(AN: Omniscient POV)
No reaction could be found in Eshwar, yet the eerie scribbling sound continued to resound in the room, even though the royals present in the room knew that the shackled could do nothing that defied Ortharious' will in the room; they too could do nothing else but stand still in spot, not because they didn't want to act out, bloating their pride, or anything along those lines, but because the eerie feeling that increasingly turned terrifying forced them to stand still.
Even Ortharious, who had a resentful expression just seconds ago, had a terrified expression on his face now. They could understand that something eerie was happening, but they couldn't really put their fingers on what it was.
[What are you going to do now?] A mortifying voice resounded throughout the room, in a room where nothing even similar was possible.
'How is magic resounding within the room?' The royals, except for Godred, thought in unison; they couldn't figure out the kind of power that was being used; hence, they just stuck to the basic power and assumed that whatever power was being used was magic.
[This is the first time I've gotten angry in a long while.] The voice continued to resound in the room.
[Because of you, I'm forced to hear her being called all kinds of things that not even the gods dared utter in my presence.] The voice said, speaking with somebody that existed in the room and understanding the words, they could figure out that the voice was talking with none other than Eshwar.
[Because of your incompetence.] The voice said it in a cold tone that almost made the royals faint in fear.
'Who was the naive vessel?' Eshwar asked in his mind.
[Ha! You want answers? Fine, then I'll give it to you. The naive vessel was me; who else would it be except for me?] The voice said in a mocking tone that Eshwar wanted to ask why the voice, his original self, had called him naive, but understanding that Eshwar himself was nothing but a mere part of his original self, he swallowed back his question.
[And before you voice your other questions, you can stop. I only answered that question because you deemed the situation you are in to be funny.] The voice said.
[I will not help; whatever may happen to you, I won't lend you a hand because.... No, why should I explain myself to your pitiful existence? Ha!] The voice scoffed and turned silent. For a few minutes, except for the eerie scribbling sound, nothing sounded.
"Atm-Atman! Go and make that woman-" Ortharious commanded his aide, but before his words continued, bones cracking sounds resounded throughout the room.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtCRA-CRACK-!!!
"Argh!!!!" Ortharious screamed at the top of his lungs due to his arms being crushed.
[I only said that I wouldn't interfere with the things you do with that man.] The voice said it in an amused tone and turned silent again, snickering.
"Atm-Atman, make that son of a bit*h grovel at my feet!" Ortharious commanded after taking a healing potion from his inventory.
"By your order!" Atman, who stood behind the throne, said this and walked towards Eshwar to carry out the orders given to him.
BAM-!
Without any warning, Atman straight up kicked Eshwar's kneeling face, which seemed to be positioned just for Atman to kick it. Eshwar's body flung to the side like a wet rag before colliding against the wall with a boom.
BOOM-!
"Uchk!" Eshwar groaned in anguish as blood trickled down from his head and mouth, while his left eye turned bloody due to the force he was kicked with.
"Eshwar!!!" Isha exclaimed in shock and looked at the scene in disbelief.
"Uckh.... argh..." Eshwar stumblingly sat up and shook his head as he tried to get rid of the pain in his ringing head.
But unfortunately for him, Atman wasn't done with him yet; he strode towards Eshwar, lifted him up by his hair, released him, and reverse kicked him in the face, which was soon dyed with blood.
BAM-!
"Uck!" Eshwar groaned as he supported himself in all fours, licking his lips that were dyed in his own blood.
Eshwar felt his own body weight bare down on him; he felt heavy and weak, weak like a normal human, which gave him a sense of Deja Vu. As he glanced around in his blood-dyed view, his gaze soon found what it was looking for, Isha, and a bright smile flashed in his eerily, blood-dyed face.
He felt extremely weak; he felt he was a human again, a normal, weak yet strong man who wanted nothing but to have strong enough shoulders to bear the responsibilities and burdens of his loved ones, and also a weak man who had no other choice except to bow his head to the strong as he abided by the things as somebody else willed.
