The Side Story – The Final Battle [1]
[55]
“…”
Lea could not fully understand Luna’s story.
There were too many memories shared only between Luna and Ray that Lea was unaware of, making it difficult for her to grasp the entirety of Luna’s tale.
However, Lea could sense that there was no trace of reproach in Luna’s narrative.
Gazing at Luna’s faint smile, tinged with a mournful grace, Lea quietly nodded her head.
Luna, seemingly satisfied, turned her body and began walking down the remaining corridor.
“…”
At the end of the corridor, a massive door came into view.
Beyond that door lay Ray, sleeping on the throne.
Lea tried to steady her breathing to suppress the mounting anticipation and excitement in her chest.
Ray. Lea’s older brother. Lea could barely remember what her brother’s face looked like anymore.
Her childhood memories had faded over time, leaving her with only a vague impression of her brother’s features.
But on the throne rested her brother, just as he was in the past—neither aged nor decayed, but frozen in the exact form from the day he fell asleep, dreaming a long dream within the imperial throne.
At least, this was what Lea had been told, and what she believed.
“Brother…”
Even blurred by time, the beautiful memories of the past were always intertwined with the shadow of her brother.
Her brother often sighed, sometimes carried an incomprehensible melancholy, and frequently teased her.
Yet, he was also the one who smiled warmly and gently patted her head.
In truth, Lea spent much of her childhood apart from her brother. She saw him less than she didn’t.
Still, in Lea’s memory, her brother loomed large.
Since childhood, everyone who loved Lea also adored her brother, which made his presence in her life always monumental.
Bella, Jimy, Karen, Alesya… Everyone in Phillip’s County depended on, trusted, and loved her brother.
To many, Lea was known simply as “Ray’s younger sister.”
Whenever people saw her, they mentioned Ray, praising him while patting Lea affectionately.
He was truly someone to be proud of, though sometimes Lea felt jealous when everyone spoke so highly of him, leading her to occasionally act out of spite.
Though others called her “Ray’s younger sister,” Lea wished to be recognized as herself.
Despite these fleeting feelings, ‘Ray’ was undoubtedly someone Lea admired deeply, relied upon, and considered an incredible older brother.
That sentiment from her childhood remained unaltered within her.
And so, Lea wanted to see Ray again.
Even if they couldn’t converse, she longed to look upon his face, revisit cherished memories, and draw strength from them.
Lea swallowed hard, steeling herself.
Creak-!
Finally, the door to the true throne, which had inherited a thousand years of the empire’s history—not the second throne made for her—began to open.
Tension evident, Lea nervously fiddled with her hair.
For the occasion of meeting her brother, she had come without her crown, choosing instead to dress neatly to show how well she had grown.
After fussing with her meticulously styled hair, Lea took a deep breath.
The moment she had yearned for over several years was finally here.
Tap-
Lea cautiously stepped forward.
The throne came into view. It was still distant, and Ray’s figure wasn’t yet clear.
Though Lea knew methods to enhance her vision, she chose patience and continued her steps.
With each step, Ray’s appearance grew clearer.
And with each step, Lea’s strides became shorter.
Luna quietly observed as Lea’s pace gradually slowed to a halt.
Regrettably, the warning Luna had given Lea was not born of malice.
The salvation Lea had dreamed of did not exist here.
“…”
Lea’s red eyes captured Ray.
First, they focused on the gaping hole in his chest, where his heart must have shattered, soaking the area in blood.
Then her gaze moved to the violently torn-off arm.
Frantically shifting her eyes, Lea found her brother’s body ravaged and tattered like an old, worn-out blanket.
Unable to settle her gaze anywhere, her eyes eventually sought out her brother’s eyes.
Lea stared into her brother’s lifeless eyes… Ray’s eyes.
Ray’s eyes were almost closed, yet the pain and anguish of that final day were frozen there, stained with tears of blood.
They were filled with unspeakable guilt and regret directed solely at Luna, coloring Ray’s final moments.
Lea’s lips quivered.
She tried to deliver the greeting she had prepared, but her voice wouldn’t come out.
Ultimately, unable to move forward, Lea stopped in her tracks and crumpled to her knees.
“…”
During her time in the Imperial Capital, Lea had struggled with loneliness.
She constantly felt a distance from everyone around her—a feeling that was hard to describe.
Facing those who suppressed their emotions, forcing smiles despite their inner turmoil, was exhausting for Lea.
The only family members Lea could comfortably interact with were Jimy and Bella. Even they sometimes lapsed into prolonged silences, unable to hide their overwhelming emotions.
Though she had known many faces since taking her first steps in the Imperial Capital, Lea never felt at ease laughing in front of anyone.
So, she had hoped to laugh freely once she reunited with her brother.
