NOVEL NEXT Chapter 179: I was also a pawn
"Ha!" Kresi lets out a snicker. "What a joke!"
As far as she can see, all she can see is black
The water is black. The sky is black. Everything except for herself is black.
At the horizon, the endless sea and the sky meet.
She looks at her hands. Her missing hand is back. No, it's not even her body. Kresi looks at her reflection calmly. A pair of arctic blue eyes stare back at her.
The place is strange. Though there's only darkness here, she can see her reflection.
Her height has decreased by a few inches. Her hair is long and completely white. She's dressed in a white robe. Her skin is white and chalky, dead and lacking a certain lustre. Her rosy lips have turned vermillion red.
This is her true appearance.
"I was also sent to that world then." Kresi bends down on her knees and moves her fingers in the water, causing ripples in the black water. "I should have guessed it."
She was Amara who made the dark god start the great war. She was Kresi who killed Aeline and cursed Belan. She was the reason why the Dark God had to go to Qeshaya and lose his memories.
"I was also a pawn."
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[MANY LIGHTYEARS AWAY FROM IRAVAN]
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Takayama Ari clutches on her stomach, wincing in pain as she drags herself forward. The robe is clinging to her like a second skin. Blood from her clothes has been washed away. She looks up at the dark sky and lets out a curse, "Fuck you! I will find you, Ryou!"
Vehicles pass by her on the road. Some passersby point at her. A few come to her and ask if she's alright. Ari ignores them and keeps walking under the rain, following her instinct.
After walking for a long time, she reaches another bridge -- small, wooden and rural, and worn out -- lying over a small stream that shouldn't be there, and ordinary people pass by it as if they can't see it.
A bridge to another world.
Ever since she has returned to this world, she has seen many bridges like that. The world hasn't been the same for her. This world has many small crevices that lead to other worlds. Some of these worlds are as small as her kitchen while the others are bigger than this world.
This one leads to a small pocket dimension.
The bridge seems like it would break under her weight. Nonetheless, Ari holds her breath and steps further, toward the crack in reality that leads to another world. The crack is barely large for her to pass through. If she falls in the stream…
Ari glances down. The stream doesn't look deep. However, this stream is something that can't be seen by ordinary people. It can't be underestimated.
Streams like this flow between the realities. It reminds her of the cursed ehr that used to flow between the realms in Iravan. These streams radiate energy and faint magic. Nevertheless, it's useless to her. She can't take the external magic or ehr anymore. Ever since she came back, she's been unable to ingest the magic of the outside world like Cina or Rilyah.
She must cross this bridge. Her sense is telling her that her child is in that direction. She can only trust her gut feelings at this time. Misumi…
There are Ai, Rilyah, and Cina. They will take care of her until she returns with Misaki.
Feeling anxious, Ari takes quick steps toward the other end. The seemingly small bridge seems never-ending. When she looks back, she realizes that the human world has disappeared.
The stream… is no longer a small stream. There's a raging river beneath the bridge. Vapours are arising from the river. Shadows of screaming spirits with hollowed eyes and mouth try to emerge from the river, reaching for Ari. Something seems to be holding back.
"This is…" Ari grasps the rope and takes deep breaths. "I only need to get to the other end."
Takayama Ari takes another step toward the world when she hears a soft voice. "Can you?"
"Ame Onna!" Ari widens her eyes when she sees the woman standing on the other end of the bridge. Her eyes search for Misaki. "Where's my daughter, you bitch?"
"Don't worry about her, Takayama Ari." Ame Onna smiles at her, tilting her head. "My lord is keeping her safe until the Dark God comes to get her."
Ari blinks her eyes, confused. "Adira is coming?"
"Yes." Ame Onna places her hands on the ropes. "Do you know how long you have been on this bridge?"
It could be minutes or years. Ari can't tell. Time is flowing strangely in this place. "Why did you take my daughter?"
"I wonder…" Ame Onna sighs, covering her mouth with her sleeve. She glances at the river. "This stream merges with the river of death ahead. Anyone who falls in this stream cannot leave it for eternity, even if it's the face of a god or a mere vessel."
Ari clutches the rope tighter, trying to access the universal energy from the depth of her soul. She realizes that the faucets are closed. She can't summon any universal magic.
"When you are standing in the world of forsaken, you follow the laws of forsaken." Ame Onna eyes her quietly. "My lord might have lied to you about his true self but he keeps his promises nonetheless. Your child won't be harmed. She will be found by her father or brother soon. However, you…"
Ame Onna closes her eyes and curls her fingers around the ropes on both sides. "My Lord doesn't want you to live anymore."
"You have been…" Ari gasps when the bridge shakes violently. "But why? What did I ever do to you?"
"My lord doesn't have anything against you." Ame Onna explains, "In fact, he could have killed you the moment he found you. But you were carrying two lives in your womb. So, he waited for you to give birth to them because he couldn't bear to harm the innocent…"
"I am also innocent." Ari yells at her, "I want to live. I have a family."
"That's true." Ame Onna pulls the ropes hard and it breaks like a vine. "It's not your fault but you are a nuisance in his eyes."
The bridge falls. Ari screams as she plummets into the river. She tries desperately to fight against the damned souls. No matter what she does, she can't free herself. They coil themselves around her body, trying to blend with her, reaching for the depth of her soul.
Her robe is ripped apart, her hair is burned to crips, skin melting and dissolving with the toxic water. The furious river that carries her away as the echoes of her screams fade.
"And he wanted me to apologize to you." Ame Onna clasps her hands behind her back. "Please accept his apologies, Takayama Ari."
Ame Onna turns around and takes a step, disappearing into nothing.