Chapter 204: Ch 203: Out of time

Kael looked at Selene’s desperate face. Her eyes were trembling, indicating that she desperately wanted to tell someone what she was holding back.

So he decided to be that person for Selene.

"There is no need to feel like you are in trouble. I promise you can tell me everything you want, and I will listen quietly. I can do that much before the ceremony."

Kael insisted, wanting Selene to waste more time.

But unfortunately, just when things started to look up, Selene’s face hardened, and she changed her mind about telling him.

"I am afraid that we are out of time. Perhaps, I will tell you what we discussed one day. But that day is not today. Now, it is time for the ceremony."

Kael was pushed inside a barrier, and he immediately tested to see if he could break it.

The barrier was not fragile by any means. But it was not unbreakable either. With a little force, it would be possible to break it apart.

But Kael’s vision was suddenly blocked by a mass of black that eerily felt like corruption. But it was unlike any corruption he had sensed until now. This one felt ancient and hungry at the same time.

"You are making a mistake. I am not your enemy-"

"Please stop talking. Whether you are an enemy or a friend does not matter at this point. What matters is the fact that you are going to become a problem for this world if I do not do anything now."

Selene muttered, her voice cutting through the corrupted fog.

Kael suddenly realized that there was no point in talking to someone who did not want to listen to him. Instead, he should preserve his energy and concentrate on the matter at hand.

"Alright, here goes nothing."

He quickly formed a barrier around himself, blocking the fog from reaching him. But since ordinary magic was not going to work, he had to use divine magic.

It held against the fog, but he doubted anyone could tell what was happening beneath that thick veil of darkness.

Selene must have thought he was being purified because she quickly sat down beside him and decided to speak.

"Please forgive me for what I have done to purify you. I am not a bad person, and none of this is happening because you are a bad person either. It’s just...the circumstances that forced us to be this way."

Selene’s apology did sound sincere, which was more than Kael could say about the Selene from his past.

As far as he could recall, Selene had always attacked him outright whenever they met in his previous life. And her attacks had always been especially vicious.

Kael had never bothered to find the reason behind it until now. But after sensing her energy, it was clear that she was going through an especially hard time fighting against the darkness that bound her.

’But am I even in a position to pity her? Aren’t I in a far worse state than she is at the moment?’

Kael asked himself as he looked down. He hardly had any space left inside the barrier, but he still fought against the corruption. And outside, Selene decided to tell him more about the situation.

"Honestly, I don’t understand what this high-elf power is either. All I know is that it’s a hereditary power, passed down through generations in the high-elf clan, and it warns us about future dangers. But I have never seen it react this way before."

Selene sounded sincere, and her voice was starting to piss Kael off. He was about to say something when she continued.

"I...don’t think you are a bad person, just someone trapped by unfortunate circumstances. And that is why I want to help you. Once I purify you, there won’t be any reason for this power to react to you. I will strip away everything that makes you dangerous."

Selene truly seemed to believe that she could do that. And she was willing to use excessive force to accomplish it.

But Kael was not going to sit there and let himself be devoured by this darkness.

His divine power, transformed into magic, broke through the barrier of darkness surrounding him, and he immediately grabbed Selene’s outstretched arm.

She looked alarmed by what he did and immediately tried to pull her hand back.

"What are you doing? Stop! Don’t touch me before the purification is finished."

Selene started to panic once she saw him breaking out of his prison. But Kael did not care. He was going to force her to face reality right here and now.

cough

"Did you think...I was just going to roll over...and let you do whatever you wanted? Your power is not even...pure! It’s corruption controlling you."

Kael insisted, his gaze dark and filled with determination. He was going to drill the truth into Selene’s head.

"No! That’s not true. My power is not corruption! Stop lying to me. This is not funny!"

Selene denied the truth as she shook her head. She refused to listen to a single word Kael said and even covered her ears to block out his voice.

In simpler words, she was being a pain in the ass. But she was not completely beyond saving either. Kael could see that a part of her recognized the truth, and despite her denial, she looked ready to listen to him.

So he decided to take advantage of that and press his point further.

"Selene, you know the truth as well. Don’t avert your eyes from this cursed power. I have no doubt that you inherited the high elves’ legacy. But that power has long since been corrupted. If you don’t do anything, then it will consume you and everything else as well."

Kael reached toward Selene to comfort her as he spoke.

He could tell that Selene was in shock. But he needed her to pull through at all costs and let him go.

And for a whole minute, Selene looked as if she would listen to him. But then her expression changed, and she became violent.

"Don’t try to trick me, you bastard! Do you think I will fall for your cheap tricks? I am going to kill you and rid the world of a criminal like you."

And just like that, the old Selene was back, and that hesitant child was gone.