Chapter 544

544.

In the farthest reaches of her memories, the sky had always been ashy gray.

And darker, more gloomy than that was the surrounding environment.

Bihar’s surroundings were always accompanied by d*ath.

She clung desperately to life, day by day.

But the longer she clung to life, the more she couldn’t shake the feeling of sinking deeper into a dark mire.

And then, one day, in that deep and dark world, a man with hair and eyes the same color as the sky and a beautiful woman with deep, dark hair and eyes appeared before Bihar.

The man, Kyle, looked down at Bihar, who sat frozen in place, and said,

“In some way, surviving like this is similar to me.”

At this, Lissinas sighed softly and knelt before Bihar.

“What would you like to do from now on?”

“I wish no more people like me would appear.”

Though Bihar knew little of the outside world, she was aware that what she had been doing was wrong.

In order to survive, one had to trample on those trying to survive together.

In order to survive, one had to k*ll with their own hands those who had laughed together.

There was nothing but the act of ending one’s own life to offer kindness and warmth to others.

‘That’s definitely wrong.’

“I can’t tolerate those who do such deeds.”

Bihar calmly expressed her resolve.

Looking at such a resolute Bihar, Lissinas’s eyes wavered. This girl, who had grown up in a terrible environment, revealed her hatred for the things that had shaped her.

But even more than that, she hoped for a world where no more victims like herself would emerge.

Seeing this selfless girl, still so young, Lissinas instinctively realized,

‘This child will walk the path of darkness.’

She was much like a black dragon.

Black dragons, generation after generation, took it upon themselves to protect the world while living in the shadows.

If the world had been different, Lissinas, too, might have led such a life.

‘The mission of the black dragon passed down through generations. But at this moment, someone else is taking on that task.’

Sshh—

Turning her head, Lissinas saw Kyle extending a hand towards Bihar.

Bihar took it.

Kyle helped Bihar up and then walked away without a word.

As Bihar was about to follow, Lissinas spoke up.

“Kid.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t spend your entire life in the darkness.”

With a worried tone, Lissinas gently pushed the young Bihar’s back.

Bihar looked on dumbfounded at Lissinas walking alongside her. That was the first light Bihar had ever seen.

“Who are you?”

“My disciple.”

“But you’re the master, right?”

An elf girl named Berkiya, who somehow had a rebellious streak against Kyle, stood before Bihar after the introductions and said with gravity,

“I’m your senior. Take good care of me from now on.”

“Hmm.”

“Since I’m thirsty, go fetch me some water.”

Berkiya gave orders as if it were the most natural thing in the world until she got a hard smack from Kyle.

Seeing that, Bihar couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Berkiya wasn’t unpleasant to Bihar.

She was fundamentally different.

It wasn’t just because they were from different races.

The eyes of those born in the Era of Catastrophe all carried a shadow of darkness.

Even the legendary hero Aron wasn’t exempt.

But there was no such darkness in Berkiya.

‘She’s almost like Master Lissinas.’

Someone who instilled a sense of relief.

A person bright like light.

A beautiful being so radiant it didn’t evoke jealousy.

That was Bihar’s first impression of Berkiya.

‘Our paths may differ, but perhaps one day… just as Master Lissinas supports my teacher, I may come to support this child.’

Someday, when the time comes for them to take the place of the Great Heroes…

Bihar vowed to do just that.

And so, Bihar became Kyle’s disciple.

Days of training with Berkiya followed.

When Bihar had grown somewhat, she began missions with Kyle to punish traitors.

She had no complaints about this; rather, it was something she desired more than anything.

A necessary but not-for-just-anyone task.

‘This is a messy job.’

While contemplating this, someone placed a cup in front of her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Lifting her head, Bihar looked at the person sitting before her.

“What were you so deeply thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

“Shall I guess?”

Lissinas, taking a sip from the mug in her hand, asked,

“Are you thinking that the work you’re doing is dirty?”

“…”

Bihar’s shoulders tensed as Lissinas, who seemed to see right through her, stared.

Bihar’s stay was at Lissinas’ home. When Lissinas took Bihar under her wing in Guardstron for the first time, the busy days of being the Lord didn’t allow for many meetings like this. Still, they occasionally shared conversations like this.

“What you are doing is not a dirty job.”

