It's been a week since I left.
A week of isolation.
A week of running from everyone who cared about me.
Not that hiding truly mattered.
Satre could glimpse fragments of the future.
Yura's senses rivaled wild beasts.
And Shina's detection magic was absurdly precise.
Eventually, they would've found me.
I just…
didn't think they'd find me like this.
The cold wind swept across the island as I stared silently at the shallow grave before me.
Yura.
Gone.
The earth still looked fresh where I buried her beneath the silver trees overlooking the sea. Her staff rested with her, exactly where I placed it. The same staff she spun effortlessly during training. The same staff she used to poke my forehead whenever I said something stupid.
Now buried beneath stone and dirt.
My chest tightened violently.
Each member of my party possessed frightening talent.
Satre had already surpassed her grandfather in swordsmanship despite his status as a legendary hero-class fighter. I'd fought the old man once before and barely survived the experience. Speed-wise, I could compete. Skill-wise, maybe.
But experience?
Battle instinct?
I got dismantled.
And somehow, Satre was already beyond even him.
Yura's staff techniques were monstrous in their own way. Every movement she made carried precision. No wasted energy. No hesitation. Fighting beside her always felt safe because she never lost control of a battlefield.
And Shina…
Shina was terrifyingly gifted.
Her elemental mastery alone made nobles obsess over her potential.
All three of them were extraordinary.
Which made this feel impossible.
I clenched my fists harder.
Whoever did this…
Whatever monster touched Yura…
I would erase them.
The whispers returned again.
"Oh…"
"It's finally beginning."
"Haha… look at him."
"The Destruction Goddess's child is waking up."
"SHUT UP!"
BOOOOOOOOM.
My magic exploded outward uncontrollably.
The island shook violently.
Trees uprooted instantly.
Mountains cracked.
The sea churned beneath black-violet waves of mana spiraling around my body.
I breathed heavily, forcing myself to calm down before I destroyed the entire island accidentally.
Slowly…
carefully…
I placed flowers over Yura's grave.
"…I'm sorry," I whispered quietly.
"I should've protected you."
A low growl rumbled nearby.
Sangui emerged from the shadows silently.
Unlike usual, even the ancient beast looked uneasy.
"…Cerberus," I muttered coldly.
The old hound lowered his head slightly.
"Find them."
He disappeared instantly.
"Kyoko."
A deafening dragon roar split the heavens.
Massive purple wings blotted out the sky as Kyoko descended from the clouds. Her draconic aura alone forced nearby monsters to flee in terror.
Not because she was the mother of dragons.
No.
Because Kyoko stood directly beneath only one existence among dragonkind.
Lyuis.
Second only to the Dragon Goddess herself.
And right now…
Kyoko looked furious.
I climbed onto her back silently.
"Where?" I asked through telepathy.
Sangui's response came slowly.
"My lord…"
"…this is not something you should see."
My eyes narrowed instantly.
"I said I would kill them."
The air temperature dropped sharply.
"Do you intend to make a liar out of me?"
Silence followed.
Then coordinates flooded into my mind.
Kyoko launched forward instantly.
The world blurred.
Shadows swallowed me whole as I teleported ahead of her, arriving beside Sangui moments later.
And then…
I saw her.
"…Satre?"
My voice cracked.
The strongest girl I knew lay collapsed against a shattered tree.
Blood soaked her clothes.
Her sacred sword Gurter…
broken.
Actually broken.
That alone made my stomach twist violently.
One of her arms bent unnaturally.
Bruises covered her body.
Cuts lined her skin.
But what terrified me most…
was her expression.
Fear.
Satre was afraid.
I rushed toward her immediately.
"Satre!"
Her pink eyes slowly opened.
"…Shi…ro…"
Relief appeared on her face the moment she saw me.
Then tears followed.
"I'm… sorry…"
"No."
The word escaped me instantly.
"No. Don't apologize."
Golden light erupted from my hands.
"Supreme Light Magic: Goddess Healing."
Radiant magic flooded into her body, illuminating the forest brilliantly.
Broken bones slowly repaired themselves.
Cuts closed.
Bruises faded.
But the trembling in her body remained.
Because whatever happened here…
went beyond physical wounds.
"…Who did this?" I asked quietly.
Satre's lips trembled weakly.
"…purple…"
My stomach dropped.
"…eyes…"
The whispers immediately returned.
"Haha…"
"He understands."
"It was inevitable."
"The beginning of destruction."
I grabbed my head violently.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Magic detonated outward again.
The ground split apart beneath my feet.
Entire sections of forest collapsed from the pressure leaking off my body.
Satre weakly grabbed my sleeve.
"…don't…"
Even now…
she was trying to stop me from losing control.
I swallowed hard.
"…what happened?"
Her breathing shook unevenly.
"…someone pretending… to be you…"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the wind stopped moving.
"…what?"
Satre's trembling fingers tightened weakly against my sleeve.
"He had your magic…"
"…your eyes…"
"…your darkness…"
Every word felt like a blade twisting deeper into my chest.
Someone wearing my face.
Someone using my power.
Or worse—
someone connected to me.
The whispers laughed louder now.
"The chosen dependent."
"The child of destruction."
"The future calamity."
I slowly stood.
My aura no longer resembled ordinary magic.
The once-light violet energy surrounding me had become abyssal.
Cold.
Violent.
Hungry.
Kyoko landed behind me heavily, her glowing dragon eyes narrowed with murderous intent.
Even Sangui looked disturbed.
"My lord…" he muttered carefully.
But I barely heard him.
My eyes remained fixed ahead.
Someone murdered Yura.
Someone broke Satre.
And somewhere out there…
something wearing my face was waiting for me.
I gently lifted Satre into my arms.
"…I'll fix this," I whispered softly.
But my voice no longer sounded human.
It sounded like something ancient trying to imitate one.
Above us, storm clouds spiraled unnaturally across the sky.
And somewhere in the darkness beyond the forest…
something laughed back.