Volume 2 chapter 25
"Ugh..."
Charlo slowly closed his eyes. His thoughts were solidifying like wet cement. He couldn't think anymore. He felt himself surrender, allowing the black hands to drag him down into the abyss.
Ding...
At that moment, the pendant against his chest burst with blinding light. It was like a torch in the dead of winter, dispelling the darkness and warming his frozen heart.
"This is..."
Charlo slowly woke within the glow. He watched the pendant float into the air.
Inside the golden crystal, the image of a young boy reading a storybook looked up and appeared before him.
"Big Brother, don't give up! A Hero never yields, even in the face of setbacks, right?"
The small boy reached out his hand and smiled.
"Ah..." Charlo smiled back. So, these memories were meant to help me...
"I'm not a Hero," Charlo said, grabbing the small hand firmly. "I'm just... someone here to wake up a partner who's shut herself away!"
Flash!
Radiance erupted. The brilliant light pierced through the suffocating despair and extinguished the flames of hatred.
Standing in the darkness, Charlo watched as the boy in the pendant smiled one last time before slowly fading away.
Then, the Boy Who Counted Stars turned and looked into the depths of the darkness.
A path of light unfurled, stretching straight into the abyss, illuminating the endless void.
Charlo stepped onto the path of light, walking fearlessly toward the deepest point.
Along the way, countless arms reached out from the darkness on both sides, trying to drag him back.
At this moment, the Boy With the Sword appeared from the pendant. Charlo met his gaze. Without a word, like two souls sharing one mind, they moved in perfect sync—one left, one right—slashing away the grasping arms.
The path grew smoother, the arms fewer. But Charlo did not relax.
Finally, at the end of the road, stood a gate that reached the heavens.
It was black and red, as if forged from blood and despair. It was tightly shut, wrapped in countless chains of pitch-black darkness.
Here, the Boy With the Sword smiled at Charlo. "This is as far as I go. It was fun practicing swordplay with you! The rest is up to you. Tell 'me'... use the voice in your heart!"
With that, the boy dissolved into a ray of sunlight that struck the gate.
CRACK!
A fissure appeared in the door. Instantly, a breath of cold air—colder than anything before—rushed out. It felt like the winds of the Antarctic polar night, threatening to freeze the very soul.
Through the crack, a curled-up figure was faintly visible on the other side.
"Clyris! CLYRIS!! Wake up!"
Charlo forced himself forward against the freezing wind, step by agonizing step, until he reached the gate.
The moment his fingers touched the door, his entire arm was encased in solid ice.
"Clyris! Don't give up! I'm here!!"
The wind flayed his face like knives. The pain was excruciating, nearly robbing him of his voice. He shouted with everything he had, almost freezing his tongue in the process.
But there was no reaction from the other side. The figure encased in layers of ice remained curled up like a fetus in the womb, sleeping in eternal silence.
"Damn it! I made it this far! How can I fail here?!" Charlo roared internally.
"Use the voice in your heart..."
The boy's final words echoed in Charlo's mind. He understood.
"Risk it all!"
Charlo gritted his teeth. Ignoring the bone-chilling wind, he screamed with every ounce of his soul.
"CLYRIS!!"
"YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!!!"
"IT WAS YOU! You invented the Mana Engraving Machine!! IT WAS YOU! You invented the Radio Communicator!!"
"You have accomplished so much!! You have so much!!!"
"Every mana array you created is irreplaceable in Ironwood!! You still own the patents!!!"
"You are Alice's teacher!! Have you forgotten?! You are Freya's partner!! Have you forgotten?!"
"AND FINALLY! YOU ARE MY—CHARLO DE ROSE'S—GREATEST ADVISOR!!! MY BEST PARTNER!!!"
"Even if the whole world denies you, I will NEVER deny you!! Even if everyone says you are useless, I WILL STILL NEED YOU!! Even if everyone abandons you, I WILL ALWAYS ACCEPT YOU!!"
"SO! WAKE UP!!!"
Charlo slammed his head against the frozen gate.
Shatter.
In that instant, the pendant on his chest broke, releasing infinite light.
Like the sun rising to end a long winter.
The biting wind turned into a warm spring breeze, caressing the face like a lover's touch. The solid ice melted, turning into a stream that nourished all things, awakening the sleeping soul.
____________________________
It felt like a dream. In the dream, she was walking on an endless road.
There was nothing. Just her, alone. Boundless darkness on both sides, hiding countless nightmares ready to devour her flesh and blood.
She ran and ran. Along the way, she lost many things. Her armor for protection. Her sword for counterattack. Her confidence to persist...
She lost everything. Finally, she even lost her last hope.
She forgot why she was running. She became tired. She stopped.
She fell to the ground, looking blankly at her hands.
They were bloody hands.
"This... is?"
She raised the dripping hands. Countless tragically dead souls seemed to scream at her from the blood.
