"System?" Drake said, interrupting their argument.
Sarah slowly turned to face him.
"It's Sarah, idiot. Good to see you're alive and in one piece." She flashed a brilliant smile. "So tell me—how has life been treating you?"
Drake's mouth nearly hit the floor—if only there was a floor to begin with. "What the hell is going on here?" he exclaimed.
"Mind your language, Drake," Astral chided gently.
"What? You surprised to see me?" Sarah asked with amusement.
"Surprised is an understatement. My mind is simply blown," Drake said.
Sarah smiled mischievously.
Drake's surprise quickly morphed into rage. "Wait, why am I surprised? Because you have a personality! Why did you abandon me like that? I thought you were broken or something!"
"Aww, did you miss me?" Sarah cooed mockingly.
"Will you quit this sassy nature of yours? I almost got killed out there, and where were you, my so-called system?" Drake demanded.
"But you didn't die, right? So it's not my problem," Sarah said with a shrug.
"Sarah!" Astral called out warningly.
"What? It's true! It's not my fault this oaf of a host couldn't properly control and manage his stamina," Sarah said, folding her arms defiantly.
*Sometimes it hurts how she's always right,* Drake thought, looking at Sarah with a twitching smile.
Astral burst into laughter. "You two suit each other well."
"Me and Lorenzo? Please! We're like fire and water," Sarah scoffed.
Drake just stared, no words to offer.
"But you know, Sarah, you're in charge of your host. If you had lent him some guidance, I'm sure things could have turned out differently," Astral pointed out.
"Yeah, she's right, you know," Drake agreed.
"Shut up! It's not my fault you're weak," Sarah snapped.
Everyone fell silent, stunned by her bluntness. Drake's face darkened, stung by her words.
"What? Why the sudden silence? And why that face, Lorenzo?" Sarah asked, genuinely confused.
"Huh!" Astral raised a hand to her forehead. "It baffles me how dense you are."
"Ah!" Sarah gasped in realization.
"I called you out here to encourage the poor boy, not break him further," Astral said reproachfully.
"But that's what I'm doing, right? I'm simply pointing out his weaknesses. Right, Drake?" Sarah asked uncertainly.
Drake's head hung low as if life had left him. He stood there motionless.
"Drake? Lorenzo? Hey, you okay over there?" Sarah asked, growing uneasy. "What's wrong with you now?"
The silence stretched uncomfortably before Drake finally broke it.
"I know I'm weak—really, really weak. But you didn't need to rub it in so much." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I failed to fully protect Elsa and Sidonia. You think I loved it?" He clenched his fingers into fists, making Sarah step back slightly.
"I needed help to protect everyone. I had you, yet I still failed to make use of you. I was so naive, so foolishly weak that I needed saving." His voice cracked. "I'm so weak it hurts!"
Astral and Sarah's faces twisted with concern as Drake's voice deepened with raw emotion.
"But what do you think—I loved being weak? I loved being protected instead of doing the protecting? You think I loved being beneath others?" His fists trembled. "You think I loved being at the mercy of Havoc?"
After a brief, heavy silence, he continued: "Think again. I hated every minute, every second of it. When I think about it, it makes me want to vomit. I hated every instance of being weak. That's why..." He paused, sweat beading on his forehead. "That's why I want to get stronger. So, Goddess Astral, System—no, Sarah—give me another chance to redeem myself from my weakness. I need to get stronger, and I can't do that without your help. So please, lend me a helping hand."
He raised his head, eyes blazing with determination, face serious and resolute.
Astral and Sarah were left speechless for several seconds.
"Huh!" Sarah sighed deeply. "Way to ball out all your feelings, idiot." She stared into his eyes, seeing a burning passion there, then scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I haven't seen you like this before. You're making me sound like the villain here."
"But you are," Astral said matter-of-factly.
"I didn't ask you, Astral," Sarah shot back.
"When will you learn to respect me?" Astral asked with exasperation.
"When you learn to stop meddling in my affairs," Sarah retorted as Astral shook her head with a sigh.
Sarah stared at Drake for a long moment before sighing heavily. "Fine, fine. You win, Drake. I give up." She threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm not used to you being so serious. Go back to your goofy self—this side of you makes my skin crawl."
"But I need to be serious if I want to ever get stronger," Drake insisted.
"Fine, you've made your point clear. You want to get stronger, right?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, that's what I want," Drake replied firmly.
Before he knew it, Sarah was floating close to his face. Surprisingly, Drake didn't flinch.
"You say you want to get stronger, eh?" Sarah's voice took on a dangerous edge.
"Yeah, that's what I want more than anything," Drake replied without wavering.
Sarah licked her lips as the crescent moon on her forehead glowed alongside her eyes. "Fine. Your wish is my command. I'll make you stronger—strong enough to make fighting Kael feel like child's play. Strong enough to kill soul-wretches without breaking a sweat." Her eyes burned brighter.
