The name Emberwing hit Scarlett like a thunderclap. The moment Raphael said it, only one name flashed in her mind— Evadne Emberwing.
The same Evadne who looked like an ordinary cute-faced child, yet carried an ultimate skill and even broke the Creator's will.
The same Evadne who was abandoned by his parents with nothing but a small locket that bore his name— Evadne Emberwing. After that, he was raised by kind villagers, protected and guided by the village chief—Semiath. At least… that was the story Evadne himself believed. The story the villagers and Semiath had told him.
Scarlett's thoughts raced. She realised Emberwing was a common surname, just like all primordial demons shared the surname Ragelia.
"But Evadne is a demon… right? I've never even heard of archangels having children…" she thought, her eyes narrowing. Her instincts made her glance at Semiath.
To her surprise, Semiath was already staring back at her, his expression calm but expectant, as if he knew exactly what Scarlett was about to ask.
Scarlett's face hardened, her voice carrying a sharp edge. "Care to explain this Emberwing thing to me? I've already said I don't need blind loyalty… but don't you ever think of betraying me." The faint anger in her voice made the room fall silent.
The others exchanged confused looks, their eyes flicking back and forth between Scarlett and Semiath, unable to understand what had just unfolded.
But then Xao's eyes widened. The pieces clicked together in her mind. She leaned closer to Reiza, standing on her toes to reach her ear, and whispered hurriedly. Reiza's expression instantly stiffened, her eyes widening in shock, though she stayed quiet.
Seiira, Lunatic, and the rest still looked lost, frowning in puzzlement.
Scarlett's gaze was sharp, her purple blindfold glowing faintly in the room's light. But instead of flinching or looking guilty, Semiath chuckled softly, his voice casual, almost amused.
"No need to be so serious, my lady. This isn't betrayal. I just… never thought it would turn out to be so important."
He folded his arms and began to speak slowly, his words carrying the weight of old memories.
"Around ten years ago, our village was nothing more than a simple place of hobgoblins. A quiet, peaceful life. But one day… a man appeared. Not just any man." Semiath's eyes grew distant, recalling the sight.
"He had silver-white hair, a proud moustache, and a face so handsome and sharp that even in his condition… he seemed more like a god than a man. But half his body—gone." Semiath raised his hand and clenched his fist as if to recreate the image. "One arm, one leg, even half his face and chest were missing. And instead of blood, something else was pouring out of him… a strange red liquid that shimmered like fire and chaos mixed together."
He let out a shaky laugh. "I was terrified. Truly. Seeing a man still standing, speaking, even as his body was half gone… I nearly fainted on the spot."
"But he didn't attack. Didn't even raise his hand against us. Instead, he stretched out his only remaining hand to me. In it… he held a large egg. It glowed faintly, filled with cosmic energy swirling inside like a miniature universe."
Semiath's voice grew heavy. "He handed it to me and said… "Evadne, His name will be evande emberwing....Take care of him when he comes out. In exchange, your village will be under my protection. And when the time comes, I will send a chosen one to raise this village to heights you cannot imagine."
Semiath paused there, his gaze sharp as he looked directly at Scarlett. His lips curved into a tired smile.
"And tell me, my lady… what do you think? Who do you suppose that man was?"
The answer already burned in her mind, but before she could say it out loud, Raphael suddenly rose from the bed.
"Avalokishva Ragelia!" Raphael's voice carried a tremble of shock. It wasn't a scream, but it was loud enough to shake the room. Even though her eyes were bound in cloth, she seemed to be staring directly at them. "So… the Chaos Egg is with you? What's its condition? Did something happen to it? Tell me—quickly!"
The once calm and quiet Raphael suddenly flooded them with questions, her tone desperate, her body leaning forward as if every second mattered.
Scarlett clenched her teeth, rubbing her forehead. "So many things happening… in such little time. Isn't this way too much of a coincidence?" Her thoughts were a tangled mess. "And the chosen one… how the hell did he already know I was going to come to him? Is he a prophet?"
She let out a tired sigh and waved her hand, her purple blindfold glinting faintly. "You should sit down and explain everything from the start. Clearly, none of us are as unrelated to this matter as we thought."
Raphael slowly nodded and lowered herself back onto the bed. Her hands rested on her lap, her expression serious. "I can only explain vaguely. This matter is of the highest level. If I explain in too much detail… they'll know we're talking about them. And worse, the conversation itself may curse you or bring corruption that could make you suffer a fate worse than death."
"What?" Lunatic blinked, then gave a dry laugh. "Since when do archangels hand out curses and corruption?" But when she saw everyone else's serious faces, her smirk faded and she went quiet.
Raphael's face darkened. "Not archangels. But they are not alone in this. The one who dreams… is with them." Her voice shook slightly, but she didn't push further into that name.
