-Chapter Fourteen-

Revolution

Mercy sat beside a sleeping Taylor, holding his hand, gazing at his face in deep thought.

He began to wince and whimper, shaking and trembling, causing Mercy to whisper to him and stroke his hair.

After some time, his eyes suddenly shot open.

“Taylor? You’re awake?” Mercy asked, blinking at him.

He slowly sat up, breathing deeply, gazing forward.

Without many words, he pulled himself out of the bed and made his way outside, then to the elevator, and to the roof.

All the while, Mercy followed him silently. He seemed to be unable to notice her there.

He stumbled out onto the roof, and then fell to his knees, beneath the moon.

Mercy watched on from beside the door intently, and in worry.

“Why are you doing this to me!?” Taylor shouted. “Who the hell are you!?”

He gazed up into nothingness, and suddenly seemed transfixed for a period of time.

“No-… don’t… please don’t show me…” he sobbed. “I don’t want to see any of it anymore. How many times…? Are you telling me this is all real!?” his voice turned low with anger as he demanded in outrage.

“Argh!!” Taylor fell to the ground, seemingly wriggling in pain, clutching his head.

“No! Please… no! Stop! Ahhhhhhh!”

Mercy ran forward, skidding to a stop on her knees beside him, pulling him into a hug.

“Taylor! Wake up, Taylor! It’s not real!” she told him and he fell silent.

“Taylor?” she looked down at him, through her teary eyes.

His gaze would still not settle on her, instead, frantically darting around them. Until they settled opposite to him, still at nothing Mercy could see.

“Who did this?” Taylor asked hollowly, his gaze unwavering.

“…Then what I was afraid of came true after all…”

Mercy listened on in silence, confusion and almost hysteria.

“Is that the only way?”

Finally, Mercy couldn’t take it anymore, and she grasped his face, crying at him.

“What’s happening to you, Taylor!? Who did this to you? Who cast this spell on you?” her voice wailed.

His pupils suddenly came into focus as his gaze met her’s, for the first time, and he gave way a deep breath.

“I did.”

“Wha-? You did… to yourself?” she asked. “Why? What the hell… what do you mean?”

“I did this. Because it had to be done. I will shatter and reform anew, transformed, reborn in blood and fire as a demon of hell. This is my conviction…” Mercy had no idea what his words meant.

“Why do you want power so bad!? Enough to do this to yourself?” she exclaimed.

“This is nothing…” Taylor spoke with tears falling down his cheeks as well, but his face did not change. “These are mere memories. They compare nothing to the experience itself.”

“What are you talking about!?” Mercy exclaimed in both frustration and helplessness.

“I will become a demon of hell… crawl out of hell, with my body ablaze, and I will take you down with me… I will kill you… I will kill you, I will kill you,” he repeated.

Mercy gasped,rising to her feet and backing away a few steps, but he wasn’t looking at her any longer.

He was looking at the sky.

“I swear it on my soul, I will never rest until you are destroyed. I vow, I will dye the air red with blood. I will incite all the pain and suffering in the world upon you. I will pay back this debt of blood ten-fold. I will…crawl out of hell with my body ablaze…” he fell silent, and Mercy began to feel Mana began to rise from around them, before suddenly rushing toward him.

The air began to turn rapidly red as rivers of Mana orbs flowed toward him, and Mercy could only watch on, unable to intervene.

He chanted some sort of spell. Those words were a spell. And this is the effect.

Mana deep crimson as blood flowed into Taylor as he laid on the ground with his eyes closed.

Mercy felt her shared Mana pool with him erupt in size. Was he breaking through to Throne Class? How?

She could also feel his Mana source conforming, rapidly changing.

It all ended within a second, barely attracting any attention from the city, and he lay on the ground now, completely unconscious.

Mercy quickly ran back to his side, skidding to a stop into a kneal, and delicately pulled him up into her lap.

She quickly checked for pulses, any physical signs of lack of life, but he breathed peacefully on her lap.

How is a human body supposed to handle that sort of Mana management? Aira doesn’t even come close with her inherited dragon heart.

Yet he was fine, just unconscious.

Mercy suddenly heard a clap from behind her, and turned to see Andrew, Jason and Diana coming up to the roof.

“That was quite something,” Jason said, stepping forward with interest. “The activation induces a phenomenon in the world itself. It’s completely different to the Atheneum power we can manifest using only our souls. His very physical body is a vessel attuned to the power he has access to,” he examined the unconscious Taylor.

Mercy glared at him.

“What the hell was that, Jason?” she demanded. “That was…” she recalled the abundant gush of red Mana.

