"W....what do you mean? The In- agh!"
The soldiers thrusted Mackayla forward, chaining her hands and arms to the wall.
Her legs had been sliced off slightly above the knees, and blood dripped from what was left of them as the girl squirmed in pain.
It took everything within her very being not to scream, but she managed to hold it in.
This was partially due to the deterioration of her own mind, and partially due to the numbing of her legs, but even more so due to her own immense resolve.
Even when faced with an inescapable situation, the girl managed to bite her tongue and smile.
"You must be nuts.... the Indeterminant has supported you? Hah..... even if...."
As Mackayla spoke with a grin, her eyes went wide as she came upon a realization.
The Indeterminant.
This man, Larios, had mentioned his name before.
He had mentioned that this legion was under the orders of the Indeterminant.
Yet those words had slipped by Mackayla.
She hadn't taken notice of them.
She was too focused on Kyle and the citizens of this village to have even realized it.
"The.... Indeterminant?"
Mackayla said this name once more, losing all semblance of reason as her face delved into a look of despair.
"Wait wait wait..... wait just a minute.... the Indeterminant? I.... I knew that he left and wasn't on good terms with Kyle..... but he's the one leading you?"
The savior of humanity.
The beacon of justice.
The very existence of light and truth.
That was who the Indeterminant was to the people of Yolenos.
Yet faced with this realization, Mackayla could not help but tremble.
The Indeterminant was against her.
'Then.... the reason.... why Kyle is dead....'
"My, did you take so long to figure out even that much?'
Larios walked up to Mackayla with a grin, clearly taking pleasure in her look of complete desolation.
"But.... if the Indeterminant.... is on your side.... then....."
Mackayla raised her head as the chains rattled from her trembling.
Larios approached her, holding out a stickly hand and placing it under her chin, lifting it up ever so slowly.
"That is right. We are.... under the orders of the man who is the very definition of justice. And as you said..... no matter what happens, someone will always rise up to the position of hero. There will always be a fighter for..... justice."
Pulling back his hand, the man slapped Mackayla's face.
Still in shock from her realization, Mackayla offered little resistance, staring at the floor with shaking eyes.
The veins in her eyes bulged and her lips quivered.
She couldn't handle it.
It was as if she was drunk and had been instantly sobered up, only to realize she had thrown herself off a cliff and was in a freefall, diving towards the ground at an immense speed.
"But what they don't tell you is that behind the face of justice often lies a demon."
Mackayla could not even hold her hand to her face in torment, though she tried and was met with the clanging of the chains which bound her.
"Do you finally realize, my heroic little knight?"
The man pressed his face to hers, and this time his sneering expression was met with no resistance.
He was met only with a look of complete isolation from the world, and absolute terror at what would become of it.
"If.... if that man is the one who is leading you.... if that man is the name of justice in this world..... if your actions are permissible by the very representative of justice...."
[Yes, that is right, Mackayla.....]
Hearing the voice of Kyle in her mind, Mackayla stopped her quivering and looked straight at the man before her.
"Then I wish to have nothing to do with justice."
"Oh? Now you've really lost it. The moment one derives from the path of justice, you should understand well that the entire world turns against them. Is that alright for such a ladylike knight like you to be saying? Hahaha! Not that it matters. After all, you will be sold off as a slave when I am finished with you. Or perhaps I should keep you for myself?"
The man's eyes beamed with disturbing excitement, however in a show of self control he folded his hands behind his back and began to pace.
"At the end of the day, justice is nothing more than a show of power. Those who hold power are allowed to show the world that they are just, while hiding their secrets from the public. Politicians, Emperors, Kings, Sultans, Commanders, Knights, Nobles.... anyone who holds great say in society will always have some dark secret which they are hiding from everyone. And yet not a single person will ever see this. Because those on top have the power to keep it hidden."
Walking closer, Larios snickered.
"Hah.... I'd bet that your precious hero too had a flaw of his that he was hiding from everyone. Well? What do you think? I'm sure you knew him better than anyone, right!? Didn't he hold some secrets that he told nobody else!?"
