After that, Cassandra quietly followed me as I searched for Difar.
I felt as if my heart had truly become cold.
Isabella had forgotten me...
I couldn't blame her...but I didn't want to have her around anymore.
She only caused me pain...
I would look forward into the future from now on. I would face my enemies and destroy them all.
Currently, my goal was to regain my lost strength and become even stronger.
I would need to murder Tyranus, first.
Then, once the false wielder had been eliminated, I would go to Ignitus and have Iris make Cassandra and I into Enforcers.
Lastly, I needed to visit Delvandal and have Vakra implant me with the Heart of the World.
I wanted to avoid getting the Heart of the Sky if at all possible...
That one could stay in Jin's tomb and rot, for all I cared.
Instead, I would see if the Heart of the Deep could work on Cassandra.
I would need Leiso to help kill the guardian. If not, I would still find a way.
Or I could have Valtheim eat it, hopefully.
As I walked, Cassandra tugged on my sleeve.
"Are you okay, darling...?" She asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, Cassandra," I said.
"Then...why are you still crying...?" She asked.
I realized then that tears were still flowing out of my eyes and down my cheeks.
I wiped them away and smiled.
I even let out a small laugh.
"Haa...everything is meaningless, isn't it?" I asked her.
"Everything except my darling Mizik. You are everything to me, my love," Cassandra said.
I leaned forward and put my hand on her chin. Then I pulled her close and kissed her on the lips.
"Just stay by my side. We'll obliterate everything that stands in our way. But if you want to run away, too..."
Cassandra shook her head.
"I have nowhere else to go. No desire to leave. If you ask me to kill, I will kill. If you say to end the world, I will do it gladly. I need nothing but you. You will find me much more cooperative than my...former sister who shall not be named," Cassandra said.
"Good. Serve me well and be a shoulder to lean on. In return, I'll give you all the love you could ever ask for," I said.
"Ah...that makes me so happy! I'm overflowing with joy! I love you, Mizik!"
"I love you too, Cassandra. Let's work wonders together."
Something in me died that day.
And something akin to my humanity had truly begun to fade from my heart... With it, a seed of dark, malevolent insanity had been planted.
I felt like one day...I would truly explode and do something horrible.
But I just smiled.
Now I felt at peace with who I was.
With what I was.
I could turn and end the lives of anyone around me. All except Cassandra, of course.
I would keep her by my side because I wanted to. Not because I had to. I would shower her with my rewarding love and affection in return for her love and loyalty.
My unquestioningly loyal slave... My dear wife, Cassandra. I will keep you forever. I adore you... I adore your loyalty and your insane obsession for me.
But even if I felt this way, I still wanted to protect those I cared about. To thank them for the things their past selves did.
The individuals who had gotten caught up in this pointless war....
My family in Lorelei, the people of Jorgan's Diner, my father and aunt Amelia...
Even Isabella.
If I could find a way to end this loop and protect Avernia, I would do just that.
After that...I didn't care.
I would kill anyone and everyone who opposed me. Anyone in my way would forfeit their lives to my wrath.
* * *
Instead of searching for that bastard Difar, I knew I could just ask Valtheim.
I returned to my room with Cassandra and simply told Valtheim to relay a message.
That I would speak with Difar tomorrow after I had fully calmed myself.
He reluctantly agreed, and I laid down in bed.
Cassandra climbed on top of me and smiled.
"You're so cool... So handsome and amazing! Darling...will you allow me to comfort you in this difficult time?" Cassandra asked hopefully.
"Yes. I think I would enjoy that. I love you, Cassandra."
"Ah...! I love you too!" She said.
After that, I allowed Cassandra to do as she pleased. And whatever I wanted...
I could get used to this.
* * *
The next day, I woke up and allowed Cassandra to dress me. Immediately after, I began searching for Difar and managed to find him.
"Oh, there it is, that really annoying piece of garbage that keeps bothering me," he said.
"Shut it. I don't want to hear any of your bitching, Difar," I growled.
