Chương 171: The Death of Happiness

The boy's joy had vanished, along with his smile. The happiness and lightness he had radiated only moments ago had been replaced by a shocked, confused expression. His eyes were wide open, and his hands were trembling.

"My parents…they…they brought me into this world just to replace them at work?" Xarath nodded.

"That's right. You're their seventh child, aren't you? Why do you think they kept having children? Just to give you plenty of siblings? No. They're farmers. They need labor, and considering that many children tend to die in poverty, they had to have many of them. Tell me: do your parents spend more time showing you affection or making you work the land?" The boy couldn't answer. He kept his gaze fixed on the floor, unable to look at Xarath.

"I see…you work more than you receive affection from them. That proves my point". The boy brought a hand to his forehead.

"They don't love me?"

"No, they do love you. But only if you work. Do you understand how cruel that is? Their affection depends on what you do, not on who you are. If someone else were in your place, nothing would change. Your life, considered on its own, is insignificant to your parents. To them, you're a hoe or a cart…a tool for work".

"No…no…my mother loves me, I know she does. She…she loves me!"

"She loves you, does she? But didn't you tell me earlier that she gets angry with you whenever you don't work enough? And that one time, even though your stomach hurt, she still sent you to work?" The boy said nothing, but the trembling of his hands intensified.

"You only have value if you work. You're replaceable. If you died, they would probably be sad only because they would have one less person to work the land. Your life has no reason to be lived". The boy could no longer bear it. He had always believed that he had loving parents and a warm, affectionate family. He had never felt sad or dissatisfied. Xarath, however, had completely overturned that reality, forcing him to reevaluate everything.

Now he had lost all the security and comfort he had once associated with his family. He no longer even felt like a person. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He felt used. Without warning, he punched himself hard in the face. Then again. Two teeth fell out. On the third blow, Nikos caught his hand and smiled.

"You completely stripped him of his happiness. Remarkable".

"Good. Can I leave now?" Nikos stroked his mustache, his smile widening.

"I won, Xarath". Suddenly, four chains emerged from the chessboard and wrapped themselves around Xarath's wrists and ankles. They extended from the four corners of the board while he stood at its center.

"What?" he muttered in confusion. Nikos approached with slow, measured steps.

"You lost the game, Xarath".

"Lost? I did what you asked me to. I convinced that child that life has no meaning. I stripped him of his happiness".

"That is precisely why you lost. By doing what you just did, you proved that life does have meaning or, at the very least, that you need to believe it doesn't. Because if it were universally true that life has no meaning, why would you need to prove it to others? I don't spend my time proving that grass is green or that the sky is blue. If something is an objective fact, you only need to observe it to understand it. So why have you spent centuries of your existence trying to prove your point?

Why did you feel the need to do so if you considered it a universal truth?" Xarath stared at him in silence.

"What you're saying makes no sense".

"Does it make no sense, or can't you answer me?" Nikos regarded him coldly.

"Xarath, you didn't lose because you're stupid. You lost because you aren't truly as empty as you claim to be". Xarath looked him in the eyes.

"It was a good trick, I admit. But this seal is weak…the Seer was already struggling to maintain my limiters. Now that she has sealed me as well, the strain on her magical energy will be immense. Sooner or later, something will happen to her, and I'll exploit her weakness to escape. And when I do, I'll kill both you and her".

"Or perhaps you'll simply remain sealed forever. Farewell, Xarath Atlas". With that, Nikos vanished. Nikos reappeared before the Seer Aelira, who watched him with a satisfied smile.

"Congratulations, human. You were truly ingenious with this plan. Sealing Xarath…now that's a great success".

"Will she be able to keep him sealed?"

"Yes, but it will require additional effort. I'll also have to avoid being injured. If I have to expend more energy than necessary to regenerate myself, or something similar happens, he could break free and shatter the limiters at the same time".

"Even the limiters?" Aelira coughed.

"Yes…ever since Xarath discovered them, he has absorbed countless magical creatures, pushing them to their limit. I'm already struggling immensely to maintain them. Imagine what would happen if I were injured".

"Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen, Seer". The Seer then turned her gaze toward the boy, who stood beside Nikos with vacant eyes.

"And him? Will you be able to make him return to the way he was?"

"Do you know any spells capable of erasing memories?"

"No. I've never managed to learn them. There's a very ancient mage, over three thousand years old, who can. But I'm not on good terms with her, and I have no intention of asking her for help for the sake of a single child".

"That makes sense…perhaps he'll recover. Or perhaps Xarath has ruined his future in a matter of minutes. In that case, I bear some responsibility as well for using him", Nikos confessed.

"You don't seem to feel guilty, though".

"Because I don't feel guilty. I prevented further deaths and took a huge step toward our victory. To accomplish that, I sacrificed the happiness of a single child…it's an excellent result".