Chapter 13: Chapter 13. The last trial

When Zack finished his sentence, one of the henchmen standing next to him tried to kick Arthur in the chest.

However, Arthur was fully prepared for that, he knew this guy and knew exactly how he liked to fight.  So anticipating the blow, he was able to duck his body to his side in time, and fist bump him in the kneecap.

-Aaaaaaahhhh, - the guy shrieked and fell to the ground. The fist hit the very nerve, causing severe pain.

Zack and his other henchman stared dumbly at what was happening.  They stood silent for a couple of seconds without moving.  They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"That little bastard was able to fend off a punch?  How is that possible?... He must have just got lucky. " thought a confused Zack.

Arthur stood upright, raised his fists, and prepared to fight.  He may have been afraid of these three a long time ago, but times have changed a lot. He knew that they didn't have any real ability to fight, just relied on their numbers and strength. 

-[Path of Fear] - Arthur whispered.

He sensed something new.  It seemed to him that some kind of energy burst out of the seal this time and spread around.

Arthur realized that the energy had moved toward the people nearby and seemed to start scanning them.

"Is this its way of trying to determine which one of them wants me dead at the moment?  I wonder... Which one of them?  Zack? " Arthur pondered calmly, not caring about the fight to come.

But suddenly all the energy seemed to surge, coming together and penetrating the body of just one of the three attackers.

"Ah... Red color?  The one glowing red is the one I was looking for? Weird...  I thought it would be Zack."

The energy is concentrated in the body of the second henchman Zack.  As far as Arthur remembered, his name seemed to be Mike.

" What am I supposed to do?  Kill him? "

- Mike, kill him.

Mike didn't need to be told twice.  He was burning with the desire to beat the little bastard who dared to attack back. 

Taking advantage of his height and strength, Mike took a primitive swing at Arthur's head. But the guy, easily reading his intentions, had no trouble dodging and counterattacked himself, breaking his nose with a good hit. 

Mike fell, clutching the blood gushing from his nose.  His place in the attack was taken by an enraged Zack. He pounced on Arthur with his whole body, but his "weak" opponent dodged even more easily than before and tripped him.  The fat man swooped down on his leg with all his speed, collapsing and splitting his forehead as he fell.

The three were incapacitated for the time being. But Arthur knew what he had to do next.

The place where they so loved to "train" Arthur at one time was an old unused warehouse on the school grounds. It stood pretty far away and no one heard the screams coming from here... Well, or pretended not to.

Arthur ran to the wall where the dust-covered sports equipment lay and grabbed the bat.

What followed could only be called one word.  Carnage.

As Arthur cracked Mike's head with one blow of the bat, he immediately heard an otherworldly voice:

- The first one has been successfully found.  Three to go.

Mike continued to lie on the ground in terror.  He was completely paralyzed from fear.

Arthur, covered in blood, with cold eyes and a bat in his hand, seemed to him to be the very symbol of death.

-You... You... stay back, stay back.  You know... what will happen to you if you touch me...  my daddy... - Zack stammered.  His pants were wet by this point, he couldn't control the monstrous fear.

But Arthur, who had already dealt with his two henchmen, was not going to stop.

- You robbed me of a very important man. I always thought what I did to you in real life was a very mild punishment. At least I got a second chance... even if it is only an illusion. - Arthur replied coolly.

- You're a monster.

Arthur stopped and laughed.

- Yeah, that's right. But ... it was you who made me a monster...

Those were the last words Zack heard.

Arthur carefully washed the blood off in the warehouse bathroom, checking every part of his body to make sure he didn't leave any marks.

"Got rid of one.  Where do I look for the other three? ... Ah...  It seems in the book, that the villain didn't really bother looking for them.  They must be nearby. I just have to follow a routine. I'm supposed to have class now," he thought.

He walked out of the warehouse and towards the school. This was his old school, it had been three years since he had last been here.

Arthur was even surprised at how easily he remembered where his classroom was. He carelessly walked in and sat on the last desk on the side by the window. His favorite spot.

No one was paying attention to him. It was as if a ghost had entered the school. He didn't have a single person here that he could call a friend.

"What memories. I remember how they all avoided me ...  It's only been three years and how things have changed. " Arthur grinned.

- Arthur, - a sweet girlish voice called out to him.

"Does anyone need me? "

- Arthur, what happened?  Were those three picking on you again?  

The girl didn't stop talking.  Arthur felt soft hands touch his face.

- Is that a bruise? Did they hit you? 

- Maria?  - the boy mumbled uncertainly.

Maria Sato had been a longtime childhood friend of his, but by high school, their communication had waned. They rarely spoke to each other. That's why Arthur couldn't understand why the girl was reacting this way.

- Yes, why are you so surprised?  Or are you trying to change the subject again, Arthur? Let's go to the director, we have to settle this matter.  - Maria spoke in a very concerned tone. And her eyes were trembling with indignation.

