The Chosen Vessel

Annette's gaze turned toward me, accompanied by those black clumps. Her purple pupils glowed ominously in the darkness, the dim lantern light flickering across her doll-like, lifeless skin.

"Surely... they must have knocked you out to prevent any pointless resistance... so how did you regain consciousness so quickly?"

"Ugh...!"

The smile at the corner of her mouth trembled faintly, as if mocking me, while a chilling energy swirled around her fingertips.

"And your limbs, which we broke just enough... they seem to have healed too. But there's no trace of any recovery magic..."

Annette began walking slowly toward me, and I instinctively backed away, shouting,

"Stop! Don't come any closer!"

She halted, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sighing wearily as if it were a hassle, and muttered,

"Still, I suppose I should tie you up first."

At that moment, a purple shape flashed between her two fingers, and—

Ding.

I could tell she was trying to do something to me.

'Danger!'

But before I could react, "Tch, what a pain..." Annette clicked her tongue and raised her hand again.

"...Well, it doesn't really matter."

This time, even more intense waves came crashing in one after another.

—Ding, ding...Ding...Ding...

The notifications rang out over and over...

—Ding

"...!"

At that instant... thick, massive black iron chains burst out from all directions, mercilessly binding my arms and legs. The enormous weight and pressure hit me all at once, and the creaking of my bones echoed in my ears. I couldn't move a muscle.

"Hngh!"

In the suffocating silence, Annette calmly approached me and reached out toward my body, but

"Don't touch my body!"

all I could do was watch helplessly.

"You!!"

The moment her hand paused over my chest, an excruciating pain like countless tiny blades digging into my flesh overwhelmed me.

"Gah!!"

Before I could even scream properly, my skin tore open, and the Al Sar pattern slowly began to emerge on my chest. My breath caught, my mind grew hazy. It felt like something inside me was being forcibly dragged out—an unpleasant violation.

"...As expected, the cult leader didn't fail the ritual after all..."

Annette's eyes widened, her face breaking into an ecstatic smile as if she'd discovered something miraculous. Her fingertips slowly traced down my chest.

"...It just hasn't fully awakened yet. It seems to have settled nicely into the vessel. But still... this is strange, no matter how I think about it. Why does your consciousness still remain? We cleanly removed the unnecessary soul and awareness..."

She'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tried to remove my soul and consciousness?

"Well, it doesn't matter. We can just remove it again."

Purple light swirled around her hand, and once more, it reached toward my chest.

"!?"

But then—

"Gaaahhh!!"

A golden light exploded from within my body ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like a burst, accompanied by Annette's sharp scream, and a notification rang out.

"!"

At the same time, the chains binding my body vanished, and I could move again. I hurriedly put distance between ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠us.

A moment later, the golden light illuminating the surroundings gradually faded, the faint remnants seeping into the wound on my chest. The agony that had ravaged my chest slowly subsided, and the flowing blood began to staunch.

Sister Vanessa...

I vaguely realized it was Vanessa's holy power.

"Ugh... aaah!!"

Turning my gaze, I saw Annette writhing in agony, as if she'd been directly hit by that golden light. Her robe was charred and fluttering in patches like it had been burned, her skin blackened and cracked like severe burns, her crazed expression twisted in rage and screams. The eerie shapes hovering around her were also split open by the golden light, spewing pitch-black smoke from within.

"Damn it! Damn it!!!"

"..."

Annette ground her teeth and screamed.

But moments later... the remaining black clumps around her were absorbed into her body all at once. As a bloody mist-like darkness seeped over the burn marks, her distorted skin writhed and began to heal smoothly again. With each surge of crimson, her torn and scorched flesh regained its original form.

"...Twice... twice now! Twice by the same trick!!! You filthy Restia Church bastards!!!"

Twice? This wasn't the first time?

"...Heh heh heh heh..."

She, who had been trembling with rage, suddenly started laughing lowly.

"But... that's fortunate. This time, it wasn't as powerful as that trap the priest set..."

Leisure and confidence returned to her face. Her robe was still scorched and tattered, but her body had fully recovered.

That's when I noticed... through the gaps in her burned clothes, the countless Al Sar patterns etched all over her body. They were the scars that had vanished from me when I became immortal—marks I'd once borne too.

"!"

And looking up at her face once more, I realized one fact.

"No way..."

I knew her.

She was one of the kids who'd been at the cult since before I was sold there. I'd never had a long conversation with her, but I'd run into her multiple times at the cult. Then one day, she vanished, and I'd vaguely assumed the cult had killed her.

She was alive?

But something was off. Back then, she was just another test subject or sacrificial lamb for the cult, like me.

...No. That's not her.

The being standing before me now was completely different from that girl—from her speech, her aura, her eyes, every gesture.

"Who... are you?"

"Have you forgotten me?"

Annette... no, the one claiming to be Annette curled her lips into a creepy smile.

"Ah, I see. Even if your consciousness remains, this is the first time you're meeting you in this body, so it's no wonder you don't recognize me."

"..."

"My name is Catherine."

"...Catherine..."

The name of the demon cultist who bought me from the orphanage.

"Vice leader of the Al Sar Cult, and the one who gave you the glorious opportunity to become the vessel for our... new master."

"Vessel for the new master?"

"You are the vessel that will contain an evil god beyond anything we could have created... an egg."

"You created an evil god?"

"Yes! Isn't it amazing?! An entity formed from ideologies and obsessions, hatreds that transcend all limits of evil... something that surpasses even the Seven Original Sins, called the origin of all evil—a child of chaos sleeping within you."

For a moment, my head spun wildly. Rage, terror, unbelievable chaos tangled together, crushing my heart. An anxiety like the ground crumbling beneath my feet gripped me.

"Come with us now. To the place where you truly belong..."

Catherine slowly, but surely, began approaching me. Each step was like encroaching darkness, an inescapable fate drawing ever closer.

"...N-no! S-stay away!!"

Who decided that!!

"No!!!!"

"It's only a matter of time anyway."

"...No... please just let me go... I don't want this anymore..."

"If you resist... we can just chop off your limbs and drag you along. No matter how much you heal, we can repeat it over and over... until you can no longer heal, or your will breaks."

At those words, my knees buckled, strength draining from me. My chest felt crushed and suffocating, my vision narrowing. Even my rage faded dimly, leaving only fear and helplessness. Despair that everything was over gripped my entire body like cold hands.

Now... please just stop... I really... don't want this anymore...

Okay my ass!!! You say an evil god is dwelling in me!? So what, you want me to become the evil god and destroy the world or something!?

Like hell it does!

I should've never made that contract with you back then!

I should've just died then...!

"..."

Slowly... but without any hope, I looked up at the quest window.

Believe in you?