Evil

Needed To

I found myself locked down in a chair, unable to move an inch despite nothing holding me down. No matter how hard I tried, my magic didn't work. My mana, whenever created, seemed to be leeched off.

Giving up on the idea of attempting to move, I made the decision to just look around and gather information first.

The room was dark, barely visible due to a light I couldn't seem to find. The sound of running water no—It couldn't be water. The sloshing was too choppy, too thick.

"Hello Charlotte." A sense of deja vu hit me as I heard that voice. It was so...Familiar. But why could I not recognise it?

The voice had no gender. It was like that tiny voice in your head shouting out your thoughts.

"You're wondering, who am I, correct?"

"Given that you're the one keeping me captive, I suppose I would like to know." I quipped back,"I've no idea why you would want to kidnap me by the way."

"Your time is up."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've gone soft, Charlotte. Do you truly not remember your purpose? Is this what sentience does to a puppet?"

I let out a laugh,"Puppet? Is this some sick joke?"

"Sick joke? No. Absolutely not Charlotte. I mean, you couldn've have forgotten that, could you?"

"Forgot what? Stop speaking so vaguely and just tell me already!" I didn't know what it was about the voice but it agitated me to no end.

"You're my puppet, Charlotte. My homunculus. I made you."

"Homunculus, hm? A homunculus that bleeds? One that feels emotions? One that can love? Are you sure you've not gone insane?"

The voice let out a sinister laugh,"You see, my dear puppet, emotions, blood, love—They all get boiled down. Once you cross the threshold of rank 50, you start to realise that all theses things...They're built from the same fundamental thing: Deumtra. The incarnation of magic itself. It is the root of everything. Life, death, feelings, thoughts, time, space, elements, people, races—It has made everything you hold dear and everything you despise and everything in between."

"You're skipping around the question. I'm a human, not some homunculus you made."

"There's a difference between a sentient one and one that has no free will. You are the former. You were built to replicate a human in every way shape and form. Well, except for one place. Do you realise your entire body cannot move? It's because of this."

A blood red gem appeared before me, just out of reach.

"Your core. The item which controls you. You're lucky I managed to find you just as Prodotis was about to take you hostage. He was about to use you as a hostage so your beloved fiancé would not be able to bring herself to slay her enemy because of you."

"What proof do you have? You could have made all this up for all I know."

The gem pressed up against my collarbone, sinking into my skin. It was as if my entire body had been rebooted, allowing me to walk again.

Standing up, a portion of the wall slid down, revealing a hallway to another room,"The walls here cannot be broken by you. I will not force you to enter the room but there is no other choice."

I remained cautious, trying out my spells against the wall to little effect, unable to even leave a mark. With frustration gathering at my heart, I walked into the chamber.

Before me, was a body immersed within transparent liquid tinted a light green, almost frozen in time. My heart skipped a beat.

That body looked exactly like mine.

I was in a pond of some kind, holding onto a sword. The bubbles were frozen in place, my fingers mere millimetres away from the surface. Everything in the pond was still, even the light, as if this voice had taken this chunk of the pond and simply removed the concept of time from it.

"This is your true body. Unfortunately, I had to remove your soul from it because your soul was too weak to control your body. I placed your body into the pool of vitality alongside the Pseudo-Soul Blade to ensure the continued survival your body without a soul. It is unfortunate that you have not grown enough to withstand this body's power."

"Not strong enough? How strong do I have to be?"

"At the very minimum, rank 32 is required. Though I will not allow it until you reach rank 35 to ensure absolute success. I will take you under my wing. I will train you so you can reclaim your body. Of course, you can reject me. I have been very patient waiting for the opportune moment, I can wait a little longer."

Now, there was one main question on my mind,"But why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you helping me? You're obviously some powerful entity. Why stoop so low as to help me, some random nobody?"

"Random nobody? I beg to differ, Charlotte. You are not a random nobody. But as to what your true identity is, once you reenter true body, you will naturally uncover this. So, are you willing?"

"Once I reclaim my body...Can I—"

"That woman you call your fiancé yes? She is under the power of another entity I would call my equal. In fact, I wouldn' be surprised if they were the one who led to this situation at hand. I wouldn't be surprised if you met some resistance in the form of other people you will meet once you get your body back. So long as you defeat them, it should be fine."

"Let's do it then." I had new hope.

Hope to see her again.

Touching the ring gently, a new flame was birthed within me.

I needed to get my body back.

I needed to see her again.

I needed to hold her in my arms.

I needed to tell her yes.