“Like I said,” Jason shrugged, backing away. “You have to hear it from Taylor’s lips himself.”

“Like that’s happening while he’s unconscious. He said he cast this spell on himself. Answer me! What is going on with all of this?” Mercy grit her teeth.

“Well, now you know I wasn’t the one who cast the spell, right? We really have nothing to do with this,” Jason chuckled.

“As if! What did you make him do?” Mercy asked.

“I just happen to be somewhat knowledgeable about his circumstance, but it’s not a matter I can speak about,” Jason responded. “Other than observing, I have nothing to do with this. And the rest is my business, I have no obligation to share it with you.”

Mercy looked at him with a disgusted look.

“You just wanted data? Tch.” Mercy looked back down at Taylor. “Will he be alright?” she asked. “Can you tell me that? Damn it.”

“Mmm,” Jason narrowed his eyes. “Yes, he will be fine. But give it another day. Like I said earlier, if it gets to be too much, you can ask Andrew for help.”

Mercy looked to Andrew, who was gazing at Taylor, contemplating something.

“Fine. Get out of here, now that you have your stupid data. Hmph,” Mercy looked away with a huff.

The three saw themselves out, leaving Mercy and Taylor alone on the rooftop.

She gazed at his peaceful face and sighed.

A demon of hell? Incarnate of fury?

Mercy was left with no choice.

Jason and Andrew refused to tell her anything, and Taylor’s state was concerning.

Behind her, Puria and her friend Levi followed closely behind.

“I’m curious to see what exactly you described,” Levi commented. A slender girl in a lab coat, a modest sweater and skirt, with her black hair tied up in a ponytail.

Another member of Trinity, known for being ruthless in her pursuit of knowledge, similarly to Aira. She was a scientific medical genius, as well as a capable Magician.

Her drive is the most unique. She stops at no lengths to satiate her interest once it is piqued.

Mercy opened the door to the room where Taylor was laid, as Puria and Levi entered.

“Oh…” Levi breathed in. “Is the cloak in effect?” she turned and asked Puria, who nodded, with her crystal ball floating over their heads.

“Good,” Levi smiled. “Connect to the Invidia Atheneum.” She raised her hand and a forest green magic circle appeared at her fingertips.

She twisted it before various menus made from her Magic flashed up.

Mercy watched on with apprehension as Levi silently flicked through the menus, zoomed in on various parts, until finally she was done, turning to the other two girls.

“I have identified five findings. Firstly is that he has entered Throne class and become a Magic King. Secondly, the odd power-mass appears to come from some sort of source he has within him. Thirdly is that his physical body and brain is not capable of handling this abundance of power.” Levi smiled, looking at him. “And fourthly, the red Magic you described seeing…” she pushed her glasses up foreboding, facing Mercy. “It was his own Mana. Some traces are still remaining in his system. The red Mana was Mana directly from that source of power, which he without any human intervention, or processing, eexpelled from his source into the environment around him, effectively manifesting the Mana in reality so it was at maximum potency. He then reabsorbed that Mana into his physical body, effectively enhancing it, allowing it to balance the gap between his vessel and the power he holds within it. It’s an ingenious cycle, through the transfer of Mana.”

“What could this source be? And I get that he’s becoming stronger, but what’s up with all the erratic behaviour? He’s being tortured!” Mercy exclaimed to her friend.

“I do not know,” Levi responded with a shrug. “The abundant source is a mystery, but it’s most likely… some sort of inheritance, similar to his Successor element. As for the ‘erratic’ behaviour, that has to do with my fifth finding,” Levi ominously turned back to Taylor.

“His brain is rapidly undergoing neural synapses rewiring. It was showing on the brain scans. Even now, his brain is rapidly rewiring.”

Mercy gasped in shock.

“What does that mean…?” she asked.

“What shapes you as a human being all has to do with your brain. Your talents, personality, skills, memories. Everything you learn connects a synapse. Likewise, whenever a memory is stored away, it is connected via synapses,” Levi explained. “I cannot envision what the result of his rapid change will be, but… I believe it will be substantial.”

Mercy sat down shakily, looking at the ground in disbelief.

“W-why is it that an inheritance can cause all of this?” she asked.

“I believe he is inheriting either knowledge or memories. Most likely the latter…” Levi sighed. “I’m sorry there’s not much I can do for you, but I can at least tell you, physically, he is safe.”

Levi saw herself out, leaving Mercy alone in the room with Puria.

“W-what… what do I do…” Mercy felt tears welling up in her eyes. “He looks like he’s undergoing something horrible.”

