Chapter 50
This is a fictional story by realTensai
Alvis' consciousness went back in time and inhabited his body once more.
"Alvis?"
This time, the rest of his name reached him. With wavering eyes, he searched for the source of this voice. And he found her.
Standing before him was the girl he loved. Her limbs weren't twisted, her front and back not squashed, her neck not broken and her head not dangling down. Alvis looked into her eyes and saw the life within them, her green eyes radiating like nature itself.
Lia was alive.
"What's wrong Alvis?"
He just embraced her.
"I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?"
For everything. For making a plan that just played into his enemy's hands. For convincing his friend to go to the festival just to be killed. For not living up to his wife's expectations after she had done her best and taken care of the entire army. For letting her die a cruel death right before his eyes. For letting his best friend die once again. For not being able to kill Voyzez.
Alvis was sorry for everything.
"I'm sorry."
"I forgive you."
Even though she didn't know what Alvis was sorry for, she forgave him.
"Now that I have forgiven you, you don't need to be sorry anymore. You can keep going forward."
She always knows what to say to me.
"Yes, I won't waste time being depressed," Alvis said, clenching his fist. He took in a deep breath, gathering his resolve. Voyzez's face was in his mind, still clear for him to see. Alvis would use the hatred he felt as the energy he needed to defeat this insane man. "I will make him pay for this!"
Level 3: Trial Of Insanity
Mission: Survive
STATS
Name: Alvis Silva
Level: 13
Class: Mage
HP: 210
MP: 280
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Strength: 16
Agility: 16
Health: 16
Sense: 14
Intelligence: 21
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Available Ability Points: 0
Skills
Skill slot: 4/7
[Passive]
Evasion Lvl. 3
[Active]
Advanced Mana Manipulation Lvl. 4
Assassin's eye Lvl. 3
Mastermind Lvl. 9
Inventory
No items
Daily Quests
- Push-ups [100/100]
- Sit-ups [100/100]
- Squats [100/100]
- Run [10km/10km]
——
Alvis stared at Dane's bed above him, his eyes unable to close. His mind wouldn't let him rest after everything that had just happened. Minutes ago, he was still fighting side to side with Dane, Lia, and Priest Zaini against the Priest of insanity Voyzez Knaxius. But now he lay on his bed as if nothing had happened.
It was a surreal feeling.
However, Alvis turned to the other side of his bed, focusing back on the thing that mattered the most. Creating a plan to escape this death loop.
His last plan had been an utter failure, helping his enemy more than himself. Of course, he couldn't have known about Voyzez's other ability, so it wasn't really his fault, yet the result stayed the same.
I've failed. Again.
It was a traumatic experience, and remembering Lia's broken corpse and Dane's beheaded head made Alvis almost vomit. Even though this was the case, it was still a useful run. The information he had gotten was crucial to completing this level.
First of all, calling for help or informing the city about the Devil Cult's attack wasn't possible. Voyzez's ability to control others using insanity made that out of the question.
Alvis clicked his tongue, realizing just how severe that was. If he wanted to defeat Voyzez, he couldn't depend on others and had to do it on his own. With the military as his backup, Alvis had felt safe, but this same military became his enemy, so the only option was to fight without them.
It limited Alvis' options, yet it didn't make his goal any more difficult. In his last run, he had to go up against Voyzez and his army of insane people. If he wouldn't contact the military, he wouldn't have to fight them too and he would also save a lot of time. And time was his most valuable resource.
Alvis turned to the other side of the bed.
One thing he absolutely had to do was contact the Tekka Temple and its priest, Zaini Bidini. He was the only one who could withstand Voyzez's insanity, fighting on the same side as Alvis. His immunity against Voyzez's curse was too great to just let go. Alvis just had to have him on his side.
By making a mental notice to himself to visit the temple on the next day, Alvis crossed out this topic from his mental to-think list. He then turned around again.
Now the fireworks.
Last run, the military mages created a barrier to stop the black fireworks from destroying the festival. However, this time, Alvis would have to do it on his own. Alvis scratched his head, thinking about the barrier spells he knew, though nothing came to his head.
Guess I will have to learn one.
If there was no other way, learning one was the last option. One week's time would surely be enough for him to master it. Just like he did with the mind control spell.
It was with his mind control spell popping up in his head that Alvis gasped and widened his eyes. His brain had made a connection Alvis didn't know how to feel about.
Isn't my mind control spell just a weaker form of Voyzez's insanity?
The similarities were obvious. Both spells could control others. As soon as he thought that, he remembered what the insane man had said about his insanity spell. It was a curse that made others insane. He couldn't control them but only change the state of their minds, where controlling them was easy. It was a subtle difference that made his curse even more dangerous.
One hit and you are down.
Alvis gulped, his body tensing up. His shadows that turned others insane were way too strong. Alvis would have to be a fool to think he could dodge every single one of them in a fight against him. But it would only take one to take him down. This wasn't all. Voyzez also had his mana absorbing shadows that negate every attack. They also had to work through them.
Alvis' brain steamed while processing everything. With a deep breath in and out, he focused on the most important thing. Finding a way to not turn insane. If Voyzez's curse made others insane, a strong mind should be a counter. Alvis already knew a mind protector spell, which surely would be helpful. After all, if his mind was protected, Voyzez couldn't turn him insane. It sounded plausible, yet Alvis wouldn't just rely on that. He didn't know enough about the man's curse to make a plan against it just yet. More information was key.
The same applied to his mana-absorbing shadows. There had to be a way to counter them. Alvis just had to find it. Already a few ideas popped up in his mind, but he would wait until after his visit to the temple to start forging a plan.
