The Chimeric Ascension of Lyudmila Springfield

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Vengeance Unleashed – Part Four (Illustration!)

“I CAN’T…ENDURE IT…ANYMORE!!!” The cries came from Aetos. There was a powerful blast of light from up high… The Spiritual Grove was gradually tearing itself apart. It was faint, but the stench of rotting wood that hadn’t yet healed was mixed with smoke.   

The whole thing was on fire as a black haze slowly replaced the skies we had come to know.  

Tris immediately said we were near the middle of the Eagle Yew and had less than a minute before our ground vanished.  

Eagle Yew… I…  

“I’m going to take your memories now,” I said, ignoring that thought. I had to do this—now. “I’ll use them to put Meruria through hell.” Experienced chimeras could assimilate memories as tangible objects, but that was beyond my keen.   

[Conferment] bridged that gap, though.    

“Experience my life. Your mind won’t handle it. You’ll be consumed by my madness…an—an urge to silt…your throat.”   

“I could say the same to you. You don’t know the hell I lived.”  

I turned to Remy. “With the power of [Conferment], I use my authority at the Transcendent Dark Lord to delve deep into your soul… Grant me unfettered access to your darkest depths. Reveal to me your memories.” Lifeforce gathered around my palms and shot a beam towards Remy.   

Remy’s past flooded my mind like a movie, but I didn’t care.    

Why?  

No amount of depressive bullshit or traumatic nightmares would ever make me want to forgive this piece of shit for what she had done to me.   

I didn’t care that she and her sister, Willow, were sold as child prostitutes to some brothel hidden in the country. Nor did it tug at my heartstrings when Meruria convinced Remy that she could enact her revenge if she was willing to risk it all to help further her experiments with the void.    

Remy was effectively frozen at her current age after the void spat her out. It was a mimicked version of [Timeless Existence] all High Elves had upon reaching maturity. She used the warping abilities it had granted her to kill everyone responsible for what happened to them. Then Remy willingly gave their lives to their savior.  

Remy accepted Meruria as their lord, yet she still used her Lord Armament to entrap her mind with a twisted sense of loyalty and love.   

Willow’s sense of self didn’t survive the void. Her hair, ears, and tail had been drained of their color, signifying her failure to adapt to the power Meruria wanted her to wield. Only those azure eyes were left behind.   

She was a flesh puppet—someone who wouldn’t age. She had to be told to breathe, or she’d die of suffocation. Meruria used her for sexual gratification while commanding Remy to join.   

In a sense?  

Willow was innocent—she hadn’t done anything against me—but she deserved to die so that she could finally rest.  

Not Remy… She had done a thousand unspeakable things. Sadism easily came to her once she realized she could hurt her enemies as they had harmed her. That was how she had grown so powerful. She was Lv. 99 and over a century old. 

The memories then came to the first time Remy was present for the Soul Warrior Summoning. Quella’s journal said the ceremony happened, on average, every five decades, except something wasn’t right… Why were they standing there like puppets? Why did Meruria have her Lord Armament out? Why did it take weeks before she spoke to them? Unless?  

If this meant what I thought it meant…  

I couldn’t finish the thought because the memories showed me something unexpected—the truth behind King Isolde Vredi’s death.  

How dare they… How dare they… How…will I tell Sera? How do I bring this up? Will she believe me?  

Like whiplash, the memories altered to Meruria’s most recent summoning. Like the groups before… We…were standing like puppets…as she…  

“No…” I suddenly said.  

“Ha… Haha… Hahaha!!! See?” Remy croaked, her voice barely a whisper. “You can’t handle it! YOU—"  

“SHUT UP! I need to see this for myself!!!” I roared. The memories flashed faster…  

And…  

Meruria…  

She…did…that…  

And…  

I laughed…  

I laughed, and laughed, and laughed…  

Because it was so goddamn funny!  

Meruria's Soul Warriors didn't originate from the same world! 

Hell, only Mia and I came from 'our' world! 

Our world didn’t have learning chambers.   

Our world wasn’t some meritocracy-obsessed hellhole caricature pushed to the extreme!  

