Abner glanced at Calius's lifeless body on the floor. His usually cold demeanor was now replaced with panic. Hurriedly, he turned and ran toward the dark corridor at the back of the room. But before he could disappear into the shadows, Pharnaces hurled his sword with deadly precision. The blade flew straight and true, striking Abner's leg and severing it cleanly below the knee.
Abner collapsed to the floor with a scream of agony that shattered the silence. Blood poured freely from his wound, pooling on the stone floor. Trembling, he tried to crawl away, but the pain rendered him nearly immobile.
Thomas, Jeanne, and Pharnaces approached him slowly, their steps deliberate and calm, as if they knew Abner had no escape. There was no urgency, only the grim certainty of a predator closing in on its prey.
"So, this is how it ends," Pharnaces said coldly, his voice like tempered steel. He stood over Abner's crumpled form, his gaze devoid of pity. Jeanne stood beside him, clutching her sword tightly, her eyes still blazing with anger. Thomas moved forward, kneeling in front of Abner.
"What's your true goal?" Thomas asked in a flat tone, though there was an unyielding pressure behind his words. "Why did you do all this? Calius, the orphans, the countless bloodshed—what are you trying to achieve?"
Abner chuckled weakly, sweat dripping down his face. His laugh was shaky, almost desperate. "You don't understand... Your efforts are meaningless," he said, his voice faint but laced with mockery. "You can kill me, but it won't change anything. I'm just a small part of a much greater plan."
"What plan?" Thomas pressed, his voice sharper now. "Talk, or I'll make sure your death isn't a quick one."
Abner smiled bitterly, his bloodied teeth bared. "If you kill me," he said slowly, "every guard in Esverita will receive the order to kill its citizens. Every man, woman, and child will die. They'll pay for what you've done here."
Jeanne bit her lip, her hands trembling. "You're a monster," she said, her voice heavy with anger and disappointment. "You would slaughter innocent people just because we stopped you?"
Abner looked at her, his hate-filled eyes scrutinizing her expression. "They're just tools," he said emotionlessly. "Like you, they don't matter in the grand scheme of things. This is all for Mephisa's glory and a greater rebirth."
Pharnaces snorted. "Rebirth? What could be greater than the lives you've destroyed? You toy with destruction and call it glory."
Thomas stood up, his gaze hard and unrelenting. He knew Abner wouldn't give a more satisfying answer. "So, if you die, chaos erupts. You're certain of that?"
Abner fell silent, realizing the weight of his own words. "You won't dare kill me," he said weakly, masking the fear creeping onto his face with a faint, bitter smile. "You don't know the consequences."
Thomas looked at Jeanne and Pharnaces. "We have a choice," he said calmly, though his voice carried the gravity of the moment. "We can take him out and stop the guards before they act. Or…" His gaze shifted to Abner. "We can end it now."
Jeanne swallowed hard, visibly disturbed by the implications. Pharnaces stood motionless, his face expressionless, waiting for a decision to be made.
Thomas clenched his jaw, staring at Abner as blood continued to pool around him. His face showed the weight of the internal struggle—a desire to end the threat Abner posed, balanced against the risk to Esverita's people if he made the wrong choice.
"Thomas," the Navigator's voice whispered coldly in his mind, like an uninvited ghost. "Kill him now. He's a threat that cannot be allowed to live."
Thomas tightened his fists. "If I kill him, the citizens of Esverita might be massacred. That's a choice too big to make."
The Navigator remained unfazed. "They're just NPCs, Thomas. The people of this world aren't real. What do their lives matter compared to the success of this quest?"
The words struck Thomas like a cold blade. His reply came trembling with suppressed fury. "You talk as if their lives don't matter. You call them NPCs, but they live, they have families, they have hope! This isn't the first time you've shown your lack of empathy. Remember Lilac Town? Your orders there were to slaughter the entire population. I'll never forget that."
The Navigator was silent for a moment, then responded in the same emotionless tone. "It was a strategic decision, Thomas. You know that. This is about efficiency, not morality."
Shaking his head in frustration, Thomas raised his head to look at Jeanne and Pharnaces. "The Navigator wants me to kill Abner," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of the decision. "He says the people of Esverita don't matter, that they're just part of this quest."
Jeanne and Pharnaces didn't respond. They stood frozen, their faces blank, their eyes devoid of life.
"Jeanne? Pharnaces?" Thomas called, trying to snap them out of it. There was no answer. They were like statues, staring at Abner without reaction.
