Chapter 483: Stairs to Oblivion (1)
– Frey Starlight’s POV –
Morning had arrived, heralding the start of a new day .. another step in this long journey known as life.
I felt my body stiff as I stirred awake. For once, I had gotten a good night’s sleep, something rare as of late.
Ever since I obtained this superhuman body that set me apart from all other beings, sleep had become unnecessary .. no longer a need, but rather an escape.
A realm of dreams I fled to when the weight of the world threatened to crush me.
I rose quietly, sitting up on the bed as I checked my body.
Running my fingers along my limbs, I could feel the power once again surging through my veins after the recent exhaustion I had endured.
There wasn’t a single scratch on my bare torso. My body was flawless .. thanks to my regeneration ability, which had erased every trace of injury as if they never existed.
It had been three years since I reincarnated into this body.
Three long years of trials that forged who I had become.
I could see it now so clearly .. the version of myself from the past.
That weak version of me, the one who once broke down in despair in his room upon realizing he’d been reincarnated into the world of his own novel.
It felt as if I had climbed an uncountable number of mountains since then.
I had become stronger .. far stronger.
I had gained the kind of power that could shake the world... and crush the enemies that walked upon it.
But deep down, I knew this wasn’t the end.
Many mountains still awaited me ahead .. peaks far taller than any I had faced before.
The trials to come would only grow harsher, and I had known this from the moment I saw Wesker’s name in the final mission forced upon me by the System.
To face such horrors, I needed to grow stronger .. much stronger.
I had to keep moving forward.
I had to become a monster powerful enough to stand atop the same stage where the titans of this world stood alone.
To achieve that... I knew I would have to pay a steep price for the power I sought.
Perhaps I would lose myself.
Perhaps I’d lose something so precious I could never live without it again.
Perhaps life would break me harder than ever before.
I was bound to lose many things... but there was one thing I could never afford to lose, no matter the cost.
My goal.
That single goal I had set for myself .. the one that gave me the will to walk through hell itself if that’s what it took.
The goal that gave me the strength to keep moving, to keep fighting, no matter what stood in my way.
In some way, I felt like I had started losing parts of myself .. even the emotions that once clouded my vision in the past.
Brushing aside the long white strands of hair that had grown longer recently, I stared up at the ceiling of my room .. a room that trembled from time to time, proving the ship was still moving forward.
In this rare moment of quiet during war, my mind drifted back to the moment I stood face to face with the half-demon Gvardiol.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be able to control myself in front of the man who had killed someone so dear to me.
The man who killed Danzo.
I thought I would go berserk the moment I saw him.
I had spent countless hours thinking of the perfect way to exact revenge.
A way to make him suffer. To kill him in the most excruciating, merciless fashion.
I wanted to unleash every ounce of strength I had gathered through my training all of it .. on him.
But when the moment of truth came...
Those feelings vanished.
As if someone had doused the raging fire in my heart with ice-cold water.
No matter how long I stared at him... Gvardiol no longer felt like anything more than an enemy to be eliminated.
Just like any other wretch from the Ultras.
Another insect.
A filthy creature this world would be far better without.
That way of thinking ..that mindset .. was what allowed me to survive the first round of war the way I did.
And it brought the best possible outcome.
I earned the love of every soldier in the Imperial Army, making them follow me without even realizing it.
I gave them hope when darkness engulfed their hearts. Showed them miracles when it felt like the world itself was ending.
I told them what they needed to hear at the right time, in the right place .. and I did it all with full intention.
I didn’t do it out of love for them.
Nor out of pity.
I did it because I needed them to follow me in the future, so I could achieve the goal I had carved for myself long ago.
I manipulated them .. all of them.
Me... of all people.
Just as those above toyed with my fate and tried to bend it to their will, here I was, manipulating those around me in return.
Actions fit for people like Prince Aegon .. those I once despised.
"...I’ve changed. I truly have."
But that’s okay.
Even if I seemed like a hypocrite...
Even if I turned into scum...
It didn’t matter.
The people I truly cared for were few .. so few I could count them on one hand.
This was only the beginning...
"I have to endure... until the very end."
Firming my resolve once more, I broke free of my thoughts and tried to rise from the bed.
But I froze mid-motion when I felt a pair of slender arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
They had been there since the beginning .. so much so that my body had grown used to them, and I’d completely forgotten.
Beside me, Sansa slept peacefully and quietly.
Despite the dark horns that grew from the crown of her head, she looked like a sleeping angel.
She really was... gorgeous.
Slowly, I slipped away, pulling the blanket over her body to hide the curves my eyes had so often been drawn to .. unconsciously, at that.
In that moment, we looked like a married couple. A peaceful pair living a quiet life in a modest home.
And strangely enough... it didn’t seem like a bad thing. In fact, it felt like a beautiful ending I might actually wish for someday.
But that wasn’t who we were.
We weren’t a serene husband and wife .. we were Frey Starlight, the monster, and Sansa Valerion, the demoness. Two beings destined to be the first to plunge into the flames of war.
Wherever we walked, death would follow.
We’d come to terms with that a long time ago. And we were ready to keep moving forward, no matter the cost together.
I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then withdrew silently, leaving her behind as I left the room. I donned my black armor and prepared myself to face another day in enemy lands.
"See you later," I said with a faint smile, closing the door behind me.
The moment I did, I sensed her stir .. clumsily, at that.
She had been awake the entire time. She hadn’t moved a muscle, but I knew. I could read her like a book. She was still shaken from last night, especially after I’d taken the lead the way I had.
Pretending to be asleep... how foolish. Especially when she knew I could hear her thoughts.
Still, I played along.
Because honestly, flustered Sansa was far more entertaining than the usual cold, domineering demoness.
That was the kind of relationship I had with her.
I suppose the future held countless twists and turns for us. But one thing was certain.. Sansa was someone I genuinely wanted by my side.
And so I chose to keep her close. Because she was one of the few people I truly cared about.
Whatever the future had in store for us... we’d face it.
Together.