The pure white lightning scorches the earth.
In the pouring rain of light and heat, I could not regain my senses. I simply lay there, waiting for the unbearable natural disaster to pass.
The incandescent world did not lose its light for a long time.
In the face of overwhelming violence, the properties of things classified by humanity became meaningless. Everything that made up this world, be it conductors or insulators, glowed red and burned.
Why am I alive?
It would have been normal for my body to burn to ashes by now. At the very least, I should have fainted from the electric shock, yet my body was intact, and my consciousness was clear.
I could only feel the acrid smell filling my lungs.
The rapidly rising temperature felt like it was about to burn my skin. The endless onslaught of lightning showed no signs of stopping. It was like pouring water from a jar onto an anthill.
Only after everything crumbled and vanished would this calamity come to an end.
It did not take a long time for that to happen.
Suddenly, silence descended around my uncle.
It felt like even the dust in the air had burned away. I realized for the first time today that such a strange smell could arise from the air.
I cautiously raised my head.
The chamber had completely collapsed. The rocks that could not withstand the immense voltage were blackened and scattered. There were few places that were free from soot.
Only around my companions, including myself, and the Archmage who had summoned this natural disaster.
Crawling, I managed to lift my body. My muscles tingled and contracted from the residual current. Though the heat remained high for a while, I didn’t know the principle behind it, but I was able to walk on the stone floor.
It felt as though all power had vanished when the cracks in the sky closed.
The flood of lightning that had poured down from that gap.
How long had I been staring blankly?
There was a thud, and I heard someone collapse. My eyes quickly turned to the source, where Mr. Reynolds was kneeling, coughing up blood.
A shout escaped my lips in surprise.
“Mr. Reynolds!”
The others, including Senior Elsi, also seemed to have been freed from the girl’s monster.
The collar no longer discharged electricity, and Selin, who had appeared to be having a nightmare, was now writhing and moaning. Moreover, the blood-red sun that had floated in the void had long since disappeared.
The outcome was clear.
The Archmage had won, and the girl had lost.
However, despite that stark contrast, none of us could smile. Mr. Reynolds’ pale face appeared grave to anyone who looked at him.
Following me, Senior Elsi rushed to Mr. Reynolds’ side.
Upon closer inspection, Mr. Reynolds’ condition seemed even more dire.
Dark-blue marks spread all over his body. This meant his veins had all burst.
It was a miracle he was still breathing.
I trembled and searched my clothing. I remembered there should be one healing potion left.
“…It’s useless.”
“Uncle!”
A scream burst from Senior Elsi’s mouth.
She was a mess, having just escaped from the electric shock. She had even been mistreated by the girl.
Still, Senior Elsi was desperately trying to save her uncle.
Digging through her pockets, frantically looking around for anything that could help.
With tears welling in her eyes, the mage stammered.
“H-how can we… find a way!”
“His heart has burst.”
That plain declaration was enough.
I averted my gaze with a bleak expression, and Senior Elsi’s body stiffened.
“This must be the price for breaking the ‘contract’… His blood is even forcibly circulating through his magic. But even this won’t last for more than a few minutes.”
“Uncle….”
Tears fell from Senior Elsi’s eyes, drop by drop.
The rain could not wash away the soot. It only mimicked the pitiful sound of raindrops.
I closed my eyes and sighed.
This was indeed a self-reflection left by the man called the ‘Archmage.’ It must be the undeniable truth.
Raymond Rainelle was facing death.
It felt almost shameful to hope for a miracle.
The once bright eyes of Mr. Reynolds had dimmed.
His blurred vision and unfocused retina foretold the man’s end.
“Elsi, don’t cry… this is the destiny I have chosen.”
“But… but uncle…”
“You will become a greater mage than I.”
With trembling hands, Mr. Reynolds placed his dark staff on his chest.
He seemed powerless to move any further. I cautiously wrapped my arms around Senior Elsi’s shoulders.
Her watery blue eyes were on me.
Words were unnecessary. I simply gestured toward Mr. Reynolds’ hand.
The one that tightly held the dark staff.
Whether she understood my intention or not, Senior Elsi placed her trembling hands over Mr. Reynolds’ hand.
“I was cowardly and weak. Only now do I realize… when I chose love over my family and swore I would never be broken.”
His empty voice echoed in the ash-ridden world.
“On the day I faced the retinue of the evil god, I made a similar judgment. I wanted to run away, I tried to escape… and I knew you would be the same, Elsi.”
Straining to turn his head, Mr. Reynolds captured his niece’s image on his blurred retina.
