Kidnapping (5)
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When Eliya Chrisanaks evaluated herself, she considered herself a person who strictly adhered to common sense.
She wasn’t someone who had a lot of doubts, but that doesn’t mean she would readily accept whatever anyone said without questioning it.
So.
“I can’t trust you.”
Just like what was said just now.
She couldn’t simply accept the fact that the person in front of her claimed to be her “future self” and listen to their story without any doubts.
“That’s regrettable.”
Of course, looking at the woman who shrugged her shoulders while saying that, it was true that she seemed capable of saying such things.
Maybe if she grew her hair and aged a few years, she would become exactly like that.
However, isn’t it too weak to rely on that as evidence?
There are plenty of ways to deceive one’s appearance. Even this could be highly probable-
“When I was young. When I was five years old, to be exact. I received a dollhouse as a birthday present.”
“…”
Suddenly, Eliya’s expression stiffened at the words brought up by the other person.
This was clearly a highly personal piece of information.
Except for close relatives who were very close to her, no one else would know.
The following sentence was something that could deeply explore such a fact.
“And then, because I wanted to feel what it’s like to become a giant, I smashed my face into it, right?”
“…”
“No matter how much I tried to pull it out, it wouldn’t come off, so I rolled around on the floor.”
“…”
“In the end, I cried and begged my older brother to take it out for me.”
A deep blush quickly spread across Eliya’s face.
Her breathing seemed to quicken. It was a feeling of embarrassment that couldn’t be hidden, rising from the bottom of her heart…!
“…How on earth do you know about that?”
The answer to the question she brought up was clearly even more merciless.
“A diary.”
“…What?”
(STAY in character)
“When you were seven, there was something I wrote.”
“… You don’t have to bring that up again-“
“On the first page, I wrote down my ideal type. A reliable and dependable prince on a white horse who would always look at only me.”
“…”
“Oh, yeah. What was it? Right. Riding a unicorn, dressed in a cloak, the prince would appear, waving a bouquet of roses, and propose grandly in front of applauding spectators. Didn’t we spend the whole night drawing and planning that in our dreams?”
Elijah’s body began to tremble.
“There was more. The ten romantic lines I wanted to say to the prince. Surely the first one was… ‘Please forget about me, Prince.’ ‘What is that about?’ ‘I hope you stop liking me.’ ‘How can I do that?’…”
“…Those were stories from when we were young! You don’t have to bring that up anymore!”
“Ah, stories from when we were young. Right. So, are you maintaining a dignified life now?”
“…”
“If my memory serves me right, by this time you would be fantasizing about our dear Mr. Dowd every night while your sheets get wet with seriousness-“
“Stop it-!!”
Even in the presence of an unidentified figure standing before her, Elijah, unable to contain herself properly, screamed like that. It was almost a voice mixed with moisture.
“Well, what do you think? Do you believe me now?”
All she had was thoughts of wanting to kill the person in front of her who knew and believed such facts.
Goodness. To think there could be someone who could use such deep secrets. Was there still such a wicked opponent left…!
“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. The reason I came to you now is because I want to show you something.”
“…What?”
“Even the first family was lost to demons, just like you.”
At the sudden words dropped by the other person, Elijah froze in her tracks.
It might be because the words that the opponent had suddenly dropped stabbed her vulnerable point, but more than that…
There was something ‘else’ playing in front of her eyes along with those words.
Images flickered by.
Memories of the first night of catastrophe.
The burning village. Collapsing houses.
The corpses of her father and mother.
Elijah gritted her teeth as if breaking apart.
It was an unforgettable sight. Even now, if she forgets for a moment, the vision would emerge from the depths of nightmares.
“You seem to be quite close with the person who created this situation.”
“…”
In a sentence filled with disdain, Elijah fell silent.
“-I am.”
She is someone who believes in her own judgment. Mingling with Faenol Laifek, she had personally observed that he is not one to involve innocent people in dubious matters intentionally. No matter how you look at it, he doesn’t seem like someone who would willingly entangle innocent people in wrongdoing.
