Point of View: Tharok
I helplessly watched my father walk away.
Every step he took felt like mockery.
The pain coursing through my body was unbearable. I was destroyed inside and out. If I was still alive, it was only because I was a level 1 ascended. There was no other explanation.
Slowly, tears began falling down my face.
But I wasn't crying because of the physical pain.
—Fo…rgi…ve… me… mo…ther…
I couldn't fulfill my promise.
I couldn't fulfill her final wish.
I would never forgive myself for that.
I tried dragging myself out of the crater.
But my body wouldn't respond.
I remained kneeling there, my arms hanging limp and my back hunched forward. Only my pride kept me from collapsing completely in front of that man.
ROAR!
My breathing stopped.
They were here.
The abominations slowly began surrounding the crater.
Some walked on four legs. Others circled through the sky while emitting low, aggressive growls.
I could feel their hunger.
None of them wanted to share the prey.
At last, one of them stepped forward.
Its body slowly rose onto two legs as it approached me.
And once it was close enough…
It attacked.
Its claws descended directly toward my throat.
I closed my eyes.
This was the end.
—Stop.
I heard an unfamiliar voice.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The claws had stopped an instant before touching my skin.
The creature was completely frozen.
—Back away.
The voice echoed again.
And to my disbelief…
Every abomination obeyed.
The ones on the ground.
The ones flying overhead.
All of them slowly retreated until I was left alone inside the crater.
My breathing became uneven.
—You're in a truly pathetic state, Tharok…
I turned my head with difficulty.
I didn't know when he had appeared.
I hadn't even sensed his presence.
Someone was sitting to my right.
He looked like a child.
A primordial child.
But something about him was wrong.
His skin. His hair. His presence.
Everything about him felt strange.
—Wh…o… are… you…?
Speaking took too much effort.
The child tilted his head slightly and placed a hand on my chest.
—It's annoying talking to you in that condition.
A cold energy passed through my body.
I could feel it entering through his hand.
The sensation was strange.
It wasn't like Origin Energy.
It was cold.
And yet…
My body slowly began stabilizing.
The pain lessened slightly, and my breathing stopped trembling so much.
—You won't die for now.
I looked at him in surprise.
—Tha…nk… you…
The child gave a faint smile.
But it wasn't a kind smile.
—I'm not helping you. I just dislike wasting my time.
I understood what he meant.
My condition made it difficult to even hold a conversation.
Even so…
—Still… thank you…
I shifted my gaze toward the abominations.
They were still watching us from the distance.
Restless.
Nervous.
And that made no sense.
I had never seen those creatures feel fear.
Never.
Not even while dying would they retreat.
But now…
They were trembling.
—Why aren't they attacking us…?
The child smiled slightly.
—You're wondering why they obey me, aren't you?
I slowly nodded.
He looked directly into my eyes.
And answered with absolute coldness.
—Because they fear me.
A chill ran through my entire body.
—Their instincts warn them not to challenge me.
I looked toward the abominations again.
Now I could see it clearly.
They weren't watching me.
They were watching him.
Waiting for orders.
And then I understood.
Level 2 abominations evolved.
They adopted more humanoid forms.
And he…
He resembled someone far too much.
Baroness Lysera.
The level 2 abomination, the only one of her kind and famous across all three continents.
My breathing became unstable.
—Are you… an abomination…?
It was the only possible explanation.
But he slowly shook his head.
Then…
His eyes turned completely black.
My heart froze.
Corrupted energy exploded out from his body.
I had never felt anything like it before.
Not even from abominations.
It was denser.
It felt purer.
More terrifying.
The abominations began kneeling one after another.
All of them.
Without exception.
The temperature dropped instantly.
And then he spoke.
But he no longer sounded like a child.
It was something far worse.
A deep, distorted voice.
Like the roar of an impossible creature.
—I am something far worse…
His voice echoed throughout the entire forest.
My body trembled instinctively.
For a moment…
I even forgot where I was.
All I could feel was fear.
Absolute fear.
—And I want something from you, Tharok.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
My muscles tensed on their own.
I didn't know what he wanted.
And that was precisely what terrified me the most.
—That's why I saved you just now…
My breathing became even more unstable.
A part of me wished I had died earlier.
Maybe that would have been better.
Maybe it would have been more merciful than this.
Because now…
I felt like I was standing before something that should never have existed.