Meruria had added those 'things' to support the altered backstories she had planted within us!  

I always knew it didn’t make sense for someone like me to attend an elusive, prestigious institute like Mekka Academy, but…  

Now it all made total goddamn sense…because she had gotten the crude inspiration from someone named Salim, a Soul Warrior summoned before us. She learned about Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, and plagiarized it. The non-existent phantom academy’s purpose was to be the key that linked this latest batch of Soul Warriors together…to make it seem like we originated from the same world. She had further planned to create a new Mecca within this world to be totally devoted to her.  

I knew the depths of that vile woman’s tampering.   

Meruria could’ve changed me… She could’ve made me into someone else. She could’ve fixed all my issues or instilled confidence in me.  

She didn’t…  

What happened to me in the fake reality…happened to me in the real one… She didn’t see fit to do all that much because I was always destined to be sacrificed to the void. Meruria had always chosen one from each summoning session. I drew the short straw this time.    

What Tris and Tilde didn’t want me to know was what had happened, barring a few minor details that didn’t matter for shit—but… I had lived as Michael. I had lived as Shuuta…   

I suffered as both…  

Yet...  

“Sekh, you can’t kill my parents,” I whispered, turning to her. The truth I had cruelly discovered flowed like daggers from my lip as I relived a locked-away memory.    

“Why? What do you mean, Mila?”  

“Because I’ve already killed them. They’re dead… I shot them with my ‘father’s’ gun …” I felt the bark of the revolver as I pulled the trigger… The recoil knocked my shoulder out of place… The broken wrist of a young boy who couldn’t grip it… The smoke billowing from the barrel… The acrid scent of spent gunpowder lingered in the air, covering my eyes from seeing that bastard’s brains spilled across the wallpaper before I turned it to my ‘mother,’ who shared the same demise.  

The scenes weren’t in chronological order, but the pieces were there. I experienced the truth—the true truth.  

Meruria only hid my murders, but it wasn’t out of compassion. She had plans to bring it up if they were required to de-evolve into a 0-Star Soul Warrior to see me suffer.  

Not even Tris knew it, which meant Tilde was out of the loop.   

The wicked bitch would use everything to make everyone else grovel at her feet…just to get off on the control it gave her…  

However, there was more to it—more to the lives we lived before Meruria snatched her fangs in our destinies.   

It wasn’t just my truth. It was everyone’s truth… Everyone’s backstory. Including that goddamn Mia…  

She wasn’t innocent—no, far…from…it…  

She would pay—they would all suffer… Especially when what I knew could shatter everything.  

I confirmed something else. Shiku’s and Damon’s feelings weren’t tampered with when they were ordered to throw me into the void. They weren’t forced to do it. You could say they willingly followed orders when they had free will-- the free will to refuse. 

Yet they didn’t.   

They didn’t say no.  

They didn’t refuse.  

They carried out the order because it was an order… One found glee. The other coward feared the implication of refusing.   

What a bullshit excuse. They’ll suffer the worst. Will, too. They’ll all die. I swear it. Push it to the side, Mila. Focus on that later. You still have something to do.    

Tris assisted me—what I just learned transferred to her. She helped me remain calm as Remy’s memories continued to flow.    

The damn wolf spoke the truth about [Conferment]. I didn’t unlock it. She was present when Meruria cracked the seal… She didn’t know what was behind it, but she had done it—not me.   

There wasn’t anything about any Transcendent Dark Lord. I still believed Tilde, of course. Why was I picked and not Remy?  

If Meruria had thrown anyone else into the void at that specific time, rather than me, would they have received [Hermes Trismegistus]?   

I doubt I was special—I knew I wasn’t. I only met Sekh because some unknown presence in the void granted me the Essence of Wrath. 

Yet even that initially came from that goddamn bitch. Meruria had written a script, and I unintentionally followed it like a choir boy… My outburst? My declaration of revenge? All goddamn planned by her… It will be her downfall.    

I then came to Remy’s most recent actions.  

