2: The Boy Falling To Darkness (II)

The Boy Falling To Darkness (II)

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By the time Apollo reached her, Melina had already started to hyperventilate. Despite her earlier display of cruelty, when push came to shove, she had never been in a situation wherein death was a possible outcome. Moreover, this was especially true when it came to the stature of someone like her brother.

Although she knew he didn't possess a body fueled by Mana, those eyes, and that aura; they scared her. Even if he couldn't utilize Mana, there was a weird aura around him. She couldn't put her finger on it but something told her that this boy in front of her couldn't be called her brother. There was something amiss with his body.

Fortunately for her, at the last moment, Verina intervened. She dashed in front of Melina and lifted her wand towards Apollo. Without a shred of hesitation, she cast another immobilization spell on Apollo. However, to her surprise, it didn't stick to his body. 

The weird aura around his body deflected the spell. In fact, the moment the mana inside the spell touched his body, there were faint signs of the entire spell crumbling. As she saw this, she came to the conclusion that this odd aura was some type of protection.

Therefore, she took on more straightforward means.

"I don't know what unorthodox means you have utilized but I am warning you! Yield now, or I will attack!" Verina exclaimed. At the tip of her wand, thin streams of Mana started to accumulate into a large cluster. As the atmosphere grew tense, the Mana she collected took on a different shade symbolizing an element starting to activate. The preparations for a counterattack were nearly complete. 

Yet, her words appeared to enter some void because Apollo didn't acknowledge her presence in the slightest. Within his eyes was a hatred so pure that even the serfs could feel it. Furthermore, it wasn't just for Verina but Melina alike. He seemed hellbent on seeing their demise. Upon noticing this issue, Verina was left with no other choice in her eyes.

'This boy is out of hand, we might as well get rid of him. If immobilizing spells don't work on him then there's no other way to control him,' Verina inwardly thought. It was at that very moment she also made up her mind to stop restraining herself.

She moved the large amount of Mana and pointed it at the ground. A collection of large earth spires threatened to pierce through the ground. Be that as it may, the moment Apollo felt these vibrations, he moved. In the eyes of the rest, it seemed like his body disappeared into nowhere. A purplish aura encased his body that made Apollo's eyes regained a tinge of clarity. 

As he looked around he noticed something, "This is the darkness that appeared in my dreams, but what does its appearance mean? Also, how is this possible? I thought my body couldn't sense or emit Mana," Apollo mused with an incredulous expression.

Nevertheless, this state couldn't be held for long. After a mere two seconds of glory, Apollo appeared before the rest. When he did, however, he was over 10 yards away from where Verina conjured the torrent of earth spires. 

In response, Verina narrowed her eyes. There was no way someone who couldn't use Mana could move that fast. Something wasn't adding up but she didn't want to allow this to bud into any further issues. Hence, she conjured a large ball of water and aimed it at the earth spires. When they impacted, it turned the flood into a muddy consistency.

However, she didn't stop there. She combined her spell with another, "Tier 2 Spell, Freezing Wind," she chanted. As the temperature dropped, the surface of the mud rapidly solidified into ice. As this happened, Apollo struggled to stay standing.

The sudden loss of friction and the lack of Mana to stabilize him in an upright position proved to be his disadvantage. Clamor could be heard as everyone including the other serfs watched this scene. By now, the serf had long since separated themselves from this conflict.

However, Clarice stood at the side with fidgeting fingers, 'Oh no...no no no...this isn't good. He's going to be punished.' Soon, her fidgeting fingers clenched into a fist. The more she watched, the more courage she worked up to take a step forward. 

Through luck, Apollo managed to dodge the lacerating winds Verina conjured every time he slipped. Not only was her mana reserves being spent, but for some reason, Apollo's consciousness was also becoming foggy. To uphold the frozen surface, she had to expend a notable amount of mana. 

Suddenly, a loud bellow was heard as a large fireball fired directly at Apollo, "Die, die die!" Melina shrieked. As the fireball hurtled towards Apollo, the brilliance of it shimmered in his eyes.

Out of nowhere, a shadow appeared before Apollo. When the details of the face became clear, Apollo's pupil constricted. He wanted to scream, but the words or even a sound would come out.

Apollo could only watch in shock as Clarice summoned a thin water barrier before them. Although there wasn't much of a difference between Clarice and Melina's mana output, Melina had much more time to accumulate. Thus, when the fireball collided with the barrier, it tore it apart.

The fireball continued forward and landed directly on her chest. Like a ragdoll, Clarice slammed into Apollo and the two flew through the air and tumbled continuously. For a moment, the area turned silent.

But, Apollo with his body writhing in pain turned toward Clarice. Even now, there was a gentle smile on her face and she looked upon Apollo. The skin from her neck down was singed, thus she could only mutter weakly, "You...don't deserve it. Return to peace." 

Afterward, she lifted her finger and fired a condensed wind bullet between Apollo's eyebrows. When everyone watched this, they paled. There wasn't any present who was capable of healing this type of wound.

Meanwhile, Apollo couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening. Even though her words sounded like they were consoling him, was death truly the only way to release himself and return to peace? As this question dawned upon Apollo, something inside him bubbled.

While his life was on the terrible side, death wasn't something he wished to experience. Yet, as he laid on the floor, the embers of his life waned. Be that as it may, something buried deep inside Apollo's mind thrummed. His body may have died but something much more important with his soul took place.

There was a voice in his head talking to him! It possessed a regal aura that also felt quite familiar to him.

"My descendant, the time of your awakening has come. Find yourself and complete the task. Follow the determined path and you will end up at the rightful destination. I hope your trial has fixed the issue that plagued you. If you are to rule, then that weakness can't be present. Whatever you have faced, it should be enough to prepare you."

"Now, it has been vacant for too long and the others have yet to fulfill the qualities nor do they come close to the true principle of a Demon Monarch. You must remember you are one of them; no, you were born above them. The Rings await you… The De… Mo... Sys... awaits you Tem… Join with your warden and unleash hell...] 

Towards the end, Apollo didn't catch part of the message. His waning consciousness gave out and his mind was engulfed by darkness until finally it was transported elsewhere.

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