Aether : Calraem

Chapter 50: Flaws(2)

.
.
.
.

Everyone was silent.

The atmosphere - tense as it was - died down in almost an instant when the battle that was hyped up for who knows how many chapters ended with barely any real action. When it finally came to the big moment, the strongest wound inflicted on Damon wasn't even a physical one.

Calico really does have a way with words. A very dangerous one.

With the closing end of the battle slowly coming into play, the first one to speak up was Samurai Sensei.

"Calico, if you do not mind me asking. Why did you call Afshang by his name, but you called me 'The Samur-"

"Dude," Afshang interrupted with a whisper. "Did you just see what the man did? Do you want him to kill you with words alone?"

"... Point taken."

A question mark floated above Calico's head, but he chose to remain silent. It was probably one of those "between the lines moments".

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the knives that constantly spun around his body slowly came to a stop, inserting themselves into their individual holsters. With one last glance at the motionless Damon, he walked over to Samurai Sensei and Afshang. They needed to discuss what needed to be done to take care of the aftermath of all this destruction.

"...?"

That's when a thought suddenly occured to him and he looked up.

It's not something one would notice until you actually look at it, and Calico widened his eyes, surprised that he hadn't seen it right away.

The [Coven of the Roses] painted across the sky was not only growing, but the petal tips were extending towards the island.

*

Damon Roses was on the ground, face up.

The wound on his chest had already begun repairing itself, but the damage was done. Even if he converted half of his HP to restore his Mana, the will to fight had been taken out of him.

Shamed as he was to admit it, he was a lost cause now.

All he could do was stare at the [Coven of Roses] in the sky.

The beautiful red rose had intricately designed magic circles swirled in an out of the flower, painting a complex geometric pattern across the sky. Along with the arduous restrictions placed on him upon summoning it, the number of sacrifices made for something so magnificent was insurmountable. It was created from the blood he sacrificed.

The blood of the people Damon killed - that included his brother's blood; that included his own blood.

Three hundred years for [Coven of the Roses] to be perfectly developed.

Three hundred years before he had finally broken, killing his own identity.

If Draculla was in my position-if my brother was subjected to the same kind of torture I was...how long would it have taken?

One hundred years?

Two?

The same as me? More than me?

When I was tortured, my memories began to fade. My sense of pain began to find. The werewolf princess that I was in love with...Ah, she never told me her name.

The Werewolf Princess.

It was something he never admitted to anyone, but he never killed her. As she was the woman whom he loved almost more than his own brother, he couldn't bring himself to kill her.