[Ten months later (from the Legacy world perspective)]
"Sit." In a certain cave, a young man drained of color and looking more corpse than living patted his lap.
"You are going to die if I do that," replied the pink-haired girl, staring at him apprehensively, fearing for his life. If this same girl's past self—about five to six months ago—were to see her now, she would definitely spit blood in disbelief.
"Anna, sit," he said. She gritted her teeth, unable to refute his orders, and eventually sat down.
The young man began combing her pink, unkempt hair with what remained of his hand. Yes, he only had his right hand now—something that had happened two months ago when he'd protected Anna. Something that, till this moment, she still couldn't believe.
But who could blame her? Her master, who was her worst nightmare, the man who had as much emotion as a blank sheet of paper, who tortured her until she was literally running mad—one day risking his life to save her? That was something she hadn't expected. She suspected this change came from his realization that there was no escaping this Legacy world, and with time he'd given up on his revenge, perhaps even letting go of the grudge he held against her.
She'd been suspicious when he started acting nicely all of a sudden. It wasn't a complete 180-degree change overnight—no, it was more like a slowly progressive shift in character. The way he spoke to her, the way he smiled. Smiled! She'd been afraid at first, but as time passed, she began to accept these changes. After all, aside from Vivian, who had died four months back, he was the only one she could talk to, the only reason she hadn't fallen into depression from loneliness.
With time, she became afraid of losing him, of being alone in this Legacy world which seemed to have no escape. They were trapped here, completely trapped. But like the wretched bitch fate was, she brought Anna's biggest fears to fruition. On a day just like any other, a monster had taken her by surprise and almost killed her. Almost—because in that moment, her master had sacrificed himself. And now, now he was nearing the end of his life.
"Don't die, please." She was genuinely afraid at this point, afraid he would leave her here alone and she would wander this cursed island alone for the rest of her life until she too met her end.
"Wouldn't you want that? You would be out of my control if I die. Free," he said.
She bit her lips. If it were six months ago, she would have wanted that. But at this point, where she had come to study and accept who he was, it was painful to watch him die.
"THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO JOKE! I AM SERIOUS!" She pulled him by the collar, but he never stopped patting her. He just stared at her as tears trailed down her cheeks. Now that she looked closely at him, she could feel it—he had little time left. Very little time. Perhaps he wouldn't make it to the next day.
"My dear Anna..." he said as his eyes slowly began to close. "I... am sorry, but this is the end of my journey."
"No... Master," she trembled, feeling his hand which was combing her head slowly stop. "I will do anything you ask, ANYTHING! I will give you everything! Please, don't leave me here. I beg you."
She cried. Damn, she cried.
He smiled gently—something that broke her heart.
"This is not truly the end, Anna. If you are able to conquer this world, we will meet again..."
"Please..." she muttered, her head hung low.
But then...
His head fell on her lap, and in that very moment, something inside her broke.
...
...
[Was all this needed?] a voice asked as a young man found himself in a white world.
"Where am I now?" he asked. All that could be sensed from him was... indifference.
[A dimension between the Legacy world and the real world.]
"Hmm," he hummed. "So the rest is up to her." The young man fell quiet.
[I asked a question. Was all this needed? You could have conquered the Legacy world at any moment. Why did you let it get to this point?]
That was the truth. The young man knew exactly what conditions were required to conquer this world, courtesy of the voice within him. But he didn't do it. Instead, he focused on his plan to manipulate Anna into getting him into Vermillion Academy.
"If my calculations are correct, some people should be waiting just outside this world. So conquering it would be stupid. I need Anna herself to find a way to get me out of there and into the academy by herself."
[I have already warned you—messing with emotions is a dangerous game.]
"I know," he thought.
[I am sure you do now. You must have felt something at that final moment. Manipulation of emotions is a two-way street. I will warn you once... emotions are the bane of those who seek revenge.]
To this, the young man remained silent. He didn't expect that outcome. He never expected to feel anything. But he did... it was so faint, barely there, but he felt a sudden tightness in his chest when he saw her cry for him not to die. And that was bad. Very bad.
He shouldn't feel anything. He shouldn't be able to.
"What happened? I thought you sealed all my emotions..." he spoke, though still looking indifferent.
[Emotions are a part of the soul, the strongest driving force of any being, living or dead. Your emotions were suppressed, as they cannot be completely sealed...]
"Hmm. What emotion did you take from me to enslave Vivian?" he asked—the same question he kept asking the voice, but it stubbornly remained silent.
[...]
Sigh.
He closed his eyes and waited for everything to play out. Anna would remain there for a long time but would eventually pick up on the hints he'd left. When she found and fulfilled the condition—finding a certain jewel that rested at the bottom of the sea, just a little past the shore—everything would fall into place.
[And Vivian? What do you plan to do with her?]
"For now... nothing. If everything goes according to plan... we will meet again, at the Arcane Legacy."