Ep 70. Hide Well, Hide True. (4)

  Otoka stared into the cauldron.

  “And that should be enough…”

  After the third day, most of its tents were gone. Only a small, yellow quartz remained brilliantly glowing ier having absorbed all the liquids that had once bee.

  The elderly mage reached inwards, taking the gem into his hand. Despite bei untouched for days, the stoill emitted a faint warmth from within.

  Wheurned around, Serenis and Aldrid were both anxiously staring at the old man. He wordlessly ha over to the deity, ted the stoo her hand with a firm nod.

  “It’s suitable. Thank you, Mr. Lairaff.”

  “…You’re most wele, my dy.”

  Aldrid firmly grasped the stohe deity wasted no time iing golden lights pour out of her hand and into the gem’s innards, filling it with bits of her divinity that the gem would now be able to tain.

  Normally, she would’ve liked to celebrate – blessing others through gifts of her divinity was historically a joyous occasion. Their recipients had often been rulers or heroes who’d live long, prosperous lives free of disease and full of joy.

  But this time, the recipient sidered themselves nothing alike. One brief go the dragonlord’s eyes, and such thoughts would immediately vanish.

  Serenis was a ruler in name – but truthfully, she ruled nothing. Everything she’d once ruled disappeared in a distant past. She’d failed her kin, and those that could be sidered heroes among the demonkin were all dead because of her.

  Then, it was only natural that this artifact wouldn’t ever be a celebratift. Aldrid could vaguely guess at what this item would mean to the dragonlord.

  She might as well as have handed Serenis a ko fight with.

  “…Lord Serenis.”

  Aldrid wore bittersweet smile as the golden light dissipated. She took a brief moment to thread the stoh a prepared string, turning it into a small bracelet before it was offered to the expressionless dragonlord.

  Serenis dutifully accepted the accessory, ing it twice over her left wrist. She didn’t even bother to meet Aldrid’s gaze; her silen the matter was making the atmosphere heavier than any word ever could.

  And when Aldrid couldn’t take it anymore, she bit her lips and abruptly gripped her lord by their shoulder. Only then did the Serenis raise her eyes to meet the deity’s gaze, and only then was she able to speak holy.

  “…I’ll go with you.”

  “We’ve discussed this before, child. You’ll stay.”

  “But-”

  “This isn’t your responsibility.”

  Over and over, Serenis had reted the same phrase tless times.

  Demonkind’s extin wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own.

  The reason a figure like Felicir was able to rise to power at all, wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own.

  Serenis still didn’t know how or why she’d e back to life – but her own purpose remained clear heless.

  ‘…Death wasn’t enough.’

  The First’s divinity still remained in her world.

  If she’d been even a little more like the other lords, the demonkin might not have died in vain.

  Dying a single horrible death hadn’t been enough to atone. For the numerous lives that suffered and perished beh her ignora didn’t make seo rest after one single death.

  Then, perhaps the ned had been brought back to life – to make things right again.

  Despite her time here, this era was still just a dream to Serenis: a far-fetched fantasy that should never have occurred. But unlike her, this era was reality for those who lived into the present.

  Deities or not, it was home to everyone occupying the star in this very moment. Nothing bound them to care, or even remember, of what had happened all those years ago. Just as Felicir had intended, demonkind was reduced to myths and legends; not even their few desdants had remembered how things once were.

  A, Aldrid struggled to accept the reality of her lord’s decision.

  “…But I want to help you. You eve to take the professor with you!”

  “It was a foolish thought.”

  Without realizing, Serenis had equated the Twelve to rulers of their own domains; loyrants of their respective areas, just like the First. And so far, Serenis had been fortunate enough to meet two divinities, her of which opposed her return to life.

  But the Twelve were not rulers, nor were they refles of the First. They were people – and nothing but sheer luck had allowed Serenis to meet those who remained alohere was nothing to guarahat the divinity she entered would also be alone.

  Indeed, it was quite likely that they wouldn’t be. If the deity of death was in the pany of other divihere was no telling what would be at stake.

  “I may have taken you or Karas if the divinity of death was alone. But in the event he isn’t, I ot risk taking others I ot look after.”

  “I’ll be fine. You won’t have to keep me safe, I won’t burden you. I’m not even from this era! I’m still-“

  “You both have your entire worlds to lose. I do not.”

  Aldrid and Karas had both built their lives acc to this era; the same went for Iris. All of them had new homes and bonds to live in and cherish. They all lived in the present.

  Serenis, alone, lived in the past.

  This was not her home. her Patrick’s house in Partivine, nor the dragonkin’s in the valleys, were her home. This star was no lohe home she loved and remembered.

  She’d returo life to finish what her kind had begun. In this alien world, her purpose was to give meaning to their deaths; if the demonkin’s former world was no longer within reach, then she’d honor it with a proper clusion of their flict.

  Honor. Vengeance. Freedom. Or perhaps even fate.

  They were all abstract ideals. Ideals that no one else deserved to die for.

  “…There’s still every ce that our fears are unfounded. I’ll return ere long if nothing ails the city.”

  Serenis opehe door, revealing the glimmering dawn skies. It was still fairly dark, and everyone else were sound asleep – but she had no time to wait for sunrise, nor to say farewell to others.

  If nothing had happened in Partivine, she’d simply return and search for a way to find the deity of death with others.