She had used a shard of Meruria’s power to mind control Hymn’s upper leadership to stage the attack on Aetos Village. Remy had planned to jump in to save us, reveal a false letter that painted Gloria as the mastermind, and convince me to let Meruria help me get my revenge. In doing so, she had intended to get close enough to make me submit to her, thereby granting her an ‘in’ with a Vredi—and doing to me what she failed to do with King Isolde Vredi. The goddamn wolf even gave our enemies that orb of silence to handicap Quella!  

Did that mean Gloria was innocent?  

No. When that bitch had visited Ria, I spied on her and learned Niva was being tracked by a compass, which Gloria had gotten from Hymn. Hell, she ran the place! The commanders answered to her, so she was responsible for the actions of her underlings.   

I’d use her fuck up to make her suffer, but that would have to wait. I had to deal with one pissant before moving to the next.   

“You killed them?” The surprise came from Remy, who took me away from my mind. Her eyes widened…  

She had probably figured out who I was, but I wouldn't let her say it. I covered her mouth with my hands, gripping hard enough to fracture her cheekbones.  An arm sprouted from my back, and the EoW gripped it, ready to transfer any life force I might have needed.    

“Tris, are you ready?”  

The new personality has been created and thoroughly sanitized. I am ready to install it in her mind. Meruria will not know the difference. I can even recreate her specific mana algorithm that Meruria uses to confirm that Remy’s mind hasn’t been tampered with, although that will not be needed if we use her original body instead of permanently crafting a clone. However, the wounds are egregious. It may be beyond saving.  

If it works? It works. If it doesn’t... Then who cares. I’ll have my loyal puppet regardless. Trying won’t hurt anything.  

“With the power of [Conferment]…”  

Remy’s mind…  

I killed it. Remy's ego? Her superego? Her Id? Everything that made up Remy as a personality was slaughtered. She was just a battered, broken body without a mind— a vessel that didn’t know how to breathe without being ordered. In the same breath, I implanted the personality Tris had so carefully manufactured into her body while canceling the effects of [Mortal Mend].   

I used my best healing spell, entrapped it in slime, covered it around Remy, turned it translucent, repeated that ten times, and drained the EoW’s life to fuel another use of [Conferment] to encourage Remy's body to heal. 

“There is no more time, Lord Springfield,” said the EoW through a strained expression as the ground finally gave way.   

The Spiritual Grove…was no more.  

The Eagle Yew was dying.   

It was like a stake created by the gods had been jammed into the planet, covered in oil, and lit aflame amid a boundless darkness. The entire tree was a deadly inferno. I was falling right in the middle—down the hollowed trunk that stretched for miles.  

Surtr transformed into a lion and jumped to Sekh, who got to his back after grasping Aetos’s flower pot. She held him close as Surtr ran to catch Remy’s still-healing body in his mouth before he rushed away from the Eagle Yew.  

The EoW returned to my Divine Skill. Tris’s hologram body vanished, leaving me alone with just my thoughts.   

No, there was something I needed to do. I couldn’t have done this if it hadn’t helped me. The Eagle Yew was more than just a tree…  

It really was…  

I retrieved Susize’s flute, clutching it tightly.  

“I won’t forget this, Eagle Yew… You gave your life to help me… My selfish vengeance would not have been possible without you… Thank you…”  

Susize Vredi was said to be the best flautist in Vredi Forest, and as I brought her beloved instrument to my lips…  

I let her take over…  

Vredi’s Lullaby was an expression of love handed down from Vredi Forest’s ancestor—the one who had planted that fateful seed that became the home to the most powerful Soul Warrior of her time.   

The song carried the ambitions of all elves born within its nurturing bosom.  

I played, and I played, and I played. I never stopped as I tumbled at terminal velocity toward the ground. It felt like the moon and stars were my personal audience to witness the final moments of this ancient tree that had sacrificed everything to help me in my time of need.  

The flames and smoke began to flicker as the ethereal tune resonated throughout. The destructive blaze transformed into translucent wisps, swirling and merging into an otherworldly dance. The air shimmered with energy after a gentle, green vortex surrounded me. I saw more verdant mana above me—the same as below. The magical remnants of the Eagle Yew gently ferried me down, but I never stopped my song until my feet touched the ground. 