Puria sympathetically gazed at her, before she exhaled a deep breath, rose to her feet and gave Mercy a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Be there when he returns. Believe in him, and… greet him with a smile. Be strong, have hope,” Puria then gave her a hug.

“…Thank you… Puria. I suppose, that is all I can do…” she hugged her friend back.

“Thank you…”

Puria smiled and nodded as she pulled away, and with a wave, hesitantly saw herself out the hotel room.

Mercy looked to Taylor despondently, and shifted a chair to sit closer to him.

If he is inheriting memories, what is her relationship to his visions? she asked herself, sighing.

It all began a few nights ago. Before all of this, when Taylor was still normal.

Their first night arriving in the city.

As Taylor was sleeping blissfully, ignorant, with Mercy in his embrace, something within him was triggered. Something began to stir.

The sensation of Mercy’s warmth, her affection toward him, it began to corrode and suddenly suffocate him. Like he was getting a drop of water when he needed a stream, and his relief became his agoniser. His strength became his weakness.

He can only have both, or neither.

The dream felt vivid, real, more so than a dream.

Was it memory?

Taylor was in his own body. The cries and screams of crowds thundered his ear drums. He felt like he wanted to hide away, run away from everything. All of the fire consuming the city, the hysteria, the darkness, he wanted to get away.

But he kept going. As fast as he could, he dashed along the path until he finally came to an open space and a dead stop, falling to his knees before the girl’s body on the ground before him, in a pool of blood. The surreal look of her unconscious face, and the knowledge her eyes will never open again.

Taylor immediately woke up, wide-eyed at the ceiling, before he quickly looked down to see Mercy was safe and sound.

“Hah,” he sighed in cold sweat, turning his gaze back up.

Was that another vision from the Six? A little threat?

It was different to the visions he had until now.

They always left their mark on something. The freezing stench of death and erosion would remain whenever they were involved.

The visions were the same, he could tell they were artificially crafted from them. They still scared him, nonetheless.

But the dream just now… Taylor reached up to his temple and wiped his sweat away. The dream just now was something else.

It felt incredibly real.

Like he was experiencing it first hand.

Taylor felt the sleep forcefully take him again. For some reason, his brain seemed to be refusing to run its motor.

Instead, he suddenly found himself in another dream again.

And after it ended, he thought twice is enough. But sleep abducted him yet again, and yet again, another dream was delivered.

Always the same outcome.

A different scene, each becoming more and more gruesome.

Sleep would not let Taylor go as dream after dream visited him, tormenting him until morning, and he was finally released.

The following day was weird. He was managing to stay awake, but voices kept faintly calling out to him from all over.

Sounding muffled, he was unable to tell what they were trying to say to him.

Until night time came, he was walking alone down the hotel corridor back to his room when he heard a scream.

Mercy’s voice.

His name rang out as she called for him, and he quickly ran toward where it came from.

His heart was pounding, his blood was rushing through his veins. The anxiousness of if his deepest fear became reality fueled him as he sprinted down the carpet.

He rounded a corner just in time to see Mercy being stabbed through the chest by a smoky assailant.

“No!” Taylor ran forward, and the assailant disappeared into nothingness. Taylor ran forward and latched onto her shoulders, feeling his breathing all over the place. Mercy’s wide eyes of shock wandered down to her bloodied hands and bloodied dress, then straight back into his eyes.

“Taylor…”

and then she faded away into dust as well.

Taylor remained in the corridor, wide-eyed, almost having a panic attack.

Completely overwhelmed and bewildered, he could only remain still before he heard the chatter of girls’ voices approach him from behind.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Aira, Puria, Piper and Mercy come appear around the corner.

“Taylor!” Mercy ran forward upon seeing him. “I was looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?” she asked him.

Taylor softly nodded, with sweat dripping down his brow.

Without a word, he let Mercy lead him back to their room.

As they walked, Taylor could hear voices utter to him from the walls.

“Don’t let go of your rage.”

“Don’t forget us.”

“Avenge us.”

“Don’t let her death be in vain,” they chanted to him repeatedly.

Taylor only listened quietly until they returned to their room.

The sky had darkened until only the city lights remained, and Taylor was laid down into the bed, before Mercy joined him.

He recalled his dreams, and felt desperation and fear lash out at him.

Please let this be a normal night…

He pulled Mercy into a tight hug. She squirmed at first, but eventually settled.

Taylor was abducted by sleep instantly once again, and plunged into nightmares.

The visions were horrifying.

Scenes of her mangled corpse, or at times, nothing even left behind at all.

Taylor suddenly awoke in tears. He can’t stand it here… he needs to go somewhere better.

He stumbled out the bed and into the bathroom, as voices continued to usher to him and visions continually assaulted his mind.