She cleared her throat, forcing herself to continue. "Anafabula. She fought against Father… and perished. After that day, Father fell silent. No more guidance. No more response. The other archangels believed that Father too had died… and that the world was left to us and the other true dragons. But ruling such a vast creation wasn't easy. To overcome this, we decided to merge. To create a single being—an Archangel of Salvation."
Her words grew heavy, her voice soft yet clear. "To match Father's power, we needed something more. So… we created a being from both primordial demon and archangel —a Nephilim. To house that power, we placed it inside the Chaos Egg. The plan was simple: once the time was right, all archangels would merge into the body and become a supreme existence… one that could rival even the true dragons."
Raphael's expression soured, her voice trembling with both regret and bitterness. "But to our shock… Avalokishva attacked. He stole the Chaos Egg. Instead of destroying it, he protected it. That egg suppressed his strength—because it couldn't be stored or even carried easily—and that gave us the upper hand. We almost killed him. Almost. But he escaped."
The room tensed. Everyone's bodies stiffened at the implications in her words. Scarlett's lips pressed into a thin line. "So by her own account, she's our enemy." The same thought spread through everyone present.
Scarlett's voice was sharp, her tone defensive. "So what… do you want? To take back the being inside the Chaos Egg?"
But to her surprise, Raphael shook her head firmly. "No. That was never my wish. I cooperated with them only because I thought Father had perished. Without Him or Anafabula, someone had to stop the World of Darkness from swallowing everything."
She let out a long breath, her blindfold shadowing her face. "But then… after the Chaos Egg was taken, Father stirred. He wasn't gone. He had simply been… sleeping. Resting. He never perished. And if He still lived, then the whole idea of an Archangel of Salvation was meaningless."
For a moment, a faint relief seemed to pass through her words—but it quickly vanished, replaced by unease. "But I discovered the truth too late. The other archangels didn't care. They had already decided. They want to rule the world themselves. They want to kill Father. They still seek the Archangel of Salvation."
"I tried to convince them. Begged them to ask forgiveness. To stop. But they refused. They said it was already too late. They wanted my body as well, to add to their power. I resisted with everything I had, but… I barely escaped. And I ended up here." Raphael's voice cracked slightly at the end, and she finally exhaled as though releasing a weight that had crushed her chest.
Silence filled the room. Everyone's thoughts sank deep, weighing the meaning of her words.
Finally, Scarlett leaned forward, breaking the silence. "So… what about your father? Did He do anything about all this betrayal?" Her tone was casual, almost mocking, but her gaze were sharp, searching for the truth.
Raphael froze. For a few long seconds, she didn't answer. Then she finally whispered, "… Nothing."
Scarlett's lips twitched twice, her mind filling with disbelief. "What a lazy Creator…" she muttered inwardly, suppressing the urge to laugh and cry at the same time.
"Miss Lilith's master sure is extraordinary," Seiira murmured, her voice soft with awe.
"Right. I thought the old man was just a noisy bark, but he's actually solid," Scarlett said with a small smile. "Fought six archangels with handicap—who does that?"
Raphael looked at her. "Have you met him?"
Scarlett nodded. "Yes." She told a short version of meeting Avion, the first demon king, and arriving at DreadHaven where she'd met Evadne. She kept out the deeper parts of her past—she still didn't trust Raphael enough to tell everything.
Raphael listened, eyes thoughtful. "Not all primordial demons can do that. Most aren't a match for archangel's fingers. Somehow he grew too strong, escaped hell, and even broke the Creator's will. I thought only Anafabula could do that." Her voice held both fear and a strange respect.
Scarlett rolled her eyes under her purple blindfold. "Well, he still ended up old and beaten," she said quietly, not wanting to argue.
No one had more questions. Then Scarlett noticed Osiris again, lying on the other bed. She had almost forgotten him, until she glanced at the notes on the board.
She turned to Raphael. "Can you heal someone? He really needs help."
Raphael smiled, gentle and calm. "Of course. My other name is angel of life."
Scarlett carried Osiris closer and set him in front of Raphael. Raphael's brow rose in surprise. "There was someone else in the room? I didn't sense him. How odd."
Scarlett kept quiet. Raphael didn't press it. She studied Osiris for a moment. "His condition is strange. It's as if his body is forgetting the damage, and the wounds are trying to forget they exist and healing as a result." She frowned, finding the sight puzzling in a way Scarlett couldn't follow exactly.
Scarlett gave a dry laugh and scratched her head. "Yeah, I get it. Strange healing behavior. Got it."
Raphael eased Osiris onto the bed beside her and said softly, "I don't think he needs an instant miracle. He needs time. My power is too a little unstable right now—if I push too hard, I might harm him instead of helping."