Pain.
My body twitched and twisted as I continued to lie on the floor.
Pain is the only thing I could feel right now. My mind seems to be burning in an unimaginable amount of agony as I roll on the building roof while grabbing my head. The rain continued to pour down on me from above as I finally found some peace in the cold winds.
"I am… never doing it again."
Stopping a transcendent gave me another kind of mental pain, I had never imagined, good thing I didn't need to keep it for long.
Taking deep breaths I calmed myself, the sky looked normal if we just ignored the storm that had just gotten cut down by Morgana's sword.
It was… breathtaking to say the least.
I was not impressed by the sky that had been cut down. But rather I was left mesmerized by the process itself, By how beautiful it was… I can't find the words to even describe it.
I had seen it while keeping my focus on Jacob, the space… itself had broken into pieces and blended into a splendid mix of colors I had never seen before. But that was not the only thing that happened there.
"She has… changed the colors. No, maybe it was similar to painting the space in her own colors."
The beautiful flower created by shattering the space was a gate, why was I so sure? Because time couldn't be felt there. My perception of time was interfered with the moment the space-shattered flower appeared but the moment Morgana had colored it in herself, my perception of time came back.
"...I should not waste any more time," I muttered before sitting up.
"Was there any problem?... You came later than we had planned."
A cold feminine voice entered my ears, as I turned my head to look at Morgana who seemed to have come here as well.
"I had thought you left to take care of monsters?" My voice didn't hide its surprise as I asked a question of my own.
Morgana looked at me for a moment, seeing my figure shivering.
"...I did, but changed my mind in between."
She wanted to know my reason for coming late, I understood that immediately and replied.
"Some people seem to have come to raid the Temple… I was busy dealing with that."
"I see... but Why are you on the floor?"
Morgana's question echoed through my mind as I stared into her red eyes, trying to piece together the last moments of the battle.
"The floor looked very interesting actually... You should try it sometimes as well."
I don't care anymore about how disrespectful it may have sounded... I will just do as I wish now. And it was funny to say this at least.
Morgana raised an eyebrow, looking at me as if I was some sort of alien. "You should get up, it's not a good idea to stay wet in the cold." She offered a hand to help me stand up.
I stood up as she looked at me with emotions I couldn't understand.
"You have that recovery potion right?.. Use it, I want you to take care of another corner of the city till I arrive there."
She didn't waste any time before giving her next orders. It was important after all... It was not every day we saw monsters coming out from depths of seemingly nowhere.
"... I do, I wanted to use it sparingly since I have only made three of them."
The potion was diluted with pure water nothing else, it was just a small experiment to see its limit, but it worked in my favor.
I currently have two of them left as one was given to Morgana.
"Wow... You both are ignoring me."
A new voice came as I turned my head to see him— Victor standing there with his hands inside the coat. He seemed to have no issue standing there innocently as he was leaning at the borders of the roof.
"When did you get here... Mr... Um, what was your name again?"
Morgana beside me was observing him carefully, she seemed to have known about his presence for some time now and was waiting for him to come out.
Victor blinked in surprise... he gasped and covered his mouth before saying with trembling lips as he pointed his finger toward me.
"How rude... Even though I had introduced myself you forgot me this easily... But I understand it don't worry, I also have trouble remembering names." His voice which had been shocked turned cheerful as soon as he clasped his hands.
"Let's do the introduction again okay... don't forget it this time." He said with narrowed eyes as he looked at me then at Morgana with eyes again wide open.
"Sorry–Sorry, I forgot about you for a moment." He bowed his head toward her in a respectful manner hastily and said "I am Victor... It's a pleasure to meet both of you... And especially you Mr. Reaper"
Morgana opened her mouth and closed it, she wanted to say something but was suddenly confused by such a manner of speech.
Wasn't he supposed to be an enemy? Why is he so polite all of a sudden?
Victor who had just done his introduction waited patiently but both of us said nothing and kept staring at him suspiciously.
"...Let's capture him," Morgan said with a small pause.
Victor gave her a polite smile as he scratched his cheeks and said.
"Mrs. Morgana correct?... Sorry, but I have come here to talk with him. If you don't mind can we like... do this later. I need to leave soon as well."
Victor spoke in a calm tone as he straightened himself up, his eyes still fixed on me.
"Oh!.. Also, you should hurry even though your preparations have stopped Philips Street monsters den you can't keep them forever... more so, your men are there... dying."
Victor added with a straight face, his tone was serious, and it was clear that he had some information that we needed to know.
"...Go, I will take care of him."
I looked at her before saying it. I was not as confident as I was used to, but that was also alright.
He can't kill me, unless I do something too stupid.
Morgana nodded, she was not happy but she knew the priority right now was to save the city and our men.
Morgana gave Victor a last glance as she took off into the sky, Victor enjoying the site looked at her in admiration and waved his right hand to say his goodbye.
"...So what do you wish to talk about with me?"
I didn't want to waste my time, so I got straight to the point.
Victor looked at me and took a step forward, his eyes glowing slightly with interest as he spoke, "Are you not going to introduce yourself as well... That's basic courtesy."
Blinking my eyes, I was left stupefied for a moment.
Shaking my head, I sighed.
"If I go around introducing myself... Why will I even bother wearing a mask, to begin with?"