"Is she worried about me...? Frankly, I was beginning to forget how close we once were... what went wrong? "

Maria touched Arthur's face again and began to gently stroke the spot of the bruise with her hand.

-Hm...  Maria-" Arthur coughed and the girl pulled her hand away sharply.

- I'm sorry.  Anyway, remember today after school we're going to the principal's office and don't you dare run away. Understood?

Arthur smiled brightly as a thought occurred to him. His eyes filled with sudden curiosity.

- Maria.

-Yes?

- Tell me, you like me?

At these words, Maria choked and coughed. Her face turned crimson red and her eyes were averted.

- No, of course not.  What are you talking about? Stop it, Arthur.  I know you're just changing the subject. Remember that. Principal. After school.

After these words, she immediately ran away.

"Really?  And I didn't notice?  Maybe I was one of those idiotic novella characters who don't see the obvious to the last?  Or is it only so in a world of illusion? If I go back to Earth, I'll be sure to ask."

Arthur stopped to think about it as the bell rang.

-[Path of Fear] - he said, wanting to see if there was a target in the classroom.  But the seal found no one.

The class was boring and the boy mostly stared out the window, looking at the scenery.

When the lesson was over Arthur went home.  But on the way, he decided to stop by his favorite little restaurant. His mother worked a lot of small part-time jobs, like at Zach's house.  It was a poor-paying job, so there was never any money in Arthur's family.  But Mr. Makamura, the owner of this restaurant, knowing about the boy's problems, very often fed him for free.

- Mr. Makamura, it's been a long time since I've seen you... - said Arthur cheerfully, sitting down at the bar, where the food was served here.

- You were here yesterday," Mr. Makamura raised an eyebrow in surprise.

-Ah, yes, indeed. 

- What are you going to eat?  Hmm... I see it's been a busy day...you can pick whatever you want for free.

"Holy man," thought Arthur.

The place was empty at this time.  Not a single customer except Arthur.  That should have alarmed him, but...

- God, it is so delicious... - shoving another slice of the specialty pie, he admired. 

He was about to put another piece in his mouth when out of the corner of his eye he noticed something flying at him.

By a divine miracle, Arthur managed to lean back and roll over with his chair.

Behind him, a large butcher knife was stuck in the wall.

"What the hell? ... Idiot, Arthur. You stupid idiot."

-[Path of Fear] - Having said that, Arthur saw Mr. Makamura's silhouette begin to glow red.

"Idiot.  Idiot.  Why didn't you check right away? "

But there was no time to scold himself, Mr. Makamura grabbed a new knife and lunged in his direction. Arthur didn't want to fight unarmed, so he ran at full speed outside the restaurant.

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If the guy thought his opponent would choose not to chase him through the crowded streets, he was mistaken.

They ran for a while, the one in pursuit of the other one. Arthur had to maneuver past people, which slowed him down.

" Fuck.  He's catching up."

Arthur saw the road ahead and decided that if he could run across it faster than Mr. Makamura, he might be able to get away. 

He ran out onto the road, but halfway across he felt a sharp pain in his back.  Arthur flew forward and flipped several times on the road.

Mr. Makamura was able to inflict a wide wound on his back and was now walking toward him with a bloody knife.

But to Arthur's luck, one of the gaping drivers didn't see the man coming sharply out into the road and flew into him.

- The second one has been successfully found. Two more left.  - A voice said as the body of his opponent flew a few meters and collapsed on the pavement.

- Phew... - exhaled with relief Arthur.

"Even if they were your friends, anyone here could want you dead. Idiot."

A small crowd of people began to gather around Arthur at once. Eyewitnesses were shocked by what had happened.

After a few minutes, Arthur, who was still recovering from his fall, heard a growing noise in the crowd.

- Disperse. Disperse at once.  - Someone spoke in a very stern tone.

A man dressed in a police uniform pushed through the crowd to Arthur.

- Are you all right, lad? What happened here?  - The policeman began to ask his questions.

Arthur gave him a brief outline of the situation. 

- I see.  Let's go, it's going to take a long time to get an ambulance.  I'll take you to the hospital myself.  My car is over there. 

The policeman, supporting Arthur, moved toward the car. 

They both drove for a while without saying a word. Until the policeman broke the silence.

- My name is Sergeant Quill, what's yours? - He asked with a friendly smile.

- Arthur.

- Arthur?  That's a nice name.  Tell me more about what happened on the way to the hospital.

- Sergeant Quill, right?

- Yeah?

Arthur scratched the back of his head and smiled, too.

- I'll be sure to tell you all about it... But...  We're not going toward the hospital.

The policeman looked at the boy sitting next to him, but now with a completely different look. There was bloodlust in his eyes.

