TFSAWE - Chapter 259: Future of Freedom (Patreon)

On her twentieth birthday, Evelina, despite not knowing what shame and humiliation were, instinctively sensed that something had gone awry.

The following day, nothing had changed. The attendants still greeted her with smiles, and the usual meal was served. Evelina, feigning ignorance of the pain between her legs, dressed in her finery and embarked on the same routine as the day before.

Amidst the crowd, she spotted Carl, encircled by people. He greeted her as he always had, with a smile, as if oblivious to the events of the previous night. In response, Evelina smiled back and exchanged pleasantries.

That night, for the first time in her sheltered existence, Evelina felt fear.

Everything remained the same. Nothing had changed, so that night amounted to nothing. But why... why did everything feel so terrifying?

"I want to die."

Her lips, unable to discern whether it was a matter worthy of shedding tears, uttered the words without her even realizing.

Since then, every night before sleep, Evelina carried those words on her lips. Her world began to crumble slowly.

"Grant me death."

Her voice, laden with desperation, trembled resolutely.

Those brief words that escaped her lips flowed with such smoothness, revealing that their owner had repeated and refined them countless times in her mind.

Evelina, as if she had spent a lifetime practicing for this single moment, spoke out, articulating exactly what I desired.

"That is my final wish."

Having vocalized all her aspirations, Evelina commanded the stone to be marked with a period. And with the completion of her utterance, the stone, ominously, exercised the power it possessed within me.

On the empty stone, where Evelina had been sitting, new inscriptions of unfamiliar characters began to appear. As the final symbol was engraved, the stone radiated a brilliant golden light.

Finally, the deal that had to be fulfilled was complete.

Devils do not dream. Yet at this moment, Aslan believed that I was dreaming.

The collapsed temple, the shattered sanctuary where I had poured my magic to sever the flow, and the fleeing humans screaming in terror—all of them were invisible and inaudible to Aslan. His every sense was focused on the enchanting figure gazing at the stone with an expression of ecstasy, just a few steps away.

Until a moment ago, Aslan thought I had obtained everything. My companion had accepted me, and we had produced offspring. And then, with a beautiful voice, I needed him.

With joy in his heart, Aslan listened to the whispers that she shared.

Aslan felt a sense of joy as she destroyed the temple. This temple had been a place of oppression for her. How difficult it had been to endure the sight of those worshippers who revered their gods while she roamed this place in human form. Now that she had dealt with everything that had held her back and tormented her, she could finally enjoy a future of freedom.

Aslan had lived for an incredibly long time, yet he had never contemplated the concept of the future. Instinct guided his actions, and instinct only focused on the present. However, now he found himself thinking beyond instinct, thanks to his loyal companion.

He marvelled at the future that awaited him with her by his side, to the point where he wondered why he hadn't thought of such things before. He believed that all that remained was to embrace it.

But the future had been sentenced to death before it was born.

"This can't be happening."

Aslan recalled the image of him in the temple. There had been an unfortunate yellow-haired puppy who had brought him a book, trying to win his favor. In that collection of landscapes from this peculiar continent, nothing of interest to him, Lina couldn't tear her eyes away.

She wanted to see the world as if she had never seen it before. Aslan remembered the moment when he showed her the sky, and she was so moved that she choked up, saying how envious she was of him, being able to see this sky every day. Her sparkling eyes seemed to capture that moment, exploring the horizon beyond the setting sun.

She had expressed her intense longing to see more, to know more, and he had promised to show her this sky whenever she wanted. And yet, she had chosen death for herself?

As Aslan's hand reached out to touch the stone slab, their gazes met, and without realizing it, the words slipped out.

"Who are you?"

Her gaze towards him was devoid of any inspiration, a cold gaze that no longer felt anything for anything in the world, a gaze that had already died. That's why Aslan could understand.

This was not his Lina.

The teeth had changed. How could he have failed to recognize someone so distinctively different? His exhilarated heart and her whispering voice had narrowed his field of vision, preventing him from seeing clearly who was right in front of him.

"Since when were you here?"

At his inquiry, the corners of her mouth curled up ever so slightly. It was not a smile, but rather a smirk.

"There is no greater sorrow than asking a question when one already knows the answer," she replied.

Aslan's face contorted in response to Evelina's answer. It seemed as though she already knew what he wanted to confirm. Since the moment he started dreaming of the future, she hadn't been his Lina anymore.

Aslan finally understood it all. Why she suddenly desired him more, why she never made eye contact throughout their time here.

Evelina laughed mockingly at his frustrated masoo and extended her hand towards the tablet.

"Come now, let us complete this contract," she said.

At that moment, the tablet glowed even brighter. Aslan saw his own hand rise involuntarily. His hand, which seemed too feeble to wrap around her slender neck, began to tighten its grip. Caught off guard, Aslan, who had been staring blankly at his hand, released his grasp on her neck in alarm. However, soon enough, his hand reached out for her once again. I, he was attempting to kill her.

"No way..."

"Yes, masoo. You were chosen to kill me. Even if you resist, the power of the tablet will compel you to submit and complete the contract," Evelina stated.

Aslan looked at the tablet in response to Evelina's words.

It was an inevitable outcome. It was the ancient deity's power residing within this tablet. The deity was now using its power to force him to kill her.

"Don't be absurd."