Transmigrated as the Cuck.... WTF!!!
Chapter 194. An Unlucky Soul

Chapter 194: 194. An Unlucky Soul

Cassius walked forward with an unhurried grace, his steps echoing faintly. Before him knelt a man, not bound by iron or chain, but suspended in a far crueler prison—space itself. Reality refused to acknowledge him.

He was not held within the world, but kept out of it, as though banished from existence. Every time one looked at him, he seemed to blur at the edges, caught between presence and absence.

Cassius’s frame stopped just a foot away from the phantom prisoner. His gaze was calm—impassive, yet piercing. His voice followed, soft and devoid of hostility, but firm with intent.

"Are you a user of Amethyst Lightning?" he asked. "If yes... then do share what you know about the element."

The man didn’t look up. He didn’t stir. Not even a twitch of a finger or the lift of an eye. But the air shifted—and then a voice echoed, within the minds of both Cassius and Kaelira.

"Haha... You’re an amusing one, aren’t you? But don’t you have any manners?" the voice said. "Shouldn’t you say please before asking a favor?"

Cassius tilted his head slightly, almost intrigued. A small smile crept across his lips.

"You look like a prisoner to me," he replied casually. "Why would I waste my manners on someone who’s chained and helpless? You couldn’t control yourself. Committed some crime. And now you expect civility? Maybe in your next life, old man."

The voice remained still for a beat. And then it returned, quiet. "You’re right... but if saving people by chaining myself is a crime, then yes, I’ve committed one. I don’t deserve your respect."

Cassius let out a short, humorless scoff. "Don’t act like a martyr now. Weren’t you the one singing songs of sacrifice when you locked yourself away? The grand hero, making the noble choice for the world’s sake."

Silence.

And then, laughter—dry, cracked, and echoed.

"Fair enough," the voice said. "You saw through that. I did act that way... back then. It’s not something I should be proud of anymore, is it?" A beat passed. "But either way... what’s your deal? You say such sharp things, yet I don’t feel any anger from you. No malice. No hatred. Just... emptiness."

Cassius looked at the chained figure again, but didn’t answer the question.

Instead, he said quietly, "You still haven’t answered mine. Are you a user of Amethyst Lightning or not?"

There was weight in his tone now. Finality.

"I’m not known for my patience, old man. Please... don’t test it."

The voice returned, this time wearier. "You think time matters to me? I’ve been here since the First Epoch... Millions of years, boy. Don’t I deserve a bit of company?" There was a dry chuckle, and then a bitter sigh. "Yes, I pretended to be magnanimous. Yes, I thought I was doing good. But the mind breaks, no matter how strong. It just... takes longer for people like me."

From the side, Kaelira had been silently watching the exchange unfold. But now her breath caught.

Something... shimmered in the air. Her eyes widened.

Cassius hadn’t moved much, but something about him changed.

There was no rage in his face—only the faintest frown. A thoughtful sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his amethyst hair.

"So you’ll do everything except answer me, then?" he said flatly. "You keep spinning words, dodging. Which means... you do know something."

The air thickened. A strange pressure began to leak from Cassius.

And then—his eyes gleamed.

A silvery-white mist ignited behind them. The dense fog came rushing back into the room, wrapping around the floor, coiling like smoke with weight.

In his right hand, something formed.

A sword. A long one.

It was made of nothing.

Only mist, so thick and dense it took on the form of a blade. The weapon looked like a phantom forged from nightmares—silent, deathly, and final.

Kaelira’s breath hitched. She took a step back instinctively.

And for the first time, the prisoner moved.

Just slightly. A twitch of the neck. A flinch, barely perceptible.

When the voice returned, it was no longer amused or tired. It was... frightened.

"Who... who are you?" it asked, shaken. "Why does someone like you exist? That blade... that aura... this isn’t right."

There was a pause. The fear in the voice began to rise.

"You’re not human. Are you... a Herald?" the voice asked, warily. "But... no. That doesn’t make sense. Incarnations hate other existences. This isn’t... possible."

Cassius didn’t say anything. With silent contempt, he calmly drove the blade into the man’s thigh.

SPLUCH.

