Chapter 1095: The Truce

As the connection solidified, I felt my consciousness cascading down an unknown path, like a river being swept away by a sudden, overpowering current.

Suddenly, memories that weren't mine flooded my mind, vivid, wild, and tumultuous, painting a story of a life far removed from anything I had ever experienced.

I was no longer Lewis, the mage, but a Kraken, the last of its kind.

I felt an immense loneliness, an ever-present melancholy that wrapped itself around me like a cold shroud.

I saw the Kraken's kin, beautiful beings with powers beyond comprehension, once rulers of the vast oceans.

And then came the pain, the bloodshed.

I saw the madman, his twisted face etched with a lust for knowledge and power.

He hunted the Krakens, capturing them one by one. They were subjected to terrible experiments, their magical essence harnessed for the madman's nefarious purposes.

I felt the Kraken's desperation, its terror, as it watched its kin slaughtered mercilessly. The ocean waters, once a safe haven, were now soaked in the blood of its family.

And in its final, desperate bid for survival, it had fled to the Dark Waters, a place feared by all.

Here, amidst the turbulent currents and perpetual darkness, the Kraken found a refuge, a sanctuary from the relentless pursuit. Yet its sanctuary was also its prison, a lonely fortress far removed from the vibrant ocean it once called home.

The Kraken, I learned, was not a mindless monster, but a tragic figure, its existence marred by sorrow and loss.

It defended the Dark Waters, not out of malice, but to protect itself from the horrors of its past.

As the memories faded, I was left with a sense of profound sadness and a newfound understanding of the creature before me. It wasn't the enemy; it was just another survivor, much like myself. Bound by the shared experience, I felt a strange kinship with the Kraken.

Our destinies, it seemed, were intertwined in ways we could have never imagined.

The connection faded, and I was once again Lewis Griffith, alone in the stormy waters, face to face with the misunderstood leviathan.

"Haa... I understand now."

As my mind snapped back to reality, I was still reeling from the flood of memories that now dwelled within me.

It took me a moment to process it all, the sorrow, the suffering... and the truth about the monster I had spent so much time preparing to fight.

'This Kraken isn't my enemy; it's a fellow victim, a creature like me, pitted against the true villain...'

And the true villain was still out there, past the Dark Waters, plotting, scheming, relentless in his pursuit.

A madman, a mage like me, but far removed from anything I understood magic to be.

'And he's dangerous too...'

He wielded not one, but two Arcanas. From what I deciphered, he had [The Popess] and the [The Emperor].

'Now that I think about it more, it makes a lot of sense...'

It was the [Popess] that gave the Kraken its incredible regenerative abilities.

In a twist of fate, the Kraken had stolen it during their last clash, a desperate bid for survival that had likely saved its life.

But the madman still had the [Emperor] at his disposal.

'That's a tricky one. Could it be...?!' Things began to fall into place in my mind.

The Enhanced Orcs that attacked the Goblin Village were probably not the random monsters I had thought them to be.

The madman must have been behind them somehow.

"It doesn't seem like I'll be able to come to a consensus with such a person..."

A strange sense of unity filled me as I stared into the eyes of the creature.

I knew then that I couldn't kill it. Not after what I had seen, what I had felt.

The Kraken didn't deserve my wrath, but my compassion.

Here we were, both victims of the same villain, both bound by a common goal: to stop this madman.

Our fight was pointless, a diversion from our true enemy. We had to stop fighting each other and start fighting him.

"We don't have to fight each other," I said, more to myself than the Kraken, words carried away by the roiling waters around us.

"We have a common enemy."

My gaze turned towards the direction of the madman, my resolve solidifying with each passing moment.

The Dark Waters seemed less daunting now. The storm around me was no longer a barrier, but a challenge, a stepping stone to what was truly important. I turned back to the Kraken, my heart pounding in my chest.

"I can stop that man for you."

My hand trembled as I extended it towards the Kraken, resonating my words using [Connection], so it could understand.

As my palm met its tentacle, a soft surge of energy passed between us, solidifying our truce.

The Kraken then extended one of its long tentacles towards me, a small satchel attached to the end.

It was my satchel, the one I had lost during our first encounter, now returned to me.

"Thank you," I said, my voice barely audible amidst the churning waters. The Kraken only stared, its eyes deep and understanding. "I promise to leave you in peace, to protect this place, and to eliminate the madman on your behalf."

At my words, the Kraken's eyes shimmered with what I could only describe as gratitude. It then revealed a pulsating orb nestled amongst its tentacles.

The source of its regenerative capabilities, the Arcana of the [Popess].

It gently nudged the orb towards me, an unspoken agreement passing between us.

I could sense its thoughts.

It didn't want the Arcana, regarding its restorative powers more like a curse.

'Thanks so much...' I reached out to accept it, feeling a surge of energy coursing through my body, my magic power increasing at an unprecedented rate.

"I understand your feelings," I said, cradling the [Popess] in my hand. "And I'll make good use of this power, not just for myself but for our shared goal. To defeat the madman."

With that, I pulled away from the Kraken, my heart pounding in my chest. We were allies now, bound by a shared promise.

The [Popess] nestled safely in my possession, its powerful energy pulsing in sync with my heartbeat.

'I've gotten another Arcana. That's a relief...'

As I turned to leave, I cast a final glance at the Kraken. Its tentacles waved gently in the current, a silent farewell. It had given me a part of itself, trusted me with its power.

And now, it was up to me to honour that trust.

My gaze hardened, my mind focused on my next goal. The madman and his remaining Arcana, [The Emperor], were my next targets.

The Dark Waters roared around me, a challenge I was ready to meet head-on.

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[A/N]

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