The words of betrayal and trust meant a lot to Lucas, considering how far he came. A few years ago, Lucas was struggling with a drug addiction, which made him lose everything he ever loved. Since then, he had been fighting to get his life back, even if that meant leaving this world behind. Lucas could feel the desperation in Izek's voice. He was willing to sacrifice himself, in order to protect his friends.

"You're giving up your own life?" Lucas asked.

Izek sighed again, "yes."

"Why?"

"Because I realized that the system isn't good. It isn't fair. Everything is written to be unfair, and there's no point trying to change that. We can't fight the system; instead, we should learn to live with it."

"You said that we can't fight the system, but you've already done so many things against it!"

"I haven't accomplished anything yet."

"You saved those kids!"

"They were already dead."

"But you saved their souls!"

"Izek!"

"I gave them another chance to die."

"But you gave them a new chance to live!" Lucas shouted, "that doesn't matter, you've changed the fate of those people!"

"The system can easily destroy them again."

"That's why we need to find a way to make them happy!"

"You will never succeed in your endeavours."

"Why not?!"

"Because you are weak, and the system is stronger than you think."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Because it has been watching you all this time. It knows what you're capable of, and it is taking advantage of your weaknesses."

"How?"

"The system is controlling you, and it's using you to fulfil its desires. You have lost everything, and you believe that the system is the only thing that keeps you alive. That's why you're scared to die because you will lose everything, including your freedom."

"I'm not afraid of death, I will gladly face my fears."

"Lucas, you're thinking too much, you need to stop and think for a second. What does the system want from you? Is it not power? Money? Fame?"

"Yes."

"Those are the things that keep you alive. If you abandon all of these, then the system will destroy you, or worse, it will kill you."

"So the system is going to kill me?"

"No, it's not going to kill you. The system will use you as bait to attract more powerful avatars."

"What do you mean?"

"In order to be able to create a portal, I will need to transfer some of my energy into the system."

"Why do you need to connect with the system?"

"Because I need to feed it."

"Feed it with energy? So you will become part of the system?"

"Exactly."

"What happens when you feed it with enough energy?"

"We go to the Otherside."

"Will you be able to escape from here after you open the portal?"

There was a long pause, "no."

"So you are going to die, just like the others."

"Maybe."

"So you are going to kill yourself?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I've lost everything that matters to me."

"Aren't you going to ask for forgiveness?"

"I don't need that from you, nor everyone else."

"Then why do you need to give yourself to the system?"

Izek had no answer to that, nor he was going to answer it to a child who doesn't know anything about this world. Izek hoped that Lucas would understand it eventually, but he wasn't really sure.

"I don't want to be a puppet anymore!" Lucas shouted.

"It's too late for that."

"What if we found a way to stop the system?"

"You can't, Lucas because you're too small to do so. Don't forget, you are the most powerful avatar of your generation. Even if you managed to stop the system, then you will only be able to destroy it for a short period of time. Then the system will build a new one, and there will be a new generation of avatars, which will turn into puppets."

"I'll never let that happen!"

"No, you won't, because you're a slave to the system. The system is always going to control you, and you can't escape from that."

"I've seen so much, and now I know what the system is capable of. I'm not going to sit around like a stupid kid!"

"You're a smart boy, Lucas, and you are also naive. I don't blame you though. If I hadn't lived through my experiences, then I would have believed in the system too."

"What happened to you?"

"I was captured by the system. I tried to resist, but I failed."

"Why didn't you escape?"

"I didn't have the courage to do so."

"But you're telling me that you'll escape from here."

"I don't know what I'm saying."

"Why did you tell me all this? Why are you telling me all these things if you're planning to kill yourself?"

"I don't know."

"You're going to kill yourself?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you lying to me?"

"Because I'm not going to lie to you."

Izek laughed, "you don't have to lie to me, Lucas. I know you better than anyone else."

There was another minute of silence

"Lucas... I..."

"Izek?"

"Tell me something, Lucas. What do you plan on doing next?"

"I'll find a way to destroy the system."

"Don't say that! You cannot destroy the system!"

"Why not?"

"Because it is impossible!"

"Then give me a reason why I shouldn't destroy it."

"Lucas, the system is the strongest entity in this world, there is nothing that you can do to destroy it!"

"Even if I fail, then I will try again until I succeed."

Izek turned around, and there was something on top of the table. It appeared to be a sword, and it was glowing red. It was shining brightly, and it looked like it was pulsating with energy.

"You are not going to destroy the system!" Izek yelled, "because you're not strong enough!"

The sword started to glow brighter, and Lucas saw that it was approaching him. He felt a sharp pain in his left arm, but he couldn't move.

"You will never be strong enough!" Izek continued. "You are only a human!"

***

A loud sound was heard, and Lucas fell onto the ground. He cried out for help, but he was unable to see anything. His vision was blurry, and he thought that he was going to pass out. He couldn't breathe properly, and he knew that something was terribly wrong. His heart was beating very fast, and he felt extremely tired as if he had run a marathon. It was like his body was shutting down, and there was nothing he could do about it. Lucas desperately tried to get up, but he just passed out again.

He woke up in a small room with no windows or doors. Lucas wasn't wearing his clothes, and he was lying on a bed. There was a chair next to his bed, and he noticed that there was a man sitting in it. He was tall and thin, and he wore long robes. The man was looking at Lucas with an evil smile on his face. He seemed to be enjoying his work, but Lucas didn't have time to think about what was happening right now. He was slowly regaining consciousness, and he was still feeling very dizzy.

"Lucas!" Kali shouted as she ran to him, "are you okay, are you hurt? Do you remember anything that happened?" The questions started to pour out of her mouth, but Lucas ignored them. He looked down, and he saw that a bandage covered his left arm. He touched the wound and discovered that it was bleeding. Lucas took off the bandages and examined the injury, "how did that happen?"

Kali took a cloth from the desk and put it on Lucas' wound. She helped him stand up and supported him while he was walking towards the door.

"Where are we? What happened to me?"

"When you left the carriage, you passed out," she spoke slowly, "and you didn't wake up until I found you."

"What happened?"

"Haya says you're going to be fine."

"And where is Haya?"

"He went to get some water."

"I need to see him," Lucas raised his voice finally being able to feel his own emotions.

"Right away, Lucas."

Lucas walked towards the door and saw that there were guards standing outside of it. They were armed with swords, spears, and shields. The guards stopped him when he was about to enter the hallway, "where are you going?" one of the guards asked.

"I'm going to see Haya, he needs to know this about Izek's next plan."

"Do you even know where he is?"

"I don't care, I just need to talk to him."

"Are you sure that you're well enough to walk around?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Just stay here, and you'll have your chance to speak to him."

"Fine, I guess."

Lucas wanted to talk to Haya as soon as possible after finding out about Izek's plan of killing the system and feeding his own energy to it. What was scarier to Lucas was that even without a body, Izek was capable of doing such things, 'I can't let him be,' he thought as his leg trembled.

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