Ruth clenched his fist tightly.
"I was shocked when I learned of this truth. I travelled to find the way to improve myself. At first, I only want to research more about my Grimoire. That is my first reason. My sole goal at that time. Until I arrived at a town outside of Outer. An old town with sick and old people live waiting the day they die. I met Master. She was living in a wooden house. She looked weak and old. All she did was lay on her bed all day waiting her time to end."
"She still alive?"
"Yes, she was alive. You know how Master always wear eye cover all day. She said she was blind and her eyes hurt when it were exposed to sunlight. All of that was a fucking lie. She was never blind. She covered her eyes because her right eye has the proof of a demon contract. She was contracted with a demon!"
Ruth took an old and worn out book. He threw it to the ground in front of Farik. He picked up the book.
"That book. I found it in Master bedroom. A book about a ritual. A ritual to summon a demon. I was confused. She said we must never make a contract with a demon. But look at her! She lie and lie and lie! To both of us!" his face was redden with anger.
Farik flipped through the pages of the book. The book then turned to dust in Farik hand.
"Yes the book is authentic. But that didn't mean that you should make a contract with a demon. What about it? What about Master making a contract with a demon? That is her life. If she want to seek power by contracting demon then let she be. That is her life. She wanted to use it as a payment let her be. We do not need to follow her footsteps Ruth. We walk our own path."
"You won't understand Farik. When I saw the book, I didn't become disappointed of her. I was NOT mad either. I understood her at that time. Master, was not as talented as you Farik. She is mediocre like me, like the majority of Alchemists. We also seek to improve ourselves but what can we do if we hit a wall so high! So tall! So wide! So big! So hard! So thick! That we felt hopeless. The feeling of dread. That feeling when you realize that you had hit your limit. That there is no more room for you to improve further. Have you ever feel like that?"
The air around Ruth turned icy cold. The ground under him froze. Icicles appeared here and there.
"Do you hate me then? Do you hate because I'm more talented than you? Because I have so much more room to improve? Because I am better than you?" Farik clenched tight both of his fists. He was mad.
"Hate? NO. Jealousy? NO. Anger? NO. Envy? NO. I would never feel all of that towards you. I. I admire you Farik. When we were under the same tutelage, you are like a sun, a star to me. You shine so bright overlapping all of those around you. I tried to reach the star but I can't. I'll burn. The reason I ran away was because I had reach my limit as an Alchemist. Master didn't chase me because she knew. She knew I couldn't improve anymore." Ruth face was like he was in pain. He looked sad and disappointed.
"I thought to myself. Is there really no more room for me? Has I really hit my limit? But Master show me the way. She showed me that I can improve further just like her. I also can be one of the strongest Alchemists." Ruth seems delighted.
"If you seek to improve yourself then why did you must kill all those Alchemist? Is it really necessary?" There was a dark air around Farik as he said that.
"Yes,it was necessary. It is one of the requirements to increase my chance to summon a higher rank demon. Someone told me that killing and taking other Alchemists' Grimoire to use as a sacrifice for the summon will increase my chance of summoning a higher rank demon."
"You have gone beyond redemption Ruth." Farik cast black spheres in the air around him.
"I don't need redemption. I vow to kill you here Farik. And I'll follow it."
Ice lances appeared above Ruth head. I loaded my revolver with the special bullets and activate my Flame Armor Artifact.
"I will subdue him. When there is a chance try to shoot him in the head."
Ruth launched ice lances toward Farik. Farik intercepted them with his black spheres. A dark lance with an ominous energy appeared above Farik right shoulder. It then launched itself towards Ruth. It was so fast that Ruth didn't has a chance to dodge. It managed to lodge itself deep in his right shoulder.
Ruth suddenly turned into snow and crumbled onto the ground. Ruth instantly appeared on the right side. He has one knee and right palm on the ground.
"Listen to me spirit of the snow. Manifest yourself as my servant and crush my enemy"
A huge snow golem was created behind Ruth as he finish his casting. The snow golem swung his right fist. Farik stood there facing the snow golem unmoving. He put out his left hand in front of him as if to block the golem punch. The moment the golem fist touched his hand it instantly turned dark. It stopped moving immediately. The darkness spread itself until it cover all of the golem body.
Farik then made a gripping and crushing motion with his left hand. The golem was compressed to nothingness.
"Tch" Ruth then stepped a few meters back before putting his palm together like he was praying. Hands made of snow and ice appeared behind him. The hands then moved like a broken snake, trying to grabbed Farik.
Farik clenched his Grimoire with his left hand.
"Embodiment of darkness. Swallow the light and everything in its path. Miniature Black Hole"
A really small black hole appeared in front of him. It sucked all the hands that tried to reach and grab him.
"I called to you darkness of the abyss. Manifest and devour the prey whole"
A circle of darkness spread on the ground under Ruth grabbing his leg making him not able to move away. A set of sharp teeth then appeared from the darkness.
"Tch. A beautiful but full of thorns. Ice Rose"
Ice Rose appeared surrounding Ruth defending him from the mouth trying to swallow him whole. Both of the mouth and roses disappeared.
"An icy coldness biting the person who touch it. Frostbite"
The ground froze . Freezing Farik right leg.
"Pierce. Ice spears"
"Walk through the shadow. Shadow Walk."
Farik disappeared leaving a faint trace of darkness as ice spears launched from the ground piercing the space where Farik stood before. He then appeared back on Ruth right side and instantly grabbed his wrist.
"Corrode. Black corrosion"