The Path Of A True King.-Chapter 1: The Greatest Of Wills

Chapter 41

Elijah sat in the forest behind the school, staring at nothing.

The late afternoon sun barely reached him through the thick canopy, casting shadows that danced with the wind.

The air smelled of damp earth and fallen leaves, but Elijah barely noticed.

His entire world had shrunk to the pain hollowing out his chest.

He was supposed to be training.

He was supposed to be growing stronger.

But instead, he sat there, empty.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, though he barely registered them.

His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms.

His breath came in short, uneven bursts, as if he had forgotten how to breathe properly.

It felt like something was crushing him from the inside, a black hole swallowing every thought, every feeling, every ounce of will he had left.

"Why did you stop me?" Elijah roared into the empty sky, his voice cracking.

Silence.

His chest heaved.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, but it did nothing to ease the ache.

"Why did you stop me, system? Now she’s gone!"

Again, no response.

His mind spiraled.

Kai didn’t want him in the gang anymore.

Said that sparing their enemies had put everyone in danger.

That hesitation had made them weak.

But Elijah didn’t want to kill.

Didn’t want to become a monster.

Did that make him weak?

His breath was unsteady, his vision blurred.

He pulled at his hair, frustration boiling over, mixing with grief.

His body trembled—not from fear, not from exhaustion, but from the sheer weight of it all.

"I know what you did," he whispered, voice shaking.

"How you attacked them. How you’re spreading Asura’s name. Mai told me. But why didn’t you take me with you?"

His lips trembled.

His voice dropped lower, barely above a breath.

"Why did you let me love her?"

A laugh echoed through the air.

Low, sharp, familiar.

Elijah’s surroundings melted away.

The trees blurred, the earth beneath him dissolved, and in an instant, he was nowhere.

White space stretched infinitely in every direction.

And in front of him, arms crossed, a smirk playing on his lips—Alter Elijah.

He stood tall, confident, amused by the pitiful sight before him.

His crimson eyes burned like embers in the void.

"Stop complaining."

Elijah clenched his teeth. "Shut up. You don’t understand."

Alter Elijah scoffed. "How can I not understand? I am you."

He grabbed Elijah’s collar, yanking him forward with effortless strength.

"Kai warned you about Lisa.

He knew what she was doing with Ray.

That’s why he wanted you to fight him so badly.

He knew you’d snap if you found out.

He tried to protect you from this.

And yet, you call him a bad friend?"

Elijah looked away, shame twisting in his gut.

He had suspected it.

He had ignored the signs.

Lisa had been distant.

She always hesitated when he asked about her mornings.

And he had been.

A fool.

"You’re pathetic. Stop calling yourself a leader."

The words cut deeper than any blade.

Elijah slumped to the ground, hands resting on his knees, his mind drowning in self-loathing.

"Maybe it’s good he left me at school.

I’m just holding him back."

Alter Elijah sighed, crouching beside him, his smirk fading. "Kai is waiting for you, idiot."

Elijah scoffed. "But I can’t kill."

"Who told you that?" Alter Elijah’s crimson gaze bore into him.

"If you can live, then you can also die.

Death comes fast.

Look at what happened to our father—one moment he was a big-shot businessman, the next, his head was blown off.

You’re capable of killing.

Just have control."

Elijah wiped his tears, his breathing slowing. "Then what about Lisa?"

"What about her?"

Elijah hesitated. "What should I do?"

"Leave her in the past.

The past is none of our concern.

She was never your girlfriend.

Your real girl?

That’ll be the one you marry.

Learn from this.

Stop making the same mistakes."

Alter Elijah’s smirk returned, sharper this time. "Become the leader.

Don’t just act like one.

The hardest choices require the greatest will.

Is your will that great?"

Elijah didn’t answer.

The void around him cracked, white splintering into reality.

The sensation of dirt beneath his feet returned, the whisper of the wind against his skin.

His breath steadied.

His fingers uncurled.

"Let me show you."

He stood up.

The final school bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

Lisa sat on the school steps, legs crossed, arms folded, her face twisted in irritation.

Elijah hadn’t shown up in the afternoon.

At first, she thought he was just late.

But time passed, and still—nothing.

Her eyes scanned the crowd of students leaving.

No sign of him.

She huffed, standing up.

She hadn’t spoken to him since the incident with Ray.

Maybe he was avoiding her.

Fine.

She’d find him herself.

Lisa made her way through the school grounds, searching until she finally spotted him walking toward the gate.

"Elijah!" she called out.

He stopped.

Slowly, he turned to face her.

His eyes—those piercing red eyes—held no warmth.

Lisa hesitated for a moment but pushed through. "Where were you? Why didn’t you come this afternoon?"

Elijah chuckled, shaking his head.

"So the only reason you wanted me around in the afternoon was because you were busy having sex with Ray in the morning?"

Lisa’s breath caught in her throat.

"W-what?"

Elijah took a step closer, towering over her. "Don’t play dumb. I know everything."

Lisa’s face paled. "I—Elijah, listen, it’s not what you think—"

"I loved you, Lisa." His voice was quiet, but each word carried weight. "But I guess I wasn’t good enough. Not as mysterious as you wanted."

Lisa’s eyes widened. "Elijah, wait—"

He turned away.

"Goodbye, Lisa."

And he walked past her without looking back.