——
Amidst all the problems he had, Alvis' heart felt at peace just standing before the temple. Its beautiful gold and blue colors were a blessing for his eyes and Alvis' spirit couldn't wait any longer. He went in.
Alvis took off his shoes and his bag, in which his swimming clothes still were, and set foot on the green carpet. Before even thinking about his plan, he made a prayer, a prayer for everything to end well.
As soon as he finished, he had to focus on his purpose. He turned his head, looking for the man, but his eyes didn't catch him. Alvis surely didn't have the time to search for him within this big temple, so he figured asking someone who worked there was the better option.
"Excuse me, I want to talk to Priest Zaini. Is he here?"
Alvis had gone to the next person who looked like he could know.
"Yes, but what do you want from him?"
"I have to talk to him about something. Religious stuff and so."
Technically, Alvis wasn't lying. The Devil Cult was a religion, after all.
As soon as the man heard religious stuff, his eyes lit up.
"Of course! I can call him."
Huh, why so enthusiastic?
The man ran off and Alvis just sat down somewhere comfy. As he waited, he went through the exact words he would say.
I can't butcher it.
If he failed to convince the priest now, this run had no hope. This single conversation was essential if he wanted to live.
"Sorry to have you wait."
After a few minutes, a deep, calming voice entered Alvis' ears. However, his mana knocked against his mana core, pleading to get out. Alvis clutched his solar plexus, taking deep breaths in and out.
"Oh, please forgive me. It's my blessing that—"
"You good," Alvis said, holding up a hand. "No need to explain yourself. I already know about your blessing."
"That makes stuff easier." He smiled as he held his hand against his chest. "I'm Zaini Bidini, the priest of the Tekka Temple. How can I help you out?"
Alvis' eyes darted from left to right, making sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop. With a nod, he focused back on the man before him, staring right into his golden eyes. He clenched his fist and inhaled.
"The Devil Cult's Priest of Insanity will attack on the festival's day."
Zaini's eyes widened as the very air around them grew heavy. His body tensed up, his eyebrows twitching. He naturally took a step back, his face pale.
"How do you know that?"
His voice was calm, yet it had a force behind it that shook Alvis to his core. One wrong word and he could lose his life.
"I can't tell you."
Yet this was Alvis' answer. He ignored the growing threat before him and didn't hesitate to say it. After all, he couldn't tell him.
Zaini's golden eyes pierced through Alvis' soul, reading him like an open book.
"I understand."
"So you trust me?"
"I know that you aren't lying."
"I'm fine with that."
Alvis exhaled as the pressure vanished. Zaini also calmed down and sat next to Alvis, his face nevertheless serious.
"What do you want from me?"
His tone was harsh, his eyes observing Alvis' every move.
"I need your help."
"Why my help? I'm just a priest."
"You aren't a regular priest."
"How should you know? If you think my blessing makes me powerful, you couldn't be more wrong."
"You will be more of a help than the entire military."
"What makes you think that? Did you already ask them for help and they rejected you?"
"No, it's because of the priest of insanity's curse. But I know that your strong faith makes you immune to it."
"I guess you really are telling the truth. There is no point in testing you any further."
I knew it.
"I trust you. You couldn't know about the curse and that I'm immune to it if you were just telling a lie. Only someone who is or was in the Devil Cult or had done tons of research about them could know."
Alvis stared Zaini in his eyes, not sure what he was implying.
"I know you aren't from the Devil Cult because of your aura. It's way too peaceful for a devil worshipper. Besides, I can see that you are an Arifuner and no Arifuner would be in the Devil Cult. Or otherwise, no devil worshipper would even come near this temple."
His sound explanation made Alvis nod his head.
"Tell me all you know about their attack and this so-called Priest of Insanity."
Alvis did what he was told and explained everything he had found out throughout his two failed runs.
"…This is complicated," Zaini said, stroking his chin beard whilst frowning. "However, I will do everything I can to support you. It's my duty as an Arifuner priest!"
"Is the Devil Cult your enemy?"
"Of course! We Arifuner hate their evil deeds and we will do everything to stop them from harming the hard-earned peace any further," Zaini said, his eyes full of resolve and his voice not wavering. "We did a lot of research about them and even found out about their inner workings."
Alvis' eyes lit up, his mouth moving faster than he could think.
"Tell me. I have to know!"
"This is top-secret information that can't be shared with the public, but you already know way too much, so hiding it from you wouldn't make sense," Zaini said, his eyes locked on Alvis. "We have confirmed the existence of six priests."
"Six?!"
"Yes, and each got a unique curse which makes them incredibly powerful."
Alvis couldn't even gulp and just lowered his head, going into a thinking position.
There are six of them. Six people on the same level as Voyzez Knaxius. I already knew he wasn't the only priest, but five more of his type are way too much. Shit! Do I have to face them all?
"This isn't all. We also found out about their leader."
"What?!" Alvis said, his eyebrows drawn together. However, he cleared his throat, pausing to collect his thoughts, and continued. "I thought they didn't have a leader?"
Alvis' hand started shaking just thinking about the person who was strong enough to lead six people like Voyzez.
"You are right. They currently don't have a leader."
"What do you mean?"
Zaini didn't answer right away, his eyes darting left to right.
"Their prophecies are telling them that their leader will arise soon," Zaini said. However, he averted his gaze, somehow unable to look Alvis in his eyes. "I-It will be a young human man with white hair and a vast mana core. He will be the Devil's vessel for his reincarnation and start the new age of terror!"
Wait… are they talking about me?