"But prepare yourself, Drake. Your training from now on will be brutal. You'll have quests, get teleported to dungeons at random, need hellish physical training and intense mental conditioning to help sustain the strain of my powers. I'll push you to your breaking point, Lorenzo. Sometimes you'll wish you could just die." She leaned closer. "So I ask you—are you absolutely sure you want to get stronger?"
Drake steeled his determination. "Yes, I do."
"So be it." Sarah smiled a dark smile as she giggled softly. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She drifted slowly away.
Drake could feel himself shaken from within. *There's no turning back now. My mind is made up.*
"Good way of scaring the poor boy," Astral commented dryly.
"Shut it," Sarah responded quickly.
"Since that's settled, I think we should elaborate more on Kael," Sarah said, her tone becoming serious.
"Right," Drake responded.
"As Astral mentioned before, Kael was the former hero. The first time I saw him was when he was summoned. I saw pure evil buried inside him, so I refused to merge with him because I knew it would be a terrible mistake. He could have gained powers that rival the gods, so I warned Astral."
"Kael was furious, yes, but I had my reasons. I owed a human no explanation."
"Astral just blessed him with a divine weapon and the ability to surpass all limits as he trained and grew stronger," Sarah continued.
"The reason he wants to bring an apocalypse isn't necessarily for world dominance. Kael is like a demigod of war. He knew his purpose for being summoned was to protect the world, but deep down, he wanted war. I could see it in his eyes—those cold, golden eyes. He found pleasure in slaughter, found pleasure in war. It was like a show he never wanted to end. It was thrilling and amusing to him. He enjoyed every minute of people being slaughtered."
Sarah's expression grew darker. "He grew so fond of war that when he finally defeated Arkazar, he became bored. He wanted nothing but war. He didn't love fame, comfort, or wealth—just destruction and chaos."
"After becoming the strongest, he felt the need for something thrilling to keep him entertained. So he left the three peaceful continents for the demon continent, where he took Arkazar's core and made himself the new demon lord. He wants a challenge and loves war. As he aged, he found ways to switch souls, as Astral explained earlier, and later learned to manipulate them entirely."
"These Hollow Saints he forcefully created have two to three Echoforms each. These people possess tremendous powers and are like ticking time bombs. They too enjoy the thrill of war and slaughter, making them his trusted disciples and right-hand warriors."
Sarah's voice grew grave. "This apocalypse doesn't have a fixed date. For some reason, he knows you're here, Drake, and wants you to get stronger. When he faces off against you, he wants to feel the same thrill he experienced fighting Arkazar. So you're the reason the apocalypse is being delayed. It might take weeks, months, or years for him to wait. In the meantime, get stronger—because I, for one, know Kael isn't the patient type. But keep this in mind: every second wasted, his army grows. He can control soul-wretches, demons, and monsters thanks to Arkazar's core, making him your worst nightmare. So prepare yourself, Drake, for your battle has yet to begin."
Drake froze in place, his heart and mind racing as he processed everything, letting it all sink in. *This Kael guy is a freak of nature. Do I really stand a chance against a man like him? I'm screwed.*
"Drake, look at me," Sarah said with a softer voice.
Drake looked at her, sweating and trembling.
"I know after everything I just said, you may feel weak and powerless, but..." She paused, seeming to struggle with her words. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I believe in you. We all do. So don't let us down. I didn't choose you for nothing. You exude an aura—not necessarily pure, given that you're a little pervert—but better than Kael's. I see unmistakable good and kindness in you. So just take that kindness and turn it into strength. With my help, we can become unstoppable."
Drake's face brightened, tears hanging at the corners of his eyes.
"Well spoken, Sarah. I knew you had it in you. You do care for your host," Astral praised warmly.
"Grrr! Shut it, Astral!" Sarah growled in embarrassment.
"Ha!" A small laugh escaped Drake's throat, making both Astral and Sarah turn to look at him.
Tears ran down Drake's cheeks.
"Drake, you okay? Is it something I said?" Sarah asked with concern.
"Hahahaha!" Drake laughed as he cried softly. "Thanks, Sarah. What you said touched me deeper than you know. You're the best system a goofy boy like me could hope for. So yeah, thanks." He flashed a dazzling and captivating smile.
Sarah blushed slightly.
"Sarah, you're blushing," Astral observed with interest.
Sarah jolted. "I'm not! Shut up! You're just seeing things. My cheeks have always been this red."
"Hmm, I see," Astral said sarcastically.
"You know, you make me like you less every time we see each other," Sarah grumbled.
"Aww, really? And I thought we were getting closer," Astral said with feigned disappointment.
"No thank you. Drake is more than enough chaos and drama for one system to handle. So keep that thought far away from me," Sarah said firmly.
"Fine, if you say so, caring system," Astral teased with a giggle.
"I will kill you and take your place! And I pray you get reborn as a system like me!" Sarah threatened.
Drake watched them argue like younger and older sisters. It made him smile unconsciously. He wondered what it felt like to have siblings. Still, he pondered how to move forward, knowing the peaceful and easy life he'd hoped for was gradually coming to an end.
—TO BE CONTINUED—