"What?..."
"Am I dreaming?"
Albert said, confused.
He was sure he had been fighting Abaddon's army a while ago.
But now, he returned to the same moment when he woke up, seeing Anon's pale, lifeless face.
He turned left and right, searching for the group of Abaddon's soldiers.
But he couldn't see them.
The strong storm had calmed, and the sun's dim light now illuminated the white surface of the earth.
Albert's face remained full of disbelief and regret.
Regret for not avenging Anon's death.
"W-Why?... I'm so weak..."
He cried.
Tears flowed down his face, in despair.
He then stood up and walked close to Anon's standing dead body.
Slowly, he pushed it down to lay on the snowy ground.
He slapped his own face with his hands.
"I must change!... and move forward.
I will never forgive them. I'm going to change who I used to be.
Being soft in this world... is unnecessary to survive and to protect what I hold dear.
Death or suffering is what they deserve from me."
He declared to himself.
The Doctor who sacrificed Lessa and the Chief's life, the Abaddon who caused the war, and the death of Anon his senior who gave him a reason to move forward and change.
He would surely find a way to get them all.
"With this power I've got, I can do what I want to live."
He said, closing his eyes, trying to use the new functions he could now control because of his fusion with that paper-like Artifact known as the Soul System.
---
[Functions List]
[Soul Reading Eyes]
[Absolute Ego Raiser]
[System Hacking]
[The Librarian]
[A Deleted Function is Retrieved]
[Morphing]
[Item Manifester]
---
"Woah, that's so much."
He was surprised.
"I don't know how I was able to use it that time,"
he muttered, recalling when he had seen the enemies' personal information.
He tried to think of ways to use them.
Until he felt something strange in his chest.
Suddenly, he sensed a surging hot energy inside him, as if he were filled with boiling water rising up to his head.
His eyes closed, his body stood still.
Then, unknowingly, the knowledge of how to use the functions appeared in his mind as the heat reached his head.
"What? Is that all? How simple."
He thought.
He realized he could use the functions simply by thinking of them.
He narrowed his mind and focused on one function:
[Item Manifester]
He had a hunch that, with it, he could create any kind of item, as its name suggested.
"I want to know what it means,"
he repeated in his thoughts.
And finally.
[Item Manifester]
A function that allows the holder to have any kind of object permanently. The holder can decide what it looks like by referring to their imagination.
"Yes!!!"
He exclaimed.
But he didn't notice the luxurious cart approaching from where he was standing, too focused on concentrating.
The cart stopped a few meters away.
The driver got off the horse and opened its door.
From it stepped out the twin sister of Lessa.
The driver closed the door, mounted the horse again, and, as he left, spoke some words to her.
She smiled faintly and bowed her head as the cart disappeared into the distance.
She wore silver armor and carried a long sword at her waist in a golden scabbard.
She walked toward Albert, who stood beside Anon's corpse.
Her eyes scanned the area, searching for the other prisoners who had fought with Albert, but she couldn't see anyone not even a corpse.
She was confused.
"How can there be no corpses?
Those cowards... they must have escaped.
But how come?
There lies the corpse of that old man.
Did he kill him?"
She thought, walking closer to Albert.
"Hey, Albert!!
Do you have any explanation for what's happening?"
She asked coldly, her hand resting cautiously on her sword.
But Albert didn't hear her.
Instead, he shouted, startling her.
"Finally!!!"
She quickly stepped back, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at him.
"What are you up to, murderer?"
She shouted.
"I should've killed him... He must have commanded those criminals to run, and Mister Anon opposed him... that's why he killed him."
She speculated in her thoughts, frowning.
Albert opened his eyes, smiling. Instantly, a shovel appeared in his hands.
"Hahahahaha, how convenient."
He laughed, happy that he had the power to create anything he wanted and more importantly, a tool to dig Anon's grave.
"And now, it's time for digging."
He turned back, then froze when he saw her.
"Huh..."
He muttered.
His eyes widened, his heart raced, his body trembled.
He wasn't used to seeing her, because her face was identical to Lessa's.
Her twin.
The trauma and regret still haunted him.
"Le-... no, she's not.
What is she doing here?"
He thought.
"U-Um, are you... Lessa's twin?"
He asked nervously, though he already knew.
She still pointed her sword at him and responded:
"I don't waste time on murderers like you by giving my name.
