"Yeah, I already know he is incredibly strong. But so what? Sophie was also a monster in my eyes previously, but now I am a lot stronger than her. What is stopping me from becoming as strong as James as well?"
Sebastian raised his head from the table, now staring straight into my eyes, showing me just how much distress he felt. "You don't understand. It's not about how strong he is, it's about what he is. That man... No, he is not a man. He is something else. I don't even think he is a demon, he is just... a monster..."
It seemed like Sebastian couldn't even find the right words to convey what he wanted to say, but it was enough for me to somewhat understand what he wanted to say. That maybe there wasn't just the allied races and the demons, that there was a third actor as well. A part solely made up of James Jackson.
"Why are you telling me this? Isn't there someone else that could use this information better?"
Still, it was still impossible for me why he chose to talk with me about this, or at least it was until he told me the truth. Clutching his hands, he looked more pathetic than ever, "I... I signed that contract... So I can't talk to anyone else..."
"But you are for some reason allowed to talk to me? Why?"
"I don't know... But the mana contract only lets me talk to you about him. If I tried talking to anyone else, I would die immediately."
For a couple of seconds, it made no sense to me, but after thinking about it a bit deeper I found an answer. 'He is playing with me... Trying to see how I will react. If I am going to tell anyone...'
What a disgusting feeling it was, how he had completely destroyed any sense of integrity in the proud man before me and how he presented him to me just to see what will happen. Everything still seemed to be in the palm of his hand, everything still going just as he wanted.
I leaned back on my chair with a sigh, knowing that I had no choice but to further inquire about that contract, "Haaa... So? What is he forcing you to do? Just know, if you tell me anything that might risk the lives of our comrades I will not hesitate in taking your life right here."
It might have sounded harsh but I felt it was fair to tell him my bottom line before he told me anything else. However, Sebastian didn't react to my threats at all, "Tch! As if I would be scared of you... and I doubt that monster would let me die now even if you tried. The mana contract doesn't even allow me to take my own life, after all..."
'What the fuck...'
What kind of crazy contract did James make him sign, making him unable to forfeit even his own life? And how could he be so sure that James could somehow save his life? Did he have some sort of method to get here instantly no matter the distance?
And right there, I found the answer. 'Teleportation...'
The only skill he had ever shown us during his stay at the academy, as well as the skill he used when he departed from the town square. If what Sebastian was saying was the truth then maybe he had some kind of way to instantly teleport to Sebastian's side to save him.
Then, before I could ask him more questions, he continued on, "James wants me to spy on the principal... No, he just wanted me to gather as much information about him as possible. I have no idea why but from the sounds of James, it seems like the principal might not be as simple a man as he seems."
My head started hurting at the sudden information, and frustration started to swell inside of me, "Sebastian, I am not going to blame you for accepting that contract as I have no idea what happened to you, but why exactly are you telling me this? From what you have told me you weren't forced to do so. So why?"
Once again his eyes lowered to the table, his purple hair concealing them from the world as a trembling voice reached out to me.
"Because... I don't know what to do. That thing... I am not sure what anyone can do about it... Arthur, I don't think anyone can stop him. No matter what he decides to do."
****
Feeling a slightly cold hand on my shoulder, I woke up with stress filling my entire body. Luckily, the golden-haired girl in front of me was the best medicine for it, instantly making me feel calm and serene.
"Hey, wake up. You will be late to the dive if you keep on sleeping in."
Seeing her gentle smile, I couldn't stop myself from pulling her into the bed with me, quickly enveloping her in the warm cover. "Geez! James, we need to go! We can't do this right now..."
But my mouth wouldn't open. No, I couldn't open it. I could only bask in the happiness of embracing the girl I had come to love, to bask in the comfortableness of the perfect life I had been given.
It was even to the point where I felt my cheeks getting wet, my entire being desperately pleading for this moment to last forever. To be able to spend my life with the kind beauty that was Sarah, there was nothing that could make me happier right now.
Suddenly, her head turned to me but instead of the beautiful face I expected, I was met with nothing. Her face had now gotten replaced by a fully black sheet of nothingness as she crushed my hopes, "Demon..."
Then, my vision shifted from the white sheets to a very familiar room with a hospital bed in the middle of it, where a weak and raspy voice rang out.
"Do you truly believe you deserve happiness? After what you did, do you honestly think anyone could ever love you?"
Not able to stop the body I was in, I walked toward it and saw the man I never wanted to see again. With a bald head and green eyes, it would be hard for anyone to figure out what kind of relationship we shared. Resembling more a skeleton than a living person it was hard to understand how he could even be alive in the first place.
With a huge sinister smile on his face, my brother spoke, "You aren't someone who should be loved. You aren't someone who deserves happiness. For you, there should be only pain. Monster..."
Still unable to control my body, I could only watch as I raised the knife in my hand and spoke, "Goodbye brother. I love you..."
==========
*Gasp!*
I finally woke up in the hotel room that I had rented, my body cold with the sweat that was pouring out of me. "Huff...huff..."
The best part about a lot of bad dreams was that when you woke up, you wouldn't remember them. Sadly this was not the case for me. The face of my brother was still very clearly imprinted in my memory, etched into it with a force that would make it impossible for me to ever forget.
"Happiness... I guess it's too late for that..."
Thinking about it, maybe I deserved this fate from the start. In a world of gods and magic, who could say that karma also didn't exist? At the same time, I didn't know if I even cared anymore.
This was the life I had chosen, this was the life I had created. So why shouldn't I live it to the fullest, even if it meant becoming something other than human? "Monster, huh? In the end, maybe I was a monster from the start. Then I might as well continue acting the part. After all, if the world views me as one, who am I to say no?"
****
[Sarah's Pov]
Lying down on my bed in my room at the castle, I was desperately trying to regain control of my emotions. After the excursion to Kurat, my mind seemed to be in constant turmoil, unable to decide what I should do or what I was feeling.
'-Do you want another chance to be together with him?'
The words of that woman still echoed in my head, with my heart throbbing every time I thought about it. However, I still had no idea what she meant, or what kind of plan she had to make it possible.
Letting my eyes view the white ceiling, I felt a sad smile emerge on my face, "Haha... How ironic it is that the one I would ask about this would be James..."
In the end, there was only one thing I could do. Taking up my smartwatch, I knew I needed to start here for me to gain even a semblance of closure.
[Tell me about how I could get to be together with James again.]