a deep breath in and out, she tried her best to continue.
"They came to our village and forced us to follow their religion. But because we didn't obey,… they killed every single one of us."
Her face darkened, and Alvis noticed how her clenched fist trembled.
"To this day, I still remember how they decapitated the village leader for everyone to see. My parents… they.. they tried to protect me. But they didn't stand a chance."
Lia couldn't continue, her memories probably vivid for her to see. Alvis could only bite his tongue as her remorse triggered unwanted memories within him. More than once, had he seen his parents getting killed. This was by far the worst experience of his life. However, unlike him, she couldn't respawn and redo everything. She had to keep living her life, knowing she couldn't protect her parents. Alvis' inwards twisted as he could only imagine how painful that had to be.
"And how did you survive?"
"He saved me."
"Who is he?"
"The boss of the Assassin Organization."
Alvis gasped, unable to form an answer. The dots started connecting, and everything slowly seemed to make sense.
"He was nearby and saw the massacre the Devil Cult had caused, so he stepped in. But he didn't save me because he was a good person, but because he held a grudge against the Devil Cult. He just wanted to kill them. However, when he then saw that I was the only one who survived, he decided to take me with him. Because I was half-vampire and half-elf, he knew I had high potential and could be used. And this is how I became a part of their organization."
Alvis needed some time to process everything he had just heard, yet Lia continued.
"From there on, I lived the life of an assassin. The boss raised me as a coldhearted killer with no emotions. As a child, I killed countless innocent people just because he told me so. They didn't do anything to me, yet I killed them."
She paused, her gaze faltering.
"Back then, I already was an empath. I heard their voices; I felt their emotions while I killed them, but I just suppressed them trying to ignore the reality," Lia said, her emerald eyes ice cold.
"The years passed, and I kept on being an assassin. I got so strong that I could fulfill every mission the boss gave me. When the World Race Organization then accepted demons to the Union, we moved from the Demon Continent to Beqa. It was also this time around I enrolled in our school. It was an order from the boss, so I had to obey. This was how I started living a double life. The popular and perfect girl in the day and the coldhearted assassin in the night…. I felt dirty. I hated myself for everything I did. Yet I kept on being an assassin."
Lia couldn't even look Alvis in the eyes as she recited her story. Her trembling exposed the shame she felt for herself.
"But with time, the voices got louder and louder. My empathetic abilities grew stronger and I couldn't suppress them anymore. The voices and feelings of the people I had killed haunted me and I couldn't even sleep at night. Every time I tried closing my eyes, they forced me to remember that I had killed them, even though they did nothing wrong. Night by night, the same anguished cries."
She held her ears, shaking her head while gritting her teeth.
"I-I couldn't take it anymore and even tried to kill myself. Yet I realized this wasn't a solution. By killing myself, I wouldn't atone for my sins. Even after death, their voices would haunt me. I knew I had to change. This was when I realized the only way for me to somehow atone for my sins would be by destroying the Organization. And today would be the day I do it!"
It was like her speech had helped her to gather her resolve. She finally looked up again, her green eyes full of confidence.
Alvis still hadn't processed everything, but he knew he had to act now. If he wouldn't, she would just run into her death! Even if she tried, she couldn't defeat the Organization all on her own.
"I understand how you feel and everything you said made sense, yet trying to destroy the Organization all on your own isn't the answer! You are just one person and they are an entire organization of assassins. You have no chance! Trying to defeat them alone is the same as suicide!"
Alvis tried his best to convey his emotions and even raised his voice. He knew he had to save her!
"Then what should I do?!" Lia shouted, tears flowing down her red cheeks. "I can't just keep being an assassin without doing nothing and running away isn't possible! Destroying the Organization is the only way! I-...It is the only thing I can do!"
Alvis opened his mouth, though the words got stuck in his throat and he couldn't answer. Taken aback, his brain searched for answers. Yet he couldn't find one.
Shit!
He didn't know what else she could do.
However, this didn't change the fact that her going now would mean her sure death. Alvis knew it. He had seen it. Lia couldn't kill the boss. And Alvis just couldn't let her die again!
"You still shouldn't do it! You can't defeat them! Your death will be inevitable if you go!"
Alvis shouted, trying his best to stop her, but it was in vain. He saw how her green eyes lit up and he slowly lost consciousness.
"I don't blame you, Al. I can feel that you only have good intentions. But you can't stop me…. Thank you for everything."
Fuck!
The last thing Alvis saw before he lost consciousness was Lia's tears.