He took a step towards the second acolyte, who was now trembling violently, his face ashen.
"Didn’t you give the old innkeeper a chance earlier? I will do the same as well. I will give you three minutes. Go and call the master you serve."
"You can call anyone you want. Your Vestarch Marius, the Arch Bishop, the Flame Matron, or even King Harius, if you can."
It sounded like a simple ask. However, the Acolyte was on the verge of bursting out in tears due to the sheer chill Riku’s words carried. At this point, he was unable to form full coherent sentences.
"How.. did you know...what I said..."
"Time is ticking. You might want to hurry it up." Riku said with a grim smile, his voice completely flat.
The acolyte, almost driven mad at this point, made a run for it. He moved as fast as he could towards the church, hoping to find some help.
Someone who could deal with this monster.
He ran and ran, not caring about his fallen comrade or the guards who called out to him for abandoning them. He did not care about anything else other than reaching the safe haven of the church.
Moving extremely fast, he soon arrived on the main road, and the church was now in plain sight. However, that did not make him feel any better. Something inside him told him that this small chance, that had been given to him, was just a ruse.
An impossible task that was only given to further his despair.
He kept running and running, a timer subconsciously ticking within him.
900 meters...800 meters...700 meters...
The acolyte ran as fast as his feet could carry him. However, just when about 500 meters were left to reach the church entrance, the subconscious timer in his mind hit 0.
Before he could even complete his scream, he felt the world around him wrap. A second later, he found himself in the same room, surrounded by the same people whom he had left a minute ago.
"Well, you had your chance. Now you have lost it." Riku grinned, using the same words the acolyte had spoken a few minutes ago to the innkeeper.
Meanwhile, the system had started showing relentless red prompts at this point.
IMMEDIATE RESTRAINT SUGGESTED.
CONTINUING WILL LEAD TO PERMANENT CHANGES TO THE HOST]
However, Riku’s eyes kept shining purple. It did not seem to be able to register the system’s prompts.
"You dare hurt my people..." Riku said as he raised his hand, a dark energy coalescing around his fingertips. "It seems that the world has completely forgotten who I was. I guess it is time to remind them, starting with you."
At this point, Riku’s voice had become completely different from his original sound. It was as if someone else was talking from his body, as if he was possessed.
"Let me show you what true pain feels like."
Just as he was about to strike, to unleash a spell that would undoubtedly erase the acolyte from existence, small arms wrapped around him from behind, tight and desperate.
"Riku! Stop! Please!"
Lila’s voice, choked with tears, cut through the haze of his rage. She was clinging to his back, her face buried in his robes, her body trembling.
"This... this isn’t you!" she sobbed, her voice muffled. "I don’t Riku! Please... stop! You’re scaring me!"
The dark energy around Riku’s hand wavered, then slowly began to dissipate. The cold fury in his eyes flickered, replaced by a dawning horror and confusion.
He looked down at his own hand, then at the terrified acolyte cowering before him. He felt Lila’s tears soaking through his robe, heard her ragged breathing.
Lila... scared of me?
The thought was a hot knife inside his heart, immediately cutting through the dense layer of ice that had started to form over his heart.
What... what am I doing?
As the dark energy was coalescing in Riku’s hands, Lila, who was lying stunned on the floor, saw an unknown window flash in front of her.
Villager Lila. You are the only one who can reach Riku now. Time is short. Please, reach out to him with all your heart. Or else, host Riku will never be the same again.]
Riku..will never be the same again?
Though the entire weird red prompt in front of her came from nowhere, it seemed like Lila subconsciously disregarded this anomaly, her mind fixated on Riku more than anything else.
No, I don’t . I don’t want to lose my Riku.
An unknown courage suddenly surged through her veins. Her legs, which had become jelly, burst out with strength as she lunged forward. Tears kept falling from her eyes as her tiny hands desperately wrapped around Riku’s cold back.
"Riku! Stop! Please!"
"This... this isn’t you!" she sobbed, her voice muffled. "I don’t Riku! Please... stop! You’re scaring me!"
"I like the Riku who smiles, who helps people, who brought water to Elowen, who distributes those buns and chocolates! The Riku who is kind and gentle, and helps everybody."
"I don’t know how you became , but I don’t want this! I’d rather we go back to Elowen, face the drought, face bandits, face the plague, face anything, than see you become a monster! Please, Riku, come back to us! Come back to me!"
Her words, each one a desperate plea, a reminder of the kindness he cherished and the peaceful life he sought, hammered against the icy shell of his rage. The purple light in his eyes flickered violently. His body trembled, a seismic battle waging within him.
The dark energy around his poised hand sputtered, then began to recede.
Slowly, as if fighting against an immense current, he lowered his arm. The killing intent that had suffocated the room lessened, vanishing slowly. He turned within her embrace, his eyes closed.
He hugged her back, his arms trembling, pulling her close as if she were his only anchor in a raging sea. "Lila..." His voice was hoarse, cracked.