COTE x TBATE | A Masterpiece

Chapter 30: A HEART-felt reunion. 💀

(Arthur Leywin)

"Kiyotaka, my son, we finally meet again." The familiar voice rang in my mind like a cacophonous boom of an explosion. It was so deafening and chaotic that my thoughts trembled in response. Yet, strangely, I didn't feel any fear. Fear was the last thing on my mind. However, I felt tense, uneasy, and uncertain, as if my father's voice had awakened something deep within me that I couldn't quite grasp.

As I heard my father's voice booming in my mind, it felt like an explosion going off inside my head. I didn't feel afraid, but the feeling was too complicated for me to understand.

I struggled to identify the emotions I was experiencing as they swirled within me, creating a tumultuous inner storm. It was like a mixture of tension, confusion, and uncertainty that left me feeling unbalanced and unsure of myself.

This was a unique experience unlike anything I had ever encountered before, and finding the right words to describe it proved to be a challenge. It was as if my father's voice had triggered something deep within me, something that I had never been able to access before.

Despite my lack of understanding, I knew that I had to try to make sense of these complex emotions and the memories that came with them.

His strides reverberated across the field as he advanced towards me, unsettling the ground beneath my feet. I remained steadfast, arms hanging limp at my sides. His eyes crinkled at the edges, revealing an emotion I never thought I'd witness on the face of "That Man." It was not a pleasant expression, but the jarring shift in his demeanour stirred a tempest of conflicting emotions within me.

His movements were measured and deliberate, hands extended on either side as he inched closer, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. I strained to sense any trace of Sylvie's presence, but my attention was consumed by the man before me. He drew nearer still, his towering figure casting a shadow over me, and yet, I remained rooted in place, unafraid.

In a matter of seconds, he was upon me, his powerful arms enveloping me in a crushing embrace. The sheer force of his grip nearly overwhelmed me, but I managed to remain composed. His embrace was not a gesture of tenderness, but rather a show of dominance and control. Despite this, I resisted the urge to push him away and instead allowed him to hold me, my body supple and unresisting

"I missed you, son," He said, his face digging into my shoulders followed by a razor-sharp piercing prick in my skin.

"Me too," I replied. He broke the embrace and looked at me, eyes widened as his white shirt was stained with a puddle of green blood, his heart pulsating in the palm of my hand in a light green glow.

"I expected more from a feared beast like you." I replied, as his features morphed, the human-like face morphing as branches and foliage of decayed leaves and flowers took its place, beginning to contort into a monstrous visage—its true form.

A hollow shriek tore through his throat as his words resounded in the dungeon, laced with hate and spite, "You're a failure, you're a failure, You are nothing without me."

This was the beast that had killed multiple adventurers.

The Elderwood Guardian from folklore.

The illusionary mist it oozed before us coming here was an indication that nothing could be trusted.

After coming to this world, I learned of something I never knew before. it was the sincerity in familial love. Although the reason was still unclear to me as it seemed illogical. The reason I didn't know it before was because... I never had it before in my previous life.

A deaf person can never understand how someone sounds, and a blind person can never imagine colours. Same in this case. I couldn't feel it before because I was devoid of the ability and significance of it, that man was no exception to this.