Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power

Chapter 447: Chapter 447: I am tired

Chapter 447 – I am tired

"Where is Rea, Woeful One?"

Kaden hissed the words, his eyes glowing with such a light that it felt like the surroundings were drowning in a tense crimson-star lit luster.

Rea looked at him with confusion, her eyebrows peaking up dangerously at the ridiculous claim.

Her anger was still not quenched, and Kaden’s words seemed like oil on the fire of her wrath. It burst forth with the strength of a tidal storm,

"Move your hands away!" She shrieked, slapping Kaden’s hands off her head. They didn’t waver, let alone budge from their initial places.

Kaden’s eyes were neutral. No, they were not neutral. They were like emptiness itself, the emotions inside them slowly disappearing as if being swallowed by something older and scarier than anything in existence.

At the sight of it, Rea instinctively paused, her mouth opening and closing in failed attempts to utter a word.

"Don’t make me repeat myself." Kaden grated with a flat tone, "You will not like the outcome if I do."

Rea fell silent for a heartbeat. Then visibly, her face changed, and with that her demeanor shifted 360 degrees. No longer was she looking like a young girl traumatized by death.

Now Rea’s eyes held within their depths the unmissable arrogance of gods, coupled with their wisdom accumulated after more than a thousand years of living.

A forlorn aura slipped out from her, slamming into Kaden, making his insides twist, sadness wishing to ride on his heart. However, he nipped it in the bud with the simple application of his Will.

Rea, or rather the Woeful One, tilted her head to one side, her lips pulling into a dangerous, tear-worthy smile,

"Are you threatening me, boy?"

It was the same voice as Rea, yet it felt completely different. He could hear the condescending tone dripping from every one of her words.

"If you take it in that way," Kaden said, still not letting go of her head, "then indeed, it is. What will you do?"

"Taking down that wisp Forbidden gave you that much confidence, don’t you?" She replied, "I hope you are aware that the real one could slaughter your whole family in a second?"

She laughed a little,

"Still, do you know who you are in front of?"

"My patience is thin, and in these times even thinner. So speak, woman."

"I dare you." Woeful answered, completely unbothered by his threatening tone, "I dare you to do anything to me, Kaden Warborn. That would be the last time you will ever find or hear your lovely fiancé."

Kaden’s eyes narrowed.

Woeful took one step further, practically wrapping herself around Kaden, whispering through his left ear.

"I will kill her, and let her soul reach The Tree. Oh, you know not yet, boy, but no one could snatch back a soul already in the grasp of The Tree."

She giggled,

"So listen to me, and hear me well, boy. Rea, as she now names herself, is mine." Her voice turned cold, holding a concerning amount of possessive affection, "She had always been mine since her first birth. And today, I will regain her back. But I will not discard her aspiration. She will be my Saintess, my own blessed, and the leader of all my believers. Her family will be left alone, and I will kill her uncle who tried to kill her father."

By now, the Woeful One was looking at Kaden affectionately, caressing his cheeks with love in madness,

"And I would love you more than she loved you. But not now, Kaden. We need to enter the hut before the next war occurs. Forbidden went too far on this one. Too too far. Though,"

She laughed,

"I need to thank him for giving me such an opportunity."

Every one of her words evoked in anyone a feeling of deep sorrow. And despite her happy words and expressions, there was a permanence in the woe surrounding her.

Such a contrast was strange, intriguing even, but Kaden was more concerned about her words.

Slowly, the hold of emptiness slipped away from him.

He didn’t do anything until now only because of Rea, and of what was left of her inside. He didn’t wish to do something he would regret; something even returning in time wouldn’t solve.

Regret didn’t fade that easily.

Because although the world was reset, he was not. He kept the burdens, the mistakes, the consequences, the pain...all of them deep within him no matter how far he went back in time...no matter how everything forgot.

Everyone forgot. But Kaden never did. He couldn’t, anyway, even if sometimes he wished it deeply.

But that was the price. The price of his power.

Only his high Will was helping him cope with such a thing. But just like Rea, everything — everyone — has limits.

Kaden had one.

And he was tired on that day. It was never a pleasing experience to bear the burdens of most things all alone. That realization suddenly made him let go of the Woeful One, stagger a couple of steps back, and sit on the ground weakly.

His head was ducked down, breathing slowly as if attempting to calm himself.

Woeful stared at him strangely, her face and eyebrow creasing. She turned her head, looking at the hut, wishing to go there.

However, something within her tugged at her divine self. So she walked towards Kaden instead of the hut.

She cursed inside, ’So stubborn, Pandora. Accept your fate. The Hero took you away from me that day, but he is no more. And this time I am ready.’

She grinned evilly while feeling the parasite of emotions of worry for Kaden.

’This time, we will be—!’

"What’s wrong with you, boy?" Woeful asked, squatting down in front of him. She hated it, but had no choice but to do it.

She was still new to the body, unable to control the feelings overwhelming her.

’I was tainted by her while I was tainting her.’ She mused ironically.

"Oh...nothing really." Kaden whispered, not looking up, "It’s just, Woeful One, there are times when even I am overwhelmed. Surprising, isn’t it?"

"Not quite."

’You would be surprised by how many gods broke down under the weight of time and burdens.’

The Wheel of Time was a merciless one. And that no matter towards who or what.

"Still, seeing your Rea gone made you like this?" She scoffed, "To assure you, she will truly never be gone. Never."

’Why am I consoling him? Why am I saying this even?’

"So you will not abandon your grip on her?"

"I will not."

"Why?"

"She is mine. She is yours, too. Or rather, she wants to be yours. I do not care, but my authority and place are above you."

"What if I force your hand then?" He asked, finally lifting his head, looking at her deeply.

Instantly, wrongness began to seep into the air. Rea felt the instinctive need to step back, but her godly arrogance refused such an embarrassing sight.

So she stayed, looking at him unflinchingly, "You cannot force the hands of a god as a mortal."

"Never done before?"

"Never."

"Then I shall be the first." Kaden smiled, tired to his bones, "You must be willing to lose your life and accept death honorably if you are going to end the life of another. That’s what my father loves to say. But I will give you my own version."

He activated his skill.

"You must be willing to lose your sense of Self, if you want to devour the Self of another."

He sacrificed the Divinity of Sorrow. At that instant, Woeful felt a sudden jarring warning from her divine sense.

"I sacrifice the Divinity of Sorrow for—"

"No!" She jerked to her feet, taking a couple of steps back, "This is—!"

"—battle between the three of us...in my mind."

He laughed like a madman,

"Please, let me welcome you into my Darkness."

—End of Chapter 447—