Level Up Legacy

Covered in black lighting from head to toe, Eragon had a body that resembled a giant wolf. Its black lighting crackled over its body, covering its arms and legs. As for Arthur’s face, Suyin couldn’t see it. All she could see were a pair of red eyes staring at her with rage, even as they tried to save her.

The two giant stone snakes were about to collide when Eragon snatched her midair. He could not escape in time, and the hill crashed into the mountain with the two of them between them. Even covered with black lightning holding her, she was unharmed.

‘It’s so cold,’ thought Suyin as Eragon held her to his chest. The black lightning seemed to be no ordinary mana but an emotion manifested as power. She could feel the wrath he had. It was such a cold and lonely feeling. ‘Why would Arthur carry such a feeling?’

BOOM!

She could see nothing except hear a loud deafening noise accompanied by a howl from Eragon. It sounded in pain, and even as it protected her, it was still wrathful. The rage hurt him the most, even when he attacked others.

After a few seconds, sunlight struck her eyes, and Suyin opened them. She was falling from the sky, still in Eragon’s embrace, while the two mountains above them fused to form an arch. However, as she turned toward the man, he seemed to have been harmed.

Even as they crashed to the ground, Eragon protected her. His body slammed to the ground and caved, but Suyin felt no impact, as if his chest was a shield against everything. The black lightning started dissipating from his body as the dust settled, slowly revealing the man beneath the monster.

Suyin pushed herself up to get a better look at him. As the manifested emotion disappeared, Arthur Silvera appeared from underneath it. However, his skin seemed cracked as cobwebs of black lines ran across his body.

“Arthur…” muttered Suyin with a shaky voice, her hands mirroring it. Her fingers ran across the cracks in his skin, which seemed to cover all of his body, starting from his chest. His torn shirt revealed a black circle engraved on his chest, which was the source of the cracks. “Can you hear me, Arthur?”

Her hands held his chest to shake him awake. However, his eyes were closed, refusing to open. Two streams of blood covered his face, reaching to his chin. She lightly wiped them away as footsteps came from behind her.

“He has finally lost consciousness,” said a voice from behind, which Suyin knew its master. “You must be the woman for whom he fought this battle and why he lost.”

“What are you talking about?” frowned Suyin as she turned toward the tall, whitish man. His grin was covering his face, but he looked scary even though he was radiating light.

“That strength came from his uncontrolled emotions. If he had kept using the power of sins, he would have defeated me. However, your appearance brought him back to his sense and the goal he had: to save you.”

Suyin could feel her heart tremble as she heard those words. Her greatest fear was to be a hindrance to the man she admired. It reminded her again of her dream, but she couldn’t agonize for long. The creature took a step forward, making her flinch.

“Who are you, sir?” asked Suyin as she turned around and shielded Arthur. “What do you want from us?”

“I am the Sin of Pride, Cassius,” said Cassius while looking down at her. Then, he turned toward Arthur and walked another step. “Move aside, or I will kill both of you.”

“You want to kill him?” asked Suyin with fear before reaching out toward her sword. It was nicked from all the fighting but could still kill a man. “Don’t come closer!”

“Are you going to use that old thing against me?” asked Cassius, waving his finger, and the sword bent like a snake before piercing her arm. Suyin cried before letting go of it, and it rolled on the ground before turning back to normal. “Have you ever heard about calamities?”

“I… I have,” said Suyin while holding her forearm. “And I don’t care who you are. You must kill me first if you want to kill him!”

Suyin was afraid, extremely so. The pain in her arm felt like it wanted to push her into escaping, but she refused. Her sword was useless now, as it would attack her before attacking him.

“Courage, again,” sighed Cassius before waving a finger, and the sword flew toward him. Then, he grabbed it and split it into two, making it into two thin blades, before throwing them at a speed that Suyin couldn’t see.

Woosh!

The two swords pierced through her feet, making Suyin cry in pain before falling on her lower back. Suyin could no longer move her body because the swords were impaled into the ground.

“Do you want to know why I’m keeping you alive?” said Cassius as he walked past her and picked Arthur up. Suyin reached out toward the sword to remove it, but it refused to budge. “This is out of gratitude because I would have never been able to defeat Eragon without you.”

“Leave him be! His name is Arthur!” shouted Suyin as she grabbed Cassius’ leg, trying to stop him. The calamity paused and stared at her before looking at the swords impaling her feet.

“If I drag you along, then your feet will be sliced in two,” said Cassius with a grin. “Would you endure the pain and a lifetime of being a cripple for his sake?”

Suyin was silent before opening her mouth and biting him. She wanted to tear his flesh but couldn’t even break the skin. Cassius stared at her before he pulled his leg and Suyin with him, and she cried in pain.

“Let go, or this ground will drink your blood.”

“Leave him alone!” shouted Suyin as she pulled with her arm, seeking to stop him. The calamity was silent before he started pulling his leg, and the sword began to slice her feet apart. “AAH!” cried Suyin in pain, but Cassius didn’t stop, and she didn’t let go.

Even after both her feet were slashed apart and her bones crushed to pieces, Suyin didn’t let go. She was dragged by Cassius, who stopped beside Arthur and looked down on her.

“Foolish human, even if you lost your feet, this man cannot be saved,” said Cassius as he grabbed her arms and lifted her in the air. “If I die, another sin will chase him. If every sin dies, then the guardians will kill him. So this man will know no rest until the day he dies, all because of one stupid decision.”

Suyin was growing dizzy as she dangled in front of the calamity, who stared at her with disinterest before throwing her. She rolled for several meters before stopping, and Cassius was already holding Arthur by the throat.

“Leave… him…!” said Suyin as she tried to stand but fell when her mangled feet touched the ground. The pain was so severe that she wished to cut them off, but she knew that if she backed away now, she would lose Arthur.

Suyin rose to her feet and stood on her bleeding feet. She took one step at a time, almost tripping over her ripped shoes. Cassius was still staring at the mark on Arthur’s chest with disgust.

“I cannot believe this. I thought this was some trick, but this man is indeed a vessel for two beings: one a sin and the other a king,” said Cassius while raising his hand again. “He needs to die.”

“I said, leave him alone!” shouted Suyin as she dragged her feet toward the calamity, who flicked his finger toward her. A wave of compressed air slammed her flying backward and rolling on the ground again.

“Silence, woman,” Cassius said before raising his hand toward the sky while the other held Arthur. “I need to extract the sin before killing him. Otherwise, he will reincarnate into another vessel.”

Suyin spat the dirt out of her mouth as she tried to rise. Her feet could no longer move, and any touch would send pain through her legs. As she raised her head to stare at Cassius and Arthur, despair filled her heart.

“Please, Arthur. Please wake up and run,” she said with tears. “I’m so weak and helpless that I can’t do anything. Please, Arthur.”

Her tears were streaming down her face as she wished for someone or something to save him. She could feel the change in the aura around the calamity holding Arthur, and she knew he was attempting something.

“Anything, please!” shouted Suyin toward the sky, and her cry penetrated the clouds.

Weng~~~

A ringing sound echoed from Arthur’s body as something lit up from his pocket. Cassius stopped with a frown, sensing something was amiss. Suyin was confused as she watched an object leave Arthur’s pocket and hover above the two calamities.

“…my hairpin?”