Death.
That was the only thing that came to my mind after seeing the Demon in front of me. The Demon that Eugene transformed into, its claws, the plates on its skin, and the instinctive fear that I felt upon laying my eyes upon him. They all pointed to one single thing - Death.
"Muhahahahaha... Feast your eyes on this immaculate form of mine, You Mortal Kid, as this would be the last thing you would get to see before death." The Demon laughed seeing my condition, but I couldn't care less as I had already given up on fighting him.
[98% of the Host's Soul has been contaminated by the Abyssal Energy. The host would die in 10 Seconds.]
[10]
I had lost too much blood; I was feeling such excruciating pain that I never felt even when I died back on Earth.
Even If I tried to fight him in such a condition by forcing myself, it would be a futile effort as even without seeing his stats, I could feel the overwhelming power difference between us that I wouldn't be able to overcome no matter what I did.
[9]
"Why do you have that expression on your face, Boy? Have you already given up on living witnessing my beautiful form?"
[8]
"Muhahahaha... I can understand your thoughts, Boy! If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same thing, Muhahahaha!"
[7]
"...But I have to kill you to fulfill my end of the contract that I made with that Priest, so no hard feelings kiddo."
[6]
'I just hope I would have managed to save some lives...'
[5]
'...and have bid enough time for someone who could kill- ...Well, I guess I don't need to worry about that.' I thought as I saw Elsie right behind the Demon, high in the air, in her usual Maid clothes but with Knives in both hands. Her eyes were brimming with Crimson energy, and I could feel she was exponentially more powerful at that moment than the Demon standing before me.
[4]
"...Huh, Why are you smiling as if you won?" The Demon turned around but before he could see anything-
[3]
"[Bloodline Skill: Vampire's Thirst]"
SLASH
-His head was separated from his body, leaving his eyes wide open as he died.
[2]
"...Your Highness!" Elsie didn't pay any attention as his head hit the ground with a thud sound and came towards me.
Her beautiful eyes which terrified me on the very first day I saw her were still looking at me with the same care and love that they contained on the very first day or even more so.
The Crimson energy that killed the Demon in a single hit was still emanating from her, but instead of harming me, they were wrapping around me trying to heal my wounds.
[1]
"Elsie..." I muttered her name, seeing tears in her eyes that I didn't understand at first why were there but then I remembered how I felt when Grandma died.
'She is crying because of me...' Realizing that I tried to move my lips to say something, but-
"...Please don't try to say anything, Your Highness." Saying so in a teary voice, she picked my bloody body up, trying her best to stop her tears from flowing out.
She jumped up onto the top of the roof of one of the houses and hurried as fast as she could, continuously muttering under her breath in a trembling voice trying to remind herself more than me, "...You won't die, Your Highness. I will save you; I must save you. So, please ...please try to keep your eyes open a little longer."
Seeing her in such a state, I felt guilty about my decision to get out of the castle without any protection or permission.
[0]
"I'm Sorry, Elsie..." Closing my eyes, I muttered my last words and just before losing consciousness to the impending darkness, I felt a drop of water falling on my cheek.
[...]
**********
Void, the place where not a single particle of light existed. An ever-expanding plane of pure Darkness, I was there ...yet again.
'...Did I die again?' A thought crossed my mind, but unlike the previous time when I couldn't feel anything, I was feeling Guilt right now.
The overwhelming guilt of leaving my parents and Elsie alone after giving them an immense amount of Pain.
I knew how it felt like seeing your cherished ones die in front of you then how could I give that pain to someone else?!
'...How could I do such a thing?' I was frustrated and disappointed in myself.
How could I not control my urge to go out of the Castle? If only I had been in the castle when the attacks happened maybe I was still alive with them.
Why did I have to play Hero even after identifying that the target was me? I could have run back to the Castle, so Elsie would have reached earlier to protect me!
Why was I so stupid to think that doing this would make Father proud of me at that moment?
Why didn't I consider their feelings when I was dying?
Why did I die so easily?
Why...
Why...
Why...
Why...
Why...
...Why...
...Why...
...W...hy...
'I ...I'm Sorry, Mother, Father for being a bad son.'
Tears started running down my cheek as the depth of the mistake that I had made dawned on me.
'...I'm sorry.'
'I'm really sorry...'
'...I'm really ...sorry...'
"What are you apologizing for? You weren't even their real son in the first place, right?" As I was drowning in the pool of regret, a voice fell on my ears.
Hearing someone's words in this void, my whole body tensed up.
Someone else is in this void and they know me? I turned towards the voice, and there I saw a Middle-Aged Man with Heavenly Golden Hair in a casual T-shirt and pants, looking much like every other normal person I had seen on Earth.
How is he here? Is he some kind of Deity? ...However, I doubt that seeing his looks. I wondered for a moment, but ...Even if he is some powerful being, I just can't let his words slide.
"I am their son," I replied calmly, trying to keep a lid on my emotions.
"No, you're not." He sounded confident in his words.
"I am the son of Azriel von Everhart and Kiera von Everhart."
"No, you're not."
"...I SAID I AM THEIR SON!" I shouted desperately trying to convince more of myself rather than him.
"No, you're not. You're Liam, not Aiden von Everhart, no?"
STAB
His words stabbed me directly where I was most weak - My Past Life.
When I awakened magic and my [Passive Skill: Perfect Memory] unlocked, returning all of my previous life memories, it also brought some doubts about myself that I chose to ignore in the heat of the battle, but now hearing his words, those doubts resurfaced.
Did I really deserve their love?
Didn't I betray them by not telling them about my past life?
Was I, Liam, an orphan who used to pickpocket and steal in my past life really deserve a name as noble as Aiden von Everhart?
Was I even worth being called a Royal?
...Was I even their son in reality?
There were a lot of doubts in my mind, digging my wound of guilt even deeper. My sense of self in itself was collapsing under the weight of those doubts and guilt.
"Who ...Who are you?" I whimpered in disbelief as I didn't think I would get called out by that name ever again.
"I am Mortivis, God of Life and Death. Nice to meet you, Liam."
**********
A/N:
I am trying to cook up something, but I think my vocabulary is quite limited so I might need to repeat some words, so please bear with it, I am working on it, slowly, but surely!