"You.... don't understand Kyle at all."
Mackayla's head now drooped from her neck, and her eyes were closed as she bit her lip in torment.
"He was.... the opposite."
"The opposite? How so? Do tell me, knightly woman. Although.... to think that he would hide his secrets even from one of his trusted commanders.... perhaps he is even worse than I thought? Has he brainwashed you to such an extent?"
"He was imperfect."
Mackayla made this statement boldly, putting a stop to the taunts of Larios.
"He was imperfect.... a peasant.... the son of a whore..... raised in a brothel by seven prostitutes.... he was the lowest of the low.... he was someone who didn't even enter society until this year, and knew nothing of it. But..... he learned. He taught himself how to interact with others. He taught himself how to present himself and how to rule. He taught himself how to act as a hero."
"And that led him to the slaughter of the Emperor?"
Ignoring the provocation, Mackayla glared at Larios and continued to speak with bold expression.
"He never once tried to hide any of the evil things he did. But even so, he truly believed that he did them for the sake of justice."
"How can a knight like you say such things!? You are brainwashed beyond imagination.... there are two types of brainwashing in this world, yet never before have I seen brainwashing of this type...."
Larios began to inspect Mackayla, his eyes drawing themselves up and down the woman.
"How many times have I seen those brainwashed by lies.... it is so simple to tell someone what they want to hear. They will believe it without a doubt, because they desire it to be true. They will not seek confirmation or proof, because they do not know what they will do with themselves should they find it to be false..... yet the second type of brainwashing..... it is rare indeed...."
Larios put his hand to his chin with a grin as he looked into Mackayla's eyes, and he continued to speak without restraint.
"Yet you seem to be brainwashed in this second way.... you have been deceived in such a direct and blatant manner, it is almost inconceivable. The man who has brainwashed you has not told you lies, but rather guided you to the conclusion that his actions were correct.... by telling you the truth of his horrid deeds. This is..... hahaha....."
The man held his hand to his face, laughing to himself.
"How I wish I could exhibit such power on a woman like yourself. But I am not able to do such a thing. Such a level of manipulation is preposterous. To be able to make someone believe that even blatant evil is good..... it is beyond my capabilities."
"He may have done evil things, but you are confusing that with him being evil."
Mackayla snapped back, causing Larios to raise his head.
"Just because someone does something evil does not mean they hold evil intent, nor does it mean that they are any less just. While I would prefer that he do things in a more straightforward manner, Kyle was devout on showing the world something.... he was devout on showing everyone that our laws and practices and predispositions are holding us back!! He showed us that those who held the positions of nobles were nothing more than weak willed braggarts who held power over those below them!! He showed us that the very hidden evils which you speak of can be overcome."
"Is that your final answer, oh knight? But he is dead now, so what does it matter?"
Mackayla was quieted at the comeback, with nothing to say.
It was true.
Kyle had lost.
He was a one of a kind hero who cared nothing about his reputation or how others saw him.
The other heroes would likely follow the Indeterminant blindly, under the belief that they were fighting for the sake of justice.
Or they would become arrogant and take the rewards for themselves.
Realizing that Kyle was dead, and by the hands of the Indeterminant himself, Mackayla doubted the sentiment which she deeply held before.
That someone would always appear in order to bring justice to the world.
Perhaps that was wrong.
Perhaps she was lying to herself, and had been swept up after seeing Kyle.
Perhaps this world was doomed to be saved by a corrupted set of heroes, who would use people behind the scenes and harm them just as much as the villains they fought.
Closing her eyes as she thought about this, tears came to the eyes of Mackayla.
"I..."
She could not stop these tears, as they were not from the physical pain which she bore, but the emotional pain at understanding that the man she idolized was now dead.
The kid who had just the night before taken her out to drink, chugging down those potent spirits without a care in the world.
The kid who had sat on the throne with a grin after throwing the nobles aside, allowing for the peasants to rule.
