What... what have you done to me?" William groaned.

Hanging upside down from the ceiling, the sensation of a new heart beating within the fresh wound in his chest was a more terrifying and unnatural feeling than all the torture he had endured.

I fixed my red eyes on him.

"What have I done? Hardly anything. I simply formed a new heart to replace your old, ruptured one. You should thank me; it wasn't easy."

I stood directly in front of William.

"I know you're undecided on how to thank me, so let me make it easy for you: the best way is to tell me everything you know."

William was at a loss.

His blood-soaked face was a mask of confusion, his eyes darting between mine and the floor of the room.

His mind thrashed like a helpless animal trying to escape a trap.

On one hand, if he betrayed the Second Prince, he would face his wrath and die a horrific death along with his family.

On the other hand, he would die at the hands of this undefinable, red-eyed, child-like being, subjected to tortures he couldn't even begin to imagine.

It didn't seem like he had much of a choice.

I placed my hand on William's trembling shoulder.

I summoned the sacred mana, and with a warm, soothing energy flowing from my fingers, I gave him a moment of inner peace and relief. His pain subsided, his panic calmed.

William was startled by this sudden act of kindness.

Why was this being, who had just put him through hell, suddenly acting so different?

He knew I was up to something.

"I can see you're hesitating," I said, my voice soft yet sharp as a blade. "I can see you're afraid. But William, you're afraid of the wrong person. You're not in Prince Charles's hands right now, you're in mine."

I took another step toward him, locking my eyes with his.

"I can subject you, right here, to tortures no human on this earth has ever experienced. You will beg to die every moment, every second. But you won't die. I can always heal you just as you reach the brink of death, just as I did with your heart. And so, your life of endless torment will continue."

I leaned in close to his face.

"So tell me, William. Who should you fear right now? Prince Charles, sitting on his throne hundreds of thousands of miles away... or me, standing right in front of you, the one who can recreate your heart?"

William hung his head, trembling.

He didn't know what to say.

I slowly dug my fingernail into the skin of William's uninjured shoulder. Cold, thorny ice vines erupted from beneath my nail, piercing William's flesh and spreading within him.

In that instant, William screamed in unbearable agony.

"STOP! STOP, PLEASE! I'LL TALK! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT! I BEG YOU, DON'T!"

I stopped the vines.

I turned my back, conjured a simple wooden chair, and sat down.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I spoke.

"I'm listening."

Gasping for breath, steeped in pain and fear, William began to speak.

"The orb... that black orb... it was given to us by Second Prince Charles. Despite its small size... it houses a sealed, Seven-Star level monster. It was given to us to be used only when we were in dire trouble. The original plan... was to release that monster near the city after leaving Veythral. That way, without getting our own hands bloody, we would create chaos in the city and fulfill Prince Charles's desire for revenge."

I frowned.

"And how did Prince Charles acquire this orb? You're not going to tell me he created it himself, I hope."

"No, no! It... it was people with masked faces... They wear completely black masks. There are two blood-red lines that divide the mask vertically and horizontally. Prince Charles has been secretly communicating with these men for the last six months. I swear, I don't know what their purpose is! But they've been in frequent contact with the Prince lately. Most likely, that orb is something he obtained from those men. Since he didn't risk using it himself... he wanted us to use it, to test it, in a way."

"Are there more of these orbs?"

"I don't know... Prince Charles doesn't discuss anything with us. He just gives orders and expects us to complete them without question. All I know... is that the only person Prince Charles has been taking advice from lately is his new advisor, a man named Sebastian."

"Who is this Sebastian?"

"I don't know... An orphan from the common folk. At first glance, he seems completely ordinary, powerless. But as we got to know him, we realized he's not like that at all. We don't know how it happened; everything developed so suddenly. He just appeared at the palace one day. Apparently, there were traitorous agents in Prince Charles's inner circle, secretly serving the First Prince. He exposed every single one of them. After that incident, he became Prince Charles's right-hand man."