She had practiced smiling several times beforehand.
But now, standing before Ray, Lea found herself incapable of smiling.
“Bro… ther…”
Occasionally, Lea felt wronged.
The times when her outward appearance was polished but her heart remained heavy weighed heavily on her.
Only after seeing her brother did Lea realize that such feelings were excessive.
She finally understood the pain and resentment that those family-like figures had kept buried within themselves.
Lea had come seeking solace and redemption.
But all that remained here was guilt and sorrow.
Silently maintaining her position, tears trickled down from Lea’s red-rimmed eyes.
Before long, a sorrowful sob escaped her.
Bella, who had followed Lea and Luna, approached hesitantly and quietly embraced her.
Luna turned away, leaving the two behind.
*
“…”
After guiding Lea to the throne, Luna walked alone down the corridor until she encountered Delun.
This meeting was far from coincidental, and Delun assumed Luna had come to him on some errand, so he waited silently in place.
As time passed, however, Luna merely stood silently, gazing at Delun.
Delun finally asked awkwardly,
“Uh… Why…?”
“…You’ve worked hard.”
“…?”
Delun had always been working hard.
Surprisingly encouraged, Delun blinked twice before nodding slowly.
As Luna passed Delun, her calm expression hardened slightly.
“…”
Luna had been monitoring whether Delun would betray her, but so far, there were no signs of such intentions.
Apparently, the transcendent entity that had chosen Delun still seemed intent on supporting the continent.
Still, she couldn’t let her guard down. This alliance was temporary. Except for the World Tree, ultimately, all entities beyond the stars would turn against Luna.
Luna had revealed fragments of transcendence during this war.
Nevertheless, the transcendent being that had chosen Delun hadn’t altered its stance, even after witnessing Luna’s transcendence.
Perhaps the gambler-like entity was planning to bleed El-Lam and the demon gods as much as possible in this opportunity, intending to profit from the middle ground.
To maximize gains, tightrope walking was necessary, so it was still siding with the continent for now.
Not only the entity that had chosen Delun, but other relatively weaker beings beyond the stars were closely watching the danger Luna posed.
If Luna revealed the sixth magic circle at this point, the situation would shift dramatically.
No matter how capable Luna was, she couldn’t handle all variables brought about by the entities beyond the stars.
Thus, she had to leap decisively.
The next ring of the magic circle Luna revealed to the world shouldn’t be six.
It had to be five or seven.
Fortunately, she wouldn’t need to endure this much longer.
After parting ways with Delun, Luna walked through the long corridor, concealing her magic circle.
Resina’s apparition appeared in a corner of the corridor and fixedly stared at Luna’s retreating back.
[…]
Luna’s primary goal was to save Ray.
The curse currently collapsing Ray’s body and soul was a perpetual contract tied to El-Lam.
To stop this contract and rescue Ray, El-Lam itself had to be destroyed.
Furthermore, to ensure Ray’s revived life would be peaceful, all wrongful entities invading this continent had to be purified.
[…]
Was such a feat even possible?
Frankly, Resina couldn’t be sure either.
In life, Resina’s abilities weren’t enough to judge the realms beyond the stars, so naturally, certainty was impossible.
Nonetheless… something peculiar caught her attention.
[…Too fast.]
Luna’s growth was happening too quickly.
It was impossible to attribute it merely to exceptional talent escaping ordinary bounds.
Mages don’t easily believe in miracles.
Even results that seem miraculous always have underlying causes.
Resina pondered long and hard about how to explain Luna’s rapid growth.
Finally, she muttered as if realizing something.
[The turning point… cannot be twisted.]
Absolutely.
The turning point of destiny cannot be twisted.
Even with powers that can interfere with time, one cannot reverse the turning point that led to their own transcendence due to the contradiction involved.
One cannot overturn the result that defines their existence.
No matter how one struggles, the turning point of destiny cannot be twisted.
However, while the grand thread of fate might be set…
It is possible to hasten the arrival of one’s fate.
That wasn’t a contradiction.
Resina finally understood why Luna’s growth had defied comprehension.
[Already…]
The conclusion was already determined.
The grand fate, or the grand narrative thread, had already reached its end.
When exactly it occurred was a trivial detail.
Therefore, it could be expedited.
Her future self was guiding her present self.
[Hm…]
Resina slowly curved her lips into a smile.
For the first time, tranquility entered the lingering regrets of Resina’s will from 600 years ago.
Resina’s will laughed peacefully for a long time.
Having fulfilled its wish, it finally gained the option to let go of the long sorrow.
But still, Resina’s will had a role left to play under Luna’s direction.
[…Let’s willingly fulfill this role and bring an end to this horrifically long curse.]
Approximately two years later.
The moment of the ultimate battle for everyone drew near.
