Chapter 608: Sacrifice For Peace
Chapter 608: Sacrifice For Peace
"I know that even if traits are a marvelous replication of abilities, it does make the body unstable. I'm asking you to do something truly unethical, but is it not our duty to sacrifice our morals and whatever it takes to save the people?"
"As far as I know, I will be cursing my child with a fate worse than death to prevent a war that might not happen," the ice princess shook her head. "I can never do that to my child."
"And what if this is the only way your clan can survive?" gravely asked Seref. "The most dangerous enemies are the ones closest to us. The ice spirits have always lived a life of solitude, but they are still a threat to the unity of this kingdom. The houses are evenly matched, giving room to internal struggle."
"What are you hinting at, Prophet?"
"A great gap in strength and influence will leave no room for internal struggle. If this kingdom had a noble house or clan that wields unimaginable influence next to the royal family, no one would dare vie for supremacy."
"And do you think the proposed plan can achieve that?"
"The man I chose for you will be a member of the nobility," said Seref with a smile as he interlocked his hands. Gala blinked at her master, cunningly sowing the seeds of fear into his victims. "You can reject this plan, but the kingdom's fate will befall you."
"Please leave this mountain," said the ice princess as she gestured toward the door. "I will never use my child as a sacrifice for my dreams. Another method is always available."
Gala watched the ice princess reject her master before she turned to look at him. It might have been brief, but there was slight rage hidden beneath the calm face of her master.
"It seems I am the only one willing to sacrifice everything for this world," said her master as he rose and wore his mask. "I will wait in the frozen forest. Please seek me out when you realize the truth in my words."
After that, her master turned and left. Gala bowed slightly toward the princess before running after her master, whose steps were quicker than usual. Gala felt that the ice princess's rejection was not what bothered him but her reasons for refusal.
"Are you alright, master?" asked the young witch, but Seref did not answer as he stormed down the mountain. The witch could feel her toes freezing in the cold, and her spirits worked to warm her body.
The two of them reached the depth of the forest in no time, and it was then that Master Seref stopped walking. His breathing was loud enough for her to hear, but she knew he couldn't be tired. Seref was unstable at the moment.
"All of them are hypocrites," the prophet said through gnashed teeth while giving Gala his back. "Their whole lives, they pretend to seek peace or the greater good, but none of them have the resolve to sacrifice what they hold dear."
"Maybe that is the right thing, master. After all, humans are selfish," Gala knew better than to disagree with him now, but something within the memories told her that her master might not be the right one here. "Humans romanticize sacrificing everything for love, whether romantic or familial, instead of the opposite."
"Love, friends, and families will never save us from fate, Gala. But, unfortunately, the hardest decisions are never those made to appeal to others, and that is why I see myself becoming the villain because of what I did."
"What did you do, master?"
"I did what the ice princess refused to do," said Seref with a chuckle. "However, I know that she will cave in as well. We are both good people who will rather be villains to others than villains to ourselves."
Gala was silent as her master engaged in a self-righteous monologue. As she heard the last sentence, she wondered how her master couldn't see that he was also being selfish here. Regardless of the results, the means can never be justified.
'I never had beliefs that differ from my master,' pondered Gala while her master began walking again. This time, he was taking them toward a cave. 'Do these beliefs belong to the other Gala or the man in my memories?'
As her master promised, the two found shelter in a cave. Her master was prepared for this, and the cave became habitable with a wave of his hand. Gala sat on the chair in front of the fire as her master wore different clothes.
"Where are we going next, master?" asked Gala as she saw him wear luxurious clothes after shaving his stubbled beard. "Are we infiltrating another mansion?"
"I am, but I need you to stay here if the ice princess returns. If that happens, contact me immediately using the communication artifact. This is of major importance, Gala."
"I understand, master," nodded the witch. Usually, she did not ask many questions, but the memories also awakened some courage within her. "Can I know what you are going to do?"
Seref paused while combing his hair and slowly turned toward her with furrowed brows. It seems he began to notice the change in Gala as well, which made the witch nervous.
"Is this about the bad dream you had?" asked Seref as he placed the wooden comb on the table and walked toward her. "Are you worried about me?" he crouched before her while holding her hand.
"I am a little confused about many things at the moment," said Gala while twirling the curls of her violet hair. "It is as if someone made my life less genuine."
"Epiphanies would sometimes do us more harm than good," said Seref as he smiled and patted her head. "Would you kill an infant because a dream told you he would turn out to be a killer? Can we punish the injustice that has yet to be done?"
"No, I would not," she shook her head. "The future is always changing, so we work to make it brighter."
"That is correct," smiled Seref as he rose to his feet. "I will leave now, and you should take this time to forget about that dream. Our mission is absolute."
Gala nodded, and her master left the cave. After being alone, she closed her eyes to try and erase the memories that she had acquired, but that only served to bring them forth. Therefore, she walked toward the desk her master took out to try and write down what had happened in her life.
Many of the memories were stored in her mind, but they would not appear unless Gala tried to retrieve a specific one. Therefore, as she sat down to write what had happened to her ever since her mother was killed, Gala remembered something.
It was another letter written by her and directed toward the one-armed man in her memories. She managed to catch a glimpse of the contents, which explained the man's identity she was seeing.
"Master Seref's son?" muttered the witch with surprise. "That does not make sense. Why would a son hate his father so much?" her question prompted another memory, but it did not belong to her. "The reason that man hates master is that the two of them met in the future."
Gala leaned back in her chair after feeling dizzy. The revelation proved that her master did not know her relation to his son, and that is why he was unconcerned about the memories that she had received.
"However, why do I have the memories of someone else?" Gala was confused, but there was no answer that she could give. The last memories of the man offered her a theory, but the revelation within them was too absurd. "A timelines merger?"
This ability was stronger than those belonging to gods, but this man has done it. It was also the reason behind the epiphanies that appeared out of nowhere in Alka. Furthermore, this projection of memories was dependent on souls.
"It cannot be!" Gala jumped to her feet and thought of a possible explanation for the memories. "I received a portion of his memories because... a part of his soul has merged with mine?"
Witches were spiritual creatures that evolved from humans to survive the Chaotic Age. Their affinity for spiritual energy made them quite sensitive to souls, so Gala received these memories in such detail.
As for the fact that these memories belonged to the future, Gala can only attribute it to her soul-fusion with this man. Her heart began to beat faster as she realized that her soul would be fused with another someday. This was a bond stronger than anything her heart could feel.
"His name was... Seika," muttered the witch as the flames made her eyes twinkle with nostalgia. "My Seika," a smile appeared on her face. Gala realized that she might not be alone, after all.