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Episode 124 – ‘If you disappear, I’d gladly die.’
Last chapter: Eugene and her group learn that promissum can be revoked if you consume a royal newborn’s heart. Commander Kal began his hypnotizing, Louis, Con, and Crown Prince fell to the melody trapping them in their nightmare. Eugene broke out of the song by biting her tongue.
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Only Commander Kal, Eugene, Aernest, Duke Marleigh, and Duke Rodriguez were left standing in the spacious audience room.
Eugene and Aernest withstanding his melody made Commander Kal raise a questioning brow. He stared straight into Eugene’s still bright grey eyes and sneered, “Well look at you. Children are known to fear many. Death, separation, darkness, monsters, yet you’ve endured this melody longer than the adults. Should I applaud for remaining sane? But seeing how you, young girl, were so fearless against my king, I should have predicted this.” He finished by shrugging.
Eugene didn’t want to bother responding to him but soon thought of something and changed her mind, “Say… Sir has never answered my teacher’s question.” She politely reminded him in a calm voice.
Commander Kal hummed, “What is it? I’ll answer it for you.”
A hint of surprise flashed by Duke Marleigh and Duke Rodriguez’s face. They couldn’t help glancing back when they heard Eugene speaking so calmly. But when they came across her face, they saw that Eugene was chill with her usual blank look that showed she didn’t want to be associated with anyone or bother with anything.
Eugene ignored the look in the Duke’s eyes and faced Commander Kal, “Why didn’t you want the King to know about Ario’s death?”
Commander Kal paused for a moment before replying, “Because the King will become insane. Once he knows, it will be near impossible to use the King; after all, he is still very much useful to me.”
‘Useful…’ Eugene pondered upon his choice of word. So what he means is that he cannot use or hypnotize people who have gone insane. Doesn’t that mean that he knew about Musician Hal never being insane from the start? If that is so, why was he purposely set on inducing tremendous pain to Musician Hal then? To a handicapped person who’s harmless?
Just then, Commander Kal raised his flute a bit higher and began to play a darker melody. The melody that flowed out of his flute looked alive. The melody penetrated to their hearts and clutched it tightly.
Moans of anguish and huffs of breath started filling up the hall.
The extra notes Commander Kal played made everyone who had already fallen grunted and shouted in pain. Their voice sounded as if they were experiencing a life and death situation in their dream. Just then, Duke Marleigh and Duke Rodriguez fell to their knees and soon on their faces as they succumbed to this pitch-black song.
Louis, who fell first, had the worst reaction of them all. He was paler than paper and was shaking in pain. This sight made Eugene waver a lot. The Louis who is stubborn and as strong as a dragon was… hurt? Ramon, who loves annoying her and never acts cute anymore had tears streaming down his cheeks? Aedelak and Aedelak who allow her to do anything she wants were clutching their chests in agony? Her strong teacher who taught her many things ever since she turned 3… The group she recently became acquainted with…
Everyone she knew was screaming in agony and was filled with pain.
For the first time, Eugene didn’t know what to do. The melody Commander Kal played seemed to pierce through her heart at this moment. And the moment it did, Eugene seemed to have a faint understanding of why everyone was hurting badly. The melody was like gasoline, lighting up her anxiety. It was making the faint feeling she felt grow like grass weed. Just when her heart was almost taken over, Aernest stepped forward and gripped her hands tightly.
His hands were warm to her cold body and it was saying that he was still here. He was still here with her. Eugene’s racing heart slowed down and began beating normally again. ‘That’s right. There’s nothing to fear as long as we are still standing.’ she reciprocated Aernest’s hold by squeezing it tightly.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Thank you for still being here.
Commander Kal was ecstatic when Eugene’s face began changing to a different color but what he expected didn’t happen. She didn’t succumb to one of his darkest songs.
“….” It was the first time Commander Kal met someone, no, two people who were as sturdy as the pillars holding up Zene’s Royal Palace for centuries. The tunes he added were played out of annoyance he had for her. This was something he wouldn’t normally play as it quickly depletes his energy. But seeing her look unbothered irritated him greatly which was why he chose to use this tune.