"Hm? You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Princess Mizik?"
"What part of shut your ugly-as-sin, shit-eating mouth do you not understand?"
"You're not going to be friendlier towards your newest ally? That hurts my feelings, Mizzy. Truly...ouch..." Difar said sarcastically.
"Difar, I hate you with every fragment of my entire being. But we have to discuss the terms of the ceasefire if we want to escape this cursed reset loop."
"The feeling is mutual, you brat. But I agree... The Oracle is a problem. Now, maybe you should invite me to your party?"
I did something I never imagined I would do...
I invited that bastard to my party and requested to view his stats.
{Name: Cain Difar(Difar)}
{Cass: Arcane Hero(Corrupted)/Abyssal Difar}
{Level 138,000?????ERROR}
{Hp: ?-9999999999999999999????????
P.atk: ?-9999999999999999999????????
M.atk: ?-9999999999999999999????????
P.def: ?-9999999999999999999????????
M.def: ?-9999999999999999999???????
Acc: ?-9999999999999999999????????
Eva: ?-99999999999999999999???????
Spd: ?-99999999999999999999???????}
{Passive Abilities: god of Corruption LV.COR
King of the Abyss(Difar) LV.COR
E.Power of Extinction LV.COR}
{Active Abilities: Corrupted Transformation LV.COR
E.Breaker Slash LV.COR
E.Rapid Destroyer LV.COR}
{Magic Abilities: Abyssal Energy Burst LV.COR
Corruption Blade LV.COR
E.Accelerating Blast Blade LV.COR
Extinction Form Two: Blast Radius LV.COR
Extinction Form Three: Overdrive LV.COR}
I nearly choked on my own breath as I looked at his status.
The status menu glitched and flickered as I stared at it.
"There it is! You see my frustration? I'm an abyssal god capable of things most people can't even conceive of and my arch nemesis is a damn child! The Creator really knows how to piss me off," Difar said.
"How... Why are you so ridiculously powerful!?" I asked.
"Fishing for information? Very well, I'll reveal a secret to you. This pitiful status magic can't fully verify my real power. And part of the reason is because Corruption causes it to glitch. My power comes from possessing the heart of an abyssal god. A power that I stole during my conquest of the realm below the Void. In short, I became an abyssal god."
"You're actually a god...?" I said.
"I don't walk around calling myself the god of Corruption because it's a catchy title. It's what I am. Abyssal gods are far stronger than regular gods from the realm of creation. And I am the King of the Abyss."
"The Abyss has a King?" I asked.
"There you go asking too many questions. You wouldn't understand what it's like down there. Not because it's complicated, but because you're stupid. If you have to ask whether or not the Abyss has a King, when the King of the Abyss is literally telling you that he's THE KING OF THE DAMN ABYSS, you are a moron! Now let's get back on subject."
"Sorry. You're just such an idiot that I found it hard to believe they would elect such a jackass to be their King," I said.
"That was a good one..." My Dad mumbled.
"SHUT UP! Now then, I took the liberty of writing up a contract for us both to sign. It's an abyssal binding contract, so neither of us can break it or we'll die. There's a lot more at risk for me, so I can assure you that I'll keep my word," Difar said.
He placed a sheet of paper on the table and slid it over to me.
I began reading it.
Abyssal Binding Contact.
Terms of Ceasefire between Mizik Iratus, The Chosen Hero, and Cain Difar, King of the Abyss.
Protection
The two parties in question as well as their allies are not permitted to purposefully harm one another for any reason. If a member of one of the opposing groups intends to harm the other, they will be met with swift retribution in the form of abyssal electrocution.
If Mizik Iratus or Cain Difar attempt to purposefully harm the other or a member of their parties, they will be executed on the spot by the death mark received as a result of signing this contract.
The terms of the ceasefire are as followed: both parties are to aid one another on the battlefield whenever possible and with actual effort. They will fight side by side to achieve the goal of slaying the Oracle.
