Chapter 159 [Event] [Enigma Red Dungeon] [20] Brandon Delavoic



New Discord Link in Synopsis as well: https://discord.gg/WsDS9Tse

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"...after killing your mother, I gouged out her eyes."

I stomped the ground and threw a punch, but Brandon easily sidestepped, evading my attack effortlessly. Undeterred, I spun on my heels and aimed a roundhouse kick at him, this time imbuing my leg with the Anathemas Fire.

"What a beautiful shade of purple," Brandon remarked with a smile, catching my leg bare-handed. "But you're still just a child to me, Edward," he added, effortlessly throwing me aside.

I quickly regained my footing, wiping away my tears. "I will kill you for that." I extended my hand and conjured a purplish blazing sword.

Brandon didn't seem interested in killing me. As I had expected, he wanted to recruit me to his side, but that would never happen.

"Falkrona Bloodline, Second Wing," I accelerated my speed and appeared beside Brandon. My sword traced a circle in the air as I aimed to slice his head, but once again, it proved futile.

Brandon caught my sword with his bare hand, unaffected by the flames. The fire seemed to have no effect on him.

"You're strong and talented. Don't waste your potential in that school for children," he urged.

"Buzz off!" I yelled, retrieving my white staff. The words echoed in my mind, 'After killing your mother, I gouged out her eyes.'

"I will kill you, fucker!"

But I couldn't. I couldn't remain calm. His eyes... the same eyes as my mother's, yet they looked at me with a foreign coldness. These weren't the gentle eyes I was used to seeing.

For the first time, Brandon's eyes softened slightly, and it was at that moment that I seized my chance with the white staff made from the Eden's Tree.

I would kill him with that.

"Join me and you will understand."

I channeled an immense amount of mana into my white staff. "Are you mocking me?" I gritted my teeth. "You killed my mother, and you think I'll join you?!"

"You have a narrow perspective, Edward," Brandon replied, shaking his head, further fueling my anger.

"Enough." I tightened my grip on the staff and thrust it forward. "Burning Claws of Vysindra!"

"Vysindra was the Renegade Dragon who terrorized humanity five hundred years ago," Brandon calmly recited. "It was only a hundred years later that he was finally slain by the First Emperor of the Redhorah Empire. Yet, the fear instilled by Vysindra still reverberates throughout the empire to this day."

-BOOOOOM!

The smoke cleared, revealing Brandon without a single scratch. He remained unscathed.

That damn power of his...

"Fourth Wing," I muttered, jumping back.

The surrounding mana started to converge around me.

[Edward-]

No!

I won't run from this bastard!

Regaining my stance, I twirled my staff and drew in all the surrounding mana, coating my staff with Ruah, further enhancing its power.

"You can control Ruah as well..." Brandon's smile widened. "You truly are full of surprises."

"Septem Treina..." I whispered as my staff glowed with white light. "Sweep him away!" With incredible speed, I swung my staff.

Brandon took the attack but shielded his sides with his arm.

-BOOOM!

A powerful shockwave reverberated through the surroundings, causing the very ground to tremble beneath me. Gritting my teeth, I watched in frustration as Brandon stood unperturbed, barely a scratch on him. His feet shifted ever so slightly, taunting me with his elusive superiority.

Why?

Why couldn't I even land a single blow on him?

"You are lacking control, Edward," Brandon's voice echoed around me as he vanished from his previous position.

Instinctively, I activated my First Wing, my body instinctively reacting to the imminent danger. I ducked down, narrowly evading Brandon's reaching arm.

"Good reflex, but..." he began, only to be interrupted by the impact of his powerful kick slamming into my stomach.

"Aah!" The air was forcibly expelled from my lungs, causing my vision to blur and my consciousness to waver.

[Edward.]

Biting down on my tongue, I rolled desperately along the ground, fighting against the encroaching darkness. When my eyes finally fluttered open, they met the sight of Brandon's boot descending towards my vulnerable head.

"Fuck-!"

In a split-second decision, I raised my staff, gripping it tightly with both hands, using it as a feeble shield.

-Bam!

The impact reverberated through my body as my staff absorbed the force of the blow. The ground cracked beneath me, sending waves of pain shooting up my back. My arms quivered under the strain, threatening to break under the immense pressure.

"This world is corrupted, Edward. This world is corrupted to the core," Brandon's voice seeped into my consciousness as he seized me by my tracksuit, hurling me mercilessly against the rocky wall.

-Bam!

Agony exploded within me as I coughed up blood, collapsing to my knees in a haze of suffering.

"Eden. This supreme 'God' that you all pray to and worship is the beginning of all evil," Brandon's words washed over me, but I remained defiant, my swollen eyes fixed upon him.

"I didn't want to kill Oryanna, and I truly considered Thomen as my friend. But he refused to listen to me, and Oryanna ended up discovering what I wanted. It's merely the resulting consequences of unfortunate events, Edward," he explained, his voice laced with a disturbing calmness.

"I-I don't care about your shitty excuses..." I forced myself to stand, my hands clenching the staff tightly. "You killed my mother. That's all I care about."

"Eden is the one ultimately responsible," Brandon insisted.

"Fuck off!" Fueled by a surge of rage, I launched myself at him once more, but in a shocking turn of speed, Brandon caught me by the neck, slamming me forcefully into the unforgiving ground.

Panic coursed through me as I desperately reached for Trinity Nihil—

[No.]

Jarvis's sudden shout reverberated within my mind, compelling me to hesitate.

