Sofia couldn't believe it. Seeing her friend jump into the dark spring had to be one of the most hopeless sights of her life.
The deep connection between their souls had been blocked.
For the first time in days, her mind was only her own.
That should have been a relief to some, but it only made Giovanni's fate even more uncertain.
Breaking the water bubble with the Hydra heads, the girl hurried to the edge of the water, kneeling and trying to spot any sign of the boy.
Nothing.
That hole could be as deep as a ravine or a swimming pool, and she wouldn't have the slightest idea.
'If I jump…'
The thought crossed her mind, but her body would never obey. She was many things, but not crazy enough to imitate Giovanni in his suicidal run.
Forced to remain frozen, waiting, her feelings bubbling with ever-growing intensity, there was only one thing for her to focus on.
Sofia, with her sharp gaze, noticed Aguiar standing a few meters away, leaning on his spear. He, in turn, remained still, patiently watching the spring.
The girl then stood up, closing the distance between them to just a few inches.
"Why did you interfere?! If he doesn't get out of there, it'll be your fault!" She restrained the urge to strike with the heads. She knew she would lose a battle, but she just wanted to hurt the idiot who had caused all this trouble.
"My fault? Darling, that was Giovanni's decision. I just supported him." The muscular young man smiled, unaffected.
"Nonsense! He clearly wasn't thinking straight; it was… it was purely an emotional choice. I would've put some sense in his head… if I had time!"
How could that bastard say that with a smile on his face? Any sane person would stop someone trying to jump off a building rather than support them because it was their 'decision'.
Rolling his eyes, Aguiar adjusted his hair, using the metallic tip of the spear as a mirror.
"You're just scared, admit it. Say you're afraid of dying, bitter that he's risking your life too."
Sofia took a step back, lips sealed. The man didn't stop talking.
"Why the shame now? It's not wrong to feel any of that. But what's your plan? Go back to the waterfall and do what? I can't leave the area, you two can't go back alone, and the citadel is unreachable."
She remained silent, increasing the distance between them. No matter which way she looked at the situation, they were trapped.
"Unless you plan to spend the rest of your miserable days in that pink forest until some profane creature comes out of the depths of that hole to kill us all."
Aguiar didn't let her back down from the argument, cornering the girl against one of the chamber's pillars.
"I heard every battle your group fought. Four little mice running against time to survive, risking their lives at every corner, and now you decide it's too much?"
He slowly raised the weapon, sliding it along the girl's torso until it pressed against her throat.
A challenge, a provocation.
With the spear pressed against her neck, Sofia froze, staring at the colored metal and the coral shaft. She had never confronted another person… until now, her enemies had been irrational monsters she could kill without hesitation.
"Hah! I refuse to have such a shameful ending. If, for the tiniest chance of victory, it was necessary to risk my life, yours, and his in a coin toss, I wouldn't think twice."
He was completely insane. Every word that came from Aguiar's mouth was spoken with unwavering confidence, as if it were the absolute truth.
Anger finally overpowered fear, making Sofia explode a second time.
"And what guarantees that things wouldn't change?! Over time, we'd grow stronger, more experienced, and… and… maybe find a memory, an item capable of resisting the song! Memories are powerful, unpredictable. And in the worst case, we could come down here again to make your damn bet."
The young man smiled. Her suggestion seemed rational and reasonable, but she was leaving out the most important part.
"We'd just have to let the two of them up there die. You're not stupid, girl, so why pretend? Madness is what drives a true man, Sofia! Someone unwilling to lose everything cannot conquer the world. Only then do we achieve GLORY!"
Aguiar lowered the spear, turning back toward where he had been waiting. Without looking back, he finished his thought.
"If you're incapable of doing something like that, let him do it for you. Between jumping headfirst into danger beside him or being dragged anyway by a leash, the choice is yours."
***
In the darkness, he seemed to melt.
His blood turned to acid, dissolving muscles and bones indiscriminately. Layer by layer, tissues were reduced to mere cells and then to nothing.
Until only light remained.
His soul, exposed and cracked, was on the verge of collapse.
If nothing was done, his mind would be the next victim.
Giovanni tried to cling to memories of his creation, the faces of his mentors, the girl he had met and grown fond of during his months at the academy, but they were anchors incapable of reaching the sea floor.
Like the rest of his being, everything was swept along by the unstoppable current of the black flow. Now that the echo was gone, there was nothing to hold him there.
The abyss wasn't trying to immerse him in dreams, but to destroy him completely.
The incarnate madness would not let such an opportunity pass.
Erased faces, muted voices, muffled sounds.
'What… is my name?'
His identity slipped through his fingers, becoming more and more like a blank sheet. He should have been angry, scared, but how could he?
Unable to remember how he entered, why he entered, or why he should leave, everything felt meaningless.
