Webtoon: Tower of God

Eleanor's POV

"So we just have to defeat this girl?" asked a brown-haired boy.
"Seems like it. She looks weak but we can't underestimate Rachel's tools," replied a blue-haired male.
"Can we just hurry up and get this done and over with?" exclaimed a girl I had identified as Endorsi Jahad.

I hid behind a statue, timidly peeking out from the side. They were Rachel's enemies and I was tasked with defeating them...but I didn't trust in my power.

Suddenly, the statue's upper body was sliced off. I held back a surprised gasp before jumping away to avoid getting crushed. They looked at me with somewhat confused expressions.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Endorsi asked.
"I um...I..."

I sensed the blue-haired boy's movement. He was in front of me in the blink of an eye. I swallowed down my nervousness, feeling a blush creeping up to my cheeks as he lifted my chin up to inspect my face.

He...was enchanting. I've never seen someone like this before...I lifted my hand up but stopped myself just short of touching his face. Without further delay, I immediately jumped back and pulled out my sword.

"She's a member of the Arie family," he said.
"That must explain her white hair, but is she skilled in swordsmanship?" asked a black-haired male.
"Why don't you find out, Hatz?"

*gulp* I didn't want to fight but Rachel would find a way to kill me if I didn't. With a shaky breath, I stood in my fighting stance despite the trembling of my mind.

The dark-haired boy charged at me but I easily deflected all of his attacks. They weren't much and it wasn't hard to counterattack but I could tell that he wasn't using his full power.

"P-please...kill me," I whispered quietly.
"What?"
"M-make it look l-like an accident. I-I'll go easy on you...so p-please."

We were still fighting but each of his attacks was stronger than the last.

"You're already going easy on me. I can tell and it hurts my pride."

He suddenly stopped fighting, letting his arms drop to the side. I quickly swung my sword the other way, sending one of my special attacks towards the side of the enormous room.

I gasped in breaths of air, having found it extremely hard to change its direction. After all, once I had a target, it wasn't easy to let it go. The attack just barely missed him by a hair.

"Why didn't you kill me?" he asked.
"T-that's..."
"You're a member of the strongest family. Your skills are certainly of the highest standard. Your swordsmanship was beautiful, like a graceful dancer...yet you refuse to kill?" asked the blue-haired boy.

He was from the Khun family. I could sense it. I held the sword by his throat, making him stop in his tracks. *gulp* He pushed it to the side with a small dagger and stood before me once more.

"Why do you refuse to fight?" he asked.
"...b-because I'm afraid..."
"Afraid?"
"I-I'm afraid...of becoming a-a monster..."
"Who are you?"
"E-Eleanor Jade Arie...a-a direct d-descendant of the family head..."
"And you work for Rachel?"
"*nods* S-she 'hired' me a-as a fisherman."

I sensed movement beside him and immediately held my sword to the boy's neck. He held his hands up, signifying that he didn't intend to fight me.

"My name's Khun. That's Bam, he won't hurt you. Hey, why don't you come with us?"

I stood, frozen in place as he placed a hand on my cheek and whispered softly into my ear.

"I won't ever hurt you. Don't worry, we'll kill Rachel. For whatever reason, we'll kill her for you."

I pushed him away, a blush already visible on my cheeks. He was just toying with me, I couldn't believe him. Unlike Rachel who threatened me with my life, he wanted to lure me in with sweet talking and fake promises.

"Khun, it's clear that she doesn't want to fight us. Do you really have to go that far?" Bam asked.

I could feel my pulse quickening and my breaths turning shallow. I didn't want to be used anymore, not anymore. Please... Tears brimmed my eyes as a headache began to mess with my mind.

Khun's POV

What was wrong with me? Why was I behaving like this? That fleeting feeling in my heart was just a manifestation of my imagination. The girl in front of me couldn't be anything more than an enemy.

And yet...the sight of her took my breath away. The way she stood so timidly but with a humble confidence when fighting... I was so caught up in her mesmerising violet eyes.

I just couldn't help reaching out to her when I first saw her. Dammit! Why the hell was I behaving this way?! It was one thing to admit that she was beautiful but to be enchanted by something as shallow as her appearance? What was wrong with me?

"Oi blue turtle, she doesn't look okay."

I blinked, coming back to reality. She had dropped to her knees, clutching her head tightly with her hands. If it wasn't for Bam, the shinsu around here would've made movement quite difficult due to her 'breakdown'.

"Eleanor-"
"Oh? Are you the one that made her so emotionally damaged?" asked a shadow that had drifted out from her body.
"Who are you? What have you done to her?"
"I'm her shadow, the thing that makes her an outcast. You see, in exchange for protection from people like you who try to use her, I turn her into a mindless monster."
"Is that so?"
"I will protect her with my life so do not even try to use her."

It disappeared. Eleanor stood up but her eyes were completely black. She came straight for me but I blocked her with my lighthouse. Damn, she was so strong.

I dodged all her attacks. They were unlike before... Before, they were elegant and alluring but now, they looked dark and furious. This wasn't Eleanor...it was the monster controlling her.

Tears had slid down her cheeks as she continued to attack me. I stopped Bam before he could help me.

"Are you crazy? She'll kill you!" Endorsi yelled.
"No, she won't. Eleanor, can you hear me?! Snap out of it!"

She continued to chase after me with a blank expression and tear-streaked cheeks.

"Khun didn't mean what he said before! He was only trying to help you! You'll see, it's a part of his charm! He never meant to hurt you!" Bam yelled.

The attacks got slower and slower until she stopped altogether. I hesitantly went towards her and knelt down despite the slight blush crawling up to my cheeks from what Bam had said.

"Eleanor?"
"...I-I'm sorry, I didn't want you t-to s-see me like that...I-I..."
"Hug her," Shibisu hissed at me.
"What?"
"She needs it," Hatz exclaimed.

With reluctance, I pulled her into a hug, feeling her muscles tense up. She soon relaxed, making me realise that she had fallen unconscious in my arms. Did...Rachel make her like this?