Stunned, Marcus didn't have time to respond as the dagger cut through his stomach.
Doing enough damage, Faraam jumped back while playing with the dagger.
"W-What is the meaning of this!?"
Faraam laughed.
"You see, Marcus, you've been a real pain in my side. Every time when someone asked for my service, they always asked about you first."
"You tried to kill me... for this?"
Cough!
Marcus coughed some blood from his mouth.
"H-How dare you betray me after everything I did?!"
His breathing became hard.
"I only did what you did to others. Did you think I don't know Marcus? Did you think I don't know how cowardly and pathetic you are? The Second Lord asked you to live in his place? Pfft! Don't make me laugh. You're a coward who betrayed his friend when he was in need. You hid yourself so you wouldn't go with him, so you could live."
Marcus's expression turned horrified.
"H-How did... you know?"
"Nothing escapes my eyes and ears, dear Marcus. Nothing."
In his left hand, white particles took the form of a long sword.
Pointing it at Marcus, Faraam spoke with a grin, "Now run, little mouse!"
Injured and weak, Marcus had only one thing he could do... escape. And so he ran.
'Fuck! Fuck! Why does it not heal?!'
"It's because of the dagger. Any wound made by it will only heal when its wielder wants it to. It cost me a lot of fortune to get it, you know?"
'He knows my aspect too?!'
Marcus continued cursing in his mind.
'How could this happen...?'
Everything he did. From clinging to the Second Lord to becoming a pathfinder is to not die.
Marcus ran; every time he tried to take a turn, he would find Faraam in front of him, forcing him to go the other way.
It was like... like he was luring him somewhere.
And Marcus only noticed when it was too late.
Because in front of him was the Colosseum.
He looked back only to see Faraam grinning from ear to ear.
It was the smile of a devil.
"Why have you stopped, Marcus?"
Faraam asked innocently, or tried to at least.
"Hahaha..." Marcus pointed his finger at Faraam tiredly. "You are a demon... No, you are even worse. You're evil incarnate."
Faraam chuckled and bowed, "Well, thanks for the compliment."
He raised his head and looked at Marcus's eyes.
"You must have suffered a lot, didn't you? Cursing you behind your back. Coward, betrayer, scum, and more... but you only did it because you wanted to live, right? ... I understand. What is the shame in trying to live? There is no shame! That is why you must have your revenge, Marcus! Who are they to judge you when they didn't know what you went through?!"
Losing a lot of blood, it became harder for Marcus to think. Faraam's words were like hypnosis, hitting every weak point in Marcus's thinking.
Slowly and slowly he started to believe Faraam's words.
'That's right. They should suffer as I suffered. It's not fair for me to be the only one who suffers.'
Marcus started walking toward the Colosseum as he heard Faraam speaking from behind.
"Go, Marcus. Go fulfill your destiny!"
And so he entered.
And what he said made him laugh like a psychopath.
In a large arena are tens of bull-like creatures with two heads, one that had nothing but a large mouth full of nail-like teeth, and the other with a horse head with its tongue out of its mouth and three horns on each head.
Behind them was a large, vile, horrendous creature with a lower body that resembled a horse and an upper body like a human with a singular large eye in the middle of its chest. Its head was like a worm with nothing but a mouth full of nail-like teeth.
Next to it were seven miniature copies of him, but still larger than the bulls.
The moment they saw him... they lunged at him, tearing him apart as they ate him.
Marcus screamed. He felt himself being torn apart. The sound of them crunching on his bones.
Suddenly they stopped.
At first Marcus didn't understand why he was still alive... but he did when he noticed the injury on his stomach was healing.
In front of him, the Fallen Tyrant walked toward him, and when it reached him, it held him up and threw him inside its mouth.
For the first time, it felt a new taste in its mouth.
It was the sweet, intoxicating taste of divinity.
The Fallen Tyrant wanted to eat more. The sweet feeling of divinity was like a drug to it.
So for the first time it left its den; following it was its herd.
It's singular and looks around searching for more like what it ate...
And then its eye fell on the castle far away.
***
Far in the distance, Faraam looked at the Colosseum. Seeing everything went as he planned. He grinned and looked at his hand.
There was a small worm, smaller than his pinky, crawling above his hand.
"Soon it will be your turn, and when that happens, the dark city will be mine."
He turned his back to the Colosseum and headed back to the Bright Castle.
***
Two chapters since I couldn't upload yesterday and before.