Chapter 139: Weaver's Smile [1]
n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
***
Amon's eyes opened with a flash as he felt something cold settle on his skin.
A cloudless gray sky entered his vision and he finally regained control over himself.
He quickly sat up and found himself in the same spot where he had first appeared after they teleported inside.
All the students from his camp were currently lying on the ground, sleeping peacefully.
He could even see Elizabeth and Alya in the distance.
And also...
Dylan.
it was an illusion from the moment they entered the boundaries...
He thought it was only the prison but he seemed to be wrong.
Even that girl Rebecca was lying peacefully in the distance.
Suddenly, Amon heard a hiss in the air, as he felt something slithering on his arm.
His gaze quickly traveled down, where he saw a purple and black scaled snake the length of Amon's arm.
Its crimson eyes peered into Amon's black ones.
"You are awake, human."
"Yeah." Amon nodded.
"So it was an illusion from the moment we entered the camp?" He asked.
And he saw the snake hiss in response, its tongue coming out.
"Yes, for several years, I waited for my moment. All while corrupting the minds of the humans that resided inside the walls."
"I see."
It was fair enough.
After all, they were the first class or group to travel to this location.
Most academies wouldn't send their classes to a dangerous place like this.
A place where the Black Tear was just a few miles away.
But Arthur....
He was just wrong in his head.
Suddenly, the sound of a portal opening was heard behind him.
And from it, Athena emerged with several batches of soldiers.
As soon as her eyes landed on Amon, instantly a portal opened beneath him.
And with it, Amon fell into the large hole, saving him from the multiple eyes of the guards behind him.
***
Amon emerged in the room where he had once been hospitalized with Michael.
It surprised him a little but he realized it must have been the only room that came to Athena's mind at that moment.
After all, she couldn't teleport him to his room without entering it first.
As he landed on the bed, Amon scanned the room.
It was neatly kept, with all the things arranged beautifully.
There was a bright sky outside and he could hear the seagulls chirping beside the blue sea.
He quickly moved back to the present situation after finding no one to be in the room with him.
"That woman..." The snake hissed on his arm.
"She's strong." He said.
Amon nodded.
"If not for the years that took the spell to strengthen itself, she would have pierced through it in an instant." It explained.
"Oh."
This was why as soon as the spells ended, the portals opened up.
Athena probably wasn't able to enter the space because of the spell, also cutting off their connection from the outside world.
As he was about to move forward, Amon's eyes suddenly widened.
Wait but...
He turned to the snake, shocked.
"Didn't you just say that you didn't know that woman from before?" He asked.
And the snake hissed in agreement.
"But the people I saw in the illusion... They were all those people sleeping beside me weren't they?" He asked.
The snake hissed in agreement again.
But then...
"That woman, she was in the illusion." He told the snake and immediately saw it glare at him.
"Impossible. No one could enter or leave that illusion and I'm positive that she wasn't in the illusion." It explained.
"Yes, if she was a little stronger, she would be able to pierce through the spell. But with the strength I saw, it's impossible."
Amon's eyes widened at its next dialogue.
'A little stronger.'
Those words rang inside his mind.
In his illusion, it wasn't just two people.
There was also someone next to her.
A person who wasn't just 'a little stronger' than her.
Arthur...
Amon shuddered in fear.
His title 'The Strongest' made just a lot more sense to Amon now.
A spell that took years for the horror to make...
Yet Arthur broke through it so easily.
In any case, Amon didn't mention it to the snake.
He suddenly remembered something.
"Was she able to see you?" He asked.
Fair enough. Amon nodded.
After all, no way would he be able to remember everyone's names.
And although it was better for the people to not know about the illusion, Amon wanted the
main cast to remember the memories.
Yes, even though he manipulated a lot of them and broke their mentality.
It would bring some issues as well but this was what he wanted to do.
And the main reason for this was the development of their group.
It was only on this trip that he was able to further develop his relationship with characters he
hadn't talked to before.
Like Alya.
They were very close friends now.
The same could be said for the other characters as Ren familiarized himself with Charlotte
and Michael got closer to Elizabeth.
There was also the development between him and Elizabeth...
But yes, this was what he wanted to do.
Even though it would make Elizabeth remember that conversation and make Michael have
that mental pressure again.
Before this trip, even though they were a group, they weren't particularly close to each other.
They were just a pack of strangers that decided to sit together.
But now, they seemed like actual friends.
Something he wanted to do before revealing his power to the world.
This was also crucial because of the mid-terms, familiar ceremony, and the cultural festival
that was coming up ahead.
For all this, he needed the main cast to band together.
Something that was done on this trip. Except for Liliana of course.
'That bitch should just die in a ditch.'
He quickly told all their names to the snake, who nodded after a second.
"I'm done, human. They should be able to remember now."
Amon's face suddenly twitched at the fact that they were calling each other human and snake
all this time.
"Don't you have a name? Or should I just call you Derek?" Amon asked.
The snake shook its head.
"I don't care, you can call me whatever you want." It said.
At its words, Amon started to ponder.
He wasn't particularly good with names but...
He tried to think hard.
Eventually, he came up with a goofy name from his previous life of a flop game.
"Okay, I'll name you Vainglory." He said.
It just resonated with the personality of the snake for him.
The snake paused for a second.
"..."
"What? Don't you like the name?" Amon asked.
"No, I couldn't care less about the name. But, what's your name?" The snake asked,
embarrassed as if it had forgotten to ask the most obvious thing in the world.
"It's Amon. Amon Ashford." He said.
"Very well." Vain slithered up his arm.
"Let's see the ques-"
Amon's eyes widened with shock.
He had completely forgotten about the most important thing of this whole drama.
The quest...
With worried eyes, he quickly tried to open up the tab.
But just as he was about to, the door of the cottage opened.
And in entered a wet Arthur, wearing casual shorts with his abs exposed.
"Amelia..." He called out, rubbing his eyes before suddenly stopping.
His eyes locked with Amon.
"Oh wait, brat, when did you get here?" He asked.
Amon clicked his tongue.
As if this geezer found out just now.
"Don't act like you don't know geezer." He pointed at the shadow on the ground.
Arthur broke into laughter before settling down on the sofa.
"Seriously, youngsters these days." He rubbed his hair to throw out the water and dirt in
them.
Amon suddenly felt a strong grip on its arm.
"H-Huma-..A-amon..." Vain called him out.
Amon looked down into its crimson eyes, which were filled with shock and fear.
He tilted his head.
"Who is that abomination?" It pointed.
Amon looked up.
"Ah..."
A smile pulled on Amon's lips as he saw the snake also feel fear.
"That's a man you should never mess with. Even in your wildest 'illusions'."