Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

Chapter 199  [Island Of Drath] [14]

"Hey, Oliver, slow down!" Aaliyah yelled, grabbing Oliver's hand and making him halt.

A thunder flash, heavy rain damping down everything around them.

"Everything will be fine," Aaliyah said, looking at him, "calm down—."

"You don't understand, Aaliyah," Oliver replied, turning to look at her, "...I have to find both Azariah and Aimar before something happens to them."

"You are worrying too muc—."

"I am not," he cut in, his voice filled with desperation, "...if you knew what I do, you would worry as well."

He turned around, rushing inside the jungle again, razor-sharp leaves cutting some parts of his skin, but he didn't care much.

His gaze turned towards the center of the island, his chest heaving with anxiety as he thought of the worst possible outcome.

"Oliver!" Aaliyah yelled, grabbing him with both her hands, "...What are you doing?!"

"I am trying to find them!"

"How?" she yelled back, glaring at him, "All you're doing is running aimlessly. Look around, you idiot. We don't have a direction to follow!"

"Shut up, you idiot woman—!"

Aaliyah walked up to him and slapped him across the cheek.

His head whipped to the side, his mind numbing down from the unexpected pain.

"Please calm down, Oliver, you are scaring me," she muttered before wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head in his chest.

"That doesn't seem valid after you slapped me," Oliver grumbled, shaking his head.

She gently unwrapped her hands before taking a step back, "if you have calmed down, then should we talk about what to do next?"

"...Urgh, we need to find Az and Aimar," Oliver grunted, looking at the center, "...I don't think we can delay it for too long."

"Okay," Aaliyah nodded her head, "...Then is there any way we can find them?"

"Little Grey," Oliver mumbled, rubbing his chin, "he might be able to find them."

Looking at his arm adorned with a tattoo, he willed it to come out.

A cluster of white emerged, turning into a grey cat.

"Meow~." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The cat jumped to his shoulder, lazily wrapping itself around his neck.

"Hey, we don't have time for this," Oliver grumbled, grabbing the cat before placing it in front of him, "Can you find Aimar and Azariah?" he asked.

The cat tilted its head, blinking its eyes innocently. Its head moved, nodding to his words.

"Sweet," Oliver smiled before placing it on the ground, "...Now, if you will be kind enough to do it."

The cat brought its nose close to the ground, sniffing it before it jumped on a nearby tree.

"Let's go," Oliver said, as the cat jumped from one tree to another.

They followed behind the cat for a while, their gazes moving around the place, the darkness in the forest hardly making anything visible.

The sound of rain splashing on the ground and pooling muted other sounds within the forest.

"Huh?"

Oliver abruptly stopped, glancing around the place.

"What happened?" Aaliyah asked with concern.

Oliver placed one finger on her lips.

The silence resumed.

And it came back to him. A scream.

Confusion filled his mind as he tried to determine if it was really a scream or was he hallucinating?

Another scream. This one was definitely real.

He peered over the tree branches and scanned the forest for the source.

It was too dark.

'Help!' came a voice from the blackness.

"Hey, Aaliyah!" Oliver yelled as she turned and rushed towards the source.

"That voice!" Aaliyah yelled, glancing back at him, "I know that voice."

"What?" Oliver frowned, his expression turning serious as he rushed past her.

'Hel—!'

Once again the voice shouted, but it cut off in the middle.

A wet slapping sound made them slow down as they arrived at the place.

The first thing that came into view was the forest floor, turned crimson with blood.

A girl's dead body lay in front of them, her eyes bulged out, guts spilling from her body.

Her gaze moved towards another body in the same condition.

Aaliyah gasped, recognizing a few of them.

...They were her classmates.

Her stomach turned upside down as she took a step back.

A group of men stood within the pile of dead bodies.

Their bodies were covered with blood, dripping along with the rainfall.

Their gaze turned towards Oliver and Aaliyah.

****

****

"Urgh, I hate traveling through portals," a lady on the opposite side of Oliver grumbled, stretching her body.