Now it was his turn to be left stunned as he opened his mouth only to close it. He looked around the roof for a moment before finally looking at the sky now free from clouds.
"...Fair enough" He muttered and looked at me with a gentle smile.
"I came here to talk with you... because I had a gut feeling or instincts you can say told me to. Maybe it's because we both are almost the same."
Glaring at him I was in deep thought.
What's with people nowadays comparing me with themselves?
I am not the same kind of psychopath as you all!
I wanted to shout this but knew deep down I was also not right in the head. I will need to do something about this sooner or later.
"I see... is that all you came to say here," I asked with caution, If I could avoid a fight I would appreciate it tonight.
Seeing me Victor tilted his head and asked. "Why so cautious? I should be the one to be mad at you for killing my friends."
...The corners of my lips twitched as I leaned back as well on the wall behind me.
"The people I assassinated last few nights I assume?"
He shook his head before saying. "No, they died tonight."
Wait, what's he talking about now? I am really confused.
"...Who? How do they look like?" Can you describe them, my memory is a bit bad I must say."
Not minding my sarcasm he replied with a tilt of his head, his hand on his jaw as he frowned before saying.
"Ah!, I remember now I had forgotten to ask their name... Seish~ I had known them for over a year but I never asked their names... Sorry for that. "
He hit his hand with another as if he had solved some great mystery itself and told.
"Let's forget this... and no need to be so careful I am not part of any gang here."
"You are not?!"
Why did he stop me that night then? If only he had not come I could have completed my mission with a perfect score.
Victor hearing my shock simply shook his head left and right with a small smile.
"I am not... my guardian said that I should go join them as an observer nothing else— And tonight my work is over. The mission has been completed."
Guardian? Who could tell someone like him to do something like observing a gang on this scale? The whole City is in chaos and it's a small thing he says.
"And who is this guardian of yours?... Is he the real leader behind this chaos?"
My voice came much colder than I had expected. My anger was present there but showing it completely was a different thing.
"Hmm people sometimes call him... the Lost Prince or something. Sorry, I never cared enough to listen."
Victor's response was not what I was expecting. I narrowed my eyes, trying to read his true intentions behind the mask of his words. The Lost Prince? It was a name that held a certain weight.
"Is he a royalty?" I asked.
But Victor just shrugged his shoulders before saying with enthusiasm. "I don't know, I had met him twice only... even the reason I am following him is that he said I am similar to some great figure of the old world."
Old world, it was a term I had heard from Liber long ago.
My memory was still fresh of his guidance. Hearing about the history of a long forgotten society suddenly made me excited.
"...Hmm good for you, so who is this great figure you got compared to anyway?"
I asked to keep the conversation going, I had found much more than I did in the last few months.
I couldn't let such an opportunity pass by!
"You seem to be asking so many questions... Why not give some answers as well? How about it, I will tell you something you ask and in return, you tell me something I ask about?"
Victor's proposal hung in the air, and for a brief moment, I considered it.
"Go ahead."
In the end, I nodded.
"When I was a child he came to meet me... the Lost Prince I mean. Looking at me at that time he had said... You remind me of a great emperor from the old world..." Victor stopped mid-way as if nostalgia hit him all of a sudden then with a smile he continued.
"I admire that emperor very much." He said.
"Can I ask why?"
"Of course you can, who am I to stop you? And I don't mind if someone else also admires such a great figure..." Victor nodded "...Why do I admire him so much you ask,... Well, it's because the emperor came simply from nothing and wished for everything."
Victor paused, his gaze lost in the distant memories.
"—Just like me."
Victor's words echoed in the cold night air, leaving a hint of mystery behind them. I studied him, his expression unreadable. His eyes searched mine as if looking for something he could relate to, something that would bridge the gap between us.
"I see... I can't say I understand that, but think I get your point." I said taking a deep breath my head seemed to have calmed down by now.
"Now it's my turn correct, I will ask one question now and one more on another date, It's getting late after all." As Victor said that he looked toward the city, monsters could be heard from everywhere but he didn't seem to mind them a bit.
What a crazy bastard indeed.
"...Sure I don't mind."
Victor nodded before asking his questions with a smile on his face.
"... I feel as if you want something just like me... No, to be exact reach something or someone. What is it? I am curious to know your thoughts on it."
Victor's question hit me like a ton of bricks. He was right, I did have something I wanted to reach for. But sharing that with him was not an option.
Instead giving a vague answer would be better, revealing about that mysterious man is not something I could afford to do right now.
" My past, present and future seems to have been taken away from me... So I want them back... I wish for everything— For my own future."
Victor looked at me for a moment in deep thought before saying. "What if it's pointless? Your future, I mean. What if it never truly existed, to begin with."
I could clearly hear the provocation in his tone— But I was unsure if he was doing it knowingly or not.
This guy smiles too much.
I sighed before answering.
"Anything less is not acceptable and... if my future doesn't exist I will make it."
My reply was firm, leaving no room for doubt.
Victor's smile grew wider as he nodded, "A good answer, I see the resemblance even more."
He turned his head to look outside the city borders before saying. "Looks like my time is up now...Hope we cross paths again my friend."
And he vanished once again.
Leaving me alone on the roof my eyes searched for his presence but in the end found nothing even after some minutes passed.
"...When did I become his friend?"
I asked before moving down myself.
The hunt is not over yet.