Descending Into A Novel-Chapter 76:Rayleigh Von Mez (6)

"I could see poor William here desperately try to do something. Well, he failed. In the end, I simply knocked him out and dragged him all the way back here. It’s for quite a simple reason you see."

He raised his dagger again, not before Rayleigh tried to run at him. Only to be blocked by an invisible wall.

"I’ve never gotten the chance to do this with a prince before!"

He raised his fists, pounding the invisible wall mercilessly. Burning through his mana. His eyes absorbing every single moment as the blade of the dagger slowly fell down.

The tip of it entering William’s chest, blood pouring out of the wound. William’s eyes opened, letting out a small grunt. His pupils shaking as he witnessed the blade entering his body and piercing his heart.

William took one last look at Rayleigh, his knuckles bleeding as he mercilessly continued hitting on the invisible wall. Tears streaming down his face as he continuously cried out.

He quietly mouthed something, to Rayleigh. His vocal cords struggling to make noise. Leaving him no choice.

Rayleigh didn’t know how to read lips, he could only scream himself hoarse as he witnessed the light leave his brother’s eyes. Blood continued pouring out of his fists, splattering everywhere.

The red-haired man smiled even more sadistically, seeing the absolute despair on prince Rayleigh’s face. How wonderful! How amazing!

When else would he ever get such a chance to do this for the very princes of the empire! He had grown sick and tired of the commoners given to him. Their reactions turning stale and boring after a while.

But this! This was fresh! He could feel his own body shivering in excitement at the look of utter hatred from someone barely even thirteen years old!

He pulled the blade out of William’s chest, causing another splotch of blood to form. Slowly lifting it so Rayleigh could see him lick the blood of his brother.

He felt a bit regretful, although the emperor had permitted him to kill the empress consort and prince William. Prince Rayleigh was still forbidden. While the emperor usually didn’t mind his disobedience much, Rayleigh could still be useful for his future plans.

He dropped the dagger on the ground, letting it clatter as he disappeared. The invisible wall fading away. Letting Rayleigh run up to his brother.

But it was far too late, staring at his brother’s cold corpse. All Rayleigh could do was shed tears, his cries loud enough to be heard by any servants nearby. Not that there was any, he had already killed all of them.

He quietly picked up the dagger left behind, it was a completely ordinary dagger. Made out of the most common steel. Its design completely bland.

The whirlpool or rage inside of him stormed, followed by the heavy raining of sorrow. In just a day, his mother and brother were dead. He regretted not talking to them more, if he had known. If he had known!

He screamed at the red-haired man and his father for causing this.

He screamed at his mother and brother, for leaving him so early.

But he screamed at himself the most, it was all his fault. If he wasn’t so talented, if he wasn’t a mage, if he wasn’t Rayleigh.

He screamed until he couldn’t anymore, his eyes red. Tears running dry.

Holding his brother’s hand, he wished he could cry some more. But he couldn’t, he wanted to know, what did his brother want to say, he wished he had told them, he loved them.

The guilt flooded him, regret seeping into his bones. He felt cold. His palms continuously dripping blood on the floor.

Without even noticing it, a transparent blue screen had appeared in front of him. Causing him to wipe his eyes.

[User has met the requirements]

[Initiating system for Rayleigh Von Mez]

[Initiating...]

[System initiated]

Name:

Rayleigh Von Mez (LV 0)

Race:

Human

Classes:

-none

Press here to select your first class 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Title:

-none

Press here to equip your title

Stats:

[press here to show]

Skills:

[press here to show]

Status:

[press here to show]

---

He rubbed his eyes again, unsure of what exactly he was seeing. The transparent blue screen resembling some sort of projection magic.

Shakily raising a hand, he put his finger on the part that said press here underneath classes. Seeing the screen shift and move once he did.

Classes:

[choose only one]

-Beginner Warrior

The first step of your journey to become a warrior.

-Beginner Mage

The first step of your journey to become a mage.

-Prodigy Warrior

You have the talent necessary to become a warrior remembered by all. The first step of a prodigy to become the strongest warrior.

-Prodigy Mage

You have the talent necessary to become a mage remembered by all. The first step of a prodigy to become the strongest mage.

It seemed like the system as it was called, was offering Rayleigh choices on his future. In that case, he didn’t hesitate.

He had made his choice long ago.

[Prodigy Mage class selected]

-Gain an extra 2 stats in INT, DOM per level up

-Gain skill: Affinity to Mana, Mana Absorption, Mana Efficiency, Mana Sense, Mana Control Prodigy Mindset

He grunted, letting go of William’s cold hand as he suddenly felt a surge of strength rush through him.

By the time it was finished, he felt as if his whole body had underwent some sort of change. Looking around, he could sense the ambient mana much more clearly. See it get absorbed into his body. He simply felt more comfortable with mana.

Rayleigh’s eyes widened, the implications of such a thing now hitting him. Seeing the transparent screen once more it said that his prodigy mage class was level one out of twenty five. Did that mean he could keep increasing it to become stronger?

He didn’t know what this was but he didn’t care anymore. If he could get stronger. Then that was all he needed.

But first.

His eyes flicked back onto William. His cold corpse had already stopped leaking blood. Yet it still covered his body and Rayleigh’s hands.

Quietly closing his brother’s eyes. He picked up his body, ignoring the crusty feeling underneath his nails as he walked.

And walked, leaving the palace he had lived in his whole life. He hadn’t realized it, but he was just a prisoner in a fancy bird cage. Never able to leave the palace, only training and learning.

Now it was all over. Carrying his brother’s corpse through the early morning, a few drops of still wet blood dropped onto the paved roads. Yet no one was around to witness the sight.

No one was around at the gate to the capital either. It seemed his father or someone had pulled some strings to allow him easy leave. Fine by him. He didn’t want to deal with the consequences that might occur if anyone saw him.

Leaving the capital of the Virex Empire, he breathed a strange sigh of relief. As if a weight had been taken off his shoulders.

He started laughing, he had achieved freedom from the empire. From his father. He remembered this was what his mother had wanted for him. All those stories she had told him of his namesake, Wandering Knight Rayleigh. How she had traveled the world. He remembered this was what his brother William wanted as well, to be free.

For Rayleigh’s freedom, the two had died. Unable to achieve their own freedom.

He could feel the tears running down his face again, rivers of salty liquid pouring out as he reminisced on them. Walking along the path, he saw a small lonely tree by the side. Its leaves withering and its branches drooping.

Rayleigh set his brother down softly, before lifting up his sleeves and getting to work. He knew of a spell that could have helped but he didn’t want to use it. It felt disrespectful to William.

His hands hurt, his back and legs were sore. His fingernails dirty and broken from picking out rocks and the occasional dry lump of soil. Yet he persisted anyways, until the sun reached its highest point in the sky.

In the end, the grave was barely even three feet in depth. Only being just barely long enough for his brother and barely wide enough.

Setting his brother down inside, he adjusted his hands so it covered the wound on his chest. With his closed eyes, he looked as if he was simply asleep. A long sleep, one that he would never wake up from.

Using his hands to shovel the dirt back, Rayleigh gave a small prayer for his brother and mother before putting the last pieces back, fully covering his brother’s face for the last time.

Picking up a decently sized rock, Rayleigh stuck it into the dirt. Patting the dirt around its base to ensure it remained upright.

Standing up, he could see probably the most shabby excuse for a grave and gravestone he had ever seen in his life. The freshly dug up dirt was obvious to anyone who might walk by.

But strangely, he felt that William would prefer a grave like this one.