Indifferent, his existence focused on itself, trying to identify what it was. The golden light was so empty and lonely when stripped of all things that gave meaning to its presence.
But there was something else there… hidden in the cracks of the core.
Words, runes.
A pair so small, yet it seemed to be what once connected everything he had been.
Light Seeker.
His soul pulsed weakly as his fragmented consciousness gained a piece of understanding. The darkness reacted, trying to hide the runes, but they vanished when approaching too close to the light.
That was his name.
What light was he seeking? Why was he searching for it? Simple questions, but they made other parts of his being, taken by the dark, react within the flow.
A memory flickered and was drawn to the core, revealing a brief dialogue between two people.
The unknown silhouette seemed to laugh while crying, demanding impossible guarantees.
"Then promise me you'll come back. Promise me I'll see you walking back through that door, you insolent brat!"
In response, the golden light promised something empty, incapable of fulfillment.
"I promise. And to celebrate, I'll make Officer #### empty his pockets and take us to some restaurant."
Was that enough to satisfy the silhouette? It was impossible to see expression, only hear the grumpy… familiar voice.
"I'll keep a candle lit for you, so follow the light. Come back soon, or I'll lock you out, boy."
The conversation dissipated, returning to its place within the spirit of consciousness.
He could remember, it was the light he had been seeking… so why was he there? What prevented him from returning? Other small stars awoke, drawn toward the point of origin.
Glimpses of a scorching desert, a crater consumed by shadows, an academy shrouded in masks and lies, an abandoned orphanage.
He was not with his light.
Visions of earthen walls being raised, geysers freezing, canyons collapsing, and a clay golem paralyzed.
Not even abusing a power that defied the world's logic was enough. Instead, his soul ended up in pieces, sinking into the darkness, unable to remember who he was.
Another moment passed through his mind, the discussion with two other figures in a meeting room.
His complete honesty about the nature of his power and the consequences for the group.
Had he lied, deceived, and perhaps convinced the rest to swear loyalty, there would have been no need for a deadly expedition.
With everyone under his command, the music wouldn't have been a threat, and the time at their disposal would have been their most valuable resource.
They could get angry, feel betrayed, but it would have been best for them.
All would be grateful in the end.
Or when he was almost consumed in the hot springs, feeling ashamed of his gift, fearing the consequences of using it.
All because someone else was too important to see things clearly.
His orders would make her stronger, his control would make her more useful.
The mermaid's women loved her, even in devotion.
Then why wouldn't she love him, too?
He would make her love him.
If he weren't a coward, that group would be ascending to greatness.
United in his realm, there would be no disorder, no conflict.
Only flawless synchronicity.
Even the thoughts and feelings of everyone wouldn't escape him.
One command would make Shelly friendly, devoted, and affectionate.
One command would turn Eric into a smiling, protective gentleman.
His light was still so distant because he refused to see the truth.
How many people have a sacred aspect?
How many wretches obtain a transcendent memory in the first nightmare?
How many were considered glorious by the spell itself?!
Someone had to take the lead; that was the natural development of the world.
Even his flaw… he had seen from the wrong perspective.
This was not the world forcing him to be harmless, dependent on others.
But sparing him from doing something beneath him.
There are vassals for that.
His light ceased to be a welcoming glow, warming and expanding until it became a fierce flame.
The darkness now had to retreat urgently or be extinguished by the golden threat that kept growing.
More and more fragments were pulled in, unable to resist the attraction.
He could recall all his defeats so far with cruel clarity.
His sole goal was to ensure none of that ever happens again.
"Can I tell you a story?"
Stupid.
What was the moral of a fairy tale about blind faith? Dependence on a higher power to win? That power you possess and control is the only one that matters.
"I feel relieved, to be honest. When I eventually return to the awakened world, I'll have to be that person again, so having at least someone who knows me… makes me really happy."
Deluded.
There's no need to pretend to be someone else; you can be someone else! Found a clan—no, seven different clans! Become one of the most influential people in the world in the blink of an eye.
When all the memories of all failures had already been absorbed, there was still the other half left.
Each little victory and achievement, learning as a child, playing with his siblings, evolving with his teachers, and developing new bonds on nights studying beside Sofia and dueling over the silliest reasons with Aguiar.
Margaret's bedtime stories at night, and the wisdom of his mentor in the bitterest hours.
Unique experiences, bad jokes, embarrassing moments, and exciting moments.
The flame lost its fervor.
'Giovanni…'
The boy recalled his name, his heart heavy.
Deep down, that irritated, volatile voice still shouted inside his consciousness, a part undeniably a part of him.
Its words weren't wrong, just distorted.
He hadn't made the most efficient decisions.
Only the ones he believed were right.
And that was enough.
When he thought of the girl he met on the first day at the academy, the way she blushed and smiled shyly, her dedication to helping him with his studies, the many times she saved his life, the silly humor they shared, and the warm touch of her hands…
Giovanni felt he would do anything to see her safe and happy.