The conditions for removing the death mark are as followed: fulfillment of the goal or assigned task in the form of slaying the Oracle or whatever constitutes as slaying the Oracle.
There was an area for our signatures at the bottom.
"Don't be shy, what do you think? Is the contract acceptable?" Difar asked.
"I can agree to this. I won't call you a friend, but I can call upon your strength as an ally," I said.
"Right, and I can call upon your...strength..." Difar said.
Then he burst out into a fit of laughter.
When he finished, he looked at me with a sarcastic grin.
"Sorry! You're just so pathetically weak, that I forgot I probably won't need your help. The contract is to ensure cooperation. I will need your assistance reaching the Oracle. Not dealing with her. The Dark Army stands ready to assist you on the battlefield and we are more than enough for anything that might come against you. Can I count on your...eh...support...in battle to aid us?" Difar said.
"You can. But once I regain my lost power, I'll be stronger than one of your clones," I said.
"Fragments. That is what they are. I know I called them clones in the past, but that is only partially accurate. I believe that strength will be sufficient. Now then, sign the contract and give it back to me."
I did as he said and gave the paper back to him.
"Ugh...your handwriting is like that of a child... Very well," Difar said.
I'll assume that he's just going to take every opportunity to make fun of me...?
"If you keep making fun of me, my self esteem might just go low enough to commit suicide. Then where would you end up?" I asked.
Difar rolled his eyes.
"Ugh...Lorelei! I know! And I also know that you're not bluffing. I've seen you kill yourself enough times to understand that."
Actually I was only taunting you. I would never allow myself to die before killing the Oracle.
"I have a question..." I said.
"Why so you ask so many damn questions!?" Difar said angrily.
"I never saw you in Lorelei. Where were you? Are you talking about Cain?"
"No, you idiot. I was ACTUALLY in Lorelei. Or at least the area of Lorelei," Difar said.
"Where?"
"Really? I'm actually kind of surprised that you never picked up on it. I mean, that's pretty hilarious, even for you. I was in the mines. We met so many times it makes me want to puke... I was the dragon."
"The one who killed my father before?" I asked in surprise.
"Did you see another dragon in the mines?"
"Hold on a second... How many times did you kill me!?" Ulysses asked.
"I wasn't keeping score, but likely a few hundred? Nothing personal, Ulysses. I actually think you're a fairly...okay guy. But the fact that this abominable hell-spawn of a son came from you was enough to make me enjoy murdering you over and over. Once again, my acting was quite superb... Faking injuries and retreating to make myself look beatable to Mizik was hilarious," Difar said.
After that, most of us were speechless. Including me.
I had no idea that he had been killing my father all this time... It was yet another reason to hate him.
Regardless, Difar finally signed the contract and it burst into black flames.
"This is going to hurt a lot, by the way," Difar said.
"Bring it on..." I said as I glared at him.
"Oh, Mizik... You should be careful of what you ask for," Difar said sarcastically.
Then, from the flames of the contract, two floating black orbs appeared. One of them shot towards me and landed on the side of my neck.
Then the other hit Difar in the same place but on the opposite side.
Suddenly, a voice spoke.
"AN ABYSSAL CONTRACT HAS BEEN CREATED! HIS DARK MAJESTY, LORD CAIN DIFAR, AND THE FOOLISH YOUNG BOY, MIZIK IRATUS WILL NOW BE BOUND TOGETHER BY ITS WORDS. KILL THE ORACLE TO FULFILL THE TERMS AND YOU MAY YET LIVE... I BID THEE FAREWELL!"
"I resent being called foolish..." I growled.
"Why don't you go cry about it then, you-"
Suddenly Difar paused as his face twisted in agony.
I wasn't really paying attention, though, because my neck felt like someone had branded me with a red hot iron.
"GAAAHHHHHH!!!" Difar screamed.
I gritted my teeth and remained quiet as my entire body felt like it had been dunked in molten lava...
Cassandra started looking panicked as she hesitated to touch me.
Difar was screaming from the pain...
I remained calm as the pain enveloped me further...
