Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power

The pain Kaden was feeling was immense.

He knew that the beasts would not capture his sister just to not touch her, but he never expected this level of torture.

It didn't even look like something they did for information. It looked like something they did just to hurt, just for the sake of pleasure.

That alone made him feel angry and sad about all of this.

But the moment he heard her voice telling him to run and save himself instead of saving her… even with her current dire situation…

Kaden couldn't help but feel, for a moment, overwhelmed by it all.

Overwhelmed by the deep love and concern his sister had for him.

Overwhelmed by her affection.

He just sat there, his mind blank for a while, not knowing what to say or even do in this situation.

His eyes started to cry black tears as his trait Silent Tears activated.

Daela's heart immediately dropped as she saw this scene.

CLINK—!!

She instantly tried to approach her brother, but the shackles binding her left arm prevented her from moving.

But she gritted her teeth and forced herself with all her strength.

Her skin started to burn, her arm felt like it was being ripped off by some monstrous being.

The pain was immense, but she didn't care. She only cared about reaching her little brother and caring for him.

She only cared about him.

Nothing else.

No one else.

Only him.

So she gritted her teeth even more, so tightly that they started to crack and break in her mouth.

A sickening tearing sound echoed through the cell as her left arm was slowly getting… ripped off.

By herself.

Her shoulder was slowly being torn apart—flesh, muscle, and tendons all getting shredded by sheer will and desperation.

The sight was horrifying, as you could clearly see how every muscle, every sinew, every tendon and strip of flesh, even the bones… were slowly but surely being severed.

Blood started to spill heavily on the ground, and suddenly, a deep, wet ripping sound echoed through the cell as Daela's entire left arm was torn off.

The sound jolted Kaden back to his senses. His eyes cleared as he looked at Daela and—

"W-What…?"

BADUMP. BADUMP. BADUMP.

Kaden's heart was beating so loudly it echoed through the underground prison as he stared at Daela in shock.

He immediately rushed to the cell bars, his black tears still streaming freely.

"What did you do? Why did you do that to yourself? Do you want to die?" Kaden asked, his voice trembling as tears kept flowing.

He couldn't control them. That's how the trait worked.

And that made Daela even sadder.

"D-Don't cry…" Daela managed to utter as she approached the cell bars, putting her forehead against them, wanting to feel the warmth of her little brother just once, because she didn't have long.

"I… I'm fine. But don't cry, Kaden…" she muttered again.

"Don't cry… please," she said, her voice filled with sadness from seeing her brother in pain.

She wasn't concerned about her own state, even though she would die from blood loss soon—she only cared about him.

Kaden sat there, kneeling on the ground, deeply shocked and lost.

He never thought, not even once, that his sister loved him at this level.

Instantly, a smile appeared on his lips.

It was a smile filled with deep, unfiltered pain… but also a smile full of love for his sister.

"What tears? This is just some stupid trait acting up, sister."

"I'm a young, respectable man. I do not cry," he said, black tears still rolling down his cheeks, as he gently touched his sister's head with his right hand, then—

"Don't worry… I will save you, okay? I will, sister… I swear I will…"

"…I will."

Kaden kept muttering, over and over, as if convincing himself before suddenly he heard footsteps coming.

Daela slowly raised her head, and her heart dropped even further, but before she could say anything—

"Sleep, please."

Kaden gently knocked her out.

He didn't want her to see him dying.

It might be nothing to him at this point, but to her, it might mean everything.

And even if he would rewind time, making all of this irrelevant…

It was not irrelevant for him.

Slowly, a silhouette appeared and Kaden recognized her. The Cerveau woman.

She looked at him, shocked to see him her, undetected, standing in front of her. But before she could even speak,

Kaden lunged toward her, his intent to kill so thick Selene instinctively reacted and attacked his mind.

Kaden lowered his mind barrier to zero and, the moment she struck,

He died.

[You are dead.]

…

Kaden appeared back in the ever-dark realm.

He didn't say anything. He didn't do anything.

He just lay on his back in the groundless space, closing his eyes softly, letting all kinds of thoughts flow through his mind.

Death stayed silent, as if giving him the time needed to reset after the traumatizing experience of watching his sister literally rip off her own arm—just to reach him.

All because he cried…

All because of that damned trait.

Kaden's thoughts circled endlessly, looping that moment again and again inside his head.

His Will, which was utterly useless just a few moments ago, suddenly acted—salvaging his damaged mind.

Because if not… Kaden would've fallen into trauma for a very long time.

He lay there for an unknown amount of time, his eyes closed, his breathing calm even with the absolute silence around him.

"Can I get rid of the 'Silent Tears' trait?" Kaden asked suddenly, his voice rippling through the void, quiet and cold.

If you listened carefully… you'd notice a deeply buried anger inside it.

[You cannot. But you can use it as material for another trait through Synthesis,] Death responded softly, as if accounting for Kaden's mood.

Kaden didn't respond, his mind already scanning through the many traits he had, looking for a way to sacrifice this cursed one.

He didn't need a trait that made him weep uncontrollably just after witnessing the most horrifying act of love from the one person he wanted to protect most.

That was bullshit.

"Synthesis," Kaden whispered.

"Use Silent Tears as a material to strengthen Soulbrand," he ordered, then paused—

"And do not transfer the crying thing onto Soulbrand," he clarified.

Synthesis obeyed instantly.

It took Silent Tears, deconstructed it, destroyed the useless parts, the ones Kaden despised, and used the rest to fortify Soulbrand.

Soon, it was done, and a new panel appeared before him. His eyes were still closed, but Death made sure he could see it even in that way.

[Soulbrand has gained an additional feature.]

[You will now obtain the most cherished thing from any being you brand and kill.]

Kaden smiled softly at this.

But it was an empty smile.

A smile without emotion, without warmth.

A smile that looked like it wanted to drown the world in silence, in indifference, in apathy.

He slowly opened his eyes—and oh…

What a terrifying sight.

His eyes looked like a still ocean. Not a single ripple inside.

Perfectly calm. Perfectly dead.

And tell me…

Where can you find an ocean like that?

Nowhere.

And that's what makes it even more dreadful.

Because when an ocean is that still, it means something horrifying, something ancient, something abominable is sleeping just beneath the surface—scaring every other creature away as it waits…

…to swallow everything within reach.

And Kaden…

…was ready to swallow the entire City of Steel.

—End of Chapter 110—

A/N:

110 chapters. Enough to be able to make a reviews.

So go, don't be shy. Give 5 stars minimum. If you can give more I wouldn't say no.

And…

…thank you for reading?