A grotesque sound followed, and then—nothing. No blood spilled to the ground. The blade drank it whole, like a starving beast, erasing its very presence from the world.

Then came the scream.

A shrill, guttural shriek of absolute agony. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! DON’T!! DON’T DO THAT!! I didn’t waste millions of years just to die in the hands of someone like you!!"

Cassius’s smile curved wider. Cruel and cold.

"So you do know me," he murmured, the blade twisting ever so slightly. "You know what I am now. You’ve seen my power."

He crouched down, eyes glowing faintly in the mist as he leaned closer, almost whispering. "If you want to live, then talk. Everything. Every era. Every secret. You’re from the First Epoch, aren’t you?"

Even Kaelira, who had been half-lost in amusement watching the fog take form earlier, paused. Her eyes narrowed as a rare grimace broke through her usually entertained expression.

She didn’t like this.

With a gulp, she stepped back and muttered under her breath, ’Meddling between those two right now would be disastrous... there’s too much I don’t understand. And I can’t die before I learn the truth.’

Then came the voice again, cracked and furious.

"You foul monster... you and your kind... you’re filth. Not creators. You’re worse than insects. Your existence is a blight. A joke the Cosmos failed to laugh at."

Cassius stared at him for a moment, then slowly pulled the sword out, letting it vanish into the folds of nothingness. It didn’t fall. It simply ceased to exist.

He didn’t fully understand how he did that. But ever since the last remnants of the old Cassius had been torn away—ever since he became Arawn—his connection to the Nothing element had grown deeper. Almost... effortless.

Even his control over it now felt like second nature.

Still, there was no victory here.

His expression crumbled.

His body trembled as his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. The mask broke. All at once.

And Cassius began to sob.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, uncontrollable. Heavy.

The air grew cold. A suffocating silence swallowed the space.

Even Kaelira froze. The fog halted in mid-shift.

The voice—sarcastic and cynical a moment ago—went quiet too.

Then, uncertain, it returned, hesitant.

"...What are you planning now? Huh? Some trick? Another trap? Don’t think I’ll fall for fake tears. I know your kind. I know you. You’re a liar."

Cassius didn’t respond immediately. He just cried, trembling like a child. Then finally, he lifted his head. His red, swollen eyes locked with the formless voice.

"Yeah... of course," he muttered. "Of course no one would believe me. Why would you? Why would anyone?"

A bitter laugh escaped his lips. His voice cracked.

"My family doesn’t. My own sister doesn’t. No one does. All they care about is themselves. Their pride. Their past. Their selfish sense of justice. Me? I’m just noise in their story. A guy who shouldn’t exist. A walking problem. A mistake."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"I’m not even supposed to be alive. I’m losing my memories, piece by piece. Something foreign is clawing inside me... a profane element trying to devour me."

He clutched his chest.

"And I don’t have anyone. No anchor. No one to talk to. No one to hold my hand and say, ’It’s okay, Cassius.’ Not even a lie like that."

He looked back up, smiling hollowly.

"I came here looking for answers. Just a scrap of truth. But of course... I got nothing. I think..."

He trailed off.

"I think I should just die."

For a long moment, nothing responded. Then the voice let out a dry, joyless laugh.

"...Ha...ha... you’re one unlucky bastard, you know that?"

There was a strange pause. A bitter note of sympathy—buried somewhere deep—but then the voice hardened again.

"But I can’t help you, child. I won’t. My oath binds me. My responsibilities keep me shackled. I can’t betray what I swore to protect."

Then, almost like spitting venom:

"And honestly? I don’t trust your fake sob story either. Fuck you, you manipulative piece of shit."

Kaelira’s breath hitched. Cassius, still on the ground, laughed through his tears. Just once.

Then he stood up, brushing off the dirt on his knees.

He turned away.

Glancing at the cage of mist and ancient resentment behind him, he smiled—faint and cold.

"...I hope I’ll learn more about you one day. I really do."

He took a step forward, his voice now calm.

"If you won’t help me, I won’t help you escape either."

Another step.

"Then again... maybe you don’t want to escape. Maybe this place suits you. Maybe you like rotting in here, in your own regrets."

A pause. Then a final whisper:

"...Until next time, Mister."