The dark clouds loomed above the charred forest, casting a gloomy atmosphere upon the land.
Below, the confrontation between two parties were present; the signs of battle still lingering around them. Many perished — both innocent and otherwise — in this great massacre in history where indiscriminate elimination was currently being executed.
Even so, one person found it within her heart to overcome her past and embrace the new day — to witness a new tomorrow.
While one also saw betrayal and utter confusion, unable to accept that she was able to move on just like that.
"I don't understand..." Grimacing, Forget Me Not could not hide his utter bafflement. "I can't understand... Aha..."
"We belong to the future, Forget Me Not." Vertin said, her hat slightly tilting to the side of her face.
Indeed, there were certain things in the future that those of the past wouldn't know. Certain solutions to certain dilemmas had been created, solving various problems for humanity.
It was only natural for someone from the past to not know this — that is a given, or course.
Isaac continued to watch the scene unfold, satisfied at the decent progress the story was progressing to. Without much to do, and worried that his presence might cause some certain anomalies to occur, he quietly sneaked away using his fog, slowly backing away from them.
'It's better for them to resolve this by themselves...' Having made sure that he was far enough and was encased in his thick layer of grayish-white fog, Isaac stood far. 'Can't be an active helper, after all. As Constantine would say it, I need them to grow.'
Finding a charred tree, he lingered for a moment before crouching down and sitting beneath it, a tired sigh escaping his mouth after doing so. Of course, he wasn't just sitting idly — he was also keeping an eye out for the normal humans that entered his fog, making sure to swiftly guide them out of the charred forest and to the Foundation's reinforcements outside.
Watching the scene not far from him, a faint smile appeared on his face. "They didn't even notice that I slipped away. Haha..."
His voice echoed in the fog, giving him no valid responses.
There was no one around him anymore — just as he wanted. But the dreadful silence of nothing but his own company was suffocating, to say the least.
But he can't complain much now. He had already made his decision, and could only hope that his plan of being a peripheral member of Vertin's team would work.
As for the loneliness it would bring, that was inevitable. Even so, he wasn't unfamiliar with it — in fact, loneliness and isolation were his bread and butter shortly after transmigrating.
It was just that, this time, he was no longer doing it involuntarily.
Soon, flowers began to blossom around him— all in a captivating shade of purple. Tracing them back to their source, he found that it was the result of Druvis' arcanum which she had activated while still talking to Forget Me Not.
- Boom!
That lunatic, Forget Me Not, meanwhile, was still activating the potions he had given out while they talked — resulting in the explosion of quite a lot of both normal humans and Manus Disciples. A look of resignation was present on his face; as if Druvis' betrayal was a hard blow for him.
Soon, something changed.
Isaac frowned, sensing something fluctuating from within Forget Me Not, as if he was about to manifest something extraordinary.
"This arcanum fluctuation... This could only mean one thing."
The boss fight was about to commence. That means... "She" would soon appear.
Remembering that person, Isaac pondered for a moment before making a decision — clearly distraught whether to go through with this thought process.
Just then — right before he was about to act — a pair of hands suddenly graced down upon his shoulders, holding him in place.
Those hands were agile and delicate, yet their mere touch sent shivers down his spine; his hairs standing up on end. His face froze as his eyes contracted, feeling and hearing the sludgy sensation touching him. He knows who this was.
"Curious, has thou arrived to also witness growth?" An almost archaic set of words reached his ears, uttered by a woman. "I must hand it to thee, for providing assistance for mine possession."
'...why did I have to meet her here?' Remaining composed in this situation, Isaac didn't do any agitated movements nor did he try to escape. Instead, he merely followed the mood. "What do you want?"
He didn't immediately get a response, but instead, he heard a soft sound akin to a scoff that escaped her lips. A moment later, she replied. "I have been watching thee."
"Thou hast aroused mine interest with the arcanum of thee. It affects the minds, crawls inside, and lays the eggs of suspicion and mistrust." She explained, still gently holding on to him. "Thine arcanum is slightly similar to mine. Yet thou reject it, why is that?"
"...it has only brought me suffering thus far." Isaac answered, his brows slightly furrowing. "And I do not wish for it to become more than what it currently is. Especially since..."
Mustering up all of his immaterial courage, he tilted his head slightly and turned around, meeting the yes of the person holding on to him. "I don't want to turn out like you."
Standing right behind him was — unironically — a stunningly beautiful yet dangerous woman. She was slightly taller than Isaac — but only by a couple of inches, but even then, her presence completely dominated his.
She had long, flowing dark blue hair that cascaded in soft waves, giving her an ethereal and captivating look. Her golden eyes stand out against her pale skin, drawing attention with a calm, almost knowing expression — as if she had already seen through you and know your next moves.
She wore a form-fitting black evening gown with a high slit that reveals one leg, enhancing her allure. The gown had a unique lace-up bodice design with a revealing cutout across her chest and sides, mixing mystery with sophistication.
Indeed, that was how Isaac would perfectly describe her. Beneath that alluring, mysterious, and sophisticated look was a monsterous being — a dangerous being.
It was none other than Arcana. The leader of the Manus Vindictae.
Upon hearing Isaac's boldfaced and seemingly fearless declaration right literally in front of her face, an alluring smile appeared on her face. "Thou is more brave than I thought, or perhaps it was idiocy?"
"The shadows of thou past haunts thee like a sinister shadow. It prevents thee from moving on with thy life, chasing thou to oblivion."
After saying those archaic words, Arcana soon lifted one of her hands and placed it in front of Isaac for him to see. From her black hands which appeared to have been covered with ink, viscous dark liquid soon started dripping down as she continued. "Follow me, and thou shalt receive guidance. Be a lamb among mine pastures and be raised above."
In short, the crazy woman was offering him to join the Manus Vindictae.
Upon hearing this, a dry chuckle escaped his lips. Sure, if this was a few months ago when he was battling an even bigger internal turmoil and was on the brink of insanity, he would have surely joined the Manus to quickly achieve his goals. But now, his vision was no longer tunneled and he can now think of the bigger picture.
In the end, following the protagonist was still far more beneficial.
"I'm sorry, but I refuse." He shook his head, still in her arms. "I've already sworn my allegiance to another. I might be many things — mostly a hypocrite — but my current loyalty is one of the few that I honor."
"If you want me, then convince Vertin first." He declared.
"Hm." Arcana, meanwhile, only hummed softly, as if she had already anticipated such an answer. She didn't seem dissatisfied nor offended, no, on the contrary, she smiled faintly. "Very well. I shall respect thy wishes. Should thou find it convenient, however, the Manus Vindictae shall always welcome thee."
She then let go of him — finally — and stepped back. After doing so, she soon slowly started to dissolve into dark ink to the ground.
Looking at Isaac, who appeared baffled, Arcana maintained her enigmatic smile before adding one last sentence before her departure. "Revenge is the core of Manus Vindictae. Should thou join us..."
"We will assist thou with..."
"..." Isaac remained silent, his brows furrowing upon hearing her words. She probably thought — no, she was certain that by mentioning that one bargaining chip, Isaac would naturally levitate towards the Manus.
Watching Arcana disappear into a puddle of black ink, Isaac stood in silence for a while, digesting her last sentence, before smirking.
"...revenge, huh?"
Unfortunately for her, Isaac was already locked in to his decision, and he won't be changing it anytime soon.
"Nothing ever goes well with revenge."