Free Web NovelChapter 40: The Truth I Chose
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Reed’s eyes snapped open and he found himself completely surrounded by darkness.
Darkness so thick he couldn’t see a single thing even with his heightened senses.
Even as he tried to release his essence to see if he would feel something— he felt nothing. Just silence and darkness.
"Do you think you’ll ever catch up?" A dark voice suddenly echoed. His voice.
"Who’s there?" Reed’s eyes narrowed, his grip around the hilt of his saber tightening.
"Who do you think?" The voice asked once more.
Reed felt the dark world falling apart, it started to crumble until his vision changed.
"Theon?" He whispered staring at Theon’s broad back.
Theon walked away. He slowly got farther and farther away. Reed stretched out his hand, trying to reach out but it just felt like the more he tried to reach out— the farther Theon went.
Theon suddenly stopped and turned his head slowly. His golden eyes met with Reed’s grey eyes, then his voice echoed coldly.
"You will never catch up! You will always stay behind me— always be weaker. That is your fate! Or do you believe otherwise?"
Reed gritted his teeth and collapsed to his knees.
That’s right!
He had always believed himself to be weaker than Theon ever since when they were children. Even when he awakened a silver purity Resonance core and Theon had awakened a Gray purity, that feeling of being stronger only lasted a short while.
Because he knew, when it came to will— Theon was levels above him. Nothing seemed to wither his confidence.
It didn’t matter who laughed at him or who bullied him, he still always kept a smile on his face.
That was something he felt he would never be able to grasp or accomplish.
And now that Theon had grown stronger after his second awakening, did he really have any hope in catching up to him?
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"This must be the real trial for the final floor," Damon’s voice echoed calmly in the darkness.
His eyes darted around, looking for any clues he might use to find a way out of this predicament. "I wonder how the others are doing?" The thought suddenly popped into his head
They couldn’t possibly be doing any better than him, right?
He shook his head. "What the hell? What is with all this wierd thoughts popping up in my head?"
But still, he was weaker than all of them. Well maybe before he was stronger than Theon, but now— now he was the weakest.
He was just dragging them down at this point.
"Stoppp!!" Damon suddenly exclaimed, clutching his head tightly, but that didn’t stop those thoughts from entering his head. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Self doubt.
That’s what it was.
"But is it a lie?" His voice suddenly echoed in the darkness. "Me and you both know that you are just the weak link. The one dragging them from their rise to the top."
"No—"
"Yes!" The voice echoed. Much louder and colder than before. "You’re pathetic. Did you really think Theon would stay as weak as you forever?" freewebnσvel.cѳm
Damon clutched his head and fell to his knees, the thoughts still popping into his head endlessly.
"You didn’t even have the power to protect him when he was at his lowest. Just like before— you’re to weak to do anything!!"
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Theon stood still, still trapped in the vision showing his past life, where he was alone. Abandoned. Used. Bored.
The question still lingered in his head.
’If he hadn’t died, would he still be living a pathetic life? Or if he had been reborn without the system, how did he plan to survive in this world?’
Theon gritted his teeth.
"That’s right! Fall into self despair! Self pity! That is all you deserve!"
Theon stared at the darkness quietly, then he laughed softly. Not in a mocking type of way. Just a soft chuckle.
"So that’s what this is about." His golden eyes lifted slowly. "You keep asking me what I am without the system."
He exhaled softly.
"But that’s the wrong question." His gaze suddenly sharpened. "You’re acting as if everything I have came from the system." He clenched his fist tightly. "Did the system train for me? Did the system endure all the torture and pain I had to endure? Did it make my choices? Did it bleed for me?"
His voice suddenly became calmer.
"No! It only gave me opportunities— opportunities that I took with my hands— it was my decision." He stared directly into the darkness, his eyes glowing brighter.
"And Theon?" His expression softened slightly. For a while now. . . I thought I stole his life— but that’s wrong too." He paused, the essence in his body slowly rising.
"I didn’t steal anything. He died, and I lived." A small smile appeared on his face. "But if I’m going to keep this life— then I’ll carry it properly. The people who cared about him. . . The dreams he never got to reach. . ."
His gaze sharpened, his next words coming out cold.
"The revenge he couldn’t take. . . I’ll carry it all." His eyes glowed brightly. "Because Theon is me now. And I am him. So whether I had the system or not—"
He stretched out his hand.
"I would’ve kept moving. I would’ve kept growing. I would’ve gotten broken, but I would still stand up again."
His smile widened.
"So no! I’m not afraid anymore. I’m not borrowing this life— I’m living it."
Suddenly the darkness began to crack. Theon’s body glowed brightly as lightning arcs formed all around his body.
He pulled out his katana, and the dark energy of death swirled around it, then in one smooth swing—
He slashed.
A huge bolt lightning, streaked with golden and black struck the darkness. The energy of death immediately began corroding the darkness.
Then, like glass— the realm shattered.
Back in the Tower, Theon’s eyes slowly snapped open and the next moment the mirror before him shattered into multiple pieces, then floated into the air like dust.
"Theon—" He whispered and placed his hand over his of chest. He could feel his heart beating. "I don’t know if you’d forgive me, but I’ll live properly. I’ll carry everything you left behind."
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"What!!?" The director’s eyes widened as he watched what was currently being displayed on the screen. He sprung to his feet in one smooth motion.
"I can’t believe it! He actually did it! He beat the 50th floor!"
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