"Resolve?"
Upon hearing this word, Noel couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly.
He fixed his gaze on the eye above the gate and asked softly, "What does that mean?"
"Destruction is always easier than creation, Lord of Light," the Guardian replied in a deep voice.
"And to reverse the process of destruction is an even harder task. In this world, to obtain something or achieve a goal, one must pay a price equal to it. If you wish to restore this world that is on the verge of collapse, you must pay an even greater price than the Lord of Darkness."
"I see. You mean... the resolve to sacrifice?" Noel said.
"Yes. Do you possess enough resolve, Lord of Light?" the Guardian asked again for confirmation.
"I want to know—what must I give up to restore this world?" Noel inquired.
"To possess the 'core' of the world is to possess the foundation and possibility to repair it. However, it needs sufficient power to support it, and also a replacement for the laws that have been destroyed. The former is manageable, but the latter... cannot be resolved through ordinary means. In this world, there is currently only one thing that can compensate for the loss of law."
"What is it?"
"A divinity."
The unexpected answer stunned Noel. "…You mean, the divinity? The one inside me?"
"Yes. In this world, only within a divinity lies the laws capable of restoring the order of the world. And that is precisely why beings known as gods stand above all other lifeforms."
"Divinity… is the source that sustains my life," Noel murmured, dazed.
"If I lose it, my very existence would collapse. So, you're saying… I must give up my own life?"
"Lord of Light, it seems you've forgotten something," the Guardian suddenly said.
"?"
"You are not the only one who possesses a divinity," the Guardian said meaningfully.
Noel froze for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly lowered her gaze to the girl in her arms—Lia.
In a daze, he whispered, "You mean… Lia?"
"Yes. It was the Lord of Darkness who plunged this world into its current chaos. Isn't it only fair that she pays the price for it, Lord of Light? Besides, the Lord of Darkness is your enemy. Once a divinity is used, its original owner is erased from existence at a conceptual level. In other words, the world will correct itself as though that person had never existed at all. The Lord of Darkness will be erased from the memories of everyone—except you. Wouldn't that be a kind of release for you as well?" the Guardian said.
Noel remained silent, seemingly caught in an inner struggle.
"Niisama…" At that moment, Lia slowly opened her eyes in Noel's arms, a bitter smile appearing on her face.
"I lost, didn't I, Nord-niisama?"
"Lia?" Noel looked down at the girl in his arms.
At this moment, Lia had completely exhausted her strength.
The sharp, intimidating aura she once carried was gone, replaced by weakness and pallor.
"…There's no need to hesitate. Since I've lost, paying the price is only natural," Lia said softly.
"You need my divinity, right? If I were to die by Nord-niisama's hand, maybe… that would be the best ending for me."
"Make your decision quickly, Lord of Light, before the world collapses completely," the Guardian urged.
Noel pressed his lips together lightly, a look of deep conflict on his face.
His gaze shifted between the Guardian and Lia's face.
His hands clenched tightly, trembling.
After a long silence, Noel suddenly let out a faint, peaceful smile.
Slowly, he released his clenched fists and whispered, almost to himself, "I... really am a fool, aren't I? The answer was always there, all along."
Gently, he laid Lia down, then extended his hand.
"Binding of Light."
A golden light enveloped Lia's body.
As the light wrapped around her, she felt her strength draining away—as if her entire being was being emptied, leaving her unable to move.
"Nord-niisama…" Lia murmured as she looked up at Noel's faintly smiling face.
"I'm sorry, Lia," Noel said as he loosened his hands a few times, trying to calm himself.
After all, even he couldn't help but feel nervous about what he was about to do.
He spoke to Lia in a tone that sounded almost casual.
"I love this world, Lia. Even though it's so cruel, even though it's so full of sorrow… I still love it. And so, to protect the world I love—I'm willing to pay any price."
Noel looked at the expression of realization on Lia's face and smiled faintly.
"Compared to the entire world, a single life is clearly insignificant. Besides… just as the Guardian said—the one who made the mistake should be the one to atone for it."
Noel extended his hand… and then blood splattered.
Lia's pupils shrank violently.
Powerless to stop it, she could only watch helplessly as Noel's hand plunged into his own eye socket, and he forcibly gouged out his right eye.
"Why…?" Lia asked, her voice trembling.
"Hm? Heh… Did you really think I would use your divinity, Lia?" Noel let out a soft chuckle.
"I told you, didn't I? The one who made the mistake should be the one to pay for it…"
Dark red blood gushed from Noel's right eye and mouth.
He hurriedly raised his hand to cover the bleeding eye.
After a few intense coughs, he continued, "I've been thinking about one thing all this time, Lia… If, back then, I hadn't abandoned you and left you all alone… would things have ended up differently for us?"
Lia opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Crystal-clear tears streamed from her eyes, her sea-blue pupils filled with regret and pain.
"I… I was an unworthy brother," Noel said softly.
"When you became what you are now, I chose to run away instead of facing you. I abandoned you. For you to end up like this, I bear an inescapable responsibility."
He opened the palm that had been clutching his right eye.
The six-pointed star eye had transformed into a hexagonal white crystal.
"But… at least now, it's not too late. Lia, try to accept this world. This is the last thing I can say to you… as your brother."
His consciousness was beginning to fade, and Noel realized he didn't have much time left.
Without hesitation, he placed the divinity together with the crystalized 'Core,' pouring all of his divine power into it.
"And… there's one last thing I need to say."
A gentle smile formed on Noel's lips.
"…I love you, Lia. So more than anyone else, I wish for you to be happy—to live in this world, and live happily."
"Niisama!!!"
Boom—Noel's body shattered into pieces, like weathered stone crumbling into glowing fragments of light.
A faint sound echoed and spread across the world.
One by one, spatial rifts began to vanish, and the chaotic flow of time gradually returned to its original state.
Then, a subtle and unseen change occurred.
As if time itself were rewinding, the world on the verge of collapse was restored—and Noel's existence was erased at its very foundation.
Except for Lia, everyone in the world forgot about Noel.
Every trace, every memory of him was wiped clean, as if he had never existed at all.
And so, the world returned to the way it once was.
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