Brought to tears, Taylor slammed the shower onto max and let the downpour hit him.

The world suddenly went black around him, and he found himself in yet another dream.

Were they just dreams?

This time, Taylor was walking down a dark corridor. He was clearly anxious, as he came to a door, and opened it.

Everything was hazy.

The sounds were fuzzy.

Taylor caught a glimpse of himself in the glass. It was definitely him… but different. He was much older.

Taylor suddenly came to a veranda where a familiar figure remained.

There was no smile.

Taylor couldn’t make her face out clearly in the vision, but he knew it was Mercy.

After a while of the two exchanging words Taylor could not make out, suddenly, she began to cry.

Taylor felt his heart begin to wane in pain.

And then the sound came into focus, and her face cleared up.

Taylor watched wide eyed as blood splattered from her lips, but she wore a both regretful yet victorious smile.

“It’s too late,” her voice uttered, and he caught the woman he loved in his arms.

His older self yelled despair, and Mercy continued speaking.

“It’s anti-magic poison. We all agreed to do this, if it came to it.”

She continued speaking but Taylor couldn’t hear anymore as it faded into static.

And then she fell still in his arms.

Taylor’s wide eyes remained on her corpse and he felt his mind scream.

He held her in his arms, her peaceful sleeping face was what made all of this more surreal than anything.

“Ahhhhh!” Taylor screamed, and he was released from the vision.

He found himself in water again, but his vision was blurry.

“Mercy… my love…” he sobbed, the sensation of her body still remaining on his arms.

This was misery.

Something was happening to him. These visions… They were far too real.

And Taylor felt his world go black in the water yet again.

The next morning, he awoke hazily to a Mercy trying to wake him up. He had some time to process things now.

But it was far too daunting.

He lifelessly let her drag him to breakfast, where as they ate, she began to ask him if he was alright.

No, it wasn’t alright. But how was he supposed to tell her?

One thing he’s felt all this time is that he is but a ripple in a pond.

This world he lived in was one of many. His life was one of many. And something… some form of disaster is out to pursue him. And it has succeeded everytime so far.

What is he to do?

Eventually night came, and at Mercy’s behest, he let her lull him to sleep.

And the dreams came again. Or the visions.

Everytime, Taylor felt like he was a bystander.

But now, he felt like he was becoming one with the other versions of himself. The memories began to feel more and more real.

Until one time, one of them turned to him.

“Well? Thoughts on what you see?” he asked him.

“Ah-…!” Taylor stared at his older self, suddenly finding himself on the roof of the hotel. When did he get here? It didn’t matter.

“I asked you your thoughts about these memories,” his older self repeated, and gestured to his side.

Light shone down, illuminating a sudden manifestation of Mercy’s body, impaled by spikes, hung up in the air before them, drenched in her blood.

“Why are you doing this to me!? Who the hell are you!?” Taylor roared at the other man.

“Who do you think I am? Obviously, I am you,” he answered back sternly. “I don’t think you’ve seen enough just yet,” he sighed. “Go on, and explore once more. Get a bit more… acquainted with it. Your battle scars.”

Taylor watched as hands made of shadow rise from the ground around him and latch onto him.

“Argh!”

They pulled him under, back into the nightmares, like dunking his head in a basin of water, and then he was pulled back up again.

“No-… don’t… please don’t show me…” he sobbed at his older self. “I don’t want to see any of it anymore. How many times…? Are you telling me this is all real!?” his voice turned low with anger as he demanded in outrage.

“What do you think?” his older self callously responded. “Go on, have another look,” he gestured.

“No! Please… no! Stop! Ahhhhhhh!”

Taylor laid on the ground, looking at his older self.

“Who did this?” he asked hollowly, his gaze unwavering.

“The Six. Who else could do all of this?” his other self growled.

“…Then what I was afraid of came true after all…” Taylor gave away a breath.

“Fight them, my past self. Or future,” other Taylor stepped forward. “Accept this power, it is your curse.”

“…Is that the only way?” Taylor asked himself.

“The cost is that you will walk the path of hell, but you will still say yes regardless, won’t you?” he answered.

Taylor inhaled deeply.

“No, you’re right. I don’t care about the cost,” he responded.

“Then make your conviction, steel your resolution, and end this nightmare, for all of us, my self,” the man exhaled as he dispersed into dozens of scattered orbs that began to merge with Taylor.

He gasped as thousands of emotions hit in at once, and he could feel he was losing consciousness.

“Yes. I’ll do it. I swear… I vow to you… I will see this through,” he vowed and then he was abducted into the endless pitch black.