Truthfully, activating the heart device was far more painful.
And I couldn't wait to laugh at Difar for screaming like a baby.
Eventually, once it all subsided, Difar relaxed himself and glared at me.
"Don't you say a single word..." He said.
"Because you wouldn't have, right? Man up, you weakling. It wasn't that painful. I'm in the body of a fourteen-year old boy and I handled that better than an abyssal god!" I said.
"That's pretty hardcore... Ha! My son is awesome!" Ulysses said while beaming with pride.
"DAMMIT!!! THIS IS WHY I WANT TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!!"
"Get in line," I said.
"Ahem..." Amelia cleared her throat loudly.
Everyone looked at her.
"If you two are done arguing, we should decide on what our plans are. Currently, you want to kill this Oracle woman, but how do we find her? What steps should we take to get there?" Amelia said.
"Good thinking, sis!" Ulysses said.
"Quiet!" Amelia said angrily at Ulysses.
He seemed to sink down slightly.
"Well, the Oracle usually spends her time in Excelsis," Difar said.
"If you know that, why haven't you just gone and killed her, yourself?" I asked.
"Look at me! I'm Mizik! I like to ask smart-ass obvious questions that assume other people are STUPID!!! DON'T YOU THINK I TRIED THAT YOU LITTLE SHIT!?" Difar yelled angrily.
"Sir Difar, if you could-"
"LORD Difar. If you're going to give me a title, call me Lord Difar. Otherwise, just Difar is fine."
"Fine...Difar. Why haven't you gone to Excelsis?" Amelia asked.
"Because divine realms are covered in barriers that can only be passed by divine beings. I am an Abyssal god. Not from the above worlds. I am unable to breach that barrier."
"I see. Do you have a way of moving between worlds?" Amelia asked.
"Valtheim, my companion, is the Avatar of the Void. She uses a method of transporting herself and anyone else she's told to move through the Void to go anywhere she needs. Valtheim cannot get past the barrier around Excelsis, however. The Oracle's barrier seems to cancel out her ability to obliterate whatever she touches. It's an extreme form of creation magic and divine energy," Difar said.
"Perplexing... May I speak to Valtheim?" Amelia asked.
"Sure. Knock yourself out. Just don't expect much," Difar said.
"Very well. Where is Valtheim?" Amelia asked.
"Technically...nowhere. She doesn't actually exist," Difar said.
"I'm sorry?" Amelia said.
"Ugh...you don't get it. Here, Valtheim, talk with the nice Iratus lady."
Suddenly, a shadow appeared and Valtheim rose from it.
"I...come..." She said.
"I'm sure you do... But now isn't the time for that," Difar said.
"Valtheim? May I ask you to remove your mask?" Amelia said.
"Umm...Amelia...?" I said.
"No no no. By all means. It's important for her and everyone else to learn," Difar said.
"Yes..." Valtheim said.
Everyone was silent. No one moved.
"Ugh...right... Valtheim, take your mask off..." Difar said defeatedly.
Valtheim removed her mask.
"Hey...she's actually really pretty..." Ulysses said.
Then Valtheim locked eyes with him
"Ah...b-by the gods!" Ulysses said fearfully.
"What in the name of Avernia!?" Amelia said.
"I love it when she does that! VALTHEIM! Stop making eye contact!"
"..."
She lowered her gaze.
"Alright...Valtheim... Are you able to get through the barrier surrounding Excelsis?" Amelia asked, still somewhat shakily.
"Barrier...I cannot..." She said.
"Would you like to try for us again?" Amelia said.
"..."
"Valtheim?" Amelia said.
"I am...Void...Valtheim..."
"Do yourself a favor and don't bother asking her anything that requires any form of an opinion. She's a bit stupid when it comes to talking to people," Difar said.
"Isn't that kind of rude towards her? She's got a terrifying gaze, but she's still a lady," Ulysses said.
"Such a gentleman. Do you want to take her to bed with you? Grope her? Do the nasty?" Difar said.
"I...was just being honest..." Ulysses said.
