"This is the City of Tears."
A dark city where the rain never stops falling. Its buildings are tall and entirely black, with no windows or doors. It has no scent, not even the smell of dampness, even though it always rains. And from here, I can see a very tall building, taller than all the other buildings surrounding it.
From the south, we ascended from the Murio train station and stopped at the Tiksin station in the southeast after three days.
16 days remaining.
Arthur gripped his weapons cautiously, Ankvorena was ready to transform her ring into a spear, Kafka held his staff with both hands, Ella was in my bag, and Killer and I firmly clutched our swords.
As soon as we stepped through the city gate, a long, black staircase appeared out of nowhere, ending at the tower in the middle of the city. Without question, we began ascending the stairs, one after another.
Killer and I were in the lead, Ank and Kafka behind us, and finally, Arthur.
Elios sensed our entry, and he wanted to meet us.
The first three words were certain, the rest guesswork.
The higher we climbed, the less the rain, and the quieter its fall.
'Ethan, it's alright. We'll definitely get it.'
I didn't reply to Ella for a moment, and after thinking for a bit, I responded.
'Could it be that sharing heat with my sword is what's called Enhancement?'
'So that's what you were thinking. It's possible. Or perhaps a type of it, as Enhancement could be sharing Despaye itself with an item.'
'Sharing Despaye with an item? That's brilliant!'
But there remained another mystery. The flash step at that moment was something I still didn't understand; it was faster than normal and had a longer range, and it couldn't be produced by my current physical abilities. The only answer was definitely related to Despaye.
After that, complete silence fell. No one spoke, and Ella didn't telepathise. And even though several people were with me, I felt an intense loneliness. And I wondered: even though these people haven't known me for long, they are trying to help me.
They haven't met my mother, and our connection is less than two months old. Yet they are continuing their journey with me.
I cooperated with Arthur to escape a gang ambush, Ank saw me as a companion, Kafka is grateful I chose him, Estelliora is in my care, and Killer is kind enough and has nothing left in his life, which is why he decided to share the risks with me.
And I feel lonely because I believe no one understands my sorrow. For again, no one knew my mother as I did.
'Ethan seems tense.'
Ella?
That's what I thought, but this voice wasn't Ella's.
'It's clear he's worried about succeeding in getting the cure.'
This is Ank's voice. But she can't telepathise, and she doesn't seem to direct these words to me.
Are these... her thoughts?
And even though the matter astonished me, I couldn't stop walking for some reason.
'Anyone in his place would worry and be afraid. And since he's the first friend I've had, I won't leave him. Ever.'
Is this... one of Elios's abilities?
'I want to... live an eternity with you, Ethan.'
The black buildings lacking reflection, the utterly black staircase that never gets wet, and the falling raindrops. All of them... I felt they all reflected Ankvorena's image. I wanted to turn around and see her face at that moment, but she didn't know I could hear her thoughts.
And I continued ascending in silence. I don't know why Elios did this, but I thank him. Perhaps I will be able to understand my bond with the others because of him.
We reached the end of the stairs, far above the ground and so close to the top of the tower.
the wall in front of us opened, revealing a white room and a man sitting on a wooden chair with a table in front of him.
His face was towards the wall, so we only saw his back, and we couldn't see what was on the table.
His long, golden-tinged blonde hair reached the base of his back.
We entered the room, and the wall closed behind us, and I asked.
"Who are you?" Even though the answer was clear.
He replied, his voice emanating calmness and power at once.
"My pencil builds the earths, my eraser crumbles the skies, my sharpener rewrites fate, and my pen writes the inevitable. Invincible, Almighty, and immortal. These are all names people uttered at my presence. But I prefer calling myself a mere name, the mortal writer. Elios Privitra."
Elios Privitra... Introducing himself like a godly being. And I don't think it's for nothing.
Everyone seemed amazed by his words, but only Arthur was still on his guard.
"I know why you are here, so there is no need for words. I give medicine to those in need after subjecting them to various kinds of pressures. From these pressures, the cure is made. But a disease like this is beyond the healing capabilities of all beings, but there is still hope."
As long as there is hope...
"From now on..."
I won't stop...
"This will be your journey alone, Ethan Lumiere."
Even if it costs me my humanity.
I felt my eyes closing no matter how hard I tried to keep them open. And I felt lethargy throughout my body.
Will I need to succumb to this lethargy? It's definitely from Elios.
If it means getting the cure, then let sleep take me.
And my body fell to the white ground, and my eyes closed. And with them, I felt all my senses fade away.
I woke up in a blindingly white place. A blinding white that immediately reminded me of the Despaye World. There was no scent or feeling of a breeze. And the silence was so strong that I could hear my heartbeats.
Is this a place similar to the Despaye World, or is it a spatial dimension created by Elios himself?
