The Gamer's POV-Chapter 221: Beyond Their Understanding

It was important to note that Cedric had also taken out Alicia’s body from his inventory before starting this ritual, and so, while the other cadets were struggling to their feet, a cocoon of eerie black flames had wrapped around her.

By the time the flames died, her body was no longer the headless, lifeless shell it had been, but was now brimming with vitality as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"What..." she mumbled groggily as she slowly began to rise, but then her eyes widened as she saw Cedric standing a few meters from her with his arms outstretched.

"What’s going on?" She turned to the side to see everyone who had risen from the dead staring at Cedric with wide eyes and murmuring amongst themselves.

"Wait... aren’t I supposed to be dead?" She grabbed her neck as the memory of having her head cut off suddenly resurfaced. "What the hell is happening?"

It didn’t take long, though, for her to figure out what was happening, because unlike the others who weren’t really sure, Alicia knew about Cedric’s ability to bring the dead back to life.

She knew about this because she was there when Cedric killed Levi. After all, he had killed Levi in the pocket dimension she had created with her ability. Yet, Levi was alive and had fought alongside them in the Home of the Hollow Ones.

’Did he really bring me back?’ She thought, still quite in disbelief of the whole situation. She looked to the side again at the many confused cadets. ’He’s really bringing everyone back...?’

She was still trying to process her emotions and figure out what to make of the situation when she suddenly heard the sound of horses approaching. She turned to her right and immediately jumped to her feet when she saw the hollow ones approaching.

The rest of the cadets also panicked and scrambled backward, with some of them tripping over the uneven soil. But just then, the horses skidded to a halt some distance away, except for the one which carried Aika.

She urged her mount forward until she got to where Cedric stood, after which she skidded to a stop.

It was at that moment that Cedric’s eyes rolled back to normal and he stumbled slightly. The dark ink receded from his gaze as the heavy pressure in the air finally began to lift and the darkness above thinned and tore apart, letting in the light of the moon.

Cedric let his arms fall heavily to his sides and let out a long, ragged breath, looking like a man who had just finished a marathon.

Aika watched him closely, and her eyes scanned his face to make sure he was actually okay.

Once she was satisfied that he was fine, she turned a cold, contemptuous, scornful gaze toward the cadets.

’Look at them,’ she thought as she studied the cadets who were still trying to regain their bearings.

’How... pitiful.’

Seeing them annoyed her to the bone. And left to her, she wouldn’t bother doing something as troublesome as raising them from the dead. She didn’t give a damn about them and seeing some smile in relief made her stomach turn. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

To be honest, the reason she had not followed Cedric to this graveyard from the beginning, was that if she did, she would have tried to talk Cedric out of it. Or better yet, she might have tried to revive the hollow ones instead.

As for why she felt this way, she did not know.

She just... hated them.

Aika let out a small sigh.

Since Cedric was not currently in a state to address them, she decided to do it for him. And so, after a short moment, she spoke in a voice that cut through the remaining wind.

"Listen here, all of you. A proper explanation of what is happening, and what will happen in the coming days, will be given once you have settled down. All you need to understand right now is that a heavy cost was paid to use our bonded ability to bring you back to life.

"Fortunately for me, that can only be done once, so I advise you to protect these second lives with everything you have." Her gaze grew more piercing, and her tone grew even more condescending. "That’s the least you could do to repay us!"

She paused and cast a worried glance again to Cedric to see if the only Dominant she cared about was really fine.

Cedric had shoved his hands in the pocket of his large coat and was staring at the ground, waiting for the lingering tremors in his fingers to stop.

Aika sighed and looked back to the crowd of confused cadets, then continued.

"In the meantime, you no longer need to be afraid of..." she paused and stopped herself from saying Hollow Ones. Instead, she pointed a thumb at the group behind her and added, "...them."

At that moment, one of the cadets stepped forward with trembling legs, his face still pale from the shock of waking up in a grave. "I’m sorry," he stammered, looking between Aika and the silent, mounted figures, "but what do you mean we should not be afraid? They were the ones who killed us!"

Aika shot him a cold look, causing him to step back a bit. Then she exhaled and tried to be a bit more accommodating. "Well, you are no longer dead, are you?"

The boy was quiet and she watched him for a moment. Then she pointed to herself and Cedric, then said, "As I said, everything will be explained later. Right now, I need you to trust in us. Can you do that?"

The boy looked at the dark, silent figures of the hollow ones, before finally giving a slow, hesitant nod.

"Good," Aika replied, and her tone soften just enough to be approachable. "What’s your name?"

"It’s Harlet."

"Okay, Harlot. I’ll be leaving you in charge of everyone here."

The boy opened his mouth to correct her but she had already turned to the hollow ones behind her.

Then, Marcus nudged his horse forward. To be honest, all the hollow ones, Marcus included, were stunned and speechless. Cedric coming back to life was one thing, but suddenly seeing him display the power of a god left them all paralyzed by a sense of profound disbelief. These were beings who had lived for centuries, yet they looked at Cedric now as if he were something far beyond their understanding, and their usual stoic expressions were replaced by a visible, haunting awe.

When Marcus got close enough, Aika pointed to him and said, "This is..."

Cedric sighed and shook his head, realizing that she had forgotten his name.

Marcus immediately helped her out. "You can call me Marcus."

"Yes, that." Aika waved a hand dismissively. "He is going to guide you into the city while we go to get the others."

After saying that, she turned to get down from the horse and her form suddenly shifted into a raven that flew to Cedric and landed with a light flutter on his shoulder. It was then that Cedric finally moved. He mounted the horse, then steered it a few steps closer and offered a hand to Alicia. Then he said softly, "You are coming with us."

"Huh? Me?" Alicia stammered, as her gaze shifted between Cedric and his hand.

After a moment of confusion, she reached out and placed her palm in his, and he helped her up onto the horse behind him.

Then slowly, Cedric turned the horse away from the burial site and the rest of the group watched in a stunned silence as he began to lead the way back toward the path. Then the other hollow ones followed behind him, except for Marcus who stayed back to guide the cadets back into the city.