  If Felicir was there, then she o destroy his divinity. And if other deities were also there, then theirs as well – just like how she should’ve, ohousand years ago.

  “…”

  Twelve more steps until she could rest.

  And, more often than not, the first is always the most arduous.

  ? ? ?

  ‘…Where am I going?’

  As Gio’s legs began to carry him out into the courtyard, he found himself uo look behind the road he walked. His body was still moving of its own accord, unbound by its owner’s will.

  Perhaps it was for the best that he could no lourn his head. Even the sight of his e’s bloodstaiip was driving the archmage towards insanity.

  He merely tinued walking forward towards the exit, trampling over numerous corpses sprawled across the courtyard. Students that happeo be outside upon the deity’s arrival, security that had rushed to trol the situation…and even enfort sector’s agents that had e to help.

  No one had survived. And unlike everyone Gio had killed, their bodies were , their expressions peaceful; it was a stark trast between the fearful, bloodstaiudents he’d left behind in the building. Even though her were alive, the Reaper’s work almost seemed humane pared to his own.

  And just up ahead was the very same deity, waiting for his arrival. Felicir weled the archmage with a proud smile.

  “Impressive, headmaster. I thought at least oher person would be able to stop you.”

  “…”

  “Hmm…”

  The deity of death took a brief moment, sing the archmage and the destru he’d left behind.

  Overwhelming amounts of death reeked from the archmage, as well as the entire facility. Several buildings had partially colpsed, some iirety. Stains of blood could be seen in numerous windows, and an eerie silence filled the area.

  Satisfied, Felicir put a hand on Gio’s shoulder.

  “Seems we’re done here. I did take the liberty of killing any escapees, so you need not worry.”

  “…”

  “Now…do you think you’ve atoned for your si, headmaster?”

  “…”

  “…Oh, that’s right. I fot to allow you to speak.”

  A dark glint brushed past Gio’s figure as the archmage felt a small bit of his body returning to his trol. He still couldn’t move, but he found himself at least able to speak.

  However, he no longer o question who the winged figure standing before him was.

  He no longer o tell ao run away. Even if he had been able to before, they wouldn’t have made it far anyhow.

  The Reaper himself had hem to death; even a child khat struggling was futile under such circumstances.

  It no longer mattered if it was fair or just. It probably didn’t even matter if the winged figure was truly as divine as people made him out to be – for mankind firmly believed that the Twelve’s will had always been for the greater good, that their as were just without question.

  But after delivering a deity’s judgment himself, all Gio could think of was esg this nightmarish reality.

  “Kill me.”

  “You wish to die? So soon?”

  “…Please.”

  “Hmm…”

  While Felicir pted on the archmage’s request, Clyus grimaced at Gio’s lifeless eyes. He was alive, but he may as well not be.

  And that alone was a reason enough for the deity of death to deny his request.

  “No, no…this isn’t how your tale ends, headmaster. You’re capable of so much more, are you not? It would be a shame to not honor you with another divine quest.”

  The Reaper then poiowards the institute’s gates, just a few steps away. The city of Partiviretched outside as far as the eye could see.

  “I’ve already sent one, but it probably won’t be enough, will it? It’s a rather big city, after all. Why don’t you go help him out?”

  Even though Felicir didn’t specify what this ‘help’ was, Gio could clearly tell what the deity meant from their unnerving grin.

  “…No…please, no more-“

  “Ah. Right, that wasn’t a quest. That was an order.”

  Gio’s lips immediately sealed back. His legs once again began to carry him forward, outside the institute’s parameters. He could faintly hear the crumbling noise of buildings and towers up ahead.

  And mixed in their midst were unmistakable screams of Partivine’s civilians.

  ? ? ?

  Magic was a divine gift.

  It is said that, during the dawn of time, mankind struggled to survive against the numerous threats they faced. With meager stones and clubs, they could not fend off the beasts and mohat pgued their homes.

  And so, a deity had desded into their realm. She’d gifted mankind with knowledge on how to use the essehat filled their world. The essence would ter e to be known as mana, her gift as magic.

  It was a tool for survival.

  However, like many other tools at their disposal, mankind had found a way to turn their divine gift into a vicious on. Magic had bee a staple tool for murder and war.

  ‘…Perhaps all of this is divine judgment. For misusing the gifts we were bestowed.’

  Every time Ray swung his arm, another headless civilian colpsed onto the floor, their necks sliced open by an invisible bde of wind. Those who fled were rooted in pce by coiling vines rising from beh their feet. Adults and children alike helplessly stood in pce, waiting for another bde of air to end their lives.

  The enforcer’s vision began to blur. The murky red liquids filling the streets were drowning his vision, and his veins darkening from maion were being more and more visible.

  But even so, the enforcer could not stop himself from moving forward. He merely wished that the hrob of his heart would finally kill him, again and again.

  ‘…Any moment now. Any moment.’

  Iris would appear with the rest of the sector to stop him. Their most aplished enforcer would put ao this madness, and apprehend the terrorists without breaking a sweat. It was just taking a while because she reparing the pn so thhly; any moment now, and Ray’s worries would be proven pointless.

  In Ray’s mind, no other expnatioed as to why she was still o be seen. This had to be the case. It had to be.

  It wasn’t, but it had to be.