"Valtheim is a tool. A bodyguard and a method of transport. She is a loyal dog and a weapon of mass destruction. She does not possess any desires, a personality, opinions, and barely talks. She exists only to serve me. Now, unless you have a direct question that even a toddler like Mizik could understand, I suggest you stop talking to her. It's pointless."
"I resent that, you piece of shit!" I said angrily.
"GOOD FOR YOU, MIZIK! IF I WANT YOUR INPUT, I'LL ASK!!!"
This bastard is pissing me off...
"Fine then... Valtheim, is there a way you could breach the divine barrier?" Amelia asked.
"Unknown... I require assistance... Divine entity..." She said.
"Now we're getting somewhere. But there's a problem that I've already encountered. The Oracle is constantly watching. If she detects Valtheim, she's likely to put up a stronger barrier and lock the entire realm," Difar said.
"Difar, you know that the Oracle can't detect Valtheim, right?" I said.
"She...what? Excuse me?" He said.
"You didn't know that? How the hell didn't you figure it out!? Are you retarded or something? Wait, no. Of course you are..." I said angrily.
"I...no... Valtheim...envoy of nothingness... Can't be detected by anyone or anything... Not even...the Oracle and her eyes...? She technically doesn't exist... Shouldn't exist... I see..." Difar mumbled to himself.
"Difar?" Amelia said.
A wide smile crossed his face.
"Of course... Why would she be able to detect Valtheim? Mizik, what did the Oracle say about Valtheim?" Difar asked.
"She said that she couldn't find any evidence of something called Valtheim existing. She thought I had been lying to her across multiple lives," I said.
"She's even dumber than you, then. And that takes skill," Difar said.
"Asshole..." I growled.
"So...we have a plan?" Amelia said.
"Yes. First of all, we need to find a way to breach Excelsis. Although, I have a feeling that Mizik would prefer get his powers back. As he is, he'll be useless. A liability. More so than he already is," Difar said.
This bastard is relentless.
"CAN YOU STOP INSULTING ME FOR FIVE MINUTES, YOU ABOMINATION!?" I yelled.
"Sheesh. Don't get your panties in a wad. I was only kidding. Learn to take a joke, you masochist."
"I am not a masochist!"
"Why else would you have married Kyriel, then? Because of her shining personality? She's about as three-dimensional as a sheet of paper. She loves you. Yes, we understand that. She never shuts up about it. She's kind of a weirdo," Difar said.
"Do not insult my wife! And her NAME is CASSANDRA! Also, calling someone a weirdo is a lot coming from you! You're an abomination! Why can't you just go to the abyss and never come back!? WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE, YOU DICK!!!" I said angrily.
"M-mizik called me his wife...and defended me... I'm so happy I could cry! If I wasn't so angry due to this overpowered meat-head constantly insulting my beloved, I would be able to enjoy it..."
"Oh... My feelings... I might die from this... He said no one wants me around! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, SHITHEAD!!!" Difar yelled.
"Fine, CAIN. I'LL DO SOMETHING!!! I'LL SEND YOU BACK TO LORELEI!!!" I yelled.
His eyes went wide as I pointed Vengeance at him.
"Hey... That contract is already in effect! You'll seriously die, you know!!!" He said.
"D-darling! Please calm down! I don't want to go back again! Not now... Not ever!!!" Cassandra said desperately as she grabbed my arm.
"Alright! I'm sorry. Just, please... Put the sword down. If you attack me, all of this will be for nothing. I'll...try to control my unending hatred for you," Difar said calmly.
"Asshole..." I said angrily.
I sat back down and put my sword away.
Cassandra silently held onto my arm.
I stroked her hair to calm her down and she seemed to relax.
"Right... Well, after you, then. We're going to follow and help you get back on your feet. Sound good?" Difar said.
I nodded as I glared at him.
This will take some getting used to, but at least he thinks I was serious. No way in hell would I actually attack him right now...
As the 'peace' talks came to an end, we prepared to set out for our first destination.