*****

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*****

Sekh was there with Surtr, Aetos’s flowerpot. Remy’s body was laid on the ground. The latter was already looking much healthier. It wouldn’t be long until the implanted personality initialized.    

I guess that’s that. Using Remy's genuine body will only hurt Meruria more, so...  

The cherry blossom was no more. The graveyard had seen better days—it was like what you’d find after being abandoned for a few decades. Still, the energy was seeping deep into the ground and the graves.   

“How does it feel?” asked the eagle. He perched on his flowerpot and spoke in a grave, low voice.    

“Do you even need to ask?” Tears dripped down my cheeks as Tris formed her hologram body. She couldn’t touch me, but her presence was comforting.    

“Crying? Why? Did you not achieve a goal?”  

“I did. I—"  

“Then cease the tears. Do not mourn the Eagle Yew. It did what it desired. It saw fit to help you, so do not lament its sacrifice because that would not honor it.”   

“Are you trying to comfort me?”  

“Interpret it as you will, chimera.” Aetos paused for a moment. He turned to face me. “The Eagle Yew spoke to me. It had planned to grant you assimilation rights to accelerate the curse’s demise when its death neared, but that is no longer possible.”  

My lord, Ira is asking permission to manifest.   

Ira?  

That is the name the Essence of Wrath chose for herself. Should I deny it?  

No. She can have it. Let her come out.   

Ira manifested. She looked like a Dragonfolk—with crimson wings, horns, and eyes—with slightly elvish features— but she was dressed in a skirt and blouse made from solidified flames.   

“The Lord Conference… Meruria will be there with everyone, right?”  

“She wouldn’t dare miss showing off her 6-Star Soul Warriors to the others,” said Aetos. “I presume you have a plan since the Lord Conference does not allow violence. It is a prestigious affair that promotes using words to handle pressing issues.”  

“Information is powerful… Words hold the might to turn the tide of history. Queens, kings, and Holy Lords aren’t immune to it. I have a plan, Aetos. It does not involve me throwing a single punch, but it will end with Meruria succumbing to what she fears above all else… I’ll shatter her Soul Warriors’ mind. Maybe I’ll drive them to suicide. I’ll use the plan I intended for Quella on the ones who truly deserve it. Or maybe I’ll strike once the conference is over. I don’t know. But they’re the prey—I’m the hunter. I’ll chew their flesh and kill them all.”  

Lord Enele hated Meruria. He saw Lord Sajun as a younger brother and cared deeply for him… For him to have…allowed Meruria free reign for hundreds of years…suggested he didn’t have the evidence. But why couldn’t he use [Truth Field]? I just knew he would’ve done something if it was possible.   

He could also strike her down in anger, but that would strip him of his power as the Dark Lord of Justice.   

Why hadn’t he done that? If he truly hated her so much, then…  

I must know more before I can figure this out.    

“There’s more, Aetos. It’s about King Vredi.” He listened as I revealed the truth behind his death. The eagle was quiet. He closed his eyes, holding masterful control over his emotions.   

“Is that what really happened?”  

“The Susize in me won’t let me lie about this. Meruria’s… She’s responsible.  I will not let this go unpunished. She must suffer, Aetos. I will make her regret ever being born. Believe me on that.”   

“…” The Eagle was quiet. He remained perched on his flowerpot in deep thought of how to proceed with this new information. I sensed movement from behind, and I knew who it was.    

Quella ran towards us. “The evacuation went off without error. The Eagle Yew caught fire during the process, but everyone’s safe, Lord Springfield. They’re gathered outside the forest.”  

“So… There haven’t been any more losses? That’s good. You have my thanks, Quella.”  

I’ve confirmed the safety of all, my lord. Tilde and Niva are still asleep under Primrose’s eye. Keeth is constructing tents.    

“You’re welcome, but is it done? Is she dead? Truly dead?” Quella asked, her voice trembling.    