The kid who had spread so much happiness throughout the Kingdom.
Kyle was nothing more than a kid, and yet he had died- fighting for what he believed was right.
"Why did you stand up?"
Mackayla began to weep, talking partially to herself and partially to Kyle, though there was no way he would be able to hear her words.
"Why didn't you just live your life? Why did you take on the burden of a hero.... when this was all it was worth?"
Why did he go through all that effort to help these people, when in the end that effort would be scrapped and everything would return to the way it was?
"What? You're gonna cry now? This isn't what I was expecting, woman. Well.... I suppose a crying woman isn't bad either."
Larios grabbed a knife, and walked over to the woman while licking his lips.
"Heh..... I wonder just what sounds you'll make if I take your fingers, woman. Consider this payback for spitting in my face earlier."
The man pressed the knife onto one of the woman's fingers, teasing her to see a reaction, yet there was none.
She opened her eyes with a terrible expression, a combination of sorrow and anger.
"I... will never forgive you. Neither you.... nor the Indeterminant."
It was at that moment that the sight of Mackayla went completely black.
She was floating.
She was in a strange space, and she had no body.
'Where.... am I?'
[Do you hate that man as well?]
Mackayla heard a crackling voice enter her ear and she felt a shiver down her spine as if an arm had wrapped around her, resting on her shoulders.
[Do you.... find him to be unforgivable as well?]
'What.... what man?'
Mackayla felt a horrible amount of pressure within her heart.
She felt as if it were about to explode.
She felt terrified, as if she was facing death itself.
[What man? You must be quite the blockhead, just like that other self of mine. Who else could I mean aside from..... the Indeterminant.]
'!!'
Mackayla couldn't register the vast amount of shock she felt, and the weight behind these words.
'The..... Indeterminant?'
[The..... savior of the world, was it? The very essence of all that is good.... the flawless and perfect hero, destined to defeat the Queen of Demons and her minions..... is that not the legend you humans believe in?]
The female voice laughed in a high pitched and demonic manner, and Mackayla felt as if her very being was being squeezed to death.
'Ugh!!!'
[Hahaha..... you poor thing.... I'm sure you wish to speak to your beloved hero, no? But as a result of that man, you can no longer do so. While that certainly benefits me, my other self certainly wouldn't condone such a thing. But wouldn't you agree that it's quite... pathetic?]
'Pathetic?'
The word ran itself through the mind of Mackayla.
'What.... is pathetic?'
Trembling with terror, she could barely even make this thought in response to the voice.
[It is pathetic that the Indeterminant couldn't even do this much correctly. After all.... he is supposed to be playing the hero. To think that he's shot himself in the foot without even realizing..... it has brought me one step closer to my goal. His own negligence has allowed me to step in here.... and obtain a few more pawns.]
'Your..... goal? W...what is..... who are you?'
[Ah..... you really are quite the blockhead, not to realize. Does this not jog your memory as to who I am?]
Suddenly, Mackayla felt something.
Pressure.
Terror.
Pure fear itself.
Every nerve in her nonexistent body shouted for help.
It screamed and begged for the terrible pain to stop, but it did not.
She felt as if she were being crushed by millions of pounds, and grinded into a paste over and over.
[I gave you a little hint. Well? Can you guess who I am?]
The pressure released, and Mackayla began panting, though she had no lungs to pant from.
What she had felt just now was a terrible pain far beyond anything imaginable.
Losing her own two legs could not even compare to the immense torment which she just felt.
It was then that Mackayla saw it.
It was in the form of a dark cloud, but she witnessed the form of a beautiful woman with demonic red eyes, looking down on her with a horrid smile.
'The..... Queen of Evil.....'
[Bingo. Behold, it is I..... that which is, and that which can be redetermined to be..... I am the Queen of Evil, the Empress of Destruction.... and the Ruler of Chaos... I am the Determined.]
Mackayla was shaken to her very core as the woman uttered these words, trembling with every muscle.
Without a doubt, this truly was the Determined.