Lissinas said this as she took a sip of tea.

“Of course, since the work involves punishing traitors in the darkness, means and methods may not be taken into account.”

Traitors, even worse than demons, are notoriously cruel towards the hunters who come to judge them.

Hunters, tasked with such responsibility, become increasingly ruthless, with no choice but to employ extreme measures for these kinds of people. They must inspire absolute terror among traitors.

Lissinas knows this better than anyone else.

If it weren’t this era, she herself would be the one performing these duties.

Bihar knows this fact too.

But…

“It doesn’t suit you at all.”

The Lissinas Bihar sees is dazzlingly bright.

She can hardly fathom Lissinas carrying out the same work as herself, staining her hands with bl**d while hunting traitors.

“Perhaps now I understand why my teacher took Lissinas’ place.”

As Bihar sipped on her tea, reflecting on this, Lissinas said,

“But Bihar, what you do is indeed for the world. I hope you realize that for yourself.”

“Do you think I should be proud of what I do, Master Lissinas?”

“Of course.”

Lissinas smiled gently at this, and Bihar was a little surprised at her decisive answer.

“I think someone who can sacrifice their own self to the darkness for the good of the world is exceptionally noble.”

Bihar had spent a significant amount of time with Lissinas, almost as much as with Kyle.

As if trying to heal Bihar’s darkness, Lissinas took care of her even amidst her busy schedule.

And so, time passed.

The Great Heroes prepared for their final expedition.

“One day, I might not return. So…”

One morning, Kyle, visiting Lissinas’ house, said.

Bihar’s eyes widened.

Lissinas frowned.

“What nonsense.”

“I think we must be prepared for such a possibility.”

“We will all return.”

As Lissinas chuckled, Kyle remained silent. He merely placed the dishes he’d prepared onto the table.

“Does Lissinas cook?”

“Sometimes.”

“Must’ve been tough on you those times.”

As Kyle teased her sincerely, Lissinas’ hands trembled.

Seeing this, Bihar couldn’t help but laugh.

“Can you make it again? It brings back memories.”

“You ask for this when you want to punish yourself. But I don’t think you’ve done anything so terrible.”

“d*e!”

Lissinas swung the kn*fe she was holding.

Of course, Kyle dodged it without batting an eye.

Normally, meals are Bihar’s duty. But on occasions when Bihar seemed weary, Lissinas always did her best to cook for her.

Not the most delicious, but certainly it was uplifting.

Watching the bickering pair of Kyle and Lissinas, Bihar couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“In a way, you two feel like a family.”

Upon hearing that, Lissinas hesitated for a moment before smiling softly.

Bihar had never said such a thing before.

And so, when those two went on their final expedition and never returned, they had saved the world.

—

After the world was saved.

Bihar found herself in hectic days.

The first thing she did was tear up Kyle’s records in the Hero Record where he was listed as a Shadow Operative.

Bihar was proud of her mentor who fought in the shadows and dirtied his hands.

But deep down, she knew something else as well.

‘This world will never accept him completely.’

Kyle would probably not mind.

But Bihar didn’t like it.

That’s why she tore up the records and kept them separately.

Afterward, Bihar lived in the darkness.

As predicted, Berkiya took on the role of Lissinas.

The brighter Berkiya shone in guiding the world, the deeper and longer the shadow loomed.

This shadow was Bihar’s world now.

She had never once felt ashamed of her work.

Yet, she never revealed herself either.

As the days passed, she grew increasingly weary.

And then one day, Bihar saw children in a situation just like her past.

Much like how Kyle and Lissinas had extended their hands to her in the past, Bihar reached out to these children.

This was the light Bihar found in the darkness.

Bihar took in many children.

And those children brought a sense of ordinariness to her life that she had once thought would never be possible.

She found love, bore children.

And after a long time, when peace finally came into her life, she heard a story about Berkiya.

—

“Mother!”

Seeing Bihar return covered in bl**d, her son’s face turned pale.

Looking at his concerned son, Bihar said,

“Shan.”

“Mother, please, let me treat your wounds…”

“Don’t blame her.”

“…”

Bihar smiled faintly as she spoke, making Shan tremble.

“Anyway, the illness had already shortened my life. So don’t blame her.”

“Mother…”

“She’s like a sister to me, sharing the same father.”