Remy moved before I could say anything. She opened her eyes and warped from lying to standing up. Quella grabbed my collar—pure hatred fueled her eyes as the angry mage demanded to know why our enemy wasn’t dead. Quella was probably about to punch me, but she suddenly stopped when Remy kneeled and proclaimed her undying loyalty to me.   

“What…is going on?”   

“The Remy you see is not the one we have the displeasure of knowing. That one is dead. She’s gone. She doesn’t exist anymore. This one looks like her. She has the same abilities and strengths, but her unwavering loyalty lies solely with me. Everything is being routed through Tris, and there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell of Remy ‘breaking’ free or suddenly regaining her original self because Tris won’t let that happen. Her safeguards cannot and will not be broken.”   

“I know what this body has done. I am thankful Lord Springfield will assimilate it once its usefulness has expired,” said Remy. “I am anxiously awaiting the day Meruria faces cruel justice for her crimes and sins. It cannot come fast enough.” Remy apologized to Quella for how much her team was tormented. “Remy’s soul still lives within a hellish purgatory she shall never escape from. Her suffering continues now because the wicked do not deserve to rest.”  

“I’m sorry for grabbing you,” Quella lowered her head. “I was unaware such a thing like this was possible.”  

“Your reaction is understandable. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure your head must be filled with a thousand questions.”  

“It is.” She looked around. Energy continued to spiral into the ground. “But the time isn’t apt. Do you know what’s going to happen now?”  

“You’re witnessing the start of the chimerization process,” said Ira. “It’s not the same. It’s different.  Chimeras are created when the negative emotions surrounding many corpses become too much, yet I don’t detect any hostility. It’s unheard of for so much positivity to trigger the birth.”  

“You’re right and wrong,” Aetos said. He flapped his wings. “Just watch. It is almost finished.” The last remnants of the green mana flowed deep into the ground. Everything started to shake. From each of the graves came a calming, soothing light. Magical energy flowed to where the cherry blossom used to stand, which collected into a single orb.  

The radiant sphere emitted a soft, comforting light that encompassed the entire graveyard, recreating what it must’ve looked like in the past as it grew. The shimmering grew until it cracked like glass, revealing a small girl. She probably didn’t look older than eight or nine. Her hair and ears were like mine. The excessive mana encircled her body, granting her a sundress of leaves and grass.    

We all stared as she opened her eyes—they were red—like Ira’s. Hesitation filled them. Chimeras weren’t born with a consciousness—they relied on raw instinct until they evolved, but…  

“My heart… It won’t stop hurting…” She cried, gentle tears falling from her soft eyes. “I feel the forest… I can hear its cries.”  

“The last of the Eagle Yew’s will has been imparted into her,” said Aetos. “She’s made from the consciousness, hopes, dreams, and love of everyone who has passed away within my village. Your genuine love for the forest… Your desires to protect it… The way you played Vredi’s Lullaby without an ounce of selfish pride because you wished for it to be the last thing it heard… Your regret at killing my lady’s precious pets… You may not think of yourself as a natural Vredi, but the Eagle Yew believes differently. It has accepted you, chimera. The proof of that is in her base appearance. The mana flowed through you and the Essence of Wrath before continuing the chimerization process.”   

“Accepted me, huh? Do I deserve it?”  

“The Eagle Yew thinks so. It will continue to live on through her. Do you harbor doubts?”  

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.”  

“Do you know what you must do?” I nodded. Just one thing came to my mind.    

I approached and kneeled, extending a hand. The chimera looked at me, quivering. “You don’t have any reason to be afraid,” I said, my voice gentle as the falling snow. “What’s your name?”  

“I…do not have one… I feel lost… Can you…give me one?”  

“How does…Yew sound?”  

“Y...ew?” The chimera repeated it slowly, then twice more. “But that’s...” The chimera looked at Aetos, then to where the Eagle Yew had just been. “Is that...okay?”  

“I don’t see why not? Do you like it?”  

“Uh-huh. But what do I do now? I don’t know where to go.”  

“If you’re lost, then I’ll guide you, okay? I’ll teach you what you need to know, and I’ll protect you.” With a hesitant smile, Yew slowly extended a trembling hand to mine. The leftover remains of the village and forest seemed to respond. A gentle breeze surrounded us.   

