Descendant of Sloth
Chapter 50: The Betrayal

Chapter 50: The Betrayal

I dashed down before Braun could react. In an instant, I was standing before him, my back to his crumpling form as silence engulfed the cave.

My dagger hung by my side, its blade glistening with fresh blood that dripped rhythmically to the ground. Behind me, Braun’s body shuddered, his severed head tipping forward. It hit the rocky floor with a *thud*, followed moments later by his lifeless body collapsing in a heavy heap.

The silence that came after was deep.

With a flick of my wrist, I raised the dagger and shook it to the right, the blood splattering against the ground. The blade shimmered faintly before vanishing into nothingness.

Serina lowered her hands, her outstretched fingers trembling as the energy dissipated from her. Her eyes locked onto Braun’s lifeless form, a flicker of guilt and sorrow clouding her gaze.

I sighhed, the sound heavy in the stillness, and stepped forward. Crouching down beside Hina, I placed a hand gently on her head. Her skin was burning hot, her breath shallow and ragged. Her eyes were closed, her body trembling with the effort of simply staying alive.

Without a word, I slid my arms under her frail body and lifted her against my chest. She felt weightless, like she might slip away at any moment. My hair fell forward, obscuring my face as I turned and walked past Serina.

She stood frozen, her hands limp at her sides, her lips parted as if to speak but no sound came.

"Esther..." she finally called after me, her voice soft, almost pleading.

I stopped.

"Thank you," she said, her tone laced with hesitation.

I didn’t turn. "No need to," I replied curtly. "I just did what was right."

"Still..." she began, her voice faltering.

I tilted my head slightly, just enough for her to see my profile. "Isn’t this why you asked us to come here in the first place?" I said, my voice colder now, cutting through the tension like a blade.

She flinched but said nothing.

"The Eladrin elves," I continued, "so stubborn in their pride that they refused to seek help from the outside world, even as they were being wiped out. But you—you saw it. You knew they wouldn’t survive on their own. So you went against their ways and sought help anyway. And when you saw me, you believed I could stop your teammates."

Her shoulders sagged, her gaze falling to the ground.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling with unspoken emotions.

I said nothing, holding Hina close to me as I turned my back to Serina once more. My steps echoed in the stillness, each one carrying us farther from the scene of death and regret.

Serina stood in front of me, a solitary figure under the cave walls, her apology swallowed by the silence.

"Come out now and speak the truth to everyone already," I said, my voice cold and unyielding, cutting through the oppressive silence of the cave.

Serina stood before me, her gaze cast downward, her shoulders trembling slightly under the weight of my words.

"Yes," she murmured, her voice filled with quiet resignation. "I will tell everyone what was happening here all this time."

I didn’t let up, my tone sharpening like the edge of a blade. "What exactly did you gain by killing your own people?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her head snapping up to meet my eyes. "My people?" she repeated, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Her gaze searched mine, desperate for answers, but the moment her eyes shifted toward me, everything about her froze. Her expression twisted into horror as her hands flew to her mouth, muffling a gasp.

I didn’t need to turn to confirm what she had seen.

Blood dripped from my stomach, warm and sticky, pooling at my feet. My grip tightened around Hina as I looked down at the hand coming through my abdomen—a hand with long, sharp nails, stained crimson.

"Esther!" Serina cried, her voice cracking with concern.

The air grew heavy, tension thickening as I shifted my gaze over my shoulder. Standing behind me, just at the entrance of the cave, was a person.

The intruder’s long, white hair flowed like silk in the sunny yet chilling air, and the sharp points of his ears marked them as one of the Eladrin elves. His features were shrouded in shadow, save for their hand, which was buried deep in my flesh.

I didn’t flinch. Serina’s, whose wide eyes flickered between me and the figure behind me, her panic growing.

The silence was deafening, the tension unbearable. Blood continued to drip steadily from the wound, painting the ground below us in dark crimson.

I let out a long sighh, as if the hole in my stomach was of no worries.

"I asked you something... Gyosu." My voice, steady and unshaken.

The figure behind me stepped away, his hand withdrawing from my body in a slow, deliberate motion. Blood dripped freely from the wound, but I stood tall, unfazed.

Gyosu emerged fully into view, his presence commanding yet unsettling. His long, snow-white hair cascaded down his back, almost shimmering in the faint light, while his eyes—black as the void—seemed to absorb all the light around them. The dark veins running across his head, ancient face added to his eerie appearance, and his frail body showed a deceptive sense of strength.

"You’re still as perceptive as you were back then," he said, his voice carrying the weight of centuries.

The words hit Serina like a crashing wave. Her eyes widened, her thoughts racing as she pieced it all together.

*Gyosu?* she thought, stunned. *The grand elder of the Eladrin elves. The one Braun was in contact with before all of this began. So he’s the one behind it...*

I tilted my head slightly, my cold gaze locking onto him. "Not exactly what I was expecting thought." I said calmly, my tone devoid of emotion.

The air between us grew heavy as we stared at each other, unspoken tension building with every passing second. The silence stretched on, broken only by the faint sound of dripping blood.