482 Cersei and Jack
Author's Words: Please read
Hey guys!!!
First of all, as many of you who have been supporting my original novel must be wondering about its disappearence, I must announce it with great sadness that WN has rejected its contract application; reasons unknown. So I had to take it off the platform and will have to discontinue it, as being a Harem novel, it had no future without a contract.
Second, I have nothing but heartful gratitude for all who have been donating power stones. Again, thank you. I will make a comeback in next WSA with the original I have been working on a for the last year (the old readers would know). It's a SciFi novel with cultivation-like (not exactly cultivation), magical, and alchemical elements. No Harem. More like my fanfic + Swallowed Star + Star Wars + any ErGen and IET novel. There are three books planned in this series. I hope to see such support again then. [If you want to know more, you can join Discord and ask there.]
Third, I am continuing Fanfic! Yes... However, let me emphasize that when I hinted before on picking FF again, I had been counting on few earnings through my original novel. Now that original novel's plan is gone to dust, I will be heavily depending on Patron and Ko-Fi donations.
As I have already mentioned in the comments when asked upon by a few readers, one of the major reasons of my dropping the book was that I had absolutely no earnings through the FF. I won't force anyone to support me on these platforms. However, I must say when I saw novels with 50 chapters, having no previous fan following and still gaining hundreds of patrons, it sucked a certain zeal out of me.... Sigh! Anyway, I am hoping to see a better response this time.
Here are the Tiers you can subscribe on both Pat-re-on and Ko-Fi [I will prefer if you come to Ko-Fi as I am planning to shift there];
Pat: [Link available in synopsis]
1. 5 USD - 10 chapters ahead of Webnovel + All the chapters I will publish in that month
2. 10 USD - 21 chapters ahead of Webnovel + All the chapters I will publish in that month
Ko-Fi: [Link available in synopsis]
1. 3 USD - 5 Chapters ahead of WN + Monthly chapters as usual
2. 5 USD and 10 USD tiers are same as that of Pat-re-on
Along with it, there's Mass Release goal available on Ko-Fi. Anyone can donate to this goal even without subscribing using Ko-Fi's one-time donations [Starting with 1 usd, great for those who wants to supprt the work even little]. Also, a Mass Release will mean mass release on all platforms and Webnovel too.
Lastly, lets hope I will complete this Fanfic this time. Because, it feels bad, I hope you can understand.
Thank you
*************
Chapter Begins:
"Leave… me alone." Cersei paled, hearing Kai's words as he tore himself away from Jack and dragged his body toward the Tea Room. Only Sounga followed him, carrying his right hand, blood still dripping off it, leaving behind a blood trail.
But the trail that Kai's body left was bloodier, wider, and thicker than his right hand.
Hope, lost.
Cersei allowed this unnatural body of hers to fall against the well. The hundreds of kilometers long walk had buried her tears deep in her heart before they had arrived at the cliff. And when they came pouring out, she couldn't hold a single drop. If she had, perhaps this would have been the time to let them loose again.
Love, gone.
She looked up at the shimmering lights of heaven. Did she see it true? Did she see the Emperor, sitting on his serpent throne, with her by his side? Or did she see him hacking apart his enemies with nothing but his gaze?
Youth, withered.
She pulled out the earring off her left ear and gazed down at it. This was it. What was she, anyway? An image? A memory?
If I believe you as the real, and all other Cersei in the infinite worlds across the Multiverse as the false, then you are the real one; the one and only.
A smile bloomed on Cersei's face, her eyes wet with tears, as false as her existence, but as real as his words.
She loved him. Perhaps he did, too. Real or not, if she believed it real, then it was.
Sometimes, that was enough.
*
*
Two knocks echoed in the Hut's surroundings, jolting Jack's silence.
So early?! He was bewildered. Not even half an hour had passed. Didn't Kai know that… it might be his last attempt? Wasn't he aware of his situation? Had he forgotten that he still had 30 mistakes to rectify? Or… had he given up?
NO! Jack shook his head, standing up. The world could give up on itself. Not Kai Stormborn. Not this one. He had indeed thought of him as just an interesting Candidate with a Glitch. Oh, how wrong had he been, then? This student of his… was extraordinary. A notch better than himself.
Jack steadied his breath and entered the Tea Room.
The sight was so familiar that it sent shivers running down his spine. The young, hot-headed boy of yore, now had become an old man, but the bearing was still the same. A nobility among the nobles. A true Emperor.
Kai was seated properly opposite the seat of the guest, his eyes closed, holding all the breaths he could within.
Jack's feet landed on the floor, and it almost skidded.
The entire floor had gone red, blood polishing its surface, making it look like a red mirror. And, yet, Jack couldn't find a mistake.
What happened to him? Jack wondered, not caring about the blood, approaching the seat of the guest. He left the door open for the girl and the serpent. Jack dared not look at the girl's face, lest he did something which he hadn't in ages. It frightened him. He frightened himself.
But Jack didn't show emotions. He had already learned to keep a part of himself hidden inside, just like this one; this excellent student of his. No matter how much he looked at his old face, Jack couldn't tell what this man was thinking. Not anymore.
He took the seat, the girl and the serpent taking a seat to his right. All silent.
Jack knew the time had come. The final chapter. He must do what was expected of him. His student was doing so, and Teachers should lead by example.
Jack looked diagonally beyond Kai, as per the routine, expecting to see a grand picture on the blank scroll.
What he saw left him ruined, a beguiling thunderstorm raging, welling up in his heart.
The scroll was covered in bloodstains as if someone had casually flicked it on it in the most carefree manner. Under the scroll, there was a broken vase, shattered to the last piece.
What was this? What was he seeing? How could it agitate him so? Him, of all.
The bloodstains looked scattered, but there was something off about their placement. He saw something in them. An emotion.
Yes. He was right. The more he saw, the more it become familiar; like a blurred picture clearing up.
Faces. Smiles. Tears. Scorns. Lost expectations.
~Son!~ an old man cried. ~Why have you forsaken us?! WHY?~
No, father, no. I didn't. I…
~Our prince!~ they cried together, burning in the fire of hope. ~Why didn't you come back?! WHY?~
I… I…
~You scoundrel!~
~You coward!~
~Unworthy!~
No… No…
"NO!" Jack bellowed, snapping out of it.
Two Crystals bobbed up and down in his dark eyes like an otherworldly projection. The moment Jack came back to himself, the Crystals shattered.
Jack's face was still calm and composed. But when he looked at Kai, he felt… fear. It wasn't much. But to deny its existence entirely would be shaming himself… and his student.
"What do you call it?" Jack asked, his entire body going cold.
Kai opened his eyes, those hazel eyes calmer than anything Jack had ever known. "Joyless Slaughter."
The armor of Blood Flames coating was a choice, not a requirement. With Constant Breathing, Selfless Breathing always remained activated. Moreover, there was no one here who would attack him.
Perhaps Jack had unknowingly let himself fall under the effect of Kai's Second Transformation. It was like walking into a sea of fire, thinking that it couldn't burn him.
"Joyless Slaughter…" Jack mumbled, the voices still haunting him. He nodded. "Joyless, indeed."
Jack observed his student going for the pot, then. It was time for the tea. It came down to this tea. It always came down to it. Always.
Kai poured three cups of tea, the green color frothing like an ocean of poisoned milk.
The first cup went to Cersei.
The second to Selene.
The third cup had only half the usual volume of tea. It arrived at him like a gust of salty wind.
Jack lifted the cup, rotated it, and then, waiting no longer, gulped it down.
