Perfect Avatar-Chapter 254: Ragnarok: Innocence

The elf was sitting by the river, next to one person, but overall there was another person next to them.

A time passed, centuries, between the first appearance of the Twilight of the Gods and the second, in the most dangerous place on earth, the Kalaharis.

In this land, where the rifts had opened long enough to let disasters move freely outward, life was in a constant state of battle for survival, where the weakest among the strongest were always eaten, then this stronger would become the new weaker and would be eaten in turn, and the cycle would repeat.

On this land lived two distinct humanoid species, elves and humans, both separated by a savannah where giants slept.

Long ago, the elves were a radiant nation, radiant with knowledge and magic, but one day they found themselves swallowed up in the cycle of nature.

Monsters, increasingly strong, attacked their kingdom, each time more devastating than the last.

This brought the elves to the brink of extinction, with no hope of a better day, but one day everything changed.

A young elf was washing her clothes in a river, carefully checking her surroundings, when something caught her eye.

On a nearby rock, an elf with skin whiter than snow was humming a song, her feet in the water.

"Whoa!!!" The young woman screamed before falling into the water.

She stood up, trembling.

"Who...Who are you?! When did you get there?! How did I not notice you???...And why is your skin so weird?"

The white elf looked at her curiously then laughed briefly.

"I see, you’re quite a comedian? That’s good, I like clowns."

Her snake eyes pierced the young woman.

"As for your questions, let’s start with the most common one, when two people meet for the first time. What is your name?"

The woman scratched her long ears hesitantly, then lowered her head.

"Um... ok... My name is... Cleopatra."

"Oh? A fitting name for such a beautiful lady. My turn then, my name is Apophis, nice to meet you."

Time passed, and differently than usual, Apophis presented herself as a Player, a species looking for a special being among humans, a special being which she found to be Cleopatra.

Cleopatra was just another normal elf, not a special class, not a fighter, not a priestess, not even a ruler, just an elf that could be found in every corner of their little kingdom.

The elves were fond of elemental and spiritual magic, living in harmony with nature, but one exception existed: Cleopatra, if she shone with her beauty, it was at most a way to counterbalance her weak attributes.

She was weaker than anyone, in every way. One day, she and Apophis saw the warriors training, under the watchful eye of Cleopatra, which piqued Apophis’s curiosity.

"Are you maybe feeling envious? It must be amazing to be that powerful."

"...Yeah, it’s really really amazing. Look how strong they are..."

"Hm, don’t worry, you can’t figure it out yet, but being envious is the perfect training for people like us. Look at them, let this burning fee-"

"Imagine how useful that firepower could be in the kitchen."

Apophis froze momentarily, then looked at Cleopatra who had stars in her eyes.

"It could be so amazing! Imagine someone with the magic of water, fire, and soap... It would be like a walking bath! Imagine someone who could create meat or fruit! These people are so amazing!"

Cleopatra looked at them like a child, leaving Apophis completely stunned.

"...Dear, you are an enigma, even to me."

Days and nights passed, and life continued to move forward, following the will of the Kalahari circle of life.

The number of elves dwindled considerably, facing numerous attacks from monsters and a few wandering gladiators.

Yet in this gentle genocide, Cleopatra’s smile was a remedy sought by many. Despite her lack of power, her habit of encouraging and helping everyone made her adored among her peers, even Apophis became more and more attached to her, to the point of delaying her training so as not to see the day of the fateful awakening come.

The two lived in harmony, like two sisters who understood each other, but one day, something would change their story.

At the edge of a river, the two women observed a strange individual unconscious. They approached the person and their hearts skipped a beat when they saw his face.

"Apo...what is it?"

Apophis looked at the newcomer with her reptile eyes furrowed.

"Problem, deary, an unprecedented problem."

They brought the individual back to their kingdom, in the most perfect secrecy, then after taking care of the individual, the person woke up, facing the angelic face of Cleopatra.

"...Uh?"

"Are you okay? He looks okay, look, Apo, he’s okay, right? Tell me you’re okay, please..."

The individual who had almost forgotten how to breathe was drowning in front of Cleopatra’s beauty, he noticed the presence of Apophis and stood up abruptly.

"Don’t worry, deary, this person is perfectly fine... People with these eyes are very difficult to kill."

She crossed her arms, observing the individual standing guard.

"Now, visitor, tell us who you are. And I’m not talking about your name."

The individual bit his lips and then lowered his head in submission.

"I... My... My other half... told me I was... something called Lust."

After this event, Lust explained the concept of his power: morphose, Lust blessing allowed him to take the form of the most desired person for an individual, but not only. It could be someone feared, someone appreciated, literally anyone related to the person in contact with his pressure.

On-demand of Apophis, Lust replicated the most desired person for an elf dying: his long-lost lover. He turned into a young elf, known later as Isis, and stayed hidden in Cleopatra’s house.

Thus, the trio lived a very peaceful life, often spicy due to Cleopatra’s antics, but they had a marvelous alchemy, Apophis being the voice of reason, Cleopatra the funny girl, and Lust the medium.

Times passed, faster than usual, years spent like nothing, Lust and Cleopatra developed a romantic relationship, but this would be the beginning of their downfall.

Alone with Apophis, he discussed about a case troubling him for a long time: with time, Cleopatra grew into a fabulous woman, in opposite to Lust and Apophis who remained frozen in time.

"I don’t understand... I know that we are special, but... no matter how, I don’t see anything like that in her... Why is she aging?"

Apophis observed him, then gazed at the moonless sky, she was aware of the relationship between these two, but she also knew the dark truth of their immortality.

Lust and Apophis would live forever, but it wasn’t the case for Cleopatra, unless something happened.

"... Do you really wish to see her... becoming immortal?"

Lust’s eyes filled with confusion.

"What? What a stupid question, of course I would like that, I want that!"

He stepped forward, grabbing Apophis by the shoulders, startling the Player a little.

"I want to live in a world with you and Cleopatra, you two are my most valuable treasures! If there is a way to make it happen, then please do it! I want to sta by her side."

Apophis reflected in his intense eyes, she slowly looked away, with a deep sadness in her eyes.

"I see... this is how you see us."

She gazed back at Lust, with a smile different from her usual self.

"It’s really amazing... that she has to be loved by someone like you. I was afraid she would be a toy for anyone but those eyes you have are not ready to disappoint her... I can entrust her to you."

She murmured the last part in a little voice barely audible, both alone in the shadows, unaware of a third shadow watching the scene.

Days later, an event shook the kingdom of elves, a stream of energy, with a different power than usual struck the forest.

Lust arrived first in the location, and what he discovered left him speechless.

Cleopatra was there, head down, trembling all over her body. A mystic green wind emerged from her body, the whole forest was filled with her aura.

Lust came closer, and the moment he met her gaze, he understood what had happened.

"... It’s over... she’s gone," Cleopatra said, her teary eyes shining green.

Lust fell on his knees, devastated by the realization, the last condition to awake a Sin Avatar was the death of the Avatar or the Player, and Apophis who promised to make Cleopatra immortal was well aware and would have probably chose to sacrifice herself... but the reality was very different.

"... It’s not me, Lust... I am not..."

Sobbing, Cleopatra had difficulties forming her words, Lust leva son regard vers elle, his tears falling.

"I... I tried to trick her... to make her believe that I had betrayed both of you... I wanted her to kill me... so she would be the one awakening... but..."

Her head fell on the ground, hitting the ground in total despair.

"She tricked me! She knew what I was planning! She let me attack first, but she didn’t try to defend herself... this idiot... she reduced her defense so I could kill her... Lust... Cleopatra is dead!"