There could be no being on this planet which held such heart shattering power.
'W....what do.... urg.... what do you want of me!?'
Mackayla could barely even think these words, and if she had a physical body she would have been throwing up all over the place, unable to get out even a peep.
[What do I want? Well I thought we shared a mutual goal.... but perhaps not?]
'I....'
Moments before, Mackayla had been angered with the Indeterminant.
She had been furious at his actions, and could never in a century forgive him for killing Kyle and ridding his justice from the world.
However now, she realized something further.
Even the Indeterminant and his hidden evil which would cause suffering across the human realm was nothing.
It was nothing compared to the demon before her.
Mackayla would prefer for a thousand of the Indeterminant to roam the landscape than for this Queen of Chaos to live on, inspiring such horrible terror into the hearts of the people.
Death was so preferable to the immense torment which she had suffered, that the slaughter of this entire village would be seen as an act of mercy if undergoing a conversation with this woman was the alternative.
Therefore, Mackayla screamed.
Or she would have, yet she did not have lungs, nor did she have the mental capacity to even think such a thing.
'Justice..... if..... if..... if.....'
She could not even think the words, but the woman quickly replied as if understanding her sentiment.
[I see.... so if the Indeterminant is the only person in the world who can defeat me.... then so long as he does so, all else can be forgiven?]
The woman laughed to herself.
[How foolish I was to think that a mere human could begin to sympathize with me. After all.... I suppose when faced with two evils, you would always pick the lesser of the two.]
The black figure disappeared, as if it were nothing more than mist.
It was then that a slightly less wicked voice spoke softly, easing the mind of Mackayla.
[Even if you wish for my death, it is my duty to kill him. I cannot allow such a man to continue living, regardless of who you believe is good or evil. If you can't understand that, then I don't have any reason to talk to you anymore. But I'll leave you with one question.... which one of us is really evil?]
It was then that the area around Mackayla returned to normal, and she looked to her side.
Her fingers on her left hand were all missing, and blood squirted from it.
In front of her, Larios stood with a delighted expression on his face, and the fingers were now all on a table next to the man.
"Hahaha!!!! Your cries just now were truly delightful!!!!! Let me hear more!!!!"
The man brought the knife to her right hand, slicing four fingers at once.
The fingers dropped to the ground before the man quickly caught all of them midair, holding them up for Mackayla to see as the blood gushed from them.
Looking up with excitement, the man was met with a dull expression.
The blue haired woman glared at the man as if she were bored.
"Is that the most pain you can inflict on a person?", she asked.
Larios looked into the face of Mackayla which had changed in an instant.
'Wha.... what happened to her!? Why... is she holding it in? No.... those are not the eyes of someone who is holding themselves back.....'
It was then that the door burst open.
"Hahaha! Back to the good ole fashioned torture, eh? Slicing off fingers and watching as the victim screams? Takes me back to my younger days, not that I want to remember them."
Larios turned around, already irritated at the lack of response from the woman before him.
"Who goes there? Men! Why was this man-"
It was then that the people in the chamber took a look at the face of the creature who had entered.
He had green skin. He was thin and short, and appeared to be weak.
He had fangs and pointed ears, and claws on his hands.
Surrounding the creature, the men drew their spears and pointed them towards him.
"Don't move, monster!"
"We'll stab you here and now if you take even a single breath!"
Closing his eyes, the goblin froze in place.
"Now this really is nostalgic.... haha..... but I'll have to stop you right here. After all..... that woman right there isn't your toy to play with. Her body has been claimed already. By the one I serve."
"By...."
"The one you serve!?"
"Who are you working for, monster?"
Oraguth didn't make a movement as the men held their spears, ready to strike him at any moment.
"Who am I working for? Hahaha.... do you think I would just up and tell you? But..... I suppose there is no reason to hide information from the dead."
Opening his eyes, the goblin looked around at the angry faces of the men.
"I work for the Queen of Chaos, the future Lord of Demons..... her eminence, the Determined."