"Ugh..."
The voices lingered in her ears, seeping into her soul. Covering her ears was useless. The screams and roars tortured her ceaselessly.
"No... please... I... ugh... didn't... ah..."
Pat. Pat. Pat.
Then, the sound of light footsteps approached, scattering the screams. A pair of bare feet, stained with mud, stopped in front of her.
She looked up blankly. It was a little boy with short black hair.
The boy didn't speak. He just looked at her with bright red eyes.
"Ah..."
She suddenly remembered. Those childhood memories. Those warm recollections...
"That's right... I almost forgot..."
Her vision blurred.
A large, warm hand landed on her shoulder—
Father! His honest face wore a faint smile, his eyes filled with encouragement.
A gentle figure embraced her—
Mother! Tears glistened in her eyes as she choked back sobs, whispering comfort.
And beside the boy, a smaller girl appeared. Black hair, black eyes. Her small face was filled with hope.
"Wuu..."
She blinked rapidly, but the tears fell anyway. She pressed her lips together tightly, but the sobs escaped.
"Father... Mother... and... Tina... I'm sorry..."
Her tears soaked her mother's shoulder, but she held on tight, terrified that if she let go, her mother would vanish.
"Wuu... I'm... I'm so sorry... wuu..."
"Chris, you have done well! My baby... no one has done better than you! No one..." Mother sobbed.
"Chris!" Father patted her shoulder. "You have gone to places I could never see! I am proud of you!" His eyes shone with tears.
"Big Brother... no, I should call you Big Sister now!" Tina smiled brilliantly, wiping away her tears to reveal a smile like the summer sun. "Sister, Tina is so happy! Sister is even more amazing than the Hero! I have a sister who is stronger than the Hero!!"
"Sister is amazing!! The best!!"
"Mother... Father... Tina..."
She looked up at them. Her teary eyes couldn't see their faces clearly, but she could feel the warmth. Her heart throbbed painfully.
"It has been hard on you all this time, my baby!"
Mother vanished.
"Chris, lift your head and keep moving forward! My pride!"
Father vanished.
"Sister, do your best! Don't lose to anyone! You are the strongest!"
Tina vanished.
"No... don't go..."
She reached out, trying to grab their figures, but it was futile.
"Please... I only want you..."
Clyris fell to her knees, reaching out tremblingly toward the distance.
"Goodbye... Chris."
The three voices faded away, reaching a place she could no longer see or touch.
"No! Don't... leave... me..."
She stumbled to her feet, but her legs gave way, and she fell again, watching helplessly as they left.
"I... only want... you..."
Her raised hand dropped weakly. She had... lost everything... again.
"Don't... leave me... alone..."
Her humble plea dissipated into the darkness.
"Look behind you."
At that moment, the boy with black hair and red eyes cupped her face and spoke softly. "You were never alone."
She turned around blankly—
"Miss Clyris! Although time was short, thank you for your teachings!"
Alice, bowing respectfully.
"Hey! Clyris, long time no see. Thou lookest wretched! Hmph... a true disgrace to my Compatriot!"
Freya, standing with her arms crossed, looking tsundere as always.
"Miss Clyris, I and all the people of Ironwood will forever remember your contributions! You need not belittle yourself!"
Minister Speer, nodding solemnly.
"Yo! My Chief Magic Advisor! If you are considered a failure, then what does that make me? A useless cripple?!"
Finally, the tall figure with a cynical smile on his face appeared.
"So, time to get up, Future Me!"
The boy pulled her up, then stood on his tiptoes to pat her shoulder.
"Look. So many people support you. So many people care about you. Be strong! Future Me!"
Clyris looked at them. Her heart stopped aching and gradually calmed.
A warm current flowed into her heart, dispelling the cold. The night passed. The sun rose.
"Thank you... thank you all..."
She raised her hand and wiped her tears dry.
"Un! That's the me I know! Alright, go out there! Someone is waiting for you!"
The boy patted her waist, laughing as he merged a golden crystal into her body.
"Yeah... that idiot..."
Clyris smiled. The boy had just transferred everything Charlo had experienced since entering her mind.
That figure persisting outside the door, refusing to retreat a single step even as he was flayed by the wind... he was like a boulder crashing into the calm lake of her heart, creating ripples that would never settle.
She stepped forward again. This time, the darkness could not stop her. It shattered like glass. Shattering with it were the lingering despair and hatred.
Finally, Clyris looked back. The boy was fading away. He waved his hand, smiling as he bid her a final farewell.
"Take that step. Move forward bravely, Clyris! I am your past, and you are my future. I am you, yet not you! You are me, yet not me! Goodbye... no, Farewell! Chris!"
"Yes. Farewell, Chris!"
Clyris said her final goodbye to the boy she once was.
Then, resolutely, she turned and walked toward the light.
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