What I need is for you to explain what's happening right now.
Where are the other one thousand criminals the king sent?
Why are you standing next to that old man?
Answer me!!!"
She demanded furiously.
Albert's chest ached when he heard the word "murderer," and he lowered his head.
"I was with Mister Anon...
We were tasked to lead the group to fight Abaddon on the frontlines."
He clenched his teeth, bitter at the absurdity of sending them to die without real support.
"Why did you stop!!?"
She shouted.
"Then, we spotted two Generals of Abaddon. We thought we could defeat them, so we charged carelessly...
B-But... we underestimated them. One of them had a powerful artifact that erased those in the front without leaving a single drop of blood.
When they saw it, they all ran. Their courage to fight was broken.
Me and Mister Anon then planned to attack from behind, using the snowstorm's cover. Luckily, I managed to defeat the general who wielded the spear artifact, the one who killed so many with that giant ball of hot energy.
But then... somehow, the storm suddenly stopped. After I killed that spear wielder, I saw Mister Anon fighting the other general.
After that... I don't know what happened. I collapsed.
T-That's all I have. Rest assured, ma'am, it's the truth.
I'm afraid you can't trust me, but even so... please believe me."
He pleaded.
He told her everything that had happened before regaining consciousness and seeing Anon's corpse.
But he didn't mention that he had fought Abaddon's army alone and mysteriously returned to the moment he first woke up.
"Please believe me."
He whispered, still unable to raise his face.
She was shocked and surprised that Albert had defeated a general, something no one in the kingdom had ever achieved.
She lowered her sword.
"Follow me."
She commanded.
Albert hadn't expected her not to question him further.
He lifted his head.
"M-May I dig a grave for my friend first?"
He asked.
"I don't know where she intends to take me, but I don't care,"
he thought.
"Alright, have your time," she said in a lofty tone. "It's strange for a murderer to care for a mere corpse," she thought.
She stood and observed Albert as he began digging, leaning on her sword for support.
While watching his back, she recalled the days she had disguised herself as Lessa to befriend Albert.
"How cruel the past has been to us... I shouldn't have remembered it."
She thought, forcing back the tears welling in her eyes.
As she watched, she noticed the shovel Albert was using and wondered how he had acquired it.
"A wise killer,"
she thought.
"Hey!! Where did you get that shovel?"
She demanded.
"Ohh, I used my artifact to get it."
He answered.
Her brow furrowed in curiosity.
"Then, is your artifact a small object? I didn't see any weapon on you."
She asked.
Albert climbed out of the deep hole he had dug for Anon's grave.
He carried Anon's body and buried it.
After finishing, he turned to face her.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't answer your question earlier."
He didn't answer directly, not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to reveal that his artifact had fused with him. If he did, she might not believe him.
He searched for the best rational answer.
"Hurry up and answer me."
She pressed.
Albert stuck the shovel upright into the snow.
He turned toward her but avoided her gaze, seeing her eyes reminded him too much of Lessa.
"To be blunt, my artifact is inside me."
He said.
Her eyes widened.
"Ahem, so you ate your artifact... and you can still use it?"
She assumed.
Albert gave only a vague answer, letting her assume what she wanted.
She turned away, sheathed her sword, and declared:
"Alright, prisoner Albert, you have passed the trial. Now, you will face the king for cleansing of your evilness.
Follow me!"
What she meant was the King's promise: that prisoners who fought on the frontlines could earn a chance to justify themselves for their crimes.
Albert hesitated. He couldn't trust the king.
"How about... those who ran?"
He asked.
She stopped, clicking her tongue.
"Stop asking unnecessary questions. Those who ran are not allowed to enter the barrier anyway.
The boundary of the north is the King's creation. The black clothes we gave you all carry a code that identifies you to the King and decides whether you are worthy to enter or not."
She explained quickly.
Albert didn't ask further, though he was skeptical about the barrier she mentioned.
They continued walking.
Then suddenly, Albert struck an invisible wall.
"M-Ma'am!! I can't enter!!"
He shouted, panicked.
She stopped and turned.
"Stop addressing me as 'Ma'am.' My name is Lina."
Then her eyes widened in shock when she realized Albert truly couldn't enter.
Her gaze hardened, deadly serious, as she unsheathed her sword.
"How unlucky of you,"
she said, her voice low and strong.