Revenge: A Path of Destruction
Chapter 92: Two choices (Flashback)

Chapter 92: Two choices (Flashback)

His mother’s image gave a small, weary laugh—one that held no real humor, only exhaustion.

"Now you can see the reason why we thought like that," she said, waving her hand lazily in the air, as if brushing away invisible dust, "but anyway... it was just an excuse."

Her voice softened even more, the weight behind her words almost too much to bear.

"We were tired, Alex. Tired of fighting battles no one could see. Tired of planning, calculating, living every day, thinking one wrong move would doom everything. We just... wanted to rest."

Alex swallowed thickly, throat burning, but no tears came anymore. His body was numb.

"So don’t beat yourself over it," she whispered. "As I said before, it isn’t your fault that it happened. The world... no, the universe itself is cruel."

Her gaze lingered for a moment, filled with all the love and regret she could no longer show in person. Then, with a faint shake of her head, she straightened herself, her voice becoming brisk again—business-like.

"Anyway, to the second main reason why I created this video."

The shift in her tone snapped Alex out of his trance, making him focus sharply on her next words.

"I’m sure you’ve already realized where I sent you."

A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips.

"I guess you could call it... a bunker. A hiding place. But if a bunker had all the world’s best technology packed inside it."

Alex glanced around instinctively—at the gleaming walls, the humming energy fields, the control panels that even now blinked patiently, waiting for his commands.

"We needed a place for you—and your siblings, if they survived—to stay hidden, supplied, and updated. So I built it."

Her pride was unmistakable in that moment, despite everything.

"It has almost everything: food, clothes, entertainment, databases that pull live information from the world for the next fifty years, even full combat training modules."

Alex stiffened slightly at that.

"Yes," she chuckled, sensing his reaction, "even training for Legend rank warriors. Though..." she scratched her cheek sheepishly, "we couldn’t find any materials tough enough to simulate Mystic-rank combat. Honestly, no one knows how strong Mystic ranks truly are. So... just bear with it, okay?"

Despite the heaviness, a tiny breath of amusement escaped Alex’s chest.

Then her face grew solemn again. The air thickened.

"But," she said, voice quiet but firm, "let me ask you something, Alex before we move forward."

She leaned forward, as if she could bridge the gap between life and death with just her voice.

"I’m sure of the answer... but I need to hear it directly from you."

Her eyes burned into his, clear as day through the flickering hologram.

"After everything you’ve heard, everything you know... do you want revenge?"

"Within this bunker lie fortunes that could provoke even the lesser clans to fight. You can take this wealth and live the normal life you’ve always desired—change your appearance, your identity, everything.

But don’t let your emotions steer your decisions. Reflect deeply and ask yourself: is this truly what I want?

So, I will ask you again, Alex... do you want revenge?"

The screen went black afterwards.

The silence afterward felt like a physical blow, slamming into Alex’s chest.

He stared at the dead screen, breath coming in shallow, uneven pulls. Nyxara stayed beside him, close enough for him to feel her body heat, but she didn’t say a word. She just waited, patient and steady, as Alex grappled with the question that would shape everything moving forward.

----

The question his mother had left him with echoed in the silent room:

Do you want revenge?

Alex stood frozen for a long moment, his mind spiraling deeper and deeper into itself.

At first... he hesitated.The idea of a normal life — one free of blood, betrayal, and endless fighting — flickered before him like a mirage. A peaceful existence, waking up to quiet mornings, walking streets without fear, building something with his own two hands...

But as he thought about it, the more

The thought almost made him vomit.

Alex staggered back half a step, covering his mouth as a wave of revulsion tore through him. His stomach twisted painfully, his body rejecting the very idea.

How?

Why would he deserve normalcy?

What even is that?

What right did he have to peace... when everything had been ripped away, leaving nothing but ashes and ghosts behind?

All he wanted now was to drown those who did it in a pool of their blood, as well as that of their family

As his mouth began to twitch

The bunker around him — the sleek technology, the false comfort of safety — suddenly felt suffocating. Hollow. Meaningless.

And yet, somewhere in that sickening haze, he began to smile at the prospect of the chaos, the destruction he could cause, and the mayhem he could bring.

It was small at first — a barely-there curve of the lips — but it grew, slow and terrible.Something deep inside him stirred, like a beast stretching its limbs after a long slumber.

His aura began to shift.

The usual pure, gleaming gold that radiated from him... now darkened, black tendrils threading through the light like cracks through glass.

The room temperature dropped. The air trembled.

Nyxara, sensing the change, instinctively took a step back, ears flattening, golden eyes wide with a mix of fear and sorrow. She wanted to call out to him — to pull him back — but the words died in her throat.

This was a path Alex had to choose for himself.

He raised his eyes to the screen one final time, the remnants of his humanity and rage fusing into something more primal, more determined.

There, clear and emotionless, a message was displayed:

"If you want revenge, insert the earring into the slot once more. If not, leave the hall to the room opposite it and await further instructions."

Alex didn’t even read all the message.

He moved without hesitation, footsteps echoing like thunder in the dead silence.

Reaching the console, he picked up the cross-shaped earring — the same one he had once worn without knowing the true weight it carried — and jammed it into the slot.

The console lit up instantly.

Another hologram flickered to life.

His mother’s image appeared once again,

But this time, her eyes were different.

No longer warm.

No longer comforting.

They were filled with a quiet, bitter sadness.

And her voice—lower, almost trembling—spoke the final words of the night:

"So you still choose revenge after all, Alex."