Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power

Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Shadow-less world

Chapter 456 – Shadow-less World

Kaden flickered his eyes open, finding himself back in that strange place of dust, smoke and ashes.

He lay on his back, looking at the crimson-tainted sky, looking as if the very heavens were bleeding. Seeing it, Kaden already began to guess that soon enough, that nightmarish war would happen again.

There was no time to waste, he knew, and he needed to get back up to his feet.

But he found in his bones, let alone his will, no strength to do so. There was something deeply exhausting in always looking at your loved ones undergo profound changes, and realizing that there was nothing you could do except hope that everything would be okay.

Hope...a mortal habit. But wasn’t it what he was?

For all his power and unique gift of being able to rewind time, Kaden couldn’t stop neither Meris nor Rea on their destined path.

’A path of change...yes. It’s necessary, I know well, yes. But at what cost?’

What if they become something he could no longer recognize?

Meris and Rea might think that they were the ones stressing over what would be lost and what would not be lost. True, but Kaden was no different.

He was worried about them, but in a strange twisted way, he was deeply troubled about himself.

He had learned to love Meris and Rea for who they were...what would happen if they changed? Would he still love them in the same way he did?

He wished to say yes with aching certainty, but knew well he would lie to himself — just like how he lied to Rea.

’But what’s done is done, isn’t it?’ He chuckled humorlessly, shifting his head enough to see Rea’s unconscious body.

Looking at her, she looked no less than a simple girl with unique style and beauty. No one would believe her to be a being plagued by an obsessive goddess and now going through an internal battle with her.

Kaden closed his eyes briefly, as if seeing the state of Rea brought too much pain to him, and remembered the feeling of Rea’s lips on his.

He rehearsed that memory again and again until he came to the point where his lips twitched, as if tasting the soft touch of Rea’s tongue once more across his lips.

He clung to that feeling strongly — in a way a child would cling to a particular toy given by his parents. A way to anchor himself, and most importantly, a way to push himself up again.

"The Dungeon of the Whispering Saintess." Kaden muttered under his breath. He planted his two palms on the stable smoky floor, and jolted himself up.

His joints cracked in the process.

Once up, wordlessly, he trotted towards the sprawling Rea. Once there, he squatted down, took hold of her like a man would take hold of his wife.

Kaden almost fell.

He was strong, strong enough to destroy a small hill with his physical strength alone. Yet at that time, he felt like he needed help in order to lift the small body of Rea.

Not because she was heavy — no, she was as light as a feather. And Kaden didn’t know why. He felt weak, looking at her and realizing he could only watch.

He gritted his teeth, and tried again and again until he finally succeeded. He was drenched. Then he placed her behind his back gently.

He looked in front of him next, seeing the small house with lights and smoke still billowing out from it.

"If there is any chance of getting out of it, it must lie inside."

But what would he find there? Now that was a question Kaden wished for an answer. Yet by now, he knew wishes were nothing but a way for the gods to keep the hope of mortals high even while they were breaking.

So he walked towards the house, having no other option.

’Always. Always. Always.’

Always, there was no other option except one. Always. Always. Always.

’I hate this feeling.’

Kaden’s jaw clenched. Afraid of making Rea fall, he used his head and knocked on the door three even times.

He waited, and received soon his answer.

"Enter~!" A woman — ? — ’s voice boomed out from behind, followed by the door yawning open.

Kaden’s crimson star-lit eyes peeked inside it, and found himself staring at a man — or woman? — moving his — or her? — hips dandily, like a chicken trotting toward delicious food.

Music echoed inside the house, and the strange being was dancing, all while cooking and dressing a table.

A table with three chairs, with plates — food steaming out from them — on each of them.

The man — woman? — looked at Kaden, and with a voice that sounded like a singing crow,

"Just in time, my dear guests~"

"Please enter, and let’s enjoy a nice dinner~! Are you fan of duck’s sweet meat, mayhaps?"

...

Meanwhile, in the River Kingdom, under the shade of shadows in a deserted alley soaked with piss and shit, Romia leaned her left shoulder on the squalid wall.

She didn’t seem to care about it, her face holding her ever-smile that seemed to hold a dagger between her achingly white teeth.

Her eyes were peacefully closed, the fingers of her left hand playing with her two thick braids, wondering playfully why men always came to seek her for marriage.

"Hm, should I do only one braid to avoid being pursued?" She drawled, her voice filled with amusement.

She turned her head to the right, taking in the sight of a thick mass of shadows.

"What do you think, Asael?" She asked, then laughed. "Or should I call you by your new title, now? The—!"

"What do you wish?" Asael’s voice echoed coldly all around, feeling like the shadows themselves were speaking.

"Your Shadow affinity is truly a wonder, Asael. OmbreNuit must really love you. That’s a wonder, you know? I heard the goddess is not a fan of males."

The shadows rustled, and Romia began to feel a presence slowly dwindling. Her lips twitched.

"You are truly no fun. Fine. I have a favor to ask you."

The shadows halted. Romia felt a gaze pressing down on her on all sides. She continued, unbothered.

"I have heard whispers. Whispers of a chamber inside the Royal House, where the greatest and most unique artifacts are stored." She said, still playing with her braids. "All I want is the location of that chamber."

She swept her eyes around her.

"You can do it, can’t you? I am a simple maid. You are now close to the Prince. And I even heard he especially appreciates you."

She shrugged. "Now is that surprising? Your power is linked to the shadows. And what respectable royalty do not like such shady power? If I were you, I would be careful not to catch the attention of the Princess. She likes to—!"

"Stop babbling." Asael irritably cut Romia’s unending words. "I have no time to waste on you, so let’s get straight to the point."

"Shame. I would have wasted all—!"

"Why would I help you?" Asael asked.

Romia halted, tilted her head, then answered with a strange smile. "Because I have helped you take the first step in your goal, Asael." She said. "And you wouldn’t wish to have an unpaid debt against an Assassin of Threnovar."

"A threat?"

"A simple fact." Romia’s shrug was loose. "Return the favor. I have helped you, it’s your turn to help me."

"So you did it only for this?"

"You think I did it because of your cute face?" Romia suppressed a laugh. "Actually, partly yes. But I still need to do my task, cutie."

Asael fell silent for a heartbeat, then, "Fine." He replied with a cold voice. "I will return the favor, Romia. And then we will do each other a favor by not seeing each other again."

"You break my heart, Asael. Don’t you love me? I will specially accept your marriage proposal if it’s you."

"I don’t love you."

"You can learn. What if I pester you? I heard men love women who run behind them." Romia grinned. "I can do that for—!"

"You just said that I wouldn’t wish to have an assassin of Threnovar behind my back," Asael said, the shadows around swirling as if an invisible hand was molding them, "But I assure you, Romia, you wouldn’t wish to have me at your back."

In one single breath, all the shadows in the alley disappeared, as if swallowed by some unseen jaw.

"For you will learn to fear the shadows. Even your own."

Asael’s presence began to fade away, his last words echoing behind, "You will have the location."

Dead silence.

Romia stood there, alone in a shadow-less world, a tense and twitching smile on her lips. She ducked her head, staring at her shivering, trembling shadow.

Her lips then pulled into a wide, open smile, her eyes losing all emotion except one mysterious and incomprehensible emotion.

"Ah...father...father I think I am in love."

—End of Chapter 456—