Perfect Avatar-Chapter 258: An Ode For The Fallen

Everyone bowed their heads in response to the new form Lust had taken.

Hope bit his lip, his gaze falling as well.

"Don’t look away, it’s a face you lost when you ran away, so look at her now that she’s here."

Lust, in Elizabeth’s body, spoke.

Hope made an effort to look her in the eyes, with great difficulty.

"Hey...I...I’m looking, okay...what now? What do you want from me?"

Lust nodded, with a serious expression.

"I think you already know, I want you to say everything you wanted to say to your sister now. Free your heart, release everything that’s weighing on you now."

Hope looked at his comrades with a bit of embarrassment.

He would have liked to hear someone joke, say how ridiculous it was, but the fate of the elves completely broke Freya, while Marie had been elsewhere since meeting Giudecca, and Liliana was too good at reading the mood to try something like this.

He eventually met Cid’s gaze behind him, but his friend only gave him a serious gaze.

"So... talking about Ely... to a stranger? I mean, I... it’s very nice... but there’s no point anymore, and it’s not really the place... nor the time."

Cid let out a growl, scaring Hope a little, in front, Lust let out a sigh, then, his gaze fixed on Hope.

"This is exactly why you are doomed to live forever with the worst pain. Are you still trying to run away? You couldn’t talk to her when she was alive, you cried with your whole soul for her loss, but now that she is right in front of you, are you still chickening out?"

Hope flinched, the more he looked into Lust’s gaze, the more his body shook.

Lust closed his eyes and whispered in a voice heard by everyone.

"This is the closest you’ll be to your sister until you die. I am Elizabeth Balder, in power and in love, and the pain I feel right now in my chest tells me a lot about the kind of monster that you were. Could you stop being an idiot for once and become the good man that I wanted you to be?"

A shiver ran down Hope’s spine. Lust looked up at the sky, a look of relief on the face.

"Choose wisely, brat, this chance won’t come again. I’m the Sin Avatar of Lust, the only one with this precision replication. Nothing is closer to Ely than me. This is your last chance..."

He looked down, his last words echoing through the forest.

"...Because I’m also going to die."

The wind blew harder, bringing the smell of burning corpses and vegetation.

Hope lowered his head, two tears falling to the earth.

"..."

His body began to tremble, Lust’s words attracted the attention of others, everyone looked at him, but they quickly understood that the scene was not theirs to ask a question.

"It’s always like that..."

Hope’s voice escaped, growing louder.

"You never had time before... too busy with the academy, then too busy with the knights... you never had time for me in anything before, and now again, I should hurry? To say goodbye?"

He stepped forward, his voice echoing through the burning forest.

"Why are you always like this? You act like the best person in front of everyone, so much so that you forget to be the best for me too... why do you think I tried to be the strongest? I trained so much... studied for so long... just to be the best for you, so you would have to pay more attention to me... I was sure that was what I had to do, to finally reach you... so why did you come for Dora? Why did he have the right to be seen by your side, while I had to stay hidden? talking about you... it’s so unfair... you’re my hero too... I’m so happy to be related to someone like you... to be your brother... so why? Why am I the only one who should stay hidden?"

No one moved, everyone listened in silence to Hope’s last call.

His arms fell to his sides, his sobs quieter.

"I just wanted to be recognized by you... nothing else mattered... but now you’re gone... and because of you, I hate myself so much. I’m ashamed for you when people say we’re related... how could someone as amazing as you be the sister of an asshole like me? Why was I born into this family? I’m stupid, weak, coward, and it’s only my fault..."

He placed his hand on his face, drowned in tears.

"Our last conversation was an argument... why? Why didn’t you slap me? Why did you make me feel so horrible... You are the best person in the world... I admire you so much... I just wanted to be special to you too... I never wanted to hurt you... so why couldn’t I talk to you?"

His last words roared throughout the forest. His tears streamed down his face, he fell to his knees crying profusely.

Everyone looked at him, for the first time without any hard feelings.

Suddenly, a shadow crossed the place, quickly, leaning on him and hugging him warmly.

Lust, with tears in his eyes, caressed his hair and his back, comforting him with a warmth he had forgotten with time.

"...You’re such an idiot, you know that? You really think you weren’t special to me?"

Hope looked into Elizabeth’s face, their eyes exchanging in a mystical language.

"Look, I don’t need you to become the strongest, or the smartest, or anything. Do you think that’s important to me? Let me tell you what I really like, the only thing I really appreciate is... humanity."

Everyone’s eyes widened, it was a speech addressed to Hope, but strangely, it directly affected the others.

"I’m full of love, love for humanity, I like to see people being human, I like schools with children playing, I like restaurants whose owner is preparing for a new day, I like the boy who gathers his courage to confess to his lover... I like the idiot who tries his best to impress his big sister. I only know how to love, and because of that, I could never hate you."

Lust wiped the tears from Hope’s cheek.

"To me, you’ll always be the best at everything you do, so I need you to try to be the best for yourself, okay? Be the best version of yourself every day."

"Ely...I’m sorry...I’m so sorry..."

They writhed in a warm embrace, for a short moment that seemed to last an eternity.

Slowly, blue particles fell from Lust, revealing his true form.

He got up, wiping his tears, a little surprised to have cried too.

"Well... That was... More interesting than I thought. This girl had too much love for one person."

Kneeling, Hope wiped away his own tears, but this time there was a small smile on his lips.

"You bet... She must have struggled a lot to kill monsters with a heart that big."

He looked at his hands, filled with Elizabeth’s perfume, but in response, he decided to rub them on the floor.

"To stop... Living in the past... And look forward? It’s so hard... Because the people I left in the past are so incredible."

"Yes, but you don’t just live for yourself. You are the bearer of their legend, you can make their name bigger by being a legend yourself."

Hope smiled at him, standing up, he looked at the sky.

"The names of the people who paved my way...Ely...Thomas...Nefertari."

Lust chuckled, looking to the side.

"Remember one important thing, what makes them special is that they were extraordinary when they were alive, that means you are surrounded by such extraordinary people. Don’t let them down."

The others were looking at the ground, in the background.

Lust massaged his wrist and turned towards one side of the forest.

"Well, now I suggest you leave this place. With your power, you should be able to pass through the forest without a problem. Remember your promise to Nefertari: stop the Twilight of the Gods."

With her soul stone still in hand, Liliana walked towards him.

"And you? What are you going to do now? You don’t have anywhere to go, do you? Maybe... Maybe you could..."

"Come with you? Hm, nice offer, but now that I have nothing to fight for, I have nothing left to save my life, and I have all the big dogs coming at me. You’re not safe near me."

Freya stood up in turn, her eyes regaining a little life after Lust’s speech.

"Because she threatened your life? Then follow us, if she wants to kill you, she’ll have to kill me first. I’m tired of seeing people play a death game."

The wind blew harder and suddenly the fire went out in the forest.

Lust looked at Freya, but his eyes and attention were focused on what was beyond her.

"Young lady... I have many reasons to refuse your offer... But I don’t think I have time to explain them all."

Freya walked forward, but suddenly froze, everyone around her had their jaws dropped, eyes twitching, looking in the same direction.

"Indeed."

Footsteps approached behind the young duchess and a figure emerged from the trees.

"We are way behind schedule."

Zury appeared.