Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires-Chapter 182 : A Vision of Loss

Sofia sighed and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.

She had managed to win her eleventh round, advancing to the next one.

And yet, there wasn't a change in her fa—the emperor's behavior towards her.

It wasn't surprising, honestly… she was a failed child after all…

Not that she knew what she had to be to be considered a success. Was it just strength, a way of thinking, or something else entirely? Sadly, she, as a failure, was never fated to know.

She knew that there wasn't any point in trying to prove herself to the emperor, and yet a small part of her longed for her father's affection. Was it so bad that she was unwilling to give up to the very end?

Was it so wrong to want a normal family? One where she could rely on them in hard times and have them rely on her as well? She often wondered what kind of life she would have lived if that had been the case.

But no matter what she did, the emperor didn't acknowledge her in the slightest.

She would never know what a true family was like.

The tournament was the last chance that she was going to get, and yet…

She clenched her fist in frustration.

Looking at the board, she saw who her next opponent was going to be.

"Grace."

Sofia was no fool, she knew that she didn't have much chance against the deadly woman,

She had quite the reputation, after all. And even if half of the rumors were true, then she was truly a menace—

One that Sofia doubted she would be able to overcome.

But that didn't mean that she was going to give up.

"A week until our fight," she muttered as she headed off to see Vera.

There wasn't much for her to do except train, so before she dedicated the time, she wanted to speak with her friend for a bit.

She was one of the people she considered family. Even if they were just friends, she knew she could place her trust in Vera with her life, should the need arise.

It didn't take her long to reach her friend's house.

She knocked on the door a few times and waited.

Soon after, a woman wearing a white mask opened the door.

Sofia's eyes immediately darkened in worry as her gaze fell upon her.

"Vera…" Sofia whispered, her voice lingering with concern.

It wasn't possible to see Vera's face, but just the sight of her arms, which had become as white as a ghost, and the fact that she looked lighter, almost like she hadn't eaten, told the whole story.

"There is something that I want to tell you," Vera spoke as she leaned on the door frame. Her voice was exhausted and by the way her legs were shaking, it was clear it was taking everything she had just to have this conversation.

Before she could finish, Sofia embraced her in her arms, for support.

'I… wanted to come here to vent my frustration… but it's not me, it's my friend who needs support. How can I be so selfish?' Sofia cursed herself in her mind.

Despite being surprised by the hug, Vera didn't pull away.

"Have the visions become worse?" Sofia asked.

This was one of the things that no one truly understood about Vera. After all, if one were to tell them they were suffering from terrible visions, they would just play it off, saying it wasn't that big of a deal and ignore them.

Most of the general public thought visions were like nightmares and nothing more.

But they were wrong. Vera was a strong woman, and she had been reduced to this state by her visions alone.

It was safe to say that visions weren't nightmares, but a torture instead.

One that you couldn't escape, even in your sleep.

Few things sounded more terrifying than that.

"…If… I do something terrible, will you still be my friend?"

Sofia's eyes widened in surprise for a second.

What was her friend talking about?

She immediately wanted to reassure her, but as she wasn't sure herself, she didn't want to lie to her friend. So, instead, she chose to tell her true feelings.

"…That depends on the thing, I guess…"

After a second, she quickly added, "but I will prevent you from doing that bad thing in the first place."

Vera chuckled weakly as she heard her friend's words.

"…You can't change it. You can't change fate, Sofia."

In turn, Sofia frowned. "It's clear that these visions are making you see things… let go inside. It would be better for you to lie down."

Sofia attempted to move, but Vera didn't budge.

She was momentarily stunned by the sudden display of power that her friend was showing.

"I have tried, you know? Fate can't be changed… and yet I will try again, because if I don't, what happens next would haunt me for the rest of my life, wondering if I could have prevented it."

Sofia sighed. "What you're telling me is that to prevent that devastating thing from happening, you have to do something bad?"

No answer came.

"What did you see? Can I at least help you somehow change this fate?"

Hesitating for a second, Vera replied, "Win, win the match against Grace."

Sofia's eyes widened for a second. 'I never told her that my next fight was against Grace… wait, win? Does that mean I am destined to lo—'

"I am sorry," Vera interrupted Sofia's thoughts.

Before Sofia could answer back, Vera abruptly turned and went back into her house, shutting the door.

Left with no choice, Sofia banged on the door a few times.

No answer came.

"Shit," with a curse, Sofia began to head to her assigned apartment.

"Fate… in Vera's vision, I lose?" she muttered to herself.

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A second later, she tightened her fists.

If that was true, then she was left with only one choice.

To make sure Vera's vision doesn't come true.