Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (best adventure books to read .TXT) 📗

cold detachment entering her voice once again. If anything, you should be thanking me. I warned you that this was coming, didn’t I? You’d be a lot worse off than just that hand without me.

“Cut the bullshit,” I spat. I held both hands over my eyes to block out the dim light of the plaza that only served to exacerbate my pounding head. “What good was a warning for all of that? It’s not like I—” I cut myself off as my brain finally processed everything she had said. “My hand?” I cracked open an eye and extended my sword hand. While the foreign energy had dissipated, the black lines that had with it had not; dark, jagged scars still covered my fingers and palm, fading away just as they reached my wrist.

Even if you didn’t understand my warning, some part of your subconscious did. The only reason you still exist is the constant healing spell you channeled during your little...episode. Without that, you’d be a burnt-out husk by now.Her voice paused as I continued to stare at the disfiguring lines wound around my hand. What, you don’t like it? I think it looks cool.She let out a cruel laugh. Besides, those marks are a good thing. Now you’ll never forget what you are, no matter how hard your brain tries to convince you otherwise.

“No…” I whispered, desperate to deny the obvious truth, “that’s not who I am.” The world spun before my eyes, so I shut them tightly and pulled myself into a tighter ball. I pushed whatever dregs of mana I had left within me out into a circulating pattern, and my withdrawal symptoms lessened slightly. “Just...leave me, please. I need to be alone.”

Oh, stop it with all the self pity. It’s pathetic.The harsh response took me by surprise. You still have work to do. Get up, wipe the bile off your chin, and finish what you started.

I didn’t trust the motivations of Amaya’s voice, but our goals shared a common thread: I had to get up and help Lia. It didn’t matter what greater forces were at play, or how much pain I felt as I rolled up onto my knees; I had to make sure Lia and Val were okay. They were fighting on my orders, to destroy my enemy, and I wasn’t. It was unacceptable. I grabbed my sword and pushed the tip down into the stone with both hands, using the leverage to climb unsteadily to my feet.

Look at you, already up and walking around! Bravo.I growled wordlessly as she continued to mock me on my slow trip across the plaza. Maybe by the time you get inside, you’ll even be able to stand without your cane? As long as THEY don’t know you’re at the brink of collapse, you can still pretend to be the smooth-talking hero you always impersonate.

“Unless you have any more helpful tips,” I grunted with some effort, “you’re free to shut up anytime. Preferably now.”

Oh, I wouldn’t want to distract you from your work. But remember one thing, Elden.Her voice grew to a thunderous boom all at once. Just like the scars on your hand, I’m part of you. No matter where you go or what you do, I’ll be watching you.

As quickly as it had arrived, Amaya’s voice faded from my head, leaving me in the silence of the empty plaza. My staggering path to the long stone staircase brought me through a large pool of blood, still oozing its way through the cracks of the pavilion. A gentle breeze blew by, carrying with it large flecks of black ash that stuck to every bloody stone and filled my nose with the smell of smoke. I glanced down at my blackened hand and felt a twinge of revulsion rise in my gut, but I pushed it away; I didn’t have time to process the events that had transpired behind me.

When I reached the statehouse stairs, I took a deep breath and sheathed my sword. One careful step at a time, I made my way up to the large double doors at the top. “I’m not breaking any more promises,” I whispered under my breath. “I’ll find you again, before it’s over.”

***

14. I DID SOMETHING RIGHT

The statehouse door swung open silently to reveal a dark, abandoned lobby. I poked my head inside to scan the immediate area and, finding nothing out of the ordinary, made my way inside. Four hallways extended out into darkness around me; one each to my left and right, and two more in parallel leading straight back on each side of the large wooden welcome desk. Lush drapes, beautiful tapestries, and finely crafted furniture would have made the entryway an impressive sight to behold if not for the ransacking; while it was obvious the office was no longer functioning as intended from the stacks of paper scattered across the floor covered in dirt and boot prints, there were also clear signs of the current military occupation. Tables were flipped over to create guard posts at various points along the hallways, and a random assortment of military gear was strewn across the front desk.

As I walked across the empty lobby, my boots echoed loudly off the tile floors, accentuating how quiet the room was. Though I was in no shape for another fight, the lack of guards at the entrance bothered me. If the Strategist was aptly named, he would never have left the front doors to his base of operations unguarded, which meant the guards had recently moved somewhere else. As I hadn’t seen any reinforcements enter the plaza via the statehouse doors, it could only mean one thing: they had been called deeper into the building. Lia.

Before deciding on a hallway at random, I instinctively reached out with Detection to map my path forward. The mana rushed down my legs and spread out across the room, but it had barely traveled forty feet out before it stopped abruptly. My headache returned in