Shan knows.

He knows how his mother has worked tirelessly from the shadows all her life to support Berkiya.

“Lissinas told me, that being a shadow is an honorable position. So, even if others don’t acknowledge it, it’s fine. If you will walk this path, understand that being unrecognized isn’t a misfortune.”

Bihar smiled.

“I wish you could live like my teacher, who has always devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the world, even though I have told you otherwise.”

“Understood… Mother.”

“Good, my son. Please take care of my siblings.”

“Understood…”

Watching his son accept his imminent d*ath so resolutely, Bihar smiled radiantly.

It was a smile reminiscent of Lissinas, who had once been her light.

She had no regrets in life.

The only thing that troubled her was her inability to stop Berkiya.

—

“I couldn’t have guessed that my final words would torment you for thousands of years.”

Chen Sia, who had witnessed the past, remained silent.

It was a long tale, yet in reality, it all happened in a fleeting moment.

In that moment, Chen Sia saw Bihar’s past through her spirit.

Bihar saw Chen Sia’s past as well, and learned how her descendants had lived.

She realized how her final words had become a burden tormenting her descendants for thousands of years.

How countless shadows had despised themselves because of it.

“Are you resentful of me, Chen Sia?”

“Yes, I was deeply resentful.”

Since she was young, Chen Sia had dreamed of being a hero but was bound by the duty of a shadow.

She had once resented the ancestor who had condemned her entire lineage to live only in the darkness.

But…

“Bihar, are you ashamed of us?”

“No, I’m proud, immensely so.”

Despite enduring hardships, Bihar’s descendants never abandoned their mission.

How could she not be proud of her descendants who had faithfully upheld her will for such a long time?

At Bihar’s words, Chen Sia smiled.

Bihar had undoubtedly confined her descendants to the darkness, though perhaps unintentionally.

Countless people had suffered from it.

Yet, one thing was certain.

‘I resented Bihar, but I was equally proud of her.’

No one acknowledged them.

For centuries, the Shan Empire had faced ridicule.

They were discriminated against because their names could not appear in the Hero Record, despite dedicating themselves to the world.

Still, they silently followed their path for so many long years because they were proud of Bihar, who had devoted their life to the world.

‘All our ancestors must have felt the same. Because they were proud of Bihar, they endured their resentment and stayed the course for thousands of years through the darkness.’

Chen Sia said.

‘So, Bihar, you are truly worthy of being called our ancestor.’

Bihar had no reply.

“Thank you for saying all this.”

She could only express gratitude with a trembling voice to Chen Sia who tried to comfort her.

‘It’s strange. I lack the talent to be a spirit mage, yet I can talk to my ancestor like this.’

“It was my teacher’s spirit magic that awakened me, but the contract was completed by your spiritual power.”

At Bihar’s words, Chen Sia said,

“Then, would it be possible for you to possess my body?”

Chen Sia glanced at Leo.

“I need power.”

“Yes. In fact, it was what I wanted to request.”

—

“Bihar, you…”

“The story can wait.”

Bihar smiled faintly.

“I’ll hold Berkiya back from now on.”

Gripping her dagger firmly, Bihar continued,

“Teacher, please deal with that elf.”

“Understood.”

Leo walked towards Urein.

Leaving that scene behind, Bihar stood in front of Berkiya, who was gripping her head tightly.

“Berkiya.”

“Aaargh…!”

Clutching her head, Berkiya violently shook it.

As she watched Berkiya, Bihar said,

“I don’t blame you. But if you collapse like this…”

“AAAAAAAHHHH!”

The sword Berkiya wielded swept past Bihar.

Berkiya’s gaze darted behind her.

Though she moved at an invisible speed, the madness-driven eyes of Berkiya swiftly chased Bihar.

Thud.

Confusion appeared in the momentarily insane Berkia’s eyes.

Somehow, Bihar had become two.

Thud. Thud.

Two became four.

Four became eight.

Soon, countless versions of Bihar stood before Berkiya.

“We were like sisters. So we fought a lot, remember?”

There was something neither of them had ever been willing to back down on.

Bihar said matter-of-factly,

“5000 years ago, I closed my eyes first because of my illness, so we couldn’t settle it back then.”

Bihar’s gaze sharpened.

“Let’s settle it now.”