"What's wrong with them…?" Thomas stopped as he heard a low, raspy laugh from Abner. The man, despite his injuries, still had the strength to mock.
"Ah, you're starting to notice," Abner said weakly but with a twisted sense of triumph. "I wonder why you aren't affected, Thomas. My charm spell should work on anyone in this room."
The Navigator's voice broke in again, more urgent this time. "Thomas, it's charm magic. Similar to Catherine's passive skill. You know what needs to be done. Don't let them fall further."
Thomas glared at Abner with seething hatred. "What did you do to them?" he demanded, stepping closer to the man.
Abner chuckled again, though it was interrupted by bloody coughs. "A simple spell," he said weakly. "Just enough to make them listen to my commands and ignore yours. If you want to save them, maybe you should kill me now. But wait—" He grinned, blood dripping from his lips. "Isn't that what your mysterious voice told you to do?"
Thomas felt his blood boiling, not just because of the situation but also the cold manipulations of both the Navigator and Abner. He glanced again at Jeanne and Pharnaces, hoping for some sign of awareness. Yet they remained motionless, like puppets awaiting orders.
He took a deep breath, trying to clear his thoughts. "I have to think clearly," he muttered to himself. "Abner's using magic to control them, but killing him isn't the only solution. There must be another way to break this spell without risking the people of Esverita."
Jeanne and Pharnaces, once his trusted allies, now stood with drawn swords, their eyes vacant like lifeless dolls awaiting commands. Thomas's conscience churned as he searched for a way out of the tightening dilemma.
"Thomas," the Navigator's cold voice echoed in his mind again, more urgent than before. "You don't have any more time. Kill Abner now. It's the only way to end this."
Thomas clenched his fists, his anger mixed with doubt. "And if I do?" he asked softly, as if speaking to the air. "The people of Esverita will die. You know that. You heard what he said."
"I told you, that's irrelevant," the Navigator replied, his tone icy. "They're just part of the system. Not real. Unlike our mission. You want them to live, but what if it causes us to fail? The choice is clear."
Thomas growled softly, restraining the storm of anger brewing inside him. "You say it so easily because you don't care. But I—I can't see them as something meaningless. I won't repeat what you ordered in Lilac Town."
The Navigator fell silent for a moment before his voice returned, firmer than before. "Listen, Thomas. Jeanne and Pharnaces will soon attack you. They're already completely under Abner's spell. If you want to save them, if you want us to succeed, you must decide now. Kill Abner."
Thomas turned toward Abner, who lay bleeding on the ground, his leg severed. Despite his dire condition, the man wore a faint smile, one of triumph. "Are you enjoying this dilemma, Thomas?" Abner asked weakly, his voice dripping with mockery. "I know you'll make a choice. And I know what that choice will be."
Jeanne and Pharnaces began moving forward, their steps slow but deliberate, like predators closing in on prey. Thomas felt his chest tighten as he watched his respected comrades turned into tools of the enemy's magic. "There's no other way," he thought, though doubt still chained his heart.
"Navigator," Thomas said within his mind, his tone cold as ice. "If I do this, whatever happens next is on you. Every drop of spilled blood will be on your hands."
"Agreed," the Navigator responded without hesitation. "I'll take responsibility for all consequences. Trust me, I already have a plan."
Thomas exhaled deeply, his body heavy as if the weight of the world bore down on him. He stepped closer to Abner, who still smirked despite the pain in his eyes. Jeanne and Pharnaces paused briefly, perhaps sensing something in Thomas's aura.
"This is the wrong choice," whispered a small voice in Thomas's heart. But there was no more time for hesitation.
Thomas raised his hand, magic energy swirling around him. In one swift motion, he unleashed a final attack aimed at Abner's chest. The room echoed with a sharp crack and Abner's scream as the strike landed directly, piercing his body.
Abner jolted, blood spilling from his mouth. Yet even in death, a faint smile lingered on his face. "Good," he said with his final breath. "This is what I wanted."
Abner's body went limp, his breath ceased, and silence engulfed the room. Jeanne and Pharnaces collapsed to the ground, their swords slipping from their hands, as if the magic that bound them had finally vanished.
Thomas stood still, his gaze empty, his body trembling at what he had just done. "Navigator," he said, his voice heavy and cold. "What's your plan now?"
"I told you, Thomas," the Navigator replied in the same even tone. "I'll take responsibility. Trust me, this is only the first step toward victory."
Thomas didn't respond. He just stared at Abner's lifeless body, struggling to calm the turmoil that gnawed at his soul.
***