Menelaus stared at Kallen like an artist admiring a completed masterpiece.
On the boy’s body, intricate rune circles pulsed faintly, one small sigil the size of an eye, etched onto his forehead, a much larger one dominating the entirety of his back, and two more, sizeable and symmetrical, carved into the backs of his palms.
Kallen lay facedown, tied at the wrists and stretched forward, his limbs pinned and restrained.
Surprisingly, he was still alive.
Menelaus shook his head, brushing aside intrusive thoughts. As much as he tried to clear his mind, it was impossible to silence the chaos entirely.
Although he looked "sane" on the outside, within, a violent storm raged. It was this turmoil, this fractured state of mind, that had driven him to this point in the first place.
He stared at the boy, who looked barely a breath away from death. For a fleeting second, a spark of sympathy flickered in his chest.
He snorted and crushed it before it could take root.
Following the instructions in the forbidden tome, Menelaus picked up his blade. From the massive rune on Kallen’s back, he began to slice, methodically and surgically, tracing a precise line down his both arms, connecting to the runes on the back of his palms.
Next, he made incisions along both sides of Kallen’s head, cutting just behind the ears as though carving a grotesque, permanent hairline. He was quite merciful and artistic with it this time, following Kallen’s natural hairline and making it even sharper.
The final cut tore into the flesh above his ribs, straight and clean.
Setting the knife aside, Menelaus unshackled the boy and rolled him onto his back. Kallen’s frail body offered no resistance.
But as he looked at the child’s face, Menelaus flinched.
Kallen’s eyes were wide open.
Though now dull and lifeless, the boy’s gaze gave the impression that he might still be semi-conscious... that his mind, while dulled, hadn’t fully shut down.
Either way, Menelaus didn’t like it. Not one bit.
That blank stare made him feel uneasy... enough to shake him, to fracture what little resolve he still clung to.
His already-tormented mind didn’t need this.
He reached forward and tried to close Kallen’s eyes, but it was harder than expected. As though the stubborn brat refused to let them shut, even in unconsciousness.
Eventually, though, Menelaus forced them closed.
Ultimately he was still stronger than little Kallen, weakened or not.
He traced the incisions along both sides of the boy’s ribs, connecting them to the large rune etched onto his chest. Just as he was about to complete the final step with the rune on his forehead, a violent shudder passed through his soul.
The familiar sound of something being forcefully ripped apart, echoed in his ears, and his vision blurred. For a moment, he almost lost consciousness.
Even the storm raging in his mind; wild, chaotic and relentless, seemed to quiet under the crushing weight of a now-familiar pressure. The same presence he as well as the world had felt minutes ago.
The pressure only lasted a split second, yet it clawed at the spirit like eternity.
A sound echoed throughout the whole of Ares, resounding both through the ears, and deep within the soul. Like the snapping shut of a colossal door, or the locking of a cosmic gate.
The air trembled, and the hearts of all who felt it skipped a beat.
Then, the pressure vanished.
Menelaus stood frozen, breath shallow, sweat dampening his brow.
For the first time, he truly questioned what he was doing.
Was he really supposed to be doing this? Or was he to just accepting his fate as it is?
He hadn’t seen what caused the earlier disturbance... and he still hadn’t seen it now. But this time, he was certain... this time, it was different, it felt personal.
He was sure it had come for him. He was able to feel that much within his soul. He was sure that if that pressure had lingered even a micro second longer, something very bad would’ve happened to him.
Or maybe it had come for the book?
The thought sent a chill through him, but he had no time to dwell on it. He could either continue down this part, or forsake it entirely.
If he gave up now, that meant accepting his fate, and leaving the kids who saw him as father, to be devoured by the world.
But if he continued, even if he failed, at least he would have died trying, and ultimately, those children would be protected... At least that was what that person had said.
Trusting an unknown figure was foolish, but the man had given him his word, even swearing on his name... A name he couldn’t remember no matter how hard he tried.
All in all, he life was not in his hands no matter which way he looked at it. However, between two evils, the lesser evil was always the best part to take.
He took a deep breath to recollect himself and continue, when another wave of despair hit.
[You are treading upon TABOO]
[Providence is lowered]
[You are treading upon TABOO]
[You are treading upon TABOO]
[Providence is lowered]
[Warning! You are accumulating too much TABOO]
[TABOO threshold crossed]
Notifications upon notifications had been flashing in Kallen’s mindscape for a while, and though he had enough mental strength to remain lucid and see them, his mind wasn’t processing anything he read.
He felt like he was nothing, in the middle of nothing. A bizarre experience—one he was merely living through, his brain completely dormant and unable to comprehend anything.
He was still in this state when, once again, he felt that colossal pressure pressing on his Essence directly, with even more ferocity.
It was after the descent of this pressure the first time that he had been reduced to this comatose state... and now, feeling it again, even more intricately, his soul ironically, seemed to jolt awake.
The first time, it felt like the whole world... even more than that... had weighed upon his existence. This time, the feeling was a hundred times worse.
Somehow, he could tell that it had come this time specifically because of him.
After all, he felt like he could see a massive ruby eye, standing right in front of his face, staring down and deep into his existence.