1605 Choosing The Lesser Evil.

The barrier, once a luminous and robust s.h.i.+eld enveloping Felix's soul, was now riddled with fissures and spiderweb cracks.

Each line that marred its surface was a testament to the brutal and relentless a.s.sault it had endured.

The light that it radiated was flickering and dimming, a stark indication of its weakening state.

Lady Sphinx and the others had witnessed the barrier being tested and strained before, but it had always held firm, a reliable bastion.

But now, as they watched the cracks spread and deepen, they understood the chilling reality: if the barrier collapsed, it would signify the end of Felix. n(/1n

His soul, the very core of his being, would be erased by Nimo's alter ego, leaving nothing behind but a void...

A heavy silence hung over the tenants as they stood powerless to intervene. The weight of impending loss bore down upon them, each crack in the barrier a cruel countdown to an outcome they were desperate to prevent.

They exchanged somber looks, their faces etched with grief and a profound sense of helplessness.

Words were unnecessary; their expressions spoke volumes about the deep bond they shared with Felix and the pain of watching him approach the brink of annihilation.

While everyone was gloomy and seemed to have accepted Felix's fate, The paragon Lilith reached out to her popcorn bucket and found nothing in it.

'Ayy, I'm out of popcorn at the finale...Still, it was indeed a fun watch.' She said while stretching her arms behind her back like a lazy cat waking up from a nap.

Then, she looked at everyone's depressed looks and chuckled, 'I guess it's time to put an end to the show. He should be ready now.'

With a single thought, the paragon Lilith had invaded the expanse of Felix's subconsciousness, a realm where thoughts and memories drift like phantoms in the dark.

Felix, whose consciousness teetered on the edge of an everlasting slumber, lay adrift in the sea of his mind.

His spirit, battered and weary from the relentless battle, was moments away from succ.u.mbing to the darkness that sought to claim it.

In this critical juncture between being and nothingness, Lilith found him.

With a gentle yet a.s.sertive touch, Lilith reached out to Felix's fading spirit, her presence a catalyst for awakening.

"Wake up if you desire to save your loved one." she called, her voice echoing through the shadows.

At her call, something within Felix stirred. A flicker of awareness, dim and distant, initiated to grow, fighting back against the encroaching void...His soul, recognizing the voice and the lifeline it offered, clung to it, pulling him back from the brink of oblivion.

As Felix's consciousness slowly rekindled, his ethereal form materialized before Lilith. His eyes, once dull and fading, now looked upon her with a mixture of confusion and recognition.

"Paragon?" he murmured, his voice a mere whisper in the dark.

The paragon Lilith stared at him with an unfathomable expression, her eyes reflecting a depth of knowledge and purpose, a complete opposite to the playful persona she had on display.

"I can make all of this go away. I can help you win your battle against that racc.o.o.n...But I need something from you." She said.

Felix, even while he was still grasping the threads of his returning awareness, replied with a cold tone, "You finally decided to make your move? What is it that you seek?"

Lilith's gaze intensified, and she spoke with a deliberate emphasis, "All I require is for my soul to reside within Asna's core."

"You..." Felix was left utterly stunned, feeling chills running down his spirit.

He always knew that the paragon Lilith desired something from him...She was partic.i.p.ating in this turning point of his life either directly or indirectly from the very start. Yet, not in his wildest dreams did he expect her goal to be residence in Asna's core!

"Before you reject me, you have to comprehend something." The paragon Lilith mentioned calmly, "You can either accept my request and help me fulfill it, allowing us both to gain something from this, or you can drop dead, and I will harvest it from your body after the racc.o.o.n separates his core with hers."

"Either way, I am getting what I want."

A heavy silence fell over Felix's subconscious realm as he processed her words.

The request was significant, and the implications were far-reaching and unknown.

Asna's core was not just a toy or a source of power; it was a deeply personal and sacred part of their partners.h.i.+p.

She trusted him with her core and now he was being asked to let another soul reside within it?

What would happen to Asna then? Will it still be considered her core? Even if he agreed to her request and she helped him finish off the battle, what would a.s.sure his survival from her?

In his eyes, it was too risky, too unpredictable, and too dangerous for both himself and Asna.

But at the same time, his other option wasn't any better...Death, losing Asna's core for real, and the end of his saga forever.

Even while Felix had no idea what was going on outside, he was certain that his soul was on the brink of destruction and he had almost no time to dwell on his decision, which was the perfect scenario for the paragon.

"You waited until I exhausted all of my options and luck before appearing in front of me...I don't know how long were you planning for this, thousands of years, millions of years, or even billions of years. But, your patience is remarkable."

While it sounded like praise, Felix's cold tone made it clear that he didn't think so.

"I know you are mad, I know you are afraid, and I know you are desperate to take my hand and seek out a silver lining in this situation. So, let me make it easier for you to decide." The paragon Lilith smiled gently as she said, "Me residing in Asna's core won't affect you or her negatively, you will comprehend later on why so. Most importantly, I don't want you dead as you will be my only ride to my freedom."

"For now, make a decision quickly and we will discuss the details after you live through this." The paragon Lilith tapped on her wrist and said, "You have less than five milliseconds before your soul's collapse and the cores' separation."

Felix, now fully conscious and aware of the gravity of the situation, realized the choice before him.

On one hand, was the promise of salvation from Lilith, a new chance to carry on his mission. On the other was the uncertainty and the potential risk involved in intertwining Lilith's soul with Asna's core.

Felix wasn't dumb to trust her words after she pulled this on him but at the same time, it was a slight rea.s.surance, even when he already made his decision the moment she offered her hand.

As she said, he might be scared, but he was desperate, and there was no way he would turn down the only remaining chance in front of him to save Asna...

"One question before we commit to this." Felix frowned, "Why do you need me?"

In his mind, his existence shouldn't be that important since she would be getting Asna's core from Nimo's hands anyway when he died.

So, why go through all of this trouble?

"For my soul to reside in her core, the host needs to approve of it." The paragon Lilith gave a short explanation, "If I tried to do it while the core has no host, it will reject me, and not even a wish can make a difference."

While the explanation was short, Felix understood what she implied.

Asna's core was like a safe and he was the only one given the keys to it...Unless Asna approved of the paragon of sins to enter her core, there was no other way around it besides receiving Felix's help.

When Felix's thought process went down this path, a sudden horrifying realization struck him akin to a thunderbolt.

He lifted his shaky finger and pointed at the paragon.

"It can't be...No, don't tell me...You?" He stuttered with a look of utter fear and shock.

"You are a smart one, you found out quite late though, with three milliseconds remaining, what's your call?"

The paragon Lilith showed a faint charming smile as she told him the time...But in Felix's eyes, her smile seemed sinister like the devil himself was smiling at him.

The revelation he figured out was so horrifying, it gave Felix a new understanding of what it meant to be the pinnacle of evil.

Yet..."I agree..."