Aetos watched with a knowing gaze as we returned to him and the others.  “Listen well, Yew.” Aetos raised his wings as the little chimera watched. “You carry the legacy of the Eagle Yew within you. Listen to the whispers of the trees, feel the earth's heartbeat, and embrace the harmony of nature. Your path is intertwined with the destiny of the forest, and you must protect it with the love that resides in your heart.”  

Yew quivered behind my legs. She bravely peeked out. “Hey, don’t you think that’s too much for her?” I asked  

“Is it?”  

“Yes. It is. I know it’s been a while, but have you lost your class?” asked Sekh.  

“Hmm… Then forgive me, Yew. I am sorry.” Aetos bowed his wings. Yew didn't say anything. She looked at the others but kept her arms wrapped around my leg. “How will you proceed from here, chimera?”  

“We wait for Sera. She should arrive within the hour. I don’t know what I’m going to say to her. Quella, I trust you know what must remain a secret?”  

“I do. I swear my lips are sealed. I won’t…bring anything up with Melusine, either.” Sekh rubbed her arms, looked away, and equipped Lionheart. She would need to wear it for the next few days. I hated that it had to happen like this, but she understood why.   

I’d have to make it up to her.   

“Okay. Make some time. I’ll answer your questions. Ira, you’re not needed.” That damn spirit left in a hazy wave of fire. “Remy. You’re not needed, either. Warp away somewhere. Don’t be seen by anyone. Especially not Sera.”  

“Of course, my lord.” Remy vanished. I saw a faint waypoint in the distance, indicating her location.   

Tris… It was time for her hologram body to depart. She wasn’t sad. The body just gave me something to look at. Her voice was always in my mind. I still felt her presence all the same, but I would need an excuse to explain why she wasn’t here.    

Actually...  

Tris took command of a clone I made. “Consider this a loophole,” she said with a cute smile.   

I shouldn’t have been worried in the first place. It’ll be like nothing has changed.   

With that, we were almost ready.  I hugged Yew. “You’re a chimera like me,” I told her, disgusted I was about to ask this of a child. “I hold the power to prevent Bellerophon from detecting you. Forgive me, but…”  

“There’s something I must report, my lord. Evolving to [Tris, Beacon of Wisdom] has altered the loyalty aspect of [Status Cloak]. It has been replaced by a user permission pop-up the target must accept to proceed.”  

I felt instant relief. “That’s amazing. Yew, will you accept it?”  

“Uh-huh. I trust you. I know… No, I can feel your true feelings deep in your heart. It’s in mine, too. You’re someone the Eagle Yew cherished.”   

“I’ve confirmed all matters related to her chimerism have been hidden, my lord. I’ve set Yew up with standard titles befitting someone her age.”  

“Okay. Thank you. Can you walk, Yew? Do you want me to carry you?” She shook her head. We left the graveyard—her little hand never leaving my palm— and followed Quella to where the others were.   

I never predicted things would turn out like this—not in a million years. But...  

That was life.   

It was impossible to predict...  

Something told me this was only the beginning, though.   

Meruria used her magic and Remy to organize this attack without Gloria knowing, but the fault remained with her since Hymn was her organization!  

I couldn’t decide without Sera, though. This involved her just as much as it did me. That led to another issue, which delved into a dozen more, which branched off into a hundred concerns.   

How in the world would I approach the topic of her father’s death?  

But the sea awaiting me wasn’t unnavigable because the world's best captain stood beside me. Tris’s valuable assistance was more necessary than ever before.   

War... It was probably coming. Sera’s anger wouldn’t excuse Gloria’s actions if I played my cards right. So, I could, if not wipe her out, but weaken that goddamn bitch enough to punish her for what she did it. She was still at fault for Niva. She gave her to that shitty Noelia and almost encouraged that abuse.   

If I could get the power of a Holy Lord?  

Well...  

Wouldn’t that even the playing field?  

No. With how I am now… A Holy Lord’s might would more than even it. I’m coming for you, Meruria… Just you wait…