Chapter 8: "The Serpent’s Pain"

The Plague within his body writhed frenetically, a black whirlwind boiling with rage. A putrid smell emanated from him. He had been dead for days or weeks, yet his magic forced him to feel every torn muscle, every decomposed organ, every illusory heartbeat of a heart that no longer existed.

"You… human… kill him…" said the golem.

I don’t want to. The idea of taking his life disgusts me,it knots my stomach.

"He will die on his own. The Plague will consume him and leave no trace," I replied, sure he wouldn’t insist.

"No… You must be the one… to kill him… If you don’t… you won’t be worthy… of that sword." His voice was hoarse and broken. Each sentence ended with a rough sigh.

Even though my mind insists that the best solution is to end him, my body rebels. The very thought makes me break out in a cold sweat, my heart races uncontrollably, and my throat tightens.

"Why do you say that if I don’t kill him I won’t be worthy to wield the sword?" I asked, prolonging the conversation to avoid imagining what the golem was demanding me to do.

Zera looked at us, petrified, outraged by the topic of our discussion.

"You don’t understand… A long time ago… there was a noble Knight… kind and benevolent… One day… blinded by ambition… he began to attack… the weak…"

"And what does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

I needed to get out of here and let someone else deal with the Knight, not stay talking about old stories of no importance.

"Don’t interrupt him, Darek. Legends give life the epic shine it lacks. Go on, tell it all."

"He killed… stole… caused suffering… to those he loved most… Faced with so much violence… the serpent died… the sword began… to deteriorate…"

Is that why it’s rotten?

"The more damage… he wreaked… the more it cracked… At its limit… the sword made a deal… with the Ash… to avoid… breaking…"

So it’s linked to the Ash. Like the Plague, it is an element born from Ruin. Could it be just as dangerous?

"Now it comes to life… to inflict torment… on whoever wields it… It must be swung… at the most critical moments… when life… and death… blur…"

"Is that why when I struck the Knight I felt an explosion in my chest? Did the Serpent transmit its pain to me?"

Zera moved closer to better observe my new toy.

"It’s amazing! A weapon that reflects pain! I’d never heard of such an ability, much less in a sword! Although, actually, I’d never heard of swords at all… Life at the mansion was very boring." She continued muttering to herself, but I paid her no mind.

"You got it… human… That’s why… you must kill him… Let yourself fall… into the abyss of death… for the first time…"

Experience death? I’ve done that… and look at me, I’m very much alive.

"And what if I refuse?"

"Your journey here… will have been in vain… You will have to face me… for disturbing… the serpent’s rest…"

"I don’t agree with killing someone either… but he’s no longer alive; he’s become a living corpse. His desire for power created a weakness in him, and the Plague took advantage of it," Zera said, precise and clear.

She’s right.

The Plague kept twisting inside his body. I watched him closely and noticed muffled moans escaping from him. He suffered with every passing second.

That thing stopped being human a long time ago, yet it still feels pain. The Plague doesn’t allow it to rest in peace; it forces him to agonize. I don’t want to kill him out of mercy—he’s a Knight.

"If… you don’t… do it… I won’t grant you… the sword…" It was a threat. He straightened up and clenched the only fist he had left.

Doubt crossed the barrier of my mind and affected my body. My arms trembled, sweating so heavily that Zera noticed.

"I support you, no matter your decision." She placed her hand on my shoulder. "If you don’t want to kill him, return the sword and we’ll look for another one."

How wrong I was about her—she’s a good person. I shouldn’t have tried to abandon her on the mountain. I was prejudiced and selfish.

I approached the Knight.

I killed in my past life. So why is it so hard for me now?

My mind became a battlefield. The faces of my loved ones—family and friends—twisted before my eyes: every laugh turned into a cruel echo that pierced my head. My body trembled under the weight of those distorted memories. Every voice that had once comforted me turned against me, twisting reality and plunging me into an abyss of remorse.

They are ghosts I am not willing to face… yet.

"Think about it… you are helping him, that’s the only way to save him. No… How can I say that? Save someone by killing him? What kind of world is this?"

Zera was horrified by the naturalness with which she entertained those thoughts. She fell to her knees, covered her face, and began to cry.

This world started affecting her. Poor thing… and we’re only at the beginning of the journey.

The Plague inside the Knight devoured his body; it had mutated into a shapeless mass. His laments echoed through the air.

"I will listen to you, for once. I will kill him, but not to save him. I hate Knights; may they rot in hell for all eternity. I will do it to earn the sword."

That thing is no longer human; its life has no value.

With the tip of my sword, I traced his entire body until I found his heart. As I pierced it, the serpent came to life and sank its fangs into me.

This is what I deserve.

I felt an indescribable pain that shattered my soul—a familiar pain, identical to the one that had ended my life.

Today I killed for the second time.