Primordial Conquest

Chapter 71: The End part 2

Arbus watched in stunned horror and disbelief as Arora stared at him, confusion written across her pale features.

He pushed his battered body upright slowly, his arms trembling as blood continued to seep from his grievous wounds.

His face contorted in a mixture of rage and anguish as he thought about the thousands of Tarokian citizens who had just lost their lives mere minutes ago — all because of Arora.

Yet his one and only friend was smiling at him as if nothing of significance had happened at all.

His expression slowly morphed into into a look of pure revulsion.

"You..."

"You're a monster..."

"You're nothing but a monster!" He screamed, his voice cracking as he felt his heart ache with despair.

Arora's smile finally faltered at his words.

"W-what?"

"What are you saying, Arbus? You're not making any sense right now."

She said nervously as she took a hesitant step closer to him.

Arbus immediately recoiled, unwilling to let her close the distance between them..

Arora's expression darkened the moment she noticed his retreat.

"...What are you doing, Arbus?"

"Why do you keep backing away from me?"

"Why are you angry with me? Did I do something wrong? If I did, just tell me, please." She asked with a concerned expression as her fractured mind ran through all the possible reasons Arbus would be furious with her.

Arbus's lips quivered uncontrollably as his fists clenched tightly.

He searched Arora's eyes frantically for any hint of remorse or regret for what had just happened.

He desperately hoped that this was just some sick, twisted joke she was using to cope with what she had done.

There was nothing.

"Ah.."

He had been wrong.

He had been wrong about Arora from the very beginning. He had considered this possibility countless times over the last few months.

But of course, he had ignored it.

He had told himself that it wasn't going to happen, over and over.

He had chosen to believe in his friend despite the doubts that had plagued his heart every time she used her ability.

The power that he had helped her discover. The power that he had helped her train.

After everything, it turned out that his grandfather had been right all along.

Humans... were nothing but monsters.

His father had simply been an exception.

Arbus stumbled backward as he raised his mangled arm to clutch his aching chest.

"Ah... This can't be real. No, this isn't real. I refuse to believe this is real."

"That's right, this is a dream. I haven't woken up yet. This is simply a nightmare."

Arora remained silent for several moments as she watched Arbus's mental breakdown with growing concern.

"Arbus, what's wron-"

"Shut up!" Arbus's voice rang out across the empty landscape as he whirled back to face Arora, his emerald eyes blazing with fury.

"Don't ask me that again!"

"How can you even have the audacity to ask me that after slaughtering so many innocent lives!"

"Y-you killed my people. My family. My village!" Arbus screamed in anguish, his voice momentarily drowning out even the sound of the relentless rain.

"How dare you! How dare you ask me that!"

"How can you be so utterly nonchalant about it!"

"Since when have you been this way? Has it been since we met?"

"Were you simply a monster playing with me from the very start!"

Arora stared at him with a shocked and wounded expression at his outburst.

Finally, she looked back toward the crater she had carved into the earth in her desperate attempt to survive.

"M-monster?" She whispered.

"You think I'm a monster for trying to live?"

Her expression slowly shifted into one of indignation.

"You think I'm a monster for killing people who were going to kill me!" She shouted back finally.

She stepped closer.

"Arbus, I had no choice. All I wanted was to save you and leave peacefully."

"But I was ambushed. I was ambushed by those animals — Dorian, Beck, and Grug."

"At one point, all my memories came flooding back. The memories of how I died."

Arbus's hate-filled gaze softened slightly for a moment as he heard that.

Arora continued with a bitter smile.

"It wasn't good Arbus. I was tortured. Betrayed. Killed by the people... The person I trusted the most."

"I was experimented on like some kind of lab rat."

"That's why... That's why I'm like this. I don't know what they did to me, but it somehow destroyed large chunks of my very soul." Arora said as she clutched her own chest, feeling the agonizing pain she had been desperately suppressing.

Arbus studied her for several long moments, unsure if he could believe anything she was saying anymore.

"I don't know what to do, Arbus. I-I can feel myself slipping away piece by piece. I almost killed you earlier because I couldn't even remember who you were."

"I'm so.. so lost." She cried, as tears fell from her obsidian eyes, mixing with raindrops streaking down her cheeks.

Silence stretched between them for several moments, with only the sound of thunder and rain filling the void.

Arbus took a tentative step towards her, then stopped.

"That..."

"....So what?" Arbus said finally as he gritted his teeth in anger at her explanation.

Arora's confused gaze met his again as her shoulders slumped at his words.

"What?" She murmured.

"I said so what! Do you think that somehow gives you an excuse to kill all those innocent people!?" Arbus shouted.

"..All those innocent children" Arbus muttered.

"Because you were hurt by bad people?"

"Is that the kind of person you are? The kind of person you always were!?"

Arora stared at him with a blank expression, her eyes narrowing.

"They were going to kill me, Arbus. The warriors, your elders, even the Renegade commander."

"Was I supposed to just stand there and be victimized once again?"

"Was I supposed to let them take this life of mine after what happened to me before?"

"Was I supposed to let the Renegades execute me like they do to their own people simply for helping a Reincarnator?"

"Tell me, Arbus. What exactly did I do wrong?"

Arbus said nothing as fresh tears streaked down his face.

"Tell me, Arora... Do you feel any guilt?"

"Any remorse at all..... for what you did?"

Arora remained silent for several moments as she studied his expression. Then she scoffed.

"No. No, I don't. But if you want an apology, then I can give you that."

"I'm sorry I killed your people."

"But let's be honest, you hated them anyways. If anything, I did you a favour!" she added coldly.

Arbus's eyes fell to the ground as he closed them in grief.

She was gone.

The friend he had once known and loved was nowhere to be found.

To him, it felt like she had died the moment he had bid her farewell earlier in the day.

Arora wiped away the tears from her soaked face as she straightened up.

"I'm leaving this planet now, before more Renegades show up here."

".....Are you coming with me?" She asked straightforwardly.

"...No. no I won't." He said simply.

Arora's lips trembled slightly for several moments.

Then she turned away from him as she flew up slowly.

"...Fine then. Suit yourself."

Arbus's fist clenched in determination.

CRASH!!

Arora's eyes widened in shock as she suddenly crashed to the ground with Arbus on top of her.

He wrapped one arm around her throat from behind while his other hand was raised high into the sky, the hunting knife he had once lent to her clutched in his trembling grip.

"W-what??"

Arbus knew that he couldn't let Arora leave this planet.

As of right now, she was no longer the sweet, innocent, and somewhat naive girl he had stumbled upon months ago. She was now a monster consumed by her power, just like all the other Reincarnators his grandfather had warned him about.

He had to kill her here and now if he wanted to save countless innocent lives from being lost in the future.

He just had to.

And yet.

He couldn't bring himself to do it.

He hesitated.

The moment he did, he lost his element of surprise. Arora immediately recovered from her shock as her face contorted with intense rage and hatred.

Arbus had just tried to kill her.

After everything she had endured for him.

He had betrayed her.

Just like everyone else in her life.

ZING!

A beam of pure destruction blasted through Arbus's chest before she kicked him off of her with enough force to send him flying into the vast crater beside them.