Thoughts

I harbored no ill will towards Willow.

It wasn't like with the soldiers who I have recently slain that I felt their lives to be meaningless.

Willow had value, and I would plan on making good use of her ability.

The only problem that might occur would be her allegiance.

Who wouldn't want to be free of the shackles that had held them down? Who wouldn't want to remove the curse that slowly kills you? Who wouldn't want the option to take back the life that is being leached away?

I had no idea what was going on inside Willow's mind.

Maybe she wasn't thinking those types of thoughts at all. Perhaps she was fully prepared to die by my hands. After all, was there really any guarantee that by reaching level 100 the curse would fade?

If it doesn't I wonder just how heartbreaking that would be.

Having a glimpse of hope and dedicating everything to achieve it only to discover that it failed.

Everything depends on how much hope she has as well as her desire to live.

Will she break our agreement and become another number on a fucking screen?

Will she beg to have the chance of having her own life that won't be controlled by others where she will have her own free will?

Or will she accept her fate and shatter what's left of my mind?

So many wills and guesses— It's bullshit! Will she this, will she that, fuck it, this will be a choice she will get to make without any influence.

The only question left will be how I value the number, yet, only time will tell.

"What are the chances of winning?" Willow asked at the perfect time to stop my thinking from continuing.

"There's no chance of me dying if that's what you're wondering," I replied solemnly.

Willow gave a slight nod but then asked a second question that surprised me, "What are the chances the king doesn't die?"

I studied the girl in front of me for a couple of moments as I stared at her features looking for any glimpse of hesitation.

She studied me back but the only difference was that in the corner of my eye I could see how she had an ability attached to the king.

"Do you not want him to die?" I questioned after a full minute passed as I made sure not to let any of my emotions seep through.

Silence weighed down on the both of us as I awaited her response but when it seemed like I wouldn't be receiving one I decided to break the silence, "Honestly I have no real reason to kill him, it was I who antagonized him and I have no sense of justice to punish him."

"Then why do you so desperately want to kill him?" She asked.

"Do I need a reason?" I retorted.

"Yes," She stated blandly.

"Then, you could consider it a personal matter."

"Is that how you want to end this conversation?"

"No, but I have to end it here."

Once again silence filled the forest.

"At least tell me your name?" Willow asked shyly while dropping her eyes to the ground and dragging her shoes through the dirt.

I was being honest when I said I had no reason to kill the king and all my points were valid. The only problem is the amount of XP I could get from him.

If he truly just surpassed level 100 and unlocked his essence I need to know what it would be like to kill him and steal his abilities, maybe the system might even give me a way to take his essence.

Even the very slight possibility of risking my life to test my thoughts is extremely worth it.

It just seems like Willow has some form of lingering connection to him.

I already told myself I had no hate directed toward her but I also feel no love nor care for her.

If she were to explode right in front of me right now the only emotion I would feel is anger because I would have lost the chance to take her ability and teleport.

But it seems like she has also developed a connection with me just like she had with the king.

So the only question is do I care enough to respect her question. I already drew the line, not for her but for my own selfish reasons.

I know that if I so much as form any kind of connection with her my mind will shatter when the time comes.

*ding*

[inherent trait discovered]

[Name: Arthur]

Bloodline: Poor (Basic)

Species: Human

Level: 112 (Copper)

Trait: Broken

Broken: At a moment's notice you can switch off emotions to protect yourself from the cruelty of the world. *notice: To return the emotion you relive through your feeling at a 50% decrease*

'So, it's true,' I understood while reading the description. 'I already knew that there was some kind of switch that flipped the moment my family left. This isn't an ability or a skill, it's just me being cowardly.'

Thinking for another couple of seconds I made my decision, 'I can't risk reliving everything before the attack. That will take a lot of time that we don't have and it might mess with my senses. Because I know that moment I feel something more than base-level emotions the wall I have built up will shatter.'

"I promise to tell you after the battle so, be sure not to die," I finally told her after a solid minute of thinking.

Willow initially seemed sad but she quickly showed a smile and even gave a nod.

With everything settled just enough that the both of us were still capable of fighting we decided it was time to take down the HQ.

Exiting the dark forest that once gave us protection, we entered the clearing that led to the building hand in hand.

"If you ask, I'll spare him," I said, still looking ahead, "good luck."