Arthur, who hadn't made a mistake this time and had checked with the seal beforehand, jerked the steering wheel of the car to the side as he went.

Sergeant Quill did not have time to stop him, and the car flew off the road on Arthur's intended trajectory.

Bang.

The sound of broken glass and bones echoed in his ears.

- The third one has been successfully found. Only one left.

The car crashed at high speed into a tree.  But because the impact was on the driver's side, Arthur was relatively unharmed. Only his arm was broken, which he had used to shield his head from the impact.

The boy staggered home for several hours.  He was used to this kind of pain, so he was able to keep moving calmly.

Arthur stood at the apartment door not having the strength to go inside. And it wasn't because of the wounds he had received. He was both afraid and hopeful to see the one he loved most in the world. 

He held his breath, clenched his fists tightly, and with his heart beating fast, he entered his old house.

- Arthur, is that you?  - he heard an old, tired voice. 

- Ewwwww... - He tried to answer, but his chest clenched, and all that came out of his throat was an unintelligible sound.

- What? Arthur, I can't hear you.

Someone's footsteps quickly scurried across the floor.  Arthur could only see the shadow of a man, for he was afraid to look up.

But the woman in front of him misunderstood the reason for his strange and indecisive behavior.

- Son, what are you hiding?  Show me your face.

The woman leaned toward the boy, who stood with his head down. But she froze silently in place when she saw little tears falling to the floor.

- Are you hurt?  Did they hit you again?  I'm sorry... I'm sorry, son. I... It's all because of me.  If we weren't so poor...

Warm hands suddenly wrapped around her waist.  Arthur hugged her hard, resting his head against her chest. He didn't want to show her how he was crying. But he couldn't stop.

- It hurts... Because of your words... Please don't say that.  You're the best mother I could ever wish for... 

His mother didn't understand what had gotten into her son.  So all she could do was give him her warmth. Her hands gently stroked his head.

They spent a warm evening together. His mother worked on his wounds and fed him a delicious dinner.

On this day, Arthur wanted to forget that it was just an illusion. He didn't care about it.  He just wanted to spend a little time with someone he couldn't see anymore.

Arthur told her everything. About his high school, about getting into the novel, about the useless goddess... His mother didn't understand any of it, but her son looked so happy at that moment that she was willing to listen to him endlessly just for the sake of it.

- Anyway, I don't know what happened to Arno... no, I have a few theories, of course.  But which one is the right one? I decided I needed to find out more about his past... I'm not stupid enough to believe that a goddess just married him for no reason...

Arthur took his time drinking tea in the kitchen, snacking on cheap cookies, and telling the story in parallel.

His mother was listening intently to him, chopping vegetables for soup. At one point she turned around and looked at her son sitting with his back to her.

- What am I supposed to do with the goddess?  I'm supposed to act as her husband, but it's so strange... I mean, she thinks I'm Arno...

His mother walked silently toward Arthur who could not see her.  She had in her hand... a knife. Her eyes stopped glowing with maternal love, leaving only a boundless lust for murder.

The knife flew upward.  A few more steps and she'd be within striking distance.

- You know, I was afraid of this trial.  I was afraid it might carry me to this very moment. But it turned out to be even worse than I'd imagined...

Arthur suddenly turned around, sitting on a chair. His voice was no longer cheerful. There were only notes of hatred and pain in it now.

- I feel it, Mother... Unfortunately, I can feel it...

- [Path of Fear]" - he said in a sad tone.

Energy burst from the seal and rushed toward his mother.  Her silhouette glowed red.

- I think I hate the red color now... - he laughed.

Suddenly he pulled his hand out from under the table and pointed it at his mother.  In his hand was clutching the gun he had taken from the dead policeman's body.

- I said that I was afraid of this trial, but part of me was eagerly awaiting it.  Part of me prayed that I would meet you again... I wanted to tell you what I didn't get to say in the real world...  I miss you so much... I miss you.

Tears kept dripping onto the floor.

His mother stopped where she was when her son pointed the gun at her. The knife fell to the floor with a loud clang. A slight smile appeared on her lips.

Seeing the smile on her face, Arthur hoped that perhaps it meant that she had heard him.  Maybe a part of his real mother is out there somewhere.

- I just wanted to say... I love you.  You were the best person in my life.

He smiled through his tears.  And with a heavy burden on his heart, he said:

- I'm sorry for killing you... for the second time. I'm sorry...  and goodbye.

There was the sound of a gunshot. And the illusion dissipated in an instant, leaving Arthur once more in empty white space.

- Congratulations, seeker.  You are the first to pass all three trials. As your reward, you can keep the Seal of the Path of Fear.

Arthur stared aimlessly into the void for a moment. Then he smiled sadly and said:

- I have already received my greatest reward... I saw her again...

The world in front of him spun and Arthur returned to the real world.

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