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A Tale of Forgotten Memory

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Chapter 13

...⚠ Warning:...

...This chapter contains scenes of injury, destructions and distress. Reader discretion is advised....

...— Arcllumen...

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...𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ...

...𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙾 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝙱𝚈𝚂𝚂: 𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙳𝙾𝚆 𝙾𝙵 𝙵𝙴𝙰𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙿𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 𝚅𝙸𝙸...

ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉ ⁷• ᶜʳᵉᵈⁱᵗᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᴾⁱⁿᵗᵉʳᵉˢᵗ•

...꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭...

Yuri was getting beaten. Every attack he threw missed its mark, and every move he made was countered effortlessly.

The mutant gripped his head and slammed it into the ground. The impact sent cracks spreading like a spiderweb across the floor. Yuri groaned, dazed, his vision blurring. He turned his head slightly, just enough to catch Ferroniger in the distance. Anger burned in his eyes, defiance refusing to die out even as blood trickled down his cheek.

Then came the punch. A massive fist smashed into his ribs, sending him flying straight toward Ferroniger.

With a heavy thud, Yuri crashed beside him, coughing as he groaned in pain.

"Ugh!"

Ferroniger sighed, brushing the dust off his uniform. "A Hexed mutant can only be defeated by using their own power against them," he said. "That is, if you possess the same power they do."

Still sprawled on the ground, Yuri made a comical face despite the pain. "Geez, you could’ve told me sooner," he muttered. "Knowing that before I got tossed around like a rag doll would’ve been helpful."

Ferroniger gave him a sharp glance. "I told you to run."

He stood up, casting a glance at the unconscious seniors lying nearby. "You're the only one here who can get them to safety. Stop wasting time and take them away," he ordered.

Yuri, however, wasn’t moving. Instead, his gaze was locked onto something. Ferroniger followed his line of sight—Yuri was staring at the Dread Relic in his hands.

"Hey… why is that thing so important to the Hexed?" Yuri asked, his voice unusually steady.

Ferroniger narrowed his eyes. "It plans to consume it," he explained. "By doing so, it would—"

"Stop talking," Arclreign interrupted.

Her voice was calm but firm, instantly catching Ferroniger’s attention. He turned toward her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Arclreign sighed, as if explaining was troublesome. "People…" she muttered, her eyes shifting toward Yuri, who was still fixated on the relic.

Ferroniger followed her gaze and finally understood what she meant.

"…are hungry for power."

His blood ran cold.

His head snapped back to Yuri, but it was too late.

"GULP."

Yuri had swallowed the Dread Relic.

A deafening silence filled the air. Ferroniger’s body tensed in horror. His mind raced—*He’s going to die. That relic is pure poison. A deadly artifact that has existed for thousands of years. No human can survive it.*

But before he could react—

The Hexed mutant screeched and lunged at Yuri, stretching its grotesque mouth wide, ready to devour him whole.

Yuri didn’t move.

Then—

BOOM!

A single punch.

Just one strike from Yuri, thrown from several feet away, landed squarely on the Hexed’s face. The sheer force crushed its skull instantly. Blood splattered as the creature’s massive body crumpled lifelessly onto the ground.

Ferroniger stared in disbelief.

The mutant was destroyed—effortlessly.

Slowly, Yuri straightened his back. Something began to appear on his body. Strange black markings—ancient, pulsing, shifting across his skin like living tattoos. His aura changed, warping into something unnatural.

Then—he grinned.

A grin far too wide. Far too manic.

And then, he laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

The sound sent chills down Ferroniger’s spine. It was wild. Unhinged. Terrifying.

But Arclreign…

Arclreign was captivated. She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t disturbed.

She was mesmerized.

Yuri’s eyes widened as he spoke, his voice lower, darker—no longer entirely his own.

"Ah, I knew it."

His fingers twitched, flexing as if testing his newfound strength.

"Life is best when created in flesh."

Ferroniger couldn't understand his words, but he could feel it—this was something far worse than a simple power boost.

His mind screamed a single terrifying thought:

*The worst possible scenario... The Hexarch of the Hexed has returned!*

"THE OWNER OF THE BLOOD THAT FLOWS THROUGH THAT DREAD RELIC… HAS BEEN REBORN!!!"

Ferroniger stumbled back as Yuri began tearing off his hoodie, as if shedding his old self. His body was changing, his aura expanding, pressing down on everything like a crushing weight.

...˚ ༘ ೀ⋆.˚...

"Huff… huff…"

Chugar arrived too late, panting as she clutched her knees. "I'm sorry… I was looking everywhere for you, dear Arclreign! But you were just here with them—"

Her words stopped as her eyes locked onto Yuri.

A chill ran down her spine.

"What… what kind of aura is that…?"

Her hands trembled.

"That's…"

She swallowed hard.

"Terrifying."

...˚ ༘ ೀ⋆.˚...

Yuri walked forward, staring at the remains of the Hexed he had just obliterated.

His lips curled into a smirk.

"Marvelous."

He took a step toward the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the world below.