World's Last Hope-Chapter 71: Memory

Olivia’s footsteps echoed through the cathedral as she slowly approached the door that led to the pool.

Eric was about to call her but hesitated at the last moment. Turning his gaze to Aria, he spoke,

"Do we have to be careful not to disturb her?"

"Even if you try, I doubt you would be successful. She is currently feeling the calling from up close, so she wouldn’t be able to perceive you at all. The only thing she senses is herself and the cathedral that she has to cleanse at all cost."

Not wishing to waste his energy more than necessary, Eric sat on the ground. It seemed that the corruption moved out of the spot he sat, almost like it was scared of him.

"So I am supposed to somehow help her to fight the corruption?" he muttered under his breath.

Originally, he hoped that by just entering the cathedral, he would somehow be able to sense something and make the conscious decision to go and help her, but he wasn’t feeling anything in particular.

Olivia, reaching the doors, opened them and entered the room. Ahead of her was the pool that she had to cleanse.

She dismissed her armor and began removing her clothes one by one, closing the door behind her.

"Okay, let’s not waste time," Aria spoke as she shifted her gaze to Eric.

"What exactly happened when you entered the cathedral?"

"I was half-dead, so I wouldn’t know much. Olivia carried me inside," he admitted.

"So in other words, you were unconscious?" Aria spoke suddenly, getting an idea.

"Yes, but I am not sure if knocking me out would make me enter the corruption."

"Actually, I think it might work," Aria countered.

"Really? Why?"

"When I spoke with you, when you helped me in the battle against the corruption, you mentioned that you thought you weren’t your conscious mind but your soul," Aria answered.

They couldn’t be exactly sure, but they were losing time, so they couldn’t afford to hesitate.

With a sigh, Eric spoke, "Okay, knock me out." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Nodding, Aria positioned herself behind Eric and raised her hand.

"Good luck," she spoke as she brought down her hand on his neck.

It seemed that she had experience knocking out people, as Eric was out cold without feeling anything at all.

He was about to fall, but Aria caught his body and gently placed him in a lying position.

She brushed his black hair aside to get a better look at his face.

"Don’t you dare lose," she muttered as she waited to see if Olivia—her friend—would come out a Grandmaster or would fail and become an abomination instead.

*****

Olivia opened her eyes. She was in some kind of dark void, and there was nothing around her.

She sighed as she spoke, "Just like Aria described it."

’If Eric was successful in entering the corruption, would I meet him the same way Aria had met him? By experiencing a memory where he was present?’ she asked herself.

"No matter. Even if he doesn’t come, I will simply deal with the corruption on my own," she muttered as she waited to be brought to her first memory.

She didn’t have to wait long, as she heard a voice.

"Hey... I wanted to talk to you."

Hearing her father’s voice startled her for a moment, but she tried to hide her fear as she slowly opened her eyes.

She was in her bedroom, lying down and hugging her toy.

"Talk... about what?" she asked, surprising herself a little by how young her voice sounded.

At that moment, she wasn’t a woman in her late twenties. She probably didn’t even have twelve years in age.

"It’s... about your mother..." her father spoke as he entered the room and sat on the nearby chair.

He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve before speaking. "I got the news... she won’t be coming back."

’Ah,’ Olivia remembered the memory. This was the time her father had informed her of her mother’s passing.

"Does... that mean that it will be just the two of us from now on?" she asked, which made the man’s eyes widen for a moment.

"Don’t—" he stuttered as he placed a hand over his eyes, trying to suppress his emotions.

"Don’t worry about anything, alright? I will take care of you. You just have to focus on your studies."

Olivia was informed that she had to kill everybody that appeared in her memories, but she found herself conflicted.

Because this moment was when her father had taken the burden of taking care of her alone, not showing even the slightest emotion that he had lost his wife.

"Can... can I get some time alone?" she asked.

"Su-sure," the voice of the man cracked a little as he got up and hurriedly got out.

’This is not good, Olivia. You have to concentrate. This is not the real deal, just an imitation,’ she thought.

Steeling her resolve, she got out of the bed and approached the door.

Considering her tiny and weak body, she had to attack when the target least expected it.

Opening the door, she searched to see if her father was in the living room. Confident that he wasn’t, she grabbed one of the kitchen knives on display and quietly approached her parents’ bedroom.

Luckily, the door wasn’t closed but slightly ajar, so she could enter without making noise.

Opening the door slightly, she tightened her grip on the knife, only for her eyes to widen in surprise.

Her father was sitting on the bed with his back turned against the door.

’Now is the chance.’

Taking slow steps, she approached the man. As she did, she was able to hear his frustrated whispering.

"Why did you leave us alone?" he whispered between ragged breaths as he looked at a photo of the three of them together.

"It should have been me. What kind of excuse of a father am I if I can’t protect my family?"

Trying to pay no attention to his muttering, Olivia got closer and closer, only for the floor beneath her feet to creak, announcing her position.

Her heart froze for a second as she instinctively hid the knife behind her back.

"Ah... I am sorry you have to see something so pathetic," her father spoke, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"I... a father shouldn’t be seen by his kid crying..." he muttered in frustration as he rubbed his face with his free hand.

"Gods, why can’t I do anything right? ...Can you please leave me alone for a moment?" he asked, his body shivering slightly.

With a bit of hesitation, Olivia responded, "...just wanted to tell you good night."

"Good night," her father sighed, not moving his back.

The next second, his eyes widened as he felt a knife stabbing him through the throat.

"If that’s how you feel..." he managed to mutter as he faintly shifted his gaze to Olivia moments before passing away.

She took a moment to look at the body of her father and how it lay on the bed, painting it crimson with its blood, while she stood there holding the murder weapon.

A few moments later, she was back in the dark void.

She took a long sigh.

"This... is going to be harder than I thought."