Book 2: Chapter 447

Sedis a.s.saults gradually lost a reason. Lukas was well aware that this behaviour was simply venting anger.

Paak, pak, puk.

She mainly used her hands and feet. The only thing Lukas could do to defend himself was to twist his body as much as possible to avoid blows to his vital points, but the order was a bit mixed this time.

A sharp kick stabbed into Lukas solar plexus.

Kuk

Lukas eye widened as he let out a gasp.

On the other hand, Sedis mouth stretched into a bright smile.

Mm. The feeling in my hand* just now was good. No, I kicked you just now so I guess I should say the feeling in my foot instead. (*: Feeling in the hand/taste of the hand is just an expression to emphasise the touch or feel of something or the effort that went into it)

Something seemed to be wrong with her expression. Sedi chuckled as Lukas coughed a few times before he looked up at her with a blank expression.

Sedi stopped laughing.

Is there something you want to say urk.

Sedi staggered, clutching her head.

The dizziness. It was becoming more frequent. She was probably more aware of that fact than Lukas was.

are you okay?

Without realising it, Lukas mumbled those words. Sedi, who was wiping away blood, shook.

what?

Their eyes met.

But Lukas didnt repeat himself. Instead, he simply looked into her eyes.

There was no trace of Sedis unique red colour in those black eyes.

Did you just show worry for me?

Right.

Ha, hahaha. Is that something the current you can do?

Sedis lips twisted into a sneer, but she was unable to stop the cold sweat that flowed,

With your whole body wrapped in chains. Who should worry about whom?

What does my miserable state have to do with worrying about you?

What?

Even if I was on my last breath, and you were in your healthiest state, I would worry about you.

Sedi paused.

is that your answer?

Right. Thats my answer.

Lukas smiled faintly.

The answer for this relations.h.i.+p that I found.

Paak.

He received a kick to the face. The inner flesh of his cheek ripped.

A stream of blood flowed, but Lukas didnt groan or flinch.

He only looked at Sedi with his still att.i.tude and expression.

It was Sedi who became more anxious at this reaction.

Cough, cough.

Sedi coughed up a mouthful of black blood. But, unlike before, she didnt leave. Instead, she simply stared at Lukas with evil eyes.

Late, late, late! Its way too late! I dont want that anymore! At least, now I!

Pak, pak.

Lukas entire body creaked.

Sedi became excited like a predator before its prey. The violence made her lose control. Because of this, Lukas body was completely destroyed.

Huff, huff

Sedi panted heavily. It was only then that she realised what shed done. She licked her lips several times as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she always closed her mouth again.

Then, she finally managed to squeeze out a voice.

there is only one role I want Father to play. You know the theme.

Just continue to be an outlet for my emotions like this. Forever and ever.

With those words, Sedi left the dungeon with unsteady steps.

Lukas simply smiled tiredly.

* * *

How did he transform void into mana?

Lukas had completely captured that scene in his mind. He had focused not only on the phenomenon itself but on even the smallest details.

Mana and void.

Firstly, it could be said that he understood these two types of energy to an extent. Of course, Lukas saying that he understood them to an extent meant that there was less than 0.1% that he didnt understand.

If he had to give an opinion from a position that fully interpreted the basics, it was structurally impossible to convert void to mana. This was something that went beyond common sense or stereotypes.

Even if it was possible, there is no point in simply transforming void into mana.

It wasnt that Lukas didnt want to hold on to mana. Nevertheless, he had no choice but to let it go. Because he could feel the deep limit of the energy itself. Mana could not keep up not only with the Twelve Void Lords, but the other powerful beings who ruled over this world.

That was why he gave it up and turned to void, and as a result, he was able to become stronger.

If he were to use mana again because he could no longer use void, it wouldnt be progress, it would be a regression.

Nevertheless, there was a reason why Lukas had felt happy.

The Beginning Wizard.

That Wizard, who was clearly stronger than Lukas, had shown him a phenomenon of changing void into mana. There had to be a clear intention behind this act.

It wasnt simply transforming void to mana.

Something There had to be something else.

Lukas didnt stop trying to find a clue.

Then, he suddenly had a question. It was a thought that hed had before.

How did the mana stay in the atmosphere?

Void, which was prevalent in the atmosphere, tolerated the existence of mana. That was absolutely impossible.

He considered hundreds of possibilities at the same time. Then, he gradually removed the ones that werent even close one after the other. In this case, the method of elimination was the most effective method.

When the possibilities had been narrowed to ten, Lukas noticed one possibility that bothered him more than the others.

if it wasnt changed.

If the void wasnt changed to mana but was simply imitating it It was a ridiculous hypothesis, but the speculations to support it bloomed one by one.

The void hadnt transformed into mana. It had simply imitated the colour, characteristics and movements of mana. And after some thought, he acknowledged that it wasnt impossible.

The applicative ability of void far surpa.s.sed ones imagination. It was possible for it to imitate not only the molecular structure but also the inherent properties of any form of energy.

He understood that.

Of course, it would take some practice to apply and use it, but that wasnt the problem.

The problem was that to carry out this experiment, he would need to be able to use void.

His mind cooled in an instant. It felt like hed started climbing a mountain without hesitation and had arrived at a sheer cliff face.

Using void.

Was impossible for the current Lukas.

* * *

ten pieces.

Hed collected ten pieces of jerky.

He had reached his target quant.i.ty.

I cant delay it for too long.

As the quant.i.ty of jerky increased, it would become more difficult to hide. He could barely hide ten, but as the number increased, the chances of being caught would increase exponentially.

However it was still not enough.