He, a brute that knew nothing but how to brute force his way through the difficulties that came his way, was now being thrashed around as he stumbled across here and there, bleeding, while his fate deemed him unable to do anything and unworthy of doing the things that he could easily and effortlessly do just a few minutes ago.
[You couldn't protect Anuke because you weren't strong enough!] His original self's voice sounded in his head.
BAM-!
[Due to which Isha was thrown into a state that I was unable to bear.]
'Stop your bullsh*t; it was my life and my life alone; what I did had nothing to do with you. I, a mere part of yours, have been protecting Isha, who was stronger than me, while you on the other hand, could do nothing even though you were stronger than her, even though she is right in front of you!' Eshwar yelled inwardly.
"If.... I had... known what and all had happened to her.... before I was alive again, I would have done everything in my power to destroy your existence, even if it meant I would disappear with you!" Eshwar abruptly yelled in outrage while gasping for air.
'You are nothing but an incompetent, arrogant, and ignorant a*shole; don't you dare try to make me feel guilty; that was bound to happen one way or the other!' Eshwar yelled inwardly since he didn't have enough time to breathe as he was still being thrashed around. His ribs, shoulder bones, arms, which he used to defend, legs, and knuckles had cracked due to the strong mana-less hits he was receiving from a stronger person. If mana was used, then he would have undoubtedly died at the first hit.
[Hahahaha] With an ominous chuckle, his original self's voice disappeared.
BAM-!
With a punch to the stomach, Eshwar was launched at the throne. After hitting his back on the stair beneath the throne, Eshwar groaningly looked around and soon found Ortharious looking at him with a bright, mocking smirk on his face.
Smiling back at him, Eshwar glanced around and soon found Isha, who was looking at him with tears streaming out of her eyes, and again
SN-AP-!
Eshwar felt something snap. This was the second time he had that feeling; last time his rage clouded his mind, but this time his sanity itself snapped.
"Kill me." Eshwar's mumbled words resounded throughout the room; his body was wreaked beyond healing, and the pain would be so intense that dying would be better, which was the reason Eshwar asked them to kill him.
Or so those gazing at him thought.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I'll give you one minute." Eshwar's eerie voice sounded, which made those present shudder in fear, including Isha, who was gazing at Eshwar, whose eyes seemed dead while being locked at her tears-filled eyes.
"You have one minute to kill me if you don't," It was only then that his dead gaze finally moved, and soon his gaze landed on Ortharious, who flinched in response.
"I'll kill you." Eshwar declared.
"..."
Silence.
An absolutely eerie silence descended upon the room, as even Eshwar's original self was gazing at the scene in amusement.
[Accept me] Eshwar's original self's hollow voice resounded in Eshwar's mind.
Time seemed to slow down yet move at a fast rate, because
"50 seconds remaining." Eshwar reminded them.
"Huzmmmm....mhzmmmm~" Eshwar began to hum an eerie melody that sounded eerie only because of his hoarse voice. He hummed a melody that no one seemed to have the leisure to enjoy except for him.
They didn't know what gave him the confidence to assert those words—no, assert that claim—but his humming sounded like a requiem in the ears of those present, including Isha. She had never, not once in her life, been afraid of Eshwar, but now she was.
Isha, the goddess of death, was afraid of Eshwar, and in a corner of her heart and mind, Isha felt like she was looking at Eshwar's real self for the first time ever since their time spent together.
"E-Eshwar?" Isha called out, unsure if she was looking at the same person whom she loved dearly.
"Yes?" Eshwar asked back as he gazed at Isha with no sign of life in his eyes.
"I'll be done soon enough; don't worry." Eshwar spoke with lifeless eyes and gazed at Atman and Ortharious with a cold gaze. It was then that Isha remembered that Eshwar had survived all by himself by killing the strong that came his way.
"30 seconds left." Eshwar reminded them, and this time, without wasting time, Atman shot out towards Eshwar like a bullet with the intention to kill.
BAM-!