Going Against Destiny I

Eric has very sharp senses - a special trait bestowed on at least one of those of the imperial blood.

He can hear even the faintest of sounds, smell the weakest of scents, and feel any presence. Or at least, he can under a certain condition that is hard to meet in his case - a condition that highly depends on the user himself. Wielding this ability requires strong determination, unbending will power and a fixity of purpose, which were everything he lacked before he met Seraphine.

Now, Eric has them - he has found a reason to fight at last.

That's why he managed to escape the backstage and go after Clifford. He took down every obstacle he confronted on the way. Whether it were the men who oppressed him earlier or the guards around the area, he stopped at nothing. He only continued to use the dagger that he stole from one of them and slash his way out of there.

As for the bizarre strength that Eric was displaying at the moment, he could only guess that this was another part of him that he had yet to discover.

"Eric, no! Don't! Stop it!" Seraphine bolted out to him, but he was not listening as he was still in the middle of being devoured by his uncontrollable emotions.

Clifford gasped when he felt his fist land square in his face. The sickening sound of snaps and crunches pierced through the air. With whatever strength he had left, he tried to kick Eric in the stomach. But that did little to faze him, and instead, that only seemed to make him angrier.

"You disgusting piece of filth! I showed you mercy! And this is what you do?!" Eric hollered in rage, punctuating each word with a deft blow to the skull.

"Eric, stop it, please!" Seraphine pleaded when she saw that Clifford had long since fallen unconscious.

"Screw that..." he then only laughed humorlessly before bringing out the knife again.

"Let's mess up this pretty little face of yours, shall we?"

She didn't understand what was happening. All she could do was watch him act like the monster that he may have had become if he not did not die during the previous timeline.

At this point, their captor appears to have already broken a number of bones in his body.

Before Seraphine could even cry out for Eric to stop once more, he had begun to slash at his face with the dagger. He slashed in a way that resembled the scratch of a beast who was desperate to annihilate its opponent.

Seraphine feels her tears spilling over. After everything she has been through, hurting someone to this extent is not something she wants. Even though she herself was killed a couple of times, she could never bring herself up to kill anyone either.

"Eric, please stop! Please, I'm begging you!"

At that moment, Eric finally came to a halt.

Before he can inflict another cut, he stops at the sound of her crying.

At last, he slowly backs away from Clifford. Taking deep breaths, he uses a bit more time to collect himself. She is still crying even then, which stirs and spurs him to return to where she is. He then kneels down before her - his once vicious and fierce expression long gone as it is now replaced by a gentle and soft one.

"W-Why... W-Why did you do s-such a thing?" Seraphine stammered out with a brittle tone.

"He beat you up and tried to sell you. Why wouldn't I?" Eric simply answered, making her flare up.

"But still! You should not have-"

Right then, she paused and fell silent.

She suddenly recalls something crucial. As she continues staring at him, she gets to see the same innocence and purity she has seen on him a while ago. That's when she realizes that it's probably not right for her to reproach him and say that what he did was wrong - for him, it's not wrong at all. This is how he's been raised, and this is the way of life that he's gotten to know.

Seraphine can't blame Eric.

It's not his fault that this is how he's been made by the world around him.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," he apologized before reaching out to her and pulling her in an embrace.

"N-No... It's not... y-your fault," she stuttered and faltered, feeling all the more sympathetic and compassionate for him.

And as Seraphine hugs Eric back, she can't help but cry harder.