Though she didn’t succumb with the red hair child who most likely had a strong heart as well as a sturdy headphone, there was still something he got out of using this melody, and that was seeing her ‘real’ expression for the first time.
Commander Kal chucked and smiled at Eugene with deep interest, “Your expression is real this time.” he couldn’t help but remind her. The girl who covers her real face with her great acting has her cover exposed.
‘Real expression?’ Eugene frowned and returned his glare.
“Hahaha! I thought that Miss was someone hypocritical like me. Someone who loves messing with others with their facade!”
Eugene clenched her jaw. For the first time, she wanted to curse at someone and so she did, “Who the f-ck is like you.” she made sure her words are pronounced as clear as possible and hissed, “I don’t go around playing with things I can’t play with.” She doesn’t play with those whose status is higher than her. And even if she did, it would mean she was confident with her backing. Unlike the man in front of her, she doesn’t just jump into the fire with no thoughts.
Commander Kal’s lips twitched, “…….” ‘F-ck?’ His lips completely left his flute and he lowered his flute. With a small smile, and in a dangerous voice, he said, “Is Miss not playing with things Miss can’t play with right now? Miss, you are just like me. You toy with things you shouldn’t touch just like me. “
Eugene narrowed her eyes hearing his sarcastic remarks. Her lips raised and she retorted back as sarcastically, “I’m playing with you? You are very wrong.” Eugene raised her index finger and waved it mockingly, “I only play with an idiotic child who looks just like me. The twit who loves getting me into trouble. An idiot psychopathic child who one day decided to stuff paper and sand down my throat on two occasions. So tell me, who is playing with you?”
Eugene then paused a little and tilted her head to further annoy him, “Or what. Do you want to play in the mud with me too?” she asked in a Euria-like voice. Innocently, but annoying to the recipient.
The recipient’s lips fell as his eyes narrowed dangerously at her. By now, his flute was down to his waist as he clutched it tightly in anger.
Seeing this, Aernest shook Eugene’s jacket. ‘You savage sister! Why are you annoying him even more ahh!!’ He didn’t hear a thing because Eugene had turned his sound isolation to the max but he could tell. He could tell from Eugene’s movement and Commander Kal’s facial expression that Eugene was stomping on Commander Kal’s pride!
“You are a strange child…“ Commander Kal rubbed his chin as his eyes glared menacingly at her. Which child would continue to retort at him in this situation? If not a strange weirdo, who?
He continued, “But what’s stranger is that you’re not falling into my hypnotism. Why is that?” He was genuinely curious. Though he lost at the rounds of words and was greatly provoked, this was something he needs to know before she falls.
Eugene raised a brow and was going to reply when Louis started convulsing badly. Her body shot to him instinctively, “Louis? Louis!!” she shouted! Her voice was filled with panic as she shook Louis!
“Brother!!” Aernest kneeled opposite Eugene and he started shaking Louis awake as well!
The two have never seen ‘the great’ Louis in such a vulnerable state before! The terror they felt in their hearts was overwhelming and intense, especially when they saw how much pain Louis was in!
“Louis! Louis!!”
“Brother!!”
“HAHAHAHA!” Laughter erupted and echoed throughout the room. “That child! What kind of dream is he having to elicit such a strong response? This is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone respond so satisfyingly!”
Eugene’s eyes lowered. Her lowered eyes focused on Louis blankly as her body numbed all over. She could feel all rational leaving her body as her brain lost the ability to think clearly. Everything started becoming fussy until her nails began to dig deeply into her skin. Though she didn’t feel any pain her ‘body’ did and adrenaline began to pump through her, making the fuzziness in her head clear away.