Even if Shelly and Eric weren't his friends, just allies at best, he recognized the debt he owed them, too.
He recognized that both deserved to live just as much as he did.
So even with pain and hardships, there was no regret.
But things had to change.
Who Giovanni had been until now wouldn't be able to handle the challenges to come.
Because he had lost.
'Then I accept your gift…'
The blood that had turned to acid pulsed with renewed vitality. From it, something began to multiply, grow like an uncontrolled tumor.
Stolen from everything that once composed his body, all that remained was to replace it with something new, better.
Bones emerged from the crimson, bubbling liquid, forming a pearly skeleton.
Tissues expanded over the bony surface, generating organs, muscles, and skin.
From his head, long strands of hair formed, and for the first time in what felt like years, he felt the sensation of breathing, even underwater.
His cracked soul shone with renewed strength, receiving an explosion of vitality that did not belong to it, closing wounds and becoming more potent.
Giovanni was being reborn, not as a human, but as a graceful creature.
'And this thing should have learned by now… that it can't contain me.'
Tired of the darkness, his body swam upward at high speed, cutting through the shadows, unable to be stopped by its malicious will.
His outstretched hand reached for the familiar sensation of cold air and the damp floor of a chamber.
The water's surface split open, spraying in all directions.
***
After the heated argument with Aguiar, Sofia found herself facing the spring a second time, staring at the dead mermaid's body.
Long minutes had passed, and there was no sign of the boy. Any human would have drowned by now.
Had he really died?
No, that couldn't be the case.
She was alive, after all.
In a way, the guillotine above her head was the only thing keeping her from spiraling.
But she still wanted to know what was happening, what fight her friend was fighting, what he found in the depths of those waters.
If Sofia had jumped in with him, the answers would have been within reach.
Her trembling legs moved like slugs, slowly approaching the water. Giovanni had taken the risk even knowing she didn't want to… so it was only fair to return the favor.
The black sludge made her shiver just looking at it. Its appearance made it clear how deadly and twisted the thing was.
She only needed to drown in it.
Over her shoulder, Aguiar stared with a relaxed, almost condescending smile.
He thought she wouldn't have the courage, didn't he? He knew nothing!
'Yes… I just need to get him from down there… I resisted the incense, I can handle this disgusting little thing too.'
Gathering courage to jump, the young girl flexed her legs, which threatened to freeze if she took too long to decide.
'Three… two… one…' When her feet were about to leave the ground, an irregular movement startled her.
The giant mermaid's body, previously still, trembled… and began to be pulled into the water, devoured by some voracious thing. She watched in real time as the fallen kingdom's empress's flesh shredded. Bones cracked, organs turned to mush.
Instinctively, Sofia fell back and began crawling quickly away.
"W-What's happening?!" she screamed, witnessing a horror-movie scene.
"Haha… this… this lunatic!" Aguiar, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic.
His ability to control water allowed him to sense it, just like Giovanni with the earth, and what he could detect approaching at high speed…
The water split, and within it, a female silhouette emerged. Rosy-skinned with long pearly hair, she braced herself on the edge of the spring with her only hand.
Dragging the body out, it was revealed that half of it was still exposed flesh, missing an entire arm. Beneath the wet strands, a pair of clear, bright blue eyes stood out in the dark chamber.
'An undead!' she thought immediately.
Five Hydra heads revealed themselves from under the skirt, ready to strike the newest creature that crawled from the water.
With difficulty, the mermaid rose and adjusted her posture, relieved with the fresh air she loved so much, in the bloody hole where her arm should have been. Bones, flesh, and skin grew in seconds, forming a delicate limb.
The few remaining parts completed themselves, allowing the creature to display its full glory.
'Why… are you looking at me like that… Sofi?' the stranger laughed, seeing her colleague's incredulous gaze, ready to fight.
Sofia struggled to form words, as her body and heart wanted to speak louder. Still… the familiar feeling of the young man's thoughts connected beside her brought immense relief.
Things had returned to how they should be.
'Giovanni?...' she asked timidly.
Recognizing his form, the boy gave a shy little smile and focused on something deep within. His body distorted like ocean waves, changing physical characteristics in real time.
The long hair shortened, returning to a brown tone; his rosy skin darkened to a tanned shade, and his bluish eyes glowed with renewed green.
The female anatomy gave way to the male, and finally, the young man she had known for so many months was again in front of her.
"I… I'm back," he murmured, tired, to the two friends.
Aguiar, silently, walked behind Sofia and poked her back with the spear's shaft. "Go on, girl!"
Sofia didn't think twice, running toward Giovanni and leaping onto him. The boy caught her with strange ease, wrapping his arms around the girl's waist with an embarrassed expression.
"Gigi!"
She felt she might cry right then and there.
It was so good to have him back.