His quivering lips formed a smile. It seemed he wanted to smile no matter what.
“…But you did not.”
The Archmage’s laborious breath continued. Senior Elsi leaned forward with a desperate expression, but that would not yield a suitable solution.
“Take this staff.”
Senior Elsi bit her lip and turned her head away. But she couldn’t stop the sobs escaping through the cracks.
She merely held onto the dark staff with her small hands.
“At one time, I was too afraid to think of holding this staff. I abandoned my beloved, and that memory pierced my heart like a painful needle, so I tried to forget it and live on… Yet, it has finally come back to me through my own hands.”
With that, the middle-aged man showed a somewhat relieved smile.
The end was slowly approaching. Those on the brink of death gradually discovered themselves drifting away from their pain.
They were becoming free from their flesh.
Having seen this sight more than once, I closed my eyes tightly and swallowed my grief.
“Now I can finally say what I truly want to say to you… No, in fact, it’s something I wanted to say a long time ago.”
The Archmage’s hand slipped away as he released his legacy.
“Live your life, Elsi… as a Rainelle.”
“……Yes.”
Gripping the dark staff tightly, Senior Elsi nodded her head with all her strength, tears streaming down her face.
It was then that Mr. Rainelle’s gaze met mine.
“……Nephew.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
With my changed title, a deep smile appeared at the corners of Mr. Reynolds’ mouth.
He looked as if he couldn’t be stopped.
“Can I leave Elsi in your care?”
“That’s not a request.”
I barely squeezed out my fading voice and replied that way. The determination in my eyes flared up.
“It is something I am meant to do. So, you can make a different final request.”
Laughter mixed with blood burst forth.
Though it was just a soft sound, I felt saved by that much.
Mr. Reynolds would be able to leave with a lighter heart.
“Well then, I will indulge in my desires…”
Taking a breath, the Archmage spoke in a low voice.
“There will come a moment when you want to run away someday. Everyone feels that way. Sometimes, you won’t understand why you have to do this, why you have to stick to this path when there is an easier one… However.”
One by one, his parting words settled upon my heart.
“Do not run away.”
One.
“Do not act cowardly.”
Another one.
“One by one, if you give up like that, you will no longer be able to choose any path.”
I embedded the stacked wishes into my heart like a stone tower. And finally, Mr. Reynolds wore a serene expression, leaving no trace of regret.
“Take care of her.”
His fading breath.
Senior Elsi finally couldn’t hold back and burst into tears. Liya stood silently behind me without a word, and I quietly engraved the Archmage’s end into my vision.
“Elsi, and this world…”
That was the final breath.
The Archmage’s soul was freed like that.
The fate of Rainelle was left to be defined by Rainelle.
In our silence, a great mage concluded his life.
*
There was little time for sorrow.
I hurriedly gathered my gear and gazed at Senior Elsi, who sat in shock as if nailed to the spot. She was a mage I had admired my whole life, and it seemed she was struggling to accept the death of her kin.
Liya cautiously asked me.
“…Are you alright?”
“Leave her be.”
But I didn’t have a proper plan either.
Senior Elsi’s pain was something no one could understand.
She had to endure it and accept it herself, overcoming it.
Just as I began to step forward to wake Selin, a strange sound emerged from a pile of stones.
My instinct sensing something was wrong led my eyes to the source. And just after that.
Boom! An explosion erupted, scattering rocks in every direction.
I stared blankly at the explosion’s center.
Hair as dark as night danced in the air. In the blood-soaked golden eyes, a malice beyond mere life flickered. The dreadful sound of crunching bones echoed as they ground against each other.
Is she alive?
An overwhelming emotion surged up into my throat. How could this be happening?
Mr. Reynolds had sacrificed his life. Having won that victory by a narrow margin. Yet the thread of evil was so long and resilient that the girl rose up again unscathed.
Of course, she was not in good shape.
Her dark priest’s robe was tattered and in shambles. Her skin was stained with blood and dust, and her burnt right foot and legs grotesquely exposed muscles and veins.
It was playing out in real-time.
I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on my sword. My magic was depleted, so I couldn’t use my aura, but I still had a secret weapon left.
Blood-Runes.
Would it deal a significant blow if I used it?
Just as I hesitated in that moment.
“…Wait!”
The girl, who seemed poised to kill us at any moment, suddenly softened.
Just as my gaze shifted in confusion.
The girl averted her eyes slightly, speaking in a shy voice.
“I, I surrender…”
It was a truly unexpected turn of events.
