Tales of Berseria The X: Beyond Calamity

Chapter XXXVI: White Light Part II

The dragon's jaw crept out of the sigil, and its fangs parted from top and bottom. The void within dragged the air itself into its deadly dark and infinite pit of emptiness. Laphicet's most significant treasure was in peril. He held onto Velvet's hand desperately. Her body waved through the wind without resistance. At that moment, it hit him;

A future without Velvet, a tomorrow without the scary girl who the world feared and called Lord of Calamity, had no meaning and was not worth living.

Velvet's dusky eyes struggled to glance at him, begging for a merciful release of the torment that hounded her,

"A twisted monster like me doesn't deserve to live...." The image of the young shepherd's lifeless body lying in his pool of blood haunted her once more as guilt overwhelmed her fragile spirit. She couldn't have brought herself to meet Laphicet's pure soul. The Empyrean's pretense show wounded her intellect and her heart. Velvet lowered her head to make her demise easy to bear.

"Don't you understand?!" she pleaded, tears flowed freely on her cheeks.

Innominat's grin shifted into a sneer as he watched Laphicet grasping her hand fiercely, "You're the reincarnation of the first sacrifice. A part of me." He snorted, "Don't worry, I'll devour you too. "

The dragon's mouth widened, and Velvet floated higher, pulling Laphicet off the ground. Suddenly, Eizen slid through the air and caught Laphicet's ankle. He gestured at the ground, extracting mana chains from the dirt, entangling him and anchoring the trio to the ground.

Eizen grimaced, as much as he hated to say, the little malak was Velvet's only chance at redemption, "Laphicet, tell this idiot what she needs to hear!" Eizen yelled, tightly holding the mana shackles.

The wind muffled all the sounds. Velvet flashed a begging glance at Laphicet. She couldn't fix the past, and she couldn't bring back Avernus.

"Please... Let me go..." she implored him in a series of whispers.

Laphicet clenched his teeth in a worried movement,

"Will you stop whining?!" He shouted from the bottom of his throat.

Whatever the thickness the air was, it couldn't prevent Laphicet's words from piercing through it. Like a slap in the face, she began to wake up from her nightmare. A faint spark glowed in her eyes. She could see Laphicet's angry face clear as day, shooting a scolding glare at her.

"No, I don't understand. You rage at everyone. You're frightening! You broke Avernus' heart, and you tried to eat me!"

Laphicet swallowed his sadness, making space for more words. His glance captured Velvet's ambers,

"But you're also kind, and you're filled with life! I don't understand a single thing about you!"

Velvet exhaled a grievous sob. She could feel his hand, however small, was clinging to her bandaged arm. Those short fingers were digging into her flesh with all the power they could muster.

"...But you gave me a name when I was a number...." Laphicet inhaled deeply, strengthening his body against the wind,

"You gave me that compass!

You taught me what it meant to be alive!"

Laphicet's face wrinkled further in determination,

"That's why I care about you, Velvet. I'll protect you for my own sake!"

Laphicet shook his head to the side, gasping.

"I don't care if you're evil!

I don't care if it was pointless!