Requiem Of A Failed Hero

"Use attribute; creation"

Silence ensued and nothing happened after Raith spoke. He slapped his face in disappointment.

"Of course, you are the one in charge of the attributes, all information execution has to pass through you."

[...]

[GIVE UP ON PURSUING MEANINGLESS THINGS]

"Meaningless? Meaningless and you are stopping me from resurrecting right now?"

Raith smiled and sat down with his legs crossed, he folded his arms and closed his eyes.

"It's fine. I am ready to die right here and right now. Let's end it."

Raith was serious with the things he said. It was very obvious now that the abyss wanted to use him. And it wasn't going to give him the privilege of information, a lot of things had happened up to this point, and Raith was sure he had grown far stronger than he used to be.

But he was still in the dark, he was in the dark about a lot of things. Has answers to nothing and the abyss wanted to keep it that way, this was getting boring for Raith.

If the abyss would continue to withhold him due to certain reasons, then it is better off that he dies right here and right now.

He did have a few regrets but he was sure that Mok Jae-Hwa and the rest would take care of everything.

'So this is where everything comes to an end uh' He was currently in the process of steeling himself for his own death.

Meanwhile_on the outside.

Beelzebub stood with his hands behind his back, it's been a few hours but Raith was not standing up. He bent down and took a closer look–his eyes shot wider in shock.

Raith's body was beginning to go cold.

He was about to flare up and run to the town when he heard a sound.

"Hey, bastard!"

He paused and looked around.

"I'm talking to you, I'm right here."

He carefully traced the hoarse voice and finally, his eyes rated on the black ring that was around one of Raith's fingers.

"The ring?" He mumbled, unsure.

"I am Bal, the one this brat talked about"

Immediately Beelzebub dropped to the ground and bowed.

"My lord!!"

"I am not sure what you mean but I need you to do something quick"

"Anything my lord"

Such was Beelzebub's loyalty to Baal, that he would treat a mere sword created by his master with utmost respect as if he were relating to Baal himself.

"Remove me from his finger."

"Sir?"

"Be quick! He is dying!!"

Hearing that part, Beelzebub hurriedly drew out the ring from Raith's fingers, Immediately Bal transformed into a black sword and fell onto his hand.

As if the weight of the world fell on him, Beelzebub could not bear the weight of the sword and fell to his knees cracking the ground.

"I don't have the time to explain to you but you have to stab his heart with the sword."

"Sir?!"

"Listen, there are two hearts in his body. One needs to die so that the other can thrive perfectly, which is why we will kill it."

Beelzebub was still not understanding what Bal was saying, but the urgency in Bal's tone informed him that he didn't,, in fact, need to understand, he just needed to do as he was told.

But how was he going to lift the sword, all of his body was paralyzed and heavy because the sword was resting on his hand. How is he supposed to carry such a sword?

'How is he able to do it...'

The curiosity sprawled into his mind. That's right, how was Raith able to bear the weight of the sword without feeling it? Beelzebub himself was a witness to the birth of this sword, he saw when Baal completed and with the kind of person Baal was, he made it so that no one would be able to wield the sword except him.

So how is Raith able to wield the sword?

Beelzebub knitted his brows as he thought about it.

'He said he attuned with the sword after adding his blood.'

A sword created by Baal's blood can only accept Baal's blood. This was a prominition but if it is true then it better explains the premonition he has been having since he saw Raith. That urge to stay with him.

"Hey!!"

Right! This was not the time to be distracted by the thoughts, Bal said Raith was dying. If Raith should die then there would be no way of confirming his suspicions. Which is why he must do this.

"For the return of my master!!!"

He screamed as he grabbed the handle of the sword and began to lift it, with shit-dropping groans. But the sword, like a burden of endless night, refused to move an inch.

Bal itself wished that anyone was able to wield it because this was a desperate moment if they didn't act fast Raith could end up being dead forever.

As a matter of fact, he didn't even know what it was he wanted to do, all he had was a just feeling that if Raith's heart is crushed, something will happen.

As Beelzebub continued to strain his muscles against the weight of time, his flesh began to give away...with a silent plea, tearing like fragile parchment with horrendous pain etched into a dance of agony on his skin.

Each sinew's struggle, each fiber's strain, painted a portrait of Beelzebub's determination to save Raith— the hand of his new body was slowly tearing apart thanks to the crucible will of the sword. But even against such a mighty wall, Beelzebub showed astonishing courage and continued to pull...

And the result of his efforts finally came. Inch by inch the sword began to rise, defying the limits of mortal guise—with a last breathe pull, Beelzebub raised it with all his might, it cost another summon of strength to push his leg forward and just allow the sword to fall on Raith's heart.

Immediately he dropped the sword on Raith's chest, and he fell to the floor as if his back was breaking when he tried pushing his leg forward. He panted and continued to pant while lying there on the ground.

'Now what?'

Bal himself wondered after confirming that Raith's initial heart had been crushed.

A second passed, two seconds, a dozen seconds, a couple of minutes... Beelzebub patiently waited, sitting humbly before the sword.

Then after a while a pump was heard.

Ba-dump

Ba-dump

Ba-dump

From the new heart that was situated towards the right side of Raith's chest. That's right, the crystal heart began to pump blood into Raith's body since the original heart stopped working.

Meanwhile_

Raith suddenly felt a throb in his chest. Even though he was in a physical medium between life and death, he began to vomit blood.

[WHAT IS HAPPENING?!]

The abyss wailed into the darkness as it saw Raith begin to die for real.

Raith didn't like this but the agony in the abyss tone was very satisfying.

"This is so enjoyable for me. I guess you never thought that I would die that was why you were not freaked out before now."

He coughed blood.

"Well guess what dummy. I'm dying soon and you are back to square one with your plans of using people"

He said, holding out his middle finger.

Things began to get very slow, he could feel his senses dropping out. His body slowly became unresponsive...Raith was sure... this was the end for him.

But suddenly, the entire backdrop transformed into an immaculate canvas of purest white.

This immaculate canvas enveloped everything in a luminous white, as though the world had been cocooned in the embrace of untouched snow, radiating an ethereal purity that held both awe and wonder.

Raith turned around and looked, all sides were the same, and endless sprawl of whiteness to and beyond the horizon.

"Is this afterlife? Considering that I partnered with the devil, am I deserving of an afterlife?" He chuckled as he spoke to himself. His little mumblings echoed to the infinite ends of the white planes.

"No, this is not afterlife."

A thin voice almost like that of a female responded to him.

Raith didn't need to stress himself to look for the owner of the voice because, after the response, someone materialized in front of him.

The person in front of him possessed a kind countenance framed by a square-jawed face. His eyes were a serene shade of ocean blue, holding a depth of compassion that radiated warmth. A mop of chestnut hair, lightly tousled framed his forehead and cascaded down to his shoulders.

His physique was neither imposing nor frail but carried an air of approachability. His demeanor in fact seems to be drawing others to him like a gentle breeze on a tranquil day.

Raith raised a brow as he observed the gentle smile of the person in front of him. He was sure he had never come across someone like this person before. But yet for some reason... he seems to be able to recognize the person so much.

He stepped closer slowly to take a better look at the face, to confirm if he truly had seen the person.

But no, he had never. And so how can he be so sure?

His lips opened but closed back thanks to his hesitation. Weirdly, the man's gentle smile seemed to be encouraging him to say the word that danced at the tip of his lips.

In a final defiance of the struggle, Raith finally spoke...

"Fel?"