[Don't draw that sword in his presence, Edward. Never.]

What am I supposed to do then?

If this continues, I will die.

[If he wanted to kill you, you would already be dead, Edward.]

Then he's using me as a punching bag, a mere plaything?

I can't bear to look at him, to see his eyes.

"You have the talent, but Thomen made you weak," Brandon's voice drifted to me in a low tone, barely audible. "His thirst for vengeance and his fear of losing more than he already had is driving him mad and insane. Oryanna was there to mend his deep wounds."

"What the hell are you blabbering about?" I struggled against his grip, my voice dripping with anger and confusion.

I couldn't bear to hear any more of his twisted narrative. But deep down, the doubts lingered. What 'wounds' had my father carried before my mother's death? Was there something I didn't know?

Brandon paid no heed to my question and pressed on. "Oryanna did everything to heal your father's torments, but he couldn't forget. And do you know why, Edward?"

I remained silent, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.

"You must have already guessed," Brandon sneered. "It was because you were here. Your mere presence was painful for Thomen."

"Shut up!" I shouted, my struggle starting to weaken. The weight of his words was becoming unbearable.

I already knew. Deep down, I had always known.

He had never truly cared for me from the beginning. Our family had never been whole.

"You were a constant reminder of what he had lost," Brandon continued, his voice filled with malicious satisfaction. "Oryanna couldn't hide her disappointment either. You were an outsider in their happy family, an intruder."

"..." I couldn't find the strength to respond. The pain consumed me.

[Don't listen to him, Edward. He's trying to manipulate you.] Jarvis's voice echoed in my mind, trying to lift my spirits.

I tried to block out the voices, to find the strength within myself to resist Brandon's words, but doubt and despair clouded my mind. 

"Do you dare to uncover the truth, Edward? Why did your father spurn you? Why did your mother feign distance under the guise of work?" His voice slithered with calculated malice, his eyes gleaming with a sick satisfaction. I recoiled, the weight of his accusations too heavy to bear. I refused to believe that my parents held such secrets.

My father might be hiding things—no I was certain that he was hiding things to me but not my mother. She always had been truthful and caring to me.

I refused to accept that.

"We share more than you can fathom, Edward. I loathe Eden, despise this masquerade that sickens me to the core. Can you not feel the same revulsion? Your very existence defies the virtues and foundations of Eden. You were born as a failure—a blemish upon its grand design."

My mind started to numb at this point.

"...but that's precisely what sets you apart, Edward. You were never meant to be a part of the feeble ranks of Eden's followers, lost in their misguided devotion." Brandon's words dripped with disdain, each syllable designed to undermine my sense of belonging.

-BOOOOOM!

As the numbness consumed my mind, a sudden explosion erupted, violently separating me from Brandon. The force of the impact sent him hurtling away, his presence momentarily diminished. My heart raced as I recognized the familiar dark hair that had come to my rescue. Relief flooded through me. "Mary, what are you doing here?" I exclaimed, a mix of worry and gratitude in my voice.

Mary stood before me, her eyes filled with determination. "I am no longer weak, Nyr," she declared. "I refuse to be forever blocked by you. If you were to die, I….I won't let you die." Her voice held a newfound strength, as she summoned a multitude of mirrors that surrounded us.

Brandon regained his composure, landing gracefully on the ground. He observed Mary with a keen eye, his curiosity piqued. "Interesting," he mused, his gaze assessing her carefully. "How many secrets are you hiding, Edward?" His voice trailed off as he scrutinized Mary further, a glint of suspicion in his eyes. "You... are dead, and there is something undeniably peculiar about you."

Unfazed by Brandon's scrutiny, Mary smiled radiantly. "Regardless of everything you've said, Edward will always be 'my' light," she proclaimed, her voice unwavering. "I don't care if that light shines brightly or dwells in darkness."

Mary's words struck a chord deep within me, leaving me speechless. The depth of her acceptance overwhelmed me, touching my heart in ways words could not express. 

Brandon, seemingly intrigued by Mary's steadfast resolve, snapped his fingers with an air of nonchalance. A wave of destructive energy rippled through the air, shattering the mirrors that encircled us. The shards tinkled and fell to the ground, their reflective power extinguished.

"He truly is a freak…" 

With a final warning, Brandon spun on his heels, his departure abrupt and unsettling. "I have said enough," he declared, his voice carrying a weight of finality. "Edward, this is your last chance. Come with me. If you choose to ascend further in the treacherous depths of this Enigma Dungeon..." He turned to meet my gaze, our eyes mirroring each other's color. "Only despair will await you." And with that ominous message, he vanished into thin air.

Before I could fully process the encounter, Annabelle materialized out of nowhere, her small frame trembling as she clung to my waist. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pleaded, "Y-You won't leave me alone, papa, will you? Promise me."

My heart ached at the sight of her vulnerability. I tenderly caressed her hair, reassuring her with a whispered promise, "I'm sorry, Anna…I won't leave you alone. I'll always be by your side."

Mary approached us, her own body trembling with a mix of emotions. Without hesitation, she enveloped me in a warm embrace, seeking solace and finding strength in our shared bond but the truth was that I was the one finding comfort in her warmth.

"Thank you," I murmured, my voice laden with gratitude and a touch of vulnerability.

I tried to project an air of calmness, but inside, my world was shaken by the revelations and manipulations of Delavoic.

'Only despair will await you.'

"..."

I can't step back now.