"Just answer me."
She suddenly began to respect me… for no reason.
Well...
Okay, yes — vampires are currently the second strongest demons, so yeah, it's not somewhere a regular human can just walk into…
"I actually know someone who can heal even the most inferior of creatures.
She's the Elven Princess.
But the thing is, I can only take you to the kingdom.
I'm one of the rebels.
The kingdom is at war.
And nobility? Just free-spending, embracing joy and laughter."
"Good.
Then Jian and I will help you get the kingdom itself.
All I ask is that you cooperate with my one and only reason for being here."
"Deal.
Tomorrow, someone from our group will contact you inside the kingdom.
You'll be taken care of."
"Okay! I'm gonna leave my friend with you for now. Let's teleport him to the mountains."
"Wait, what? You can teleport?"
"Nah, I'll swap us this time."
I swapped her and Vex.
She told him to stay put until she returned.
Then I teleported back with her.
And that's when I saw the kingdom — from afar.
It looked... breathtaking.
Built with artistic flair, yet with a city vibe that glowed, even at midnight.
It was like the place refused to sleep.
She pulled out a spellcaster stone.
It's a rare stone used as a medium for magic gunshots.
The mechanism behind it is fascinating.
And the way she used it...
She activated it with her voice.
---
The stones—
They're not ordinary.
They're high-frequency stones.
Each with a signal of its own.
A signal that captures voice and sends it to another paired stone.
Now, casting aside the how, because honestly... that's irrelevant—
We already know how signals work thanks to original Earth, right?
So the real question is:
How do they send signals to one specific stone
—when every stone is constantly sending and receiving?
There's a key.
Not your typical fancy encryption code.
But a code by scribing.
Every signal is bound to a specific inscription.
Same inscription, same signal.
It's that simple... and that complicated.
I'm guessing the codes are spells, too.
Which makes this even more interesting.
This world—
It's full of things I know nothing about.
It almost feels like a dream.
I won't lie, I'm overwhelmed.
But I always hold it in.
Because why wouldn't I?
I have no one to talk to.
And I don't want them to listen anyway.
So I'll say this loud and clear—
I'm only here to help Vex...
To use him.
Just like how I used Junpei.
Junpei is out there doing all the dirty work I should be doing.
Even if it means killing citizens.
He doesn't flinch.
He just jumps right in.
But now?
Now I've got Vex.
The Pyro Ignis Kingdom will be cooked if I train him right.
A well-trained dog, ready to burn kingdoms down.
Now then...
Belle.
What should I do with her?
She's a rebel.
And I'm only here to get to the princess...
But I guess—
I might have to lead this elven rebellion to the next level.
"Listen Belle, tell me about the kingdom and the rebellion."
She looked at me, cautious.
Like she was trying to read my mind.
Belle:
"Okay… but is it going to help you?"
She sounds intimidated.
"Yes, it's going to help me."
But why is she playing it so normal?
She doesn't feel normal at all.
I can feel it—
Her power.
It's not what you'd expect from an elf.
Half her body radiates Light Elven mana.
The other half... is something darker.
Dark Demon mana.
That's nearly impossible.
Belle:
"Listen well.
Long, long ago... there was a war between the Dark and White Elves.
The Dark Elves had the ability to manipulate flesh magic—"
---
Belle continued, her voice low but steady.
"As the opposite—
The White Elves used Soul Magic.
They could attack... and heal...
Right into the soul itself.
Unlike the Dark Elves, who wielded flesh magic—
the kind that reshapes bodies, twists reality, controls what's physical—
White Elves worked with what's unseen.
Spiritual. Divine."
She paused, looking off into the night.
"There's something else you need to understand.
The Dark Elves were considered demons...
And the White Elves?
Celestial creatures, believed to be blessed by the gods themselves."
I stayed quiet.
"In terms of strength..."
She exhaled. "It depends on the weather."
I blinked. "What?"
She nodded.
"Elves—whether light or dark—draw strength from nature.
The sky, the air, the moon, the stars.
When the night favors the dark, they rise.
When the heavens glow with purity, the light triumphs.
But for centuries, both kinds of elves lived in the same kingdom.
Side by side.
There was only one rule."
She looked me in the eye.
"One forbidden rule:
There could never be contact between the two kinds."
I felt something stir in my chest.
"That rule was made 4000 years ago."
No way.
4000 years ago.
The same year the elves put me in this position.
The same timeline that Sayaka's dark side awoke.
That's when it began.
That was the core beginning of it all.
I let Belle keep talking. I had to hear this.
---
"The leaders of both sides—
They broke the rule.
A White Elven prince…
and the Dark Elven queen.
They met.
They hid.
And they... slept together.
Over and over.
Even though it was forbidden, they continued.
Until they were caught."
She clenched her fists.
"The kingdoms agreed.
They would both be executed.
But the Dark Elven queen?
No one could lay a hand on her.
The prince, however—
He was put to death."
"But," she added with bitterness,
"That was just for show."
I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"The White Elves planned it all.
From the beginning.
They manipulated the queen.
Got her attached to the prince.
Made her fall for him."
"But why?" I asked.
"Because they feared her family.
Feared she would cause a catastrophe.
So they manipulated their own prince into seducing her.
They used prophecy. Fear. Lies.
And when the queen got pregnant...
It was the last straw."
My hands trembled slightly.
Belle's voice grew softer. Darker.
"They planned to kill her.
And the worst part?
Her own family—her parents—
Did it."
"They approached her like normal.
Smiled. Ate dinner with her.
Put a sleeping poison in her drink."
"When she started to fade... she begged.
She cried out.
Said she could see strange things—
like she was being reincarnated while dying."
Belle's voice cracked.
"She died crying.
Crying to the people who were supposed to protect her."
I was silent.
---
"It wasn't long after that...
The war began.
The Dark Elves were ambushed in their sleep.
The White Elves launched their Soul-Piercing Light Arrows—
Slaughtering them in waves."
"That's when the Dark Elves fled.
To the demon lands.
They nurtured their hatred.
They cultivated Demonic Mana.
And the more they killed...
The more they devoured...
The stronger they became."
"They returned.
This time, it was the White Elves who fell.
They were shattered.
Their cities broken.
Forced to fight just to survive."
"That's... their story."
---
My heart was still racing.
She just told me something that happened 4000 years ago.
Even if elves live longer than humans...
Memories fade.
Truths get buried.
And history always rewrites itself.
"Can I ask you something?"
Belle blinked. "Yeah, sure."
"What was the name of the Dark Elven queen? The one who was betrayed?"
Belle hesitated. Then answered:
"Her name was Sabrina.
The Dark Elves' Witch Queen."
Sabrina...
The same day I awoke...
That name came to me.
That guilt.
That memory.
Everything—
It all started with her.
---