Lara POV (continued)
"I hate Micah," I sighed.
If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be forced to search for Alfred von Everic's corpse in this underground cemetery right now.
I thought about where the Everic family's tomb might be and figured it could be near the Everic fallen noble houses.
After searching a bit more, I felt the death energy emanating from underground.
But the hard part started when I reached the place where the tombs were.
Because there were no names written on the tombs.
Even though Micah is a dark sorcerer, those who use dark magic aren't looked down upon.
There's a saying: there's no such thing as an evil magic element, only evil people.
These mercenary groups are really getting on my nerves—they're so arrogant, but they show infinite respect to Micah.
As I wandered through the cemetery, something happened. When I stood in front of a particular tomb, a few spells came to mind.
What are these memories?
But then I realized, Raul must have done this. Even if he couldn't help directly, he helped indirectly.
So, most likely, the person whose tomb I'm standing in front of right now is Alfred von Everic.
When I looked at his tomb, there was an open bottle of wine and two glasses.
Yes, this has to be it. Micah's love for his brother became clear with this wish.
Using the information Raul planted in my mind, I drew a star pattern on the ground with my blood.
Then I poured the wine over it.
A terrifying energy emanated from the magic circle, but before I could comprehend it, darkness swallowed me.
Alfred von Everic—what a tragic life.
I saw his memories. Alfred and his older brother Micah were always together.
Alfred never questioned his brother's words, but he had a wild spirit and sometimes fought with him.
In the memories I saw, there was an argument between Alfred and Micah.
"Brother, why do you have to marry that girl? Please, this will only put a target on your back…" Alfred was against Micah marrying Alice.
Because no noble would let their daughter marry someone from a fallen noble family.
But Micah didn't listen. Back then, he was handsome and charismatic.
What happened next was inevitable. Alfred learned that while Micah was kidnapping Alice, she had turned Alice's brother into a frog.
Alfred was furious and grabbed Micah by the collar: "Why are you doing this, you damn bastard? It's all because of that bitch!" Alfred pointed at Alice behind Micah.
Micah pushed Alfred: "What do you know about love? I'm in love… madly in love. I'd give my life for this."
Alfred fell to the ground but got up quickly: "You fool, even if you have a mercenary group ready to die for you, is this what we should be fighting for?"
"I'm your older brother, Alfred. If you're scared, you don't have to fight with us," said Micah, and he walked away with Alice.
I was seeing all this from Alfred's perspective.
Time passed. Alice became a renowned painter, while Micah kept fighting. But one day, a massive army arrived.
No matter what Micah did, no matter how many he killed, another enemy kept coming. He was stabbed in the stomach, but then something happened. In a single second, symbols appeared on Micah's face.
He slaughtered the entire army, but something had changed. The eyes once filled with love and life were now empty.
They returned from the war victorious.
While Alfred, Alice, and Micah were resting after the war, something happened. The alcohol I poured for myself stopped, completely.
That entity had arrived.
Alfred had only heard stories about it, but when he turned to Micah, he realized Micah had made a deal.
"Micah, the choice is yours. I gave you immortality and the power to protect your love. Now give me your soul," said the entity.
It was smiling…
Micah stood up: "I want to make a bet with you. Yes, our deal should be over, but leaving everyone in this situation would be cruel."
"Of course, Micah. Let's extend the duration of our agreement, and I'll give you the right to make three wishes," said the entity, but Micah stopped it.
He shook his head: "No, there will be three wishes, and someone else, not you, will have to fulfill them. They must be doable, or I know you'll refuse and take my soul immediately. And my soul can only be taken on beep beep beep."
But then the entity looked at Alfred and smiled. I realized it wasn't looking at Alfred, it was looking at me.
Then the entity raised two fingers: "This deal is fine, but it doesn't cover the price. I've always given you something, Micah. You need to give something up, too. I'm not a wish-granting machine; I'm a merchant. You'll either sacrifice your brother or the woman you love."
Alfred ran toward the entity: "You bastard, are you trying to pit us against each other?" He tried to punch the entity, but froze in place.
Alice was trembling: "My lord, please take my soul instead of his brother's. I caused all this. I beg you, leave Micah alone."
"Oh no, Alice, let's see what he's offering me," said the entity, leaning against a wall and looking at the frozen Alfred.
Micah stayed silent: "I'll sacrifice my brother. Tomorrow, you'll see him dead," he said.
The entity clapped: "Done. The deal is finalized. Sign it if you want, or check it," it said, and as usual, the entity came and went…
Alfred could move again, but he was devastated. Yet Micah grabbed him by the shoulders: "Don't worry, Alfred. I won't sacrifice you. You're both important to me."
Alfred cried, but his brother only wanted to buy one more day. Micah was always ready to give his soul, as long as his lover and brother could live comfortably.
But while Alfred was training horses in the stable, something happened. The horses went out of control, as if scared, and started running wildly.
Alfred was alone, and he died by horses.
The entity never showed up during his death, but it didn't let Micah rest or back out of the deal.
What a headache…
I saw all of Alfred's memories. Even though Micah was a bastard, he was a bastard who loved his family. He even sacrificed a lot for Raul.
And Raul showed mercy by not taking Alfred's soul. How do I know?
Because Alfred's soul will stay inside me for one day. That was the deal I made to bring him back…
"Hey, pretty lady, why did you come to visit me? Are you the daughter of one of the women I slept with? Am I a father?" Alfred's voice echoed in my head.
I slowly stood up: "No, the entity borrowed your soul from the underworld for one day to fulfill your brother Micah von Everic's second wish, which was to talk to you," I said, my head bowed.
"Hohoho, don't be sad, pretty girl. I'm already dead, and that entity was merciful—it let me rest after death. The real culprit was my brother. If he'd said he wouldn't sacrifice anyone, the entity would've smiled and accepted it anyway. In the underworld, there's a guy named Sphiros. I learned a lot about the entity from him…" Alfred was talking way too much in my head.
We quickly left the tomb: "Can you take control of my body?" I asked, curious, because the idea of a man controlling my body felt disgusting.
"Yes and no. Don't worry, I won't do anything with your body. You're just a little girl, after all," said Alfred.
I hurriedly headed toward Sylvarion, the last place Micah was…
I feel sorry for this, Alfred. The entity felt sorry for him, too, and didn't take his soul. And as Alfred said, if Micah had said he wouldn't sacrifice anyone, the entity would've accepted it. It was just testing something—Micah's lack of emotions.
Or maybe the entity was testing the side effects of the immortality power it gave him…