Her black hair, highlighted with red at the ends, fluttered around as she looked up.

A layer of mana protected her body from the heavy rain pouring down.

"Stop complaining about everything," the woman standing beside her said coldly, looking at her, "...We don't have time for that."

"Always so grumpy," Sypha pouted, looking at her, "...Can't you just enjoy yourself?"

"...Where are you going first?" Adaliah asked as she gazed around the place.

It was dark, but she could see clearly.

"Hmm, I want to see young master again," Sypha replied after thinking a little, a smile creeping on her face, "he was so little and fragile when I saw him last time."

Adaliah's face contorted as she looked at her with disgust.

"What?" Sypha asked, tilting her head, "Don't look at me like that, unlike you, I do like him."

"Shut up, Sypha," she replied, glaring at her, "and don't do anything other than what you are ordered to."

"Yeah, I know," she shrugged while looking at her, "you are going to find the Avatar?"

...Adaliah nodded in reply.

Touching her bracelet, she took out two masks, passing one to her.

"Wear this," she commanded, "and make sure no one sees your face."

"...Okay," taking the mask from her hand, Sypha replied, "...Anything else, my lady?"

"...Don't create any drama," she added as she looked at the plain white mask in her hand, "...I don't like it."

"As you wish, my lady," Sypha replied, but the mischievous tone in her voice didn't sound convincing.

The rustling of leaves made their heads turn.

A boy came into their view, a confused look on his face as he looked at them.

His gaze landed on Sypha, or more specifically, on her twin horns adorning her head.

"W-Who are you?" he asked, stumbling as he took a step back.

A jagged finger of thunder across the horizon made his features clear.

...A boy with light green hair and a chubby face.

"Are you Seth?" Sypha asked, smiling, approaching him, "you are Seth, right?"

"How do you know my name?" Seth asked back, a weary look on his face.

"Did young master never talk about me?" she asked, a sad expression adorning her face.

"Young master?" Seth asked, glancing back, trying to find a place to run.

"You know him," Sypha replied with a bright smile, "His name is Azariah."

Seth stopped in place. His head tilted as he asked, "Azariah?"

"Yes," Sypha nodded her head, "you know him, right?"

"Y-yeah," he replied as she now stood in front of him.

"You are his friend, right?" she asked, smiling brightly.

"Yea—!"

Sypha's hand shot forward.

She grabbed his stomach before retracting her hand.

The sound of flesh ripping echoed within the forest.

"That's too bad for you," she whispered, throwing the slab of his own flesh to the ground.

"AHHHH!"

Seth yelled from the top of his lungs, his gaze moving to his stomach.

He could see his intestines along with the white of his bones.

Nausea filled his mind along with the burning pain that made him cry.

His instincts kicked in as he held tightly to his wound before turning around, trying to run away.

His head turned blank as he felt a strong slap at the back of his head.

His legs got entangled within a tree root as he fell face-first to the ground.

"Don't worry, Seth," Sypha said, her voice soothing, "...You won't die from it."

He turned his body around, his fearful eyes looking at her.

"...I can't kill you yet," Sypha said, her smile turning into a grin, a knife appearing in her hand, "...Don't you think you have a lot of fat on your body?"

"Ahhhh!"

He cried in pain as she dug the knife into his arm, "...Let me cut some of it down."

"L-let m-me go, please," Seth choked out those words, his lips trembling, his face paling, "...P-please."

"No, I can't do that," Sypha replied, grabbing his hand before skillfully slicing the fat from his skin, "...Let me enjoy this for a while."

Adaliah stepped in, walking closer as she wrapped her fingers around his neck.

Snap!!

Seth's body fell down, life slipping from him.

"Why did you do that?" Sypha grumbled, glaring at her.

"We don't have time for your disgusting games," she replied, turning around. "We need to move."

"Who is young master's favorite?" she asked, standing up.

Adaliah replied without thinking, "...Lady Christina."

"Oh." Sypha breathed, "maybe i should visit her."