Chapter 36– Awaken!
A pair of hazelnut eyes bolted open.
A man in a hospital gown lying on the cold floor, his hair covering his eyes as he slowly fixes his hair.
“Damn it…” Lloyd groaned. His entire body felt sore yet— it was an indicator. Indicating something about him changed. He stood up from the tiled floor and his face covered with linings.
“I was knocked out that long..? I got the imprints of the floor on my face and arms.” He felt the indentations on his skin. He flexed his bicep.
“The hell..?” The muscles of his bicep were larger and more toned. He checked the rest of his body to find his muscles and height had changed, along with the growth of his hair and nails.
*Did my body age or something? I’m taller, more built, my fingernails are long, my hair is longer to the point where I might slick it back, and even my eyelashes.* Lloyd sat on the hospital bed looking at his hands, hands that have grown a lot.
He stuck his hand out to the open window and concentrated some energy.
“Let’s see…”
“Electrocute!”
bzzz…
A faint weak electric blast. So weak, the blast didn’t travel 3 feet. Instead—
BRRRRVVVV!
The condensation of existence had occurred.
The air itself compressed, as if reality had been pressed flat.
Everything in the line of the blast was condensed and held down.
“The fuck? This isn’t Lightning Manipulation.” Lloyd rotated his shoulders a bit.
“Cage!”
He flung his arms to his sides and faced his palms down while stretching his fingers as far as they could go.
BRRRRTTTT!
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An area of effect had appeared— only in Lloyd’s vision.
What he had seen was a circle detailing everything present within the area he was in, being the hospital room. With this knowledge, a thought from an internal source surfaced.
“Control everything within the circle.”
“Everything..?” Lloyd whispered. The thought had slowly vanished.
“But what happened to my Soul Pact?” Lloyd mumbled. “Whatever, let’s see what this is.”
Lloyd tensed his arms, the room began condensing.
He relaxed his arms, it reverted.
He concentrated energy— his area of effect had gotten bigger.
“So, basically I control whatever happens within this circle..”
*But the moment I lose focus, it’ll snap back right to where it started.*
His chest tightened; sweat dropped
from his chin.
“Damn, this takes a lot of energy then.” Lloyd had dismantled his circle of effect.
“Domain.” Lloyd rubbed his hairless chin. “Yeah, Domain. That’s a befitting name.”
ddunk ddunk ddunk ddunk!
2 pairs of footsteps arrived in front of his door.
To Lloyd’s surprise— Falcon and Marie had slid open the door, with their faces showing defeat and melancholy. Falcon looked up to see Lloyd, standing up, and considerably grown. His eyebrows raised and his mouth quivered out of confusion and surprise.
Marie’s eyes were wide and teary, her lips shook as she ran to her older brother, grasping him tightly and hugging him— or choking him.
“Lloyd!! I-I th-thought you weren’t gonna be able to wake up.” She sobbed as she spoke.
Lloyd smiled and hugged Marie tightly.
“You know I’m not that weak.” Lloyd’s face was relieved and comforted. In everything that happened the past month and a half with the Deathslingers— just to have one moment like this is all worth it to him.
Falcon for the first time in a week— gave a genuine smile. Watching this lovely reunion. His smile, turned back into a stone face.
*What am I smiling for…? It’s not like I got anyone like that. I don’t have anything to go home to anymore.* He walked out the room. His footsteps grew with anger until he almost ran into someone.
His footsteps reset into calm, soft, gentle steps. Naomi looked at him.
“You need to watch your step, y’know..” She nudged him on the arm.
Falcon chuckled, for real. “Yeah.. I do. I’m gonna check on Imaez.”
Falcon walked to the next room over, sliding the door open to already see a woman in his room
“Hmm..?” Falcon stepped into the room.
The woman sat next to the bed looking solemnly at Imaez, as if she was desperate for him to come back.
“Uh, hello..” Falcon waved at her
“Oh, uhm, hey.. sorry about this, I’ll leave.” She quickly got up and was going to walk to the door until Falcon said one word.
“No.” Falcon looked at her with sympathy. “I understand, you can stay.”
“If I may, what’s your name?”
The woman looked at him with surprise, turning around and hovering above Imaez.
“Kera.. My name is Kera.”
“I’m Falcon.”
The two had sat down next to Imaez’s bed, watching his sleeping face.
“So, how do you know Imaez?” Kera asked as an attempt to break the silence.
“Uhm, I guess you could say… I’m his, acquaintance?” Falcon turned slightly. “What about you? How do you know Mr. Austeci himself?”
“Uh, it’s complicated, I guess you could say I’m his friend.” Kera nervously said.
Her eyes this entire time watching Imaez.
*Wake up. How did you even get into this situation…?*
“Oh, I see… So-“ Falcon’s words were interrupted.
“His finger! His finger twitched!!” Kera pointed to Imaez’s index finger that was trembling.
“He’s gonna wake up soon…” Falcon mumbled.
In a separate realm.
A world of blood.
The tired face of Imaez as a corpse clung onto him. This corpse, was familiar to Imaez. It was his old master, Sword Master Hyades.
“So, Reaper.. tell me, what’s your mindset now..? How will you break out this world? Will you kill me? Will you accept your title?” Hyades tormented him.
Imaez’s face was expressionless. These cackles and words had no effect on him.
“Seeing my atrocities, I don’t think I could ever live through it again. But.” Imaez relaxed his body and floated in this world.
“I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to sit down. My sins carry weight, through my deeds, I will atone for my sins.” Imaez touched Hyade’s corpse.
“Oh…? And how will you atone?” Hyades laughed.
“By destroying the Empire.” Imaez spoke sternly.
…
The blood had disappeared, Hyades with it.
A world was slain.
Imaez’s jade-colored eyes opened.
The slumbering Reaper awoke.
