"B-bathroom."
I covered my mouth, trying my best not to vomit on the floor.
I barely made it to my dorm as I rushed through the halls.
I scanned the room; it was without a doubt luxurious, but I didn't have time to pay attention to that.
"Hu-HUGHHH!!," I vomited into the toilet, which I had luckily found just in time.
"Ha-ha-Haa...fuck."
This entire situation was fucked.
"That child's body is truly..." A childlike voice came from behind.
Vaelis had manifested himself.
I didn't bother to look at him.
"Why do I feel so sick?"
"You've become more sensitive to the purity of mana since our contract, and... her mana is..."
"Disgusting." I finished the sentence.
"What is she?" Vaelis asked
"She isn't human... not completely at least," I answered.
"...Who?" Vaelis's tone grew sharp.
"The churches... they made her like that."
The air seemed to freeze, and I felt the ground tremble slightly.
"Calm down," I spoke. "She doesn't even know what she is."
"..."
"She can still be saved."
"That child is an abomination. She needs to be killed befor-"
"I will save her." I cut him off and stared directly into his eyes, "I am no hero... but she is the one person in this world I will save... even if everyone else dies."
"..."
"She... needs to live."
'For my own sanity.'
------
In all honesty, Liora wasn't much of an important character in the novel; it's just that her character was probably the only reason I read this shitty novel in the first place.
Not because she was an amazing character or because she was super strong.
No, she was pitiful.
A test subject since she was born, she went through unimaginable pain at a young age and watched death all around her.
After all this, she was empty, nothing more than a shell of a human being. She had no identity besides the number she was given as a test subject.
Her entire personality was fabricated in order for her to infiltrate the academy. She would act on behalf of the churches, sabotaging a few events such as the InterAcademy Games.
But she didn't even know that she was doing these things.
The person I had met was nothing more than a mix of fake memories implanted into an empty shell to create a personality that never existed.
In the novel, Liam found this out... and so did she. In fact, there was an entire arc about infiltrating the facility where she was a test subject.
What did she do once she found out her entire existence was a lie?
She killed herself.
Liam tried to help her, but it was too late for her.
The things they had done to her made her body extremely unstable. She was going to die regardless, and she thought...
Why not get it over with?
This is why I had to save her.
Not just for her.
But for myself.
If I let her face that same cruel fate that... I once faced and make the same decision I... once had.
I...
------
Elsewhere, in a place far from any sign of life.
A wasteland or rather... The long-forgotten home of... 'The Shattered'.
Stood a round dark table with seven chairs, each a different color and shape.
Around the table sat 5, each with a distinct mask that covered their faces, representing their... church.
"Looks like they're not coming." The Greed representative spoke.
"They never come anyway, why do we keep inviting them?!" The representative of Wrath spoke with their anger evident.
"Hmm... true." The Lust representative spoke, clearly uninterested.
"..." The representative of Envy didn't speak.
"Calm yourselves." The representative of Pride spoke. "We are here to discuss this..."
An image appeared in the middle of the table, showing a young blonde man with a prosthetic arm.
"Oh, the prince, he was quite something." The representative of Lust spoke.
"His speech was very entertaining. I loved it when he put that bastard in his place!!" The representative of Wrath spoke.
"I thought he was quite impressive during the exam." The representative of Greed spoke.
"We aren't here to talk about his achievements." The representative of Pride spoke, turning to the representative of Envy.
"He wasn't supposed to survive." The representative of Envy finally spoke, their tone filled with contempt.
"Oh!" The representative of Lust mused. "So he was your failure."
Although their faces weren't showing, the representative of Envy was seething.
"Look who's finally showing some cracks." The representative of Wrath spoke in an amused tone.
"It was done by a newly recruited acolyte, so-" The representative of Envy tried to make an excuse.
"Ha!!" The representative of Greed laughed. "You're going to blame it on an acolyte?!"
"That's enough." The representative of Pride spoke.
The table went silent.
"The boy isn't much of a problem right now, but we will have to adjust some things in consideration. How are subjects N-07 and A-13 currently?"
"They've been successfully planted." The representative of Greed replied.
"Good." The representative of Pride seemed pleased. "Delay the activation for now."
"And what of the fragment?" The representative of Envy asked. "It has been reported that the Spirit King is on the move; we are unsure of his current location."
"Prepare that once more." The representative of Pride answered.
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
Even with the masks, their surprise was evident.
"It will take a minimum of one, maybe two years before that can be used again." The representative of Lust spoke.
"And gathering the materials... the losses were far too high last time, this time might... No... will lead to even more." The representative of Greed spoke.
"I have already gotten approval." The representative of Pride spoke, silencing the rest.
"Very soon, the Spirit Realm's core will be in our hands. For now, redirect the Caldress's attention and watch the movements of the Thornes in the valley." They paused for a moment, then... "We will keep the RCA's dogs distracted."
For a moment, silence swallowed the room.
"And what of the Southerners?" The representative of Lust spoke.
"Speed up the original plan, have the southern front gate destroyed from the inside."
The representatives all rose from their chairs and chanted an incomprehensible prayer that seemed to shake the mana in the very air.
The mana changed, or rather... corrupted.
The corrupted mana began to gather in the middle of the table, and a large green symbol appeared.
The symbol was a message, or rather... a command.
The language used was long erased from the universe, making the symbol impossible to understand for anyone except...
"You've all done quite well until now, but this... is for me."