Another World Story

Day Seventy-Four: 8 Array (2)

"First. I brought it"

A woman's voice resonated inside a candlelit room, then a woman wearing an elongated emerald-green mask appeared. She was pulling something behind her.

"Well done"

Came the response. A man with a plain white mask who was sitting in one of the round table's chairs rose up and looked at the 'thing' the woman was dragging.

"...You held back a lot," he added.

The face of "it," the man, the woman brought, was unrecognizable, his body was limbless, and blood was flowing from the severed place nonstop; wounds of varying sizes and depth could also be seen, and in the man's chest a diagonal red line with red liquid was flowing. And from First's words, it could be said that whatever the woman did to the man was something she could easily do; it was a testament to how powerful she truly is.

"I wanted to kill him for what this thing had done to that poor child, but as you requested, I brought it back to life."

"Thanks. You may return at this time."

"No. I'm curious to see what you're going to do to him."

"It's nothing special, though."

"It 's perfectly fine; I was the one who brought him here, so I wanted to see it through."

"Alright"

Thud-

With that, the man behind the woman drifted to the center of the round table.

"Ughh..." the man groaned, but the two people inside the room didn't even pause before returning to their assigned seats.

"So, what are your plans for this thing?"

The woman questioned as she sat in her chair, her brilliant green eyes peeking through the two holes in the mask, not looking at the limbless guy. She was only looking at the man, at First, next to her.

"As I already stated, it was nothing spectacular; I was simply..."

"UGHAAAAA!!!"

An ear-splitting cry was heard, and the limbless man's body struggled as he moved his severed hands. It was as if he was stopping something from leaving his body. First, with his arms crossed, talked in a lighthearted tone.

"....going to remove that 'follower' from this body....Oh? Quite a hold you got there"

"....."

As she watched what First was doing, she was speechless. First extracts a dark-blue ball from the limbless man without even moving a muscle. The 'Follower,' the soul that possessed the limbless man's body, was the 'Follower.' Removing a soul from a living being was not a simple task, and there had been precedents when the person conducting it would die due to the enormous amount of mana and mental strength required. There were also individuals who were devoured by the souls they were extracting and had their bodies seized by the soul.

But the man next her didn't even break a sweat, and he wasn't even moving from where he was seated. And the woman knew from her countless years with him that behind that plain white mask of his.... His face is undoubtedly adorned with a thrilled smile.

'He's enjoying it....' she thought. She couldn't count how many times she'd seen him laugh and grin while torturing his foes. Even small-fries like thugs in the slums who pickpocket money, if he ever witnessed such kind of scene, he would undoubtedly make those thugs suffer.

Stronger existences that harmed those he considered his allies (even if those said people didn't know him) would undoubtedly fill him with euphoria as he made them suffer the same manner they made those close to him suffer.

'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.... 'I believe I inherited this trait from him.'

She surveyed the amputated limbs, torn ears, gouged out eyes, and finally the diagonal wound in his chest as she looked at the limbless man who was still screaming. She did exactly what the limbless man did to Kaiser. Greg Urman, no, the 'Follower' who possessed his body, had almost the same injuries as Kaiser.

"UGHAAAARGAAAAA!!!!"

"....."

As she saw the limbless guy scream, the woman felt nothing. He was leaving a trail of blood as he slid towards the edge of the table, undoubtedly expecting that the torment would end once he was away from the two presences he was sensing.

'It hurts... it hurts... it hurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts....IT HURTS!! '

'I've got to get away from them!'

'

'Goddess!'

'

'Someone!!'

'

Thuck-

'IT HURTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS'''

'

Hearing the limbless man's pain-filled thoughts, the woman created an invisible wall of mana to block him from escaping, causing the guy to scream even louder in her head. Her 'Thought Transmission' skill allows her to send thoughts from her to a target and vice versa; she can also hear her target's thoughts without her target knowing. She didn't use it very often, but when she did, she utilized it to help her retain herself. Even after all of the years she had lived and the awful events that had occurred in her life, she did not want to become the type of person who enjoyed hurting people.

Time passed, and the limbless man eventually lay limp on top of the round table.

"Done; he was determined to keep his life... huh"

"..."

First spoke while holding the dark-blue orb in his hand. But the woman, Second, remained silent. Even though it was only an orb, she could still hear his screams.

"How was it, Second?"

"....as always, revolting"

As she replied, Second's voice was full of contempt; while she wanted that man dead, she didn't want those kinds of agonizing screams echoing in her head.

'I regret staying...' she thought. Whether he realized it or not, First laughed and spoke.

"Haha, I knew you'd say that."

"Is it really fine to do that? He wouldn't be able to live if we left him as is."

Her words were true; if they left him as he is because of where they are, even if he could regenerate his wounds, he would simply die without being able to treat them.

"That might be true, but..."

First nodded his head in agreement with her words. But...

"He would undoubtedly return to his original body; it would only be Greg Urman's body that would die, which I do not want to happen... I would make him suffer."

"!!!'

As he said those words, the air seemed to freeze. His voice was not the carefree tone it had always been; instead, it sounded like the voice of a golem, devoid of emotion. Second froze from the pressure he was exuding; even though she'd felt it before, she couldn't get used to it. He was suffocating her with the amount of condensed mana he was releasing, but thankfully 1st sealed it once more.

Huufft! Cough! Cough!

"Haa… Haa… Haa…"

When the suffocating mana was gone, Second gasped for air. She clenched her fists against her chest.

"I'm sorry; I didn't intend to do it, here."

"I... know... Haa… Don't worry. Ah- thanks"

First bowed his head and sincerely apologized, then thrust his arms forward, and a green light enveloped Second's body. Second, who was saying that he didn't need to worry, was taken aback by the warmth she felt and thanked First.

"I know you didn't really mean to do it, but... learn to control yourself; you're always like that when you're angry."

"I'm sorry... I'll try."

"Don't try!"

"...I'll do it."

"Haa… So, what are you going to do with that?"

As if to change the subject, Second inquired of First. She took a look at the dark-blue orbed in his hand before shifting her gaze to the featureless white mask.

'I want to see his face again,' she thought.

"I'd give it to Eight; this one could be a good sample for her experiments."

"A 'Followers' soul, eh? I think she'd be overjoyed."

"Because that child's birthday is approaching, I believe this is a suitable gift."

"Now that you mention it.... She'll be 18 this month; I'm wondering what I should get her..."

"Anything is fine; she'll be happy with whatever you give her."

"However, the same could be said about you."

"....You're not mistaken."

""Pfft""

"Hahaha"

"Fufu"

The two continued to converse as if nothing had happened. They laughed as they talked about the 8th seat, the youngest of the 8 Arrays, coming of age.

They appeared to be parents recalling the days when their daughter was a child, following them wherever they went, enjoying the gifts they gave her, and smiling innocently. In reality, none of them are related. All of the members of the 8 Arrays are people of various origins who came from different places that changed over time. However, the seat from 1st to 4th has not changed since before prominent Kingdoms existed. They were a race with such a life span.

The 8 Arrays that moved in the shadows to save the world.

They who wanted to save the world by destroying it have finally begun their move in the Memphis Kingdom.