Reincarnated as the Final Villain's Vessel

Chapter 244: A Damn Cup of Coffee

In the end I couldn’t help but agree with what Alicia said, and try to win that game.

Elliot is supposed to be the original winner in the end, and I’m not sure I can beat him or win at all... especially in this condition of mine where my growth has literally stopped.

The days passed quickly, since Alicia was busy Mary would come to the Axis to check on my condition, and even though she said she was getting paid generously by Alicia, the old woman didn’t stop showing curiosity about me.

Especially the questions about how I got into this state... I remember she said something about respecting privacy but here she was digging into my head again.

Of course I didn’t answer her questions.

Those sessions with her passed in pain... when she put her hands on my shoulders I didn’t feel warmth, it was like fire itself was burning my body’s cells and rebuilding them slowly and with excruciating pain.

Even for me that was a new challenge... but I endured it... or I have to endure it.

She described that process as rewriting... that she erases my body and rebuilds it slowly so she can preserve its original shape and capabilities... honestly I got a chill when she described that in her medical tone.

And that description of hers pushed me more to focus on winning instead of relying on her terrifying treatment.

Maybe I was supposed to train without stopping to get ready, but the old doctor recommended not doing that... or specifically she recommended not taking injuries as much as possible or else what we’ve done in the treatment sessions would be wasted.

Well, maybe in a normal situation I would’ve trained without taking injuries, but now I couldn’t do that.

I walked under the morning sun in the empty streets of the Axis... you could barely see one or two people in the distance.

And even though I was only walking with slow steps, I felt my legs shaking. ”Damn it... damn this...”

I cursed as I tried not to trip over something by accident... I’d just come out of a session with Mary, and let me say, every time it ends up like this.

It wasn’t just pain and muscle fatigue, it was like my body was completely refusing to respond... it takes about a day for things to go back to normal after enough sleep.

And while I was walking, the essence flowed as I activated my ability, my view of the world changed and the expanse of essence that fills every inch of the space around me appeared.

And while my vast sense was expanding, I focused on holding it back until the range was just 300 meters around me... this was something I’d always wanted to achieve after coming back from Ancient Earth, and seeing that I was surrounded by strong souls.

It wasn’t very hard but it needs focus, and I’m still in the early stages of this... and now when my body wasn’t responding it was the right time to work on the other sides.

I stretched out my hand as I moved it through the air, seeing the same view I’d seen hundreds of times and felt, how the essence reacts in the air, making way for the movement of my hand...

I felt some students moving in the streets, and what was left of the workers... and also a certain person who was coming up behind me.

A strange, incomplete soul, but a strong one too... stronger than last time.

I lowered my hand as a cheerful voice crept up from behind me. ”Why are you raising your hand in the air, are you thinking about the poetry you’re going to write about me?”

Yeah... very cheerful.

I looked behind me to see Emeris wearing a long skirt with a silk blouse, her silver hair falling down and reflecting the sunlight and her eyes shining with a hint of gray-blue.

With a happy smile and her hands behind her back she got to me, leaning forward and looking at me from between the silver strands. ”So did you miss me?”

”Why would I miss a bee that keeps buzzing around me... and you only left for two weeks.” I said that as I tried to hold back the sudden trembling in my legs.

She raised her hand, her finger touching my chest, while a mischievous expression formed on her face. ”Just say yes, instead of going around it with these complicated words.”

The next moment she put some force into her finger as she pushed me backward... normally I wouldn’t have budged, but now I lost my balance as I stumbled back pathetically, I barely caught myself from tripping and falling.

I clenched my jaw and got my balance back, forcing my body to respond again. ”Damn it... Emeris... this isn’t your time!”

She tilted her head with her finger under her chin. ”So... why are you shaking the whole time, are you sick?”

I sighed as I walked to the bench a few meters away under the trees on the side of the road and I sat down and let out a tired breath. ”Kind of, yeah.”

Her expression turned into a slight frown as she came closer to stand right in front of me. ”How the hell do you get sick?... you’re Awakened, did you drink poison instead of milk in the morning!”

I rolled my eyes. ”That would’ve been better.” I looked at her soul. ”So you reached Rank 4?”

Her frown got deeper when she realized I was changing the subject, but she didn’t ask more. ”Yeah... just a few days ago... you know, that was painful, so I spent the past days sleeping and eating before I came.”

”You talk about it like it’s the easiest thing in the world.” Unfortunately I couldn’t hide the irritation in my tone.

Emeris came closer, closing that small distance that was between us as she stood right over me. ”Are you really okay?”

I raised an eyebrow as I felt the trembling in my body. ”Didn’t you hear, I said I’m sick... in brackets that means I’m not okay.”

Emeris leaned forward a little closer to me, her eyes shining as she examined my face. ”You look very weak.”

She muttered it under her lip but her closeness to me made it impossible not to see that. ”So, are you going to stay there staring, or give me some space to breathe?”

The next moment her serious expression faded and her lips curled into an amused smile, but this time it sent a chill down my spine, making me smile nervously and pull deeper into the seat. ”So Emeris, do you want to have lunch?”

She blinked at me. ”It’s the morning!”

The next moment she raised her hand as she grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled herself closer to my face until I could almost feel her breath on me, her voice like a small melody creeping into my ear. ”You know, it’s hard for bees to resist honey when it’s exposed and weak like this.”

I stared into her eyes, which had gotten so close that I saw the reflection of my face in them. ”How wicked of you to take advantage of my weakness.”

But all she did was come a few millimeters closer. ”Says the person who isn’t even trying to resist.”

I almost coughed. ”Have I told you before that I like going with the flow?”

Emeris didn’t say anything, she just pulled the collar of my shirt tighter... as she drew me closer to her.

I felt her warm breath on my face, and the heat coming off her face, and my heartbeat speeding up a little, strands of her hair touching my cheek.

”Pffft— cough... hack... hack...”

But when the distance almost disappeared completely, we were cut off by a sudden spraying sound followed by continuous coughing and something spilling on the ground.

Maybe because of my weakness or this situation.... or even both, I hadn’t felt the person who was standing to our right a few meters away from us.

Emeris froze with her hand pressing hard on the collar of my shirt, before she turned her head in surprise toward the source of the sound, her hair tickling my face.

There stood a girl with fiery red hair and a coffee cup dropped on the ground in front of her, she grabbed her throat as she held back the coughing and looked at us with reddened eyes going back and forth between me and Emeris in shock.

Izel raised her hand, her finger pointing at us in accusation like we’d committed the ugliest crime on the face of the earth. ”You two... what the hell are you doing... and you, you of all people... hack—”

Emeris smiled, but this time her smile was cold and creepy.

”Hello, my colleague Izel... it’s bad timing to drop your damn cup of coffee, isn’t it?”