Destroying My Own Novel

Asmond was trembling in joy because he couldn't believe that the Goddess that he respected and admired showed herself before him. He was overjoyed that he started to shed tears, but then a cold hand touched his left cheek and gently lifted his head.

"You have been through a lot, and you have proven to yourself that I was right to choose you. But this isn't the time for you to be overjoyed because the world you're living in has been destroyed. You know who did this, and I want you to do something for me, Asmond Redfeld," Mara said as she gently caressed his cheek.

"Mykel..." Asmond said under his breath.

"Yes. Mykel Alester, one of the Constellations. He destroyed your world and everyone in it. The people that you brought back to life are the only ones that exist in this world," Mara nodded her head in agreement.

Asmond gritted his teeth and he looked so angry as he clenched his fists. He couldn't forgive for what Mykel did, and he didn't care if he would die if he tried to fight him. He believed that if he tried, he would be able to defeat Mykel, especially with Mara's help.

"What should I do for you, Goddess Mara?" Asmond asked with a serious expression and he looked resolved.

"I like your resolution, Asmond," Mara smiled and slowly removed her hand from Asmond's cheek. "I want you to kill Mykel Alester because I'm not allowed to interfere more than this. I want you to kill him, and I'll do the rest for you," Mara explained as she slowly took a step back.

"Kill him? Is it possible, Goddess?" Asmond asked.

"Yes, I have weakened him and he's nothing but a normal human being. He's no longer as powerful as you know. Not only him, but all his Recipients are also the same," Mara answered with a smile on her face.

Roxanne and the others listened to their conversation and realized how powerful Mara was. They felt like it was a perfect opportunity to fight back because they wouldn't get another chance like this. They believed it was the time to make a move, and they were ready to fight even before Asmond could ask them.

"Where are they right now?" Asmond asked.

Mara chuckled softly as she pointed at the wall and said, "They're in District Thirteen. They were trying to leave, but I block their way to enter the Lucifer Tower. They're currently waiting for their demise."

Hearing that, it gave everyone the confidence to fight Mykel and his team. But Asmond then realized if he had to kill Mykel, he had to deal with Jeanne. He didn't want to hurt Jeanne, and he didn't want anyone to hurt her either.

"What's the matter?" Mara asked Asmond.

"Goddess, there's someone that I want to protect that's currently with Mykel. Am I allowed to take her instead of killing her?" Asmond asked.

"You can do whatever you want. What I want is Mykel," Mara answered. "There's one other thing," Mara said as she looked at Asmond and his team. "I will bring all of you back to life until you managed to kill Mykel Alester," Mara continued.

It reassured them and made things easier for them. After Mara said that, she left without saying anything. Asmond and the others went to grab their equipment and hoped that they were still usable.

"Did you guys see that?" Gunnar pointed at the void clouds that went down from the sky in the distance.

"That's Mara, and based on how far it is, she might be paying a visit to Asmond in District Ten. She might be asking him and his friends to prepare to kill us all," Mykel answered and looked at the void clouds that looked like a tornado. "If they're going to travel here by foot, it will take them a day or two days max. Until then, you guys can rest and find something to eat," Mykel said.

They all nodded with understanding and left to explore the city, or what remained of the city. The first place they checked was the supermarket because they needed something to eat. Not only that, they needed to find a mattress or something that they could sleep on.

They were no longer invincible and they got tired and hungry easily like normal human beings. They never realized how inconvenient for them to live like that again, and realized how they took things for granted.

It had been a while since Mykel had peace of mind, but somehow it felt a bit lonely to not listen to Lucifer and Bhatmelec's voices in his head. He then decided to wander around and followed Jeanne and the others because he was starving as well.

Mykel looked at the remaining human bodies scattered on the ground. No matter how he looked at it, he started to feel nauseous because he had lost his mental skill, but he started to get used to it because it wasn't the first time he had massacred thousands of people before and saw something far worse. The others felt the same way, but slowly got used to it and ignored them.

They ended up living in the remaining supermarket and made a big tent for them to rest in. They all decided to drink themselves to sleep, except for Mykel and Jeanne since they wanted to stay awake and made sure nothing happened.

"Mykel, can I ask you something?" Jeanne asked as she sat on the outdoor folding chair next to Mykel. "Do you really have to do this? Killing millions of innocent lives, for what?" Jeanne asked again.

"I can't answer that question," Mykel looked at her with a troubled expression. "We are inside her world, and she's listening to us right now. But all I can say is that it's necessary to make a change," Mykel answered.

Jeanne sighed, but she knew it would be better to stay quiet and pry on it. She then yawned as she stretched her arms and started to feel sleepy and couldn't resist her eyes from closing.

"You should get some sleep," Mykel said.

Jeanne nodded and went inside the broken tent to sleep, leaving Mykel alone.

Mykel was enjoying the silence as he stared at the sky. He didn't know if it was nighttime or daytime because of the void clouds. The moment he closed his eyes, he felt hands touching his cheeks from behind, cold hands that gave him a chill down his spine.

"We meet again," Mykel said without opening his eyes.

"Indeed," Mara whispered.

"Are you thinking of taking me with you now?" Mykel asked.

"I could, but I won't because I want you to suffer in the hands of the people you trampled on first. By the man that you hated so much, and I'll be there to watch you suffer," Mara answered and started to chuckle mischievously. "You act tough, but I can feel your heart is racing, Mykel. You can no longer hide your fear," Mara started to scratch his right cheek with her nail, and started to bleed.

Mykel didn't say anything and kept his eyes closed. He was overwhelmed by Mara's presence like how it was back then.

"What are you planning to do to me?" Mykel asked as he opened his eyes and looked at the pale hands on his face.

"Just you wait... I'm going to use my precious time, just for you," Mara chuckled as she slowly removed her hands from Mykel's face and disappeared into thin air.

Mykel finally could breathe again and the pressure on his chest disappeared as well. He started to catch his breath as cold sweats fell from his forehead. He didn't remember when the last time he felt fear, and how his eyes throbbed because his heart was pounding really fast. His eyes suddenly felt so heavy that he couldn't resist them anymore and fell asleep.

"Mykel! Wake up!" Jeanne's voice could be heard faintly.

Mykel slowly opened his eyes and he was on Jeanne's lap. He realized that he wasn't falling asleep, he fainted. from the overwhelming presence of Mara, and he faintly remembered what happened back then.

"Mykel?" Jeanne called as she put her hand on Mykel's cheek.

Mykel got up as he held his head, "How long did I sleep?"

"A whole day, we thought you were tired so we let you rest, but then when you didn't move a muscle we realized you were unconscious. We have been trying to wake you up for hours, and we thought you were dying," Aurea answered.

Mykel hummed as he looked at the others who were worried about him.

"Is there no sign of Asmond?" Mykel asked.

"We're not sure, but he should be here any moment now," Rozan answered.

"Get prepared then," Mykel said.