“…it was the ones who followed that demon who killed my mother and father, not the demon itself.”
“Oh, I see. You’re quite noble. It’s admirable that you can make such an objective judgment even towards your parents’ enemies. As you say, there probably isn’t a single decent person among those vessels of the demon. I understand that. However,”
And with those words.
“Your ‘second’ family that you create later might also suffer at their hands.”
Another image comes to mind.
…
They are unfamiliar faces.
The fleeting images of young children who somehow resemble her flit across her mind’s eye.
What emotions the subject of these images feels when they see this child.
It seems as if these children hold everything in her world.
Precious children. My children.
My family, whom I would do anything for if I could protect them. My second family.
Therefore.
The sight of these children “dying” appears hauntingly on the back of Elijah’s retina, like a cursed vision.
“Tell me, Elijah. You must know. You’ve seen it at least once.”
She submits.
In the frenzy of demons, each one indistinguishable, mashed together. Completely distorted.
Not knowing anything about the process or who these children actually are.
For some reason.
For some reason, just by seeing them.
It feels like someone is stabbing her father continually with a knife.
There is no physical pain. But this pain feels like it is etched into her soul.
“How would you feel seeing your family die in front of your eyes?”
She doesn’t know who the other person is.
She doesn’t understand why she’s being shown such things, nor does she know who they are.
However, she could give a clear answer to this sentence.
This is what she feels right now.
If the other person also felt such vivid emotions,
They will definitely say the same answer.
“- Rather.”
The transparent water mixed with bloody saliva spewed out of her mouth as if it had been severely bitten.
It was flowing tears.
“Rather, I die.”
“Is that so?”
The man who introduced himself as a precursor received her words calmly.
Anger, longing, hatred, remorse, and bone-chilling regrets.
If you combine those things together and weather them through time, it would probably be an approximation of the emotions mixed in this sentence.
“If you don’t stop now, it will be your future to experience.”
“…”
“Listen well, Elia Khrisanaksi. You are firmly heading towards destruction right now. Damn hero. At least know that.”
“…”
“That’s all I wanted to tell you.”
With those words as the last, the other person turned around quickly.
The last thing that fell before the new model disappeared was a whispering sentence like a small hex.
“If you want help, hurry up and come along. Your ‘friends’ must be in pretty dire straits by now.”
Unable to even answer that sentence.
Elia could only watch the retreating figure in the distance.
●
“… Hmm …”
He breathed a disgraceful sigh.
“Doppleganger.”
[At first glance, it seems so.]
Since I can’t move, I ordered this person to look around this area in detail and come back.
And the answer that came back was that all the scattered devils were facing dopplegangers that looked just like themselves.
Each one is fighting, but the completeness of these dopplegangers is unusual.
“I told them everything about my ability, magic, and even my equipment. I don’t know what they did or how they did it.”
“That’s… serious. Does that mean your strengths are completely equal?”
“Yes, unless there is an unreasonable means to become stronger while fighting, we will be forever at a stalemate.”
Furthermore, if both sides’ abilities are completely equal, there will almost certainly be casualties.
“…It’s a trap under the guise of exploration, isn’t it.”
That guy, he’s planned a wicked trap.
From Noble mtl dot com
Thinking this way, I narrow my eyes.
“…”
I let out a deep sigh.
If they’re being that malicious over there, then we have no choice but to use extreme measures on our side too.
“Actually, there is a way to become stronger instantly.”
“Don’t do it.”
“…What?”
“If there’s such a thing and you’re hesitating to use it, then it must be something really messed up. Shouldn’t we stop it first?”
“…”
As expected of someone who has known me for a long time.
They could clearly understand my tendencies by now, just like reading the palm of their hand…
“Khaliban.”
“What?”
“But right now, isn’t that the only thing we can do?”
[…]
And like the kind of person they are, they had the understanding to give up with a sigh when I said that.
“…Alright, do it. Go ahead. I’m not the one who needs to be stopped. So, what are you going to do?”
“It’s me, remember?”
“Stop stalling and just tell me already.”
“How about we die for the first time in a while?”
[…]
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