SYSTEM ASCENSION

”This is some interesting drama.”

Coco backed away from the tree. Her leg suddenly felt weak. One was the pure dread of being discovered by the king of the empire, and second was the strong effect of the cigar.

Quil felt it too.

His lungs felt like they had temporarily shut down. His breathing was ten times harder.

Richard hopped down the tree, and landed without a single sound in his steps. Even with the way his clothes fluttered, no presence was given.

He walked to Coco.

She staggered back. ”No...stay away.”

That didn’t stop him from advancing.

Her back hit a tree. ”No...hold on. I swear I wasn’t planning on attacking anyone. I swear it...”

”...”

”Please...”

She glanced behind him, at Quil.

”Help me.”

In a blink, Quil was already before her. He didn’t know how to approach the situation so he just held out his hand.

”Sir...” he glanced at her.

”Did you just call me to die?”

”You’re not helping!” She snapped at him.

Richard stopped.

”You...”

They both look at him.

He stopped what he wanted to say, and just turned in the other direction.

”Follow me.”

Even as he walked away, there were no footsteps. Almost like he was gliding. The students exchanged glances, before following him. They knew they had no other choice anyway. Escaping was impossible.

The walk was an extremely long one, so long even the vampire started feeling cold.

They entered a cave. It led underground, into more numerous caves. Somehow, the nervousness that was disappearing slowly returned.

What if his plan was to quietly eliminate them? No one would ever find their bodies.

Richard led them all the way in, still they could sense people inside.

It was a dungeon. Massive cages were built into the natural structure, housing criminals.

”Gal.” Richard called.

A man appeared beside them. ”My liege.”

He turned around and pointed to her.

”She’s a vampire. Feed her.”

The man, Gal, didn’t look bothered. He just ushered her to come with him and walked away.

Coco was suddenly remembering how Elias recognised her at first glance. It was stupid to think Richard didn’t know what she was from the start.

Quil was left with the man, and he didn’t know what to make of it. He quietly sat by the wall.

”That was a domain ability.” Richard spoke.

”Aah! Yes. My family is called the ring.”

”Hmm,” Richard took a draw from the cigar and puffed up the smoke. Then he asked.

”Have you died before?”

Quil flinched. He never experienced anyone to the spot on, except Elias who saw it happen.

”I...have...”

”And you’re immortal now.” Richard said. ”You’ll live and watch everyone you care about age and die. The world would change. Centuries would go by. Do you want that?”

Quil gulped down.

”I have no choice.”

”Do you regret being alive?”

Quil stayed silent in thought for a minute, and when he finally spoke, his eyes were clear like he had thought this over a thousand times.

”I used to think this reality was everything the world has to offer, until rebirth broadened my mind to realise that we mean nothing to existence. Existence is something we can’t fathom.”

He smirked. ”That’s why I want to understand it. I want to see every possible thread, every possible route, every possible realities, every possible timeline, every possible structure. Everything. It’ll take millions of centuries and civilization, and I’m still in the first decade of my immortal journey. I’ll worry about being alive after I have seen the end of existence.”

”There is no end to existence.” Richard said. ”It’s all a circle of fascinating madness.”

Quil laughed. ”Of course I understood that when I caught a glimpse of how your son came into this world.”

Richard’s eyes shifted to him.

”...”

”How much did you sacrifice for his birth,” Quil glanced at him. ”How many? A hundred? A thousand? A million? How many lives were laid down to birth that precious son of yours?”

”Your intelligence will expand further,” Richard said instead. ”and you’ll come to understand things naturally.”

He took another draw from the cigar, before walking out.

Quil watched him leave, then narrowed his eyes.

’No matter how I look at it, he’s just a human. A normal mid-aged king. So how did he...’

He turned his gaze towards the direction Coco had disappeared into.

”She should be out by now.”

He stood up and traced the smell of blood to a dungeon. He peeped in, and his eyes narrowed.

She was still feeding, fang sank into a prisoner’s neck. The man was in a daze, hunched unresponsive against her grip.

Quil leaned against the wall and watched. He didn’t interfere, until she raised her head and saw him.

”...”

”...”

She frowned. ”What?!”

He smirked. ”Nothing. I merely find this fascinating.”

”I’m not a form of amusement.”

”You are.”

He walked in, staring at the man. ”This man is likely the one to be executed in a week.”

”How did you know?”

”I knocked him out in Salvador empire. Apparently, he sold the blueprint of some kind of weapon to an outsider.”

She glanced at the unconscious man. ”Should that be enough reason to execute him?”

”He just happened to be a stupid scapegoat,” Quil shrugged. ”With the level of freedom and peace here, I figured crime punishment would be extreme.”

She stood up, wiping her mouth. ”I suddenly lost my appetite.”

”You have a strange appetite to begin with.”

”That man, Gal, said I could come here to feed everyday.” She began to skip out, humming happily.

”What’s so interesting about taking blood?” He muttered softly and followed behind.

They exited the cave, and took the same direction back to the fortress.

It was midnight, and the moon stood bright. Coco continued to hum, until she saw the silhouette of two people in the distance.

”Is that...”

Quil raised his head.

It was Elias and Richard in the distance, walking and murmuring inaudible words. While Richard was his usual self, Elias seemed different. Less composed than his usual self.

He applied hand gestures as he talked. He was smiling even. Truly like an excited child.

”I guess he’s different with his father.” Coco muttered.

”Hmm...” Quil hummed softly.

He watched as Elias walked backwards, saying something, and tripped over a slippy grass. Richard casually caught him by the collar, pulling him back up. They continued down the part like nothing happened.

”Still, his father is too scary.” Coco shivered. ”I won’t be surprised if he’s not human. His gaze is terrifying.”

”Really?” Quil tilted his head.

”Yes!”

”Oh. I see.”

She glanced at him. ”Do you think differently?”

”To a normal person, sir Richard is an anomaly and Elias is a blunt child. But if you have a higher level of consciousness, you’ll realise that that anomaly birthed a disaster.”

Her face fell.

”What?”

He gave a grim look. ”Elias is a disaster.”