Commander Kal’s laugh was the final straw that broke past her dam of emotions. Though she had held back with her will, that wasn’t enough anymore. When was the last time she felt this angered? Probably when Moniqua’s mother visited. She had lost hold of her emotions when Moniqua’s mother had called her by her old name ‘Eugene’. Back then, she felt a deep dark indescribable anger. But this time was different. It was a different type of anger. She felt very humiliated, there was frustration, and confusion at the same time.
How dare he laugh? How. dare. he.
Commander Kal took a small step back. His brows twitched as he stared at Eugene in shock. Even without her raising her face to face him, he could see the clear anger releasing from her body. Her body shook as if her soul had caved into anger and was drowning in that emotion.
What Commander Kal couldn’t see, Aernest could see. The feeling that didn’t reach Commander Kal, Aernest could feel as he was close by.
What’s more, are her eyes.
“Sis, Sister… Y, Your eyes…” he shivered in stupefaction.
Eugene paid no heed to Aernest and lifted her head slowly. It was slow as if a video was on speed 0.5.
Once her ‘eyes’ met his eyes, his body shuddered in coldness. There was an intense murderous look in her eyes, ones that felt stronger than the ones the Dukes gave him. The oppressive feeling she gave him brought him out in cold sweat. Her bright grey eyes were painted deep red with no light. Right now, Eugene looked exactly like Euria with no way to tell apart if not for the dimness and bleakness in Eugene’s red eyes. Her red eyes were preying on his as if she was going to devour him alive.
He stepped back in shock, ‘H, How did she do that?’ He couldn’t for the life of his comprehend why her eyes had turned red all of a sudden but he felt fearful. Fearful of this phenomenon happening right in front of his eyes.
Veins bulge on Eugene’s forehead, threatening to burst. One of Commander Kal’s knight’s who woke up when Commander Kal stopped playing the song rushed in front of Commander Kal instinctively. He was first to wake up because his body had immunity built up from the constant exposure to the song. His face was flushed from Commander Kal’s song, but the sweat dripping from his brow was from the suffocating atmosphere that surrounded Eugene.
Eugene laughed, seeing the two raise their guards, “Promissum?” So what if Promissum exists to stop nations in Liasel from fighting.
She glanced down for a brief second to reaffirm her conviction before glancing back up, “If I can make you disappear right now, I’d gladly die.” her voice was low and filled with seriousness.
She doesn’t understand why she was feeling this certain way, but seeing Louis in this state and hearing someone mocking him, she was angered beyond control. What insurance, to protect her from dying a second time? What’s that? If she could make the man standing on top of the annoyingly high stairs disappear, she would gladly die.
Commander Kal squinted his eyes, “Are you not afraid of anything?” He couldn’t believe it. A three-year-old child knowing about promissum and choosing to die if she could kill him.
“Scared?” Eugene sneered, “What is there to be scared of?” Right, what is there to be scared of. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
“Brainwashing people and having them face their worst nightmare?” she raised her voice sarcastically.
Commander Kal’s gaze darkens at Eugene’s sarcastic words.
“How lucky that I overcame that a few months ago. I guess my worst fear right now is to die a useless death, but that is not something to be scared of.” It is not scary because I’ve already died once.
Aernest stared at Eugene with widened eyes. Though he couldn’t hear her, he could feel a subtle emotion radiating from her. What he felt now was scarier than her wanting to kill Commander Kal. He felt as if she was ready and prepared to leave everyone and… him.
“I thought that there was no important attachment in my life.” But I was wrong. I now have many. Her worst nightmare was overcome with her recently acquired important attachments and that was her family.
Eugene couldn’t help but feel a little bit shy when she finally acknowledged this family of hers.
If Moniqua didn’t bring her mother to the estate, she might’ve fallen like the others. If Euria hadn’t put the logic into her head about her past grandmother being a dream and Moniqua’s mother being a real person, she wouldn’t have let go of her fears.
If everyone hadn’t paid close attention to her and not treated her preciously, she would not have been able to stand right now.
Hence why she was basically fearless. Not unless Moniqua’s mother popped up right now at least.
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Author’s Note: Character development go! Go! go!
