Volume 4—Chapter 92: My Dearest
The earliest memory I ever have is of him.
The lord of darkness…
Our father…
“Why are you so sad? Did you not get along with your brothers and sisters?” I remember him asking me that.
“No… not like that. I get along with them. It’s just…” My voice trailed off.
“Come on, tell me.” His hand rested gently on my head, warm despite the endless cold around us.
I looked out over the world. Everywhere was darkness, a hollow wasteland, broken and silent, as if nothing had ever lived there. A world stripped bare.
“I feel bad for the world… it looks sad,” I whispered.
Hearing me say that, the lord of darkness chuckled softly, though there was no joy in it. Then his laughter faded, leaving only a heavy sigh.
“Yeah… me too. But sadly, we can’t do anything about it…” His tone carried regret, an old wound that even he could not hide.
He looked back at me, his eyes reflecting something deeper than despair. “But I believe… when the six of you grow up, the world will heal.”
My heart stirred at his words. “So… we’ll see the beautiful places like the pictures you showed us?” I asked, hoping to light my voice.
“Maybe even more magnificent than that. Who knows…” he said with a faint smile.
“I can’t wait for that day.”
“Tell me, do you hate the darkness?”
“No… I don’t exactly hate it. But I don’t like it either. Still… if it were yours, I’ll cherish it.”
“You cheeky child…” His laughter was softer this time, warmer. Then he leaned closer. “I think I know what to give you.”
“Give me?”
“Yes. I will give you the light… the divine light.”
And there in his palm, it bloomed… pure, radiant, unlike anything the wasteland had ever seen.
It was beautiful.
So beautiful…
I love that memory. It is the one thing I hold close when everything else slips away. This light… I have cherished it ever since. Cherished it so much that I have never used it in an extended fight. It was never meant for destruction.
But this time…
“You know…” My voice came out low, almost monotone. “You have something that I cherish.”
The man in front of me, wrapped in living shadows, tilted his head slightly. His expression shifted from wariness to confusion.
“Something you cherish?” he echoed.
“Tell me, mortal… what is your name?” My eyes narrowed, light gathering faintly in my palms.
The man’s gaze hardened. “Michael Henrickson,” he said simply, his voice even but heavy.
“Farewell then…” I exhaled, the faint glow in my hands now pulsing with each word. “I will introduce myself to you… because you have something similar to him.”
“Him?” Michael’s brow furrowed.
“Hear me, mortal.” My voice rose, echoing through the barrier like a bell of judgment. “I am Emilia Lorena… the bearer of Creation… and the one who commands the divine light.”
A surge of brilliance burst forth, spiralling around me like wings unfurling. Threads of golden radiance floated through the air, clashing with the shadows seeping from Michael’s feet.
“Face me, mortal… face me with the darkness you possess! Do not dare hold back!”
Michael’s lips curled into a faint, sharp smile, though his eyes stayed cold. “Hold back?” He raised his hand, and the shadows around him churned like a storm. “When my life is on the line… I would be stupid to do that.”
Light and darkness collided the moment we moved. His shadows lashed out like serpents, splitting and multiplying, but to me they looked sluggish. I barely needed to lift a hand. A single sweep of my light dissolved them, scattering fragments of darkness like smoke in the wind.
He tried again, faster this time. The shadows surged like a tidal wave, swallowing the floor beneath me. I stepped forward, and with each step, the darkness evaporated under my glow. My light did not fight; it simply erased.
“Pathetic,” I said flatly, watching him grit his teeth as he strained to hold the shadows together.
Michael’s jaw tightened, and he threw everything at me. Blades of shadow, Spears. Tendrils aiming for my throat. I let them come close, just to see the desperation in his eyes, before I brushed them aside with a flick of my wrist. The radiance around me pulsed lazily, like I was playing rather than battling.
“You move well for a mortal,” I admitted, tilting my head as the light circled me like a halo. “But you are fighting a current that will always sweep you under. This… is not a battle. It is an inevitability.”
His breathing grew harsher, but still he did not falter. Shadows coiled tighter around him, thickening, almost animal in form. He was giving it everything, straining his body and soul to stand against me.
And still, it was nothing more than a child clawing at the tide.
I raised my hand, summoning a spear of light that hummed with quiet finality. “Shall I end it now?”
No holding back now. Just like back then, when he taught me how to fight. I thought I could relive that feeling, fighting with someone who carried similar power. But this man… this mortal… he is far too pathetic. To even compare to him feels like an insult. I should have realised it from the very beginning.
To end this fight, I don’t need any grand display. A fragment of my divine light would be enough to erase him completely.
I raised my finger toward him. “Any last words?” I asked.
He gave me no answer. Instead, he hurled everything he had at me, shadows tearing through the air, desperation fueling every strike. I didn’t move. I didn’t even lift a hand. His power struck my body, dissolved, and vanished without leaving so much as a mark. I let it happen only to prove how meaningless his struggle was.
“I see… so you have nothing to say. How pitiful. I almost feel sorry for your subordinates, waiting outside this barrier.” My voice was calm… but the feeling I have is far from it.
Immense disappointment… maybe anger mixed in it. I don’t even know myself.
“Well then…” I narrowed my eyes, the light gathering at my fingertip “…goodbye.”
A single strand of light shot from my finger… or at least, it should have. But nothing happened.
“Stop!!”
A voice cut through the air, and I felt a hand grasp mine, halting the release of power.
I turned, stunned.
It was my sister.
“Amelia…”
Author's Note
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