If he were to eat all of this jerky, he could break free of the chains and escape the dungeon, but it was not enough to help him face Sedi head on.

void.

A sigh escaped his lips.

Lukas had tried over and over again to control that power to no avail.

He never heard the voices that had completely disappeared again. The Lukases didnt respond to his attempts at conversation.

it cant be helped.

Since that was the case, he had no choice but to make a risky gamble.

Just as Lukas was about to eat the jerky.

Ah. Are you going to eat it now?

He was shocked after hearing a sudden voice.

Lukas turned his head to look to the side.

No one shouldve been in that place, but hed clearly heard a voice from there.

Sedi.

When he called out to the owner of the voice, smoke rose from the wall of the prison. Shaaaa, Sedi appeared from the black smoke.

Its as I expected. Father wouldnt have given up, wouldnt have quietly let yourself be imprisoned. I was certain you were planning to escape.

To be honest, I thought youd show a more innovative method, but I guess you were too restricted.

From the way she spoke, she knew from the beginning that Lukas would try to escape.

Nevertheless.

are you saying you deliberately left me alone?

Mhm.

Why didnt you just stop me from the start?

This moment is good. This is the moment when youd feel the most frustrated after feeling a glimmer of hope and expectation from carrying out your plan.

Then you would have a better perception of reality. Of course, the best moment to break your mind would be just before you tried to escape Then, the mental damage at that time would completely ruin your mind. Moreover.

Sedi smiled brightly.

I never underestimated Father. Nevertheless, I had a foreboding feeling that it would be troublesome if you were to eat the jerky and get your limbs back Now. Then.

Paak!

Something wrapped around his neck and he felt his head fly up.

It was a surprisingly flexible thorn. Sedi used this thorn as a whip and slammed Lukas head into the wall.

Just as he tried to turn his head away, he felt pressure on the back of his head. Sedi was stepping on Lukas head with her dirty feet.

This place was pretty bright, wasnt it? It was quiet, comfortable, and environmental factors that gave you the s.p.a.ce to think. So its no surprise that came up with a crazy idea like escaping.

K-, uk.

Even if this is my territory, I cant stay with you 24hrs a day, so I thought it would be a good idea to push Father a bit more so that you wouldnt think about anything other than me. If the meeting will be held soon, I might have to leave for a while. So. Before that.

Kkok.

The pressure on his head increased. Jujuk, juk. The wall began to crack.

Lukas face was half buried in the wall.

Apologise.

Apolo-, gise?

Right. Tell me youre sorry. Sincerely.

Sedis smile widened.

I like Father so much and I want Father to be with me forever. But Father tried to run away from me. That really shocked me. My heart aches. I feel like I will collapse at any moment.

So say it. Im sorry, if Father keeps avoiding it, this broken relations.h.i.+p can never be repaired.

Broken relations.h.i.+p.

Lukas felt like hed been struck in the head with a hammer.

Shouldnt the one in the wrong apologise so that the relations.h.i.+p can be fixed? Thats one of the principles I learned.

That was right. She hadnt said anything wrong.

So, Lukas apologised.

-ry.

Sedis smile became s.a.d.i.s.tic.

What was that?

Sorry. Im so sorry

Be a bit more straightforward.

It was my mistake. I was in the wrong. So please, forgive me.

Lukas apologised. Sedi could see clear liquid streaming down his cheeks.

Right. He was crying. He was really crying. It was something shed never seen before.

The way her father looked when he cried. It made a tingle course through her entire body.

He looked so adorable when he cried.

Every time she saw an image of her father that shed never seen before, it filled her mind with an incredible sense of satisfaction.

She wanted to see*. She wanted to see more. She wanted to know every detail. She wanted to dig it all up. But she couldnt. She had to save it. She could, but she wouldnt.

It wasnt fun to take everything at once.

Hah

Sedi let out a deep sigh, like a drug addict getting her fix.

Right. Thats it, Father.

There were no falsehoods in his apology.

Lukas now really believed hed done wrong.

Then from now-

Dont be mistaken.

A cold voice.

That voice immediately wiped away Sedis smile.

Im not apologising to you.

what was that?

Anger appeared on Sedis face.

Father and I are the only ones here.

Right.

So if its not to me, then to who?

[Lukas]

As he responded, Lukas wiped his tears away.

Seeing this, Sedi couldnt help but be confused for a moment.

Uh?

The hand.

Lukas severed hand had regenerated.

When. How.

Clang!

The chains around Lukas body fell with a loud sound.

I apologised to Lukas. For pretending to not hear, for pretending to not notice, for letting go of my responsibilities, for breaking my promise, and for focusing on my own comfort for so long.

What are you talking about?

You were right. In order to fix a broken relations.h.i.+p, the one in the wrong should apologise first. Thats the start. Only then would it be possible to talk. And thankfully, they accepted my apology.

Why?

Because they

He could hear them.

[Its okay.]

He could hear their soft voices.

[Sometimes you make wrong choices and end up regretting it.]

He heard the voices of the Lukases.

[Sometimes you end up showing a pathetic side that you dont want others to see.]

The voices continued.

[When that happens, we will blame you.]

[Well be disappointed and angry.]

[We might even hate you.]

However.

[Well still understand.]

[Everyone will understand.]

[No matter what, we will never deny you.]

[Because we are all]

As his thoughts and the voices aligned, Lukas smiled.

Indeed, after a long time, he was able to show a refres.h.i.+ng smile because of their voices.

-are Lukas.

Fwoos.h.!.+

Blue light erupted from Lukas body.

(TL: I wont lie, I was almost disappointed for a second.)