The pieces clicked together in my mind.

There was no doubt. Based on what William said, this Sebastian was a reincarnator.

In the original game, there was no such character, nor had any of these events occurred. Fate had already begun to bend in a direction unknown to me.

So who was this reincarnator?

Could it really be... Dr. Aris?

I clenched my fist involuntarily.

The masked men... this orb carrying Dr. Aris's mana... and now, a mysterious reincarnator advisor hiding behind the Prince.

There was no doubt.

That old, perverted monster had somehow managed to cling to life. And now, in the Empire's capital, he was pulling the strings of the future Emperor, Prince Charles.

I didn't know what terrible games he was planning, but my task remained the same: I will find him and kill him. I will finish the job I started, for good this time.

Seeing me lost in thought, William spoke with a trembling voice.

"What... what are you going to do to me now?"

But I no longer heard William's voice.

My mind was consumed by my own thoughts, my fury, my plans for revenge. At that moment, the entire world, except for the ghost of that old pervert, was insignificant to me.

My mental state was deteriorating.

I was starting to hear those familiar, nauseating whispers.

The whispers of the Crown of Madness... stronger and more seductive than ever before.

If I stayed here any longer, I might cause things that Fredrinn would not appreciate at all.

Fredrinn's order was clear: "We need the prisoners alive."

I suddenly transformed into my crow form and shot out into the night through the massive hole in the building where Fredrinn was fighting.

"Why are you running, Cassian?" the Crown whispered inside my mind. "How much longer will you keep running? Haven't you played enough children's games?"

"Your enemies grow stronger by the day. The strings of that fate you wish to change are slipping further from your grasp with each passing moment."

"Shut up!" I hissed, flying swiftly over Veythral.

"What you're doing now is just an excuse. You know it. You were staying in Veythral because you were safe. It's a garbage heap of useless people and land. A perfect place for you to hide and live the life of a coward, isn't it?"

"Quiet!"

"I know you hate fighting. I know you try to appear strong. But you can't fool me, Cassian. And you can't fool yourself."

"SHUT UP!"

"Tell me, Cassian... What do you truly want?"

"I want you to be silent! Shut your damn mouth and get lost! You're of no use to me besides your stupid whispers! Rest assured, I'll get rid of you the first chance I get!"

"You can't get rid of me, Cassian. These are your thoughts. I merely... give them a voice. You know this, too."

My concentration was completely shattered by this internal war.

I lost control.

The crow form broke, my magic dissipated.

Suddenly, I reverted to my form as a white-haired, red-eyed child and, like a pebble abandoned to gravity, began to fall from hundreds of feet in the air toward the dark forest below.

I cast no spell to defend myself. I did not summon my wings to glide.

I didn't want to do anything.

The only thing I wanted... was silence.

I crashed into the forest, into the trees, with terrifying speed.

My body slammed against a massive branch of a giant tree.

On impact, the small, sharp branches around me pierced my flesh like daggers, tearing my body apart.

One branch impaled my neck, causing blood to spurt out.

Another tore open my abdomen, spilling my intestines.

I ricocheted from that branch to another, this time hitting my back, and I heard the crack of my bones.

In this manner, slamming from branch to branch like a puppet, I finally hit the damp earth.

I was breathless.

Pain engulfed my entire body like a flame.

But... I was content.

I no longer heard the vile whispers of madness.

All I felt was this pure, cleansing, physical pain.

I looked through the clouds to see the moon.

But the moon wasn't there.

Tonight... I was utterly alone.

________________________________________

Author's Note:

Hello everyone. Lately, I've realized that my recent chapters haven't been as good as before. Honestly, I haven't been enjoying writing as much as I used to.

Because of that, I've decided to reduce the number of chapters for a while so I don't end up publishing low-quality ones.

I hope you can understand me. Once I recover and feel better, I'll start increasing the number of chapters again

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.