Chapter 966 The Past Of The Cursed Knight
-----
"Ying Shang, that bastard... He was a monster that killed my friend in one of the trials, despite that not being necessary for him to win. He was a well-known psychopath that enjoyed hunting Players. The Tower's rule incentivizes that too, as it rewards you with Experience, Special Titles, and even Skills." Eustace said. "I had thought we escaped from him forever, but he appeared again, taking on the bounty the Water Goddess left, and chasing us both."
"So this guy was a martial artist from this Chinese cultivation world?!" Maria asked in surprise. "Wait, so that's Murim?"
"Something like that..." Eustace sighed. "It isn't a bad place, although there are many evils, there are also righteous people that welcomed us when we visited it. It is the world right below Yggdrasil. Some of the people that live in Murim hate Yggdrasil because it holds a higher position than them, finding it unbelievable when they gauge the strength of the average person from here compared to their world... Nonetheless, he was a monster. We discovered that he had captured a Fragment of this World's Evil God, and assimilated it into his own Physique, evolving all his Martial Arts through this power."
"And that's when you fought him?" Celes asked shyly.
"Yes, that's when everything happened." Eustace nodded. "I fought him with everything I had, but I realized I had grown weak, my growth halted for too many years, and he had already fully surpassed me, and become someone overwhelming. He mocked my techniques, he mocked my guild, and then he killed me, cursing my Origin so I wouldn't even be able to rest in peace... Naiad managed to escape and then returned to my corpse, and building a temple for my corpse to rest in peace. She sealed me with spirit crystals, hoping that I could rest at ease, until she came back for me one day, to revive me... But I guess, she was never able to do so."
"T-This is so sad..." Nia, Celes' mother, continued sobbing as she heard the sorrowful story. "I'm so sorry for you, Eustace..."
"It's fine... I've been dead for a long while now." Eustace said. "But even now, what pains me the most is knowing my dear Naiad died by the hands of that monster. And because of that, I simply cannot pass away peacefully. If that monster is about to be revived, if Naiad's sacrifice was for nothing, then I must slay him myself, or at the very least, help you do so."
"Eustace!" Maria smiled, feeling relieved the soul was willing to fight, even after death.
"But... I've lost most of my powers after being purified." He felt sorry. "I don't know how much of a help I could be."
"Maybe we can do something about it." Maria smiled. "Celes, dear, come with me."
"Huh?" He was confused but followed her and reached Eustace. "What are we doing with mister Eustace?"
He was reborn anew, even after death.
"W-What is this form?" He wondered, looking at himself. "Is this truly me? I feel like... Naiad, she has blessed me with her powers. I've become like her own tribe."
"Wooow..." Celes was amazed. "Y-You're a Water Ghost now, mister Eustace!"
"Incredible, it worked!" Maria smiled fascinatedly.
A thread of azure light connected Eustace with Celes, becoming his new familiar a powerful ghost that would protect him from all harm with his sword and his shield.
FLAAASH!
"I'll protect you, little Celes. I am sure that's what Naiad would have wanted me to do."
"A ghost no longer bound by a curse and hatred, but bound by love and bonds, and a blessing..." She quickly started to think about her own situation. "I wonder... if I could ever become like him one day? No longer bound by my endless hatred and guilt?"
Although everyone seemed happy and amazed, she looked slightly melancholic. Her curse only grew stronger the more she evolved... She wondered if she could truly become like Eustace, or if she simply had to continue walking down the path she had chosen once she died.
However, she felt the warm hand of Lucifer patting her shoulders, and then that of Emeraldine, Partner, and lastly, Jonathan. She smiled faintly, deciding to leave those thoughts for another time.
"That's right... I am not alone either."
-----