If it's the Despaye World, how could Elios bring me into it? Does he have a deep connection with Despaye, or is there another reason?
And if it's a special dimension, that simplifies things, but they remain complicated.
Why would he need a special spatial dimension just to subject me to pressure? What kind of pressure? Despaye pressure? I don't think so, as he could have subjected me to such a thing anywhere.
To my knowledge, spatial dimensions that a person enters when they sleep are for psychological attacks. And this means Elios wants to subject me to mental pressure.
"Ethan Lumiere, seeker of the cure for the Violet Thorns disease for his mother, Erathia Lumiere."
A voice resembling a robotic woman who I didnt know his source.
"You are in the spatial dream dimension of Elios Privitra. You will be subjected to seven tests. If you succeed in all of them, then congratulations on the cure. And if you fail, then make your mother's last days of her life worth living."
How audacious. Seven tests? They seem like a lot, but it's fine. I don't know how time works here, so it's best to finish the tests quickly.
" The first test: Kindness."
I was placed in a day of ordinary life, where many situations occurred in which a person might act rudely.
Children broke a window of the house. A cat from the street entered the house and ate a piece of fish. And other things. An easy test, and I quickly passed it.
"The second test: Justice."
I found myself in a circular place enclosed by tall grey walls, and in front of me were two men kneeling. Their eyes and hands were on the ground.
In my hand was a long, sharp sword. And from behind me, I heard a soft voice whispering.
"The man on the right murdered a pregnant mother and her infant daughter. And the man on the left burned an entire forest with no casualties, human or animal. You can choose one judgment and execute it on both. Deliver justice."
What primitive method of judgment is this?...
In ancient Luxaria, punishments were carried out by depriving the culprit of something. A hand, a foot, an ear, an eye, and so on, depending on the crime and its details. And this system is currently applied in some areas in Luxaria in secret by groups that reject the modern system and adhere to their customs and traditions.
I looked at the man on the right, and a sign appeared above him, written: [Born two days after his father's death and lived in a poor house under a sadistic mother and witnessed the slow death of his two sisters and his mother's emotional breakdown when he was six years old. His victims are his relatives, the pregnant mother being his mother's sister.]
I looked at the man on the left, and a sign also appeared, written: [Grew up in a normal family and was provided with everything. He always did reckless things, but they didn't pose a big problem. And before the forest was burned, bodies were found there, some decomposed, some decomposing, and some not decomposed.]
Information that changes everything.
I said in a cold voice: "You." directing my sword towards the man on the left.
He was terrified and drenched in sweat, and he quickly spoke.
"I'm the one who killed them!" And then he knelt on the ground.
Does he think confessing will lessen his sentence?
He grew up in a normal family and got everything he wished for. And his quick answer shows his character, how deceitful and cowardly he is.
And being a killer who buried bodies in a forest for months or years and then burned them means one judgment. As for the other man... his judgment is also clear, but let me see first.
I pointed my sword at him before asking: "What is your motive? Your sentence is death, so your confession of your intentions won't change anything."
After deep, heavy breaths, he revealed his hidden motive: "Jealousy possessed me. To see my relatives... of my own blood... enjoying such a blissful life while I was in an unbearable hell made jealousy take over me."
And then he burst into tears. A scene that had no effect on me whatsoever.
Jealousy. The worst trait of living beings.
The judgment is one for both. According to the ancient laws of Luxaria, killing a human meant immediate death and depriving them of life. Although life doesn't have anything great enough to continue living in it anyway.
Finally, I cut off their heads. And no blood came out of them.
Next.
"The third test: Integrity."
I was offered a shortcut to obtain the cure in exchange for leaving everyone who accompanied me behind.
Elios said the cure would be formed from the depths of pressure, so something like this wouldn't happen. But the intention must be, what if I could get the cure this way?
No. I won't do it. I wish this were real, but even if it were, I don't think my mother would want me to do this. She always talked to me about the importance and value of companions and friends. If I did it... I would live a life where my mother would hate me forever, and at least, at the very least, I now have people I can truly call friends.
So... no. I will live with my friends until I rot, rather than live hated by my mother.
"The fourth test: Patience."
I became an old man, suffering from a serious contagious disease. Every pain, weakness, sadness, and second. I felt them. The closest people to me left and abandoned me. Friends, mother and father, brothers and sisters, and a wife. They all left me. I don't know them and they don't belong to me... but I feel the closeness of this body's owner to them.
I endured, waiting for relief. For days, and weeks, and three months. Until finally, everything ended in death.
I didn't complain, and I didn't blame anyone. I waited for my clear fate calmly while dying in increasing pain day by day. And at least, this old body, and its old soul, finally found their peace.
"The fifth test: Perseverance."